For Memorial Day 2013

Please watch (with thanks to my friend Mustang, who emailed me the short video below):



More about The Gratitude Campaign

About Memorial Day

To My Friend On The Loss Of Her Mother

Dearest [name redacted],

My dear friend, I just received your letter with the news of the passing of your mother. You have my deepest sympathies.

As you know, I, too, have been down this road of losing my own mother. I know from my own experience that no words exist to make such a loss easy.

Perhaps, however, I can write a little something to make the pain of the loss less acute....

It has been said that whatever we daughters are, for good or for bad, we owe that to our mothers.

From what I know of your mother and of you, whom I know quite well, your mother was a force for good in your life. She will still be that same good force in your life; I know this because my own mother, gone now for decades, is still a force for good in my life.

What is, at this time, loss on Earth is eternal gain in Heaven.

Love,
[name redacted]

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (shortened list for Memorial Day Weekend):

Obama promotes State Department official who scrubbed Benghazi talking points of references to Al-Qaeda

IRS sued for seizing 60 million medical records

Neurosurgeon's study indicates that high tech gadgets are making people dumber

Non-deportation rate drops — to 99.2 percent [policy relating to childhood arrivals]

A Minor Point — Or Not

Obama and Erdogan, with two Marines in dress uniform, in the Rose Garden during a news conference on May 16, 2013:

Regulation MCO P1020.34F of the Marine Corps Uniform Regulations chapter 3, rules out any use or carrying of an umbrella while a Marine is in uniform.

Please watch the short video below, and note Obama's choice of words:

Syria: More Trouble than It's Worth

by Sam Huntington

We now understand someone in Syria used chemical agents and that lots of people are dead, dying, or suffering serious effects. The question is, who used it?

We don’t know for certain, hence Obama’s disappearing red line in the sand. It is a disappearing red line because when the phrase was first used, it sounded quite authoritative. Subsequent caveats, however, made it sound less so —according to the European press, even a bit squishy. Mr. Obama's most recent determination is, “The international community will have to reach the same conclusion before the United States will act.”

In Praise Of Cockroaches

Let's have a bit of comic relief from all the political storms that we in the conservative blogosphere have been writing about.

Recently, the following letter to the editor appeared in the Washington Post (emphases mine):

Recommended Reading

See Which of the Three Scandals Will Hurt Obama the Most? over at Capitol Commentary.

Your thoughts about the above?

Ah, The Irony!

(hat tip to Mike's America for the graphic below)

Mike's America also has a roundup post accompanying the above graphic.

Break From Politics

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

The Sad Cat Diary is guaranteed to make you smile:

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

IRS Deliberately Chose Not to Fess Up to Scandal Before Election

Report: Energy Dept. spent $11 million per green job

Here’s what kids will read under Common Core

Education department eliminates the terms 'mother' and 'father' in favor of less gender-specific 'parent 1' and 'parent 2'

The Recent Political Storm

(hat tip to Reliapundit of THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS for the graphic below)

How bad is all this?  Will the Obama administration and the Democratic Party as whole suffer any lasting damage?  According to Slate Magazine, clearly not a bastion of conservatism:

Immoral Policies; Disastrous Results

By Sam Huntington

Sarah Chayes at Foreign Policy Magazine did an excellent job exposing the reasons why United States efforts in Afghanistan must fail. It is, simply, that Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the enabling US/Coalition policy is utterly corrupt. Within a nation where the key to defeating Islamic extremism was success in our fight against Afghan corruption, American political and military leaders have managed to lose that key.

Another UN Solution

by Sam Huntington

I wonder why the United Nations believes it has a solution for all of the world’s problems. Honestly, I don’t think they do. I think THEY think they do, but I think they’re wrong.

Child Murderer Convicted

by Sam Huntington

Kermit Gosnell has been convicted of three counts of murder in the first degree, and found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Karnamaya Mongar, along with a number of other charges, which include infanticide, conspiracy, and corruption. Many of the 250-counts were tied to violations of state abortion law the state of Pennsylvania left unchecked for 30 years.

As a consequence of these convictions, Dr. Gosnell could face the death penalty, except that his case will be appealed forever and a day until Gosnell finally expires from old age. He is presently 72-years old.

Let's have a divorce

by Sam Huntington

I think we’ve about had enough of Hamid Karzai, don’t you? Not only are the American people tired of our little jaunt to Afghanistan, the administration is growing weary, and Karzai himself is getting worn out by a foreign presence.

And not only that … one American soldier is just a little fatigued with this whole temperamental Karzai thing. I’m sure it must have something to do with the fact that Karzai is making ten times more each week in CIA payoffs than the soldier is making during an entire 20-year career. Or maybe not; maybe the soldier is tired of Afghan chow.

Break From Politics

From Henri Le Chat Noir's YouTube channel:

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Woman accused of using ambulances for free rides (for seven years and 100 trips)

Gov’t Spending $152,500 for Voice Therapy for Transgenders

Women using so much Botox it's stopped working

On ABC News, May 10, 2013

Read Exclusive: Benghazi Talking Points Underwent 12 Revisions, Scrubbed of Terror Reference (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance).

Brief excerpt:

...White House emails reviewed by ABC News suggest the edits were made with extensive input from the State Department. The edits included requests from the State Department that references to the Al Qaeda-affiliated group Ansar al-Sharia be deleted as well references to CIA warnings about terrorist threats in Benghazi in the months preceding the attack.

That would appear to directly contradict what White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said about the talking points in November....

Read it all HERE.

Additional information from the BBC News: After Benghazi revelations, heads will roll.

Are Americans paying attention? Do Americans care?

Artificial Intelligence

Can essay-grading software replace human evaluators and, at the same time, maintain writer's voice?

You be the judge as you read an example of how computer software might edit Lincoln's Gettysburg address:

Jihad and the Progressive Left

by Sam Huntington

Writer Andrew McCarthy argues that Americans remain willfully blind to the realities of jihad, and I think this is true. It was true in 1993, and it is no less so today in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing/massacre. No group better illustrates this willful blindness than the communist left, beginning with "America deserved it."  This was the view of Senator Barack Obama and his minister, Rev. Wright. It is the view of Louis Farrakhan and his thugs. And it is the party line at MSNBC.

Sanford Reelected

by Sam Huntington

Mark Sanford seemed to be a voice of reason within the conservative community. I recall that his advice to Barack Obama was, when you find yourself in a deep hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. What a disappointment he turned out to be when we learned of his affair with a woman in South America.

Even if it is true that in fearing Sanford as a potential opponent in a subsequent election Obama’s assassination squad zeroed in on the hapless governor, it was no one’s fault other than Sanford’s. Good men (and women) are prone to errors in judgment; even skillful monkeys fall from trees. This is why we place a high value on religious training; it provides us with a moral compass and helps us to avoid temptation. So while we cannot say that Mark Sanford’s mistake was uncommon, even back to ancient times, it was significant and he paid a very high price.

Now he’s been reelected to the House of Representatives, defeating the sister of Stephen Colbert. I must confess, I’m scratching my head. Calling South Carolina. Calling South Carolina. Come in South Carolina. If Mark Sanford is untrustworthy in his personal life, how is he trustworthy in government?

Fox News Report: See No Evil (Updated!)

Aired on Fox News on May 3, 2013, and May 5, 2013, the video below may contain information of which you have previously been unaware:


Hideous in every respect!

Important reading: "Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell's Trial Should Be a Front-Page Story."

UPDATE (because the above video is now inaccessible): Go HERE to watch two excerpts from the video above.

Late-Term Abortions

Long gone are those days of promises related to Roe v. Wade, those days of promises that a mother's voluntary decision to abort her unborn child would involve abortion before the end of the first trimester.

Please watch the video below all the way to the end.  Note the pronouns used and the casual tone even as the ending of a human life is discussed:

Musical Interlude

The tranquility of the music of Claude Debussy!

The piano version of Reverie:



Symphonic version:



Have a peaceful day.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

California to Offer Free Artificial Insemination and Surrogates for Homosexuals

Congress increases VIP travel in face of sequester budget cuts

Obamacare Architect: Affordable Care Act 'Beyond Comprehension'

The Cost Of Jihad

Although commendable that so many of the direly injured have positive and determined attitudes in the early days after having been maimed for life, these people will be inundated with bills and lifestyle changes.  They will endure phantom pain.  They will suffer excruciating neurological pain, pain that medications barely assuage.  Putting the terrible event behind them and their families will be impossible!

From this April 25, 2013 article in the Huffington Post:

Who Suffers Most?

by Sam Huntington

In a 2007 study, the Pew Research Center concluded that 61% of American respondents indicated that Islamic extremism was a problem in the United States; thirty-five percent believed that Islamic extremism was not a problem. Four years later, responses to the same question differed by one percent.

Let us wonder about that for a moment: if such is the perception of most Americans, why isn’t the United States government proceeding along similar lines? Do we the people govern, or not?

But wait … what if those 61% of respondents were American Moslems?

Obama's Own Words

With a hat tip to Bloviating Zeppelin:

If you are so inclined, please address the accuracy of the third quotation above. What does "transcend" mean in your view?

Understanding Collectivism

With a hat tip to Maggie's Notebook for the graphic below:

C.S. Lewis: "Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive."

Video: A Forest Year

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

With a hat tip to Bob's Blog:



According to the YouTube blurb:

This was a year-long experiment with a time-lapse camera in my window, and 40,000 still images made into a short film....

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

FBI missed Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s Russia trip because of misspelling

Tamerlan Tsarnaev got Mass. welfare benefits

CAIR Executive Director: Radical Islam Is Not Primary Driver of Terrorism (Video)

It's An Orwellian World

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

We read on April 24, 2013, that lawmakers and their aides (both Democrats and Republicans) are quietly seeking exemption from ObamaCare:

Congressional leaders in both parties are engaged in high-level, confidential talks about exempting lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides from the insurance exchanges they are mandated to join as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, sources in both parties said.

The talks...involve Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the Obama administration and other top lawmakers...

[...]

Several proposals have been submitted to the Office of Personnel Management, which will administer the benefits. One proposal exempts lawmakers and aides; the other exempts aides alone....

Two classes in AmeriKa: the political class, regardless of political-party affiliation, and the rest (peons).

(hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance for the link in this post)

Recommended Reading

See Why the Boston Bombers Did It (Hint: It's In the Koran) by Stogie of Saberpoint.

Also see Islamic Terrorism Isn’t Going Away, Mr. President at Capitol Commentary.

More Obama Idiocy

Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative branch of Sunni Islam. It is a movement among the most orthodox believers, an inspiration to return to the earliest fundamental beliefs. There is a relationship between Wahhabism and Sufism, by which I mean to suggest ultra-conservatism.

The Iconic Image For the Jihad Attacks On The Boston Marathon

I wasn't going to post the above image here at Always On Watch and, indeed, have waited nearly ten days to do so.  Ever since the jihad attacks on the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, however, I have been unable to push aside thoughts about those maimed.

A Note for Ducky's Mommy

By Sam Huntington

In comments the other day, you graced us with your presence long enough to criticize all the ad hominem attacks against your darling little omelet. While I do admit that there are some of us who have nothing but contempt for Ducky, which he has earned over many years, it is not simply a matter of differing politics.

I did some looking into our archives and found the following contributions, little duck droppings left for us by your darling little piker back in 2005. Now of course, these remarks were directed against individuals he has never met and only knows from the expression of their opinions. It is only a sampling.  He has also assaulted high school students who occasionally post their essays at this blog as part of their assignments. As you read your little darling's tripe, you may note that if anyone dares to express an opinion different from his own, Ducky becomes openly hostile and frequently profane.  We have often thought that there is something quite odd about the dippy little duckling.  You know, mental issues. I only mention this on the off chance that you may want to take him to a family physician or perhaps your own psychiatrist. It would be the responsible thing for a mommy to do.

Still Suffering! (And Open Thread)

As I mentioned last week, I'm having a terrible time with seasonal allergies.  I'm better thanks to Bob's recommendation to use NeilMed Sinus Rinse, but I'm still not up to my usual blogging routine.

Meanwhile, commenters may treat this post as an open thread.

Note: Sam has at least one post queued up for this week.

Musical Interlude: Rodeo Suite

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Composed in 1942 by Aaron Copland; performed by Antal Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra; recorded by Mercury in 1957.

The four dance episodes of Rodeo Suite: 00:00 - Buckaroo Holiday, 08:02 - Corral Nocturne, 11:27 - Saturday Night Waltz, 15:33 - Hoe-Down:



The story:

CAIR In Damage-Control Mode

(The Saturday roundup post "Nincompoopery" is below this post. Please scroll down)

The name is Ibrahim Hooper, not Ibrahim Cooper, and the following video debunks many of Hooper's statements:


More information below the fold.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

FBI Interviewed Boston Terrorist 2 Years Ago, Over Terrorist Ties

Jihadi Tribute Video To The Boston Bombers

City Hires Minority Lifeguards – ‘no need to be able to swim’

Weather Underground killer Kathy Boudin works for two Universities

Australia: Purina Fancy Feast cat food is now on the list of halal-certified foods

Boston Marathon Bombings Suspects Named?

I don't know how reliable THIS is (from Twitchy): Suspects identified on police scanner as Mike Mulugeta, Sunil Tripathi; one ‘suspect is running’

Can anyone verify?

UPDATE 1: The Associated Press is now reporting that the two suspects are from a Russian region near Chechnya. The man on the run has been named as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, age 19.

UPDATE 2 from Atlas Shrugs:

Spencer says: "Chechnya is the Muslim area of the Caucasus that has been waging jihad against the Russians since the 19th century."

[...]

AP sources identify the surviving Boston bomber as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19. The man is said to be from Russia’s south, not far from the Chechen Republic.

The man reportedly lived in Turkey before arriving legally in the US about a year ago.

The name is listed among the recipients of Cambridge scholarships in 2011.

The second suspect is said to be his brother.

An NBC report claims the two immigrated at least two years ago. One of the brothers is said to have a Massachusetts drivers’ license.

There is a page at the Russian social network VKontakte (In Contact) with the name Dzhokhar Tsarnaev living in Boston and studying at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School.

UPDATE 3 from Infidel Bloggers Alliance: COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION.

Dire Consequences

by Sam Huntington

What I find amazing, in spite of all the complaining “we the people” do about the state of our nation, of our politics, is that no one other than ourselves created our present-day problems. For people that regard themselves well educated or reasonably well informed, we have certainly made a mess of a once great country. It is a trend that has gotten worse over the past 100 years.

Have we always been politically naïve? Yes — and increases in population compounds this problem. In the year of my birth, the US population was 130 million; less than a quarter of those were squawking for entitlements. Now our population is approaching three times that number, with two-thirds of the people demanding their fair share of other people’s money.

Major Allergy Attack! (And Open Thread)

I haven't had such a terrible allergy attack for decades!  Even Claritin provides little relief.

I've been suffering for over a week.

When I feel better, I will return to my usual blogging schedule.

Meanwhile, commenters may treat this post as an open thread.

Note: Sam has a post queued up for Thursday, April 18.

Tax Breaks For Illegal Immigrants

As you file your 2012 tax return, remember the mind-boggling information below (hat tip to Asylum Watch, citing this source):


As Asylum Watch points out:

US tax laws allow illegal immigrants to claim tax credits for children who DO NOT LIVE in America.

To the tune of $4.2 billion a year.

Meanwhile, Tax Freedom Day 2013 is April 18, five days later than Tax Freedom Day 2012. Furthermore:

Americans will spend more on taxes than they will on food, housing, and clothing combined in 2013.

More information HERE.

Musical Interlude

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

With thanks to FreeThinke, who, in a comments thread some time back, left the link to the Judy Garland video below:


Back then, pop music was actually music and elegance was still in style!

Fred Astaire praised Judy Garland as "the greatest entertainer who ever lived." More about Judy Garland HERE.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

White House Turned into Party Central AGAIN for Obama's Rich Friends, but School Children STILL Barred from White House Tours

Obama’s plan to simultaneously compel enrollment in a retirement account and prohibit Americans from saving more than what he believes is a “reasonable” amount in such an account

Dark Knight killer James Holmes 'is now a Muslim who prays five times a day'

Marxist indoctrination in the public education system

Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Sequester nearly starving staffers [earning $60,000-$100,000 a year]

Environmentalists Seek to Block Solar Power Projects

Easter Sunday Jihad In Ohio?

The complete article in the Star Beacon, dated April 10, 2013 (emphases mine):

Licensed to Kill

by Sam Huntington

It has been said that nothing is more lethal to a Moslem than another Moslem—particularly one who is unable to maintain control over his emotions. But then, we suppose that given the lethal incompetence of Barack Obama and his state department, James Bond isn’t the only agent of government who is licensed to kill.

[Que up Monty Norman's James Bond Theme]

We do recognize, however, that the rape of the Middle East has been a free-for-all event since World War I, when Enver Bey made a poor choice in his political alliances. If there have been improvements in the Middle Eastern standard of living, they have been marginal. This may be an intentional strategy among Moslem power brokers, and when added to our own political incompetence, it is no small wonder the innocents are so easily persuaded that we’re the problem. In many ways, we truly are.

Campus Censorship

With a hat tip to Joe Conservative of Political Tea Leaves:


YouTube blurb:

Prophet Ray Bradbury

These final weeks of the 2012-2013 school term, my high school literature class is reading Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury in 1953.

A few prophetic excerpts from the novel:

“We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of the other; then all are happy, for there are not mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against.

[…]

“You must understand that our civilization is so vast that we can’t have our minorities upset and stirred. Ask yourself, What do we want in this country above all? People want to be happy....

[…]

“Colored people don’t like Little Black Sambo. Burn it. White people don’t feel good about Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Burn it. Someone’s written a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? The cigarette people are weeping? Burn the book.  Serenity...Peace... (58-60).

The novel also contains this passage:

Musical Interlude

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Christian August Sinding's Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring, 1896):

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

40 Obama White House aides owe the IRS $333,000 in back taxes

Obama's White House is open to the rich and closed to the poor: President Obama's pledges to open up the White House are going in reverse

American food stamps advertised by the American government — in Mexico

Health Insurance Companies Privately Warning Premiums Could Jump By As Much As 116% Because Of Obamacare

Blasphemy Laws Vs. Freedom Of Expression

With with a hat tip to Mark Alexander of A New Dark Age Is Dawning:


Mark also cited the following in his post:

An observation

by Sam Huntington

While the communist left seeks to curtail America's Second Amendment rights, owing to the unseemly behavior of a few nut-jobs (who are mostly themselves leftists), they defend against any criticism of Islam by pointing out that terrorists are only a small percentage of the Moslem population.

From this, we should conclude that progressivism is a mental illness.

By the way, how free are you in your own home state? Check it out.

Is Allah Satan?

Watch this short video only 3.5 minutes long, and decide for yourself (hat tip to Pastorius of Infidel Bloggers Alliance):


Link to Sahih Bukari

Pastorius commented as follows:

Guessing Game

When was the poem below written?

Life today is hectic.
Our world is running away.
Only the wise can recognize
The process of decay.
All our dialectic
Is quite unable to say
Whether we’re on the beam or not,
Whether we’ll rise supreme or not,
Whether this new regime or not
Is leading us astray.

We all have Frigidaires, radios,
Television and movie shows
To shield us from the ultimate abyss.
We have our daily bread neatly cut,
Every modern convenience but
The question that confronts us all is this:

What’s going to happen to the children
When there aren’t any more grown-ups?
Having been injected with some rather peculiar glands
Darling Mum’s gone platinum
And dances to all the rumba bands.
The songs that she sings at twilight
Would certainly be the highlight
For some of those claques that Elsa Maxwell
Takes around in yachts.
Rockabye, rockabye, rockabye my darlings,
Mother requires a few more shots.
Does it amuse the tiny mites
To see their parents high as kites?
What’s, what’s, what’s going to happen to the tots?

Life today’s neurotic, a ceaseless battle we wage;
Millions are spent to circumvent
The march of middle age.
The fact that we grab each new narcotic
Can only prove in the end

Whether our hormones gel or not
Whether our cells rebel or not,
Whether we’re blown to hell or not,
We’ll all be round the bend
From taking Benzedrine, Dexamyl,
Every possible sleeping pill
To knock us out or knock us into shape.
We all have shots for this, shots for that,
Shots for making us thin or fat,
But there’s one problem that we can’t escape.

What’s going to happen to the children
When there aren’t any more grown-ups?
Thanks to plastic surgery and uncle’s abrupt demise,
Dear Aunt Rose has changed her nose
But doesn’t appear to realize
The pleasures that once were heaven
Look silly at sixty-seven,
And youthful allure you can’t procure
In terms of perms and pots.
So lullaby, lullaby, lullaby my darlings,
Try not to scratch those large red spots,
Think of the shock when mummie’s face
Is lifted from its proper place,
What’s, what’s, what’s going to happen to the tots?

What’s going to happen to the children
When there aren’t any more grown-ups?
It’s bizarre when grandmamma, without getting out of breath
Starts to jive at eighty-five and frightens the little ones to death.
The police had to send a squad car
When daddy got fried on vodka
And tied a tweed coat round mummie’s throat
In several sailor’s knots.
Hushabye, hushabye, hushabye my darlings,
Try not to fret and wet your cots.
One day you’ll clench your tiny fists
And murder your psychiatrists.
What’s, what’s, what’s going to happen to the tots?
Answer below the fold. But make your guess(es) first!

Music For Resurrection Day

(Hat tip to Mark Alexander of A New Dark Age Is Dawning)

"Wele'n Sefyll Rhwng y Mwrtwydd" ("Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah"):


Lyrics in Welsh:

Wele'n sefyll rhwng y myrtwydd
Wrthrych teilwng o fy mryd;
Er mai o ran, yr wy'n adnabod
Ei_fod uwchlaw gwrthrychau'r byd:
Henffych fore, henffych fore,
Y caf ei weled fel y mae.

Rhosyn Saron yw ei enw,
Gwyn a gwridog, teg o bryd;
Ar ddeng mil y mae'n rhagori
O wrthrychau penna'r byd:
Ffrind pechadur, ffrind pechadur,
Dyma_ei beilat ar y môr.

Beth sy imi mwy a wnelwyf
Ag eilunod gwael y llawr?
Tystio'r wyf nad yw eu cwmni
I'w cystadlu â Iesu mawr:
O! am aros, o am aros
Yn ei gariad ddyddiau f'oes.

Parsing and translation of the Welsh words:

Music For Holy Saturday

Based on the Lamentations of Jeremiah and composed by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (3 February 1525 or 2 February 1526 – 2 February 1594):

Music For Good Friday

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling)

A capella magnificence:

Let's Stop the Bleeding

by Sam Huntington

According to an article in the Daily Caller the other day, the Internal Revenue Service once again demonstrated its arrogance  when it decided to spend $60,000 on the production of two parody videos, one of which was a Star Trek imitation. Jim Treacher wrote, “Thanks to the sequester that Obama has been fighting even though it was his idea, we might not get a sequel to the following masterpiece. …It’s got the same production values and acting talent as a porn movie, except the only one getting screwed is you.”

Subsequently, a good friend asked, “Why do we need the IRS again?” I could not answer.

FEATURED QUESTION: Blogging

(This post stuck here for a few days. Please scroll down for other material)


I've been blogging for nearly eight years.

I'm curious about a few matters related to blogging.

Recommended Reading

Recently, my high school American Literature class read F. Scott Fizgerald's short story "The Baby Party." Published in 1925, the story presents themes that apply to our society today.

Short story below the fold.

Agenda 21 — At The Local Level

(With a hat tip to Political Tea Leaves)

Please make time to watch the video below. Then, investigate what is happening at your local level.


Now, read Obama's Plans for the Suburbs.

New world order! And at the local level, where it will have a direct effect on YOU!

Don't be an ostrich:

More information at Political Tea Leaves.

Spring!

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Robins everywhere!

They've been around for a few weeks. But now that today is Palm Sunday, which typically marks the end of weather here Northern Virginia, I'm seeing even more of these beautiful birds, the harbingers of spring.

The song of the robin:

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Egyptian ‘scholars’ claim the colonists ate hundreds of millions of Native Americans

No Money for White House Tours, But $20 Mil for Palestinian Authority

Disabled man, 42, faces jail for LAUGHING too loudly in his own home

Sequestration Lies

See the graphic below the fold (hat tip to Asylum Watch):

Brutal Honesty

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

From the author of We Need to Talk About Kevin (2003) comes So Much for That, a 2010 novel about the effects of devastating illnesses upon two middle-class families: the Knackers and the Burdinas.  Both families, the married couples longtime best friends, are struggling with the emotional and financial burdens of combating life-and-death illnesses.

Shep Knacker, entrepreneur of Knack of All Trades, has worked for decades with a particular goal in mind — a goal that he calls "The Afterlife":

What is a racist?

by Sam Huntington

One definition reads, “Racialism is normally defined as any view, practice, or action that reflects a belief that one race of human beings is superior to others, or that any racial group is inferior to others."

There is some context, however. On the question of whether or not he was a racist, Enoch Powell answered, "If by racialist one suggests a conscious difference among men and nations of various backgrounds, then in that context everyone is a racist. On the other hand, if by racialist one means a man who despises a human being because of his race, or a man who believes that one race is superior to another, then no, I am not a racist."

The Lorax? Really?

Last week, I conversed with a parent concerned about the education that her seventh-grade daughter is receiving in one of the "finest" public schools in one of the "finest" school districts in the United States.

The account I received was beyond disconcerting.

It was dismaying!

Kerry's America

By Sam Huntington

“In America, you have a right to be stupid … if you want to be. And we tolerate it. We somehow make it through that. Now, I think that’s a virtue. I think that’s something worth fighting for.” —John Fauxbrain Kerry, American Secretary of State

The Panel Of "The Uninvited"

At CPAC 2013 on March 16, 2013

Videos below the fold.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Forget the controversy related to the Molly Maguires. Instead, enjoy the music below — music with an Irish flavor:


The genius of Mancini, who grew up in the steel town of West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

John Brennan Sworn in on Constitution Without a Bill of Rights

Federal workers owe $3.5 billion in back taxes

ObamaCare Damage: 100% Health Insurance Premium Increases for Next Year

Mayor Bloomberg's new health crusade: too-loud earbuds

Recommended Reading

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

See The Lexicon wars: the meaning of jihad by Tammy Swofford in the Daily Times Pakistan. Excerpt below the fold:

One wonders ...

How did we ever find ourselves in this gosh-awful predicament?

Wait, wait, don't tell me ...

An Illustration: Obamanomics

And that's the way it is...

Our Fatal Folly

By Sam Huntington

In spite of infrequent episodes of discrimination toward Catholics and Jews, at various times and places —we do not live in a perfect world— there has never been an official requirement that anyone recant their religious beliefs as a condition of serving the American people.

However, there has been an underlying expectation that individuals appointed to positions of public trust freely and honestly give their oath of allegiance to the Constitution; there was an expectation that servants of the people would be culturally American.

Ponder This

The words of Ammianus Marcellinus (325/330–after 391):

In consequence of this state of things, the few houses that were formerly famed for devotion to serious pursuits now teem with the sports of sluggish indolence, re-echoing to the sound of singing and the tinkling of flutes and lyres. In short, in place of the philosopher the singer is called in, and in place of the orator the teacher of stagecraft, and while the libraries are shut up forever like tombs, water-organs are manufactured and lyres as large as carriages, and flutes and instruments heavy for gesticulating actors.

At last we have reached such a state of baseness...

Read more HERE.

I recently encountered the words of Ammianus Marcellinus in the following context — in a letter to the editor of the Washington Post:

Here's The Job That I Want!

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

The President's chief of staff to the dog gets an annual salary of $102,000!

From this source:

Star Trek Prophecy?

Forget the pacifistic message. Instead, apply the following to the blogosphere, where rancor rules:

Musical Interlude: J.S. Bach

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

California Guitar Trio's rendition of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor:




The traditional version (pipe organ):

The genius of Bach!

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Obama Officials Called Female Reporter [vile names] For Asking Tough Questions

The Toilet Restaurant [photo essay]

FBI Employees Sexting, Sending Porn, Bugging Co-Workers Offices

Cupcakes against gun violence

Recommended Reading (Video Added)

(Two posts today.  Please scroll down)

See Officials: 80 Percent Of Recent NYC High School Graduates Cannot Read (hat tip to Western Hero for the link).

Idiocracy is upon us and growing fast.

Does the video below the fold come as a surprise (hat tip to Right Truth)?

The Wry Truth

Hat tip to Conservative Hideout 2.0:

Commenters are encouraged to cite examples.

The Third Shoe

by MacKubin Thomas Owens

The Department of Defense faces some stark choices in the future due to the threat of sequestration. But the continual sounds of shoes dropping at the Pentagon suggest that the sequester may be the least of its problems.

Jihad Watch Wins CPAC Award, Barred From Receiving It

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

Robert Spencer writes:

Civic Literacy Exam

Take the test HERE (hat tip to Bunkerville).


About the test:

Sequestration

Hat tip to Mike's America:

"This Woman Is My Mother"

If you must have politics, please scroll down)

The words in the title of this post appear with frequency in Mira Bartók's memoir The Memory Palace, a first-person narrative about growing up with a schizophrenic mother.

Occasionally, the author varies the sentence by writing "This creature is my mother."

A sad book?

Not really — even though the author's mother, formerly a piano prodigy, deteriorates mentally over the years until she lives the last seventeen years of her life as a homeless person.

Musical Interlude

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

I miss Henry Mancini (1924-1994), whom Mr. AOW and I saw live twice when he conducted the National Symphony Orchestra — and his jazz combo too, of course.

"The Pink Panther," "Baby Elephant Walk," and "Peter Gunn" (apologies for the abrupt ending of the version below):



The theme from The Thornbirds:

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

White House Report Claims Sequestration Will Affect Federal Department That No Longer Exists [Thanks for the link, Warren!]

Obama’s EEOC: We’ll Sue You If You Don’t Hire Criminals

Washington University holds porn star panel in main university chapel

Report: $2 billion spent annually for Medicaid emergencies, largely for illegal immigrant baby deliveries

Recommended Reading

(Two posts today.  Please scroll down)

See Smoke coming out of the keyhole by Tammy Swofford in the Daily Times Pakistan.  Denial is temporary, reality is inevitable.

Did The White House Threaten Bob Woodward?

Recently, journalist Bob Woodward, sometimes credited with bringing down the Nixon Presidency, wrote an article about Obama and sequestration.

Now comes this (with a hat tip to Will of MFS - The Other News):