Saturday, 15 December 2012
Friday, 14 December 2012
Who Should We Blame?
By Alan
Caruba
At the end of the day, what we know
is that a gunman entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,
Connecticut, and killed 18 kindergartners and nine adults for twenty-seven in
all. Among the victims was his mother, a teacher at the school, killed prior to
the massacre.
It is a monstrous crime, but differs
only in the details from comparable crimes in recent years. The shooter in the
Colorado movie theater on July 20 this year comes to mind, the shooter of
Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Jan 8, 2011, and of course, the two young
killers at Columbine High School in 1999.
And doesn’t 1999 seem an age ago?
Would it surprise you that there is a
computer game available called “Kindergarten Killer” that says it’s "a great way
to relieve stress"?
The media and the nation will now
engage in the same analysis that always follows these events; who or what to
blame.
Some will blame our “gun culture” and
call for more restrictions on gun sales. The obvious answer is that people kill
other people with every manner of instrument available from kitchen knives to a
lamp cord. Guns may facilitate the killing, but someone has to pull the trigger
first.
Others will blame the nation’s
penchant for movies and television shows that show so much killing that it dulls
the senses to the violence, but I grew up on cowboy films in the 1940s and 50s
when the “good guy” wore a white hat and usually dispatched the “bad guy” by the
end of the film.
In one of the most memorable scenes
from “The Shootist”, John Wayne’s last film about an old gunfighter, his
character, John Bernard Books, imparts his reason for having killed a few bad
guys. “I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a-hand on. I
don’t do these things to other people and I require the same from them.” A
simple, but effective morality.
So, yes, Americans have always been
fond of guns, but we forget that they were a necessity for much of the history
of the nation in which colonists and then settlers moving West routinely hunted
for venison, bear, geese, ducks, rabbits, wild turkey and anything else that put
meat on the table.
You may be astonished to learn, as
journalist James Sterba points out in his book, “Nature Wars”, that America has
“an informal army equal to the manpower in the ten largest armed forces in the
world—China, United States, India, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, Pakistan,
Iran, Turkey, and Vietnam—combined.” Hunters.
Deer are the favorite game of hunters
and ten million Americans take to the forest and field to bring one home in the
autumn. “Pennsylvania alone fields a force of deer hunters twice the size of the
U.S. Army.”
If it were just the quantity of guns
that are to blame for the day’s tragedy, one would think that these events would
be more common. It is precisely because they are not common that we
find ourselves appalled by the news reports. When it involves innocent children,
it just adds to the horror.
Then we must ask ourselves if there
is so much mental illness in the nation that it may be a contributing factor.
Mental illness abounds as does a pharmacy of medications routinely doled out to
those experiencing everything from depression to hallucinations. It is
commonplace and very hard for a layman to spot. How does one know if the noisy
neighbor might just also be a psychopath?
So, who do we
blame?
I suggest we blame the alleged
killer, Adam Lanza, age 20. He was found dead at the scene and, as of this
writing, he may have committed suicide or been dispatched by police. He’s dead.
He’s left his mark and will become a Wikipedia
entry.
Some who don’t own a gun will
purchase one. The ladies prefer those small enough to fit in a purse. The men
like something with some heft to it.
The only thing we know for sure is
that we all feel less secure in our daily lives, whether going to a movie or
leaving a child off at school.
© Alan Caruba, 2012
PJTV: No Dice for Rice: Susan Rice Will Not Be Secretary of State
Ambassador Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration as President Obama's Secretary of State. Hear about this story, plus the latest on Syria, the Obama Inauguration, the Obamacare health exchanges, the GOP, and more, on this PJ News Break with Scott Ott.
Late News..............
Harry belafonte just fires the next shots in an american cultural civil war .... his vision of america, to have obama place all conservatives in prison ....
Pentagon to send missiles, 400 troops to Turkey
Royal Caribbean adds 'all-you-can-drink' alcohol plans
Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer recovering after teen allegedly attacked him
Blazingcatfur Legal Defense Fund Raising Drive
The Coming Regulatory Black Hole
WH: Drone Footage of Benghazi Attack Went to Defense Department, Not Us
Historic Home or Grassy Strip?
Cambrian Dissenters:Fundamental Transformation - Progressivism For Beginners
State Department preparing for Libya bombshell?
‘No greater friend’: The bond between Netanyahu and Harper goes beyond statecraft
A Black Man Has Just Left the Liberal Plantation
DEA investigates Jenni Rivera plane owner
Do we live in a simulated universe? UW profs may be able to find out
Jordan’s King Abdullah Threatens to Shut Down Egypt’s Economy
Russia opposition leader accused of £1.1m embezzlement
Is Obama Plotting to Waive Sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and UNESCO?
Al-Qaeda rallies as Mali bleeds
Michelle Suggests Republicans are Liars
Clinton Looking for Clean Getaway on Benghazi
What North Korea's Rocket Launch Tells Us About Iran's Role
Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys.. - Doodle Bug
BLACKFIVE: What is Wrong with you people?
Obama now looks at Kerry for secretary of State
Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys.. - What the Vet you are talking to *really* wants to say...
Zarqawi's brother-in-law reported killed while leading Al Nusrah Front unit
Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys.. - Flying Terrorist
Is the wind industry entering panic mode?
CDR Salamander: Fullbore Friday
WaPo editors: Golly, Obama's fiscal-cliff approach is unbalanced
Obama: Marijuana users won't be a "top priority" in second term
Assad's Collapse: What's in it for Israel?...............from Dan Friedman
[Excellent reporting from JPost’s Yaakov Lappin. And a prediction from me: Obama’s endorsement of the “good rebels” will not stop the radical Islamists who are fighting Assad from staking their claim to power. Egypt déjà vu. df]
JPost. 12/13/2012
By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Military Affairs: The development appears to mark yet another milestone in the gradual collapse of the Assad regime.
Connecticut School Shooting: More Than Two Dozen Dead
Continuing updates at the link: "Reports: More Than Two Dozen Dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut."
Additional reports indicate the Obama White House plans to exploit the shooting to push for an assault weapons ban.
Music video: Deck the halls with Macro Follies or Keynes v. Hayek...from Mike Haltman at TPC
Music video from EconStories.TV that looks at how a family who maxes out their credit cards buying Christmas gifts that they can't afford is good for our economic growth.
Watch the video at The Political Commentator here.
News............
Hey Syrian Rebels, Keep Yer Eyes Open!
US tourist 'detained by North Korea'
P&O cruises stops visiting Argentina in Falklands face-off
The greatest threat to our peace? Well-armed, unstable rogue states
Hollande's World - French in Denial as Crisis Deepens
Syrian Rebels in Control of Border Area with Israel
New Tax to Allow Obama to Seize Half of 25 Percent of American Farms
Egypt: A New Dark Age Begins
South Korea expects North to conduct new nuclear test
Citizens fleeing Iran in record numbers since Islamic regime launched brutal crackdown on protests three years ago
Breaking the Union Stranglehold
The Annual White House SOB Christmas Poem
Hey Boehner, your marketing sucks!...from Mike Haltman at TPC
Why do the polling numbers on the fiscal cliff negotiations seem to favor the President and the Democrat Party?
Because they tell the people what they want to hear day in and day out while the Republicans message is not delivered well and it gets buried by the mainstream media.
Read about it at The Political Commentator here.
Overnight News...........
That proposed Internet regulation at the UN didn't go over too well
Darfur War May Explode into Full-Scale Genocide
Surprising Facts About Women's Bikini Lines
Federal gun checks surge as violent crime ebbs
Fort Drum brigades work quickly to process soldiers before deployment
U.S. judge says victims' bodies can prevent rape
Why Legos Are So Expensive — And So Popular
Cops: man allegedly assaulted teen he met through iPhone app
Boehner: President is willing to go over fiscal cliff
Poll: Non-voters say make process easier
The Left vs. Susan Rice
How Justice Kennedy could vote to recognize gay marriage and strike down affirmative action
"Obama's indifference means nuclear danger," Amb. Bolton
'Decembeaver' Movement Wants Women To Stop Shaving For Cancer Awareness
Vatican replaces pricey Nativity scene with cheaper one
How Well Do You Rise From Sitting on the Floor
Napoleon march to Russia in 1812: Typhus spread by lice was more powerful than Tchaikovsky’s cannonfire
Why do teenage girls dress like sluts? Because they’re teenagers
OBAMA LIED: New Obamacare Law Is Already Forcing Premiums to Increase – Even Double
Hayden Panettiere Strips Down for Hot Bikini Photo Shoot in Esquire
Man, she should strip down more often!
See: "Sizzling Hayden Panettiere Bikini Pics!"
She's got a tight tummy.
Lookin' good in that bikini!
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Sign This Petition to help get Jon Hammer released from a Mexico prison!...from Mike Haltman at TPC
Former US Marine Jon Hammer is being held in a Mexican prison on gun charges for the possession of a gun that he not only had the proper papers to possess but that did not violate any Mexico gun laws.
Sign the White House petition in order to get the Obama administration engaged in the effort of getting Jon Hammer released.
Read the story at The Political Commentator here.
Late News...........
Forced unionization of in-home care workers back on Minnesota agenda
NATO chief says regime in Syria is 'approaching collapse,' fall now 'just a matter of time'
Musings On Iraq: Why Saddam Hussein Did Not See The United States As A Military Threat Before The 2003 Invasion
CDR Salamander: Muslims love those who deny God exists, right?
Remembering Nanking
Insider Trading at Playboy: The SEC Case Against Christie Hefner's Husband Revealed
NWFSC to honor Doolittle Raiders
Vt. governor visits F-35 school
Florida Issuing Record Number Of Concealed Weapons Permits
Some disturbed by lack of respect on Pearl Harbor Day
Blue Wahoos Announce New Manager, Riggleman Heads To Louisville
A Flori-duh moment in Miami
Senate Democrats Urge Undoing of ObamaCare
Sailor Sentenced To 30 Days In Okinawa After Falling Asleep On Watch
Syrian Scuds cause a big bang
Interview With Hot Dog Vendor Attacked By Union Goons: Attacker Wore Occupy-Style Guy Fawkes Mask, Hurled Racial Epithets…
Great news: Your permanent record is now available on demand
The rest of the story on Lansing union thugs
Afghan Progress, Challenges, ORBAT
Assad Losing Syria, Say Russia and NATO
Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival sells out in less than four minutes
'Control freak' ministers ban MPs from military bases
Cruise ship row 'strangling' Falklands
Obama Spending More Time Partying than on Fiscal Cliff
US uniforms, like those used in insider attacks, still found in Kabul shops
How? Why? What? Answers..................from Rico
HOW?
- How can the public be so blissfully clueless and unaware? How can politicians be so immoral? How can the MSM be so incurious?
WHY?
- Why are the paper spot prices for Gold and Silver reliably monkey-hammered [read: blatantly manipulated] around FOMC and BLS announcements, and Treasury auctions? Why are there no consequences for this 'redistribution' of wealth [read: theft]?
WHAT?
- What is the 'real' unmanipulated value of precious metals?
- It's very clear that the BIG question, the proverbial 8-ton gorilla in the room has to do with preservation of purchasing power than anything else. Conventional assets and conventional asset allocations are failing just as the currencies used to denominate them are failing
ANSWERS.
- QB asset management seems to have hit the mark with these two charts. It seems reasonable to assume the 'real' price of Gold and Silver is somewhere between the manipulated paper spot price and their projected value.
- For those who seriously have NO IDEA of what is happening behind the curtain, I have a less elegant thesis. An America stupid enough not only to elect, but then re-elect an arguable Marxist-Muslim loving-Moron is indeed too stupid to figure the game out, and thus present a one-frame cartoon that might be mentally 'accessible' for them.
Put up, or shut up!.....................from Rico
Despite the very blatant, heavy-handed, manipulation by the Cartel Gold is 'up' 9.3% and Silver is 'up' 19% so far this year.
- I wonder how the other asset classes are doing in comparison?
Gee, 'offishul' inflation is under 2% (if you do not eat, need health care, or gas for your car), compared to ShadowStats calculation of nearly 10%.
- So, those CD yields (and Treasurys) under ZIRP = losing propositions. Hmmmm...what about Greek Bonds? Japanese Yen? S&P Futures?
Guess what?
- We're ALL well-and-truly f*cked!
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