From Pine View Farm

2014 archive

“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Let the young discover politeness.

A 3-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital Friday evening after an accidental shooting in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, police said.

(snip)

Police say the boy discovered a gun, which went off while he or a playmate was handling it. The 3-year-old sustained a head wound.

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“Diet Racism” 0

Via Bob Cesca’s Awesome Blog.

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Teabags of Cash 0

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Lock and Load 0

Anti-Gun Nut Image:  Person loading cylinder of revolver with children.

Via Job’s Anger.

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QOTD 0

William James:

When a thing is new, people say: ‘It is not true.’ Later, when its truth becomes obvious, they say: ‘It is not important.’ Finally, when its importance cannot be denied, they say: ‘Anyway, it is not new.’

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The Naked Truth . . . 0

. . . is that Reg Henry is correct.

This is too stupid for words.

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Wars and Mongers of War 0

George Smith. Read it.

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On the Ground in Ferguson, Mo. 0

Chez reports from the scene. (Among other topics, he addresses the reality of those reputed “outside agitators.”)

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Politeness builds family values.

Chambers’ wife reportedly told investigators that she happened to be driving by early Wednesday morning and noticed the light on and went to investigate with her gun drawn. The wife is licensed to carry a concealed firearm.

We’re told Detroit Police investigators are trying to get to the bottom of exactly happened next. What we know for sure is that the officer’s reported mistress was shot in the thigh.

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The Tolerance Con 0

Vagabond Scholar dissects the reasoning of those who demand that tolerance requires tolerating their intolerance. This reasoning has informed efforts to deny birth control, gay marriage, and, ultimately, equal rights in many areas.

A nugget.

A tolerant person says, “I will live my life the way I like, and you can live your life the way you like.” An intolerant person will say, “I will live my life the way I like, but you must also live your life the way I want you to.” These are not equivalent. Both people have beliefs, it’s true, but one is seeking power over the other.

The three minutes it will take you to follow the link and read the rest will be well worth your while.

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It’s Always “Outside Agitators” 0

If you can get through it, listen to the mayor of Ferguson, Mo., claim that “there’s not a racial divide in Ferguson . . . .”

I’ve heard this before. It’s the same crap that Orville Faubus, Bull Connor, and the like spewed in the 1960s as they turned fire hoses on Civil Rights demonstrations.

in related news (much more at the link),

The violence that turns a small-town protest into a fiery national spectacle like the one that has played out this month in Missouri is often unwittingly provoked by police, according to researchers at UC Berkeley.

The research team, which studied clashes between police and activists during the Occupy movement three years ago, found that protests tend to turn violent when officers use aggressive tactics, such as approaching demonstrators in riot gear or lining up in military-like formations.

Recent events in Ferguson, Mo., are a good example, the study’s lead researcher said. For nearly two weeks, activists angered by a white police officer’s fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager have ratcheted up their protests when confronted by heavily armed police forces.

The only folks who will take exception to the study will be those who like the sound of cracked heads.

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Wingnut Welfare HOWTO 0

Freshly-minted think tank:


Click for a larger image.

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If One Standard Is Good, Then Two Must Be Better 0

Open carry for me, but not for thee.

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QOTD 0

Sigmund Freud:

Such progress we have made! In the Middle Ages, they would have burned me as a witch, but now they are content to burn my book.

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“Best Song” 0

Just listen.

Via Linux Outlaws.

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Those Who Forget Deny the Past . . . . 0

Historiann is not surprised at the reactions to events in Ferguson, Mo. She is disgusted.

A nugget (emphasis in the original):

I guess my big reaction is this: why is anyone surprised that the present looks so much like the past? It seems like when it comes to race in America, we’re dangerously invested in insisting that the Bad Old Days are long gone. I get it that that’s a more reassuring story to tell, but it’s a childish one. Aren’t there any grownups among the grownups these days?

Even if I understand why people insist on pretending history is irrelevant, why must they evoke history in such wildly inappropriate ways? For example: Howard Kurtz say that “Some liberal outlets [are] creating almost a lynch mob mentality around this,” that is, the insistence that the police officer who killed an unarmed man be arrested and charged with a crime. Is that what lynch mobs did–they published headlines in news outlets demanding the arrest and trial of men suspected of crimes? Because that’s what you imply when you compare an online magazine to a lynch mob. Judge Lynch, as we all should remember, was not at all about insisting on due process for suspected criminals. That was the whole point of a lynch mob friends–the circumvention of the criminal justice system! Yegads. So stupid.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

The polite bring new meaning to “defensive driving.”

According to the sheriff’s office, a Ford Ranger was traveling north on Highway 17 when a semi-truck approached the Ranger from behind.

A report states the truck intentionally struck the Ranger on its side while traveling in the same direction.

Investigators say the truck driver then fired a round into the Ranger’s back drivers side bumper. The Ranger pulled over at the Sunoco gas station and the driver called authorities.

There’s an additional shot of politeness at the link.

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“War Always Comes Home” 0

Thom explains that war is not something that just happens over there, however much the mongers of war would have you believe that that’s the case.

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“The Talk” 0

James Causey remembers his parents’ advice about being while black. A snippet:

I still remember how they would tell me that if I was ever stopped by a police officer to make sure I kept my hands in plain view so that I wouldn’t get shot because police might mistake my wallet for a gun.

They also told me to avoid getting into verbal confrontations with officers, even if the officers were dead wrong, because they feared these situations could escalate to me being shot. Call these rules of survival.

Although I have undergraduate and MBA degrees, I have been harassed by police and stopped for no reason other than being black while driving.

Read it.

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Facebook Frolics 0

A Republican city councilman in Missouri apologized this week for posting racist messages about President Obama on Facebook, citing his own strong engagement with the Republican Party as the reason behind his actions.

(snip)

“I apologize from the bottom of my heart,” Tinsley said. “At one time, I was a very active Republican, very opposed to Obama.”

As far as I can tell, what he’s saying is that being a Republican means being racist.

Don’t think that’s what he meant to say, but in vino veritas and all that.

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