For those easily frightened, upset, subject to fits of terror, who thought "scary movie" was, in fact, scary. DO NOT LOOK AT NUMBER FOUR ON THIS LIST!!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Must read, Dr. Sanity addresses the cost of freedom
This is a great post covering a bit of common sense seemingly lost since the second world war.
Is Iran's nuclear program about to be blown away?
Considering the current political climate, the rumblings from certain Intel sources are curious. Can we afford to let Ahmadinejad have nuclear weapons? no. will acting against him have popular support? no. so? might as well act, the world would be the better for it, and Bush will be unpopular either way. makes these stories interesting, the first one I haven't been able to source anywhere else, and I nearly ignored it because of that, but it's a good conversation starter anyway. if anyone gets more news of this, let me know.
This one has been bouncing about the last couple of days, looks like the air force is going deep somewhere soon, by the looks of it.
This one has been bouncing about the last couple of days, looks like the air force is going deep somewhere soon, by the looks of it.
Friday, July 20, 2007
My appeal for all who love freedom, READ THE QURAN!
If there is any hope to combat terrorism, oppression, and violence in these latter days, freedom loving people need to identify who the enemy IS. That can't be accomplished by maintaining a willful ignorance. I am not an arrogant jerk who wants to feel superior, I simply want to expand knowledge about terrorism, violence, the differences between various religions etc. and I know if I can obtain this knowledge, anybody else can. trust me, I'm no genius!
There are threats to the western way of life! what kind of world do you want your children and grandchildren to live in? do you want your girls to have to live in a burkha and under sharia law? do you know what sharia law is? do you know there are serious european government officials who want to let the Muslims living amongst them to establish their own sharia courts? do you realize what this means? do you want the US to follow suit? do you think you should learn something about this?
Do you realize Ahmadinejad, president of Iran has stated he intends to blow Israel off the map? do you realize he has to, to be true to his faith? do you know what jihad is? do you realize jihad will not stop until Islam dominates the world? PLEASE folks, read up on these thoughts. here are a few links to good sources.
a great basic introduction to Islam can be found here
Robert Spencer is posting an outline on the Quran here
Look at the main page of that site for any number of books on the subject.
There are threats to the western way of life! what kind of world do you want your children and grandchildren to live in? do you want your girls to have to live in a burkha and under sharia law? do you know what sharia law is? do you know there are serious european government officials who want to let the Muslims living amongst them to establish their own sharia courts? do you realize what this means? do you want the US to follow suit? do you think you should learn something about this?
Do you realize Ahmadinejad, president of Iran has stated he intends to blow Israel off the map? do you realize he has to, to be true to his faith? do you know what jihad is? do you realize jihad will not stop until Islam dominates the world? PLEASE folks, read up on these thoughts. here are a few links to good sources.
a great basic introduction to Islam can be found here
Robert Spencer is posting an outline on the Quran here
Look at the main page of that site for any number of books on the subject.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Sir Winston Churchill, posthumously snubbed by british academia
Don't worry Sir Winston, you can have a place of honor in my history book anytime.
Sir Winston's grandson Nicholas Soames, also a Conservative Member of Parliament, described the move as "madness.
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
Our National Anthem
Unless you know all four stanzas of the Star Spangled Banner you may
find this most interesting.Most of us probably didn't realize what
Francis Scott Key's profession was or what he was doing on a ship.
(Editor's Note- Near the end of his life, the great science fiction
author Isaac Asimov wrote a short story about the four stanzas of our
national anthem. However brief, this well-circulated piece is an eye
opener from the dearly departed doctor......) "I have a weakness -- I
am crazy, absolutely nuts, about our national anthem. The words are
difficult and the tune is almost impossible, but frequently when I'm
taking a shower I sing it with as much power and emotion as I can. It
I was once asked to speak at a luncheon. Taking my life in my hands, I
announced I was going to sing our national anthem -- all four stanzas.
This was greeted with loud groans. One man closed the door to the
kitchen, where the noise of dishes and cutlery was loud and
"That's all right," he said. "It was at the request of the kitchen
I explained the background of the anthem and then sang all four
stanzas. Let me tell you, those people had never heard it before -- or
had never really listened. I got a standing ovation. But it was not me;
More recently, while conducting a seminar, I told my students the story
of the anthem and sang all four stanzas. Again there was a wild ovation
In 1812, the United States went to war with Great Britain, primarily
over freedom of the seas. We were in the right. For two years, we held
off the British, even though we were still a rather weak country. Great
Britain was in a life and death struggle with Napoleon. In fact, just
as the United States declared war, Napoleon marched off to invade
Russia. If he won, as everyone expected, he would control Europe, and
Great Britain would be isolated. It was no time for her to be involved
At first, our seamen proved better than the British. After we won a
battle on Lake Erie in 1813, the American commander, Oliver Hazard
Perry, sent the message, "We have met the enemy and they are ours."
However, the weight of the British navy beat down our ships eventually.
Meanwhile, Napoleon was beaten in Russia and in 1814 was forced to
abdicate. Great Britain now turned its attention to the United States,
The northern prong was to come down Lake Champlain toward New York and
The southern prong was to go up the Mississippi, take New Orleans and
The central prong was to head for the mid-Atlantic states and then
attack Baltimore, the greatest port south of New York. I f Baltimore
was taken, the nation, which still hugged the Atlantic coast, could be
split in two. The fate of the United States, then, rested to a large
The British reached the American coast, and on August 24, 1814, took
Washington, D.C. Then they moved up the Chesapeake Bay toward
Baltimore. On September 12, they arrived and found 1,000 men in Fort
McHenry, whose guns controlled the harbor. If the British wished to
On one of the British ships was an aged physician, William Beanes, who
had been arrested in Maryland and brought along as a prisoner. Francis
Scott Key, a lawyer and friend of the physician, had come to the ship
The British captain was willing, but the two Americans would have to
wait. It was now the night of September 13, and the bombardment of Fort
As twilight deepened, Key and Beanes saw the American flag flying over
Fort McHenry. Through the night, they heard bombs bursting and saw the
red glare of rockets. They knew the fort was resisting and the American
flag was still flying. But toward morning the bombardment ceased, and a
dread silence fell. Either Fort McHenry had surrendered and the British
flag flew above it, or the bombardment had failed and the American flag
As dawn began to brighten the eastern sky, Key and Beanes stared out at
the fort, trying to see which flag flew over it. He and the physician
After it was all finished, Key wrote a four stanza poem telling the
events of the night. Called "The Defense of Fort McHenry," it was
published in newspapers and swept the nation. Someone noted that the
words fit an old English tune called, "To Anacreon in Heaven" -- a
difficult melody with an uncomfortably large vocal range. For obvious
reasons, Key's work became known as "The Star Spangled Banner," and in
Now thatwe know the story, here are the words. Presumably, the old
Oh! say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
("Ramparts," in case you don't know, are the protective walls or other
elevations that surround a fort.) The first stanza asks a question. The
On the shore, dimly seen thro' the mist of the deep
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep.
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream
'Tis the star-spangled banner. Oh! long may it wave
"The towering steep" is again, the ramparts. The bombardment has
failed, and the British can do nothing more but sail away, their
mission a failure. In the third stanza I feel Key allows himself to
gloat over the American triumph. In the aftermath of the bombardment,
Key probably was in no mood to act otherwise? During World War I when
the British were our staunchest allies, this third stanza was not sung.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
(The fourth stanza, a pious hope for the future, should be sung more
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation,
Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven - rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause is just,
And this be our motto --"In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
I hopewe will all look at the national anthem with new eyesandlisten
to it, the next timewe have a chance, with new ears.
find this most interesting.Most of us probably didn't realize what
Francis Scott Key's profession was or what he was doing on a ship.
This is a good brush-up on our history.
(Editor's Note- Near the end of his life, the great science fiction
author Isaac Asimov wrote a short story about the four stanzas of our
national anthem. However brief, this well-circulated piece is an eye
opener from the dearly departed doctor......) "I have a weakness -- I
am crazy, absolutely nuts, about our national anthem. The words are
difficult and the tune is almost impossible, but frequently when I'm
taking a shower I sing it with as much power and emotion as I can. It
shakes me up every time."
NO REFUGE COULD SAVE: BY DR. ISAAC ASIMOV
I was once asked to speak at a luncheon. Taking my life in my hands, I
announced I was going to sing our national anthem -- all four stanzas.
This was greeted with loud groans. One man closed the door to the
kitchen, where the noise of dishes and cutlery was loud and
distracting. "Thanks, Herb," I said.
"That's all right," he said. "It was at the request of the kitchen
staff"
I explained the background of the anthem and then sang all four
stanzas. Let me tell you, those people had never heard it before -- or
had never really listened. I got a standing ovation. But it was not me;
it was the anthem.
More recently, while conducting a seminar, I told my students the story
of the anthem and sang all four stanzas. Again there was a wild ovation
and prolonged applause. And again, it was the anthem and not me.
So now let me tell you how it came to be written.
In 1812, the United States went to war with Great Britain, primarily
over freedom of the seas. We were in the right. For two years, we held
off the British, even though we were still a rather weak country. Great
Britain was in a life and death struggle with Napoleon. In fact, just
as the United States declared war, Napoleon marched off to invade
Russia. If he won, as everyone expected, he would control Europe, and
Great Britain would be isolated. It was no time for her to be involved
in an American war.
At first, our seamen proved better than the British. After we won a
battle on Lake Erie in 1813, the American commander, Oliver Hazard
Perry, sent the message, "We have met the enemy and they are ours."
However, the weight of the British navy beat down our ships eventually.
New England, hard-hit by a tightening blockade, threatened secession.
Meanwhile, Napoleon was beaten in Russia and in 1814 was forced to
abdicate. Great Britain now turned its attention to the United States,
launching a three-pronged attack.
The northern prong was to come down Lake Champlain toward New York and
seize parts of New England.
The southern prong was to go up the Mississippi, take New Orleans and
paralyze the west.
The central prong was to head for the mid-Atlantic states and then
attack Baltimore, the greatest port south of New York. I f Baltimore
was taken, the nation, which still hugged the Atlantic coast, could be
split in two. The fate of the United States, then, rested to a large
extent on the success or failure of the central prong.
The British reached the American coast, and on August 24, 1814, took
Washington, D.C. Then they moved up the Chesapeake Bay toward
Baltimore. On September 12, they arrived and found 1,000 men in Fort
McHenry, whose guns controlled the harbor. If the British wished to
take Baltimore, they would have to take the fort.
On one of the British ships was an aged physician, William Beanes, who
had been arrested in Maryland and brought along as a prisoner. Francis
Scott Key, a lawyer and friend of the physician, had come to the ship
to negotiate his release.
The British captain was willing, but the two Americans would have to
wait. It was now the night of September 13, and the bombardment of Fort
McHenry was about to start.
As twilight deepened, Key and Beanes saw the American flag flying over
Fort McHenry. Through the night, they heard bombs bursting and saw the
red glare of rockets. They knew the fort was resisting and the American
flag was still flying. But toward morning the bombardment ceased, and a
dread silence fell. Either Fort McHenry had surrendered and the British
flag flew above it, or the bombardment had failed and the American flag
still flew.
As dawn began to brighten the eastern sky, Key and Beanes stared out at
the fort, trying to see which flag flew over it. He and the physician
must have asked each other over and over, "Can you see the flag?"
After it was all finished, Key wrote a four stanza poem telling the
events of the night. Called "The Defense of Fort McHenry," it was
published in newspapers and swept the nation. Someone noted that the
words fit an old English tune called, "To Anacreon in Heaven" -- a
difficult melody with an uncomfortably large vocal range. For obvious
reasons, Key's work became known as "The Star Spangled Banner," and in
1931 Congress declared it the official anthem of the United States.
Now thatwe know the story, here are the words. Presumably, the old
doctor is speaking. This is what he asks Key:
Oh! say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
("Ramparts," in case you don't know, are the protective walls or other
elevations that surround a fort.) The first stanza asks a question. The
second gives an answer:
On the shore, dimly seen thro' the mist of the deep
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep.
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream
'Tis the star-spangled banner. Oh! long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
"The towering steep" is again, the ramparts. The bombardment has
failed, and the British can do nothing more but sail away, their
mission a failure. In the third stanza I feel Key allows himself to
gloat over the American triumph. In the aftermath of the bombardment,
Key probably was in no mood to act otherwise? During World War I when
the British were our staunchest allies, this third stanza was not sung.
However, I know it, so here it is:
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footstep's pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
(The fourth stanza, a pious hope for the future, should be sung more
slowly than the other three and with even deeper feeling):
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation,
Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven - rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause is just,
And this be our motto --"In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
I hopewe will all look at the national anthem with new eyesandlisten
to it, the next timewe have a chance, with new ears.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Islamists want more than the west bank and Gaza strip
They want the world, and the west seems willing to give in to their demands
Monday, July 02, 2007
Farfour is a dead Rat, and glascow terrorist is a krispy critter
Who will teach the kiddo's to hate now? since farfour bought the farm.
What a lovely children's program!
Watch this video and notice the Rat's grandpa call Tel Aviv "occupied" territory, you see, Arabs want ALL of Israel, and all Jews gone, yet our leadership wants to do business with them, sending millions in cash and weapons, THAT'S disgusting! and should be an embarrassment to all Americans.
Notice Farfour's Grandpa is human, what did grandpa's boy do? screw a rat? must have.
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