Blog Heap o'Links for May 2015
Wars and Rumors
Cyclist Killed, Motorist Shot In Neck, 9 Incidents In Past Month … and now a ballistics match between the Cyclist and the Motorist. …
Feeding Ourselves
…apparently, it is all down to how dirty buckets are when the milk is collected…
Star Trek - still with us
…There are four lawn/garden figurines to choose from: Kirk, Kirk & Gorn, Redshirt, or Spock.…
Animal Companions
On April 24th, 2015, my husband was working in an industrial park when he found these two tiny baby kittens just before they would have been crushed by construction equipment…
Long Underwear Heroes are Dead
Stan Lee Is Now The Highest-Grossing Movie Producer Of All Time At Domestic Box Office
Headline of the Day
Large Number Of Harvard Students Report They’ve Had Their Feelings Hurt
Educating Ourselves
11-year-old child prodigy Tanishq Abraham… graduating from college with… three different degrees. The talented kid from California… last year… [finished] high school at the age of ten… a year later, he’s finished college with three associate degrees.…
US Executive Branch
So if horserace broke his leg in France why did they fly him to Switzerland?
****
Someone in the entourage saw the Swiss flag and thought they were headed toward a first aid station?
Breitbart is Here
Obama Scandals • Gun Rights • Hide the Decline • Obamacare • War & Terror • National News • Economy & Taxes • International News • Opinion
Wars and Rumors
Authorities say a man wanted in connection with the shooting of an Oklahoma police officer was found hiding in a closet of a house in southeast Kansas.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office says 22-year-old Alejandro Garcia was captured without incident early Friday in a house east of Liberty, Kansas.…
The rebel group that has seized power in Yemen has taken at least four U.S. citizens prisoner, according to U.S. officials who said that efforts to secure the Americans’ release have faltered.…
…Even the Daily Mail almost glosses over the background to this story until the very end of the article (below all the fine pictures of Lucas and Frazier) that’s where you’ll find this quote.
“We’ve been stressing this for months and months now. It’s no different from last week. We get a BOLO (be-on-the-lookout) from the state alerting us that the Black Gangster Disciples have put out an SOS, or Shoot on Sight, for police officers,” he said.”
Thanks for clarifying that British tabloid.
The Montgomery County Kansas Sheriff's Office has released mug shots of the three people arrested in the shooting of an Oologah police officer Thursday night.
Officer Charles Neill was shot in the head during a pursuit after another officer tried to arrest three people in a Talala traffic stop. Alejandro Garcia, 22; Cesar Rios; 23, and Roxanne Mendoza, 20, were arrested by Kansas law enforcement after fleeing from the Oklahoma law enforcement officers. …
The incident began in Talala when an officer clocked a vehicle going 58 in a 45 mph zone. When he pulled the vehicle over, the driver gave him a license that was good only in Mexico. The officer said the driver also smelled of alcohol. He called Oologah for backup and the chase began. …
Beatles - still with us
…Paul McCartney says he has given up marijuana after many years of indulgence and now prefers wine or "a nice margarita." …doesn't want to set a bad example for his children and grandchildren…
Animal Culture
Policing Ourselves
Oklahoma authorities say a state trooper has fatally shot a man who was involved in a fight with officers who came to evacuate him and another man from floodwaters. … two troopers were dispatched to help men who were trying to remove a vehicle stalled in rising water. They were upset that troopers wanted them to get out of the water, and one attacked a trooper.…
People Live
…107-year old Lona Collins … Born in a rural part of Oklahoma in 1907… "We used to go in a horse and buggy!" …has beaten cancer twice and was married 65 years. Today even her great-grandchildren have children of their own. Her advice? "Don't go crabbin'!" she says with a smile.
Family Patterns
Former President John Tyler, born 221 years ago, still has two living grandchildren. … President Tyler was also a prolific father, having 15 children (8 boys and 7 girls) with two wives.
Breitbart is Here
Kelly File, America’s Finest Under Fire… Cleveland Police Union… Obama Policy Failures… Trifecta… Elizabeth Warren’s House Flipping… Krauthammer… Lt Col Ralph Peters… Slurs on Zo… Black on white crime…
…On this day in 1431 in Rouen, France, the 19-year-old Joan of Arc was burned at the stake by a tribunal led by a French Bishop who favored England in the Hundred Years War. She was later cleared of all charges…
WW2 - still with us
Some 20,000 residents in the western German city of Cologne are being forced to evacuate their homes after authorities discovered a 200-kilogram (440-pound) bomb from World War II. Schools and kindergartens remained closed and dozens of ambulances were on the scene to evacuate residents of a nursing home.…
Pareidolia
It's All in Your Mind
…In a series of experiments on mice involving a technique called optogenetics – when light is used to activate specific nerve cells in the brain – the researchers found that it was possible for the mice to remember a memory that had previously been lost.…
Animal Companions
Firefighters were too big to rescue a kitten from a storm drain in south-central Pennsylvania, but a six-year-old girl proved to be just the right size.…
Modern Family Life
A new decision by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals holds that New York’s state government has the right to ban “Choose Life” license plates on the grounds that such a statement is “patently offensive.” …
Breitbart is Here
Yesterday more than 740 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean by the Italian coast guard and German, Irish and British naval vessels. Today some 3,300 migrants were rescued by Italy. Meanwhile, Frontex reports that the people smugglers make an average of €1 million for every boat carrying 450 migrant passengers across the Med.
In other news, forces for the Libyan franchise of the Islamic State have seized the airport at Sirte, Muammar Qaddafi’s home town. Kinetic activists for ISIS now control most of Sirte. …
"…I did find some fun things,but some of it is not so cheerful.But it is what it is.…"
"…On this day in 1942 Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra record Irving Berlin's White Christmas, which becomes best-selling single in history."
Breitbart is Here
The European Union says that 24,000 migrants in Italy must be relocated to other countries. It wants more than 1,300 to go to Belgium, and more than 2,000 to go to the Netherlands. It has also asked Spain to host an (unspecified) increased number, but the Spanish government is objecting. Meanwhile, more than 200 more migrants arrived in Greece.
In other news, an 11-year-old girl was rescued in Spain after being sold by her parents for marriage. Five members of her family have been arrested. …
Turns out FIFA operates on the same principles as the American political system.
…On this day in 1937 The Golden Gate Bridge was officially opened for traffic. This is an amazing bridge to drive across and a little freaky on a motorcycle due to the winds gusting across it. It is even more amazing to sail under it on a ship.…
Disinformation Propaganda and Spin
Relying as Snopes as a final arbiter of truth is like letting George Stephanopoulos and Candy Crowley moderate presidential debates.
Liberal Politics
…they never seem to have the capacity to realize the problems are a direct result of their own actions.…
Nature can be Dangerous
Health officials say an Oklahoma resident has been diagnosed with a rare tick borne disease. …a Payne County resident tested positive for Bourbon virus. This case is the first detected in Oklahoma and only the second case in the United States.…
Policing Ourselves
Police officer 'dragged into the woods to be killed by three men' saved when his K-9 chases after him and sends the attackers running
Researching the Obvious
Researchers say the key to making new friends is all in the mouth. Show your shiny whites, and friendships are easier to come by. The reason smiling is key to new and healthy relationships is that people are more attune to positive emotions when they’re forming new relationships.…
Israel Stands Alone
…While our discovery of a memorial to the victims of the Haifa Bus 37 suicide bombing and our visit to Ziv Hospital in Safed, and its Syrian patients, were unexpected, our visit to the Moshav was even more emotional and full of surprises – Revenge and Reunion.…
Breitbart is Here
"Every day is a challenge as to how to start this post. Then I realized yesterday was The Duke’s birthday. He’d be 105 if he were still with us. …"
At least 55 Iraqi soldiers were killed today in three suicide bombings in al-Anbar Province. The deadly attacks came as the Iraqi military attempted to recapture Ramadi from the Islamic State.
In other news, an unexploded WW2 bomb was safely detonated in Cologne after the largest postwar evacuation in the city cleared the area of 20,000 people.
[more]
…On this day in 1941 the German battleship Bismarck was sunk in the North Atlantic killing almost 2,100 men and sparking the later song "Gotta Sink The Bismark" by Johnny Horton.
Disinformation Propaganda and Spin
Headline: Lib Rag Vox Marks Memorial Day By Lamenting Fact Military Deserters And Draft Dodgers Don't Get Their Own Holiday
Nature can be Deadly
…Late last night, three separate thunderstorm systems converged over Space City to form one incredibly nasty storm. For weeks Houston and other parts of the Lone Star State have been pelted with storm system after storm system… Leaving two dead, lightning storms and torrential rainfall pounded Houston for most of the night. Some parts of the city, particularly southwest Houston, saw more than ten inches of rain in as little as five hours. Courts and schools were closed Tuesday with much of the city still unnavigable.… [Video, Photos]
…Captain Farley slipped or fell into the area around a storm drain and all personnel on scene rushed to help. A firefighter grabbed hold of Captain Farley while another firefighter held that one.
As Lieutenant Zane James went to help the other firefighters pull Captain Farley out, Farley and James were pulled into the storm drain.… [James survived]
Untied States
A bill taking a step towards gold and silver as commonly-used legal tender in Texas passed in the state Senate today by an overwhelming 29-2 vote.
Animal Culture
…The allegation was that bad language was used by an employee on the property in front of the sheep, and that they could have been offended by the use of bad language...."
Policing Ourselves
These are the two officers who lost their lives on May 9, 2015:
Benjamin Deen, 34.
Liquori Tate, 25.
Officer Tate posted on Facebook last year: "I graduated the Police Academy today. I am now a Police Officer. I would like to thank God, the Police Academy, the Police Department, my family, friends, and love ones."…
US Military
Jack Leroy Tueller - one sentimental night in Normandy. [Video, 2:14]
Pausing today to remember the sacrifices of our fallen warriors, it has been difficult to watch the gains of ISIS in Iraq’s Anbar Province and the subsequent fall of Ramadi where America’s first Navy SEAL, Marc Lee, was killed in a ferocious firefight.…
…Yesterday, Cody set up a Missing Man table for Memorial Day. He didn’t know he needed a permit to go inside the Marietta National Cemetery, but that didn’t stop him. Cody set up his table outside, and remained at attention for two hours.…
Of all the places to locate the National D-Day Memorial, why Bedford?
Because of the Bedford Boys.…
memorial contains the name of every Allied soldier who died in the invasion of Normandy.
Four thousand, four hundred and thirteen men.
It is the most complete list of any memorial in the world.…
The plight of Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling seems unbelievable – a member of the Armed Forces criminally prosecuted for displaying a slightly altered passage of Scripture from the Old Testament: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”
Sterling, who represented herself at trial, was convicted February 1, 2014 in a court-martial at Camp Lejune, North Carolina after she refused to obey orders from a staff sergeant to remove the Bible verses from her desk.
United States of America
…“But where are we going?” I asked.
“We are going to America,” my father said.
“Why America?” I prodded.
“Because, son. We were born Americans, but in the wrong place,” he replied.
My father said that as naturally as if I had asked him what was the color of the sky. It was so obvious to him why we should head for America. There was really no other option in his mind. What was obvious to him, unfortunately, took me nearly 20 years to learn. But then, I had to “un-learn” a lot of things along the way. …
Breitbart is Here
[News Links]
DOJ Official: Slavery to Blame for Riots in Ferguson and Baltimore
This lunacy is mainstream thought at the Department of Justice.
British intelligence officials are concerned that there is a strong likelihood of a chemical attack by jihadists in the UK. They fear that “British” veterans returning from the jihad in the Middle East will bring with them the expertise to build chlorine bombs, which are the mujahideen’s WMD of choice.
In other news, the Islamic State has issued a death fatwa against President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina, whom they describe as “Satan”. …
[much more]
[Vic has recovered from the long weekend, but the world hasn't. His news begins here today.]
On this day in 1647 Alse Young was hanged in Hartford, Connecticut, becoming the first person executed as a witch in the British American colonies.
Wars and Rumors
A bomb squad safely destroyed a pressure cooker found in an unattended vehicle parked on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol and the vehicle's owner was found and arrested…
…It is commonly stated that Islam is a political ideology disguised as a religion, but it is even more than that: Islam is political malware. It is superbly adapted to invade alien political systems and convert them into replication machines for more Islam.…
Transport Threat
…multiple, unconfirmed threats to multiple airplanes bound for different airports.…
Monday, U.S. fighter jets escorted an Air France jet to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport after an anonymous threat… [landed]] at a secure location at the New York airport. Details of the reported threat were not immediately clear.
Nature can be Deadly
A tornado raged through a city on the U.S.-Mexico border Monday, destroying homes, flinging cars like matchsticks and ripping an infant from its mother's arms. At least 13 people were killed… In Texas, 12 people were reported missing in flash flooding from a line of storms that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.…
A storm system dropped record amounts of rainfall across the southern Plains Sunday, causing flash floods in normally dry riverbeds, spawning tornadoes, destroying homes, and forcing at least 2,000 people to flee. Two people were confirmed dead in Oklahoma… firefighter was swept to his death while trying to rescue people from high water and a woman in Tulsa died in a traffic-related crash. In Texas, a man's body was recovered from a flooded area along the Blanco River, which rose 26 feet in just one hour and left piles of wreckage 20 feet high… In Wimberley, Texas, southwest of Austin, eight people were reported missing, including three children…
US Military
Major Michael O'Donnell, "Six Seconds," Remembering Melvin Garten, Remembering the "Forgotten War," more…
On May 26, 2008 Sgt. Raymond Hubbard gave a touching Memorial Day speech. He was wounded during his tour in Iraq and is a recipient of the Purple Heart. His speech is so incredibly heartfelt and honest. He reminds us just how much our brave men and women have put on the line for our freedom.… [Video]
Be sure to remember the people who made it possible for all of us to do so. We owe them a debt which can never be repaid. [Video]
Ronald Reagan could deliver a speech almost like no other President. 31 years ago, Reagan delivered an address to commemorate an unknown serviceman in the Vietnam War. Never one to make such moments about himself, the speech is a brief 9 minutes long.… [Video]
…Rolling Thunder, an annual event that has been bringing motorcyclists and spectators to the National Mall in downtown Washington since 1988, started the "Ride for Freedom" at the Pentagon in Virginia, crossed the Potomac River over the Memorial Bridge and circled the Mall. Organizers estimated that more than a million bikers and spectators attended, making it the largest one-day motorcycle gathering in the world….
It’s Memorial Day – but please don’t put a “Happy” in front of it like the clueless, tactless @TheDemocrats. Memorial Day is a somber day – a day to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our freedom. For many vets, remembering those sacrifices, stings.…
As we do on this day each year, we pause to remember the men and women who died fighting for our freedom. We stand by humbly, gratefully, silently, to honor their sacrifice.… [graphics]
A ceremony that has been taking place for 115 years in Bartlesville took place again Monday morning to honor our military veterans.…
… For 70 years, the Dutch have come to a verdant U.S. cemetery outside this small village to care for the graves of Americans killed in World War II. On Sunday, they came again, bearing Memorial Day bouquets for men and women they never knew, but whose 8,300 headstones the people of the Netherlands have adopted as their own. For the American relatives of the fallen, it was an outpouring of gratitude almost as stunning as the rows of white marble crosses and Jewish Stars of David at the Netherlands American Cemetery.…
[The bluebird picks up some nice political panels for Memorial Day.]
Citizenship
A group of Senate Democrats is urging the Obama administration to allow at least 65,000 Syrian refugees to settle inside the United States. … [Um… how about, No."
Breitbart is Here
The Greek interior minister says that it is not possible for his country to make its next debt payment to the IMF by the deadline next month; the money simply isn’t there. Greece is looking to make an arrangement with its creditors in order to get the next tranche of bailout money. Meanwhile, the latest polls say that the Greek public supports the government’s anti-austerity policies, but wants to retain the euro as its currency.
In other news, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter says that the fall of Ramadi was the fault of the Iraqi military. According to him, Iraqi forces lacked the will to hold their positions.
[Much more]
Wars and Rumors
The new issue of ISIS propaganda magazine ‘Dabiq’ contains an article allegedly penned by British kidnapped reporter John Cantlie according to which the Islamic State has every intention of striking the US, at home and on a grand scale, either with a nuclear device or with several tons of explosive.…
Islamic State fighters have executed at least 400 people in Palmyra since capturing the ancient Syrian city four days ago, Syrian state media said on Sunday. … militants seized the city of 50,000 people, site of some of the world's most extensive and best preserved ancient Roman ruins, on Wednesday, days after also capturing the city of Ramadi in neighboring Iraq.…
Disturbing Family Patterns
A disturbing conversation with the narcissistic killer. … he lied about everything and if he wasn’t lying he was concocting elaborate stories to explain away the horror… He is convinced he is getting out… thinks of himself as a martyr. …
Art of
Forty-five years after Simon & Garfunkel split up, the singer [Garfunkle] is still consumed with bitterness…
Spiritual Matters
…Child of God! give the Father time. He is long-suffering over you. He wants the blessing to be rich, and full, and sure; give Him time, while you cry day and night.…
US Military
Just a thought on Memorial Day greetings
Please, do not say “Happy Memorial Day”.
Memorial Day isn’t a day to be “happy”. It is not “celebrated”, it is observed.…
In the face of this electoral season's acrimony, it behooves us all as Americans to every now and then declare a truce, step back from the brink and to take stock of this awesome Nation of ours.
Of all of ours. …
Remember the price of freedom. Our deepest gratitude to those who paid it on our behalf. #MemorialDay #CommonSoldier [video]
…The U.S. arranged papers for Barwari’s mother but, due to a clerical error, baby Lava wasn’t allowed to leave with her. She nearly had to stay in Iraq, left to the whims of Hussein’s brutal regime. That’s when an American soldier named Greg Peppin stepped in. … She grew up hearing stories about the man who saved her life but, until this past week, she had never met the former soldier….
Israel Stands Alone
Assistant US Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, Thomas Countryman, recently visited Israel and held talks with senior Foreign Ministry officials, about the possibility of making the Middle East nuclear-free.… sources in the US Administration said that Israeli agreement to the idea would be a catalyst for bringing additional countries into discussions on the matter. …
[Yes, let's first disarm the folks that everyone around them is constantly calling for their death. Sounds like a plan. I'm sure they'll go for it!]
Breitbart is Here
In Tensta, a culturally enriched suburb of Stockholm, a mob of “youths” attacked a police patrol with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Police were forced to fire warning shots into the crowd. The rioters, said to be mainly Somalis and Kurds, were apparently upset that police had started cracking down on crime in their neighborhood.
In other news, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Shi’ite mosque in Saudi Arabia, and promised more attacks targeting Shi’ites.
[much more]
[Graphics and cartoons. Funnies aren't always so funny when they're mostly Hillary.]
Vic is here with the latest.
"On this day in 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.""
Wars and Rumors
The State Department is sharing new details about the deadly fighting in Ramadi, Iraq, last Sunday, saying the city fell into ISIS hands after the militant group set off 30 suicide car bombs in the city center, 10 of which each were comparable in power to the Oklahoma City truck bomb of 1995. …
IJReview reached out to three veterans who served in Ramadi and asked them to share their insights regarding the toppling of the crucial Iraqi city. …
Theory of Education
Okla City, May 20 …14-year-old… thrown to the ground and beaten relentlessly, while a teacher was taking attendance. … Junior ROTC student was taken to the nurse’s office and checked out. … had several teeth knocked out, his gums were severely damaged and he had teeth penetrating his chin.… ambulance was never dispatched. … administrators called [his] mother, who works 30 miles away.… more than an hour to come to her son’s aid.… will need reconstructive surgery and is limited to a liquid diet for the next three months.… school district… saying, “We are deeply saddened and share the mother’s concerns in regards to her son’s injuries.” [Deeply saddened… by this criminal behavior by our wardens.]
OKC Bombing -- still with us
When Officer Don Hull pulled 1-year-old Joseph Webber out of the rubble of the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, he had no idea if the boy would live or die. … Twenty years after the bombing, Hull and Webber, now a 21-year-old college student studying zoology at Oklahoma State University, were reunited. …
Feeding Ourselves
Perhaps you weren't eating bugs because it wasn't easy enough to prepare them. Well, now there's the Entopod. …
Dinosaurs - still with us
Scientists say they've discovered Washington state's first dinosaur fossil… 80 million-year-old bone fragment probably belonged to an older, smaller cousin of the Tyrannosaurus rex. …Researchers have been examining the nearly 17-inch-long, 9-inch-wide fragment for about three years. They say it probably came from a 3-foot thigh bone.…
Spiritual Matters
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
—John 8:42-45 KJV
Somerset Academy issued a formal written apology to 12-year-old Mackenzie Fraiser late Friday for denying her the right to use a Bible verse in a class assignment.
School officials have now agreed to allow the sixth-grader to resubmit her original project, this time with her favorite Bible verse -- John 3:16 -- included.…
It's All in Your Mind
[When we were kids, we'd say a person was crazy as "going to Vinita!"]
VINITA, Okla. …For nearly a century, Oklahoma’s insane spent their days and nights behind barbed wire at Eastern Oklahoma Hospital for the Insane. …now deserted and condemned; the last patients moved out in 2008. The Oklahoma Forensic Center (OFC) shares the property with the old Eastern State Hospital and is a modern day sanitorium with 200 beds. Most of the patients who live at OFC, about 120 people, are getting treatment so they can be competent to stand trial.…
Urantiana
…I found an intriguing post by Joe Drew that posits the German-born 20th-century composer Karlheinz Stockhausen as the "one truly great composer" who managed to marry science fiction and classical music. … one of the grandfathers of electronic music, and an artist who directly influenced everyone from The Beatles (his face is in the Sgt. Pepper's cover menagerie) to Frank Zappa to Kraftwerk … Many of the scenes and names in Stockhausen's seven-opera cycle Light refer explicitly to The Urantia Book. The opera Mittwoch aus Light (the "Wednesday" portion of Light, and long thought to be unperformable in its entirety) was fully staged for the first time just last week in Birmingham, England by the Birmingham Opera Company — including its infamous section for string quartet, four helicopters, four pilots, four sound engineers and a moderator. …
Defending Ourselves
On May 12, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin (R) signed House Bill 2014, legalizing armed teachers and staff on Oklahoma public school campuses. …“[authorizes] the carrying of a handgun onto school property by school personnel specifically designated by the board of education,” provided that person has undergone the training requirement and received the certification requisite to it. …
Breitbart is Here
Angry Hillary supercut, Krauthammering, Bill Whittling, Elian Gonzalez, Liberals pouncing, and more including dog!
Theory of Education
Lots of luck, kids — you’re going to need it
[bob's excellent selections]
Big Brother
…inside the family’s 12th floor condo… sitting at her kitchen table breastfeeding her 15-month old daughter on Tuesday when she had a strange feeling… "of someone staring at me and I looked up and there was a robot staring at me…” hovered just a few feet from her window for about 15 seconds, flew away and then returned… she could see the lens on the drone. “It was staring straight at me…”
Animal Companions
…She was the only dog to be registered as a prisoner of war during the Second World War.… [Read about her heroic service.]
Breitbart is Here
[The sad state of the world reflected in political comics. Or is it, the comic state of the world reflected in political sadz?]
[Pete puts the posters and politics in place. (wipes mouth)]
…There are a lot of days where doing this post is a lot like having constipation.…
Ace forgot to post a morning thread, so Vic is found at the tail-end of the overnight.
"… On this day in 1964 LBJ announced his Great Society social reforms to bring an end to poverty and racial injustice in America.…
Wars and Rumors
A New York City arts center has canceled a planned event intended to protest censorship after one of the scheduled plays, “‘Mohammed’ Gets A Boner,” was deemed too offensive to Muslims.…
Bad Parents
…13 year-old granddaughter opened the freezer, looking for a snack… [found] her beloved cat… [71yo] grandmother is behind bars in Madison County… killed her granddaughter’s cat and four kittens with a hammer… because the kids wouldn't clean their rooms.…
[Lesson learned: Gramma is deadly crazy.]
Policing Ourselves
Mississippi… “They roughed him up, but the officer was able to press a button and release his K-9 from the backseat,” Adam said. The dog bit at least one of the suspects, potentially saving the officer’s life. … We don’t know how many he got, we just know he had blood all over him,” Adam said.…
Business Culture
America's biggest ranch… goes on sale for $725million in Texas… Waggoner Ranch is the largest contiguous ranch in the United States spanning six counties in Northern Texas… includes the 510,000-acre ranch with two main compounds, hundreds of homes and 20 cowboy camps… hundreds of quarter-horses, thousands of cattle, 1,200 oil wells and 30,000 acres of cultivated land…
US Military
There are no words that can express my outrage, as an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, to see the black flag of ISIS flying in Ramadi. There is no excuse that the current commander-in-chief can make. And as we head into Memorial Day weekend, I would prefer President Barack Obama just not make an appearance issuing empty words.
To those of my brothers and sisters who fought, lost limbs, and to the families who lost their loved ones — God bless you, and I for one shall honor your service and commitment.…
Defending Ourselves
…Both suspects have severe injuries to their faces, but the victims - we're told - are doing just fine. …
Post-Racist World
White man wearing Duck Dynasty hoodie robs Cracker Barrel
Breitbart is Here
Pistol Pete's collection of the best graphics, videos, and blood-pressure-raising news links. And reflections.
"…Nothing of real value,but there was a rhinestone pin in the shape of a diamond she used to wear when she got dressed up to go out with Grampa. It brought back a flood of memories that had been dormant for many decades.…"
Vic missed a day, but when he's around, he doesn't miss a trick.
"…On this day in 1881 The American Red Cross was established by Clara Barton in Washington, D.C..…"
Breitbart is Here
Funnies... and frownies, as politics go. [Belatedly blogged day late]
A 19-year-old Turkish woman has been shot in the head to punish her for participating in a talent show. She is now in the hospital, in critical condition. The victim had reportedly received death threats, and her family objected to her participation in the contest. A man has been arrested in connection with the shooting.
In other news, several EU countries have come out in opposition to Brussels’ plan for mandatory migrant quotas for member states. Among the opponents are Britain, France, Denmark, Finland, and Spain.
[much more]
Pete pulls the pieces together to complete the picture. [Retro'd daylate]
"…Probably not in my lifetime, but some of these liberals will actually suffer some real punishment for the decades of atrocities they’ve committed in the name of diversity, fairness, social justice, and just plain greed.…"
Wars and Rumors
Turkey's presidential spokesman said on Monday the Middle East would be thrown into turmoil if Egypt carried out its death sentences on former president Mohamed Mursi and other senior Islamists.…
[O... M... G... !!!!11!!! We wouldn't want the threat of a Middle East thrown into turmoil!! That would be terrible!]
Mystery
What IS this strange sound from the sky? Noise heard across the globe for nearly a DECADE - but nobody has an explanation…
Breitbart is Here
Shi’ite militias are mustering in the area around Ramadi in the al-Anbar province of Iraq. Mujahideen for the Islamic State overran Ramadi yesterday, and the Shi’ites reportedly aim to take the city back.
In other news, 190 or so motorcycle gang members are facing charges in the biker gang shootout in Waco, Texas, which involved five different gangs and left nine people dead.
[much more]
Digital Threat
In a speech today in South Korea, Secretary of State John Kerry said that the Internet "needs rules to be able to flourish and work properly." This, according to Kerry, is necessary even for "a technology founded on freedom." … [Doublespeak]
Hang Those Who Betray Public Trust
…"Every one of our enemies, Russia, China, Cuba, Iran, everybody. They've hacked in to that unsecured server. She's totally compromised…. Russians… knew about Monica long before you did… needed 26 billion dollars… everybody was set against it… Clinton… transferred… 4.6 billion dollars in hard cash that disappeared. … The Muslim Brotherhood started penetrating our government starting in the 1960s. Today, they have been able to penetrate every national security and intelligence agency in our government. …
Fun Can Be Fatal
Extreme athlete Dean Potter…renowned for his daring and sometimes rogue climbs and BASE jumps, was one of two men killed after [illegally] jumping from a 7,500-foot promontory in Yosemite National Park.…
Art of
The Oklahoma Historical Society celebrates the launch of 46 Star Records tonight at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Their first release will be unearthed radio sessions of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys on 180-gram vinyl records.
Spiritual Matters
Josiah Duncan thought he was going to enjoy a simple meal at the Waffle House in Prattville, Ala., with his mom Ava Faulk. But before enjoying any food of his own, the five-year-old boy immediately spotted a homeless man sitting by himself. … But with a little persuading from both Josiah and Ava, the hungry man felt comfortable to order anything he wanted. "Can I have bacon?" … Before taking a bite, Josiah had one last surprise that shocked the rest of the diners observing the random act of kindness. The young boy wanted to share his faith with the stranger he just met. "God our Father, God our Father, we thank you," Josiah sang in front of at least 11 customers. "We thank you, for our many blessings, for our many blessings, Amen, Amen." …
…The 700 pastors who make up the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya recently released a statement decrying Obama’s defense of homosexuality during previous trips to Africa.
"President Barack Obama is welcome to visit Kenya this summer," the statement read, "—but please, leave the preaching to us." …
Nature can be Dangerous
A tornado outside Tipton, Oklahoma, unleashes hail stones big enough to shatter the windshield of a car from which two people are filming.…
US Military
One Marine was killed and 21 others were hospitalized Sunday after an Osprey aircraft made a hard landing in Hawaii, causing a fire that sent dark smoke billowing into the sky. …
Free Expression
Google Inc should not have to remove an anti-Islamic film from its YouTube website because a woman complained that she was duped into performing in the film that depicted the Prophet Mohammed as a pedophile, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Monday.…
Breitbart is Here
• Obama Scandals • Gun Rights
• Hide the Decline • Obamacare
• War & Terror • National News
• Economy & Taxes • International News
Opinion
Pete's collection of links, graphics, and toons for today.
"Why does it seem like the journey from Monday to Friday is a marathon and from Friday to Monday is a sprint?…"
Mujahideen for the Islamic State succeeded in overrunning the city of Ramadi in western Iraq, driving out the last of the Iraqi military forces. However, the Syrian army managed to push back ISIS forces from Palmyra, so that the UNESCO world heritage site is safe for the moment.
In other news, a few days after a fierce battle between police and KLA terrorists in the Macedonian town of Kumanovo, thousands of demonstrators marched in the capital, Skopje. The protesters were supporters of the opposition, and demanded the resignation of the current government.
[Much more]
Vic is back, and he didn't forget to bring the news with him.
"…On this day in 1927 a series of violent attacks and bombings were perpetrated by Andrew Kehoe in Bath Township, Michigan, that killed 38 elementary school children and six adults and injured at least 58 other people. Up until 9-11 this was the largest mass murder in US history.…"
Wars and Rumors
Sister Diana Momeka, OP, finally made it from Kurdistan to Congress to testify about the fate of the Nineveh Christians among whom she lived before ISIS invaded Mosul. …
[Video & text of her talk.]
Boko Haram has suited up 600 women with bomb packs for suicide missions in Borno State.…
The Afghan Taliban justified targeting foreigners after a brazen hours-long siege on a Kabul guesthouse that killed 14 people… Four Indians, two Pakistanis, an American, an Italian and a British-Afghan dual national were among those killed in Wednesday’s attack on Park Palace, located in downtown Kabul and popular with international aid agency workers.
“Every foreigner from an invading country especially NATO is considered an invader. We don’t classify any of them as civilian,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a Twitter posting on Friday.
Islamic State fighters took control of Ramadi, Iraq on Saturday. The ISIS rebels immediately began public executions of anti-ISIL fighters.…
Digital Threat
A prominent hacker and security researcher who was kicked off a United Airlines flight last month had previously admitted to the FBI that he had taken control of a plane and made it fly sideways.
Political Theater
Mitt Romney… 68-year-old former Massachusetts governor lost to retired professional boxer Evander Holyfield in the second round of a charity match in Salt Lake City on Friday.…
Government at Play
…2012 federal transportation bill designated Broadway and 7th Avenue [Times Square NYC] as federal highways… subject to the billboard limits… Federal officials say they are working with the city to try to find some way to keep they signs from having to be removed.
Disinformation Propaganda and Spin
[EARLIER Nicole Winfield / AP STORY, BY WAY OF Mark Tapson, TRUTH REVOLT, BOTH AP AND TR PAGES SEEMINGLY REMOVED NOW]
Pope Francis praised Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as an "angel of peace" during a meeting today at the Vatican.…
[UPDATE 2015-05-17 BY chrissythehyphented AT POLINATION: Pope Francis prayed that Abbas would be an Angel of Peace.]
Socialism in Action
The US spends more than 17 times that of socialist China on social programs!…
Beatles - still with us
A guitar George Harrison played at a time when Beatlemania was taking flight… 1963 Mastersound electric guitar went for $490,000… at a New York auction.…
Evolution Isn't Easy
The moonfish, which are about the size of a manhole cover, is now considered the first-known warm-blooded fish, scientists report in the journal Science. Through some physiological tricks, the fish is able to keep its entire body — heart, brain, swimming muscles and viscera — warmer than the surrounding water.
US Military
The bodies of all eight people on board the U.S. Marine helicopter that disappeared this week during a relief mission in earthquake-hit Nepal have been recovered, Nepal's army said Saturday.… [I have seen no word on why this helicopter might have gone down.]
Breitbart is Here
Today’s lessons… an atheist is like colorblind person looking at a rainbow—Texas ain’t France, and liberals are all for free speech with rules. …
Some funnies are funny. Some make you sad.
Reaganite Sunday Funnies, "committed to excellense."
US Election 2016
Hillary Clinton has forced the online store Zazzle to remove from its site a bumper sticker mocking her presidential campaign over an alleged trademark infringement.
The bumper sticker was offered by Marinka Peschmann, an author who published two investigative books about the Clintons…
Disinformation Propaganda and Spin
…State Department and Pentagon officials… have asked television networks to stop using stock footage that makes the terror army seem more mobile - and more formidable - than they say it actually is.…
Know the Enemy
Just this week the Vatican decided to recognize the “Palestinian State.” The question has to be which state? Is it recognizing the one in the Gaza Strip run by the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas, which has in its charter the destruction of Israel? Or does the Vatican recognize the one in the West Bank, headquartered in Ramallah, run by the original Islamic terrorist organization, Fatah?…
Breitbart is Here
Abu Sayyaf, a senior commander for the Islamic State, was reportedly killed by U.S. special forces in Iraq. The commandos who killed Mr. Sayyaf were attempting to capture him, but he resisted. His wife, known as Umm Sayyaf, was captured and is said to be in Iraqi military detention.
In other news, former Egyptian President and Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi has been sentenced to death for his role in a 2011 jailbreak during the “Arab Spring”.
[much more] retro'd day late
ABC’s Clinton Defender-in-Chief, O’Reilly: Hillary’s Getting The Nomination, Gowdy Still Waiting On Benghazi Documents, and more.
Wars and Rumors
The words “Allah Ackbar” and “LBK, TX,” along with a cartoon-like bomb drawing spray painted near a rest area in Scurry County were cleaned up by the Texas DPS Tuesday (May 12).…
Transport Disaster
Right before its fatal derailment on Tuesday night, Amtrak Train 188 accelerated significantly as it approached the Frankford Junction curve… In barely a minute, its speed jumped from 70 m.p.h. to 102 m.p.h. three seconds before the crash…
Spiritual Matters
[utterly swiped joke]
A priest dies and is waiting in line at the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him is a guy who's dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans.
Saint Peter addresses this cool guy, 'Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven?'
The guy replies, ' I'm Bruce, retired airline pilot from Toronto.'
Saint Peter consults his list. He smiles and says to the pilot, 'Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom.' The pilot goes into Heaven with his robe and staff.
Next, it's the priest's turn. He stands erect and booms out, 'I am Father John, pastor of Saint Mary's for the last 43 years.'
Saint Peter consults his list. He says to the priest, 'Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom.
'Just a minute,' says the good father. 'That man was a pilot and he gets a silken robe and golden staff and I get only cotton and wood. How can this be?
'Up here - we go by results,' says Saint Peter. 'When you preached - people slept. When he flew, people prayed.'
Energy
The Oklahoma Senate has given unanimous approval to a pair of bills that will end two separate tax subsidies for the wind industry in Oklahoma.…
US Military
Nepalese rescuers on Friday found three bodies near the wreckage of a US Marine helicopter that disappeared this week during a relief mission in the earthquake-hit Himalayan nation, and officials said it was unlikely there were any survivors from the crash.…
Breitbart is Here
A schoolboy in the central Italian town of Terni violently attacked a 12-year-old girl at school for wearing a crucifix on a chain around her neck. The Mohammed Coefficient of the incident is as yet undetermined. However, news reports state that the young attacker was “of African origin”.
In other news, the legendary blues guitarist B.B. King has died.
[much more] retro'd late
Weekend kickoff selection of political cartoons and panels.
Vic gathers the news and analyzes it with a hammer.
"…On this day in 1911 the idiots in black robes declared Standard Oil to be an "unreasonable monopoly" and ordered it to be broken up.…"
Untied Nations
NATO foreign ministers ended their meetings in Antalya, Turkey with a sing-a-long. The NATO ministers hugged and sang, “We Are the World”…
Know the Enemy
…I will say it plainly: there is a design (conspiracy) within Washington, D.C., and its allies to reduce us under absolute despotism. …I submit the conspiracy of the British Crown has returned; and what used to be an indefatigable, recalcitrant, and vigilant independent republic (the United States) has become little more than a puppet of the old European monarchy. What the Crown could not accomplish through military force, it has accomplished through international banking.
The Federal Reserve wields absolute control over U.S. economic policy, and yet, no one really knows exactly who all of the members of the FRB even are. One thing is known, many (if not most) of them are NOT even U.S. citizens. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, foreign bankers have been controlling U.S. financial policy for the better part of a century.
In like fashion, the CFR virtually controls U.S. foreign policy. And the goal of the CFR is the reduction of national sovereignty and the rise of global government. …
Transport Disaster
Brandon Bostian, 32, was driving the New York-bound train when it came off the tracks in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, killing seven …Memphis, Tennessee-native has been an Amtrak engineer since 2009 …attorney said he had no memory of the deadly crash… about a dozen people are still unaccounted for… NTSB has confirmed the train was speeding before it came off tracks…
Spiritual Matters
Pope Francis has warned “the powerful of the Earth” they will answer to God if they fail to protect the environment to ensure the world can feed its population.
“The planet has enough food for all, but it seems that there is a lack of willingness to share it with everyone,” Francis said…
Science Marches Onnnnnn
Headline: Chicken Embryos With Dinosaur Snouts Created in Lab
Modern Family Life
Voting 242-184 and largely along party lines, the U.S. House approved the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act on Wednesday…
People Die
…It was 18-year-old Anna Ursu’s turn to go first — she sprawled herself on top the train car and worked her perfectly pouty face, snapping selfies in all her best angles. In an attempt to get that extra special selfie, she stuck her leg up in the air which proved to be a fatal move. Ursu failed to realize that there was an electrical force field above the train, and her foot struck it, sending 27,000 volts zapping through her body.
The teen’s frazzled body burst into flames and her 17-teen-year-old friend standing nearby on the roof got caught in the crossfire, as the electrical charge was so powerful that it sent her flying off the trolley.…
Theory of Justice
…After a four-month trial… prosecution and defence closed their cases on Wednesday.
The US government argued that the 21-year-old deserves to die because of the “heinous, cruel and depraved” way he brought carnage to the marathon finish line in the name of jihad. … Tsarnaev’s defence team countered that he was a naive teenager who followed his domineering older brother into terrorism but is now “genuinely sorry” and has “great potential for redemption”. …All twelve members of the jury must agree unanimously to impose a death sentence, meaning that any one juror can vote to save his life.hellip;
Breitbart is Here
The Republican Party of Palm Beach County in Florida has received a warning from the Joint Terrorism Task Force that one of its upcoming events is causing terrorist chatter on the Internet. The event in question is an appearance by Geert Wilders, who was invited to speak at the Lobsterfest fundraising dinner in August.
In other news, the Italian navy and financial police have rescued more than 1,300 migrants off the coast of Libya.
[more] retro'd for date
President Obama is going ahead with a summit of Persian Gulf countries, despite a boycott by several heads of state, including the king of Saudi Arabia. The missing Arab leaders are reportedly unhappy with Mr. Obama’s policy of appeasement towards Iran.
In other news, the European Union is considering using ground troops in Libya, in addition to air and naval forces, to prevent migrants from setting off across the Mediterranean towards Italy.
[more]
Return of the Vic (after a few days' hiatus) with news and burning opinion.
"…On this day in 1787 delegates convened a Constitutional Convention. The delegates had been sent to change the Articles of Confederation not write a new one. &helllip;"
Theory of Education
On Monday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill withdrawing the state from the Common Core education standards…
Educating Ourselves
"…Soon you’ll be able to read books, and everything there is to know is in them! You’ll be able to find out whatever you want!…"
US Military
A missing Marine helicopter has not been spotted, a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command told Military Times on Wednesday. …was carrying six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers when it disappeared Tuesday during a mission in a remote mountainous region in Nepal
Breitbart is Here
Graphics and cartoons for your mid-week enjoyment.
The Bangladeshi blogger Ananta Bijoy Das was confronted and hacked to death on the street by masked Muslim activists carrying machetes. It is thought that Mr. Das had aroused his assailants’ anger by his writings opposing religious fundamentalism and in favor of secularism.
In other news from South Asia, another powerful earthquake — this one having a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale — struck Nepal, killings dozens of people and causing additional damage.
[more]
US Election 2016
…American Conservative Union releases their ratings of U.S. lawmakers… Most Republicans scored over 60 percent, but only sixteen scored a 100 percent conservative voting record. Of those, only one is officially running for president. …Sen. Ted Cruz.
Know the Enemy
…in 1968 the KGB-created Christian Peace Conference, supported by the world-wide World Peace Council, was able to maneuver a group of leftist South American bishops into holding a Conference of Latin American Bishops at Medellin, Colombia. The Conference’s official task was to ameliorate poverty. Its undeclared goal was to recognize a new religious movement encouraging the poor to rebel against the “institutionalized violence of poverty,” and to recommend the new movement to the World Council of Churches for official approval.
The Medellin Conference achieved both goals. It also bought the KGB-born name “Liberation Theology.”…
"It's a mistake to confuse Islam with Islam" [poster series by Big Fur Hat]
Transport Disaster
An Amtrak passenger train crashed in Philadelphia tonight. Several people are reportedly trapped in Amtrak 188. …
Spiritual Matters
…Days after at least a dozen crosses were forcibly removed from churches, China formally protested a United States report on its lack of religious freedom. Now a proposal has surfaced to ban crosses entirely from the rooftops of churches in Zhejiang, one of China's most Christian provinces. … "A draft of rules on religious structures released by government agencies this week says the crosses should be wholly affixed to a building facade and be no more than one-tenth of the facade's height. The symbol also must fit with the facade and the surroundings…"
Earth Shakes
At least 42 people were killed Tuesday and 1,117 have been injured after a major earthquake struck Nepal, triggering landslides and toppling buildings less than three weeks after the Himalayan nation was ravaged by its worst quake in decades.
Tuesday's magnitude-7.3 earthquake was centered near the Chinese border between Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, and Mt. Everest. It was followed closely by at least five aftershocks measuring from magnitude-5.6 to magnitude-6.3. …
Netsurf Flotsam
…this week all the dates of the week are a palindrome! Same forwards an back.
5-11-15
5-12-15
5-13-15
5-14-15
5-15-15
5-16-15
World Water
…With a unique, magnificent exception, much of the Middle East is running out of water due to such maladies as population growth, short-sighted dictators, distorted economic incentives, and infrastructure-destroying warfare.…
Policing Ourselves
…There can be no better time to reflect on all of this than National Police Week, when we solemnly remember the many who have died in the line of duty to keep us safe.
Hope n' Change thanks all of those who serve in uniform for the public good. And we stand in awe of their professionalism and dedication - continuing to do their exceptionally difficult and dangerous jobs when under attack not just from felons, but from opportunistic race hustlers and politicians whose ultimate goal is social discord rather than public safety.
Housing Ourselves
[Alaska house looks like the Weasleys' house in Harry Potter]
Solar System
Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is looking better and better as a potential abode for alien life.
Chemical reactions that free up energy that could potentially support a biosphere have occurred — and perhaps still are occurring — deep within Enceladus' salty subsurface ocean, a new study suggests.…
This animation shows a sequence of images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 4, 2015, from a distance of 8,400 miles (13,600 kilometers), in its RC3 mapping orbit. …The mysterious bright spots on the dwarf planet Ceres are better resolved in a new sequence of images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 3 and 4, 2015.…
…Worried astronomers warned 1999 FN53, which is an eighth of the size of Mount Everest, will skim the Earth in TWO DAYS.
A collision would be nothing short of catastrophic triggering mass destruction, earthquakes and global extinction.
The monster is more than TEN TIMES bigger than other meteorites currently visible on NASA’s Near Earth Object radar.…
US Military
…U.S. Marine Corps helicopter providing assistance in the wake of the Nepal earthquake is missing. … near Charikot, Nepal, on Tuesday. … part of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469.…
Opposing Tyranny
I damn sure didn’t go to war for this country twice to come home and be told by a bunch of homely chicks with daddy issues, effete literary fops scandalized by the notion of resistance to Third World pathologies, and nimrod sons of politicians playing at journalism what I can and can’t say.…
Breitbart is Here
"…before somebody hits back. …"
Pete's round-up and square shootin'.
Macedonia has charged thirty people with terrorism offenses after last weekend’s attacks, which left eight policemen and fourteen terrorists dead. Experts warn that the country’s political stability is at stake, and may deteriorate to the point of civil war.
In other news, the European Union is planning to implement a policy of mandatory refugee quotas for member states in order to reduce some of the migration burden on Italy. Meanwhile, the European high representative for foreign policy, Federica Mogherini, says that no migrant will be forcibly repatriated against his will.
[more]
US Election 2016
…Watching Mark Halperin of Bloomberg Politics interview Cruz recently, I wasn’t just uncomfortable. I was actually nauseated.…
Theory of Education
…One of my students asked “How involved was President Bush with what was going on?” I smiled and responded, “What you really mean is, ‘Was President Bush smart enough to understand what was going on,’ right?”
The class went dead silent. Everyone knew that this was the true meaning of the question. Kudos to that student for asking the hard question and for framing it so politely. I had stripped away that decorum and exposed the raw nerve.
I looked hard at the 60 MBA students and said “President Bush is smarter than almost every one of you.”…
Know the Enemy
…Cartoonophobia is a crippling mental disorder, please do your part to help these sick, sad, people to conquer their irrational fear of illustrations. Thank you.
…What was my recommendation to Michael? Forego having Geert Wilders speak, because of he high risk involved. I personally know Geert and support his stance against the incursion of militant Islamism and Islamo-fascism. If we were on a battlefield this would be an easy call, but there are innocent men and women involved — they are not warriors.…
[How sad. Alas, Col West has his squishy spots.]
…It'll be a long time before you see "Washington Post Offers No Apology for Attacking Target of Thwarted Attack" or "AP Says It Has No Regrets After Blaming The Victim". The respectable class in the American media share the same goal as the Islamic fanatics: They want to silence Pam Geller. …
Art of
“Really why Silent Bob is silent was because Jayson [Mewes] talks a lot. It was that simple,” said Smith. …
Bartlesville - prairie frontier town
Even though Bartlesville remained unscathed from the severe storms last week, extreme weather conditions have challenged residents since the city’s founding more than a century ago.
Established in the floodplain of the Caney River, the City of Legends was the scene of regular flooding until upstream dam projects brought the river under control in the late 1940s.
One of the first recorded floods in the town’s history took place in the spring of 1885, when, according to one eyewitness, a “25-foot wall of water” roared down the Caney River.…
Healing Ourselves
Oklahoma City …Milot loves music, and loves playing the mandolin — and that came in handy during his surgery. Dr. Sughrue had Milot play the mandoline as part of a process to determine how his brain was functioning.
Dr. Sughrue was able to remove 99% of the tumor — and because of the aggressive attack, Milot is hopeful that his chemotherapy will knock out the rest of the mass.…
Long Underwear Heroes are Dead
[I wouldn't normally have much to do with the Vlogbrothers, but their silly argument over Batman is sort-of worth slogging through to catch the songified version at the end of this post.]
Policing Ourselves
Oklahoma City …During the chase the two officers became separated. Eller found himself alone when he caught up to Jermaine in a driveway of a nearby home and as he tried to place him under arrest, a fight ensued. During the struggle, Jermaine was able to take Eller's police baton and then proceeded to strike him over the head somewhere between six and 12 times.
According to a report, that's when a witness nearby charged up with his weapon drawn and told Jermaine he would shoot him if he did not stop hitting Eller.…
Defending Ourselves
Florida …Highlands County Sheriff's Office investigators say at 3:40 p.m. on Monday, May 4th, an online pizza order, for a small hand-tossed classic pizza with pepperoni, was received by the Pizza Hut in Avon Park. Under the comments section there was a message asking them to send help and call 911 as the customer was being held hostage.…
…DeKalb County Police say two men walked into the store, pretending to be customers. They asked for the store owner to get them something from a shelf, and when he turned his back, one of the men pulled a shotgun and put it to the owner's head.
Police say when the owner realized what was happening, he turned around; and while moving the shotgun away from his head, he pulled out his own gun and shot one of the robbers dead.…
Breitbart is Here
Pistol Pete starts the week off with the usual great collection of links, posters, videos, and his opinionated opinions. [Retro'd a day late]
Whittle, Dershowitz, Bill O channels Jesus, Nun says ‘Islam is ISIS. Whoever Says Otherwise Is a Liar’, Is Experience a Requirement for Presidential Hopefuls? Baltimore cops attorneys call for prosecutor’s dismissal, Why the Freddie Gray Case Seems to Be Unraveling, Funeral Service For Slain NYPD Officer, and more
• Obama Scandals • Gun Rights
• Hide the Decline • Obamacare
• War & Terror • National News
• Economy & Taxes • International News
• Opinion
Vic pulls together the news, then beats it into submission, starting here today.
"… On this day in 1846 the United States declared war on Mexico.…"
Art of
The Duke playing Genghis Khan in yellowface, filming on a nuclear testing ground? Chris Bell on why nobody escaped the fallout from The Conqueror…
Breitbart is Here
Pete's collection for Mother's Day.
"…Rather than come up with something schmaltzy,I thought I’d post some cartoons from everybody’s favorite deranged aunty,who reminds me a lot of my late granny,with her sense of humor and her in-your-face attitude.…"
Political and humorous graphics for the week
Police in the Macedonian town of Kumanovo engaged in protracted gun battle today with ethnic Albanian terrorists. Five policemen were killed and dozens more wounded. An undetermined number of terrorists were also killed.
In other news, a 17-year-old “Australian” “youth” was arrested in Melbourne for plotting to detonate three bombs. Police say they found explosive devices in the young man’s home. The incident had nothing to do with Islam.
[More]
Vic brings the news links and the acid commentary starting here today.
"…Instead of a 'This day' thingy today lets look at Mother's day and how it got started.…"
Know the Enemy
…Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s top business adviser on Friday claimed climate change was a ruse encouraged by the United Nations to create a new authoritarian world order under its control.
Maurice Newman, chairman of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council, said the real agenda was “concentrated political authority. Global warming is the hook.”… [c/o Japan Times]
Breitbart is Here
Vic doesn't just link to the news; he beats it like a rented mule.
"…On this day in 1974 the House Judiciary Committee opened public impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon. Note that his actions were a pimple on the butt of what both Clinton and especially the idiot Choom have done.…"
Wars and Rumors
The rural Kentucky parents at the center of a custody battle that has shocked the homeschool and off-grid communities are staying upbeat and hope to get their 10 children back soon, a family friend says. … "They’re not trying to be overly critical of the authorities….” The 10 children were seized Wednesday from the parents, Joe and Nicole Naugler, following an anonymous tip that apparently related to their style of off-grid living. The family is also part of the “unschooling” movement, a type of homeschooling. … The ease with which sheriff deputies were able to take the kids may have been the most shocking. CPS had not visited the family previously… mom is out of jail after being arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. …
FBI KNEW ARIZONA ISLAMIST WAS TARGETING TEXAS CONFERENCE! They knew it hours before the attack occurred! … But the event organizers WERE NOT Notified nor was their security team!…
One of YOU may our be a first responder. Are you training for it? [Great graphic at link]
FBI Director James Comey said Thursday there are "hundreds, maybe thousands" of people across the country who are receiving recruitment overtures from the terrorist group [ISIS] or directives to attack the U.S.
Pamela Geller:
…This is a war.
Now, after the Charlie Hebdo attack, and after the Garland attack, what are we going to do? Are we going to surrender to these monsters? …
WW2 - still with us
Legal Insurrection's tribute to VE day.
70 years ago today the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. …
Disinformation Propaganda and Spin
AP: Geller says no regrets about Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest that ended in gunfire (clarifies earlier tweets)…
[Great responses]
Nature vs Transport
A freight train derailed near Valley View in Cooke County early Friday, leaving four railroad workers injured. … The BNSF train consisted of four locomotives and 13 cars. Two of those locomotives crashed into an extension of Lake Ray Roberts. … happened at the height of powerful storms that moved through North Texas on Thursday night and Friday morning. Officials believe that the severe weather is likely to blame for the derailment.
Natural Threat
…For the last 9 months or so I have heard chatter and rumors from people amongst the YouTube community who say that there is an impending asteroid strike off the coast of Venezuela this coming September.…
History - still with us
Underwater explorers in Madagascar say they have found what is thought to be the treasure of notorious Scottish pirate William Kidd. …50kg silver bar… Capt Kidd was executed in 1701 for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean.…
Breitbart is Here
Pete gathers the graphics, collects the cartoons, and loads up the links.
"…It’s a lifelong commitment. It was a labor of love.…"
Check these cartoons and panels out quick before they're banned. [The way things are going…]
Belatedly blogging the Humpday Humor page from Reaganite Republican. Cartoons and Graphics.
Vic gets up early to pull together news of the world that's falling apart.
"…On this day in 1886 the first Coca-Cola was sold as a patent medicine in Atlanta.…
Breitbart is Here
Pistol Pete brings together the news links, videos, and posters you need to know whazzup. [Retro'd a day late]
"…[chrissy's] as good a friend as I’ll never meet. …"
Wars and Rumors
Parishioners at St. Thomas More University parish in Norman, Oklahoma, were horrified Sunday when they discovered a shrine to Catholicism's blessed Virgin Mary had been desecrated. …sometime Saturday night… spray-painting the statue's face black and taping the name “ERZULIE” — the name of a Voodoo goddess — on the shrine's sign.… "We aren't going to let this stop our life of prayer and worship," he said. … [Pastor Jim Goins:] "We can't let the vandals set the agenda. They can disrupt, but they can't be allowed to be the victor."
Digital Consequences
[viral tweet by conservative comedian Evan Sayet…] My favorite drawings at the Muhammad cartoon festival in Texas were the two chalk outlines out front. … [Sayet regrets:]
"I only regret we live in a society where a joke at the expense of would-be mass murderers is something that anyone thinks I have to defend. And, again, the Leftists have accomplished their goal. Who is really irreverent here, me in a silly tweet about would-be mass murderers or those who sought to assault that which SHOULD be revered, the First Amendment right — the HUMAN right — of free speech?"
Defending Ourselves
…tried to grab the nonagenarian's wallet several times. … [WW2 vet] Kemberis heroically fought him off — and struck him several times with his walking stick. "He saw me coming up to strike him on the shoulders. I hit him three or four times…. He wasn't very aggressive, but I was." …
Breitbart is Here
Pete Puts the Speck in Perspective. (Wait, what?) Posters, Videos, Links, and Pete's acid wit.
US Election 2016
Nearly a dozen Republican presidential candidates will converge on Oklahoma in two weeks when the Southern Republican Leadership Conference comes to Oklahoma City. … May 21-23 at the Cox Convention Center and downtown Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center Hotel. … confirmed… Bush… Cruz… Walker… Perry… Santorum… Fiorina… Carson… Bolton… Graham… Jindal… Rubio…
Government at Play
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration… has formed an "alliance" with a "national social justice advocacy organization for transgender people" primarily to promote gender-appropriate restroom access. …part of a larger OSHA program to partner with groups "committed to worker safety and health to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses." …
Taxes Suck
With the state facing a $611 million budget hole, more than 90 Oklahoma businesses, foundations and nonprofit agencies are asking the governor and Republican legislative leaders to halt a scheduled income tax cut. … from 5.25 percent to 5 percent, beginning Jan. 1 … The governor and legislative leaders have consistently said they have no plans to stop the tax cut from taking effect. …
[The budget should be balanced, but what would be best is to cut the income tax altogether and let the resultant influx of business boost the economy.
[They're only dri
Hang Those Who Betray Public Trust
…Egypt is formally charging both Obama and Hillary for conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood in the overthrow of their government.…
Know the Enemy
New York Times: …It is still not entirely clear what led the two men — Elton Simpson, 30, and Nadir Hamid Soofi, 34, who lived in the same apartment complex in Phoenix — to come to this Dallas suburb and open fire Sunday outside a gathering that showcased artwork and cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.…
"For the first time since the beginning of his trial, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev dropped his icy, indifferent demeanor and broke down in tears as his relatives and friends testified as part of the penalty phase, describing him as a once-time wunderkind with a kind heart and goofy side to him. …
"Photos of lost limbs and murdered children shown in court earlier had elicited no such response from the mass killer." …
…The Islamic Community Center of Phoenix however is controlled by the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) which is a Muslim Brotherhood front group.
It featured an appearance by terrorist supporter Lauren Booth, a convert to Islam and employee of Iran's PressTV, who has propagandized on behalf of Hamas and Hezbollah, terror groups sponsored by Iran. Booth has spread the claim that the Boston Marathon bombing was staged…
Liberty and Justice
Speech given by Geert Wilders at Draw Mohammed gathering. Video and transcript.
"…Your statement, my statement, the statement of every single person present in this room here tonight is clear: We will never allow barbarism, we will never allow Islam to rob us of our freedom of speech! Never!…"
Feeding Ourselves
“Keeping meat consumption to levels recommended by health authorities would lower emissions and reduce heart disease, cancer, and other diseases,” Annan told The Guardian Sunday.
“And of course there are alternative sources of protein. For example, raising insects as an animal protein source,” Annan said. “Insects have a very good conversion rate from feed to meat. They make up part of the diet of two billion people and are commonly eaten in many parts of the world.”
“Eating insects is good for the environment and balanced diets,” Annan said.
[Daily Caller c/o WZ]
Animal Companions
The Tulsa Fire Department tells FOX23 a house fire Friday, near Highway 169 and East 28th Street, was the largest pet rescue in the department's recent history. … fire crews said they brought out more than twenty pets that were living in the home with two people.
"It was daunting because of the amount of resuscitations that were going on," District Chief Glenn Brigan said. "Because as each animal is coming out, we're trying to work on them. I would say we had one if not two companies working just on that." …
Policing Ourselves
Final salute for a fallen hero: Hundreds of NYPD officers stand in honor guard for 'exceptional' 25-year-old cop 'shot dead by career criminal' as his body is taken out from hospital
• Officer Moore, 25, has died of his injuries at Queens General Hospital
• Demetrius Blackwell fired gun 'at least twice' on cop, it is alleged
• Officer Brian Moore shot in head and chest
• Suspect spent years behind bars for attempted murder conviction in 2000, after he shot at another man in a car
• He was charged Sunday with two counts of attempted murder of an officer
• He is also facing weapons and assault charges and remains in custody
People Live
…"They shocked me," Lopez said. "About seven shocks later, I finally came to." … Though he has a humble and astounding sense of humor about his near-death experience, he considers it a miracle he didn't have to leave his wife and 11-month-old son behind for good. His mother, Penny, said it is all thanks to faith, the Oklahoma standard and the U.S. Army. …
[GoFundMe account set up for him]
US Military
This is what Army Strong means… The video shows US Army Captain Sarah Cudd, who was finishing the grueling final 12-mile road march for her Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB). …
Liberty Works
Everyone should publish one of these cartoons. They cannot kill us all.
Breitbart is Here
Pete celebrates this grand holiday commemorating the invention of the Margarita. News, pix, links, vids.
"Note to self:don’t try to post after having burritos for lunch."
The two deceased suspects in the Garland, Texas Motoon shooting have been identified as Elton Simpson, a.k.a. Abu Hussaini al-Britani, and Nadir Soofi. The two men were roommates in Phoenix, Arizona. Mr. Simpson reportedly converted to Islam at an early age.
In other news, for the first time the Greek government has referred to “other national currencies” and not just euros as possible repayment currencies for its debt instruments. Meanwhile, in possibly unrelated news, Greece will ask for additional funding from the EU to help it cope with the influx of refugees in the Mediterranean migrant crisis.
Untied States
On Thursday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill to prohibit the state from implementing or enforcing federal gun “laws,” rules, regulations and orders that are contrary to the Tennessee state constitution.
Breitbart is Here
Pistol Pete looks at the Texas terrorists. And other news and views of the day. [Retro'd 5/5]
"…When I first heard of the attempted attack by two individuals I thought:this ain’t Paris. They have guns in Texas and they can damn sure use them.…"
• Hide the Decline • Obamacare
• War & Terror • National News
• Economy & Taxes • International News
• Opinion
Clinton love, that awkward moment, educational gruel, Jeb-busters, and fish like laser pointers.
US Election 2016
Jeb Bush, a likely Republican US presidential candidate, said Thursday that Islam has been hijacked by “barbarians” who seek to “destroy Western civilization.” …
[Orrr... "moderate" Muslims are infidels to barbaric Islam. Let's ask ISIS.]
Constitutional Threat
…“We in the United States actually have freedom of religion, not freedom of worship,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Johnson yesterday during a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing.
Lankford was referring to the department’s decision to include “freedom of worship” instead of “freedom of religion” as a basic American right listed in the civics test that all immigrants must take to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. …
Art of
A year ago, professional artist Mauricio Abril released "Poor Spidey," which showed Spidey being pulled away from the fun-filled Avengers by a corporate executive. … Sony and Marvel worked out their differences… That news has led Mauricio to create a follow-up piece, "Spidey Reunited," to mark the joyous moment.…
It's Only Money
Ft Smith, Arkansas …waitress said she received a $2,000 tip [on a $278 total]… also gave the bartender a $700 tip and each cook a $100 tip…
People Live
A 101-year-old man was pulled alive from the rubble of his house in Nepal seven days after it collapsed in a deadly earthquake… Funchu Tamang was rescued on Saturday with only minor injuries…
Star Trek - less with us
StarTrek.com is deeply saddened to report the passing of Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand on Star Trek: The Original Series, in several of the TOS features and also on Star Trek: Voyager. According to her family, the actress and singer died on May 1 at the age of 85, passing away peacefully in her home in Coarsegold, California.…
Wars and Rumors
• Hundreds of Yazidi prisoners have been killed near Mosul in northern Iraq
• About 40,000 were captured when Isis attacked Yazidi villages last summer
Whoops!
An Italian man hung up the phone on Pope Francis twice thinking he was being pranked, but later apologised to him for his error
Bartlesville - prairie frontier town
For 68 years the Kiddie Park in Bartlesville has given children a theme park experience; and despite vandalism and broken machines, the park has held strong. Friday was opening night at the park where generations have families have come since it opened in 1947.…
Dinosaurs - still with us
Among newly discovered, 160-million-year-old, fossils in northeastern China is one of Yi qi (“Yi” meaning “wing” and “qi” meaning “strange”), a pigeon-sized dinosaur without feathered wings. Instead, Yi qi has a long bone extending from the wrist, which resembles the structure of bat wings. …completely new to dinosaurs, and only by comparing it to bats, flying squirrels and the like could the researchers, published in Nature, even guess as to its function.…
Marriage Today
A bill signed by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday seeks to protect religious leaders from being forced to perform marriage ceremonies that run counter to their beliefs. The measure also seeks to make clergy immune from lawsuits arising from their refusal to perform such ceremonies. …
“This bill makes it clear that the government can never compel our religious leaders or houses of worship to act in violation of their faith where marriage is concerned,” Fallin said. “I am proud to join our Legislature in taking a strong stand in defense of religious liberty and the freedoms awarded to all American citizens by the U.S. Constitution.”
World Without Borders
The first citizens will arrive on Friday to populate the world's newest self-declared country – Liberland, a tiny patch of woodland and fields on the sandy banks of the River Danube. The establishment of the pocket-sized nation was declared earlier this month on land wedged between Croatia and Serbia which, its founders argue, was never properly claimed by either country.…
Repeal! Repeal! Repeal!
[Oklahoma] Legislation authorizing medical trials for children with severe forms of epilepsy by using an oil derived from the marijuana plant has been signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin. … Fallin says she remains opposed to legalizing marijuana for recreational or medicinal purposes.
Lost and Found
Eighteen black women who were told decades ago that their babies had died soon after birth at a St. Louis hospital now wonder if the infants were taken away by hospital officials to be raised by other families. The suspicions arose from the story of Zella Jackson Price, who was 26 in 1965 when she gave birth at Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis. Hours later, she was told that her daughter had died, but she never saw a body or a death certificate. No one is sure who was responsible, but Price's daughter ended up in foster care, only to resurface almost 50 years later.…
Policing Ourselves
…New York City media is reporting an NYPD officer was shot this evening in Queens Village. …shot in the head …ambushed …
Science Marches Onnnnnn
…Might it be possible to reconstruct what someone was saying from video of nearby objects alone? A team of MIT computer scientists have figured out how to do just that, turning a chip bag into a "visual microphone."…
Fun can be... just Fun!
The early bluebird of bitterness catches the cats at play.
US Military
Oklahoma City: Jerry Billings was a U.S. Navy aviation machinist airman who served his country in the 1960s. On Christmas Eve, the 69-year-old man passed away with no family to claim his remains. Christine Hoffman, who works for the city, took it upon herself to find out more about the veteran. …thanks to thousands of shares about the funeral service on social media… More than 750 people, from military men and women to first responders and bikers showed up to pay their respects to a man they never even knew. …
Breitbart is Here
Today's video selections totally dominated by the mob violence in Baltimore, and repercussions.
Pete's latest lesson in how to view the world on May Day. [Blogged here a day late]
"…No idea where this is going.Which is normal.…"
TGIF Toons are still good on Saturday.
Vic find the world peculiar and lets it know, starting here today.
:On this day in 1863 : Stonewall Jackson was wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He died eight days later. An interesting little known fact about this event is that he is buried in two places…."
Headline of the Day
Tulsa Police Find Man They Say Stole Rifle By Stuffing It Down His Pants
[Parse it out: How did the Tulsa police find the man? By stuffing a stolen rifle down his pants?]
Israel Stands Alone
…Obama administration expects a commitment to the two-state solution from the next Israeli government and from the Palestinian Authority, National Security Adviser Susan Rice said. … at the annual meeting of the Arab American Institute. … Obama administration officials have said they will “reevaluate”… included reconsidering the degree to which the United States shields Israel from a proposed United Nations resolution that would impose terms for the establishment of a Palestinian state. … To applause, Rice went on to decry Israel’s settlement policies.…
Defending Ourselves
…Hillary Clinton thinks that “gun free zone” signs work, twice claims that modern sporting rifles are “automatic weapons,” and states that owners of the most popular rifle sold in the United States today are a small group “that terrorizes the majority of people.” … June 17, 2014 interview … Clinton went on to bizarrely claim that those who do not bow to her views on gun control are “prone to violence.” …
Breitbart is Here
It's not always easy to track down Vic's News, but here it is.
"…traditional holiday known as May Day. Originally it was a celebration of spring with dancing around the 'May Pole'. However in modern times the communists have usurped that celebration…"