Well said…God knows I have to agree…..it is time consuming, frustrating and at times irritating to refute bullsh*t!
Sadly, I cannot let lies and misinformation go unchallenged…..so I spend some time frustrated and irritated…..such is life……
Day: January 6, 2016
Wait For It! There It Is! The Hysteria Returns!
Cha-ching! Cha-ching! Cha-ching!
That is the sound of cash registers burning up a couple of transistors in your local gun shop……why? The prez has once again tackled the issue of guns.
Every time he, the prez, opens his mouth on guns the sales go sky high because of a lie….that lie is that you will lose your guns if you do not somehow make the gun industry even richer…..so sez the NRA, the paid PR agent for that industry.
What did the prez say that has all the pain stirred up?
- requiring criminal background checks on all gun sales, including private sales
- banning “military-style” assault weapons
- limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds
- strengthening penalties for gun trafficking
Related Information: Gun Violence Fact Sheet | Gun Violence Executive Summary | Gun Violence Reduction Executive Actions
Predictably the first reaction from those on the outside looking in was……this is unconstitutional! As always when the issue of guns is addressed…..but what about the proposal is unconstitutional? These do not infringe on the 2nd amendment…you can still own all the fire sticks you desire.
If this is unconstitutional then maybe explain why and what part of the proposal is so….my feeling is that it will have very little to do with the content.
Who could object to background checks? If you feel you must have an assault weapon in your possession then join the Army there is enough crap going on in the world so you can shoot them all you like. If you need a magazine larger than 10 rounds for self-defense then buy a shotgun it will be more useful for defense. Why would you oppose penalties on gun trafficking?
Still I do not see any of that making me lose my guns.
The only thing that this drama will accomplish is that the profits for the gun makers will double or better…..and after all….that is what this is all about anyway.
Then there were the tears……and the political vultures will pounce on this because it is the easy part of this drama…….let me say this about that….GET OVER IT! You want to attack then attack substance not illusion……or appear…..petty and pathetic.
On a side note: Off I go for class #2……
Did You Feel The Earth Move?
I wish I could say this post was about some amazing sex exploit….but sadly that is not the case….. it is far more disturbing than that……
While you were busy listening to some Barnum-esque person prattle on about those darn Muslims or immigrants….or maybe you were in a panic and grab your Visa to buy that new AK-47 before they are gone…..all that is just noise…..while you were in your “zone” the earth moved.
No I am not talking about that earthquake in Afghanistan…..but rather an event in North Korea…….
A tense 2016 lies ahead on the Korean peninsula after a North Korean nuclear test that could mark an alarming leap forward in the country’s technology. Pyongyang claims that it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb for the first time, though experts say the Wednesday morning explosion— believed to have caused a 5.1 magnitude quake—was closer in size to North Korea’s three previous nuclear tests than to a hydrogen bomb explosion, reports the Washington Post. Kim Jong Un claimed last month that the country had an H-bomb, a weapon much more powerful and harder to make than an atomic bomb, and a confirmed test would almost certainly lead to tough new sanctions against North Korea, the AP reports.
North Korean state media reported that the test of the “miniaturized” H-bomb was a “perfect success.” It could be weeks before an H-bomb test can be confirmed by outside experts, who seem skeptical of Pyongyang’s claims. “Given the scale, it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb,” Yang Uk from the Korea Defense and Security Forum tells Reuters. “They could have tested some middle stage kind (of device) between an A-bomb and H-bomb, but unless they come up with any clear evidence, it is difficult to trust their claim.” The Australian Broadcasting Company reports that the United Nations Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss the nuclear test. (At the start of 2016, Kim said he was ready for war.)
Maybe now would be a good time to start worrying about what “Lil Kim” has on his little demented mind…..or you could just wait and see what he has planned……or we could just see what Lil Kim had to say……
Source: Here’s North Korea’s official hydrogen bomb statement. It’s a doozy. – Vox
New Middle East Time Bomb
Well that is almost an oxymoron but in this case it is accurate…..in case you are confused at what I am referring to…..the Saudis beheaded a Shia cleric for criticizing the royal family……(a quick synopsis)……
The fallout in the Muslim world over Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shiite cleric is only getting worse. After Iranian protesters broke into the Saudi embassy in Tehran to protest, Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran, and now Bahrain has done the same, reports the BBC. The United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, is at least downgrading ties with Tehran, reports the AP. Some coverage:
At the core of the matter is the split between Sunni and Shia Islam, and the New York Timeshas a primer.
Why was this executed cleric so important? The Guardian has a profile of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and his long role as a “thorn” in the side of the Saudi regime.
One word for the effect on already jittery oil prices Monday? “Volatile,” reports CNNMoney.The US is worried the rising tensions will hurt the fight against the Islamic State in Syria, reports the Washington Post.
Can the White House use its influence to head off the conflict? Given the matter’s deep roots, don’t count on it, officials tell the Wall Street Journal.
Russia, of all nations, has offered to play mediator, reports the International Business Times.
So countries around Saudi Arabia have given them some support in the world…..since Saudi and Bahrain and UAE have issued support…….. one other Middle East country has joined the growing list….Kuwait…….
Kuwait announced on Tuesday it has recalled its ambassador to Iran over attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions, making it the latest Arab ally of Saudi Arabia to line up behind the kingdom amid rising regional tensions following its execution of a leading Shiite cleric and opposition figure. Sudan and the tiny island kingdom of Bahrain said Monday they would sever ties with Iran, as Saudi Arabia did late Sunday. The United Arab Emirates announced it would downgrade ties to Tehran to the level of the charge d’affaires, while other nations issued statements criticizing Iran.
Iran’s president, meanwhile, says Saudi Arabia “cannot cover its crime” in executing a the cleric by severing ties with Tehran. President Hassan Rouhani made the comments in a statement posted to his website Tuesday, referring to the kingdom’s execution of leading opposition figure Sheikh Nimr-al Nimr. Rouhani says that the “Saudi government has taken a strange action and cut off its diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran to cover its crimes.” He adds that, “undoubtedly, such actions can’t cover up that big crime.” World powers have sought to calm the tensions, with the White House urging Saudi Arabia and Iran to not let their dispute derail efforts to end the Syrian civil war.
But why would I foresee a problem with these actions?
Bahrain and Kuwait are a majority Shia with Sunni rulers…..especially Bahrain who has already had problems in and around the Arab Spring….this could lead to further protests and possible violence along sectarian lines…..the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been on a see-saw for the last 20 years…..
Source: Factbox – Troubled history of Iran-Saudi relations | Reuters
Keep in mind that NOT all Muslims follow the Islam of the Saudis…..the Saudis are the protectors of Holy Shrines….not the leader of the religion….
The pot is simmering and will only take a quick match to bring it to a boil…..and then the US is up to its ass in more trouble on the geopolitical stage.
The dangers of Populism
2016 has been called the election of populist……populism is a popular term batted around in the media….but what is populism?
any of various, often antiestablishment or anti-intellectual political movements or philosophies that offer unorthodox solutions or policies and appeal to the common person rather than according with traditional party or partisan ideologies.
grass-roots democracy; working-class activism; egalitarianism.
representation or extolling of the common person, the working class, the underdog, etc.:
But is populism the best thing for the country?