Ban them all!

An attack by two Italian immigrant anarchist has resulted in more death and mayhem. It's past time we ended this scourge of Anarchist immigration. Even if it does bar whole peoples and nations.

These Italians do not share our religion, nor our values. How many Americans must die, how many of our vaunted traditions must be trampled upon before we get this?

Those who criticized the President's demand for a curtailment of immigration based on beliefs, where are they now? How many more must die?

OH, wait, my bad. That was back in 1918. Let's see, it's 2017, about to be 2018.

Ahh. I'm up to speed now.

An attack by an Uzbekistani immigrant ISIS member has resulted in more death and mayhem. It's past time we ended this scourge of Islamic immigration. Even if it does bar whole people and nations.

These Uzbekistanis do not share our religion, nor our values. How many Americans must die, how many of our vaunted traditions must be trampled upon before we get this?

Those who criticized the President's demand for a curtailment of immigration based on beliefs, where are they now? How many more must die?

*ahem*

Ahh, history. One can almost get bored with it's repetition. What's the old quote? "Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to have Santayana quoted at them."?

Always the same old reasons for banning people. And those who believe in the American value of "innocent till proved guilty" want to bar others because they look like or share some beliefs with some few criminals.

Picture an America without Italian immigrants. Picture an America without Catholic immigrants. That is what the KKK fought for in the 1920s.

What of you today? Will you find a group to fight against Islamic immigration and immigration from "those" nations in the 2020s? They aren't as strong as they used to be, but the KKK will still welcome your aid.

Or, like some who still welcomed strangers and treated them kindly as the Bible mandated even back in the 1920s, will you also welcome the strangers who seek refuge on our shores in the coming 2020s?

As for me and my house, we will welcome the tired, the poor and the huddled masses, yearning not to be judged by a few bad apples.

For the record...

For the record, I am not opposed to that most elusive of creatures, the "good cop". Like the "honest politician", such should be praised and respected when encountered.

I am opposed to the institution of "police departments" in general, which makes sense, as being a philosophic anarchist, I am opposed to the institution of "government" as well. I would prefer to see people hire private security or take the personal responsibility to bear arms.

Or to at least conduct themselves in such a fashion that a modest "security insurance" policy would suffice.

Likewise, I'd prefer that our "leadership" in the realm of secular affairs be freely chosen. In other words, a vote would not mean that the guy with 43 out of a 100 votes got to represent 100 people. It would mean only that he spoke for those 43, in the sense of holding a limited proxy.

And that the "loser" under our current system would then hold the proxy for the other 41. With yet a third person holding proxy for the remaining 16.

There will be times, on random days or weeks or months where I'll post a lone post - or a flurry of posts - on this or that politicized issue. Many reading now have only known me during the Trump administration and so only know me for writing against Republicans, but I assure you my words were oft times as scathing for the past "Nobel Peace Prize winner" Barack Obama who drone bombed so many more children than W did.

And there will be times when I mention police brutality. But no mention of corrupt politicians or police who do wrong - or the institution of government or police - means that I dislike the individual "honest politician" and "good cop".

But - like most all you who write about the foibles and follies of liberal leaders - it does mean I dislike what some of our current leaders do. And like any of you who would write against any corrupt bureaucrat, I also don't like what some cops who cross the line do.

I rarely bother to drag it out of my comfortable bourgeois living room any more!

I would encourage the honest politicians and good cops to understand this not only about me, but about many others in the nation, who while not what are called "armchair anarchists", are at least fed up with things.

The BLM person is - like you - probably an honest joe, a good guy, wife, kids, job, the usual. Not all of them are black clad antifascists any more than all cops are black clad fascists. True, one could wish that such good BLMers disavow the violence of some of their fellow travellers, but no doubt they also wish that such good cops there are would disavow the violence of some of their fellow travellers.

And what is true of the BLM is true of every other sub-group in the nation. Tea Partiers, liberals, conservatives, whatever.

Likewise in the political realm. I've seen no difference in the IQ, the motivations or the sincerity of the Left or the Right.

If there could be one thing I'd desire, for both those who support Law Makers - the government - and Law Enforcers - the cops - it would be this:

Be honest and consistent. That a person is a cop or Congressman does not make them bad, but it does not make them good, either. Be honest in knowing that. And what a person does that is wrong, does not change because they are on the same team as you. Be consistent in knowing that.

Thirdly - and finally - be sympathetic. A lot of folks are being trampled out here. By evil liberals making it hard on the small businessman, or the evil conservatives making it hard on women or by some evil politician being hard on some good citizen.

And likewise, some bad cops go overboard, and a person pulled over for a tail light gets killed, and no number of good cops getting hurt or killed changes that in at least some cases, a good person was hurt or killed.

I could list a thousand examples of politicians on all sides and cops in every state doing things that were hurtful or destructive. And no number of honest politicians and good cops change the truth of that.

Given that, there's going to be some criticism leveled at the fields of law making and law enforcing. It's natural, and should in no way give alarm. Many of us who do criticize, also criticize grifting cab drivers, vending machine stockers who never swap out the stale stuff, and lazy co-workers. Yet we know that good examples of such exist.

Just wanted to clear that up. My wife and I joined a church that is heavily conservative, so since I friended them all on facebook, there's been a few clashes and surprises between my esoteric Thoreauian Anarchism and their more popular conservatism.

There's no harm meant. I've friends all over the political spectrum, and in many various professions. It's all good!

White Women Matter

Remember that Utah Police Officer who handcuffed the white woman who sassed him?

He was fired.

Remember the dozen or so stories you've heard the past year or so about a policeman killing an unarmed black man and then getting paid leave and reinstatement?

This is why Black Lives Matter protests, and why football players kneel peaceably in silent protest.

And this is why piously saying back, "All Lives Matter" is facetious and hurtful. All lives do matter - but the point of BLM is that the Black Lives seem to matter a lot less.

Fired for handcuffing a white woman. Paid vacation for killing a black man.

Doesn't mean all cops are bad, or that all cops are racist. Just means there's some issues that need addressing. Sooner that's realized, the better.

Respect what I respect!

Might be important to note here that "disrespecting the flag" would ordinarily involve doing something to it. Burning it. Wiping one's bottom with it. Standing on it. Spitting on it.

That's "disrespecting the flag".

On the other hand, there's failing to stand for it. Failing to salute it. These are not actions, but a person simply refraining from an action. It is "failing to give the flag respect" not actively "disrespecting the flag".

Think of it like Islamic Mosques. There's probably one in your town. You've never gone over and disrespected it by vandalizing it but you've never gone and kissed it or prayed in it either.

So you've not "disrespected the mosque" but you have "failed to respect the Mosque".

Care to know the difference between a Jihadi and an American Patriot?

Jihadists do not typically care that you "failed to respect a Mosque" they wait till you do something disrespectful to it before getting angry.

American Patriots? Apparently nowadays "failing to respect the flag" is an anger worthy offense. In need of name calling and punishment.

Pictured: Respect what he respects the way he respects it, or you are disrespectful!

An Easy Question

Clive Bundy using guns to take over Federal property is an acceptable form of protest in conservative world.

But an unarmed black man kneeling is just waaayyyy out of line.

At least we ain't disrespectin' the sanctity of the football field.

I'm glad to hear that it's not about race - but I'm suspecting why some might see that kind of difference in reaction and suspect that it is.

I would enjoy hearing one day what kind of protest is acceptable

to conservatives. I know that if it's a protest for a conservative cause, then it's "all the usual".

But what is the acceptable form of protest if a black were to think that we need to have a national discussion on police brutality?

No, no, I'm not asking what they should NOT do in their protests, heaven knows we've heard plenty about the inappropriateness in them being in parks like the Tea Party or on streets like Martin Luther King did or in public in general like any other protest either.

And the inappropriateness of them waving their arms or waving signs or yelling loud or swearing or chanting. We know no traffic is to be blocked, like the patriots did in the Boston Massacre, or violence used, like in the Boston Tea Party.

We know it should not disrespect the flag, the nation, the military, the veterans, the police, the President, or the government in general. It should not disrespect anything that any conservative respects.

It should not be while at work or on the clock or if too much money is earned or if their salary is too high or if it's a game or just a private event in general.

I mean, great, we're all good now on the "don'ts".

Just need to know now how and where they can. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If they'd not be laughably ineffective or fall far short as to what whites get to do, that'd be even better.

But come on. It's not about race, right? So this should be an easy question.

Quit it.

Every time the blacks protest - by marching in a street or standing on the corner or sitting in the park or kneeling at a ball game - I hear the same thing.

"They need to protest differently!" is what all the comments boil down to.  The complaints are that they are blocking traffic, or that they are too rough in having their faces dent the riot batons of police, or they are interfering with those who wanted to get to work in 12 minutes instead of 17, or when they avoid all that and instead just kneel, that they are disrespecting the flag and our veterans.

This last makes me say, "Quit it".

First off, let me re-iterate the absurdity of claiming that your problem with black protestors is their "method" of protesting.  I've yet to hear of any method of a black person protesting that doesn't have some conservative - non-racist, of course - telling me why that way of protesting is bad.

Apparently, to protest appropriately, a black person needs to remain at home, preferably under his bed, duct tape over his mouth, quietly thinking - well, thinking good thoughts, that in no way would disrespect anything.

Second off, I'm tired of this whole, "We stand because of this" thing, where they then drag in a photo of a dead veteran.  Really?  Really?

So the flag of any nation must always be stood for?  Never protested?  Nazi flag, Soviet flag, North Korean flag?  There is never any freedom for any in those nations to refuse to honor those flags, because to do so would dishonor the soldiers who fought under those flags?

But let us leave aside the flag for the moment - which is but a piece of cloth, and cannot be "disrespected" - and focus on the soldiers.

Can we examine - without laughing - the absurdity of claiming that soldiers who in theory fought for freedom are somehow upset with blacks exercising freedom?  Can we also examine the absurdity - and disrespect - of millions of non-veteran sports watchers claiming to take offense on behalf of the soldiers dead and alive?

I have two words for all non-veterans who attempt to silence black people out of "respect" for me:

Quit it.

I didn't serve so you could sit through the National Anthem at home while complaining about a black guy not standing.  I didn't serve so you could tell me what I served for.  I didn't serve for the "freedom" to shut up and never offend you.  I didn't serve so that black people could be killed by the police and the rest of us make excuses.

And I didn't serve so you could go on and on about your great love of a flag you never bothered to fight for, or even offer to fight for.  Don't tell me what you'd do in a "Red Dawn" situation, I can clearly see what each of you non-veterans did when you were 18 and had every chance to show that fire, that fierceness and that fondness of the flag.

Jack crap.

And as for my fellow veterans - well, I know you know better.  There was never a platoon or squad yet that ever was unified in political views, nor was it even about that.  We served - and some fought - so that we could all be as wrong and as dumb as we cared to be back home.

So if you care to - I'd be the last to insist - why not lay off those guys who kneel?  I personally think that we all served and fought to defend corporate interests and make rich bastards richer, but if you truly came away from your term of enlistment thinking that it was all for freedom, then here's a novel idea - let those guys have their freedom to kneel.

You'll find that your body, your mind and your soul are made of sterner stuff, and they kneeling will do no lasting damage to you.

Finally, quit pretending - veterans and non-veterans - that this is over some employment contract or how they are "on the clock".  There's not a one of you that doesn't spout off your dumb political opinions - and everyone else's opinions on politics are always dumb - every break, every lunch, and oft times every hour.

If you can stand at a water cooler and blather about why Hillary sucks - and yes, we all know she does - then some guy pre-game can kneel during a song.

Police are killing minorities in disproportionate numbers.  Your kids are going to remember you being upset by that - or being upset at how a black person displays grief over that.

Leave me out of it either way.

Since you ask...

As a veteran, I think the usual line is that we were fighting for freedom. And to uphold the Constitution. I'm not as sure of that at 48 as I was at 18, but let's go with that.

Apparently the President, and some of my friends, are now imagining that what I was really serving for was to make sure that our nation was safe for conformity, and to make sure that sportsmen would be forced to stand and honor the flag against their will.

Um, no. That wasn't what I was serving for. Sorry for the confusion. I was serving because I honestly believed back then that we had freedom, and that it was worth preserving.

"Freedom" meaning that it was okay for people to think or worship or vote or speak or sit or stand differently than I or others.

Let us pause and consider something - how often do we hear criticism of BLM or Antifa for their "violent" protests? And justly so, if and when they are violent, as violence is not a freedom.

But here are some few ball players simply kneeling in peace. Is our democracy too fragile to withstand that? If it is, then golly, we've already lost and have no further use for that flag anyway. Call up Rocketman, we give up.

I also would sharply question - as a veteran - how many complaining actually stand at attention in their living room giving the civilian salute to the flag during that anthem. We used to do that.

I doubt most complaining on facebook do that any more, if they've ever done it a day in their lives.

Let's also remember the story in the Book of Daniel, where King Nebuchadnezzar tried to force everyone to give honor and respect to the image he erected. That - like a flag - was a symbol not of God, but of the Nation-State.

Daniel and his friends were correct to resist being forced to acknowledge State authority then, and Colin and his friends are correct to resist being forced to acknowledge State authority now.

It doesn't matter if you agree with them - heck, I'm not even saying whether I agree with them. But it is their right.