anti-Muslim film

I wish they would stop saying this is about some obscure anti-muslim film (done by an Egyptian-born Coptic Christian living in the United States--only a few dozen people have seen the film--it was shown to a select audience in JULY (and they just happenend to get angered about it on Sept. 11th--give me a break.)  I think a more logical explanation would be Obama and Biden boasting about killing Bin Laden (what was it that Biden said over and over again "Bin Laden is dead and GM lives"), and the drone killing of Al Qaeda's second in command.  Heard being chanted at the demonstrations in Egypt--'Hey Obama, we are 1 million Bin Ladens'  The brother of the #1 leader of Al Qaeda, and the nephews of the killed #2 in command were reportedly seen in Egypt for the first demonstrations on Tuesday (Wednesday morning their time) 

Embassy Attacks

Let's see if we can tie some dots together--The Democratic party leaves out the usual statement that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.  Earlier in the year, President Obama had snubbed the Prime Minister of Israel.  And now the United States puts no limits on what Iran can do with its nuclear program, but tells Israel to wait for its foreign policy to work, then refuses to meet with the Prime Minister when he comes to the UN later this month.  He will be too busy (A scheduled appearance on the Letterman show is more important than meeting Netanyahu).  And the claim at the Democrat Convention was that Israel has never had a better friend than this president!!!???

We help get rid of Mubarak in Egypt, and Kadaffi in Libya.  We pledge to send more than a BILLION dollars to Egypt, and what do we get for our efforts on behalf of the people there--two embassies attacked, an ambassador killed, an embassy burned.  And what is the initial response of the Embassy in Egypt:  apologize to the strikers for the abuse of free speech that insulted Muslims over a film about Muhammed.  Until the ambassador was killed, then, finally the Administration disavows the statement of the Egyptian embassy (they said it had not been cleared) and condemned the people who killed the ambassador.  Why didn't they disavow the statement immediately and condemn the invasion of US territory (embassies are considered sovereign land of the country whose embasssy it is--just ask England, Ecuador and the fugitive Lasange of Wikileaks).  Does this remind  you of Jimmy Carter and the take over of the US embassy in Teheran that lasted until Ronald Reagan became president 444 days later. The burning of the embassy should be seen as an act of war.

News that the Mexican police broke up a terrorist group training in Mexico and arrested some Al-Qaida members, including an American-born member.  And the President refuses to allow Arizona from enforcing its illegal immigration law, or to enforce the laws themselves.  The claim that the Obama administration has returned more illegal immigrants than any other administration has been shown to fudge the numbers.  Many of those returned are not entered into the computers as illegal immigrants, so that when they return to the United States and captured and returned again, they are not seen as repeat offenders.  Reprorts are that some of these people have been returned many times.  (like the statistics on divorce, if a person gets divorced 4 times, that is counted as four people getting a divorce--and that is how they get to 50% of marriages end in divorce).  Sending the same person back home 4 times is counted as sending 4 people back.  And the claim that  only about 800,000 young people (those under 30) were eligible for Obama's "Dream Act" executive order has been shown to be bogus--over 1 million applied for the work visas, and the number may go as high as 2 milliion--these are people who are taking American jobs with 23 million Americans unemployed, and who get preferential treatment at Colleges (in-state tuition and easier access to scholarships which out-of-state American students can't get.)

Does anybody doubt that we are at war with radical Islamic terrorists?  And doing very little about it!  When the King of Jordan falls (he was attacked over the weekend) and the Saudi Arabian government falls, watch what happens to the price of gas, and to Israel, and to the United States standing among Muslim countries.  And the president refuses to allow the XL pipeline from being built, has not allowed resumed drilling in the Gulf (you can get a permit, but can't drill until you get clearance from the EPA--who elected them?) and the EPA is trying to find some way to stop fraking for natural gas on private lands in the US.

Creationism Defended

There was talk at the Democratic Convention that part of the Republican Education program would be to teach Crreationism.  I found evidence, not in the Bible, that that might not be a bad idea.  I quote:  (emphasis is mine;  if you do not recognize the source, then it becomes even more critical that we teach Creationism):

     "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the the earth, the seperate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
     We hold these truths to be self-evident, tht all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
     "We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;. . . ."
     "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance of the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

This is, of course, part of The Declaration of Independence written by that Deist (i.e. non-Christian, who took the New Testament and eliminated parts that he considered not true sayings of Jesus) Thomas Jefferson.  He obviously believed in Creation, with a Creator.  True it is not a scientist tome--but Jefferson, along with Franklin, was considered the leading intellectual and scientist of the day in the colonies, if not in the world.  Evolution is a godless discipline--requiring as much faith to accept some of its tenets as does Christianity.  They try to take the Creator out of the Creation of the world.  If we don't teach Creationism in the science classroom, we ought to teach it somewhere--history, ethics, somewhere--so we let our children know where we came from (just as evolution tries to do).  It might prevent us from making Government, or one man who runs the government from assuming he is the Creator and "creating" rights that are not part of Nature or of Nature's God.

Mark Twain 58

NEWSPAPERS

     Mark Twain lived in a time when people depended on newspapers for most of their information about what was goiing on in the world.  He thought the public was too willing to believe the half-truths printed in the newpapers.  In an 1872 speech on "the Sins of the Press," he gave this example:
     "A Detroit paper once said that I was in the constant habit of beating my wife and that I still kept up this recreation up although I had crippled her for life and she was no longer able to keep out of my way when I came home in my usual frantic frame of mind.  Now scarcely the half of that was true. '

The trouble is that the stupid people--who constitute the grand overwhelming majority of this and all other nations--do believe and are moulded and convinced by what they get out of a mewspaper.   (from a speech "License of the Press," 1873)

The old saw says, "Let sleeping dog lie."  Right.  Still when there is much at stake it is better to get a newspaper to do it.  (from Following the Equator, 1897)

NEW YORK

I. a virtuous person only a year before, after immersion for one year--during one year in the New York morals--had no more conscience than a millionaire.  (from a 1906 speech, "New York Morals")

NEW YORKERS

     A New Yorker once chided Mark Twain:  "You Missouri people are all right, but you're too provincial."
     "Provincial?"  retorted Twain.  "On the contrary.  Nobody in New York knows anything about Missouri, but everybody in Missouri knows all about New York."

NOAH

The more I see of modern marine architechture and engineering the more I am dissatisfied with Noah's Ark. . . .Nobody but a farmer cold have designed such a thing, for such a purpose.  (from an 1896 notebook)

More observations on today's news...

1.  See earlier comments on anti-religious hate crimes.  Muslims were celebrating the end of Ramadan in a Staten Island park--someone spread three packages of uncooked bacon around the park, with an anti-Muslim note.  Is this a hate crime?  My take: if it is a crime the crime is littering.  Is it anti-religious?  Definitely!!!

2.  Jeff Foxworthy has a new show--The Bible Challenge--don't know where it is seen, probably Fox network.  He gave 5 sample questions (Jonah, Babel) I missed one:  What did God use to create man.  Choices:  clay, dust, water, earth.  I chose clay--the answer was dust ("Ashes to ashes,dust to dust")--but all the editions that I have:  KJV, RSV, NIV, New English, American Standard--all list 'ground'.  I like Foxworthy's arguement for 'dust'

3.  California decided to help underwater mortgages by lowering the principal of the loan (up to $100,000 reduction in principal): banks to pay for half, the state the other half.  Banks refused, so state said they would pay 100%--but they only have enough Stimulus Fund Money to cover 50% so they have been told that the US government will pay for the other half--that's you and me, paying for California mortgages.  $100,000 is about the size of my mortgage--and yet I have to pay for someone to have that amount taken off of his principal.  How bout taking that amount off mine so I can own my house free and clear.  What's going on in California, David?

4.  NC Voter Integrity Project found that in Wake County more than 550 people were on the voters rolls that were probably not citizens and eligible to vote.  The Board of Elections chose 18 (don't know what criterion was used for the choices) and are holding meetings as we write this--but only to discuss the 18--not the 550.  In Wake, after the 2008 elections, three Democrats admitted they voted twice for Obama.  Gov. Perdue vetoed the Voter-ID, and the Dems in the NC House blocked the override.  In Miss, the head of the NAACP is in jail on 10 counts of voter fraud.   Who says we don't need voter ID?  The Democrats, the NAACP, and our Justice Department!  Do the math!

5.  The Detroit Sanitation Department has twice the number of employees than the city of Chicago  (Population: Chicago:  2.7 million;  Detroit: 707,000) based on amount of water processed.  Consultant group told Detroit they could save millions by reducing the force by 1/3.  Unions refused to go along.  (The Department has on its work force a horse shoer--yet it has no horses, nor horse shoes--and the Union refuses to allow Detroit to eliminate even that job--The Union actually said they need MORE employees to do the job.  No wonder Detroit is in trouble.  Can you say that this is a city run by the unions, not the people and their elected representatives.

6.  Last:  GOP nominee from Missouri Todd Akin:  THIS IS NOT A DEFENSE OF AKIN--HE SHOULD GO!! AND TODAY.  But he is being condemned for something he said.  What he said was stupid--and we don't need any more stupid people in Congress.  But I would like to compare what the reaction is to what people say versus what they do and the reactions of each party to each.  Think back  Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott lauded Strom Thurmond on his 100th birthday  He made reference to Strom's run for the Presidency on the Dixiecrat ticket (without naming it) and was roundly censured by both the GOP and the Dems. He went on an apology tour, but was still forced to resign as Majority Leader.  He won re-election (he was basically unapposed) but resigned from the Senate the next year.  In the meantime, the Democrat leader of Senate was Robert Byrd of West Virginia--a former leader of the KKK, and used the "N" word twice in a TV interview (he called himself the "N" word).  No condemnation, no apology tour.  Rep. Dan Crane (R, Ill) and Gerry Studds (D. Mass) were both caught having affairs with interns--Crane with a female, Studds  with a male.  Both were censured by the House--Crane faced the House as the censure was read--then did not run for re-election because of the scandal.  Studds turned his back on the House as the censure was read, received 2 standing ovations from the people of Mass at town meetings shortly after the censure and was re-elected 6 times.  He did not apologize for the affair: said it was consensual.  Mark Grayson (D,Fla) spoke on the House:  "GOP health care plan:  Don't get sick, if you do get sick, Die quickly"  no condemnation of this by Dems.  Mark Foley (R. Fla)  was caught sending sexually-explicit messages to former male interns (there was no proof of contact, just messages) He was forced to resign by the GOP leadership.  Anthony Weiner (D.NY) was caught sending sexually explicit photographs to females ( I think one was an intern)  He denied it saying the charges were false--then was caught in the lie and THEN he resigned. He now is thinking of running for mayor.  (by the way, his wife is the subject of Michelle Backman's charges of possible involvement of the Muslim Brotherhood in setting State department policy with Arab countries--she is Hillary Clinton's Chief of Staff; her mother, father, uncle and I believe her grandfather were high officials of the Muslim Brotherhood.)  Obama government not only has refused to investigate, but also has refused Freedon of Information request for documents giving her her clearances for her status.  John Corzine (Senator, later Governor D NJ)  ran an investment house that looted customer accounts of $2 Billion--a clear violation of the law--Holder's Justice Department is going to drop criminal charges.  WHY?  BilI Clinton had sex with an intern in the Oval Office, lied about it (in typical Obama practice, blamed a vast right-wing conspiracy) lied to the grand jury, then got caught in the lie was impeached  but defended by Dems (we shouldn't condemn someone for what they do in private--and one should always lie about extra-marital affairs to protect the family) I could go on, but this is too long already:  But here is the moral of the story (with the exception of Weiner) The Republicans get harsher penalties--many times imposed by theGOP itself--for what they say , than what happens to Dems for what they do ;   And the Dems can say anything they want without censure or reprimand.

Mark Twain 57

NARRATIVE

     "In writing, it is usually stronger and more dramatic to have a man speak for himself than to have someone else relate a thing about him," Mark Twain told a New York audience during a question-and-answer session after a lecture.
     "Suppose a man dies," someone asked.  "Is it stronger to have the man himself say that he has died?"
     "Sometimes,"  Mark Twain answered.  "Take the case of Major Patterson, down in Missouri, when a squatter had moved in on some of the extensive lands he had laid claim to.  Deciding to use the frightening method to get the squatter off, the Major donned a mask one dark night, moumted an enormous black horse, rode to the squatter's door , called him out, and asked for a bucket of water.  The Major had also availed himself of a contrivance. . . a large leather bag on his chest and stomach, buttoned securely under his coat.
     When the squatter had brought the water the Major raised the three-gallon bucket, slowly poured its contents into the bag through an opening at his throat, turned to the astonished squatter and said, 'Ah-h-h-- That's the first drink of water I've had since I was killed at the battle of Shiloh!'
     "The squatter disappeared from that part of the country,"  Mark Twain concluded.  "And I think you will agree that when the Major spoke for himself, the effect was stronger than otherwise."

NEW DEAL

     "F.D.R. tole me tht he took his famous phrase from M.T.'s Connecticut Yankee when I presented him our Mark Twain Gold Medal, 3rd December 1933," wrote Cyril Clemens, editor of The Mark Twain Journal, a leading scholarley organ.
     The phrase that gave a name to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's administration was drawn from a chapter entitled "Freemen!" in which the Connecticut Yankee, who is basically an updated Jeffersonian democrat with technocratic tendencies, confronting the backward realities of the medieval monarchy and decides it is high time for a revolution.  "And now here I was in a country where a right to say how the country should be governed was restricted to six persons in each thousand of its population," he observed.  "I was to become a stockholder in a corporation where nine hundred and ninety-four of the members furnished all the money and did all the work, and the other six elected themselves a permanent board  of direction and took all the dividends.  It seemes to me that what the nine hundred and ninety-four dupes needed wa a new deal."
     A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court was less popular with the critics than Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, but Mark Twain considered it his magnum opus;  It is the clearest and most complete statement of the author's democratic, egalitarian philosophy.  the book was artistically flawed because the author inserted so much of his own opinion into it and did not disguise himself behind the mask of artistic irony as successfully as he did in Huckleberry Finn.  In Huckleberry Finn, the author's views are so artfully masked that to this day there are some blacks who consider the book racist.  But nobody will ever accuse the Connecticut Yankee, or his creator, of being a monarchist.  A Connecticut Yankee is a literary manifesto for democratic revolution.
     "It's my swan song, my retirement from literature," Mark Twain wrote sadly to his friend Howells.  "Well, my book is written--let it go, but if it were only to write over again there wouldn't be so many things left out.  They burn in me. . . .but now they can't ever be said;  and besides they would require a library--and a pen warmed up in hell.

Mark Twain on Mothers

MOTHER

     "I was always told that I was a sickly and precarious and tiresome and uncertain child,"  Mark Twain informed his biographer Paine, "and lived mainly on allopathic medicines during the first seven years of my life.  I asked my mother about this, in her old age--she was was in her eighty-seventh year--and said: 'I suppose that during all that time you were uneasy about me?' "
     "Yes, the whole time,"  said she.
     "Afraid I wouldn't live?"
     After a reflective pause--ostensibly to think out the facts--"No--afraid you would."

MOTHER-IN-LAW

     Mark Twain taught that there are two types of humor, conscious humor and unconscious humor.  He used the following mother-in-law joke as an example of unconscious humor.
           A man receives a telegram telling him that his mother-in-law is dead and asking, "Shall we embalm, bury, or cremate her?"
           He wired back, "If these fail, try dissection."
"Now the unconscious humor of this,"  Mark Twain explained, "was that he thought they'd try all of the three means suggested, anyway."

MORALS

     Mark Twain often described himself as a "professional moralist."  In a speech in London in June 1899, he told of the turning point in his moral development.  It was one day in his youth when he stole a watermelon out of a farmer's wagon while the farmer was waiting on another customer:  " 'stole' is a harsh term, I withdrew--I retired that watermelon--and I retired with it."  Much to his chagrin, the watermelon turned out to be unripe.
     "The minute I saw it was green I was sorry, and began to reflect--reflection is the beginning of reform. . . .I said to myself  'What ought a boy to do who has stolen a green watermelon?  What would George Washington do, the father of his country, the only American who could not tell a lie?  What would he do?  There is only one right, high, noble thing for any boy to do who has stolen a watermelon of that class; he must make restitution; he must restore that stolen property to its rightful owner.'  I said i would do it when I made that good resolution.  I felt it would be a noble, uplifting obligation.  I rose up spiritually stronger and refreshed.  I carried that watermelon back--what was left of it--and restored it to the farmer, and made him give me a ripe one in its place."

Always do right.  This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.   (from a note to the Young People's Society, 1901)

The Moral Sense teaches us what is right, and how to avoid it--when unpopular.   (from an essay "The United States of Lyncherdom,"  published in 1923)

No brute ever does a cruel thing--that is the monopoly of those with the Moral Sense.   (from "The Mysterious Stranger," published in 1916)

A man should not be without morals;  it is better to have bad morals than none at all.   (from an 1894 notebook)

It is not best that we use our morals week days;  it gets them out of repair for Sundays.  (from an 1898 notebook)