This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: TSO

  • Not another boring law post!

    OK, I lied, it is another boring law post. But, it will be interspersed with really bad attempts at humor, and a heartwarming story about Walter, the three-toed sloth who overcame debilitating bouts of narcolepsy.

    In the pantheon of idiotic and demonstrably ridiculous statements, I rate “Lawyers are smarter than regular folk” somewhere between “I did not have sex with that woman, Ms Lewinsky” and “I was abducted by aliens from the Paramis, New Jersey Holiday Inn, and they took me to their spaceship and shoved a probe in my ass.”

    Today’s refutation of that statement (the lawyers, not the anal probing Aliens) is brought to us by someone via email. Since the law article I am about to ridicule peripherally deals with IVAW, I am assuming that Raoul sent it, but I mistakenly erased the email when I got angry about it’s’ contents. If they ever have a Library of Congress for all things IVAW, Raoul would be the Chief Librarian. (This analogy is completely ridiculous, because I have never once heard the Chief Librarian at the Library of Congress openly wish that the library was relocated to the bottom of the Adriatic, but you get the idea.)

    Anyway, this piece of (charitably characterized) Asshattery is brought to you by Daniel McFadden of the Boston College School of Law. (If Daniel’s Mom is reading this, I hate to malign a good Scot like Daniel, but his paper is ridiculous.) Seriously, this paper does for law what cannibalism did for cuisine. If I gave construction paper and a crayon to a kid wearing a hockey helmet on a short bus and asked him to draw something, I would have a better than average chance of getting something more incisive than “A First Amendment Analysis of Military Regulations Restricting the Wearing of Military Uniforms by Members of the IRR who Participate in Politically Themed Theatrical Productions.”

    Ugh. (Why do we always come here, I really do not know. It’s kind of like a torture to have to watch this show.)

    The premise of this pile of animal leavings is that Kokesh and his ilk should be allowed to wear their uniforms when they and their REMF buddies fake-walk patrols down the mean streets of the East Village. The paper is very well written and researched in the sense that it uses proper English and has a footnote at the end of virtually every sentence, none of which am I checking. I am fairly certain that Daniel has/had a GPA from BC that was at least a full point north of my Law GPA, and it shows in his writing style. I remember reading once about a OER that said that an officer was of two minds: one was lost and the other was out searching for it. Perhaps this notional officer should expand his search for a premise for this paper which might make even a modicum of sense.
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  • Apropos of absolutely nothing…

    And since “someone*” screwed up Jonn’s “Yes, we did” post, I’ll repost the Hope and Change video;
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  • On Patriotism and Naturalization

    I always find it odd that I am considered anti-foreigner and xenophobic. I won’t go into it, but believe me when I say that a large organization that supports the rights of illegal aliens even went so far as to send a letter to every Member of Congress wherein they mentioned what a wretched Nativist I am. Obviously, since I am posting this, it’s not true that I am one. I just happen to believe that border security and assimilation of new Americans is an important National Security issue. Nonetheless, on to my larger issue.

    Ms Malkin and others are today noting the heart-wrenching and yet patriotic comments of Dong Yun Yoon who lost his wife, 2 children and mother in law in the crash of the military plane in San Diego:

    “Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident,” a distraught Dong Yun Yoon told reporters gathered near the site of Monday’s crash of an F/A-18D jet in San Diego’s University City community.

    “He is one of our treasures for the country,” Yoon said in accented English punctuated by long pauses while he tried to maintain his composure.

    “I don’t blame him. I don’t have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could,” said Yoon..

    UPDATE: Ms Malkin has more on this story up now.  And if you can, send this guy a card, or a donation, or something so he knows that his adoptive country feels his loss and appreciates his comments.

    Did you all know that Rob Yllescas was from Guatemala?

    Yllescas spent his first 18 years in Guatemala, where his father, Otto Yllescas, still lives. His mother, Barb Yllescas, lives in Treynor, Iowa.

    Anyway, these two stories got me to thinking about an experience I had with a gentleman that I wanted to share.

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  • Captain Rob Yllescas

    (Picture courtesy of The American Legion Department of Nebraska)

    Captain Rob Yllescas was laid to rest yesterday in Nebraska, and many veterans of all wars showed up to pay their respects.

    Rob’s wife over at her blog says:

    Yesterday was Rob’s funeral. It was beautiful. Again, the Patriot Guard showed up holding flags outside the auditorium and a bell was being rung. During the service they had a 16×20 photograph of Rob in uniform in front of a flag. I looked at it most of the service. That picture made it feel like he was right there. They played a slide show before and after the service. My friend Nancy is going to put it on here when she gets the chance so everyone can see it. She did an amazing job. Thanks, Nancy. After the service we went to the cemetery. The police were in front with the Patriot Guards on their bikes, then Rob, and then more Patriot Guards leading us to the site. It was so surreal that the 21 gun salute and presentation of the flag was for MY husband. I still can’t believe he’s gone. Even though I was there when he passed away, to me it feels like he’s still deployed. So many people were there. It’s just unbelievable the amount of support.

    Rest in Peace Captain.

  • Explanation and question

    OK, some of the more astute among you may have noted a significant decrease in my posting, and the more erudite among you probably appreciated my lack of posting. But, I am slowly coming back. First I had a HR complaint about my blogging, no big problem. Then I had a lunatic scandanavian phony veteran sending me emails about my Dad, which is kinda creepy and made me question why I was blogging. Then on Thanksgiving, I had to put my beloved Golden Retriever to sleep, which is probably the worst day of my life, and I am still depressed and not sleeping well. But, I did want to check in as I try to work myself into blogging again. Have a ton of stuff to write about with Shinseki and his ties to Defense Contractor Honeywell (where are you left? Remember the Cheney conflict of interest stuff?) and the assinine charges by the Justice Dept against Blackwater etc.

    (Also, I figured I better post something today or someone would accuse me of “calling in gay” to work.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

    But the first thing I want to do is comment on this photo that the incomparable Ms Malkin is running as a caption contest.

    Everytime I see pictures like this where Obama has his chin elevated, I get irked. And then today it hit me. Ever seen that episode of Friends where Joey Tribiani is talking about his acting method, the “Smell the Farts” method? Obama always seems to be trying to capture all the ass emissions in the room whenever he does this. Or is it just me? Or has no one seen that show?

  • DC Vets For Peace love them some white supremacists

    Dude, you can’t even make this shit up.

    Since it’ll go down the memory hole…Here is VFP DC blog guy Anthony Teolis talking about his radio appearance on The Radio Free Mississippi with Jim Giles.

    You can listen HERE and HERE. I strongly advise you do so, because it is HIGH-LARIOUS. You absolutely must listen to the heaping, steaming pile of comedy. He went to “serve my nation in combat” in……………..TURKEY!

     

    Here’s the picture of this battleheardened Joe!  This man fought forest fires in Oregon PEOPLE!

     

    And who is Jim Giles of Radio Free Mississippi?  From his website:

    Jimmy Darrell Giles was born in Jackson, Mississippi on March 12, 1959….Turning to the corrupt political legal arena, Jim’s Pro-White and Anti-Zionist independent campaigns for congress ended with scant support.

    This article from the Jackson Free Press makes it even more clear:

    The weekly African American newspaper The Jackson Advocate endorsed avowed white racist Jim Giles as representative of House District 62 in its Nov. 1-7 edition. The very first paragraph of Giles’ biography on his Web site, rebelarmy.com, describes Giles as the proud owner of white ancestry.

    “Jimmy Darrell Giles was born in the Baptist Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi on March 12, 1959. Both his parents were White, James Stanton Giles and Margaret Rose Hutchins as were both sets of his grandparents,” the bio proudly states. A hard-core separatist, Giles founded Southern Initiative in 1994 “to promote pride in Southern heritage.” The Web site publishes a pro-white newsletter, Counterattack.

    Jackson Advocate contributing editor Ernest McBride said the paper mistook Giles for another candidate while composing its political endorsement page.

    And there’s his Radio show. Complete with totally awesome Turkish War Combat Veteran, Veteran Extra-Ordinaire For Peace, and Totally Awesome Scaffolding Climber Tom Teoilis!

  • IVAW: “send mccain back to his cage at the hanoi hilton”

    NOTE: Title of this thread comes from the CAPTION on the IVAW facebook website in support of their unlawful, horseshoe wannabes from NY.

    First a little background. Back in October, the miscreants and phony combat veterans of IVAW attended the Presidential Debate at Hofstra University. According to Democracy Now:

    Outside the Obama-McCain debate, at least fifteen people were arrested at a protest organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War. IVAW member Nick Morgan was left bloodied and nearly unconscious after being trampled by a police officer on horseback. […] The protest was organized by IVAW members Matthis Chiroux and Kris Goldsmith. Last week, Chiroux sent a letter to CBS debate moderator Bob Schieffer spelling out the demands of IVAW and demanding that at least two veterans be allowed entry into the debate to ask Senators Obama and McCain one question each. He did not receive a response.

    So, they didn’t listen to police, got trampled. You mess with the bull, you get the horns, son. But, Matthis is VERY brave, as evidenced by the heroic 6 days he spent on Bagram Air Base which constituted his complete and total deployment anywhere that had lead poisoning going around.

    Last week, Kelly Dougherty, Executive Director of IVAW informed the IVAW Watching community that at long last peace and justice would be served, to wit, that President-Elect Obama would be visiting with IVAW:

    IVAW has been working to hold a face-to-face meeting with now President-elect and members of his staff. Our hard work has paid off! We’ve recently been contacted by a member of President-elect Obama’s veteran staff and will be meeting with representatives of both his Veteran and Foreign Affairs Committees this month. This is a huge opportunity for IVAW to assert our voice and perspective at a new level and to continue to demand accountability for ending the occupation.

    Now, I found that piece of shit above a little bit ago, and decided to see what would happen if anything. The so-called Hempstead 15 have their own Facebook site devoted to explaining how the fascist police of Nassau are all undercover stormtroopers led by Darth Cheney, and their death steeds are a menace to freedom loving people’s everywhere. The leaders of this website are none other than Chiroux and Goldsmith:

    So anyway, go look at the pictures.  Just look up “I support the Hempstead 15” in facebook and you will find them.  The one captioned “send mccain back to his cage at the hanoi hilton”  is picture # 24/34.

    Now, this picture has been up there since October 20. That is 3 days shy of a month ago. It was posted by one of their supporters, Aron Kay. Look at his picture, and note who the second from the right friend of his is.  (If youcan’t make it out, he’s at least “facebook friends” with Bill Ayers.)

    Aron “The Pieman” Kay has an AWESOME website which proudly proclaims:

    THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS
    SUPPORT OUR COMRADES IN ST.PAUL!
    BUSTED FOR:
    OPPOSING THE REPUKELIKKKAN WAR MACHINE

    FREE THE RNC 8 NOW

    “Pieman” has a hell of a bio on that page as well, but I’m not linking to it, cause this dude clearly gets off on any attention he gets:

    Two figures have been especially prominent in the rise of confectionery as an instrument of political protest. In the U.S. left-wing activist Aron Kay has been dubbed “The Pieman” for a whole series of attacks stretching across almost three decades, and including such victims as right-wing political commentator William F. Buckley, former CIA director William Colby and former New York Mayor Abe Beame.

    Now, several things. Yes, this picture was uploaded by some unhinged lunatic, and not IVAW directly. BUT THE DAMN PICTURE HAS BEEN THERE FOR 28 DAYS WITHOUT IVAW and the HEMPSTEAD 15 TAKING IT DOWN.

    Second, whenever a picture is uploaded to your group on Facebook, you get an email letting you know of that fact.

    Third, since that picture was put up, an additional 23 have been added by various people, including phony Afghan Combat veteran Matthis Chiroux. You would have to ascribe to a theory that he put the pics up, then didn’t bother to go an check out his own site in order to buy into what I am sure will be the inevitable “we didn’t see it” defense.

    Fourth: Yes, I know the source of the pamphlet is a anarchist group.  They are loons.  But IVAW keeps trying to portray itself as mainstream, and now they have a meeting with the President Elect and/or his staff.  How about you freak shows grow up and act like adults?  I don’t know anyone who takes you seriously, but apparently the White House does.

    I wonder if the Obama people understand just the type of lunatics they will be meeting with?

    Perhaps we ought to let him know?

     

    PS:  At least there may be 2 sane people in IVAW that disapprove:

    Selena Coppa (United States Army) wrote
    at 12:26pm
    You know, I do not like McCain’s policies, but that does not make stuff like this okay. This is not only not about the Hempstead 15, not supportive of the Hempstead 15, it’s also disrespectful to veterans. It’s the exact kind of attacks we condemn the right wing for making about us and our people. What happened to being the change we want to see in the world?

    Daniel Blain (Springfield, MA) wrote
    at 12:37pm
    We can’t defeat terror by becoming terror. Bush has tried for 8 years to fight terror with terror: it hasn’t worked. I agree with Selena – if we are going to change things, we have to be that change.
    Besides, McCain lost the election. How did Obama say it? “Don’t Boo: Vote.” and that’s what America did.

  • China unveils stimulus package

    And surprisingly, this Chinese stimulus package does not involve Rhino Penises or ground up Tiger Testicles.

    SHANGHAI, Nov. 9 — China on Sunday night announced an aggressive $586 billion economic stimulus package, the largest in the country’s history, at a time when it is struggling with increasing social unrest due to factory closings and rising unemployment.

    In a wide-ranging plan that economists are comparing to the New Deal, the government said it would ease credit restrictions, expand social welfare services and launch an infrastructure spending program that would include the construction of new railways, roads and airports.

    Did we learn this from them, or them from us? As my coblogger S6R noted, this amounts to roughly one McMuffin for each Chinese citizen.