After reading this story I'm even more convinced that terrorists are a lot less crazy in comparison to elected officials (and possibly the voters who elect them) than ever.
Hoping to capitalize on the public hysteria precipitated by the homicidal rampage of Mohamed Merah (one month before Sarkozy's re-election) he's proposing legislation that would criminalize the simple act of a "repeat visit" to any "extremist website."
Hysteria can win elections, but it rarely solves any of society's problems.
First on the list of legal problems is the definition of "extremist website." Will the public be told that, like pornography, we can't define it but we know it when we see it? One can easily imagine a day when politicians define "extremist websites" as any website that opposes them. Perhaps Sarkozy would define my website as "extremist."
Anyone who goes along with Sarkozy's Orwellian nutjob proposal is only going to convince terrorists of the legitimacy of their cause. In fact, I'm going to try to find a few "extremist" websites and "browse" them in Sarkozy's honor.
As always...terrorism is not the product of deranged minds. Terrorism is precipitated by people who can't get through the day without puting someone less powerful or simply less popular in his or her place.
Tally Ho Nic'
Friday, March 23, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Chicken Soup with the movie, "Jumper"
In the movie "Jumper" a young man discovers that he can teleport. He uses his power to "jump" into bank vaults after the bank has closed and lives quite lavishly on what he's stolen. There's more to the story but his ability to rob banks is the subject at hand.
How many Americans can honestly claim that if they possessed the same ability that they would not use it to enrich themselves illegally? Would you continue trying to make ends meet by fighting commuter traffic and working a crappy, low paying job? Not likely. You currently work for a living for one simple reason:
You have to. You are inhibited (key word here) from pursuing any other alternative.
You don't quit working and go back to college because the lack of money "inhibits" you.
You don't rob banks or commit some similar crime because your fear of going to prison "inhibits" you.
Now let's get a bit more personal:
If you had the ability to teleport, would you use it to take revenge upon people who harmed or offended you in some way?
Be honest...
Imagine the joy of being able to teleport into the home of the bully who made your formative years so miserable and pouring a bucket of urine and feces you'd been collecting in your garage on his head and then teleporting back home before the jackass could jump out of bed. Imagine how humiliated he'd be in front of whatever bully loving bimbo was lying next to him.
You're thinking about it...aren't you? You could really enjoy life if you weren't "inhibited" by the inability to do what you want.
The point of this post is simple. Few of us will ever be able to teleport, but people who commit acts of terrorism are not "inhibited" by empathy. If their lives are miserable enough they're not "inhibited" by fear of death or prison either. The Columbine killers certainly weren't. Empathy is learned behavior and spending one's formative years being conditioned to fear and hate everyone around you undermines that learning process very effectively.
Speaking of domestic terrorists...how was Timothy McVeigh treated during his formative years?
How many Americans can honestly claim that if they possessed the same ability that they would not use it to enrich themselves illegally? Would you continue trying to make ends meet by fighting commuter traffic and working a crappy, low paying job? Not likely. You currently work for a living for one simple reason:
You have to. You are inhibited (key word here) from pursuing any other alternative.
You don't quit working and go back to college because the lack of money "inhibits" you.
You don't rob banks or commit some similar crime because your fear of going to prison "inhibits" you.
Now let's get a bit more personal:
If you had the ability to teleport, would you use it to take revenge upon people who harmed or offended you in some way?
Be honest...
Imagine the joy of being able to teleport into the home of the bully who made your formative years so miserable and pouring a bucket of urine and feces you'd been collecting in your garage on his head and then teleporting back home before the jackass could jump out of bed. Imagine how humiliated he'd be in front of whatever bully loving bimbo was lying next to him.
You're thinking about it...aren't you? You could really enjoy life if you weren't "inhibited" by the inability to do what you want.
The point of this post is simple. Few of us will ever be able to teleport, but people who commit acts of terrorism are not "inhibited" by empathy. If their lives are miserable enough they're not "inhibited" by fear of death or prison either. The Columbine killers certainly weren't. Empathy is learned behavior and spending one's formative years being conditioned to fear and hate everyone around you undermines that learning process very effectively.
Speaking of domestic terrorists...how was Timothy McVeigh treated during his formative years?
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Chicken Soup with Donte Stallworth and the Patriots...
Terrorists can look no further than Patriots owner Bob Kraft when they're looking for a way to rationalize the low value of human life.
Football fans will remember that the Patriots drafted that wonderful example of human goodness and gridiron role modeling Christian Peter back in 1996 and only dumped him when Mrs. Kraft objected to his majesty's presence. Now they've done it again by picking up Donte Stallworth.
My very first post of November 7, 2010 described the behavior of Donte Stallworth and the fact that he got away with killing someone without serving any prison time for it. Of course, he killed an old, blue collar worker and as every good Republican knows; their lives aren't worth anything anyway.
Terrorists, particularly the domestic kind can take comfort by following a two step rationalization process:
1) First they can envision a large, violent member of the gridiron elite brutalizing one of their offspring.
2) Then they can envision vast hordes of football fans cheering wildly when his majesty runs onto the playing field.
Anyone who truly believes that Americans are not this morally depraved can leave a comment.
Football fans will remember that the Patriots drafted that wonderful example of human goodness and gridiron role modeling Christian Peter back in 1996 and only dumped him when Mrs. Kraft objected to his majesty's presence. Now they've done it again by picking up Donte Stallworth.
My very first post of November 7, 2010 described the behavior of Donte Stallworth and the fact that he got away with killing someone without serving any prison time for it. Of course, he killed an old, blue collar worker and as every good Republican knows; their lives aren't worth anything anyway.
Terrorists, particularly the domestic kind can take comfort by following a two step rationalization process:
1) First they can envision a large, violent member of the gridiron elite brutalizing one of their offspring.
2) Then they can envision vast hordes of football fans cheering wildly when his majesty runs onto the playing field.
Anyone who truly believes that Americans are not this morally depraved can leave a comment.
Chicken Soup with George Orwell...
In his novel "1984" author George Orwell introduced readers to the term "doublethink." Doublethink is the ability to simultaneously embrace two mutually exclusive beliefs.
It is common for Americans to believe that adolescents can be harrassed, beaten, threatened, spit upon, robbed, slammed into walls, kicked, and generally brutalized throughout their formative years with little or no effect upon their willingness to value things like human life. Simultaneously those same Americans feign bewilderment when a victim of such treatment becomes a serial killer or school shooter.
It is also common to hear Americans criticizing those who complain about bullying and attaching labels like "emotional marshmallow" to them. These Americans will remind plaintiffs that the real world is a jungle where you need to stand up for yourself and fight your own battles. Not surprisingly these are the same Americans who complain bitterly when those emotional marshmallows behave as if they really do live in a jungle as they were raised to believe.
A community that is civilized enough to have earned the privilege of complaining about terrorism does not behave this way. If you know of such a community feel free to enlighten me.
Hey Izzy...you out there?
It is common for Americans to believe that adolescents can be harrassed, beaten, threatened, spit upon, robbed, slammed into walls, kicked, and generally brutalized throughout their formative years with little or no effect upon their willingness to value things like human life. Simultaneously those same Americans feign bewilderment when a victim of such treatment becomes a serial killer or school shooter.
It is also common to hear Americans criticizing those who complain about bullying and attaching labels like "emotional marshmallow" to them. These Americans will remind plaintiffs that the real world is a jungle where you need to stand up for yourself and fight your own battles. Not surprisingly these are the same Americans who complain bitterly when those emotional marshmallows behave as if they really do live in a jungle as they were raised to believe.
A community that is civilized enough to have earned the privilege of complaining about terrorism does not behave this way. If you know of such a community feel free to enlighten me.
Hey Izzy...you out there?
Friday, March 16, 2012
Chicken Soup with Chris Brown's fan base...
Terrorists can avoid feeling guilty about what they do by realizing how callous most of their victims really are.
Chris Brown may not be a professional athlete, but he certainly behaves like one. For those of you who've been living in a closet, Chris Brown reminded Rihanna who wears the pants by beating her into submission a few years ago. In a civilized society he would have been locked in a cage for many years. In America he didn't serve a day and continues to make money selling crappy music to the sort of people who have no problem with men beating up their girlfriends. He even has people who shamelessly defend him.
Terrorists know that no decent American, certainly not anyone who is civilized enough to have earned the right to complain about terrorism would be caught dead enriching a violent sociopath like Chris Brown.
Chris Brown may not be a professional athlete, but he certainly behaves like one. For those of you who've been living in a closet, Chris Brown reminded Rihanna who wears the pants by beating her into submission a few years ago. In a civilized society he would have been locked in a cage for many years. In America he didn't serve a day and continues to make money selling crappy music to the sort of people who have no problem with men beating up their girlfriends. He even has people who shamelessly defend him.
Terrorists know that no decent American, certainly not anyone who is civilized enough to have earned the right to complain about terrorism would be caught dead enriching a violent sociopath like Chris Brown.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Chicken Soup with the wonderful, child loving community of Vancouver, Washington...
Once again...
Terrorists can rationalize what they do by observing the behavior of their prospective victims. Another teenaged girl hung herself after what is described as "years of bullying at school and online." If this sounds familiar, you may be thinking of that human cesspool at the other end of the country, South Hadley, Massachusetts.
I'm going to make a reasonable prediction here, reasonable because history supports it. The adults in authority will make bland assurances that everything possible is being done to prevent another tragedy. The bullies will get away with minimal punishment in the tradition of South Hadley. Other victims of bullying will receive a clear message to keep their mouths shut if they know what's good for them. The criminally incompetent parents who raised the bullies will of course, not hear a word of criticism.
If terrorists need to know anything more about the American public just leave a comment.
Terrorists can rationalize what they do by observing the behavior of their prospective victims. Another teenaged girl hung herself after what is described as "years of bullying at school and online." If this sounds familiar, you may be thinking of that human cesspool at the other end of the country, South Hadley, Massachusetts.
I'm going to make a reasonable prediction here, reasonable because history supports it. The adults in authority will make bland assurances that everything possible is being done to prevent another tragedy. The bullies will get away with minimal punishment in the tradition of South Hadley. Other victims of bullying will receive a clear message to keep their mouths shut if they know what's good for them. The criminally incompetent parents who raised the bullies will of course, not hear a word of criticism.
If terrorists need to know anything more about the American public just leave a comment.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Chicken Soup with Alexander Song and the University of Maryland...
Terrorists, particularly domestic terrorists rationalize what they do by watching the behavior of their target (the public) and making a value judgement about their lives. Here's another story about an allegedly homicidal college student at the University of Maryland. The question in the minds of potential terrorists is simple. Will the community make a thorough, good faith effort to research the source of Alexander Song's hatred or will the usual level of indifference and denial prevail.
A while back I wrote about a 19 year old student named Daniel Murray who also attended the University of Maryland.
University of Maryland student Alexander Song, age 19 posted threats of a massacre on the internet. If he had just gone out and killed some people I would tend to believe that he just wanted to kill some people. The fact that he posted a threat suggests that he wanted to broadcast his anger about the way he's been treated in the hope of being treated with ordinary civility and respect, a mode of behavior that many of America's gridiron heroes are pathologically incapable of granting to smaller, weaker, or lower status males. I suspect information will trickle in as time goes by.
In the meantime...you can prevent this sort of thing by treating bullies as the dangerous sociopaths that they are. Cheering wildly as they run onto the playing field or offering yourself up as a soulless sperm dumpster only makes it easier for people like Daniel Murray and Alexander Song to hate you. And of course...my complements to the law enforcement community for responding so quickly. If only the same could have been true for the pedophile enablers of Penn. State.
A while back I wrote about a 19 year old student named Daniel Murray who also attended the University of Maryland.
University of Maryland student Alexander Song, age 19 posted threats of a massacre on the internet. If he had just gone out and killed some people I would tend to believe that he just wanted to kill some people. The fact that he posted a threat suggests that he wanted to broadcast his anger about the way he's been treated in the hope of being treated with ordinary civility and respect, a mode of behavior that many of America's gridiron heroes are pathologically incapable of granting to smaller, weaker, or lower status males. I suspect information will trickle in as time goes by.
In the meantime...you can prevent this sort of thing by treating bullies as the dangerous sociopaths that they are. Cheering wildly as they run onto the playing field or offering yourself up as a soulless sperm dumpster only makes it easier for people like Daniel Murray and Alexander Song to hate you. And of course...my complements to the law enforcement community for responding so quickly. If only the same could have been true for the pedophile enablers of Penn. State.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)