Sunday Funnies 03/18/07

The Natives are Revolting... in Europe!

We've heard of riots in Europe before, mostly by Muslim immigrants, over cartoons or other grievances, but are we starting to see a backlash by native Europeans? Recent rioting by native Dutch citizens would seem to suggest the answer is yes. Is it a new trend? More from Fjordman at the Brussel's Journal:

Native Revolt: A European Declaration of Independence

After the death last Sunday of Rinie Mulder, a 54-year old indigenous Dutchman who was shot by a police officer, non-immigrant citizens went on a rampage in Utrecht. Apparently Mulder intervened when Muslim youths harassed a pregnant native Dutch woman. Locals claim the police has failed to protect them for years. They say the authorities are afraid of the immigrants and tolerate their criminal behavior.

This issue is not just about Utrecht or Holland. Similar resentment against Muslim immigrants, but at least as much against their own authorities, is quietly brewing among the natives all over Western Europe.

It is insulting that two thirds of the Dutch, one of the founding members of the European community, voted against the proposed EU Constitution, and yet EU leaders will apparently just ignore this and force their massively undemocratic Constitution down people's throats anyway. The German Presidency wants EU leaders to agree on a text for a new treaty by February 2008. The label 'Constitution' is to be dropped, in order to avoid further referendums.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso expressed unease with the prospect of a second Dutch constitution referendum. "Referendums make the process of approval of European treaties much more complicated and less predictable," he said "If a referendum had been held on the creation of the European Community or the introduction of the Euro, do you think these would have passed?"

Although the EU warns against "Islamophobia," those who live in the real world know that there has been an explosion of violent infidelophobia in Western Europe staged by Muslim immigrants. This wave of violence especially targets Jews, but the attacks against Christians that are going on in the Middle East are increasingly spreading to Europe as well. In more and more cities across the continent, non-Muslims are being harassed, robbed, mugged, raped, stabbed and even killed by Muslims. Native Europeans are slowly becoming second-rate citizens in their own countries. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) The subject of increasing crime in Europe and governments lack of response in dealing with it, has been a contentious topic. Fjordman maintains that much of what is being called "crime" in Europe is really Jihad by Europe's large Muslim immigrant population.



He further contends that the lack of response by authorities is largely due to the European Union, which is run by UNELECTED officials. They feel no obligation to respond to citizen complaints, as they impose their plan to abolish individual nation states in order to create a multicultural "Eurabia":

[...] In the 1990s, Swedish authorities decided that native Swedes and their culture had no more claim to the country than Kurds. At the same time, the country became a member of the EU. Mass immigration to Sweden started years before EU membership and wasn't caused by this, but the EU certainly didn't help. Now suddenly, as with other EU members, Swedes have most of their laws passed by unelected EU bureaucrats rather than their own elected national representatives.

Swedes were used to that laws were passed with their consent and with their best interests in mind, because by and large they had been. Within a few years, all of this has changed. Laws are now passed by EU bureaucrats who don't give a damn about their interests, and by elites who don't care about their own people, in fact view them as potential stumbling blocks for the new Multicultural society. Yet most Europeans still follow these laws. Why? I can see at least two reasons.

Germany's ex-president Roman Herzog pointed out that between 1999 and 2004, 84 percent of the legal acts in Germany stemmed from Brussels, and warned that "EU policies suffer to an alarming degree from a lack of democracy and a de facto suspension of the separation of powers. The question has to be raised of whether Germany can still unreservedly be called a parliamentary democracy."

Why is this pan-European EU dictatorship still functioning? Because seeing is believing. Most Europeans still don't know that EU leaders are using their money without their consent to merge Europe with the Arab world because their media don't tell them this. Due to the common Euro currency and the lack of national borders they can move around most of Europe at ease, which seems convenient. They don't physically see, however, that the EU has also usurped the power of their national parliaments. The latter appear to be working just as always, but have now been reduced to implementing the policies of unelected Eurocrats. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) How did this all come about? Fjordman explains in detail the relationship of trust that has existed between European Natives and their governments, and shows us how the trust has been exploited, and local political power seamlessly usurped by the unelected elites of the European Union.

At last we are seeing a backlash. Fjordman suggests that native Europeans have learned a few things from the rioting of European immigrants:

[...] The excellent Chinese blogger Ohmyrus has warned against precisely this:

"While it took a long time for Europeans to learn to settle their differences peacefully through the ballot box, this important lesson is slowly being unlearned. The lesson learned from the Danish cartoon affair is that violence pays. Most Western governments caved in by issuing apologies or condemning the cartoons instead of defending free speech. Soon groups that oppose immigration will turn to violence too. If European democracies cannot manage their ethnic tensions, democracy will break down, ushering in dictatorial rule."

(bold emphasis mine) Is it too late for Europe? If Europeans revolt in sufficient numbers, there is still time to reverse the damage wrought by the European Union. Fjordman examines ways this might be accomplished, and also suggests a European Declaration of Independence.

It was difficult choosing excerpts to print here, because the article is very detailed, and those details provide a lot of context, so I definitely recommend reading the whole thing. In it, Fjordman ties together many current trends in Europe, explaining the forces behind them and the inherent dangers. The article also contains many informative embedded links.

Europe faces a rocky road ahead. Fjordman's article is must reading for anyone who wants to better understand what is happening in Europe today.


Related Links:

From Paul Belien:
Utrecht Riots: Neighbourhood Closed Off

The Dutch police deny that the police officer who killed Rinie Mulder is of Moroccan or Turkish descent. Esther, a Dutch blogger, refers to a post on a Moroccan website saying the police officer is Turkish, not Moroccan. The post has, however, been removed. Yesterday, we reported, relying on sources in Ondiep, that the officer was a Moroccan woman. [...]

click above link for more

From Marij Uijt den Bogaard:
Tariq Ramadan and Islam’s Future in Europe

From 2003 to 2006 I worked as a civil servant in the Berchem borough of Antwerp, Flanders. Berchem is a multicultural neighbourhood with many immigrants of Turkish and Moroccan origin. My job was to promote the integration of these people and foster good relations between the different ethnic groups living in Berchem. Prior to 2003 I worked in Antwerp North, another neighbourhood with many immigrants.

During the past years I noted how radical Islamists groups began to take over the immigrant neighbourhoods. I warned for this danger in my reports to the city authorities. The latter made it clear to me that they did not like my reports. They said my reports read like “Vlaams Belang tracts.” The VB is the local anti-immigration party. When I kept reporting about what I saw happening around me I was fired. [...]

click above link for more

More from Fjordman:
Will the Third Rome Fall to Islam?

I recently read the book The Reformation by Owen Chadwick, about the Protestant Reformation and the situation in 15th and 16th century Europe. It is fascinating to read about Western Europe during a period when it was genuinely dynamic, not the anemic and self-loathing continent it is now. But still, I was also struck by how many similarities there are between the situation then and now. This was also during a period of Muslim aggression, as the Turks made inroads into the Balkans and Central Europe, eventually threatening even Western Europe. [...]

click above link for more
     

Iran Acuses Hollywood of... Propaganda!

(You can read Cox & Forkum's related commentary and links HERE.)

Apparently the Iranian government has their knickers in a twist over the movie "300". I think it's hilarious; as if Hollywood is really just the propaganda arm of the US government. That is the way the Iranian mullah's do things, and it sounds like they are projecting that onto us.

Here's a fun comment from Neal Boortz:

Iran is complaining about the new blockbuster movie '300' because they say it insults their civilization. Who cares...perhaps they should be worried about more important things...like catching up on their bills with Russia. Seems they're a bit behind.

Iran does plenty of propaganda of it's own. If Hollywood does any sort of propaganda, it's usually of the anti-American variety. Clearly, Hollywood is not controlled by the US government. The Theocracy in Iran, by contrast, has a firm grip on just about everything there.

Does anyone really expect "talks" with Iran to produce anything productive?

(You can read Cox & Forkum's related commentary and links HERE.)
What are we doing? How can they help us with problems in Iraq, when they ARE one of the biggest problems there?
     

I Remember Mama...

No, not the charming black and white movie with Irene Dunne. Unfortunately.

Children of Palestinian Suicide Bomber on Hamas TV: Mama Killed Five Jews and She is in Paradise

Again, why do we keep giving money to the Palestinians? So they don't have to work to support their families, and can use them as bombs instead?


Related Links:

Preparing Children for Martyrdom

Obsession: What we are up against
More examples of Middle Eastern TV.
     

Farm report 03/11/07

PRIME SUSPECT: Who Killed Henny-Penny?

You may recall that last Sunday's Farm Report was:

CSI: Robin's Wood, The case of the missing golden chicken

Our Buff Rock chicken, Henny-Penny, mysteriously disappeared; days later the grisly remains of her body were discovered under some bushes below a small fir tree.

There was a list of suspects. That list has been narrowed down to one prime suspect, a true villain who would strike terror in the hearts of chickens everywhere:


Our Prime Suspect: The Cooper's Hawk

We managed to figure this out, even without Helen Mirren's help. But how?

First we eliminated suspects from out investigation. The dogs had been locked up when the chicken went missing. The Trailertrash cats, who often act suspicious, are... cats. Acting suspicious is what cats do! They also prefer easier prey like rodents and small LBB's (little brown birds). They harass the smaller Bantam hens for fun, but have never actually attacked one. They pretty much ignore the larger Pullets like Henny-Penny. Too much work!

The fox had only been seen once, several weeks ago. There was no evidence to suggest he had been back, and I believed a fox would be more likely to strike at night (although I could be wrong about that).

Why the hawk then? Well, there was one detail I had left out of last weeks report. The day after the disappearence, I saw a hawk sitting in the branches of a tree at the edge of the yard the next morning. It flew away when I went outside to have a closer look.





The very next morning, the hawk was there again, in the same tree. It flew away again. It seemed too big a coincidence, coming right after the disappearance of the chicken.




My suspicions were confirmed, when the remains of the chicken were found several days later... very close to the tree the hawk had been sitting in.




I had originally counted out the hawk theory, because of what I thought I knew about hawks. When we first moved here 3 years ago, I saw a hawk attack and kill a Robin that was grazing on our lawn. It was a very noisy affair; he began eating it alive, right there on the lawn, while it flapped around in vain trying to escape. Other Robins dive-bombed at the hawk to try to drive it away, but the hawk was immovable.

I briefly considered rescuing the Robin, but decided not too, because:

1.) It was already badly injured by the hawk, and would probably die anyway.

2.) Hawks have to eat, too. This was nature's way, and I thought it best not to interfere.

Anyway, after witnessing that, I thought that's what a hawk attack was typically like. I was working outside most of the day the chicken disappeared, and I didn't hear anything. There was no shredded bird remains or feathers all over the lawn, like there was with the Robin. No fuss, no feathers. No hawk attack, I thought.





But seeing that hawk hanging out near where the body was found caused us to reconsider. I took a look at some mug shots from our books of suspects, a.k.a. "Field Guide to the Birds of North America" and "Birds of Oregon Field Guide". Those books had four suspects that could have been in the area.





One of them lived in our area year-round, and of the four it looked the most like the hawk I had seen. The clincher was reading bird's m.o., it's method of killing:

[...] known to ambush prey, it will fly into heavy brush or run on the ground in pursuit. [...]

(bold emphasis mine) Up till now I had assumed a hawk would only attack from above and kill in an open space. But this changed everything. It showed that the hawk could have chased the chicken into the deep brush, and killed and eaten her there.




Further research on the internet also showed that one of the more common, popular names for the Cooper's hawk is "Chicken Hawk". Thus, we have our Prime Suspect... who is still at large.

Life goes on at Robin's wood. The daffodils are blooming; the hens are broody, as spring is in the air.


Henny-Penny's sister, Bunty, admiring the flowers




The days come and go as they always have for the fowl community at Robin's Wood, but there is one small difference now.

They do something now more than they used to do...





They watch the SKY...
     

The Battle Continues for 2nd Amendment

Maynard at the Tammy Bruce Blog posted this a while back:

How the Left Plans to Take Your Guns

While dining out, he overhears a foghorn leftist justifying to her friend the confiscation of all guns from citizens. Among other things this woman claimed that collective rights usurp our individual rights. It has a kind of logic, yet Maynard points out how it's not even consistently applied:

[...] It's also worth noting the irony of how Leftists will interpret the Constitution very loosely when they want to invent a new "right", but they turn into super-strict constructionists when trying to control people they dislike. For example, where exactly do you find your Constitutional right to unrestricted access to abortions? Even those who favor a woman's right to choose (as I do) must acknowledge that the Constitutional argument is marginal. It's said to derive from the right to privacy, which also isn't enumerated, but is a generous interpretation of protection from unreasonable search and seizure (the Fourth Amendment). I heard Gloria Allred expalin that abortion rights were a product of the "Constitutional penumbra". I won't necessarily argue with that, but can't we have a little consistency here? Someone who finds meaning in the Constitution's penumbra ought to also respect the actual words. [...]

This is a popular tactic with the left, and the views Maynard overheard are worth noting since they are actively being used against all gun owning citizens to dilute the meaning and authority of the 2nd Amendment. It's worth reading the whole thing.


More recently, Maynard posted this:

The Second Amendment: Saved?

[...] In a 2-1 decision, a U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia has overturned the DC gun ban. The court ruled that the right to bear arms is "not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued intermittent enrollment in the militia."

In other words, in the opinion of this Court, the Second Amendment acknowledges YOUR right to be armed. You may think this is obvious and that any other opinion would have been a gross offence against common sense and decency. But, legally speaking, the question had been undecided.

This ruling does NOT end the issue. This is a regional court ruling. Only a Supreme Court ruling would settle the legal argument for the nation. [...]

Saved? No. It's a step in the right direction, but a future Supreme Court decision against gun owners could still be disastrous.





Related Links:

www.saveourguns.com

Second Amendment victory in D.C.

Crime Emergency in "Gun Free" Washington, DC
     

Spicy Hot Version of the Andrews Sisters

Christina Aguilara - Candyman (Music Video)


Hat Tip to Tammy Bruce's MySpace Page, where she linked to this. Her comment about it:

[...] here is Christina Aguilera and her "Candyman" video, which is sort of a 40s style salute to the troops. This one, however, has a set of Andrews Sisters who would have been called a name in the 40s other than "Ladies." I think it's the line about panties dropping or something. Go figure ;)

It's rather stunning, an old theme with some new twists.

The source link on YouTube is here.
     

High Tech Gossip; a YouTube Replacement; and How Apple's Helping the Linux Desktop Succeed

Izimi.com; better than YouTube?

From Rob Enderle at TechNewsWorld:
Mini-Microsoft, Steve Jobs' Secret Diary, and a Potential New YouTube

Rob looks at two blogs by anonymous employees of Microsoft and Apple respectively, that purport to give us an insider's look at what is going on in those companies. He winds it down with a look at a credible new alternative to YouTube, that avoids YouTube's censorship problem.


Doc Searls expains to us how Apple is unintentionally clearing the way for the Linux Desktop to establish itself:
Can Apple clear the way for the Linux desktop?


And for anyone who is concerned about how the new Daylight Savings Time that kicks in next weekend is going to affect their Linux computer, there is this article:
Preparing your Linux systems for the new DST

I think I'll just change the time manually, but for those who want to make it kick in automatically, it is doable.
     

Global Warming; Real Science Strikes Back?

While Hollywood awards Al Gore for advocating the Politically Correct positions about global warming, it seems there are other filmmakers who are more interested in the larger picture, and the opinions of the greater science community.

In Britain, a documentary called "The Great Global Warming Swindle" is scheduled to air March 8th. From UK news:

'Global Warming Is Lies' Claims Documentary

[...] The programme, to be screened on Channel 4 on Thursday March 8, will see a series of respected scientists attack the "propaganda" that they claim is killing the world’s poor.

Even the co-founder of Greenpeace, Patrick Moore, is shown, claiming African countries should be encouraged to burn more CO2.

Nobody in the documentary defends the greenhouse effect theory, as it claims that climate change is natural, has been occurring for years, and ice falling from glaciers is just the spring break-up and as normal as leaves falling in autumn.

A source at Channel 4 said: "It is essentially a polemic and we are expecting it to cause trouble, but this is the controversial programming that Channel 4 is renowned for." [...]

(You can read related commentary and links here.)

The article goes into some detail about the arguments presented in the channel 4 documentary, arguments that refute mankind as being the primary force driving global warming. As interesting as that is, it doesn't stop there. It also has a look at some of the other factors driving the push to limit the "debate" about global warming to only politically correct positions:

[...] "Al Gore might have won an Oscar for ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, but the film is very misleading and he has got the relationship between CO2 and climate change the wrong way round."

One major piece of evidence of CO2 causing global warming are ice core samples from Antarctica, which show that for hundreds of years, global warming has been accompanied by higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.

In ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ Al Gore is shown claiming this proves the theory, but palaeontologist Professor Ian Clark claims in the documentary that it actually shows the opposite.

[...]

"At the moment, there is almost a McCarthyism movement in science where the greenhouse effect is like a puritanical religion and this is dangerous."

In the programme Nigel Calder says: "The greenhouse effect is seen as a religion and if you don’t agree, you are a heretic.

He added: "However, I think this programme will help further debate and scientists not directly involved in global warming studies may begin to study what is being said, become more open-minded and more questioning, but this will happen slowly."

I think it's perfectly fine to question and study the impact pollution may have on global warming. But in order to eliminate the good science from the bad, we need open debate and discussion, not repression of opposing viewpoints.


In short, we need less holy pronouncements, hysteria and hot air from the Goricle, and more reasoned, balanced scientific discussion and debate. The truth can always hold up to scrutiny, and no one must dictate to us what we are allowed to say and discus in our quest to scrutinize and uncover the truth.

Unfortunately, I don't expect that "The Great Global Warming Swindle" will receive an airing here in the US. But who knows? The tide may yet turn, if enough people demand more information, instead of less.


UPDATE 03/11/07: Here is an on-line link to the documentary:

"The Great Global Warming Swindle"
     

Farm Report 02/04/07

CSI: Robin's Wood
The case of the missing golden chicken
One morning about two weeks ago, Henny-Penny Buffrock went out into the yard with the rest of the chickens to scratch and forage. There was nothing unusual about this.




But that evening, Henny-Penny failed to return at sunset. She didn't even phone or leave a message. This was highly unusual behavior, as all who knew her would verify.

At first it was thought that perhaps she had created a nest in the brush, and was camping out overnight. Many of the hens had started to become broody, and a few had started laying eggs in the wood, but they had always come home at night.

The next day, when the hens were all out in the yard again, Henny-Penny failed to show up for breakfast or lunch, which she would have done even if she had a hidden nest. Could it be possible that she herself became a target for a meal?




Several days later, the unthinkable was verified. At the edge of the yard, deep in some brush under a small fir tree, a grisly discovery was made.




This was all that was left of poor Henny-Penny:




Who could have done such a thing? I began to examine the suspects.

The body was initially discovered by Saffron, an old spinster Shepperd dog.




She had been very interested in the area around the small fir tree, and when she went down into the brush below it, I walked over to see what she was up to.

When I got there, I heard slurping noises coming from the bushes. I was sure she was licking something icky, so I called her out, and then pushed through the brush to see what it was. Fortunately, she didn't roll in it.

Could she have committed the crime? No. At her age I'm not even sure she could, but more importantly she and all the other dogs had airtight alibis as to their whereabouts at the time of the disappearance.

A fox had been seen the vicinity several weeks earlier, but there was no verification that he had been around recently.

Hawks in the area were known to sometimes attack, but where were the resulting fuss and feathers that would normally accompany such an attack? No one heard anything, and there was no feathery mess blowing around the yard.

There were two local characters that were regarded suspiciously by the fowl community:




Swanky "Fats" Trailertrash, and his notorious Siamese wife, Smudgie "Pussy Galore" Trailertrash, were often regarded with suspicion at Robin's Wood ever since they moved here from a local trailer park in town.




"Pussy" in particular, was a known menace to the smaller Bantam hens, often lurking about the coop near sunset, stalking and harassing them on their way inside for the night. But would she, COULD she, take out one of the larger hens like Henny-Penny?

Be sure and see next Sunday's installment of the Farm Report, where the PRIME SUSPECT will be exposed.


UPDATE: You can see the conclusion to this mystery here:

PRIME SUSPECT: Who Killed Henny-Penny?
     

Giuliani delivers speech addressing CPAC

CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) is an opportunity for some of the GOP presidential candidates to make themselves better known. This photo is not from CPAC, but Guiliani did recently make a speech there. A few excerpts from his speech, as reported by Michelle Malkin:

[...] "I believe the Republican Party's greatest contribution is when we give more freedom to people."

"America will prevail against the Islamic terrorists. I have no doubt."

"Maybe we made a mistake in calling this the war on terrorism. This is not our war on them. This is their war on us." (Prolonged applause.)

"This war is over when they stop planning to come over here and kill us. Until then, we have to remain on offense against terrorists."

"America has the right ideas. We should not be embarrassed by ourselves. We are the luckiest people in the world." [...]

For more coverage of the event, check out the following links:

The Conservative Political Action Conference

CPAC Day 1

See what Rudy is up to next:

Rudy does Hollywood

     

Our South Coast Winter Skies

I never tire of looking at the beautiful skies we have here in Oregon.



















A giant fish swallows the sun. The end of another day in paradise.

Is Apple going to drop OS X and move on?

The cartoon refers to accusations of insider trading leveled against Apple's CEO Steve Jobs. Apple can continue on without Steve if need be. But will Apple continue on supporting it's computer operating system, OS X?

The cartoon is also refering to Apple's new iPhone. Apple has been coming out with a series of products other than it's computer line. Recently the company changed it's name from "Apple Computer" to just "Apple", to reflect it's product diversification. At CoolTechZone.com, Gundeep Hora speculates about the company's commitment to OS X:

Apple Ready to Kill OS X?

[...] As Apple delves into the world of consumer electronics with more products and lucrative markets to go after, owning some 3 percent of the computing population won’t add much to its bottom line. Now, if Apple were to improve on that, then you can be sure Apple will continue to develop it.

Apple used to be persistent about its core product, but its slowly drifting away and changing directions, rightfully so. As such, it may not be surprising for Apple to leave behind OS X sometime in the future. [...]

I don't see them dropping it anytime soon, but if their other ventures become more lucrative, you have to wonder how committed they will remain to their small market share in the PC market.

OS X itself has an interesting history. The core of the operating system is based on FreeBSD, which is an open source Unix variant. I've read estimates that up to 80% of OS X is BSD code. Unlike Linux, which requires changes made to the code to be released back to the community, the open source license of FreeBSD allows anyone to make changes and NOT share them.

That is exactly what Apple has done. So in many ways, OS X is a Unix variant, containing a large portion of proprietary code (It's worth noting that they did release on open source version of the OS, minus the proprietary code, called Darwin).

The interesting thing is, BSD was made to work on a PC. Apple re-engineered it to work on their hardware. I believe that this means that if Apple so wished, they could reverse engineer OS X to work on PC hardware. If Apple ever decided to make a PC version of their software (that could run on ANY PC, not just their own MacIntel hardware), they could give Microsoft some real competition. But will they ever consider doing that?


In another article, Rob Enderle at Datamation has a look at the current situation with Dell, Microsoft, Linux and Apple:

The Emerging Dell-Linux-Apple War

There is a convergence of several factors which are leaving an opening to challenge Microsoft in the desktop OS market. But will either Linux or Apple be able to rise to the challenge quickly enough? And how soon will Microsoft recover from several major blunders that have allowed this situation to occur? Enderle looks at this and more.


Related Link: Free BSD for the Desktop



Like Linux, BSD developers have been pushing to make BSD an attractive and easy to install and use desktop environment.

Curious about BSD? This is my favorite version of BSD for the desktop, which uses the KDE desktop GUI:

PC-BSD

In my opinion, PC-BSD is one of the most complete BSD desktops, and it's relatively easy to install. Here are a few more screenshots, showing different ways it can be configured:







Looks like we will have more desktop choices in our future. Good!