This is why I do not watch Fox News Channel much anymore

As a rule, I am not much into playing the “Race Card.” Because the left tends to do that a bit much, even with the Nation’s first black President. But, this here was just incredibly stupid and yes, it did sound racist.

The Video:

The Story:

Via Huffington Post:

Desiline Victor, a 102-year-old woman, received a standing ovation during the State of the Union on Tuesday for her resolve to vote. Fox News hosts Brian Kilmeade, Martha MacCallum and Bill Hemmer, however, wondered what the “big deal” was.
Victor made two trips and waited three hours to vote in Miami in November. President Obama spoke about the need to protect voting rights during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, and pointed to Victor, who was there as a guest of Michelle Obama, as an example.
Kilmeade, MacCallum and Hemmer did not seem to think she deserved one, though. Speaking on Kilmeade’s radio show on Thursday, MacCallum said that the issue had no place in the State of the Union because it could be handled on the “municipal level… Get the town council on that one.”
“How long was she on line?” Hemmer asked.
“What’s the big deal? She was happy,” MacCallum argued. “She waited on line, she was happy that she voted.”
“They held her up as a victim!” Hemmer alleged. “What was she the victim of? Rashes on the bottom of her feet?”

Oh yeah, that is weapons-grade stupid right there and a bit racist . Digby, who blogs at Hullabaloo; whom I am not a huge fan of — but when she is right, she is right, says the following and man is she ever right here:

The woman is 102 years old! Rashes on her feet! My God, that anyone had to try more than once to vote is shocking but that it happened to a woman who was born nearly a decade before women had the right to vote — and spent most of her life being denied the right as an African-American by jerks like these three privileged white people — is shameful.
These people represent the lizard brain of the Fox News base: heartless, petty and relentlessly, overwhelmingly stupid. This is Roger Ailes’ legacy.

I got news for Digby, If she doesn’t think that Rupert does not encourage such stuff, she is crazy; of course he does. …and to think, I used to be right in there, blogging along with these people that believed this very thing. Because I was actually foolish enough to believe that with this people, it was not about race, but simply about the issues that I disagreed with, when it came to blacks and Obama. Soon, I started to realize that it was not about the issues; it was about a resentment towards blacks. It was not outward or outright racism, but rather nuanced racism and resentment. Here’s a perfect example of it here, which is in the blogosphere, but it is the same mentality.

Now, let me be clear; I do not believe that ALL Conservatives are racists. However, I do believe that there are a good enough number of them that are racist, and this should worry anyone in the Republican Party. The reason these people believe that they are justified to be able to joke around about stuff like this, is because they happen to believe that the Republican Party was on the right side of the slavery issue, which is factually correct — and because they happen to reject the idea of “Political Correctness.” Something that I entirely understand as a Non-PC person myself. However, this here goes well beyond political correctness, and ventures off into bigotry and racism. It is a line that Fox News should not cross at all.

Also too, and I am just going to break the silence and speak my mind. This stuff right here folks is why Mitt Romney lost the election. Yes, I know about changing demographics and such. But the truth is, this here and some of the goings on with the Kristol and Podhoretz crowds, is why we lost the 2012 election. People know when they are being sold a line of bullshit and that is what was being sold by the right and people knew it. It was little things, like this here; and people saw that and said, “I do not want someone in the white house who believes that sort of a thing.” Because of that, we lost and we lost big. I say, “We” because I voted for Mitt Romney in the 2012 election. I do not regret that vote either. I stood for what I believed in; and it was not this sort of crap here, that is for sure.

Here is hoping, that by 2016, the GOP does learn its lesson on stuff like this, and the Fox News Channel gets its stuff together by then. Although, to be quite honest. I just do not believe that they have it in them to change. You just cannot retrain Bull Conner’s brain. It is just that simple.

There is a reason that they call it “The Land of the Fruits and Nuts”

A darned good reason.

Please, go read.

A small sampling:

Trust me on this: If the Tea Party had stood in a circle and made a little black boy dance for them, it would have been The Racist Event of the Century. But here — it’s perfectly OK. Move along, nothing to see.

Interesting people. Rolling Eyes Loser

Own too much stuff? Your city can call you a hoarder, set your house on fire and tear it down

This is unreal.

Check the video:

The local story via The Downriver News Herald:

TAYLOR — Cleanup after an early morning house fire continued throughout the day today on Goddard Road near Oak.
The house in the 23300 block of Goddard, across from the main fire station and City Hall, continued to smolder as it was being torn down at 11 a.m.
The house had been vacant for 20 years and was filled with debris in what Fire Chief Bob Tompos called a “hoarder situation.”
The fire started at 5 a.m. in the basement, Deputy Chief Dan Reynolds said, although the cause is still being investigated.
Debris inside was at window level on the main floor and about 6 inches from the ceiling in the basement. The attic also was filled.
Once the fire began, entry to the residence was obstructed by the items inside, which Reynolds estimated were 85 percent garbage.
With no one inside, responders contained the fire and poured water on it, Tompos said.
A section of the first floor was found collapsed into the basement due to the weight of the debris and fire damage inside, Reynolds said, contributing to the decision to raze the structure.
The fire burned for about two hours before being extinguished, although numerous hot spots smoldered and continued to crop up, delaying the demolition.

So, there you have it. Like to collect stuff? Don’t do it in Taylor, Michigan. because if you do; they’ll tear your house down. I got $5 that says someone from the city had that house torched, because someone was complaining about it and the city was powerless to do anything about it. So, about five in the morning, someone, most likely paid by the city, torched the house.

Just to be honest, I cannot prove my allegations at all. But I can tell you this; I have friends who live over in that city and the corruption in that it city is quite well known, and has been going on for years. Why do you think that the city is having so many problems? Because the past leadership over there was horrible corrupt for years— just like Ecorse and Detroit.

Even it is was a “hoarder,” does not that city have to get permission from the owners to tear it down like that, whatever happened to property rights? Whatever happened to getting a order from a court to tear something down, before just barging onto someone’s property and razing a building? Could not the fire dept just stay out and keep the fire from spreading? It just sounds like progressive leadership and city gone horrible wrong, if you ask me.

Compared to these people, I am truly blessed

Every time I read something like this, I really have to offer up a thanks to the Lord. I invite you read this stuff below and follow the link. The stuff in this little report below, makes my ADHD seem so insignificant:

I could be like these guys. Thankfully, I am not.
At trial, the insanity defense generally hinges on a person’s inability to distinguish right from wrong or understand the “nature and quality” of his act. In the context of an impending execution, insanity means you cannot rationally comprehend that you are being put to death as a consequence of the crime you committed.
via 13 Men Condemned to Die Despite Severe Mental Illness | Mother Jones.

This is why you will never hear me ever complain about how bad I got it or that you should feel sorry for me. Because I could be in the shape of some of the people in that story above. I am truly blessed, and I have no reason to complain about my situation. Oh, sure, things could be better; but then again, things could be worse, much worse. I am truly thankful that I turned out like I did and am not any sort of thing like in that story.

It just puts things in perspective, it does for me anyhow.

On the death of Christopher Dorner

By now I am sure that everyone in America knows about the death of Christopher Dorner. I wanted to write a few words about the man and his actions. Believe me when I tell you, that I am fully aware of the past misdeeds of the Los Angeles Police Dept. So, I can fully empathize with the feelings of those who feel that Dorner was some sort of hero. You see, I had a cousin who shot and killed by three corrupt Detroit cops back in 1994; all of whom were minorities.

But that is where the empathy ends. You see, Dorner made a fatal mistake. Dorner fell for the old lie of the means justify the end. Dorner allowed madness to overtake him. Someone else did this same thing and that was Osama Bin Laden. I wrote about this on my old blog back in 2011:

Radical Islam is, indisputably madness. Osama Bin Laden was the leader, creator and center energy of that madness. Osama Bin Laden wholeheartedly believed that he was doing the work of his god. He was willing to take that madness, of a backward religion that denies the exist of the Lord Jesus Christ —- to his grave. A fitting end of a mad man and his Satanic Religion.

Now, let me be clear, I am not insinuating that Dorner was a Muslim at all. However, I am insinuating that Chris Dorner and Osama Bin Laden did have one thing in common — madness. These two, one on a religious mission and one of the personal vendetta mission allowed madness to dictate to them, and they followed that dictate to their graves. As for Dorner’s mental state, I cannot comment on that, as I do not know whether he was legally insane or not. I tend to believe that he was not insane, but just a very angry man, who acted out in the worst possible way.

As for rest of it; I believe I will let God sort that all out. It is not my place to judge a man, or a police department. I do believe that this mass shooting will change the way things are done in police work. I believe also, that many police departments around the Country are looking at their personnel files and wondering which ex-employees that they should be concerned with.

Either way, it is truly a sad ending to a sad situation; one that might have been prevented.

On the resignation of the Roman Catholic Church Leader Joseph Ratzinger

My Mother and Father always taught me never to say anything bad about other people’s religion. So, I will forgo the wish to waylay the Roman Catholic Church. However, because I am Baptist, and very much a Fundamentalist Christian —– I steadfastly refuse to call that man Pope, father, or anything else like that. Having said that, I was stunned to see this news this morning. Here is the official word from the guy:

Dear Brothers,
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.
via Vatican Radio – Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation at end of month.

I realize to many this man is like the leader of the papal Church and because of that, I can understand why many people were shocked to see that he resigned. First time it has happened, was 600 years ago in 1415; so I can see why this would be a great shock to many.

So, to you, Joe, I wish you the best in retirement; I can only imagine how rough of a job that can be. I mean, being the leader of that big of a ~~cult~~ Religion, must be terrible rough on a guy.

Blogger reactions from those I care to link to, Via Memeorandum, of course: Da Tech Guy’s Blog, Twitchy, The Anchoress, Hot Air, The Other McCain,Scared Monkeys, Red Alert Politics and The PJ Tatler, American Spectator, The Spectacle Blog, , Outside the Beltway, Hugh Hewitt’s TownHall Blog

Benghazi: What really happened

This is very interesting: (H/T InstaPundit)

David Petraeus was betrayed by his own bodyguards and vengeful high-ranking enemies in the CIA, who made sure his affair with his biographer was exposed to the public, a new book claims.
MailOnline can reveal a new angle on the story that rocked Washington last fall. It comes from two retired special operations commandos – a Navy SEAL and a Green Beret – who say they discovered a plot against the former CIA director while doing research about the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Senior CIA officers targeted Petraeus because they didn’t like the way he was running the agency – focusing more on paramilitary operations than intelligence analysis. They used their political clout and their connections to force an FBI investigation of his affair with Paul Broadwell and make it public, according to ‘Benghazi: The Definitive Report.’
‘It was high-level career officers on the CIA who got the ball rolling on the investigation. It was basically a palace coupe to get Petraeus out of there,’ Jack Murphy, one of the authors, told MailOnline. — Via U.K. DailyMail

Needless to say, this is going to be an explosive book and could bring down people in the Obama Administration.

Get the Book:

The Further Consequences of Wilsonian Foreign Policy in Iraq

This is what happens when you invade sovereign nations based upon bad intelligence and do not bother to verify said intelligence.

BAGHDAD – Car bombs struck two outdoor markets and a group of taxi vans in Shiite areas across Iraq on Friday, killing at least 36 people and wounding nearly 100 in the bloodiest day in more than two months, as minority Sunnis staged large anti-government protests.
Sunni protesters have rejected calls to violence by an Al Qaeda-linked group, but there is concern that Sunni insurgents could step up attacks ahead of the April 20 provincial elections — the first country-wide vote since the U.S. troop withdrawal more than a year ago.
via 4 car bombs at outdoor markets in Iraq kill at least 36, wound 100 | Fox News.

Now I am not going to sit here and write a posting blaming Bush for all the above. Yes, Bush was wrong about Iraq; but Bush has not been President since 2009, when he left office. Obama took the reigns of the Country and he now is the President, so, basically, Iraq was Obama’s baby when he took office. There are some who believe that Obama removed our troops too early; to be quite honest with you, I really do not agree with that at all. Because to be honest with you, our presence there was causing a good deal of friction in that Country, or at the very least, adding to the friction that was already there. Now the total anti-war people say that, if we would have never invaded Iraq, this above would not be happening; because Saddam would not tolerate it. This is true, but Saddam also was a brutal dictator, who did horrible things to his people as well. So, while it is not a good thing that we invaded that country, we did get rid of someone who was a horrible tyrant. This is why I never took, and still do not take a hard stance on the Iraq War and the middle east; because it is such a complex subject, and seems to get more complex by the minute. This is why I never really bought into the, “blood for oil” meme by the Democrats and the anti-war crowd. I did feel however, that once we got Saddam, we should have started making the moves to leave the Country.

However, I will say this; this Wilsonian bungle that did happen in Iraq, will be a black mark on America for a very long time to come. The Wilsonian foreign policy crowds biggest flaw, is that they cannot see past the end of their noses. They never look past the “here and now.” They always live in the moment. They do not stop to think about what might happen down the road; they never do. All they care about is defending Israel, no matter the cost of life or money. This is their fatal flaw and they have ruined America’s credibility around the World. What gets me is, how the Republicans like to blame Obama for ruining America’s standing in the World. The problem is, Obama is a very little part of that; the Neoconservatives, with their Wilsonian foreign policy ruined America’ reputation in just eight years time. True the Democrats did destroy the housing market and the economy. But, our standing in the World was done by Bush and the Neocons.

Anyone that tells you anything different than that, is either lying or a partisan. But, then again, I repeat myself.

So Awesome.

This is so awesome, I love it.

John and Ann Betar weren’t supposed to get married. Her father had arranged for her to wed another man, but she and John fled Bridgeport and eloped in New York.
That was more than 80 years ago. The couple is still happily hitched, a fact that has led to their naming as the “longest married couple” in the U.S. for 2013 by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, a Christian marriage group based in San Bernardino, Calif.
The Betars are scheduled to receive a plaque and other gifts from the group at their granddaughter’s home in Fairfield on Saturday.
They told the New York Daily News that there are no secrets to a long marriage, only a few simple rules.
“We just live with contentment and we don’t live beyond our means,” John Betar said. “Just go with the flow.”
via ‘Longest married’ couple in US says key to a healthy relationship is just going with the flow | Fox News.

….and that right there, is the kind of marriage that I am holding out for; something that I know will last the ages. Too many people’s marriages are built on stubble and are a “flash in the pan.” I really do not want that; I want one that will last till “death do us part.” This is why I am still single.

Good Bless those two, and I really mean that. 😀

Michelle Obama’s Butt

I am going to most likely end up in trouble for this one. But….

Via WaPo:

They’re at it again.
The latest public rant against Michelle Obama’s effort to promote low-calorie school lunches was recently caught on tape in Alabama — the usual protest against the federal government meddling in local business. And then it quickly found its way around to the first lady’s posterior.
“Fat butt Michelle Obama,” said Bob Grisham, a high school football coach who was surreptitiously recorded by one of his students. “Look at her. She looks like she weighs 185 or 190. She’s overweight.”
Grisham, who was suspended Monday, is neither the first nor the most high-profile person to feel moved to comment on the first lady’s physique. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has repeatedly called her Michelle “My Butt” Obama. And Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, the Wisconsin Republican, issued an apology after he was caught commenting on her “large posterior.” (Grisham has also said he misspoke.

This, is about as silly, as this right here. But, I do truly have one thing to say about this whole but thing….

CUE THE MUSIC!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY84MRnxVzo

Others: NewsBusters, CNN, Weasel Zippers, Wonkette, The Hinterland Gazette, Althouse, Taylor Marshand Jammie Wearing Fools