NEW DELHI — Rohail Manzoor thought he had what it took to work in a telephone call center. All he had to do was pick up the phone and answer queries from American customers about their long-distance bills. He was armed with lessons on how to speak English like the Americans — adjust the r’s, say “zee” instead of “zed,” “mail” instead of “post.”
He even called himself “Jim,” and figured he would pretend to be an American customer service agent.
Rohail Manzoor, a soft-spoken call center employee in New Delhi, has dealt with many hostile U.S. callers. A survey said the calls are “psychologically disturbing” for workers. (Rama Lakshmi For The Washington Post)
But nothing prepared him for the shower of curses that came his way when he picked up the phone one night on the job.
” ‘You Indians suck!’ an American screamed on the phone,” recalled a soft-spoken Manzoor, 25. “He was using a lot of four-letter words, too. He called me names left, right and center.”
Call center executives and industry experts say abusive hate calls are commonplace, as resentment swells over the loss of American jobs to India.
[SNIP]
“When some callers are unhappy with the service, their frustration often turns racist,” said Amit Narula, 25, a call center agent. “They would say, ‘This is why you should not handle our work. Indians are not good enough.’ “
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can cause counter-racist behavior. It can cause people to be afraid of not only citizens of a nation, but also people from any group imaginable even including political parties. I’m not saying that it is justified, but that it is understandable.
Even animals have to be retrained after having been subjected to abusive owners.
People’s first impressions about a nation sometimes can occur by the very first experience and/or person that they meet. But if they are repeatedly abused (in this case, Indian call center agents), their counter-racist (or prejudiced) behavior can be more severe and outrageous. It could eventually turn violent.
A member of a Canadian Forum called Vivelecanada, said the following which really hit me hard:
Collective guilt is a fundamentally flawed concept. Germans were not collectively guilty for Hitler’s crimes in any way that humanity in general wasn’t guilty for in producing such a monster.
Races, families, tribes, nations, bridge clubs or gangs do not commit crimes. Individuals commit crimes. Individuals can cooperate in the commission of crimes, but each are individually guilty only for their own specific role.
These evils arise when we classify people according to convenient labels and collectivize them. Lepine and Hitler both collectivized their respective enemies, and this is their first step in dehumanizing them.
It’s easier to hit or kill a stereotype, a label, a proxy for a group or a faceless mass of people than it is an individual human being. Collectivization is the first step in dehumanization. The next step is the atrocity.
If you’ve ever picked up a pet from the Humane Society and notice really, really odd abnormalities with your furry fellow, it can be narrowed down to PTSD where the previous owner was abusive. Dogs, for example, react to “first impressions” or “repetitive impressions” similar to that of humans. They may begin to hate all mail-men as the dog was victimized by one, for example.
This is what started the Nazi regime. Hitler had it in for the Jews. The story of Adolf Hitler has many versions. Maybe we’ll never know what really happened. But from what I had learned, Hitler’s father was a Jew. He was extremely abusive toward Hitler. Hitler then developed an unwavering hatred toward Jews as a whole, and he got the nation of Germany to believe that Jews (and other groups as well) were evil due to his pseudo-nationalist party. I say pseudo because it was just a way to grab the hearts of the Germans (with a hidden motive) being that there was a world-wide depression going on at the time. He won over the German people due to what good he DID do as a leader. He actually DID help Germany in many ways – at least enough to persuade the German people that he was genius and “for the people”.
Once he had the Germans where he wanted them, via “racial cleansing”, he began to exterminate the Jews among other groups as well. Deep down inside, he was really Right-winged. If he had initially started out leading from the far Right, I wonder if he would have had the support from the people like he did.
The hatred these Indians are receiving over the telephone is not tenant of the “American culture”. Replace the US with another country, and you’ll find people doing the same or worse. People are somewhat anonymous over the phone, you know. Surely, the receiver of the call knows YOU, but your family, co-workers, and friends (the people you may put on an act for) don’t know that you resorted to racist and hurtful insults to the Indian guy on the other line.
I used to work for both travel agencies and one major airline as a call center representative. I became jaded and a bit hardened after that experience because customers can be assholes ranging from subtle condescending language to foul and blatant abusive attacks. I intellectually exaggerated that the majority of whom I spoke with were rude, but in reality, they were the minority. The exaggeration that I made it out to be at the time, was a way for me to cope.
The reasons customers can be so abusive over the phone is because they are anonymous and they are taking out their miserable lives on YOU. Additionally and most importantly, customers know that you cannot fight back or you’ll get fired!! This is mainly why some prey on telephone operators. There’s a big difference between taking a REAL issue with an airline that needs to be resolved and becoming personal with the agent on the other end who has NOTHING to do with your problem. I am 100% American, and I experienced what the Indians are experiencing now in New Delhi and other places where American businesses have planted themselves. The difference between me and the New Delhi agent is that the attacks made upon me weren’t racist.
If YOU have ever worked in a call center before, you know EXACTLY where I’m coming from!! It is pure HELL. You learn that not Americans (I worked for an international airline/travel agency), but ALL PEOPLE —– SUCK!
It is my opinion, however, when people are attacked more than a few times, they make a mountain out of a molehill and exaggerate their experiences. A LOT doesn’t mean the majority! After I calm down and revisit the nightmare experiences that I had with customers, I realize that the asshats in proportion to the neutral or nice ones, were the minority.
What I am trying to say is that all it takes is enough or one bad experience with “a type of species” to develop a sweeping hatred toward the group that the abuser came from. If counter-racism should occur, those attacks and the victimization will just get worse. The victim is just further victimizing himself. Counter-bigotry, in my opinion, should be dealt with on a more professional and peaceful level as in — see a therapist!!
Now, we have to figure out what differentiates a person who is a victim of racial attacks and doesn’t resort to collectivism versus one with the same experience who does? Child abuse? What do YOU think?
A Right-wing Indian fringe group that finds my blog very offensive decided to forge my name on a comment that I didn’t make as revenge for posting their hate mail publicly on my blog, I am guessing. Some phrases were made by me in this post. The authors of the offending blog decided to copy and paste some of my words (out of order) and mix them up with someone else’s combined with some Valley-girl lingo.
Here’s the finished product. (Click the below to get to the source.)
I had to laugh at the ending, though, as Zontar had posted that in his comment reacting to the hate mail that I had received.
They have access to a thesaurus and a keyboard. What a feat!!!!
Who cannot laugh at the silliness of all this?
UPDATE:
The latest from Aby the “Liberal” and co.:
Once again, quoting things that I did not say. It’s not really that HUGE of a deal as those people that already know me know that I don’t talk like that. And people who don’t know me? Bring it on! They can just come here and read my site to find out for themselves.
Still laughing at the silliness!
UPDATE 2!
If that wasn’t hilarious enough, I took a screen shot of her commenting back to herself!
(Click below to access the source)
UPDATE 3!
Here is Aby’s latest instalment in her “testimonials” area of her blog (which is updated depending on her mood):
(Click below to access the source.)
If amusing people means challenging back with facts, then yeah… my blog is one hellavan amusement park. And will continue to be that way.
UPDATE 4!
Yet, another desperado instalment from my good ole friends next door – except this time, they’ve dragged their criminal acts of forgery to an online message board dedicated to ME! I am so a celeb!!!!!!!!!
Click the screen shot below to access the source.
In case you’re confused, Aby’s “partner in crime” goes under the following names:
- Captain Sasha
- Sasha
- Captain V
- Juan McDaniel
- Captain (Dr.) Alexandr Vasilevski
- Karmen
- Amy
- Bridgette
and god knows what else.
I’ve met a lot of cooky Americanophobes in my time, but Juan McDaniel undoubtfully gets to wear the crown!
“He was bum-rushed by 200 people,” said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. “They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too…I literally had to fight people off my back.”
The unidentified victim was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m., police said.
The cause of death was pending.
A 28-year-old pregnant woman was knocked to the floor during the mad rush. She was hospitalized for observation, police said.
Three other shoppers suffered minor injuries, cops said.
Before police shut down the store, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the store clerk’s life.
“They were working on him, but you could see he was dead, said Halcyon Alexander, 29. “People were still coming through.”
Only a few stopped.
“They’re savages,” said shopper Kimberly Cribbs, 27. “It’s sad. It’s terrible.”
If you cannot afford to buy someone a gift during stressful economic times, what ever happened to giving someone a card?
Start your shopping in October, perhaps?
What a disgrace. The extent people will go to just to make or save a buck. Wanna bet Wal-Mart takes no responsibility?
A friend of mine who’s a military wife who had her husband in Iraq was trying to get a job there, and they wouldn’t let her take the day off to pick up her husband from the airport coming home from Iraq (after a year or so) on this particular day. So, she couldn’t get the job.
That company is messed up! They screw their customers and their workers. And they claim to be pro-troops. NO. They place money ahead of human lives as we noticed today.
And to you Wal-Mart shoppers that stepped on that poor guy and let him lay there dying? SHAME ON YOU!
…how what happened in the US under Bush’s watch was blamed on Bill Clinton?
Now, Obama isn’t even sworn in as an official POTUS and all of the country’s ills are being blamed on him (Obama).
What does this mean? No matter what a Republican does, it is always clean, sharp, and shiny to the zombies Bush-worshippers we have around here.
The people that think that the Clinton administration helped orchestrate 9-11 are as dim as those who think that Bush caused Hurricane Katrina.
For those idiots that think Bill Clinton caused 9-11 or didn’t do enough to prevent it, what the hell cave are you people living in? Do yourself and this country a big favor and purchase a copy of the “9/11 Commission Report”. Or read it for free here. It’s the final report of the national commission on terrorist attacks upon the US. It is the authorized edition.
Straight from the back of my own copy of the book:
IN NOVEMBER 2002, the United States Congress and President George W. Bush established by law the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission. This independent, bipartisan panel was directed to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the September 11 attacks, identify lessons learned, and provide recommendations to safeguard against future acts of terrorism.
The book is 567 pages long. Since Neo-Republicans claim to be literary scholars, I’m sure you will be able to read it. There were AMPLE warnings that this attack would happen. IT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED DURING BUSH’S TERM. But it wasn’t. And this is the painful truth that right-wing radicals cannot accept.
Surely, Clinton could have done something to ensure 9-11 wouldn’t happen either. But to simply blame 9-11 on “Liberal policies” is outlandish and frighteningly ignorant.
Osama Bin Forgotten meant NADA ZIP ZILCH ZIPPO 無しNOTHING to Bush. He gave up after a couple of years while he was weak enough to let Cheneyhalliburton take over and turn this place literally upside down which eventually led Bush into the lowest approval rating in recorded history at 23%.
I am embarrassed to share the same oxygen and landmass with some of my fellow compatriots who speak so over-confidently about issues they don’t care enough about to learn about. The outstanding lack of curiosity and over-the-top partisanship is sickening.
Over the last seven years, those very patient terrorists have been planning another attack. It’s not IF it will happen again, it’s when. And when it happens, guess who will be blamed? Yep, you guessed it. It will be Obama’s fault.
Bush began his presidency in 2001. We were attacked on September 11th, 2001. Bush will leave very soon (2009). That’s how many years? Yep. Eight years. That’s nine months BEFORE the attack happened and 7 whole years to clean up the slop we call “Homeland Security”.
Just ask yourself the following questions. Since 9-11…,
Has airport security really changed?
During the last 7 years, have our borders tightened up?
Have we taken Osama bin Forgotten, the Taliban/Al Qaeda seriously?
Have we tried to clean up foreign policy to make both Israel and the Palestinians happy? Or at least somehow try to be more balanced in that area?
What concrete changes have actually been made under Bush – aside from the loose cannon we call the “Patriot Act”?
Again, like any other disaster on our turf, it’s always a bipartisan screw up. But I would really like to think that Bush took the 9-11 terrorist attacks just a tiny bit more seriously. As painful as this may be for your ears to hear, I have just as much love and passion for my country as you do. And I only wish Bush had that same passion.
Do you think it is possible that we will ever learn and come together as a nation? Or must we get attacked a few more times before someone wakes up?
An 8-year-old Arizona boy charged with premeditated murder in the deaths of his father and another man shot each victim at least four times with a .22-caliber rifle, methodically stopping and reloading as he killed them, prosecutors said Monday.
I’m not going to share my opinion just yet, but let me ask some rhetorical questions:
Can children be born evil?
Well, let’s see… he had the perfect all-American dad. His dad taught him how to hunt, spanked him regularly and was innocently trying to discipline his child. With that said, why is his child a bad boy? Don’t we usually blame the lack of spankings on such violent kids of our modern times?
Right? Every time kids commit violent crimes, the conservatives blame it on “lack of spankings”. Well,… this little boy got his.
Although investigators initially said they thought the boy might have suffered severe physical or sexual trauma, they have found no evidence of abuse, said Roy Melnick, the police chief in St. Johns, Ariz., where the shootings occurred. Psychologists say such abuse is often a factor in the extremely rare instances in which a small child murders a parent.
What in the world constitutes “evidence” of abuse? Just because a psychologist says…….
An investigation found no evidence that the boy had had disciplinary problems at school or shown signs that he was troubled, Chief Melnick said. “That’s what makes this case somewhat puzzling,” he said, adding that the court had ordered a psychological evaluation for the boy. “Our goal is to get him some help.”
Puleeeeezzz. This case is not puzzling. The fact that some find this case “puzzling” just goes to show you how dim some people are.
Why is an 8 year old child getting training on how to use a gun and to hunt? HE’S EIGHT YEARS OLD! Back in my day, boys were playing softball, soccer in the streets, basketball in their front yards, climbing trees, and throwing eggs at random passing cars. The most violent were using bb-guns and their own fists.
The boy in Arizona was no stranger to weapons — his father, an avid hunter, reportedly trained his son to shoot prairie dogs — and psychologists said that might have played a role.
DEFINITELY! The kid learned that life was insignificant. And at such a young and impressionable age. That in and of itself is child abuse. You never expose the innocent to that.
This particular case says a lot more about our times, doesn’t it? Interestingly enough, it is around that age and earlier that little kids start to be trained on how to use guns in the MIDDLE EAST.
Parents are very rarely parents any more. They are just breeders. The only reason they have kids is to gain control over the powerlessness they feel as adults. Mistakes in family generations are repeated. The cycle continues. This kid was only doing what he was taught. Violence was all he knew. The concept of Life meant nothing. He became desensitized by learning how to kill for the sake of the kill.
“The wrinkle here,” Dr. Heide said, “is that this boy is so young, it could possibly be immaturity and impulsivity.” In children as young as 8, parts of the brain that weigh decisions and consequences are so underdeveloped that a child might not understand the finality of death.
Didn’t he learn from his hunting lessons that when you shoot, the subject DIES. Look at the methodical style he used against his dad? The kid knew what he was doing.
Mr. Carlyon said the boy told the police that he had been spanked at home the night before because he was having trouble at school. But, the prosecutor said, the boy “did not say that was the reason he committed any of the acts.”
Well, of course he’s going to deny the reason. He’s protecting himself from embarrassment. His father taught him to be “a man”, not a weenie Liberal who can’t take a beating and some “rough-housing”.
I sympathize with the kid. Hopefully this will teach a lesson to future parents or people having sex to use condoms when they’re not ready to procreate.
My readers who know me realize that I’m ultra-conservative when it comes to crimes and punishment, but for this one — give the kid some counseling. I don’t think he’s too old to figure out the dynamics of what just took place here.
End Note:Just in case any knee-jerk reactionaries come here, I DO support the 2nd amendment. But this particular case goes above and beyond that. There’s a big difference between gun owners for self-defense and gun-owners who are irresponsible. This little boy’s dad was, sadly, the latter.
SACRAMENTO — The owner of a firm that the California Republican Party hired to register tens of thousands of voters this year was arrested in Ontario over the weekend on suspicion of voter registration fraud.
State and local investigators allege that Mark Jacoby fraudulently registered himself to vote at a childhood California address where he no longer lives so he would appear to meet the legal requirement that all signature gatherers be eligible to vote in California. His firm, Young Political Majors, or YPM, collects petition signatures and registers voters in California and other states.
“I am not a Republican,” insisted Karen Ashcraft, 47, a pet clinic manager from Ventura who said she was duped by a signature gatherer into joining the GOP. “I certainly . . . won’t sign anything in front of a grocery store ever again.”
YPM, a group hired by the GOP, allegedly deceived Californians who thought they were signing a petition. YPM denies any wrongdoing. Similar accusations have been leveled against the company elsewhere.
Voters using touch-screen voting machines for early voting in two West Virginia counties have complained that when they tried to vote for Democratic candidates, the machine registered their vote for other Republican candidates instead.
At least three voters in Jackson County, West Virginia, complained that when they tried to cast a vote for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the machine recorded a check in the box for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
One of the voters reported the same problem in the governor and state senate races. In each case, the voter tried to cast a vote for a Democratic candidate, but the machine marked his vote for the Republican challenger instead. Another voter who tried to cast votes for two state Supreme Court candidates said the machine cancelled one of her choices twice before it finally accepted her selection.
Hmmm….. “Isolated cases”…”human error”…, eh?
More Republican Voter Fraud (just when you think it couldn’t get any worse!)
John McCain’s campaign has directed $175,000 to the firm of a Republican operative accused of massive voter registration fraud in several states.
According to campaign finance records, a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the RNC and the the California Republican Party, made a $175,000 payment to the group Lincoln Strategy in June for purposes of “registering voters.” The managing partner of that firm is Nathan Sproul, a renowned GOP operative who has been investigated on multiple occasions for suppressing Democratic voter turnout, throwing away registration forms and even spearheading efforts to get Ralph Nader on ballots to hinder the Democratic ticket.
CINCINNATI (Reuters) – The Web site of the Ohio state agency that handles voter registration and other election information was shut down briefly after it was hacked, an official said on Tuesday, vowing to guard against fraud in the key battleground state in the November 4 presidential contest.
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said the agency temporarily took the Secretary of State Web site at www.sos.state.oh.us down on Monday after “one or more” security breaches were detected.
About 56% of the U.S. population uses optical-scan machines, which are less error prone than older types like lever machines. Newer electronic touchscreens, giving many states their green color, are the least prone to voter mistakes.
The voting machine you’ll encounter on Nov. 4 takes the most important right in a democracy — your right to vote — and makes it real. And just like the people who make and use them, machines aren’t perfect. DVICE has researched all of the nation’s voting machines to tell you what technology you’ll be using on Election Day and what potential problems and vulnerabilities it might have. Click here for a detailed explanation of how we rated every state’s machines.
And don’t think for one moment that just because a fraudulent action was discovered at the voting booths in the US that it will change the results. Remember Election 2000? It was proven that Al Gore won both the popular vote and the electoral vote. Nothing changed. They let Bush stay. Who is “they”. They are the richest and the most powerful. They are the GOP.
First off, the US has never been a Democracy (close, but no cigar), but for all that it’s worth (if you thought that our Electoral Voting System was corrupt, this is equally worse or even more so).
A survey of 10 swing states suggests Florida, Georgia and Virginia may have the most problems on Election Day.
As election officials brace for record-breaking voter turnout on Election Day, a close examination of voting preparedness in 10 swing states shows that significant problems in the basic functions of the American election administration system persist, and in a few cases have worsened over the last few years, a new report by Common Cause and The Century Foundation shows.
[Snip]
“While some states have taken steps to improve their election procedures, several still have a number of structural and statutory weaknesses that put voting rights at risk once again this year,” said Tova Wang, Common Cause’s vice president, a Century Foundation fellow and the report’s author. “In an election that we hope and expect will see unprecedented turnout, we are hopeful that steps can still be taken to make the election process a fair one for all Americans.”
[Snip]
As hundreds of thousands of new voters have been added to the registration rolls just in the last few months, one troubling finding is that problems with voter registration issues in many instances have gone unaddressed, or even worsened in the surveyed states. Many states have flawed procedures for matching the information voters give them when they register with other state databases, and some have no established protocols for doing so at all. Uniquely, Florida will continue to require that prospective voters prove eligibility by providing the exact information that appears on existing state databases. This policy often results in rejections of valid registered voters if the voter provides a variant of his or her name instead of a full name, a clerical error is made on the election administration side, or a voter makes another minor mistake.
[Snip]
Another problem in 2006 was state laws made it too easy to challenge a voter on a slim basis. The most famous example of this was the challenge to 35,000 voters’ eligibility to vote in Ohio prior to Election Day. There are already indications that with all the new voters registering, challenges to eligibility will be a major issue again this year. None of the seven states reviewed in this report have changed their laws since 2006 to lessen the chances of this occurring, and of the three new states included, Colorado and New Mexico have acceptable, though not ideal provisions to handle challenges to voters, while Virginia’s is fairly troubling.
The neocons have no problem listening to phone sex of private citizens in the name of “The Patriot Act”. So, Big Brother is OK there. But god forbid we universalize our election system. That would be too Communist and too “Big Government” for our leaders to take charge. With that said, the neocons need to quit whining about ACORN and “voter fraud” since they don’t support a federalization of one of our most basic, fundamental and important processes!
WASHINGTON (AP) – Sometimes, it pays to be pokey. Going slow has paid the state of New York about $27 million and counting. New Hampshire and Oklahoma, too, are sitting on a pile of federal money.
How did it happen? After the contested 2000 presidential recount, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act, giving about $3 billion to states to replace old punch-card and lever voting machines. A lot of states, including California, Ohio and Florida, plunked down vast sums of money to buy shiny new machines, many of which were quickly deemed unreliable and mothballed.
America is beginning to look more and more like a third world country in my eyes:
No democracy regarding the voting process
Becoming a third rate economy and depending on other nations to clean up after our messes
Our Health Scare
Our products and food are losing quality day by day
The diminishing of the middle class
No separation of church and state (can’t become a president here unless you are a Christian)
Freedoms being stripped away from the Left and Right Wing
If you examine the above, those are qualities of living in 3rd world countries.
Soon, we’ll be jumping the fence to find solace in Mexico, Cuba (by way of Mexico), and parts of South America. Sounds funny now, but just give it another few decades, and you’ll see.
We all know how GWB *DIDN’T* get elected in 2000 (or I’d at least like to hope). The below comment that I just found in the status updates that belonged to one of my friend’s friends on Facebook depressed the hell out of me.
If she had been paying attention, she would know that Florida is one of the critical borderline battleground states where the vote counts THE MOST. My face wound up in my hands when I read this. Normally, I laugh at such ridiculousness, but this time, I really wanted to cry. And her six year old is going to choose for her – eenie-meenie-miney-moo-catch-a-tiger……??? *sighs* This is the second person I found with such an attitude. It surprises me because this person is an upper-middle-class individual with a HIGHER education and is a lawyer to boot.
It is this very attitude that got the dumbest man on earth elected in 2004.
I think that it should be a requirement to watch the movie, “Idiocracy” before voting. Because it’s those that don’t pay attention to what’s going on and those who really don’t give a fuck that are running this country into the ground by its nose!
Narrator: As the 21st century began, human evolution was at a turning point. Natural selection, the process by which the strongest, the smartest, the fastest, reproduced in greater numbers than the rest, a process which had once favored the noblest traits of man, now began to favor different traits. Most science fiction of the day predicted a future that was more civilized and more intelligent. But as time went on, things seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. A dumbing down. How did this happen? Evolution does not necessarily reward intelligence. With no natural predators to thin the herd, it began to simply reward those who reproduced the most, and left the intelligent to become an endangered species.
Excuse my French, but what the fuck is wrong with these people??? Out of 300 million Americans in the US, there’s got to be at least 200 million eligible voters. Please tell me these doorknobs who don’t care about who becomes PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES are the minority.
Tomorrow, go vote. If you stay home tomorrow and don’t vote, then shut the fuck up until the next election. Don’t you dare utter one whiney-ass bitch or moan about the way of the world. Make your voice heard. Cast your vote and express your conscience.
Know, if you’re a parent, that your kids and their kids will be paying for the Iraq war. The current administration could give a flying fuck about the cost in human life or to the next generation – they’ll be dead by the time this debacle is paid for.
Disclaimer: Dumb people = Bush voters = that’s not what I’m saying. Apathetic people = Dumb = voting for Bush ‘cuz he’d be more fun to have a beer with and he just had that “straight-talk-effect” that dumb people are seduced by.
DEAR AMERICANS,
GET OFF OF YOUR ASSES AND VOTE
FOR WHO REPRESENTS YOUR ISSUES THE MOST.
DON’T NOT VOTE BECAUSE YOU THINK HE’S GOING TO WIN, ANYWAY.
VOTE REGARDLESS!
IN CASE YOU CAN’T MAKE IT ON NOVEMBER 4TH,
LOOK UP “EARLY VOTING” IN YOUR AREA
AND VOTE ON A DIFFERENT DAY PRIOR! DON’T MAKE EXCUSES.
THIS IS THE WORST TIME IN YOUR LIFE TO PICK A DAY TO BE LAZY,
If I have heard, “….but you voted for Bush twice!!!!!!1111″ once, I’ve heard it at least 989920033697 times. In fact, this is the most predictable Americanophobic cliché and misunderstanding of Americans, their political system, their history, and government as all the other rumors that I have challenged in my blog.
It was one of the country’s greatest political myths:Americans went to the polls every four years to directly elect the country’s president. Then, courtesy of the 2000 election — with its hanging chads, star turn by the Florida Secretary of State and intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court — we received a crash course in the intricacies of living in a constitutional republic.
It turned out that all those years when many thought we were directly selecting a presidential ticket, Americans’ votes were in fact being filtered by the Electoral College, the body of 538 electors that actually chooses the country’s president and vice president. Once the popular vote has been tallied, these electors — often culled from the ranks of state elected officials, party leaders and politically active private citizens — cast their ballots for the candidate who received the most votes in the popular election. The system is winner-take-all in most states, meaning that whichever ticket receives a simple majority of the popular vote wins all of that state’s electoral votes; the minority candidate, by contrast, receives no votes at all. And it is this electoral vote, not the popular vote, that ultimately determines an election’s outcome.
It wouldn’t be so frustrating if Americans weren’t called “dumb”, “stupid”, and “ignorant” on a routine basis. But the “ignorant Americans” are beginning to realize that the pots are only calling the kettles black. The Americanophobes are hypocrites because their “what they call truth” are merely rumors, knee-jerk reactions, fabrications, hyperbole, propaganda, and pure ignorance. But how surprised can I get as it is becoming common knowledge that Americanophobia IS based on Ignorance.
As I have mentioned at least 84 times on my blog, George Dumya Bush was *NOT* – I repeat *NOT* elected twice (aka 2 times). In election 2000, Al Gore WON by the people – for the people – yes, that would be the popular vote.
I know. It’s hard to look at – especially when you’ve been told differently by the BBC, the CBC, Faux News, and your favorite tabloid that talks AmeriKKKan dirt like no other.
What was all the ruckus over for a whole month after the 2000 election that made Michael Moore write a whole book about it? Well, see (and Micheal Moore being not all too often right on the money about anything, he was right about this)BUSH DIDN’T EVEN WIN THE ELECTORAL VOTE!
It may surprise you to know that Russia has a more direct presidential election process than the United States. In the United States, a system called the Electoral College periodically allows a candidate who receives fewer popular votes to win an election. In fact, there have been several presidential candidates who won the popular vote, but lost the election because they received fewer electoral votes. In Russia, where no such system exists, the candidate who receives a majority of popular votes wins the election.
For more information on how the Electoral College works, please continue reading here.
LET THE TRUTH BE KNOWN. AL GORE WON THE 2000 ELECTION. RECALIBRATE YOUR MIND AND RE-WIRE YOUR BRAIN. INPUT CORRECT INFORMATION. ERASE THE PROPAGANDA. PUT DOWN YOUR BRITISH TABLOIDS.
Please click below to get informed. Because when you’re talking to Americans, you want to give a good impression that you are aware of American politics to avoid any embarrassment. (Or at least when in doubt, ask questions instead of quoting “The Daily Star”.)
Tuesday, Nov. 7—Election Day. Pundits have predicted a tight race between Texas governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore, but few expect one of the closest elections in U.S. history. By early evening, it’s clear the election hinges on Florida.
Wednesday, Nov. 8—Gore calls Bush at approximately 3 A.M. to concede, but retracts the concession shortly after, because Bush’s razor-slim lead prompts an automatic recount. He leads Gore by about 1,210 votes out of nearly 6 million cast in Florida. Meanwhile Gore leads in both the national popular count and the electoral college.
An unusual amount of votes for third-party candidates in Palm Beach County leads to disputes over the county’s “butterfly ballots.” A number of ballots in other counties are disqualified because the chad > the small piece of paper punched out of punch-card ballots—did not fully detach from the ballot.
Thursday, Nov. 9—Gore’s camp requests a hand recount of the approximately 1.8 million ballots cast in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Volusia counties, Democratic strongholds.
Friday, Nov. 10—Florida’s automatic recount is completed. The Associated Press reports that Bush has retained his lead but only by 327 votes.
Saturday, Nov. 11—The Bush team, led by former secretary of state James Baker, files suit in federal court to block Gore’s request for a hand recount.
Monday, Nov. 13—Florida secretary of state Katherine Harris announces she will not extend the Nov. 14 deadline for the submission of all state results, excluding absentee ballots from overseas.
A federal judge in Miami rejects Bush’s efforts to halt manual recounts. Bush appeals the decision.
Tuesday, Nov. 14—Harris postpones certification of the state’s votes until Nov. 15, so Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward counties have time to prepare an explanation of why they should hand count their ballots.
Wednesday, Nov. 15—Harris decides that no county offered adequate evidence to justify further hand recounts.
Florida Supreme Court denies a request from Harris to stop the hand recounts. Certification is again postponed.
Thursday, Nov. 16—Bush’s lawyers present written arguments to the U.S. federal appeals court in Atlanta to end the manual recounts. Gore’s team files a counter motion.
Friday, Nov. 17—The Florida Supreme Court blocks Harris from certifying election until it rules on the Democrats’ motion to include hand recounts.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals denies the Republicans’ motion to stop manual recounts on constitutional grounds.
Saturday, Nov. 18—With a tally of absentee ballots, uncertified count has Bush ahead of Gore by 930 votes.
Tuesday, Nov. 21—Florida Supreme Court rules that results of hand counts of ballots in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward counties must be included in the vote tally if the counts are completed by Nov. 26.
Sunday, Nov. 26—Harris certifies Bush as the winner of Florida’s 25 electoral votes, with a 537-vote lead over Gore. Gore pledges to challenge certification in court. The tally does not include results from Palm Beach County, which finished its hand recount hours after the deadline.
Monday, Nov. 27—Gore contests the Florida results in a circuit court in Tallahassee.
Wednesday, Nov. 29—Leon County Circuit Court judge N. Sanders Sauls orders that all ballots from Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties be sent to Tallahassee for a hearing on whether the hand count, which was incomplete at the time of the court-ordered Nov. 26 deadline, should be included in the final vote tally.
Thursday, Nov. 30—Florida lawmakers, voting along party lines, recommend holding a special session to name the state’s 25 electors if the election dispute is not resolved by Dec. 12, six days before the electoral college meets.
Friday, Dec. 1—The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on whether the Florida Supreme Court acted properly when it forced the Florida secretary of state to accept manual recounts submitted after the legal deadline.
The Florida Supreme Court denies Gore’s appeal to immediately begin recounting ballots and rejects motion filed by some Palm Beach County citizens who questioned the integrity of the “butterfly ballot.”
Gore requests a count of approximately 14,000 “undervotes” from Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.
Monday, Dec. 4—Judge Sauls rejects Gore’s contest of the election results, saying the vice president failed to prove that hand recounts would have altered the results. Gore appeals to the Florida Supreme Court.
U.S. Supreme Court asks Florida Supreme Court to explain why it ordered Harris to accept results submitted after the Nov. 14 deadline mandated by state law, thus returning the case to Tallahassee.
Thursday, Dec. 7—Gore’s legal team appeals Sauls’s ruling. Bush’s lawyers argue that the decision should stand.
Friday, Dec. 8—The Florida Supreme Court, ruling on Gore’s appeal, orders manual recounts in counties with large numbers of undervotes. Bush appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court and seeks injunction to stop recounts.
In two separate lawsuits, Leon County Circuit Court judges refuse to throw out absentee ballots from Seminole and Martin counties that had been disputed by Gore.
Saturday, Dec. 9—The U.S. Supreme Court votes 5–4 to halt the hand recounts and sets a hearing for Dec. 11.
Florida Supreme Court hears appeal on whether absentee ballots in Martin and Seminole counties should be counted.
Tuesday, Dec. 12—The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Bush v. Gore 7–2 to reverse the Florida Supreme Court, which had ordered manual recounts in certain counties. The Court contends that the recount was not treating all ballots equally, and was thus a violation of the Constitution’s equal protection and due process guarantees. The Supreme Court of Florida would be required to set up new voting standards and carry them out in a recount. The justices, however, split 5–4 along partisan lines about implementing a remedy. Five justices maintain that this process and the recount must adhere to the official deadline for certifying electoral college votes: midnight, Dec. 12; other justices question the importance of this date. Since the Court makes its ruling just hours before the deadline, it in effect ensures that it is too late for a recount. The decision generates enormous controversy. Those objecting to the ruling assert that the Supreme Court, and not the electorate, has effectively determined the outcome of the presidential election. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg writes in a scathing dissent, “the Court’s conclusion that a constitutionally adequate recount is impractical is a prophecy the Court’s own judgment will not allow to be tested. Such an untested prophecy should not decide the Presidency of the United States.”
Wednesday, Dec. 13—In another decision, Florida Supreme Court decides not to hear an appeal from Gore asking that absentee ballots from Martin and Seminole counties be thrown out.
In televised speeches, Gore concedes, and Bush accepts the presidency.
Monday, Dec. 18—Electoral college representatives meet in state capitals and cast votes to select president.
Wednesday, Jan. 5—Congress meets to tally electoral college results.
Saturday, Jan. 20—George W. Bush sworn in as 43rd president of the United States.
The above is not news for most Americans. We expect this. We live this. However, we have fought this. Even in the 21st century, we are still fighting this until they fix this corrupt system owned by very rich and powerful bankers. The Republican party is all for the rich people. It does not represent the people. It does not represent the average man on the street. Admittedly, there are many poor Americans that vote Republican (the party for the rich) sacrificing some of their own interests for the party that stands for God and Guns. Don’t ask. The Neo-Conservatives don’t like hearing that Al Gore won the 2000 election. They cringe at it as do the Americanophobes that think for some godforsaken reason that Americans all have the same DNA. Hoo hummm….
A Canadian Intellectual even comments on our Electoral Process.
“…I figured it’s time to let everybody in on a secret, not that well kept mind you… it’s all a giant waste of time, come November 4th, the results of the election will be determined by 3 voters.
[Snip!]
In case you missed it, the president of the US is determined by what’s known as the electoral college. In this arcane system, the winner is determined by whoever manages to receive the most electoral votes. Each state is allocated a number of votes more or less based on its population, California the most with 55 and little states like the Dakotas, 3 each. If you receive the majority of votes in, say, Oregon, you get all 7 of Oregon’s votes, making the votes of all those who voted for another candidate completely irrelevant in the final count (*see below). This is done on a state-by-state basis, and the winner is determined by who gets the most electoral votes.
As has happened in the past it is quite possible for the winner of the election to actually receive less votes than the loser (in fact it’s happened 4 times: 1824, 1876 and 1888 and of course 2000). Now, the fact is a majority of voters in the US are either Republicans or Democrats and it wouldn’t matter if Krusty the Clown was their party’s candidate, that’s who they will vote for. Additionally, most states tend to be either Republican or Democrat states, for example California will be Democrat and Oklahoma will vote Republican. Of course these preferences change over time, slowly, but why are we wasting so much energy on this when we already know most of the results?…”
There are also some states that have lighter shades of red or blue or just about 50-50, but what he said in his blog entry was accurate. Feel free to read the rest of his post here.
In 2000, a clear majority of Americans voted for Al Gore. But the winner is determined by the Electoral College, so the winner in each state must be considered. The vote in Florida was so close that it took a month to declare a winner. Before Florida was declared, Gore led in the Electoral College with 266 votes to Bush’s 246 votes. When Bush was declared the winner of Florida by 537 votes, he picked up 25 Electoral College votes which gave him the Presidency.
So, with that said, Bush didn’t even win the ELECTORAL VOTE! Feel free to read the rest of the story here.
The Americanophobes and staunch Republicans will deny all of this until the pigs with lipstick come home, but the jury is *NOT* out on any of this. It is fact. But it is a hard one to swallow. To suggest that the “Greatest Nation on God’s Green Earth” is anything less than a Democracy is foreign to the ignorant or those that refuse to accept a harsh truth – especially one that places a threat on a life-saving mission for those with inferiority complexes.
It is true, however, that Bush DID get considerable support back in 2004. One commenter on my blog theorizes,
The Bush stuff never fails to amuse me, “OMG!!! THEY ELECTED BUSH”. I’d like to quote The late-great George Carlin on that one, “I still call him Governor Bush because that’s the last office he was legally elected to”. George Bush was appointed by the U.S. Supreme court (by daddy’s appointees) in 2000. Had he not been, he wouldn’t have even been an option in 2004.
Why was he re-elected in 2004? The war. Was it necessarily support for the war on moral grounds? Not really. Bush got a ton of red state support in 2004. Why? This is just a hunch of mine, but not one without careful and considerable observation. It comes down to one thing: Vietnam.
It’s a very personal, walking-on-eggshells sort of issue. The U.S. military has always recruited heaviest in the south and midwest. A lot of men in “fly-over” states either enlisted, or were drafted into Vietnam in the 60’s. They thought they were doing the right thing. They saw all these hippies burning their draft cards and running off to Canada. They went off to war and when they came home, were treated very badly by the country they thought they were serving.
Something like that you never forget. Their kids and grandchildren hear tales of how all these hippies and “intellectual sissies who think they’re so damned smart” spat on their loved ones way back then, calling them “babykillers”, god knows what else, and it breeds quite a bit of contempt. As a result, as long as there are people protesting the war, they will be there to support it, even if only out of spite. I don’t agree with it, but I understand where it comes from. That’s just how it is.
It is human nature that leftist Americanophobic intimidation causes people to veer toward the right of center. I’m not saying that it is right, but that IS how things are. And there are many who have converted to Right Wing politics for the reasons mentioned above. Many. And that is also the cause of the birth of Neo-Conservatism.
Those who chose Bush did not do it because they do not care what happens to the rest of the planet. Bush managed to convince many Americans that his intentions were to liberate the Iraqi people and to eradicate terrorism of the face of the Earth; an idealistic notion to believe in, but never a selfish one. This is why I think that the “Average American isn’t selfish in regards to the world”. On the contrary, they care too much. This has been an altruism that has cost them dearly and continues to go unappreciated.
I wrote this piece not from the point of view of a foreigner living in America, but from the perspective of an immigrant who has fully integrated into this society. After I posted this in Spanish, people continued to say mean things about Americans. They still believe that Americans are blind and selfish; something they feel was confirmed by the reelection of President Bush. Never mind that nearly half of us voted for Kerry. But even those I know who voted for Bush, did not do it because they want to destroy the world. Many of those who voted for him did it because they truly believed he would rid the world of tyranny and terrorism. How can someone call that selfishness? Naive maybe, but not stupid or selfish.
To all Americans, Bush voters or not, feel proud of what your country stands for and keep your heads high. Have faith in yourselves and your values… Truth will always prevail…
To non-Americans: Throw the first stone if your country is free of wrongdoing.
I encourage you all to criticize all-things-American-corruption. Tell me what’s on your mind. Get it all off of your chests. Tell me you hate Bush, Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, the Iraqi War, Neo-Capitalism, American Globalization and Dominant Monopolies that threaten competition. I will agree with you. We can have a nice conversation while bickering about the Bush administration over delicious Tequila Shots. I bet you are not as passionate a critic of the US as I am. I don’t object to any decries about those who run the American government … AT ALL. But when you start with the inane stereotyping, the sweeping generalizations about me, my family, my friends and those whom you have never met before, I lose respect for you and stop listening. There is no excuse for pubic bigotry, in my book. I would like to think that those who label themselves as “informed”, “enlightened”, “worldly”, and “educated” to be more “in the know” of the topics they discuss.
Criticism of ANY kind should be fair, balanced, informed, constructive, and thought provoking.
I now hope that you are all aware of how the Electoral Process works during American presidential elections. Not that this will put rampant and mindless Americanophobia(that has been alive and well since the 19th Century) to rest or anything. I don’t expect Americanophobia to end. It actually HAS to exist because how else would the Americanophobes in Canada, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and Latin America survive their own shortcomings without the crutch of the American scapegoat?
And let me just leave with you a sample of Election 2008’s Electoral Vote before the major election coming in November:
So, as you can see, the votes in Idaho do not count on the electoral level. And yes, that means that if I lived in Idaho and I voted for Obama, it wouldn’t count. (I vote regardless just to have my vote on paper as I think that is important especially to further expose the flaws of the electoral college.) Naturally, the above map is subject to change on November 4th, but is merely just an example of how it works. And before you Anti’s start crying about that, YES, we Americans are trying to CHANGE this system.
Read, listen, and learn with an open mind before you criticize (if your herd leader allows you to do so).
UPDATE!!
If that wasn’t enough to show how undemocratic our voting system here is, THIS is equally worse – if not more so:
Now, getting very desperate, the Republicans are trying to keep those that have lost their homes from voting.
This reminds me of Election 2000 where many Floridian blacks were kept from voting to ensure the victory of the GOP.
While the Dems can be very corrupt, there is no corruption like the corruption that comes from the Republican Desperados. They really cannot handle losing, can they? And the neo-cons say that the Libs are running the show in Washington? Really?
More information on Election Fraud can be found here.
If there are any updates or corrections that need to be made to the above story, I will update it ASAP.
So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .
Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks.
ABOUT SARAH PALIN
I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.
She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a “babe”.
It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.
She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.
She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.
She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out
there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.
Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.
Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.
She’s smart.
Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.
During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.
Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.
The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.
While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.
These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.
As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.
In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s
surplus, borrow for needs.
She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.
While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.
Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).
As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t
fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.
She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.
Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.
When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).
As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.
As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.
She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.
Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.
As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.
Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.
McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.
There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.
However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.
CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
•“NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
•“Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.
WHY AM I WRITING THIS?
First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.
Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen
when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.
Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out
of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.
Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s
attempt at censorship.
Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.
CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can’t recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall–they are
swamped. So I can’t verify my numbers.
You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my “about 5,000″, up to 9,000. The
day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.
Community organizing isn’t easy work, it doesn’t pay well and often yields small results, meaning the person doing the work has to find motivation somewhere other than instant success and change. They have to find motivation in the people they are meeting and truly believe in the grassroots work they are doing. And even if you can’t usually pinpoint it’s success, community organizing is vital to understanding how communities work and what the needs of working people, and low-income people are. And this it seems to me would be an important thing to understand as the President of our country.
I’d like to quote my friend Zontar from what he wrote in the comment section of my other post on Palin:
Zontar at first observed her as a fine speaker. Zontar thought the speech was well crafted. Then half-way she turned into a liar and was giving a hatchet job upon Mr. Obama. Zontar thought that her making fun of Mr. Obama for “community organizing” while she was busy as mayor of Rectum, Alaska was most uncalled for. She uses her power to ban books from the local library she deems offensive, tries to fire her ex-brother-in-law for revenge and raise a slut who obviously didn’t listen to Palin’s lectures on abstinence as the only acceptable method for birth control.
Palin! Mr. Obama could have, upon graduating from Harvard Law gone into any number of lucrative professions. Instead he went into the slums of south Chicago to help the poor, the disenfranchised, the homeless and the starving to try to improve their lives. You call this not accomplishing anything! How dare you, you pious hypocrite.
And for your information Mr. Obama is, had you really listened to his acceptance speech, is very much committed to fighting terrorism, but only in places where are true enemies are, such as Afghanistan, not frittering precious lives in Iraq, a ridiculous war which, if it ended tomorrow would not have accomplished anything.
Nothing.
Mr. Obama did not say he was going to raise taxes. Just on the five percent of the population who have too long gotten a free ride at the expense of the average American.
As they say in Texas, Palin is all hat and no cattle. How come we heard no specifics from her?
What is so very wrong with the neo-cons who listened to both Obama’s and McCain’s speech? What is all this talk about McCain’s speaking “straight talk”? I don’t get it. Obama was, by far, the straightest shooter to date regarding all the speeches we’ve heard during the conventions. How was Obama indirect and McCain and Palin “more” direct? Put the fireworks, packed stadiums, strippers, and flashing lights aside and listen to Obama’s speech. Then critique it. I feel as if the neo-cons cannot see beyond the superficial distractions. And to clear the air on the recent disputes, Obama DID write his own speech.
Yes, we can.
Yes, we can.
Yes, we can.
VS
USA
USA
USA
I choose “Yes, we can”. It’s the change I trust, and it’s not an empty suit.
I am finally beginning to understand Canadian Americanophobia. All I had to do was watch the movie, “Bowling for Columbine”. All of my answers as to how the AA Canadian public got their information was getting increasingly obvious. I used to blame it all on the education, child rearing in the homes, the CBC and the BBC. But there’s another element to consider:
Had I underestimated the power of Snake Oil Salesman, Michael Moore?
“The Culture of Fear” was tossed into my lap several times from so called “experts” on American culture. So, I thought about it and realized that this label is both accurate and inaccurate at the same time. Let me explain. But before we continue, it’s necessary for me to point out that there are two different definitions of the word, “fearful”.
My main point with this blog entry is to explain the reasoning behind people owning guns (aside from hobbyists), why Americans look or act paranoid, and possible reasoning as to why Americans are more homicidal than those from other developed nations. Also as a disclaimer, please keep in mind while you’re reading this that I am *not* defending criminals. That’s the job of the Americanophobes – not me.
My opinions as to how we got so violent and out of control:
(1) First off, I don’t think many are aware of how most Americans are raised. Forget about history and past wars. If Americans walk around feeling “fearful” all their lives, there’s got to be a reason for it, no? One must look no further than how we are raised. Most Americans learn the difference between right and wrong via very violent and painful punishments in the home as toddlers, kids, and as adolescents. And many of our ancestors used to get their ass kicked in school by the nuns. There are gray areas when it comes to child discipline, and I’m confident to say that many forms of discipline over here are actually child abuse just veiled under the term, “discipline” to make the offenders feel better about what they do. Violent discipline varies from family to family and can happen on several different levels. We learn to fear our parents. If we are good boys and girls, we are only doing so to avoid a “can-o-whoop-ass” from our parents. We are not behaving because we have “learned” or because “we want to”. We don’t know the answers or why we do what we do, but for the most part, we’ll do anything to please our parents (until the end) and to avoid as much pain as possible in the process. We go out into the world as an “independent” adult carrying that same fear – although irrational.(Please keep in mind that I am generalizing here. If you want specifics on how I feel about violent discipline, read this.)
But wait. This way of being brought up isn’t specific to Americans. This “doing things to avoid an irrational or rational fear of getting spanked” isn’t specific to American culture either. I would like to bet, however, that there is more domestic violence (especially of the torturous kind i.e. tying kids to bed etc) in the US compared to any other developed nation. Or is it just that America talks about her violent problems more? Australia being similarly jaded, I’d be curious of what their crime rate is in comparison to America’s.
One in three Americans girls and one in 5/6 American boys are sexually abused in the US, and these are just the stats that are reported. There are symptoms of being sexually abused and those include hyper-vigilance, watchfulness, and the inability to trust like the unabused are capable of doing. This is to be expected. Even those victims who claim that they are over the rape still possess a somewhat paranoid nature to them that is to be expected. Another name for this is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Add this in with the mixture of violent attacks on innocent Americans (whether it be coming from the home, school, or in the big wide open spaces) and you get a lovely cocktail of jaded Americans. Because that’s what we are.
Americans are jaded. This is a more accurate way of describing us. By calling us fearful (in the form of schoolyard bullying) is actually belittling and mocking all the victims of crimes here. It’s a condescending and pretentious way of spitting on people that have been hurt. Let’s see you do any better considering the circumstances. The fact of the matter is that one’s place of birth does *not* dictate how one deals with a traumatic experience. Unless you’ve been there yourself under the very same circumstances and past, you have no right to get on your high-horses and preach how someone is to feel their feelings – especially when you don’t even live here in a less than modest neighborhood to know what the hell you’re talking about. Now, this is no excuse for people to wave their guns at every suspicion, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about paranoid and fearful Americans, right? Americanophobes aren’t angry at the criminals here because they mourn their death when they get the death penalty. Americanophobes are mad at the peaceful gun-holders and non-gun-holders in America. Even though I don’t own a gun myself, I defend the responsible and peaceful law abiding citizens living here who are being unnecessarily attacked. Anyway, after reading this, I grew confused. It shows that Australian and Canadian rapes far outweigh American rapes. Hmm…. I am positive there is a connection between rape and jaded behavior, but am not convinced it causes violent behavior leading to one’s death.
(2) If you look at other developed countries, America is the only country where one must look after himself. We do have social services and welfare programs here, but compared to the rest of the world, the US stands alone and its people stand alone and must fend for themselves. It’s about the “I” not the “we”. This is verystressful for everybody living in the statesexcept for those people who GENUINELY love their jobs (which are the minority). There’s much contempt here for others that don’t work as hard regardless of their excuse. (Who woulda thunk it?) There’s also much contempt for those countries that have more free time, work less, live longer, and enjoy life more. Superfrenchie displays very good examples of this here and here. There are many in the US who pretend that they love to work long and hard hours at stressful jobs, but deep down inside they are bitter, jealous, angry, and resentful and take out these frustrations on other people – namely those who are defenseless (their kids) and not working as hard.
(3) Putting the blacks through slavery has much to do with our violent beginning as well. Not that the evil whities weren’t already violent to begin with (hey, weren’t the British who were powering the world for 300 years with THEIR blazing firearms white too? Oops!?!? ), but it doesn’t help that the Blacks fought back very violently (and justifiably so!). Has not anyone ever heard the term, “violence begets more violence”? It doesn’t matter who’s the perpetrator or who’s the victim. Violence simply begets more violence. Now, whites beat/kill each other up, blacks beat/kill each other up and so on. Many countries (both past and present) have been guilty of keeping slaves (both black, white, and other races). And Americans held on to slaves the longest.
(4)Poverty: There is more unemployment in Canada and other socialized countries compared to the US. But this doesn’t mean that they are poverty stricken. My bet is that there’s more poverty in the states. My bet is that this contributes significantly to our crime rates.
(5)Could it also have something to do with the fact that we don’t have proper institutions for the mentally ill here as other countries have? Most of our severely mentally ill are the homeless that you see when you come here. Thanks to our “compassionate” government, this may be just another of several reasons why there is more crime here.
(6)More examples of bad parenting in America:Read from 1-4 in this article written by “Mohammed”. It is an opinion, but I concur with all that he says because I see this too much over here. It is hard to live in America, in my opinion. Don’t be fooled by the sunshiny smiley faces. Some of us pretend that we are happy just to keep our sanity. Life is very stressful here compared to other developed nations. Some Americans make bad decisions to have too many kids that are shoved into daycare centers while mom and dad work all day. They trust day care as the kids’s virtual parents more than they trust themselves. Parents don’t pay attention to the signs when their kids come home from school or the day care depressed or acting funny. If America has shown anything, it has shown that kids living here are not important. They are too little to worry about as adults are struggling for survival and have their own “adult problems” to worry about daughter and son. All of these bad choices and stressful living conditions that we are subjected to and subject ourselves to is bound to show on the people…somehow…someway, wouldn’t you think? Kids are treated here with no more respect than dust particles, so in the end they act the way they are treated: no self-esteem and running on auto-pilot until they crack. This is not a rocket science.
It’s not that uneducated and stressed-out people hump more than others. It’s that they don’t use birth control and want to make more kids so that they can feel in control and have others to powerhouse. These reckless parents come out of abusive homes too, and the cycle continues from one generation to the next. Where one feels powerless in their lives due to past abuses, they feel the need to establish power through making babies – or by making babies to have someone love them unconditionally, for once. It’s sad. And it’s a continuous cycle in America which begs that each of you reading this watch the movie, IDIOCRACY. Once seeing that, everything I’m typing here will make more sense.
With that said, those suffering from severe cases of PTSD and/or (REAL!) Paranoia will more than likely be purchasing a gun. Or not? PTSD is not just for vets and is more complex than what people make it out to be. Let’s look at the symptoms:
* sleep problems including nightmares and waking early
* flashbacks and replays which you are unable to switch off
* impaired memory, forgetfulness, inability to recall names, facts and dates that are well known to you
* impaired concentration
* impaired learning ability (eg through poor memory and inability to concentrate)
* hypervigilance (feels like but is not paranoia)
* exaggerated startle response
* irritability, sudden intense anger, occasional violent outbursts
* panic attacks * hypersensitivity, whereby every remark is perceived as critical
* obsessiveness – the experience takes over your life, you can’t get it out of your mind
* joint and muscle pains which have no obvious cause
* feelings of nervousness, anxiety
* reactive depression (not endogenous depression)
* excessive levels of shame, embarrassment
* survivor guilt for having survived when others perished or for not having done more to help or save others
* a feeling of having been given a second chance at life
* undue fear
* low self-esteem and shattered self-confidence
* emotional numbness, anhedonia (inability to feel love or joy)
* feelings of detachment
* avoidance of anything that reminds you of the experience
* physical and mental paralysis at any reminder of the experience
This is not something to laugh at, by the way, as Canadians and people all over the world suffer from PTSD too. Even animals suffer from this.
All I’m trying to say is to dig behind and beyond the simplicity of just thinking all white Americans are born evil, non-human, and inherently violent, nuts, and paranoid. This is yet another case of the Americanophobes taking a COMPLEX subject and looking at it with a narrow black and white view. What else is new in Anti-America?
Can people be born evil? Or are the Americanophobes claiming that all white Americans are born evil? Most of us? Only the white people? Or just the white people BORN in America? If you say that people aren’t born evil, than you’ll be forced into a more complex route of admitting that the Americans that ARE criminal are under environmental duress and past abuse. Whichever the case, both answers show criminals to be victims as well. Criminals: victims or not should be treated as such: not with sympathy, not with empathy, but with punishment, in my opinion. However, the people the Americanophobes yell at are the non-criminal gun holders and non-gun holders which is very curious. Does anyone have any answers for THAT?
If you’re talking about those who possess guns and leave them lying around loaded for any kid to pick up and start shooting, then you’ve got an argument. We are then talking about irresponsible gun holders. If the access to guns decline in the US, so will the accidents. This is a HUGE problem here. I still stand by the 2nd amendment, but what I don’t stand by is how easily obtainable they are (just like in Canada and Switzerland) as background checks are a joke. There should be a more formal process in which the person trying to buy a gun is examined mentally with a fine tooth comb.
I am no arm-chair psychologist or anything. I, just like other curious people, wonder why we kill people so easily as we know it’s not so much to do with firearm possession as it is to do with the gun owners themselves! Suffice it to say, there are plenty of stabbings, stranglings, and other forms of homicide here that don’t involve guns.
One Brit flaunts his expertise on Guns in America.
(sic) Sorry, do americans not have fists like the rest of the world?
Since when was shooting a acceptable method of self defence? As for killing food, that can be done with other means.
He goes on to explain his point further:
(sic) My point is, it isnt exactly an acceptable reason to have a gun. If someone is armed with a knife, then its only right then that you defend yourself in the same way.
What would be better, getting rid of guns and decreasing the amount of deaths or keeping it for self defence and having those deaths at the same level?
Theres a reason, besides the huge population that USA has such high crime/homicide rate.. Its because the majority of the rest of the world dont let you own a gun for no reason. Just seems stupid that they continue to have it for self defence, when their are so many alternatives.
What are we debating here? Criminals (who kill PEOPLE as a sport) or gun holders (who are responsible and using it for defense or other hobbies not relating to murder)? You can’t conveniently blur these two together. There IS a difference. Irresponsible people with guns ARE the minority.
Do the Anti’s not realize that there are very nice law abiding citizens who have guns that only use them for defense and not offense? Do the Anti’s not realize that most of the people in the US who commit homicide out of OFFENSE are holding ILLEGALLY OBTAINED or stolen firearms? Do the Anti’s not realize that even though we own guns here, that British people have found the US to be a more peaceful place to live? Do the Anti’s not realize how EASILY accessible firearms are in Switzerland and how most males have them (and the same with Holy Canada)? As you can see here, simply HAVING a gun is VERY different than having urges to kill innocent people for fun. Is this concept too hard to grasp? If it is not just holding a gun that automatically makes one a criminal, then what is it? This just simply proves that we must look deeper to find the answers as to why Americans are more violent. And we ***shouldn’t*** just limit our research to gun crime, it should be ALL crime! It’s most curious how the Americanophobes talk more about gun control in America than they do about crime where a gun wasn’t used. Those crimes are completely blacked out. It seems more likely that they just want guns prohibited than wanting crime to decrease. I don’t think that the Far Left really care about innocents getting killed at all as their agenda to flex their supremest muscles at the yanks are more important than anything else. This is what the “morally superior” Far Left is all about: their agenda (not human lives).
Michael Moore was comparing the violence in the US with Canada. You’d have to be retarded *not* to understand why Americans are more fearful. The stupid Americanophobic Leftists are thinking that Americans live day in and day out thinking that some Black or Arab “boogie-man” is hiding in the bushes waiting to kill us whether we’re in our own countries or abroad. Naturally folks, where violence is MORE prevalent, the normal response to lock your doors and not walk alone at night in some areas of town is NOT“racially motivated” nor is it “unique” to Americans. I feel almost retarded myself for having to explain the obvious.
I was amused. One Canadian woman was interviewed by Micheal Moore in this movie (Bowling for Columbine) and she stated that her home was broken into AND vandalized while she was sleeping at night. She stated that the incident didn’t scare her , and that she continues to *not* lock her doors at night because that would be, yanno, too Americanshe doesn’t want to disconnect herself from the rest of the world. I think she’d feel very comfortable over here in the US as we harbor the most mentally ill people in the civilized world, so she’d feel right at home. Welcome, drunk Blondie!
*sighs*
You know, it’s these people like HER that deserve to be vandalized and robbed! As a matter of fact, I could use some things as money is a little tight where I am. I wonder if she’d give me her address in Canada, and then I can come over and take what I like while she’s sleeping? She seems very generous to me. And hey, aren’t the AA Canadians all about sharing their money with the less fortunate? She should have gone one step further and just gave her address out publicly considering how “open to visitors” she is. One question, though: Do Canadians lock their door when they have sex? Hmm… OK, I know I’m getting hammy here, but if you had watched the film, you’d see what I mean. We UHHMERICANS are considered anti-social and again, insular, for locking our doors as well. After all, that’s not friendly behavior, right?
Surely, Americans are painfully and clinically “guilty” of locking their doors more than Canadians, but Michael Moore gives this impression that none of us over here leave our doors unlocked. And as a matter of fact, there are certain towns and neighborhoods where people feel comfortable keeping their doors unlocked in the US – just as there are town, cities, neighborhoods in CANADA where people LOCK their doors. How stupid does Michael Moore and Co. think Americans are??? And I don’t believe that ditsy Canuck who said that she wasn’t scared after the break-in. She was TERRIFIED. She’s just trying to make Canada out to be something that it’s not. I don’t care what country one is living in. At the end of the day, we are all people just trying to get by in the world. We all bleed the same blood and cry the same tears and feel the same feelings. I am not convinced, otherwise.
It’s funny how Americans are looked down upon for locking their doors, yet that was also the case in Japan when I was living there. I also had never heard of a girl living living in an apartment alone in Japan that kept her doors unlocked. (I’m sure they leave their doors open in the country areas, though.) My Japanese friends even told me to avoid certain areas as they were deemed “dangerous”. Hmm…. (are they ‘fraid of the blacks too?) Has any research taken place in other developed countries regarding this “issue”? Naw. It’s just got to be America, right? Well, of course!! Let’s not defeat the purpose of Americanophobia!
To move on, the perceived uniqueness of learning by “cause and effect” is not a phenomenon peculiar to the “American Culture”, either. Once again, look at the violence here in proportion to people “acting careful” to prevent such things happening to them.
Another question comes to mind. Should our media not cover crime news or perhaps not cover it as much? We know for a fact that it is real. It does happen. And anybody with 1/4th of a brain should realize that crime news is hardly covered in Canada because it DOESN’T HAPPEN ANYWHERE NEAR AS MUCH IN CANADA. So, what ARE the benefits of covering crime news? Is it just there to cater to the gore-loving, blood-thirsty audience? Is it there to make Americans realize what’s going on out there so as to take precaution and promote safety? What if there’s someone in the neighborhood that is a sniper killer? You know, it is so easy for a Canadian living in Peaceful Canada to lecture Americans on what and what not do do regarding safety. Don’t you think? What about the black people in the US that have guns and lock THEIR doors? Have you a fitting label for them? Paranoid? Fearful? Mentally Ill? Republican? They need to take measurements because they’re defending against the evil whities? Which is it?
Here’s my answer: I think that people all over the world should never be over-confident in thinking it’s not going to happen to them. I also think that people all over should never live in fear, either. What ever happened to this concept we call, “balance”?
Can we not learn anything from crime? I think we can. No. When I say “learn from crime”, I’m not talking about (after watching the news) running around waving your pistol because you heard that Jane Doe was brutally raped and murdered and the perpetrator’s on the loose. What I mean is that without crime news, we’d be a very naive and over-confident society leading to people trusting everyone thereby putting innocents in harm’s way. We don’t want THAT, do we? Learning from crime, makes intelligent people look for why these things take place to begin with as what was done here. My belief is that if we know what makes a killer, we someday will know how to prevent a killer. But you don’t figure these things out by having the reality of the world cut off from you. It may very well be the case that American local news is too centered on crime, and I can only guess it is there to raise people’s eyebrows. However, thanks to Michael Mooreisms, other countries are now successfully brainwashed to believe that the US media reports homicide only to make white people hate black people. Never mind the high number of crimes committed everyday between the Black and Mexican communities (gangs). Never mind the fact that most serial killers and sexual predators are WHITE!!!! Yes, that’s on our television channels too, people!
WE CAN SEE VERY CLEARLY THAT WHITE PEOPLE COMMIT CRIMES TOO! WHITE CRIMES, BLACK CRIMES, BROWN CRIMES, YELLOW CRIMES, PURPLE CRIMES, GREEN CRIMES, AND ORANGE CRIMES ARE ALL REPORTED E-Q-U-A-L-L-Y! But you clowns wouldn’t know that unless you lived over here! Or are living here with your eyes OPEN and not living in grandma’s basement.
At the end of the day folks, what does TOO MUCH CRIME NEWS do? It makes people numb and desensitized. Yes, you heard that correctly. Crimes news does *not* make the average American “paranoid”, or “fearful” nor is that why we “search the bushes for the boogie man”. Hearing on the news about another homicide for us is like hearing a commercial for Crest toothpaste. The reaction is the same, really. Some stories touch us and make us cry or shout at the TV, but generally speaking the surprise revolved around crime just isn’t there anymore. And in America, if we don’t want to watch about violence in the news, a remote control and cable television was invented for that very purpose.
Additionally, it was absolutely deplorable to hear Michael belittle the victim’s families of 9-11 calling them and anyone else affected “a culture of fear”. If you don’t think that a terrorist attack has a effect on its people, you are callous and have just as much blood on your hands as the terrorists themselves. Interestingly enough, it is those countries living peaceful lives taking for granted what they have, that are the ones mocking the reactions of trauma survivors. You will always see the Americanophobic Canadians and Brits cry for those at the hands of our Capital Punishment system in America. But you won’t get that same “understanding” and “sympathy” from the Americanophobic scumbags regarding those “victims” that WERE ACTUALLY INNOCENT. There’s the blatant hypocrisy right there. Anti-America says that 3,000 innocent Americans from all over the world deserved the Death Penalty on 9-11 (even though 24 Canadians died in the towers as well). As the saying now goes:
“As someone who takes human rights seriously, I’m appalled by the lack of sympathy the left feels toward the victims of any regime other than the Bush administration. Let’s shout it to prisoners everywhere: If you’re not harmed by an American, your suffering doesn’t count.” –Erik Svane
When Americans watch “Bowling for Columbine”, they do so with a grain of salt (for the most part). Even liberal Americans do and even some leftists. We live here. We see what happens in our country. We know “Bowling for Columbine” is for entertainment’s sake and not to be taken too seriously. We are also well aware that Michael has lied and fabricated stories in his past pieces. We are aware of the manipulative tricks that he does with his footage to make people believe things that aren’t true. We know. We’re Americans.
BUT…
Those living elsewhere will take “Bowling for Columbine” to heart and because they hate Americans as well, will hang on to Michael’s e-v-e-r-y word. That is where Americanophobic Canadians and Brits go for their comfort food: The Michael Moore library.
And we know it’s not just UHHMERICANS that are vigilant after major disasters. Take 9-11 for example. Do some research on how following that day, people traveling coming from other countries took a downward spiral…for years. I was working at the airlines during that time and flight routes were canceled to and from other countries for years. Only in the last couple of years has travel from abroad increased since the attacks. Uh. Could it actually be that tourism declined because those from elsewhere were afraid of the Muslim that could be hiding in the bush to behead them? Hmm… Why, after 9-11, did the Japanese government begin fingerprinting all foreigners coming into the country if it is only Americans that are “taking precautions” against further attacks. In all actuality, nothing too drastic a change in the US has happened post 9-11 to show that we are seriously preventing further terrorism. The Iraqi war (creating more terror, in my opinion) and the Patriot Act are laughable. Airport security is a joke as it’s always been. Innocents from other countries as well as American citizens are unnecessarily being detained and abused too often while people board the planes with all sorts of weaponry. America is still a place where you can standby for a flight check in your luggage, miss the flight, and have your luggage travel alone (if that doesn’t say anything). What I’m trying to say is our “paranoid” measures to be a more secure country are about other things – NOT about being “fearful”. Please! And before you Anti’s get into your diatribe about “stupid Americans’, read this first and learn how you’re just as dumb if not more.
Right-wing Americans are always talking about “the war on terror” and how it’s “protecting us”. Propaganda is put out so that we do fear terrorists and submit to silly wars out of pure greed. But I’m also going to say that Americans are no more fearful than your average Canadian is about America turning on its side and squishing Canada. All this fear that the AA’s perceive is rather hype; it’s about following the crowd, the leader, the authority, it’s about the desire to belong and the inability for one to take responsibility for his own shortcomings. Weak people are seduced by power. This is the same way Americanophobia works. And it’s not too different from Nazi propaganda.
If you really want to explore racism in America, here might be a good start.
You want to pin an “Ugly American”? How about your beloved and millionaire Michael Moore himself?
MOORE MANIPULATES VICTIMS:
Moore held a screening of Bowling for Columbine in Littleton and charged admission the families of the victims.
• Columbine victim mother Anne Hechter: “It’s laughable that Moore attempts to portray himself as an anti-establishment liberal who is the voice of the common folk, when in fact he is no better than the greedy capitalists he shuns. Maybe now that he has made millions of dollars off the blood of our children he could toss a DVD or two our way to view.”
• Mark Taylor, one of the victims that Moore took to K-Mart headquarters, on Moore: “I am completely against him. He screwed me over. I had no idea what Moore’s agenda was. And he had an agenda. He had it all planned out, completely. I believe that every American has the right to have a gun. We should have the right to protect ourselves.”
Read more here about how “Bowling for Columbine” was a FICTION documentary along with the rest of his work. Credits to Mike, however. He is brilliant at what he does. His work is also very entertaining.
Lastly, when we examine the word, “fearful”, we must ask ourselves:
Are all 300+ million Americans feeling this fear or just the gun-holders and the evil whities?
What percentage of these people are fearing something real?
Is it irrational fear brought on by a degree of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Is this fear really just Paranoid Schizophrenia that is being experienced?
Something interesting to note. The Americanophobes frequently call us “paranoid” and “fearful” by having invaded Iraq. But those same Anti’s said that we went to Iraq for oil and money for Bush’s rich buddies. Which is it? You can’t have your cake and eat it too. You don’t want to sound like an opportunist, do you? So, pick one and stick with it.
Secondly, in the beginning of “Bowling for Columbine”, Michael shows how Americans weren’t reactive enough when suspicious noises from crimes being committed were happening nearby. But then later, he accuses us for not being suspicious enough. He needs to take a pick too.
For all I know, everything I write in this blog may be a fallacy. So, take me with a grain of salt as well. All I’m trying to say here is to not always take to heart everything you read and see in the media. If you Americanophobic Canadians and Britons are truly the smarter and superior ones, question and challenge the literature you come across and make sound and balanced arguments in the public forums you use to communicate. Only then can you say that you’re better than Americans. The Americanophobes are so obsessed with Anti-American news that the concept that there are other ideas out there is unknown or thrown out immediately without properly looking at all the angles in its complexity.
If you truly want to learn about American culture, take courses or read books about Anthropology, Sociology, and Criminology. Actually live in the US and move around while you are here with an open and curious mind. If you don’t know why these three subjects are important to understand groups of people, culture, sub-cultures, and society, than you are part of the dumbing down of the world.
To say that Americans are just simply fearful for the sake of fearing alone is to deny that America is a violent country. And you don’t want to deny such if you are Americanophobic.
Canada is afraid of America. Now, how’s that for a blanket statement? Sleeping with the elephant, right?
A Canadian commenter and cohort brownie-button-awarders are embarrassed about a beheading that took place in their own country. Rather than taking responsibility and showing the humility often bragged about having… rather than thinking of the victim, the family, loved ones and those passengers on the bus perhaps frightened to death, this Canadian (among others as you can see) decides to use this opportunity to express her disdain toward Americans.
There ya go. You just cannot make this stuff up. As they say, the truth is scarier than fiction. Blame America first. I am sure that in some way or another we Americans are to blame, right? Oh, well CNN was blamed for the Canadian media giving away too many details. Little do these imps know that if they were in another country outside the US, they’d see the same thing – the same media going into gory details. I know. I lived in Japan.
*sighs*
Ya just gotta love those Americanophobic Canadians who pat themselves on the back for being so tolerant toward Muslims while promoting and condoning hate toward Americans. Aah, the double standards!
And we get to catch another case of “short man syndrome” at play today.
Sad when you have to mix politics, ethnicity, and religion with human tragedy. There is hope though. Some.
It is most interesting that those who go out of their way to tout themselves as “compassionate” are always the most callous and opportunistic. These imps aren’t just your typical Americanophobes. They are your typical leftist elitists that come from all over. There are just as many in the (as the Americanophobes love to say) good ole USofA. And they are the same people who applauded 9-11. Go figure…
The below quote was written by an Anti-American skeptic, but if this isn’t any clue as to how prevalent this inanity is in Canada, I don’t know what is?
This is no different from a racist American thinking “must have be a black person” when a crime is committed.
“Well, are you doing the same thing”? Not quite. I’m reacting against this behavior. It’s called calling a spade a spade and showing how low some Canadians will stoop with their Americanophobic propaganda. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. I also make a big deal out of this as we are to see Canadians are a humble, peace-loving, victim’s right centered, we-are-all-people-of-the-earth-centered-who-care, generous, and morally superior to the yanks down below them.
I don’t know which is worse: The perpetrator or those belittling, minimizing, and denying what just took place?
I think I’ll go back to my Bushified cave with all the rest of my baby-killing American-wingnut friends.
For those that have known me as a blogger since 2005, also know that this is one of the few topics that I discuss here. And I have … a lot if you look through my archives under crime, bullying, etc.
I feel that this is a passionate topic for most of us, and it usually winds up being the liberals vs conservatives and/or the atheists vs the believers – where I don’t see a relationship, but that’s where it goes. And then it comes down to a lot of name-calling, swear words, that serve no purpose in the debate but to humiliate one for their views.
So, I approach the most daring topic! This one, at least for me, is what I consider a “touchy topic” more so than the abortion debate, the prayer in schools debate, the illegal immigration debate, and the list goes on.
Some reading this will know that I’ve been peering into other blogs, and found this being discussed! You’re right. I have an opinion on this too. I hope that this can be intelligently discussed. I will do my part as well to respect the opinions of others. Keep in mind, that there’s a big difference between a liberal and a leftist elitist. I’m not the later… at all. So, don’t shake my crib too hard, ya hear?
These are just opinions, anyway – and there’s no harm intended.
The reason why this debate is so hot-headed (my self-included) is because no line is drawn as to what “discipline” is as opposed to what “abuse” is. We’ve drawn these lines between marital partners and between friends, right? But not when it comes to children.
This is a debate that, unlike popular belief, has A LOT of gray areas. There’s no black and white… as least the way I see it.
Let me first just start out with the many questions I want people to ask themselves. You don’t have to answer them here.
- What is discipline? EVERYONE who spanks, beats or whatever… calls it “discipline”. This is true!
- How do we spank? How hard is too hard? Should the panties be up or down? What part of the body do we recommend? What instrument do we use? Is it only abuse when our instruments leave a mark? Do marks indicate more pain? Which is child abuse – which is discipline?
- What calls for it? What did the child do to deserve the spanking? Did he spill a glass of milk? Did she interrupt mommy while she was talking to daddy? Did he pee on the kitchen table or scream in the store to get his way?
- Why are the noisy brats that run around aimlessly in restaurants and inside planes automatically associated with the ” modern liberal no spank society” when we cannot see what actually happens in the home? How do we know that these parents aren’t just putting up a “project no spank”facade only because they’re in public? Heck, my mom showed one face in public and another one in the home.
- Are parents telling their children WHY they’re getting physically punished? Or are these parents assuming that the child is fully understanding what is going on?
- Does spanking provide TRUE strength for men or does it just turn them into guys like these?
-What is “being spoiled”? How do we determine what spoils a child? The term “being spoiled” can mean two totally different things:
The child is spoiled because everything they ask for, they get. “Mommy mommy, please buy me…” “Well, sure honey….”
The child is spoiled because from “too much” love and affection? Sure this can go to an extreme. But we all must come to some agreement here that a child needs comforting words and touch, encouragement, support, and feel safe and secure in their own home (you know the basic emotional stuff). No?
- Are a child’s feelings any less important because they’re a child, don’t pay bills, don’t know “true misery and heart break”, don’t have to work yada yada yada? I will tell you from my own personal experience that being an adult rocks! The best years of my life were my adult years. So, if any toddlers are listening, don’t pay attention to the hype. Being an adult ain’t so bad.
- Is child research and child-psychology a myth or a liberal “agenda”?
- The Freedom of Speech debate is often thrown into this topic by the “spankers”. Why? Conservatives claim that by the government ruling a “no spank” regime, they are taking away freedom of speech in the home and therefore “fascists”. But what about those people in Alabama that want to masturbate with dildos? What about companies dictating no smoking in the home because it makes insurance too expensive? Why can’t I smoke a joint in my own home when studies show that alcohol has a worse effect on my brain and temperament? There are liberals who feel, just as well, that the government is invading their freedom of speech too. It works both ways.
- Are you going according to your natural instinct to spank or are you literally going against your will to spank your child for their benefit?
- As a parent, do you ever admit to any wrongs? Do you feel there is room for improvement? Are you open to different styles of parenting? How do you feel when something new is placed on the table – new research development? Or do you just feel that all things coming out of a liberal’s mouth is incorrect by default? Have you ever taken the time to thoroughly research this topic looking at both sides fairly? Do you agree with medical advancements? If so, why do you disagree with any advancements in parenting or child psychology? What’s the difference between a medical advancement and a psychological one? At the end of the day, aren’t they both one in the same? Don’t they both affect each other?
-Do you feel that when a child or adult smiles that they are genuinely happy?
- Why can’t we hit adults or other’s children we don’t know outside school? Some will argue that we must spank kids at certain ages because at that time, they’re growing and need to learn right from wrong. My husband thinks that I misbehave sometimes, but if he strikes me, he can get into trouble for that, no? – especially if he hits me in public! If your child starts to annoy me at the dinner table talking way too loudly, and my hand just happens to be quicker than yours, can I whack him across the face? Can I do the same to your husband, brother, sister, mother, father etc if I feel they’re misbehaving? Is misconduct only specific to children? Is the necessity to learn proper conduct only specific to children? Should employers spank their employees? What about prison inmates?
- Do you ever stop to analyze why a a child is acting a certain way or even ask them to explain? Do you always feel that a child manipulates EVERY SITUATION to get their way?
- Do you believe that such things as “denial” and “repression” exist or is this more made up bologna from the liberals?
- What distinguishes one who can come out of a spanking home successful vs one who is non-successful in life?
What is “successful”, anyway? Having more money, two dogs, a good job, a Yale graduate, two cars, and mauve window blinds or being happy just getting by from day to day?
The successful ones were spanked and the non-successful ones were abused?
(Keep in mind again, EVERYONE calls what they do to their kids, “discipline”. EVERYONE! We NEVER get a chance to see for ourselves what ACTUALLY happens (!!) behind closed doors!)
- How do you feel after you spank the subject? Relieved, shaky, guilty, refreshed, like a good mommy/daddy?
-Why do both sets of parents on both sides say what they do works? Who’s lying? Who has a reason to lie? Is there such a thing as “trauma-bonding/Stockholm Syndrome” or do kids honestly say how they feel no matter how humiliating, scary and painful? Are adults always honest about their past?
- Should a child learn out of fear? If he learns something out of fear, is he/she really learning? Do you believe in such a thing to be able to learn a right from a wrong without fear? Is it even possible?
- Why do we sometimes sit in confusion when there’s a major shooting in a school, a mass murder, or serial killings? Is Criminology just more “liberal rhetoric” devised to take freedom from conservatives?
- Why do the conservatives blame crime and suicide on “not enough spankings”?
- Why do the liberals blame crime and suicide on “too many spankings”?
- Why do we think that crime and suicide is a “modern-day-trend” when it truly dates back to ancient times!!??
- Why is this such an emotional topic for most people? No. Really.
-Just because your parents did it, does that make it right? If it feels good, does it mean it’s right?
- Are parents … just because they’re parents exempt from any criticism because … they are parents? Should we just be thankful that they fed us, gave us a roof over our heads, clothed us, and anything else goes!?
- How do you judge your success in life – by your own parent’s doing or by your being able to think independently from them or a little bit of both?
- When someone says that they’ve never been spanked, do you believe them?
(Of course, we still have to determine “what is spanking”, and also consider “denial” + “repression” (understanding how dynamic this is in regards to survival) and be open to the fact that unless we’ve seen it for ourselves, we don’t know what happened in anybody’s home….ever!)
Let me tell you that I remember vividly getting spanked. My dad was ‘old fashioned’ and threw us across his lap, pulled down our pants and underwear. As a child I was petrified. Some would say well behaved b/c I didn’t even speak around my dad. I found it beyond humiliating and felt helpless. Even then I knew it was way overboard for teaching me not to do something. As an adult it makes me sick. It is very violating, particularly for a girl. And..no surprise..I like sex on the violent side. Psychologists could have a field day. Now when I see a child get spanked or hear a child get ‘warned’ it makes my stomach turn. Perhaps that is the key- a quick swat on the butt is one thing, but being held down, being violated by having your pants/underwear forced to be removed just to get the pain factor up a bit is sick and very detrimental. I am one adult that lives with those bad memories daily.
- Do people just talk about wanting a free country only when it suits them?
- Is it a coincidence that the crime rate is higher where corporal punishment exists?
OK. I’m done with the questions!
Some random thoughts I have on this topic:
In my opinion, time outs are unsuccessful when they are, because THE KID IS IN THEIR ROOM WITH TOYS, VIDEO GAMES ETC!!
There’s research all over the internet with actual PARENTS using non-violent means to raise their children with success. So, they say. I didn’t watch it happen, so….. I don’t claim to be a professional on this topic, either.
People say verbal abuse is WORSE than physical abuse. Really? I say that physical abuse IS verbal abuse – it’s action speaking LOUDER than words! Again, we have to define “what is abuse” because that’s going to be the core of this whole argument.
I don’t think liberals like being told how to raise their kids, either!! But we all have our opinions, right? It’s not like either one of our camps are enforcing our beliefs down the throats of others although secretly we’d like to. We both feel right. No doubt about that. We both have our fair share of “how dare you’s” to be tossed about. This topic is emotional for a very good reason. It hits us all V-E-R-Y close to home.
As a child abuse survivor myself, this is with no intention to belittle those who too have been abused. And no! I don’t consider a pat on the hiney “abuse”!! But I will argue that there are “degrees” or “levels” of abuse. We could all sit here and discuss our child life and past abuses, but that won’t solve anything at all. Why? Because then it will be a debate about who had it the worst, and when the conversation goes in THAT direction, it’s already ended. It’s stupid. Pain cannot be measured or compared. Let me give an example that’s already been over-done and tired: *yawns*
Person A says:“My mom used to light a match to each of my fingers for coming home from school late, so as an adult, I’m bla bla bla……..”
Person B replies:“That’s belittling true child abuse because when I was little, my mom set fire to both my legs, so as an adult, I’m bla bla bla…..”
We can agree that both of these experiences are horrific to some degree or another – even though it has nothing to do with spanking. All I’m saying is that we will ALWAYS, in our lives, find people who’ve had it worseandbetter! Child abuse is not a black and white topic as it’s very broad and covers many ranges – just as the word, “crime” has its degrees from petty theft to rape and murder.
Before anybody accuses me of trying to get a “no spank project” legislated in the United States, I tell you now, that I have not voted on this issue, I have not demonstrated, I have not picketed, I have not written to congress, or tried to take these “freedoms” away from you.
I don’t believe this issue has to do with freedom of speech, anyway.
I would be curious what you all think of this.
From “The Men They Will Become”
Eli H. Newberger, M.D.
Chapter 6 – Discipline and Punishment
Men can lead perfectly honorable lives based on observing norms of behavior they have learned from others and that are promoted by, others – by their families or communities, or by their professions or the religions or philosophies they adhere to. But there is always a question of how men will behave in a situation beyond the direct influence of those institutions. Some individuals revert to behavior that is unworthy of their usual standards when they believe they can get away with it. Others, however, have deeper resources that enable them to remain consistent with their publicly scrutinized behavior. They have internalized values; their self-disciplined behavior doesn’t depend on anyone’s reminding them what the rules are.
Perhaps there is no more confused subject in childcare than the issues that swirl around discipline and punishment. In relation to character development, the word “discipline” has acquired several different meanings. As used most broadly, it connotes training, which corrects, molds, strengthens, or perfects – in other words, character formation itself, particularly as it is guided from without by a parent or mentor. (“Discipline” and “disciple” have the same root.) The word is also a synonym for punishment or chastisement – he was disciplined by being denied permission to play outside. Still another usage points to the control gained by enforcing obedience, the control implied, for example, in the phrase, “military discipline.” Finally, the term can refer to rules or systems of rules that are meant to affect conduct. Except when used with the prefix “self,” all of these meanings point to something that is imposed on a boy from outside and that relies heavily on rules of conduct.
Spanking a child in the US is not violating ANY law by any means… AT ALL. So, why is the spanking crowd so worried about being called by Child Protective Services? Can’t you just defend yourselves by saying that you use spanking as a means to discipline? Wouldn’t that be the end of it? What about out in public? So what if someone sees you spanking your child? Why would you care? Let the “loony lib” call the police. How far can they really go considering that you “have done nothing wrong”?
To conclude, so long as people stay in the dark (whatever that means for you) regarding child rearing, the violence in the US will never stop. Is this to imply that everyone subjected to physical “tough love” growing up are going to be violent as adults? Nope. It IS to say, however, that …. isn’t funny how every violent crime committed or suicide involves a person from a violent background? And we know this didn’t come from taps on the hiney-bump because the child must feel the pain in order to learn, right?
In my opinion, I believe you just have to look at where in MODERN society there is less crime and less obesity and measure that with their corporal punishment laws, and you’ll get the answer.
I found out today that someone has hijacked about 1/4 of my site (or more – but that’s all I have the energy to see right now). He’s not only not given me credit for my work, but has copied the entirety of my posts – one after the next (not excerpts or just links) and has also made it appear that I am responsible for posts that I had not even posted.
UPDATE: I read over here, that it is not a good idea to link to the blog scraping site as they can get more revenue from it! If you want any more detailed info about my stolen posts, just send me an email.
UPDATE 2: Victory!! The offending site was finally taken down after all my complaints to Google Adsense!
Splogging, content theft, blog scraping, hijacking blogs, and ripping off blog posts is becoming increasingly popular, and an infamous site that does this is FAMLOVE.CN.
More information about stolen content can be found on this blog that has a FAQ and tips as to what you can do if it happens to you. You will also see a list of other blog scrapers and sploggers that have been found guilty.
Make your own post about it to spread the word so that when “famlove.cn” is googled, people will see them for who they really are!
I wrote this post a while back in response to the popular notion that Americans (white Americans) “mold” every person that decides to immigrate to the US into doing things the “All-American-White-Way” in that we train immigrants to be obnoxious, obese, racists, stupid, and greedy.
I must say, I’m increasingly getting sick and tired of people accusing American-whites left, right, and center of being “racist”. It infuriates me that just because of the color of my skin and where I was born (had no control over that, by the way), I am assumed to automatically be a “racist”. Interestingly enough, the African Americans are nowhere near as noisy about “racism” as the “cultural elitist” white population in Canada or Europe… who have never stepped foot in the US. And if someone can tell me how Caucasians are “oppressing” the blacks in the US, I’d really love to know. Yes, I’m aware that hate crimes exist. Yes, I’m aware that racism STILL exists in America. Yes, I feel that it’s wrong. But coming from Americanophobic Canadians and Europeans who claim to have the “upper hand” on “worldly matters” are nothing more than *clueless* as to what truly is both going on in the states and in other countries (including their own) abroad.
My friends, it’s “Guilt by Association” – just for being White (…and living in the US). Let me start off with this video:
I don’t think so. These hijackers were most likely using fake ID’s/identities, passports, social security numbers, and drivers licenses when they boarded the planes. Also keep in mind that there is the possibility that two Arabs can have the same name!
Let me just start with the following: Anytime you’re feeling down about the US government, and need to be reminded about how happy you are (or could be) to be living in the US, just read the below:
I became even more happy to live in the United States after reading about the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 that occurred on August 12, 1985. Read this:
The Japanese government claims that because of the rain, unfavorable terrain, and lack of sunlight, rescue crews were unable to reach the crash site until the following morning, twelve hours after the crash. Most of the passengers’ remains were identified, and were enshrined at
the nearby village of Ueno.
There was some confusion about who would handle the rescue in the immediate aftermath of the crash. A U.S. Air Force helicopter was the first to the crash site, some 20 minutes after impact, and radioed Yokota Air Base to assemble rescue teams and offered to help guide Japanese forces to the site immediately. But Japanese government representatives ordered the U.S. crew to return to Yokota Air Base because the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) were going to handle the rescue. Although a JSDF helicopter spotted the wreck during the night, it said poor visibility prevented it from landing at the site. JSDF forces did not arrive until the following morning. It is not known whether any survivors of the crash died in this interval. The off-duty flight attendant who survived the crash recounted from her hospital bed that she recalled bright lights and the sound of helicopter rotors shortly after she awoke amid the wreckage, but that nothing further was seen or heard until the JSDF arrived the next day.
It is believed that a substantial number of people survived the initial crash, but succumbed to hypothermia before they could be rescued. The apparent lack of urgency and bungled response to responding to the crash have led to rumors in Japan that the Japanese government was hoping that there wouldn’t be any survivors of the crash, reportedly because the airplane was carrying some kind of secret cargo. But, there is very little evidence to support this theory over the more plausible theory that basic, bumbling bureaucracy slowed the Japanese government’s and military’s response.
As an FYI, this is (not the first) but the second time that I know of, where the Japanese Government sent Americans trying to aid in a disaster back to their posts.
“The Japanese bureaucracy is very good when there’s time for nemawashi,” a senior Japanese official said. “But it’s weakness is that it works poorly in an emergency, when decisions are needed fast. We already knew that this problem existed, but it became much more obvious
after the earthquake.”
The Foreign Ministry emphasized the logistical difficulties of responding immediately to the offers. Terusuke Terada, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, noted that the central Government had to check with the local authorities and then arrange transportation to the disaster area as well as interpreters and accommodation.
“Our method took a bit too much time,” Mr. Terada acknowledged, adding that Japan is in fact very grateful for all the offers of foreign assistance.
The Government, to be sure, was lethargic in the earthquake’s aftermath about using domestic
resources as well as foreign ones. Its slowness in calling in army troops to dig people out was blamed by one Japanese magazine for one-third of the 5,243 deaths in the quake, and another magazine accused the Government of a “massacre.”
“This red tape was known by the Japanese people, but now people have come to see it more clearly,” said Yuriko Koike, an opposition legislator from the Kobe area. “It’s not just the bureaucrats, but also the regulations. They don’t want to make any exceptions, even in emergencies, because that would threaten their raison d’etre.” Red Tape Bureaucrats And Gift Horses
Foreign donors were often taken aback by the penchant of these bureaucrats for peering into the mouths of gift horses.
I find this to be repulsive. I was living in Japan at the time of the Kobe Earthquake and also remember that the US wanted to send aid in hosing down some of the fires. The Japanese government rejected that as well. The words “stubborn” and “arrogance” come to mind. I believe it to be a crime in the way the Japanese officials react to emergencies. The Prime Minister didn’t even hear about the quake until he turned his TV on!?
And yet another outrageous decision:
The Japanese subsidiary of Motorola rushed 150 cellular telephones to Kobe after the earthquake, when regular telephone service was disrupted. Motorola offered to lend the telephones free of charge and pay for all the calls, but the Kobe city authorities replied that the phones could not be given out unless they had Kobe City stickers on each of them.
Is the above not enough to describe the word, “despicable”? Read on.
Dr. Masanori Matsumoto, for instance, said — after being told of the issue — that he would not use Tylenol even if it were on hand in the refugee clinic where he works.
“I would use the medicines that I’m familiar with,” he said. “I think the Health and Welfare
Ministry is right to keep out foreign medicines with different dosages.”
So…. I guess we can safely deduce from this that Mr. Matsumoto would have found it more appropriate to allow the quake victims to die a slow death, instead? Again, if you ask me, this is criminal behavior and nothing that any country should be proud of.
I would like to conclude that if you’re going to be in a “National Emergency” situation, just don’t be in Japan at the time.
Anna Ayala pleaded guilty Friday to planting her co-worker’s severed finger in a bowl of Wendy’s chili. She faces 10 years in prison.
Anna Ayala, 39, and Jaime Placencia, 43, pleaded guilty to conspiring to file a false claim and attempted grand theft in a scheme that the Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy’s International Inc. claimed cost it $2.5 million in lost sales because of bad publicity.
“Thankfully, law enforcement thwarted their successful efforts at theft,” said Deputy District Attorney David Boyd.
Ayala’s attorney, Rick Ehler, said she was truly remorseful.
“There are a lot of people that work for Wendy’s that were harmed, she always felt a lot of remorse about that,” he said.
Wendy’s President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Mueller said he hoped the guilty pleas would “send a strong message and serve as a deterrent to others who may contemplate a fraudulent crime against the restaurant industry.”
Click here to read more. This woman has a history of filing false allegations.
My opinion? I really and truly think our country needs to do something to stop frivolous law suits. They put a raging pit in my stomach! How to solve this problem is very simple. We have the plaintiff and the defendant right? If the defendant is proven to be “not guilty”, the plaintiff should be responsible for all the legal out of pocket fees that the defendant had to pay. But you can’t get blood out of a rock (in the case they can’t afford to pay up). Well then, that’s what collateral is for, right? This way, people will think first before suing like rabbits have sex!
If I heard correctly, I think they have a similar system to this in England, but I could be mistaken.
Most of us tend to make jokes of or laugh at the whip me harder, hurts so good, tie me up, fuck me hard, spank me, the handcuffs, the chains, the bondage, the being tied to the bed, the tape over the mouth, the nipple biting, and the brutal spankings that lead one to bleed or leave marks that last a long time.
Don’t think my husband and I don’t make jokes about this too! In light of the situation or depending on the context it is being brought up in, I find myself giggling about stuff like this as well.
However, if I remove myself from the chuckles, and the comedy, it’s a very sad thing. Sad, in that, I can see where it’s coming from.
This is not to criticize those who engage themselves in Sadomasochism. I come from the “to each his own” camp. While I don’t judge these people, I feel very sorry for them (whether they’re feeling happy about it or not).
There’s a reason for this type of behavior that may surprise you all.
Read this. This is the story of Dorothy, a Child Abuse Survivor. I’m going to quote some of the things written in this woman’s blog and then add some of my own comments. (She is fully aware that I’m doing this too.)
Sexual abuse has been going on perhaps since the beginning of time, but the difference between THEN and NOW is that people are starting to come out of the woodwork to talk about it.
The innocence of a child, will not allow their mind to comprehend what terror is being put upon them during abuse. They can no more think killing their abuser than they can a fly. It worsens when the child knows the abuser, because they have a love and trust that is so innocent, they cannot mistrust. This is where the confusion is set deep into their psyche, causing them to have conflicts with feelings throughout their life. In place of learning love through hugs and smiles, they are taught love through sexual abuse and threats. They have already learnt that the world is not safe. Children quickly learn through instinct to remove their minds from their bodies. They also can manipulate their bodies to go numb in order to not feel any physical contact with the abuser. Abused children are also taught to mistrust any form of verbal love and appreciation.
I think this also has to do with a child’s capability to cope with the extreme emotional pain they’re experiencing at the time because if they did allow themselves to feel it, they would die.
Speaking of children “removing their minds from their bodies”, check out what Primal Therapy has to say about this:
This separation of oneself from one’s needs and feelings is an instinctive maneuver in order to shut off excessive pain. We call it the split. The organism splits in order to protect its continuity.
The fact that they can “manipulate their bodies to go numb” is fascinating. I know a few people that can tolerate heaps of pain and not even bat an eye lash. I know a woman who says that her husband hits her and that this is normal in a marriage. This also reminds me of Sadomasochism where most commonly women play the submissive role. And they continue to do it. There’s a reason for it. A psychological one.
What about people who cut themselves? Ever noticed WHY they do that? It is supposed to be painful and disgusting to watch your blood running out of your flesh. One would normally think this, right?
Why do people do this? I found this to be most interesting:
Some people who cut have had a traumatic experience, such as living through violence, a disaster, or abuse. Self-injury may feel like a way of “waking up” from a sense of numbness after a traumatic experience. Or it may be a way of reinflicting the pain they went through, expressing anger over it, or trying to get control of it.
The abuser will tell them things like, “Daddy loves you and wants to show you how much”, or ” I am teaching you what daddy’s teach their daughters so that you will grow up and know how to be a good woman”.
I find this very frightening. Why? Because children believe everything their parents tell them. Watch how children (even adults that are victims of abuse!) always defend their parents. They can do no wrong. When cops, social workers, or anyone in the legal profession get a hold of them alone, children still do not admit that they are being abused. Amazing! But according to The Stockholm Syndrome, this is what to expect.
So much deception and lies from someone that a child holds dear to their heart. To doubt their abuser when it is their father, only makes them feel like a bad child. They know that their father wants them to love them and smile for them. This makes daddy happy. It is what every child is naturally driven to do. They thrive on their parents smiles and happy feelings. This is the exact thing that an abuser takes advantage of and also poisons through the abuse they inflict on the child.
We all are creatures of need. We are born needing, and the vast majority of us die after a lifetime of struggle with many of our needs unfulfilled. These needs are not excessive–to be fed, kept warm and dry, to grow and develop at our own pace, to be held and caressed, and to be stimulated. These Primal needs are the central reality of the infant. The neurotic process begins when these needs go unmet for any length of time. A newborn does not know that he should be picked up when he cries or that he should not be weaned too early, but when his needs go unattended, he hurts.
At first the infant will do everything in his power to fulfill his needs. He will reach up to be held, cry when he is hungry, kick his legs, and thrash about to have his needs recognized. If his needs go unfulfilled for a length of time, if he is not held, changed or fed, he will suffer continuous pain either until he can do something to get his parents to satisfy him or until he shuts off the pain by shutting off his need. If his pain is drastic enough, death may intervene, as shown in studies of some institutional babies.
Very interesting, indeed. Depending on the severity of the child abuse, most of us as adults are not able to realize that we need. Our actions show that we do, but deep down we don’t realize it and when we see another person expressing their needs, we yell at them. Because it’s what WE feel too inside that we’re unable to express.
Back to the story:
The child will also think in two identities if the abuser is her father or her uncle. She will think simply in two parts. Good daddy, bad daddy. This helps her to keep her good daddy image safe, where he is suppose to be. The second daddy will be a figure in a bad dream, not real to her world at all. A child may turn to drawing pictures of her good daddy and bad daddy. Or write very obscure, negative, even offensive poems or stories. These are true signs and most certainly cries for help. Please do not ever underestimate the power of the pen. It will either be a cry for help from someone that cannot use words, or it could be the key to ones doors of healing.
“A cry for help”. This is significant here. While the child (of any age) may not be consciously aware of what’s happening to them, the “cry for help” can take form in many different ways. It is an outlet. The pain’s got to go somewhere. It does not just sit, rot, die and go away like many people believe. Many people out there think that children cannot feel. Those same people think that infants cannot feel. Those same people think that the gestation stages aren’t important in shaping the child. Why? Because they cannot feel. These same people say that children don’t have the problems that adults have. As a result of this, the pain of a child is almost always minimized.
Even adults are crying for help in their own way. They don’t know why. They don’t know where it’s coming from. Their problems are still unresolved because they’ve conveniently forgot or repressed EVERYTHING. It’s a way of coping.
…they continue throughout life exerting a force, channeling interests, and producing motivation toward the satisfaction of those needs. But because of their pain, the needs have been suppressed in the consciousness, and so the individual must pursue substitute gratifications. He must, in short, pursue the satisfaction of his needs symbolically. Because he was not allowed to express himself, he may be compelled to try to get others to listen and understand him later in life.
HERE’S WHAT’S IMPORTANT!
When the abuser is a family member, this factor alone robs the child of what would be known as a safe nest. The child will never know what a healthy role model is. Nor will this child ever have the experience of innocent nurturing.Unless this child through years of growth, learns to identify with their abuser and confront the abuse, their healing will never begin. Without this inner healing and peace, one is likely to repeat this horrible act of abuse that they were lead to believe to be a common practice in parenting.
This is what many of us don’t do. It’s not because we’re wrong or bad. It’s because most of us feel “safe” (ironic enough as that sounds) to keep the truth hidden from us. Not “facing the wolf”, if you will, is just another one of those coping mechanisms.
And you see it everyday – the cycle is being repeated down from one family to the next. To heal, you need to realize that you have a problem. (Again, this doesn’t mean you are bad or wrong). A lot of people fear that realizing they have a problem makes them look weak or that they are bad. It’s actually the contrary. You are strong when you realize that something’s the matter with you!
Next, you need to find out what your “bad habits” or act-outs are, find out why you do them, and if you can, stop doing them, and your true hidden feelings will surface. Once they surface you may feel anger, tension, anxiety, sadness and the like. Don’t deprive yourself of these feelings. Once you let yourself take ownership of them and feel them, you are less likely to put others through the same pain, and you, yourself, will be able to move on with your life.
Next, you need to realize that what happened to you was WRONG. Unless you realize this, than you’ll (without shame) take it out on another defenseless person.
Most importantly, you need to have either a counselor, a good friend or family member that you can trust or whom doesn’t belittle your pain – help you through this.
But we belittle our own pain. That’s why most of us when we hear that someone else is talking about having been a victim of sexual abuse, we tend to want them to just “shut up” and “get over it already”. We have no patience for those who are aware what has happened to them and choose to discuss it. Why? Because the same thing happened to us and we minimize our own pain. That’s why we minimize everyone else’s pain.
This is why it is so hard for a rape or molestation survivor to stand up and talk about it. Nobody believes them or feel that it’s a lame plea for attention. They tell them to forget about it and move on in a very callous and harsh manner. Those that say “get over it” are people that are very bitter, angry, and hateful that have still yet to heal. What they don’t realize is that they will never heal this way.
For these hardened and jaded folk – they will never be happy, but for them it’s more comfortable to feel “safe” than happy. And in the process, they piss on those trying to get through the rough times.
So for these reasons, I think healing from Sexual Abuse is not only hard, but next to impossible.
There are, however, very few that are as courageous as Holly. It is people like Holly that are able to face what they went through (even though it was extremely painful for her), and move on and that’s when and ONLY when their status changes from VICTIM to SURVIVOR.
Those of you who ignore it and think that you’re being “strong”, you’re dead wrong.
Victims have no choice but to survive. If they do not commit suicide, they learn to cope. I have mentioned in another article that some use drugs, alcohol, food, cutting ones self and even sex. These are common coping strategies. NO they are not good ones, but for most of the victims that choose that road, it’s the better of the two evils.
As I said before, it’s got to come out somehow. We should all try to develop a better understanding for those addicted to drugs (even though it’s hard).
Other victims choose to forget it ever happened, down play the abuse or rationalize it as if it were nothing more than a simple hug or touch. They even go as far as excusing their abusers actions or temper, saying that he was drunk or too stressed out from working. Victims will even try to understand and feel sorrow for their abusers. Anything to not accuse them and have to deal with the confusion of the why’s. Some even become so withdrawn into themselves, fearing that they may talk too much, or give a clue to someone about their nightmare. Then all their shame will be seen. So they choose silence instead of risk.
I have a friend that was a victim of repetitive sexual abuse by her own father. At one point she said that she hadn’t come out of the house for a year and that she didn’t say one word. She said that she was “physically unable” to speak even if she tried.
Denial is another way around facing the reality. But denial has a way of twisting around and returning with a vengeance. To not allow your pain to come up front so you can deal with it, only gives it more time to grow inside of you and get a stronger hold of your mind.
I continue to show you patterns that are caused by neglecting yourself and allowing yourself to be totally absorbed by an action that was NEVER in your control. Now it is in your control. Now you can do something about it. SO, what are you waiting for? FIGHT!!!! Fight like you are trying to save the life of someone dear to you. Fight like a master and use your power to say, “Go to hell“. Scream this as loud as you can, “I see you, I hear you and I will not allow you to abuse me any longer!” You must feel the freedom that comes with this new fight that is awakening inside you. Once the fight is over, you will live a new life. A new book has just been written.
You are FREE! Free to Live, Love and Laugh!!
This is the difference between the WEAK and the STRONG.Holly and Dorothy are the tough ones, and are even kind enough to help others. They are the REAL tough ones. Won’t you join them?
Take a look at the below video. More lies coming out of Karla’s mouth. And much worse, she’s still blaming the crimes on everyone but herself. While she says that she’s “remorseful”, she’s still playing the “victim card”.
You’ll need to view the video in full screen to see the English subtitles.
Radio-Canada’s Joyce Napier interviews convicted killer Karla Homolka. (Runs 12:42)
I love the way she complains about the “over sensationalized media” taunting her and her little criminal cohorts in prison that she still has relationships with. Is she pulling out another victim card here? Has the media caused her trouble? What about the trouble her victims were in when Karla and her “partner in crime” killed them slowly? What about the victims that are still alive: the families?
HOMOLKA:
I was an exemplary detainee. There is no doubt about that. I did all my programs. I even did those that weren’t part of my rehabilitation program. I did volunteer work. I went to school. I helped other women. I never received an internal report. I did all kinds of things. I went to school. I got my BA. I improved my French.
The National Parole Board ruled Jan. 17, 2003 that Karla Homolka must stay in prison until her sentence is completed in July of 2005. The board’s decision represented the third time that Homolka’s request to be transferred to a half-way house was refused.
Two reasons for the refusal were given. One reason was her sexual relationship with another convict at the Ste.-Anne-des-Plaines detention center. The other reason stated by the board was her refusal to participate in rehabilitation programs. The Toronto Star reported on Jan. 19, 2003, that “Commissioners noted she had not yet started therapy for her role as a sexual aggressor and showed little interest in other rehabilitation programs.” Adding to the scandal, the Toronto Sun published photos it bought from Homolka’s former lesbian lover when the two women were housed in a prison in Quebec.
NAPIER:
You said a few minutes ago that you will always have to live with what you did. Do you feel any remorse?
HOMOLKA:
Yes.
NAPIER:
How does it manifest itself, that remorse?
HOMOLKA:
I cry often. I can’t forgive myself. I think about what I did and often I think I don’t deserve to be happy because of what I did.
NAPIER:
How do you judge now what you did? When you think about it, how do you judge yourself?
HOMOLKA:
What I did was terrible and I was in a situation where I was unable to see clearly, where I was unable to ask for help. Where I was completely overwhelmed in my life and I regret it enormously because now I know I had the power to stop all of that. But when I was living through it, I thought I had no power.
NAPIER:
To stop even what you did? You didn’t have the power to stop yourself?
HOMOLKA:
Well I didn’t initiate the crimes. I followed. Yes, I did what I did but ….
Paul was a nocturnal creature, driving around, looking for girls, and staying out all night. He raped a young athlete, an older woman, and a young career woman. He spied on a waitress and videotaped her undressing and grooming herself. He raped a young student on campus. One day Paul was out driving around when Karla called him on his cell phone.She whispered for him to hurry home, she had a wedding gift for him. When he arrived, he saw that Karla had used the same drugs that killed her sister on a young girl that had been Tammy’s friend. They videotaped each other having sex with the girl, and got about 15 minutes of tape, that Paul was thrilled with. He had everything, and everything he did had to have style and attitude. He was almost comic, as a serial killer, like Patrick Bateman in
Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho. In a twist of fate, the police seized the book from the couple’s home. Many people had the opinion that Paul He had a music room in the den, with thousands of dollars of music equipment. He wrote rap lyrics, in a blue notebook, and nicknamed himself Young Hype. He thought that Vanilla Ice was a great rapper and when someone called him that one day on vacation, he was convinced he could become famous and get Madonna to sponsor his tour. In reality, his voice was whiny, and his songs were about how to score with chicks and how he should be feared. He made his little voice overs and showed them to the girls they managed to get into their home. He would sing to them and won the trust of several, which wound up being drugged and raped and videotaped.
June 7,
1991- Karla invites Jane Doe, age 15, for a “girls night out” but her and Paul are actually planning to drug and rape her that night When Karla and Jane return home from an evening of shopping and dinner Karla begins plying her with drinks Eventually she adds Halcion sleeping pills to her drinks. Paul in the meantime is out, impatiently waiting for the message on his answering service that Jane Doe is unconscious When he gets the call he returns home and then he and Karla begin raping Jane while they both take turns holding the videocamera The next morning Jane is sick and vomiting but has no idea she had been raped She just feels embarrassed because she thought she couldn’t hold her liquor – it was her first time she tried drinking alcohol…..
And this:
Aug 10,
1991- Karla again invites Jane Doe over to spend the night so she and Paul can drug and rape her This time, in the middle of the act, Paul notices that Jane isn’t breathing In a panic, Karla phones 911 and tells the emergency operator that someone in her house has stopped breathing A few minutes later, however, Paul notices that she is in fact breathing and says everything is fine Karla phones back to the 911 operator and gets the request for an emergency crew canceled, after she assures the operator that everything is alright…..
To top that off, you’ve got the videos of her enjoying every minute of her sexual and demeaning empowerment over her victims.
Many Quebecan murderer apologists out there are crying for everyone to just leave her alone and to give her a second chance. Karla and her lawyer are receiving a lot of emotional and written support. To all you hippies out there: Last time I checked, when you murder someone, there are consequences. And these are just one of the many. As far as I’m concerned, she hasn’t been punished yet.
I am with the ROCHA family, that “skank” Amber Frey pretented to be a voice for Laci & Connor! Turns out, Amber is a bitch, tramp, whore & more.. I have a daughter & I cherish her, like Sharon did her’s (LACI). Amber is now milking all she can to get $$$! I hope that skinny cunt who pretends to love the Lord, she will soon meet SATAN… Greedy Bitch!!! BURN IN HELL.
Written by Lynn.
…that if there’s another case similar to that of Scott Peterson’s in the future, if there’s “another woman” involved, she may keep a low profile and distance herself from the case as much as possible. If that’s so, that’s pretty sad. Sad for people who like to see bad guys go to prison.
We only know very vaguely what brought the jurors and Judge Delucci to believe the Death Sentence for Scott Peterson to be appropriate. It is possible that Amber Frey’s tapes are what tightened the nails in the bastard’s coffin.
I can only speak for myself here, but if I were ever in a similar position as Amber Frey, I would keep my mouth shut.
(1) I don’t want my sex life and all the private details of my past shed all over the U.S. and throughout the world.
(2) I don’t want the whole world making judgments about me based on the twisted lies of a hyperactive sensationalized media.
(3) I don’t want untruths being spoken about me.
(4) I don’t want to be the topic of discussion at the dinner table, internet chat rooms, message boards, blogs, news sites, and the like.
I will keep quiet. Even if it hurts the case. My private life is just that: private! I may be a whore, I may be a lesbian, I may be bisexual, I may be a meth addict, I may weigh 500 pounds, I may be bulimic, I may be an alcoholic, I may have a bad habit of biting my toe nails in public, I may be a lap dancer at night, or be secretly rich.
Whatever the case may be, it’s nobody’s business unless “I” decide to talk about it.
I’ve listened closely to every tape recorded conversation between Amber and Scott, and have read most of the transcripts regarding this case – especially Amber’s testimony. What I find most interesting is how the public can be so gullible as to believe and latch on to every word the sensationalized media has to say about Amber. People don’t know the facts.
Secondly, what’s wrong with being a whore (that is, if she is one)? If you’re a woman and decide to sleep with every Tom, Dick, and Harry, isn’t that sexual agreement a mutual one? How does that make a person bad? I feel sorry for whores because they must think so little of themselves to be tossing their precious bodies out to strangers like hot potatoes! It’s a sickness, it’s a shame, but that doesn’t make them bad or mean.
Can you prove to me that Amber knew Scott was married and made an active choice to destroy their marriage enough so that he killed his own wife and unborn child? Can you prove to me that the recorded tapes show a sign of home wrecking malice on Amber’s behalf? Can you prove to me that Amber was lying under oath when she testified? Do you even know that much? Maybe “I” don’t know that much. But if I have a choice to pick and choose, I prefer to listen to the legal facts over the media any day of the week.
You know, that’s another thing. Women commonly blame the “other woman” and make no mention of men who run around on their wives. Don’t you find that a bit odd? Ironic? Strange even? Does Amber strike a nerve in you because of your OWN problems keeping a man?
You minimize the trauma because either you’ve never been bullied yourself or you have been bullied and not one person was there for you to show you that what happened to you was wrong.
Barry Loukaitis, a quiet, 14-year-old honor student, shot and killed two classmates and a teacher at his school in Moses Lake, Wash., in 1996. He said other students had bullied him and called him “faggot.” He was convicted as an adult and sentenced to life in prison without parole. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
I don’t blame him. If I could go back in time, and if I had a gun, I’d do the same thing.
I bet nobody think’s he’s a fag anymore. A man is measured by how rough and tough he is. If it takes putting a bullet through someone’s head, so be it.
Calling someone a “faggot” is a very common bullying tactic. Very. A big bunch of cowardly (usually beaten in their own homes) fucks tend to go after men and women that “look” vulnerable.
…:::NEWSFLASH:::….
You are no less of a man if you are kind, have a tender heart, are quiet, like Classical music, sing in the choir, play in the school band, or like to study.
Let me tell you what a REAL man is. If you are a real man and want to fight, you do it one on one so that it is fair. THAT is a real man. Period.
Dragging your friends and going after one man is cheating – not only that, but it’s the most cowardly act of all. Nobody can win a fight against 10 men going after you. How is that possible? If you can come up with the answer to this, please do so in my comments section.
Unless you have a gun like this guy,this guy,this guy, or several other piston pissin’ bully-fight-back retaliaters, the bullying will never end.
Here again, we go after another vulnerable person:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 16-year-old disabled girl was punched and forced to engage in videotaped sexual acts with several boys in a high school auditorium as dozens of students watched, according to witnesses.
Authorities are investigating and no charges have been filed in the alleged attack last month at Mifflin High School. Four boys suspected of involvement were sent home and have not returned to class.
Also, the principal, Regina Crenshaw, was suspended and will be fired for not calling police, school officials said. And three assistant principals were suspended and will be reassigned to other schools.
Crenshaw had no comment Tuesday.
The girl was forced to perform oral sex on at least two boys, according to statements from school officials, obtained by The Columbus Dispatch.
Part of the alleged assault was videotaped by a student who had a camera for a school project.
School officials found the girl bleeding from the mouth. An assistant principal cautioned the girl’s father against calling 911 to avoid media attention, the statements said. The girl’s father called police.
Her father said the girl is developmentally disabled. A special education teacher said the teen has a severe speech impediment.
(Just to let you know – the boys responsible never did get punished.) You see, bullying is STILL not yet recognized as “bad behavior”.
What a shame, isn’t it? But then, some of you say these type of events is “just kid stuff” and “natural”. Sure it’s natural if you’re beaten to a pulp at home by parents who cannot control their anger and you have no other outlet but to take YOUR OWN BOTTLED UP ANGER out on a defenseless classmate.
Some of you numbskulls say it makes you stronger. Are you people living on Planet Earth?
Jealosy is another factor, I’m guessing. Male or Female: those that have tender hearts and are not mean people become of product of other’s jealousy. They think it’s not fair that – that little cute, sweet, fragile girl is looking peaceful. In a bully’s eyes, nobody should be walking around like that. They should all be feeling the same pain of the bully himself. Let’s make her feel it too and dunk her head into the toilet bowl while my friends crowd around and laugh. Why not? What doesn’t kill you just makes you stronger. Right?
But I’m learning myself, day in and day out, that you have to be a mean bitch to survive in this world. If you’re not, people will walk all over your ass and try to get away with what they can. You have to show these little, cowardly bullies that they’re not going to get away with it.
It sure is a sad day when nice people have to grow mean just to survive.
If yah can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right? Sounds good to me!
And now, this: Jim West, the Republican mayor of Spokane, a longtime serious player in regional politics and the former majority leader of the state senate and a potential Republican gubernatorial candidate and apparently one of the fiercest and most hot-tempered and most powerful Republicans in the state of Washington, is in deep trouble.
Claims are now rampant that West has used his position of power for years even since the ’70s, ever since he was a Scout leader, ever since he was handing out cute plastic trophies to young preteen boys exactly like me and actually to me in particular (I won a couple — what can I say?), West has used his position to lure men and teenage boys into having sex with him.
If you know anything about the Mayor of Spokane (Jim West), you’ve heard about his constant Anti-Gay preachings and rants – a very staunch homophobe.
Well, so what? No big deal, so far. Creepy and deceptive though it may be, West has, so far, done nothing horribly illegal. Just another powerful, closeted, hypocrite Republican (the antichoice West voted for the invidious Defense of Marriage Act in ‘98 and once proposed that teen sex be outright criminalized — not just intercourse, mind, but all sexual contact, of any kind) showing his true colors and leveraging his power to work through his rather sad boy-toy fantasies and insodoing giving all true open-hearted gay and bisexual humans who just want to celebrate their love and be left alone a very, very bad name.
Okay, let me get this straight: It’s okay to bang and fondle little boy’s private parts ruining the rest of their lives – (not to mention the whole act being non-consensual), but it’s NOT okay to have sex with someone you love before marriage?
And there it is. Not merely a sad closeted gay Republican mayor using his office to cruise for and have regular sex with all manner of incredibly young but still of-age males, but allegedly a true-blue pedophile, a child molester, a bona fide, first-class, card-carrying demon. Could it be possible?
Oh sure it is. Here are some more characteristics of a closet fags:
He has a macho-machismo persona
He brags about how tough he is
He’s usually very well-built and tall
He’s an emotional retard and has never cried once in his adult years
He often reminds you of his gun collection (GTL , I know you have a gun or guns too, but you don’t brag about it or try to use it to defend your manly-hood.)
He’s a born again Christian and whips about the bible when he’s at a loss for words.
Let’s just say he’s a little bit overly masculine – almost like he’s over-compensating.
So, if you know a person like this – even if he’s your next door neighbor and he’s very, very nice, think again. And know that every night he’s fantasizing and dreaming about having his own Neverland Ranch.
And someone should really do a national, once-and-for-all study to back up what everyone already knows — which is, of course, that the more repressed and sanctimonious and uptight you are about sex and love and gender and religion, the more likely you are to be involved in secret kink, in deep perversion, illegal perversion, perversion that crosses the line from healthy and slippery and delicious to degrading and morally reprehensible and Karl Rove.Just ask — did I say this already? — the Catholic Church.
Amen to that!
There is, of course, zero causal link between homosexuality and pedophilia. I couldn’t care less that West might be gay, or bisexual, or whatever the hell else he tells himself he is when he goes to sleep at night and dreams of, I don’t know what. Bunnies. In leather chaps. On fire.
Here’s what does it. Here’s what makes West and people like him rife with potential for, well, some of the nastiest and most dishonest and dangerous abuses humans are capable of.
Is everyone just keeping their mouths shut just because she’s a deceased person?
I find it most interesting that everyone thinks that Amber Frey was stupid to have gotten fooled by Scott. But can you not say the same for Laci? After all, Laci’s the one that was killed by her own husband.
To all you Amber-bashers out there: You just can’t have it both ways.
If you sit on your ass and don’t at least try to help protect our borders, don’t come crying to me when we’re hit by a terrorist attack. (We know it’s just a matter of WHEN and not IF.) And don’t come complaining to me about how much taxes you have to pay because a percentage of them are going to house the illegal aliens, pay for their hospital bills, jail/prison time, and feed them on welfare.
As Texas becomes Texico, and Tuscon becomes Tusico, and California becomes Mexifornia, look what else is happening:
Well, not that this hasn’t been going on for ages. Sure we need to get the oil prices down, but…. I’m sure we all conveniently forget that Saudi Arabia supports the terrorists.
But oh no…. “we need to get those oil prices down and the Mexicans are good for depressing our wage structure….”
And God forbid we complain about the illegals because then we’re labeled “racists”.
But let’s look at it this way, folks. If either you or I went to the Canadian or Mexican border pregnant with 16 kids and no money, would we be given such pampered treatment in their countries – well, IF THEY EVEN ALLOWED US THROUGH WITH NO DOCUMENTATION???
In those countries, would us Americans get free health care, welfare, money for riding the buses, government supported housing, drivers licenses, and the works? Hmmm. Oh, and could we keep our illegal status over there and get a job too? Ask Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.
Oh and don’t give me that mumbo jumbo that the “guest workers” are taking the jobs that Americans aren’t willing to do. That’s ridiculous. There are law-abiding citizens that would just be happy enough to have a job at all.
I’ve been working since I was 15 years old (before illegal aliens were taking over our country) and I had no problems finding work. Didn’t some of our parents tell us that if you want something, go work for it and learn how to be an adult? Well, what’s in store for our youth today?
Everything in a nutshell: We’ve spent billions on the war in Iraq to “win the war on terror“, yet our government that you so enthusiastically support is allowing criminal illegal aliens and terrorists to slip through our borders, and continuing to support one of the most terrorist-hoarding countries such as Saudi Arabia.
Go figure…. Figure yourself out. Or better yet, figure Bush-boy out for me. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to sign this petition. Yes, I’m a realist too and think it probably won’t do a damn thing, either, but isn’t it a hell of a lot better than sitting on your rear-end complaining?
I eat all kinds of meat – even Korean raw meat (Yuk’oe).
I am a big fish eater. I even it it raw. (Japanese Sashimi)
Shame on me…. I also eat eggs. I even eat them raw in Japan. (Japanese Onsen Tamago)
God forgive me…. I’m also guilty of eating milk, cheese, and yogurt!
I’m sure there’s more that I eat that comes from living things including plants. There’s not too much out there that I won’t eat and that includes horse tongue and pigs ears!
I kill bugs. (or I just have my husband do the deed)
I don’t condemn people who wear fur. Hell, I used to own a fur coat ages ago!
But, I’m thinking that I must be a hypocrite because…
I condemn very strongly the killing of animals merely just for pleasure. Those that go hunting make me sick to my stomach. I hate them all and I curse them. Now, if they were starving and needed to, I wouldn’t care, but these Right Winged Cowardly Extremists take the lives of the innocent and defenseless as an outlet for the tormented anger they have bottled up in them. What if a larger form of life were to come up against your defenseless existence and take YOUR life? How would you like that?
I despise those that take the life of their own animals and eat them.Some may be joking about this little habit of theirs, but I can’t even come up with a word that describes this kind of treatment towards domesticated animals.
I cringe at those who ignore the advice of professionals and continue to beat their pets or even kill them because their pet was bad, the owner wanted to taste cat, rabbit, or dog meat (yes, this does happen), or to set an example for their children.
The last group of people who hurt animals are the worst. These are people who intentionally hurt animals because they enjoy hurting things, or because it makes them feel powerful. Many of these people would hurt other people if they could get away with it, they just choose to hurt animals because animals are more helpless than people.
Why do these people do this? There are different reasons. A lot of these people want to have control over others. They will hurt an animal because they think this means they control the animal. Or they may hurt the animal to control another person. For example, a husband might hurt the family’s pet to show his wife what he could do to her if she doesn’t obey his commands. Someone else might make his dog kill other dogs because he thinks that makes him powerful.
Others simply enjoy pain and violence. Those who enjoy violence might also destroy inanimate objects as well as animals and people.
All of the people in this last group suffer from serious, psychological problems that will probably not go away on their own. They often need the help of licensed professionals–like a psychologist. We are not 100% sure why people become like this–most are probably born with
their problems, but others can get their problems from brain damage, poisonous environments, or by being treated badly themselves. Without help, the psychological problems these people have can haunt them for their whole lives.
To sum it up here, I’m strongly against violence and the killing of domesticated pets. And if I had it my way, the prison sentences and Capital Punishment that’s used in the conviction of human homicide, pet torturers and killers would receive the same fate.
Earlier Thursday, Wendy’s International Inc. announced it had ended its internal investigation, saying it could find no credible link between the finger and the restaurant chain.
Sales have dropped at franchises in Northern California, forcing layoffs and reduced hours, the company said. Wendy’s also has hired private investigators, set up a hot line for tips and offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the finger’s original owner.
I hope that Wendy’s customers start returning. I really feel so sorry for their business, and am glad that justice is being served.
I’m dying to find out who the owner of that finger is.
Roland Lussier, left, comforted son Roland Jr. after a wake for his older brother, Chase, last week in Red Lake, Minn. The last funeral for the 10 who died in the March 21 shootings is scheduled for today, and observers said many young people on the Red Lake Band of Chippewa reservation are still on edge.
(Richard Tsong-taatarii — Star Tribune Via AP)
“There may have been as many as four of these kids who were active participants in the plot,” said the official, who declined to be identified discussing an ongoing investigation. “The question is, how many other kids had some knowledge of this or had heard about it somehow? We think there were quite a few.”
FBI agents plan to perform forensic analysis on 30 to 40 computers seized Friday from the high school computer laboratory, FBI and school officials said. Investigators hope to learn more from the school computers, since much of the alleged discussion and planning among Weise and his friends occurred through e-mails and instant messages, the law enforcement official said.
The mysteries about Jeff Weiss are unfolding. Here are some disturbing and chilling clues into his mind before he committed these crimes:
(sic) So fucking naive man, so fucking naive. Always expecting change when I know nothing ever changes. I’ve seen mothers choose their man over their own flesh and blood, I’ve seen others choose alocohol over friendship.
I sacrifice no more for others, part of me has fucking died and I hate this shit.
I’m living every mans nightmare and that single fact alone is kicking my ass, I really must be fucking worthless. This place never changes, it never will. Fuck it all.
(sic) That is just messed… My dad committed suicide, recently, a girl everyone knew at our school committed suicide.
Why do I care?
I believe in no religion, flame me, call me whatever you want as you won’t/can’t convert me and won’t change me in anyway.
I think it takes alot of courage to accept death, if you think that you go to Hell or whatever God-forsaken pit after this life for ending your own personal suffering then you’re just… Nevermind.
I think most people who say this type of thing have never dealt with people who HAVE faced the kind of pain that makes you phsyically sick at times, makes you so depressed you can’t function, makes you so sad and overwhelmed with grief that eating a bullet or sticking your head in a noose seem’s welcoming.
If you think you’re better than those who take their own lives; you’re not. If you think you’re stronger than those who have taken their own lives; your not.
It takes courage to turn the gun on your ownself, takes courage to face death. Knowing you’re going to die and actually following through takes heart, I don’t care who you are.
This is my opinion, I do not claim to know all the answers or claim to be better than anyone. I just know my own opinion… Flame me all you want, if it makes you feel better to belittle someone you’ve never met than by all means go ahead. I don’t get pissed over text.
He had some “weird dreams” too.
(sic) Hello all, I’m new here. I’m not exactly sure what this post is about but hopefully by the end of it what it’s about will be clear.
Lately I’ve been having some really strange dream’s, they seem very realistic and filled with colour and sound’s, they really are more realistic than dream’s from like last month, but a few night’s ago I had this dream where I saw this very evil, very creepy canine’s face coming toward’s me, and I heard someone say “Shoot!,” either way everything went black and I could feel my whole body jerking and shaking, and while this was happening I could hear very loud and very distinct gunshot’s, mostly machine gun fire… I found it very weird and woke up immediately after feeling a little disoriented…
I don’t know what’s up, but anyone have any idea why this kind of stuff is just happening now?… I hope I posted this in the right forum…
I read a lot about criminology and have found that a lot of serial killers join the military at some point in time. It looks like that’s something even Jeff Weise had on his mind too.
(sic) The dog seem’s to represent the military? Funny, just woke up a little while ago but I had a dream about war, seemed real enough too… Sometimes times these dream’s scare me with their realism. Thank’s for replying.
(sic) Last night, or yesterday evening, something very weird happened…
I came home from school because I was “sick,” (although in truth, I wasn’t… I was BSing because I didn’t want to be there anymore… Really stupid reason why I wanted to go home… If you want to know, ask, I’ll tell you), anyways. I was so depressed I felt like sleeping… So I went to bed at 1 PM and slept till 6, got up for about 10 minutes — was still feeling down so I went back to sleep… It was somewhere during this period (from 6 to 12 AM) that…
I was laying in my bed, facing my computer and TV, I could see my alarm clock across the room, it’s red numbers, and the yellowish glow the light on the extension cord gives, I could see this black figure. It was really well defined against the darkness, sort of darker then dark (I know that sounds weird but thats how it was), about 3 ft tall… For some reason, I reached for it (I was in the dreamy state — but I could tell I WASN’T dreaming), and touched it. I was sort of scared, but it was then (after touching it) I fell right back into a deep sleep…
Events like this usually follow a tingly feeling I get before going to bed… Or a really “drained” feeling that makes me really tired when I’m lying in bed… This happens every once in awhile… Any ideas on what the heck happened?
If nobody had known who Jeff Weise was, we’d probably assume he’s just another confused teenage boy just trying to figure out what’s wrong with himself.
I’ve been studying Primal Therapy for over 10 years, and it’s quite evident by his dreams and his hallucinations his body was actually reliving sequences from his earlier childhood. His dreams represent the life of fear he lived. He asked WHY he was 3 ft. tall in his dream. Very easy. He was the little guy about to become attacked by …. possibly his father? The little guy was himself when he was about that tall. Seems pretty real to me. Remember his dad committed suicide. Doesn’t look like his dad had it all together, huh?
I think the bits and pieces of this puzzle are coming together. If psychiatrists and psychologists would open their minds and do a little more research and stop calling Primal Therapy, “Primal SCREAM Therapy”(thinking that patients just run around rolling on the floor screeching)and get a real clue, they’d BE ABLE TO STOP these kinds of things BEFORE THEY START.
Jeff Weise appears to have been wondering what was wrong with him. At that stage he could have been helped. He was on medication, so we know he was going to a psychiatrist. Did that psychiatrist not see the scars on his arms from his cutting himself? Did he not know about his dreams? Everybody thinks depression is a f’n chemical imbalance. The stupidity of our Mental Health System is disturbing and extremely antiquated.
According to the most modern therapy (Primal Therapy), it is only natural for one to subconsciously re-live whatever prior traumas happened in order to heal. Our bodies whether physically sick or mentally sick are continuously trying to heal themselves. You know when there’s bacteria in our bodies, our anti-bodies chip in to help out to heal us. It’s a similar process for psychological healing.
Repressed pain divides the self in two and each side wars with the other. One is the real self, loaded with needs and pain that are submerged; the other is the unreal self that attempts to deal with the outside world by trying to fulfill unmet needs with neurotic habits or behaviors such as obsessions or addictions. The split of the self is the essence of neurosis and neurosis can kill.
That pain is the result of needs and feelings that have gone unfulfilled in early life. Those early unmet needs create what I call Primal Pain. Coming close to death at birth or feeling unloved as a child are examples of such Pain.The Pain goes unfelt at the time because the body is not equipped to experience it fully and deal with it.When the Pain is too much, it is repressed and stored away. When enough unresolved Pain has occurred, you lose access to your feelings
and become neurotic.
The problem in our society today is that we put the blame on everything else but the parents. The parents are always good, they always wonder what happened to their happy child, they can’t understand why their child sleeps all the time, why he’s doing poorly in school and etc.
The blame is ALWAYS put on either video games, reading the wrong books, listing to rap or heavy metal, the blame is put on playing with the computer too much, it’s put on the friends they hung out with, and it’s put on the TV they watch. These are all examples of the SYMPTOMS; not the problem.
So, unless there’s a huge change in society, these things will continue and continue and continue, and we’ll all still be wondering why, why, why.
Primal Therapy costs so much because it’s unpopular and controversial. The therapy is based on what Freud said about how our past shapes our present. Primal Therapy just took it one step further. But people are afraid of learning about it because to learn about it means that we have to be brave and face reality which nobody’s courageous enough to do.
And when a kid shows he’s in pain, nobody listens. We just simply look the other way.
Do you think we’ll learn something from all this? Probably not.
Karla Homolka and Paul Bernado would abduct one victim at a time, bring them to their home and slowly torture, sodomize, and dehumanize each one of them from days to weeks on end before they eventually killed them. To add to the cruelty, they video taped everything they had done to all their victims and would play back the videos joyously admiring their work.
Just to give you one example, Paul Bernado tried to empty his bowels (# 2) into the mouth of one of his victims.
If you were going to be murdered, wouldn’t you rather be killed quicker by someone like Ted Bundy than having your innocence stripped one day at a time experiencing the most brutal torture on your way out? You can’t imagine what their victims went through.
Paul Bernado got life in prison while Karla Homolka got a light twelve year sentence. The only reason she got such a light sentence is because she ratted on Paul after she, herself, wound up in the hospital from the beatings that Paul regularly delivered to her. (At first she said she had fallen down the stairs.)
But do we normally expect a couple that looks like this to be one of the cruelest of serial killers?
And this is our wholesome little love puppet in prison.
TORONTO (CP) – The families of two slain Ontario schoolgirls want a role in shaping the strict conditions Karla Homolka will face after she is released from prison.
“The families definitely want to see this to an end,” said lawyer Tim Danson, who represents the parents of Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French. “They want conditions such that Donna French isn’t going to run into Karla Homolka in a St. Catharines mall.”
On July 5, Homolka will have served her full sentence. ”There’s an irony in all this in that she’s being released on Leslie Mahaffy’s birthday,” said Danson.
Homolka’s father said he isn’t even sure he wants to see his daughter when she gets out.
One frivolous lawsuit after the next in this country, and our stupid, bleeding heart “Justice System” keeps letting this tired trend continue…..
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) — The woman who claims she bit into a human finger while eating chili at a Wendy’s restaurant has a history of filing lawsuits — including a claim against another fast-food restaurant.
Anna Ayala, 39, who hired a San Jose, California, attorney to represent her in the Wendy’s
case, has been involved in at least half a dozen legal battles in the San Francisco Bay area, according to court records.
This is unreal. It’s not even funny. Restaurants have lost a considerable amount of business because of this greedy parasite-like woman. Criminal charges should be filed against her. She should not only be fined the amount of money that she caused each business to suffer, she should also be given a prison sentence to boot.
There are people who do this for a living. I’m sure you’ve heard of people running into traffic to get a car to hit them just so that they can win money from law suits – in the meantime causing a huge amount of inconvenience to the poor law abiding driver.
There are also those that throw grapes on the floors of supermarkets and then purposely slip and fall, so they can sue and get more money.
These types of money-obsessed leeches make me sick to my stomach. But like I mentioned earlier, it’s not only the fault of those fiscal whores in our country, but also the fault of our legal system that allows this nonsense to carry on.
I suspect that these greedy little people have more money than you think. Isn’t it true that the more money you have, the stingier and more controlling you are with it? Just from experiencing life in my 36 years, all of the people I’ve noticed to cry “poverty” are those who have plenty of money – maybe not necessarily rich, but have enough money for their basic survival needs and for luxurious items as well.
In this country, too many people don’t understand what poverty is. They judge “poverty” on whether or not they can afford a new Plasma TV, a brand new car they don’t need, and several other “shiny new toys” to quench their materialistic thirst.
And if we don’t get what we want, like children we bend the rules hoping that our system will cater to our needs.
…:::NEWSFLASH:::…
Folks, let me refresh your memory on what poverty really is. Poor people don’t know when their next meal will be. Poor people don’t have TVs, insurance, radios, microwaves, comfortable beds to sleep on, computers, cameras, air-conditioning, heaters, education, clothes without stains and holes in them, and some don’t even have a home. If anyone cries “poverty”, it should be them.
Conservatives in our society say they do it to themselves, so they deserve to live deprived of the things we middle-class, material whores take for granted.
...:::WRONG!:::…
Do you all think that the homeless and poor enjoy their lives and being in the situation they are?
Really? You really think they’re happy?
You say “get a job” while you scream obscenities at them as you drive by in your SUV, but let me ask you this: Would you hire a homeless person who hasn’t bathed in years who comes into your clean office wearing clothes with holes, stains, and years worth of stench on them? Is it even possible to hire someone who doesn’t have an address or a phone number? Would you hire a person you see sleeping under the highways at night singing and talking to themselves. Can they carry their shopping carts into your office or do they have to leave their shopping carts outside with all their worldly possessions in them? Do you mind if they’re missing teeth and the ones they do have our blackened from years without brushing them? Would you hire someone who doesn’t own a pair of shoes and socks?
And don’t give me that cliche line that if they didn’t buy cigarettes and alcohol, they’d have their life back together again.
Most homeless people have no family and friends either and spend their lives with people throwing things at them and ridiculing them all the time. They are mentally ill and are deprived of the many things you take advantage of. If I were in their shoes, I’d be smokin’ and drinkin’ too.You think they’re insane now? Imagine how they’d be without their daily fixes.
But this is the dogmatic reaction our middle class snobs have toward the less fortunate in our society.I don’t understand how ya’ll can donate your money to the church, but walk outside and sneer at the homeless man who hasn’t eaten in days. And you call yourselves “Christians” ?
Our justice system is so fair and good to those who pull wild stunts to get more money than they need, yet those who are genuinely poverty stricken are spat on.
In a situation recalling the recent death of Terri Schiavo in Florida, an 81-year-old widow, denied nourishment and fluids for nearly two weeks, is clinging to life in a hospice in LaGrange, Ga., while her immediate family fights desperately to save her life before she dies of starvation and dehydration.
The dehydration is being done in defiance of Magouirk’s specific wishes, which she set down in a “living will,” and without agreement of her closest living next-of-kin, two siblings and a nephew: A. Byron McLeod, 64, of Anniston, Ga.; Ruth Mullinax, 74, of Birmingham, Ala.; and Ruth Mullinax’s son, Ken Mullinax.
AGE should have nothing to do with this. Regardless of whether one is as young as 1 or 110, if a patient in a hospital has expressed their wishes to live in writing and legally backed up, they should be honored their rights to live. Again, like the Terri Schindler case, Mrs. Magourik is not terminally ill, not comatose, nor is she in a PVS.
Some people think, “Oh just let her croak already – she’s 81 years old — it’s her time…..”.
Why is it that some people think that the family and friends surrounding an elderly woman or man mourn less, grieve less, or are not phased by their death because “it was their time to go” or “they’ve lived long enough”. I find people who think like this to be callous, cold, and just plain insensitive!
The death of any loved one should not be rated.
The death of any loved one should NOT be belittled or compared with the death of another.
Regardless of age, someone you love is still someone you love and someone that you will miss considerably when they’re gone. Period.
This is the biggest load of horse-poop I’ve read in a long time. This article was probably inspired by some dingbat parent who got a little too enthusiastic “disciplining” their child and is trying to point the blame on external, unrelated BS so that he/she doesn’t have to feel responsible for his/her son/daughter bullying in school.Guilty parents do this all the time. They refuse to take responsibility for their actions.
If your kid watches too much TV, wouldn’t you think the kid is trying to escape from his problems? Any type of addiction is a way for someone to run from their problems. It’s a convenient distraction. It’s how people cope with a reality that’s too hard to accept.
CHICAGO — Overweight adolescents are more likely than normal-weight children to be victims and perpetrators of bullying, a study released Sunday found, bolstering evidence that being fat endangers emotional as well as physical health.
Ahhhh… Here AGAIN, guilty parents putting the blame everywhere but on themselves. Over-eating is just yet another distraction that keep people from either killing themselves or another person. It’s called…
Interestingly, from other interview-based research conducted at other Midwestern middle schools, noted Dr. Espelage, “kids who bully a lot also say they’ve been victimized too. Nearly 80 to 90 percent of adolescents report some form of victimization from a bully at school.”
THE MYTH: Bullies suffer from insecurity and low self-esteem. They pick on others to make themselves feel more important.
THE RESEARCH: Most bullies have average or above-average self-esteem. They “suffer” from aggressive temperaments, a lack of empathy, and poor parenting.
Or how about lazy parenting? Most parents resort to violent disciplinary tactics rather than the more time consuming ones that would work better.
THE MYTH: Bullies are looking for attention. Ignore them and the bullying will stop.
THE RESEARCH: Bullies are looking for control, and they rarely stop if their behavior is ignored. The level of bullying usually increases if the bullying is not addressed by adults.
Those kids that are victims of domestic violence feel powerless, and bullying is a way some of them re-gain CONTROL.
THE MYTH: Boys will be boys.
THE RESEARCH: Bullying is seldom outgrown; it’s simply redirected. About 60 percent of boys identified as bullies in middle school commit at least one crime by the time they are 24.
THE RESEARCH: Physical differences play only a very small role in bullying situations. Most victims are chosen because they aresensitive, anxious, and unable to retaliate.
THE MYTH: Victims of bullies need to learn to stand up for themselves and deal with the situation.
THE RESEARCH: Victims of bullies are usually younger or physically weaker than their attackers. They also lack the social skills to develop supportive friendships. They cannot deal with the situation themselves.
This is one of the biggest myths of all. How do you expect a little boy to overpower and combat a group of other boys??? If anybody can tell me how this is possible, I will shut up.
THE MYTH: Large schools or classes are conducive to bullying.
THE RESEARCH: No correlation has been established between class or school size and bullying. In fact, there is some evidence that bullying may be less prevalent in larger schools where potential victims have increased opportunities for finding supportive friends.
THE MYTH: Most bullying occurs off school grounds.
THE RESEARCH: Although some bullying occurs outside of school or on the way to and from school, most occurs on school grounds: in classrooms, in hallways, and on playgrounds.
THE MYTH: Bullying affects only a small number of students.
THE RESEARCH: At any given time, about 25 percent of U.S. students are the victims of bullies and about 20 percent are engaged in bullying behavior. The National Association of School Psychologists estimates that 160,000 children stay home from school every day because they are afraid of being bullied.
THE MYTH: Teachers know if bullying is a problem in their classes.
THE RESEARCH: Bullying behavior usually takes place out of sight of teachers. Most victims are reluctant to report the bullying for fear of embarrassment or retaliation, and most bullies deny or justify their behavior.
HAHAHAHA! And if they DO know, they don’t do a godamned thing about it. Parents too. They think it’s good because “it will toughen their kids up”. Well, if THIS is what tough is…….. alrighty then.
THE MYTH: Victims of bullying need to follow the adage “Sticks and stones will break your bones, but names can never hurt you.”
THE RESEARCH: Victims of bullying often suffer lifelong problems with low self-esteem.They are prone to depression, suicide, and other mental health problems throughout their lives.
You know those crazy and wild kids you see running around free like lunatics in restaurants, shopping malls, and grocery stores? THEIR PARENTS ARE BAD TOO. If you read the above link, there are ways to get your children to be more civilized without resorting to violence! It’s been done before by parents WHO HAVE KIDS!
I realize that a lot of you who were spanked very harshly or severely physically abused as children have grown up to be decent people. I am in no way trying to imply that all victims of domestic violence wind up being bullies or anything else, for that matter. In my opinion, EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN WAY OF COPING, AND ONE OF T-H-E MOST POPULAR WAYS OF COPING KNOWN TO MAN IS ONE WORD:
..::DENIAL::..
So, if you chime in telling me that your parents whooping your ass has helped you to become a better person, I ain’t gonna believe you.
WARNING: YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY THE BELOW IF YOU ARE EITHER MOURNING OVER THE DEATH OF POPE JOHN PAUL II OR HAVE LIKED HIM. PLEASE DON’T CONTINUE TO READ THIS IF THAT IS THE CASE.
Please don’t expect me to be fair, balanced, or understanding of the pope. I can’t. I can’t be objective or rational because the two things that anger me the most are non-consensual sex with children and
chauvinism.
The fact that he looked the other way while all these problems were happening in churches all over is criminal. He is no better than the priests guilty of destroying the innocence and trust in the souls of little boys.
Pope John Paul II was guilty for aiding and abetting child molesters. In this country, we are arrested for this crime. Well, both of these crimes: for child molesting and aiding and abetting.
Illegal aliens are streaming across our borders. There is no question about what our Constitution says about how the government is suppose to protect our borders. They have no constitutional authority to run our education and thousands of other intrusions into our lives, which they continually do, but the one thing that they are suppose to do, they don’t. Instead they spread our military in over 70 countries around the world, let illegals stream across our borders and bring in NATO to protect our skies. This article is a must for everyone to read and start raising a stink with our representatives in Washington DC. No wonder English is becoming a second language in America. The original article is here if you want to see the photos on the page.
Sure we’re doing something about this, and while I’m glad something’s being done, in the meantime, we have Arab terrorists here plotting their next attack on us.
Things are not moving as quickly as they should. Even though our government is aware of our threats to homeland security, this situation is not being dealt with as seriously as it should be.
Why? Because of Corporate Greed! Many Republicans support open borders in the name of “Capitalism”.
What I find ironic is that we’ve sent our troops to Iraq (soon to be Iran) to “win the war on terrorism” at the same time Criminal Mexicans and Arab Terrorists are seeping through the open cracks of our borders.
How much sense does this make? Are we fighting the war on terrorism or not?
There is an enormous number of Americans who have been harmed by the criminals who pass through the nation’s open borders. For that reason, this section can only provide a symbolic tribute to the many unnamed victims who have been killed, raped, robbed, crippled and otherwise personally violated.
It is particularly shocking that even in post-911 America, the government still refuses to protect the people in the most basic ways from the world’s terrorists and criminals who enter at will to do as they please. The borders remain a sieve while the human carnage from crime perpetrated from illegal aliens continues to mount. In another stunner of INS malfeasance, the agency often cannot even manage to deport dangerous criminal aliens when they reach the ends of their prison terms.
So there you have it. We’ve got the corporate whores making it less safe to fly, taking our jobs away, and letting Osama and Company dressed up as a Latino enter through our borders, and they, in turn, get rewarded with a drivers license, free housing, loans for their mortgage, easy access to welfare, free hospitalization, no deportation for crimes committed, and nobody gets to know what there legal status is in this country because we’re not allowed to ask.
The book deal: “HER BODY, MY SELF” by Michael Schiavo can be auctioned to a large group of major publishers within ten days of Terri Schiavo’s death. This can be arranged by an canny and shameless agent — and they are legion — on the basis of 12 telephone calls, a two-page outline, a ghost writer known to the New York publishing world, and a dog-and-pony show where Michael is flown to New York and trotted around to six to eight editors’ offices in a day. The bidding for this book will have a floor of two million dollars. The top offer will be in the range of three to three and a half-million for hardcover and paperback rights. Depending on the agent’s feel for the market, translation rights may be added to the mix. Film rights will be held back. After the agent’s 15% fee, Michael’s take from this will be $2,550,000, less $50,000 paid to the ghost writer.
The film and TV rights for Michael’s “story” will probably bring in another 1-3 million dollars depending on a number of factors and will, in this instance, be set in motion before the publication of the book.
Speaking fees: Michael Schiavo’s lawyer currently commands $15,000 per speaking engagement, so it is not hard to see that Michael could easily pull down $50,000 per engagement. While you probably won’t see him show up at Catholic conventions, he’s a natural Keynoter for hundreds of other groups across the country and abroad. In the first year alone he could, given a reasonable calendar, be booked for at least 50 events. His gross fees in the first year would, in that case, come to $2,500,000.
Terri Schiavo is worth six to eight million dollars to Michael Schiavo if, and only if, she’s dead. If she continues living nothing happens on the book or movie front because there’s no ending. When she dies, it is jackpot time for Michael.
Michael Schiavo has taken steps that will prevent investigators from examining Terri Schiavo’s body for evidence of abuse after she dies – a suspicion her family has repeatedly raised as her death grows more imminent.
Schiavo’s attorney George Felos told the Washington Post on Friday that Terri will be cremated and buried in a plot owned by Michael’s family in Pennsylvania.
A 1991 bone scan performed on Terri Schiavo showed unexplained injuries to her vertebrae and legs.
Terri’s brother, Bobby Schindler, told Fox News Channel’s “Hannity & Colmes” on Thursday that a doctor has testified that she might have been strangled before she was found unconscious in her home in February 1990.
Yet, with life and death hanging in the balance, it is my belief that the feeding tube should be re-introduced as a lifeline for Terri Schiavo. Removing the feeding tube would essentially starve her to death.
I respect the views of those citizens and members of Congress who passionately cry out against her starvation and seek means to extend her life.
But in so doing, a consistent moral and ethical position would extend a feeding tube to ALL who are confronted with starvation – to demand public, government policy to feed the hungry. I implore them to apply this same passion for Terri Schiavo to the young infants and children dying of starvation and lack prenatal and post-natal care.
As if the circumstances surrounding Terri Schiavo could not get any
more suspicious, the Center for Reclaiming America has uncovered
evidence that Pinellas-Pasco County Circuit Judge George W. Greer
accepted a campaign contribution from the law firm of Michael Schiavo’s
attorney only one day after "Terri’s Law” was declared unconstitutional
by a Pinellas county court.
This appears to establish a clear conflict of interest between Judge Greer and the best interests of Terri Schiavo.
You know, I had thought this all along. The only thing different was that I called it "bribe money" instead of "donations".
Judge
Greer has been responsible for establishing "the facts” in the case of
Terri Schiavo. Sadly, he has dismissed or ignored testimony from 33
physicians (15 neurologists) who are willing to testify that Terri is
not in a persistent vegetative state and can improve, he has refused to
allow the Florida Department of Children and Families to conduct a
criminal investigation of Michael Schiavo, he has refused to honor a
subpoena from the U.S. Congress, and he has blocked virtually all
efforts from the Schindler family to save the life of their daughter.
Well, I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Money Talks!
On May 7, 2004 —
only one day after the ruling — Judge Greer received a campaign gift
from the law firm of Michael Schiavo’s attorney.
This was not due
to a fundraising effort, as this was the only contribution made to the
Greer campaign fund on that particular day.
Hmmm…. Talk about hidden agendas! All at the expense of Terri Schiavo!
Now that I’ve finally read up on this case, I believe Judge Greer’s orders (among other judges as well) to have her feeding tube removed are criminal, and Michael Schiavo, even worse. But you’d expect some ‘humanity’ from judges, no?
FROM: CHERYL FORD, NURSE SPOKESPERSON SCHINDLER FOUNDATION
TERRI’S FEEDING TUBE WAS REMOVED.
WORD WAS JUST RECEIVED THAT TERRI’S PARENTS WERE ASKED TO LEAVE TERRI’S ROOM. MICHAEL SCHIAVO WAS PRESENT WHEN THE FEEDING TUBE WAS REMOVED.
JODI’S BROTHER, J. CENTONZE STEPPED OUT OF MICHAEL’S AND JODI’S HOUSE IN CLEARWATER AND TOLD REPORTER THAT TERRI’S FEEDING TUBE HAD BEEN REMOVED. REPORTED BY BAY NEWS NINE LOCAL NEWS!
SCHIAVO SAID HE ALLOWED A PRAYER SERVICE WITHOUT THE FAMILY PRESENT.
TERRI’S PARENTS WERE ASKED TO LEAVE THEIR DAUGHTER’S ROOM AT 1:45 PM ET.
HER LAST INITIAL FEEDING BEGAN AT 11:00 AM ET. SHE HAD SOME NUTRITION PROVIDED BEFORE JUDGE GREER ORDERED HER FEEDING TUBE REMOVED STATED BARBARA WELLER, ATTORNEY FOR THE GIBBS FIRM.
TERRI’S PARENTS ARE VERY UPSET.
NOTE: THERE WAS NO REASON TO PULL HER TUBE AND PUT HER THROUGH PAIN AND DISCOMFORT. THEY COULD HAVE CAPPED HER FEEDING TUBE OFF AND PREVENTED THE PAIN SHE EXPERIENCED FROM HAVING A FEEDING TUBE PULLED FROM HER ABDOMEN.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! PEOPLE NEED TO ACT NOW.
THIS IS NO MORE HUMANE THAN WHEN THE FIRST PERSON WAS MARCHED INTO A GAS CHAMBER!
I don’t understand this. She wasn’t being kept alive by artificial means — just a feeding tube.
I saw on TV last night that there were 33 doctors who said that there was some hope for her, and that they would work on her condition to improve it.
She’s not really a vegetable either. She can smile, move her head, and follow objects with her eyes. She also never appeared to be in any pain. But by her starving to death, she will then feel pain. With that said, I don’t believe that it’s anybody’s right to make this decision for her. It disgusts me!
Michael Schiavo intends to cremate Terri immediately upon her death. Please see THIS PAGE.The Medical Examiner must approve all such requests. If Terri is killed by Michael and “Judge” [and Jury] Greer, then everyone must contact the Medical Examiner and demand an autopsy to discover not only the immediate cause of death, but the proximate cause of death.
Even Forensic Pathologist Michael Baden publicly stated that he believes that her original injuries were consistent with strangulation.
The Medical Examiner can (and should) be subject to adverse license action by the Medical Board should he fail to exercise appropriate judgement in accordance with the state medical practice act. If the Terri dies, we must all contact him immediately and demand justice for Terri. If a crime was committed, then several people need to go to jail including those who conspired to kill her (and cover it up)… Michael Schiavo, his live-in girlfriend, “Judge” Greer, the hospice staff, the physicians and those politicians and judges who failed to act on her behalf.
Contact information: Jon R. Thogmartin, M.D., District Chief Medical Examiner
10900 Ulmerton Rd., Largo FL 33778
Telephone #. (727) 582-6800
Fax # (727) 582-6820
mailto:wpellan@co.pinellas.fl.us
I hope we never have to use this information, but please keep it available in case the evil forces win.
Robert W. Smith MD
Can you believe this?
Another thing, what can we bloggers do? And how much control do we have over this? I would think that us little people wouldn’t have any control at all. Please advise.
ATTORNEY BARBARA WELLER TOLD TERRI THAT THEY WERE GOING TO REMOVE HER FEEDING TUBE , TERRI BEGAN TO CRY AND TRIED TO SAY “I WANT TO LIVE” ATTORNEY WELLER SAID SHE HAD A DIFFICULT TIME CALMING TERRI DOWN.
WE NEED PEOPLE TO SURROUND HOSPICE IN PROTEST TO JUDGE GREER’S RULING STATING HE WILL OVER RIDE FEDERAL SUBPOENA AND WILL REMOVE TERRI’S FEEDING TUBE IMMEDIATELY.
FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT COME TO FLORIDA…PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS. PLEASE DO NOT STOP YOUR CALLS.
ACTION BY THE PEOPLE MUST TAKE PLACE TO SAVE TERRI FROM JUDICIAL HOMICIDE.
JUDGE GREER IS WRONG AND IS NOT LISTENING TO CONGRESS.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A former North Carolina
dentist accused of using syringes to squirt semen into the mouths of
female patients was charged Monday with multiple misdemeanor counts of
assault on a female.
A Mecklenburg County grand jury indicted Dr. John Hall on seven counts
of assault on a female. He was charged with assaulting six patients,
including one of them twice, over an eight-month period in 2003.
One hundred and twenty days is not enough. This is sexual abuse. Maybe if he gets corn-holed in prison, and gets the day lights beaten out of him, it will be worth it.
"I have never injected semen in any patient’s mouth," he said. "I never would. I’ve got a 10-year-old daughter. That whole concept is so beyond me."
Police searched Hall’s office and confiscated syringes after several employees said they were suspicious of the dentist’s behavior. DNA tests on the syringes later showed they contained Hall’s semen.
A million bucks says his daughter has been molested and/or raped repeatedly by this bastard.
Why oh why do people use their “real names” on the Internet? There are two different mindsets as to why people particularly use their real names on their blogs. One reason is because they think they are being more “brave”. So, if some passerby uses a nickname in their comments section, they call them cowards. This is the case where a commenter proposes an opposing thought. Another reason people use their real names is so that nobody thinks they’re a coward.
Anonymous is being a coward; using an alias is being smart.
I’ve read some comment policies on other people’s blogs before, and damn… they are asking way too much when they want everyone’s real name. But then again, they may not be asking for their last name too. However, even if you submit your first name, that’s only one step closer to being either stalked or being the victim of either a violent crime or identity theft.
I see the looks on all your faces now. You are telling me that I’m too paranoid. Well, maybe I am. But I choose to be paranoid because the alternative is frightening to me. Why? Let me give you all two very important reasons. Listen up!
I . don’t . want . to . get . fired . from . my . job. While some of you think it may not be that much of a risk, I would rather be called “paranoid” or be told “It’s not your name that gets you fired” than be courageous stupid and find myself the next day on the unemployment line and not being able to pay the electric bill.
I’m leaving this up through Friday night. There have been some odd things happening lately that makes me believe someone is stealing my identity. Others have brought the idea to my attention, based on what’s happened, and I’m beginning to believe it.
1. Yesterday, I noticed an unauthorized charge for $596.18 in my account. Wells Fargo immediately declared it a fraudulent charge and stated that I should suspect identity theft. I shrugged it off and thought that it was a bank error. They have since credited back the money, but have not completed their investigation.
2. The other night, while I was leaving work, I had this strange feeling that I was being watched. When I went to get into my car, an odd boom sound was made close to my car. It was like my trunk door was open and someone had slammed it. All the way home, my car made a rattling sound in the back. I had stupid paranoia thoughts like someone was in my trunk, but then justified that it was stuff that got loose and was moving around. I was right, but it didn’t explain the loud noise.
3. Today, I receive a call from a medical company telling me the following: “Hi, this is so and so from Big Name Medical Company calling to setup an appointment with states my first and last name.” I say, “Um, ok?” And she goes, “So, when do you want to come in to have the surgery done?” I say, “Surgery? I don’t need surgery.” She says, “Were you not in this morning for a check up? You had a insert medical condition here that needs to be taken care of?” I say, “No ma’am, I wasn’t in there today, or ever.” She says, “Ok, well, um, sorry for the inconvenience,” and hangs up. About 3 minutes later, she calls back and says, “HottTxBoi, I have just spoke to my supervisor about this and she suggests that you call our customer service hotline and report this to them. Let them know that they are using your card so that they can take action against it.” I ask her, “What card?” She says, “Your Big Name Medical Company card.” I say, “I’ve never had one of those cards.” She says, “Then you need to let them know that someone is using your number on their records.” I ask her, “Ma’am, what address did they use?” She tells me the address. Luckily, it’s not mine. I would have freaked if it was.
However, why is someone using my number and my name? All of these three things happened in the same week and I’m exceedingly freaked out. Scared, even. So, after tomorrow night, this blog will no longer be open to anyone for a very long time. I hope all is well with everyone during this time period.
This freaked the hell out of me! However, I have to admit, I don’t know whether or not someone really stole his identity. There’s no update in his blog about it. But regardless, it makes you think. If it doesn’t put a BIG FAT WARNING sign in front of your head, I don’t know what will.
You know, I’ve never heard of a person being violently attacked because of something “offensive” they wrote in their blog. It may or may not have ever happened. But I wouldn’t put it past some of these wackos I find every now and then in Cyberspace. I don’t trust a face I cannot see, and even then I’m weary until I actually feel I know the person well enough. I have some very controversial beliefs, and I can easily imagine someone showing up at my front door one day with an AK-47. Yes, I have riled people up that much and even in the past in Blogsphere.
So, here I am trying to keep my life, my job, and my identity intact. It’s worth all the “outrageous” points of views I may have regarding the non-usage of my real first and last name.
Folks, if you want to be considered “non-cowardly” on the Internet, when you leave a comment or write something controversial in your blog or journal, leave your email address and a referral to your blog. How simple is that?
I am Ticklebug and will always be Ticklebug in Blogdom. If someone thinks I’m too cowardly for not using my real first and last name, then the hell with them. I will just laugh in their face if their real identities come back to haunt them one day.
With the advancement in technology these days, I can imagine anything and everything happening. Some people are smart enough to put two and two together with your little clues about yourself that you write in your blog, easily — that is, if they want to. Don’t be naive.
My links are always traceable whether it be by my email address or my blog’s URL. So, if someone wants to reply to my “offensive” comment, they are welcome to do so. If you dish it out, I agree with you all, that you must be strong enough to welcome the reciprocation. But for the life of me, why do some of you feel the necessity to reveal your real name? What purpose does it serve?
lurking around automatic teller machines (ATMs) and phone booths in order to capture PIN numbers (by watching through binoculars as the numbers are being entered, or more simply, by casting a watchful gaze over someone’s shoulder). Travelers are a particularly favourite target;
stealing mail from mailboxes or re-directing mail in an effort to collect credit cards, bank statements, credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, tax information or other personal data. Privacy Journal has also pointed out “how automated credit bureaus freely accept an address change without confirming it or notifying the consumer who is the subject of the file. An impostor can easily have a retail store enter a change of address for a consumer whose identity the impostor has misappropriated, and that is what thousands of credit fraud perpetrators are doing …;
illegally obtaining personal credit reports;
setting up telemarketing schemes to elicit account numbers from unsuspecting consumers;
accessing personal information accidentally sent to the wrong fax number, e-mail address or voice mailbox;
scavenging through the garbage in search of credit card or loan applications, employer’s files, and identification/authentication data such as login IDs and passwords. Similarly, thieves can search erased disks for any retrievable data;
sending false messages on the Internet (spoofing) in an effort to collect private information. For example, posing as travel agents or other service providers, identity thieves can make off with your credit card number once it has been entered to purchase a ticket or service;
sending e-mail using someone else’s computer or e-mail address;
using various software programs such as “signals analysis” and “sniffer” programs to intercept financial data, passwords, addresses or other personal information being sent over networks;
breaking into computer systems and gaining access to personal data. For example, names, addresses and credit card or social insurance/security numbers (SINs/SSNs) located in the databases of governments, financial organizations, employers, creditors, and credit bureaus can be downloaded by employees, former employees or external hackers. They can then sell the information or use it to open fraudulent accounts.
One security expert found that nearly 70 percent of the websites he surveyed in December 1996 had “security lapses.” Surveyed sites included banks, credit unions and government agencies.8 Even more recently, a 14-year-old boy faced multiple charges after making $3000 worth of fraudulent purchases using a collection of debit card numbers that he had downloaded from the Internet.
So, we know there’s no real way to prevent Identity Theft, but there are ways you can decrease the risks. It’s also frightening to think that if your real name is displayed somewhere on the Internet, that someone else can link it to you somehow. It’s happened before! As the odds are slim, I still have to go with the popular cliche expression that “it’s better to be safe than sorry”.
This has been going on way too long. Kristin Smart has been missing for already nine years, and law enforcement along with FBI officials have yet to get to the bottom of this case.
The prime suspect in the disappearance of Kristin Smart is Paul Flores. Some people believe that ScottPeterson is responsible. However, I have yet to year any “smoking gun” evidence that proves this. I am open to any possibility, but considering all of what I’ve read on this case, all the fingers are pointing at Paul Flores!
We are signing this petition because we want Susan Flores’ backyard ‘dug up’.
In June 2000, investigators received a search warrant so there had to be compelling reason to convince a judge to grant the warrant. Added to that, the following factors give us more than enough reason to sign this petition pleading with you to please consider getting back on the property:
Concrete.
During the time Kristin vanished, concrete was poured in the backyard. We request that the concrete be dug up.
Local Firm Pro Bono. A firm has stepped up and offered to excavate the backyard free of charge. Cost is not an issue. Tip that surfaced after investigators searched their property.
Eyewitness claims to see people carrying ‘rolled-up’ carpeting into backyard in the middle of the night.
A ‘car top’ was stolen from Cal Poly parking lot the night Kristin vanished.
Ear Ring found in Susan Flores’ driveway.
Some Quick Facts for those that are new to this case:
Legal counsel for Paul Flores on more than one occasion have offered to plea bargain, i.e; lead investigators to Kristin’s body in exchange for a reduced charge. Kristin’s parents agreed the first two times, but Paul’s counsel failed to respond.
At the deposition held in November, 1997, Paul’s father, Ruben, walked into a room where Denise was sitting alone and chose this opportunity to laugh in her face.
Paul only knew Kristin for a few hours. He happened to be at a party just off campus that Kristin attended.
Cadaver dogs trained to pick up the ’scent of death’ led their handlers to the mattress in Paul Flores’ dorm room in Santa Lucia Hall, room 128.
An extended member of the Flores family telephoned Mrs. Smart and sympathetically asked her how she was doing and whether or not she was crying. When Denise said that ‘yes, she was crying a lot, the woman respond, “well, the reason that I am calling is just to let you know that we don’t care that your crying.”
Sheriff’s Statement – “Our office has used its finest detectives and all leads lead to Paul Flores. Paul Flores is the only suspect. Until Paul Flores tells us what happened that night, this case will not be solved.”
Meet the wacky parents of the prime suspect, Paul Flores:
The investigation continues into the disappearance of Kristin Smart, who was last seen on the Cal Poly campus eight years ago.
On Tuesday, Smart family attorney Tana Coates appeared before Judge Roger Picquet, requesting the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office release information concerning its investigation into Smart’s 1996 disappearance. Coates says family wants the information to pursue litigation filed against Paul Flores– the last person seen with Smart.
“We wanted these records so that we could oppose a summary judgment motion that had been filed by the Flores defense team,” says Coates. “And without those records, we felt that we would have a difficult time opposing that motion.”
After hearing sworn testimony, Judge Picquet ruled not to disclose the records, saying he had good cause to believe the sheriff’s department is still actively investigating, and that the case could end in the near future.
“The court is encouraged that this investigation has not grown cold, we’re also encouraged by that,” says Coates. “But by the same token, it’s been quite a few years now and if it’s just a back burner investigation, then we do need those records.”
Kristin Smart’s mother, Denise Smart, says she wants to believe authorities are actively investigating her daughter’s disappearance, and that the most important thing to the family is bringing Kristin home, not their lawsuit against Flores.
The Flores family was in court as well on Tuesday and declined to comment. A follow up hearing is scheduled for July 1, 2005.
Instead of celebrating Kristin Smart’s birthday on February 20th, the Smart family marked the 21st month of her disappearance, on May 25, 1996, from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She was last seen walking to her dorm with Paul Flores, who police are now investigating as the primary suspect in her disappearance.
The Smart case was inappropriately handled by the Cal Poly University Police. The department failed to initially investigate, letting trails grow cold. It was over a month before the campus police turned her case over to the local Sheriff’s Department, but due to the initial lack of response by the Cal Poly police, little new evidence, which could have led to Kristin’s whereabouts, was found. Both departments, however, blame each other for the failure.
With the perseverance and kindness of Dennis Mahon (the author of SunofSusan Dot Com and the one aiding authorities to solve this case), hopefully there will be an end to the investigation and Kristen Smart’s family will have some peace for a change.
Where were you when America was attacked (I am sometimes asked)?
Granted, my experience of 9-11 was nothing in comparison to those who lost loved ones or even those who lost their own lives. But I’m still allowed to share, nonetheless.
I used to work for Delta Airlines, and as part of our benefits, we were able to fly in First Class (if available) for free on a stand-by basis. Both my husband and I were cleared for stand-by and were looking forward to our trip to one of our favorite places to visit, The Big Apple.
And here’s my stand-by boarding pass. (Click to enlarge the photo.)
Flying from Los Angeles on the red-eye, my husband and I made our connection in Atlanta. Anxious, yet sleep deprived, I got comfortable in my seat and fell fast asleep. We were to arrive in NY a little after 10:00AM. About half way there, the pilot interrupted that there were some problems and that we needed to revert back to Atlanta. Normally, an announcement like that would frighten me as I’m deathly afraid of plane crashes due to mechanical problems, but I had been sleeping, and half-asleep as I was, I didn’t care. I turned to my husband to notice that he was half asleep too and wasn’t affected by the pilot’s message. I sat back and closed my eyes again.
A bit later some flight attendants were nearby chattering. I heard them talking to other passengers about some kind of “bomb threat” to NY. I was still not phased. I whispered to my husband that we’d make the best of our trip regardless.
Our plane landed. As we began staggering for our luggage to deplane, I overheard a passenger on his cell phone, “Shit! The World Trade Center’s down!”, he said startled.
I was surprised to hear that, but at the same time, I couldn’t believe it. When my husband and I entered Atlanta Airport still half-asleep walking and around in a daze, we went to a restaurant/bar to take a look at the TV screen to see what was really going on. It was almost like I was watching a movie on TV. I couldn’t believe my eyes! That’s when the reality started to hit.
For obvious reasons, we were unable to catch another flight to anywhere. So, in manoeuvring ourselves through the mad chaos in and outside the Atlanta airport, we were lucky enough to find a hotel to stay in. For two days, we spent most of our time watching the news on TV. It was hard to get away from the TV as I guess, in a way, I couldn’t believe what had happened. To say the least, we were in shock. Fortunately, this was a great day for Anti-Americans across the globe. Those vehemently against the death penalty(notice the irony) cried out that America finally got what she deserved. I never thought that I wanted another country’s people to die before just because of a poor foreign policy system, so I was shocked at that as well. But that’s another story for another day.
If Americans weren’t jaded before. They are even more so today. And justifiably so.
Anyway, after two days of being in Atlanta, we were able to find a place to rent a car. We spent the rest of our vacation driving back to California. I kept my promise, and both my husband and I made the best out of a bad situation. I was able to explore parts of the U.S. that I had never seen before. Unless you travel cross-country do you realize how diverse and huge America is.
While it wasn’t the Big Apple, we still found it in us to enjoy our vacation.
The 9-11 attack never intimidated us. In fact, one month later, my husband and I went to Disney and Epcot Center in Orlando and had ourselves a blast! We were one of the very few people there as most people were too afraid to travel. In my opinion, it’s the best time to travel!
Life is too short to play victim and let the bad people win.
So, there you have it. That’s my 9-11 experience.
UPDATE:
My husband just reminded me today that we were up in the WTC six weeks before this incident! I had forgotten about that. With the free flight benefits, we were always flying somewhere!
To the Americanophobes: You will get yours. Don’t make the same mistake that Americans have made by being so over-confident.
Day said his brother, Roy, was in Rader’s Cub Scout pack at the nearby Park City Baptist Church, but their mother pulled him out because of Rader.
“It was his demeanor,” he said. “He was so strange.”
Rader also was a scout leader at Christ Lutheran Church. Officials there said they would issue a statement later Saturday.
Not everyone had a bad story about Rader. David Cool said he had lived next to Raders’ in-laws for most of his life, and his parents knew Rader. He said Rader helped his parents, now in their 70s, with yard work..
“Mom doesn’t have a bad word to say about him,” Cool said.
For those of you who don’t know, “BTK“ stands for Bind, Torture, and Kill.
Williams said this was “a very historic day” for the Police Department and numerous other agencies instrumental in helping with the investigation.
The killer known as BTK is Wichita’s most notorious serial killer, now connected with 10 homicides from 1974 to 1991.
Police found four bodies inside the one-story wood-frame home: Joseph, 38; Julie, 34; Josephine, 11; and Joseph II, 9. Each was strangled with the type of cord used in venetian blinds.
“It was one of the most blood-curdling scenes I ever worked, and I worked a lot of murders in Wichita,” said former Wichita police detective Gary Caldwell.
Police had no way of knowing they were seeing the work of a man who would go on to become one of the nation’s most bizarre serial killers.
Over the next three decades, BTK would kill at least four more people. He would write to the media seeking attention for his exploits. And he would drop out of sight for 25 years. Although no one knows his name, much is known about what he has done.
BOSTON
- Defrocked priest Paul Shanley, whose crimes shook the Roman Catholic Church, was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison on child rape charges Tuesday to a burst of applause from some of the many who accused him of molesting them.
Shanley will be eligible for parole after eight years. He was sent away despite warnings from some inmate advocates that the notorious child-molester would be a marked man behind bars and that prison could amount to a death sentence.
I’m generally against prison violence, but when it comes to rapists and child molesters, I say, “Go get ‘em!” because that child’s life is basically ruined and he will have to carry those memories (repressed or not) with him for the rest of his life.
Judge Stephen Neel condemned the former priest for using his revered status to prey on a little boy. “It is difficult to imagine a more egregious misuse of trust and authority,” he said. Shanley, once known for a being a hip “street priest” who reached out to troubled children and homosexuals, was convicted last week of repeatedly raping and fondling a boy at his church during the 1980s.
Is this not the norm? You know, the “altruistic humanitarian” type who successfully portrays himself as such. Everybody thinks he’s wonderful. This is the face he shows when he’s got his pants on. Nobody can believe he could possibly do such a thing. For those idiots who believe in his innocence, let me ask you a question: Do you think if a priest is secretly banging little boys behind closed doors, do you think he’s going to say mass and walk around in public wearing a shirt that says, “I DiddleLittle Boys”? In your naive, idealistic, “the world is perfect” little mind of yours, do you actually think he’s going to expose that side of himself to his parishioners – like he wants to get caught with his pants down? (pun intended). Give me a break!? And yes, Scott Peterson is guilty too. Cute people are capable of bad things as well.
We have a lot of criminals who are known to others as altruistic. Remember Ted Bundy?
Friends remember Bundy as witty, kind, and attractive, as well as charming. These were all to be his assets as a killer. Ironically, Bundy worked for some time at a crisis clinic, answering phones, and talking people down from suicide. In 1970, Ted saved a 3 and 1/2 year old from drowning in Green Lake. As far as most people were concerned, he saved lives, he didn’t take them.
We can somehow accept the fact that a few people go “crazy” sometimes and start shooting others. However, it is more disconcerting to learn that some of the “nicest” people one meets lead a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde life: a student by day, a killer of coeds by night; a caring, attentive nurse who secretly murders sick children, the handicapped, or the elderly; a building contractor and politician who enjoys sexually torturing and killing young men and burying them under his home. When we discover that people exist who are not considered to be insane or crazy but who enjoy killing others for “recreation,” this indeed gives new meaning to the word “stranger.”
Do you ever notice how whenever the media asks the next door neighbors of a psychopathic serial killer what the guy was like, the neighbors always say how nice, quiet, and peaceful the guy was? They also usually mention how nicely the guy kept up his lawn for some reason. They always talk about what a nice neighbor he was. Well, the media just seems to be shocked by the whole thing. I’m not saying anything about the other aspects of their personalities, but could it be possible that psychopathic serial killers actually do make the best neighbors in America? Everyone wants to move far away from these people; maybe the best way to avoid being their next victim is to, in fact, live next door to them. They’ll let you read the morning newspaper in peace, or blast your music at night all you want, as long as you don’t mind them sawing people into “convenient for the freezer” sized pieces or the occasional loud shriek of terror by a helpless victim.
The point of me saying this was not to say that psychopathic serial killers actually make better neighbors than anyone else, but to show the absolute stupidity behind the news media asking these questions of the neighbor. Of course they were peaceful, THEY DIDN’T WANT TO GET FUCKING CAUGHT, COLUMBO! What did they expect these people to say, that the guy stood around all day in his front lawn with a South Park T-shirt on, an iced tea in one hand, a bloody axe in the other, with an insane glaze on his eyes as he leered at passing children.
So, next time you find a quiet, reserved, friendly man living in your neighborhood who seems like a pretty good neighbor, take him over an apple pie or something. After all, he could be a serial killer, and you wouldn’t want an outstanding neighbor like that to move out of the neighborhood.
The organized killer is usually socially adequate and has friends and lovers, often even a spouse and children. They are the type who, when captured, are most likely to be described by acquaintances as ‘a really nice guy, he couldn’t hurt a fly’.
Now, back to the Pedo-Priest…..
I leave you with the following quotes:
More than two dozen people have accused Shanley of molesting them, but this was the only case to result in criminal charges.
The victim’s wife told Shanley in court:
“No words can ever explain my disgust for you. You are a coward. You hid behind God.”
“You robbed my little boy of his innocence,” the accuser’s father said. “You destroyed his understanding of good and bad and right and wrong.”
Finally, these two circus freaks have been arrested.
They were found here.
They fled the state driving all the way from Tampa, FL to Utah when they were required to attend a hearing regarding the torture of their adopted children.
The arrest ended a search that attracted national media attention Friday. CNN and America’s Most Wanted posted mug shots of the Dollars on Web sites and broadcasts.The children told investigators that the Dollars starved them, shocked them with electricity, pulled out their toenails with pliers, bound them with chains and strips of plastic and struck their feet with hammers.
A 16-year-old boy weighed 59 pounds. Twin boys, age 14, weighed 36 and 38 pounds, the Sheriff’s Office said.
DCF released documents that showed the Dollars adopted three children in Hillsborough County in 1995; at that time, they already had five children.
This had been going un-noticed for years because The Dollars had all the children bound to the home. They were never let outside of the home – which is also the place where they received all their schooling. Mrs. Dollar was a stay home ‘mother’ and home-schooled her children.
Friends and neighbors, meantime, described the Dollars as religious and strict, and said the children hardly ever were seen.
Now, is it just me that keeps hearing stories of child abuse where their parents are so called ‘devout Christians’? Religious? Why do I keep hearing stories of ‘religious’ parents committing the most heinous
acts? Typical.
The investigation began Jan. 21 when Mrs. Dollar called an ambulance for her 16-year-old son, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Gail Tierney. The boy was taken to Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center near Crystal River, where he was treated for head and neck injuries.His injuries weren’t the only thing that caught the attention of law enforcement. No one in the family seemed able to explain how he got the injuries, including red marks around his neck, Tierney said.
The children were kept hidden for years while The Dollars kept moving back and forth from Tennessee and Florida. Between that and the fact that these two psychopaths fled like a bat out of hell following the unexpected accusations of said crimes, one would have to have their head up their bum to not see the obvious Consciousness of Guilt there.
One very frightening thing: One of the children was starved to death so much that it was said that this boy who looked as if he were six years old was really sixteen!
On Monday, the Dollars failed to appear at a hearing where the court system would determine, among other things, whether their children would remain in DCF custody or be returned to their parents, Tierney
said.When the Dollars didn’t show, authorities went to their home and found two of their vehicles missing and much of their belongings cleared out, Tierney said.
A breakthrough came late Friday morning when investigators found the couple’s motor home abandoned in a Polk County RV park.
After tracking the couple’s cell phone calls, law officers determined the Dollars were near Salt Lake City and likely traveling in their gold Lexus SUV, which the motor home had been towing.
“I was shocked,” said Frank Stanley, who knew the Dollars years before, when they lived in Indiana. “When I knew them, I never ever thought they would do that.”
What else is new? Who do you think you REALLY KNOW? Isn’t it becoming a cliché now that every time a crime is committed, the neighbors are surprised? I don’t blame the neighbors. But people would have to be really stupid not to realize that what YOU see is not always what is really there! Do you actually think if one of your Bible Thumping, friendly and loving neighbors were to be doing illegal stunts behind closed doors that they would not go out of their way to keep their little secrets hidden?
“They seemed to move around a lot, and they seemed to acquire children everywhere they’d go,” Stanley said.Stanley said the couple moved frequently between Florida and Tennessee.By 1995, the couple had adopted five children and were looking to adopt three more, according to DCF records in Hillsborough County.
EGADS!
In applying for a foster care license, John Dollar described himself as a commercial real estate appraiser with a bachelor’s degree. Mrs.Dollar said she was a housewife with a master’s.Mrs. Dollar wrote that she “would be interested in adopting (a) sibling group that would jell into our family unit to share lifetime of love.”She listed “time out, spending time alone in room, loss of rewards, discussions” among the forms of discipline she found most effective.
John Dollar said Mrs. Dollar was his third wife and guessed she would call him a “loving, caring, good father and a good provider, hardworking,” the records showed.
“We have 5 adopted children and have seen what we can do to help those less fortunate,” he wrote. “We see so many
children who need special care, love and an opportunity to be a part of a warm, loving, caring home atmosphere.”
He said he was looking forward to “seeing a child’s eyes response, and attitudes change from fear, neglect and apprehension to one of being accepted, loved and needed.”
Uh huh.
Well, enough of that. You can read the rest of the story and the tidbits I left out here.
One more thing I’d like to add…. You know how we adults get together and discuss how today’s teens are so out of control, filled with angst, rage, and rebellion? I think from now on it is best to try to understand where they came from.
We’ve got teenagers who
are suicidal or commit suicide,
are overdosing on drugs,
are suffering from extreme introversion or depression,
kill their parents or another family member or are violent with them,
get into trouble with the law,
run away from home, and
are addicted to sex.
Does anybody ever stop and wonder WHY?
Hypothetically speaking, if the children of Mr. and Mrs. Dollar were ever to be surrounded by people or have gone to school outside the home, would we not see something different about them? In any way? They
don’t necessarily have to be “mean”. Imagine how some people would criticize them and stop — right there — looking no deeper.
This happens way too often.
In most cases, children defend their parents and keep the lives that they have behind the closed doors of their own home a BIG SECRET.
“Many children are far too young to understand what has happened to him/her. Unable to communicate verbally what has happened. Remember sexual abuse knows no age limits. Unfortunately, it can and does happen to even the smallest of children whom are only weeks old.
Children are often threatened and or bribed by the abuser to keep the abuse a secret just between the two of them. It is a scary thing for a child to have their life or the lives of family members threatened if the tell the secret. Often they are afraid that even if they do tell no one will believe them. We must prove them wrong. It is very rare that young children lie about (word omitted) abuse. You must let them know you believe them. Assure them it is not their fault, they did nothing wrong and they are not being punished. This kind of attention can be confusing, causing them to feel ashamed and embarrassed and stirring up mixed emotions especially if it is someone they know, love and trust. They then worry about getting into trouble themselves or getting a loved one into trouble. —Children Are Worth saving…. C.A.W.S. —caws.com”
With that said, I’ve always believed that no child is born evil.
When Clyde Blount’s non-violent, relentless efforts to protect his son failed, the bully, Lonnie Hillery, had to learn his lesson the hard way. While my opinion is not a politically correct one, and one that is emotional and extreme, I’m glad dad got rid of the bully.
Too many victims of bullies eventually begin to feel that they deserve the beatings and their self-esteem goes down the drain and the trauma follows them for a life time, but I’m willing to bet the bullied son (C.J.) will grow up remembering what his father taught him: Bullying is wrong.
The ones who feel it deserved (even if subconsciously), will just continue the cycle.
It’s too bad it had to end the way it did. I also feel for the son who has to live years without seeing his father, whom I believe loved him very much.
While I don’t condone something as final as a murder as a resolution, the bitter, sour part of my heart is rejoicing the outcome. As biased I am on this topic, I would never be able to sit on on a jury for a case like this. Clyde Blount is obviously guilty, indeed. He was wrong for taking the law in his own hands — no doubt about that. It also frightens me to think that he could have shot another student in the crowd accidentally. So, please don’t get me wrong. I realize the father made a mistake, but again (not able to separate my feelings from the law), I am happy about the conclusion and hope that the jury finds him guilty of manslaughter rather than second degree murder! Unfortunately, he won’t be found innocent.
You know why his father went to this extreme? That’s right! The school’s faculty and staff didn’t give a hoot. They just merely told Lonnie Hillery not to do it again. Like that’s going to work? What does history prove? They should have expelled him!
The schools never do anything to solve this predicament. Well, I’ve only heard of a couple success cases, but they are few and far between.
CANORA, SASK. – The town of Canora is struggling to come to grips with the recent suicides of two teenagers who may have been victims of bullying at school.
On Monday night, hundreds of people packed a school gymnasium in the town to talk about whether the way the youths were treated by their peers contributed to their deaths in December.
One of the teenagers, 16-year-old Travis Sleeva, was subjected to harassment over an extended period said his parents, Gary and Carol Sleeva.
The school failed to deal with it, said the couple, who were at the meeting.
Look at this. Here again, the school didn’t take the matter in their hands and do anything about it.
A few weeks after Sleeva died, a female Grade 9 student also took her own life. Other students say fighting and intimidation are part of the daily routine at the town’s high school. Some parents are blaming the school for not doing enough to curb the problem.
“I’ve had no response from anyone,” said Carol Sleeva…
Parent Tracy Hannotte says the bullying problem must be stopped.
“There’s no repercussions for bullying,” she said. “I don’t think the teachers
are doing enough and I don’t think the parents of the bullies are doing enough.”
Some students walk out of meeting
The meeting upset many students, and a dozen walked out halfway through the event.
“I expected some of the problems to be confronted,” said one student. “This was just covering it up.”
This makes me even more enraged. Why is it that teenagers can see what these stupid adults can’t?
In November 2000, Dawn-Marie Wesley, 14, of Mission, B.C. hanged herself shortly after three teenage girls called her. Wesley’s suicide note said that she had been threatened by bullies and she believed death was her only escape.
In her ruling, B.C. Provincial Court Judge Jill Rounthwaite said that it was clear that one of the accused had bullied Wesley repeatedly, giving the victim reason to fear for her life.
Rounthwaite noted that bystanders added “to the power of the bully” by letting the harassment go on without intervening.
“None of those people had the moral strength to tell the bully to stop or go away,” the judge said.
Well, there you have it. You know, it’s no wonder Clyde Blount killed his son’s bully. Remember Clyde tried
the civil way to stop the relentless torment against his son. It didn’t work. I suppose years in prison for Clyde is worth it all to save his son.
Unreal. Should we just kill the bullies from now on? It seems like the only resolution.
In his suicide note, Hamed mentioned that when he was bullied in school, he always pretended that it didn’t bother him. He would just walk away and ignore the bullies. He continued that even though he put up an “I’m okay” facade, that he was really crying inside. This is very common, I believe.
The straw that broke the camels back was when he was punched in the stomach. Following that, he took his own life.
I know somebody that was continuously harassed because he didn’t take showers after P.E., and a gang of bullies tried to force him into the shower. On another occasion, he was punched in the stomach in the rest room. One day he tried to defend himself upon being made fun of, and he decided to stand up for himself. He made an appointment to meet his bully after school where he tried to fight his bully by pushing him. He
was then sent to the principal’s office and he got the beating of a life time on his behind. He told me that it hurt him so much physically that he was “dancing afterwards”.
That was my husband. An update? He says he doesn’t think about his school days of being perpetually taunted and beaten. When he goes back in retrospect, he feels that it means nothing to him today. Yet, by his behavior, to an intuitive person, it is very obvious that today at 49 he is still affected by that experience.
I believe that this is very normal. Our defenses work so very hard to repress the horrid memories, and to make one believe that it either never happened or that it was no big deal. Some have better defense mechanisms than others. For those that have, by nature, weak defenses, I guess wind up killing themselves. On the flip side, while our defenses save a lot of lives (thank God, including my husband’s), we wind up in denial of the memory and subconsciously, the “school-day torture” haunts us throughout the rest of our lives.
When my husband’s mother found out that the school’s administration did nothing to fix the problem, she persevered until more than half the staff got fired and were moved to different schools.
Hamed, in the above video documentary, said that he often gave out non-verbal signals to his parents. He said that he doesn’t blame his parents that they didn’t understand, and that he still loved them.
What about in the days where it was acceptable for teachers and principals to hit or whack their students as the parents not only condoned it but celebrated this ritual. Remember those days? For any students being bullied back then, can you imagine them coming home to mom and dad about being bullied by their classmates? Impossible. Children know that if mom and dad think it’s great that their child’s receiving regular “paddling sessions” for being naughty, what makes you think they’ll come home to report abuse from their “peers”? Especially if their being bullied by their own parents.
Give me a f’n break! And for the dolts that think bullying is a modern phenomenon as a result of minimal or no corporal punishment, you’re wrong! Bullying has been going on since ancient times — yes, including those days when teachers could do ANYTHING they wanted to “bad” pupils.
It’s 2005. Do you think adults have gotten the message by now? When’s the wake-up call? Do we have to sit on our rears waiting for more children to kill themselves for a few more years before some
action is taken?
Comes home with torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothing, books, or other belongings
Has unexplained cuts, bruises, and scratches
Has few, if any friends, with whom he or she spends time
Seems afraid of going to school, walking to and from school, riding the school bus, or taking part in organized activities with peers (such as clubs)
Takes a long, “illogical” route when walking to or from school
Has lost interest in school work or suddenly begins to do poorly in school
Appears sad, moody, teary, or depressed when he or she comes home
Complains frequently of headaches, stomach aches, or other physical ailments
Has trouble sleeping or has frequent bad dreams
Experiences a loss of appetite
Appears anxious and/or suffers from low self-esteem
What to Do If You Suspect That Your Child Is Being Bullied?
If your child shows any of these signs, this does not necessarily mean that he or she is being bullied, but
it is a possibility worth exploring. What should you do? Talk with your child and talk with staff at school
to learn more.
1. Talk with your child. Tell your child that you are concerned about him or her and that you’d like to
help. Here are some questions that can get the discussion going.
Some direct questions:
“I’m worried about you. Are there any kids at school who may be picking on you or bullying you?”
“Are there any kids at school who tease you in a mean way?”
“Are there any kids at school who leave you out or exclude you on purpose?”
Some more subtle questions:
“Do you have any special friends at school this year? Who are they? Who do you hang out with?”
“Who do you sit with at lunch/on the bus?”
“Are there any kids at school who you really don’t like? Why don’t you like them? Do they ever pick on you or leave you out of things?”
If I’ve gotten my message across to at least one person, I’ve done my duty. Parents, teachers, and school administrators really need to keep their eyes open. I have hope that some day, this problem will be nipped in the bud.
Before you right-winger extremists start reaming me a new one, let me first start off by saying that the US would not survive without a military, and while I don’t agree with THIS particular war, I support our military and the need for a strong defense. It wasn’t our military’s decision to go to Iraq. I don’t blame them. Yet, I support them – good war or bad war.
However, this whole Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal makes me furious. Every time I watch the news or see the
headlines everywhere, I’m outraged. And those that support the few involved with this scandal are no better. I am happy that justice is being served although I find their Mickey-Mouse-sentences not matching up to their crimes.
I can hear the righties right now already busting to say,
“Watch it there! It is those soldiers that are out there risking their lives and protecting your right to free speech so that you can spew out all this drivel.”
My answer: If they’re fighting for my right to free speech, than, by golly, I’m gonna use it. Because if I don’t then they died and are dying for nothing!
Getting back on the subject, I do realize that our military is under a great deal of stress over in Iraq. And the term, *stress*, I realize, is not even the tip of the iceberg as to what kind of emotions must be grilling inside them. They are separated from their families and loved ones. Not only that, but they probably never know if
they will make it through the next day alive – when they wake up everyday. It must be horrible to have to live like that day after day after day. My deepest sympathy extends to them and their family members. I don’t need to see all that tired propaganda spun throughout the internet, newspapers, and broadcasted on TV for me to realize what kind of ordeal this must be for them.
But this is the way I see it:
This wasn’t a draft. When you sign up and become accepted into the armed forces, you are well-informed. When you sign your name on that dotted line, you are agreeing that (should a war be deemed necessary), it may be you called for duty on the battlefields. This is something so elementary and basic. Nobody’s putting a gun to anyone’s head to sign up!
Finally, and most importantly, why must it be acceptable to make innocent POWs of Iraq suffer because the heat of the war is getting too much? I have no problem with those under life-threatening, horrific situations venting, getting upset, complaining, yelling, screaming, crying, kicking an object or what have you. Again, the military has my sympathy there. And they have every right to express somehow, the terror they feel inside or whatever emotion it is. But I think the line should be drawn when it comes to taking it out on innocent, and defenseless POWs who have done nothing wrong other than defend their own country.If this notion is too hard to grasp, let’s turn the tables around here. Think about it. Our defense team in the USA doing nothing but their jobs, handing their weapons in, and finally being detained in a prison camp. Imagine that. Our soldiers being subjected to the following:
IMAGINE THIS HAPPENING TO OUR MILITARY?!
Punching, slapping, and kicking detainees; jumping on their naked feet;
Forcing groups of male detainees to masturbate themselves while being photographed and videotaped;
Positioning a naked detainee on a MRE Box, with a sandbag on his head, and attaching wires to his fingers, toes, and penis to simulate electric torture;
Writing “I am a Rapist” (sic) on the leg of a detainee alleged to have forcibly raped a 15-year old fellow detainee, and then photographing him naked;
Sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broom stick.
Beating detainees with a broom handle and a chair;
Breaking chemical lights and pouring the phosphoric liquid on detainees;
Pouring cold water on naked detainees;
Placing a dog chain or strap around a naked detainee’s neck and having a female Soldier pose for a picture;
Arranging naked male detainees in a pile and then jumping on them;
Allowing a military police guard to stitch the wound of a detainee who was injured after being slammed against the wall in his cell;
Using military working dogs to frighten and intimidate detainees with threats of attack, and in one instance actually biting a detainee.
Not enough? Just click this link to view the photos. Just keep in mind, these pictures are very graphic and can be disturbing!!
Now, is this kind of behavior justifiable? If duress gives free rein to sadism, torture, and finally homicide to those that are innocent, then why don’t we excuse people like THIS?
In some cases, the abuse of children by their parents is barbaric, and it seems little wonder that anything but a fledgling serial killer would come from such horrible squalor. As a child, the “Boston Strangler” Albert DeSalvo was actually sold off as a slave by his alcoholic dad. Many sadistic murderers portray their childhood as an endless chain of horrifying sexual abuse, torture, and mayhem. Some stories of torture may be exaggerated for sympathy (it is always to the killer’s advantage to concoct wicked parents as an excuse) but some have been corroborated by witnesses. Even families that appear healthy on the outside may be putting on an act. Children can learn the “Jeckyl and Hyde” routine from parents who are outgoing and social with neighbors and co-workers, but who scowl at their kid’s inadequacies when they get home.
In his book Serial Killers, Joel Norris describes the cycles of violence as generational: “Parents who abuse their children, physically as well as psychologically, instill in them an almost instinctive reliance upon violence as a first resort to any challenge.” Childhood abuse not only spawns violent reactions, Norris writes, but also affects the child’s health, including brain injuries, malnutrition, and other developmental disorders.
Some parents believed that by being harsh disciplinarians, it would “toughen” the child. Instead, it often creates a lack of love between parent and child that can have disastrous results. If the child doesn’t bond with its primary caretakers, there is no foundation for trusting others later in life. This can lead to isolation, where intense violent fantasies become the primary source of gratification. “Instead of developing positive traits of trust, security, and autonomy, child development becomes dependent on fantasy life and its dominant themes, rather than on social interaction,” writes Robert Ressler, Ann Burgess and John Douglas in Sexual Homicide: Patterns and Motives. When the child grows up, according to these authors, all they know are their fantasies of domination and control. They have not developed compassion for others. Instead, humans become flattened-out symbols for them to enact their violent fantasies.
In looking to the parents for explanations, we see both horrifying mothers and fathers. The blame usually falls on the mother, who has been described as too domineering or too distant, too sexually active or too repressed. Perhaps the mother is blamed more because the father has often disappeared, therefore “unaccountable.” When the father is implicated, it is usually for sadistic disciplinarian tactics, alcoholic rants, and overt anger toward women.
Serial killers, rapists, and all other violent people are unhappy and feel bad too because of what they had to grow up with all their lives.
Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Yes, I do wholeheartedly understand that I cannot compare our military with serial killers. That’s NOT what I’m trying to do. I am just asking you to step away from the Iraqi War for a bit and just try and see that no matter how much someone has suffered, no matter who they are or where they came from has absolutely no excuse to take it out on an innocent, defenseless person. That’s all I’m trying to show here. It’s very simple if you put your emotions aside and look at the logic.
Look at all those beheaded in Iraq? Right? Weren’t some of our people victimized of that? I sure saw the stir that it caused here in the US: Tears, sorrow, anger, outrage and disgust. But why is it that we like to pretend that what happened at Abu Ghraib… never was?
The Community Page has commented at length on socially-sanctioned exclusionary practices in Japan. However, it has rarely touched upon their quantifiable, longer-term effects. Exclusionism is bad for business. Why? Because non-Japanese residents are not the only ones affected by “no-foreigner” policies. So are visiting representatives of international corporations. This makes for unfavorable overseas impressions, not only of northern Japan (famous for its decade displaying “JAPANESE ONLY” signs), but also of the entire country.
The author of this article, Arudou Debito, explains further, that the extent of this over the past couple of years has reached 12 cities in Japan.
And this was just all over some Germans, Italians, and British men getting a little rowdy in the bars during the World Cup 2002 which had caused the police to appear on the scene. It is believed that the Japanese had wanted to keep foreigners out of shops, restaurants, bars, doctors offices, salons, and the like the whole time and that the World Cup 2002 just gave them the perfect excuse for them to pull this off.
“In Nagoya this year, I was invited to the Suzuka Formula One auto races as a guest of a Western company supporting this event for a long time,” Jackson recalled. “Walking down the street in Nagoya’s nightlife district with senior reps of this company, people on the street passing out flyers to their bars pulled their hands back when they saw us. We even got refused rides in taxis. That’s pretty stupid. What kind of an image is that supposed to create?”Jackson said this company is considering changing its support to the Shanghai Formula One because of this and other ill-feelings incurred.
“And Nagoya is going to be hosting the 2005 Aichi World’s Fair? You’re joking. Just more people to come to Japan and leave with a sour taste,” he said.
Amazing, isn’t it? A WORLD’S FAIR??? A Homogeneous World’s Fair? Oh no, wait a minute. Foreigners can come, but they can’t stay in a hotel, can’t use the public baths, can’t get into any of the shops or attractions, (God forbid they get sick) they can’t get in a hospital anywhere, and can’t use public transportation except for the trains.
Furthermore, it’s not only visitors or residents who feel the alienation. Japan spends millions annually bringing people over on Ministry of Education Scholarships, and through organizations like The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).Just how long does the Japanese government think it can get away with no redresses for discrimination, including a law against racial discrimination? Can it merely coast along on half-measures while prejudicial policies spread nationwide?
As lawsuits rack up involving refusals at a jewelry store, bathhouses, a real estate broker, a bar, and now an optician, the problem is getting worse.
Oh my. I had no idea the problem was getting this bad. I lived in Japan for 6.5 years, and I never once saw anything like this. I am appalled by the recent change, and stunned that this has reached all the way to Tokyo — of all places. Tokyo, the most metropolitan, modernized, and one of the largest cities in the world is beginning to follow suit in slamming the doors on the faces of foreigners. I am so glad I am not there to witness this. I don’t know what I would do. Racism and discrimination is so very sad, and “sad” is an understatement. It actually makes me sick to my stomach to hear what is going on over there.
Granted, I always knew they had no laws over there regarding discrimination. I had always known that, even in Tokyo, foreigners were denied housing in certain apartment complexes. That was a norm that all foreigners had gotten used to over there. If there’s a brawl between a drunken foreign guy and a drunken Japanese guy outside a bar and the police arrive, it’s normal for the police to side with the Japanese guy. We don’t raise our eyebrows over this stuff. It’s Japan. And naturally, we’re there because we want to be there. However, now (gaijin) or non-Japanese people are given the the x-sign with the arms if seen approaching a shop or any place of business in some areas. The hatred spreading is almost surreal.
Look at this:
HAIR SALON KITAMURA (barbershop)
(Wakkanai Minato 1 chome 1-19, Ph 0162-24-5045)
Roy had also been excluded from this place at the door and despite speaking Japanese. I decided to try my luck. The place was open and the proprietor was halfway through a head of hair. He left to come to the door, where he made an X-gesture with his hands. I spoke in Japanese, “Do you refuse foreigners?” (gaikokujin, okotowari desu ka). He paused, surprised that I spoke in Nihongo, and left his X-ed hands up. I repeated the question, and he said “That’s right.” (sou desu), indicating that he understood me. He went back to his head of hair and I stepped outside, thinking it best not to inquire further.
Says I:”What in heaven’s name would make him want to refuse foreigners? Onsens claim a hygiene problem. Regular stores claim a pilfering problem. But what here? People aren’t getting naked and sharing a bath, and the only thing to pilfer would be shampoo and scissors. What goes?” It goes further.” Reported by By ARUDOU DEBITO
And yet another lame excuse for discrimination….
“HIKOKUSAIKA”(“anti-internationalization”):NON-JAPANESE NOW OFFICIALLY SEEN AS PART OF JAPAN’S SOCIAL ILLS AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED IN THE EVENT OF A DISASTER
WIRE:04/09/2000 03:44:00 ET Japan Troops Told ‘Foreigners’ Likely to Loot, Riot
“TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese troops were told on Sunday to target foreigners to prevent looting and rioting in the event of a major earthquake, Kyodo News Agency reported.
Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said in an address to Ground Self-Defense Force troops that foreigners were likely to riot and commit crimes because of the breakdown in order.
“Atrocious crimes have been committed again and again by sangokujin and other foreigners”, he was quoted as saying.
“We can expect them to riot in the event of a disastrous earthquake.”
The Japanese slang term “sangokujin” means “people from Third World countries” and was used in post World War Two Japan as an insult for residents from the former Japanese colonies of Korea and Taiwan.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials could not be reached immediately for comment due to the weekend holiday.
A fervent nationalist, Ishihara has angered China by doubting its accounts of Japanese wartime atrocities and referring to it by the derogatory term “Shina.”
After the Great Tokyo Earthquake of 1923, which killed about 100,000 people, unfounded rumors about riots among Tokyo’s Korean residents led to Japanese mobs attacking and killing several hundred Koreans, many of whom were brought to Japan as slave labor.
Thus Japan is starting to feel the tugs of a pluralist, multicultural society. Some degree of social hesitancy is natural. One of our jobs in this society will be helping make the transition smoother–by urging a more representative legal infrastructure and a more tolerant social policy approach. We do this in hopes that the future will herald a better place for everyone–citizen, immigrant, or visitor–to live. More to come.”
Dave Aldwinckle
Sapporo
Oh, okay. Now, I see where the racism is stemming from — the 1923 Tokyo Earthquake. How many years ago was this? The hate continues….
In another article in The Japan Times written again by Arudou Debito, an African American man accompanied by his wife and his African American friend were told by an eyeglass shop owner, “Move to the other side of the street! Don’t touch my store window!”
To read further regarding “information for people concerned with social issues who want to help make life better for everyone in Japan”, I highly recommend Arudou Debito/Dave Aldwincle’s ACTIVISTS’ PAGE
You will get a lot more information here. It’s very interesting. You will also see the improvements that Mr. Debito has made with his lawsuits as well. Mr. Debito, by the way, is American. You can find his autobiography here! His real name is David Christopher Aldwinckle.
There are still foreigners all over the place in Japan – especially in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Now, as racism isn’t happening everywhere in Japan, if it happens in a couple of public places, it’s already happened too much. For all those who love Japan, (including myself), let’s all hope that the hatred stops over there sometime soon, and that Mr. Debito progresses even more than he already has. I have a feeling that he will.
“The cover of Amber Frey’s new book about her involvement in the Laci Peterson murder investigation is “extremely hurtful and offensive to Laci’s mother and her family,” an attorney for the slain Modesto woman’s mother said Monday.”Displaying a picture of Laci on the cover of Amber Frey’s book portrays a lack of respect and insensitivity towards Laci and Laci’s family and friends,” Adam Stewart said.”"In addition to that,” Stewart said, “having Amber’s picture positioned between Laci and Scott is extremely hurtful and offensive to Laci’s mother and her family.”
What? This grieving mother of 2 years is now confronting her lawyer about Laci’s picture in the background of Amber’s book? First of all, why must this go public? Secondly, why must the blame be put on Amber? Does not anyone realize that the decision of what cover goes on a book is that of the publishers, and that the author has no say in it? And last but not least, why didn’t Mrs. Rocha complain when the movie, “The Perfect Husband“ went public? As you can see here, Laci’s picture is right in the background as it is in Amber Frey’s book.
Please don’t get me wrong here. Sharon Rocha has lost her daughter and has every right to grieve, and as she even said publicly there will never be any closure until the day she dies. This is understandable. I cannot
imagine what this woman is going through. It must be awful, and she has my sympathy and my respect in that regard. However, to have her lawyer lash out on Amber publicly because of Laci’s picture being on the cover of her book is absolutely asinine to me. And for that reason, I am really disgusted that she’s making a scene over this. I always had some doubt in my mind about Mrs. Rocha, but this was an eye-opener for me.
Maybe she will come out and clarify things later. Who knows.
Newsweek: “Laci Peterson’s family members have said that they are offended that you included a picture of Laci on the cover of your book. How do you justify using their daughter’s picture to help sell your story?”
Gloria Allred: “I’ll answer this one. There are three individuals on the cover of the book: Scott Peterson, the defendant, and Laci,the unfortunate murder victim, may she rest in peace, and Amber. All of these individuals appeared
together or individually in thousands of pictures in newspapers, magazines and the Internet. They were central to the criminal prosecution; that is why these three individuals are pictured.”
“But that doesn’t get to the point that the family feels hurt by this.”
Allred:“Amber has the highest regard and respect for [Laci's mother] Sharon Rocha and for members of Laci Peterson’s family.”
“After pleading for your privacy for almost two years, why did you put your story in a book now?”
Amber Frey:“At the time, there was a lot at stake in preserving my testimony and serving justice, and now that there’s a verdict I can set the record straight and tell my story and correct some misconceptions that are out there. This has given me an opportunity to be able to say in my voice and my truth and my life that I have lived. [Begins to weep.] People that don’t understand how incredibly hard this has been, not just for me, but for my family and all the people around me. I know that may sound selfish to some people, because there are so many people hurting. But I want people to know that I am human and that I do feel pain, and
so does my family.”
Finally, after being on the gag order for two years, Amber gets to speak out and defend herself publicly from all the bashing, twisted stories, and lies that had surrounded her. Several critics out there still find it necessary to peg her, so I predict Gloria Allred will have to protect Amber for quite some time. You can see why it’s so necessary for Amber to have a lawyer. I would not only have a lawyer, I think I’d hire a bodyguard as well. There are so many wackos out there that if she were to turn up beaten, raped, or dead, I wouldn’t be surprised. Look at the jury? They’re already getting death threats!
“Scott Peterson, accused of murdering his pretty wife Laci is being bombarded with letters from love-hungry ladies begging him to marry them!
Sources inside Stanislaus County Jail in Modesto, Calif., say the handsome 30-year-old fertilizer salesman has received marriage proposals from desperate gals of all shapes and sizes since his arrest April 18.The kooky letters are delivered to the 6-foot-by-9-foot cell where Peterson is being housed alone to keep other prisoners from killing him in retaliation for the alleged murders of his wife Laci, 27, and their unborn son Conner.
He gets to spend as long as he wants with his lawyers. And he can respond to love letters in his spare time. But none of his passionate penpals have been invited to see him.
Peterson can have two personal visits every seven days. So far, he’s only met with family members — and none of his sicko fans.”
Female Clone
Scott Peterson has been penpals with Kristin Rossum, who is now serving a prison term for killing her husband. If you read the linked blog above, it’s interesting to see these two are a match made in Heaven as they have an amazing amount of things in common. It’s no wonder these two have found each other.
Scott Peterson doesn’t have his own website yet, but perhaps he will have one of those organizations or a friend or family member create one for him once he starts his prison term so as to enable him yet even more nation-wide publicity. And when I speak of a “website”, I mean one like THIS! Just dare to scroll down some and look at all the losers soliciting themselves to other loony tunes who are willing to support them, befriend them, or marry them. But in case any of you out there are seriously considering marriage with a prisoner, you may want to read How To Marry a Prisoner first and see if it’s really for you.
If you’ve made up your mind on marriage or just want to start out corresponding with a prisoner as friends, pen pals, or support all those convicted because you believe that they were “falsely accused”, why don’t we just start out at PrisonPenPals.com. Search alphabetically – take your pick. The “Gold Star Ads” and the “Platinum Ads” have much more information.
Here’s another dose of reality of a true experience of one who went on a visit to San Quentin. It’s quite an interesting read. There are other links on this site that may interest you as well. Enjoy.
WHY OH WHY DO WOMEN CHASE PRISONERS?
Richard Ramirez and new wife Doreen Lioy “Satanists Don’t Wear Gold” (The marriage of Ramirez and Doreen Lioy)
“The long-haired brunette who longed to be the Night Stalker’s bride had first contacted Ramirez after his arrest in 1985 and had written him nearly 75 letters during his incarceration. He finally proposed to her in 1988, but prison rules delayed their wedding. Other women tried to steal him away from her, visiting him in prison and lavished him with all kinds of attention. Doreen often ran into them when she came to for her visits, and at least one woman threatened physical violence if Doreen didn’t abandon her claim on the Night Stalker. But Doreen persevered, and in the end she got her man.
Obviously Doreen chose not to believe the mountain of evidence that had been presented at her husband’s trial, especially the testimony that described his gruesome methods. Richard Ramirez typically came in the night, sneaking into his victims’ bedrooms. Males were dispatched quickly, usually with a bullet to the head. Females were kept alive to be savored after he ransacked the homes, looking for valuables. After raping and degrading the women, sometimes repeatedly, he would most often kill them, or at least try to. Amazingly, some of his victims managed to survive his vicious attacks. His method was worthy of a grade-B Hollywood horror movie. He was a killer tailor-made for his prime hunting ground, Los Angeles.”
Remember that song by Gloria Estefan, “Bad Boys”?“Bad, bad, bad, bad boys, they make me feel so good.”?
Bad boys don’t make me feel good. Thank God! When I log on to the message boards at CTV, it never ceases to amaze me how many murderer apologists and groupies there are all over the site. Those so obviously guilty such as the godforsaken Westerfield and the almighty obvious Michael Peterson (not to be confused with Scott Peterson). Good Lord! Where do these people come from?
“The Thrill of the Killer” is another look inside of a possible reasoning of what may be going on in the minds of these nutty women.
“Sometimes called the “Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome,” the correct name for this particular paraphilia is hybristophilia, the love of someone who has committed an outrage-usually a rape or murder (single or multiple). The fetish can range from mild to deadly, from a sneering rock star to a serial killer. Think Tommy Lee and Ted Bundy. Both fit under the bad boy category but in very different ways. Lee is hot, has tattoos, is in a rock band, probably not college educated, does drugs, so on and so on. Bundy is clean-cut, a college graduate, literate, and most likely wasn’t inhaling butane behind the 7-11. As far as we know Tommy Lee hasn’t killed. Ted Bundy has. But it doesn’t matter; certain women are not only attracted to any type of bad boy, they seek them out, prison bars or not.
Why does this happen? Perhaps, the media plays a big part in it. Criminals are celebrities. In fact, it may now be the easiest way to get your Warholian 15 minutes. Celebrities are sexy because everyone wants what everyone else wants. So, criminal plus celebrity might mean extra sexy. Does this explain why the killers that have committed the worst crimes get the most babes? Maybe, but some of these are atrocious sex crimes against other women. It seems as if some women don’t care. Or maybe they were violently abused themselves. Perhaps it’s the ultimate taboo, thus, the ultimate aphrodisiac. Or simply just the power these men exhibit-not only did Charles Manson have the power to kill, he believed he was Jesus Christ. And he didn’t only have a harem of orgiastic flower children on acid, he got them to kill for him.
So, is what separates me from a woman who could make love to a murderer conscience or fear? Is it fear that keeps us a “polite society?” Is loving a murderer just a varying degree of any other type of sexual role-playing that involves power struggles and pain? I don’t know. In a way, I’m envious that some women can give in so completely and knowingly have sex with human demons. But on the other hand, I’m so glad my sex life will never have complications like visiting hours and death penalties.”
I would like to comment that I feel women who seek dangerous, bad boy-type men have been either sexually or violently abused growing up as a child or perhaps both. They could be looking for that protection that they never got from the “strong front” the criminal type possesses. “He won’t hurt me. He will protect me because he is strong both physically and mentally.” Hey, it shows in his murders! And secondly, these poor women could be trying to subconsciously relive the torment they grew up with. Look at it this way. Don’t some women try to go after types of men who mirror their own fathers without realizing it?
And with that note, I’ll leave you all with the image of these two monsters: (Don’t let their looks fool you.)
While Scott Peterson is staying in prison, he will be learning how to talk like the others. They speak an entirely different language there. It is so different that if people like you and I were to hear a conversation of prisoners talking, we wouldn’t understand everything.
“The speech of the contemporary criminal culture has always been a rich source of color and vitality to any language. Yet, when one compares the “bawds”, “strumpets”, “trulls”, “cutpurses”, “knaves”, and “rascals” of Fielding and Smollett to the “hookers,” “pimps,” “Narcs,” “junkies,” and “snitches” of today’s criminal argot, one wonders just which direction we are traveling on civilization’s ladder.”
Welcome to Prison Talk Online! This is the place to go to gather information via communication with others in a forum atmosphere. I am specifically targeting the one where Scott Peterson’s going to be staying. Most of the member’s of these forums have husbands, boyfriends, family, SO’s and prison pen pals that are under lock and key and whom they frequently communicate with. These members are pretty well informed. This website is definitely a fantastic read!
So, my friends, ….. as they say, “If yah can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.”
“California’s Death Row” written by Michael Hunter explains the living conditions on Death Row. He goes over suicide, The Consent Decree, the North Segregation housing unit, the East Block housing unit, and The “Adjustment Center”.
This is a detailed explanation of what life is like on Death Row. From the inmates words, himself, he paints a realistic and chilling picture of all the horrors that we never hear from the media. Sit down, put your seat belts on, and get ready for the ride!
Death Row Inmate Richie Roldan reaches out for someone……
“I want to reach out to you,
But will i find you there ?
I need someone to comfort me
and show me that they care.
So many times I’ve looked
around to find myself alone
So I’ve learned to keep it all inside
and wear a face of stone . . .
But if you look behind my walls
I’m sure that you will find
A man with a heart of gold
That’s sweet gentle and kind
I’m still afraid to reach out to you
for fear I’d find myself still alone
So for now I’ll keep it all inside
and wear a face of stone . . .”
The Cost of the Death Penalty in California
There’s a misconception out there that Life Without Parole is more costly than the Death Penalty. Well, that may be the case with some states, but that is not so in the state of California and other states as well.
This is a fantastic site that covers every little detail you ever wanted to know about the Death Penalty including crimes punishable by the Death Penalty for each state. I just recently discovered that SEVERAL states (not just California) find the Death Penalty to be costly. The below is one example from the state of
Kansas.
“#1. The investigation costs for death-sentence cases were about 3 times greater than for non-death cases.
#2. The trial costs for death cases were about 16 times greater than for non-death cases ($508,000 for death case; $32,000 for non-death case).
#3. The appeal costs for death cases were 21 times greater.
#4. The costs of carrying out (i.e. incarceration and/or execution) a death
sentence were about half the costs of carrying out a non-death sentence
in a comparable case.
#5. Trials involving a death sentence averaged 34 days, including jury selection; non-death trials averaged about 9 days.”
You will also see on this site the imperfections of our Justice System where the innocent were sent to Death Row, and sadly, some weren’t exonerated until after they were executed. Since 1973, 117 people were mistakenly convicted where either their charges were dismissed, they were pardoned, or they were acquitted.
“Average number of years between being sentenced to death and exoneration: 9.025 years
Number of cases wherein DNA played a substantial factor in establishing innocence: 14″
Read up on the Recent Death Row Developments and don’t forget to take the Death Row Quiz. Enjoy!
“Two jury members were kicked off, the foreman was ousted, and the case was nearly deadlocked. Now jurors in the Scott Peterson case tell the story of their decision to sentence him to death.”
Although I have my doubts about the death penalty in this case, I agree with the guilty verdict, and I applaud this jury and want to thank them. Justice has been served! The right man is where he belongs!
The Robert Blake Case File:
Here you’ll find links to an assortment of documents related to the Robert Blake murder case. Los Angeles prosecutors have charged the 68-year-old actor with the May 2001 shooting death of wife Bonny Lee Bakley. Earle Caldwell, Blake’s bodyguard, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
Who Shot Bonnie Lee Bakley? This article goes over the entire story, however, if you look at the bibliography, some of the sources stem from the tabloids.
What the Judge Denied
Perhaps tidbits of this will be allowed into evidence later, but if you read through this document and assume everything is true, Robert Blake is a free man. I highly recommend this read.
Court TV Extra!
This is a great place to go to catch the lastest on any trial, including the Blake trial live. I still haven’t finished watching the opening statements yet, so every once in a while I go to this site to continue watching it.
I would be the perfect juror in this case as for one, this case bears no weight on my emotions, and two, I still have yet to form an opinion on Robert Blake’s guilt or innocense. I’m waiting to hear more evidence before I make up my mind. I do have to say though, from watching the preliminary hearing, the state’s witnesses are a royal joke! They made total fools out of themselves which only makes me wonder if they’ll do it again once they take the stand.
I’m curious of what everyone else is thinking about this case. Any opinions?
This site has it all. Everything even including Scott Peterson’s youth photo album, interviews, affairs, witness information, Laci’s friends, Laci’s photo album, videos, personal tributes, related stories to Amber Frey, and updated TRIAL NEWS. If you are keeping track of the Peterson Trial, you’ll find this site to have the most information and to be also very interesting.
This is something unfortunate. And this is something that I’ve always known to be true, but when I actually saw this in writing, I shook my head. This is truer that true.
After those who have lost their lives to a murderer, a genocide, war, and natural disasters, isn’t it true that in many cases especially if it’s high profile, that we find a book written about it? I guess I’m just getting tired of all those criticizing Amber Frey for having written a book on her experience and her involvement in the Scott Peterson trial. I’m wondering why she is being singled out here.
Have we forgotten about Michael Fleeman, the author of five books based on True Crime stories – one of which is written about the murder of Laci Peterson?
What about the publishers of all these books? Shouldn’t they too be among the “guilty” of those financially gaining off of the death of others?
I bet you all forgot about Aphrodite Jones as well. She is a True Crime author.
“The first step to fighting crime is to try to understand it. In my books, I provide a psychological profile that will allow us to get inside the minds of the killers and analyze the victims upon which they prey. I ask my audience to read between the lines, to examine the statements of killers, cops, lawyers, and victims, so they might better recognize the warning signs that can lead to needless brutality.”
Remember Michael Peterson? He murdered his wife too, and Aphrodite Jones covered his trial and conviction in the book, “A Perfect Husband”. And as we speak, this woman is writing a book that covers the entire Scott Peterson trial. It should be out soon.
Now, here we have twenty-six pages of True Crime Story authors and their books! And you and I both know that there’s more out there that are not covered on this site!
Shall we say another one with blood on her hands to be the famous Ann Rule?
Ann Rule
“Ann Rule is regarded by many as the foremost true crime writer in America, and the author responsible for the genre as it exists today. She came to her career with a solid background in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Both her grandfather and her uncle were Michigan sheriffs, her cousin was a Prosecuting Attorney and another uncle was the Medical Examiner. Raised in that environment, she grew up wanting to work in law enforcement herself. She is a former Seattle Policewoman, former caseworker for the Washington State Department of Public Assistance, former student intern at the Oregon State Training School for Girls.
Ann has been a full-time true crime writer since 1969. Over the past 30 years, she has published 20 books and 1400 articles, mostly on criminal cases.
Ann’s books deal with three areas: the victims’ stories; the detectives and prosecutors and how they solve their cases with old fashioned police work and modern forensic science, and the killers lives. She tries to
go back to the killers’ early childhood, and even back into their family histories to find some of the genesis of their behavior. She spends many months researching her books, beginning with the trial and with many subsequent visits to the locale where the crimes occurred. Once she has finished her research, she returns to her office to write her books.
Ann is active in support groups for victims of violent crimes and their families, in the Y.W.C.A.’s program to help battered and abused women, and in Childhelp and Childhaven, support groups for children.
Ann’s hobbies often take a backseat to her writing, but she has many interests. She loves animals and has two dogs and five cats at last count. She loves to garden, and collects “way too many things,” including: antique bottles and pill boxes, miniature cars, cobalt blue glass, police
paraphernalia, wind chimes, and teddy bears. She is still working on her dollhouse, a rather unusual one–a house of ill repute. She tries to walk two or three miles every morning before she starts writing, and loves to beach comb and go to second-hand stores.”
The amount of books published just on Amazon.com alone under the category, TRUE CRIME is never ending – page after page! These books wouldn’t be out there if people didn’t like to read them. Should the readers be just as “guilty” for contributing and encouraging all these “greedy and insensitive” authors?
And this is not even the tip of the iceberg!
Remember the Holocaust? How many died? There’s a lot of debate regarding how
many Jewish people died during this tragedy. Everybody gives a different number all the way from 74,000 deaths to 8 million according to the author of this website.
We all know how much printed material and films came out of this genocide. And I don’t want to hear that books were published and movies were made for educational purposes. While that is true, why wouldn’t a book written about Laci Peterson be educational? If anything, couldn’t women get something out of it? Why belittle her death and write it off as a book for “fun”, but a book on the Holocaust — an educational read? What? That doesn’t make any sense!
Full Metal Jacket
More than 38 million people died in WWII. I would be here all day long just covering all the books and movies released following this war. Not just this war, but what about all the other wars in history. What about all the books and movies made as a result of them? I saw the movie, “Saving Private Ryan” and “Full Metal Jacket”. Does that make me a supporter of those who make “profit off dead people”? Am I just as bad as Amber Frey?
And last but not least, from watching CNN tonight, I discovered a book that just came out “intended to educate American people”on Al Qaida. More blood money?
And, surely enough, we can’t forget the infamous….
I wonder if you get my point now? Several people dead; several people made money. Everything is education whether it be attributed to the death of millions or just one person. That’s why we watch the news. Information is knowledge. While there are many sickos out there who “get off” on reading about the gruesome details and viewing graphic pictures of those who died in the hands of a murderer, I’d like to believe that most of us don’t.
Just wait until the books and movies start coming out about the recent Earthquake/Tsunami disaster in Asia….
With that being said, can we try to cut a little slack for Ms Frey?
Hello all, and welcome!
In my blog, I discuss Americanophobia, politics, political extremism (my rantings about the extreme right and the extreme left), anthropology, crime news, psychology, LOTS of humor, and try to debunk common rumors spread about the American people. The variety of topics I discuss are in 360 posts ... Continue reading »
“There is a big difference between being anti-American and being critical of the United States….critiques are appropriate and necessary, provided that they rest on facts and address real abuses, real errors and real excesses–without deliberately losing sight of America’s wise decisions, beneficient interventions and salutary policies. But critiques of this kind–balanced, fair and well-rounded–are hard to find, except in America herself…” — Jean-Francois Revel
"The fundamental role of anti-Americanism in Europe in general, and particularly among those on the Left, is to absolve themselves of their own moral failings and intellectual errors by heaping them onto the monster scapegoat, the United States of America. The U.S. is charged with all the evils, real or imagined, that afflict humanity, from the falling price of beef in France to AIDS in Africa and global warming everywhere. The result is a widespread refusal to accept responsibility for one's own actions." — Jean-Francois Revel
"Anti-Americanism is hypocrisy at its finest, You can spend your evening catching the latest episode of "24" and then complain about Guantanamo the next morning." --the Berlin bureau chief of Der Spiegel
"Of course some Americans are stupid, but... "It all boils down to the fact that knowledge and intelligence are two different issues. Rote memorization of world capitals does not equate intelligence.
I do find it interesting that Canadians and Europeans have such strong opinions on this, considering that there are many more pressing issues to be concerned about. Perhaps the steady Canadian and European refrain of "Americans are stupid" is a reflection of their own deep-rooted insecurity. You know -- an inferiority complex." --Mohammed
"As an American, please allow me to begin by asserting that our nation has had its strengths and its weaknesses, its successes and its failures, and its justices and injustices throughout history and continuing into the present. Although I sense much patriotism for my homeland, I recognize our need for humility to understand that our country is not above questioning or reproach but is rather under the same standards as all other nations of the world. I would simply like to ask those who view our country from afar to maintain a balanced perspective and realize too that there exists good and bad in America, both in terms of its domestic society and politics as well as in its relations with other nations.
Whilst there may be growing anti-Americanism in the United Kingdom I do not believe such sentiment to be reciprocated on our side of the Atlantic. I viewed a recent survey that indicated most Americans view England positively, and never have I seen the flag of your country (or any other foreign land, for that matter) burned in the streets of our cities. Clearly we as American citizens have not meant to be your enemies." --Seth
"As someone who takes human rights seriously, I'm appalled by the lack of sympathy the left feels toward the victims of any regime other than the Bush administration. Let's shout it to prisoners everywhere: If you're not harmed by an American, your suffering doesn't count." --Erik Svane
"Ambivalence, antipathy, and resentment toward and about the United States have comprised an important component of European culture since the American Revolution at the latest, thus way before America became the world's 'Mr. Big' -- the proverbial eight-hundred-pound gorilla -- and a credible rival to Europe's main powers, particularly Britain and France . . . . While the politics, style, and discourse of the Bush administration -- and of George W. Bush as a person -- have undoubtedly exacerbated anti-American sentiment among Europeans and fostered a heretofore unmatched degree of unity between elite and mass opinion in Europe, they are not anti-Americanism's cause. Indeed, a change to a center-left administration in Washington, led by a Democratic president, would not bring about its abatement, let alone disappearance." --Andrei S. Markovits (author of Uncouth Nation - Why Europe Dislikes America)
"Is Euro Disney Land a threat to the French Culture? If French culture can be squashed by Mickey Mouse, or more exactly by simply moving Mickey geographically, it would have to be disturbingly fragile." Moreover, Revel argued, culture always circulates and, in the case of Euro Disneyland, California was merely repackaging for Europeans such European stories as Cinderella and Pinocchio. According to Revel, French culture was not being colonized and if any culture was in crisis, he contended, it was that of America with its fad for political correctness and other forms of "neoprovincialism." --Jean-François Revel
"Anti-Americanism is the only face of xenophobia still broadly accepted in Europe." --Mary Fitzgerald (New Statesman)
"Americans find themselves damned either way. If they remain within their own borders, they are isolationist hicks who are shirking their responsibilities. If they intervene, they are rapacious imperialists." --To hate America is to hate mankind
"The British find it very difficult to come to terms with the loss of their global dominance. We felt a deep sense of hurt and loss. We used to run the world, and we don’t anymore. So, in order to palliate that insecurity, we tend to run ourselves down too much. And we’re also snooty about the people who DO run the world." -- Boris Johnson (Member of Parliament)
"It is tragic that Anti-American ideas are so easily passed through rumour, while reconciliatory ideas and notions must be backed up with catalogues of evidence before they are even considered, purely because of the fact that it is so much easier to hate than to keep an objective open mind." --David Hatton
"Other common anti-American objections are ignorance and stupidity. In dealing with these two, I have no reason to suspect that the average American is any less intelligent than the average person from anywhere else. One trait I have noticed is that other cultures are generally much more ashamed of any deficit in the intellect of the individual, especially ours (the British), and as such will make a much greater attempt to hide it. If all cultures bar one are scared of looking stupid and take action to prevent that happening, then that one remaining culture is inevitably going to be lumbered with that image." --David Hatton
"We became not a melting pot, but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams." --Jimmy Carter
"Most of the anti-Americanism these days stems from plain old nationalistic jealousy by a lot of countries that are born of insecurity about their own place in the world and their painful self awareness of their own failings and shortcomings...like the kids in the next block who are jealous of the boy who has a better bicycle or a newer fancier skateboard....phuque 'em all." --Robbins Mitchell
"Europeans, like the rest of the world, hate America and Americans, but love our aid when in distress, and our soldiers to die for THEIR COUNTRIES. You need to work, live and pay taxes from this side of the Atlantic to understand our vision of Europe and the rest of the world." --Jerry
"Unjustified hatred of Americans:
There is much unjustified hatred in the world. There is unjustified hatred of the USA. Much of this arises from the victimisation complex that sweeps much of mankind. Whoever is in charge, whoever is powerful or successful will also be hated. This immature hatred often evaporates quickly with a little reason or thought. There are some some invalid, unjustified criticisms. The most widespread hate is the hate by people the world over who fall victim to their own shortcomings, and want a scapegoat." --Vexen Crabtree
"USA citizens are not given world news in the same way as most the other developed nations, and may well be genuinely unaware that much of the world is as poor as it is. European news is highly world-centric, whereas due to its size most USA news does not have enough time to cover news in all neighbouring states, let alone news from around the world. " --Vexen Crabtree
"Despite the USA's dominance of mass media, it is frequently only the pro-USA, self-congratulatory messages that seem to arrive in Europe, the USA citizens criticism and disbelief of their own government is not apparent, which gives the overall impression that Americans are either gullible, ignorant or honestly uncaring." --Vexen Crabtree
"If a person outside of American culture is a hateful person, they may actively hate and verbally attack America. If the person takes this to include a hatred of Americans themselves, they are inconsiderate and have become a fool. If a person like this is brought up by people with vested interests in attacking America (and there are many), a person can be driven to take his opinions to a violent level. Generic hatred is not solved or soothed by adding more layers of hatred.
There is a belief and hope that if enough nations oppose America, the American people will realize what their government has been doing and will overthrow them. This hope is misguided, as anti-American actions are causing the opposite"--Vexen Crabtree
"I think it is best, when faced with people from other nations, to treat them as individuals. Yes, you can "hate" the injustices that governments perpetuate on us all, and yes, you can despise ignorance in all its' forms. But any sort of blanket prejudice punishes yourself more than anyone else, because it thwarts the opportunity to learn from someone else. It stops you from making potential connections that could ultimately change your life. As an "american" living abroad, I pity my fellow countrymen who still have the wool over their eyes, but I don't hate them. The fact that when I meet them, they are indeed traveling at the time, says to me that they are in the process of opening their minds. Being in Europe, for many Americans, is the first step to realizing that other cultures do indeed exist and thrive, and that other forms of social structures are both possible and desireable.
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Many ask me why I left. Political reasons aside, when I mention that my family now enjoys free health-care and that my daughter will have the opportunity to go to university virtually for free (O.K. not free exactly, because we all pay taxes, but these services are included in what we as citizens receive for our tax dollars here in Europe,) they always respond with a sigh as they realize that this is the way all societies should be run. They know that something has gone terribly afoul in their beloved "homeland."
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Americans, in essence, need to be re-taught what is possible in the world, they do not need to be shunned. Shunning them will only help to produce more negativity in the world. If we all, from without, can help them to change what is wrong with their country from within, by sharing our knowledge of alternatives, then the whole world will benefit." --Lily
"Sometimes the caliber of a nation is found not in why it is liked, but rather in why it is not." --Victor Davis Hanson
"Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage." --Winston Churchill
"With a military that has become a laughing stock and her increasing irrelevance in the world around her, I believe that the Canada I know and loved is gone. The sad truth is, Canadians have only themselves to blame since they meekly chose to accept everything without question and without fighting back. Most of them even pat themselves on the back for being so “progressive” and “multicultural” and “diverse,” while failing to recognize that all of those things will bring about Canada’s demise. America may not be perfect, but at least there is a strong conservative movement and a population who will fight to keep their rights." --Jayne Gardener (Why I left Canada)
"Regarding Race Relations in the South:
I once read an observation that ONE (and there are many) of the differences between the Northern and Southern approach to race is that the North tends to reject the Individual while embracing the Race. The South conversely seems to have prejudice towards the other Race while embracing the Individuals. It's a generalization to be sure but one with more than a grain of truth.
Blacks and Whites have always lived closely in the South, most southerners have an aquantince of another race whom they like, while at the same time generalizing about the 'others'.
The North has always been more segregated and less mixed in ordinary commerce and interaction. They accept the race but interact with few individuals of another group. Leading to less real experience with the other group. Fewer Northerners subsequently have friends of a different race.
I think we a need to be cautious when making these generalizations but I believe they still offer food for comment.
I guess I'm just saying that one shouldn't assume the South has a less open society because of some who have lingering, isolated, racist attitudes towards 'Canadians'. It just seems that these notions, are more exposed, and carry more gravity due to their past. --JG (reply #70)
"My “two cents” to all you Americans out there: speaking as a Brit, it pains me to see some of the comments emanating from this page by alleged British sophisticates. Much of the real reason for anti-Americanism of this type — though it will be hotly denied — is nothing more than envy. Truth be told, many an Englishman yearns for the day when we were the number one dog in town, with the world sitting obediently at the feet of hordes of short-back-and sides public school boys lording it over primitive tribes of Africans and Asians, whilst men such as Joseph Chamberlain and Winston Churchill sincerely speculated on the chances of the USA being welcomed back into the imperial bosom.
Americans, don't lose heart; you are the great power of the age. It is your lot to be envied and feared. Do not fall for the soft hearted illusion that this translates into moral superiority of any variety." --James
"It is sick that to be Canadian one must hate other people. I've been to US hundreds of times and England as well and they never equate their nationality with hatred of others. It seems we are a nation of people that are in serious need of therapy. Thank god I enjoy visiting other countries and felt no need to hate or denigrate others. When ever I go to United States or England I always leave the Canadian stuff at home and I get along just fine. I would recommend this for others." --Nov. 12th, 2005 5:08PM
"The only thing more annoying that a 'typical American' (and they do exist!) is a Canadian with a superiority complex! Americans do get the piss ripped out of them behind their backs but with the flag on your pack you probably will as well." --travoholic
"I grew up on army bases my whole life and nothing makes me prouder than watching Canadian soldiers do what they can, when they can, to help out more impoverished nations. I do, however, become angered at people who begin talking about who has the better, or bigger army and who can beat whom. Soldiers sacrifice their lives for the betterment of mankind, not to win pissing contests." --Mon Dec 13, 2004 5:12 pm
"I attribute European anti-Americanism to a state of prolonged “adolescence” from being protected by American treasure and military might throughout the post-WW2 era. I think about how teenagers rail against their parents actions and restrictions, all the while knowing, deep down, that they cannot provide for themselves.
On a somewhat lighter note, there was a program on PBS (Public Broadcasting System) a while back about why Europeans don’t like America. One interviewee attributed it to the Europeans knowing that America won’t hurt them." --Denis Eugene Sullivan
"In spite of the constant accusations of “arrogance,” Americans are really very self-deprecating in many ways and often place the French, and other Western Europeans, on a pedestal of cultural superiority; this probably goes further back into world history than virulent anti-Americanism does." --Jennifer
"Yes, anti-Americanism is a sad reality all over the world. I feel its simply part of "hatred of the superpower". Britian for most of its empire's history was mocked harshly by English speaking colonies and much of mainland Europe. Nobody likes the "big kid on the block". I think the fact that American media plays a more dominant role in English speaking societies around the world further reminds us of our inferiority complexes.
In short, America's ok with me. I can only hope that reason and the shedding of jealous ignorance can let other people see that America isn't that bad." --Matt
"Conservatives love America the way a six year old loves his mother. Mommy is perfect, don’t be mean to mommy, etc… Liberals, according to me, have a grown-up love for America — the kind that recognizes faults and works to improve the nation out of love." --Al Franken
We can have a nice conversation while bickering about the Bush administration over delicious Tequila Shots. 
), but it doesn’t help that the Blacks fought back very violently (and justifiably so!). Has not anyone ever heard the term, “violence begets more violence”? It doesn’t matter who’s the perpetrator or who’s the victim. Violence simply begets more violence. Now, whites beat/kill each other up, blacks beat/kill each other up and so on. Many countries (both past and present) have been guilty of keeping slaves (both black, white, and other races). And Americans held on to slaves the longest.
I think she’d feel very comfortable over here in the US as we harbor the most mentally ill people in the civilized world, so she’d feel right at home. Welcome, drunk Blondie! 
She should have gone one step further and just gave her address out publicly considering how “open to visitors” she is. One question, though: Do Canadians lock their door when they have sex? Hmm… OK, I know I’m getting hammy here, but if you had watched the film, you’d see what I mean. We UHHMERICANS are considered 
WE CAN SEE VERY CLEARLY THAT WHITE PEOPLE COMMIT CRIMES TOO! WHITE CRIMES, BLACK CRIMES, BROWN CRIMES, YELLOW CRIMES, PURPLE CRIMES, GREEN CRIMES, AND ORANGE CRIMES ARE ALL REPORTED E-Q-U-A-L-L-Y! But you clowns wouldn’t know that unless you lived over here! Or are living here with your eyes OPEN and not living in grandma’s basement.
The offending site was finally taken down after all my complaints to Google Adsense!
was her refusal to participate in rehabilitation programs. The Toronto Star reported on Jan. 19, 2003, that “Commissioners noted she had not yet started therapy for her role as a sexual aggressor and showed little interest in other rehabilitation programs.” Adding to the scandal, the Toronto Sun published photos it bought from Homolka’s former lesbian lover when the two women were housed in a prison in Quebec.
aby the liberal, blog trolls, captain alexandr vasilevski, captain sasha, captain v, comedy, cowardly europeans, criminals, european crimes, eurotrash, euroweenies, forgery, forging my name on a comment, funny, hilarious, indian anti-americanism, juan mcdaniel, right-wing euronationalists, the internationalist, trolls, www.abytheliberal.com
Aby & Captain V Sasha “the Liberals – the Internationalists” Commit Forgery!
In Americanophobia, Blame Europe, Human Waste, Humor, The Crime Library, Troll Droppings and Responses on December 4, 2008 at 3:34 PMA Right-wing Indian fringe group that finds my blog very offensive decided to forge my name on a comment that I didn’t make as revenge for posting their hate mail publicly on my blog, I am guessing. Some phrases were made by me in this post. The authors of the offending blog decided to copy and paste some of my words (out of order) and mix them up with someone else’s combined with some Valley-girl lingo.
Here’s the finished product. (Click the below to get to the source.)
If these Americanophobic teeny-boppers have to commit forgery to prove that Americans are dumb, … that indeed is a compliment to Americans!
I had to laugh at the ending, though, as Zontar had posted that in his comment reacting to the hate mail that I had received.
They have access to a thesaurus and a keyboard. What a feat!!!!
Who cannot laugh at the silliness of all this?
UPDATE:
The latest from Aby the “Liberal” and co.:
Once again, quoting things that I did not say. It’s not really that HUGE of a deal as those people that already know me know that I don’t talk like that. And people who don’t know me? Bring it on! They can just come here and read my site to find out for themselves.
Still laughing at the silliness!
UPDATE 2!
If that wasn’t hilarious enough, I took a screen shot of her commenting back to herself!
(Click below to access the source)
UPDATE 3!
Here is Aby’s latest instalment in her “testimonials” area of her blog (which is updated depending on her mood):
(Click below to access the source.)
If amusing people means challenging back with facts, then yeah… my blog is one hellavan amusement park. And will continue to be that way.
UPDATE 4!
Yet, another desperado instalment from my good ole friends next door – except this time, they’ve dragged their criminal acts of forgery to an online message board dedicated to ME! I am so a celeb!!!!!!!!!
Click the screen shot below to access the source.
In case you’re confused, Aby’s “partner in crime” goes under the following names:
- Captain Sasha
- Sasha
- Captain V
- Juan McDaniel
- Captain (Dr.) Alexandr Vasilevski
- Karmen
- Amy
- Bridgette
and god knows what else.
I’ve met a lot of cooky Americanophobes in my time, but Juan McDaniel undoubtfully gets to wear the crown!