Reflections on Hate

July 2008 CCPM Newsletter:

This man’s actions [ed. note: Jim Adkisson] – and the deaths of two innocent victims – are the result of a culture of hatred, of division, of hyper-partisanship, of polarization – that is eating away at our society. Those of us who go to our peace vigils on Saturdays have seen this kind of hatred expressed against us for months now in curses, names, rants, lies, and everything hateful you can imagine. It only gets nastier, angrier, and more hateful as time goes on. A huge problem and result of this kind of behavior is that right-wing hate groups spread their venom, enabling and encouraging troubled souls like this man to engage in extreme actions that they might not otherwise have considered.

I am not willing to absolve Jim Adkisson of personal responsibility for what he did. There was more going on with his pysche than a ‘hatred for liberals’. Individuals that harbor pathological anger lash out and kill Amish school children, Virginia Tech students, and Columbine students. The killing is indiscriminate – Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Aethiests, UU’s, conservatives, liberals, democrat and republican – we are all in the cross-hairs of this pathological hate.

What potential enable individuals to violently act out? One needs to look no further than the ‘dialog’ publicly expressed by the Chester County Peace Movement. A peace movement that even Smedley Butler would have agreed is a ‘racket’

It is easy to discern the seeds of similar violent, divisive behavior being spoon fed via newsletters to a willing audience of the Chester County Peace Movement. A recent newsletter is quick to point blame at ‘right wing hate groups’ as being culpable for the murderous actions of this deranged man. What is the fruit of months upon months of constant demonization of the Victory Movement by the director of the CCPM? It culminated in a peace protester attacking a woman and and assaulting a police officer. Instead of this horrific incident being a reality check for the peace group, the leadership condoned the actions of two members that day and continues to stir discord and hatred towards the Victory Movement. The hatred rippling underneath the surface of the peace group revealed itself last week in an impromptu chant – “we hate Bush” directed to the membership of the Victory Movement.

In the July newsletter, it is chilling to realize that the director has given her membership another excuse and a potential role model for more violence directed at the Victory Movement.

How could a peace group advocate hatred? I’ll let the Chester County Peace Movement speak for itself regarding hate and violence:

October 14, 2007 – CCPM Newsletter:

The “Christian right” is on a campaign that is every bit as dangerous as the “jihad” that some characterize extremist Muslims as engaging in. Remember, people who have “God is on their side” will stop at nothing and truly believe that the ends justify the means – they can rationalize everything they do.

The word, “jack-booted” has been in my mind ever since these people first appeared. It means this: Cruelly and violently oppressive: “a revival of the aggressive, jack-booted militarism of the Thirties and Forties”.

These people were trained by someone in vicious taunting, in vile language, in cruel tactics. They are dogs on chains. My guess is that at least a couple of them – if, in fact they were ever in the military, and we cannot even believe that – have been trained in the military or elsewhere (Blackwater-type organizations?) in the most vile interrogation tactics.

March 22, 2008 John Meicht, CCPM assaults a woman and police officer.

March 22, 2008 CCPM Newsletter – Director defends assailant:

The vigiler who was at the center of all this apologized to us as he was released at the station. I told him, and I say this to you all – HE OWES US NO APOLOGY. Everyone has a breaking point. We are human……Angry. Bent out of shape. Shaking with rage. WE ALL LOSE IT – and an apology’s fine, but this vigiler has nothing to apologize for to any of us…..The “counterprotestor” group (for lack of another polite term) owes every one of us an apology.

April 14, 2008 CCPM Newsletter:

Every one of these three is firmly anti-war, and all say that the Victory folks do not speak for them at all…… each one of these wonderful vets does not join us on Saturdays at peace vigils because they feel they would not be very peaceful towards the “we support the troops” people. Blood would flow…they stay away.

Letter to Editor – Daily Local News – April, 2008

He must also agree with comedian Rush Limbaugh, who is dreaming of violence at the Democratic convention this summer! What a great country these two envision for our children! Just shoot it out! Kill, kill, kill! Blood, blood, blood!

That “young girl” has shoved her camera in my face many times — I was fortunately able to suppress all my own urges to push it out of my face. That “young girl” has taunted me relentlessly for six months, and I suggest Mr. Kurth read some of that “young girl’s” hateful blogs.

A peace movement that is unwilling to see ther own culpability in our ‘culture of hatred, of division, of hyperpartisanship’ that lead individuals to acts of violence has the blood of the UU victims on their hands.

Reflections on Hate

July 2008 CCPM Newsletter:

This man’s actions [ed. note: Jim Adkisson] – and the deaths of two innocent victims – are the result of a culture of hatred, of division, of hyper-partisanship, of polarization – that is eating away at our society. Those of us who go to our peace vigils on Saturdays have seen this kind of hatred expressed against us for months now in curses, names, rants, lies, and everything hateful you can imagine. It only gets nastier, angrier, and more hateful as time goes on. A huge problem and result of this kind of behavior is that right-wing hate groups spread their venom, enabling and encouraging troubled souls like this man to engage in extreme actions that they might not otherwise have considered.

I am not willing to absolve Jim Adkisson of personal responsibility for what he did. There was more going on with his pysche than a ‘hatred for liberals’. Individuals that harbor pathological anger lash out and kill Amish school children, Virginia Tech students, and Columbine students. The killing is indiscriminate – Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Aethiests, UU’s, conservatives, liberals, democrat and republican – we are all in the cross-hairs of this pathological hate.

What potential enable individuals to violently act out? One needs to look no further than the ‘dialog’ publicly expressed by the Chester County Peace Movement. A peace movement that even Smedley Butler would have agreed is a ‘racket’

It is easy to discern the seeds of similar violent, divisive behavior being spoon fed via newsletters to a willing audience of the Chester County Peace Movement. A recent newsletter is quick to point blame at ‘right wing hate groups’ as being culpable for the murderous actions of this deranged man. What is the fruit of months upon months of constant demonization of the Victory Movement by the director of the CCPM? It culminated in a peace protester attacking a woman and and assaulting a police officer. Instead of this horrific incident being a reality check for the peace group, the leadership condoned the actions of two members that day and continues to stir discord and hatred towards the Victory Movement. The hatred rippling underneath the surface of the peace group revealed itself last week in an impromptu chant – “we hate Bush” directed to the membership of the Victory Movement.

In the July newsletter, it is chilling to realize that the director has given her membership another excuse and a potential role model for more violence directed at the Victory Movement.

How could a peace group advocate hatred? I’ll let the Chester County Peace Movement speak for itself regarding hate and violence:

October 14, 2007 – CCPM Newsletter:

The “Christian right” is on a campaign that is every bit as dangerous as the “jihad” that some characterize extremist Muslims as engaging in. Remember, people who have “God is on their side” will stop at nothing and truly believe that the ends justify the means – they can rationalize everything they do.

The word, “jack-booted” has been in my mind ever since these people first appeared. It means this: Cruelly and violently oppressive: “a revival of the aggressive, jack-booted militarism of the Thirties and Forties”.

These people were trained by someone in vicious taunting, in vile language, in cruel tactics. They are dogs on chains. My guess is that at least a couple of them – if, in fact they were ever in the military, and we cannot even believe that – have been trained in the military or elsewhere (Blackwater-type organizations?) in the most vile interrogation tactics.

March 22, 2008 John Meicht, CCPM assaults a woman and police officer.

March 22, 2008 CCPM Newsletter – Director defends assailant:

The vigiler who was at the center of all this apologized to us as he was released at the station. I told him, and I say this to you all – HE OWES US NO APOLOGY. Everyone has a breaking point. We are human……Angry. Bent out of shape. Shaking with rage. WE ALL LOSE IT – and an apology’s fine, but this vigiler has nothing to apologize for to any of us…..The “counterprotestor” group (for lack of another polite term) owes every one of us an apology.

April 14, 2008 CCPM Newsletter:

Every one of these three is firmly anti-war, and all say that the Victory folks do not speak for them at all…… each one of these wonderful vets does not join us on Saturdays at peace vigils because they feel they would not be very peaceful towards the “we support the troops” people. Blood would flow…they stay away.

Letter to Editor – Daily Local News – April, 2008

He must also agree with comedian Rush Limbaugh, who is dreaming of violence at the Democratic convention this summer! What a great country these two envision for our children! Just shoot it out! Kill, kill, kill! Blood, blood, blood!

That “young girl” has shoved her camera in my face many times — I was fortunately able to suppress all my own urges to push it out of my face. That “young girl” has taunted me relentlessly for six months, and I suggest Mr. Kurth read some of that “young girl’s” hateful blogs.

A peace movement that is unwilling to see ther own culpability in our ‘culture of hatred, of division, of hyperpartisanship’ that lead individuals to acts of violence has the blood of the UU victims on their hands.

NASA 50th Anniversary

50 Years today and still going strong! Here is to another 50 years!

NASA 50th Anniversary

NASA 50th Anniversary

50 Years today and still going strong! Here is to another 50 years!

NASA 50th Anniversary

The Big Tent Party evicts another Democrat

“I’m done. I will never support the Democrat Party again, not after how they treated me,” she said. “If you don’t drink the Kool-Aid, I guess you can’t be a Democrat.”

The Democrat Party of Wisconsin evicts a non-believer:

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s administrative committee voted unanimously this afternoon to strip a Racine County woman of her credentials as a Hillary Clinton delegate for the national convention, despite her pleas to keep her seat.

Following the vote, Debra Bartoshevich said in a phone call with WisPolitics the result was no surprise to her.

“This was all pre-planned, everyone came in with the notion that they weren’t going to listen to my argument,” she said.

DPW chair Joe Wineke said afterward that the outcome might have been different if Bartoshevich had admitted she’d made a mistake and added that she signed two different forms stating that she would support the party’s nominee in the fall election.

If she just confessed to being a heretic her position in the party would be spared. Yikes! Is this a retelling of the Inquisition or the real face of the Democrat Party?

Got ‘Cuil’?

Will Cuil Kill Google?

Cuil is different. You feel it the moment you load the site. Instead of the standard white background you find on Google, Yahoo!, and the inner frame of Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Live Search, Cuil’s backing is pitch black, as in Spinal Tap Smell the Glove “none more black” black. Unlike the growing number of options you find on established portals, all Cuil offers is the logo search box, above links to the site’s privacy statement and about page.

The info page details the origin of the name — Gaelic for “knowledge,” supposedly — and feature’s Cuil’s claim to have indexed three times as many pages as Google, and 10 times as many pages as Microsoft. Again, this won’t be the lone barometer of success, but it certainly will help Cuil win media coverage and tire-kicking interest.

Search results are also delivered in a unique way. Since the website currently features no sponsored ads, Cuil can offer up results in several columns. If you thought IAC’s (Nasdaq: IACI) Ask.com brought something new to the table when it introduced landing-page thumbnails, Cuil rearranges the entire tabletop.

The Big Tent Party evicts another Democrat

“I’m done. I will never support the Democrat Party again, not after how they treated me,” she said. “If you don’t drink the Kool-Aid, I guess you can’t be a Democrat.”

The Democrat Party of Wisconsin evicts a non-believer:

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s administrative committee voted unanimously this afternoon to strip a Racine County woman of her credentials as a Hillary Clinton delegate for the national convention, despite her pleas to keep her seat.

Following the vote, Debra Bartoshevich said in a phone call with WisPolitics the result was no surprise to her.

“This was all pre-planned, everyone came in with the notion that they weren’t going to listen to my argument,” she said.

DPW chair Joe Wineke said afterward that the outcome might have been different if Bartoshevich had admitted she’d made a mistake and added that she signed two different forms stating that she would support the party’s nominee in the fall election.

If she just confessed to being a heretic her position in the party would be spared. Yikes! Is this a retelling of the Inquisition or the real face of the Democrat Party?

Got ‘Cuil’?

Will Cuil Kill Google?

Cuil is different. You feel it the moment you load the site. Instead of the standard white background you find on Google, Yahoo!, and the inner frame of Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Live Search, Cuil’s backing is pitch black, as in Spinal Tap Smell the Glove “none more black” black. Unlike the growing number of options you find on established portals, all Cuil offers is the logo search box, above links to the site’s privacy statement and about page.

The info page details the origin of the name — Gaelic for “knowledge,” supposedly — and feature’s Cuil’s claim to have indexed three times as many pages as Google, and 10 times as many pages as Microsoft. Again, this won’t be the lone barometer of success, but it certainly will help Cuil win media coverage and tire-kicking interest.

Search results are also delivered in a unique way. Since the website currently features no sponsored ads, Cuil can offer up results in several columns. If you thought IAC’s (Nasdaq: IACI) Ask.com brought something new to the table when it introduced landing-page thumbnails, Cuil rearranges the entire tabletop.

63% of Americans Don’t Believe The Hype

Via Dan Spencer:

A new Rasmussen poll not surprisingly finds voters that served in the U.S. Military favor McCain over Obama.

Voters who have served in the U.S. military favor John McCain over Barack Obama by a 56% to 37% margin.

This polling indicates it would have been a waste of Obama’s time courting the troops in Landshtul. This election is more important to him than any American citizens in Germany.

Another Ramussen Poll indicates that the bounce Obama expected from his Euro/Iraq/Afghanistan trip really fell flat with the voting public. (200,000 German groupies not withstanding)

While Barack Obama has touted his travel to Afghanistan and Iraq as a “fact-finding” trip, 63% of Americans do not believe it makes the Democratic candidate any more qualified to be president.

A new Rasmussen Reports national survey, taken Monday night, also finds that less than a third (32%) think Obama will learn from his trip to Iraq. Forty percent (40%) say his mind is already made up about policies to deal with the war there. The democrat has been accused by liberals in his party of softening his long-standing opposition to the war in Iraq in an effort to appeal to more moderate voters.

Scratching the BSG Itch

For all my fellow BSG addicts who are impatiently waiting for the final episodes of BSG, you can scratch that itch at the San Diego Comic Con 2008. BSG, the only 4 season sci-fi show that is taking six years to air, has several writers and cast members appearing at this Con.

Galatica Sitrep is leading the coverage of this convention, which includes a link to a flickr photo stream where I may have discovered what TSO and Lilyea have been up to this weekend:

The Dudes

Of course, this may be pure speculation on my part with the costumes and such, however the likenesses are shockingly similar.