School Violence 1991

With all the renewed talk about doing something to stop school violence I decided to reach back to 1991.  Lo and behold Jim Palmer of the Montgomery Advertiser had drawn the above cartoon.  Of course this is from Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year : 1992 Edition. 

Aurora

So far the only class acts about Aurora, CO have come from Obama, Romney, and the NRA. As in they are offering condolences and prayers.

For the pond scum who have raced to clamber atop the still warm bodies of the victims to push their cause like Garibaldi waving his bloody shirt, I have one thing to say - "Have you no shame?"

Of course they don't. All things are politics first and always for them. They don't care who they hurt as long as they push their agenda. They are monsters in their own right.

Lets all take a moment to pray for the victims and families.  Go donate blood for your community and dedicate it to those in Aurora. CO.  Move forward in a positive way for all those affected.

Wisconsin Terror Update

Back on March 10th I wrote about threatening emails sent to Wisconsin senators. Emails that promised death to them and their families. Well a suspect is supposed to be arrested today in connection with those emails - Katherine R. Windels of Cross Plains.

The charges in their entirety can be found here. Police traced the originating IP address of the threatening emails to the street address of Karen and William Windels of 1906 Pats Place, Cross Plains, Dane County, WI. Police conducted interviews and discovered that 26year old Katherine was the sender of the emails. Ms. Windels is a teacher and recent graduate of the Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison.

Two of the charges against Ms. Windels are Class B and punishable with a $1,000 fine or 90 days in jail. The other two charges are Class A and punishable with a $10,000 fine or 3 years 6 months in jail if convicted.

There might be another charge that could be brought against Ms. Windels, that of identity theft. It seems the email account used by Ms. Windels to threaten those elected officials was registered in someone else's name - Lisa K. Patterson. Last year Madison police were called in when Ms. Windels started to harass Lisa Patterson. And to speculate a bit, Ms. Windels does not like Ms Patterson since the email address used to send the threatening emails was lessylisa @ gmail dot com. It seems lessy can mean lesbian. My what a tolerant and understanding ne rational person Ms. Windels is. NOT.

And now I am reminded of my post on two other hateful women that I called Daughters of Lillith. Why is that? Perhaps because all three were college educated? Or is it because Ms. Ainsworth worked with children just like Ms. Windels? While Ms. Tamini was only the driver for a suicide bomber that killed children. What really links Tamini, Ainsworth, and Windels is hatred it seems.

They Ran Towards The Gun

“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

That certainly applies to four people this weekend. When the shots rang out this Saturday in Tuscon, AZ they rose to the occasion and showed themselves to be heroic.

Daniel Hernandez Jr. is a 20yr old political science major who is working as an aide to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. When the shots rang out, he ran towards Gabby his friend. He ran towards the violence. He assisted the wounded before he reached Gabby. He made sure she would not suffocate on her own blood, tried to stem the bleeding, held her hand, and promised Gabby to call her family.

Then there is grandmother Patricia Maisch. She was in line to get her picture taken with Giffords when the shooting started. She dropped to ground seeking cover while the woman next in line was shot. And when the struggle to subdue Loughner came close to her, without prompting she acted. She grabbed one of the extra magazines and kept it out of Jared's grasp. Who knows how many more people would have died if she had not done that.

Roger Sulzebar was also waiting in line to meet with Giffords. When the gunfire erupted, he acted. He rushed the shooter though unarmed and Loughner had a Glock 9mm. He wrestled the shooter to the ground and tried to immobilize him.

Last but certainly not the least is Joseph Zimudie. He was in the Walgreens nearby purchasing cigarettes when shots erupted. He rushed out of the store and unsnapped his own gun. But he never fired the gun as he helped Sulzebar physically subdue Loughner long enough for police to arrive and take the shooter into custody.

As long as we have ordinary citizens who can do such heroic things in a split second, this country will always remain great. Let us keep the dead and wounded in our prayers along with all others who have been impacted by this tragedy.

Goats of Tuscon

The first goat of Tuscon is the gunman himself, Jared Loughner. After reading things Jared wrote or posted on Youtube, the conclusion became Jared was all over the political spectrum. That Jared is deeply disturbed. As time has passed since the attack, others who interacted with Jared thought he was dangerous even his math instructor at Pima Community College who had Jared kicked off campus because he was fearful Jared would bring a gun to class.

The second goat of Tuscon is Pima County Sheriff Dupnik. Giffords was still in danger of dieing and the crime scene was still being processed. But that did not stop Dupnik from standing atop the bloody bodies of six citizens, including a 9yr old girl, to push his political agenda. Did he have proof of his accusations? No, but he believed them to be true on national TV. Dupnik needs to be fired.

Third goat is a collective goat. From Paul Krugman of the New York Times to bloggers. They all rushed within an hour of the attack to pushing the libel and smear Sarah Palin and the Tea Party were to blame. They will hide behind Gabrielle Giffords father's comment moments after learning of the attack as their justification. But for a seasoned reporters of Krugman's caliber, Nobel Prize has to count for something besides a piece of paper, to assume one emotional outburst to be bedrock truth calls into question his professionalism.

That is all.

Where Shall We Find Her?

Come, with bows bent and with emptying of quivers,
Maiden most perfect! Lady of Light!
With a noise of winds and many rivers,
With a clamor of waters, and with might:
Bind on thy sandals, O Thou most fleet!
Over the splendor and speed of thy feet:
For the faint East quickens, and the wan West shivers,
Round the feet of the Day and the feet of the Night.
- ‘When The Hounds of Spring’, Atalanta of Calydon by Algernon Swinburne.

Yesterday a maiden who had just started to bloom was taken from our lives in an action most evil and violent. Christina-Taylor Green had been born on a most ill-omen day, that of September 11th, 2001; born into sorrow but by her birth promising great joy. From that day until yesterday it seemed she was fulfilling that promise. Being the only girl on her Little League team and playing second base, for it seems she had absorbed from her father and grandfather a passion for America’s game. Vowing to help the less fortunate to loving animals. From ballet to jazz, she did love. So much wonderful potential she did have, all stolen away from her family and loved ones by a madman with a sick cause.

Rest in peace Christina, in the loving arms of our Creator. And may His grace and peace fall upon all who were hurt deeply with your death. I wish the same blessings of grace and peace fall upon the others who were killed. May His healing and peace fall most specially on the wounded. Especially pray for Gabrielle Giffords and her family for she has a long road to recovery.

Nachrichten aus Deutschland

Decided to take a break from US news and happenings. The southern California plume is still a mystery. And Nancy Pelosi still thinks it wasn't Democrat policies that caused the route in the mid-terms. So here is a bit of international flavour.

Almost 100 US military families lost their possessions in Stuttgart, Germany. The storage facility where military household goods of families being transferred are kept caught fire on Nov. 2 and it took firefighters three days to put the blaze out. Luckily no lives were lost, but only now are families being notified of the loss and Family Assistance is swinging into action.

Pieces of artwork that the prudish Nazis found degenerate and thought lost have been found in Berlin. Archaeologists were excavating the area near Alexanderplatz before the new U5 metro line was built. They think the works of art fell into the basement when the building they were stored in was destroyed by fire during World War II. Berlin is laying claim to the art as an archaeological find and some commenter's are not buying the claim.

For an example of true degeneracy, now offer up examples of simple human greed. Two funds that were setup by Germany for Jewish survivors of the Holocaust/Shoah have fallen victim to fraudsters. A possible $42 million was defrauded from these funds. The false documents were submitted and processed by co-conspirators who worked for the Jewish Material Claims Against Germany agency which administers the funds. The FBI has been investigating this case since 2000 and people are now in custody.

And to prove Bush Derangement Syndrome can still be found in Europe. The former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder is claiming Bush lied in his new book about how the German backed out of a promise Bush said Schroder gave to him to support possible miiltary action against Iraq. It should be noted that Gerhard Schroder, once he was thrown out of office, promptly went to work for the Russian company Gazprom; a company that had previously cut off gas supplies to Germany during the winter. So his trustworthiness is suspect to say the least.

Kristallnacht

November 9, 1938 should be a date to remember. Today marks the 70th Anniversary of this horrific event.

It was this night that the thuggish and evil forces of Hitler's Third Reich rampaged through Germany and Austria shattering what little peace of mind Jews had left. Crystal Night refers to the next morning when shattered panes of glass lay across pavement symbolizing the vandalism and destruction visited upon the Jews, their homes, their businesses, and their synagogues.

Killings In The Family

I will admit the story out of Dallas is what planted the seeds for this post. Namely the brutal double murder of Sarah and Amina by their father. But I have held off on posting about it because all I thought I would do is push forward, again, the concept of Islam condoning such barbaric acts.

Mr. Said might try to hide behind the concept of honor killing is part of Islam and that his daughters shamed him by daring to date without his permission, but a typical American father is not going to kill their daughters for dating someone they do not approve of. If this held true every time there was such disapproval, then there would be graveyards full of dead teenagers.

Then there is the horrible case out of Alabama of Lam Luong, age 37. After an argument with his 23 year old wife, he takes their four children – he first took two and then came back for the other two, all under the age of 3 and apparently threw them all off a bridge in Bayou La Batre. Luong is now in custody facing four counts of murder as authorities try to locate the bodies even as he now claims he confessed to killing the children to stop the police from interrogating him.

Then ABC News puts together a pretty decent article on parents killing their children in the United States. They call the act familicide. They mention the Luong case plus Benoit killing his son and wife before killing himself. But they lead off with the horrific case of Banita Jacks in Washington D.C. When police entered the house, they found the bodies of four girls ranging in age from 5 to 17. Ms. Jacks, 33, claims all of them were possessed by demons and had died in their sleep. Naturally she is charged with four counts of murder even as police try to ascertain cause of death and whether all four were Ms. Jacks’ children.

I think ABC in this case comes closer to the truth than many bloggers who are screaming about honor killing. Does Islam need to be more forceful in stamping out the mistaken assumption the religion condones such acts? Yes it does need to be more forceful with this, perhaps one of those Saudi clerics issuing fatwas over goats can break away to issue a serious fatwa instead condemning these acts. Thus stripping away from Mr. Said the tissue-thin lie he clutches close to his heart to justify his evil killing of his own daughters.

In all three cases, the suspects need to be hauled before the American legal system and the charges against them heard by a jury of peers. If the evidence is there and it looks like it is, then that jury should find all three guilty and all three to suffer the punishment for killing their children so they can be sent to a Higher Authority for a more competent judgement.

Postscript: After I finished writing this post I looked at the links contained on the ABC News article and I am totally shocked and appalled at this story. Lawrence Douglas Harris Sr is being held in the murders of his two step-daughters. Firefighters and police responded to calls of a house on fire. Once the flames were put out, they found upstairs the bodies of 10 year old Kendra and her 8 year old sister Alysha. Both had been strangled and stabbed. As the mother grieves for her daughters and the girls' extended family struggle with their own grief, the explanation that is offered is incredible. Apparently the little girls were killed because Mr. Harris Sr had mis-cast a spell. You heard me right, a spell gone wrong and two beautiful little girls are dead. And this happened in Sioux City Iowa. My heart goes out to all the families in all these tragedies.

We Are All VT Alumni

Cartoon by Gary Varvel. - added 10:58pm.

I am shocked and very saddened by the tragic events in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Thirty two people with so much of their lives to live have had those lives tragically cut short. The depraved person whom authorities think is the sole perpetrator of these evil acts has committed suicide and is facing higher justice.

This is not the time to second guess and finger point. To run wildly at the mouth speculating with nothing to support it. I could be a complete prat and spout off things but I shall not, not on this day.

There are many families who are still wondering if their children or brothers or sisters or cousins or even parents are among the fallen. Then there are the friends who are wondering who among them are dead.

Lets keep all of them in our prayers and let them know they are not alone.