I think it’s one of the dumbest things ever. But I think that of a lot of fads and fashions as well.
Of Feet And Knees
Thoughts from Sarah Hoyt on the “elites”‘ timorousness in defending Pamela Geller. This is the post from Ace that she’s referencing.
As I’ve watched person after person “distance” themselves from Pamela Geller, a disgraceful and bizarre idea, because, let’s make this very clear: she had a contest for people to draw Mohammed in vile ways; two people tried to shoot her and everyone in there.
Let’s repeat that in case you don’t get it: lines on paper, which no one who potentially could be offended by it needed to see were responded to with an attempt at killing her.
If you don’t think that’s bizarre, substitute the contest to draw Mohammed with a contest to draw Christ in the most vile way possible [we already have that. It’s called the NEA-ed.] Imagine that two armed people showed up to shoot you for it. How many people who did the ritual “Geller made the poor Muslims do it” all over the media, including Fox News, would do the same? One? None?
Of course, Christians don’t do that. At most they would show up at pray at you. And THAT would be considered hateful and closed minded, and people would talk about being intimidated going into the art show [Every time another show comes up with a way to insult Christians this script plays out.] And then the police would show up to keep them separated, just like outside Planned Parenthood, the people who pray the rosary at you have to keep a certain distance or be arrested, because, well, they make people feel bad and it’s hate speech.
I have yet to hear a talking head say “Well, if people don’t want to be prayed at, they shouldn’t have abortions in a fixed place, in public. I mean, it’s like a trap for Catholics.” Or “if people don’t want those fundies to show up and shout Bible verses at them, they shouldn’t have [yet another] a play showing the Messiah of Christianity having gay sex.” Or… No, you don’t hear it, and for students of religion who wonder about things like the Crusades which, they keep telling us, have no Biblical support, it might be a good idea – as the good professor says – to think about the incentives you’re providing.
As I noted on Twitter the other day, I think we should have a lot more events like this, as honeypots to draw out the savages into the open. It would be a demonstration of the most profound American value, not “tolerance” (these people wouldn’t know tolerance if it kicked them in the nads), but freedom of expression. You could even expand the contest to mock Jesus and Mary, Moses, Brigham Young, and Buddha. Who do you think will show up with guns blazing?
Victory In Europe
It’s the 70th anniversary.
There was a simpler time, when we recognized enemies waging war on us, declared war on them, and soundly defeated them.
[Update]
Here’s a round up at the WaPo of today’s war bird flyover of the Mall. When I was a kid, there used to be an AT-6 Texan parked at Bishop Airport, in Flint. It wasn’t that old at the time. I’d note that one of the planes had to make an emergency landing at DCA, disrupting air traffic there. It looked like a P-40.
[Update a couple minutes later]
There was a reason we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and it wasn’t because we were racists. That saved hundreds of thousand of lives, both of American troops and civilians in China.
[Update a couple minutes later]
“’All told, Okinawa killed 12,500 Americans and wounded approximately 50,000. It was the U.S. Navy’s biggest killer, with 4,907 sailor deaths and 4,874 wounded. Japan lost an estimated 75,000 military dead. As for civilians? Estimates run from 50,000 to 110,000.’ Today, America is afraid of offending a few savages with cartoons.”
Centimeter-Precision GPS
For good or ill, this technology is a game changer.
I think one application should be putting it in footballs for better spots and touchdown calls, and shoes to determine if someone stepped out of bounds.
The UK Elections
In addition to Labour and the Liberal Democrats, the big losers were the pollsters. I wonder if this will presage our own elections next year?
Have to confess; my favorite part of the UK elections was (finally!) the departure of that vile lunatic George Galloway from Parliament.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) May 8, 2015
[Update a few minutes later]
Seeing reports that the vast majority of British Jews voted Tory, only about 20% for Milliband. I’m totally unshocked. Nice to see the Brits starting to come to their senses. Maggie Thatcher’s Britain still stands.
You Can’t Take The Sky From Me
As I promised yesterday, my thoughts on social justice in space are up at PJMedia.
[Update a few minutes later]
[Mid-morning update]
Mars needs Kirk, not Hofstadter.
But it’s Martin Robbins, not “Roberts.”
Carley’s Domain Name
[Update a few minutes later]
Whatever you think of her as CEO, I like having her in the race: Hillary, “Why Did You Lie As You Stood Over Bodies of Four Murdered Americans?”
[Thursday-morning update]
She’s doing it right so far.
[Bumped]
“This Is A War”
Pamela Geller defends herself against her critics:
So, why are some people blaming me? They’re saying: “Well, she provoked them! She got what she deserved!” They don’t remember, or care to remember, that as the jihadis were killing the Muhammad cartoonists in Paris, their friend and accomplice was murdering Jews in a nearby kosher supermarket. Were the Jews asking for it? Did they “bait” the jihadis? Were they “provoking” them?
Are the Jews responsible for the Nazis? Are the Christians in the Middle East responsible for being persecuted by Muslims?
Drawing Muhammad offends Islamic jihadists? So does being Jewish. How much accommodation of any kind should we give to murderous savagery? To kowtow to violent intimidation will only encourage more of it.
This is a war.
It is, no matter how much people want to deny it.
Is Fascism “Right Wing”?
Learning To Code
It’s never too late. Silicon Valley is going to have to get over its ageism.