Simi Valley Sophist

The Simi Valley Sophist ruminates on all manner of topics from the micro to the macro. SVS travels whatever path strikes his fancy. Encyclopedia Britannica: Sophist "Any of certain Greek lecturers, writers, and teachers in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, most of whom travelled about the Greek-speaking world giving instruction in a wide range of subjects in return ..."

Name:
Location: California, United States

Retired: 30years law enforcement-last 20 years Criminal Intelligence Detective.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Weather & Color



Red Rock Canyon State Park
Cantil, California

Castro, Carter & Clinton-The Three Amigos

Allegedly the still ailing Fidel Castro is penning editorial columns, and he is opining that a 2008 Democratic Party ticket of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is a winning combination.

"The word today is that an apparently unbeatable ticket could be Hillary for president and Obama as her running mate," he wrote in an editorial column on U.S. presidents published on Tuesday by Cuba's Communist Party newspaper, Granma.

At 81, Castro has outlasted nine U.S. presidents since his 1959 revolution turned Cuba into a thorn in Washington's side by building a communist society about 90 miles offshore from the United States.

Castro wrote favorably about Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

He said his favorite U.S. president since 1959 was Jimmy Carter, another Democrat, because he was not an "accomplice" to efforts to violently overthrow the Cuban government.

Castro said former President Bill Clinton was "really kind" when he bumped into him and the two men shook hands at a U.N. summit meeting in 2000. He also praised Clinton for sending elite police to "rescue" shipwrecked Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez from the home of his Miami relatives in 2000 to end an international custody battle.

It’s quite a feather in the cap of Carter and Bill Clinton to be favored and praised by the butcher of an untold number of Cubans. Too bad neither Carter nor Clinton had the grit to oppose a Communist dictator. But, it is understandable since both accurately represent the weak spine leadership of the Democratic Party on foreign policy. That’s quite a change since the days of President John F. Kennedy. Today, denial and appeasement are the hallmarks of the Democratic Party.

Link in this blog:
Castro's tip: Clinton-Obama the winning ticket

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

No Bras Allowed at the Cutthroat Bar


Markleeville, Alpine County, CA, is about 5.25 miles NW of the intersection of State Highways 89 & 4 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at 5501 feet of elevation. Markleeville is the home of the famed Wolfcreek Restaurant and Cutthroat Bar. It has been a long-time favorite stop and watering hole for Sierra travelers including most especially touring motorcyclists. Besides good food and adult beverages, the joint is renowned for the vast display of brassieres hanging from every available spot on the ceiling. As I recall the story, female patrons are obliged to make a donation prior to leaving the establishment or suffer the ire of more lubricated and liberally minded patrons.

I stopped by the Cutthroat Bar (named after Cutthroat trout) the other morning expecting to reacquaint myself with the vast variety of lingerie and savor a cup or two of java. Shucking my riding leathers and settling at the bar, I began to suspect that I had wandered into the wrong place. Nary a naughty was in sight. Inquiring of the bartender, I learned that new owners acquired the business five and a half years ago, and that was the end of a tradition. The bartender stated that she is asked every day about the demise of the lacy décor. It just goes to show that a good reputation can get around.

Recalling my previous motorcycle visits to the establishment, I was a bit nostalgically saddened. Still the bar and restaurant is the only place available in town all year round, and so it is naturally going to get plenty of business. As I sipped my drink, about twenty members of the Harley Owners Group (HOG) chapter out of Elk Grove, CA, trooped in. They were on a self-described “Tin Butt Ride,” which for them is 500 miles in a day. For those not in the know, an “Iron Butt Ride” is a 1000 mile ride. I prefer a more leisurely sojourn, say perhaps a Clay Butt ride.

Next time you are in the area, give the Wolfcreek Restaurant and Cutthroat Bar a look. If you are hungry or thirsty, you won’t have many other options. If you see a woman without a bra, it is not because she donated to a worthy cause. I miss that little bit of low brow frivolity.

Contact information is as follows:

Wolfcreek Restaurant and Cutthroat Bar14830 Hwy 89, Markleeville, California
(530) 694-2150

More Eastern Sierra Nevada

Mammoth Lakes area.





Monday, August 27, 2007

Not as Freaky as Your Face

From the mouth of a babe, uninhibited by social norms, a bit of honesty was delivered. Such is the recent case of a 6 year old girl toting her personalized doll as she and her family shopped at a Wal-Mart store in Southern California. You may have seen a personalized doll that is made using a photograph of the face of the child superimposed as the face on the doll.

As the story is related by the little girl’s father, a female employee of Wal-Mart, dressed in her best all black Gothic style complete with piercings in an eyebrow, lip, nose and ears, spotted the doll in the little girls hands and exclaimed, “That’s freaky.” The little girl immediately retorted, “Not as freaky as your face.” Touché!

In civilized society we individually stifle our freedom of speech to spare the feelings of others. But then, why should the little girl have remained silent when the Gothic didn’t have the good manners to keep her opinion to herself?

Link in this Blog:
Personalized Doll

Eastern Sierra Nevada






Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Illegal Alien Enforcement Finally Beginning?

Since the resounding defeat of the recent Congressional bill pandering to the illegal alien problem, it is beginning to appear like Pres. Bush has initiated a step-up in INS enforcement. It is about time, and it had better increase significantly if the GOP is going to stand a chance of remaining in power.

The INS made a significant symbolic arrest and deported a Mexican female who was intent on making herself a cause celebre. Elvira Arellano has been holed up claiming sanctuary in a Chicago church for a year. This weekend she ventured out of the church, traveled to Los Angeles and suddenly found herself deported to Tijuana.

According to an AP article,

Elvira Arellano, who arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday after leaving her sanctuary to campaign for immigration reform, was arrested around 1:30 p.m. outside Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church where she had been speaking to reporters, said the Rev. Walter Coleman, pastor of Adalberto United Methodist, the Chicago church.

Arellano was "being processed for removal to Mexico based upon a deportation order originally issued by a federal immigration judge in 1997," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a news release.

Arellano’s stunt is symbolic.

Arellano, 32, has become a symbol of the struggles of illegal immigrant parents and a source of controversy.

Yes, she is a symbol; A symbol of economic criminality and unjustified entitlement.

Arellano came to Washington state illegally in 1997. She was deported to Mexico shortly after, but returned and moved to Illinois in 2000, taking a job cleaning planes at O'Hare International Airport.

She was arrested in 2002 at O'Hare and convicted of working under a false Social Security number. She was to surrender to authorities last August.

She was to surrender four years after her conviction? Yes, the system is broken. What’s wrong with immediate deportation, if not some jail time prior to the deportation? Jail time is appropriate for Arellano since she used a false Social Security number and may well have screwed-up someone’s Social Security history.

The illegal alien apologists think that it is just terrible to deport Arellano and thereby separate her from her eight year old son, a U.S. citizen. What separation from her son? She can take him with her to Mexico.

There is some justice in allowing the son to be a U.S. citizen since he had no say as to within which country his illegal alien mother gave birth to him. But, there is absolutely no reason to reward his criminal mother with the same benefits of citizenship. And, Arellano certainly does not consider the U.S. as her country. Witness this statement from her in which she designates Mexico as her country.

“From the time I took sanctuary the possibility has existed that they arrest me in the place and time they want," she said in Spanish. "I only have two choices. I either go to my country, Mexico, or stay and keep fighting. I decided to stay and fight."

As you can guess, Arellano has her supporters. Here’s what has been said.

Immigration activists promised protests and vigils to support her.

"We are sad, but at the same time we are angry," said Javier Rodriguez, a Chicago immigration activist who worked with her. "How dare they arrest this woman?"

How dare they not arrest this woman, and why did it take so long to do so? Arellano’s arrest and deportation were long overdue. There is no such thing as legal sanctuary in the U.S., church or no church. Federal authorities should have immediately entered the church property and taken her into custody. Any church personnel attempting to interfere with an arrest or aid and abed a Federal fugitive should be prosecuted.

The INS made an important statement with the arrest and deportation of Arellano, now it is incumbent upon them to escalate the efforts to deport all illegal aliens and jail those committing crimes other than illegal status.

Link in this Blog:
Immigration Activist Arrested Outside L.A. Church

Monday, August 20, 2007

BBC Cowers to Muslims

Political correctness (PC) is a form of bullying based upon the inability to compete in the world of ideas. In today’s world, PC comes to us most often from the philosophical left. For instance, it is rampant on American university campuses and lower educational systems. And, it is often parroted by the main stream media. Now the leftist leaning British Broadcasting Corporation could be once again unfurling the PC banner. Or, could it be something else?

The BBC has dropped plans to show a fictional terror attack in an episode of Casualty to avoid offending Muslims.

The first show of the hospital drama's new series was to have featured a storyline about an explosion caused by Islamic extremists.

To replace the Islamic terrorist plotline, the BBC has shifted to an animal rights terrorist plot.

Now the bomb will be set off by animal rights campaigners instead.

There is an escalation in animal rights terrorism that includes arson, fire bombs and attempted bombings targeting humans. So, there is nothing implausible about animal rights terrorists setting off a significant sized bomb that creates a lot of casualties. It just has not yet happened. However, significant sized Islamo-fascist bombings are plentiful by the bushel full and are much more likely than those of an animal rights origin.

Based upon the world-wide Islamic protests over political cartoons and an opera in Germany, you can be sure that the original BBC plotline would have ignited a similar firestorm of Islamic anger. When you have that many irrational, by Western standards, people demonstrating and some likely to be literally hunting for your scalp, sometimes the business spine goes limp. Could that be the BBC’s problem?

The BBC does not have any problem evoking liberal PC and slamming Western and conservative values. That’s probably because there is little fear that their personnel are going to be stabbed and shot like Theo van Gogh.

When the main stream media capitulates to the fear of retaliation, it makes a mockery out of the concept of freedoms of speech and the press.

BTW, Islamo-fascism and Sharia law enforces it’s own version of Islamic PC.

Links Posted in this Blog:
BBC drops fictional terror attack to avoid offending Muslims
Theo van Gogh

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Los Angeles Times Unhinged on Pedophile & Civil Rights

Jack McClellan, a self described pedophile, made himself internationally known when he openly posted information on the Internet about Southern California locations where children congregate. He thereby facilitated pedophiles who might wish to exploit children from the areas he identified.

Two Southern California attorneys were more successful than they anticipated when they prevailed in obtaining a restraining order against the actions of McClellan. The judge granted far greater restrictions to McClellan’s freedoms than requested by the attorneys. Everyone is happy about the court ruling except McClellan, probably his fellow pedophiles, and the Editorial Board of the Los Angeles Times. In a nut shell, the LA Times Editorial Board, in their piece “What to do with the innocent pedophile?,” feels that the court restrictions on McClellan are unreasonable.

We want to thwart him, but not in ways that that endanger our civil liberties.

The LA Times does not want to “…endanger our civil liberties?” Who is the “our” in “our civil liberties?” The only person who has his civil liberties restricted is McClellan, and those liberties were only restricted upon judicial review of the facts. Whether or not the judicial conclusions were correct or incorrect under the existing law is entirely of another matter to be addressed in a possible future judicial setting.

What the LA Times suggests as a remedy, instead of the current restraining order remedy, is as follows,

…we propose that the means be found within our existing systems.

Here’s a flash for the LA Times, a restraining order is “within our existing systems,” and it is actionable by the police.

The LA Times continues,

If parents are frightened of McClellan, then put up posters identifying him. If police sense a threat from him, then shadow him. If he jaywalks, arrest him.

What the hell does putting up posters do? So if a citizen recognizes McClellan when loitering around children, the citizen can then call the police. OK. Then when the police arrive and find McClellan not breaking any laws, the police do what?

In other words, the LA Times wants to do the following: Shift the burden to parents statewide; and task the police to watch McClellan twenty-four hours a day and selectively target him for prosecution for every conceivable offense no matter how minor. Lord Almighty, I can just hear the howls of protest from the LA Times and the ACLU if this were the common practice of law enforcement. Then some attorney like Steven Yagman would sue law enforcement for violation of civil rights. Standing right behind Yagman would be the applauding LA Times and the ACLU.

To do a proper “shadow him” operation would take a minimum of 6-8 trained surveillance detectives with access, hopefully, to helicopter or airplane assistance. That means up to 24 ground and 6 aeronautical personnel per day, seven days a week. That could be accomplished, if budgets were unlimited.

And, let’s say that during the surveillance that an undercover surveillance officer saw McClellan “jaywalk.” If law enforcement were to follow the LA Times model of pedophile management, McClellan must be contacted and dealt with. Let’s see how does that happen and the consequences.

First off, jaywalking is an infraction. And, while it is a technical arrest, which is what the LA Times recommends, it is only a traffic ticket. There is no arrest in the general public connotation of the term arrest. So now we have a member of the covert surveillance team witnessing the horrendous criminal violation of jaywalking. The covert officer can make contact with McClellan himself and issue the ticket and thereby reveal the existence of the surveillance. Or, the covert officer can try and contact a uniformed officer somewhere in the vicinity to respond and ticket McClelllan. That is a near impossible task given the pressures of uniformed law enforcement calls for service. And, let’s say that McClellan is issued a ticket. What did that accomplish? Virtually nothing except probably alert him to the existence of the surveillance. Not much of a return for an incredibly expensive surveillance operation.

The LA Times undoubtedly considers itself the champion and protector of the rights of citizens. What do you think? I think that they are a bunch of buffoons.

Click on the title below for the link mentioned in this blog:
What to do with the innocent pedophile?

Friday, August 10, 2007

Chicago Tribune Panders to Somali Muslims

According to a recent Pew poll, a majority of the American public do not trust the main stream news media.

More than half of Americans say US news organizations are politically biased, inaccurate, and don't care about the people they report on, a poll published Thursday showed.

What is there to think of a major newspaper which capitalizes upon a natural disaster to highlight a multicultural prejudice and at the same time slam U.S. foreign policy? Then the newspaper republishes the article excising damning paragraphs from the first article.

From a Chicago Tribune article dated 8/7/07 and entitled, “Somali community hard hit by Minneapolis bridge disaster.”


Sometimes locals jokingly referred to it as "the Somali Bridge" – a lifeline for the 40,000 to 50,000 Somalis estimated by community leaders to be living in the Twin Cities and their suburbs.
What’s the “Somalia Bridge?” It is the now collapsed Interstate 35W bridge.

It seems that Somali cabbies and truckers used the I35W bridge extensively, and apparently the Somali’s are not integrating into the community at large.


For Somalis, who have migrated here in the last decade, the bridge was a vital lifeline connecting an established community on one side of the river with a growing Somali neighborhood on the other.

Unfortunately a 23 year old pregnant Somali mother and her 20 month old daughter were lost in the bridge collapse. I said “lost” because the bodies have not been located and that is a big deal in the Somali culture.


For Somalis, mostly Muslims living here among one of the nation's largest Somali populations, the limbo has horrible implications. In their culture, it's important for someone to be regarded as either dead or alive.

Somalis are well accustomed to the culture of death in their motherland. According to the same article,


In the war-ravaged land they fled, Somalis got used to burying the bodies of tens of thousands of their dead. They usually knew what killed the victims: maybe a bullet, a hatchet, sickness or starvation.


The family has become a symbol of how many Somalis feel the catastrophe seems to be hitting the Minneapolis Somali community particularly hard.

Is the newspaper drawing some moral equivalence between hell-hole existences in Somalia and a bridge collapse in Minneapolis with only two Somalis dead?

The gist of the 8/7/07 Chicago Tribune article is that the bridge disaster, though not directly stated, has disproportionately negatively impacted the Somali community. From the quote above, “…the bridge was a vital lifeline connecting an established community on one side of the river with a growing Somali neighborhood on the other.”

In the multicultural back story, the newspaper reported that a friend of the presumably dead woman and child said,


“We are in a state of shock," she said, sitting in the entrance of her son's textile shop in a makeshift Somali mall designed to resemble a stall market in Mogadishu.

A textile shop resembling a stall market in Mogadishu? You’ve got to be kidding. That sounds like a hallmark for an insular immigrant community that is deliberately exclusive from the Minneapolis community at large.

The 8/7/07 Chicago Tribune article also revealed something else about the Minneapolis Somali community. They manifest the same Muslim paranoia demonstrated by Muslims world-wide.


Still, the collapse was something Somalis never expected to witness in their new homeland. And it has some wondering if the American government has misplaced its priorities by ignoring a decaying national infrastructure in favor of its costly foreign policy.

"Instead of building bridges, they spent more on invading countries," said Abbi Osman, a young Somali who came to Minnesota four years ago and was watching buddies play dominoes Tuesday in a Somali coffee shop. "They are investing in the wrong places."

The collapse too adds to uneasy feelings among Somalis who say they have felt a federal backlash since Sept. 11, 2001 not only because of their Muslim faith but also because Somalia has been accused of harboring terrorists associated with Osama bin Laden. The bridge collapse has added jitters for Somalis who in recent years regrouped and rallied around one another.

And, in case you don’t believe that these people take Islam seriously, just recall the recent controversy where-in Minneapolis Muslim cabdrivers are refusing to service customers associated with alcohol or who have dogs, like seeing-eye dogs.

Now here is an interesting thing. The Chicago Tribune ran the story a second time on 8/8/07 under the headline of, “To Somalis, bridge collapse another blow.” Only, in the second article the Chicago Tribune excised two entire paragraphs. The two paragraphs, which are cited above, state that the Somali opinion is that “…the American government has misplaced its priorities by ignoring a decaying national infrastructure in favor of its costly foreign policy,” and that, “Instead of building bridges, they spent more on invading countries.”

Why did the Chicago Tribune rerun a story and excise, without explanation, two paragraphs which alleged key Somali community characteristics of paranoia and criticism of U.S. foreign policy? Was the highlighting of individual opinion, “…and it has some wondering if…” in such a manner as to imply a community standard inaccurate or not? Was the newspaper pressured by the Somali community, or perhaps the Islamo-fascist apologist organization CAIR, to remove the damning paragraphs? Whatever the reason or reasons that the Chicago Tribune removed the paragraphs, the newspaper can not be trusted.

As to the multicultural back-story, what is there to think about a people who have been fortunate enough to be plucked from the lowest of the third world countries and plopped down among the land of milk and honey and then they reside in insular communities? And of course, they have no problem inflicting their religious intolerance upon their benefactors.

If any of the Minneapolis Somali community doesn’t want to integrate into the larger American experience, and they continue to push their religious tenets upon others, I say lets send them back to Somalia where they won’t have to make phony Mogadishu stall markets. If they want to be a productive part of the American dream, which includes the Judeo-Christian work ethic and religious tolerance, Welcome! If not, Get Out and take the Chicago Tribune with them.

Links in this blog:
US public sees news media as biased, inaccurate, uncaring: poll

Somali community hard hit by Minneapolis bridge disaster

To Somalis, bridge collapse another blow

If you drink, some cabbies won't drive


Minneapolis Cab War Heats Up - Around the World...

Sunday, August 05, 2007

I Finally Remember with Heart and Soul

Sometimes we don’t recognize the qualities of a person until after death. Or, maybe we just take a person for granted while alive. I lament my blindness and wish that the film had been removed from my eyes when a friend was still alive. What is it? Is it my ego and self-centeredness that didn’t allow me to fully appreciate another at the time? I also feel as if I put a friend’s memory in cold storage. And, while I intellectually acknowledged his memory, I did not do so emotionally. That protective shield was pierced the other day, twelve years after Rick’s death. The occasion of the piercing was a newspaper column written by his widow.

Rick Fessenden was a college roommate of mine. A man with a giant heart and a boundless enthusiasm for life. A thespian. A singer. An avid pilot. A lover of an old Porsche. A member of a family with a strong commitment to each other. A fun loving chap. A good friend. A good person.

During college, I remember once that there was only one remaining piece of a coveted pie. I think it was apple. Rick and I had a tug of war match with the pie as the prize. Unfortunately, the pie on a plate was also the rope. When the inevitable occurred and the pie landed on the floor sans dish, Rick triumphantly scoped it up and consumed the treasure. All the while, he had a mischievous grin on his face.

As so often happens, friends go their own way building separate lives and come back into contact infrequently. But, if you were friends, and not just an acquaintance, something remains in your heart.

Rick entered the military service. Flying was always a part of Rick’s life. His grandfather was one of the first U.S. Marine aviators in WWI. His father, a U.S. Navy aviator, followed suit and flew transports over the hump into China. And so, it was no surprise that Rick joined the Navy and built a distinguished military aviation career, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was one of those esteemed jet pilots whose planes had all of the armament removed and replaced with cameras. The photo missions were of the utmost importance. Here’s what former Navy man Scott Todd had to say:

I had the honor of being one of the enlisted crew members of VFP-63 Det 4 (Beam's Best) from the '72 cruise onboard the USS Oriskany (CVA-34). I was one of a very few individuals who was able to see the flying skills of pilots like LtCDMR Dave Beam and a very young (now deceased) LTjg Rick Fessenden. Pilots like those two would fly map coordinates so well it made my job as a PT3 very rewarding. As "Eyes of the Fleet" we watched so many trails, roadways and jungle areas for SAM's, AAA and targets of opportunity that I felt like I knew all of Vietnam from the sky. From the Photo Mates who professionally loaded and developed the film from the camera bays to the AE's, ADJ's and others who kept those planes flying, I hope you all will always appreciate how your contributions made our WestPac tours successful. Those Crusaders were always important to the saving of other pilots lives and making life miserable for the NVA and VC.

Rick once told me what a pucker factor it was to have the warning sound go off in his headset as the radar of a SAM missile locked onto his plane. Then to make matters worse, he’d look out and see a telephone pole with fire at its rear streaking in his direction. We’ve all had our little pucker factors in life, but not many of us have had to dodge missiles in the sky.

Rick and Judy did what many military couples do. They raised a family while moving from one assignment to another. Career-wise, he logged over 4000 hours flying and made 600 landings on air craft carriers. After 20 years in the Navy, Rick retired with the rank of Commander and began flying for one of the major airlines. That’s quite a feather in the cap for a hot-shot jet fighter pilot to transition to flying those huge Greyhound buses in the sky. It just goes to show how much confidence his new employers had in him. But, Rick just loved to fly fast and do things your average pilot can only dream of doing. To that end, he also became a test pilot flying the Berkut experimental plane. Rick told me that the Berkut was the closest thing that he could get to an F-18. Or was it an F-16? I’m not sure. At any rate, the Berkut is apparently a hot flying machine. Rick died flying the Berkut in an air-show.

Writing about the pain and the healing process, Judy said this:

Our family friends helped us to laugh through our tears by sharing one funny story about Rick after another. It made the pain bearable. I felt a sense of relief when they stopped by to invite our kids out for an ice cream cone, shopping, or some time in the surf.

She added,

Friends and relatives cannot remove loss from memory, but they can surely help survivors prevent it from crippling their lives.

I know what Judy says is true because my friend, the father of a soldier lost in Iraq, thanked me for coming to the funeral and repast. In his pain he said, “I hoped that you would be here.” And he said, “I can’t tell you what someone said to me two minutes ago, but I do remember the hugs and the looks.”

Judy continues:

The grief experience is lifelong. Treading through it, or walking with another in their grief, however, expands the human experience. Grief doesn't go away, but with the help of community it finds its place in our lives.

Twelve years ago this month, Rick died at an air-show on a Saturday. I went to the air- show the following day and stood there looking out over the riverbed where my friend had crashed the previous day. They performed a missing man formation, and I hurt. Then I began shutting down the pain. By the day of the funeral, I was numb. Shortly thereafter, the emotions were tucked away and only the intellectual acknowledgment remained.

I’ve been going through a transition period. That period commenced when I became a massage therapist 8 years ago and began to perceive open doors of which I literally had no prior concept. I believe it is the perfect antidote to the battering and shielding caused by my primary career working in a violent world.

Judy, Rick’s death was locked away protectively in my heart. But, I am in a new place now, and you have set it free allowing me to again have the opportunity to address his death emotionally.

I am sorry Judy. I was there for the funeral and hugs, but I did not do anything more. I wish I had really been there for you and the family.

Links in this Blog:
In grief listening can speak volumes
Aviation Enthusiast Corner
Spittin’ Anger Quenched by Tears

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Al Martinez Went Off the Reservation With Civil Rights

My favorite columnist, Al Martinez, recently wrote a column entitled, “Civil liberties at stake in fearful times.” And, he started out doing a fine job until he ran off the reservation on a couple of points.

His first faux pas was attributing the Islamo-fascist threat to the actions of Pres. George Bush.

What President Bush inaugurated in the bloody deserts of the Middle East isn't a game. Lives are at risk when steel flies. And so is the soul of America.

I once wrote Al an e-mail listing all of the numerous Islamo-fascist terror attacks against America preceding 9/11 and the George W. Bush administration. Al seems to have a problem accepting the fact that Bush did not “inaugurate” the threat of Islamo-fascism that might well result in some civil liberty restrictions. To wit, the Islamo-fascist threat preceded the Iraq war, the war in Afghanistan and 9/11. I almost feel foolish mentioning it, but apparently a large segment of the American public just doesn’t get it. Did anyone read Usama bin Ladin’s fatwa in 1998?

Al’s second faux pas occurred when he equated the “terrorist threats” arrest of a 20 year old Los Angeles woman with the Islamo-fascist problem. Apparently the woman was arrested for Section 422 of the California Penal Code, which states,

422 PC Terrorist Threats
Any person who willfully threatens to commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury to another person, with the specific intent that the statement made verbally, in writing, or by means of an electronic communication device, is to be taken as a threat even if there is no intent to actually carry it out, which, on its face and under the circumstances in which it is made, is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person threatened, a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and thereby causes that person reasonably to be in sustained fear for his or her own safety or for his or her immediate family’s safety, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison.

The use of the word “terrorism” in regards to the CA law is unfortunate because it has nothing to do with terrorism in the sense of a violent act in furtherance of an attempt to elicit social or political change.

Referring to the woman’s case, Al writes,

The statute that got Annie into trouble was one of those post-9/11 state laws meant to deny the right of terrorists to go around shouting that they're going to blow us all into confetti, even though they display no weaponry.

One little problem with Al’s statement above is that CA 422 PC is not a “post-9/11 state law.” It has existed for many years, and the last iteration is dated effective January 1. 1999.

Al then mistakenly blends the very real problems of Islamo-fascism and the Patriot Act attempts to cope with the new third generational warfare with the CA422 PC.

As the dread of another Twin Towers looms over us like the dark cloud over the gloom-haunted Li'l Abner comic strip character Joe Btfsplk, the likelihood exists that vigilance will be ramped up to a shriek, the Patriot Act will be applied indiscriminately in the name of survival, state laws will place more foolish young girls behind bars and our enemies will have accomplished more than they had hoped for.

Yes, Al is correct that there will be calls for reductions in civil liberties when the Islamo-fascist attacks become more numerous. But, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Israel has been plagued with Islamo-fascist attacks like no other country. And yet, Israel has not degenerated into a fascist state. There is no reason to assume that the U.S. would do any differently.

Links in this Blog:
Civil liberties at stake in fearful times