Longtime CBS correspondent Morley Safer died yesterday at the age of 84, approximately one week after announcing his retirement from the network.
Although the thought crossed our mind, we don't know for a fact that he was retiring to work on a tell-all book about Hillary. After all, the affable and avuncular Safer was not known to have a death wish. So perhaps the timing of his retirement and sudden death is simply a coincidence.
In any event, Hope n' Change will sort of miss Morley. Unlike the insufferable and clueless millenials now pretending to be newscasters, he had actual journalistic experience and a long enough life to observe the interconnected threads of history.
Politically we weren't on the same team, but he seemed like a sincerely good guy in an industry which desperately needs such.
TERROR UPDATE
We woke up yesterday to the news that an Egyptian airliner had likely been blown out of the sky by an explosive device. At the time of this writing, it hasn't been confirmed that RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISTS are to blame, but we're willing to bet that this will prove to be the case.
Also in the news, members of ISIS (or "ISIL" as Obama says, or "DAESH" as Kerry says, or "STFU" as we say to both of those jackasses) tied ropes around 25 alleged spies in northern Iraq and lowered them into a large vat of nitric acid where they died horribly by dissolving. Members of this alleged "Religion of Peace" sound like they're now turning to reruns of "Breaking Bad" for their spiritual inspiration.
Hope n' Change isn't fully aboard the Trump train yet, but we must admit that with incidents like these (and far too many others) we're warming up to his idea of putting the kibosh on the admittance of (ahem) certain folks into our country until we can develop a genuinely confidence-inspiring screening and monitoring program.
Granted, the odds of the government ever coming up with such a reliable system seem infinitesimally small. But if that means the doors stay shut longer, we think Americans can live with it.
Perhaps literally.
Isn't it funny (by funny I mean strange not ha ha funny) we hear of a plane taken out, another bombing, mass shooting and/or riot... and the news report NEVER says it, yet we all know who did it. Yet the powers that be will never say the word which must NEVER be mentioned when speaking of the evil which happens every day in every country around the world.
ReplyDeleteThere is a saying which tells us why we are not allowed to say the name which everyone knows is responsible, and yet even to think such a thing we have been conditioned to feel guilt at the thought that we would assign blame to the "religion of peace", that truism is this:
"To discover those who rule over you,
simply notice those who are never allowed to be criticized"
MSG Grumpy
Disallowing certain folks into a country isn't going to stop the "peaceful "religion"" from committing terrorism. It IS part of their so called religion.
ReplyDeleteThe point is they don't have to commit their terrorism here. It's too late for those areas of the world where they have greater numbers.
DeleteWell a missing airplane ought to give CNN something to do for awhile.
ReplyDelete@Judi King- Of course slowing the flow of people into our country from the Middle East won't stop the outrages of "The Religion of Pieces". But it surely will make it more difficult for them to perpetrate said outrages on our soil. And by the way, this country has exercised our right to deny entry to particular groups throughout history, it's nothing new.
ReplyDeleteIf he does nothing else of value at least Trump sees what's going on in Europe, Middle East,our border, trade policies, the UN, the VA, our economy, energy, etc. and will tell it like it is. Maybe the rest of the job could be left to really good Vice President, Attorney General, and some better SCOTUS judges. The thing to clear-up with him is re-establishing constitutional balance of power. He's already starting fixing the media problem.
ReplyDeleteLet's not elect another who(a) Does not see it in the first place, (b) Due to their own ego & greed does not care,(c) Is too P.C. to say anything.
And if the choice for "First Significant Other" is Bill or Melania? That's easy.
Huma’s people got right on it and now Morley sleeps with the falafels.
ReplyDeleteWell, if gun control laws don't stop criminals from getting guns and using them, how will controlled immigration stop terrorists from their mission of destruction? We have a nearly 4,000 mile border shared with Canada and if Alaska is counted it's over 5,000 miles that is virtually unguarded, except at border crossings. How can that be monitored?
ReplyDeletePS: There are already thousands of radical muslims already living in our country. What is going to be done about them?
ReplyDeleteAccording to The Sun, these were the passengers on the Egyptair plane:
ReplyDelete"One Briton was among the 56 passengers killed, along with 30 Egyptians, 15 French and passengers from nations including Algeria and Canada.
Ten crew on board included three sky marshal security staff, who would have been in the thick of any fight."
I seriously doubt that a radical Canadian was the cause of the crash.
So for those of you who ask how can we do it, or say it is impossible, so we shouldn't even try. Imagine that you know you are going to get mugged--and you don't even resist. That's just an invitation to--in the words of the old WW II song--"Violate Me In The Violet Time In The Vilest Way You Know".
ReplyDeleteWell you go your way--and I'll go mine--and I'll resist. You on the other hand will be swimming in a nitric acid lake.
@ Geoff: If you think I said a Canadian downed that plane, I didn't. My point was that terrorists can get into the US through a porous Canadian border. And Comanche, Of course we can try to resist, especially if allowed to have a gun, but how can anyone stop a sneaky, surprise attack by a radical on a mission, who is here illegally, carrying concealed bombs and weapons? It's happening all over the world. There is a big difference between legal immigrants, which can be controlled, and illegals, which do what they want.
ReplyDelete@ Judi: My post had nothing to do with yours. I was commenting on the fact that the passenger list included one Canadian, but the majority were Egyptian. Most likely any highjacker(s) came from Egypt, not Canada.
ReplyDeleteSafer wasn't all that honest in his dealings with us in the Nam. He went out with us saw what happened. didn't like how the SF worked. Just another Comsymp giving the anti-war crowd their raw meat.
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at history, does it support the idiotic claims of the politically correct, or is mooselimism the "religion of piss"? When have they EVER been the vehicle of reconciliation or peace in any situation? When have they stepped in to stop terrorist Buddhists, or Hindus, or Christians? when have you EVER heard someone say, "if it weren't for the mooselims, we wouldn't have peace in this part of the world". They're like locust working for "Feed the Children"... like Dracula working for the Red Cross.
ReplyDeleteIf some radical good old boy can be identified as a racist by many, wearing a hood, then why not ID those wearing a table cloth as head gear or having the face covered.
ReplyDeleteDo you realize the characters of The Lone Ranger, Batman and Robin, The Green Arrow and so many would be today identified as radical terrorists?
Shoot or hang anyone caught with a mask on, a hood over their head, a table cloth on or their face covered in any manner...including Mardi Gras! This would also apply to anyone suspected of being a liberal, leftist Democrap or RINO too! :-O)
HI HO SILVER and AWAY!!!!!! Who was that masked man and what is this silver bullet for?
Well, politically speaking, it's either the Trump train or the Hilarity camp, take your pick.
ReplyDeletehttps://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2016/05/19/but-but-vagina/
In the meantime beans and bullets will do nicely, imho.
https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/from-the-old-sarge/
...we must admit that with incidents like these (and far too many others) we're warming up to his idea of putting the kibosh on the admittance of (ahem) certain folks into our country until we can develop a genuinely confidence-inspiring screening and monitoring program.
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't know about that. Considering the rot that's taking place within our borders for the last generation, I've been wondering more and more if not a genetic refresh may be in order.
Do consider that originally and until relatively recently, Americans were genetically a very different breed that the cultures that we evolved from. For the first 150 years or so, the vast majority of people here were direct descendants from people who saw where their originating situations and cultures were going, and came to the conclusion that they wanted something better. They got off their asses and came here at great personal risk. The hardships of doing so cleared up the gene pool of the survivors even more. This is a large reason why Americans have historically been considered more independent and self-reliant than their progenitors, who were more content to sit back and just let history happen to them.
But a couple of generations of safe and easy living combined with an invasion of people who've come for the rewards of the success have diluted us to a nation run by "pajama boys". Instead of a nation that breeds doers, we're now a nation that mostly breeds useless people; and the most educated amongst them being mostly navel gazers.
Allot can be said about the cultures the Progressives now want to import, but you have to admire their desire to get things done. And a lot of what they want to get done is diametrically opposed to what the Progressives have been imposing on America. We complain, write blogs, vote for useless "reformers", but where has that gotten us? Hillary & Trump? These people actually do stuff. Okay, what they do is pretty distasteful, but they're doing it, and will continue to do it. And a feckless Pajama Boy establishment will continue to acquiesce to it because they don't have the stomach to do anything else. Ultimately, the result will not be pretty for other Progressive causes and protected groups, which will continue to get thrown under the bus one-by-one in order to "keep the peace", which, of course, will not be kept, because acquiescence only emboldens aggressors.
So today, Progressives have thrown one of their former prime constituencies, women and girls, under the bus to placate the "transgender" constituency. But after a decade or so of mass cultural infusion from cultures that are not as "live and let live" as we are, how long will it be before the transgendered get thrown under the bus to maintain the peace? It's just a matter of time. Today, America's prime organs of "free speech" are already clamping up the 1st Amendment in order to not offend the Prophet. Soon, our women will voluntarily cover-up, since it will just be easier to avoid being harassed. And so it will go before they eventually get around to throwing people off of rooftops.
I assure you. Our genetics will be revitalized. Totally-free market capitalism will be revived out of sheer necessity. But future historians (if any are allowed to exist) will look at the "bathroom" crisis and shake their heads.
It really doesn't have to be Evil 1 (Clinton) versus Evil 2 (Trump). According to the latest Fox poll, Gary Johnson (the most likely Libertarian candidate) has already gotten 10 % of the popular vote. That is historic for a third party candidate.
ReplyDeleteNow that the former, extremely popular Republican, Massachusetts governor William Weld has decided to be his running mate, if everyone who cannot bring themselves to vote for A or B would vote for C instead, liberty and the Constitution would actually have a chance of surviving.
Otherwise, I truly believe this will be the last election we the sheep are allowed to paticipate in.
Where is Busty Ross when we need her? Been too long since she's made an appearance
ReplyDelete@Geoff: I would definitely vote Libertarian if pro-life Austin Petersen is their candidate. Gary Johnson is pro choice, so he's out, on my ballot, also.
ReplyDeleteSergio, "Redundancy is the soul of wit"... (when it comes to seeing Busty Ross). Of course liberals would rather see Helen Thomas, Janet Reno or Madeline Albright, but my gag-reflex is WAAAAAAY to sensitive to subject myself to such "visual ipecac".
ReplyDelete@Geoff King "...Gary Johnson (the most likely Libertarian candidate) has already gotten 10 % of the popular vote. That is historic for a third party candidate."
ReplyDeletei suppose that there is a way to make that claim, though i do not know what that way is. Perot got 19% and in polling was once at 39%. George Wallace got 14%. John Anderson did 7%
"Anderson's finish was still the best showing for a third party candidate since George Wallace's 14% in 1968 and the sixth best for any such candidate in the 20th century (trailing Theodore Roosevelt's 27% in 1912, Robert LaFollette's 17% in 1924, and Ross Perot's 19% and 8% in 1992 and 1996, respectively)." from wiki
i don't understand your statement. would you clarify for me, please?
Gary Johnson IS at 10% in polls. Check it out.
ReplyDelete@Geoff -- I don't see it as between Evil 1 and Evil 2, I see it as Evil 1 versus a jerk. And I'm afraid any Libertarian Party candidate would pull votes primarily from jerk, not evil. Hence, I'm afraid I'll have to toss my lot with a jerk, rather an evil or a spoiler.
ReplyDelete@Readers- Lots to chew on in the comments above, and my apologies for not jumping in sooner. By way of update, as of Sunday morning we still don't have anything like a definitive answer on what brought the jet down. Terror? Mechanical failure? A suicidal pilot? Hopefully the black boxes will provide answers soon.
ReplyDeleteIn the meanwhile, was I too quick in suggesting a link to radical Islam? Do I owe the "religion of peace" an apology? Eff no.
@John the Econ- I agree that our national work ethic needs an infusion of ambition, but depending on immigrants to provide it comes at too high a cultural cost now that political correctness has turned off the heat under the "melting pot." Heartless bastard that I am, I think we need to re-energize our work ethic by making the choice not to work really suck by reduced entitlements. And note that I used the word "choice" - I have compassion for those who really need it, but those who simply have an aversion to work don't get any sympathy from me.
@Sergio- You know, we are overdue for a visit from Busty Ross. I'll have to see if she can work us into her busy schedule soon.
These latest Cubans allowed in, were vigorously investigated for .015 seconds each.
ReplyDeleteI do think it's kind of odd that nobody has joyously shouted that they are responsible for the jet crash. ISIS is usually right on it, claiming credit for the hit.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, as one that subscribes to Occam's Razor in such matters, I'll argue that @Stilton's assumption that an Egyptian airliner flying out of Paris in 2016 is not unreasonable, considering the highly reliable nature of air transport these days.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it's also highly possible that this accident was the result of either mechanical failure or a non-terror related fire started in the cargo hold. The pilots may have been incapacitated, or the fly-by-wire system of the Airbus may have been compromised resulting in loss of control. There will be no way to be certain until hard evidence is found.
As for the national work ethic: A agree with you @Stilton, that the optimal choice would be to "make America great again" by re-energizing our own work ethic. Alas, we both know that's not about to happen, by choice anyway.
I recently sat on a jury for a trial over welfare fraud. Even for someone as already cynical as myself, I got to see first hand that the situation is even worse than I thought. The entitlement for life disease is now irrevocably intertwined into the culture, and won't be cured until forced to by changes beyond the establishment's control.
@Anonymous- I seriously doubt ANY immigrant is investigated for as long a time as it takes me to renew my driver's license at the DMV. And no, I'm not kidding.
ReplyDelete@Chipmunk- The failure of any group to claim responsibility is the most telling sign that this may not be terrorism (or at least, not of a coordinated nature).
@John the Econ- The reports of smoke just before things got out of control indeed suggests either an incendiary device or a fire caused by a mechanical failure or something in the baggage compartment. My butt still puckers remembering the nightmarish Valujet Flight 592 crash which was caused by improperly packed oxygen generators bursting into flame. I think there have been problems with lithium batteries bursting into flame in cargo areas too.
Regarding the national work ethic, I agree that it won't improve voluntarily. So I'm suggesting that we give encouragement that isn't voluntary. I'm not saying to let anyone starve - but I am saying that choosing not to work should not lead to anything remotely like comfort.
Your jury experience sounds interesting in a depressing way, and I don't doubt your conclusions.