Posse Incitatus

Detroit's war zone claims two more casualties

While downtown Detroit enjoys an impressive resurgence, and other vibrant neighborhoods such as Midtown and Greektown continue to thrive, there remain deadly, vicious pockets of violence and decay in the Motor City.

Often, those who lose their lives, be it to a gunshot, assault or drug overdose, warrant little or no mention in the newspapers. This is not necessarily by design ("The racist press covers deaths of whites more than deaths of African-Americans!"). Rather, it is because so many of these people live on the margins and have no families looking out for them. Mental illness, poverty, drug/alcohol addiction and a grinding daily existence gradually lead to a miserable demise for so many of these poor souls. 

Just the other day, two suburban teenagers lost their lives during a nighttime trip to one of Detroit's deadliest neighborhoods. The exact details of what happened are unclear, and thus far no one has been charged with their murder.

Jacob Kudla, 18, and his friend, Jourdan Bobbish, 17, of Westland left their home Sunday evening, July 22 to visit Kudla's uncle in Detroit. Following their visit at his home, they ended up getting shot in the head, execution style, their bodies left in a vacant lot. For those familiar with Detroit, the area around Gratiot Avenue and Seven Mile Road, and the blocks to the south and west (Gratiot runs diagonally, northeast/southwest), are Michigan's version of Fallujah. In other words, stay the hell out, especially at night.

Somehow, the uncle still lives on Seven Mile Road. (Maybe his parents gave him their house in the will and he just cannot afford to move out? Just speculating.) At any rate, it's not exactly choice real estate. Check out this distressing picture from Google's street level view, showing the neighborhood where the teens' bodies were found. Move the photo around to see both sides of the street, and you'll notice there are far more boarded up/burned out houses than occupied ones. This is an utter disgrace, and so sad.

Reportedly, Kudla had a medical marijuana card because of pain from a past knee injury. There are conflicting reports as to whether his uncle gave him some pain pills or marijuana, but many believe he and Bobbish may have tried to purchase drugs in Detroit after leaving the uncle's home at 11 p.m. If Kudla had the medical marijuana card, why on earth would he risk buying pot in a dangerous slum?

A couple days after the boys went missing, their stolen car was recovered at a run-down apartment building on Detroit's west side. The high-end stereo system had been stripped from the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier, and two middle-aged men living in the apartment building were arrested. (It turns out they were caught wiping down the interior of the vehicle with bleach at 1 a.m. -- highly suspicious behavior, and police searched their apartment and found the stolen items from the vehicle.)

The two dirtbags both have lengthy criminal records. Casey Jason Green, 39, and Larry Anderson, 40, face charges of larceny from a motor vehicle, obstruction of justice, and tampering with evidence. A police official was quoted as saying the men know more than they're letting on. Gee, ya think so?

For some strange reason, the robotic Detroit press keeps reporting that investigators are uncertain how the vehicle made it to the apartment building from where the uncle's home was. Well, DUH, do you think maybe the guys who stole the stereo equipment and were wiping down the car might have driven it? Just sayin'!

Some of the readers of the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press online accounts of this crime have been critical of the boys, stating that anyone who ventures into Detroit's ghettos for prostitutes or drugs is an idiot and looking for trouble. I partially agree with them, but I also have much sympathy for the boys.

We all did stupid and risky things when we were in our late teens and early 20s (myself included). Frankly, it's by the grace of God some of us still walk the earth (as opposed to being dead or in a wheelchair). These boys may have made an error in judgment and paid for it with their lives. Or, they may have gotten carjacked while stopped at a red light or pumping gas at an inner city Marathon station. Who knows?

But beyond the devastating blow to their families and the senseless loss of life, a crime like this underscores how far gone Detroit and so many cities are. These urban hellholes have reached a tipping point because of a combination of wrongheaded policies, misguided priorities by common men and women, apathy, evil, and slavish devotion to hedonism (i.e., drugs, alcohol and premarital sex that results in unwanted babies that grow up to be predators and parasites).

These quotes from some residents of the neighborhood, excerpted from an article in Saturday's Detroit News, are powerful and gut-wrenching:

"It's just so scary. We're ready to move," said Nichelle Haith, 35, who lives four blocks from the field. "These buildings, these vacant homes and all this tall grass — we're so scared," she said, sobbing. "You already know everybody is afraid to come into Detroit. You can't even visit your family."

"It just tears me up inside," added Marvin Brown, 41, who was visiting the scene with Haith. "We don't even have rats here because there's nothing left. But we've got crime. It's just the killing fields on the east side. There's nothing here but the devil."

It's plain as day. Look, if you have not, at the disturbing Google picture to which I have linked. Think about the heartbreak and pain of the families of these two boys. And contemplate the insane social and political policies and deviated mindsets that have brought about this mayhem. If this doesn't wake you up, nothing will.

Again with the gun control

I’ve not weighed in on the desultory attempt to revive gun control as a campaign issue because there isn’t much for me to add.

Long-time readers should by this time be fully up to speed on the truths about why gun control doesn’t work.  The evidence is so overwhelming and pervasive that the only holdouts are those who are willfully ignorant. 

[For those who crave a fresh argument, try this:  Unlike guns, which have an infinite shelf life, drugs are perishable and must be imported.  Has banning cocaine eliminated its availability?  How about putting Sudafed behind the counter?  Did the meth scourge end yet?  I rest my case.]

Apparently these clueless neo-prohibitionists make up a bunch of the current Democrat Party leadership, and I am amused to see that despite the issue’s proven uselessness, the President has decided to embrace it.  This proves my thesis that there is no unpopular, pointless liberal cause that Obama will not embrace.

What makes this even more ridiculous is the role of his own Justice Dept. in army criminal gangs in Mexico.  Oh, but you can’t know about that – executive privilege and all.

By all means, then, let’s focus on guns, because Fast and Furious isn’t at all controversial.  I mean if AK-47s are guns only soldiers should use, why was Obama's Justice Dept. selling them to drug lords?

Exit question:  Assuming Obama wanted to throw the election, what would he be doing differently from what he is doing now?

Chicago 'values' are not Chick-fil-A values

Smug and pompous as ever, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stood at the podium and declared, "Chick-fil-A values are not our values."

Chick-fil-A's founder Truett Cathy, and his son, Dan, are Southern Baptists who believe in the traditional, biblical definition of marriage. Their fast-food chain has given money to organizations opposing same-sex marriage.

The city of Chicago plans to ban Chick-fil-A from opening a new restaurant inside the city limits. And sure as clockwork, left-wing and pro gay organizations and their media stooges such as the New York Times are up in arms against this highly successful and admirable company.

So, Mayor Emanuel, strip clubs, S & M bars and x-rated movie theaters are in keeping with the Windy City's values, but a restaurant chain owned by devout Christians who oppose gay marriage IS NOT? Boy, that's some "logic" you've got there.

Sorry to disappoint you, Rahmy, but there are dozens of Catholic and Protestant churches and mosques in your city whose clergy also preach out against homosexuality and gay marriage. Are these, pray tell, against your vaunted "Chicago values"?

And it's also rather rich that Chicago, a notorious cesspool of backslapping pols, cronyism, nepotism, thuggish unions, dirty politics, voter fraud and, shall we say, a colorful history, is preaching about "values." Oh and, by the way, I thought you libs were moral relativists. You mean you actually DO believe in moral absolutes, like, say, the right for two same-sex people to be legally married, or the right to abort a fetus with a heartbeat?

Anyhow, I am happy to report that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former U.S. Rep. Rick Santorum are coming out in full support of Cathy and his company. Aug. 1 is "Patronize Chick-fil-A Day." Believe me, if I had one near me, I'd be patronizing it on that day and many other days. When I lived in Atlanta during the 1990s, that was one of my favorite restaurants. It is hands-down the best fast-food restaurant around, in my humble opinion.

Since its founding in 1967, Cathy's highly respected restaurant chain has always been closed on Sundays to allow employees to worship God and spend time with their families. Methinks this effort to smear a good man and a great organization will fail miserably, like so much of what the brain-dead leftists do.

This is similar to the left-wing effort to demonize and boycott corporations that donate to conservative political causes or organizations such as ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. Companies that cave in to this blackmail will find out all too soon that they are alienating their conservative customers.

Regardless of what an entrepreneur's political view are (or what a corporate board's view are), it's wise not to get embroiled too much in politics, lest you alienate a large chunk of your customers in our polarized nation. As Rush Limbaugh has noted on numerous occasions, Michael Jordan is a huge liberal, but he keeps quiet about it because he doesn't want to lose the many conservatives who buy his apparel and shoes.

Can't help but recall with a chuckle a coworker who proudly drove his pickup truck around ca. 2004 sporting an "I LUV (actually a heart) Halliburton" bumper sticker. He probably just enjoyed tweaking the noses of self-righteous busy-body liberals.

Myself, I'd like to get a bumper sticker with the infamous red-white-and-blue setting sun "O" of the Obama campaign, and follow that letter with "rwellian"... Some of his supporters might get angry, but frankly, a large number of them wouldn't have a clue. But I guess I'll pass on that temptation. Only a few more months until this nightmare is over.

THE TWO-ARREST CLUB — Last year the Detroit Lions made the playoffs with a 10-6 record, their first post-season appearance since 1999 coming after too many years of woe. This year a lot of the preseason prognosticators are predicitng the Lions will not make the playoffs. Partly because they didn't do well in the draft and have a horrendous secondary. But it's also because the squad apparently has way too many knuckleheads on the roster. Several of their players have been arrested, not once, but TWICE, during the offseason. The latest, mediocre-at-best cornerbeck Aaron Berry, was booted from the team the other day. He was arrested for driving under the influence a few months ago, and this past weekend was arrested for pointing a gun at several other people in a parking lot.

Running back Mikel Leshoure TWICE got busted for possession of marijuana, and is suspended for two regular season games. Defensive tackle Nick Fairley, a first-round draft pick in 2011, was arrested for marijuana possession in April, and for DUI and fleeing and eluding police in May. In-freakin'-credible that the Lions could have THREE PLAYERS each ARRESTED TWICE in the offseason. The curse of Matt Millen's piss-poor drafting seems to be still plaguing them. A former player, offensive tackle Johnny Culbreath, also was arrested for possession of hooch. Sheesh!

It stands to reason that guys who are so out-of-control in their personal lives would also be lacking in self-discipline and poise in real games. No wonder the Lions keep shooting themselves in the foot with stupid penalties. I am withholding judgment until we get into the exhibition season, but at this juncture I am inclined to agree with those who predict the Lions won't reach the post-season this year.

 

 

 

 

The Doom that came to Penn State

However this may be, it is certain that they worshipped a sea-green stone idol chiseled in the likeness of Bokrug Paterno, the great water-lizard, before which they danced horribly when the moon was gibbous.

- From "The Doom That Came to Sarath," by H.P. Lovecraft

I’m somewhat torn in my reaction to Penn State’s NCAA punishment.  I think the “death penalty” of cancelling the football season was warranted, but the sanctions handed down Monday morning are definitely not a slap on the wrist.  Arguably they are worse.

The problem with the “death penalty” is that it would reach beyond Penn State and into the larger college football-industrial complex.

When SMU was shut down in the 80s, very few games were televised.  Now almost all of the major conferences televise all of their games.  Between ESPN/ABC, NBC and CBS – not to mention conference networks like the Big Ten Network – it is simply not practicable to suspend a team like Penn State – too many contracts would be affected.

Not only that, but non-Penn State revenue would take a hit.  Schools rely on the gate from home games for a huge chunk of their revenue.  If Penn State pulled, out, the Big Ten schedule would be in chaos and teams struggled to realign.  The death penalty involved more than just idling Beaver Stadium – all those other venues also would be impacted.

The NCAA's ruling keeps the punishment focused on the culprit – Penn State loses scholarships, bowl games and revenue.  The $60 million fine (about a year’s worth of revenue) will be spread out over five years, so the program will basically take a 20 percent hit over five years.

The Big Ten also added its own penalty:  Penn State will forfeit its share of bowl game revenue during the term of its post-season ban – which will cost the program another $13 million over four years.

Then there are the revenue implications of the sanctions themselves – will Penn State’s fanatical fan base turn out to watch a diminished team get pounded week after week?

Loyal alumni might be persuaded to open their wallets out of sympathy, but I doubt they will ramp up contributions enough to cover these staggering costs.  Maybe for the first year, but by 2015 it will be getting a little old.

Any organization that is forced to take a 20 percent cut is going to have problems, and Penn State will inevitably have to cut support staff.  Will they be able to pay – or keep - $1 million a year for a head coach who can’t even go to a bowl game with his diminished recruits?  What about his assistants?

The dirty secret of college football is that it pays for everything else - all other sports depend on it to survive.  Only a few schools with super-strong basketball programs make money elsewhere - and it pales in significance next to what the gridiron brings.  These sanctions represent a true and lasting DOOM to Penn State's entire athletic department.

The end result is a Penn State football team crippled for 5-10 years.  Given how the program ruled the school, I’m cool with that outcome.

 

A Horrible Crime... And Predictable Results

Approximately 100 million Americans own firearms. The vast majority (oh, say 99.999 percent) are responsible and do not commit firearms-related crimes. 

But in a country of 330 million people who enjoy broad freedoms, mobility, technology and a generally high standard of living, some people possess a nihilistic lack of direction. Their warped thoughts are fostered and intensified through total absorption in bizarre video games and websites, or through association with similar misguided souls -- in person or in the virtual world of cyberspace. Thus, we are bound to get a few nut jobs who go postal.

Such was the case with the latest lunatic, 24-year-old James Holmes, who opened fire in a crowded theater early today, killing 12 and wounding dozens more. My heart and prayers go out to the victims and their families. One cannot conceive of the trauma and heartache these people are enduring.

But as you would expect, many of the simple-minded knee-jerk liberals immediately started their tiresome gun control spiels. CNN's obnoxious and annoying Piers Morgan spent a good portion of his Friday program urging more gun control, always with that irritating English accent and snotty, smug attitude. What a joke. New York's nanny Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also started the clarion call, demanding that politicians detail their plans for gun control.

The Detroit Free Press has an utterly lame, poor excuse for a columnist named Rochelle Riley. Let me qualify this statement by saying there are many excellent black writers in this world, but Riley is a prime example of an affirmative action hire. Read her drivel from today's paper and you'll probably agree.

I wouldn't put it past President Obama, who never lets a good pandering opportunity go to waste, to urge his disgraceful "right-hack man," Eric Holder, to initiate a major crackdown on firearms ownership, harassing the bejabbers out of anyone who owns a gun.

And if Congress or the courts try to stop him, why, he'll just resort to his typical arrogant executive fiat. He is, after all, The One. He is so much smarter and more enlightened than the rest of us, he's like a god hovering above us. Barry knows what's best, if we'd only trust him. Right.

And in the shameful journalism department, ABC "investigative reporter" Brian Ross tried to link killer Holmes to the Tea Party. He told George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America" that "there’s a Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado, page on the Colorado Tea party site as well, talking about him joining the Tea Party last year. Now, we don’t know if this is the same Jim Holmes. But it’s Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado."

Can you believe this? James Holmes is a pretty common name; not like, say, Faruk Azzem Wyabdulshtan. Wouldn't you think someone would double check that the James Holmes in the Tea Party is the same one who opened fire on innocent people in the movie theater before putting his name out on the air? (He's NOT!) Either Ross is utterly reckless and stupid, or he was just DYING to link Holmes to the conservative cause. Probably the latter more so than the former. Hacks like Ross are why the media ranks down there with used car salesmen and lawyers on most people's shit list. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER? Really? Funny stuff.

In actuality, we have a crime scene that would have been less severe had someone been armed and been able to stop Holmes sooner. Those who oppose concealed weapons permits and who favor making concealed carrying illegal in certain buildings such as churches and schools, forget how often the presence of a law abiding armed person who is properly trained to use his firearm saves many lives when a lunatic killer starts shooting. Matter of fact, there were police at the theater for crowd control, and once the shooting started, it only took them about 90 seconds to respond. Even more carnage would have resulted had police needed to respond from farther away. But don't expect facts or logic to stop the demagogues from spouting their bull crap.

You can bet Obama will milk this for all it's worth, speaking at a memorial service in Aurora sometime in the next week or so, and probably having his underlings jab at Mitt Romney for not being sufficiently pro-gun control. Too bad for the grieving families that this horrible event occurred during a presidential election.

 

 

 

End of the Mayan Calendar, the Rapture, Apocalpse Now, Etc.

Syria's exploding; Obama's cult-like followers are hallucinating; the economy is wretchedly ill; Democrat corruption is a bottomless cesspool in urban centers; the weather is hideously hot; and the Penn State mess turns my stomach...

It has been a strange spring and summer, in so many ways. Back in March, when we in Michigan normally have daytime high temperatures of 35 or 40 Fahrenheit, and overnight lows of 25 or 30, we had several days where the high temperature was in the low 80s.

The fruit blossoms -- particularly apple and cherry blossoms -- emerged far too early, only to be destroyed by many a frosty night. Once they've come out, that's it until next year. If they are destroyed, the fruit farmers are shit out of luck. Michigan is the nation's biggest cherry producing state and one of the largest apple producers. Many of its fruit farmers have been devastated by this year's bizarre weather patterns.

Our normal daytime high in the summer is about 82 or 85, but we have had several days with high temps of 100 or higher. While metro Detroit normally has 11 days in the summer that top out at 90 degrees or higher, it has already had 19 such days -- on July 18, with about 9 more weeks until the first day of fall. Can't say for sure, but I suspect hot, muggy weather spurs bad temper, higher violent crime and more incidents of road rage.

The extreme heat and drought of recent weeks have taken their toll on such crops as corn and soybeans. This is guaranteed to result in higher prices for not just vegetables, but meat and milk. I hope there will be relief for our hard-working farmers, if not in rain and more moderate temperatures, then in government assistance.

In Houston, a brutal heat wave and drought were abruptly ended with torrential downpours and flash flooding. It seems if it's not one thing, it's another.

Meanwhile, over in the Middle East, all hell has broken loose in Syria. A suicide bomber, believed to be a body guard of President Bashar Assad's inner circle, has killed three senior aides including the defense minister and Assad's brother-in-law.

Assad is no Boy Scout. Russia and Iran support him wholeheartedly. But many of the rebels seeking to overthrow him are Islamist extremists, including al Qaeda, and if they were to assume control in Syria, things might not improve at all as far as the security of Israel and the rest of the Middle East are concerned. The head of Israel's military intelligence  predicted that Assad's fall is inevitable in the near future.

Stateside, President Obama continues to astound with his outrageous and over-the-top campaign tactics, such as stating that business entrepreneurs didn't build their businesses; rather they owe their success to government. The sad thing is, millions of his sycophant followers, most educated in abysmal K-12 schools, believe this destructive statist. Massive tax increases could be on the way if our brain-dead Congress and the Celebrity-in-Chief cannot reach an agreement.

Ladies and gentlemen, if the rapture happened tonight, I'd welcome it.

 

 

Penn State Football Delenda Est

Though not the first to come to this conclusion, I do not think the NCAA has any credible option other than to impose the “death penality” on Penn State’s football program and eliminate it at least for a season.

The usual arguments against collective punishment are already being trotted out, and they are staggeringly weak.  Penn State’s entire administration is implicated in the scandal and the only reason Joe Paterno isn’t under arrest is that he is dead.

To put it another way:  If Penn State does not represent the perfect example of football controlling the school, what would?  If actively hiding evidence of child molestation out of deference to the head coach is not a capital offense, what is?

I do not doubt that spin-meisters within the college football-industrial complex are already trying to find ways in which they can justify sparing Penn State, but there is simply no way to do so without demonstrating that “too big to fail” also applies to college football.

Yet many of the comments in response to Bill Simonson’s column argue that such a step would cause undue suffering and hardship for “innocent” assistant coaches and athletic dept. employees.

Basically, they are arguing that no university football program can ever be shut down.

Either these people are morally blind or they have not read the Freeh Report.

The Freeh Report is damning because it reveals that Paterno’s control was pervasive – it reached from the janitorial office to the highest levels of the university.  To the morally blind leadership Penn State the reputation of the Nittany Lions was more important than stopping child molestation.

Remember, this is not about an isolated incident in 1998 or even 2001 – it was an ongoing problem that only ended when Sandusky was arrested last year.  Until law enforcement intervened he had unfettered access to his rape den in the football building showers.  The school’s leadership did not stop him and if it were up to them, he would be busy tormenting kids still.

That is the frame of reference to keep in mind – if Joe Paterno had his way, he’d have died as head coach and Jerry Sandusky would have added a few more victims to his score.

But at least Penn State football’s reputation would not have suffered.

This goes beyond selling paraphernalia or boosters buying athletes gifts. 

This is about human decency. 

The entire institution of Penn State football was corrupted.  When children were abused there was no safe harbor anywhere in the program.

Not from the assistants.

Not from the janitors.

There was no one in the university who gave a damn.

That is why the entire institution must be punished.

Simonson is correct:  The NCAA must either shut down the program entirely, or strike the penalty from the book.

The Food Stamp-Disability-Gay Marriage-Amnesty-Security Leak President

President Barack Obama is mounting a shameful, no-holds-barred, slash-and-burn campaign to trash Mitt Romney. Obviously, it's all he can do because his presidency has been an utter fiasco. He'd sell out his own grandmother for one more vote, and those who work for his campaign are as morally bankrupt as he is.

The heart of Obama's strategy is to pander aggressively to the Democrat identity groups: gays, hispanics, welfare recipients, left wing doves who hate our military supierority...

By doing so, the Celebrity-in-Chief figures he'll lock up their votes, and that there will be just enough of those votes to win him another four years of lavish vacations, golf, sumptuous White House cuisine, and 5-minute meetings cut short when he realizes he might have to listen and learn rather than shoot off his big mouth trying to impress people. (Who could forget that incredibly obnoxious, arrogant moment -- widely reported -- when Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who holds a Ph.D. in physics, attempted to give a Powerpoint presentation to The One. The impatient, bored-with-details, uber-egotist president curtly stated, "Okay, I got it. I'm done, Steve. Turn it off.")

Some commentators, including Thomas Sowell and Victor Davis Hanson, believe Obama may win re-election with this Santa Claus strategy (goodies for EVERYONE).

There are now record numbers of people receiving food stamps and/or disability checks, and scores of applicants keep signing up daily. Obama is counting on Uncle Sam’s largess to inspire and motivate these folks to vote for his re-election.

But I suspect he’s giving millions of these folks far too much credit. Many people who choose to be on the dole, who don’t have the self-respect to work, who don’t find dignity in self-sufficiency no matter how modest a lifestyle it may entail… well, many of these people are apathetic. They don’t give a rat’s patooey about registering and voting. Some of them may be so addled with alcohol and drugs that it would be a major undertaking to get themselves together enough to register and vote.

Don’t get me wrong; there are millions of people who are on the dole because the economy sucks and they want to work but cannot find a job. Others have legitimate difficulties -- health issues, abusive husbands, ailing spouses or parents who need their care, grinding poverty and a high-crime neighborhood with no transportation. I don’t begrudge people the helping hand if they really need it. I have collected unemployment benefits a couple of times in the past, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

But welfare and the so-called “safety-net,” (a favorite liberal phrase) have been thoroughly and shamelessly abused in recent years. The safety net is actually a hammock for millions of deadbeats. Making matters worse, our imperial president recently overturned, by executive fiat, many of the hard-earned reforms passed by a Republican Congress and signed into law by Bill Clinton in 1996. Unless the Democrats have an elaborate voter / election fraud strategy planned (I wouldn’t put it past them), they’d better not rest easy counting on all of these leeches to vote for their man.

I have a feeling the smug Obama thinks he’s got it all figured out, and his haughty attitude is going to come crashing down like a ton of bricks by 10:30 or 11 p.m. EST on Nov. 6. As I’ve mentioned before, I plan to take the day off Nov. 7. Won’t be in any condition to work that day, if you catch my drift.

But even if the statist community organizer somehow manages to eke out a victory, it will be a prime example of a Pyrrhic Victory. The GOP most likely will solidify its hold on the House and take the Senate. The scorched earth tactics of the O-man’s campaign won’t soon be forgotten.

 

The Paterno defenders' cruel calculus

You've read the report – or at least seen the highlights. I have read the report, and it is worse than the summaries suggest.

This except says it all:

They [The university leadership, including Paterno] exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky’s victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well-being, especially by not attempting to determine the identity of the child who Sandusky assaulted in the Lasch Building in 2001.  Further, they exposed this child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew the child’s identity, of what McQueary saw in the shower on the night of February 9, 2001. [emphasis added]

 They didn't give a damn about the kid.

Memo to Paterno's defenders:  Before lecturing on what an otherwise great man he was, on all his good deeds, please explain what ratio of wins/child rapes we should consider acceptable.  For future reference.

Because the way I see it, all of what he did has been wiped out by his moral cowardice.  More than once, he learned the Sandusky was victimising children in the Penn State locker room.  When did Sandusky finall give up his keys?  When he was arrested.

Got that?  They didn't even lock him out of his favorite torture chamber - even after catching him in the act, twice.

BONUS DISGUST:  Sandusky retired after the first incident, but was persuaded to come back on a short-term contract for the following season.  Penn State made it a bowl game - where Sandusky molested another little boy.

Tear down the goddamn statue already.

Gun control is a form of insanity

Gun control is a form of insanity

Albert Einstein's definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Faced with rising street violence, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero has turned to the classic gun control solution:  A gun buy-back program.

Problem is, these things never work (a point nicely brought out in this article).

At this point, anyone who still believes in the efficacy of gun control is in fact insane – their denial has reached clinical proportions.

However, I must confess this scheme interests me: No telling what junk I might pick up and be able to trade in “no questions asked.”