Author: Moe_Lane

A public service announcement for any pirates reading this.

Should you ever find yourself surrounded by the United States Navy, holding an American hostage, and (supposedly) out of ammunition, follow these three simple steps:

  1. Carefully put down your now-useless weapons.
  2. Carefully place your hands on your heads and kneel.
  3. Yell out, as loudly as you can, “DON’T SHOOT!  WE SURRENDER! DON’T SHOOT!”

That might keep you from getting shot by the United States Navy.  I say “might” – like Ed Morrissey, I’m a firm believer in the need to make it clear that it’s inadvisable to take Americans prisoner in the first place – but, believe me: it’s better odds than the alternative.

Because actions have consequences.

Crossposted to RedState.

Glenn Greenwald still pro-torture.

Free hint, Greenwald: until you write the magic sentence “I regret supporting Barack Obama in the last election,” you aren’t getting out of that designation. It’s not enough to disapprove: you have to admit that you were wrong.

Link via Protein Wisdom, because I try not to link to pro-torture Obama supporters if I can help it.

Crossposted to RedState.

Democrats finally kill DC minority school program.

The Hell of it is, Dick Durbin’s probably proud of himself right now.

[UPDATE]: I am, of course, remiss in not pointing this story out from last week.

(Via AoSHQ) I got some critical – and instantly sent to spam – commentary after I posted this and this on the pending death of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.  While I’m sure that the writers of said spam were of course very incensed at my posts, I am forced to admit that I was wrong about something about them: I was working under the assumption that publicity would at least keep this program alive. Particularly since the private school that the Obamas themselves send their kids to has students that would be affected by this program.

Silly me.  What’s a bunch of African-American kids, versus the teachers’ union?  Especially in this administration? Continue reading Democrats finally kill DC minority school program.

Star Trek premieres… in Kuwait.

I meant to post on this story about the Star Trek movie and crew over the weekend, but never got around to it until AoSHQ reminded me:

I am in the Army and currently deployed to Kuwait. We have a movie theater on post that shows “second run” movies, meaning that we get the movie about a week or two after they are released in the states. At times, a special effort is made to show the movie here on the same date it is released in the states. With that being said, I was shocked to see the movie schedule that was published for the first half of April. According to this schedule the new Star Trek movie will have a “special premier” on April 11th. I found it very hard to believe that we would be able to view a big “summer time blockbuster” movie that won’t premiere in the States for another 27 days.

Sure enough, the movie actually did get played today and I was able to get in to see it not just once, but twice. Not only did the movie arrive in Kuwait, but J.J. Abrams and most of the “bridge crew” cast (Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Eric Bana and Karl Urban) were here as well.

Continue reading Star Trek premieres… in Kuwait.

Pirate located in Eyl, Somalia threatens America.

How do you say “punitive expedition” in Somali?

Eyl’s location: 7° 58′ 0″ N, 49° 49′ 0″ E.  Not that either the United States Navy or the Air Force particularly needs my help in pointing out the coordinates, but it will hopefully clarify matters. Anyway, here’s the comment:

Jamac Habeb, a 30-year-old self-proclaimed pirate, told The Associated Press that the three pirates’ deaths were “a painful experience.” Speaking from the pirate hub, Eyl, he added: “this will be a good lesson for us.”

“From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them,” Habeb said. “Now they became our number one enemy,” he said of U.S. forces.

Continue reading Pirate located in Eyl, Somalia threatens America.

Are you a Rightwing Extremist, too?

(H/T: The Other McCain)  Via The Liberty Papers we get a doozy of a document: the Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.  It’s supposed to be a Homeland Security document that will be making the rounds pretty quickly: the people reading this may in fact have already gotten an email on the subject.  If they haven’t, they will.

Why?  Well, it’s a document that discusses the potential threats that we can expect from “rightwing extremists” (no hyphen, for some reason) in the coming months; there’s the usual stuff about guns, illegal immigration, and disgruntled war veterans, plus the new wrinkle of our having elected an African-American President.  The report concludes, unsurprisingly, that we have to worry more about “lone wolves and small terrorist cells” than anything else.

Also unsurprisingly, there’s an absence of hard data over just how many people that we’re talking about, here.  That particular bit of bureaucratic cover will probably backfire, because of this definition:

Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.

As both The Liberty Papers and PoliGazette note, the second clause is both far too broad (as it stands, it could be taken to mean anybody who espouses a federalist position*) and downright offensive (apparently, federalists are as bad as racists & anti-Semites).  Unfortunately, it’s also written down – which means that intent doesn’t really come into it.  Somebody in the government who gets this document isn’t going to try to figure out what the author(s) meant before they craft policy based on it; they’re going to go with what the text says, because that’s how government officials keep their jobs.

All that being said, now that this report has been leaked, expect a ‘clarification’ on it very, very quickly.  Not to mention a quiet, yet vicious search for the leaker, but that’s a whole different post.

Moe Lane

*Liberals, please note: that includes people who argue that individual states have the right to decriminalize marijuana, permit the sale of raw milk, allow assisted suicide, or recognize same-sex marriages. If you’re one of those people, welcome to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy: here’s your accordion.

Crossposted to RedState.

Even voters in Hollywood notice the tax problem.

Joy McCann (Little Miss Attila) links to John McCann (Write Enough) (must be one of those coincidences) on why there are Tea Parties going on everywhere:

Taxes are particularly unfair in Hollywood. You may hardly work for years – ahem! – then sell something for a big score. The government taxes you at the highest rate, as if you’d been sweeping in the long green the whole time.

Considering that you’re taxed pretty much on every transaction plus state, local and federal taxes, in addition to tax on interest, property, phone/Internet and capital gains taxes, I can only assert we’re gagging in taxes. Having worked for the federal government, I can assure you its not being spent wisely. Just spent.

…and before you say; I do believe that he does in fact vote accordingly. So there’s that.

Moe Lane

PS: Joy, like so many others – including myself! – would also like to know where her cut is:

I myeslf would like to join Wendy (and Jane H. herself, of course) in asking, “where the hell is my money?” As long as I’m a lobbyist, I’d love to be getting paid for it. My God: I wish we were Astroturf.

Alas, the Left is projecting again: we don’t have a Media Matters that can saturate the ‘net with C-list blogging. People like my unworthy self are instead forced to point to the donate button on the sidebar and make meaningful coughing noises, instead…

Crossposted to RedState.

Update on the Vatican Ambassadorship.

The Vatican is denying reports that it has formally blocked any appointments for US ambassador (via Don Surber, and previously mentioned here).  Guess that means that everybody in the Online Left who’s spent the last few days self-righteously whining about why we extend diplomatic relations to that particular country can stop pretending that they actually care.

Oh, I’m sorry: did I just type that out?  Guess that I did; and, shoot, my backspace key is inexplicably busted.  Looks like I’m stuck leaving it in.

Crossposted to RedState.

Line of the Day: Cane toads and reality TV.

Well, lines:

If the cane toad can survive so much, then it can evolve, and the signs are that it’s already doing so. The evidence was buried in last week’s report, but I underlined it and I’ve got it here in front of me. This is the bit you probably haven’t heard yet, but I think it might be crucial. As the advance guard of the cane toad army moves west, its leading members are developing longer and stronger legs.

Have you got that? The cane toads are getting bigger and smarter. Soon they’ll be learning to drive. There is a school of thought, not necessarily paranoid, which holds the opinion that cane toads with human skills have already penetrated the Australian media and are even appearing as presenters of reality television shows.

Yes, I’ve mentioned cane toads before. I apparently have an unhealthy fascination with the species.