Blog
Law and Order
More Plumbum Smog
Darwin Sorrells has felony convictions from 2007 for both aggravated battery in a public place and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm. In 2011, he was convicted of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and was sentenced to five years on that charge. Obviously, Sorrells did not do a full pull, because in 2013 he was convicted again of receiving, possessing or selling a stolen vehicle, and for unlawful use or possession of a firearm by a felon. He was paroled in early February of 2016 after serving three years on those convictions.
Back on the street for only five months — until last Sunday when Sorrells and his brother were charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder. Authorities said the brothers were targeting a man who had driven a group of women from a suburb to Chicago's Parkway Gardens neighborhood. Instead, they shot and killed 32-year-old Nykea Aldridge while Aldridge was pushing a stroller containing her one-month-old baby girl.
There are several things wrong with this scenario, but the part that stands out the most is, here we have a convicted felon, in a jurisdiction known for restrictive gun laws, who has previously used a firearm in the commission of a felony more than once, was reeled in by the police more than once, and was back out on the street — while, at the same time, the politicians are clamoring for tighter gun control as their "solution" to the problem.
If you are having trouble seeing the problem, maybe a little insight will help.
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Citizenship
Locating The Rabbit Trail That Cuts To The Chase
The term social psychology is evidently one of those terms that came about as the result of an attempt to build a bridge; in this case, it was a bridge over the gap between psychology and sociology. Of course, consolidation resulted in diversity, and so the cycle goes.
Social Psychology is defined as "the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others."
But wait, there's more—or less.
"In social psychology, pluralistic ignorance is defined as a situation in which a majority of group members privately reject a norm, but incorrectly assume that most others accept it, and therefore go along with it. This is also described as "no one believes, but everyone thinks that everyone believes." In short, pluralistic ignorance is a bias about a social group, held by that social group."
Think about that description a minute.... and then apply it to current events in the news.
Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes" highlights a case of pluralistic ignorance. In the story, a whole town fears speaking out on an obvious injustice out of fear that they would stand out believing nobody else could see what they saw. When two con artists come in to the Emperor's kingdom and convince him that they make the finest clothes in all of the land that can only be seen by anyone who was not stupid. The con artists continued to steal gold, silk and other precious items for their "unique creation". Out of fear for being seen as stupid, all of the emperor's men and towns people kept their mouths shut about the fact they could not see the outfit and the emperor was prancing around seemingly naked until finally a small child comes forth and says that the emperor is walking around naked. They believe that if an innocent child can see it, then they must all see it, and finally come forward and admit that the emperor has been tricked and that there was never an outfit being made.
In the late 1st century, the apostle John, while addressing congregations of Christians in what was then known as Asia Minor (now Turkey), in order to reassure those who had been disillusioned by false teachers, cut right to the chase when he said "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." (1Jo 5:21)
We, as citizens of these United States, are undergoing the task of hiring an employee to serve as Commander in Chief of a devoted corps of men and women who will go into harms way when so ordered. The task is not to be taken lightly, nor will it be accomplished by sitting on our a-- on election day. It's too late now to start thinking about the whole process of selection, but it's not too late to think about the outcome.
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Politics
What's in Your Ballot?
Here are the 2016 "Platform Statements" of both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. These statements, in essence, represent what we the citizens are voting for in this upcoming election.
Having been sensitized to what is commonly called "the war on guns", I find it interesting to note that the Democrat Platform states, on page 39 under the heading of "Gun Violence", that they will "...ensure guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists, intimate partner abusers, other violent criminals...", when it was on their candidate's watch, as Secretary of State, that the administration conducted an "undercover" gun-running operation into a foreign country (Mexico); an operation that resulted in the death of at least two innocent American agents and the first sitting member of the Cabinet of the United States to be held in contempt of Congress; and, it is estimated that more than 200 Mexicans were killed by guns linked to the operation.
I haven't heard any explanation from their candidate as to how she would do anything differently... What difference does it make now?
Evidently, if you compare the (known) body count of Operation Fast and Furious with that of the Benghazi fiasco, then OF&F counts as a success in the eyes of Democrats.
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Civil Rights
Law and Junk Science
I think that everyone has, at some time or another, said something stupid. Fortunately, it is still a rarity when people like Cassandra Arroyo Johnson and Melody Goodman 'progress' that 'skill' to the level of PhD.
What is surprising is that the authors of this paper–who hold positions at Schools of Medicine and Schools of Public Health (and, it must be noted, a School of Social Justice)–did not themselves make any apparent effort to validate the data set on which they were basing their paper.
This case illustrates the insidious, although not so subtle here, nature of boundary violation in our system of health care, and the need for a vigilant defense against such nonsense.
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Politics
The 2016 Psycho-dilemma
This election cycle has become an imposing demonstration of the fact that we cannot put our trust in any one individual when it comes to "running" this nation.
Psychopathy, and the fantasy world that it entails, has become fait accompli with Hillary and the Hollywood (aka Democratic) Party. There is little doubt that she is sick enough to blunder into another civil war.
The other option isn't any more inspiring, but at least he has ready access to a wealth of sound advice — if he is capable of listening to it.
As usual, personal preference at the polls will be based on eschatology and rhetoric, i.e. worldview and (this time) party-platform statements.
It will remain to be seen who is telling the truth; and, we know that sometimes truth can be painful!
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Law and Order
Chicago: The Thrill of Victory and The Agony of Defeat
At .637, the Chicago Cubs are still leading this year's standings of Major League Baseball with an edifying display of discipline and fundamental execution.
While on the other end of town, other types of execution:
Eight-year-old Jamia Barnes was playing Sunday evening on a front lawn near a vigil for a teenage boy killed hours earlier when she saw a man in a car arguing with a woman outside.... She saw a flash and smoke... "That's when I felt my arm stinging," she said Monday. "And I was hollering for my mommy. And that's it. And I went to the hospital."
Jamia's family has been marked by violence almost her entire life growing up in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West Side. Seven years ago, her aunt, then 28, was shot dead in an apparent drive-by shooting in the 1600 block of North Mason Avenue. Then last summer, her 11- and 19-year-old brothers were shot not far away while working on a dirt bike on a sunny afternoon in the 1800 block of North Monitor Avenue. When Jamia screamed for her mother after being shot, she was scooped up and driven to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park by Ashake Banks, a family friend whose own 7-year-old daughter was shot to death a few blocks away four summers ago.
Some might say that Banks' daughter got to live 7 years longer than the victim's of Kermit Gosnell and his ilk. I guess, if you are a "progressive", then that counts as progress?
There are obviously some people who cannot, or will not, exercise the discipline and responsibility that is necessary to live in a free society; that's why we have police and jails. The problem has been exacerbated by corrupt politicians, and then dumped on the police. The politicians then, in an attempt to nullify their own malfeasance, blame guns or the police for being overzealous or ineffective.
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Law and Order
The "Black Lives Matter" Faction
If, as the BLM faction implies, the decision regarding whether or not a person's life matters is based on their skin color, then we have reached the antithesis of the "dream" that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was speaking of in his famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Most of us, including Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County Wisconsin, see BLM as nothing more than a bunch of dissident rabble-rousers that are being egged on by corrupt politicians, and a corrupted media.
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Law and Order
Plumbum Smog
Normally, untainted air consists of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, neon, helium, and methane. But, if you live in Chicago, you'll have to add lead to that list.
Nearly 100 people have been shot in Chicago in less than a week, pushing the number of shooting victims so far this year to more than 2,500 — about 800 more than this time last year, according to data kept by the Tribune.
Between last Friday afternoon and early Thursday, at least 99 people were shot in the city, 24 of them fatally. At least nine people were killed on Monday alone, the deadliest day in Chicago in 13 years, according to Tribune data. Among the wounded that day was a 10-year-old boy shot in the back as he played on his front porch in Lawndale.
So, who or what's to blame?
...a trend the Police Department has blamed on lax gun laws...
Lax gun laws? With reasoning like that, there is no hope. For sure, they didn't get that comment from the average street cop.
For Chicago's latest airborne lead count, check out the data at HeyJackass.com.
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Civil Rights
They just don't get it
From Awr Hawkins:
...while using a type of publication that did not exist when the First Amendment was written, the Independent is decrying a type of gun that did not exist when the Second Amendment was written.
The issue is, and always has been, freedom!
And so it goes.
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Homeland Security
Pre-shock Vibrations
Oblique as it was, Mr. Trump’s remark quickly elicited a wave of condemnation....
Loose rhetoric begets painful rhetoric. It appears that Donald Trump and Shannon Watts are cut from the same mold when it comes to insecurity.
The Second Amendment is the original 'homeland security.' If anyone in government is ignorant, or stupid, enough to try to effectively disarm the American citizenry, to interfere with that basic civil right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to our Constitution, they will be implicit in starting another civil war in this country. Too many patriotic American's have given their lives preserving that right to let it go without a fight. And, the person perceived as the one who started the war, whomever that might be, had best give some pre-thought to the words spoken by General George Patton regarding how wars are ended.
At this moment, American citizens have more small arms and ammunition than the military and police combined. Not to mention the fact that a large percentage of our military and police side with the citizens who value the right to bear arms.
The National Rifle Association of America, an American institution dating back to 1871, alone has roughly five million members. The number of skilled marksmen — citizens who are capable of turning a human head into a cloud of pink mist from a half mile away — number in the thousands. This is homeland security! Our enemy's know this, why can't everyone see it?
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Baseball
Just what is our 'National Pastime' nowadays?
It's a shame that Chicago politics are so corrupt. There is a real class act going on the North side at 1060 W Addison Street — a compelling, and successful, community organizer for anyone who is sincerely interested in that sort of thing.
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Law & Order
Crowdsourcing Law & Order
Another example of a concerned citizen getting involved.
EDMOND, Okla. — Dash cam footage captured the moment a bystander rushed to the aid of an officer under attack.
ABC News reports the officer received a call of two suspects who were using cloned credit cards to buy gift cards at various shops around the area.
The officer spotted the pair and a scuffle ensued as an arrest attempt was made. Video captured one of the suspects, Yohanker Paradela-Moreu, beating the officer as another officer attempted to stop the attack. A bystander then stepped in and took down Paradela-Moreu.
If you see something like this going down, you don't need a formal invitation to get involved, but your involvement should be limited to just providing the help needed.
Not every citizen is physically capable of this kind of involvement, but if you are and you see a cop needing help — step to the plate!
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History
The "Big U"
To anyone, like myself, who spent time in the North Atlantic lanes during the 1950's or 1960's, this old lady is probably a familiar, albeit in this case desolate, sight.
A six-month, $1 million engineering study of the SS United States concluded it is unfeasible to convert the 1950s ocean liner for modern passenger service, leading Crystal Cruises to back out of its option to refurbish the ship.
“Unfortunately, the hurdles that would face us when trying to bring a 65-year-old vessel up to modern safety, design and international regulatory compliance have proven just too great to clear in both a technically and commercially responsible manner,” said Edie Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Century City, Calif., based high-end cruise company...
The ship’s original four propellers were each driven by a Westinghouse turbine, fed from eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers. They gave the SS United States its top speed of 38.32 knots at 241,785 hp during sea trial, and record Atlantic crossing cruise speeds around 35 knots.
They only spent a million bucks to find out their plan sucks! These guy's should give our politicians some instruction...
Better days:
May she find an honorable berth for her senior years.
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Security
Has anything really changed?
The way that the 'situation' is described today:
We are now, it is all too clear, entering into uncharted territory.... These unsettled times in this uncharted territory include all matters of morality and legal systems, of politics and economics and, of course, of geopolitics and the military situation, including the so-called war on terror. What we have seen just in the last 30 days or so is a dramatic affirmation of discontinuity rather than continuity. We’re now living in times that are so unsettled and for that matter unpredictable that it is hard to know exactly what we’ll face tomorrow or, for that matter, even later today.
The way that the 'situation' was described on December 15, 1791:
A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.
The need for, and source of, "security" is clear. We are fighting the same enemy today that our forefathers were fighting in the 18th century.
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Baseball
Chicago Cubs
Just keep on rollin'
Cubs pull off a 9th inning comeback against Seattle. Then, Jon Lester drops down a perfect pinch-hit squeeze bunt, and Jason Heyward slides home safely to give the Cubs a walk-off win in the 12th inning!
Execution!
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Civil Rights
Civil Rights are Inalienable
This case is a good example of why we must keep reminding people of the fact that our Constitutional Rights, i.e. "civil rights", are "unalienable" or "inalienable."
“We are sending a letter to Gov. Kasich requesting assistance from him. He could very easily do some kind of executive order or something — I don’t care if it’s constitutional or not at this point,” Cleveland Police Union president Stephen Loomis told CNN.
True "rights", as pointed out in the Declaration of Independence, are God-given, not given by government or man; if our rights were to come from government, then government could, on impulse, strip them away without notice or recourse.
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Law and Order
Situational Awareness
Reviewing the five elements of self-defense, we know that the threat needs to be reasonable and imminent.
In France, the second culprit behind an ISIS-linked attack on a church that left a priest dead... was a teenager reportedly identified by security services as a potential security threat.
19-year-old Abdel-Malik Petitjean, was identified following DNA testing.
Petitjean and accomplice Adel Kermiche, also 19, targeted the church north of Paris during a morning Mass.
A police source told Reuters that security services had opened a special file on Petitjean on June 29th amid suspicions he had been radicalized.
The government has said there are about ten-thousand-five-hundred people with so-called "S files" related to potential jihadist activities in France.
The accomplice, Kermiche, was not only known to security services but was also ordered to wear an electronic bracelet.
So, even when these alluded renegade's are identified and electronically tracked, they can still make their way into a church and slit the preacher's throat.....
FBI Director James Comey has a [in more ways than one] disturbing assessment, warning that gains on battlefield against ISIS could cause terror cells to metastasize across the globe from Syria.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton weighs in...
When we have a situational stew like the one that we are in right now, including an imminent random threat from foreign combative's on our streets, ineffective leadership at the national level, domestic incomprehension, intrusion from 'industrial' grievance groups like the SPLC, and a potent media catalyst — it's time to appreciate the Second Amendment, and recall giving some serious thought to the old Scout Motto!.
And remember, the "government" has no legal burden to provide individual citizen's with personal protection.
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