Where should we place the blame? Killings and Koran Burnings.

[Updated]

A lot of the blogs I read more-or-less daily have discussions going about who to blame for the killings that have been somehow coupled to the Koran burning incident.

I say:

We should assume that the Muslims are doing what their religion tells them they should do.

Not much we can or should do about that.

We have no control over what they do, they are not guided by what we think or do.

Their religion and their politics are more closely coupled than ours are, which is as it should be, but it does complicate the discussion a bit.

So let me try to clarify a bit before I ask some hard questions. They have no concept of freedom so lets give up on trying to understand what they do from that viewpoint.

They do what their religion (and their Holy Book and its interpretations) tell them to do. No other inputs to the decision are needed, welcome or permitted.

Just like we do what our religion tells us to do.  (OK, add “…or lack of one…”.  I don’t think it actually adds anything.  Atheists are more evangelical than the Pentecostals are anymore.)

Now, to the questions: Did Terry Jones do what his religion told him to do? If it did, then we can be sure that I don’t belong to his religion, although I use (or used to–not sure that I will anymore) the name he uses.

I had a similar problem a while back while thinking about Fred Phelps–short summary: at one point in my search I thought I might be a Baptist, but now I know for sure that I am not since he says his religion tells him to do the dreadful things he does…..

[Update:  Theo Spark has the perfect graphic for the point I was trying to make.]

http://www.theospark.net/2011/04/one-question-three-answersfrom-rico.html

I wish I knew half as much as people think I know.

Trying to make a simple blat-with-pictures to leave out for people who come to look at our house-for-sale.

Made one using Microsoft Word (I don’t know what flavor–I’m on Windows 7 and it doesn’t look remotely like the one on the XP computer down stairs).

Got the words in, but couldn’t figure out how to manage and manipulate the pictures. At all.

Tried Microsoft Publisher–got the words in, and eventually figured out how to manage and manipulate the pictures in spite of the best efforts of Publisher.

Now I have a pretty good cut at what I want.

On three “Master Pages”.

Which resist all efforts to make then coalesce into one document that I can duplex print.

So I’ve sent them to the printer one at a time.

Which the HP DN4500 handles at the rate of about one page per hour.

I wonder what happens if I try to import them here.

SellHouse

Functionally nothing–that is the Word document, WordPress has no knowledge of Publisher files.

Larry Steps In It Again.

In a comment on Don Surber’s excellent blog, I said something that carried gravity beyond my persistent intent.  I was angry about so many things, none of them much Mr. Surber’s doing.  The connection is I live near Occupied Elkhorn, occupied by Omaha, of whom Suttle is current reigning Authority.

I repeat here my answer to email from Mr. Surber on the subject:

Quote

On 3/25/2011 7:32 AM, Don Surber wrote:

> Your comment got caught in the spam filter. I approved it. Took a
> while for me to check bause I napped at 5 and had dinner and
> generally was away from the computer from 3 to 7.

You have a life? Who knew?!
>
> Realizing past problems, I can see why you would conclude as you
> did.

I promise I’ll go back and look at what I said, but in advance I’ll say that there was something seriously wrong with it to trigger the reactions evident.

I was severely ungruntled about a lot of stuff yesterday but not much (if any) was your fault. Selling a house I don’t want to sell, dealing with a real estate agent who sees no need to listen to grumpy old men, …….

But that should not have splashed on you.

> This is a sincere apology.

Accepted but I am seriously sorry that I made it necessary.

> As to Livermoron’s good riddance comment, I also apologize. If you
> want me to kill it I will, but then he may get spam filter issues
> after that (really, I do not know how it wworks and IT is pretty
> stumped by it — it is run by Askismet and I may just disable it).
> He’s just a surly old puss who may have reacted simply to what he
> thought was an overreaction (it was not).

I don’t know what this is about–but I’m not much for killing (newspaper connotation) stuff–else I would ask for my mistakes….Let’s just say my name is not Winston.

I am about to get to my daily reading list (it’s been another one of those days), but I head to your blog first to see what the heck I’ve done.

I apologize for it, what ever it is.

> Don Surber Poca WV

Lot of things wrong with the world, but the mountains of West Virginia and the people that live there are not among them.

> —– Original Message —– From: Mike Hapeman To:
> donsurber@dailymail.com Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 2:51 AM Subject:
> Laurence Sheldon
>
>
> Howdy Don, I know you don’t owe me this, and I actually don’t want
> any personal or unpleasant details, BUT I was surprised both by
> Laurence Sheldon’s abrupt departure, and more so by the ‘good

Ahh a glimmer. I asked for an email response, didn’t I? That is because your blog doesn’t have a way to get automated email copies of responses, and you publish so much I seldom can get bak to an old (defined as more than a few minutes old) comment to see what happened to it and my scraps-of-paper system of remembering things was and is already failing.

But I did not intend to convey the rancor that I apparently did.

Hard to tolerate a day without a dose of Don. (Usually several doses–there five or six blogs I check every few hours–Don Surber, Flopping Aces, Gateway Pundit, Watts Up With That [couple of mre but I can’t think of the names…..Naughty Bits(?) is one, maybe.

riddance’ good bye from livermoron. I recognize livermoron as a
> regular, and while I don’t always agree with anybody, he seems like a
> good egg.
>
> I am curious, and would appreciate a brief, general, impersonal
> explanation for Sheldon’s departure, i.e. bad language, personal
> attack on another Surberban, whatever.

(I going to violate the get-your-own-blog rule and copy most of this into the comment thread) …. But let me say that I ain’t going — Ace Of Spades HQ had to kill several blogs including his own to get rid of me. I don’t go easy. Especially when there is large value involved.

If (When?) I annoy people, it is usually clumsiness, but in any case I recommend figuring out how to use the “kill” or filter facilities in your reader to get me out of sight. I don’t get quoted enough to be a problem with filter leakage.

> You obviously manage the posts to prevent trolls from upsetting
> folks, which I appreciate. I do not understand people who either feel
> compelled to say ugly things, or those that think that they can
> behave badly while ‘hiding’ behind internet anonymity. I meant that
> recent post; secrets are hard to keep.

I’m not usually compelled (I have been), more often I am clumsy or over do it.

This kind of medium is realty poor for communicating feelings–only one channel works (no body language, no tone of voice, no pace, not facial expression, no hand-waving. And knowing all that, I am not as careful as would be good for us all.

> Separately, and much more importantly, I hope cousin Caroline Kathy
> is well.

I don’t think I know what that is about, but I hope so too.

> Best Regards, CAPT Mike aka Michel Hapeman CAPT, USN (RC), Ret.

Ex-Navy enlisted long ago–what does “(RC)” mean in this context.

I’m never good at straightening out stuff I’ve bent, but for what ever it is worth, I wish….

—
Superfluity does not vitiate
California Civil Code quote-#3537

https://lwolt.wordpress.com/
http://tinyurl.com/269dspw # <– Where I live
2

I Have THE Answer For The Global Warming Problem!

I realized this morning that I have The Answer!  

Still to be worked out: How to get rich like Gore did from it.  

The Settled Science says that Global Warming Causes Everything, right?

Including all the cold we have been having for the last year or two.

So.

Cutting to the chase, if everybody would just buy and drive SUVs, the CO2 resulting will (in roundabout fashion) cause more cooling, saving the world from Global Warming!  

And Gore can keep peddling his carbon credits things (as soon as he figures out how to keep the fraudsters from ripping him off and causing the markets to close, and stuff.

But we definitely need for him to drive his lebenty zillion SUV fleet, all of his airplanes, AND his size-of-Manhattan houses.

And his yachts.

The Arizona “Memorial” Campaign Rally.

I have not written about it here, but that “Memorial” travesty has really been gnawing at me and I have not really understood why.

There are a number of  things to be concerned about beyond the obvious ones at the event itself–most particularly the surprising people who say it was wonderful.  (I think Fox needs to have its water system tested.  O’Reilly?  Beck?!!?)

I finally figured out why this “Arizona Memorial” tripe is bothering me so much.

The very name!  The Arizona Memorial is an installation in Pearl Harbor honoring some heroes, not pols running for (from?) office.

Did you see the video the other day of a Japanese man o’ war, now operating with a multinational fleet saluted Arizona as it steamed by.  [ed. note–I can’t find it–I swear I saw it–Japanese defense Force ship dipped her colors (standard naval salute to another ship) passing Arizona.  If I find it I’ll come back and post it here.]

That is what reconciliation looks like.

Connections.

Gabrielle Giffords gravely injured today in a mad-man incident in Tuscon.

But she has for some time (apparently) been doing some serious damage to cherished stereotypes, and I’d never noticed before (shame on the right-side “media”).

Democrat in Congress.

Meets with constituents (she was gunned down during such a meeting, it appears, and there was an incident some years ago that seems to be eerily similar (see the link above).

Not only meets with constituents (remember, this is alleged to be a Democrat) but apparently listens to them.

And here is the worst news:  she (a female–no doubt about it–Democrat) is one fine looking lady.  How much damage does that do to our case?

And the worst is that she is posed with a Triumph!  And she knows how to ride it.

[Note:  This is intended to be a lighthearted mood-shifter in the face of some more really dreadful news out of Tuscon, and was written on the assumption that she will recover from the dreadful wounds she has suffered.  Upon notice that I have offended someone, or that her injuries are more grave that they now seem, I will pull this posting down,]

Please join me in prayers for the recovery of people who can, and the souls of those who can not, and for the comfort of all people nearby.

 

h/t Left Coast Rebel

The path to riches.

If you want to be really really wealthy become president and do every thing you can to make sure all the leftists really really really hate you.

Then retire, and write a book.

The Kremlin and Glenn Beck

The next year will be an interesting year–that is a foregone conclusion, a fact you can take to the bank.

This, if true, will be part of it in several dimensions: the Kremlin and Glenn Beck.

I’m a dummy.

I missed one.

Day Spoiler

[Published on: Dec 29, 2010 @ 20:24, updated Dec. 30, 2010 @ 8:25 to remove drunken typos.  (I don’t drink much so it was probably the drugs still working.]

A day, like many other (but not every other) days.  Serious pain in the abdomen–fails most of the “tests” for cardiac involvement.  Most days it goes away after a period, as quickly as it came.

Many days it seems related to lower GI distress–constipation, usually.

A massive bowel movement yesterday provided no relief.

Decided to lie down for a bit–noted that it was occasionally difficult to draw a deep breath.

The difficulty breathing got worse until every breath was difficult.

Wife told me to call the doctor’s office, but before they called back I decided I wanted to go to the ER.  NOW!

Doctor’s office called as I headed for the door, we chatted bit, they concurred, suggested “their” ER at  42nd and Dewey–I suggested Lakeside was a lot closer.

So off we went, wife and I–the exertion of getting into the car wanted me to breathe more deeply than I could so I did the only thing reasonable–I panicked.

An eternity later we had covered the 6 miles and I had gotten on the gurney in the crash room (or what ever they call it), answered all the questions twice, had a oximeter installed that worked (after several that did not) which showed that my oxygenation  was %96 so the panic was unwarranted.  (Isn’t it always?)  They put me on oxygen anyway–no difference noted.

After an EKG (nothing interesting), a CT Scan (or is it CAT Scan?) (nothing interesting) and an ultrasound examination (Gall bladder convicted), they gave me an IV of LASIX (which I take orally as Furosimide as a diuretic) and something (dunno what but IV) that relieved the pain  and the panic, but made me so stupid that I could not solve the simplest problems.

We (wife and I, with doctor’s concurrence–he remembered us from Pat’s recent visit after the lawn mower thing–seemed proud of his work) decided I was well enough to go home and call the surgeon that has worked on us both recently The doctor’s first choice was to lock me up there for their surgeon in the morning.

So we came back home.  I spent most of the day sleeping.

Pat found that the Surgeon is himself a surgical client and could not see us until Tuesdahy

So we will see how it goes.

In the context of the comparative discussions of health care systems it is important to note that the week or more delay in surgery is the result of my choice–Lakeside would have provided surgical care today, the next day.

Update (after fixing the more outrageous typos (and no doubt installing some new ones)) I feel about normal or at least at the point where I am not sure what is “drug” stupid and what is “ordinary” stupid.

Thanks to everybody that cares.