Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Alien Abduction


Spoiled dog.  I asked the two people at my parents house who they were and what they did with my Mom and Dad.  Clearly they have been abducted and replaced by space aliens.  It it the only explanation.

Can't put my finger on it....

But I am getting a vibe that 2010 will be a good year.  Hope it is, for all of us.

Stupid Bimbos

One thing that is certain to give me a case of "the ass" is stupidity.  It seems to be running rampant as of late.  The attempt of an Islamo-fascist to bomb a US airliner on Christmas Day has called in to question the current administrations ability to protect us against acts of terror.  It is abundantly clear that there was a failure of the Homeland Security apparatus.  It is also clear that someone, probably Napolitano's head, should roll for this failure.

The thing that really pisses me off about the whole affair was the reaction of a woman interviewed shortly after the incident.  The reporter was inquiring about the stepped up security measure in the wake of the incident.  This stupid egocentric person saw fit to call the stepped up security measures as silly and inconvenient.  Nice.

Of course if it was her children that were strewn over the bottom of the Atlantic from such an attack she would wail about how the system failed her.  I guess safety is secondary to convenience.  It is people like this that will be the ruin of this country.  Sadly it is people like this who are currently running it.

Not playing

URUMQI, China — China on Tuesday executed a British man convicted of drug smuggling in its first execution of a European citizen in half a century, drawing a strong condemnation from Britain's prime minister.


Britain's Foreign Office confirmed the execution of Akmal Shaikh, whose relatives say was mentally unstable and was unwittingly lured into the crime.

It is clear the Chinese Government has hit on a policy that will eliminate recidivism in narcotics trafficking.  Perhaps they are on to something here.

The rest here.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas

As the most important holiday in my family winds down into the peace of Christmas Night I just want to take the time to wish all of my dear friends and readers of the Dirty Copper a Merry Christmas and a peace and joy filled new year.  May the abundant blessings of our Lord and Savior descend upon you and yours.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Stay Kitty!

Maybe it was nine lives, but one feline is lucky to be alive after he was found with his paws glued to a Minnesota interstate, KSFY.com reported.

A couple saw the cat on the side of the road and thought it had been injured by a car, the KSFY.com reported. But the cat was stuck, though its paw pads were ripped off by the glue when the couple removed him from the road, the site reported.

Here is the article.

Stupid, stupid, stupid

In my almost fifty years on planet Earth I have been witness to many ill conceived ideas. In fact, a good deal of them have been mine. Having been overexposed to stupidity while in the public service the bar has been set fairly high for those things I would characterize as monumentally stupid. Socialized medicine, the Democratic Party in general, the entire Kennedy family in particular, just to name a few. Today we will be adding one to the list.

SAN JOSE, California — Police in California are testing head-mounted cameras to record interactions with the public.

The test using 18 patrol officers comes as citizens' groups criticize the department for too often using force during arrests.

Officers are to turn on the cameras every time they talk with anyone. They download the recordings after every shift.

Reasonable expectations of privacy aside lets talk a bit about the realities of police work. The large part of the effectiveness of any police department is based on discretion given to the officer. Now, some would argue that this type of discretion leads to families of officers getting away with minor traffic violations and officers turning a blind eye to minimal offenses. This is true. What is also true is that this same discretion allows them to give you the benefit of the doubt when you run a light. Divert your child to a non criminal justice diversion for graffiti rather than charging them with criminal mischief. Well, the list goes on and on.

This proposal by the San Jose PD will remove this discretion and put officers under a microscope. A microscope manned by a bureaucrat or worse yet an academic who will try to change societies ills with some new zany idea every month. American policing and the discretion it requires are what enables ordinary men and women in uniform to keep this society from coming apart at the seams. Using head cameras is about as well thought as the global warming crusade or putting the government in charge of healthcare. It just does not make any sense.

The rest here.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Some Christmas Spirit

Like everyone else I am in full pre Christmas frenzy.  Shopping, cooking, the list goes on and on.  Just take a minute and remember a scared First Century Jewish girl traveling to Bethlehem.  Very poor, very pregnant and about to play an integral part in changing the world, forever.

In the special place in Hell Department

OSWIECIM, Poland  —  The Nazis' infamous sign declaring "Arbeit Macht Frei" — German for "Work Sets You Free" — was stolen Friday from the entrance of the former Auschwitz death camp, Polish police said.

Unbelievable that someone could be so insensitive or stupid to deface such a place.  In addition to the six million Jews who dies in the holocaust there were persons of many nationalities and religions.  All suffered and died.  Who could be so callous?

The rest here.

Strength?

As Democrats race against the clock to pass a sweeping health care bill before Christmas, Sen. Ben Nelson, the only known Democratic holdout, has positioned himself to play Santa or the Grinch.
The Nebraska Democrat is pushing to include air-tight restrictions on abortion funding in the bill, but that's not all he wants.

Here is hoping that Sen. Nelson has the strength to hold off the rest of his party and prevent irreparable damage to our country and the future of our children.

The rest here.

Friday, December 11, 2009

BOOBS!

Now that I have your attention please watch the video.  It was made in support of the pink glove fundraiser that supports breast cancer research.  So if you are like me and like boobs and the important women in your life that happen to be attached to them, buy the gloves and support the research.  You might be saving your Mother, Wife or Daughter.

Think you know the most stupid person on the planet?

Clearly you are mistaken.  Unless you met the woman who wrote the following:

The "inconvenient truth" overhanging the UN's Copenhagen conference is not that the climate is warming or cooling, but that humans are overpopulating the world.
A planetary law, such as China's one-child policy, is the only way to reverse the disastrous global birthrate currently, which is one million births every four days.
The world's other species, vegetation, resources, oceans, arable land, water supplies and atmosphere are being destroyed and pushed out of existence as a result of humanity's soaring reproduction rate.
Ironically, China, despite its dirty coal plants, is the world's leader in terms of fashioning policy to combat environmental degradation, thanks to its one-child-only edict.


Just when you thought the environmental fringe weenies could not push the envelope further you have this sad, sad clown telling us in essence, that we as humans, are the equivalent of a parasitic infection of planet Earth. 

While finishing my undergraduate studies I was required to take an Earth Science course.  You know, moron science designed for non science majors like myself.  It was taught by a dyed in the wool liberal professor who really liked the prospects of a liberal government.  He told us that the impact humans have on this planet is similar to the impact a fly has on an elephant.  In other words, we are insignificant. And more importantly, global warming is a bunch of crapola.

So it appears to me that under the guise of environmentalism, folks like the author of this dubious article have another agenda.  Abortion rights?  Who knows?

As  hundreds of movers and shakers descend on Denmark in their private jets to debate what our futures will hold and how they will restrict our daily lives to fight  global warming please remember that they are idiots.    The rest here.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

You have to be kidding me

President Barack Obama told House Republican leaders to "stop trying to frighten the American people" even as he and Democrats said they see a possibility for bipartisan cooperation on job creation legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters that Obama made the admonition during a bipartisan meeting at the White House on Wednesday, producing a chart to show Republicans that "things are a lot better."

Yeah, for this guy.

A contract worth nearly $6 million in stimulus funds was awarded by the Obama adminstration to two firms run by Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton's pollster in 2008.

The Hill newspaper reported that two companies run by Mark Penn -- Clinton's pollster during her 2008 presidential run -- received $5.97 million from the $787 billion stimulus package so he could preserve three jobs at his public relations firm, Burson-Marsteller. 


Hands in the cookie jar again.

Who could care?

HOUSTON (AP) - Voters in a hotly contested runoff election will decide Saturday whether Houston will become the largest U.S. city to elect an openly gay mayor.

City Controller Annise Parker has never made a secret or an issue of her sexual orientation, but others have lately catapulted it into the center of the mayoral race.

Anti-gay activists and conservative religious groups have endorsed her opponent, former city attorney 61-year-old Gene Locke. Some have also sent out mailers condemning Parker's "homosexual behavior."

Frankly, who cares if she is gay? It has nothing to do with her ability to perform in this secular office. If she is capable people should vote for her (unless she is a libtard). Frankly, if Jim McGreevey was a capable steward of the NJ Governor's office I would have voted for him. I didn't care that he was gay. I just didn't like the fact that he was a liar.

The rest here.

Academic legislation?

I don't know about you but I am getting really tired of being portrayed as though I tramp around the suburbs wearing a white hood. Check this one out.

A branch of the University of Minnesota may require all education students at the school to understand and accept that they are either privileged or oppressed and that they be well-versed in issues like "white privilege," "institutional racism” and the "myth of meritocracy in the United States."

Critics are condemning the Race, Culture, Class and Gender Task Group at the University of Minnesota win Cities, which proposes making race, class and gender issues the "overarching framework" of all teaching courses.


And if that isn't enough liberal stupidity for you try this on for size.

• "Future teachers will be able to discuss their own histories and current thinking drawing on notions of white privilege, hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, and internalized oppression."

• Teachers will be able to articulate a "critical analysis of this story of America, for what it illuminates and what it hides or distorts" including:

- "myth of meritocracy in the United States"

- "historical connections between scientific racism, intelligence testing, and assumptions of fixed mental capacity"

- "alternative explanations for mobility (and lack of it)"

- "history of demands for assimilation to white, middle-class, Christian meanings and values"

- "history of white racism, with special focus on current colorblind ideology"

• "Future teachers are able to explain how institutional racism works in schools" and recognize that "schools and classrooms are often structured in ways that advantage and disadvantage some groups but are also critical sites for social and cultural transformation."


For some reason, I don't feel the need to run out and apologize to anyone. In fact, I can't be convinced that this idea is well thought out or serves a legitimate purpose. If any of the people that conceived of this notion think it will do anything but cause more racial tension they are wrong.

My great grandparents came to this country with nothing. While they did not come in actual chains they did suffer under the chains of poverty and ignorance. Through diligence, hard work and the desire to make a better lives for their families they elevated out collective social status to college educated professionals. That is the beauty of this country. Anyone can do it who chooses to. At my second full time job (because I want even better for my kids) I work with a group of doctors. Greater that fifty percent of them are African American. I do not fault them for their success. I admire them for it. Based on their performance as medical professionals I can safely assume that nobody gave them what they have. They earned it through hard work and a can do attitude. It is my hope that my children will have the drive and determination to succeed in their own way like those physicians and my immigrant great grandparents. So I would like to politely ask the nitwits of the alleged academic community to knock it off and try to focus on their job instead of constructing maniacal social policy.

Thus endeth the rant. Myth of meritocracy indeed.

The rest here.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Feast of the Immaculate Conception



A nice thing about working nights is being able to do things during the daytime that would otherwise be missed. Today I was able to go to Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at noon. The time I suppose was not important but what made it nice was that my daughter's entire school was in attendance.

The kids were well behaved (thank you parochial education), the church was packed, and the children's choir sang like angels. They sang all of the great Marian hymns and even managed to sing part of O Sanctissima in Latin.

Mater Dei, ora pro nobis!

Polish breakfast

The power of pierogi.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Don't know much about history

Or anything else for that matter.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took his GOP-blasting rhetoric to a new level Monday, comparing Republicans who oppose health care reform to lawmakers who clung to the institution of slavery more than a century ago. 
The Nevada Democrat, in a sweeping set of accusations on the Senate floor, also compared health care foes to those who opposed women's suffrage and the civil rights movement -- even though it was Sen. Strom Thurmond, then a Democrat, who unsuccessfully tried to filibuster the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and it was Republicans who led the charge against slavery. 

Yes Harry, you are wrong again.  The party that was against slavery was the Liberty Party which eventually became the Republican party.  Wrong about history and wrong about health care legislation.  Do us all a favor Harry and try drying your hair in the microwave.

The rest here.

Appearances can be deceiving

If you have been thinking that the fonts look a bit different....you are right.  Since I have a week or so before I jump back in to the academic meat grinder I am trying to catch up on a few little things that have been irritating me.  While blogspot is kind enough to host enterprises like mine for free I am realizing that it has its limitations.  So, I have been messing around trying to perk the place up a bit.  So please indulge me with a bit of patience while I attempt to make the place more visually appealing.

A trip to the store



Thanks to the Hilltop Piper for alerting me to this one. The best part is that if you pulled this guy over he would swear on his Mother that he only had ONE.

Random Big Black Dog picture


Good Job Vinnie!

In another success for one of my friends I had the pleasure to see another of them enjoy the product of their hard work and dedication.  Today, following in the steps of Dale and Dave the third musketeer was promoted to Sergeant.  It was nice to be a member of the visiting team at Vinnie's swearing in.  I was a bit mad at myself for oversleeping and missing both Dale and Dave's ceremony but as Vinnie will soon find out as a rookie Sergeant, night shift puts a bit of a damper on daytime activities you would like to make.  Congratulations to Vinnie on his hard work and ultimate success.


Some fancy stick work

Compliments of The Trenton Polack



Fine old school Cop stuff

Words fail me

Found over at the Deacon's Bench.


Motivation

It is easy to admire motivated people. Case in point my friend Dan. Dan really wanted to become a cop. But in this day and age there is not a great deal of hiring going on and if you are not a veteran it is unlikely that you will be picked up by a department. Undeterred, Dan pressed forward.

Taking a huge gamble, he quit his job and at his own expense attended the police academy as an alternate route candidate. It was an expensive proposition and one not without risk. I am happy to report that in addition to finishing at the top of his class he was picked up by a department in this county and tomorrow morning will be fulfilling his dream reporting for his first shift. Good Luck Dan! I know you will be a great cop.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Second Amendment

This is a better defense of our right to keep and bear arms than I could ever imagine. Twirl of the nightstick to the Digital Hairshirt.

More judicial hijinks

A Florida court has agreed to pay $150 a day for a makeup artist to cover up a defendant's offensive tattoos throughout his trial, MyFoxTampaBay.com reported.

John Ditullio, 23, faces first degree murder and attempted murder charges. His trial begins on Monday.

Ditullio obtained several new tattoos since his arrest in 2006.

"They're covering up tattoos on both sides of the neck. They're covering up a barbed wire tattoo across the face," said Bjorn Brunvand, Ditullio's defense attorney, according to MyFoxTampaBay.com.

Ditullio has a barbed wire tattoo on his head and an offensive expletive and Neo-Nazi symbol on his neck.


Why are the taxpayers compelled to help this man mask his stupidity? Well at least the judges in Florida are elected. They can get rid of the legal genius who came up with this one next time he is up for election.

The rest at FoxNews.com.

Remember them and the freedom they provide for you

White trash Santa



Silence is golden

Stolen from Father Z's place.

Digital stimulation

As I wrote in a previous post I have been really busy.  Betwen the demands of family, work,  and school it has been a miracle that I haven't imploded.  Even my daily blog surf has been interupted.  During one of those brief moments I had available I ran across a post by The Diginatrix.  She posted an old picture of her Mom on the one year anniversary of her death.  This caused me to reflect.  Busy or not there are certain things that should not be shunted to the wayside.  After all, life as we all know is too short.  So in the midst of all of the mania of the last few weeks I went over to my Mother's house and learned how to make her pierogi.  Now everyone I know swears them Mother makes a particular delicacie better than anyone else.  But my Mom (reverently referred to as Babci or the Batch) makes the most delicious and delicate pierogi known to the human race.  She was kind enought to share her secrets with me.  As an added attraction I was able to learn her secret pie crust recipe, also the best on the planet.  So I offer my grateful thanks to the Diginatrix for giving me pause and causing me to hit the emergency brake long enough to share some special time with Mom.  She can count on me sending up some great prayers for hers.  May she rest in peace.





Semester finally over

My inaguaral semester in graduate school is grinding to a close as evidenced by my submission of the last two research papers.  More regular posting will resume immediately.

How not to avoid schism

When you see the seawall that buttresses your faith spring a leak your natural inclination is to put a finger in the dike.  Isn't this carrying it a bit too far?

LOS ANGELES — The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles elected a lesbian as assistant bishop Saturday, the second openly gay bishop in the global Anglican fellowship, which is already deeply fractured over the first.

The rest here.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Still typing away

Regular posting will resume Sunday.  Homework avalanche in progress.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Time for a veal meal

A new PETA advertisement featuring model Joanna Krupa wearing nothing but a crucifix and a seductive smile is "totally inappropriate" and exploitative of Christian symbols, critics say.
Krupa, a Playboy cover girl and a "Dancing With the Stars" regular, is seen topless and bottomless in the latest spot by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which urges people to adopt pets from rescue shelters instead of buying them from puppy mills. 
The Polish-born beauty appears in the ad with angel wings behind her and a digital halo over her head. Her private parts are covered -- barely -- by a large, well-placed metallic crucifix.

To counter this anti Catholic stupidity I will eat meat tonight.  Not that I am opposed to it in general but most of the time try to keep my intake of such to a minimum.  This has nothing to do with animal rights.  It has to do that I lead a very crappy life style and if cutting down on red meat will get me another six weeks or so at the back end, so be it.

Since the dum dums from PETA continue to try and equate animal and human life and in doing so are going to deride my beliefs tonight I will do something to offend them.  I am going to eat veal.  That's right.  Tasty, young baby cows kept in cramped pens soaked in their own urine until they are slain for my dietary pleasure.  As the popular slogan goes "Meat is murder.....tasty, tasty murder".

And since they clearly fear no wrath from the Almighty it is likely they will not seek deliverance from him as I partake of this animal apostasy.  Perhaps they can pray to God of the Environment Al Gore for relief from this treachery.

The rest here.