Do not make the mistake of believing that you can have it both ways.

Good evening, Moody Blue.

For eight long years, the people of the United States tolerated a leader and his large contingent of apparachiks, enablers, planners, propagandists, manipulators, users, believers, judges, war-mongers, corporatists, incompetents, legislators, administrators, and fools.

No one of sound mind, even his harshest critics, called for the government to be toppled, despite revelations of lies to wage wars, outrages of domestic spying, horrors of torture, everyday madness of religious zealots controlling the engine of "justice," and ambitious fools overseeing the machineries of regulation of everything from banking to food safety.

The Iranians, like us, far too easily fall prey to populist madmen who appeal to the ignorant of our respective electorates and ally themselves with the angry religionists who would reject modernity as it does not offer harbor to the powers of superstition.

Unlike the Iranians, we have made a choice to withdraw from that harmful, self-debilitating road.

Like the Iranians, we shall return to that path, and we will do so under the banner of "democracy," even as that means of bringing forth rulers carries within it the very destruction of the rule of law which is the heart of the republic that suffers the failure of its people to use the democratic process wisely.

The Iranians hope one day for the resurrection of the empire that was Persia, even as we fear the day of sunset of the empire that is America.

We share the history of the door that finally, if irresolutely, closes on peoples who cannot find the will to overthrow not just the tyrants, but more importantly the allure of the tyrants' promises.

To that extent, we are far more closely bonded with the Iranians than we might care to imagine.

Unbelievably barbaric. To imprison them for seeing that there is always two sides to every coin. I am very proud of these courageous young people, and they give me a small measure of hope that somehow, they can turn this barrel around before we plunge over the falls. Bibi and Shas have other plans though, I'm afraid, and when the US starts to fund their wild-eyed military forays, we will see just how loud the Zionist PR machine can get, while drowning out those with less bloodlust.

I signed the letter.

No one of sound mind, even his harshest critics, called for the government to be toppled, despite revelations of lies to wage wars, outrages of domestic spying, horrors of torture, everyday madness of religious zealots controlling the engine of "justice," and ambitious fools overseeing the machineries of regulation of everything from banking to food safety.

The Iranians, like us, far too easily fall prey to populist madmen who appeal to the ignorant of our respective electorates and ally themselves with the angry religionists who would reject modernity as it does not offer harbor to the powers of superstition.

Yes.

Much more likely is the Roman solution: "They make a desert and call it peace." The only question is, which side shall play Carthage and which Rome this time around.

Perhaps we shall have in this day something along the lines of the more enduring solution, nightshift:

Pompeii comes to mind.

The Dark Wraith has always favored Mother Nature's way of lowering the expectations of the wealthy class.

Sadly, nature is indiscriminate in her processes, at least more so than I would wish. However, given the amount of blood on all sides' hands, that might be a just outcome in this case.

It's not nice when Mother Nature fools with you!

Mother Nature is not always capriciously indiscriminate, nightshift.

Moody Blue's link is to the story of that volcano, Mount Redoubt, now erupting in Alaska.

Sarah Palin is the Governor of Alaska.

quod erat demonstrandum.

Ba-dum dum! Nice shot, Wraith!

Alaska Volcano Observatory: Redoubt Activity - Color Code RED

2009-03-23 15:46:26:

"The eruption of Redoubt volcano continues and the color code and volcano alert level remains at RED/WARNING. Sesimic activity remains elevated, but has declined slightly over the past several hours.

"AVO has received no new reports of ash emission since early this morning. Ashfall advisories are available on the National Weather Service site http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/volcano.php

"AVO's web camera near the volcano is no longer functioning. AVO has an overflight of the volcano in progress."

. . .

Current Status and Observations

Beginning last night (Sunday March 22, 2009) at approximately 22:38 AKDT, Redoubt Volcano produced a series of five explosive eruptions that each lasted from four to thirty minutes. The last one ended at 5:00 AM AKDT this morning (March 23). National Weather Service radar, pilot reports, and AVO analysis of satellite imagery suggest that these events produced ash clouds that reached 60,000 ft above sea level (asl), with the bulk of the ash volume between 25 - 30,000 ft asl. Traces of ash fall have been reported in Skwentna, Talkeetna, Wasilla, and Trapper Creek.

AVO remains at Avation Color Code RED and Alert Level WARNING. Seismic unrest continues at Redoubt in the form of elevated volcanic tremor. NEXRAD radar data show that the last significant ash emission was concurrent with the final explosive event at 5:00 AM AKDT. Since that time, no ash has been visible in radar, suggesting that if ash emission is occurring, it is below approximately 13,000 ft asl and/or too fine to be detected. Poor weather at the volcano currently hinders visual observations.

Last night's explosive eruptions caused melting of the Drift glacier and greatly increased discharge down the Drift River. AVO plans a helicopter overflight to the area today to assess conditions at the volcano and along the Drift River. The explosions also destroyed one seismic station near the volcano's summit (RSO), and disrupted telemetry from AVO's obsveration hut. This telemetry outage affects the web camera, a continuous GPS station, and two broadband seismic stations. Repairs to this data link will be undertaken as conditions permit. Seven telemetered seismic stations surrounding Redoubt remain in operation.

If Mt. Redoubt manages to impact Ms. Palin more than the poor schlubs who live near it, I shall cheerfully retract my statement. Hell, I'll even make a votive to Gaia.

Can brutalization, harassment, and intimidation of our own non-conforming youth be that far behind in our own backyard? Or will our penalties for non-compliance be more subtle yet no less barbaric? The gaggles of uniformed students I'm beginning to see around campus have started to make me acutely uncomfortable (as does the oversized, Nuemberg-rally-ready American flag hung from the skylight of the galleria).

Don't even get me started on the Young Marines!
Love to have a live feed of Sarah trying to outrun a pyroclastic flow. The sight would comfort the spirits of all those wolves she allows to be slaughtered.

Sarah Palin's Aerial Wolf-Killing Program Angers Feds

From Kevin's Cryptogon:

H.R. 1388: Obama’s Youth Brigade Conscripts Would Be Prohibited from “Organizing or Engaging in Protests” or Participating in a Variety of Religious Activities
March 24th, 2009

Will the uniform include an armband?

Via: GovTrack:

SEC. 1304. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.

Section 125 (42 U.S.C. 12575) is amended to read as follows:

SEC. 125. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND INELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.

(a) Prohibited Activities- A participant in an approved national service position under this subtitle may not engage in the following activities:

(1) Attempting to influence legislation.

(2) Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes.

…

(7) Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization.

Thanks, PLT, for the heads-up on H.R. 1388, and to you, too, MB for the latest on FrankenBarbie's depradations. Both are worth raising my BP over!

Gaza: Videos of Alleged War Crimes:

These videos depict what the Israeli soldiers are describing.

Who is to blame? The soldiers who perpetrated these acts? Or is it the government that sent them to Gaza?

I say it's the government. [...]

This was Olmert and Barak's war. The soldiers would not have been in Gaza if it were not for them. The Palestinians paid a terrible price for this war. But so did Israel. It lost, in more ways than most Israelis grasp.

Hey All,

I have nothing to contribute to this topic, mainly I wanted to let y'all know I am still alive, just have been off line for a while. I am truly annoyed in that I am regularly closing the store on Thursday nights, so have missed both of Dark Wraith's radio broadcasts. Sigh.

But I am hoping for some internet time next week, and will hopefully have something of worth (or at least amusing) to add to the discussion.