Side by Side Blind Statistical Comparison
Thomas Robinson vs Anthony Davis
For whom would you vote based on the numbers?
Stats Courtesy of The Dagger’s Jeff Eisenberg
* Really only Blind for non-UK/KU Fans ; )
Archive for February, 2012|Monthly archive page
ONE AND DONE, Kentucky Basketball and John Calipari
In UK Basketball on February 29, 2012 at 10:16 am
2011-2012 Kentucky Frosh and Sophmores
Understand, we don’t recruit a young player saying that there is no question he’s a one-and-one player. We don’t know! Are you telling me that we knew Eric Bledsoe had a chance out of high school to go in the first round after one year? If they tell you that, they’re lying. Those same people also said our three freshman starters from last season would leave after one year. Two came back because they wanted to win a national championship and the other one that left had a 4.0 grade-point average and 60 credit hours.
I tell every player that we recruit that I don’t have a magic wand. At the end of the year, we’ll see where everything is, we’ll give you the information, and you and your family make a choice to stay or come back. I would love to coach all of these guys for four years and have them earn a college degree in four years, but if they have an opportunity to reach their dreams, I will not be the person to hold them back, nor will I let anybody at this university or in my program do it.
~ John Calipari
I don’t see Cal pushing players out the door. I see him evaluating their development and their potential earnings and advising them according to the possibilities inherent therein.
Would Knight have gone higher in the draft after one year. Would Cuz have gone higher with one more year. Doubtful.
Knight maintained a high GPA throughout High School. If memory serves, his mother was a teacher. I doubt he’d have gotten away with slouching off on his studies with such being the case.
The One and Done System is self perpetuating. In order to get the most talent players, Cal or any coach must exhibit the ability to get these kids to the next level in the most expeditious manner. Holding them back or being unable to develop their games would be disadvantageous to Kentucky and Calipari.
Cal misspoke only slightly when he made the statement that the Wall/Cuz/Bledsoe/Orton/PPat Draft Night was the greatest night in Kentucky History. That night will and has lead to an ongoing influx of talent to Kentucky Basketball that should result in a National Title. At least one National Title.
Cal does not have to pay players to come to UK. The most talented, the more diligent and the more intelligent players will come to UK because they know that it is *THE* path to the next level and that hard work will pay off with a greater pay day than any booster could possibly offer them for a one or two year stay at some other school.
With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Muhammad and Noel here next year.
The kids that want to play with the best and win are the kids that are going to come to Kentucky. We’ve seen that in this last class. These kids came together because they want to win.
Some of these kids will actually stay so as to increase their long term potential. That is what the intelligent kids will take into consideration. The selfish, impatient kids should go elsewhere and probably will be encouraged to do so. Such has been the pattern that I’ve noticed since Calipari has joined the Kentucky family.
Calipari wants to win. As Wooden and other Coaching Greats have made quite plain in book after book, talent wins. Well prepared talent wins more. Experience is good if a coach can get it, but, talent bests experience. This team is proving that right now.
Cal’s challenge is to ensure that these kids are prepared for the games and prepared for their futures. If he does that, UK will win and the kids will win which will bring in more and more talent which will bring more and more wins.
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GO BIG BLUE!!!
Bobby Knight ~ THE HATER
In thinking out loud on February 29, 2012 at 12:58 am
BOBBY KNIGHT THROWING ONE OF HIS INFAMOUS TEMPER TANTRUMS. ALL CLASS BOBBY! ALL CLASS!
Pan Am Mishap
In spite of the great academic successes he had at Indiana (and nearly all of his players graduated, far above the national average) the press preferred to highlight the dramatic—and occasionally violent—interactions between Knight on one hand and everyone else on the other. In 1979 at the Pan American Games, Knight, in a confrontation with a Puerto Rican police officer, punched the cop after Knight was ejected from a game on a technical foul. The Puerto Rican government then put out a warrant for Knight’s arrest, but he could not be extradited from the U.S. In the late 1980s Puerto Rico recalled the warrant. Knight, quoted in Sports Illustrated at the time, said of the Puerto Ricans, “F—’em, f—’em all.… The only thing they know how to do is grow bananas.”
This guy should be run off the court. He’s completely unprofessional. How do you talk about Player of the Year Candidates in the year 2012 and NOT mention Anthony Davis?
How does anyone take this clown seriously?
I swear BOBBY KNIGHT looks like an old drunk on TV. Red Face. Bulbous Nose. He’s got a constant case of the DTs. The guy is full of old hates and haunted by the past. Nothing in the past haunts him more than Kentucky Basketball. I suppose that’s why he’s always looks three sheets to the wind. Hate does that to ya. Eats away at the soul. Breaks a man down as surely as a 10 year drunk.
The guy is entirely without honor. He throws fits when he loses. He curses at kids when he’s not choking them. He kicks chairs across the court. He’s supposed to be on ESPN as a Sports Announcer. Yet, he holds grudges against Kentucky and will not do games involving the Big Blue. He won’t even say the name.
KENTUCKY WILDCATS, BOBBY KNIGHT!!!
The man spouts erroneous information as if it’s fact such as his statement that Wall, Cousins, et al did not finish their course work and/or failed all of their classes. Knight will be like Wooden. It will come out after his death that his players were paid and that cheating went on at the pristine Indiana University. Everyone will then know that Sampson was not the only cheater at Chair Throwing/Student Choking U. No one is as clean as this guy pretends to be…no one. Especially no one who preaches as much as this guy. He’ll turn out to be to College Basketball what Jimmy Swaggert was to Evangelical Christian TV. A BIG FAT FRAUD!
How the hell can you take the man seriously when it’s obvious that he’s more biased than Adolph Hitler and half as charming. ESPN should dump this red faced dud now.
If you talk about National Player of the Year Candidates in the Year 2012 and you don’t mention Anthony Davis then you are either Senile, Drunk or an imbecile. Perhaps, Bobby Knight has hit the Trifecta again.
GO BIG BLUE!!!
Indeed, Knight’s list of notable mishaps seemed to get longer and longer, and as his team seemed to make earlier exits, the severity of actions grew in correlation with his team’s failure to win in the NCAA tournament. He stuffed a fan from an opposing team (LSU) into a trash can. He told Connie Chung during an interview, “I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it,” though he later said that Chung took the quotation completely out of context. He has told women, in general, “There’s only two things you people are good for: having babies and frying bacon.” He pretended to bullwhip his star player, who happened to be black. He tossed a chair across the court during a game, kicked his own son (a player for him at the time) in the leg, and head-butted a player on the sidelines in a game, later claiming that he slipped as he was approaching the bench.
In 1986 Knight, in an attempt to show the country that he was not as bad as he was made out to be, allowed reporter John Feinstein total access to the Hoosier locker room and practices. This was unprecedented for Knight, who typically closed his practices to the press and the public. When John Feinstein’s tell-all book, A Season on the Brink, came out in 1987, Knight claimed Fienstein distorted the facts.
As the nineties drew to a close, Knight’s position at Indiana grew tenuous in spite of his nearly three decades of success at the school. Though many people would have weathered any turbulence with The General at the helm (and many Indiana fans still remain loyal to Bobby Knight, regardless of the fact that he coaches a thousand miles away in Texas), his questionable actions seemed to grow in intensity. In 1999 he was accused of choking Indiana basketball player Neil Ried in a 1997 practice (the act was caught on videotape). The school investigated and issued Knight a warning, suspended him for three games, and fined him $30,000.
He was also issued what the University referred to as its “zero-tolerance” policy in the spring of 2000. In the media storm that erupted in the fall of that year, it seemed that the reign of Coach Knight would come to an end. But just how it would end, no one knew.
On September 7, 2000, Knight allegedly grabbed Indiana freshman Kent Harvey and screamed profanities at him. Harvey claimed that he’d only said, “Hey, what’s up, Knight?” and then Knight proceeded to berate him for disrespecting his elders. The picture gets blurry, however, and the true story of what happened—whether Knight used force or whether he merely held Harvey by the arm as he berated him—are not known. Knight would not apologize, however.
Indiana University claimed this was the type of incident their zero-tolerance policy was meant to prevent. University officials declared Knight’s behavior unacceptable, and fired their coach on September 10, 2000. The president of Indiana University, Miles Brand, said that no one incident broke the policy; rather, Knight’s continued display of bad behavior was the cause of his dismissal.
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1966 Duke Men’s Basketball Team Picture
In thinking out loud on February 28, 2012 at 12:05 am
No this isn’t the “lily white” Final Four team of 1966. This is the team the year after the “watershed event” in College Basketball History. This is the Duke team that was fielded the year after Vic Bubas took an All White Team to the 1966 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.
1966 is the year that Texas Western won the NCAA Tournament with the FIRST All Black Starting Five. Texas Western defeated Kentucky’s All White Starting Five.
Kentucky got to that game by defeating the All White Duke Team. C.B. Claiborne would join the Duke Freshman team a year later and get his first start in January of 1967. Kentucky would sign it’s first African American — Tom Payne — two years later in 1969.
BAD RELIGION
In thinking out loud on February 27, 2012 at 6:59 amThis goes out to all the fools who use their religions to spread hate and tales of HELL, Fire and Brimstone and Gehena. To those who are intolerant. To those who use religion as a tool of segregation and to those who refuse to accept others in all the varied cultures, creeds, sexes, races and beliefs that make this earth so wonderful.
(Spoken) The word of God it says, that we will recieve praise of God. God will begin to speak forth. Our righteousness is of Him, sayeth the Lord.
Get Back!
Can you feel I’m not like you anymore?
I can’t see, I can’t breathe!
See you quiver like the dogs on the streets.
Looking down on as I beat you.It’s a bad religion
From a broken nation
It’s a contradictionAnd I can’t take it anymore, Yeah!
Who’s to say I won’t like you anyway?
Take a deep breath I’m alive.
Can you hear me? I’m alive inside you.
Agony creeps up behind you.[repeat chorus]
And I can’t take it any fuckin’ way!
[repeat chorus]
Can you feel it?
I’ve gotta live with it every day.
And I can’t take the pressure,
I’m goin’ insane. Now go away!
Go away!(Spoken) Now if you start praising God, wherever you are. I don’t care where you are, I don’t care what’s happening, just begin to praise Him, begin to praise Him and praise Him and praise Him and praise Him and worship Him
To those who use their religion as a personal philosophy of love and acceptance. For you, may the Gods bring love, life and blessings of bountiful abundance.
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Iran and Another OIL WAR
In thinking out loud on February 26, 2012 at 12:05 am
It would seem that war with Iran may be inevitable. The Political Leaders of the World and the UN seem to want it. Why is America enmeshed in this oil war? We do not purchase oil from Iran. We have nothing to gain from a conflict with Iran and much to lose. If we do join in a physical conflict with Iran, in no way should we bear the cost of such a war. Nor should we put forth the manpower or primary land forces for an invasion. I would have no problem with supporting other nations with Air Power. That said, the powers that desire this war should use their political and diplomatic capital to bring about hostilities. Iran is not America’s War. It’s is Saudi Arabia’s War. It is Israel’s War. We have nothing to gain from a War with Iran. Not in the political climes of this age.
The Saudis should be forced to take the lead here. The Saudis should take the lead in the Middle East on this issue. The only way that we should declare war in Iran is if Saudi Arabia declares War jointly with Israel. Japan, France, China, India and Italy should be compelled to commit first. The US should commit no land Forces except Seals and SF. Saudi Arabia should be required to commit all of their forces to the conflict, if it comes, as a prerequisite for support in the conflict. Their land forces should be front line. No bullshit support role. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia should request that Israel take part in the Land War and operate jointly with the Israelis against Iran.
There is no way that we should defend Saudi oil profits while the Saudi men sit back and talk Islamic shit over Chai and Sheesha. Likewise, there is no way that we should defend Israel while Israeli military men sit in Tel Aviv and Haifa clubs or sun themselves on Mediterranean beaches. Iran is a major source of oil for France, India, China and Japan. If they wish to keep purchasing this oil for their economies, they should pay the price for it’s continued resourcing.
Saudi Arabia should be required to obtain the consent of the remaining OPEC Nations. Each OPEC Nation should be required to commit land forces as well.
The OPEC Nations should pay the total bill of the conflict. They can obtain reparations from Iran once the conflict is over.
Re-building Iran, if necessary, should be the responsibility of Saudi Arabia and the remaining Islamic OPEC Nations.
America has shed enough blood and spent enough treasure to line the pockets of the tyrants and Islamic hypocrites of Saudi Arabia.
If the world wants war with Iran, let them make war with Iran. Iran is not vital to our National Security. The Straits of Hormuz are not vital to our National Interests. We could survive without oil from that region. Iran is of national importance to the security of China, India, Italy and Japan and a few other Nations. Iran is a threat to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Israel.
Those are the Nations that should be taking the lead in the deliberations with Iran.
America should back off. If those Nations request our assistance, we can decide to help or to stay away from the mess. In this matter, America does not need to take the lead. The Nations that depend on Iranian oil and those nations which are threatened by Iran (Saudi Arabia and Israel) should take the lead in diplomacy and, if it comes, in conflict. If the Saudis are too cowardly to be outspoken in their opposition to Iranian Imperialistic Revolution, America should not cover their collective asses in this fabricated “crisis.”
I have stated before and I’ll state it again. Iran can have the bomb if they desire it. The whole of the Middle East can have the bomb if they so desire. It should be made clear to them, however, that if one Nuclear explosion occurs, there will be massive retaliation. MASSIVE RETALIATION.
I can see why Iran would want a bomb. The Mad Mullahs have every reason to fear the United States and the West. We have acted as stooges for Saudi Arabia for far too long. We have acted out in aggression against the Middle East often. We have meddled in Middle Eastern affairs too often. Iran has every reason to fear our meddling interference in their affairs. If I were one of the Mad Madhis, I’d want the bomb. In the end, though, they would not dare use it. Even if we invaded. They’d have maybe 10-20 bombs over the course of the next decade. The United States has hundreds of such bombs as well as the delivery systems to hit every Iranian city of note.
The West should back off. We should take a conciliatory line. We should open ourselves to Iran and it’s people. On the other side, we should allow Israel to strike against Iran in Lebanon if they feel threatened by Iranian Imperialism in that Nation. Iran has been meddling in Lebanon and Syria for decades. They are no babe in the woods. Hezbollah is their tool of empire. If Hezbollah continues to strike out at Israel, the world should remain quiet if Israel goes in with massive retaliation.
Iran can not complain about an act and then take part in it. That is as hypocritical as their complaints about Palestine. The world should stay out of the Palestinian conflict. If it is ok to meddle in Palestine/Israel, then, it is ok to meddle in Iran and elsewhere. The Western Liberal critics of intervention can not have it both ways.
Palestinian Nationhood is a joke. There never was a Palestine in History. Had the Arabs won in 1948, 1956, 1967 or 1973, there would never have been a thought of a Palestine. Only Arab military incompetence made Palestinian Nationhood possible. The Arab countries would have divided the land which is now Israel and the so-called Occupied Territories. Palestine would not have been created and those peoples would be worse off than they are now.
The West should stop meddling in the Middle East period. We should halt all aid to any country that is non-democratic. If they wish to be Islamic Despotisms, let them have at it. If they wish to be Democracies, let us aid them. That said, the Aid should go to the people. The Aid should not be filtered through the Governments. If the Governments continue to demand their cut, let us cut them off entirely.
Cut the strings by which Saudi Arabia and their OPEC brethren have been puppeteering in the West. Rid us of our oil addiction. Halt aid to corrupt governments in the Middle East and elsewhere. If these countries wish to join the modern world, let them prove it by taking on modern governance and freeing their people. If not, we should have nothing to do with them.
No more oil wars. No war in Iran. No more meddling.
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Muhammad Ali
In thinking out loud on February 25, 2012 at 7:02 am
“I done wrestled with an alligator. That’s right. I have wrestled with an alligator. I done tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail. That’s bad! Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick! I’m so mean I make medicine sick!”
Rioting and Protesting Afghans
In thinking out loud on February 25, 2012 at 5:16 amASSMONKEY ALERT!!!
Everyone of these pieces of scheit should be transported to FATA or NWFP, Pakistan and then napalmed.
May they all burn in hell!
If President Obama apologizes one more time, he should be impeached.
When is Hamid Karzai going to apologize for the deaths of our soldiers!!! I won’t hold my breath.
Paper was burned. Paper and ink. That’s all. No one was burning Islam. No one was purposely attempting to offend Islam. Grow up Muslim World.
“There will be moments like this when you’re searching for the meaning of this loss. There will be moments like this when your emotions are governed by anger and a desire to strike back,” Allen said in comments NATO released Friday.
“Now is not the time for revenge. Now is not the time for vengeance. Now is the time to look deep inside your souls, remember your mission, remember your discipline, remember who you are.”
Listen to your leaders Assmonkeys!
Christianity and the Message of Christ
In thinking out loud on February 24, 2012 at 10:41 pm
Justinian (The Messiah) and Theodora (The Virgin) ~ The Creators of Roman Christianity
I believe that Jesus would gaze disapprovingly upon most of the Christians of this age.
I have my beliefs and am satisfied with them. For me, organized religion, worship of “holy” books such as the Bible or the Qu’ran, the post-Constantin Roman Christian concentration on the physical person of Christ rather than the message of Christ, the belief that Faith alone will get you to heaven and the stubborn clinging to a belief in a “Loving God” who condemns souls to hell will keep me away from what now passes for Christianity.
I believe in Christ as prophet of the Gods. For me, it is enough that he was a messenger who brought a message of Faith, Hope and Love to mankind. I do not need to sit in a church pew and moan ad nauseum how much I “LOOOOOVE JeeZus!” like some heifer in spiritual heat. It is not what one believes but how one incorporates ones beliefs into ones life that is important.
I know far too many Christians who talk a great game and then fall back on the Original Sin hoax stating that we are all sinners as an excuse for turning a blind eye to and doing nothing about the evils in this world.
Too many believe that as long as they believe in Jesus and accept him into their hearts as their savior that they are going to heaven. I believe that it is impossible to accept Jesus without accepting his message. The Ministry of Jesus was about work. The work of loving the world. The work of loving your neighbor. The work of accepting and not judging.
Each Christian vote for acts such as the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment is a repudiation of the message of Christ. Each Christian vote against the poor is a repudiation of the message of Christ. Each Christian vote against immigrants from South America is a repudiation of the life of Christ.
Christ was about helping the poor and welcoming everyone into the family of man. His life was not about keeping those poverty stricken Mexicans out of America. Christ was not about marginalizing homosexuals or the poor. Christ was not about sanctifying marriage for this group or that group.
30 years ago marriage was too sacred to allow a Black Man to marry a White Woman. Miscegenation was a great evil. Now, if you’re a good Christian, you must stop the homosexuals from ruining marriage. What’s next? Maybe they’ll actually tackle the real problem facing marriage. Adultery. I doubt that though. They’d have to fire 80% of the Preacher Men if they did that.
I missed that in the teachings of Christ. I missed where Jesus stated that only White Men can marry White Women and that no other marriage was valid.
These are some of the many reasons that I will never again be a part of Christianity.
The greatest reason is that I revere Christ and see that organization which claims to represent him as a repudiation of all that is good about the man and his message.
Having long ago verged from the path of Ieshua the Nazarene, Modern Christianity is a hot mess.
Anthony Davis
In UK Basketball on February 24, 2012 at 12:12 am
Anthony Davis ~ The Prodigee
The kid is being compared to Kevin Garnett. Some say that he might be a better prospect. He has all of the swagger but none of the arrogance of KG. The Dude is all business. This time next year, he’ll be a Millionaire.
When he’s on the court, his presence must be respected. His 13 points a game are nothing compared to his denial of offense to the opponent. How many shots are altered? How many opponents intimidated by his presence? They tried to go around him, go over him, go through him. None of it works. The kid improvises. The kid adapts. The kid overcomes. Gunny Highway would be proud. There is no one else like him in College Ball. I don’t think there is anyone since the early days of Shaq that has had the presence that Davis has on the court. Hell, the kid can even play a little point from time to time and has been green lighted to shoot the Trey. Unbelievable!
There really is nothing else that can be said about him. He’s lifted Kentucky Basketball to the pinnacle during this season. Kentucky fans (myself included) are hoping that he’ll get the trifecta ~ Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Three or four days after that, we’re hoping that he gets MOP of the Final Four and hoists that Championship Trophy.
Davis goes down into history as one of the most talented and accomplished players in Kentucky Basketball. All of that is possible after one year! ONE FREAKIN’ YEAR!
If he decides that he loves it and comes back for one more, they’ll name a city after him. I’m sure that there are babies being born all over the State of Kentucky right now being name Anthony. Kentucky fans are just that crazy.
I’ve got friends in Thailand, Afghanistan, Scotland and Romania who are now following Davis and Kentucky Basketball. Much of that because of the excitement surrounding the Sultan of Swat wearing blue and a BIG UNIBROW down in Lexington.
Nerlens Noel is probably giving Kentucky and Calipari more consideration because of Davis. I’d love to see the kid come back and play beside Noel. Then see them go one, two in the NBA Draft that year. One can dream.
Thing is, all of this is nothing compared to the scouts evaluation of him. In a loaded class with Harrison Barnes, all eleven hundred of the Kentucky kids, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones, and Thomas Robinson, Davis is still miles ahead of the rest in terms of ability and projected ceiling. It’s not just the production, that stuff can come from physical dominance at the college level. But it’s that his defensive instincts and determination are so high. He’s a smart, coachable player that doesn’t block just the first shot. He blocks the second shot. He blocks the third shot. To say he may be the best defensive prospect since Kevin Garnett is not an exaggeration.
Muslim Hypocrisy!
In thinking out loud on February 22, 2012 at 10:50 am
Mohammad Cartoons published in Denmark ~ Muslims Riot
Suicide Bomb goes off in Market ~ Muslim World Silent
Qu’ran flushed in a toilet ~ Muslims Riot
Women raped and then deceived into becoming suicide bombers ~ Muslim World Silent
Terry Jones threatens to burn a Qu’ran ~ Muslims Riot
6 year old Afghan Girl used as suicide bomber ~ Muslim World Silent
Qu’ran rumored to be burned ~ Muslims Riot
40 Children saved by Combined Coalition/Afghan Force ~ Muslim World Silent
Qu’rans accidentally included in a burn pile ~ Muslims Riot in Afghanistan
Do any Muslims see the stupidity in this? Does anyone else?
Is the Qu’ran this important?
People wonder why I have no respect for religion.
Burning the Qu’ran
In thinking out loud on February 21, 2012 at 4:44 pm
To Muslims, it's sacred. To anyone else in the world, it's just a damn book.
1. Don’t spread rumours. Whenever you hear something which concerns your collective life, communicate it to the appropriate authorities so as to make them reach a correct conclusion after proper investigation:
(4:83) “When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they divulge it, although their attachment and obedience to the (Divine) System requires that they had only referred it to the Rasool (central authority) or those charged with authority amongst them (officers of the lower ranks); in case they refer it to them, the specialists could verify and ascertain the truth.”
Afghanistan, 21 February 2012
Afghans are rioting in Kabul and Bagram AGAIN. Blocking streets. Attacking innocent civilians and Westerners. Why? Another violent reaction to a perceived slight. US Soldiers inadvertently including Qu’rans in a pile of files and documents that were being burned.
Some lower Enlisted guys were told to take some old files out to the burn pit. Apparently, it was a lot of stuff. Most of it in Dari. Included in the piles of stuff were copies of the Qu’ran. These kids had no clue as to what the stuff was. They only knew that they were told to burn it.
While they were burning these materials, some local nationals were in the area. These local nationals (AFGHANS) noticed that there were Qu’rans and other religious materials being burned. Instead of asking why the soldiers were burning the material, the Afghans jumped to the worst possible conclusion. They stormed off the base and riled up the masses outside of Bagram and spread vicious rumors about the Soldiers of Bagram. By morning, the rioting had spread to Kabul.
The locals didn’t stop and ask the guys who were burning the stuff if they indeed knew what they were burning. They offered no advice or warning. They simply became enraged and started riots and protests. Typical Muslim behavior the world over. See something happening, become enraged and jump to conclusions.
AFTER the Qu’rans had been burned, the Afghans walked off the job and proceeded to spread the news that US Soldiers at Bagram were burning Qu’rans.
My question is this:
Why did the local nationals (AFGHANS) not stop the guys and tell them that they were about to burn Qu’rans? Why did they not inquire as to the nature of the Soldiers’ reasoning in burning the materials that included Qu’rans?
I’ve read the book and, therefore, I know what a Qu’ran looks like. A guy who has never seen a Qu’ran isn’t going to know that it’s a Qu’ran. It’s going to look like some book with squiggly ass writing on it in the middle of a bunch of other old papers, files and books with squiggly ass writing on it. If there are boxes of books and files and a few lower Enlisted guys are told to take the shit out to the burn pit and burn it, they’re going to take the shit out to the burn pit and burn it. I’ve thrown tons of old stuff into the fire pits in Bagram, Camp Stone and other places. If it’s old shit, I rarely look through it. I just start ripping, wadding and burning and throwing.
So Afghans watched a group of Soldiers burn some Qu’rans along with a bunch of other stuff. Having simply watched the Qu’rans burning and not offering any warning to anyone involved that they were about to burn the Holy Qu’ran, the Afghans spread the news that US Soldiers are burning Qu’rans. Kabulis and other Afghans are now out in force blocking roads, burning tires and rioting in general. As a result of this, one or two of Afghans and possibly, but doubtfully, a Coalition member or two will wind up dead or injured due to the stupidity of a couple of Afghans who could have forestalled all of this by simply saying; “Hey, do you know that those are Qu’rans that you are about to burn?”
Had an Afghan told the Soldiers this, not one Qu’ran would have been burned. Another thing that could have forestalled this would have been a little situational awareness on the part of the NCO or Officer who ordered the files to be burned. Having said this, the US Army should not be in the business of handing out religious books. If that is done at all, it should be in the hands of the various Chaplains in country.
Bottom line, though. It’s a fuckin’ book. If God had touched it or they were copies carried back from the Kaba’a or they were ancient manuscripts that were carried by Abu Bakr or Hussein and Ali, I could understand. But these were US mass produced copies of the Qu’ran. Not every copy of the Qu’ran is sacred. Some of them are just books that were mass produced. The Mullahs need to stop acting like and telling the Umma that all copies of the Qu’ran are sacred. Nothing that is massed produced is sacred. I don’t give a fuck if God himself hands each one out himself. If it’s massed produced, it’s about as sacred as a Happy Meal.
American and other Coalition soldiers have shed their blood in defense of Afghanistan. Shoulder to Shoulder or Shona ba Shona and Ooga pa ooga as the Afghans say. Coalition Forces have died defending the Afghans right to worship as they see fit. Americans, Canadians, British, Romanians, French and soldiers of other Nations have given their lives for the people of Afghanistan. The Afghans overwhelmingly express a desire for America and the Coalition to stay on past 2014. Afghans are fearful of a resurgent Taliban. Yet, the moment an American or a Coalition Soldier makes a mistake concerning their fuckin’ book, the Afghans go insane and jump to the worst possible conclusion.
The actions by these protesting Afghans dishonors every Soldier who has given his life for the cause of Afghan independence and security.
I have news for Afghans and Muslims world wide. The overwhelming majority of non-Muslims could give a fuck less about Islam or the Qu’ran. That includes the majority of the International Force fighting for your right to act like complete idiots each time someone pisses on or burns a Qu’ran. If it weren’t for the Coalition of Nations and their Soldiers including those who inadvertently burned the Qu’ran last night, Afghans would still be under the oppressive reign of the Taliban. Most of us in the West don’t care enough about Islam to burn a book which is essentially meaningless to us. However, the more ignorant that the more idiotic of the Muslim Faith act in “defense” of their religion, the more people dislike the Faith of Islam and the more likely people are to see Islam as an enemy of peace. The more Muslims react with this seemingly instinctively visceral insanity after any instance of supposed disrespect to the religion of Islam, the more likely folks are to see Islam as an exercise in intellectual and spiritual fallacy. The more likely regular folks are to see it as an enemy.
Muslims, grow the fuck up. Neither you nor your religion is entitled to respect. Respect is earned. If you’ll note, the Islamic world is the poorest region of the world. The Islamic world is one of the most illiterate regions on the planet. The world of Islam is one of the most violent regions in the world. The Nations of Islam are the most oppressive on the planet. Again, grow the fuck up.
Most people in the West know next to nothing about Islam. The one thing that nearly all people who have any awareness of Islam know is that many of it’s adherents are petty lunatics and are prone to riots and violence over any perceived insult to Islam, Mohommad or the Qu’ran. We don’t care about your religion. Keep it to yourself. As a non-Muslim, I am not obligated to show respect for your Faith. If I do show it respect, it is not because I am obliged to do so. That respect is due to the Muslims whom I have known over the years for whom I have respect. These folks earned my respect. The morons out there rioting over inadvertently burned Qu’rans burn away the respect that those folks earned from me. The majority of Muslims whom I have met are excellent people. I don’t see them doing this incessant rioting and whining over smallish slights to their religion. They realize that not everyone believes as they do. They realize that some folks out there make their religion look bad. The folks out there rioting over cartoons, inadvertently or purposefully burned Qu’rans and Fitna videos make all Muslims look foolish. These are the Muslims who make it possible for the World to look at the Muslim world as an illiterate, insane backwater that is not worthy or ready for self-determination or self leadership. These fools make the World of Islam ripe for exploitation. These fools make it possible for the Islamic world to be dehumanized on a grand scale. These fools make possible the Saddam Husseins, Hosni Mubaraks, Khomeinis, Ahmadinejads and Bashar al-Assads. These fools make it possible for the West to maintain relations with the House of Saud. The West would rather deal with these mad men than the mass of lunatics represented by the rioters of the Muslim World.
It’s extremely hard to defend Islam or Muslims when they act like fucking morons. Please stop acting like complete and utter morons!
Get a grip. It would help if Muslims actually read the Qu’ran which they hold so sacred:
(24:15-16) “When you received it on your tongues and spoke with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge, and you deemed it a trifle, while with Allah Almighty it was serious. And why did you not, when you heard it, say: It beseems us not to talk of it. Glory be to Thee! This is a great calumny”
The Death of Whitney Houston
In thinking out loud on February 19, 2012 at 8:14 pm
Another celebrity dies, another group of bubbleheads use that celebrities death to make political statements about the downfall of society.
People die every day. The effect that a death has on the world is determined by the ways in which a person has touched the world in life. There are millions of people who are concerned over the troubles of Africa. At some point, though, Africa has to solve it’s own problems. Much like Afghanistan, the world can not force African Nations to start giving a damn about themselves and each other enough so as to solve their problems themselves.
Short of going in and slaughtering half of them and then solving their problems for them, what would these folks have the world do?
People are going to continue to celebrate talent and mourn the loss of such talented people. People are going to continue to see problems such as those in Africa as something far removed and not of their concern as long as these problems are remote. It’s all about proximity. That has nothing to do with our society. In many ways, it’s all to do with scale.
Who’s society are we talking about anyway? Romanian? European? Chinese? American? Islamic? Christian? Buddhist? Hindu? Zoroastrian? Byzantine?
How is mourning the death of a talented person a damnable characteristic of a society?
Millions of dollars are poured into Africa each day. Millions more will continue to be poured into Africa. This will happen year after year, decade after decade. Millions of people have sent money or traveled to Africa to help Africans. When does Africa start to help itself. It’s the same thing about which we have complained in Afghanistan. These people overwhelmingly will not help their own neighbors. Instead choosing to get theirs before they “get got.” The corruption levels in places Afghanistan and the countries of Africa are off the scale.
What would these people have us do? I see criticisms. I see no solutions proffered.
Any time anyone does attempt to force a Nation or a people to act a certain way, the very people who keep saying that we should do something start complaining about the way we are doing that “something.” If we simply pour money into these countries, they turn into Somalias or Rwandas. If we do nothing, they turn into Syrias and Lybias.
Is crying over 1 million dead Africans going to solve anything? If I take a moment out of each day and shed a tear over the deaths of millions of children and mothers in Africa, is this going to change the world? I think not.
With all of that in mind, why is the mourning of Whitney Houston by the people whose lives have been touched by her voice a statement of any sort on “Society?” The peoples of those societies mourn the death of a talented person who has touched millions of lives through song. How is that a great evil? How does that equal a “messed up” society?
Great Kentucky Basketball Team
In thinking out loud on February 19, 2012 at 12:53 am
with the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Mike Tomlin
Hood looks as tall as Wiltjer. Is the kid still growing?
Truths About ANWR and $5 per Gallon Gas
In thinking out loud on February 15, 2012 at 3:41 pm
This is cycling around the internets. I thought it interesting and looked it up on snopes. I know snopes is a fairly left leaning website. They, of course, took the diplomatic route. Instead of denying the veracity of the information presented, they simply stated “it’s more complicated than that…”
Joe and Jane America are being raped at the gas pump by BIG OIL and BIG GREEN. All the while, Congress sits on their hands on this issue. Instead of funding a massive scientific thrust to replace fossil fuels or simply opening places like ANWAR and the Gulf to drilling OR purchasing oil from our neighbors in Canada, Congress holds themselves hostage to special interests such as Exxon Mobile and other Petrol Industry Giants, OPEC and the Greens.
I don’t know if the email is actually from a guy with family in Alaska or if that’s just an emotional plug. It really doesn’t matter. America should drill for oil if we have access to it. We should not be slaves to the Saudis and other OPEC Nations. If we had no interest in Middle Eastern Oil, we’d not be embroiled in the Middle Eastern troubles. China, France, Russia and India could spill their own blood in defense of cheaper access to the Saudi throne.
I long for the day that we are no longer involved in the intrigues of the Wahhabi Princes of the Arabian Peninsula and the Idiocracy of the Iranian Revolution.
Read the email below:
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My daughter and son-in-law were in L. A. last week from their home in Anchorage . He is a foreman in the oil fields at ANWR. He has to fly his own plane to get to the job where he spends months at a time in the most God forsaken place this side of Siberia.
He confirmed everything that is in this story, and brought dozens of pictures for proof. Our environmentalist friends have forced gas prices up to an impossible rate, forcing us to buy oil from our enemies, for whatever reason that simply isn’t true.
There is enough oil in AMWR to supply the US at our present rate of usage for more than 200 years. The space that ANWR occupies in Alaska is equivalent to a postage stamp in the Mojave Desert.
If you won’t mind paying $5.00 a gallon in the very near future try to make sense of the following:
This is the best presentation on ANWR I have seen. I would like to add a little more information. A new pipeline across Alaska isn’t required since the location for drilling in ANWR is about 160 miles from the North Slope Prudhoe Bay pipeline where it would be connected. I did not know this.
Second the wildlife love the pipeline since it is heated and provides a shelter during the worst times during the winter.
Maybe another question should be asked. FIRST do you know what ANWR is?
ANSWER: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Now a comparison
And some perspective
NOTE WHERE THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AREA IS LOCATED
(it’s in the “ANWR Coastal Plain”)
THIS IS WHAT THE “GREENS” DISPLAY WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT ANWR and they are right these ARE photographs of ANWR.
ISN’T ANWR BEAUTIFUL? WHY SHOULD WE DRILL HERE AND DESTROY THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE? It would be an act of sacrilege.
WELL THAT’S NOT EXACTLY THE TRUTH!
Remember that map? The map showed that the proposed drilling area is in the ANWR Coastal Plain. Do those photographs look like a coastal plain to you? No! That’s because those pictures are not of the coastal plain. Those are pictures of the interior of ANWR. Those photos were taken hundreds of miles away from the areas which would be drilled if Congress weren’t beholden to Big Oil and Big Green.
This is the actual area wherein drilling is proposed.
This is what it looks like in winter.
This is what it looks like in the summer. It’s a barren wasteland. Devoid of life.
Below is a screen shot from Google Earth:
As you can see, the area in which they propose to drill is a barren wasteland. It’s devoid of any appreciable wild life. Nearly devoid of life completely.
Then they say that they are concerned about the effect of Oil Rigs, Equipment, Living and Office Space on the local wildlife.
HERE IS A PHOTO (SHOT DURING THE SUMMER) OF THE “DEPLETED WILDLIFE” SITUATION CREATED BY DRILLING AROUND PRUDHOE BAY *
Do the caribou look like they are fearful or starving? They don’t look in the least bit concern. Animals have a way of adapting for which the Big Green Propaganda Machine does not give them credit.
THAT SAME SPOT DURING THE WINTER.
THIS BEAR SEEMS TO REALLY HATE THE PIPELINE NEAR PRUDHOE BAY!
*The Prudhoe bay area accounts for 17% of U.S. domestic oil production.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE LYING ABOUT ANWR?
REMEMBER WHEN AL GORE SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WORK TO ARTIFICIALLY RAISE GAS PRICES TO $5.00 A GALLON?
AL GORE AND HIS FELLOW DEMOCRATS and BIG GREEN MACHINE CRONIES HAVE ALMOST REACHED THEIR GOAL!
THE DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THE REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN GOING ALONG FOR THE RIDE AT THE BEHEST OF BIG OIL.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
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It’s past time to run them all out of Washington. All of the Professional Politicians, their cronies and the lobbying scum.
VOTE OUT ALL OF THE INCUMBENTS!
And keep voting them out until they do the bidding of the people by whom they were sent to Washington in the First Place.
* I made a few alterations in style but left the substance of the email intact.*
LESBIONICLE SERPENTS OF SATAN
In Humor, Religion on February 15, 2012 at 5:44 amA friend sent me this on Facebook.
GOD HATES LEZBIONICLE CHECKERED WHIPTAIL LIZARDS
“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”
-Stephen Roberts
“It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal god and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious, then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.”
-Albert Einstein
“If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it ought to be good enough for the children of Texas.”
-Ma Ferguson (Texas Governor) speaking on Spanish as a second language in the United States
“Now, my good man, this is no time for making enemies.”
-Voltaire on his deathbed when asked by a priest if he renounced Satan
“In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination.”
-Mark Twain
“Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn’t there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything.”
-Robert A. Heinlein
“Religion is the idol of the mob; it adores everything it does not understand.”
-Frederick the Great
“No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means.”
-George Bernard Shaw
“He was a wise man who originated the idea of God”
-Euripides
“After coming into contact with a religious man, I always feel I must wash my hands.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche
“The Christian resolution to find the world ugly and bad has made the world ugly and bad.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche
“There’s an ancient Hebrew word for Jews from Westport… It’s pronounced ‘Presbyterian’.”
-Toby Ziegler to Josh Lyman on The West Wing TV series.
“My prayer to God is a very short one: ‘O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.’ God has granted it.”
-Voltaire
Words. Meanings. Evolution of Language and Big Brother.
In thinking out loud on February 13, 2012 at 4:29 pmWhat kind of gay shit is iHearts on Facebook? OOPS, Did I say “Gay?”
When did Gay start to have only one meaning that is dominated by Homosexual society? Nearly every word in the English language has multiple meanings.
The word BALL, for instance, has at least 5 meanings. Do Ballers get offended when someone says that they’re “balling their girlfriend” or that they’re “having a ball?”
What’s next? Can we not use the word Queer in it’s original intent?
The original meaning of Gay is Happy. The original meaning of Queer is Funny.
So, homosexuals took a couple of words that were originally meant to be provocative towards them and are attempting to control it’s future use.
I don’t buy it. Others have a right to use the word as they see fit as well. If I say something is “Gay” or “Fucking Gay,” I’m not saying it’s homosexual. It’s not reference to, of or about Homosexuals. I’m saying that it’s stupid or goofy. If Gay people want to get offended by that, I’d say that they need to pull the stick out of their butt.
Words evolve. Get the fuck over it. That’s goes for Hillary Duff and the rest of the Hollywood cultural fluff agents as well.
In the immortal words of Richard Pryor; “Have a Coke and a smile and shut the fuck up!”
The Hotter Disney Gal
Men and the Abortion Debate
In thinking out loud on February 7, 2012 at 2:46 pm
Here is the other half of the abortion issue.
A woman gets pregnant. She has three choices:
a. Give Birth
b. Abortion
c. Adoption.
The man has no choice in the matter. Yet, this baby is a part of him as well. Even so, the woman can decide to murder the baby and the man has no choice in the matter. In my opinion, if it is only the woman’s choice as to what to do with “her body,” the man should have choices as well.
A man should be able to decide from the outset whether he wants to be a father or not. Just as the woman makes this decision. However, this is not what happens. If the woman wants to murder the baby, the man has no choice. Zero recourse. If the woman wants to keep the baby, the man has no choice and must pay for this child for the next 18 to 23 years. The man is basically held for ransom for 18 to 23 years of his life. He is at the mercy of the woman. He is expected to support this baby and, often times, the woman/mother.
I thought that we were all about equal rights in America. There is no equality in this relationship.
A man should have the right to decline Fatherhood in the exact same way that women are given the right to decline Motherhood. As long as abortion is legal, Fatherhood should also be a choice. If the man wants to have nothing to do with the woman and/or the baby, he should have that choice. Period.
Abortion = Choice
Even though it is the equivalent of legal murder.
Legal Abortion should be a choice given to men as well. A man should have the right to abort the child in a LEGAL sense. The man should be allowed to choose to not have the child in the exact same way as the woman has the right to choose to not have the child.
Anything less is discriminatory. Anything else is immoral.
Foolish Infidels
In thinking out loud on February 6, 2012 at 7:21 pm
If anyone secretly entices you–even if it is your brother, your father’s son or your mother’s son, or your own son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your most intimate friend– saying, “Let us go worship other gods,” whom neither you nor your ancestors have known,
any of the gods of the peoples that are around you, whether near you or far away from you, from one end of the earth to the other, you must not yield to or heed any such persons. Show them no pity or compassion and do not shield them.
But you shall surely kill them; your own hand shall be first against them to execute them, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
Stone them to death for trying to turn you away
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I agree with the Tea Partiers and Neo-Nativists.
Any religion that includes passages such as these
in their Holy Book should be banned from the
United States of America.
These are outdated notions in a world attempting to achieve universal peace and harmony. Any religion that claims to be
of love and peaceful would recognize that such talk is counter-
productive and would rid itself of such language.
By the way, that passage under the photo is straight
out of the Bible (Deuteronomy 13:6).
A most excellent passage from the New Testament would seem to apply here:
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Jesus of Nazereth
Matthew 7:5
No Conversion, Please: “I believe that there is no such thing as conversion from one faith to another in the accepted sense of the word. It is a highly personal matter for the individual and his God. I may not have any design upon my neighbour as to his faith, which I must honour even as I honour my own. Having reverently studied the scriptures of the world I could no more think of asking a Christian or a Musalman, or a Parsi or a Jew to change his faith than I would think of changing my own.” (Harijan: September 9, 1935)
All Religions are True: “I came to the conclusion long ago … that all religions were true and also that all had some error in them, and whilst I hold by my own, I should hold others as dear as Hinduism. So we can only pray, if we are Hindus, not that a Christian should become a Hindu … But our innermost prayer should be a Hindu should be a better Hindu, a Muslim a better Muslim, a Christian a better Christian.” (Young India: January 19, 1928)
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I wonder how many will have the courage to forward this on to friends and relatives. ; ) No guilt from me. Do as you wish. God won’t hate you. God won’t love you more. You won’t get good luck or bad. No car will come crashing through the front of your house and you won’t go bald or become impotent if you don’t forward this. You won’t lose your your job, your wife or your dog if you don’t forward this. You won’t win the lottery or a get laid if you do send it forward. You’ll simply have forwarded on something for others to think about.
The Heretic
(I sent this out as an email. I wonder if it will make it back to me someday as a forward.)
