jonolan on Asian Beauty: “That's good. More of us – and, by that, I mean all of us – need to do so. I…” Mar 28, 13:04
on Asian Beauty: “I am glad to do my part. Let us thrust ever onward towards freedom for the women of China!” Mar 28, 11:11 on Asian Beauty: “Hehe. I actually view this particular variety of orthocegenation as a means of combating said Chinese overlords. If we take…” Mar 17, 09:37Casual Friday, it’s the one day of the week when those of us who work in an office setting are allowed to dress down. Of course, some people can’t seem to grasp what “casual” is intended to mean…
Casual Not Freakish And Repulsive!
Yep. There’s almost always one person who just has to get really into “personal expression” on Casual Fridays. 😉
Predating the explosion of angst against SOPA and PIPA was all the screaming, moaning, and hand-wringing over the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 – specifically those sections dealing with detainee matters.
Hordes of people, on the Left and the Right, were screaming about how those sections of the NDAA 2012 would allow the government to indefinitely imprison Americans without charges or trial – a gut shot to the Constitution.
Truth be told, I was close to being one of them. The only reason that I didn’t join in the ranting was that there were two versions of the bill in question, one in the House and one in the Senate, and both were being rewritten and reworded too rapidly for me to keep up with them.
When you have to redo a draft post three times in five days, it’s time to step back and wait till things settle – if one cares at all about posting reasonably accurate information.
By the the time the dust settled the issue was laid to rest, despite Obama’s campaign statement upon signing the NDAA 2012 into law.
My administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens … Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a nation.
— President Obama, January 1, 2012
NDAA 2012 Signing Statement
The dangerous language that had been in earlier, working versions of both the House and Senate versions of the bill was removed and specific exceptions for American citizens, legal residents, and anyone apprehended within US borders were coded into the final, Enrolled bill which Obama signed into law at the beginning of the year.
Yet the insanity continues, further fueled by Obama’s useless signing statement, as if these very much needed corrections were never made. Disinformation continues to be spread and the ignorant masses keep lapping it up.
To debunk this idiocy all one has to do is to read the relevant sections (1021 & 1022) of the final version of the 2012 NDAA:
Affirmation of Authority of the armed forces of the United States to detain covered persons pursuant to authorization for use of military force
AUTHORITIES. — Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect existing law or authorities relating to the detention of United States citizens, lawful resident aliens of the United States, or any other persons who are captured or arrested in the United States.
— NDAA 2012 p. 265
Under NDAA 2012 the US military still doesn’t have the right to indefinitely detain any US citizen or legal resident. It wasn’t even granted the right to indefinitely detain illegal aliens who are captured or arrested within US borders.
Requirement for military custody
(b) APPLICABILITY TO UNITED STATES CITIZENS AND LAWFUL RESIDENT ALIENS.—
(1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS. — The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.
(2) LAWFUL RESIDENT ALIENS. — The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to a lawful resident alien of the United States on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States, except to the extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States.
— NDAA 2012 p. 266
The NDAA 2012 has not in any way called for the requirement of military custody of American citizens or expanded those requirements for legal residents.
But over three weeks after the NDAA 2012 was signed into law and longer since its final version was enrolled people are still ranting and raving over it – all of them referencing admittedly heinous verbiage that was in earlier versions of the bills.
Yes! Earlier versions of the NDAA 2012 included some of the most dangerous language I’ve seen in proposed legislation and, again yes, that language was made even more chilling in context due to some of the rhetoric by individual legislators who obviously didn’t want to abide by the Constitution and had no qualms about “disappearing” American citizens.
Those dangerous and unconstitutional provisions did not, however, survive the final writing of the law. Let me repeat that – Those dangerous and unconstitutional provisions did not survive the final writing of the law
If one wants to continue complaining about the NDAA 2012 and not look like an idiot while doing so, different arguments will have to be raised.
Depending upon your sensibilities the complaints below would still be valid:
But, for the sake of providing some evidence that the American people aren’t a ignorant as many claim us to be, quit ranting about things – no matter how horrific they were – that never saw the light of day as law.
There’s a lot of whinging, whining, ranting, and raving over SOPA and PIPA. My guess is that very, very few – perhaps as low as 1% – of the people engaging in these histrionics have bothered to read either bill.
That fundamental, self-imposed ignorance, of course, never seems to stop these cretins from yammering about things about which they know nothing or next to nothing.
Most hilarious reaction is the SOPA Strike or Blackout protest going on today (January 18, 2012). Well over 99% of the sites choosing to “go dark” are so inconsequential that their permanent loss would go utterly unnoticed by the internet public at large.
NOTE: This blog would also most definitely fall into that 99%, as would virtually all personal websites. I have some comforting illusions but this blog’s importance isn’t one of them.
On the slim chance that you, my dear reader, wish to be one of the 1% who isn’t bleating in ignorance born rage, links to the full text of both SOPA and PIPA can be found below:
At least after reading the bills in question one can, if one still has an issue with one or both of them, have complaints and arguments based upon actual verifiable facts as opposed to the drivel certain agendists spoon feed their drones. And it’s not inconceivable that you would still take issue with SOPA and PIPA; like all laws, there’s room for argument over the details – especially over the various amendments and riders that are always added to bills in Congress.
In the battle of the bulge, the manufactured Liberal assault on “obesity,” the nanny state has committed what can be described as war crimes. Of course, since these are crimes against American civil liberties, the Left will not care because it’s in a good cause.
Requiring certain students to wear wristwatchlike devices that track and report upon their vital signs and activity levels is beyond the pale.
Infuriatingly, schools in St. Louis, MO, and South Orange, NJ have already been forcing targeted students to wear the devices manufactured by the Finnish firm, Polar Electro, for some time and now Long Island, NY has chosen to similarly invade American children’s basic privacy in their war on what they’ve decided is obesity.
The tale of the Hanging Stove is a wonderful story about three intelligent, well-educated men coping with the rigors of the wilderness.
An engineer, a psychologist, and a theologian were hunting in the wilderness of northern Canada. Suddenly, the temperature dropped dramatically and a blizzard was upon them.
Fortunately for them, they came across an isolated cabin, far removed from any town. The three hunters had heard that the locals in the area were quite hospitable, so they knocked on the door to ask permission to shelter from the storm. No one answered their knocks, but they discovered the cabin was unlocked, so they entered.
It was a simple place — two rooms with a minimum of furniture and household equipment. Nothing was unusual about the cabin except the stove. It was large, pot-bellied, and made of cast-iron. What was strange about it was its location: it was suspended in midair by wires attached to the ceiling beams.
“Fascinating,” opined the psychologist. “It is obvious that this lonely trapper, isolated from humanity, has elevated this stove so that he can curl up under it and vicariously experience a return to the womb.”
“Nonsense!” scoffed the engineer. “The man is practicing the laws of thermodynamics. By elevating his stove, he has discovered a way to distribute heat more evenly throughout the cabin.”
“With all due respect,” interrupted the theologian, “I’m sure that hanging his stove from the ceiling has religious meaning. Fire LIFTED UP has been a religious symbol for centuries.”
The three debated the point for several hours without resolving the issue.
When the trapper finally returned, they immediately asked him why he had hung his heavy pot-bellied stove from the ceiling.
His answer was simple……… “Had plenty of wire, but not much stove pipe.”
Education is wonderful thing, but it often colors the perceptions of what passes for the intelligentsia and these elitists end up ignoring simple common sense and pragmatism, occasionally to hilarious effect.
