Tuesday, November 01, 2005

UK gone PC?

Every time I might think I've seen or heard it all, along comes these two stories out of the United Kingdom in the wake of the London bombings. I am not making this shit up. Bedfordshire Police issued an 18-point list of do's and don'ts when raiding suspected terrorist homes. One of the points is to remove shoes and refrain from using dogs... All to lower the likelihood of "offending" the Muslims.
Offend them? Fuck them! While they're building bombs and plotting to blow up more subways, buses and airliners killing more innocent people, we're falling all over ourselves trying not to offend them. If I was still a cop I'd be rubbing all my ammo in pig blood and let the fuckers know I did it. And I'd find someplace that makes boots from pigskin... And make sure the fuckers know about that as I kick them in the head putting on the flex-ties.
Here's another little gem of wisdom. Apparently some banks in the UK have decided to discontinue the time-honored tradition of giving "piggy banks" as gifts, again to negate the possibility of offending their Muslim customers. Not only that, all signs of porcine memorabilia must go from employee's desks and work stations... Winnie the Pooh's closest friend, Piglet? Outta there. AA Milne, an Englishman of the first order must be spinning in his grave.
I know what you're thinking. "Tommy my boy, you're shitting me!"
I shit you not.
Go here for that little nugget:
I am about sick and tired of this politically correct garbage. The PC crowd here have been calling us "Imperialists" for "starting" this war for some time... Let me make this crystal-fucking-clear...
Number one. We did not start this war, but sure as shit we'll finish it. Remember 9/11? How about the bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983? Pan Am flight 103 in Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988? The first WTC bombing in 1993? Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1996? The US embassies in Kenya & Tanzania in 1998? The USS Cole in 2000?
Number two. The Muslim fundamentalists we're fighting now not only in Iraq and Afghanistan but all over the world have one goal and one goal only. To convert the entire world to their brand of Islam, and if we won't convert, they will kill us all by what ever means available including the use of biological and nuclear weapons. If that doesn't sound like "Imperialism" I don't know what does. Lenin and Stalin had the same idea...
Now this. One of Iran's leading Islamic clerics says that it should wage nuclear war on Israel, also Iran's new hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told a group of students at an anti-Israel event the other day that Israel must be "wiped off the map"
Kind of gives you the warm and fuzzies, doesn't it? If you think those over there will all join hands and sing "Cumbaya" with us if we all just sit down, and quoting Rodney King "Just try to get along."
I'll give you a hint. They do not want to get along. They do not want to hold hands and sing Cumbaya. They want to fucking kill us. All of us, and won't give up until we've driven them to ground and destroyed them or they've actually succeeded, and with all this politically correct bullshit and appeasement mentality, they might actually have a chance of doing just that.
Neville Chamberlain thought that way with the Munich Pact in 1939, because Hitler was really a swell guy and really didn't want to go to war or dominate the world, did he?
I need some sedatives now...
Copyright 2005 Thomas J Wolfenden

9 comments:

Courtney O. said...

Ya know, it really has gone too far when we're trying not to offend bombers...

Kev said...

Tom, you are just as wrong, albeit from a different side, as the PC crowd with this rant.

Not all Muslims are terrorists. In fact, most are not, just as most white people are not card-carrying members of the KKK and most black people are not gang-bangers. Fringe groups exist in all walks of life and generally speaking do not represent a significant portion of any population. In fact, people of the same race, gender, ethnicity, religion, shoe size, etc., of the "fundamentalists" are often victimized more by the zealots than whatever group said zealots oppose with such zeal. Look what the terrorists are doing to their fellow Muslims in Iraq.

The Brits definitely have justification in aggressively chasing down those who seek to commit acts of terror in or from jolly old England. Odds are, however, that for every good lead they get, there are several duds. This is not a science. Not every house they raid will be the secret hideout of some splinter cell. The unfortunate truth is that they will be busting into the homes of many people who are not part of or even sympathetic to the terrorist organizations.

There needs to be some balance here, and neither the Bedfordshire police nor you have come close to it. Until they can develop a reliable electronic scent detector dogs are going to be part of any bomb investigation. Shoes are basic protection for the feet. There is no disrespect intended, nor should there be any taken, if these are introduced into a household during a terror investigation. A gun loaded with ammo doused in pig's blood is intentionally disrespectful and not a requirement for performing the job. (Perhaps for the sure leads that's fine, but not for a run-of-the-mill raid.)

Nobody's trying to not offend the terrorists here, and we are aboslutely not in a religious conflict. They are as Muslim as Hitler was Christian. The religious aspect is merely a facade covering up a very non-religious agenda. But that facade obviously works, as it has you and many others ready to violate all sorts of principles in order to "defend" your country / religion / way of life / etc.

The average everyday Muslim doesn't want you dead, Tom. (Well, OK, maybe you. ;-P) Generally speaking, the average Muslim wants the same thing that the average Christian and Jew and Hindu and athiest and whatever wants. Most people the world over just want to be able to live a relatively ordinary life. These conflicts exist because people at the edges of society - the lunatic fringe - have different goals in mind. Unfortunately, these same people are likely to have inclinations to perform acts that the average everyday global citizen would not.

Remember, this is a battle against extremism. If you embrace extremism than you've capitulated and joined the other side.

Becky said...

Don't get me wrong... I fully agree there are peaceful Muslims out there who really don't want anything to do with the extremists. But the Koran for both still calls us infidels and commands our death. Kinda sobering, if you ask me.

Thomas J Wolfenden said...

Courtney: We've gone too far in a lot of ways

Kev: I never said I was right, it's only my opinion. But as I do understand that most muslims are not the extremists, I do have to disagree with you that this is not a religious war. It is on so many levels and the jihadists have made it into one way about 30 or so years ago. I was just pointing out that as a society the west has gone too far as not to 'offend' anyone to the point of hamstringing our effectiveness in conducting this war. Could you imagine what this world would be like right now if after the attack on Pearl Harbor we all sat around wondering what WE did to cause those misunderstood Japanese to bomb our naval fleet and tip-toed around in our response as not to offend them? Or let the American Bund continue to spout their nazi propaganda in cities all over the country at the same time we're fighting the nazis in Europe? We here in the states would most probably be speaking German along with the whole of Europe as would most of the Pacific rim be speaking Japanese.

And the PC crowd is selective in who they chose not to offend too... We don't have Christmas in public anymore in a lot of places as not to offend non-Christians. Well, what about offending the Christians who don't want to have a "Winter Celibration"?

I'm offended by the sugjestion of a Winter Celibration, but no one gives a shit about how I feel because traditionally I'm the guy who has "oppressed" eveyone else. I've never oppressed anyone, and being of Irish decent and knowing just a little about Irish history I think that in itself is ironic.

But I do respect your opinion and we'll agree to dissagree on this...

Becky: Thanks for helping me make my point. The christian Bible doesn't say anything about destroying the infidel non-beleivers.

Kev said...

D'oh! I was going to let this go until you thanked Becky for helping you with your point. You guys both missed it.

First, the Christian Bible does say something about non-believers. The Bible commands a death sentence for anyone who denounces or defames God. In other words, "kill the infidels."

The Bible also commands the death sentence for:
* Cursing your father or mother
* Adultry (except with your female slaves)
* Homosexuality
* Prostitution (if done by the daughter of a priest)
* Killing a human (there is nothing that indicates an exception for self-defense, soldiers, or accidents)

Additionally, not scraping the fat off your meat is punishable by ostracism, as is having your palm read, or any hanky panky during a woman's icky time.

Oh, and after you've been ostracised, the afformentioned palm-reader is to be stoned to death.

(Incidentally, the Bible sanctions slavery so long as the slaves are not among the chosen people.)

Second, "infidels," according to the Qu'ran, are people who do not believe in the one true God. The God of Muhammad is the God of Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. As such, there is no call to kill all the Christians or Jews. Granted, athiests, Hindus, and Buddhists are a different story. Jesus is given more support from the Muslims than from the Jews - for the former he is a prophet of Islam, for the latter he is a blasphemer of the highest order.

As for my comment about this not being a religious war, I stand by it. The "jihadists" defy (and defile) Islam to the extent that you cannot link them to it, other than to say that they use it as a cover story. Were they true followers of the faith, they would not be committing these acts in the first place. This is not Muslims vs Christians, this is a collection of power-hungry murderous sociopaths hell-bent on disrupting civilization as a whole. Yes, religion has been a tool in this conflict - it's great for recruiting and propaganda - but the heart of the struggle has nothing to do with divinity.

You say the Muslims are "building bombs and plotting to blow up more subways, buses, and airliners killing more innocent people." No, that's the sociopathic whack-jobs building the bombs - you know, like Timothy McVeigh.

Your statements about the perils of the liberal PC agenda are absolutely correct. Unfortunately, Tom, that message was lost amongst your "Fuck [the Muslims]! ... If I was still a cop I'd be rubbing all my ammo in pig blood and let the fuckers know I did it" comments.

Dirk said...

Chamberlain gave us 'peace in our time' in 1938, bloke. Close, but no cigar.

Thomas J Wolfenden said...

Randy: Hopefully it will be long over by the time you get your wings. At least I'm hoping it is.

Kev: Ok, I'll conceed to most of your points, but most of what you quoted from the bible is from the old testement and not the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians are no prizes either, as as far as I can remember it was the early Catholic church who started the Crusades, and let us not forget about the Inquisition... I was raised Catholic and wasn't allowed to READ the bible... I just don't like ANY organized religion at all. I prefer to worship in my own way, just as anybody should be able to.

But if most Muslims are againsts killing us, why are so many islamic clerics, not only in this country but all over the world spewing the mantra of "Death to America the infidel"? and why aren't mainstream muslims, moderates drcying this?

And about the pig blood... I guess it's showing the age in which I was raised. Not from my parents, but when I was in the Army I was taught to fight to win, with what ever means available. There is no "fair fight" in a war. If these extremists truely believe they wont go to heaven if tainted at death with pork products, so be it. A little fear goes a long way. They're using terrorism on us, or at least trying to. Fire with fire so to speak.

One of my favorite actors, Sean Connery said it best in "The Untouchables"...

"One of thiers pulls a knife, you pull a gun, one of thiers puts one of yours in the hospital, you put one of them in the morgue..."

If a suspects house is a potential bomb factory and whoever is inside is trying to blow me or anyone else innocent up, the last thing in the world I'm worried about is offending them. Of course I know that cops can screw up and get the wrong house. I was one and saw it. But it doesn't happen all that often despite what the media says.

I really didn't want this to become a pissing contest, and I hope you understand that. We agree on a lot of different levels and it's only minor things really that we're at odds with so lets just agree to dissagree at this point because to do anything else will just spin out of control into sensless garbage.

We'll start sounsing like Congress from Christ's sake!

Dirk: I stand corrected, but my history books in school said 1939...

Kev said...

I apologize if I turned this into a pissing contest, Tom. I guess I'll "piss off" now.

Well, after these closing remarks ... ;-P

Yes, those references were Old Testament - Leviticus, to be exact. My point was that they are in the Book. None of us are experts on the Qu'ran so we can't establish the context of the statements we've drawn from it.

There are priests, rabbis, pastors, clerics, shamans, and whatevers on all sides preaching moderation, rationality, and, above all, love for one another. They just don't make headlines. They are not as sexy and spicy as the Pat Robertsons and militant clerics of the world, so you won't hear about them from any news organization.

I absolutely agree with your viewpoints on how to win a war, although I contend that there are standards we should hold ourselves to if we are to lay any claim to being the standard-bearers of civilization.

Oh, and if Alaska Jen figures out how to work the blog thing you may see another tirade coming your way. (Have you seen hits to your blog from Anchorage or other towns in Alaska? How about Seattle and the Pacific Northwest? Minnesota? I've been sending people links to your site. You've got fans.)

Thomas J Wolfenden said...

Kev: LOL! Hey, no problem here... And I have wondered about my exploding hitrate the last few weeks from the northwest and I kind of figured what you were doing... And for some of my posts, well, I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve so-to-speak, and I tell it like it is... I guess I'm the "Anti-PC"... The total opposite of the PC crowd. And as my logo on top of the blog says. "Pissing off the entire planet, one person at a time".

But I do respect other's opinions, just not flamers who have nothing but negative shit to spew. I float an opinion out here in cyberland and see if anyone salutes. If you agreee with me, that's fantastic! If not, I respect that too but be nice about it, which you always are. The first thing I learned in the Army was respect was an earned commodity. Now if we could just thump that idea into both sides of the house maybe we'll be better off?

I may not always be right, and quite often I'm wrong. But a lot of times I'm dead on too. But I'm not perfect. There was only one perfect man in the world and, well we kind of nailed him to a cross for it about 2000 years ago...

The nice nurse says I have to take my happy pills now...