DANIEL S. writes:

Last week’s conviction and sentencing of Bradley “Chelsea” Manning to 35 years in prison for leaking documents to Wikileaks warrants some passing comments.

First of all, it should be reiterated that what Manning leaked was essentially material any informed observer would have likely known. Much of the material was merely the dirty laundry of Washington’s diplomatic elite. As Mark Hackard observed at the time:

The secrets exposed by the leak pale in comparison to the utter vapidity and decadence of the class at the helm of the self-proclaimed “last, best hope for mankind.” Washington suffers embarrassment from such a massive hemorrhage of sensitive information, but what’s most embarrassing is the emptiness of it all. The Postmodern Empire is like Oakland- there’s no there there.

What was the most troubling revelation was not the Wikileaks documents themselves, but what the presence of someone like Bradley Manning, a sexually confused anti-American, have access to such material tells us about our military and intelligence elites. Mark Steyn saw a correlation between the leaking of Bradley and the government’s previous tolerance, even promotion, of the mass murdering jihadist Major Nidal Hasan: (more…)

THE Muslim Ahmed Akkari says he came to reconsider his role in the Danish cartoon protests while staying in Greenland. The isolated beauty of the Danish-governed island inspired him to think and read. I have never been to Greenland, but it is well known as a place of spectacular beauty. Here are one photographer’s stunning photographs of the Arctic island.

Greenland is the third largest country in North America, with more than 836,000 square miles and a population of about 56,000, making it the least densely populated country in the world. I realize Greenland is very cold, but those who say the world is overpopulated still have an awful lot of explaining to do.

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  AUSTRALIAN media and political figures last week castigated the United States for the Christopher Lane murder, blaming a lack of gun control laws, and advised Australians to decline to visit the U.S. Perhaps Americans should cancel trips to Australia too. Australia needs hand control and foot control laws. This weekend, a 26-year-old woman was beaten unconscious in Victoria after she asked a bus driver to remove a group of black teens who were causing havoc on the bus. According to The Herald Sun: The 26-year-old asked the driver to remove the group who were standing in the aisle being noisy and knocking into passengers. A woman from the gang then threw a drink at her and punched her in the face. "Others from the group got involved and the woman was dragged to the ground, punched and kicked to her body and head, rendering her unconscious," Sergeant Anita Brens said. "The bus driver opened the bus door and the group ran from the bus along Swanston Street towards Flinders Street."

AHMED AKKARI, a former Muslim imam who was a major figure seven years ago in stoking violent protests over a Danish newspaper cartoon of Mohammed, is now full of love for his adopted country and publicly announced three weeks ago that he was wrong to oppose freedom of speech. See this report by Ingrid Carlqvist in Dispatch International on Akkari’s appearance last week before the Free Press Society of Denmark. Akkari is still a Muslim, which gives reason to suspect his sincerity. He also argues for tolerance of Islam in Denmark, which is further reason to suspect his sincerity. Nevertheless, he made this statement:

The truth is that there is not a single mosque or Muslim organization in Denmark that is not run by Islamists. As soon as you enter the house of the believers, you are met with Islamism whether you want it or not. As soon as you become a devoted Muslim, you are infected by extremism.

Akkari has apologized to cartoonist Kurt Westergaard.

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DON VINCENZO writes:

In a unanimous decision, the five judges of the New Mexico Supreme Court last week upheld the State Appeals Court’s ruling that it is illegal for even a small photography business owned by practicing Christians to refuse to photograph a homosexual “commitment ceremony” on the basis of their religious beliefs. What makes this ruling bizarre, as well as another step in the continuing loss of religious liberty, is that the State of New Mexico does NOT permit homosexual marriage. That detail seemed to not to matter to the legal solons who sit on New Mexico’s highest tribunal.

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    KARL D. writes: Here is something sweet for a change from The Daily Mail. A ninety-six year old man penned some lyrics about his recently-departed wife of 75 years and sent them into a local songwriting contest. What happened next was something he didn't expect. I wish the young man who ran the contest was wearing something other than a torn up ball cap and braces, but you can't have everything. Be sure to watch the video to hear the song.

THE Orwellian hypocrisy of the term “hate crime” has never been more obvious than during the last two days, when Oklahoma officials have assured the public that the presumed murder of Australian Christopher Lane by three thugs, two of whom were blacks enamored of anti-white black gangsterism, was not a hate crime. The news was broadcast around the world today and it was remarkably uniform. According to The Guardian, to cite just one of many news sources:

Stephens County district attorney Jason Hicks said there was not enough evidence collected so far in the investigation to indicate Lane’s killing was motivated by race.

“At this point, the evidence does not support the theory that Christopher Lane was targeted based upon his race or nationality,” Hicks said in a statement.

This is not true.

If a person tells his friends, as did James Edwards, that he hates a certain category of people and then goes out with his friends to kill a person from that category with no provocation, there is enough evidence to consider it a hate crime. If this is not potentially a hate crime, then no crime is. Of course, there should be no such thing as the “hate crime.” All crimes are acts of hatred. But the term adds prosecutorial leverage to crimes committed by white, heterosexual men, and that is its only purpose, which makes it useless when it comes to Christopher Lane.

The public laps these assurances up. The disturbing desire for justice must be wrong. There will be no justice. There will be a prolonged trial, followed by years in a recreational center for the convicted, followed by more murder.

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THOMAS F. BERTONNEAU writes:

Sometimes at The Thinking Houswife you address the topic of female elegance. I attach a photo-portrait of my paternal grandmother Nellie Pamela Gayaut (1883 – 1966) taken around 1906 at the time of her marriage to my grandfather, Gaston Bertonneau.  Nellie was a Creole, born and raised in the French Quarter, French-speaking, and a daughter of les gens de couleur libres, the mulatto artistocracy of old New Orleans. She could be a French girl, costumed to be painted by Degas or Toulouse-Lautrec. I regret deeply that she died when I was barely twelve and that I did not have the opportunity to know her better, for example, to speak to her in French.

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  IN this entry yesterday, I reported that 49 percent of blacks interviewed in a Pew Research Center Survey said "a lot" more needs to be done to achieve racial equality. I had misread the figures. The actual number, as the reader Brian C. pointed out, is 79 percent and I have corrected it.

THE New York Times has published all of one paragraph on the Christopher Lane murder. I won’t bother to compare these few words with the reams of columns and news articles on the Trayvon Martin case because it’s all so obvious. This one paragraph was just enough to mention that the victim was in a “well-to-do” neighborhood while the accused came from the “gritty section of town.” Race was not mentioned at all.

Given the widespread coverage of the Lane murder elsewhere, I am surprised, however, that the Times has not run a piece stating that this case has prompted a “conversation” about race. Or perhaps a “conversation” about “gun control.” It is just about time for an article that amplifies the economic differences between the victim and the accused and makes sure everyone knows that one of the three was white. It’s time to explain to the world why the murderers were not to blame: the teens came from broken homes, they were poor, they did not have all the advantages of Christopher Lane and it was way too easy for them to acquire guns.

Someone is asleep at the switch. On the other hand, maybe this is wisdom. Sometimes the most effective propaganda is silence.

— Comments —

James P. writes:

The New York Times — when they talk, they’re lying, when they remain silent, they’re lying.

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  THE Southern Poverty Law Center has taken a stand against a black nationalist who works for the Department of Homeland Security. Sunshine Mary writes about it here.

PETER FINOCCHIARO of The Huffington Post wrote yesterday that conservative journalists were ridiculously attributing racial motives to the teen killers of Christopher Lane. That couldn’t be true because one of the boys, Michael Jones, the one who confessed, was white. Meanwhile, according to The Daily Mail, James Edwards, one of the accused, had posted on Twitter that he hated white people. His exact words: “90% of white ppl are nasty. #HATE THEM.” Since Edwards’s sentiments sum up a core conviction of many white people, he is unlikely to be charged with a hate crime. There is acceptable hate and there is unacceptable hate.

Here is an interesting photo of the lead detective in the case, John Byers.

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SEVENTY-NINE percent of blacks interviewed in a recent Pew Research Center Survey said “a lot” more needs to be done to achieve racial equality in this country and 27 percent said little or no progress has been made toward racial equality since Martin Luther King made his “I have a Dream” speech. In other words, the vast infrastructure of mandatory preferences and privileges for blacks has not been anywhere near enough. This kind of survey is like asking children whether they think they have gotten enough ice cream, candy, and other treats from their parents. What child in his right mind is going to say yes?

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KAREN writes:

My friend posted on Facebook this article in The New York Times about families “crushed by the cost of child care.” She frequently complains about how our country is not fair to working women because there isn’t enough flexibility in work schedules for working moms. What bothers me most about this article is how many of the women interviewed make next to nothing in income after child care, yet still insist on working. Why not just stay home with your children instead!?! The worst part is the comment about the woman who just wishes she could get back to work and tells the reporter her woes as her two year old “wails in the background,” as if she is being oppressed by her own child!!!! Poor kid probably just wants mommy to get off the phone and take care of her.

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DELBERT BELTON, an 88-year-old World War II veteran, was jumped and savagely beaten outside a Spokane skating rink Wednesday night when he was on his way to play pool at an Eagles Lodge. He died from his injuries this morning, according to KXLY news. Two black teenagers were seen on surveillance cameras and are being sought in connection with the incident. So it appears to have been just another “random” crime in America. Like Christopher Lane, who was shot in the back when he was running, Belton was utterly defenseless and probably had never seen his attackers before.

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WE LIVE in a country that, on the one hand, imposes greater and greater restrictions on the liberties of its citizens, spying on their private communications, frisking them at airports and public events, demanding that they submit constantly to time-consuming and humiliating “security measures.” The purpose of these infringements on basic liberties? Rarely does anyone come out and say it, but the purpose is to prevent violence by Muslims.

On the other hand, we live in a country that freely allows its publicly-funded television network to promote Islam. This week, the three-part “Life of Muhammad,” which was made by Muslims, was aired on PBS. I did not see it, but I have it from a reliable source that it was reverential and assured viewers that Islam is a religion of peace. Every single day the government acts as if Islam is a violent creed, but we are told by our public authorities that Muslim murder and mayhem is no worse than the Inquisition. You know it’s bad when John Esposito, professor of Islamic studies at Georgetown, praises the series as “balanced.” A Los Angeles Times review gives the details:

Interlaced with modern topics, each of the hour-long episodes deals with a portion of the prophet’s life — his early days, his departure from Mecca to Medina, and the later years in which he made peace with Mecca, and established a moral code that became known as Sharia law.

Beginning from a point of essential reverence — there is no questioning of Muhammad’s direct relationship with Allah — “The Life of Muhammad” directly addresses high-stakes issues including the divide between Muslims and Jews, and the medieval nature of Sharia law in a way that is almost painfully balanced. (more…)

  Early American Gardens is a beautiful website filled with interesting history about gardening. I highly recommend it as it includes many delightful posts, such as this brief, but intriguing article about avid women gardeners, including Jane Colden, a serious amateur botanist who catalogued, described and sketched some 400 plants in the 18th century. Much of the gardening done in this country has historically been the work of domestic deadbeats. Interestingly, none of the major feminist texts, which complain sorely about the lack of things to do in a home, mention the extravagantly interesting diversion of gardening. It simply doesn't exist. The feminist lives within four walls, without sun, without vines, without bees or butterflies. The history of all those women who would never have traded their gardens for an office is ignored. Rosalie Stier Calvert lived near Washington, D.C. in the nineteenth century and was an enthusiastic gardener who believed women should consider themselves above the world of politics. Well, Rosalie is not exactly cherished today. In 1807, she wrote: "I see so many women making themselves ridiculous by discussing politics at random without understanding the subject that I am disgusted with all controversy except about flowers! Their culture absorbs me more every day, for as I go out rarely, it is my chief amusement."