baldilocks

Speaking of Stuff That Matters...

Just looking at these monstrosities makes my back hurt.

Do fashion designers hate women? I think so.

(Thanks to The Manolo)

What About The Stuff That Matters?

Bob Owens's piece at Pajamas Media elicits nothing but a hearty "amen" from me since it's something I've been circuitously trying to point out for sometime now, via the fact that Obama and I have nearly the same origins but diametrically opposite political views.

Is Barack Obama black enough to be president of the United States? Is he too black? Does he belong to a church that is too radical? Is he too unpatriotic? Too Muslim? Is he too...Somali?

These are but a few of the tangential charges leveled against Barack Obama in what could be dubbed "the politics of personal distraction."

Bob goes on to list some of the whisper campaigns which have erupted--some which are more serious than others. (The fact that Obama has ties to infamous terrorists William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn--husband and wife--most assuredly falls into the 'more serious' category.)

But Bob might as well be talking to the wall in some cases. Being in my unique position has reinforced an old lesson, one magnified countless times since the inception of this blog back in 2003: there are some people who are unable to separate what matters from what doesn't. There are some who cannot separate what an individual does from what he/she is.

Several people I know have observed that the amount of available information seems to have varied directly with the amount of crazy/stupid/willfully ignorant people. I wonder if this is true. It could be that the amount of said people remains static, but because of the Internet, we "normal" people have more access to such people. Or it could be that the explosion of information coupled with generally poor formal education (including mine; Known Unknowns) produces people who don't know how to interpret information--don't know how to separate the bull from the bull byproducts, as it were and don't want to know (Unknown Unknowns). In this way do conspiracy theories gain adherents.

At any rate, I’m not above considering the fantastical and the improbable if given enough verifiable evidence as to the truth of the matter(s). All too often, however, people aren’t willing to wait around for evidence of the truth to come out. In their impatience, they will make up their own “truth.” I’ve seen some of it regarding Obama’s and Ochieng’s African lineage—that our tribe—Luo--is composed of mostly Muslims (false), that this same tribe is forcible circumcising both men and women (Luos historically do not practice circumcision or FGM). And, as a result I’ve been the target of bigotry and some racism from so-called allies on the Right, likely prompting Lefties to taunt me with “we told you so” (and thereby making an analysis error of their own).

As I said the other day, those who are able need to learn to separate what is proven from the apparitions found in nightmares. An additional wall needs to be built between what’s proven and one’s ugly little prejudices; to stop elevating those prejudices into virtues and stop pretending that those prejudices are anything other than personal shortcomings.

(Thanks to Donald Rumsfeld)

Harry Comes Home

After yesterday's report that Prince Harry was deployed to Afghanistan, it's unsurprising that the UK, Defense (Defence) chief decided to cut short the self-described Bullet Magnet's tour of duty.

Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup, chief of the Defense Staff, said he decided to withdraw the prince after senior commanders assessed the risks, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. [SNIP]

British officials had hoped to keep Prince Harry's deployment secret until he had safely returned, but they released video of him serving in Helmand province after the leak. The Australian women's magazine New Idea reported on Harry's deployment in January. The news appeared Wednesday in the U.S. Web site the Drudge Report, and media around the world subsequently reported it. [SNIP]

Harry conceded in an interview filmed last week that when he returns to Britain he could be a "top target" for Islamic terrorists.

"Once this ... comes out, every single person that supports them will be trying to slot me," he said.

But he said his deployment was a welcome chance to escape from paparazzi and hostile headlines. He said it was probably the best chance he'll ever get at being a normal person.

The article goes on to describe Harry's youthful scrapes, which is well as it serves as contrast to his honorable if short service.

I saw someone suggest that Harry should henceforth be called Prince Hal. Shakespeare would understand.

Kenya: Resolution to the Crisis

Kibaki and Odinga sign the agreement ending the unrest in their country.

Under the deal brokered by chief mediator Kofi Annan and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, the leaders agreed to form a coalition government which will radically alter the way Kenya will be governed .

Mr Odinga is almost certain to become independent Kenya’s second prime minister after Mzee Jomo Kenyatta who held the post at independence in 1963.

Thursday’s agreement, which came after two days of intense diplomatic activity states that the post of Prime Minister will be created to co-ordinate and supervise affairs of Government. The premier will be leader of the largest party or coalition in Parliament.

Hats off to Kofi Annan. Let's just say that my expectations were low.

Here the Daily Nation's report, Thus Far Has Kenya Come--a retrospective of the crisis.

The Kenya Crisis

Harry Gets His Wish

To fight alongside his countrymen in Afghanistan and to be "a normal person" if only for a few weeks.

Prince Harry has been fighting the Taleban on the front line in Afghanistan, the MoD has confirmed.

Harry, 23, who is third in line to the throne, has spent the last 10 weeks serving in Helmand Province.

The prince joked about his nickname "the bullet magnet", but said: "I finally get the chance to do the soldiering that I want to do." [SNIP]

In a statement, he said: "I am very disappointed that foreign websites have decided to run this story without consulting us.

"This is in stark contrast to the highly responsible attitude that the whole of the UK print and broadcast media, along with a small number overseas, who have entered into an understanding with us over the coverage of Prince Harry on operations."

Well it's out there now. And I can't help thinking that this experience will set Harry a cut above many members of his family when it comes to character.

Keep your head down, Harry.

(Thanks to Mememorandum)

The Citizenship Wars (UPDATED)

From this missive at Political Gateway--a press release from a blogger(?) named Andy Martin--one might conclude that the McCain story below is a bit of return fire, if an ineffective volley:

“For our ‘Obama Week’ leading up to Barry O’s announcement on Saturday that he feels qualified to lead the free world, ContrarianCommentary.com unleashed a worldwide team of constitutional law experts to delve into Kenyan law and the question of Obama’s citizenship. They were also participating in our CIA-style psychological profile of Obama that will be released Saturday in Chicago. And what we discovered was amazing, a political blockbuster,” says Executive Editor Andy Martin.

“Under the Independence Constitution of Kenya, Obama became a Kenyan citizen on December 12, 1963. He has never renounced his Kenyan citizenship. On his senate web site, Obama tap dances around his own dual nationality when discussing his father. Obama obviously knows, because his father told him, that he also held/holds Kenyan nationality.

Having been born under the exact same circumstances as Obama (native-born American, American mother, Kenyan father) and in the same year (1961), does that mean that I'm a citizen of Kenya? I'm sure that the United States Air Force--who granted me a security clearance once upon a time--would be interested to know that.

A few years back, my father suggested that I petition for dual citizenship--something I'm eligible for by Kenyan law, having one Kenyan parent--but I declined for both loyalty and practicality reasons. However, the fact that I would need to apply for it suggests that the citizenship isn't a done deal for someone who wasn't born in Kenya and who has never lived there.

More:

Obama obviously knows [that he is a citizen of Kenya], because his father told him, that he also held/holds Kenyan nationality.

“Once again, we find Barry O concealing fascinating information about his identity. There is nothing unusual about dual nationality. Indeed, ancient Roman Law doctrines of jus sanguini and jus soli come into play, because both Kenya and the U. S. recognize dual nationality. Once again, the issue is not ‘legality.’ The issue is the cover-up; Obama’s concealment of his own identity. From us, and most of all from himself.

Really? The idea that Obama was concealing such an obvious thing from the public is an interesting conclusion for Mr. Martin to come to. See, from personal experience, it would have never occurred to me to mention such a thing to the public unless someone else brought it up. Like now. It is simply a non-issue because I am an American and have never thought of myself as anything else and neither has my government.

If Mr. Martin is questioning Obama's citizenship, then he is questioning the citizenship of all native-born Americans whose parent(s) were born and/or have citizenship in other countries; countries where the citizenship rules are different than those in this one. Like the NYT with the McCain non-story, such people are banking on ignorance and hitting collateral targets.

Addressing these whisper campaigns is like playing "Whack-a-mole." Get to the issues!

(Thanks to one of Dan Riehl's guests)

UPDATE: (Via Hot Air) Jim Geraghty takes note of the battle.

Some would argue that by virtue of having a Kenyan citizen as his father, Obama "became" a Kenyan citizen back in 1963, even though he was in Hawaii at the time and did not visit the country until much later in his life. Others would argue that that would only apply to those born in the UK or its colonies (and I have no idea whether the United States qualifies as a UK colony under Kenyan law).

Of course, Barack Obama has never claimed to be a Kenyan citizen, nor has he, to the best of anyone's knowledge, ever claimed dual citizenship.

Having said that, a serious effort to argue that McCain is disqualified from being president will attempt to establish that a child of one American and one foreign-born parent is eligible for the presidency, but a child of two Americans, one a serving member of the U.S. Armed Forces, born in a U.S. territory (Coco Solo Air Base in the then-American-controlled Panama Canal Zone) is not.

Dear Democrats, please go down this road; Team McCain would like to ensure that their candidate's share of the military and veteran vote goes from 90 percent to 100 percent.

As I said in the comments at HA (not directed at Allahpundit or Geraghty), are we conservatives suddenly in favor of following International Law when it damages our opponents?

Our First Hispanic President

That title could go to presumptive GOP front-runner John McCain who was born in the Panama Canal Zone. It would explain quite a bit.

The New York Times is, yet again, banking on the historical ignorance of the majority of the American voting public.

Mr. McCain’s likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a “natural-born citizen” can hold the nation’s highest office.

Almost since those words were written in 1787 with scant explanation, their precise meaning has been the stuff of confusion, law school review articles, whisper campaigns and civics class debates over whether only those delivered on American soil can be truly natural born. To date, no American to take the presidential oath has had an official birthplace outside the 50 states.

“There are powerful arguments that Senator McCain or anyone else in this position is constitutionally qualified, but there is certainly no precedent,” said Sarah H. Duggin, an associate professor of law at Catholic University who has studied the issue extensively. “It is not a slam-dunk situation.”

Mr. McCain was born on a military installation in the Canal Zone, where his mother and father, [the latter] a Navy officer, were stationed.

Do we really want to bar from becoming president millions of Americans who were born at overseas military installations while their parents were defending this nation?

And if people born in U.S. territories--such as Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Panama Canal Zone circa 1936*--aren't natural born citizens, then what are they? And what are they doing voting in the presidential elections?

"Did IQs drop sharply while I was away?" (Oh wait. I've been here all along.)

I really hate having to be in John McCain's corner on anything. This defense isn't just for McCain, however; it's for the children of my friends--children born in places like Ramstein Air Base, Germany or Misawa Air Base, Japan.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at NYT's behavior anymore, but I am.

(Thanks to Protein Wisdom)

*Jimmy Carter gave the Zone back to Panama in 1977; the deal was done by 1999.

AFTERTHOUGHT: Weren't the first few PsOTUS born in some other country? (Not really asking.) And don't forget, Alaska and Hawaii didn't become states until 1959. What about people born before then? Are they not allowed to become POTUS? Stupidity reigns.

Buckley Quotes

At NRO, of course. The best one is saved for last. See ya later, Mr. Buckley.

Kenya: Coalition Government Agreed To

Well it appears as though Kofi Annan's "go-along-or-else" tactic worked.

NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya's rival politicians reached an agreement Thursday on a coalition government after weeks of bitter negotiations on how to end the country's deadly postelection crisis, mediator Kofi Annan said. [SNIP]

"We have come to an understanding on the coalition government," Annan told reporters. He added: "All I can say is that we do have an agreement."

The devil will surely be observable in the details.

This post is guaranteed to be updated.

UPDATE: Bloomberg:

The [power-sharing] agreement creates the post of prime minister who will have authority ``to coordinate and supervise government functions,'' former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said at the signing ceremony in the capital, Nairobi. The prime minister and two deputies will be included in cabinet, Annan said.

The prime minister will be chosen by the largest party in Parliament, Annan said. That is Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement, which won 99 seats in the 222-member legislature.

The Kenya Crisis

Whole in My Head

Have you ever been looking for a word to describe a concept that you’ve been observing for a while but didn’t know whether a single word or a two-word phrase for that concept existed?

I had been wondering whether there was a word for a certain way of viewing history; one in which history is obsevered as a chain of interconnected events—where the occurrence and nature of events are dependent upon what came before. This view is in opposition to the view where each event is a standalone occurrence and has little-to-no relation to events occurring before or afterward. (To apply the concept: I’ve had several visitors surf in here to one of my Kenya posts and believe that that particular post was an isolated “nod” to what’s going on over there rather than a dependent unit of an event-chain. As my regular readers know, I have been known to correct that assumption in a less-than-subtle manner.)

As luck would have it—or did Grace have it?—I happened to be reading an interesting text in which the context of a single word implied that it might be equivalent to the above definition. So I looked it up and—Jackpot! The word? Holistic. And I have heard the word used for years. But it had become one of those buzz-words; those light-switch words that will cause a listener to switch off because she has been overdosed with it. Analogy: the effect of the word ‘paradigm’ when the Air Force was indoctrinating its managers with TQM training.

Anyway, I'm excited to have “re-discovered” the word ‘holistic’ but I promise not to use it too much.

Things like this make me happy! Yes, I know.

(Thanks to One Cosmos, a daily visit)

We Can't Say He Didn't Warn Us

Ace calls this Obama campaign video an advocacy for a McCain presidency. Maybe.

It's all there: pull out of Iraq immediately, no "unproven" missile defense systems, no nukes, hamper development of future R&D of combat tech.

What more could the Give Peace a Chance crowd--or America's Enemies--ask for?

:::shudder:::

William F. Buckley, Jr.

The father of the National Review bids adieu.

NEW YORK - William F. Buckley Jr., the erudite Ivy Leaguer and conservative herald who showered huge and scornful words on liberalism as he observed, abetted and cheered on the right's post-World War II rise from the fringes to the White House, died Wednesday. He was 82.

His assistant Linda Bridges said Buckley was found dead by his cook at his home in Stamford, Conn. The cause of death was unknown, but he had been ill with emphysema, she said.

Kathryn Jean Lopez at the Corner:

I’m devastated to report that our dear friend, mentor, leader, and founder William F. Buckley Jr., died this morning in his study in Stamford, Connecticut.

He died while at work; if he had been given a choice on how to depart this world, I suspect that would have been exactly it. At home, still devoted to the war of ideas.

Jonah Goldberg:

As George Will once said, "before there was Ronald Reagan there was Barry Goldwater, before there was Goldwater there was National Review, and before there was National Review there was William F. Buckley."

UPDATE: Buckley versus Gore Vidal circa 1968. Heh.They don't make too many of those kind of guys anymore. RIP.

(Thanks to Hot Air)

UPDATE: As good an epitaph as any:

He wasn't necessarily my cup of political tea but I'll probably miss him more than Mr. Beck, mainly because he was good at making chowderheads feel the pain of their ignorance, plus the very mention of his name could cause a hippie's head to explode if dropped into the conversation at just the right moment. Good entertainment that doesn't insult my intelligence is going to be harder to come by from now on.

(Thanks to Rustmeister)

Kenya News: February 26-27, 2008--Peace Talks Unsuccessful (UPDATED)

Annan stops the talks in order to jump-start them. Will it work? Not with people who really don’t want to talk.

To the news that Kibaki'€™s PNU and Odinga's ODM have failed to reach and agreement regarding power-sharing—specifically failing to agree as to the duties and scope of a theoretical Kenyan Prime Minister--the Daily Nation’s columnists react in frustration, among other emotions.

Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai enumerates the individual signs representing the downfall of her country and the dearth of leadership which spurs it ever forward. Meanwhile, Odinga’s ODM gears up for more protests, set to begin Thursday. I suppose that he thinks that doing the same the over again will yield a different result than the last time. Calculate the odds.

From David Kayumba at the African Executive, Sovereignty or Responsibility: Kenya at the Crossroads.

Recently the Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua asked the international community to stop pressurizing her government because Kenya is a sovereign state. Karua's understanding and application of ‘sovereignty’ when Kenyans are slaughtering each other yet her government has failed to guarantee security of persons, needs to be challenged. [SNIP]

We should not be begging juntas and cliques to hold people at ransom simply because they possess coercive instruments of power!

State sovereignty derives its legitimacy from people’s sovereignty and as such, the role of a state is that of an agent. The preservation of the latter cannot be done at the expense of the former. Individual sovereignty is a natural right that man comes into life with. Man is by nature a sovereign citizen of the earth and by this status, his/her inalienable rights of life, liberty, and property are inviolable. [SNIP]

How many Africans live abroad as refugees simply because of failed states that keep on boasting of sovereignty!? These Africans, though refugees, enjoy a level human dignity in their host countries. They are the sovereigns of themselves.

Condoleezza Rice say that there's no excuse for Kenya violence and the US is prepared to penalize Kenya for its leaders' obstinacy, whether the penalty ison purpose or not.

(Note: Since most of this post was composed yesterday, there is a higher chance than usual of an update being in the offing.)

UPDATE: A good development-- At Annan's request, Odinga postpones the announced new protests.

The Kenya Crisis

Who Are Our Enemies?

Did you know that we’ve been at war for fifteen years today? Andrew McCarthy reminds us of this fact.

On the morning of February 26, 1993, Islamic militants steered a nondescript Ryder van through the winding darkness of the parking garage under the World Trade Center. They had spent years planning this moment in secret meetings at mosques and jailhouses, in rural outposts that served as paramilitary camps, and in safehouses where explosive compounds were mixed in makeshift labs.

Loaded into the van’s rear compartment was a 1,400-pound chemical bomb.

As we know, Islamists had wanted to do then what they finally succeeded in doing eight and a half years later—topple two symbols of American success.

McCarthy lays out the specifications of the bomb, its intended purpose and why it “failed.” He also remind us that

the silver lining [so few deaths] caused us to miss the ferocity and determination of our enemies.

and that they learned from their failure and ours.

While creatures like those in the two posts below bluster anonymously, hurl epithets and scream counter-Jihad at everyone--including their fellow citizens who aren’t sufficiently radical—from behind their computer screens, real men and women are out there waging real battles; martial, informational and personal. Civilian journalists and bloggers like Michael Totten and Bill Ardolino are putting their lives aside to go to Iraq, see what’s really going on and bringing the information to the rest of us.

But again I ask this: are the efforts of these honorable persons in vain? Are we at war with Islamists or with Islam; that is, all Muslims?

Because if it is the latter, then we should pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan and break all ties with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, etc. and stop pretending that we want the best for these people. However, if it is the former, then we should restrain the nasty rhetoric and verbally denounce those who traffic in such. Why? Because it is the mouthy nutjobs who contribute to the deaths of our men and women abroad—contribute just as much as those who exhort us to tuck tail and run from the mission to which we’ve already dedicated ourselves.

The question remains, however. Which is it?

Since Everyone is So Interested in Kenya

...all of a sudden...

(Hey, Bozo! This is post number 44 of a series, rather than a fantasy-laden misshapen massaging of the facts put forth via a standalone, context-less blurb.)

Not Ready to Make Nice:Both Odinga and Kibaki find ways to dash the hopes of their countrymen by continuing to bicker over the role, function and duties of a proposed PM—the creation of which would require an amendment to the Bomas Draft aka the Kenya Constitution.

My father: Constitutions were made to be amended—especially when life and limb are at stake.

In a Letter to the Editor at the Daily Nation, readers contend that the ICG has endangered the lives of Kenyan runners—almost all Kalenjin--by claiming that they’ve participated in some of the massacres.

“No Political Will”: As promised, Odinga’s ODM will “peacefully protest” the lack of resolution to the crisis, said lack being exacerbated by Odinga’s trip out of the country over the weekend.

Kofi is almost ready to leave the Kenyans to their self-appointed fate.

Question (UPDATE: Warning to The Right Repost)

...for Americans--especially conservatives--who believe that we are at war with Islam: do you believe that our efforts in two Islamic nations--Iraq and Afghanistan--are in vain? Because if you do, you ought to be voting for whomever the Democrats nominate.

Don't forget, both Senators Clinton and Obama want us out of Iraq immediately and I contend that they're building up to calling for the withdrawal from Afghanistan--that's what Obama's contention regarding ammo shortages in Afghanistan was about. He heralded the beginning of a narrative.

Just askin'.

UPDATE: We're falling into the abyss, folks. This stems from me trying to correct disinformation on Kenya and about myself. I'll admit to being less than polite, but the disinformation was purposeful.

Hi, racist black female muslim. Sorry, no, no re-directs from there to here. Your recent comments have been deleted. You aren't welcome on my blog. Bummer, huh?

Four and a half years of blogging and a lifetime of defending this country and this what I get for defending my own ethnic heritage. Our willfully ignorant population will be our end.

BTW, Coward, Buyer and Trader of Islamo-Fascist goods, you're not banned. I want to see you make a fool of yourself here. Again. Your brand of crazy is more than welcome.

UPDATE: Getting a lot of hits once more is my Warning to the Right.

I can't imagine why.

Fear of a Barack Planet

From Politico:

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe accused the Clinton campaign Monday of "shameful offensive fear-mongering" by circulating a photo as an attempted smear.

Plouffe was reacting to a banner headline on the Drudge Report saying that aides to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) had e-mailed a photo calling attention to the African roots of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

"The photo, taken in 2006, shows the Democrat front-runner dressed as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya," the Drudge Report said. [SNIP]

Plouffe said in a statement: “On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we’ve seen from either party in this election.

The dervishes started their whirl about this yesterday in conservative blogs. I remember thinking “this will be a losing proposition for anyone who runs with it.” But if this particular aspect of the Obama-is-really-a-Muslim Whisper Campaign was ginned up by the Clintons, then Senator Clinton more desperate than we may have thought.

The move is so bad that it even caused GOPAC Chairman Michael Steele to bash it.

Back to conservative bloggers and their assertions about Obama’s religion. Many of them tend to try to figure out how Obama’s religion—whatever it may be--fits into his Kenya Luo heritage, his visits to Kenya, his relationship with Raila Odinga* (his second cousin), the present political and social chaos in Kenya and all of the other issues concerning the senator’s ties to that country. The problem with much of their analysis is that they tend to shape it to fit the conclusion. Therefore, since they “know” that the man is an undercover Muslim, then anything he does points to his being a Muslim—including having the temerity to meet with a relative and not being able to predict that the person will misbehave later on; including visiting a culture and being open to wearing their traditional dress.

There’s even some clown that’s claiming that Obama isn’t even an ‘African-American,’ but ‘Arab-American.’ Still others, expound from their wealth of knowledge and logic, want to claim that the senator isn’t ‘African-American’ because he isn’t a descendant of American slaves. (This sort of legalistic Bravo Sierra is why I prefer terms like ‘black,’ ‘black American’ or ‘black African.’ Also, I heard a Tuskegee Airman used the term ‘African-descended American’—very good.)

Of the several sites devoted to exploring Obama’s background, I’ve found only one that presents uncovered facts and lets the reader come to conclusions (the preamble notwithstanding). He is also open to correction.

Don’t get me wrong. I think that it’s reasonable to check into Obama’s past—including his religion. As a matter of fact it’s crucial to question the senator’s ties to Trinity United Church of Christ—whose About page makes no mention of the Sacrifice and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Salvation offered there from, and whose platform is remarkably exclusionary and similar in tone to that of the Nation of Islam. (TUCC also has ties to Louis Farrakhan, who talks up Obama whenever he can.)

I just think that it’s best not to operate from fear and the Right’s fear of Obama is palpable. Fear is what terrorists are selling and it also makes one blunder, conservatives. Ask Senator Clinton.

Learn to separate what is proven from the apparitions found in your nightmares.

And if Robert Spencer isn't worried, should you be?

(Thanks to Drudge and to Hot Air)

*There is this document which is supposed to have been signed by Odinga. It is a Memo of Understand which promises Kenya’s Muslims—10% of the population—that, if elected, Odinga would enact Sharia law. Many Kenyans seem to think that it’s a forgery, but no answers are forthcoming. A lot of actual research was done by Eric Scheie with links posted in this comment.

Ready for the Rest Home

49-year-old Prince is having a hip replacement. You know, Prince, as in Prince Rogers Nelson, as in Purple Rain Prince.

Just pass me my cane.

(No Thanks to Hot Air)

Kenya Fake Out (UPDATE: Odinga Meets with Former Nigerian President)

*After all the talk of a deadline imposed by the ODM and the talk of a final resolution to the Kenya crisis being imminent, what does ODM’s Raila Odinga do? He leaves the country, headed to parts unreported.

Causing the other principals to break with no deal made.

*Kenya’s Red Cross Society has registered 420 missing children.

*Members of Athletics Kenya, an organization whose purpose speaks for itself, stand accused by the International Crisis Group (ICG) of funding many of the killings. The body’s chairman, Isaiah Kiplagat, disputes this.

[F]ar from promoting violence, Rift Valley athletes were known for their involvement in local competitions promoting peace.

"I am sure no single athlete was involved in promoting violence as reported," Kiplagat said.

"They are busy training for coming competitions and they would not have that time for those things. In fact, as we speak, many are abroad training because of the problems here."

*And, an individual Kenyan athlete is thankful to be back home—in Kentucky.

UPDATE: Odinga is in Nigeria meeting with that country's former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. And before the usual suspects begin to wail, Obasanjo is a Christian.

The Kenya Crisis

Security Lapse at Obama Rally? (UPDATED: USSS Disputes)

In Dallas, Texas no less.

Security details at Barack Obama's rally Wednesday stopped screening people for weapons at the front gates more than an hour before the Democratic presidential candidate took the stage at Reunion Arena.

The order to put down the metal detectors and stop checking purses and laptop bags came as a surprise to several Dallas police officers who said they believed it was a lapse in security. [SNIP]

"Sure," said [Dallas Deputy Police Chief T.W.] Lawrence, when asked if he was concerned by the great number of people who had gotten into the building without being checked. But, he added, the turnout of more than 17,000 people seemed to be a "friendly crowd."

What. The. Flock.

Do you know that if something happens to that guy that there will be Hell To Pay in this country?

(Thanks to Larry Elder)

UPDATE: Karl at Protein Wisdom points to a follow-up report in the same newspaper, the Dallas Star-Telegram, while taking the Left blogosphere to task for pimping the Obama-martyr meme. :::shrug::: I think the Dallas Police Chief--if quoted accurately--is the one at fault.

“There were no security lapses at that venue,” said Eric Zahren, a spokesman for the Secret Service in Washington. He added there was “no deviation” from the “comprehensive and layered” security plan, implemented in “very close cooperation with our law enforcement partners.”

Zahren rebutted suggestions by several Dallas police officers at the rally who thought the Secret Service ordered a halt to the time-consuming weapons check because long lines were moving slowly, and many seats remained empty as time neared for Obama to appear.

“It was never a part of the plan at this particular venue to have each and every person in the crowd pass through the Magnetometer,” said Zahren, referring to the device used to detect metal in clothing and bags.

(Thanks to Hot Air)

Kenya News: February 21, 2008 (UPDATE: Peace Deal Done?)

*Women in White: The phrase "Women and Children Hit Hardest" is usually deployed in a sarcastic manner here in the USA; the purpose being to mock the purveyors of Identity Politics and of Nanny-statism. With the Kenya Crisis, however, the phrase carries none of its sarcasm and all of its horror: women and children--the most vulnerable groups--are the victims of not only quick deaths, but slow ones. Deaths of optimally functioning bodies, souls and spirits.

Kenyan women wearing white clothes to symbolise peace vowed on Thursday to surround the venue of crisis talks until a solution is found to the east African country's worst turmoil since independence.

Many women and children have been among the victims of post-election violence which has killed at least 1,000 people and forced more then 300,000 from their homes in a country previously seen as one of Africa's most stable.

Cases of rape and sexual violence doubled within days of trouble erupting, according to the United Nations. In refugee camps, traumatised children in makeshift classrooms have been drawing burned houses and beheaded people.

"All of you -- wear your white dresses, carry your food. Tomorrow (Friday) we shall go to peace house," said Violet Mavisi, an activist with the Coalition of Women for Peace and Justice, referring to the Nairobi hotel where talks are ongoing.

"We will circle their cars and make sure that those guys do not come out of there without a peace settlement."

*Kenya's religious leaders--Christian, Muslim and Hindu--call for new elections. Their statement is here.

*Odinga’s ODM threatens to resume protests if Kibaki’s PNU remains intransigent on changing the constitution to create the post of prime minister. The position was abolished by Jomo Kenyatta, independent Kenya’s first president. The government calls the threat a ‘bullying tactic’ since the all of the other protests resulted in many deaths. ODM has given a one week deadline.

The PNU responds by naming the threat: blackmail.

*Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai receives death threats via SMS. Text messaging has been a popular method of stoking the violence in Kenya.

*Clashes in Kenya’s Mount Elgon are going on unabated. In fairness, these clashes have been going on sporadically for years, with the main actor said to be a group called Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF). The bone of contention? Land allocation and distribution from the government. The grievance sounds familiar if you've been paying attention.

"Mt Elgon is a reflection of the country. If we had taken this [the Mt Elgon crisis] as a case study then maybe it would have helped solve the current crisis in the country," she added. ['She' is the National Council of Churches of Kenya coordinator for the western region, Florence Makhanu.]

*Kenya’s woes are destabilizing the entire East African region.

Before violence erupted after the disputed December 2007 election, Kenya was the region’s hub, with many people in neighbouring countries traveling frequently to the capital, Nairobi, for medical treatment, holidays, trade and education. IRIN spoke to a cross-section of people in Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda and Tanzania and Sudan to gauge how the crisis was affecting them:
“Most consumables in Rwanda are imported, so delays in delivery from Kenya mean shortages, which translate into price hikes, which of course have an effect on our pockets,” a young Rwandan executive, who requested anonymity, told IRIN. “The sooner Kenya can return to a normal state of affairs, the better for us all in the region.”

Remember what Douglas Farah said: a destabilized Kenya is an opportunity for a “stabilizing” force.

The Kenya Crisis

UPDATE: Peace deal done? Almost.

Kenya’s rival political parties have nearly completed a deal to end the crisis that has kept this country on edge for almost two months, with the government agreeing to create a prime minister position, one of the opposition’s chief demands, a high-ranking government official said Thursday.

Not all the details have been worked out, the official said, but lawyers were drafting language on Thursday evening that would outline the job description of the prime minister position and how it would be incorporated into Kenya’s political framework.

An opposition official [ODM] confirmed that a deal was close, but was a bit more cautious, saying that the amount of power given to the new prime minister position had not yet been pinned down.

“It’s a major achievement,” said the opposition official, on the condition of anonymity because both sides had been asked by international mediators not to speak to the news media. “The next challenge will be to put meat on the bone.”

Odinga has said that the bare minimum he would accept is a post as PM--a position that was abolished by President Jomo Kenyatta in 1964.

US Embassy in Belgrade Torched

Last week Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. Today, Serbians respond…by setting the American Embassy on fire.

Serb rioters set fire to an office inside the U.S. Embassy Thursday and police clashed with protesters outside other embassy buildings after a large demonstration against Kosovo's declaration of independence.

Masked attackers broke into the U.S. compound, which has been closed this week, and tried to throw furniture from an office. They set fire to the office and flames shot up the side of the building. [SNIP]

More than a dozen nations have recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany. But the declaration by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership [Muslims, BTW] has been rejected by Serbia's government and the ethnic Serbians who populate northern Kosovo.

For several days, Kosovo's Serbs have shown their anger by destroying U.N. and NATO property, setting off small bombs and staging noisy rallies.

On Thursday, the neighboring Croatian Embassy also was targeted by the same group of protesters at the U.S. Embassy, and smaller groups attacked police posts outside the Turkish and British embassies in another part of the city but were beaten back.

Alright. Where's the next outbreak of human nature going to occur? Any guesses?

Eat the Oatmeal (UPDATED)

Help! Does anyone know how to open the old-fashioned can version of John McCann's Steel-cut Irish Oatmeal (pictured)? I had to stoop to eating Quaker's this morning. Not that I haven't stooped to it before, but I bought the McCann's because it has no sugar in it.

Oh. Did I mention that I've been on a diet? The South Beach^TM type. I'm feeling pretty good, having lost fourteen pounds in three weeks. Oh yes and then there's the exercise (again). This isn't the first time that I've been able to exercise myself down in weight, but I've never been able to stick to a diet before. The quick results, however, are encouraging.

A friend of mine--an ex-boxer--says that if I start jumping rope, the weight will drop off even more quickly. I don't know. I wasn't that coordinated back when I was jumping rope on a regular basis and now I'll have to strap down a pair of assets that I didn't have back then. Send armor.

And, no, there'll be no video.

UPDATE: Three and fifty (I'll let you guess).

UPDATE (2/22/08): Opened.

Not exactly Quaker--but I like!

From Move America Forward to the Berkeley City Council

...with resolve. "“We’ve served this nation to protect the rights of ingrates like you.” Cosign.

(Thanks to Hot Air)

UPDATE:

Contact the Berkeley City Council. Be nice.
Move America Forward

PREVIOUSLY:

Roundup February 7, 2008 (scroll down)
Indulging the Lunacy

Everyone Wants Change (UPDATE: Rise of the New BAP)

Oh my. As I was searching the Internet for a “K