Snow, ARod and NW

I have been coming to Los Angeles for over 42 years. It is one of my favorite cities, even if it is, at the same time, one of the most f'd up places in the history of the world.

This morning I jumped on the 105 going east at Sepulveda. It was a beautiful day and there was a fantastic view of the mountains that back LA to the east. And they are covered in snow. More snow than I have ever seen on them. More than in December. More than in January. And certainly more than any previous week after Valentine's day.

Now I know that this is meaningless. I know it anecdotal. But the snow is there. (Don't tell Pope Algore.)

But I digress...

Had a few adult beverages last night at the hotel bar. A gentleman from Norway was two seats down. At some point I asked him about the Muslim problem in Norway. He nodded wisely and said:

"We don't talk about that. It is better that way."

Now I know that's anecdotal, but that is an expression of surrender.

But I digress...

I watched part of the press conference regarding ARod in which a guy making millions a year explained that he had no knowledge that what he was doing was wrong and hid only because... well because he had no knowledge that it was wrong.

Works for me.

I mean I watch the pros only because I admire watching them perform. And if they want to take a drug that makes their balls smaller and their weenie limper so they can put on a better show... I say let them do it.. Gene pool improvement works.

But I digress.

I flew out here on a Northwest flight in a A319. Since First Class is only for politicians and sports stars... certainly not for us ROF's... In case you don't know, that's the last row in coach. My theory is that if you can't be first, be last. Cuts down on the standing around... I had my headphones and Mpeg but figured that I'd listen to some music courtesy of NW.

Wrong. The aircraft had NO audio outlets.

So I boogied from Memphis to LAX on "Speedo," "My Prayer," and other such. Nice flight and the two ladies who were caring for 150 or so people really tried. But there isn't much anyone can do for you when you're in coach. My aim is to survive.

Being always the big spender I purchased a $7.00 snack that had crackers and cheese and something in a tin that if you bought it for a camping outing you would take back to the store. Plus two VO's on the rock's. $15.00 and a bargain at $6.00... I had nothing to eat since about 2:00PM and I knocked back the booze in record time, yet remained sober as could be... In my past two of these would have eased me into slumber land.... I wonder if they have down sized the amount. Yes, I think they have.

And NW can't figure out why they went out of business and Delta bought'em. As someone named George said about another merger years and years ago...

"When you breed two losers what do you get?"

Damn... everything looks so bad

it's really hard (no pun intended) to find something to laugh about.

Click on the picture to make it larger. (Again, no pun intended.)

Hat tip to Jimmy M.

NOW on beheading at Bridges TV

While is its almost unbelievable, we have had NOW actually say something about Muslim men treating women poorly, as in cutting of their heads. To wit:

ALBANY, NY — On February 12, 2009, in Orchard Park, Buffalo, NY, forty-four year-old Muzzamil Hassan, a prominent Muslim businessman, was arrested for having allegedly beheaded his wife, thirty-seven year-old Aasiya Z. Hassan. What was Aasiya's crime? Why, Aasiya was having Muzzamil served with divorce papers. And apparently, on February 6, Aasiya obtained an order of protection which had forced her violent husband out of their home.

NOW New York State is horrified that Erie County DA, Frank A. SeditaII, has referred to this ghastly crime as "the worst form of domestic violence possible." The ridiculous juxtaposition of "domestic" and "beheading" in the same journalistic breath points up the inherent weakness of the whole "domestic violence" lexicon.

True. If you buy the premise, as they say in Gollywood, you buy the bit. Only in this case NOW is saying, "No sale!" NOW continues.

What is "domestic" about this violence? NOW NYS President Marcia Pappas says "it is high time we stop regarding assaults and murders as a lover's quarrels gone bad. We further demand of lawmakers that punishments fit crimes. We of NOW decry the selective enforcement of assault laws and call for judicial enforcement of our mandatory arrest policy, even when the axe-wielder is known by his victim."

And why is this horrendous story not all over the news? Is a Muslim woman's life not worth a five-minute report? This was, apparently, a terroristic version of "honor killing," a murder rooted in cultural notions about women's subordination to men. Are we now so respectful of the Muslim's religion that we soft-peddle atrocities committed in it's name? Millions of women in this country are maimed and killed by their husbands or partners. Had this awful murder been perpetrated by a African American, a Latino, a Jew, or a Catholic, the story would be flooding the airwaves. What is this deafening silence?

Where indeed? Well, Ms Pappas might want to start with the just completed election cycle in which is was politically unacceptable to refer to Hussein as Hussein because that was somehow racist and Muslim and our attempt to link him with Islam was evil and bad because Islam had no known flaws.

Ms Pappas, if you yell at the children to not talk about something, don't be surprised when they don't talk about something.

And exactly what do orders of protection do? Was Aasiya desperately waving the order of protection in Muzzamil's face when he slashed at her throat? Was it still clutched in her hand as her head hit the floor?

You of the press, please shine a light on this most dreadful of murders. In a bizarre twist of fate it comes out that Muzzamil Hassan is founder of a television network called Bridges TV, whose purpose it was to portray Muslims in a positive light. This a huge story. Please tell it!

Link to NOW.

What is even more interesting is some of the comments.

I don't think that it was simply a cultural/religious reaction to divorce that caused this crime to occur. I think there were a lot of factors that lead to his mental instability.......

Dude, people kill each other all the time. someone is killed every single day. probably every hour. possibly every minute.

The murderers aren't all Muslim. they are EVERY race, ethnicity, religion, sex, country, height, weight, hair color...

Of course this is horrendous, but so is the US Family Court System which is run by feminists....

After reading your post, which is overflowing with your unresolved personal anger,....

So, "Millions of women in this country are maimed and killed by their husbands or partners." says Marcia A. Pappas, President, National Organization for Women-NYS.

Really? That's at what rate? 2700 a day if just one million. Including Sundays and holidays. 5400 if two million. Of course it goes up on Superbowl day. No wonder a beheading doesn't make it into the media much.....

And finally this.

This was not an honor killing. I wish that people would stop perpetuating that erroneous speculation. MO Hassan was married before to a non-Muslim woman, and had two children with her as well. He divorced the first wife without killing her. He was not a religious Muslim. Bridges TV was nothing more to him than an oppertunity to make money. He did not fast or pray as is required in the religion. HE often said that he did not miss Pakistan, or wish to visit. He was very Americanized. What this was is an example of is his rage, and domestic abuse... not an "honor killing." I know all this becuase I used to work there. Most of the staff there was NOT Muslim. Leave the religion of Islam out of it.

I have no idea if the comment is true, but it really doesn't matter. You would have to be knuckle headed beyond belief to not understand that beheading is a particularly Muslim act. And what this act shows that when really stressed, he went towards some social norms that were still floating around in his mind.

And the comments show that the selling of diversity and political correctness has eaten way much of our commonsense.

Ms Pappas, you have a hard task in front of you. Good luck, but you have been your own worst enemy.

But her remarks are welcome. Who know? She may actually discover women being stoned and gays and rape victims being hung.

Hat tip to UrgentAgenda.