Not that you'd want to do it: but, if forced, the upsides of marrying a goat are several:
-Spend a lot less on both cheese and jewelry.
-Read the entire newspaper without a single interruption.
-Adultry, even bigamy, not such a problem.
-Bathroom sink much less cluttered.
-Hear nary a complaint when they're left out in the yard all day.
(And thanks to WND for continuing the meticulous cataloguing of moral outrages).
Call me indefatigable. My instinctive response on being told I've done some really crappy Photoshop is, alas, to soldier ahead.
Herewith, then: Straight White Guy files unearthed from the deepest recesses of the collective blogospheric unconscious.
Shootin' 9-ball in Mombasa:
I knew there was something about that friggin' mouse. He has haunted me.
[UPDATE: Yes, we need to send out a humbled 'thank you' to Straight White Guy for pointing out the above is, without doubt, a really amateurish Photoshop. If we exercised similar care installing a new security light on the deck, we would likely be standing in the front yard right now watching the emergency responders hose down the charred remains of our dwelling. Touche, good sir, touche.]
Lest you ever get dispirited about the competence of America's public officials, survey our global community brethren once in a while. Every day, you need to read MEMRI:
Cultural Advisor to Iranian Education Ministry and Member of Interfaith Organization Lectures on Iranian TV: Tom and Jerry - A Jewish Conspiracy to Improve the Image of MiceOn February 19, 2006, Iran's Channel 4 covered a film seminar that included a lecture by Professor Hasan Bolkhari. In addition to being a member of the Film Council of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Bolkhari is a cultural advisor to the Iranian Education Ministry, and active on behalf of interfaith issues:
The Jewish Walt Disney Company gained international fame with this cartoon. It is still shown throughout the world. This cartoon maintains its status because of the cute antics of the cat and mouse - especially the mouse.
Some say that the main reason for making this very appealing cartoon was to erase a certain derogatory term that was prevalent in Europe....
Watch Schindler's List. Every Jew was forced to wear yellow star on his clothing. The Jews were degraded and termed 'dirty mice.' Tom and Jerry was made in order to change the Europeans' perception of mice. One of terms used was 'dirty mice...'
Tom and Jerry was made in order to display the exact opposite image. If you happen to watch this cartoon tomorrow, bear in mind the points I have just raised, and watch it from this perspective. The mouse is very clever and smart. Everything he does is so cute. He kicks the poor cat's ass. Yet this cruelty does not make you despise the mouse. He looks so nice, and he is so clever... This is exactly why some say it was meant to erase this image of mice from the minds of European children, and to show that the mouse is not dirty and has these traits.
I'm betting Professor Hasan Bolkhari has a college degree and enjoys some level of professional respect in his region. Given that, take a moment to suspend whatever emotions you may be having about the above lecture, and ponder objectively where this fellow must be coming from. Put yourself in his shoes and his listeners' shoes, and imagine you are interpreting the lecture as credible.
Now, what do you think about folks in that mindset having a nuclear device, and what type of 'deterrence' do you think they would understand?
The solidarity event at the Embassy of Denmark in DC seems to have gone off extremely well, judging by the photos.
Get the full story at Medienkritik.
'We are all Danes now.' There should be much more of this going on. Andrew Sullivan, Bill Kristol, Cliff May and Tony Blankley were in the crowd. Wish I could have made it, but I will be there for the next one.
Maybe it's a matter of semantics, but it seems to me this whole notion that 'Islamophobia' underlies the concern over the UAE seaport deal is off track. 'Phobia' implies 'irrational.'
As we argued here last year, it can be perfectly rational to think Islam itself is part of the problem. Cultural issues in general might affect the typical American's attitude toward an Islamic nation. I'm also perfectly willing to admit that ignorance could be the culprit. (Could be.)
But when one sits down and reads the book, certain themes present themselves:
[2.191] And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers...[2.217] They ask you concerning the sacred month about fighting in it. Say: Fighting in it is a grave matter, and hindering (men) from Allah's way and denying Him, and (hindering men from) the Sacred Mosque and turning its people out of it, are still graver with Allah, and persecution is graver than slaughter; and they will not cease fighting with you until they turn you back from your religion, if they can; and whoever of you turns back from his religion, then he dies while an unbeliever-- these it is whose works shall go for nothing in this world and the hereafter, and they are the inmates of the fire; therein they shall abide.
And bear in mind, if you are thinking about a parallel with certain parts of the Christian 'Old Testament,' this is not the 'old' anything.
Anyway...what she said.
What's so great about Bouncer Dude, aka 'The Doorman'?
Following his saga has been like watching a long, good film. But better, because a big part of the enjoyment has been in reading all his stuff - and the book is always better than the movie. You get so much detail that only comes through in the written word.
None of you actually read that at the time, because I had, well, no readers. None. So I got away with it. I could find more shit like this, too. Plenty more. But that's enough for now. This blog, in June of '04, was crap. There was no 'voice' involved, because every post read like I was turning in a two page paper for English Comp 101.So I wrote. And I wrote. And I kept writing, until the sentences got too long and involved, and I picked up that nasty adverb virus that rendered me incapable of writing a paragraph without at least half the words ending in -ly. With the help of others, after picking up a modest readership through the quality of the stories -- if not, as yet, the writing -- I made it through that stage, and found something. A voice. And you know what? It's still not that good, because I know I'm better at it now than I was a few months ago, and I'll be better, still, a few months from now.
I'm not gonna write the panegyric for The Doorman, that's for damn sure, because he's going to be a rich SOB soon and his book will probably tell the story. But the one-sentence capsule is: He's a bouncer at two New York City clubs who has been writing a blog about his experiences. The 'experiences' part has been mesmerizing and, as he states, the writing part supposedly has been a project.
But the writing has been awfully damn good from the very beginning.
The lesson from Clublife is a valuable one for prospective bloggers: Write about what you know, and write well, and you will accomplish something. It's focused, and it's the quintessential success story of the blogosphere.
Needless to say, I recommend Clublife.
Once he is published and his identity is out in the open, he's probably going to have to shut that blog down or, at very least, quit standing on the box. So read it while you can. It is a window into another world.
Anyone who has visited here more than a couple times will note my tendency to get really uncharitable, often totally gratuitously, a few times each month. It's not very nice, I realize. Most of the time I am tempted the next day to go back and delete the post in question, but I have never done this.
Why? In order to leave the really distasteful rant as a testament to my stupidity, lest I start to get an overly favorable self-impression.
Some bloggers have outright closed up shop when they realized it was time to graduate to a better level of posting - and just make all the old stuff disappear.
I didn't do this either, partially for the reason given above, and partially because I guess I'm not ready to graduate quite yet. Some of the worst writing from two years ago is right on a par with stuff from the past two weeks. Guess I'm still the same guy, unfortunately.
I've also never bothered to apologize to anyone unjustifiably attacked, because a true apology would require some level of repentance, as in, intending never to do it again - and that, truly, is something I cannot guarantee. The reason is, when I'm not overcome with rage I can't even imagine the state I was in when it happened. Sitting here now, and looking back, it seems like another person must have been inhabiting my body.
It happens at work sometimes when too many fires erupt: I go in in the morning in a clear, peaceful state of mind, intending to remain productive and pleasant, then the you-know-what hits the fan, and by 6:00 pm I'm ready to either throw a chair through the window or establish immediate diplomatic relations with a big bottle of cabernet. (I've yet to throw a chair).
Part of the reason for creating this site was to provide an outlet more civilized, and easier on my family, than throwing shoes at the television news programs. This part of the plan has largely succeded. The other part was to have an outlet for serious writing and a way to improve my writing, which obviously is still a work-in-progress. Or a pipe dream. Or possibly a psychotic fantasy.
I find the episodes of rage come on almost exclusively when I have become completely immersed in some manner of busyness: getting bounced like a yo-yo between phone calls, meetings and wild goose chases for hours on end; being in a big, stressful hurry for extended periods - like having to get to a bunch of places by specific times; or simply having a big problem or decision weighing on my mind to the extent that it crowds everything else out.
The common thread in all these is the evaporation of the inner self. The part of the mind in which quiet contemplation takes place is completely overwhelmed by a torrential inner monologue: Gotta do this, then gotta do that, then gotta do the other thing, then gotta do another thing, etc. There isn't really any 'me' there anymore, just an automaton following instructions. When I'm in this state for hours, I apparently become susceptible to an emotional hijacking and negative urges take over.
At least that's as much sense as I can make of it. There may be a burn-out factor involved, also. I haven't had a true vacation of more than 3 days for almost 5 years now, mainly for work reasons. (Hey, I may be a total dick and on the road to hell, but I am well-compensated for it! If I live past 65, I will really be sitting pretty...)
I'm not sure why I wrote this post. It is one of the classic types of blog entries that absolutely NO ONE is going to read. I suppose it's because I hate injecting hate into the blogosphere. Maybe in the process of trying to make sense of it here I've touched on something that will make sense to someone else dealing with the same problems. Someone else, that is, among all the people who will never read this post.
Oh well, maybe it will also suffice as a semi-apology, for the public record, repentance not included.
Christopher Hitchens is organizing a get together this Friday in DC:
I feel terrible that I have taken so long to get around to this, but I wonder if anyone might feel like joining me in gathering outside the Danish Embassy in Washington, in a quiet and composed manner, to affirm some elementary friendship...Thank you all who've written. Please be outside the Embassy of Denmark, 3200 Whitehaven Street (off Massachusetts Avenue) between noon and 1 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 24. Quietness and calm are the necessities, plus cheerful conversation. Danish flags are good, or posters reading "Stand By Denmark" and any variation on this theme (such as "Buy Carlsberg/ Havarti/ Lego") The response has been astonishing and I know that the Danes are appreciative. But they are an embassy and thus do not of course endorse or comment on any demonstration. Let us hope, however, to set a precedent for other cities and countries. Please pass on this message to friends and colleagues.
Anti-Semitism or not, maybe there's a problem with the subculture...the neighborhoods.
23-year-old Ilan Halimi was found last Monday tied to a tree, naked, wounded, handcuffed, gagged and covered with burn and cut marks on 80 percent of his body. Authorities found Halimi near railroad tracks in the Essonne region south of Paris a few days after the kidnappers ended contact with Halimi's family; he died en route to a hospital."They acted with indescribable cruelty," the judiciary police chief leading the investigation said. "They kept him naked and tied up for weeks. They cut him and in the end poured flammable liquid on him and set him alight..."
The alleged gang had been behind at least six kidnapping attempts since December, Marin said. He said that none of those would-be victims were Jewish.
Over the years, Euro-Arab collaboration developed at all levels: political, economic, religious and in the transfer of technologies, education, universities, radio, television, press, publishers, and writers unions. This structure became the channel for Arab immigration into Europe, of anti-Americanism, and of Judeophobia, which — linked with a general hatred of the West and its denigration — constituted a pseudo-culture imported from Arab countries. The interpenetration of European and Arab policies determined Europe's relentless anti-Israel policy and its anti-Americanism. This politico-economic edifice, with minute details, is rooted in a multiform European symbiosis with the Arab world.
Muslims? Fine. Believe what you want.
Islam, as an institutional edifice? Not so much.
For another, economically we're a lot better off. When the GDP is growing, the whole 'ghetto' thing loses its salience because reasonable people of all persuasions opt for jobs.
What's your big employment picture, Europe?
For another, I'm guessing a whole lot more of us Americans are armed.
Here in the U.S., in Virginia for sure, anybody and their brother might be carrying a really fine firearm. Having a pistol levels the playing field in so many ways. Consequently, many Americans carry pistols. What ingrates that makes us, huh?
I know one of the chief arguments against the relatively pleasant state of affairs in the U.S. is, the social/economic conditions are still brewing a devils brew. Americans have been lucky so far, but their luck will run out. We'll see, I guess.
But we in the U.S. certainly have a better cultural insulation against Muslim-ghetto-terrorism. You can make all kinds of accusations about America, but you can't argue successfully that we're in the same boat. On this issue, America is better than Europe. There, we've said it. Let the recriminations fly.
I'm sorry, this isn't getting tiresome or anything, is it?
Hey, I know it's 'silly.' Better than our standard 'hateful,' though, right?
No captions provided, please fell free to think of your own.
For more silliness, click on 'Continue reading...' below
...and perhaps the most appropos of all:
We have to link to this review for obvious reasons. There has been quite a bit of discussion on the topic at the Corner for the past couple years. Sounds like a good book.
Since we've already established 'suicide' is no groundbreaking threat, we can explore other avenues Osama might take if he truly wanted to put a chill in our britches.
For one, joining the progressive dope camp...AT THE ROOTS!
Remember: Dope will get you through times of no money, better than money will get you through times of no dope.
This shouldn't really be a blockbuster story or a huge surprise...
On February 26th, 1993 the first world trade center was attacked by al-Qaeda and the EIJ (really two organizations that cooperated in 1993 and eventually merged).A month later an official from EIJ was meeting with Saddam in Baghdad.
We have a document showing Saddam authorizing the IIS to “provide technical support” to the EIJ, and by extension, al-Qaeda.
And then al-Qaeda and the EIJ attacked the U.S. on September 11th, 2001 led by an Egyptian Jihadist, Mohammed Atta.
Now you have proof Saddam provided support to the EIJ and by extension al-Qaeda, both of which attacked us on 9/11.
Perhaps most disturbing of all, according to Mr. Tierney, was the fact that the Iraqi scientists briefing Saddam about the uranium enrichment plan in 2000 "were totally unknown" to U.N. weapons inspectors. The plasma program also appears to have escaped the attention of the Iraq Survey Group, which reported two years ago that it had ended back in the late 1980s.
- Iraq's WMD programs and facilities.
- Scientists with knowledge of Iraq's nuclear program murdered.
- Syria hiding Iraq's WMDs.
- In Lebanon, the most keenly watched area on earth.
- The connection between Saddam and al Qaeda.
There is a lot more to this story and you really need to peruse the blogosphere to stay current on it. The blogroll on the right side is a decent place to start (sort of hit or miss, I'll grant you). Also good is this link.
Osama bin Laden says he shan't be captured alive
I'm thinking: That's really not setting the bar too high. I doubt any plans are being rewritten as a result of this information. A few years ago, after all, he suggested he was going to ride a missile or something right into 'the belly of the Eagle.' So there probably wasn't any expectation he was counting on a quiet retirement in his golden years.
...in the fantasy ideology of radical Islam, suicide is not a means to an end but an end in itself. Seen through the distorting prism of radical Islam, the act of suicide is transformed into that of martyrdom — martyrdom in all its transcendent glory and accompanied by the panoply of magical powers that religious tradition has always assigned to martyrdom.
In short, it is a mistake to try to fit such behavior into the mold created by our own categories and expectations.
For Osama to get our attention, he's going to have to come up with something a little more piquant - maybe like:
'I shall defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger in hand-to-hand combat, at the time and place of his choosing!'
'I'm gonna show up in the Bowery, y'see, and I'm gonna kick youse guys ASSES, y'see, so scrambooch, yer mutha's callin' ya, ok?'
When Ramble Strip is not studying to get her medical degree - because as long as Jack Bauer walks the Earth, there will be plenty of need for doctors - she can be found procrastinating with Jack-Bauer-related amusements. To wit:
-If you wake up in the morning, it's because Jack Bauer spared your life.
- When life gave Jack Bauer lemons, he used them to kill terrorists. Jack Bauer hates lemonade.
- Jack Bauer is the leading cause of death in Middle Eastern men....
I'm guessing you want to know more about that Andy Willoughby and his Three-Step Plan. Well, you came to the right place.
This is an update to our crazy little post from last year which happens to be the most search-engine-friendly thing we've ever written. Go figure.
I'm glad to see ya'! But enough glad-handin' and grinnin' - let's get down to business.
So you've heard Andy Willoughby's commercials on your local Christian radio station, the ones where he asks "How in the world are ya' anyway?" and offers a plan for financial independence.
You're probably wondering, "What it this all about?" Well, let me tell you.
Ultimately, it's about getting into what used to be known as 'Multi-Level Marketing' (MLM) but is now called 'Network Marketing.' It's the same concept used to sell Amway-Quixtar, Noni Joice and a host of other products.
While the links above are not the most flattering, and the spectre of a 'pyramid scheme' hovers over the entire enterprise, please be aware this is the same sales structure employed to sell Mary Kay Cosmetics, Tupperware (in the old days) and countless other products on which plenty of people have made real money. The basic idea is, you become a distributor of the product(s), then you try to get other people to become distributors - while constantly trying to get all of them to recruit more distributors and all of THEM and to do the same, and so on until you have a massive 'downline' of sellers beneath you. You make money on the sales of everyone in the downline. If you get enough people beneath you, it can mean some serious cash.
Hey, there is a subculture of stay-at-home-moms who live for this stuff.
Depending on your recruitment philosophy, network marketing can also alienate you from all your acquaintances, workmates, friends, family...in fact, every single person on the Earth. It just depends on how you play it.
You're probably thinking, "That sounds pretty good to me," but also wondering, "What happens if I check it out?" Well, chances are, you'd be receiving a phone call from a gal or a fella' working off a script that would go something like this:
Hello John(not 'may I speak to John Doe please' -sounds too much like a telemarketer)
Hey [John], This is [Your Name] calling you from GA - the reason I am calling is that you responded to the Andy Willoughby three step program that you heard on the radio – Do you remember doing that?
They Respond - YES
So you are looking for a way to make money from home?
Great, well tell me what you do for a living now?
(Develop small talk and friendly rapport) i.e.- how do you like that – how long you been doing that?
Well, that is fantastic – let me give you my home office number.
Next, qualify them with this statement
Now, John I do want you to know that this is a real business and as such it does require an investment – Now we are not talking about $5000 or even a $1000 dollars, but realistically to get your business started properly you are going to need at least $400-$500 dollars to do that.
Now once you look at everything here assuming this is something that you like and something that you are going to want to do, is that going to be a problem?
PAUSE and see there answer and then go from there
(They agree and they have the funds)
Great what I want to do at this point is have you listen to an overview that will explain in detail just how this program works. Do you have about 7 minutes to do that?
Bring on the 7 minute overview call.
John, that was really exciting wasn’t it?
Let them answer 'YES' question (You may also have another way to put this in a different tone that best fits your personality – i.e – John, that was some great info wasn’t it?
John, What did you like best about it?
Whatever they respond with (product, how we build the business) you agree with and you may what to say you know what John I felt the same way.
John, Does this look like something you would want to do?
They say yes then sign them up
Most will say I would like for info sent over:
Great, John –Fantastic – that is what I would do – I would want to get all the info I can. Here is what will do – John, what is your email address – I am going to get you an email out right now with a website where you can go look at an audio/visual presentation.
So, I will send you out the email with the presentation that you can look at and also John if you are wanting to do your due diligence here you would have to agree that one of the best ways to do your due diligence is to try the product –Since it has a 30 day money back guarantee what do you say why you are looking over whether or not this is a business opportunity that you want to pursue lets go ahead and get a couple of cases of product on the way to you.
THEN SHUT UP!
Not every person will say yes – but you are making the effort to close every prospect twice on the first call.
Most will say 'well let me watch the presentation and review the info'
Ok, John – I will get this email out to you in the next 10 minutes - there is about 30-40 minutes of information there - Now, I am going to be tied up for the next two hours...
(Act like you are looking at your day planner when doing this)
What do you say we get back in touch today – What is better for you 3:30 or 4:00?
Give them two options Not asking them –you tell them to pick a time so you want a decision today
If they cannot get back today
Say, I totally understand
Now, John you did tell me you where serious about starting your own business and there is only about 30-40 minutes worth of information there so you can definitely listen to that in the next 24 hours – So let me look at my schedule for tomorrow (act like you are looking at it) - Looks like I have so and so time available – which is better for you?
Next, John what you are going to go look at (it is called the Millon Dollar Secret presentation) is very detailed and there is really not a question there that is left unanswered so you are really going to know whether or not this is something you are going to do.
Next day call them
What did you think of that MDS presentation – pretty exciting huh?
Yeah, looks great.
Well John, let's go ahead and get you started...
Sign them up or if more questions get upline on the phone to field questions.
Or, you might receive this call:
Hi. Can I speak with ____ please?Hi _____. This is ____________ calling you from _____. I’m calling because you requested some information about Andy Willoughby’s 3 step program that was advertised on Christian radio. Do you remember doing that?
Am I catching you at a good time? Do you have a few minutes?
So I guess you’re looking to generate some extra income from home?
That’s great. First of all tell me a little about yourself _____, what do you do now? (listen)
And are you looking to supplement or replace your income?
Well, that’s fine. Now if you grab a pen, I’d like to get some information to you. Tell me when you’re ready.
First I want to give you my name. It’s ___________ and my number is__________. I also want you to take down this #.
This is a 5 minute recording that will explain what this is all about. That # is 1-973-854-4579 (Mike’s message)
Do you have access to the internet? If you give me your email address, I’ll send you over a website that you can check out after you listen to the call. (wait for their email address). Now the email I send will be coming from _______@ ______. _____ enjoy the call and I look forward to speaking with you again soon.
You can also visit here to get in on one of Andy's calls (se habla espanol).
Now, you undoubtedly have questions, the first being, "How exactly do we make money at this?"
At Andy's personal Mangosteen Web portal, he explains the complete compensation plan.
But the 'Three-Step Plan' goes a step further, and this really is the ingenius part:
The Promise Co-op is an advertising program designed to attract high quality, well qualified prospects for your home-based business. Here is how it works. Our members buy shares in the Promise Co-op. The shares cost $105 dollars each. You can buy anywhere from one to five shares per month. Each share will receive leads that come in from the advertising. This is done on a rotational basis. As leads come in they are assigned to the next share position on the rotation. After it has made a full rotation or cycle of all of the shares, the rotational system will start back at the beginning...Here is how the lead development works. People hear our ads on the radio or see one of our advertisements. (Most hear it on the radio) If they have an interest they either call a toll free number given on the ad or go to our advertised website. If they call the phone number they will hear a phone message that gives them a short preview of our system. If they go to our website they will see the same message in print. (If you would like to hear this message dial 618 355 1774 and press option one.)
What is great about the program is that the leads are all responding to the advertising that they may have heard or seen usually several times. They normally know exactly why they are calling and only call because they want to learn more about developing a home-based business. This makes them a much more productive and enjoyable lead to work with.
The reason home-based business builders buy shares in the Promise Co-op is not because of how many leads they receive every month but because of how many distributors they sign-up from the advertising. Many of our members tell us they sign-up more distributors with less work than any other lead generating program they have used.
You need to understand, when you join the Promise Co-op you are not buying leads, you are buying a share in an advertising campaign. The leads come as a result of the advertising. You get your share of the leads that come in. Promise Co-op and the Willoughbys make no guarantee of the number of leads you will receive per share. Any month the number of leads received per share may go up or down according to the response that the advertising generates.
Bottom line: Would you, or would you not, like the opportunity to get $300 over and over again?
Before you answer that one, I know you have another question just begging to be answered by me: "Johnny, buddy, what in the Sam Hill is a 'mangosteen'?"
I'm glad you asked. The essence of the product is the magical secret of the mangosteen: Xanthones.
(If you want more information on the incredible mangosteen fruit, I think I'll let you find that yourself. Google, and ye shall find. Also, here.)
Regarding the business model, people of good will can disagree:
The three step plan is incredibly difficult to get any information out of. They do not tell you what the business is until they have all your information and bother you. If it is a legitimate business, why are they not upfront with what they do?
What is not arguable, is the fact that Xango/Mangosteen/Three-Step Plan is BIG BUSINESS.
If there is money to be made in it, then it has a Convention. You can take that to the bank.
The Xango Convention, in fact, sounds like a real hummdinger. Andy recently had a starring role:
Andy Willoughby started things out for the Convention’s final General Session by asking how many distributors felt they were coming to XanGo after being in abused network marketing relationships. As hands were raised, he laid the hammer down."XanGo is no halfway house, folks! It’s the whole enchilada."
And, by that, it means a lot of things. Like XanGo Distributor Communication Manager Dave Webb dancing badly, for example. It means 200K and 500K Premiers were recognized while dancing to "YMCA". Senior VP of New Business Development Beverly Hollister talked about the Japan office opening in March of next year; she said she could see a day two years from now when thousands of Japanese distributors would be coming to Convention.
Distributors Rights Association (DRA): DRA Advocates for the Rights and Empowers Members (both Companies and Independent Representatives) in Multi-Level Marketing.
And without fail, if there is money to be made in it, then there will be legal problems that an association needs to address.
The final question you may be asking is, "What is the religious connection with all of this?"
Xango is based in Utah, where the Mormons are based. Network marketing seems to have found a natural home among the Mormon church - and even if your 'Christian' orientation is not of the Mormon variety, the lessons probably apply across the board.
The Mormons may be a bit ahead of the curve in discerning the potential for exploitation in church culture:
At the Economic Crimes Summit Conferences in 2002 and 2004 (sponsored by the National White Collar Crime Center), recruiting MLM's such as Nu Skin, Neways, Morinda, Usana, Melaleuca, Nikken, and Amway/Quixtar (all of which depend on aggressive recruitment for their growth and with pay plans that indirectly reward recruitment over direct sales of products), were among companies presented as examples of product-based pyramid schemes. These are gradually coming to be recognized as a growing class of white collar crime – i.e., fraud committed by otherwise respectable people. In fact, Utah leads the nation in concentration of "recruiting MLM's" – many headed up by Latter-day Saints!. (Commonly referred to as Mormons). We found the PDF to present a very interesting subject that we have been detecting as a pattern; mormons and Noni and MLM pyramid schemes appear to go hand in hand. The PDF also contains a chapter titled How could well-meaning Latter-day Saints initiate and promote MLM programs that deceive and exploit people?
(1) Because of the powerful networks of association within the priesthood and auxiliary organizations of the
Church and the high level of trust developed within these networks, MLM (a.k.a. "network marketing") is often promoted between members under pressure to build a "downline," to advance inthe hierarchy of participants.(2) Later-day Saints, with an extraordinarily expansive view of families and of eternity, think big. Our own
scriptures speak of "worlds without number," of eternal families, and of infinite opportunity for eternal progression. So promises that may seem preposterous to others may seem plausible to some Latter-day Saints.(3) In some ways multi-level endless chain programs resemble the greatest multi-level program in the world – the plan of salvation for families within the framework of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Latter-day Saints, we place great emphasis on our genealogy, eternaly linking our ancestors in an unbroken patriarchal chain – analogous to an upline chain of participants. And our descendants or posterity are analogous to an MLM downline. In fact, MLM promoters often refer to their downline as their "genealogy." Conversely, I have heard family history researchers refer their ancestry as their "upline."
So MLM mirrors the plan of salvation – the one focusing on the salvation of souls, the other on money. One (the
gospel) focuses on eternal truths, while the other (MLM) is dependent on misrepresentations and deceit. One is an infinite program in God's infinite universe, the other an infinite program in a finite market of victims.
More on MLM, here.
My biggest problem with the network marketing model applied to Christian congregations is the blatant hypocrisy it entails. Under the banner of God, we find a welcoming purchasing demographic.
Beware, something like this could be coming to a church near you.
To bring some closure to the 'Ann Coulter - Rock Star' post (which actually got kind of long with all the updates, please go read it if you're a groupie), a couple more links:
- And Ann herself obviously has attempted to defuse the issue with a much more PC retelling of the controversial statement:
Iran is certainly implying that it has nukes. Maybe they do, maybe they don't, but you can't take chances with berserk psychotics. What if they start having one of these bipolar episodes with a nuclear bomb?If you don't want to get shot by the police, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, then don't point a toy gun at them. Or, as I believe our motto should be after 9-11: Jihad monkey talks tough; jihad monkey takes the consequences. Sorry, I realize that's offensive. How about 'camel jockey'? What? Now what'd I say? Boy, you tent merchants sure are touchy. Grow up, would you?
I am REAL busy so my stories are languishing on the hard drive, half-finished, dusty, and still covered with pieces of masking tape.
In the meantime, you need to bookmark a new Web page and visit several times a day, because this is the next big news item of the year, even bigger than the hunting accident. If you can possibly imagine such a thing.
We'll leave aside for a moment those issues which divide us in order to focus on the universal.
It's winter in Virginia.
UPDATE: Wow. At 4:15 am we have quite a situation developing, because it is still snowing like all get-out. There is a solid 10 inches with no sign of let up.
Oh, no, wait, that was another show.
No - what this one was, was none other than our own Madame Pele, the Aphrodite of the Righties...
The excitement had been building for days. This is the teaser for Ann's next book - I'm not sure if it was telling you to be doing anything beyond getting really, really full of anticipation:
For the other sessions, 25 percent of seats were always available. For Ann, the standing room was jam packed out to the service areas.
This caption was my initial reaction amidst the sea of sweaty conservative bodies:
Heh.
To be honest, I LOVE Ann Coulter. My only regret is I did not have a chance to get my photo taken with her while she was signing calendars at the Clair Booth Luce booth, because I know my wife would have wanted that for me. I can only hope my disappointment is sufficient for both of us.
Now, Ann is catching a wee bit of flack for a couple remarks she made today.
For one, she used the term 'rag heads' several times in one of her riffs. During the Q and A afterwards, a conservative Muslim- or Arab-American said "please don't say 'rag heads' because it makes it harder to convince people to join our side when they otherwise might be inclined to."
Ann's response was firm: "It was a joke. They killed 3,000 Americans; I made a joke. I think we're even."
Another audience member put a slightly finer point on it, asking "When are you going to move on to insulting Asians, Jews and African-Americans."
Again: "When they start flying planes into buildings and killing people."
She made a few other statements that, when isolated from the rest of her talk, will sound controversial. I'll get to some of her other points below.
But here is my take on Ann Coulter:
1) Life is visceral. Things happen in the world which engage our emotions or inflame our emotions. This is as true for for the calm, cool intellectuals as it is for us redneck idiots.
You might get excited about cars speeding on the street in front of your house; or about your kid fumbling around in the tool shed; or money issues; or health issues; or anything having to do with public affairs locally, nationally or internationally. I'm probably leaving a bunch out, but the point is: It is our nature to attach emotional significance to some of the details of our lives.
Why should discussion of matters of war be stripped of emotional symbolism? Or rather, HOW CAN such discussion be disinfected of emotion?
2) 'They' insult 'us' all the time, and fifty times worse. Whether the 'they' is domestic liberals, foreign Muslim 'extremists' or domestic Muslim 'moderates,' there seems to be a perpetual open season on American Christian conservatives (mix and match those terms in every possible way). This should be so obvious it is a truism.
Even with regard to the preeminent 'moderate' Muslim organization in the U.S., a reasonable conservative might review their issues and action items and say: "They sure are pushing kind of hard."
So why not push back occasionally?
3) We're in a war. The argument could be made that the appropriate stance for those who intend to WIN a war is one of stern, unforgiving, unsympathetic determination. This does not mean going 'overboard' with the hate-thy-enemy mojo. It simply means 'we view this as a fight to the death.'
The argument also could be made that Americans on the whole have not yet fully comprehended the ramifications of being at war. Peacetime niceties may have become entrenched so deeply in our manners and attitudes that we are in danger of losing because we are not prepared to face the true nature of the struggle.
If the American public's attitude is too soft about the nature of the threat, then the types of things Ann is being excoriated for saying may be the types of things that need to be said. In a few contexts she made the statement we can't be "pussies."
In the big picture, that is not such a silly thing to say.
Maybe everything will turn out peachy for all of us and the idea our civilization is under attack will be revealed as paranoia. That would be nice. But if everything is not, in fact, getting better and better in every way, I think the argument can be made that Ann Coulter is a gem.
Here are some more snippets from Ann's speech:
-If the attack in the Danish Embassy in Lebanon was sponsored by Syria, there is this little provision whereby the NATO countries should have been in full attack mode by now.
-RE Rioting, 'bipolar' Muslims: This should make us take Iran a little more seriously. "What if they have one of their bipolar episodes while they have a nuclear weapon?"
-RE The successful elevation of Justice Alito to the Supreme Court: "Democrats aren't that scary."
-RE George W. Bush's mention in the State of the Union address that Bill Clinton is one of Papa Bush's favorite people: "I wonder how Juanita Broderick enjoyed that part of the speech...who is his other favorite person, Harry Belafonte?"
-"We're the party that doesn't need to be coached to convince the public we believe in God."
-"Don't listen to the Washington weenies when they say we've got to run a pro-choice Republican if we're gonna beat Hillary. That's not our party!"
-How to get rid of the RINOs? "When you go to the polls in the primary, you want to vote for the guy who's the right wing lunatic and 'unelectable.'"
-RE 'moderate Republicans:' "They're like rats that just keep coming back. Phyllis Schlafly has been fighting them for 50 years. If we want to win elections we have to keep trying to stamp them out."
-RE the spectacles of Paul Wellstone's funeral, Cindy Sheehan, Coretta Scott King's funeral: "We have to teach Democrats how to grieve."
-Cindy Sheehan has dropped her bid for the California Senate seat, but "There's still hope to get her to take Howard Dean's position."
-Questioner: What will it take for libertarians to be elected by conservatives? "We would take them more seriously if they'd stop talking about legalizing drugs all the time...there are some slightly more important issues. 'Libertarian' is a label that sort of sounds like 'liberal,' so it makes them less threatening to the mainstream and distance themselves from conservatives....If you're going to be a conservative in America, you can't be a pussy."
-Questioner: What do I do when the GOP machine supports a RINO and attacks me for supporting a conservative Republican? "Never give money to the RNC. You should give to the Club for Growth (or other conservative advocacy groups)."
Ann Coulter is a serious individual. Her remarks tend to provide a treasure chest of sound bites which have been used to paint her as a freak. I would submit that she is a voice of reason, and an extremely valuable voice for getting the conservative message out to young people whose ears, much more than those of us old, jaded codgers, are very attuned to the ring of truth.
UPDATE: Commenter Joe notes:
The one conservative publication that writes anything worth a damn, intellectually, is the National Review.Ann Coulter got fired from the National Review.
QED?
It is a great publication, I'll agree, and it has been for decades. And she certainly was banished, for making a statement similar to those made yesterday.However, this fact does not eo ipso say anything definitive about Ann Coulter (although in my opinion it sheds light on National Review.)
National Review was also pressured to quit selling a book called 'The Life and Religion of Muhammed' at their bookstore.
Pressure from CAIR, by the way.
In my opinion, despite all their really smart folks, National Review is not always right.
Commenter The Oracle adds:
She was not "fired." She never worked for them. They simply stopped running her syndicated column. She calls things as she sees them. She may add a shock factor, but she is intelligent and witty. The left hates her because she will not be silenced or defeated in argumentation. They can only hurl insults at her. Of course, that's what they do to everyone. When the left, in their typical petty fashion, villifies her for using certain words, they simply underscore her point that modern liberal political discussion has devolved into a whirlwind of mindlessness. Instead of discussing ideas, we now use the playground tactic "Ahhh, you said a bad word...I'm tellin'"
Commenter Hub of the Universe opines:
Ann, you go girl.F-ck the ragheads. And the n-ggers and the gooks, while we're at it.
So, there. I can do right-wing with the best of 'em. Even with me eyes closed.
My reply:
Hub of the Universe, well howdy. Thanks for writing.She didn't say any of that - it certainly was not the insinuation of her remarks. She used the term 'raghead' with reference to Islamic-fascist leaders and terrorists. I suggest you don't have the remotest understanding of the 'right-wing' and what you think you know is a caricature created by angry leftists.
That being said, I can see both sides. I suppose a parallel could be drawn with the Beltway snipers. If anyone had made a remark about 'those n-ggers...' it would have been outrageous, obscene.
The reason this is - to me - different is 'raghead' connotes the religion or culture, not the race. More like if there was a derogatory term for the Shinto religion while the kamikaze attacks were in full swing during WWII (although I recall some of the Warner Brothers cartoons of that era were not very racially sensitive).
It was a 2-second sound bite from a 40 minute appearance which was very largely humorous, albeit with a few eyebrow-raisers which have been blown out of proportion by people who did not hear the entire speech.
Even a very tiny remark belittling someone else's culture can be viewed a hurtful, I'll grant you. My view is, the world is full of hurtful things.
Plenty of prominent conservatives have criticized Ann's statement. Most of them, it seems like. So I'll point again to your misunderstanding of the right.
It's a big tent we have here: Plenty of room for the regular conservatives on one side, and me and Ann Coulter on the other.
Jeez, with all the vile stuff that comes from the liberal side - like this, this, this, this, and this zinger, I'd think the threshold of indignation would be a tad higher.
UPDATE II: There's a good debate over the bombshell remark in the comments here.
UPDATE III: Visit Donkey Cons for some REALLY interesting background on Ann and why she skews 'extremist' on issues related to Islamic fundamentalism.
I have a number of priorities while at CPAC this week, and none is more important right now than buying a hat. I keep putting off getting my hair cut, so while loading it up with mousse works until around noon, pretty soon I'll end up looking like Peter Tork after a nap. With luck, this won't take long.
Along the way, however, I have run into a number of bloggers - just as I had hoped.
This is 'Bloggers' Corner', sponsored by TCSDaily.com
I don't know who any of those other guys are.
This is the famous La Shawn Barber:
She's pretty serious most of the time.
The highlight of the day so far for me was seeing the panel discussion on New Media. The InstaPundit himself, Glenn Reynolds (who I got to meet) made the most trenchant observations.
The 'New Media' have revolutionized information and knowledge in all the ways we have been discussing here this morning. But - not to sound trite here - in such important ways its success and influence still hinges on the same qualities that underly all human endeavors which have impacted the world: Dedication. Consistency. Hard work. Reliability. Doing what you say you're going to do and being where you say you're going to be. You might have all the technical wizardry and verbal talent, but you still have to keep your appointments.
He said: 'Working for 4 years for a Wall Street law firm teaches you a lot about managing time. Really, it's just like the story the preachers tell. You have a jar to fill, and you fill it with all the big rocks first, the top priorities. Then you add the gravel, then the sand.'
It was pretty inspiring to meet him, I must say. I thanked him for the dedication it takes to put that page up day in and day out.
Ok, enough for now; I need to get me a ball cap or I will be getting funny looks.
UPDATE: The thought just struck me I should make clear the above is a joke and not meant to be a snarky one. For all I know the reason Glenn Reynolds was not at the session was because of some family emergency. Just a silly Photoshop joke, no sarcasm intended.
(By the way, I wrote this correction about 15 minutes after writing the post, but my Internet access at the Omni was kind of wheezing. I was not ON 'Bloggers' Row', you see, but rather I was catty-corner or at some other abstruse angle trying to steal the 'Bloggers' Row' wireless signal, plebian blogger that I am. My connection kept dying in the middle of the update. Hence the comment. Obviously, I KNOW Glenn was a no-show at the New Media panel because I took the photos.)
Anyway, I hope it was not a family emergency. Here is a real photo of Glenn:
UPDATE II: Reading the InstaPundit reference to his no-show at the New Media panel, I'm guessing the reason he didn't make it was NOT a family emergency. 'I NEVER GOT OUT OF THE BOOK BOOTHS'. So, I stand by my satirical made-up quote above. I went to the panel to see HIM, dammit, and I bet most of the others in the audience did also. I guess spending personal time with fans was a bigger rock than being on the program. Judgment call, I say.
Personally, I'll admit I liked meeting him in person more than I would have liked seeing him talk for 15 minutes on stage.
UPDATE: Wowie zowie, thanks to The American Mind for the link! As soon as our server cools off I'll add you to the blogroll.
Oh crap. Oh crap crap crap crap crap...the problem 'over there' just hit here.
The Midwest explodes!:
'While Wisconsin culture is tolerant compared to, say, Iowa, what many outsiders don't understand is that its ultimate taboo is graven images of Lombardi,' said Nigel Rhys-Jones of Harvard's Institute of Primitive Anthropology. 'The only Lombardi iconography allowed is allegorical, in throw blankets or needlepoint appliques, and must be purchase at craft fairs from chubby Lutheran women in windbreakers. For a Cowboy fan to make cartoons of the Vince is... let's just say the ultimate sacrilege.'
Lock and load, fellow Americans.
I don't know WHAT these guys are doing, but I'll be interested in seeing where it goes.
God willing, I'll be at CPAC tomorrow.
Blogging it? And how! I'm a 'blogger' after all.
But most importantly, I'll be wandering the halls the entire day trying to get my bearings, seemingly anti-social but actually just your average bozo who never can quite figure out what the hell is going on until about an hour after the event is over. I won't be on 'Bloggers Row;' I'll be the guy in the straw hat with the Etch-A-Sketch and the Military Style Periscope sitting alone in the corner of the lobby.
Just watching and waiting, taking it all in. Heh heh heh.
More than anything, I'm hoping to have a bit of a respite from the daily grind. As has been sort of pointed out in the running comments to our Mother of all Posts - the one which has unexpectedly become the Alpaca Burger Forum raison d'etre (actual pronunciation: 'raisin day tray') - I may have a problem in the area of excessive spleen. Since said spleen seems to be mainly cultivated in the context of political issues, and CPAC is by definition a fairly political-issue-intensive happening, I'll be focusing on the sidelights.
Like, maybe, the parking situation or general housekeeping effectiveness. Or the appetizers, if they even serve appetizers.
Ultimately, I want to see a clean, efficient Convention. And maybe follow Ace around without him knowing it.
JUST KIDDING! I wouldn't really be making a nuisance of myself among the pros.
Heh heh heh.
Is anybody, anywhere, surprised this cartoon 'controversy' is being fed - if not created - by some of the Islamic leaders of the world?
Remember the fake Koran-flushing story which got a bunch of people killed in riots?
Would it be too presumptuous for a non-Muslim to suggest that Muslims are - speaking very hypothetically here, not trying to paint anyone specific with a black brush or anything - not all that hard to get riled up?
Maybe it's time for the civilized world finally to recognize this all as emotional blackmail (like a kid having a screaming tantrum in the supermarket), to stop giving any credence at all to the Muslim 'street' and its many issues, and just say 'enough, already.' If they can't play nice, then they go off to the sideline for quiet time. No special 'analysis.' No breathless news coverage. No diplomatic engagements. They are maladjusted people being egged on by leaders who are bankrupt of any actual constructive ideas or accomplishments and whose only hope to maintain power is through scapegoating.
Blaming everyone for your problems except yourselves: Nice going. Also, pretty lame, civilization-wise.
If I want a headache induced by a bunch of immature brats, I'll go down to Chuck E. Cheese's, thank you very much. Change the channel, please.
UPDATE: Here is a more hopeful note about Muslim leadership:
Muslim fanatics — those who aspire to be dictators, and those who already are — have ginned up the controversy in order to gain power, or to keep it. They play to the dull acquiescence of too many ordinary Muslims. But by no means all Muslims are implicated in this shameful episode. Grand Ayatollah Sistani, leader of Iraq’s Shiites, 'denounce[d] and condemn[ed]' the cartoons, but also blasted 'misguided and oppressive' Muslims who have 'exploited' the issue 'to spread their poison and revive their old hatreds with new methods and mechanisms.' When President Bush declared, in his State of the Union address, that 'liberty is the future of every nation in the Middle East, because liberty is the right and hope of all humanity,' it was Sistani and millions of Muslims, in Iraq and elsewhere, who agree with him, that he had in mind. The game for Muslim opinion is a tough one. But it will surely be lost if we forfeit.
Hate to say it. Pittsburgh vs Seattle, Super Bowl 40. Pittsburgh did not deserve to win.
This is not what I would expect to say, because I went into this game rooting mightily for the Steelers. I have no attachment to either team, but know a few people on the Pittsburgh side so that was where my sympathies were.
But the Steelers got some calls thrown their way which changed my loyalty. I hate to see a game determined by the refs.
Chief among the horrible calls were a non-pushing-off infraction and a non-holding penalty, either of which would have changed the game completely. Seattle got screwed.
Sorry, Pittsburgh fans. If you watched the game, you k