Kids and Guns

A bunch of schoolkids in the UK have demonstrated the total futility of gun control laws.

Schoolchildren have exploited loopholes in Britain’s arms controls by importing torture equipment including thumb and wall cuff restraint devices and a Chinese “sting stick” - a metal bar covered with spikes.

All that teenagers from Lord Williams’s school in Thame, Oxfordshire, needed was a letterhead, a mobile phone, an email address, and a little money. They also set up a separate company in Ireland to avoid British controls on the sale of small arms.

The government says it is opposed to any trade in torture equipment, but bans only those items mentioned on a published list. The wall cuffs from Poland, thumb cuffs from Taiwan, and sting stick from China do not appear on the list.

The pupils set up two companies, Williams Defence and Williams Defence (Eire). Through their Irish company they arranged deals to destinations covered by British and other national trade embargos, including the sale of Pakistani grenade launchers to Syria, Turkish guns to Mali, and South African rifles to Israel.

The Thame children got quotes but did not go ahead with the deals. However, children from a school in Portloaise, near Dublin, succeeded in buying electric shock batons from Korea and leg irons from South Africa.

The ease with which British controls on trade in torture equipment and small arms can be evaded is exposed in a Dispatches programme, After School Arms Club, presented by Mark Thomas, to be broadcast on Channel 4 next Monday. “It should not be legal, and yet we’ve proved that children, who by law are not allowed to drink alcohol, can broker arms from countries along a trade route from Poland to China, Israel to South Africa. And many of these arms are used against - or tragically even by - children,” said Maddy Fry, 16, a pupil at Lord Williams’s school.

Now, admittedly, the children weren’t buying guns, but the principle is the same.  No matter how much you ban something, no matter how many laws you pass, it will always be possible to find loopholes.  If a bunch of students can order torture equipment, how difficult would it be for an experienced criminal enterprise to get in a shipment of AK-47s?

Bowling for Montreal

Bowling for Columbine, a film which showed how evil American policies turn kids to violence, and how everything would be better if we were more like Canada, has inspired school violence… in Canada.

Some Montreal-area parents are keeping their children home after death threats were painted on the walls of a high school.

The graffiti were painted at the École Leblanc in the Montreal suburb of Laval over the weekend, alarming some of the students and their parents.

The words were painted out within hours, but students remember what they said.

“It was written, ‘I’m going to kill everybody here, I’m sick of this school and it’s going to have a lot of blood on the wall and everywhere,’” said Carole Bélanger, a 15-year-old student at the school.

The graffiti also said: “I’m tired of being kicked on,” and included a threat that the person would return with a machine-gun.

The school has hired security guards to protect the students, and has asked the local police to investigate.

The Laval police department decided to take the threats seriously after interviewing the students at the school. They are patrolling at regular intervals while they complete their investigation.

Laval police Sgt. Daniel Guerin said investigators are looking into every possibility. He noted that a local television station broadcast Bowling for Columbine on Friday night, a 2002 film about two angry students who carry their guns to school and murder the students.

Perhaps, Guerin said, somebody saw the film and decided to copy it.

If an epidemic of obesity, slovenliness, and baseball caps happens to break out among Montreal students, you know who to blame.

Michael Moore, war profiteer

$21 million buys a lot of baseball hats and sweatpants, huh?

Fahrenheit 9/11, now an event, took in more than $228 million in ticket sales worldwide, a record for a documentary, and sold 3 million DVDs, which brought in another $30 million in royalties. After the theaters took their share of the movie’s gross (roughly 50 percent) and distributors deducted the marketing expenses (including prints, advertising, dubbing, and custom clearance) and took their own cut, the net receipts returned to Disney were $78 million.

Disney now had to pay Michael Moore’s profit participation. Under normal circumstances, documentaries rarely, if ever, make profits (especially if distributors charge the usual 33 percent fee). So, when Miramax made the deal for Fahrenheit 9/11, it allowed Moore a generous profit participation—which turned out to be 27 percent of the film’s net receipts. Disney, in honoring this deal, paid Moore a stunning $21 million. Moore never disclosed the amount of his profit participation. When asked about it, the proletarian Moore joked to reporters on a conference call, “I don’t read the contracts.”

What of Disney? After repaying itself $11 million for acquisition costs, it booked a $46 million net profit, which Eisner split between two subsidiaries, the Disney Foundation and Miramax. While it was far less than Disney made on children’s fare such as Finding Nemo, it was not a bad outcome. The Weinstein brothers also made a multimillion-dollar profit. They had a deal with Disney that contractually entitled them to a bonus of between 30 percent and 40 percent of the net profits on any film that they produced—in this case, that came out to about $8 million per brother. (The Weinsteins are now in the process of leaving Miramax.) But Michael Moore had perhaps the happiest ending of all. Not only had he made $21 million, he already had a sequel in preproduction—Fahrenheit 9/11 ½.

I defy anyone to find another person that made more money off the war in Iraq.  I mean an individual, not a company.  Moore made $21 mil for his pocket.  Name someone who made more than that.

Hate Mail, the irony edition

Somehow I feel like the subject of this email and the contents are incongruous.  Or maybe not, it *is* the ACLU we’re talking about, and I’m not a radical far lefty.  Maybe it’s exactly the message they want their members to send, I don’t know.

Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 00:55:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Daemon Aazati [email protected]
Subject: Burn in Hell, You Mother Fucking Piece of Dogshit!
To: jimk

Defend your freedom! Support the ACLU in safeguarding our civil liberties! Click http://www.aclu.org/ to learn more about the small things that every person can do in order to keep America true to the design of its founders of 1776. Get informed.

Call me when the ACLU defends the Second Amendment.  Until then, I don’t care what they do, it’s all bullshit.  You either protect the Bill of RIghts or you don’t.

More Moore dishonesty

Sorry it’s been such a long time since I wrote anything, but it’s been crazy busy with work and my littlest one growing up.
Any way, I was checking out Moore’s site to see if he’d left any fresh steaming piles of brain droppings around.  It’s been kind of slow there as he is keeping a low profile(perhaps thanks to sites like this one??)
I found this article he cribbed from the Hollywood Reporter.  Now, it’s not the article that we need to pay attention, it’s the title that Moore himself decided to give it.
Here’s the title on his website’s front page:

‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ Meets ‘The Matrix’;
“Go see this movie!”—Michael Moore

“Go see this movie!”—Michael Moore

and here is the actual article:

MichaelMoore.com
1. Latest News
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6225
March 17th, 2006 12:04 am
V for Vendetta
By John DeFore / Hollywood Reporter
AUSTIN—In a political environment that can brew controversy out of allegorical children’s fables or a documentary about penguins, it is hard to imagine the intensity of feeling that will greet “V for Vendetta,” a movie whose heroes are terrorists. One foresees news talk shows in which red-faced pundits denounce the filmmakers and call for boycotts. Given a film as entertaining and solidly crafted as this one, such attention could turn into strong boxoffice.

Of course, plenty of films—particularly those set in dystopian futures like this one—identify with revolutionaries. But most put heavy sci-fi clothing on their brave new worlds, while “V” takes pains to tie its reality to our own. Although based on a comic book, it isn’t as heavily stylized as a superhero movie. Its score and production design, both rich and inviting, are heightened without suggesting that this near-future London is an outright fantasy, though the new government, a restrictive state led by John Hurt’s Sutler, is draped in some awfully Nazi-ish iconography.

If the film’s look and feel refuse to flee from the real world, its dialogue takes every chance to connect to it. We are told about the recent past, that “America’s war grew worse and worse, and eventually came to London.” Hot-button terms like “rendition” are sprinkled about; dissidents are handled as in a third-world dictatorship; and our hero (who calls himself V) lectures citizens who have surrendered their liberties to a government that promised to protect them from terrorism.

As V, Hugo Weaving has the unenviable task of playing the entire film behind an immobile mask. He rises to the challenge, bringing the character to life with body language and his sonorously nimble voice.

V has a flair for the theatrical. He introduces himself to London on Guy Fawkes Day with fireworks and a symbolic bombing, then hijacks a television broadcast to announce that he will return a year later to destroy the Houses of Parliament. He suggests that citizens who feel oppressed by their rulers should join him there. And then he’s gone, leaving some very anxious politicians in his wake.

The viewer’s proxy here is Evey (Natalie Portman), who accidentally becomes a part of V’s plans. With her, we work through many of the expected reactions to V’s approach—and if she eventually comes around to his way of thinking, the film certainly doesn’t present the choice as an uncomplicated one. The filmmakers (Andy and Larry Wachowski adapting the screenplay, James McTeigue at the helm) are clearly on the vigilante’s side, but they give viewers room to question his motives and methods: Has he psychologically programd Evey? Is the city of London about to become a war zone simply because V has a personal grudge? The serious tone “Vendetta” takes encourages such moral nitpicking.

Although some marketing materials aim to position this as an action film, viewers expecting a thrill ride might be disappointed. V engages in a couple of satisfying crime-fighting set pieces, but the story is more occupied with mystery and intrigue. Happily, it almost is entirely free of the hollow pomposity that marred the Wachowskis’ last two “Matrix” films. Here, Alan Moore’s graphic novel and the history of real-world oppressive governments is more than enough, leaving no need for the screenwriters to invent hokey mythologies and plenty of room to fantasize about revolution.

V FOR VENDETTA
Warner Bros. Pictures
Silver Pictures
Credits:
Director: James McTeigue
Screenwriters: Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski
Based on the graphic novel by: Alan Moore and David Lloyd
producers: Grant Hill, Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Executive producer: Benjamin Waisbren
Director of photography: Adrian Biddle
Production designer: Owen Paterson
Music: Dario Marianelli
Co-producers: Roberto Malerba, Henning Molfenter, Charlie Woebcken
Costume designer: Sammy Sheldon
Editor: Martin Walsh
Cast:
Evey Hammond: Natalie Portman
V: Hugo Weaving
Finch: Stephen Rea
Sutler: John Hurt
Prothero: Roger Allam
Gordon Deitrich: Stephen Fry
Creedy: Tim Pigott-Smith
MPAA rating R
Running time—131 minutes

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=6225
Generated on: Friday 17th of March 2006 10:52:01 PM Site Created by Plank

‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ Meets ‘The Matrix’;
“Go see this movie!”—Michael Moore

OK does anyone see the propaganda film “Fahrenheit 9/11” mentioned ANYWHERE in this article?
I’ll give everyone another chance to read it over.  G’head, I’ll read my horoscope while you do that.
.................................

Done?  Not one mention anywhere of F 9/11 is there?  Yet Moore decides to take it upon himself to make some B.S. connection here.

Le Bang

It’s another sad day for America, with yet another incident of mindless gun violence taking place at a school.

A former teacher armed with a handgun took about 20 hostages Thursday, most of them students, in a high school classroom, police said.

The television station LCI reported that 18 of the hostages at the Colbert de Torcy High School were students, one was a teacher and another an employee.

Prosecutor Jean Elek informed the families of the captive students of the situation, court officials said.

Police cordoned off the area in Sable-sur-Sarthe, outside Le Mans. The city famed for its 24-hour annual car race is located 143 miles southwest of Paris, and Sable-sur-Sarthe is 27 miles from Le Mans.

When will we realize what a danger guns have become in our society, and ban them, like they have in France?

Spending political capital he doesn’t have any more

While I am not on the same side as Mikey on this, I still have some reservations.  What I do know is that this is going to explode in Bush’s face.

By 62-2, the House Appropriations Committee voted to bar DP World, run by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, from holding leases or contracts at U.S. ports. The landslide vote was the strongest signal yet that more than three weeks of White House efforts to stunt congressional opposition to the deal have not been successful.

Bush has promised to veto any such measure passed by Congress. But there is widespread public opposition to the deal and the GOP fears losing its advantage on the issue of national security in this fall’s elections.

The White House said the president’s position was unchanged.

Ouch.  This has united Congressional enemies.  I’m still not convinced this is a horror-show like I was when I first heard about it.  The truth is, DPW will not be running the ports.  They will own the company that owns the company that runs certain terminals.  The current management and security will be unchanged.  Essentially this is a paper company buying another paper company, it’s almost meaningless.

However.

If the vast, overwhelming majority of the American people are against it, the vast, overwhelming majority of Congress is against it, your own security people are against it...come on.  You’re making a huge mistake, Dubya.

The ramifications of Bush trying to veto this of all things...it will create a backlash that the Democrats will ride all the way to the White House in 2008.  Mark my words.

By the way, odd little coinky-dink - The senior VP of Dubai Ports World is named Michael Moore.  :)

Uncle JimK Wants You

We’re looking for one or two volunteers to be on the MichaelMoore.Com beat.  Your job would be to read the drivel on his website (specifically his site, not necessarily TV appearances or books or anything else) and write posts about it.  You can “fisk” his ramblings, simply point out flaws and inconsistencies, whatever you feel comfortable doing.  Of course at times other writers may have something to say about some insanity Mikey posts, but generally the beat would be yours alone.  It’d be rare that any more than one or two of us would want to tackle his nonsense.

All we ask is that you be honest and do your homework.

If you’re interested, comment or email me.  Y’all know where I be at.

Michael Hearts Cindy - The Musical

Nice.

Casey, I love the way she says “bullshit!” (says “bullshit!")
and that the evil Jooz did it (the Jooz did it)
Did your mom get back from her Crawford trip? (Crawford trip)
Is she there, or is she still giving Dubya some lip? (Dubya some lip)

You’ll have to head to The Jawa Report for more.

Now late the hate-filled comments pour in!

One of these things is not like the other

I defy anyone, left right or center, to read this and then ever again compare the US military to Saddam’s sadistic regime.

Some rooms in the museum don’t have pictures at all. Instead they show the instruments and the methods of torture. In one room, the so-called “Washington Room,” men and women had hot electric irons pressed into their skin.

Torture:

Not torture:

Let’s stop pretending Saddam’s Iraq was a kite-flying paradise already shall we?  From the comments at Michael J. Totten’s site:

Two years ago, I produced the documentary film VOICES OF IRAQ, where we sent 150 DV cameras across Iraq and allowed Iraqis to film their own lives. The cameras got into the prison you visted and others. I viewed several hours of video and testimony detailing the horrors of Saddam’s torture. One woman recalled tearfully how her newborn baby was fed to dogs infront of her eyes. Another video shows floors stained with blood and fat that liquified off torture victoms and poured onto the tiles below them.

Americans, and especially a certain political group of Americans, completely ignored that film.  What a shame...and how shameful.  Shameful to disrespect those who suffered by dismissing them as political fodder.  Shameful to line the pockets of a man like Michael Moore while ignoring the voices of those who were there and suffered losses unimaginable to the average American.

I don’t care why we went into Iraq.  I stopped caring about why the first time I heard about stories like these.  I don’t understand anyone who doesn’t feel the same way.