;)
The Commentariat -- December 5, 2015
Internal links removed.
Afternoon Update:
Sarah Bailey of the Washington Post: "The president of Liberty University[, Jerry Falwell, Jr.,] ... urged students during the school's convocation Friday to get their permits to carry concealed weapons.... 'I've always thought that if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in,' he says, the rest of his sentence drowned out by loud applause while he said, 'and killed them.'... Falwell said that when he referred to 'those Muslims,' he was referring to Islamic terrorists, specifically those behind the attacks in Paris and in San Bernardino.... A spokesperson for Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) sent the following statement on Saturday: 'My administration is committed to making Virginia an open and welcoming Commonwealth, while also ensuring the safety of all of our citizens. Mr. Falwell's rash and repugnant comments detract from both of those crucial goals,' McAuliffe said." Read the whole article to get a better idea of what a flaming ass Falwell is.
Never Mind. Nahal Toosi of Politico: "More than half of the House Democrats who voted to restrict the resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the U.S. appear to be having second thoughts. At least 26 of the 47 Democrats who supported the measure have signed on to a letter urging House Speaker Paul Ryan not to include it in a must-pass omnibus spending bill likely to be voted on in the coming days, according to groups helping arrange the missive."
*****
White House: "In this week's address, the President offered his condolences to the families and community of the victims of the San Bernardino shooting":
** CW: digby, following Richard Engle of NBC News, has by far the most sensible take on the probable motivations of the San Bernardino mass murderers. Engle: "So there is not an indication that this is a sleeper cell, that this someone who was planted by ISIS, that was years in the making. More likely it was someone in the United States, unhappy with the way they were living, unhappy with the way they were seen, became radicalized there and founded, was part of a cell in the United States." digby: "... everyone needs to take a breath and recognize that this is likely no different than all the other mass shootings we've had this year." Read the whole post for the rationale behind their tentative conclusion. ...
I'd add this: Farook had a good job, & all indications are that his co-workers, who were of various ethnicities, treated him with respect. It's possible of course that he didn't see it that way; he could have spent five years in a state of perpetual resentment for real & perceived slights. Malik seems to have had little contact with Americans. I have no idea how much this couple followed U.S. politics. Maybe they never heard of Donald Trump. But just as Carly Fiorina & all those other anti-Planned Parenthood lying loudmouths almost certainly moved Robert Dear to attack the Colorado Springs clinic, it is quite likely that the party of Trump's virulent anti-Muslim rhetoric -- including Trump's Muslim registry/mosque surveillance musings -- was part of the mix that motivated Farook & Malik. In my view, their easy access to guns & ammo, thanks to Republicans, was a convenient means, but it is likely that right-wing racism & religious intolerance was a contributing motivation. ISIS propaganda was apparently the direct inspiration for this terrorist attack, but Republican rhetoric reinforced & validated that propaganda. I see GOP fingerprints all over the San Bernardino rampage. ...
... Michael Schmidt & Richard Perez-Pena of the New York Times: "The woman who, with her husband, killed 14 people in San Bernardino pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a Facebook post the day of the attack, officials said Friday, and the F.B.I. announced it was treating the massacre as an act of terrorism.' The investigation so far has developed indications of radicalization by the killers, and of potential inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations,' the F.B.I. director, James Comey, said at a news conference here. But, he said: 'so far we have no indication that these killers are part of an organized larger group, or form part of a cell. There's no indication that they are part of a network.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon with a lede which did not include the FBI's decision to treat the massacre as a terrorist act.) ...
... Eli Saslow & Stephanie McCrummen of the Washington Post provide an account of how the shooting went down, according to survivors who were in the room. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Kevin Sullivan, et al., of the Washington Post: "American Muslims say they are living through an intensely painful moment and feel growing anti-Muslim sentiment after the recent Islamic State attacks in Paris and this week's San Bernardino shootings.... Many Muslims said fear of Islam is being fueled by the heated rhetoric of Republican presidential candidates, particularly businessman Donald Trump, who has called for surveillance of some mosques and requiring Muslims to register with the government.... Research by Pew and CAIR shows that apprehension about Islam has increased sharply with the rise of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, in the past two years, especially since the group's highly publicized beheadings of foreign journalists and aid workers began in August 2014." ...
Ravi Somaiya of the New York Times: "The New York Times is running an editorial on its front page on Saturday, the first time the paper has done so since 1920, calling for greater regulation on guns in the aftermath of a spate of mass shootings." ...
... New York Times Editors: "The attention and anger of Americans should also be directed at the elected leaders whose job is to keep us safe but who place a higher premium on the money and political power of an industry dedicated to profiting from the unfettered spread of ever more powerful firearms. It is a moral outrage and a national disgrace that civilians can legally purchase weapons designed specifically to kill people with brutal speed and efficiency. These are weapons of war, barely modified and deliberately marketed as tools of macho vigilantism and even insurrection.... Certain kinds of weapons, like the slightly modified combat rifles used in California, and certain kinds of ammunition, must be outlawed for civilian ownership." ...
... Adam Gopnik of the New Yorker: "Having instructed us that the first of this week's mass shootings was free from any ideological taint at all -- that the Planned Parenthood killings were the work of a lone nut, completely uninfluenced by their rhetoric -- the Republican candidates then ordered us to understand that the next mass shooting was nothing but ideology, that the horrific killings in San Bernardino were, as Ted Cruz instantly insisted, an act of Islamic terrorism that should place us in a 'time of war.'... The collective responsibility that all Americans share is the responsibility of allowing too many people to have too many guns; guns of a kind that no civilian ever needs can be bought in this country by almost anyone who wants one.... Those who put weapons into the hands of anyone who wants them are complicit in what happens when they do.... So there will be ever more mass gun murders, some to be accepted blankly as the cost of liberty, others to become the occasion for surrendering liberty to a militarized state.
... Steve M. Peggy Noonan is the "real" victim of the San Bernardino attack: liberals are picking on her & her confederates. CW: I especially like the advice of NMMNB commenter Lit3Bolt: "If I was any Democratic candidate..., I would continuously hammer all Republicans as soft on crime, soft on terrorism, soft on child safety. The Right wants ISIS radicals to buy guns and slaughter your children. The ads write themselves." ...
... Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "White House press secretary Josh Earnest lashed out at Republicans who 'stood up once again with the NRA [National Rifle Association] and in the face of common sense' to block measures to expand background checks and bar individuals on terrorist watch lists from purchasing firearms." ...
... New York Times Editors: "The evolving situation has forced Republican leaders and presidential candidates to contort themselves: talking tough on terrorism, yet ignoring the fact that the two were armed to the teeth with two .223-caliber assault rifles and two 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistols, and hundreds of rounds, all purchased legally. While the nation suffered through the shock of another bloody massacre, on Thursday every Senate Republican except Mark Kirk of Illinois voted against legislation to prevent people on the F.B.I.'s consolidated terrorist watchlist from purchasing guns or explosives.... Since the Paris attacks, Republicans have been trying to outdo each other in describing how they'd crack down on global terrorism. But when a mass shooting at home calls attention to laws that put guns into the hands of suspected terrorists, they ask for a moment of silence, while taking action that speaks volumes." ...
... Gail Collins: "The San Bernardino murderers were wielding assault rifles, with which they were able to fire an estimated 65-75 bullets in rapid succession. Assault weapons, which seem to be the armament of choice for mass shootings, used to be illegal under a law that expired in 2004. If the law had stayed on the books, how many victims would have survived in San Bernardino, or at the elementary school in Newtown, Conn.? Given the fact that semiautomatic weapons are totally inappropriate for either hunting or home defense, some of us would love to trade them for the possibility of reduced casualties next time somebody decides to go on a rampage." ...
... David Roberts of Vox explains why confederates think they need those guns & ammo & why "reason" & evidence will not dissuade them. ...
... Capitalism Is Awesome, Ctd. Jana Kasperkevic of the Guardian: "Stocks of two major gun-makers surged on Thursday morning, the day after a shooting in San Bernardino, California, left 14 people dead. More than an hour after the stock markets opened, Smith & Wesson stocks were up by 2.62%. Stocks of Sturm, Ruger & Co were up 1.67%. Gunmakers saw their stock rise even as the overall stock market fell on concerns that the Federal Reserve would raise interests later this month." ...
... Tim Egan: "By next week, with the professional football playoff picture starting to take shape, and the holiday festivities in full swing, we'll have this San Bernardino thing figured out. And we'll hope that it doesn't happen again tomorrow. But it will happen tomorrow -- on average, one multiple-victim shooting a day. Every day. It will make sense in the only country where mass killings make sense."
David Herszenhorn of the New York Times: "Senate Republicans have finally fulfilled their long quest to pass legislation repealing President Obama's landmark health care law, and Congress will soon send the measure to the White House, where it might have a chance of being folded into origami or a fleet of paper airplanes, but no possibility of being signed into law."
Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "The United States has been eliminating a mid- to high-level Islamic State figure every two days, on average, contributing to President Obama's decision to send a new Special Operations force to Iraq to intensify efforts to locate and kill militant leaders there and in Syria, a senior administration official said Thursday." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Here is Norah O'Donnell's full interview of President Obama regarding climate change:
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Scavenger Hunt Edition. Scott Collins & Richard Winton of the Los Angeles Times: "On Friday morning, up to 100 journalists began rummaging around the house formerly occupied by the married couple who carried out a mass shooting on Wednesday in San Bernardino. And as that bizarre scene was playing out live on TV, critics -- on Twitter and elsewhere -- let out a collective yowl.... Reporters at the scene -- including from the Los Angeles Times -- said the couple's landlord used a crowbar to pry open the door of the home.... A mob scene ensued, with reporters and camera crews from CNN and MSNBC -- and a few non-media passersby -- rifling through the townhome.... [The Redlands police] "department stepped in to protect the rights of the dead persons' relatives and insure the property was secure. The scene was then closed." ...
... As Cowichan wrote in yesterday's thread, "... here were these msnbc ghouls rummaging through the detritus of the shooter's home. Revolting!!" ...
... digby: "... MSNBC (among others) gathered outside the apartment of the San Bernardino attackers, helped the landlord pry off the plywood on the door and raced in live to rummage through everything in there. They even showed the license and social security card of the shooter's mother in close-up on live TV. They ... showed pictures of unknown people to the entire country.... This was one of the weirdest things I've ever seen a network broadcast live." ...
... Katherine Krueger of TPM: "After MSNBC treated viewers on Friday to a live look inside the San Bernardino shooters' apartment, the network said they 'regret' showing photos of children and identification cards during the live broadcast."
Presidential Race
Simon Maloy of Salon: "As Trump endures in the polls, I think more and more about the political significance of the child migrant crisis of the summer of 2014.... The House GOP ... passed legislation that would have expedited deportations of children crossing the border, and separate legislation that would have ended the White House's deferred-action program for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children.... That ugly display was followed up by a government-funding fight in which Republicans ... threatened to shut down the Department of Homeland Security if Obama didn't roll back his executive orders halting deportations for certain classes of undocumented immigrants. There was no chance of either of these legislative gambits working. They were all about sending a message: deport everyone. And now the party's voters are flocking to a candidate who is the loud, crude embodiment of that message."
For those of who have found Ben Carson's candidacy so incompetent that you wondered about his surgical skills, wonder no more:
... Bob Christie of the AP: "Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson said Friday that this week's mass shooting in Southern California should end the debate over whether Syrian refugees can safely be screened. The retired neurosurgeon told a pro-business group made of lawmakers from across the nation that if it turns out the woman involved was fully vetted by federal officials and cleared to enter the U.S. it should help end the refugee debate. 'Now if that vetting resulted in missing someone who carried out such a horrendous crime that should be the end of the argument right there,' Carson said." ...
... CW: If Ole Doc knew anything about our visa process -- which has been much in the news lately -- he would know that, as Rebecca Shabad of CBS News reported yesterday, "Even though there are multiple layers to the vetting process, White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Friday said the standards to obtain a K-1 visa are 'not as strict' as those faced by refugees entering the U.S."
... Seeing Stars. History According to Doc Ben. CW: Here's an hilarious aside I missed from Carson's scripted speech before the Republican Jewish Coalition: Alex Shepard of the New Republic: "Speaking to the group about Hyam Salomon, Carson said, 'Salomon gave all his funds to save the U.S. Army [during the American Revolution] and, some say, no one knows for sure, that's the reason there's a Star of David on the back of the one dollar bill.'... Salomon was one of the Continental Army's main financiers. But he didn't give all of his money to George Washington and, more importantly, there isn't a Star of David on the one dollar bill." ...
... Jordyn Phelps of ABC News: "There is a conspiracy theory that a design of stars arranged above the eagle on the U.S. seal printed on the bill forms a Jewish star and that this was done as a way to thank Salomon for his generosity. But the Numismatic Bibliomania Society's Wayne Homren says there's no evidence to suggest any truth to support the theory that the stars were intentionally arranged to represent the Jewish star, let alone that it was done in Salomon's name." ...
... Steve Benen: "Apparently, Carson believes that if you look at the back of a dollar bill -- on the right, just above the eagle -- you'll see stars in a shape resembling the Star of David.... Alas, like so many of the Republican candidate's off-the-wall theories, this one is not rooted in reality."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Jane Perlez of the New York Times: China has established its own international bank to finance regional infrastructure projects. "The United States worries that China will use the bank to set the global economic agenda on its own terms, forgoing the environmental protections, human rights, anticorruption measures and other governance standards long promoted by its Western counterparts. American officials point to China's existing record, of loans to unstable governments, construction deals for unnecessary infrastructure, and villagers abruptly uprooted with little compensation."
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Reader Comments (13)
@CW: Farook's colleagues may have treated him with respect but his job was as a health inspector, as I understand it. Any health inspector that does his or her job receives a fair bit of flak in the normal course of a day. I'm speculating here, but I can easily imagine a restaurant owner expressing unhappiness that a person that looks like Farook would have looked the other way on that little violation if he were one of "us."
@Nisky Guy: Good point. Farook had to meet the public on a daily basis. No restaurateur is happy to see the health inspector, & being people as they are, some are sure to be less-than enlightened. On the other hand, Farook was the guy with the power in the inspector-restaurateur dynamic, and in those situations, the less powerful person is apt to be extra-nice to the guy who can close him down for a few rat droppings in the pantry. Nonetheless, I have no doubt Farook had to deal with some mighty unhappy restaurant owners, some of whom may have made ethnic slurs.
Marie
Watched the interview with Farook's sister, Sara, whose affect was somewhat stoic and guarded, but understandable given what the family has been going through. Sara describes her brother as quiet, never saw a display of temper (never? that would worry me), as someone who seemed content in his job and his life. Apparently brother and sister were not close–-never had long conversations about anything. Sara never got to know Malik well–-spoke very little English–-kept to herself. It wasn't until the end when Sara, getting visibly tired, got teary eyed when talking about how hard this has been for her family and children––"our pictures are everywhere."
There is a talk show host named Alex Jones who has been spouting conspiracy theories ever since Sandy Hook: All these mass shootings have been staged by the government in order to prevent the selling of guns. "Listen up all you folks out there! The Government is hankering to take your guns away and they will do everything and anything to accomplish this." So none of these victims were real–-all fake–-actors–-––one takes a breath and cannot believe what they are hearing. Who listens to a kook like that? Who buys his insane rantings? Who was on his show two days ago? Donald Trump–– and Alex said, "All my listeners love you."
I'm surprised that Carson missed the obvious concerning the back
of the one $ bill, the depiction of a grain storage pyramid from
the time of the Pharaohs. My latin is a little rusty, but it appears
to require being refilled yearly.
This cartoon is one of many from an article titled "The Year in Cartoons" from the Washington Post. If of interest. . . .
Here's the link:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/12/04/the-year-in-cartoons-reflecting-on-the-storied-lines-of-2015/
Cheers -
RE MY PRECEDING POST:
Apologies!
Didn't realize that the link brought one to ALL of the "comics".
Had intended to only submit the one titled -
"U.S. CITIZEN MASS SHOOTING REPORT FORM"
Oops -
Me Again . . .
Actually, there are some very good political "cartoons" in this collection, if one has the time and interest.
Over-And-Out -
Just read an interview with a Syrian refugee in the WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/12/04/the-diary-of-a-syrian-refugee/
Aside from her compelling story of which I am sympathetic,
I am left with a discomfort about one thing. I've noticed this before and it always leaves me baffled in view of the accompanying photo. The wearing of the hijab...especially when the wearer is otherwise dressed in clothing that I would consider typical Amercanized/European for most young women, BUT FOR...
A body-clinging sweater, jeans, fabulous make-up...that could be the dress mode for any trim, fit fashion-conscious female. BUT FOR....
Covering one's hair is 'protective' of exactly what??????
I'd like to be respectful toward other beliefs and traditions,
yet this continues to confound me.
It continues to factor into 'dress codes' in countries such as France for schoolgirls where it is a provocative issue. Question: if I traveled to Saudi Arabia I know as a woman I would acknowledge their 'requirement' for a head covering there...but here, why does not the converse apply for someone from that country who visits/travels/lives here. No? Of course, this crops up periodically re: driver's licenses or traffic stops in the states.
When in Rome....
(Cripes! Hopes this doesn't make me sound like a GD Republican!)
I realize this blog is not about art. However, I saw an exhibit yesterday at Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum that is profoundly on point with respect to guns. The artist is Al Farrow and the exhibit is called "The Divine Ammunition: Wrath and Reverence." The exhibit is respectful and powerful, but I would not say it is religious. The artist has assembled reliquaries, Mosques, Synagogues and Cathedrals from gun parts and ammunition. The pieces are stunning. He gathers his materials in ways that are available to all of us. If you have a few moments, it is worth a look. Once you get to the website, I recommend, clicking on The Cathedral, The Bombed Mosque and any of the Synagogues. By clicking on each image, you will see enlargements and different views of the piece.
http://www.alfarrow.com/reliquaries.html
@ Diane
Thanks for the link... I guess. LOL
I'm not sure why but those images twisted my stomach a little bit.
Some of the artworks (especially the Jewish ones, i.e. dreidle) look like something we'd find in a Nazi museum. Yet, I can't help but think there are more than a few American gun nuts who would love to have some these originals in their houses.
Maybe like this lovely family for example....
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/michele-fiore-gun-christmas-card
@ MAG
I also read the interview and, like yourself, was deeply moved by this woman's account of violence, displacement, the death of her 7-day young infant and of the intensive - and dangerous - journey that eventually brought her & her family to the United States. I can barely imagine what she and her family have witnessed & just barely lived through . . . including the interrogative process of U.S. officials, which would ultimately determine their fate as asylum-granted refugees.
I was delighted to see that this woman could wear slacks (!) and otherwise "modern" dress vs being entirely covered in a burqa. . .
The wearing of a Hijab pertains to modesty. From what I understand, the Hijab is introduced at puberty, when hair and breasts are not to be exposed (flaunted) in public or in the presence of non-family members.
Modesty is a theme in many religions: the cutting off of a novitiate's hair before the Wimple is placed upon her head, and continuing to keep hair short, even if not hidden by traditional convent "couture". (I lived one summer in a Carmelite convent while studying in Spain, thanks to a high school study-abroad program: I loved those nuns, who'd play basketball during the sweltering afternoon "Siestas", in full Habit.)
Perhaps living in a large metropolitan city offers me a different perspective:
Here, I share sidewalks, subways & public destinations with fellow denizens attired in Hijabs, Yarmulkas ("skull-caps" worn by Orthodox & Hassidic males, while their married female counterparts sport wigs - often quite stylishly coiffed), Monks in sandals & orange "sarongs" (even when it snows!), women from India in gorgeous silk Saris with their bare midriffs exposed (women of *all* ages, I should add, sans 6 Packs), nuns who still sport the full Habit from which oversized crosses hang, as well as a number of "Mother Theresa" followers in their flowing whites & blues, etc etc etc. While these are not uncommon sights, they are - sadly - often not free from ridicule - - or worse.
Regarding France, I recall the Jewish parents of friends giving their daughters crucifixes to wear, visibly, for another kind of "protection". Since then, I understand that crosses are forbidden in France, unless concealed beneath one's clothing. (I feel that France has gone overboard as far as stripping away heritage & personal practices for the sake of maintaining a (visibly) religion-free nation.)
While I am in agreement that - for purposes of identity, *when necessary* - full camouflaging coverage needs to be challenged, I also believe that preserving one's cultural and/or religious customs need be tolerated - nay respected.
Even as someone who feels that Religion is all too often the source of so many bad things (Homophobia, Overall Bigotry, etc), I still hope we can maintain respect for others' (peaceful) practices.
Like yourself, I needed to cover my head and arms while visiting European cathedrals. But I'm not certain that the converse - "When In Rome" - can (or should) apply here in the USofA since we are such a "Melting Pot".
Just my points of view & welcoming of others' -
@safari. Yes, provacatve to say the least. For me, it captured the current madness of the gun culture in a very powerful way. Thanks for taking a look.
@MAG: I tend to agree with you. In reading the woman's story, however, it doesn't seem she is particularly anxious to integrate herself into American culture. She dresses herself & her daughters, I imagine, as they dressed when they lived in Syria. I think that's fine. There's nothing that says refugees we accept have to want to stay here forever. So in her case -- and in many others -- I think maintaining cultural identifiers makes a lot of sense.
I personally dress to please myself, & one thing that pleases me is to wear clothing that I would consider "culturally normative"; that is, clothing that fits the area where I find myself, clothes that don't call attention to what may be "different" about me. It's a convenience for me & seems (to me) to be polite to those who come in contact with me. So whether I'm in rural France or Palm Beach, people stop me to ask for directions, as they assume I'm a local (till I reveal my pidgin French, in the first case).
So if I were a Muslim woman, I wouldn't wear the hijab in the U.S., except on particular occasions that called for it. I am sure some Muslim women wear the hijab because they believe God wants them to (or their family says they must), & I'm perfectly okay with that.
But those who wear it on a regular basis as a political or religious "statement" are wearing their belief system as a badge. That's too in-your-face for me. As you point out, if someone is going to wear form-fitting clothing, there's little "modesty" added by donning a hijab.
Like Ophelia, I've lived in large metropolitan cities, so I don't particularly notice non-standard dress, but when I think about it, I don't see that wearing religion-specific clothing is a lot different from slapping a "Jesus Save" bumper sticker on your car. It's a little off-putting.
Marie