Friday, June 18, 2004

"Why aren't they doing this here?"

The above question, is asked by Billy Beck in a post titled “Something Mysterious." The question is asked in response to Paul Johnson’s murder, in Saudi Arabia, by Al Qaeda.  Not many individuals are contemplating this question, currently, but it is a question that bears consideration.  Here’s my shot from the hip postulation.

I think that Al Qaeda isn’t snatching individuals off the American streets, beheading them, videoing the beheading, and dropping it off at the local news station because if they did, one could expect an uprising of American can-do-it-ness displayed in the form of private individuals bringing justice to the Al Qaeda sympathetic Muslim community, rather than standing sheepishly by and waiting for the government to protect them.  If Al Qaeda attempted to operate by the same methods used in the murder of Nick Berg and Paul Johnson, a hell fire form of vigilante justice, could just possibly be unleashed.  I could very well be wrong, but, if Al Qaeda snatched the lovely Melis, my Mum, my Dad, one of my sisters, my brothers, my sons, my daughters, or other close friends, and beheaded them and crowed about it, I think I would take matters into my own hands.

Update: The following was emailed to me.  It is an excerpt from a post at the blog Mahmood’s Den, which is written by a Muslim individual named Mahmood Al-Yousif. The post is titled “What exactly are we waiting for?" The question is asked in response to Paul Johnson’s murder.  Mahmood appears, to me, to be an interesting character.  Possibly he can shed some light on the question under consideration here.

"My question is what else are WE as Muslims, Arabs whatever are we waiting for exactly to rise against these bastards? It is quite clear that the governments we have inherited are incompetent in the face of this terror, espcially Saudi, where they still seem to try to sweep this event under a rug and still refusing to accept that this is a violent revolution or civil war that is happening, rather than a few criminals who were “let astray” by “foreigners."

Thanks for emailing that link, Robert.

Update II: McQ, at Questions and Observations, also responds to the question “Why aren’t they doing this here?" Be sure to read the comment thread.

Update III: An article from The Straits Times titled “Saudis debate Islamic basis for killing Westerners," which delves into the debate which was taking place on various Islamic websites over Paul Johnson.  Also this CNN article titled “Al Qaeda uses beheadings for the fear factor."


Via Dean’s World.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/18 at 02:50 PM
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Something I Didn't Know About Gram Parsons

Two Wall Street traders are honoring those killed in the WTC on September 11 by financially backing a film about the funeral of Gram Parsons.  Sounds like it might make interesting viewing, based on the following blurb.

"The movie, “Grand Theft Parsons,” is based on a tale of how Parsons’ manager made off with his body to honor a deal: the survivor among the two would take the other’s remains to be burned in Joshua Tree National Park in California.

Parsons, who worked with The Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Emmylou Harris (news) and others, died of a drug overdose in Joshua Tree in 1973. The 26-year-old’s remains were taken away from Los Angeles International airport by manager Phil Kaufman to fulfill a pact made a few months earlier.

“There was a pact between the two of us where the survivor would take the deceased, have a few hundred beers and cremate the body. I went out and did the deed,” said Kaufman, who makes a cameo appearance in the movie."

That’s a honorable friend.

“Movie Shows Rocker Gram Parsons’ Funeral Adventure."

Posted by John Venlet on 06/18 at 11:47 AM
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The Flimsiest of Connections

I value scientific discovery, the gaining of knowledge, but, at times, I view with incredulity the pronouncements which spew forth from researchers.  Here’s an article which I think stretches a “discovery” to the breaking point.

“Global Warming Raises Stink in Britain." The pertinent data, from the article, including the stretch.

"The discovery of breeding colonies of stinkbugs in London is clear proof that global warming is a fact of life, a scientist said on Friday."

Is that so?  Isn’t it possible that the stinkbugs were simply an invasive species, noticed for the first time, as they were here in the United States as reported by this pdf format article from Rutgers?

Link to stinky article via Yahoo News.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/18 at 08:32 AM
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Just Thinking and Wondering Outloud

A good friend of mine just purchased a Sirius satellite radio, and is totally enthralled with it.

Sirius has been getting a good amount of press, recently, and is currently trading at around $3.09 a share.

Now, I will not pay for cable or satellite teevee, but many, many individuals will, and do.  What I am wondering, is, will individuals embrace satellite radio as willingly as cable and satellite teevee?  If so, now may be the time to pick up a few thousand shares of Sirius, cheap.  What do ya think?

Posted by John Venlet on 06/18 at 04:31 AM
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Guilty by Association

What can you say about a law such as this?

"The law allows non-drinkers under 21 to be ticketed if they are knowingly in the company of underage people drinking alcohol."

Next up, a law against knowingly being in the vehicle of an individual who doesn’t wear their seatbelt, or some such asininity.

“Young non-drinkers decry Naperville law - Those who are underage face tickets when they are with friends who drink"


Via The Agitator.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/18 at 04:15 AM
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I May Need a Wearable Lightning Rod

I don’t know if it is possible, though it seems feasible to me, for a garment to be made that would protect you from parlyzing discharges of electricity.  Such a garment could come in handy in an electrical storm, but this is not the type of electrical storm, manmade, I was thinking about.

Link via Claire Wolfe.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/18 at 02:44 AM
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Are These the Only Two Choices?

John T. Kennedy, while perusing Billy Beck’s virtual library, came across the entry for the tome Atlas Shrugged. Upon reading Beck’s short commentary for the book, John posts some comments which compare the characters John Galt and Howard Roark, two characters I admire from Ayn’s writing, among others, and offers this concluding statement.

"I recommend Roark’s more natural individualism over Galt’s wishful collective program. Roark always pursued his goals by doing the business he wanted to do. His progress and his happiness did not depend on the enlightenment of an arbitrary number on men - one individual would suffice."

I understand JTK’s thought, here, but I think if there were more individuals who emulated Roark, Galt’s goals could be realized.  Interesting to think about.

“Galt Or Roark?"

Posted by John Venlet on 06/18 at 02:32 AM
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Kind of Interesting

According to The Australian, a meteorite, “as big as a house,” hit Australia the other night.

"A METEORITE reportedly the size of a house fell on the NSW south coast overnight, exploding in a bright flash, police have said."

Unfortunately,

""We went out to check if it was something bad, like a plane,” said a police spokesman.

“However we didn’t find anything - there was no bloody great rock sitting in the middle of the highway, anyway”.

You have to enjoy the understatement in that statement.  The meteorite would be a “bloody great rock” to stumble over.

“‘House-sized’ meteorite hits."

Via Drudge.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/18 at 02:18 AM
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