Approaching Time To Pull The Trigger?

Bond yields are getting to the point where I might be able to retire from my day job, and work on stuff that really matters. There are lots of A- and better corporate bonds with yields above 6%.  Another fifteen months, and I get to collect a small state pension.

In some ideal world, there would be an organization prepared to pay me $1 a year and put me on their health insurance to work on the sort of legal research that I am really good at doing.  But $1 a year and health insurance is apparently more than I am worth to the gun rights organizations.

Barbarism

The September 5, 2013 Daily Caller carries a report of threats of what will be done if Obama attacks Syria:

And in an unprecedented statement, a former Iranian official has warned of mass abductions and brutal killings of American citizens around the world and the rape and killing of one of Obama’s daughters should the United States attack Syria.

Alireza Forghani, the former governor of southern Iran’s Kish Province, threw down the gauntlet last week. Forghani is an analyst and strategy specialist in the supreme leader’s camp and closely aligned with Mehdi Taeb, who heads the regime’s Ammar Strategic Base, a radical think thank, and thus speaks with the blessing of the Islamic regime.

“Hopefully Obama will be pigheaded enough to attack Syria, and then we will see the … loss of U.S. interests [through terrorist attacks],” he threatened. “In just 21 hours [after the attack on Syria], a family member of every U.S. minister [department secretary], U.S. ambassadors, U.S. military commanders around the world will be abducted. And then 18 hours later, videos of their amputation will be spread [around the world].”

A similar act was committed in a video of the torture of William Buckley, a CIA station chief who was abducted in Beirut in 1984 and later killed by Hezbollah on Iran’s order. That video was dropped off at the U.S. Embassy in Athens. Former CIA Director William Casey later described what he saw in the video: “They had done more than ruin his body. His eyes made it clear his mind had been played with. It was horrific, medieval and barbarous.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/05/iran-threatens-brutal-attacks-on-americans-obama-family-if-us-hits-syria/#ixzz2e8aijwa7

This should not be a surprise.  The Koran approves of sex with female slaves (non-believers taken in battle) [Sura 23:6].  This is the reason that al-Qaeda and its affiliates have repeatedly engaged in rape, at Beslan, in East Timor, and elsewhere.  Do not read this threat as bizarre or non-Islamic.  It is squarely in the mainstream of Islam.  Muslims who want to believe otherwise are good and decent people who have let civilized values and good consciences take precedence over the Koran's clear teachings.

There are many arguments against Obama's plan for Syria:

1. Syria is no direct threat to the United States at this time, and does not have a long history of directly threatening or attacking us.

2. Syria is no direct threat to our allies at this time.

3. An attack, at least an attack that we are likely to perform, is unlikely to impair Syria's ability to continue violating the Chemical Weapons Convention, nor will it make much difference in reducing these crimes against civilians or rebels.

4. If our attack changes the balance of power in the Syrian civil war, it is likely to be putting a bunch dominated by al-Qaeda and at least Islamist rebels in charge of Syria.

5. It is not clear that Obama and those around him have either the wits or the courage to follow such attacks through to a successful conclusion.

There are strong arguments for cutting off the head of the snake: Iran.  But that requires more guts and wits than Obama or the American people have.  It will probably take nuclear weapons going off in American cities before we finally are prepared to face reality on this.

Another Depressing Reminder That Good Guys in Syria Are Hard To Find

This September 5, 2013 New York Times article discusses how brutal many of those trying to overthrow Assad are:

The prisoners, seven in all, were captured Syrian soldiers. Five were trussed, their backs marked with red welts. They kept their faces pressed to the dirt as the rebels’ commander recited a bitter revolutionary verse.

“For fifty years, they are companions to corruption,” he said. “We swear to the Lord of the Throne, that this is our oath: We will take revenge.”

The moment the poem ended, the commander, known as “the Uncle,” fired a bullet into the back of the first prisoner’s head. His gunmen followed suit, promptly killing all the men at their feet.

This scene, documented in a video smuggled out of Syria a few days ago by a former rebel who grew disgusted by the killings, offers a dark insight into how many rebels have adopted some of the same brutal and ruthless tactics as the regime they are trying to overthrow.

The article goes on to discuss the question of how many of the rebels are connected to al-Qaeda, and how many are "moderates."  But even secular forces, such as this charming bunch, seem to be pretty brutal.

One of the comments on the article pointed out that Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt have all been at least in part the result of U.S. intervention to promote Arab democracy in the last couple of years.  The results of this supposed "smart diplomacy" argue for leaving well enough alone.

There are those who argue that "Muslim democracy" is pretty much a hopeless task.  I am not convinced that it is impossible, but Obama's crowd is making Bush's efforts in Iraq look pretty sad.

Empty Shell Casing: $1,000 Fine, One Year In Jail

No, not in North Korea or Jamaica, but Washington, DC:

Washington police are operating under orders to arrest tourists and other non-residents traveling with spent bullet or shotgun casings, a crime that carries a $1,000 fine, a year in jail and a criminal record, according to a new book about the city's confusing gun laws.

"Empty shell casings are considered ammunition in Washington, D.C., so they are illegal to possess unless you are a resident and have a gun registration certificate," pens Emily Miller in her investigative book, "Emily Gets Her Gun: ... But Obama Wants to Take Yours."

Under the law, live or empty brass and plastic casings must be carried in a special container and unavailable to drivers. Having one, for example, in a cup holder or ash tray is illegal.

Yes, an empty shell casing is so dangerous!  Why, you might be driving down the street, pull out your reloading equipment, prime it, load the powder, squeeze the bullet in, and be ready...to do what?  Throw it at someone?

Sebastian at Shall Not Be Questioned recounts the story of what happened when the maintenance guy somewhere he used to work found an empty 9mm casing, and caused an astonishing overreaction.  I keep waiting for evidence that someone in Washington DC has a working brain.

At Least The Bakery Owner Doesn't Have To Go To A Re-Education Camp

Tragic quote from a September 9, 2013 Weekly Standard article about the increasing use of antidiscrimination laws by gay activists to force businesses to cater to them:

State governments also have a lot of tools at their disposal to fine and otherwise make life difficult for businesses, and they’re not shy about using them. In response to the investigation of the bakery in Gresham, Oregon, labor commissioner Brad Avakian told the Oregonian, “The goal is never to shut down a business. The goal is to rehabilitate.” 

California's law prohibiting licensed therapists from performing any efforts “to change behaviors or gender expressions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex” on minors seems to be an attempt to prohibit "rehabilitation."  Or perhaps it is just a reminder that the difference between rehabilitation and oppression is who is in charge.

UPDATE: The gay activists were successful; the business has closed.

George Zimmerman is Caught...Speeding!

The September 5, 2013 USA Today reports that George Zimmerman has been ticketed for speeding:

Zimmerman was pulled over Tuesday morning in Lake Mary, Fla. and issued a $256 ticket for going 60 mph in a 45-mph zone. 

What next?  Are we going to get news reports of Zimmerman getting ticketed for an overdue parking meter violation?

Marvelous Demolition of What Hypocrites the Antiwar Movement Is

From Ace of Spades: