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Gone Forever

Foreign Affairs, Third World

Here’s one statement from the Trump administration that’s guaranteed to get me angry:

The larger issues facing Europe include activities of the European Union and other transnational bodies that undermine political liberty and sovereignty, migration policies that are transforming the continent and creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence… if current trends continue the continent and its economic issues are “eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure.”

Back in 2004, after I returned from a trip to Paris, I posted this pic of an impromptu street concert by some students from the Sorbonne, taken in the little square just in front of the university:

The classical music was quite lovely, the musicians very accomplished.  I stood, entranced, and watched them for the entire time they played — well over an hour, as I recall.

I also remember commenting on the old website that if the Muslim theocracy and culture were ever to establish itself in France, joyful concerts of this nature would completely disappear, suppressed no doubt by some bullshit aspect of shari’a law, and a little bit of the joie de vivre  would be gone from Paris streets.

And that is precisely what the Trump administration means by “civilizational erasure”.

Changing The Rules

Anarchist thugs

Speaking of things that enrage me (admittedly, a very long list), we have this little situation:

Authorities have released of the name of the suspect accused of throwing Molotov cocktails into a federal building, adding that they believe he was “motivated by anti-immigration enforcement sentiment.”

The incident occurred on Monday, with the suspect identified as 54-year-old Jose Francisco Jovel. Authorities have released images showing the moment Jovel allegedly carried out his act.

Here’s the reason for my rage.

The first recorded use of said bombs was during the Spanish Civil War, when Nationalists threw them at the Soviet-supplied tanks of the Communistic Republicans.  The actual term “Molotov cocktails” was coined by the Finns as they battled the Soviets during the Winter War of 1939, and was actually used ironically, the target being the then-Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov.

Anyone else see a trend, here?

Let’s not put lace panties on this pork chop:  the Molotov cocktail is a weapon of war.  More to the point, it is a horribly-dangerous and malevolent weapon.  When it works, it is capable of setting fire to everyone and anything around it — an inflammable grenade, if you will.

Throwing a Molotov cocktail at a structure shows an intent to set the place on fire, endangering the lives of everyone inside.  Throwing a Molotov cocktail at a person or group of people shows an intent to burn someone to death.

So here’s my question.  How is it that when someone fires a gun at a building or a person, the rules of engagement for police (or the military) allows for the immediate shooting of said miscreant;  yet when someone lobs a Molotov cocktail, the response is (metaphorically) a shrug of the shoulders?

It’s wrong.

Let me tell you:  anytime a “protestor” is seen to be preparing a Molotov cocktail — that would be setting fire to the wick tied to the bottle’s neck — this action should be regarded as an act of war, and constitute grounds for a sniper or designated marksman to shoot the motherfucker dead on the spot, whether said tosser [sic]  has thrown the thing or not.

Let’s get back to our terrorist wannabe:

Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement that the building he targeted “houses our U.S. Attorney’s Office, ICE, and is where illegal immigrants are processed.”

“Jovel was targeting our immigration enforcement operations and wanted to send a political message,” he said.

“Thankfully, the devices did not ignite and no one was injured. Jovel was immediately arrested. Federal officers seized Jovel’s belongings and discovered five other Molotov cocktails,” Essayli, said, adding that Jovel is charged with “attempted malicious damage of federal property, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and up to 20 years’ imprisonment. This is an ongoing investigation and we’ll be looking at adding additional charges.”

Wrong, wrong and again, wrong.  In the first place, the charges should include attempted murder — fuck that “damage of federal property” jive — and should carry a mandatory sentence of life without parole.

More important, however, is this.  Had there been an armed guard on duty at the establishment in question, the rules of engagement should have been such as to allow the guard to shoot this Jovel asshole at the very minute he lit the wick, or drew back his arm to throw the bomb.

And I want law enforcement’s rules of engagement changed to take care of this little reindeer game, immediately.

If you can’t shoot someone who is committing an overt act of war against you, who the hell can you shoot, then?

Passing Parade

Gratuitous Chick Pics

I have never watched — nor would I ever — the awful Brit TV show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, which seems to feature people of dubious celebrity status being forced into some manky Australian camp for a couple of weeks and being forced to eat local delicacies such as wombat’s testicles and being covered with spiders and snakes.  (The latter, I have to assume, being of the very few non-venomous types to be found in that poxy country.)

Anyway, the only reason I mention this sorry event is that one of the recent “competitors” in this nonsense was a firm favorite on this here website, one Kelly Brook, who managed to survive the encounter unscathed.  Okay, apparently the awful diet of lizard’s brains etc. caused her to lose about 15lbs.

Let me reassure you all, however, that this weight did not disappear from the important part of young Kelly’s body, as witnessed by these after-show photos:

Damn… she causes the tinglies in several long-forgotten parts, doesn’t she?

Monday Funnies

Funny Stuff

And our Classical reference:

Yes, today we’re pulling that train of thought:



Anyway, to get that taste out of your mouth (so to speak), here are a few of the actual MILF persuasion:

All good, clean fun.  Or something like that.  Happy Monday.

Realism

Culture, Fine Art

During the 19th century, the Academic Art movement was extremely popular, incorporating themes of classic figures and themes, symbolism but above all, a realistic execution.  The French Academy, of course, took this to extreme lengths in that they pretty much decided that this style was the only worthwhile form of artistic expression and tried to suppress all other — which later led, perhaps justifiably, to their excoriation by the Impressionists and a subsequent loss of popularity.

Which I think is a shame, because along the way we lost the works of some incredibly-talented artists, such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau (pronounced “booger-oh”, for non-Francophiles).

I have a great fondness for Bouguereau’s work, as it happens, because while some of his paintings are kinda ordinary, there are several instances of startling and unsettling undertones.  Let’s start with the regular stuff:

All very innocent, really.  But one of the underlying reasons for this classicism was that it was a way of getting around the censors:  as long as the theme was classical, you see, an artist could depict pretty much anything of a more, shall we say, revealing nature.

Not to say implicitly sexual:

And just so we’re clear on the topic, here’s Bouguereau’s depiction of Dante and Virgil in the Inferno:

Now that’s realism.  Those effete Impressionists pale by comparison.