Conservative Kiosk Not Allowed At Mall

Here's an interesting story from WCNC in Charlotte, N.C.. The upshot of this story is that a man opened a kiosk in the Concord Mills Mall in the spring of 2009, only to be told that he would not be allowed to renew his lease upon expiration the last day of July 2009. What was he making available to the public that was so horrific the mall no longer desired his business? Was he selling pornography? Drugs? Alcohol without a license? No, he was offering none of those things.

Loren Spivack, the owner of the kiosk, was selling items critical of King Barack Obama's administration. Among the items he offered for sale were poster and bumper stickers bearing slogans like:

"Impeach Obama."

"Al Qaeda's favorite days: 9/11/01 and 11/04/08."

"Work Harder. Obama needs the money."

At least one passerby found them racist and bigoted, and took time to tell the mall in a letter and a letter to the editor of the Charlotte Observer. Racist?? I don't see anything racist in those political statements. There is no use of the of the dreaded "N" word, nor is there any reference to Obama being half white or the first gray president of the USA.

What I do see is an expression of disagreement with the outcome of the 2008 election and with the extravagant disbursal of taxpayer money by an administration too stupid to put any restrictions of use on the bailout contracts - if the government lawyers even bothered to make contracts! Perhaps that was just payback for financial support during the campaign...

I love our Constitution, because it guarantees us protection from so many things... and guarantees us protection of many other things. In fact, our founders felt it was so important to protect our RIGHTS to freedom of religion, freedom of speech (and by extension, freedom of expression) and freedom of the press, that they guaranteed those freedoms in the very 1st Amendment! I used to work in Concord N.C., 40-odd years ago, and I recall those folks as being God-fearing, freedom- and Constitution-loving Americans. Looks like they all died or moved away... and were replaced by yellow-bellied, left-wing, California Democrats. (We have America's left-wing, liberal, public education system to thank for those attitudes.)

For all the things our Constitution guarantees us, nowhere does it guarantee - or even suggest - that we have a right to never be offended. Here's an unusually clever idea - if you find things in a store that you find personally offensive... DON'T SHOP THERE! Organize a boycott, picket the store - exercise your 1st Amendment right to express your feelings about their products. In a free market economy, you have choices as to where you wish to spend your money. If enough people share your point of view, then the issue will become self-correcting when the store goes out of business in 6 months. Don't go whining to daddy about, "How dare they sell something with which I disagree... oh yeah, and I find it offensive as well!" As a margin note, I should also mention that the owner of the mall group, Mel Simon, is known as a generous contributor to Democratic causes and politicians, including Barack Obama.

Personally, I hope that Loren Spivack gets a first rate attorney, and sues the mall ownership into bankruptcy. For the complete story go to (copy-n-paste):
http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-072109-mrn-freemarketwarrior. 63b5b ce2.html

Expectations And Disappointments

For those of you visiting my blog for the first time, and for those of you who may not have figured it out yet, I offer the following caveats:

1. I do not create the news of the world. I do, however, live in the world.
2. I try not to repeat unsubstantiated rumors I may have stumbled upon.
3. As a sentient being, I do observe and analyze many of those things that happen in the world which I inhabit.
4. Through this blog, I do offer my analysis and opinions freely, and without reservation or apology.
5. As a rule, I try to present what I see as both sides of a given situation... whenever I can see a reasonably believable second side. And when I can't see one, I'll probably tell you why also.
6. Unfortunately, probably 95% of our mass media is slanted to present the publishers' political views ("You work for me, and you'll report what I tell you to report and how I want it reported."), and that's where our news comes from.
7. I do tend to be conservative, because I'm a product of a conservative culture... which was the USA of 60+ years ago.
8. I do not rewrite history - that which was, was. I accept history as mostly factual.
9. If you find my observations interesting and/or thought provoking, please leave a comment. If you don't find them interesting, remember this - nobody forced you to come here. Have a chuckle at what you may see as my naiveté (or even blind stupidity) as you leave.

I hope you enjoy your visit!

FAREWELL, AMERICA! Announcing the Destruction of a Young Democratic Republic ...

and that destruction will come from the enemy within. Those outside our 'borders' - if you can call them borders - are the least of our worries. The individual terrorist is virtually impotent from outside the USA ... BUT, that same individual from inside the United States presents a very powerful and deadly threat. He, or she, could be anybody - your friend, your neighbor, your child's second grade teacher, the clerk at Wal-Mart, your pharmacist, your physician, ad infinitum, ad nauseam. "Not anybody", you say quickly. "Mo is my best friend. We work together, we go fishing together, our kids play together, and our families picnic together." That's the "Mo" you know - the Mo of yesterday. Today's Mo may be someone entirely different. Yesterday's Mo may have gotten a one word message last night - "Insha'Allah" - and awakened this morning as Mohammed who is directed "by the will of Allah" to kill the infidels. "Who are these infidels?", you ask. They are you, your wife, your children and anybody else nearby that's not Muslim - or in really extreme cases, Muslims too, but just Muslims who do not believe exactly the same way Mo does.

We've all heard of the "sleeper cells", and we also know we have several very large concentrations of Muslims in various cities throughout our country. Middle Eastern Terrorists have a patience that the average American cannot even begin to fathom. Some have waited for generations to extract revenge - or "justice" as they see it. Could terrorist activities of the past 30 years be retribution for Muslim losses during the Crusades? I know it sounds far-fetched to us, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility for Muslims. I wouldn't give odds on it being probable, but it isn't impossible.

The term "Sleeper Cell" is a pretty accurate description of how they function. The briefing probably goes something like this: "Fit in, keep a low profile but be seen in the community. Build a reputation as a "nice person", find employment so there will be no reason to question where your money comes from. Renounce Islam in public but maintain it in your heart, for it is the will of Allah - praise be unto Him - that it be done in this fashion. Do whatever is necessary for the success of your mission, for it is required by Allah - praise Allah." What we're talking about here is recruiting people who are capable of absorbing training and using 21st century technology , but who, intellectually and emotionally, are stuck in the 14th century. People who can present themselves as your friend today, and cut your throat without a second thought tomorrow, because you are the "infidel" - not any more human than the other infidel beasts of the world. If martyrdom for Allah is so wonderful, and the rewards in Paradise are so great, why have the leaders not committed mass murder with a body bomb strapped to themselves?

There are those who would have us believe that the floods in the Midwest, and the fires in California, are retribution of a higher kind, rather than any "natural phenomena". Retribution for "falling away" from the straight and narrow ... for legalizing unnatural acts and protecting those who engage in them, for corruption in our courts and government, and for not taking an active stand against such things. I suppose that could be true ...

"UNITED WE STAND" ... however there are so many more indicators of disunity in this country than those of unity, that one must wonder - are we still united enough? We are divided along lines of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gang affiliations. We no longer seem to define ourselves by our positive accomplishments, but instead by our salaries, the type of automobile we drive, the school(s) from which we graduated, and the names we can drop when talking with our business associates. We are, bit by bit, selling out our country - either C.O.D. (the Arab countries have endowed prestigious U.S. universities with hundreds of millions of dollars for "special considerations" by their administrations; several U.S. toll highways have been sold to overseas interests, etc.), or to show how liberal, accepting, and humanitarian we are (foot baths in airports for Muslims? Can't they wash their feet at home like everybody else?). Do we have the will, the fortitude and the stamina to set those differences aside, present a united front, and defend this great nation "against all enemies foreign and domestic"? Our courts and government agencies are bending over backwards to satisfy the demands of any religious belief except Christianity (followed closely by Judaism). Thanks to the elimination of our steel mills, our military grade steel is now purchased from China, of all places! And, as hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens pour across our southern border each year, American corporations are "off-shore outsourcing" tens of thousands of American jobs! The looney left now wants to endow illegal aliens with all the rights to which genuine Americans (both born and naturalized) are not entitled. Citizenship within 24 hours after applying (most naturalized citizens have waited 5-15 years to be granted citizenship), even if a background investigation has not been completed. Free medical care and education, and head of the line preference in each of those as well! We are incarcerating those we charge with securing our borders (Google: Campeon and Ramos), and rewarding those who enter the country illegally to conduct trade in illegal products!

Farewell, America ... it was grand knowing you when you had good sense, and most of us will miss you!