From the Believe none of what you see category…

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This image was tweeted the other day.

I’m posting it full size so that you can see what I’m talking about..

At first glance you think Oh Hell NO!

Anyone would because it’s just so obviously wrong.

This is not what America is about. Most people would agree that America.. ie the American Tax payers don’t owe anybody anything. 

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Certainly not Houses and certainly not under threat of force.

I didn’t look at the image at full size and so didn’t notice the artifacts that indicate the picture has been altered.

It wasn’t until I was discussing the implications of the photo that I wondered if it was for real.

Well I thought… I’ve got that shiny new copy of PhotoShop let’s take a look.

I downloaded the image, then I started really looking at it.

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The artifacts were popping out all over the place. I zoomed in on the area in the red circle so I could show the evidence better.

See the smooth looking area? Thats where someone wiped out the rest of the text after House & Food

The grainy appearance around the letters is what should be there. It has to do with the jpg compression in the camera that took the original image.

The smoothing is evidence of an image editing tool like Photoshop being used.

Unfortunately without knowing where the image came from, there is no way to tell what the original sign said.

There’s another artifact visible in the image if you look at the lower sign. 

I’m really not sure what’s going on there. It looks like a bleed through of something else but i’m completely in the dark on that one.

The point is… 

Even though you see something, in the paper but especially images on the internet. Take them with a grain of salt. 

I reacted retweeting and commenting on this photo before I really thought about it.

It was so damn offensive I went off like a shot.

10 minutes later when I thought about it and realized I had the tools necessary to evaluate the image. After I really looked at it, I realized that I’d been fooled.

I reacted exactly as the creator of this image wanted me to… I got angry!

So the rule is “Take a deep breath, try to confirm what you’re seeing or reading, and then if you’ve come to believe the data is accurate take action.

I guess if all of us did that more often we might be communicating with each other better.

Have a great day and remember…

Believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see.” – Benjamin Franklin

Is it Just ME????

I ran across several articles recently talking about the DOJ telling us that saying bad things about muslims was a violation of civil rights.

Granted some of the first articles were from very conservative sources. I managed to track back to what appears to be the original source article.This piece is far less sensational.

This article was the first one I found, Then I ran across this one. Here’s another piece from Breitbart

The first two are designed to inflame passions and put their own spin on the material. The Breitbart piece is less spin and more Wait a minute, yep this is happening.

Even so the original piece is still worrisome.  

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You can just imagine my confusion at seeing a story that an US Attorney from Eastern Tennessee is warning people that speaking ill of muslims could violate the Muslims civil rights.

I found my self asking, “What happened to the First Amendment?”

You know that little Amendment that guarantees all Americans the right to free speech?

Technically, I’m protected in what I say on this blog by that amendment right now.

I can put a crucifix in a bottle of urine and it’s protected under the 1st amendment.

I could call the Pope a pedophile and condemn all practitioners of Catholicism as pedophiles too. And that would be protected speech. (I actually like the current Pope and Don’t think he’s a pedophile. Apologies your Eminence but I’m making a point here, Please bear with me.)

I can say that all Baptists are snake handling Red State Morons and that’s protected under the First Amendment.

It’s perfectly OK for me to climb to the tallest building with a bullhorn and call the United States of America and evil imperialist regime headed by a group of lying corporate stooges, who are selling this country out from under us faster than Judas sold Christ out to the Romans. And that too is protected speech.

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But along comes the US Attorney from Eastern Tennessee and suddenly Muslims a specially protected class of people!

What The Fuck

I know that most Muslims are decent hard working people. I would never in a million years seek to restrict their ability to build places of worship or prevent them from practicing their religion. In fact It’s far more likely that I’d be trying to quiet then disperse an angry mob outside a Mosque.

Gods, house no matter the name of the religion is Gods house.

One of the oldest rules among civilizations world wide is that All Houses of worship are sanctuaries.

In times of war, the young, the old, and the women could reasonably expect to be safe within the walls of their Church / Temple / Mosque… They were clearly non-combatants if they’re inside praying. Only absolute Barbarian Animals would violate the sanctity of a house of worship.

(I’ve always found it fascinating that Muslims will cry foul if American bullets strike the walls of a Mosque accidentally, but Sunni will blow up a Shiite Mosque and not say a damn word.)

You just don’t mess around with the spiritual center of a people.

Not only is it bad JuJu…

When you create martyrs you’ve given your enemies something to rally around. That often ends badly for the aggressor.

I’m a believer in the constitutional concept of freedom of religion so much so that I’ll protect a religion even if the religion isn’t something I agree with.

I’m also a believer in constitutionally protected freedom of speech.

Which leads me back to WTF?

If I choose to point out that Islam is responsible for the Cultural & Scientific retardation of what was a jewel of civilization, that’s in violation of Muslims civil rights?

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I can equally and defensibly say that the Catholic Church was in part responsible for the destruction of cultures worldwide. Inca, Easter Island, Several Native American Tribes, and the remnants of the Aztecs just to name a few. Saying that isn’t a violation of Catholic civil rights?

We can arguably say that it’s far more likely for a follower of Islam to blow themselves up in a crowded marketplace, or to set off bombs at the end of Marathons, or to lob shoulder fired missiles or rocket propelled grenades randomly into Israeli neighborhoods.

This is not a violation of civil rights, this is not so called hate speech!

These are observations of fact. These events are irrefutable and we’ve got the video to prove at least one case of each. Yet the US Attorney from Eastern Tennessee is going to look at these statements as a civil rights violation?

Where the fuck are my civil rights?

I’m not calling for violence against Muslims.

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However all it would take for Muslims to put a price on my head would be for me to insult Muhammed or draw an image, flattering or not of Muhammed.

The US Attorney from Eastern Tennessee better step the hell back, and carefully consider what he’s saying. My badmouthing Muslims, Catholics, Baptists, Buddhists, Wiccans, Agnostics, or Atheists had damn well be treated exactly the same.

Either we’re all free and equal or none of us is. 

You’d think that a US Attorney from any district in the country would know that.

A really nice morning in the mountains.

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Despite the fires burning, more or less in the area… it’s a nice comfortable day.

I’m sitting outside on the deck writing having my morning coffee.

According to the ‘net the Powerhouse fire has greatly increased in size over night and more evacuations have been ordered. I really feel for those people.

It’s no fun having to leave your house not knowing if you’re ever going to see it again. There’s no way to take all your possessions which leaves you trying to choose those items, & mementos that are most important.

I know, I’ve been there…

For me, it’s about grabbing the computer and backups first. Most of my pictures are digital anymore and to loose them would be as devastating as having lost all my negatives in 2008. Most of my books are digital and I can download them again. music is likewise mostly electronic. 

After the house burned, I consciously or subconsciously started making choices that led me to easy replacement of things like that. 

Sitting here typing my yard has been invaded by a covey of quail. Two parents and 4 to 6 chicks. A bunny has also come to the fence line eating tender shoots.  I do enjoy the mountain. 

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Friday night the winds were kicking up enough that we could smell the smoke from the Powerhouse Fire. Last night and this morning we couldn’t. Looking out towards Victorville it’s really hazy.

I had to relocate. The sun was finally clear of the trees and not yet high enough for the umbrella to be effective. I was starting to feel it on my arms & legs. Before I burned I figured I’d best get to some cover.

Yeah, I’m a little random today. Sundays are for randomness and quiet. 

I couldn’t get a camera to take pictures of the critters in the yard. It was funny, as long as I didn’t look at them I could hear that they were going about their business. Rustling in the bushes, cheeps and other sounds. But the moment I turned my head to look at them they all froze.

When I got up to come inside every critter scattered. 

I guess I’ll have to be better prepared tomorrow.

Obviously, I’m purposely ignoring the scandals in Washington, and the Stupidity in Sacramento today. I really don’t want to get worked up.

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I’m planning to handle a SMOG check on my truck this week and then I get to spend a ton of money on registrations for vehicles. OH JOY!

That’s business for tomorrow. My only business today is enjoying the birds in the trees.

I hope your Sunday is as restful and relaxing as mine is.