Battle In Berkeley

The Chronicle says Berkeley is heading for a showdown over Marine recruiting. It's pathetic that this is even an issue. They'd be the first to cry if there was a disaster there and the military didn't show up almost before it happened. I wish we could flush that city right down the drain.

If you want to get a seat at Tuesday night's Berkeley City Council meeting, you better start lining up now. And you might want to bring earplugs. And a flak jacket.

Hundreds of protesters from across the country and the political spectrum are expected to descend on City Hall with bullhorns, drums, banners and plenty of vitriol in anticipation of the City Council's debate over the Marines' recruiting station in town.

Here's some video of the morons on the Left. Move America Forward is taking them on. More details here.

And then there's Cleveland. I can't even suggest what I think should happen to the Mayor there. Another traitorous animal not worthy of holding any elected office in the United States of America.

A company of Marine Corps Reservists received a cold send-off from downtown Toledo yesterday by order of Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.

Comments

[Wahoo Willie Sez:]

"The Berkeleyans on the other hand, seem to take great relish in making a spectacle out of their utter disrespect and disgust for the military."

And we strengthen their voice by trying to force them to our way of thinking, yes?

"As for the Muslim school thing - if I had to live there based upon unalterable circumstance," MY point exactly!! If 90/100 schools in the US had a prayer each morning the "unalterability" of the situation diminishes more and more.

"However, I'd rather see a return back to a focus on skills and learning how to think and create and fix things - practical skills as well as mental skills... as opposed to being forced-fed a bunch of nice-sounding new-age "diversity" hooey."
100% agreement

[TheSpartan]

An Independent School is the current buzzword that covers all types of private schools. My particular institution is an Urban Day/Boarding school and from what I can gather Seek would hate it. It's not exactly readin', ritin' 'n rithmatic...our course catalog looks like that of a small private college with a variety of offerings in all the arts and foreign languages that go beyond spanish and french an into offerings in Mandarin.

As far as diversity goes, we do strive to have a diverse student population and we expect people to respect each others differences but all must adhere to the rules of the community.

[Wahoo Willie Sez:]

We call those "magnant schools" here. Maybe not magnants are public schools, not private. I'd reserve judgement until I saw the catalogue but it sounds challenging. I think seek likely understands that kids today need a different style than we did 40-50 years ago. He's probably also smart enough to see that by your description, your kids are ahead of the "typical" curve. There's no doubt I would have done better had I been challenged more, or taught differently. Ha! a few years ago I would have said Mandarin was a waste of time.lol. I am all for arts education, wifey teaches music and research shows loads of evidence that music helps kids learn in many other subjects.

[TheSpartan]

30 years ago we would have been called a "Prep" school, in fact we still offer a prep year (13th grade) and compete with traditional preps athletically (Exeter, Andover, Choate, etc.).

[Wahoo Willie Sez:]

I would like to see that prep year more broad based to give more kids a better shot. We have one HS in my county that is pretty much a prep school. Now in a stroke of genius, the county put the incorrigible kids in the same school. No, classes aren't mixed and I hear there is very little interaction...it's just the thought. I am also a big proponent of trade schools. The old technical school idea before they all became community colleges. It's like kids are pushed toward college or fumbling around for life. There has to be something else, somewhere for kids who can't make it in college to learn a trade. We have those schools here but they aren't pushed as much as college.

[templar knight]

Willie, I guess Sparty won't be coming out to the ranch to do any shooting with me. I didn't know he was from the People's Republic, and what with his quality of life being quite low, I feel sorry for him, now. Well, the wind's out of the North, it's getting cold, so I guess I'll fire up the chiminea, throw on a few mesquite logs, make a pot of coffee, and watch the sun go down.

[Wahoo Willie Sez:]

tk, the dude may surprise you. He gets nasty with you and seek sometimes but is always civil with me, agree or disagree. I have to respect him cause he seems to genuinely believe what he says rather than the typical BDS-BS that's cool with me and I promise you could get me to go shooting steel,paper,whitetails, name it. DOnt know if I'd tap maples with you though.

[templar knight]

LOL! Ok, Willie, but a guy like Sparty is beyond my comprehension. I can't imagine living in a big city, fighting traffic on a daily basis, not being able to take a pee off my back porch if I so desire, and standing in line all the time. I absolutely, positively hate that sorry existence. When I sit on the patio and look out across the wide open spaces, and all I see is a windmill or two, a few mesquite trees, a cottonwood or two down by the creek, and my nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away.

As for hunting, the jackrabbits are in season, and the coyote is always on the shooting menu, so hop on over. I'm on vacation for three more days, and then it's back to work in Clinton, Arkansas. We had an office slightly damaged by the tornadoes last week, and I'm eager to get up there and assess the damage first hand. We're drilling gas wells in the area, with upwards of 3,000 wells total to be drilled over the next few years, and we were late in the game. So we have all hands up there leasing land for prospective drilling. It's quite exciting.

[seekeronos]

From TK:

"--- so I guess I'll fire up the chiminea ---"

I almost read that as "fire up the Chimera"... heh. Hillary don't need any more help. :)

From WWS:

"---

"The Berkeleyans on the other hand, seem to take great relish in making a spectacle out of their utter disrespect and disgust for the military."

And we strengthen their voice by trying to force them to our way of thinking, yes?

---"

I would rather view my idea of removing federal support and services as acknowledging their desire not to be affiliated with the Armed Forces.

"---

"As for the Muslim school thing - if I had to live there based upon unalterable circumstance," MY point exactly!! If 90/100 schools in the US had a prayer each morning the "unalterability" of the situation diminishes more and more.

---"

Unlike some folks I know, I realize that pushing for school prayer in a public school environment that is generally hostile (and increasingly so in the past 30-40 years) to the Judeo-Christian traditions that undergird and frame much of our American society is not likely to happen.

At the same time, I would be more inclined to see more prayer in school, and more acknowledgement of God in the public sphere (war on Christmas comes to mind) ...

...but such a movement should be tempered with a tolerance for non-Christians who choose not to pray. In broad terms, Christ would much rather compel us to come to Him because of His love. We (Christians) are but the messengers, not the enforcers.

And this is largely through the manipulations of liberal activist judges and the legal associations and PACs that fund the systematic dismantling of our Judeo-Christian tradition. I think that this has had deleterious effects on our society, and that this will only increase as this trend goes on.

However, I also acknowledge that there has been a fundamental change in both our demographic (immigration patterns of many Muslims, Buddhists and agnostic/atheists living among a formerly undisputed Christian supermajority, as well as increasing atheism and conversions away from Christianity) and fundamental changes in our regard as a nation for spiritual (read: religion) traditions from that of Christ and the Bible and the Ten Commandments to the relativist dogmas of secular "humanism" which suggests that all faiths are the same (when in fact, it teaches that some faiths are actually more equal than others, especially where we bend over backwards to accommodate pagans/Wiccans and Muslims, but those same secular "humanists" stand ever vigilant to apply the whip to the backside of Christians if they so much as say a peep about praying on public property).

It is because of this (and I do not think that I am exaggerating) that I believe that unless there is a widespread repentance amongst American Christians and a leading of many lost Americans to Christ, that we who do follow Christ will be looking at a future of great persecution, perhaps even unto loss of freedom and loss of life, within our generation or that of our children.

From Spartan:

"--- My particular institution is an Urban Day/Boarding school and from what I can gather Seek would hate it. It's not exactly readin', ritin' 'n rithmatic...our course catalog looks like that of a small private college with a variety of offerings in all the arts and foreign languages that go beyond spanish and french an into offerings in Mandarin. ---"

I wouldn't necessarily "hate" it. I just think that we do not help ourselves (and our children) by giving them things to work with that are too far above their level, and also by introducing strange ideas that have no practical purpose, mysticism, what-have you.

I think that starting with the "reading, 'riting' and 'rithmetic" and building upon those won't hurt. And other vital, hands-on things, like learning how to take care of farm animals and garden, and fix a car engine or bicycle, carpentry, archery, and kendō (my spin: I'm big into Japanese traditional [Koryū] martial arts minus the eastern mysticism), gun sportmanship, team sports, horsemanship, and other things that defined who we were and are as Americans.

At higher levels can come the theoretical stuff and hard sciences for kids showing an aptitude for it. The "humanities" have their place as well, although I do not think that they should deserve anywhere near the focus or public funding that they receive.

Learning languages though, can be a blessing. I am fairly literate and reasonably fluent in German, Spanish, and English, and can probably find my way to the train station or the nearest pub to have a dinner and a drink if I found myself in Europe. Likewise, by virtue of my marriage and kids, I'm picking up Japanese (I had to give a short speech and a toast in Japanese at my brother-in-law's wedding that had me quite nervous... apparently I did it well enough that I didn't insult anyone!)

"--- technical schools... ---"

Exactly, WWS. There are some folks that just do not want to deal with College, yet this one-size-fits-all template which we tend to impose on ourselves leads to exactly that sort "fumbling around for life".

[Wahoo Willie Sez:]

"I can't imagine living in a big city."

Now I am with you there, though my personal country paradise is fading fast and the funny part....most of my new neighbors speak that strange English that I'm sure DaBoob speaks. They love the "redneck" life and learn the phrase "Welcome to WalMart" quickly. My whole WallyWorld lifestyle is in grave danger as Target plans a super store right across the highway so to feel superior to other people I will gladl;y pay an extra dollar for toilet paper at Target. I reserve the right to go to BASS PRO SHOP though. I cannot completely give up my redneck lifestyle.

Well, as much as I would love a Texas trip I used to live just north of there, so I've shot the jack rabbits and we have coyote here, maybe about November would be a better time. The drilling does sound exciting too.

[TheSpartan]

"Willie, I guess Sparty won't be coming out to the ranch to do any shooting with me. I didn't know he was from the People's Republic, and what with his quality of life being quite low, I feel sorry for him, now. Well, the wind's out of the North, it's getting cold, so I guess I'll fire up the chiminea, throw on a few mesquite logs, make a pot of coffee, and watch the sun go down."

I grew up shooting, shows what you know. My family comes from C. Mass, big sportsmans area. I grew up in NH, going to YMCA camp. Used to take the first day of deer season off from school.

"LOL! Ok, Willie, but a guy like Sparty is beyond my comprehension. I can't imagine living in a big city, fighting traffic on a daily basis"

I don't live in a big city...I live in a medium city 140k or so. And I don't fight traffic everyday, I live at a boarding school, I only leave campus when I feel the need.

[seekeronos]

"--- I live at a boarding school, I only leave campus when I feel the need. ---"

Yah mean they let you off campus?

Heh. I kid, of course. It seems like a convenient gig, for the housing if nothing else... of course, assuming the house comes as part of the compensation package. :)

[templar knight]

You live at a boarding school in a medium city of 140,000, Sparty. I guess that kinda trumps the rifle shooting and the peeing off the back porch, much less having any neighbors closer than a half mile. No jackrabbits or horned toads either, I suppose. Pretty boring lifestyle I say, but luckily you have the internet.

Willie, I'm afraid the worst of civilization is creeping closer to me as well. There are plans in the works for a housing development less than 5 miles away from me. Yuch!

[TheSpartan]

"Heh. I kid, of course. It seems like a convenient gig, for the housing if nothing else... of course, assuming the house comes as part of the compensation package. :)"

Indeed it does and indeed it is.

"You live at a boarding school in a medium city of 140,000, Sparty. I guess that kinda trumps the rifle shooting and the peeing off the back porch, much less having any neighbors closer than a half mile."

See I like having neighbors close by. And I can go shooting anytime I want, there's a range ten minutes from me. I don't own any firearms right now but they rent a wide range. There are no jack rabbits or horned toads, but we've got skunks, hawks and stray cats not to mention a bunch of things you probably don't have like good italian restaurants within walking distance.

[Wahoo Willie Sez:]

"good italian restaurants within walking distance"

ROFLAMO Every now and then a slice of genius pops up here! That's among the top lines ever. I have to admit that I'm learning to like the convenience of 2 eye-talian resturants five minutes away, across from WallyWorld. I think the kids told me we have 7 eateries in that tiny lil area....not including the WallyWorld deli.

[TheSpartan]

I'm guessing there's not a decent cannoli in the entire state of Texas.

[templar knight]

"I'm guessing there's not a decent cannoli in the entire state of Texas."

Really? I'm guessing you don't have a clue what you're talking about. Neither do I, but I feel pretty comfortable saying that Texas has at least some of what you have, and plenty of things you don't when it comes to eating. But, whatever, I prefer a good steak over Italian food any day, and eating at restaurants in not high on my list of fun things to do. To each his own.

[seekeronos]

I'm split on restaraunts.

Being something of a frugal guy (my wife tends to use a slightly less endearing term) I would much rather I cook (an occasion fraught with much suspense as to the quality of the finished product, unless it involves BBQ entrees or German entrees) or my wife's cooking (which is outstandingly good) to shelling out $60 or more with tips ...

... but on the occasions we do eat out, we have an Italian restaurant which is quite excellent, and within walking distance - about three-five minutes away - to boot. And there is an Irish pub with beautiful, tasty 18oz. sirloin steaks and tall glasses of Guinness ready to greet us at about a 10min. drive from our front door.

Other culinary delights await us at a farther drive, but I find my wife's cooking to generally be up to par with them, if not better.

As for Texan cannolis, I'd have to take y'alls words for it. During my time in TX, it never had occurred to me to eat Italian except for the occasional pizza, and that from a chain like Dominoes or Papa John's... which was tolerable, but not up to the par of a Mama Castiglioni's in Brooklyn or even some multi-generation owned eateries nearer to me.

[TheSpartan]

60$ or more? Where are you eating? TGIF's?

I don't eat out a ton but any place worth really eating at is gonna run a couple closer to $100 with drinks not including tip, and Dominoes and Papa John's do not count as Italian eateries.

[seekeronos]

Spart, there is all kinds of good eating to be found for a good price if you know where to find it.

Sushi - few paces in the NYC-metro area can hold a candle to Yuka on 80th St. and 2nd Ave. (Manhattan). All-you-can eat, high grade sushi for $18.99 per customer including Ōtoro fatty tuna belly, Yellowtail, Hirame, anago (roasted eel) along with many of the other standard fare (uni/sea urchin, ikura/salmon caviar rolls) and various custom rolls (makizushi). Add in a couple of bottles of Kirin (we don't drink much, so that suits us fine) or glasses of shochū and we can easily get out of there for under $60... even under $40 if we skip the alcoholic drinks.

Korean BBQ (yakiniku) - there is an excellent Japanese owned KBBQ "Yakiniku Jū-jū" not far from the Grammercy - 157 E. 28th St. where there is an all-you-can-eat for the common grade beef on selected nights for $25/plate, and on the other nights, depending upon availability, you can get real Wagyū beef (Japanese raised cattle with superb fatty marbling and deposition) and high grade Kurobuta (Japanese raised pork) for two for about $50 not including drinks.

Korean BBQ - And in Fort Lee (over the Geo. Washington Bridge in NJ) there is another KBBQ but Korean-owned operation - I think it is called Dang Bang (sp) and if you can appreciate the subtle differences between Korean and Japanese preparations of what is essential the same entree (the Korean sauces range from subtly to very noticeable spicier, whereas Japanese runs a bit sweeter), not to mention all the extras that come with the main course. The typical bill I get from there is about $45-50 for the two of us.

German: The Black Forest Mill Rest. is up in Central Valley, and offers a fine variety of brews (including seasonal dunkels and my all-time favourite bock, Warsteiner Doppelbock). And as with the above entries, a fine dinner of veal or lamb schnitzel, spätzel, Rotkohl (steamed sweet Red Cabbage) and the restaurant's signature Black Forest cake (Schwartzwälder Torte) can be had for about $60 even.

There are TGIF's and Red Robins and Outbacks in my area as well, but those run me and the Mrs. about $35-45 altogether.

I mean, we could probably blow $100+ at some more "upscale" places, but I'm not a highfalutin' type that feels the need to be seen at Cipriani's (or out stalking the celebritards that frequently go there)... :P

[TheSpartan]

You're right of course, good dining can be found at any price range. One of the best italian meals I ever had was in this tiny little store front in the north end of Boston where this little old couple cooked out in front of everyone and served seafood and pasta dishes in the skillets they cooked them in. It was a BYOB place and cost us what felt like nothing.