Quote of the Day 20.6.2006

"Of course we can’t all lead as exemplary and perfect lives as him!" - Paul Burgin about yours truly on Antonia's blog

Quote of the Day 18.6.2006: Why Liberals Choose To Be Ignorant

"I’ve always found the truth to be a little scary myself" - Matt on Jo's Journal

Quote of the Day 15.6.2006

"Gosh Jo! Do you know when you will next visit a tinpot dictator or spend another night laying awake, plotting how to label and destroy your opponents!" - Paul Burgin on Jo's Journal

And people think that I'm pedantic. Actually, maybe I am as Mr. Burgin did inadvertently imply that Hugo Chávez is a dictator.

The Death Camp of Tolerance

For those of you who like me detest French Trotskyite political correctness or are members of the loathsome PC brigade like Jo Salmon need to watch the South Park episode "The Death Camp of Tolerance". Nothing does a better job of exposing the destructive nature of political correctness and its enforcers such as Ms. Salmon on society than this satirical gem.

Quote of the Day 13.6.2006

"It's a fact of life. He could burn a litter of kitties, push over a crippled old lady, and spit on Jesus in his second coming, and people would still love him." - vincent27 on GameFAQs about ECW's Kurt Angle

E-C Fucking Dubya!

As some of you might be aware, I am a huge fan of professional wrestling. Last night witnessed the official rebirth of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) at their One Night Stand pay-per-view. Having only just finished watching it on video tape, One Night Stand was an absolute cracker. The main event in particular between John Cena and Rob Van Dam was a spectacle on a par with that of Hogan/Rock at Wrestle Mania X8. If you have not watched any professional wrestling before because you think it is fake or just for children, I STRONGLY suggest you check your local television listings and tune into ECW! If you are an open-minded individual, I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

Viva La Hardcore Revolution!

E-C-DUB! E-C-DUB!! E-C-DUB!!!

FIFA World Cup Germany 2006

Let me reassure you all that Conservative Mind will be a World Cup Free Zone!

Quotes of the Day 8.6.2006

"To show consistency rather than hypocrisy, will the lecturers boycotting Israeli academia do the same with the Chinese who still occupying Tibet?" - Mr. P. Webberley

"[I]n our politically correct society, we aren't allowed to say why this is happening. To state the real reason is to risk prosecution or be accused of various forms of phobia." - William B. Hammond

Chavez, Democracy & Hitler

In today's edition of the Independent newspaper, Charley Allan wrote the following:

Sir: Your caption to the picture accompanying the report of Peru's presidential election result (6 June) describes the Venezuelan president as a dictator. President Chavez has won nine electoral processes in a row, including the recall referendum in 2004 in which he gathered almost 60 per cent of the vote. As the propaganda drive to re-demonise Chavez in the run-up to December's election gets into gear, you should be more thoughtful in how you portray this independent leader and true democrat.

I have just e-mailed the following to the Independent:

Sir: Charley Allan's letter claiming that President Chavez is a "true democrat" (8 June) on the basis of his election victories is a flawed argument. Adolf Hitler won three consecutive multi-party Reichstag elections in the early 1930's (although the last of these victories is notably contentious), yet there is a virtual consensus that he was a dictator. It is not whether you are democratically elected (in a free and fair election or sham contest) that makes you a democrat, but ones refusal to abuse that power and responsibility that determines whether you actually are a true democrat.

No doubt self-proclaimed 'democrats' such as Red Ken Livingstone, George Galloway and Jo Salmon will rally to Chavez's defence.

Quote of the Day (I will not write the date in case it summons the beast to action)

Considering it is the day of the beast, here is a quote to keep us all going:

"If you're going through hell, keep going" - Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC

At Last, Some Common Sense From The BBC!

BBC backs Moyles over 'gay' phrase

The word "gay" now means "lame" or "rubbish" among young people and need not be offensive to homosexuals, the BBC Board of Governors has ruled.

A complaint against Radio 1 presenter Chris Moyles after he dismissed a ringtone by saying, "I don't want that one, it's gay", was rejected by a committee of the Board of Governors.

The word "gay", in addition to being used to mean "homosexual" or "carefree", was often now used to mean "lame" or "rubbish", the committee said in a ruling. This is widespread current usage of the word among young people, they said.

In broadcasting on Radio 1's flagship Breakfast Show, the committee said, the presenter would have been using expressions or words which the listeners used themselves.

"The committee acknowledged that this use of the word 'gay' could cause offence to some listeners," it said. "However, the committee believed that Chris Moyles, when using the word, had meant no offence to gay people. He was not being homophobic in his use of the word.

But the committee added that it would be "advisable" to think more carefully about using the word "gay" in its derogatory sense in the future, given the multiple meanings of the word in modern usage and the potential to cause "unintended offence".

Stonewall, the lesbian and gay rights group, said the BBC has chosen to ignore the fact that the derogatory use of the word was "very offensive" to lesbian and gay people. Andy Forrest, Stonewall communications officer, said: "Our view would be that the majority of gay people do find the use of gay as a derogatory term very offensive.

The committee also dismissed two other complaints from the same man that it had failed to take abusive comments about gay men by a rap artist broadcast on Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show seriously, and that a sketch on the Catherine Tate show about a gay man was offensive.

The complainant alleged the BBC failed to take seriously enough remarks made by the rap artist Jayceon Taylor (aka The Game) on Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show, in which he described gay men as "faggots" and "not real men" during an interview. "The committee agreed with the complainant that The Game's comments were very offensive, completely unacceptable and clearly homophobic," the committee ruled. "However, it also noted that the presenter, Jo Whiley, was swift to make a full apology for what had been said and to distance herself and the network from The Game's comments." The presenter showed "courage" and presence of mind in making such a "sincere, full and swift apology", it said.

The complaint about the Catherine Tate show had singled out a character Derek Faye, an overtly effeminate man constantly outraged at the widespread assumption that he is gay. The complainant had taken offence that the viewers were invited to laugh at the character's campness and "obvious" gayness. Dismissing the complaint, the BBC governors ruled: "The purpose of the sketches was to be funny, not realistic. The committee noted that the series was dominated by a number of extreme, ridiculous characters who were not meant to be taken literally or too seriously.

'Confession' time, I myself frequently use the term 'gay' to ridicule both the camp and cheesy, but that does not mean that I am anymore prejudiced against homosexuals than I am against other sexual orientations (despite what some idiots like Paul Seacombe have claimed). I also remember a time when 'gay' was used to describe both happiness and being carefree, as anyone who has watched The Flintstones or visited Paris would know. Even homosexuals have called each other 'gay' as a term of endearment.

Unfortunately, liberals such as Jo Salmon have actively sought to criminalise the use of the 'gay' outright by non-homosexuals because a vocal minority have chosen to use it as a term of abuse. It is not hard to imagine uptight killjoys like Ms. Salmon lying awake at night thinking of ways to label anyone who uses the term 'gay' and is not homosexual a homophobe. Instead of embracing the positive aspects of the term 'gay', Ms. Salmon and others are openly looking to be offended when good old common sense (remember that?) clearly shows that no offence is ever meant because it gives them a chance to play the 'persecution card' in a game of political football and boost their own self-important egos.

Quote of the Day 1.6.2006

"Under Thatcher Britain learned that protectionism doesn't work. Perhaps it's time to remember that when it comes to our local shops. The choice that Tesco could offer the inhabitants of Torrington might not only bring employment opportunities, but also act as a driver to improve the truly local businesses." - James Hellyer

Quote of the Day 28.5.2006

"Like it or not, the Thatcher era was good for this country. Accept it. Move on." - lyncho99 on GameFAQs

Quotes of the Day 22.5.2006

"Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd" - Edith Sitwell

"That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of our time" - John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

Quote of the Day 17.5.2006

"NUKE LABOUR" - Today's Daily Mirror

Quote of the Day 16.5.2006

"Don’t forget, abortionists will smile, pat you on the head and extract a load of cash from you before killing your child and wrecking your life." - Ros Power

While I do not agree Ros on somethings, we do share common ground on the issue of abortion.

Homeless recycling cans straight into gangster gold

NAGOYA--Organized crime is generally thought to involve guns, drugs, prostitution and other unsavory illegal acts.

What about mobilizing homeless people as runners to sneak old aluminum cans from recycling bins?

If it's organized, and it's a crime, it's good enough for the yakuza.

Last October, Aichi police arrested two bosses from the Kodo-kai, a Nagoya-based affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate, after they were caught running an aluminum can ring in downtown Nagoya parks.

One of the gangsters established a company. Then they set up four huts in the parks to serve as aluminum can collection centers.

They hired staff to collect cans from homeless people at about 80 yen per kilogram, and then resold them to recycling businesses for 120 to 130 yen per kg.

With about 40 tons of cans coming in a month, the men were clearing about 2 million yen in monthly profit.

By comparison, the city of Nagoya only collected 306 tons during all of 2004, indicating that more cans were being pinched than collected.

That's a lot of money going straight from city coffers to gangsters' pockets.

"For citizens of the community, who had been diligently involved in the recycling effort, the fact that the cans ended up funding organized crime came as a shock," said a city assembly member in November. "The city must come up with appropriate measures that will satisfy the community."

"We will seek effective measures, including improvement of legislation," a city official replied.

Until that day, though, the city's hands are tied. Although it has received complaints about recycling drop-off stations getting trashed, the city does not have a law forbidding people from pilfering cans from those stations.

As a result, much as Al Capone was eventually caught for tax evasion, the police could only arrest the gangsters for violating the city park law--essentially, squatting.

In Tokyo and other big cities, municipalities have their own bylaws to keep recyclable material from the hands of profiteers.

Tokyo's Setagaya Ward prohibits the taking of items from collection stations, and in Yokohama, recyclables become city property by ordnance the moment they are dropped off. The Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo has arrested operators who scour collection stations on suspicion of theft or ordinance violation.

In Nagoya, insisted a city official, that would not work.

"Those bylaws were passed with the aim of restricting newspaper recycling operators from coming around in their trucks and picking up bundles of old paper," the official said. "They wouldn't stop the homeless from pinching aluminum cans."

The official also pointed out the difficulty in enforcing such laws.

"If we are going after cars, the operators could be easily tracked by their registration plates. It is going to be a lot more difficult trying to pinpoint homeless people," the official said.

"There are 14,300 aluminum can collection stations. Patrolling all of these places is just not realistic."

Furthermore, simply forbidding the practice is not as easy as it sounds. Aluminum cans are the most valuable, followed by steel cans, which fetched 9 yen per kg in fiscal 2004, according to city officials. By comparison, glass bottles fetched 1 yen for 2 kilograms. Some homeless people manage to live on aluminum recycling alone.

"A major part of homeless in Nagoya make their living by collecting aluminum cans," said Yutaka Onishi, president of Sasashima Hiyatoi Rodo Kumiai (Sasashima day laborers association), a private organization that helps homeless people strive to become financially independent.

"Regulations will only interfere with their efforts."

One 63-year old homeless man who lives in a park downtown agreed.

"There are very few day-labor jobs around," the man said. "Collecting aluminum cans is the only way to make a livelihood. The city is pushing us out of town with every pretense such as the Nagoya Expo."

The homeless man then added ominously, "If they decide to ban our can collection, there is going to be a riot."

The city is meeting with the Aichi prefectural police to figure out what to do, and has been asking other municipalities for advice.

"We do want to prevent (our recycling program) from being used by gangsters," said one official.

"But at the moment, we don't see any credible breakthrough measures taking shape either."
For now, the Al Capone approach is the only option.

On Feb. 7, the Nagoya District Court sentenced one of the Kodo-kai bosses to 18 months in prison, and called the scheme both "malicious, and extremely profitable."

At the trial, however, the defendant openly revealed his intention to continue the recycling business in the future.

Next time, he said, he just won't do it in the park.

Quote of the Day 14.5.2006

"The answer is, we can’t, and it’s no great coincidence that practising homosexuals are at the forefront of the pro sexual-anarchy movement, a movement that has spread so much destruction and misery, mindless left-wing critical theorising and the wholesale demoralising and general intellectual vandalism of society." - Ros Power

While Ros Power makes a good point about the degeneration of society as a whole, it is inaccurate to blame homosexuals alone for the mess we find ourselves in at present. Heterosexuals also played a leading role in debasing society with the culture of permissiveness such as members of The Beatles and the media plus sleazy politicians on all sides of the political divide.

Quote of the Day 12.5.2006

"Knowing your enemy is the quickest path to victory." - Solid Snake in the first trailer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl

The Truth About RESPECT

For those of you who have not yet read Oliver Kamm's blog, here are a few quick fire points to bear in mind about RESPECT and its minions.

1. The infamous RESPECT Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green & Bow and self-publicist George Galloway has repeatedly defended the record of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime, despite the international condemnation it received from the majority of United Nations’ members.

2. That during an interview for Prison Planet.com on 9.9.2005, Gallas blamed world Jewry for their own persecution at the hands of anti-Semites, bringing Adolf Hitler to power in Germany and for unleashing the current wave of terrorism across the world.

3. That on a recent edition of his TalkSPORT radio show, Gallas criticised the Labour administration for legalising “sodomy for 16 year olds” in reference to the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill of 1999, despite voting in favour of it at the time.

4. That RESPECT is a fascist organisation in the same vein as other far-Left groups such as the Japanese Communist Party between 1922-1945 and a number of French Socialists during the 1930s. During her recent view to Britain, RESPECT compared Condoleezza Rice to the wartime fascist leader Oswald Mosley.

5. That RESPECT is a front organisation for the far-Left Socialist Workers Party. The SWP stated during the Third Gulf War (2003) that “by far the lesser evil would be reverses, or defeat, for the US and British forces”. The SWP also played host to the anti-Semitic jazz musician Gilad Atzmon at two of it’s annual Marxist jamborees.