The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Racial Paranoia in Post-Obama America

Posted on | April 13, 2022 | Comments Off on Racial Paranoia in Post-Obama America

As everyone knows by now, Frank R. James is the suspect in Tuesday’s mass shooting in a Brooklyn subway station. Remarkably, even the liberal media are covering this story — Andrea Mitchell led the top of the noon hour on MSNBC with a report on the manhunt for the suspected gunman.

J.J. Sefton at AOSHQ links to a couple of stories that outline the mass shooting suspect’s deranged anti-white belief system:

Heavy[dot]com, a fact-finding website, identified a Facebook page allegedly belonging to the person of interest which contained numerous posts that talked about shooting people and expressed other extreme views, including “black nationalism.”
Andy Ngo, Editor-at-large for The Post Millennial, tweeted out screenshots from the Facebook account that showed posts that promoted the Black Liberation Army, Black Lives Matter, a photo of the man who murdered five police officers in Dallas in 2016, a photo calling to “kill all the whiteys,” posts quoting communist Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, posts expressing support for shooting people, and posts demonizing former President Donald Trump.
YouTube videos allegedly uploaded by the person of interest also showed extreme views, including one where he allegedly called 9/11 “the most beautiful day, probably in the history of this f–king world.”
The person of interest also allegedly ranted in the videos about white people, saying “the vast majority of people, white mother******* are racist.”

More from the New York Post:

The person of interest ranted about race issues and claimed that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was proof that black people were treated with disdain in society.
“These white motherfu–ers, this is what they do,” he said. “Ultimately at the end of the day they kill and commit genocide against each other. What do you think they gonna do to your black ass?”
In his rambling conspiracy theory, James claimed that a race war would follow the ongoing conflict in Europe.
“It’s just a matter of time before these white motherfu–ers decide, ‘Hey listen. Enough is enough. These ni–ers got to go,’” he said.
“And what’re you going to do? You gonna fight. And guess what? You gonna die. Cause unlike President [Zelensky] over in Ukraine, nobody has your back. The whole world is against you. And you’re against your fu–ing self. So why should you be alive again is the fu–ing question. Why should a ni–er be alive on this planet? Besides to pick cotton or chop sugar cane or tobacco.”
The only options James could find, he claimed, was to commit more violence or become a criminal.
“And so the message to me is: I should have gotten a gun, and just started shooting motherfu–ers,” he said.

He was saying all this stuff not while living in 1952 Mississippi, but rather in 2022 Wisconsin, a state that twice voted to elect Barack Obama president. This points to an odd contradiction in the social justice calculus, namely that as there is more progress toward racial equality, dissatisfaction with the status quo actually increases for many people.

Genuinely oppressed people are so busy struggling to survive that they have no time to devote to political activity. Living in abject poverty does not allow the kind of leisure required for contemplating alternatives to the existing social order or organizing reform efforts. Yet as oppressive conditions are ameliorated, and economic opportunity is increased for those previously excluded, the situation changes. New opportunities are meaningful only to those with the ability to take advantage of these opportunities, and not everyone has the aptitude to become an office manager, a college professor, a software engineer, etc.

So while a certain number of black people are now enjoying success — some of them extraordinarily so — those who are less successful are tempted to seek excuses for their lack of achievement. Thus, the election of America’s first black president — which some interpreted as the conclusive proof that America is not a racist country — eventually gave rise to a resurgence of racial paranoia, with many prominent black voices proclaiming that America is an unjust regime of “systemic racism.” Simultaneously, of course, many white people are tempted toward a pessimistic assessment of race relations, as they witness violent anarchy in major cities fomented by Black Lives Matters activists (who cynically swindle millions in the name of “social justice”).

Viewed objectively, most people in America — black, white, whatever — have it pretty good, and ought to be optimistic about the future. But those who are disappointed in their own lives are apt to project their resentments outward, seeking scapegoats to blame for their failures, and so for every white Dylann Roof type out there turning to neo-Nazism as solace for their failures, there is the mirror-reverse case like Frank James, ranting about fantasies of a race war against whitey.

We can see the irrationality of Frank James in his choice of targets. Of all the places in the country where he could have attacked, why Brooklyn? Why the Sunset Park subway station? Sunset Park is 46% Latino, 35% Asian, 15% white. If his goal was to strike a blow against “systemic racism,” Frank James seems to have been way off-target.

Racial paranoia is a motive that straddles the line between mental illness and political terrorism. Frank James doesn’t seem to have been part of any organized movement, but we shouldn’t underestimate disorganized kooks as a terrorist threat, because there’s so many of them nowadays and, as you know, Crazy People Are Dangerous.




 

Category: Crime, New York, Racism, Terrorism

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Posted on | April 11, 2022 | Comments Off on Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Team 41 crosses the finish line.

FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
OK, Team 41 did not win the 38th annual Best Ranger Competition. They finished 14th place, but if you know what’s involved in this three-day ordeal, you understand why merely finishing the event counts as a win. On Saturday night, they completed a land navigation exercise, then started Sunday morning at the Warrior Training Center obstacle course.

It is safe to say that more than 90% of the U.S. population Bob’s age could not complete even that one event, let alone do it near the end of a three-day competition during which the participants maybe got a total of three hours sleep. Sheer exhaustion takes its toll, and in one of the final events — at Red Cloud Range, where they shoot the big stuff — Bob had a brain-freeze and suddenly couldn’t remember how to clear a jam on the .50-caliber machine gun. However, he did score a direct hit with the anti-tank weapon, so there’s that much to brag about. And the video of the epic “don’t break the box” episode now has 300,000+ views on Twitter.

At last night’s awards dinner — the chicken was excellent — we found ourselves in line behind one of the teams from the 101st Airborne Division and struck up a conversation. One of the team members remembered Bob being his instructor at the Mountain Phase of Ranger School. So then I checked on my phone and realized this guy was a first lieutenant, a West Point graduate. Our boy is training future generals.

Very proud of him. Rangers Lead the Way!

Category: Family

Rule 5 Sunday: Sydney Melman

Posted on | April 11, 2022 | Comments Off on Rule 5 Sunday: Sydney Melman

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Continuing AustraliaSydney month at Rule 5 Sunday…no, just kidding. Sydney Melman is a Jersey girl, born in 2001, who had a brief movie career in Babysitters and Out Of The Darkness before modeling on Instagram, TikTok, and her own subreddit. Reminds me of Karen Black.
Ceterum autem censeo Silicon Valley esse delendam.

NINETY MILES FROM TYRANNY: Hot Pick of the Late Night, The 90 Miles Mystery Box Episode #1680, Morning Mistress, and Girls With Guns.

ANIMAL MAGNETISM: Rule Five Line Of Succession Friday, and the Saturday Gingermageddon. 

EBL: MAGA – Trump Beats DeBlasio, Una O’Keefe, Catherine The Great, Doris Day, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Death On The Nile, CongressCritters, Aleksandr Nevskii, Amber Athey, The Outlaws, and Red Dawn. 

A VIEW FROM THE BEACH: Alysson Holt, Fish Pic Friday – Nina Rogers, Tattoo Thursday, Kate Upton’s Uncle Is Out, Ivanka Trump Is Up, The Wednesday Wetness, KBJ Makes it to the Floor, The Witch of the North, Go Get ‘Em!, The Monday Morning Stimulus and Palm Sunday.

Thanks to everyone for all the luscious links!

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Category: Rule 5

FMJRA 2.0: My Name Is Ruin

Posted on | April 11, 2022 | Comments Off on FMJRA 2.0: My Name Is Ruin

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Haven’t had time to do much this week except sleep, eat, do taxes, shave, rinse & repeat. Ten more days until I’m home in Tonopah and mongling links again.
Ceterum autem censeo Silicon Valley esse delendam.

Rule 5 Monday: The Best Rack In Hollywood?
Animal Magnetism
A View From The Beach
EBL
Proof Positive
Ninety Miles From Tyranny

Crazy People Are Dangerous
EBL
357 Magnum

Russian Invaders Retreat From Kyiv
The Pirate’s Cove
EBL

Taylor Lorenz Is a Dangerous Sociopath
Vulture Of Critique
EBL
357 Magnum

FMJRA 2.0: Shifting Through the Lens
A View From The Beach
EBL

In The Mailbox: 04.04.22
EBL
Proof Positive

Probably Not a Trump Voter
EBL
357 Magnum

In The Mailbox: 04.05.22
A View From The Beach
EBL
357 Magnum
Proof Positive

Unspeakable Atrocities in Ukraine
EBL
357 Magnum

‘Gun Violence’ Update
EBL
357 Magnum

In The Mailbox: 04.07.22
A View From The Beach
EBL
Proof Positive

GO TEAM 41!
EBL
357 Magnum

 

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Category: FMJRA Award

Guess Who Went Viral at Best Ranger?

Posted on | April 10, 2022 | Comments Off on Guess Who Went Viral at Best Ranger?

FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
Haley Britzky is a reporter for the military web site Task & Purpose, and she happened to be at an event in Saturday’s Day Stakes rotations of Best Ranger Competition where Staff Sergeant McCain showed the meaning of the slogan “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome” and, at the same time, created a new motto: “You do you, baby”:

Haley’s tweet went viral in the military community, with nearly 3,000 likes and 600+ retweets, and the replies are “lit AF,” as the kids say:

At the heavy weapons Red Cloud Range event this afternoon, I happened to run into my son’s lieutenant colonel. When I introduced myself as Bob’s father, he said, “So you’re the original McCain,” and I said, “No, Bob is completely original,” to which he replied, “I 100% agree with that.”

Category: Family

Best Ranger: Surviving Day One

Posted on | April 9, 2022 | Comments Off on Best Ranger: Surviving Day One

Staff Sgt. McCain before the Darby Queen event.

FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
After the 19-mile night march, which ended after midnight, Team 41 was in 12th place in the 38th annual Best Ranger competition. The first day’s cut is at 28 teams, so our boys have survived to compete another day, beginning at 9 a.m. at Todd Field. Day One was a seesaw struggle. Team 41 started with a 33rd-place finish in the opening Workout-of-the Day event, but after completing the run-swim-run at Victory Pond followed by the Malvesti obstacle course, had moved up to 26th place.

They kept moving up, completing the Army Combat Fitness Test event in 22nd place. Team 41 really aced the Urban Assault Course event, moving up to 17th place, and the run to the Malone Ranges must have gone well, because they moved up to 15th place. This was a crucial point, because the second day’s cut is to 16 teams for the finals on Sunday, so making it to the top 15 halfway through Day One put Team 41 in good standing to make it all the way. The Pistol Range event didn’t go so good, and they dropped to 17th place, but they killed it in the Live Fire Exercise on Carter Ranger, moving all the way up to eighth place.

That was followed by the Malone Range Movements (another march, I think) with Team 41 dropping to ninth place, and then the Darby Queen obstacle course. This is an extraordinarily demanding event, and it was now 12 hours into a grueling day. Here’s video of the Darby Queen, not showing our team, but giving you some idea of what’s involved:

 

Team 41 survived this, too, but dropped to 10th place. Here they are at the finish line of the Darby Queen event:

You hear Bob’s little daughter Eliza shouting, “Daddy!” And then her Daddy had to put on a rucksack and do a 19-mile night march.

Category: Family

GO TEAM 41!

Posted on | April 8, 2022 | Comments Off on GO TEAM 41!

FORT BENNING, GEORGIA
The 38th Annual Best Ranger Competition kicks off this morning at 5:30 a.m., and I probably don’t have to explain why my wife and I are here cheering for Team 41. Staff Sergeant McCain and his partner, Sergeant First Class Peterson, will be among 51 teams competing in the three-day event that has been called the “Super Bowl of the Army.”

Last year, despite tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during the first day’s obstacle course event, Staff Sergeant McCain and his partner finished in 16th place, which is a heck of an accomplishment.

Probably the best way to follow the action is on the Facebook page of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade. GO TEAM 41!

UPDATE: After the morning Workout-of-the-Day (WOD) event, Team 41 was in 33rd place. After the Malvesti Confidence Course events, they had moved up to 26th place. This is crucial, as the cut for the second day is to 32 teams (of the 51 who began the competition). Teams move up or down depending on their score in each event, so it’s good to have some “cushion” above the cut-off number. Of course, it would be nice to finish the first day in the top 16, because that’s the cut-off point for Day Three. We’ll see . . .

UPDATE II: Right after I posted the previous update, we got scores following the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) and Team 41 is now in 22nd place. So they’ve gained 11 spots since the first event.

Category: Family

In The Mailbox: 04.07.22

Posted on | April 7, 2022 | Comments Off on In The Mailbox: 04.07.22

— compiled by Wombat-socho

I hate to say this, but I can’t keep this up. I’m putting in 11-hour days in the tax mines through the end of the season, and when I get back to the hotel, all I want to do is sleep. So this is going on hiatus until the 20th when I’m back in Tonopah. I think I’ll be able to manage the FMJRA and Rule 5 Sunday, since I only have to work until 6 PM on Sundays, but I don’t have the energy to manage the daily link posts.
Silicon Valley delenda est.


OVER THE TRANSOM
90 Miles From Tyranny: The 90 Miles Mystery Box, Episode #1673
357 Magnum: He Spent 25 Years In Prison – The System Knew He Was Innocent
EBL: Mittens, Murky, & Collins, MAKE COURTROOMS GREAT AGAIN, and Disney, Democrats, & Systemic Grooming
Twitchy: Will Wilkinson Explains When It’s Okay For The Administration To “Simply Ignore” The Supreme Court
Louder With Crowder: Twitter Manager Has Epic Meltdown Over New Director Elon Musk
Vox Popoli: The Problem With Twitter, We Never Needed Them, and Just Post It To The Internet
Granite Grok: Thought Splinters Part II
Stoic Observations: The Stacks
Gab News: Thoughts On Elon & Twitter

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Category: Linkagery
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