Still at it

So no bloggery till next week.

Still at what?

*Chuckle*

via Blackberry

DWMs & the Long March through America's institutions

Institutions don't come much more institutional than the Library of Congress. I visited its website looking for a gift for a friend.

What an interesting picture it presents of the United States. Hardly a Dead (or even Living) White Male of British, Irish, Nordic, Italian or German ancestry to be found - although Wimmin in abundance. There's a link for Wimmin. On the Americana link, the next link is to Civil Rights stuff (bastard white oppressors) and there's a main link to the Great Depression (bastard white capitalists) section.

Easy-peasy finding links for aboriginal or African America, or Russian, Jewish or Japanese (former mortal enemy whom we don't hate any more) stuff. A print of a Japanese painting is the featured item under the heading 'Household accessories'. What every American home needs, obviously. Oh, wait... What's this? Beethoven? Well, OK then.

Right. Now to look for something about America's pioneering work in museums and art collections, American authors... Mark Twain or Hemingway, maybe. The great universities like Yale and Stanford. Austin. American jurists, explorers, archaeologists, historians and linguists. The USA's massive achievements in industrial and scientific research. Its world-leading orchestras. The British and other Western Europeans who built the Thirteen Colonies and the nation's capital - and Capitol. And Congress itself. And the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln.... hm... wait... He was important, wasn't he? Must see if the Library of Congress has anything about him.

Here are a few screen shots I made earlier.

First: People, Culture.
"Portraits of children and families and people representing the cultures of Native Americans, African Americans, Japanese, Russians and others".
That would be most Americans, those 'others'.

Next: Music.
We have Blues (African American music), Classical Music (a black musician is shown), Jazz (originally a Black form), and Paul Simon. Oh, wait. There's a Folk Music link, clicking on which takes you to a page with twelve CDs shown. Eleven of them are about black musicians, and yes, we're still on what the authorities of the Library of Music call 'Folk Music', here.

And so to Posters.
We have a Native American in the heading, then links for Jewish Interest, African Americans, Native American (nice portrait of Geronimo), posters (misc), and Musical Instruments. Some mistake there, obviously - the instrument shown looks like a person. If this weren't the Library of Congress website, I'd swear it was Bach. Can't be. He's a Dead White European Male Genius whose name will live for evermore.

And finally. Here's that featured Household Accessory I was telling you about. Lovely, isn't it?

There's something odd here, though. Serious omissions. Opportunities missed.

The African American and Native American stuff is properly dominant but where are the links to material on Gay America and American Transpeople? And surely all this emphasis on Jewish-America doesn't fit with the assiduously enforced anti-Semitic zeitgeist in American academic institutions?

Surely the Library of Congress ought to be showing some leadership here and putting up prominent links to its stuff about Muslim-Americans? But... silly me. Of course that will happen just as soon as Muslim donations outweigh Jewish American donations and there's less need to favour Jewish donors so much. And what a day of rejoicing that will be among the thought police of American academe. Partay! With jazz!

Remember? Embarrassing, wasn't it?

With reference to this post.

Gordon Brown’s mission most recently seemed to be to comment on anything the media vomited up would allow. Jade Goody, Susan Boyle, Andy Murray, Jedward – this list continues. By March this year, I was personally convinced that Gordon Brown had replaced Lorraine Kelly on GMTV - Source.

The thought occurs: oh, thank God that's over.

How very unlike the the style of our own dear Head of State

In one whirlwind week last month, for example, President Obama made a third appearance on 60 Minutes, gave a major speech on the financial crisis and made five talk-show appearances the following Sunday. On the eighth day he appeared on Letterman. - Source.

Oh, dear. Oh, dear, dear, dear. How very undignified.

One understands, of course, that the poor chap is frantic to appear... what's the word?... relevant to his electorate, what with the Presidential Sand in the Presidential Egg-Timer running out uncomfortably fast now but it does nothing to recommend the idea of a republic, does it?

Relentless

I am conducting a small experiment into the political bias, or otherwise, of the Today programme. Yes, yes, I know. I know, but where there's life...

Every morning, I switch on the radio, tuned to Radio 4's Today programme, and listen for about 15 seconds. Then, the findings being thus far all of a consistent pattern, I turn it off again.

I am waiting, thus far in vain, for a change of tone from the following 'news headlines and 'factual announcements' -- they are not expressions of opinion. Apparently.

'There are fears that the government's policy of X will cause damage to...'

'The government's plans for Y are causing concern that...'

'[Name of Labour spokesman] has attacked the government's proposals on ...'

'The Institute of N has challenged the government's plans to...'

'The most vulnerable members of society will suffer under the government's plans to P, according to a report from...'

There is the occasional variant:

'The government has announced plans to abolish X,Y and Z. However, the Labour Party has attacked these proposals, saying... '

This experiment is about to reach its conclusion. Findings are expected to replicate those of similar experiments in the past which resulted in the destruction of inanimate objects (to wit., perfectly good wireless sets) by reason of their being hurled against a wall by their owner.

Hoping

That David Cameron has the guts to send his son to Eton if he wants to and disdains to court the grudging, worthless approval of any bastards who would have it otherwise. Get the boy the best you can afford, Dave, and offer the motorist's traditional salute to anyone who dares you not to.

And I trust your daughter's name is down for St Mary's, Ascot, too.

None of my business, of course. I'm just saying. Free country. Isn't it?

Why? Here's why.

Why do Labour and the rest of the Left fight tooth and nail to prohibit academic selection?

Because it is the best possible engine of social mobility and the fastest route out of deprivation.

But, see, it encourages the working class to ape the middle class. They end up believing they're better than they actually are. Makes their hands soft, gives them ideas above their station and before you know it, they've turned class traitor. That weakens the Left. It is not to be tolerated.

Fuck all the education baloney - that's for the great day when we achieve Socialism. Meanwhile, in order to achieve that, in order to build Socialism, it's the class war that matters, comrade. First, last and always. The flourishing of individuals will come, of course, but only after the revolution. Until then, individuals are to be subordinated to the cause. Misery, yes. Demoralisation, yes. But it's all in a good cause.

That is why Anthony Crosland of cursed memory determined to

destroy every fucking grammar school in England. And Wales and Northern Ireland.

He could not bear the thought of the working class becoming middle class.

There is no better way to create a lumpen proletariat (Marxoid-speak for 'cannon-fodder') than to close off the workers' fastest and perhaps only route to economic and social advancement.

Utter, utter bastards. Hang the lot of them, in the name of our lost generations whom they have sacrificed to their ghastly cause.

There they are, all standing in a row

Our alternative Prime Ministers.

• Andy Burnham was one of the nodding dogs who would declare to TV cameras that the cabinet had every confidence in Gordon Brown when the reverse was the case.

• Ed Balls ran the thuggish Brownite machine and the decade-long insurgency against Tony Blair to put his master in Number 10.

• Ed Miliband makes pious noises denouncing "factionalism" as if he is a saintly figure who never had anything to do with it. "The emissary from Planet Fuck" – as he was known among Blair's aides during the civil war – was at the heart of the Brown faction.

• It is a bit tricky for David Miliband. (Heheheheh. Nice.) He was one of the senior members of the cabinet who knew Brown was taking them to defeat and failed to act before it was too late.

Rawnsley.

UPDATE: Oops. Forgot. Tsk.

Sister act

...the most powerful and meaningful person speaking to youth and students today. Her intelligence is unselfish. She shines as she offers cultural, spiritual, political, economical, practical analysis and constructive solutions with the precision of a surgeon. [Her] words, thoughts, lessons, and books are transforming the next generation. Once you have heard her speak, it’s impossible for you to remain the same. You’ll change the way you think, love and live.

Wow. How could I live and yet overlook someone who is clearly a living saint, a veritable heroine? Modest, too. The above is her description of herself on her website. (My emphasis.)

This paragon came to my attention when I Googled an incomprehensible verbal reference by James Forsyth.

So, is it just me, or is the Spectator's current estimation of the... ah... cultural awareness of its readership in need of recalibration?

I agree with Bob Crow

Diane Abbott for Labour Leader. She's perfect.

This morning she was on the on the Toady Programme:

Yes, yes, the Tories -- cynically, of course -- are dismantling the oppressive measures Labour put in place...

Love that 'of course'. They just cannot help themselves, can they?

See, in Abbott World, only the Left is capable of working un-cynically and altruistically for the public good simply because (bear with me here) it's the right thing to do. One can be certain that, by contrast, the Tories are doing it because... well, why, Diane? Are they releasing the improperly detained for their own personal gain? Are we talking brown envelopes, here? Are they reining in your Stasi from surveilling innocent citizens 'to please their banker friends'? What?

Abbott is your archetypal, cynical, motormouthy, Hard Left, Righteous egomaniac with forked tongue, living in a dream world in which Marxist myths... nationalisation, state schools for prole children, private schools for the children of the nomenklatura... are above even the laws of physics.

And that gives me an idea. The Labour Party thoroughly deserves her as its leader.

Sorry, Balls. You are just not ghastly enough. Even Bob Crow agrees. As I said before, for you the war is over.

Recommendations for living in England #638

If you are served thin French-fry-style chips with your fish then you should legally be allowed to slap the vendor across the face with the nearest wet pollock. - Iain Aitch

ConLib bastards to send 5-year-olds up chimneys

Quite delicious. Simply delightful.

Our local freesheet's most devoted correspondent is a terribly caring citizen who also happens to be a diehard Labour activist... although, curiously, that is never mentioned.

The readership's hearts are broken week after week to read how this kind-hearted person is "saddened" by the actions of the born-wicked Tories and the shockingly power-hungry Liberal Democrats.

This week, tears in our eyes and fists stuffed in our mouths, we learn that the ending of free swimming is the worst, the absolutely worst act of this dreadful, dreadful government.

You ain't seen nothin' yet, pet. Brace yerself.

My wicked old infant-nomming Tory heart was especially gladdened by the final, authentically Brownie wail: "Why should our children have to pay the price?"

Here's why.

HMT's projected increase in annual debt interest costs of £40bn between now and 2014-15 is the equivalent of 10 pence on the standard rate of income tax. 10 PENCE. - BOM

And the caring Labour Party it was which has robbed us all, parents, children and the unborn, and forced parents of little children to break into the kiddies' piggy-banks for a family swim.

Does Labour's responsibility for that intolerable burden on our children - and their children - "sadden" such Labour hearts at all? Even a bit? Do they even understand what it means?

Menadacious, manipulative socialist thickos. I spit on their faux-pity.

Genius

What the Doctor ordered. Possibly.

It is a central tenet of Liberal Democrat philosophy that the harder you work, the more tax you should pay.

- according to this authority, that is.

Spooky, how far LibDem and Labour philosophies overlap.

Well, all except those Liberal (sic) members of the Conservative Coalition government who intend to carry on drawing the weekly ministerial envelope for the advertised five years, which may or may not include Trust Me I'm a Doctor Cable.

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