King Abdullah Quotes Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven"

You know how it's always comforting to know that big, important world leaders are kind of like us regular folks? If you're a normal American guy, using movie quotes is a fun way to express yourself , make a point, and just generally relate to your friends who've also seen the movie.

Apparently, the King of Jordan likes to quote movies to make points, too.

Members of the House Armed Services Committee met with Jordan's King Abdullah Tuesday not long after news broke that ISIS had burned to death a Jordanian pilot captured in the fight against the terrorist group. In a private session with lawmakers, the king showed an extraordinary measure of anger — anger which he expressed by citing American movie icon Clint Eastwood.

"He said there is going to be retribution like ISIS hasn't seen," said Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr., a Marine Corps veteran of two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, who was in the meeting with the king. "He [King Abdullah] mentioned 'Unforgiven' and he mentioned Clint Eastwood, and he actually quoted a part of the movie."

Hunter would not say which part of "Unforgiven" the king quoted, but noted it was where Eastwood's character describes how he is going to deliver his retribution. There is a scene in the picture in which Eastwood's character, William Munny, says, "Any man I see out there, I'm gonna kill him. Any son of a bitch takes a shot at me, I'm not only going to kill him, I'm going to kill his wife and all his friends and burn his damn house down."

You know, I think me an ol' King Abdullah would get along alright.

Update: According to Wikipedia: King Abdullah has listed his hobbies as sky diving, rally racing, scuba diving, football, and science fiction. He also likes motorcycles and has toured a Harley Davidson plant in California.

Oh, and not for nothing, he's got a good lookin' wife, as well.

Jordan Decides To Go With Old Testament Response to Terrorism

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.

Jordan will execute Wednesday an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber on death row and other jihadists after having vowed to avenge the murder of a Jordanian pilot by Islamic State jihadists, an official said.

“The sentence of death pending on… Iraqi Sajida al-Rishawi will be carried out at dawn,” the security official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Jordan doesn't have the luxury of being half a world away from these evil men. ISIS is pretty much Jordan's next door neighbor. It's easy to shrug off ISIS if you're a pacifist in San Francisco, but if you live in Amman, you don't have that luxury.

I'm sure our State Department will call for "restraint" or some fool something, but restraint is not a virtue in war. James Taylor - you're relieved.

And make no mistake - this is war. I have a feeling that Japan is taking notes.

"Gunmen hunted after 12 killed at Paris magazine"

The religion of peace strikes again.

I'll Shoot You Tomorrow

A quote from the passage I just read in Shelby Foote's second volume on the recent unpleasantness.

The ground in front of the sunken road, formerly carpeted blue, had taken on a mottled hue, with patches of startling white. Binoculars disclosed the cause. Many of the Federal dead had been stripped stark naked by shivering Confederates, who had crept out in the darkness to scavenge the warm clothes from the bodies of men who needed them no longer... No one assigned to one of the burial details ever forgot the horror of what he saw; for here, up-close and life-size, was an effective antidote to the long-range, miniature pageantry of Saturday's battle as it had been viewed from the opposing heights.

Up close, you heard the groans and smelled the blood... Not even amid such scenes as this, however, did the irrepressible rebel soldier's wry sense of honour desert him. One, about to remove a shoe from what he though was a Federal corpse, was surprised to see the 'corpse' lift its head and look at him reproachfully. "Beg pardon sir," the would-be scavenger said, carefully lowering the leg; "I thought you have gone above." Another butternut scarecrow, reprimanded by a Union officer for violating the terms of the truce by picking up a fine Belgian rifle that had been dropped between the lines, looked his critic up and down, pausing for a long stare at the polished boots the officer was wearing. "Never mind," he said dryly. "I'll shoot you tomorrow and git them boots."

This is Foote's description of the aftermath of Fredericksburg.

South Carolina Charges White Police Officer With Murder for Shooting Unarmed Black Man

Bernard Bailey

Richard Combs

With the grand jury not indicting the officer in Ferguson, and now the grand jury not indicting the police officer in New York City, I thought this story was kind of...topical.

If you hadn't heard, here's the basic fact pattern:

Bernard Bailey had come to the town hall complain about his daughter receiving a ticket for a broken tail-light. At some point, Combs (the police chief) attempts to arrest Bailey for obstruction of justice. As Bailey leaves the town hall, Combs follows him and a struggle ensued near or in Bailey's vehicle. Combs then shot Bailey twice in the chest.

Combs was charged with murder yesterday. Obviously, this is a different fact pattern from what happened in Ferguson, and what happened in New York. However, you have the similarity of a white law enforcement officer's actions resulting in the death of an unarmed black man.

And only South Carolina is going forward with a case.

Just food for thought. 

Lexington County Father to Be Charged With Murder of His Five Children

I don't even know what to say about this.

Lexington County, SC (WLTX) - Lexington County Sheriff Lewis McCarty says a father accused of killing his five children will face murder charges as soon as he's brought back to South Carolina.

McCarty updated the public Wednesday morning on the investigation into 32-year-old Timothy Ray Jones Jr., calling it unprecedented in his three plus decades in law enforcement.

"I've never seen a case like this," McCarty said. "We all see things in our career that have an impact on you. This case has impacted anyone...who's had anything to do with this."

Smith County, MS sheriff's officials say Jones waived his right to an extradition hearing, paving the way for him to be brought back to South Carolina late Wednesday.

The children's bodies have already been brought back home.

As a dad...as a human being...this is unthinkable. It's utterly unthinkable. I cannot comprehend or explain this in any way. I really have no words.

The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels today.

Obama Waited 30 Days to Authorize Foley's Rescue

Here's a hypothetical for you: You're the President. You get some intelligence about the location of the whereabouts of a captured American held hostage by ISIL. How long would you wait to order a raid to rescue an American citizen held hostage by ISIL?

Our President waited "almost 30 days."

Anthony Shaffer, a former lieutenant-colonel in US military intelligence who worked on covert operations, said: “I’m told it was almost a 30-day delay from when they said they wanted to go to when he finally gave the green light. They were ready to go in June to grab the guy [Foley] and they weren’t permitted.”

Another US defence source said: "The White House constantly goes back and forth on these things. These people are a bunch of academics who endlessly analyse stuff and ordering up another deep-thinking paper but can't decide what to order for lunch."

This makes me angry. I don't care about Obama playing golf. I don't care about Obama raising money. That's fine. Just make decisions.

I want him to make good decisions and act in the best interest of our country and my fellow citizens. This thirty day delay to authorize a rescue mission just flies all over me.

Intelligence goes bad over time. The longer you wait to act on intelligence, the less likely it is that the hostage will be there. An "almost 30 day delay" is hard to understand. It's now understandable that Foley wasn't there once the mission finally got the green light. It had been about a month since they got the tip.

I don't really even see how this is a "hard" decision. We have soldiers who have signed up to defend America and protect our citizens. That's is their job. This is what they do. They know the risks. If something had gone wrong, it would be horrible, but it's worse to just dither. And this delay absolutely reeks of political calculation.

You get the intelligence, the military plans a mission, you say "go". I don't know how I could delay that long and then still look grieving parents in the eyes.

We're not talking about just a terrorist bad guy. We're talking about an American citizen who was being held captive.

He's dead now.

By the way, a British newspaper broke this story. Nice job, American press.

American Journalist Executed - What Is Our Response?

In the wake of an American journalist being publicly executed by ISIS, I thought of this:

What will be the response from the United States today when one of our citizens is publicly slaughtered by a foreign power that has wrought so much death and misery on others?

What should our response be?

Robin Williams: All Too Ordinary

You probably have already seen the news yesterday that Robin Williams died in what appears to be a suicide. Obviously, the man was a legendary comedian and actor. Whatever word you want to use: genius, icon, force of nature, etc. Robin Williams was it. Having the ability to stand up in front of a group of people all by yourself and make them laugh is a terribly hard thing to do, and he did it with ease.

He also played serious roles, which is something that most comedians attempt, but few succeed at. His roles in Good Will Hunting, Dead Poet's Society, and August Rush were all great characters in which he didn't play his typical comedic role.

Even some of his comedic roles had depth to them. For instance, on the surface, Good Morning Vietnam allowed Williams to have fun with his character, but the movie also addressed the more serious and darker side of war. (As an aside, this is my favorite scene from that movie.)

Although everyone will likely be writing something along the lines of what I just wrote and remembering their favorite scenes or bits, it's important to remember that this extraordinary man was afflicted with depression, which is all too common.

For some unknown reason, even though Williams was capable of giving so much joy and laughter to millions of people throughout his career, there was something dark inside him that he couldn't escape. It's important to remember that there are so many ordinary people out there who face this same pain every day. People die from depression, and although their deaths don't make the newscasts, their deaths are no less tragic.

Accordingly, while we should take this moment to celebrate and remember the extraordinary work of a man who was a true one-of-a-kind, we should also remember that the depression that he suffered from is all too ordinary.

Really Sad News: Rhett Wolfe Passed Away

A link to his obituary is here, and there is a piece in The State, as well. I knew Rhett professionally and personally. He was a wonderful man who will be greatly missed.

Rest in peace.

Commercial Airliner Shot Down In Ukraine

BREAKING: Adviser to Ukraine's Interior Minister says passenger plane carrying 295 shot down.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 17, 2014

Not good. It sounds like people are pointing fingers at Ukrainian separatists (the pro-Russian folks) within Ukraine. However, there's going to be some finger-pointing for a little while.

However, I expect Putin to come out and say that he's now compelled to go into Ukraine and stop all of this, since Kiev clearly cannot control their own people.

I just hope there wasn't an Austrian Archduke on that airplane.

Unbroken to the End

Louis Zamperini, an Olympic distance runner and World War II veteran who survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific after his bomber crashed, then endured two years in Japanese prison camps, has died. He was 97.

Full piece here.

They Got Off Easy If You Ask Me

The Columbia parents who starved, beat, and tortured their own four-year-old son to death were sentenced to life in prison today.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/05/28/3472668/prosecutor-dss-ignored-many-pleas.html?sp=/99/205/&ihp=1#storylink=cpy

This kind of evil should merit the death penalty.

Harold Ramis Dead at Age 69

He was a comedy icon, and he leaves a big legacy.

Probably best known as "Egon" from Ghostbusters, Ramis also was a prolific writer, with movies such as Groundhog Day, Stripes, Caddyshack, and Animal House to his credit, among many more.

Although most people only remember Bill Murray from Stripes, Ramis' character had some great scenes:

The man knew how to bring the funny, and he was always "willing to learn".

Actor Phillip Seymor Hoffman Found Dead of Apparent Heroin Overdose

Hoffman was found dead with a hypodermic needle still in his arm.

Ace has a good point about the debate over drug legalization. Basically, his point is that the choices are a binary set of two choices:

1. Drugs are bad, and therefore must be illegal; or,
2. Drugs are fine, and therefore should be legal, and it's ok to do drugs.

Ace notes that you don't really see a more (dare I say) "nuanced" argument for: Drugs can be legal, yet they're pretty dangerous, so maybe you shouldn't do them.

As usual, Ace is right.

In all of the argument for legalization of marijuana in Colorado, we aren't really seeing anyone say that maybe it's ok to have legalized pot, but maybe we shouldn't be such big cheerleaders for it without the counterbalancing argument of "Maybe we shouldn't smoke pot all the time".

As events like Hoffman's death remind us, drug use has some negative consequences. Yes, this was heroin, not pot, but still, with all this marijuana legalization talk, I'm not hearing about any negative consequences. That's not good.

Remember the line Bill Clinton had about abortion? He said it should be "Safe, legal, and rare"which is a kind of third way of approaching the abortion issue. It's not the cheerleading stance of "Yay abortion", and it's not the prohibitionist stance of "never". He took the path of let's keep it legal, but let's discourage it culturally and socially.

I think that's the right path for some drug legalization. The problem is that we aren't seeing anyone of the legalization side of the argument call for restraint, or rarity in drug use.

Peter O'Toole Dead at 81 - Lessons from Lawrence of Arabia

Peter O'Toole, best known for his role as T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, passed away on Sunday after a long illness.

If you haven't seen Lawrence of Arabia, it's a great movie, dealing with certain issues that are  timeless, and other political issues that are still relevant today.

Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia

One theme through the movie is the West's relationship with the Middle-East. In the movie, the relationship is against the larger backdrop of WWII, but the relationship is still fractious and unstable today. The British have the Arabs as a small appendage to their army, but it's not until T.E. Lawrence figures out how to properly use the skills and resources of the Arabs, do they become a serious fighting force.

The movie deals with racial issues, in how the British view the Arabs. In one scene, after walking through the desert, Lawrence and a young Arab boy is picked up and brought into the British Headquarters. Lawrence pushes forward with the young boy and goes into the officer's club demanding a glass of lemonade for each of them, much to the consternation of the British officers there.

The movie also explore how the Arabs themselves struggle to find their place in the world. In the setting of the movie, the Arabs are dealing with the same issues they confront today, perfectly summed up by Lawrence in this line:

Sherif Ali! So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people. Greedy, barbarous and cruel, as you are.

Sound familiar? In 2013, the Middle-East is still dealing with the problem of sectarian, tribe on tribe violence. We know about Shiites fighting the Sunnis, as was made clear in the Iraq War. Much of that issue still plagues the Middle-East today.

Finally, the most over-arching theme is the idea of a man's fate, and how a man can make his own fate through his free will and actions. The idea that nothing is written deals with what is preordained by God, and how man can shape his own destiny.

In one instance, Lawrence sets out against all extreme odds to avert an event (someone's death) that a Muslim companion (Omar Sharif) declares "is written," and has accepted. Lawrence resuces the man and then caps off his act by emphatically declaring, "Nothing is written."

Later, Lawrence even goes so far as to proclaim of his own bold plans, "That is written — in here" (tapping his head). Eventually Sharif is forced to admit, "Truly, for some men, nothing is written, unless they write it."

If you've never seen Lawrence of Arabia, now might would be an appropriate time to do so.

Veterans Day Links

Everybody huddle up and take a knee.

It's Veterans Day, today. For those of you who may not know, the hostilities of World War I ended, ninety-five years ago today, on November 11, 1918. The following year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of "Armistice Day". The original idea was that November 11 was to be a celebration of the end of Word War I.

However, in 1954, after World War II and the Korean War were both over, Congress amended the word "Armistice" and inserted the word "Veterans" so all veterans of all wars would be honored. One note of distinction: Veterans day differs from Memorial Day, in that Veterans day honors all who served in the military, while Memorial Day is specifically reserved for those who died.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England's foam

In WWII related remembrance, the Doolittle Raiders had their last toast together. Only four members of the famed Tokyo Raiders are still alive. You can see some photos of yesterday's toast and previous Doolittle gatherings here.

There will be parades throughout the US (and the world today), and the President will be participating in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Lest we forget, we will remember them. I don't care if you were a ranger, mechanic, cook, medic, grunt, pilot, or ran the laundry and bath point, you have my thanks for serving our country.

Lone Survivor Trailer

Brad had an interesting post on top war movies according to British newspaper, The Guardian. Although the Guardian's list isn't very good, the commentariat came up with a better list.

One that might make the list in the future is Lone Survivor. Lone Survivor is based on the true story of a failed SEAL team mission in Afghanistan to take out a high value Taliban leader. The mission ended up compromised and ultimately the first Medal of Honor of the Afghanistan war was awarded posthumously to one of the SEAL team members. Here's the trailer.

If it's like the book, it's not going to be a rah-rah America movie, but it will show the sacrifice that our soldiers, sailors, and airmen make in war.

Sunday Morning Open Thread

Adios, Daylight Savings Time.

On a somber note, former Federal Judge Karen Williams, a native of Orangeburg, SC, passed away yesterday morning. She was a pioneer in the legal world, and she'll be missed.

In other legal news, the race for South Carolina's Chief Justice is getting closer. Could a wild card be in the works?

Ok. Time to face the day. But first, coffee...

Monday Morning News and Open Thread - Ford TriMotor

Happy Monday.

Sorry for the fact that my blog didn't have any posts for the last couple days. I was dealing with my sister's wedding, and I left Kathleen Sebelius in charge of my website here. Can't trust her to run anything, amirite?

In local news around Columbia, my Gamecocks won a 2OT thriller over previously undefeated Missouri, which has now made the SEC East race a bit of a mess. College football is best when there's chaos, though. Could the Sugar Bowl be a possibility? Gene Sapakoff seems to think so...

Also, on a more somber note Columbia attorney Steve Morrison passed away over the weekend. I didn't know him personally, but he was a tireless advocate for better public education.

Finally, if you were outside this weekend around Columbia, you might have noticed a old looking airplane. You probably heard it before you saw it, with that classic low hum of a raidal engine. It was a Ford TriMotor, which was a treat for the aviation minded community here in the midlands. It headed out of town this morning, so if you didn't see it buzzing around Columbia, you'll have to just enjoy this photo.

The 1926 Ford TriMotor

 Enjoy your day.