Colonel Morris Davis submitted this essay to Huffington Post. He sent us a copy also.
I saw this sticker last week when I was at the old market in Charleston, South Carolina.
Those stickers are quite common and seemed innocent enough, but then I had a Glenn Beck moment where the hidden symbols became clear and revealed their deeper, darker meaning.
Where had I seen the same palm tree symbol before? BAM! – It’s that island they built in Dubai, a Muslim Middle Eastern country. And who else has a tree on their flag? Bam! – Lebanon, another Middle Eastern country that is predominately Muslim. Okay, okay, maybe I’m reading too much into the symbolism of the tree, but what about that crescent moon? BAM! – The crescent moon is an international symbol for Muslims and appears on the flags of most Islamic countries. So, there it was as plain as day right in front of me … a palm tree and a crescent moon … enough said.
Now the letters “SC” made logical sense … “Sharia Caliphate” or perhaps “Sleeper Cell.” What better way to lull the rest of the nation into complacency than pretending to be intolerant right wing bigots who love sweet tea and pulled pork and hate mosques and prayer rugs. And maybe that whole terror baby nonsense isn’t nonsense after all. Well played, Senator DeMint … or should I say Sheikh DeMint?
Agreed!
@Cato the Elder
Thanks for the clarification on the auto industry. I am trying to not be pessimistic about the chances of our auto industry surviving but I understand that it is entirely possible. A good example of where things are going is the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt. Top price for a Leaf after all discounts, etc. is right at $26,220 while the Volt is going to sell for $33,500. Volt gets 40 miles on a charge and although some of the speed cited are specious, the Leaf will allegedly get 100 miles to a charge. So will Americans pay an additional $7,280? I am doubtful at best.
@Rez
I did read your comments and that is why Forrest Gump came to mind. After all, who was it who called who “ignorant?” If you have forgotten, please see Post #5. Comments #8 and #22 are pretty good slams also, yet you say you don’t use perjorative terms. I presume you don’t live in a glass house, otherwise your repair bills would be horrific. It seems to me you can dish it out, but you have difficult taking it.
And as for your hangup about “teabags” and “teabaggers” and perhaps Cato’s “teabagges”–well, who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows. And maybe even Forrest Gump.
And a similar hangup about the term “Officer and Gentleman.” Obviously General George Patton wouldn’t have made your A list or many others I can thank of who you probably would consider “arrogant, crude or nasty…” As far as your claim that your are not “arrogant, crude,or nasty”–a fox smells its own hole first or perhaps one might say that a guilty conscience needs no accuser. I wonder if Forrest ever said that?
@Cato, re TARP
I would probably opt for the best interests of individuals rather than punishing banks. Plus my guru supports TARP. Now I get perma bear. I was thinking of perma frost. That actually is a good name. Perma Bear….hmmmmmm
And exactly who wrote #5 and #8? Was it me?
Now I did say something in #8 And I thought he had been a colonel. Is colonel a pejorative word?
if so, Mr. Davis, I apologize for calling you the rank I thought you had been and I will be sure never to use the term again. Or was the it “well educated”? Again, I thought he was a lawyer but if I was wrong about that, I apologize again Mr. Davis.
So, what did I actually say? I said I thought use of pejorative words weakens an argument and when I see it, I stop reading. “Crash! Is that my house falling down?” You know the glass one.
And “Officer and Gentlemen”, well if you weren’t, then I apologize to you both. I also didn’t know that was pejorative. I don’t consider use of vulgar terms when talking about someone to be “officer and gentleman”-like, nor to address me to begin with an analogy of stupid.
I do really appreciate it that after all this time, Moon actually allows your comments to stand about me. After all, she knows that I do not use those types of terms nor do I call someone stupid. Her response? “It’s over”. Cool
Thought you could read, Mr. Harris.
@Moon-howler
It’s that the last thing most people want is more credit. That, and I think our culture of debt is starting to change for the better. I was looking at household debt not long ago, and it was declining at a much faster rate than anyone had expected (this is a good thing IMO).
As for the jobs thing, I looked at that too. It’s a structural issue that seems to be connected to education level. For example, the unemployment rate for people with college degrees is about 4.5%, not great, but not too shabby. The unemployment rate for people with just a high school education is 10.5%. When you get to people who didn’t finish high school, the rate is a jaw-dropping 15.5%. Plus you have an aging population. All this is a recipe for structural unemployment that will continue for the forseeable future.
Toyota is actually one of the worst performers in the bunch. I don’t really see a case for selling Ford. It closed today at 12.26 and has stout support at the 11.6 – 11.8 range. Institutional money flows are increasing (these are long terms guys so it means that stock is rotating into stronger hands). Yes, their margins could be better but what they’re doing is ramping production of light trucks into the emerging markets (these are their highest margin vehicles) so I think this problem should abate. They have the best management team in the business and they’re a shining example of how labor and management can work together if they put their minds to it. IMO Ford is something that you can let hang around your portfolio and feel good about.
Unless of course you think the market is going to tank. If you believe this by all means sell 🙂
@Rez
Rez–the #5 and #8 belonged to Slowpoke and therefore I apologize to you. But #50 is definitely yours and the language you use certainly falls within the range of “arrogant, crude or nasty”. As to the ability to read–I can and do and don’t hide behind some phoney name. Officer and a Gentleman is not a perjorative term except as you use it; i.e., you put it on the end of a sharp stick and poke people in the eye with it. THAT is arrogant, crude and nasty. I guess you don’t have any mirrors in your glass house.
@George S. Harris
You are absolutely right, George.
I apologize for using the term “Officer and Gentlemen”. Had I known that using sarcasm was “arrogant, crude and nasty” I would have avoided it at all costs.
I must make sure to adhere to your standards of good taste.
Let’s see, “stupid is as stupid does.” Have to remember your teachings in the future. It sure showed me the way to enlightenment.
By the way, under what name I post is irrelevant and none of your business You have chosen yours and I have chosen mine. So please stop trying to dictate to people how they post until they truly use vulgar terms, which I will do as well in the future.
@Rez
I’m not trying to dictate anything to anyone, but I guess you haven’t figured that out. As I said it is not the term “Officer and Gentlemen” that is the problem–it is your sarcastic use of the term. And yes, sarcasm can be and is “arrogant, crude and nasty”, but I would not expect you to agree nor do I give a rat’s behind if you do or don’t. I think you must have some hang up about officers, which is very apparent since you go out of your way to degrade those of us who have had the privilege of being officers–serving at the pleasure of the President of the United States . And finally, as far as I am concerned, “Officer and Gentleman” is the name of a movie not some part any appointment document I received. Perhaps you have one that does.
@Cato the Elder
Thanks for your analysis of how education affects employability. In this time of high unemployment, employers are raising the bar, even for entry level jobs. Highschools, community colleges and undergraduate schools appear are not reacting to this and thus ever greater portions of the potential workforce are not prepared or ready enter the labor market. I saw the same sort of thing happen with the military–when things are flush, recruiting standards are high but when manpower shortage occur, the standards are lowered. I think there is a large segment of young people who have figured out that highschool simply is not enough unless they have gone to a vocational school, which may or may not have prepared them to enter the workforce–much of that depends on whether the schools have established a good rapport with local employers This country spent more than a decade coming out of the Great Depression and even then it took a war to make that happen. Of course, the WWII GI bill did much to help returning veterans pull themselves up to a living standard higher than that of their parents.
@George S. Harris
Actually, I have absolutely no hang-ups about officers. But you have no problem criticizing me when you don’t have any idea of my background.
In case you missed it, the sarcasm was purely limited and did not include all officers.
It was the gentleman part that was the sarcastic part.
Remember, “stupid is as stupid does” and something about a fox. Who started that stuff? Was it me?
I seem to recall, and I checked to make sure, that my post #50 was said in response to a direct attack on me by calling me stupid. And the conversation I was having without sarcasm before was simply that I did not like the term that had been used.
It only continued about the use of the term because the reply was that Mr. Davis only refers to some people that way. Sure sounds like what I used to hear growing up–“I only call some African American that, not all of them.” (Of course I recognize that African American is not the term that people were called in those days).
So, it warranted some attack by you directed at me? I would not say that you displayed gentlemanly behavior but you may see it differently. You even admitted that I didn’t say the things that you accused me of, but you have continued your rant. Who might have started that? Is it easy to look outside at your house since it also may be made of glass. Oh wait, you said that about me didn’t you?
So up until you attacked me, what exactly did I write to warrant being called stupid? I don’t mind apologizing when I am wrong, how about you?
Most gentlemen would when they are wrong.
Your attempt to accuse Moe Davis of perjorative language and the fact you were upset that others did not wish to lower themselves to accept your interpretation of “teabagger” brought out the “stupid is as stupid does” comment. If you wish to live on the dark side and find evil in the remarks of others–so be it. I hope this Rachel Maddow discussion of “teabagging” come through–very funny and very interesting.
@George S. Harris
The above comment was addressed to Rez–and apparently I can’t figure out how to embed something–too bad.
@George S. Harris
First, Mr Harris, according to my Webster’s dictionary, pejorative means “having negative connotations especially : tending to disparage or belittle.” Mr. Davis indicated that he does not use the term to mean all from the Tea Party, only for certain people with not great attributes. Would not a reasonable person look at the response to say that he was using it in a pejorative context especially if he knew its meaning?
But since I flunked mind reading, if Mr. Davis were to tell me that he meant it only in a loving sense, I would apologize to him and repeat that I still found it an unseemly word and would not continue to read whatever argument he was putting forth if he used the term. I am sure he would not be so terribly upset if I didn’t read his argument.
So I am still wondering how stating my opinion about its usage and how I do not continue to look at the argument when words of that nature are use, is living on the dark side and asking that people “lower themselves.”
When Moon replied that she doesn’t censor the term, I pointed out that I did not ask for any censorship. Heck I didn’t even ask Mr. Davis to retract it. I simply told him (I thought nicely) that I didn’t like the word and its effect on me.
Now you come into the discussion with guns blazing and call me stupid. And you have continued it with more and more comments.
By the way, I don’t watch Rachel Maddow any more than I watch Beck, Hannity or Limbaugh. I can form my own opinions by doing research on my own and I don’t form my opinions without actually seeing the facts. So even if you had posted it, I would not have looked at it. I don’t see reliable facts presented by any of the commentators.
So we continue to see that you can’t seem to get through a post without using terms like “lower themselves” presumably meaning I am low, that I live on the dark side (because I indicated my dislike for a word) and that I am finding “evil” when Mr. Davis himself said that he was reserving his use of the word for people who have displayed the attributes he does not like (think that is part that pejorative word means).
I am starting to enjoy this discussion. It is through discussions like this that we can see one’s personality, don’t you think?