42 Comments

1. Doug:

A Quiet Day @ the UCLA Library:
YouTube – UCLA Student Tasered by Police in Library

Big Brass Blog – Police Taser a Student in the Library

Nov 9, 2008 - 2:09 am 2. Pascal:

What you write here today Wretchard ties back to what I wrote a few years ago.

I am convinced this is a major reason that the :intelligent” world works tirelessly to belittle and eliminate the influence of Judeo-Christian ethics.

Meanwhile, to those who follow Abrahamic creeds, or the others who have adopted the optimistic view he helped create, the proof of your faith is that you do not deliberately take innocent human life. And the sacrifice of each new generation is to dedicate themselves to doing all that they can do to protect innocents. No matter whether it’s God gifted or by nature given, human intelligence is humanity’s greatest resource. A second gift, though I fear too many have been encouraged into believing it’s a shortcoming, is humility. You are not God. This humility comes with understanding that one is not the source of his own intelligence. Humility should help prevent the overly bright from thinking they are like God. It unfortunately rarely appears in those who need that gift the most.

And from all that is derived what major wars have already been fought over and worse ones may yet be fought. That no man, and no lesser god, has the right to decide who may live and who may die in the same manner that herds of animals are kept in check.

The difference between a life affirming religion and all the other belief systems is this central message.

Our secular world has been indoctrinating the whole globe with the notion that the world is endangered by it being burdened by too many people. It does not see that human intelligence is our greatest resource. It sees greater and lesser lights. It decides who is better and who is worse. Its influence has redirected society’s concerns: from discouraging people from harming themselves and others into encouraging the human to explore wherever he feels inclined; it tries to belittle or obscure histories that warn of consequences from poor or risky choices. It shrugs at NAMBLA and is angered by the Boy Scouts. It decides who should be saved and who should not be. It decides whom to come to the aid of and whom should be abandoned. Who is innocent and who is not becomes one of being deemed so by those who play god, not by anything unthreatening the subjugated creature chooses to do or not do. Those who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob clearly pose an obstacle to those who don’t believe that such a God exists. “Since no such God exists, who will do the providing? No. NO. Stand aside. Let us brilliant ones, unencumbered by an outdated morality, take on the role of God. Someone must!”

These two messages are incompatible.

There will be conflict over this. It has already begun.

Nov 9, 2008 - 2:32 am 3. Pat Patterson:

How soon before this is fictionalized as a Law and Order episode? Plus owing to the poverty of Nigeria that $170 is slightly over half of the average income for an adult Nigerian, $300!

Plus owing to the participation of a witch doctor in the criminal enterprise then the blessing bestowed on Gov. Palin might not be as idiotic as portrayed by the Left.

Nov 9, 2008 - 3:07 am 4. Charles:

Its very good to school the board the on OT.

You can’t understand NT without understanding OT.

18th century America had a very firm grasp of both.

You can’t talk western civilization without knowing western civ founding docs.

Modern education steeps students in too-smart-by-half-english & french philosophers and totally stupid 19th century german philosophers.

Nov 9, 2008 - 7:30 am 5. Charles:

The anglican church today is going through a crack up. Conservative African churches are breaking away from Church hq in England because the brits allow homosexuality in the priest hood. (this is the same church that thinks sharia law is ok.)

In the USA some of the anglican churches are joining the african communion. others are going with the church in england.

the nigerian anglican churches are fighting especially hard against the english anglicans. the reason imho is that witchcraft of all kinds including human sacrifice is becoming more frequent in Nigeria. They have no room for error. Likely too they have read Romans 1 which lays out the case that worshiping the creature rather than the Creator–leads to sexual deviancy.(Therefor homosexuality in the anglican priesthood is just a sign of far deeper problems.)

Nov 9, 2008 - 7:43 am 6. Mark:

Pascal writes:

“It shrugs at NAMBLA and is angered by the Boy Scouts.”

Rorty, patron saint of secularity, argues that fairness requires that we do not allow “comprehensive narratives” to dominate public discourse.

Judeo-Christian doctrine and tradition is such a comprehensive narrative. Therefore it represents a hegemonizing discourse that is unfair and must be diminished and restricted since by its nature it endeavors to suppress other narratives. Rorty’s analysis reflects and molds much of contemporary political and legal rights analysis.

Of course one can argue, in response, that limiting ‘comprehensive’ narratives from pubic discourse removes a contending narrative from the arena of narratives. In effect, the narrative that would preclude comprehensive narrative from engaging in the public sphere is itself a comrehensive narrative, i.e. of secularity.

Such a counter-argument has not been successful.

“Universal human rights” have been redefined as something like “checks and balances on hegemonic influences that threaten the autonomy of diverse political communities Almost comically, the most virulently hegemonic narrative, Islam, gets a pass as a contending voice that must have an opportunity to present its narrative.

To take an outlying example, but one which Pascal, above, is quite correct in selecting, NAMBLA becomes a narrative with its own credentials (albeit a group that no one wants to acknowledge as having credentials).

We now have a president-elect who is immersed in Rorty-influenced legal critical theory. I guess it would have been asking too much for the high-end media examine the implications of this theory for domestic and international policy. But why should they examine for flaws and possible harmful effects a philosophy they seem to totally agree with?

Nov 9, 2008 - 8:34 am 7. cedarford:

A Nigerian version of puppy mills, because no one wants the “strays”. Better a baby from scratch than take in a young 8-year old thug and pickpocket well habituated to violence – into your family.
It seems counterintutive given out of control African breeding rates now pushing the Continent up to a billion from only 120 million in 1900 – but by the time you have “excess” unemployed boys and young men who are teariing down Africa’s teeming, fetid cities and young girls and women worn down in the fields and harsh labor – you have apparantly reached a point where they are unwanted human garbage that cannot be used as readily as the “purpose-bred baby” it seems.

Unlike puppy mills, I suspect many of the bred await less kindly fate than the typical bought puppy. Better than being a “stray” though, it seems.

If Africa wants humans, black humans – to have value and respect again – it must have a sustainable breeding regime, with each child wanted and having a future with a job, a husband with a job, or a little land or wedding dowry waiting.

Nov 9, 2008 - 8:41 am 8. Mark:

Excuse me . . . forgot to mention my main political point:

The reason the left must destroy Sarah Palin is because she represents a comprehensive narrative, and the only comprehensive narrative that stands in the way of a fully Rortian public sphere. Palina delenda est. Palin must be destroyed.

It’s o.k. for minority groups to engage in attavistic practices such as praying for protection against witchcraft, but having one of our leaders do this, or carry a Down’s baby to term, is truly not acceptable.

You can understand why I like her so much!

Nov 9, 2008 - 8:45 am 9. Cascajun:

A populace filled with hope and faith in their elites…when Agathocles defeated Carthage, the Carthaginian nobles believed they had displeased the gods by substituting low-born children for their own children. They attempted to make amends by sacrificing 200 children of the best families at once, and in their enthusiasm actually sacrificed 300 children.

Nov 9, 2008 - 8:46 am 10. Pascal:

Charles, this morning I am saddened at how poorly I inserted that excerpt. It was late and I was troubled. I will try and do a better job of tying that insight to this thread.

If you are saying that old institutions are losing their way because they have forgotten their most core principle, then perhaps I need say no more.

Abraham found that ram with its head tangled in a thorn bush, and Jesus’ tormentors crowned him with thorns.

The message was formerly made in Gen 22: The Creator desired man to cease sacrificing his innocents to gods moulded by man. The message was repeated in the Gospels: The Creator even went so far as to let men sacrifice His Son to let us know that it is not His will that such be done. Where man will commit such grievous sin, they do it at their will. Where the institution stands silent and says amen, they commend the sin and lead their flocks astray, and again it is their will and not His. It is each man’s will that sentences him to the long death; it is not His will. Is there not one NT passage that suggests that some sins — related here today — even He will not forgive?

We are each faced with this clear demarcation. I have even attempted to make it acceptable to those who are not believers. Don’t believe in the Creator or His Son? How about merely being optimistic oh secular world?

Nov 9, 2008 - 8:49 am 11. Charles:

If you are saying that old institutions are losing their way because they have forgotten their most core principle, then perhaps I need say no more.
…………
yes this is what I’m saying.

Nov 9, 2008 - 8:53 am 12. chris:

“Choice” is Moloch’s preferred title now, as in the Freedom of Choice Act that Obama wants to sign as his first presidential act (speech to Planned Parenthood 6/17/07).

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:02 am 13. Pascal:

strike formerly, replace with formally.

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:03 am 14. Charles:

Pascal,

but your longer exegesis is right on too.

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:11 am 15. bvw:

Votes obey Gresham’s Law.

The bad drives out the good.

Maye it is that Obama’s infant left in a closet to die is tomorrow’s valuable national resource, when saved and sold into chattel slavery. Obama, after all, is a descendant on both maternal and (purported) paternal sides of slave-owners and traders, and not known to to have any slave ancestors.

Bid for Action: Change! Hope! Hope! Change! Change! Hope! Hope! Hope! Change …

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:18 am 16. Pascal:

Thanks Charles for 14. It would be a blessing were it common that I was told that.

Were that message common understanding, it would provide the counter-argument to Rorty, Mark’s wider point at number 6. The “intelligent” need to override basic human decency to foist acceptance of human husbandry. This is what C4 keeps saying. Hitler gets the blame but he was not alone in decrying “that Jewish disease” — Christianity.

One overriding comprehensive narrative for overseers demands suppression of the comprehensive narrative that would preserve the overseen.

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:36 am 17. gumshoe:

“One overriding comprehensive narrative for overseers demands suppression of the comprehensive narrative that would preserve the overseen.”

or put another way:

“demoralization makes it *possible* to ride the herd” ??

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:47 am 18. Pascal:

Change that to dehumanization and you understand C S Lewis’ The Abolition of Man.

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:50 am 19. gumshoe:

it’s not the “ad-world” teenage sensationalism of this that grates…
but read the copy:

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/events/Dexterous-Marketing/

“Fake blood fountains and fictitious news stands – we can’t wait to see they do next season”

Rorty should be proud.

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:52 am 20. Charles:

Pascal

Rorty’s argument is a smokescreen. they are not about substituting one comprehensive narrative with nothing. They are about substituting one comprehensive narrative with another comprehensive narrative. The “new” comprehensive narrative is the culture of death.

Nov 9, 2008 - 10:15 am 21. gumshoe:

“The “new” comprehensive narrative is the culture of death.”

preferrably someone else’s,of course.

Nov 9, 2008 - 10:18 am 22. bogie wheel:

Charles -

I was about to say something similar. They’re not interested in counter-arguments because they’re not interested in dialogue. Only monologue. Their monologue.

They no longer internalize the law of non-contradiction. Which is why you can’t argue with them in the classical sense. They see no problem with contradicting themselves. The whole concept of “contradiction” as a negative value in logic has flown out the window. You might as well say “beige” or “marshmallow” or “Pauly Shore” to them … it would have about as much resonance.

Interesting how those committed to genuine competition in the marketplace also tend to be those committed to competition of ideas … and those who are anti-competition are anti-competition everywhere.

Nov 9, 2008 - 10:29 am 23. Pascal:

Charles @20. Exactly.

Nov 9, 2008 - 10:36 am 24. Mike Sylwester:

I’m sure these births are being arranged for childless couples to adopt. The births are not being arranged in order produce children to become slave laborers and prostitutes. What’s the evidence for that claim?

About a decade ago there was a business where pregnant women were imported into the USA from East Europe and the former Soviet Union. The women arrived with tourist visas, gave birth in US hospitals, gave their babies up for adoption and then returned home. The US Government intended to prosecute the business, and I translated some of the women’s statements.

The women were cheated a lot. They never got most of the money that had been promised to them. There wasn’t anything they could do about getting cheated, but a few complained and so there was an investigation.

The women should never have received US tourist visas in the first place. They were ordinary young women who didn’t know anybody here and had no business here.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there still are such businesses.

Nov 9, 2008 - 11:03 am 25. Pascal:

Wretchard observed at the top:

“In an age where strength has become synonymous with barbarism, it is important to remember that weakness is no virtue in itself. Evil is attracted to the defenseless and it is no accident that infants, the weakest humans of all, were at the center of the sacrificial cult of Moloch….

We live in age of the concentration camp oven, the post-partum dumpster and infant trafficking. Moloch is still with us.”

Were I fully awake early this morning the following excerpt would have been included up at number 2.

In short, our institutions are being directed on precisely the course [postmodernist] “Progressive” leaders would chart once they were unalterably convinced that population has no other solution but life reduction.

The preferred method is the passive aggression typically exemplified by so many world leaders. For instance, look for the U.N. to claim moral authority to be guardian of the lives of the world’s downtrodden, and then watch it adopt a non-interference stance toward almost any murdering agent that may arise.

I now emphasized the last sentence as it foreshadowed WHY Wretchard’s report is real not a fictional nightmare.

Thankfully, Charles read what I wrote and steered the conversation to better fit that which Wretchard calls our attention.

Nov 9, 2008 - 11:06 am 26. freetofly:

I can’t compete in this intellectual conversation. I just wanted to thank you for this very important article. I know what you say here to be true. We are living in a space of time where the truth is everywhere, and no one seems to care. Too many don’t know the history of our past, as outlined in the OT. Most know about the grace available in the NT, and stop there.

We are repeating the mistakes of the past. The sin of the past. Like is said in Judges “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

God bless you and keep you.

Nov 9, 2008 - 11:45 am 27. Pascal:

Sylwester: “The births are not being arranged in order produce children to become slave laborers and prostitutes. What’s the evidence for that claim?”

As Wretchard said, those were the lucky ones. By still living they cannot be among the charred remains suggestive of organ harvesters.

Let us see, hmmm.

We have your authoritative assurance that these lesser crimes are without evidence.

But we have evidence of the greater crimes.

There must be a huge gap in your world where people can be raised to provide body parts and yet — somehow — other less drastic uses of their bodies NEVER entered the minds of the cultivators. Thanks very much Mike. Your reassurance is magical.

Nov 9, 2008 - 11:57 am 28. Pascal:

By way of Bogie wheel’s point at number 22, Sylwester sees no contradiction in his cry for evidence. Let me put his post in rational sequence.

“Sure Wretchard, I’m not contending that you have evidence of human cultivators who merely murder, but where’s your evidence that they go on monstrously to enslave and even — gasp — offer their “products” for prostitution?”

Nov 9, 2008 - 12:20 pm 29. Wadeusaf:

To bring a human, morally, to the point where owning another human being is no great deal, nor the death of a human being is anything more than a hiccup on the road to prosperity takes an especially lurid kind of self deceit. These are actions that despite the walling of conscious and against the extraordinary mores of history, are engaged in knowingly and after a time willingly. It is an illness that no amount of contrition can cure other than death itself. To engage in such practices is an invitation to the death on ever conceivable level of the human spirit. May whatever power you believe in have mercy on those who engage in human trafficking. I will grant none.

Nov 9, 2008 - 12:39 pm 30. Leo Linbeck III:

Good stuff. A topic worth engaging.

The philosophical core of “the concentration camp oven, the post-partum dumpster and infant trafficking” is the notion that some human beings have greater value than others. Germans are worth more than Jews, gypsies, gays, and members of the underground. Women are worth more than fetuses. Western babies with a terminal illness are worth more than Nigerian babies with healthy organs.

The Judeo-Christian culture – with elements wonderfully described above by Pascal et. al. – has always had this fundamental notion that each human stands as an equal before God. This does not mean that everyone is equal; that is absurd and clearly contradicted by our personal experience. Rather, God is infinite, and therefore as finite beings we are all equal on a comparative basis (1/infinity = 1,000,000,000,000/infinity).

The practical implications of this cultural norm are extremely important. Without equality before God, all sorts of horrible behavior is easily justified by the perpetrator, who is the only one who needs justification. It is but a small stretch to say that the belief in fundamental inequality has been the source of all the great evils: communism (vanguard>proletariat>bourgeoisie), Nazism (Aryans>everyone), Rwanda (Hutus>Tutsis), apartheid (whites>blacks), slavery (masters>slaves), the Inquisition (Catholics>Protestants), jihadism (Moslems>everyone), materialism (rich>poor), eugenics (beautiful>ugly, smart>dumb, light skin>dark skin, etc.), and so on. Add to the list as you see fit.

In all cases, it’s “Us” vs. “Them,” which always implies Us>Them.

This is why the fight is always so difficult for those of us on the Us=Them team. We’re not really saying we’re better in some ontological sense. We’re saying they’re not better than us. This is, by its nature, a defensive argument, which is why just wars are defensive. But it’s hard to win on defense, a fact that multi-cultis have turned to their advantage. And there is always the fact that the best defense is a good offense, which tempts us into buying into the same Us>Them logic. But we do so at the cost of our own soul.

Population control is an excellent example of an intellectual tradition founded upon Us>Them inequality. When “population” is determined to be a problem in need of solution, the next step is to decide who to control to solve the problem. The world is quickly divided into those who “breed responsibly” and those who need to be spayed or neutered like a dog. Initially, attempts are made to convince people that birth control is in their interest. But when these attempts fail to address the “problem,” birth control is imposed. One couple, one child. Abort or abandon.

Not much of a choice.

L3

Nov 9, 2008 - 2:16 pm 31. Mike Sylwester:

Pascal:
“Sylwester sees no contradiction in his cry for evidence. Let me put his post in rational sequence.”
==========

First of all, let’s all recognize that the article does not provide any evidence. The article says:

[quote]

In other cases observers say babies are purchased to be raised for child labour and sexual abuse or prostitution.

[unquote]

What other cases? What observers? The author somehow forgot to specify any details. The article sure is a lot more sensational, however, with such mysterious speculations.

Now, let’s apply some common-sense thought. Can anybody here argue seriously that it would make any sense for anybody to operate such a baby-making business for the purpose of selling older children as slave laborers and prostitutes.

Childless people do want to purchase infants. Who else wants to purchase infants? Nobody.

Not even in Nigeria are there any pimps who are interested in buying infants so that they can sell them ten or more years in the future as prostitutes. If a pimp wants a ten-year-old child to work as a prostitute, then he’ll go find a child who is ten years old right now.

When someone provides no evidence for an absurd claim, then I think we should demand some evidence.

Nov 9, 2008 - 2:44 pm 32. Mike Sylwester:

The usual claim is that the rich USA buys poor people in Latin America and then kills them for their kidneys, hearts, lungs, corneas and other transplantable body parts.

What’s the usual evidence? “Some observers” say there were “some cases” — about the same quality of evidence as provided in this article.

Right now, I myself have a dozen infants for sale for $170 apiece. Any one of you can buy one and raise it for then next 15 years and then sell it as a prostitute. Who here thinks that is a good deal? Think of all the profit you’ll earn!!!

Nov 9, 2008 - 3:08 pm 33. James:

Largely agreed. The infants must be for Western adoptions/sale, with a few supplying the local body-parts-for-magic market. Incidental fees associated with adoptions could be big bucks. It would be too much effort to raise them for slaves or prostitutes; with one caveat. The belief that sex with a virgin cures AIDS is widespread in Africa.

Nov 9, 2008 - 6:14 pm 34. RattlerGator:

I hesitate to add this; and because I’m rushing I probably shouldn’t but feel compelled to go ahead and hit the submit button.

You appear to have a very serious lack of imagination, Mike Sylwester, and an equally serious lack of appreciation of what humans are routinely capable of. Both of which appear to be exceeded only by the blind certainty that you may with some degree of certainty place yourself within the context of Nigeria and accurately determine — in the absence of documented evidence to the contrary — what is reality.

You ask and answer: Who else wants to purchase infants? Nobody, you claim.

Really?

I think you are profoundly wrong about that. And although I can’t with clarity say why, I have an image of Mullah Omar in my mind right now, smugly staring at me through the video camera and asking of American concerns about Taliban atrocities and 9/11 connections, “Where is your proof? What proof do you have.”

Mike Sylwester; human creativity and criminal enterprises. Think about it some more.

Nov 9, 2008 - 6:24 pm 35. Wadeusaf:

I don’t know about the body part scam scenario, however, kids who are not readily adoptable cannot be counted as an asset, by any stretch. They have already been dehumanized in the slave master’s eyes, and narrowly made into a fungible commodity with not too great a trade value outside of cultural settings or inclinations toward other urges.

Nov 9, 2008 - 7:13 pm 36. outa my league:

Sylwester – The Nazis didn’t bother to sell the Jews, but they did harvest their teeth.

Nov 9, 2008 - 8:15 pm 37. nichevo:

“27. Pascal:

Sylwester: “The births are not being arranged in order produce children to become slave laborers and prostitutes. What’s the evidence for that claim?”

As Wretchard said, those were the lucky ones. By still living they cannot be among the charred remains suggestive of organ harvesters.

Let us see, hmmm.

We have your authoritative assurance that these lesser crimes are without evidence.

But we have evidence of the greater crimes.

There must be a huge gap in your world where people can be raised to provide body parts and yet — somehow — other less drastic uses of their bodies NEVER entered the minds of the cultivators. Thanks very much Mike. Your reassurance is magical.
Nov 9, 2008 – 11:57 am”

May I interrupt with a little fact here? As a veteran donor of whole blood, platelets, and bone marrow stem cells, and a longtime friend of a young man who had two kidney transplants, I can tell you that getting a good match is not a matter of going in where life is cheapest. Cedarford will be pleased to know that different ethnic groups usually prefer (i.e. have the best results with) transplanted tissues from those more or less of their own kind, to put it crudely. A black/Puerto-Rican six-year-old with leukemia will probably have the closest match with a black/Puerto-Rican donor.

THOUGH THIS IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE, it is probable.

I do know that some ethnic communities are underserved with tissue matching for, say stem cells, because even when a rapper like Nelly puts on a benefit for a sick relative, response is very low. It may disagree with some cultures or religious or ethnic practices that I don’t know about, though all major religions permit it, I believe.

But the idea that a rich American, European or PacRim type, overwhelmingly likely to be nonblack, is going to seek for the most probable candidate for matching his or her vital organ (and the price of a mismatch is organ rejection) in a Saharan or Gold Coast entrépot brimming with malnutrition, disease and wickedness? Not on.

Unless you think there are enough African potentates, or world potentates with African blood, to support it. Or will pay for endless recruiting and tissue typing (and those phlebotomies and tests may be less in Africa but they aren’t free) in hopes of striking lucky. Or that African medicine negates HLAs.

Nov 9, 2008 - 9:23 pm 38. Thrasymachus:

People in the West do not appreciate the extent to which women and children are protected here. In other places life is very cheap, most people are not tracked or accounted for, and if they disappear nobody misses them. The police are few and uninvolved.

Nov 9, 2008 - 10:06 pm 39. aaron:

Men, women, and children have been impressed into servitude since history started being written down.

I would also suggest that slavery and prostitution are more common and closer than we’d like to believe.

Raising a child to be a slave, part of a harem, or to be a prostitute, is probably much much easier than subjugation of the unwilling. They’ll never know the difference, if they’ve never seen the options.

Of course, if they fail to participate, or get used up, it’s quite easy to kill them and have no-one be the wiser. Much harder if you uproot them from families, where they might be missed, or maybe even looked for.

I would suggest that people aren’t only sacrificed to pagan gods, but also to the pride of those who would wield power over others.

Nov 10, 2008 - 1:13 pm 40. Roderick Reilly:

Wow, at $2500 a pop, Madonna could probably buy them by the dozens. She could train them to be dancers when she puts Lourdes on tour.

Nov 10, 2008 - 4:10 pm 41. The Count:

I too thought of the Altar of Molech in a recent post of mine Obama’s Abortion Extremism.

The desire for Obama’s social justice platform was so great that people were willing to risk a drastic increase in abortions via the Freedom of Choice Act. Sacrifice the children for what you hold most dear.

Nov 10, 2008 - 11:15 pm 42. Ms. Know:

These churches here in the US are doing the same thing, by selling babies, and if they throw their support behind the elitist illuminati, it gets swept under the door. Where’s the media when you need them?

Nov 15, 2008 - 9:20 am

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