SodaHead - Art's Blog

LDS Church Issues Statement on Proposition 8 Protest

2008-11-13T00:04:39Z

+17 raves

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories... " It is disturbing that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being singled out for speaking up as part of its democratic right in a free election. Members of the Church in California and millions of others from every faith, ethnicity and political affiliation who voted for Proposition 8 exercised the most sacrosanct and individual rights in the United States — that of free expression and voting. While those who disagree with our position on Proposition 8 have the right to make their feelings known, it is wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process. Once again, we call on those involved in the debate over same-sex marriage to act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility towards each other. No one on either side of the question should be vilified, harassed or subject to erroneous information. " ######## We have seen vandalism, cyber-attacks and massive defamation perpetrated against the LDS church by some people who opposed the passing of California's proposition 8. This is the response from the LDS church. I do not represent the LDS church in any way but it seems to me there should be a more vigorous defense given the scale of the attacks.

LDS Temple Protest in Los Angeles

2008-11-08T22:31:27Z

Art

+17 raves

Few bloggers/journalists reveal their bias. I will. My name is Art and I am a Mormon. Despite the fact that I am hardly a 'showcase' member of the LDS church, I support church leadership and defend fellow members. I am confident my bias in favor of the LDS church does not interfere with me telling the truth. *Notice I did not try to play 'gotcha', I treated all sides with respect and if any person politely asked I not put them on camera, I respected their wishes.* On Thursday, November 6th, protesters against the passing of California's proposition 8 targeted the Los Angeles Temple of the LDS church. The majority of the protesters were peaceful. Some made a somewhat reasonable case in favor of their position: Many protesters knew they opposed proposition 8 but did not exactly have their facts straight. Some protesters carried provocative signs but were not really as angry as their signs implied: Some protesters crossed the line from being misinformed to full-fledged defamation: Some protesters were open about hating Mormons. Is it acceptable to hate Orthodox Jews and Muslims too? I observed graffiti on the walls of the temple, trash and signs thrown on the lawn and protesters frequently ran into the street to stop traffic. The LAPD blocked traffic to protect the protesters from a traffic collision. Some protesters were looking to debate members of the church that showed up to clean-up the graffiti and trash. Some protesters were profane and hostile. (The man in the Raider's jacket later threatened to take my camera from me and smash it into the ground.) For full disclosure, I did see about a dozen members of the church walking along the perimeter of the temple giving the protesters angry looks but I saw no violence or insults coming from these members. Perhaps the most disturbing moment for me came when I witnessed an argument between a more moderate protester and a person who seemed more militant. The argument was over how far protesters should go to make their point. The more hard-line protester literally believes members of the church are murdering gay people. Some of the protesters were people who at one time were members themselves. It was this man who made what I consider the most compelling argument against prop 8. The members who showed up to clean up the vandalism at the temple asked that the protesters respect the democratic process: Temple work was disrupted and members who were scheduled to perform temple work joined in the clean up: I feel especially connected to this event. One of my close friends was a protester (he asked I not reveal his image or name and I have honored this request), one of the LAPD present is a man I worked for years earlier and the Los Angeles Temple is a place I consider sacred. This event is particularly disturbing. It has become acceptable to target a group of religious people based on their values, defame their history and their honor and to use the power of the government to attack their finances. The message from the activist wing of the anti-prop 8 crowd was clear...vote against them and they will retaliate 'by any means necessary'.

Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio and SodaHead?

2008-10-26T07:47:41Z

Art

+14 raves

It was a warm summer in Los Angeles in 1957 when Irving was invited to dinner with his brother and his brother's wife in their modest Los Angeles home. Irving was in his early twenties and a law school student. After dinner, Irving left his brother's apartment on Waring Avenue but all was not well. Irving noticed a car following him. Irving's suspicions turned to fear because despite his advanced driving skills, he was unable to 'lose the tail'. It seemed Irving was being followed by a professional. Irving drove to an intersection frequented by the LAPD followed closely by this other car. Irving was fortunate enough to find a uniformed LAPD officer so he seized the moment, ran to the police and informed them that he was being followed and feared for his safety. Police stopped the car following Irving and approached it with caution. As the LAPD officers shouted for the driver to exit, the driver opened his door and the police said 'how you doing, Phil?' The LAPD officers recognized Phil because he was actually an off-duty LAPD officer, Phil Irwin! Irving was both embarrassed and confused. Why would an off-duty LAPD officer follow him, a student at USC law school? Well there was a very good reason why but Irving would not find out until weeks later. You see, Irving's brother had married a woman (Sheila Renour) who wanted to be a singer. Irving's sister-in-law enrolled in classes with the greatest voice coach in Los Angeles, Fred Karger: Fred Karger was a voice coach to several famous actresses including Marily Monroe and Jane Wyman. It seems that Irving's sister-in-law got along quite well with her new friends Jane Wyman and Marilyn Monroe. In point of fact, Marilyn Monroe got along VERY well with their voice coach, Fred Karger and the two struck-up a romance. There was only one problem with the Marily Monroe/Fred Karger romance. Marily Monroe was married to one of the greatest center fielders ever to play the game of baseball, Joe DiMaggio. In order to hide the affair from her famous husband, Marilyn Monroe reached-out to her fellow student in voice class Sheila Renour, who offered her modest apartment periodically. By using the home of Irving's sister-in-law, Marilyn Monroe could enjoy her trysts out of the public eye and behind the back of her husband Joe DiMaggio. Or so she thought. Half a century ago in Los Angeles, much like today, a celebrity cannot keep the juicy details of their personal life a secret. It was not long until 'Jiltin Joe' got wind of his wife's infidelities and Joe DiMaggio did not take the news well. Joe DiMaggio hired a private detective to follow his wife, the infamous Barney Ruditsky. Barney Ruditsky was known for having connections among the LAPD and less savory characters. It was Barney Ruditsky that hired off-duty LAPD officer Phil Irwin to watch the modest apartment on Waring. The same apartment that Irving had left after having dinner with his brother and his brother's wife. If only Irving had known that the apartment where he had been invited to have dinner with his brother was the part-time love nest of Marilyn Monroe and Fred Karger he might have understood why an off-duty LAPD officer might be following him. http://www.hamptonlandmarks.com/GetThumb.ashx?file=DATI_maril... But this is not why the apartment on Waring is famous. The modest apartment on Waring is famous because it was actually a duplex. Irving's brother lived upstairs and the owner, Florence Kotz Ross downstairs. Irving's brother was renting from Mrs. Ross, a quiet, elderly lady who appreciated the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. When Joe DiMaggio received confirmation from his private detective that his wife, Marilyn Monroe was at the apartment on Waring, he assembled a raiding party to storm the love nest and catch his wife 'in the act'. Joe DiMaggio called-in private dick, Barney Ruditsky and associates as well as his close friend, a crooner from New Jersey. Joe DiMaggio led the charge into the apartment on Waring wielding an ax and followed by a column of menacing characters. As the door crashed, you could hear a woman scream in terror! The woman screaming was Florence Kotz Ross in the downstairs apartment. Joe DiMaggio had received true but flawed intelligence. His wife was in-fact cuckolding him with her voice coach but what the detectives failed to realize was that Marilyn Monroe was in the upstairs apartment. When the raiding party broke-down the door of the ground floor apartment, Marilyn Monroe and her lover and were able to escape discovery and flee the upstairs apartment. Joe DiMaggio's raiding party failed to catch Marilyn Monroe 'in the act'. (There were no weapons of mass deception found.) Joe DiMaggio's raiding party had raided the wrong door. When police arrived they interviewed the witness and victim, Florence Kotz Ross. The police noted in their report that the suspects bore a very close resemblance to Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra. Evidence of the trespass was presented to a Los Angeles grand jury. Apparently Angelenos of the day loved Joe DiMaggio too much and frowned upon infidelity because no order to show probably cause for a crime was found by the grand jury. In other words, Joe DiMaggio would not face charges. A subsequent civil trial however, resulted in a cash settlement for Florence Kotz Ross and the event became a part of Los Angeles celebrity history. What is the tie to SodaHead, you ask? Well Irving graduated law school and became an attorney. Eventually Irving married and had a family. One of Irving's sons would go on to co-found a website known as SodaHead. ...and THAT my friends is the REST of the story!

Epic Fail for Code Pink

2008-09-25T20:45:48Z

Art

+16 raves

On 9-1-2008 I detailed the attempt by Code Pink protesters to smear an innocent cop: 'How to fabricate a 'Police Brutality' media event by Code Pink' http://www.sodahead.com/blog/13637/ I want to thank Zombie for capturing the event on video and still pictures that led to the exoneration of the police. To the Code Pink activists who try to slime our cops and soldiers I say: "Another epic failure for Code Pink" Denver DA Clears Cop ' The district attorney's office will not file charges against a Denver police officer who was videotaped shoving an activist to the ground at a protest during the Democratic National Convention last month. On Aug. 26, CodePink activist Alicia Forrest, 24, and several others were asking police officers why they were arresting another protester outside Civic Center. Forrest said at the time that Officer Scott Stewart poked her twice with his riot baton. Stewart then pushed her with the long side of the stick once before yelling "back up, b----" and shoving her hard to the ground, where she lands with a scream and a loud smack. The final blow was captured by a Rocky videographer. "A thorough review of all the evidence compels the conclusion that a woman failed to comply with repeated lawful police orders to move back," said Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Denver DA's office. "She then grabbed an officer's baton, pushing it away. The officer pushed back, using the baton, and the woman fell to the ground. She was not injured. It was these facts that were considered in the decision." ' http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/sep/23/charges-won... ### I hope the officer sues Code Pink in civil court for the pain and suffering during his suspension.

How to fabricate a 'Police Brutality' media event by Code Pink

2008-09-02T04:40:27Z

Art

+16 raves

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/anatomy-of-a-video-%E2%80%94-dem... "On Tuesday, August 27, during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, I witnessed an incident that seemed at the time to be rather minor, but which over the subsequent days turned into a major scandal — primarily due to a video posted online by the Rocky Mountain News. This carefully edited video shows Officer Stewart of the Denver Police knocking Alicia Forrest of Code Pink to the ground during a protest, and then, after an edit, Forrest getting arrested by other officers. This video has created a firestorm among left-wing blogs, and also engendered many follow-up stories in the Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News, Westword, and other mainstream Denver media outlets. However, I personally witnessed the entire incident, from the beginning to the end, and can say without reservation that the Rocky Mountain News video is intentionally deceptive, and crafted to make the protester (Alicia Forrest) appear to be a victim of needless police brutality. I have photographic and video proof, shown below, that Alicia Forrest “asked for it” in the sense that she disobeyed police commands to stay back and also taunted the police; and that she was not seriously injured by Officer Stewart; and that the Rocky Mountain News in particular committed an act of media malfeasance by purposely posting on their site a deceptive video that left out all the context surrounding the incident. Furthermore, many blogs jumped on the story and trumpeted it as evidence of police misbehavior, when in fact there was no misbehavior at all. The report below has 25 photos and four short videos, but bear with me and read all the way through to the end in order to see the full story. The full incident lasted many minutes and is a little complicated, but can easily be followed photo-by-photo in the report below. Let’s start things off with the one-minute-long Rocky Mountain News video (YouTube link) that is the focus of the scandal (originally posted as part of this article). Watch it now. What are your impressions? Doesn’t it seem like that innocent little girl was first beaten and then arrested by the police for no reason? Shocking, isn’t it? But that’s not the entirety of what happened. Keep reading to see the full story that the Rocky Mountain News (and other media outlets) didn’t want you to see." http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/anatomy-of-a-video-%E2%80%94-dem...

A grateful nation thanks the parents of Ross McGinnis

2008-06-03T21:01:35Z

Art

+3 raves

Official Citation The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis United States Army For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 December 2006. That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle. Reacting quickly, he yelled "grenade," allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast. Then, rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion. Private McGinnis' gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army. http://www.blackfive.net/main/2006/12/blue_spader_dow.html McGinnis arrived in Iraq in early August and his unit was sent to Eastern Baghdad to help quell the brewing sectarian war. His unit, from Schweinfurt, Germany, was Charlie Company (the ROCK!), 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, and they had seen some tough fighting lately. Mostly, due to the sentencing of Saddam, no one really seemed to notice that Charlie had taken out 50 insurgents during a violent period following the verdict. McGinnis, as a machine gunner, had been awarded nominated for a Silver Star for his actions in that fight. He was granted a waiver for time in service to be promoted to Specialist, too. CENTCOM sent an email that describes McGinnis on patrol, on December 4th, standing in the turret. McGinnis was manning his armored humvee's machine gun. His Platoon Sergeant, SFC Thomas, was the vehicle commander. From a position above the humvee, an insurgent lobbed a grenade that arced through McGinnis' hatch and fell to the humvee console lodging in the radio at McGinnis' feet. McGinnis shouted, "GRENADE! IT'S IN THE TRUCK!" Nineteen year old Private First Class Ross McGinnis had a choice to make - get the hell out of the truck through the hatch or... "I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down." McGinnis did so even though he could have escaped. "He had time to jump out of the truck," Thomas said. "He chose not to." Thomas remembered McGinnis talking about how he would respond in such a situation. McGinnis said then he didn't know how he would act, but when the time came, he delivered. "He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant," Thomas said. "He's a hero. He's a professional. He was just an awesome guy." Three of the Soldiers with McGinnis who were wounded that day have returned to duty, while a fourth is recovering in Germany. For saving the lives of his friends and giving up his own in the process, McGinnis earned the Silver Star, posthumously. His unit paid their final respects in a somber ceremony here Dec. 11..." Ross leaves behind his brothers in Charlie Company, his parents Thomas and Romayne McGinnis, his sisters Rebecca and Katie, and his friend in Germany, Christina Wendel. His chain of command is considering nominating him for the Medal of Honor. Ross will be buried in Arlington. His parents have an interesting way for you to honor Ross's memory: A military memorial service is being planned at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Knox (PA) with full military honors. His remains will then be transferred to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. His family has suggested for anybody who wishes to make a memorial donation to send something to a service member overseas, a veteran or local service member and present it as a gift from PFC Ross McGinnis. Gifts to his unit may be sent to: SFC Cedric Thomas 1st Platoon, C/1-26 IN Task Force Blue Spader APO AE 09390-1537

A grateful nation thanks the parents of Michael A. Monsoor

2008-04-09T22:22:21Z

Art

+3 raves

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8VTV36G0&show;_artic... "WASHINGTON (AP) - Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor had fast thinking to do when a live grenade came out of nowhere to bounce off his chest: Take the clear path to safety that he had but his comrades didn't, try to toss it safely away, or throw himself on top of it. With barely an instant's hesitation on that Iraqi rooftop, Monsoor took the last course, sacrificing his life to save the men around him. For that, President Bush on Tuesday awarded him the Medal of Honor. In an East Room ceremony, Bush presented the nation's highest military honor to Monsoor's still-grieving parents, Sally and George Monsoor. About 250 guests, including his sister and two brothers, fellow SEALS, other Medal winners, many friends and GOP Sen. John McCain and other members of Congress, looked on quietly. "The Medal of Honor is awarded for an act of such courage that no one could rightly be expected to undertake it," Bush said. "Yet those who knew Michael Monsoor were not surprised when he did." I have worked with members of the 'Teams' and few warriors could call themselves their equal. Michael A. Monsoor was more than an elite warrior...he was a true hero. The world is diminished by his passing. God bless you, brother. Art

Thank You Veterans

2007-11-12T01:33:16Z

Art

+6 raves

To all those who have served or are currently serving in the United States armed forces, thank you.

We know that your spouses, children and loved-ones also sacrifice as they worry about your safety, they struggle to make ends meet when you are away and they miss you deeply.

For your sacrifices you are paid little, you may be apart from your families you may be wounded you may give the ultimate sacrifice.

Some will falsely accuse you of atrocities, defame you and seek to exploit you for political purposes.

I cannot do much but I can defend you against defamation, provide moral support and remind my fellow Americans that you are there so we can live well here.

Your sacrifices have liberated millions from oppression and you defend the freedom of many more.

We pray for your victory and safe return.

With Great Gratitude,

Art

A grateful nation thanks the parents of Lt. Michael Murphy

2007-10-23T00:39:20Z

Art

+2 raves

Video: Lt. Michael Murphy awarded the Medal of Honor

Rest in peace, brother.

Art

For The Left Iraq is A Must-Lose

2007-08-13T01:23:46Z

Art

+2 raves

Many people wonder why the American left is so focused on losing Iraq. As evidence of this behavior they cite:

-Leading leftist politicians provide a constant propaganda boon to our enemies by trying to convince America that the war is not winnable.
-Leading leftist newspapers expose every surreptitious anti-terror surveillance programs and in so doing, aid the enemy.
-Every effort is made by the left to stop anti-terror intelligence operations like interrogations at Camp X-Ray Guantanamo, placing of strict limitations on cooperation between intelligence agencies and absurd rules of engagement for anti-terror operations abroad.
-Wildly false fabricated allegations of cruelty by the US military intended to decrease military morale and erode support for combat operations at home.
-Constant defeatist statements like 'the military is about broken', 'there is no military solution', 'the war is lost' when the latest news from Iraq (even liberal sources) is that things are going quite well.

Why would the left do this knowing that an immediate pullout would result in massive genocide and would be a boon to international jihad?

Because the right fights evil and the left fights the right.

Leftists know a defeat of America in Iraq would be a devastating blow to the American right and it is the American right they hate the most.

Out of all the genocidal, oppressive dictators in the world today, who does the left spend all it's resources fighting? Robert Mugabe? Kim Jong Il? Mohamar Qadafi? Fidel Castro? Hafez Al Assad? Mohammed Khatami?

Nope...the arch-villain of the left is George W. Bush.

The left wants the American right to lose so bad, they are willing to let millions of Arabs suffer genocide in Iraq and put American lives at risk from further attacks formulated by an energized Al Qaeda.

The American public hates defeat and they see a disastrous defeat in Iraq as the mother of all anti-Republican propaganda campaigns.

The left is horrified at the prospect of an American victory in Iraq because they would be forced to admit that they were wrong, monumentally wrong and that once again they were on the wrong side of history.

You would think that the American left would be sympathetic to anti-jihad operations as they would be the first to suffer under the caliphate but the sad truth is the left hates the right more than they love America.