German Court Allows Racial Profiling By Police

"The child keeps repeating Bapa, Bapa! He must be saying his father stole the bike!"

A German court has ruled that authorities can use skin color to carry out non-random identification checks, (here) in circumstances where skin color is indicative of heightened illegality. The court was responding to the case of police checking ID's on a train route commonly used by dark-skinned illegal immigrants.

So seriously, if dark-skinned German youths are indicated in bicycle thefts, the kid might really have something to worry about. "Uh, I must have dropped my ID when I went pottie, offizier - you gotta' believe me!"

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: German Court Allows Racial Profiling By Police, Illegal Immigrants, Stop Frisk, Euracism, Koblenz, Acting White

Obama Attempts Backing Off Indefinite Detention Law

I'm sure readers will recall my recent rail (here) against the president for tearing down the Constitution, via the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), on Christmas Eve of 2011. Obama insisted that the NDAA give his office the power to indefinitely detain US citizens for alleged acts deemed terrorist and occurring on US soil - in direct violation of the first, fifth, and sixth constitutional amendments. (here)

As of February 28, 2012, the White House now says, "Section 1022 does not apply to US citizens, and the President has decided to waive its application to lawful permanent residents arrested in the U.S." Problem here is that this waiving and promising applies, not to indefinite detainment law, but rather WHO is doing the the detaining - the military or civilian authorities. Frankly, that ain't the part that should worry us.

So, why go through this bit of seemingly meaningful-less political slight-of-hand? Obama is simply attempting to camouflaged the election bulls-eye, in the NDAA, that he placed on his own backside, uncertain whether Romney is competent to understand and challenge him on it (probably not). Also, the Executive Branch fears the military as much as it also needs them to stand ready in times of unrest, so this posturing is inevitable.

Of course, NDAA as law is still on books and ready for enforcement in full-weight, whenever the President, whoever he/she may be, sees fit. So, thanks but no thanks! Bad law, get rid of it, except if you think the country is headed for anarchy, then maybe it's okay...recall that Europe is still teetering on the financial brink, world debt crisis still looms, China bubble could burst, Afghanistan is killing us, Syria, etc.

If the Occupy Movement et al ever catches any real steam, look for 'rumors' of terrorist-group funding to pop-up, because this is all that is needed to start locking protesters up - indefinitely. And in this case, the White House will be doing some waiving for sure - bye-bye to the First Amendment trouble-makers.

It's tough walking the hero-traitor tightrope, in these challenging times.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Obama Attempts Backing Off Indefinite Detention Law, NDAA 1031, Indefinite Detention, Occupy Wall Street, McCain/Levin, Acting White

Random Whiteness of the Two-Wheeled Dare-Devil Variety

Get ready for five knuckle-biting minutes of fun. I won't spoil the ending, either.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Random Whiteness of the Two-Wheeled Dare-Devil Variety, Radwanderung, Single-Track, Death-wish, Mountain-Biking, Acting White

White-on-White vs. Black-on-Black Violence

New Details Emerge in High School Basketball Game Fight in Baltimore: MyFoxDC.com

One of the most popular Google searches to this site are questions of Black violence. In this post, I grabbed the closest examples I could find showing that neither group holds a monopoly. It really depends on who is looking, and where they look. Interesting.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: White-on-White vs. Black-on-Black Violence, Basketball, Soccer, Thugs/Hooligans, Europe/USA, Acting White

Christopher Hitchens: 1949 - 2011

NYTimes obituary.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Christopher Hitchens: 1949 - 2011, Writer/Journalist, Secularist, Cancer, Polemic, Acting White

Yohann Gene: First Black In The Tour de France

"Yohann Gene of Guadeloupe has just become the first black cyclist in the Tour de France. The 30-year-old French professional road bicycle racer competes for the UCI Professional Continental team named Europcar.

Considered a role model for many bicycling athletes, Gene has been racing professionally since 2005. He became interested in bicycling at age 17 after moving to Europe. Upon his arrival, Gene entered a special high school course for athletically-gifted pupils..." Time Magazine

So, what's the big deal? Well, the big deal is simply that until whites, or blacks for that matter, see that the other is capable of competing in a particular activity, they have a nasty habit of subscribing all sorts of idiocy to the reason(s) why the activity is exclusive to a group. Too tall, too short, too big, too small, too much fast twitch, to much slow twitch, etc. It really comes down to who cares to devote themselves from an early age.

Notwithstanding all of this year's crashes, I love watching the TDF and cheering for whomever I like, regardless of nationality, or ethnicity. I cheered for that knucklehead Lance Armstrong, all those years, so you best believe I will be searching out Gene tonight on replay, as I catch today's race.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Yohann Gene: First Black In The Tour de France, Black Cycling, Racism, Lance Armstrong, Europcar France, Acting White

Supermodel Naomi's Knickers All Knotted Up Over Chocolate Ad

Just to show that I am not a knee-jerk racist-accusing zealot, I did not find this ad racist. The company may owe Ms. Campbell a fee for use of her name and diva-ish reputation, but the reference would seem clearly positive - as I have yet to meet a female who does not love chocolate. (Story here).

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Supermodel Naomi's Knickers All Knotted Up Over Chocolate Ad, Madison Avenue, MSM, Racism, Acting Black, Acting White

Black Women As Less Attractive? WTF!

When I heard about the article by Satoshi Kanazawa entitled “Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women? Why black women, but not black men?”, published on May 15, 2011, in Psychology Today, I definitely had a WTF moment. Not because the subject is taboo – I have written about attractiveness (here) – but because only a complete moron would title an article this way, with nothing to back it up.

I expected to see some objective science talking about hip-to-waist ratios, bone structures, body fat, child-rearing and the such, not a collection of seat-of-the-pants observations of attractiveness by a set of ‘interviewers’. What makes visual observations about others objective, but self-observations subjective? Were the observations by the Add Health interviewers conducted under any scientific or statistical rigor? Readers of this intellectual mayhem are left to wonder if Psychology Today was secretly purchased by Rupert Murdoch.

With all this said, the objective case for why the women of Northern Europe are more competitive does exist, as a group. I call it the peacock factor. Men select mates largely based on looks, and colors attract. The women of Northern Europe are unique in sporting the widest range of natural colors, hair, eyes, and skin, so they capture the most attention in a crowd. Are these women better looking, individually? No. Do all the color combinations give them a group advantage, Yes. Does the group advantage accrue to individuals? Somewhat. This is not rocket science, but rather easily understood in the cosmetics area of any retail store, in any neighborhood (urban or otherwise).

I will say that Black women (and men) need to unbunch the undies and clean a little house, while ignoring clowns like Kanazawa. Ladies would do better, competitively, if they dropped the wigs, weaves, and adhesives, and opted for locks – cause sisters with the dreads look great and have healthy length and luster, minus the breakages and bald spots. I will not talk about visiting the gym and laying off sugar, oops, my bad. Anyway, I think Satoshi’s just hitting back because Asian men catch a lot of the same crap he is dishing, and of course, he was looking for some free pub (like Dr. “Obama is a Black Mascot” Cornel West).

Happy Friday!

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Black Women As Less Attractive? WTF!, Santoshi Kanazawa, Blue Eyes, Psychology Today, Acting Black, Acting White

The Case of Multi-lingualism in America

A friend with an upcoming vacation to Barcelona, Spain, asked me why I have taken up teaching myself French. I have never been to France, and have no near-term plans to visit. The closest I get every year to the land of Napoleon is watching 21 days of the Tour de France. Nevertheless, learning French is on my ‘bucket list’, as I think it sounds nice, and I envision the inviting French countryside, similar to time I spent in Italy.

Offering me another chance at PC-ness, my friend revised herself and asked why I was not learning a language of greater utility to a Californian, like Spanish. I thought hmmm? Good (and tricky) question. On one hand, it makes sense to learn Spanish, as so many Mexican immigrants do not speak English. Conversely, it begs the question if this country’s accommodation, through increasing bilingualism, really helps bridge cultures and people? Perhaps, perhaps not.

If I were to live in France, or Italy, I would not want them learning English on my account, or confusing themselves into thinking that their lives would gain some diversity ‘bump’ by doing so, either. When in Italy, I stammered, stumbled, and goofed my way through Italian, quite to the appreciation and entertainment of the people (I’m sure). But hey, it’s not my country! Remaking them to my liking is not cool.

Concluding, I may learn French if my brain and mouth can work together, but I will not have as a priority to learn the language of immigrants, including Swahili, in order to make it easier for the newly arrived or me. This country needs its citizens to rally around one language, English, one culture, American, and its development and furtherance as a purpose. We simply cannot afford the cultural division and economic high-cost of multiple language systems and divisive off-shoots.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: The Case of Multilingualism in America, Nationalism, Bigotry, Stereotypes, Acting Black, Acting White

Why Are Europeans In Such A Hurry?

The average work pace of an employed German citizen is faster than anybody else on the planet. Irish people walk faster than everybody else. The Swiss have the most accurately set, and re-set, timepieces, and across all measures they live life at the fastest overall pace. So says the research of Professor Robert Levine, of Cal State Fresno, author of "A Geography of Time" (here).

So why does this matter? Life is not a race, is it? Well, it kind of is. Living at a faster pace is like speeding in your car. Speeding safely requires that the driver look farther down the road, with more accurate anticipation of what lies ahead. So, the skill that makes Lewis Hamilton a champion Formula One driver is his ability to see, think, and react ahead of his 200 mph race car, better than the competition. Speed and great anticipation go hand-in-hand in societies, as well as speed freaks.

Historically, when fast-paced societies meet up with slower ones, the faster folks easily dominate. When all difference is accounted for, the ‘early bird’ does indeed get the worm, the girl, the nice house, the fancy car, the fat paycheck. The speedy get the upper hand and never release their lead, unless the rules of competition are somehow changed. America is slowing down. Mexico is dead last (of those the professor studied) on the speed of living scale, according to Levine’s research observers. African countries and their transplants seem to compete with Central and South Americans for slowness.

Mind you, being fast does not make you better, per Professor Levine (or me), it just makes it easier to master your domain and dominate others. The Swiss, German, or Japanese ideals arguably leave much happiness on the table, while their people speed about their lives. I recall searching a toy store in Frankfurt airport for my son - not a model Porsche in sight. Nevertheless, the influence of pace is uncontestable. The next time you see lateness or earliness in yourself, or others who look similar or different, take a moment to consider how the speed and pace, and horizon, of different cultures plays into who is on top, and who is not.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Why Are Europeans In Such A Hurry?, Geography of Time, Time Horizon, Immigrants, Acting Black, Acting White

Germany's Multicultural Revelation

Different political factions within Germany would seem to be raising the bar on immigration, and I (for one) do not think this is a bad idea.

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel (pictured), stated recently that, ""Subsidising immigrants" isn't sufficient, Germany has the right to "make demands" on them, she added, such as mastering the language of Goethe and abandoning practices such as forced marriages." (here)

Alexander Dobrindt, of the conservative Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) added his group's flavor by saying, “The USA is an immigration country. Germany is not an immigration country. We have a culture that has grown over centuries.” (here)

I would disagree with Dobrindt that America can somehow 'afford' an immigration policy that is more costly than it is beneficial. A common language, English, should be required in the US, and religious and cultural practices that conflict with constitutional freedoms and responsibilities should not be allowed. Amnesty for illegal immigration should be considered after the needs of legal citizens are met, and when the immigrant offers a skill we actually need. Cheap service labor is a short-sighted reason for open immigration policy. Employers of illegal immigrants should pay fines commensurate with the real cost of extending the bevy of services to them, until such time where the 'alien' and their dependents becomes a citizen, or is deported. Anchor-baby schemes need to be halted.

In Germany, as in other parts of Europe, you can certainly find your racists if you look, but immigration policies that subscribe new arriver's to a minimum set of requirements aligned with local social evolution are not automatically guilty of such.

Diversity is neither an automatic weakness or strength, rather it is certainly dependent on sensible policies of assimilation and accommodation - something in short supply around the world.

James C. Collier

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Technorati Tags: Germany's Multicultural Revelation, Angela Merkel, Alexander Dobrindt, Immigration, Acting Black, Acting White