Omnium and Gatherum March 15 2016

Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler

1)
The Independent
Donald Trump almost faced charges over North Carolina campaign violence
The Republican said of his supporters targeting protesters: 'They started punching back. It was a beautiful thing.'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/donald-trump-almost-faced-charges-over-north-carolina-campaign-violence-a6931661.html

Authorities in North Carolina say there is not enough evidence to press charges against Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump for his behaviour in connection with a violent altercation at one of his rallies last week.
Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said legal counsel advised and Sheriff Earl “Moose” Butler agreed that the evidence did not meet the requirements of North Carolina law to support a conviction for inciting a riot...

I get the impression that people look at these protesters as somehow living out a scenario of opposing evil lest it get a foothold, and the whole thing is based on a certain understanding of Pastor Martin Niemöller's famous quote;

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist ...... and there was no one left to speak for me."

and there is a dim impression that somehow people did not do enough Nazi bashing back in the Weimar Republic times, otherwise Hitler never would have come to power.

Actually, there was a great deal of head-bashing between the Nazis and Communists and Socialists; there was a lot of street fighting, and such fighting led to each party having a security arm to protect against violence to their own rallies and also possibly to disrupt opponent's rallies (a parallel recently surfacing in Mr. Trump accusing Mr. Sanders of provocation and threatening that his followers would go to Mr. Sanders' rallies to show 'em what for.)


2)
See above...
The Cumberland County Sheriff's nickname is "Moose".
Cool.


3)
Most commercially available garlic are the softneck variety. The more interesting types are the hardneck variety...
Interesting in the sense that you may prefer them if you tend to eat garlic raw...

I eat a bit of raw garlic.
Of course, I have to do it furtively, and then use lots of mouthwash so no one will know my addiction. I usually have a big slice of cheese with it, making sort of a cheese-garlic sandwich.
The hardneck types can be very different from the garlic we are used to.
They often are much less biting while remaining aromatic. Much easier to eat raw.

Now you know my secret life. I think Thomas de Quincey wrote Confessions of an English Garlick-Eater in 1840.


4)
The Independent
Hundreds of refugees hunt for new route into Europe as three drown on Greece-Macedonia border
Macedonian police say they are taking steps to send back ‘several hundred’ refugees believed to have crossed into country
Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugees-drown-greece-macedonia-hundreds-hunt-for-new-route-into-europe-a6930541.html

Three refugees have drowned while attempting to cross a river from Greece into Macedonia, according to police, as refugees attempt to find a new route to cross into the country.

Macedonian police said the bodies of two men and a woman had been found in the Suva Reka river near the border town of Gevgelija on Monday morning, which had swelled due to heavy rain.

I have a sneaky suspicion this used to happen a lot in Ancient Roman when barbarians wanted to get over the Rhine or the Danube or the Orontes to where the streets were paved with gold.

The comments to the story are, as one may expect, quite rich:

Google "muslim protests to allow non muslims to go to Mecca" and you will find nothing. Google, how many refugees have Saudi taken in and you will find it is nil. Why are we Europeans, the Kaffur, supposed to pick up after Muslim inter sect wars when they don't care about us. I am happy that if there are now no borders than Hindus, Jews, Christians etc etc should be able to pour in Mecca and if the Muslims try to stop them then the UN should intervene and bomb them if necessary.

All the hubbub has led to a new "Refugee Look":

Fashion editors across the board are heralding a ‘real-refugee revolution’ and a return to an authentic look. Where fashion goes, interiors follow:

Refugee Chair; "Less is indeed less."

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