Why is this man smiling?

As the Daily Mail reports, this Al Qaeda suspected terrorist Abu Qatada, was released on bail in Britain. That's one issue, but what's unbelievable is the government subsidies he and his family receive: $99, 475 per year and no taxes on their $1.5 million home.

Maybe that's why taxes are so high over there.

Kids who say 'yuck' may be racist

Vitit Kantabutra

"Toddlers who say "yuck" when given flavorful foreign food may be exhibiting racist behavior, a British government-sponsored organization says... The bureau says to be aware of children who "react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying 'yuck'." Breitbart

Our friends across the pond again-- So a toddler is what - 1-3 years old? And when they spit back those mushed foods, they'r RACIST? H E L L O ?

Schoolboys disciplined for 'refusing to pray to Allah'

HEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY

"...Boys, from a year seven class of 11 and 12-year-olds, were given detention after refusing to take part in a practical demonstration of how Allah is worshipped."

Britain is sliding off the cliff. As mentioned on FOX, if England's Muslims had been asked to take Christian Bible classes, there's be war.

Slippery Slope on Past Slave Trade

"Banks, clothing manufacturers and insurance companies will have to disclose any past connections to the slave trade if they want to do business with the city of San Francisco."

No penalties, of course, for historical connections to slavery, but the companies will be ENCOURAGED to contribute to a fund.

I think this is a dangerous precident when we start retroactively punishing and legislating "the sins of our fathers". Can you imagine where this could go? 50 years from now, what will we be paying for that the then-party in power doesn't like?

Like burning heretics at the stake

Dhimmi Watch posts this:

"A 92-year-old retired archaeologist will stand trial in Turkey for claiming that Islamic-style head scarves date back more than 5,000 years - several millennia before the birth of Islam - and were worn by priestesses who initiated young men to sex." She is accused of "inciting religious hatred" and could face 1 1/2 years in prison if found guilty.

Another bad sign in Europe where any opinion is subject to being labeled hate speech.

14 yr old arrested - PC gone amuck again

This time, in Britain, a 14-year-old was arrested when she complained to the teacher she wanted in a new study group, since her assigned group did not speak English. She figured she'd do better in a discussion group where everyone could communicate. She was accused of racism and sent to jail.

TSC Daily

OK then - the message is just shut up and fail, lest we be thought of as racist. Bad move. I will tell you the charges were dropped, but the school and the teacher have a definite problem.

Aggregating blogs in Greece could get you arrested

Instapundit posts a link:

"The administrator of Blogme.gr, a Greek blog aggregation website had his house raided, his hard drive seized and was himself arrested by the Greek cybercrime division last week, after having been served with a libel lawsuit without prior notice, because a public figure was offended by a satirical blog that was linked to by his site.

The embarrasing part - this coincides with the Internet Governance Forum being hosted in Athens this week.

Greece loses an inch here. It's getting so the blogosphere can't have opinions. Dangerous stuff in these times.

France rethinks morality of Israeli wall

“Although the wall was a moral and ethical problem for me, when I realised terror attacks were reduced by 80 percent in the areas where the wall was erected, I understood I didn’t have the right to think that way.” So says French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy.

American Thinker covers this.

OK. That pulls back from the edge a bit and gets a check in the plus column.

Teaching Kids to Not Fight Back

Well let's start here with LGFs post on how Fort Worth schools have decided to stop teaching kids how to defend themselves during a school assault. They no longer will be taught how to 'take out' an attacker.

Fort Worth just moved forward an inch. Not Flight 93 material.

One Inch at a Time

Over at Sticky Notes, as I post the latest news and thoughts about what's going on, I have become deeply concerned about those little incremental steps we see that erode our great democracy, our freedoms, our individuality... I could go on and on.

And while this is not a replacement for Sticky Notes, it's like footnotes to the news. A place to record the events that chip away, ONE INCH AT A TIME, at the very glue that holds America (and much of the world) together.

I've often called it incrementalism. If we don't stand as guardians, we might wake up one day and wonder what happened.

It's when PC goes bonkers. It's appeasement instead of backbone. It's extreme politics that's divisive. The list is longer than you think.

And, when we're lucky, I'll post when folks and governments fight back.

Leave your comments. Post your links. Stay tuned.