Deadly Aid

CBC
The United Nations World Food Program has approved a new proposal to help North Korea, just months after its operations were scaled back at the request of that country's government. Did anyone other than the U.N think North Korea had really turned it around, and were not in living in dire poverty due to oppressive government policies?

The new aid will target pregnant women and children, and military officers...

South Korea will give them what they want, as long as they don't have to bother dealing with the "Democratic" "People's" "Republic", or the citizens living under it's tyranny. It's a sad situation, but giving North Korea food aid only solidifies Kim Jong Il's rule.
Appeasement of evil at the most extreme degree.

Irrelevant by nature...

CTV
Federal Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor is pledging that Ottawa will follow through on its mission in Afghanistan. But a new CTV News poll "suggests" most Canadians are "uneasy" about the military's involvement in the volatile region.
I suggest that Canadian soldiers die uneasily. Let's do a poll to see if Canada agrees with my opinion. This report is looking like it's gonna be as biased as the poll...

In the exclusive poll for CTV News and The Globe and Mail, The Strategic Counsel asked Canadians if they would vote in favour or against sending troops to Afghanistan.
Since Canadian troops were sent to Afghanistan 4 years ago, should the question NOT have been: "Do you support Canada's military mission in Afghanistan"?
I know I'm not an expert left-wing pollster and all...
Just 27 per cent were in favour and 62 per cent were against.
Negative positive result for all involved. If 62% of Canadians really think we should not send Canadian troops to Afghanistan, then the Prime Minister must go there immediately to help show Canadians why it is important for Canada to be fighting in Afghanistan.
Furthermore, 73 per cent of respondents said the decision to send troops to Afghanistan should require parliamentary approval, while 20 per cent said it should not.
I guess I just happen to be in that "fringe" 20%, that believe the decision for Canada to go to war should be made by private militants. Like in America.

It's getting to the point now that I can't possibly take any poll at face value in any way. I just get a kick out of the increasingly pointless and loaded questions asked, and the news drivel created by them. It's hard to fathom people that read a poll, and then try and extract some form of twisted "wisdom" from it.
If Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants to trust a poll, it will be to his own detriment.
Here's the South Korean version of the same stupid question.

Addendums to List

I just love a woman who when she smiles, her whole face smiles:


Chandra Crawford and Jennifer Heil - I love your smiles.

What DO they teach in school?

Whatever happened to teaching at least enough math and economics to enable a high school graduate to find “budget” in the dictionary?

On another site, there was a discussion going on regarding whose fault it is that service has become a misnomer. The union crowd blamed big business. Sigh. Talk about a chicken and egg topic … I’m not sure whether “big business is evil” is the chicken and “union workers don’t understand” is the egg or vice-versa.
The whole topic came up because one fella had taken his wife to the airport for a flight to Florida, and the counter “service” person was incredibly boorish, insensitive and rude. He elaborated and then ended with blaming it on big business and its drive to mechanize and downsize. At this point I should say that I know the guy, and he happens to be a postal employee here in Michigan … so I guess I understand where he’s coming from – although I completely disagree. He’s saying big business is hurting themselves by mechanizing, and I’m thinking that they’re mechanizing to get rid of uncivil servants and survive.

Anyway, the usual topic of pay and bonuses and the like came up, with the useful idiots making much of CEO’s inflated salaries and perks. While reading through the responses, it struck me how poorly public education serves its captives – none of these people had any concept of economics, or basic math, or how a corporation exists, survives and serves its owners. I guess I shouldn’t really be shocked, since the major problem with our US and Canadian educational system is a) allowing unions, and b) allowing liberals to dumb the system down.

One of the constant themes seemed to be this idiot concept of a “living wage” and I have to admit that I’ve never understood how people cannot see the total lack of any value to either a minimum wage or to a “living” wage. How many people are actually lining up at the doors to McDonalds begging to pay twice as much for their unhappy meal just so that the owner can afford to pay Mr. Do-You-Want-Fries-With-That a “living” wage? How many people stop that cashier and demand to pay MORE for whatever is on the conveyor?

Y’know … I’ve paid pretty high taxes all my life. Back when I was a real wage slave, scraping by from paycheque to paycheque, I busted my hump to stand out from the crowd and be the guy that got the overtime or got the promotion. I worked my fanny off (and I didn’t have much of a fanny, being 6 ft tall and weighing 145 lbs … LOL) to pay off my loans and credit cards and get ahead so I wasn’t working for VISA and the CIBC … but working for my future. During that period, I took all the night classes I could find that would advance me; took advantage of every course offered by my employers; kept looking for an edge. I looked around and I said “why?”  Why do my taxes go to put someone else’s kids through school, subsidize their higher education, pay for their welfare when they didn’t feel like finishing, pay for their drug rehab programs, pay for their GED, pay for their job skills training, pay for their health care, pay for their incarceration, pay for their rehab, and then pay for their kids so we could start the cycle over again. Why? Why was it my fault they were too friggin’ lazy to work at something for long enough to learn what success was? Why was it my fault they got in to drugs, or gambling, or gangs, or crime? Why were their voluntary choices MY fault. I’ve never actually forced someone to take a job that involved asking “do you want fries with that?”
Why? Why? Why?

OK, back to the discussion on how service has become a misnomer. Our postal union friend blamed the surly service on airline management (Big Business is going to mechanize and outsource all our jobs) and could not see – or wouldn’t admit – that it was a vicious circle. An employer stuck with a union can require that you show up for work, and may even be able to tell you what you can get away with wearing … but they can’t give the service people attitudes. Attitudes are something that you create yourself, based on your personality and environment. And they can certainly be inflicted on the customer, especially in a monopoly environment. Ever noticed the difference in the way you, as a customer, are treated when there’s a choice and when there’s not?  I’ve always called it the “little Hitler” syndrome – when you have to use the service of someone who has some authority for a certain period … say that high-school dropout illiterate clown with the uniform, badge and metal sensor rod at the airport … they act as tyrants instead of servants. Does management WANT them to act that way? Hell no. But whether they know or not, what can they do. Union.

The part of the discussions that people appeared to have the hardest time with is job value … which led me to question how the education system was benefiting our society (it obviously is not). Very few of the respondents understood the economics of employment – that one needed to provide value to the employer far in excess of their costs. Most understood wages, less understood the true cost of benefits and almost no one understood the overhead costs of an employee. I have an office, they need to heat it, light it, provide me coffee so I can function, and provide me the tools I need to perform my job. Since they didn’t understand the cost/value proposition, is it any wonder they couldn’t understand the value of a CEO. OK, I’m not defending multi-million dollar salaries (although I wouldn’t turn one down … LOL), but I am defending the much, much (potential) higher value of a CEO. I can influence million$ in my job, and affect several hundred people at a time with what I do – while the CEO can influence billion$ and affect everyone in the company and a great many people outside.

And to take this whole thing further, the CEO knows exactly who he’s working for – in most cases, for the shareholders or owners of the company. The union guy – say a UAW worker – on the other hand, doesn’t seem to know who he works for. Disregard that the paycheque says General Motors, the union guy wears a UAW jacket, a UAW cap, carries a UAW lunch bucket (with a bunch of sugar packets he grabbed so he doesn’t need to buy any this week), and drives a car that has UAW bumper stickers and a  UAW sticker on the windshield.  Does he ever think of creating value in the company so that eventually it comes around his way again? I rather doubt it – since their allegiance isn’t to their employer.

Do we, as a free market society, have a future?  I’d say that unless our education system starts to turn out literate students that were taught by an impartial teacher, we probably do not.

Postcard From Ontario

Greetings from Ontario Richard, sorry to hear your going to be busy the next few days. This work you have to do in the next while would this have anything to do with a birthday, and a bottle Scotch?

You'll be glad to know Richard that, just because we elected Stephen Harper in January, doesn't mean we are acting in any way that can be described as sane or normal here in Ontario. For instance, there is a public sector fight over pensions that's going to result in a mid-contract strike - that's a wildcat to you and me Richard, and they are illegal. But hey, Sid Ryan couldn't get elected to Parliament, so now he's mad as hell and we all have to take it...and take it... and take it. Personally, here's what I would like to see happen.

You break the law, you see an iron striped world. Simple, even for Sid. Of course that won't happen. Here in the land of of the left winged Conservatives, John Tory, the ironically named leader of the Provincial PC's wants Dalton to talk with the angry unionists. Well, as you would say Richard, I call Bullshit. When Mike Harris ran the Province it was open season on illegal strikes. Now it's Dalton's turn. If John Tory wins an election, these guys will be protesting his evil right wing (i.e. not as far left as Sid Ryan would like) policies. You don't talk with people like this John, you shut them up, you lock them up, you fire their asses, all 100,000 of them if that's what it takes.

And yes, you read that right. There is 100,000 employees on the public unionized payroll in this province. 1 unionized worker for every 125 people. That does not include teachers, police or firemen, as they are not part of this dispute.

Actually, not quite true: The Police and Fireman are part of the dispute, but they are apparently the problem. You see, what this is about Richard is the province wants to grant emergency service workers the right to negotiate a pension provision that would allow them to retire earlier. They would have to pay the extra to fund the early retirement, or the municipality they work for could agree to fund it, but it's a legal right to negotiate. Nothing more. Yet they want to shut down the province, take snow plows off the highway, send our kids home from school (can't have them crossing Mr. Smith, the janitors lonely picket line, can we?). So instead of waiting until contract time and then negotiating a bit of the pie for themselves, they have kicked up the hysteria, declared it unfair to women, minorities and other 'disadvantaged' groups, and promised to walk. Here's hoping it's a perp walk.

But that's not all Richard. While you guys in the west are waiting for the elimination of the gun registry, we look like we're getting a toy-gun registry. OK not quite a registry, but would a registry be any dumber. But what's really shocking is how many politicians are in favour of this - time to make municipal politics a part-time job again I think. These people have way to much time on their hands. And it's time to pay these guys $10,000/year plus coffee at meetings. Apparently paying higher is not attracting the better qualified candidates, just the lunatics.

So you know Richard, they aren't banning replicas here, or it's not a ban on taking them into banks or liquor stores or something that, while still useless, you could at least see the logic. No, this is a ban on 8 year olds with toy guns, super squirters &tc. My 8 year old wouldn't be allowed to play with a dollar store gun in his backyard. His, not theirs, his (well mine, but more his than theirs, if you follow me).

And this is in the name of crime prevention, if you can believe it. Well if stupidity was a crime, crime prevention in Ontario would be an election.

I have no doubt that soon we will be seeing news stories like this er.. this no, try this:

That's about it Richard, having a Liberal time, wish I was there.

Brian

Canadian Soldiers Pussies

I'm going to start this post by saying that I hold our servicemen in the highest regard. There's no question about it. That admiration however doesn't overide the need to call BULLSHIT when it needs to be called and after several days of thought, and some poorly made comments from Peter McKay, I've got to call it. This post is not a comment on the whole of our forces but rather a select few (I sincerely hope) individuals within it. Keep that in mind when you start flaming the in-box.

Last weeks move by the Western Standard to publish the Mohammed cartoons raised a bit of a shitstorm within Canada's lib-left and rightfully so. We expected that. I even predicted that the week would be filled with tiny explosions coming from the tiny brains contained in tiny MoonBat heads. We need to be able to honestly look at ourselves and our place in the international community. As a function of that debate however I noticed some disturbing comments coming from individuals that call themselves soldiers. More specifically, this:

Mr. Levant, I am a Canadian soldier. I have friends serving in Afghanistan. I'm gonna keep this simple.

We're fighting an insurgency in Afganistan. Unlike a traditional war, the bad guys are hard to find and kill.

Canadian soldiers rely on sympathetic local folks to tell us all about the bad guys. Without the goodwill of the locals, life is bad. The locals happen to be Muslims. Are you with me so far? Good.

The Afghans who provide intelligence to us will probably hear about a Canadian magazine publishing the cartoons. They may get mad at us. They may stop telling us about the bad guys, or actually help them to target us. Still with me? Good.

Your "freedom of speech" spin is crap. You publish an obscure regional pamphlet. The controversy raises your profile, and (you hope) your income.

While you flog your alleged devotion to "Canadian Values", remember that this may blow up in your face. You've earned it.

In Afghanistan, far from your safe little office, other things may be blowing up in the faces of my comerades because of your idiotic stunt.

You have endangered them all.

Posted by: Shawn | 15-Feb-06 8:07:01 PM

And this (written by R. Storring for the CBC):

I followed the flow of comments about freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of expression and how western countries shouldn't be afraid of protesting or rioting Muslims; that it's our inherent right to print those cartoons. But I couldn't help noting that this slew of "freedoms" come from people who take for granted what our fathers and grandfathers paid for in blood, and what our own soldiers pay for today.

Freedoms are something many people here in Canada and around the world take for granted; the minute someone perceives that those freedoms are being infringed upon, a whole movement begins that can quickly snowball out of control.

I am a soldier that believes deeply in freedom, and by virtue of service for my country I have and am willing to put my life on the line for what my country believes in. With freedom of anything comes the responsibility to make sound decisions and common-sense choices.

Deciding to not print those controversial cartoons has nothing to do with being cowed by fear of Islamic retribution; it has everything to do with respecting another person's beliefs and the common sense that Canadians have always been known for around the world.

When we as soldiers move into another country, whether to keep or enforce the peace, we respect the fact that the host country is unique in its beliefs and culture. We try to leave the country (at some point) with minimal cultural impact.

We respect their holidays and events; we go so far as to try not to eat or drink in front of Muslims during Ramadan out of respect for their culture, even while in our own camp. This has nothing to do with fear of offending them, but has to do with respect and our ability to live in a multi-cultural environment -- whether overseas or here in Canada.

Some publishers here in Canada have used their "freedoms" to inflame an already volatile situation in order, they say, to make a point. If now, like so many European countries, our troops become targets over what boils down to so-called freedoms of press or expression, where will be the position of those Canadian publishers then? If one of our troops is killed as a target of "blasphemy," I highly doubt those publishers will thank the soldier's family for allowing their magazine to express their belief.

I could comment on how "Shawn's" post is all about fear and that it may be appropriate that he used the term "comrades" but I won't. I could also comment on how the second article starts out by saying that "it's not about fear" but ends up "being all about fear" but I won't.

Fear is expected.

It's how these two individuals handle it and the values they're willing to throw away because of it that makes them pussies.

These two jack-asses don't want us to exercise the very rights they're sworn to defend because it's going to put them in danger. Well guess what!

That's the friggin job they signed up for!

They were hired and trained to protect our interests.

To kill people and blow shit up.

To have people with compeeting interests try to kill them.

That's the kind of stuff that happens in war zones and they knew it going in.

To use a bad anology, these two are acting like a couple of pump-jockeys who don't want to turn on the service station lights because they might get a customer and have to do their friggin' jobs.

Having them act in this manner is a complete disgrace. And, yes, as a matter of fact, I am questioning their patriotism. As we all should be...

Note to Peter McKay: Grow a friggin' spine! You're not helping anything with comments like these and it shows you to be a pussy as well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

And what better way to celebrate than by avoiding the news for a day...

C-Y'all this evening.

Richard

Word-O-The-Week

HYPOCRISY

hy·poc·ri·sy ( P ) Pronunciation Key (h-pkr-s)n. pl. hy·poc·ri·sies

1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

2. An act or instance of such falseness.

This post was bumped up because it seems that HYPOCRISY is the theme of the week, not just a day...

Can You Say "Abu Ghraib"?

PURE UNMITIGATED CANADIAN MSM HYPOCRISY!

Alrightythen. I didn't think they were this stupid but aparently they are. This week a firestorm erupted because Ezra Levant of the Western Standard Magazine appropriately published the Mohammed cartoons. The Rest of the Canadian MSM chose not to do so. And why did they make this decision? Well, lets let Tony Burman, Editor in Cheif of the CBC explain in his own words:

"At the CBC, we decided not to show the original cartoons in our extensive coverage of the controversy. We felt that we could easily describe the drawings in simple and clear English without actually showing them. This was intended, without embarrassment, as an act of respect not only for Islam but for all religions.

Why should we insult and upset an important part of our audience for absolutely no public value? We wouldn't have done that if it involved overt examples of racism, or anti-Semitism or libel. Where do we draw the line?

Shouldn’t the media be part of the solution, not the problem?

That was the approach most Canadian news organizations took. Few actually showed the cartoons and those that did limited exposure to one occasion with considerable context and explanation."

To summarize, they didn't want to needlessly upset the Muslum community within Canada. Fair enough, that's their perogative.

Well, not 10 days after the above comment was written and only 3 days after it really got out into the blogosphere, the CBC, CTV, and Global, decided to to an about face and show some disturbing images. Were they the cartoons in question? Nope! They were additional photos released of the supposed "Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse and torture". Keep in mind that these "abuses" took place 3 years ago. The soldiers involved have been tried and convicted and are currently serving time in Levenworth.

Lets ask some questions based on Burman's statement above...

• Could the story have been covered using a description of the images, using clear English, without actually showing them? If one says "yes" in the case of the cartoons they have to say "yes" in this new case as well no? To say otherwise would be considered hypocritical no?

• Burman commented that they were showing "respect" for Islam and Muslums by not showing the cartoons. Does the MSM not have the same respect for the United States and it's military? You know, the folks that are keeping us safe and have done the same for the past 100 years? Should we not have the same respect for them? Their answer is simply "NO", as is being illustrated by their actions.

• It's clear that these new images will be upsetting to Muslums and Islam. What's the public value of upsetting them in this manner? The event is 3 years past already. Those involved have been tried and convicted. So why run with the story at all? This one's easy. It's to generate / propogate the anti-US sentiment.

• Burman asks "where do they draw the line?" Well, they just did. If disturbing images will direct islamofacist-cum-terrorist ire at their media organisations, they'll not run them. They're scared. If however, the images will direct islamofacist-cum-terrorist ire at the US, they'll display them "loud and proud".

• Burman also asks: "shouldn't the media be part of the solution and not the problem?" Well, that depends which side the media is on and exactly what is seen as the problem. It's become painfully clear over the past number of years, to me anyway, that the MSM is on the side of the Islamofascists. The problem is the US and their nasty "war on terror". They choose to hinder rather than help the war effort because in their minds, the war effort is unjust. They think they're part of the solution where in reality they are the problem.

Simply put, the Canadian MSM tells us earlier this week that they won't show images upsetting to Muslums and then a few days later they go and show images that are upsetting to Muslums. Pure unmitigated Canadian MSM hypocrisy.

Just so we all know that this sort of thing isin't isolated to Canada:

• BBC didn't show the cartoons but does have a link to the new Abu Ghraib images.
• MSNBC didn't show the cartoons but but does have a link to the new Abu Ghraib images.
• CNN didn't show the cartoons but does have a link to the new Abu Ghraib images.
• ABC didn't show the cartoons but does have a link to the new Abu Ghraib images.
• CBS didn't show the cartoons but does have a link to the new Abu Ghraib images.
• FOX NEWS didn't show the cartoons and doesn't currently have a link up to the new Abu Ghraib images. Well Done!

I expected this from Canada and the UK but you Americans should be ashamed of yourselves. 80% of your major telivision news outlets are acting like pussies!

Bow before the King of Hypocrisy!

"To date, neither has been willing to subject themselves to an appropriate level of scrutiny on this matter -- a decision that I believe robs Canadians and the people of Vancouver Kingsway of a deserved explanation," Martin said Wednesday
Wow! Mind-boggling! Eh, this has always been a feel Good story. Of course, I agree with Martini 100%
"in a statement from Europe, where he is on vacation."
heheheheh :) Build ships, and don't go the way of Carter, Clinton, Gore. That's MY advice... :)

Pew says conservatives happier!

I don’t usually follow polls much, since most are too biased to be of much critical value, but I will admit that I find the latest Pew poll quite humorous.  For some 33 years or so they’ve been doing a General Social Survey.
The humorous part, of course, is the difference between those naming themselves as either Republicans or Democrats.
50% more Republicans report being very happy as compared to the Democrats.
Conservatives are happier than liberals.
People who go to church are happier than those who don’t.

Although there has been a trend over the past 30 years … it is not a good trend, at least in my eyes. Democrats/Liberals are getting angrier and angrier. Gosh … we could be in for an epidemic of stress-related heart attacks and strokes if they don’t take their meds, and that would be so, so sad!

Heh … the results show that conservatives are not only happier than liberals, they’re also richer. And if you extrapolate from happy and wealthy … you get smarter too … right?

So now the question is … am I happier and richer than your average liberal whiner because I’m a conservative … or a conservative because I’m happier and richer than your average liberal whiner?

Which spaceship would you ship out on?

Not a surprise to me … scored a “Serenity” (or Firefly, I guess you could say) … which SF ship will you score?

Spaceship Quiz

Hey Harper! What the Hell?

Dear Prime Minister Harper;

Two news items poped up yesterday that you should probably explain. The first comes from the statement you issued in regards to the publishing of "cartoons":

“Free speech is a right that all Canadians enjoy; Canadians also have the right to voice their opinion on the free speech of others. I regret the publication of this material in several media outlets. While we understand this issue is divisive, our government wishes that people be respectful of the beliefs of others. I commend the Canadian Muslim community for voicing its opinion peacefully, respectfully and democratically.” - Emphasis mine.

Now I can understand having to issue a statement to remind the terrorists in this country that they need to either behave or face the consequences in regards to this cartoon deal. I really can. What I don't understand is why or how you can alienate both a long time conservative supporter (and publisher) Ezra Levant and your conservative base by including the word "regret" in your statement. Why are you pandering to an immigrant minority Stephen? It would seem to me that this would be a perfect oportunity to allow the islamofacist-cum-terrorist types in this country to raise their swords in the air just so we an see who they are. Once we know who they are, our friends with the RCMP's anti-terrorism unit can keep an eye on them and if need be, send them to Gitmo for a little "working vacation".

Seeing now that you have a predisposition to appeasment Stephen, I have a related question: How much do you plan on paying for the release of the 2 dumbass hippies currently being held by terrorists in Iraq?

The second news item I'd like to address is one that notes that Maryantonett Flumian is still in the employ of the Canadian government. You remember Maryantonett right? She was in charge of the 2-billion dollar gun registry fiasco. You must remember her because not only is she still in your employ, but you just promoted her by adding the position of "Deputy Head of Service Canada and Associate Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development". Why are you keeping someone so incompetant in the productive flow Stephen?

Hey, here's a thought on the gun registry: Why not wipe that big-ass database clean of those law-abiding gun owners names and replace them with the names of sex offenders? That way we'll get a national registry that actually has some use. It'll let us keep tabs on the criminals instead of the innocent. Makes sense to me...

I don't expect a response to this letter Stephen but I did want to give you something to think about while you're hanging out with your new ex-liberal and unelected Cab. Ministers.

Regards;
The West

Pure Hypocrisy

Chapters/Indigo sells a highly contriversial and inflamitory book called "The Satanic Verses" written by Salman Rushdie.



Islam is not happy with this book. In fact, Mr. Rushdie has been in hiding since it's publication because of the death warrant put on his head for writing it.

Chapters/Indigo refuses to sell the current edition of the Western Standard news magazine because it contains cartoons that Islam finds offensive.

Apathy mixed with Hypocrisy

Wonder Woman made it back from CPAC and has, aparently, recovered from the hangover...

The concepts of practicality and principle rarely, if ever, coincide in the realm of politics. More often than not, the practical choice requires a compromise of principle ethics, and the principled choice tends to weigh very impractically against precedent and popularity. The result of this conflict being, that in order to stay in power, or accomplish anything of note, our elected representatives are forced into juggling between the two, and in the interest of picking the fights they can win, they will usually choose the practical route. This leads the citizenry to regard most political decisions with a systemic cynicism. We shrug our shoulders and reassure ourselves that this is simply the nature of politics. Such is the political reality, we are told, and those of us who expect and demand more from our elected representatives are often denounced as idealists, or simply politically illiterate. This could very well be, but what does it say about those who are willing to accept such low standards, simply because it’s politically advantageous to do so?

A healthy dose of cynicism is required of anyone who wishes to engage in an analysis of the political process, but it can also be a hypnotic influence that leads to ethical apathy. Such is the state that many of us find ourselves in, whenever the subject of politics comes up. The inherent expectation that all politicians are crooks and liars, in varying degrees, leads us to accept unethical behavior as a consequence of political reality. “Everybody does it” becomes the blanket excuse and “all politicians are the same” dismisses any argument that they should be held to a higher standard than this. All politicians may be the same, and everybody may do it, but my question is…when are we going to expect more from them?

The acceptance of David Emerson into the Conservative fold is certainly a practical choice. He is eminently qualified and although his constituents would be justified in feeling mislead, I believe it would be stretching to call his ethics into question. His defection was poorly timed, yes but likely not a deliberate deception on his part, so much as a way to maximize his impact in parliament. His choice was shrewd, but not dishonest.

The same can be said about Stephen Harper. The arguments, that he is simply exercising his rights within the rules at hand, and making the best of the party’s tenuous grip on parliament, are all valid. And regardless of what some may say about my political astuteness, I am aware of what is entailed in the political reality of today. I simply choose not to pare back my expectations, to meet it. After all, are we to be the ones to influence our own political reality, or are we willing to simply let the political reality influence us and our choices?

Those of us who compromise on our professed values, to allow for political expediency truly deserve the kind of government we get, when we neglect to make them reach for higher standards. And the fact that the rules don’t expressly forbid it, doesn’t make it an ethically sound choice.

The party faithful, who are loathe, to criticize this action can argue all they like about the practical reasons for allowing this. They can call names and question my loyalty to conservatism and write me off as a political illiterate. However, this impulse to circle the wagons, and attack all who dare question, makes them no better than the many thousands of people who spent 12 years voting for the Liberal Party -- despite every scandal -- simply because they have always voted Liberal. My loyalty is to Conservatism, and that extends to the Conservative Party, only for as long as they adhere to those principles. Straying from them for the sake of power building is a road that leads to corruption and apathy.

And apathy is what is killing Conservatism in this country. [read the rest here]

I agree. Especially with that last statement. Apathy is killing Conservatism.

Not just in Canada but throughout North America.

I'd take it even further and say that apathy will be the destruction of western civilisation itself and not just the concept of "Conservatism". Am I being an alarmist or extremeist? Not so much. I'm just looking back through history. Look at the failed Greek empire. The failed Roman empire. Those societies weren't conquored by mighty armies. They ceased to exist because of erosion from within.

It's time people woke up and started caring.

Open Thread

Monday Morning

Moment of zen:


I'm predicting that we're going to see an extremely large number of MoonBat heads exploding this week.

A New Tribe

The Chronicles is pleased to announce that it's been accepted as a member of "The Wide Awakes".

Here's a little about the group:

Statement of Purpose

The Wide Awakes are a diverse group of like-minded individuals who have formed an alliance both to propagate conservative views and values on the internet as well as protect ourselves from the increasingly strident and sometimes nasty and vicious attacks of our political opponents.

As of late, our opponents have sought not simply to disagree with us but rather use methods and tactics that are annoying, obscene, unconscionable, and in some cases, illegal. They have spammed our comment sections, insulted our commenters, spammed our email accounts, invaded our privacy, and threatened our peace of mind.

Most importantly, their irresponsible activities have lowered the level of political discourse thus doing a great disservice to our country and our republic.

The Wide Awakes consists of both Defenders and Writers. Defenders will function as something of a minuteman corps able to leap to the defense of a Writer who is attacked by one of the many leftist trolls who surf the conservative blogs. While defenders should always give as good as they get in such battles, they should be aware that humor, satire, and reasoned arguments are the best defense against any and all trolls.

Writers will be posting at thewideawakes.org. They may post original pieces written exclusively for thewideawakes site or cross post a column from their own site. The posts can be of any length and about any subject. The Admins, at their discretion, can ask the poster to modify the piece for style, length, and in extreme cases, content. While not everyone agrees on every issue, it is the Admins job to have the site reflect a coherent point of view. Posts that radically deviate from past positions posted on the site could result in a confused message. This admonition should be kept in mind by all writers making it an excellent idea to visit the site on a regular basis.

Finally, through promoting The Wide Awakes and thewideawakes.org, it's hoped that we can make an impact on the political and cultural debate in this country between those who cherish our ideals of freedom, democracy, and cultural traditions and those who seek to destroy those traditions and in the process, we believe, destroy the freedom and democracy those traditions serve and protect.

I think we'll fit right in...

Buzz Off!

*heh*

A Change Of Heart

I never thought I'd become an environmental activist but something needs to be done about this stuff...

Frequently Asked Questions About Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) What is Dihydrogen Monoxide?

Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the unstable radical Hydroxide, the components of which are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.

Why haven't I heard about Dihydrogen Monoxide before?

Good question. Historically, the dangers of DHMO, for the most part, have been considered minor and manageable. While the more significant dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide are currently addressed by a number of agencies including FDA, FEMA and CDC, public awareness of the real and daily dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide is lower than some think it should be.

Critics of government often cite the fact that many politicians and others in public office do not consider Dihydrogen Monoxide to be a "politically beneficial" cause to get behind, and so the public suffers from a lack of reliable information on just what DHMO is and why they should be concerned.

Part of the blame lies with the public and society at large. Many do not take the time to understand Dihydrogen Monoxide, and what it means to their lives and the lives of their families.

Unfortunately, the dangers of DHMO have increased as world population has increased, a fact that the raw numbers and careful research both bear out. Now more than ever, it is important to be aware of just what the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide are and how we can all reduce the risks faced by ourselves and our families.

What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO?

Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

• Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.
• Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.
• Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.
• DHMO is a major component of acid rain.
• Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.
• Contributes to soil erosion.
• Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
• Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
• Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
• Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
• Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere.
• Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.
  

What are some uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide?

Despite the known dangers of DHMO, it continues to be used daily by industry, government, and even in private homes across the U.S. and worldwide. Some of the well-known uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

• as an industrial solvent and coolant,
• in nuclear power plants,
• by the U.S. Navy in the propulsion systems of some older vessels,
• by elite athletes to improve performance,
• in the production of Styrofoam,
• in biological and chemical weapons manufacture,
• as a spray-on fire suppressant and retardant,
• in abortion clinics,
• as a major ingredient in many home-brewed bombs,
• as a byproduct of hydrocarbon combustion in furnaces and air conditioning compressor operation,
• in cult rituals,
• by the Church of Scientology on their members and their members' families (although surprisingly, many members recently have contacted DHMO.org to vehemently deny such use),
• by both the KKK and the NAACP during rallies and marches,
• by pedophiles and pornographers (for uses we'd rather not say here),
• by the clientele at a number of homosexual bath houses in New York City and San Francisco,
• historically, in Hitler's death camps in Nazi Germany, and in prisons in Turkey, Serbia, Croatia, Libya, Iraq and Iran,
• in World War II prison camps in Japan, and in prisons in China, for various forms of torture,
• by the Serbian military as authorized by Slobodan Milosevic in their ethnic cleansing campaign,
• by many terrorist organizations,
• in community swimming pools to maintain chemical balance,
• in animal research laboratories, and
• in pesticide production and distribution.

What you may find surprising are some of the products and places where DHMO is used, but which for one reason or another, are not normally made part of public presentations on the dangers to the lives of our family members and friends. Among these startling uses are:

• as an additive to food products, including jarred baby food and baby formula, and even in many soups, carbonated beverages and supposedly "all-natural" fruit juices
• in cough medicines and other liquid pharmaceuticals,
• in spray-on oven cleaners,
• in shampoos, shaving creams, deodorants and numerous other bathroom products,
• in bathtub bubble products marketed to children,
• as a preservative in grocery store fresh produce sections,
• in the production of beer by all the major beer distributors,
• in the coffee available at major coffee houses in the US and abroad,
• in Formula One race cars, although its use is regulated by the Formula One Racing Commission, and
• as a target of ongoing NASA planetary and stellar research.
  

One of the most surprising facts recently revealed about Dihydrogen Monoxide contamination is in its use as a food and produce "decontaminant." Studies have shown that even after careful washing, food and produce that has been contaminated by DHMO remains tainted by DHMO.

Pour yourself a nice tall glass of water and consider joining the Anti-DHMO movement.

When you pay $7.00/ day for day care...

You get $7.00 worth of day care:

QUEBEC (CP) - A day care where a 13-month-old baby was left outside sleeping for nearly five hours says it will no longer take children outside for their naps.

Last month, Joel Tremblay and Claire Ferland were told their son was left sleeping outside at the Centre Le Petit Bourg day care for four hours and 40 minutes. A staff member told the parents that they decided to let the baby sleep rather than wake him and bring him inside.

The temperature on Jan. 20 dropped to just below freezing and the boy was not awakened to be fed at lunch time.

When Tremblay arrived to pick up his son, the baby's feet were cold and red.

Now if a private run day care did that, do you think it would merit a 190 word story?

NAAFA

The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance held their annual convention recently. Outrage was sparked at the event when attendees discovered that a sponsor had provided "stair-masters" as door prizes. One could say that things only went down hill from there.

There was a serious backlog at the elevators because they could lift only 3 attendees at a time instead of the usual 12. At one point, attendees tried to make the elevator work while carrying 5 people which caused it to stall between floors. A local firefighter was amazed when he arrived on the scene.

"We got the doors open to the point where these individuals could jump up and out but they couldn't get themselves out. They couldn't jump up. We had to send a rookie in to give 'em a boost. That wasn't the worst part though. As soon as Steve got into the elevator he learned that chili was part of the buffet. He was boosting this one chick from behind and she broke wind right in his face. Bugger almost passed out as a result."

Management at the Marriott hotel where the event was held were not impressed either.

"We had to control traffic in the hallways. Two of these individuals attempted to pass each other on one of the upper floors and became wedged. It got to the point where we had to herd them like cattle." Said an un-named source.

She continued, "We generally love conventions, they generally provide a lot of revenue for us. This one lost us money though. We didn't know what the NAAFA was when we quoted our pricing and subsequently booked the event. Our catering costs were triple what we billed. Broken chairs cost us $1,600.00 alone. Broken chairs!"

Hotel management is currently looking at options for recovering costs but it doesn't look hopefull. When they brought their concerns up to the NAAFA they were told that they were being discriminatory and that the NAAFA would be filing a lawsuit if any legal action was taken against them.

To make matters worse, the hotel now has to have engineers assess whether any structural damage was done as attendees had been dancing in the second level ball room. "Everything was fine." Our source said, "Then the DJ decided to play "Jump" by Van Halen. It shook the lights above the registration desk loose." The registration desk is directly below the ballroom.

The hotel has instituted a policy of thoroughly checking on the background of all associations booking conventions in the future our source has told us but it may have been implemented too late as the NBA (National Boulimic Association) has already been slotted in for next month.

"It's going to be terrible" said our source. "All these people are going to do is eat and then puke. We'll never get rid of the smell."

Update: We received an e-mail stating that the little bearded guy in the second picture is our very own commentor "Ti-Guy". Can anyone verify that?

More On Emerson

Well, I guess we now know how his riding association feels.

His outburst came after the riding association that helped elect Emerson in Vancouver-Kingsway last month told him it wants him to repay $96,755.

"This amount came from donations to the Liberal Party and were intended to elect a Liberal," Ivan Curman, president of the riding association, said in a letter to Emerson.

"You would not have received those funds from the Liberal riding association if you ran as a Conservative," said Curman.

Curman said about 300 volunteers rallied to work on the Emerson campaign, giving up time with family, friends and their businesses.

"They believed in the ideals of the Liberal Party and wanted you to represent Vancouver-Kingsway as our Liberal MP," Curman wrote. "Your actions have made their gifts of time meaningless."

Kinda-sorta the same way all those conservative folks in Ontario worked so hard to get "Belindarella" elected. Payback's a bitch!

Please note: This post isin't pro-Emerson. It's anti-Liberal.

On A Lighter Note:

Gwyneth Paltrow says that she loves London because the brits are more intelligent and civilized than the Americans.

The actress has been accused of turning her back on her adopted home in the past, after criticising London and the famously bad UK weather.

But she insists she'd never leave the home she has made with husband CHRIS MARTIN and daughter APPLE.

She says, "I love living in the UK! Brits are far more intelligent and civilized than Americans."

"I love the fact that you can hail a taxi and just pick up the pram and put it in the back of the cab without collapsing it.

She's right too! The Brits invented computers, the internet, light-bulbs, the telephone, television, airplanes and they did put people on the moon... Oh, wait, that's the American list.

Well, umm, the brits did invent colonialism.

Note to Gwyneth: You named your child "APPLE". I don't think you're really qualified to discuss the intelligence of others.

***

In other entertainment news, there's strong evidence that Alec Balwin may be gay.

Bad publicity...

"It's not a hockey-related issue, it's a football thing. And at this time I can't comment any further,'' Tocchet said after the Coyotes practiced earlier Tuesday.
Geez! That's not incriminating at all...
What the hell happened? Things were going along so Good on Saturday!
That's life I guess...

*Ahem*

More entries into the "Keep Your Friggin' Pants On File":

"Colon Rubber's" Have Even More To Worry About:

A particularly bad strain of chlamydia not usually seen in this country appears to be slowly spreading among gay and bisexual men, an infection that can increase their chances of getting or spreading the AIDS virus.

Called LGV chlamydia, this sexually transmitted disease has caused a worrisome outbreak in Europe, where some countries have confirmed dozens of cases. Diagnoses confirmed by U.S. health officials still are low, just 27 since they warned a year ago that the strain was headed here.

But specialists say that's undoubtedly a fraction of the infections, because this illness is incredibly hard to diagnose: Few U.S. clinics and laboratories can test for it. Painful symptoms can be mistaken for other illnesses, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

And because LGV chlamydia doesn't always cause noticeable symptoms _ right away, at least _ an unknown number of people may silently harbor and spread it, along with an increased risk of HIV transmission.

"My feeling is that what we're seeing now is still the tip of the iceberg," says Dr. Philippe Chiliade of the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., which diagnosed its first few cases of LGV last month and is beginning to push for asymptomatic men to be screened.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already was counting an 8 percent increase in HIV among gay and bisexual men between 2003 and before LGV's arrival was recognized.

"We are really concerned about this," says Dr. Catherine McLean of CDC's HIV and STD prevention program...

And then there's this one:

Female AIDS Rates Rise Because Women Can't Keep Their Pants On And It's The Man's Fault:

As the number of young women infected with HIV and AIDS continues to rise in Canada, health officials are hoping better education and medical research will give them the power to protect themselves.

“The statistics tell us there’s a huge problem for women,” says Louise Binder, 55, who was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1993 (likely infected by her ex-husband). She is now vice-chair of Voices of Positive Women (www.vopw.org), which says it’s the only agency in Ontario that focuses entirely on the needs of women living with HIV/AIDS.

The pattern of infection for the disease has changed significantly over the past decade, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Of the 2,529 new HIV cases reported in 2004, 26.6 per cent were women — a dramatic rise from 1996, when women accounted for just 10.5 per cent of all HIV cases. The numbers are even more alarming for those under age 20, with women accounting for 42.4 per cent of the 524 new cases in that age group in 2004 — compared to just 13.2 per cent a decade ago.

There are several reasons for the increase, including injected drug use, new immigrants who are already infected and cultural barriers to condom use.

[...]

Binder wonders if women are not taking advantage of their rights as Canadians.

“Young women still feel very much that they can’t negotiate safer sex practices with their partners,” she says. “In some cases it’s the threat of violence. In some, it’s socialization, economic independence.

“Our society, in some cases, gives more rights and women have more power to assert those rights, but it doesn’t mean that we’re asserting them. Women often don’t feel that they can. It’s a huge problem.”

One innovation in helping stop the spread of AIDS might be microbicides, which researchers suggest women could apply through gels or creams to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.

Notice how neither article address the use of abstenance or monogomy as a means of prevention?

David Emerson

There are a lot of conservatives out there who are trying to rationalize bringing Liberal David Emerson into the fold. To them I have to say that they can rationalize as much as they want if it helps them sleep better at night. It still doesn't make it right though. We all know it.

TDH Strategies has dug up some old Emerson quotes. An interesting read to be sure:

"Mr. Speaker, I have not been in this House for long, but one of the things I have learned is that the members opposite are blatantly opportunistic, partisan and misleading the Canadian people." - April 18, 2005

"I am delighted to be part of the team that has delivered Canadian economic performance that leads the G-7. I am delighted to be part of a government that has delivered seven consecutive balanced budgets, a substantial program of tax cuts, and a reduced debt burden that will continue to fall over the next decade." - October 20, 2004

"Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we are protecting jobs. We are protecting jobs in an industry that has gone through some very hard times. If that party were in power today, those jobs would be gone. They would be gone to the U.S., to the U.K., to Europe and to China." - February 14, 1005, in response to a question about the Technology Partnerships Canada Program

"Mr. Speaker, we are recovering all the money from Bioniche. It will deal with Mr. Dingwall on the recovery of those funds. The use of the language "kickback" is an affront to civilized debate in the House. It suggests illegality. It is illegal to be an unregistered lobbyist. It is not illegal to receive a contingency fee."

"Mr. Speaker, disgusting maliciousness is what it is. There were breaches of contracts entered into by companies. We are correcting those breaches. Those companies have recourse to lobbyists. Wherever a lobbyist is not registered, it is being referred either to the RCMP or the registrar of lobbyists. We are correcting the breaches. All they are doing is muckraking because that is all they know how to do. - both above quotes from October 3, 2005, defending the Technology Partnerships Canada program and one company's decision to provide David Dingwall with a contingency fee for his work as a lobbyist

"Mr. Speaker, for several months in this House I have watched the political chicanery and skullduggery from the other side. - May 13, 2005

"Again, it is a vicious guttersnipe over there. Mr. Speaker, as he crawls through the gutter alleging illegal payments, these are breaches of contracts. They are not illegal payments, they are breaches of contracts. They are being corrected and the money recovered." - also from October 3, 2005, referring to his now cabinet colleague Michael Chong, the new President of the Queen's Privy Council, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister for Sport

"Mr. Speaker, it is pretty disgusting when those members can talk about defrauding taxpayers when in fact we have a relationship with the company and where there has been a breach of contract we are recovering the money. It is that kind of language that brings the House into disrepute and brings the level of debate right down to the gutter." - October 5, 2005, this time referring to the conduct of his new caucus colleague James Rajotte

"Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister has done more to clean up Parliament and clean up government than any prime minister in the last 30 or 40 years." - May 5, 2005

"They are pretending that they support Kyoto. They have never supported Kyoto. They do not support Kyoto and they never will." - April 18, 2005, referring to his new party

"Mr. Speaker, this government has said right from the beginning, I have said from the beginning and my colleague the Minister of the Environment has said from the beginning that we can achieve Kyoto and we can do it while the Canadian economy is made more and more competitive and that means jobs." - February 3, 2005

"Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the House that those people's thinking is so inconsistent, they should just sit down." - February 4, 2005, once again criticizing his new caucus colleagues

"Mr. Speaker, I really find it difficult to live with this kind of foolishness." - September 26, 2005, in response to a question from Colin Carrie, Conservative MP for Oshawa

"If we make a deal, we keep a deal. If GM makes a deal, we keep a deal. We are committed to GM." - November 21, 2005, in one of his final question periods before his election campaign as a Liberal candidate (he obviously wasn't referring to his own conduct in this answer

"Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should have the courage to stand in the House and tell his constituents that if the Conservatives were in government today, there would not be $5 billion of investments in the automotive industry in Ontario. Oshawa and the workers in Oshawa would be in serious trouble." - November 22, 2005, in response to another question from Carrie

"Mr. Speaker, I am not stubborn at all. I like to have information and then make sound, reasonable, thoughtful decisions." - October 22, 2004

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Welcome to Cannuckistan, where even the Conservatives are Liberals. I'm sure Mr. Emerson will fit right in with his new party.

This ain't Right...

Exactly how is this different, in ANY way, from B.S's defection? As absurd as the current defection is, there are two small silver linings to this story.

The first, is stated simply by Jeff:
the only thing that gives me pause is the fact that we are willing to acknowledge wrongdoing and unethical practice. Can you recall any Liberal bloggers that did the same?
The second cause for hope, is that according to our esteemed "Ethics commissioner", nothing unethical occurred. The only unethical action would be bringing a tape recorder to any "turncoat meetings"...

It's time for new legislation, to put an end to floor-crossings for Good.

It's A Good Day For Canada

It's not an end to Canadian socialism but it'll slow the buggers down a little!

"*"

Update: Monday afternoon...

I'm not friggin' impressed. I can't say that I expected better of a Harper government but I had hope. As did others. Shame on you Stephen.

And here I am...

Remember one year ago, when every red-blooded Canadian said, "What the fu*k am I gonna watch now..."? Let the Good times roll. The current situation Right now, is a constant stream of positive Right-wing news/stories. Savior it. Times have not been this Good since Mulroney, and a Canadian team in the Stanley Cup final for, how many years???

Support the Danes AND International soccer. Drink Carlsburg.

Here I Am

Sitting in my basement. Watching the American Superbowl. On a home theater system provided by Alberta grown Ralph-Bucks. While I type on a laptop from Japan. My typing is related to a project for a Russian construction company. I'm drinking Danish beer and I have a Cuban cigar that I'm saving for after 1/2 time.

Don't tell me that Alberta has a monolithic culture that opposes outside influence. Not ever.

Cheers!

Hockey: The Root Of All Evil.

It's 7:30 AM and I'm sitting in a cold arena, a coffee in my hand that I shouldn't have - it's hard to think about boycotts this early - and I'm watching 8 year olds play. This week, my son is the goalie. He has let in 2 fairly easy ones and they are down 2 - 0. But I can see that he's starting to wake up, his game is improving. The funny thing is, the same goes for the rest of the team. They have slept walked through the first half of the game, and seem to be waking up in tandem. This isn't unusual, they do this every time there is a 7:00 game.

The other team has played well from the get go. They were awake and skating well right off the top. The problem they have is they only have a 2 goal advantage going into the 2nd half. You see, my sons team is good, and they are about to come on strong.

I don't say they are good to brag, it is, I hope, a neutral comment. They win most of their games, sometimes large. The couple of games they have lost have been close. Today they will tie, but that's a good result when you spot the other guys a two goal lead. No, they are a good team. Not a team loaded with great players, although they have one or two who stand out, but so does every other team in this league. They are well coached to be sure, but they share practices with another team that isn't nearly as good. Coaching only goes so far with 8 year old house leaguers. Their fundamentals are strong and they think on the ice, that's the product of good coaching. But it's the intangibles that make this team good, and coaching at this level just can't provide that.

What this team has is, they think and act as a unit, as a single entity. They wake up at the same time. It doesn't matter who plays goal, he makes a big save when it's needed. It doesn't matter who plays defense, someone will pull a puck off the goal line, or poke the puck away from a player on a breakaway. It doesn't matter who plays forward, someone will score. It's just that kind of team. They are great in the collective.

Watching a game like this, I can't help think how seductive the greatness of the collective is. Led Zeppelin was unbelievable as a group, far exceeding what they were or are capable of individually. The group themselves acknowledged this when they refused to do what so many groups before them had done: replace their drummer. They understood that the collective was what made them special.

The problem with the collective is that you can't predict it, can't control it. Like I said, it's seductive and I can see why societies chose it. Because they see it in a sports team, a band, any group of individuals who come together and create magic, and they think, it can work. We can have a great country, a great life with this. The problem is, it takes one person to not fit in, and the whole is thrown out of whack. And how do you identify that one person? People who run sports franchises forever are trying to find the magic formula, and most will tell you it's rare when it happens. And unpredictable.

But sports people also have an option. If player A isn't fitting in, he can be let go, or traded, or retired or any number of things. Not so in a society. In order for the collective to work, those who drag the collective down must be gotten rid of. And when killing off, or shunning the one person doesn't solve the problem, more people must be treated likewise. Soon, the collective that seemed so full of potential has become totalitarian. And like the greatness that happens when the combination is just right, the opposite can occur. And once you've reached totalitarianism, your opposite from the goal of the collective. Now instead of greatness, you have weakness. Instead of working for the common goal, you are treading water, hoping to not be the next guy against the wall. Again, this happens in sports, where a team that is burdened with trade rumours struggle to not lose, instead of creating wins. It's a sad thing in a hockey team, a tragedy in a society. And it's inevitable in a society without freedom.

Bloody Brilliant!

"Brokeback To The Future"

h/t Katie

THE MUHAMMAD CARTOONS BLOGBURST

Logic would dictate that if a group were upset with the idea of being portrayed as murderous thugs,

...that they wouldn't add to said portrayal by acting like murderous thugs...

nuff said!

Join the BlogBurst via Michelle Malkin.

h/t SDA

WOOHOO!!!

The Anti-PC League turned 100 today.

That's right, 100 people have signed up to show solidarity against the PC culture.

What have you been waiting for? Join today!

Anybody for a Race?.. Anybody...? Hello..? Is This Thing Turned On...?

We'll start with who's not in: Frank McKenna, John Manley, Brian Tobin, Allan Rock, Scot Brison, Steve Janke, and Belinda Stronach are out of the race.

Brison & Stronach you say? When did they announce this? Well, not so much announce as make the practical reality nigh well impossible. Brison's leadership blew up yesterday with the whoopsie-mail:

An e-mail message from his personal assistant Adele Desjardins, obtained by the Sun, scolds the outgoing public works minister for falling behind with his French lessons.

"I know you are the best to lead the Party and I am ready to work hard," reads the terse exchange with Brison. "But I am not a machine, and co-operation is needed."

The e-mail, sent out with the subject line, "You will never learn French the way you are doing it," included an angry response from Brison: "How dare u speak to me like that?"[sic]

How dare u speak to me like that? Arrogant before the prize is awarded does not go over well with Canadians. Arrogance in English, about lack of French, cosigns you to the table where Tobin, Rock, Manley, McKenna and Janke are sitting.

The more interesting thing about Belinda's un-official withdrawl from the race is the complete lack of coverage it received. I saw it in one National Post column, hidden behind password protected part of the webpage, so I can't link it (memo to National Post: I buy you friggin paper every single day, how about finding a way to let those of us who do so to access the web site - give us a freakin' break - here endeth the rant). But here's the exchange:

French reporter: Are you running for the Liberal leadership?
Belinda: "En Anglais, sil vous plait."

"En Anglais, sil vous plait." Looslely translated (and my French is not good), that is "No, there's not much point really." Look folks, this is the Liberal Party we are talking about. The Party that always puts power above principle. The Party that just lost seats in Quebec to the god forsaken Conservatives. The Party that want those seats back, and more so they can win back power. The Party that traditionally, as in for the last 100 years, has elected their leaders in a French-Anglais-French-Anglais pattern. This is a Party that just lost power after two years behind the English guy.

This Party is not going to elect a unilingual English leader. They would elect Lucien Bouchard before they would go with someone who answers a simple French question with En Anglais, sil vous plait. Or an arrogant Anglais like Brison, especially when he is arrogant about not speaking English. How could either of these two debate Gilles Duceppe in French? And if they can't, how can they hope to win anything?

The field is getting pretty small, which is not good for the Liberals. What they can hope for now is that an interesting dark horse candidate comes to the rescue, much like Bill Clinton did for the Democrats in 1991.

A Message From The Grave

" * "

Cindy Sheehan - Still Full Of Crap

Here's Cindy's response to getting arrested the other evening. I was thinking of dissecting it but it was just too bloody easy.

Dear Friends,

As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union Address tonight.

I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country.

There have been lies from the police and distortions by the press. (Shocker) So this is what really happened:

This afternoon at the People's State of the Union Address in DC where I was joined by Congresspersons Lynn Woolsey and John Conyers, Ann Wright, Malik Rahim and John Cavanagh. Lynn brought me a ticket to the State of the Union Address. At that time, I was wearing the shirt that said: 2,245 Dead. How many more?

After the PSOTU press conference, I was having second thoughts about going to the SOTU at the Capitol. I didn't feel comfortable going. I knew George Bush would say things that would hurt me and anger me and I knew that I couldn't disrupt the address because Lynn had given me the ticket and I didn't want to be disruptive out of respect for her. I, in fact, had given the ticket to John Bruhns who is in Iraq Veterans Against the War. However, Lynn's office had already called the media and everyone knew I was going to be there so I sucked it up and went.

I got the ticket back from John, and I met one of Congresswoman Barbara Lee's staffers in the Longworth Congressional Office building and we went to the Capitol via the underground tunnel. I went through security once, then had to use the rest room and went through security again.
My ticket was in the 5th gallery, front row, fourth seat in. The person who in a few minutes was to arrest me, helped me to my seat.

I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and yelled, "Protester." He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs. I said something like, "I'm going, do you have to be so rough?" By the way, his name is Mike Weight.

The officer ran with me to the elevators yelling at everyone to move out of the way. When we got to the elevators, he cuffed me and took me outside to await a squad car. On the way out, someone behind me said, "That's Cindy Sheehan." At which point the officer who arrested me said, "Take these steps slowly." I said, "You didn't care about being careful when you were dragging me up the other steps." He said, "That's because you were protesting." Wow, I get hauled out of the People's House because I was, "Protesting."

I was never told that I couldn't wear that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those things...I would have, and written about the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for "unlawful conduct."
After I had my personal items inventoried and my fingers printed, a nice Sgt. came in and looked at my shirt and said, "2,245, huh? I just got back from there."

I told him that my son died there. That's when the enormity of my loss hit me. I have lost my son. I have lost my First Amendment rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go? I started crying in pain.

What did Casey die for? What did the 2,244 other brave young Americans die for? What are tens of thousands of them over there in harm's way for still? For this? I can't even wear a shirt that has the number of troops on it that George Bush and his arrogant and ignorant policies are responsible for killing.

I wore the shirt to make a statement. The press knew I was going to be there and I thought every once in awhile they would show me and I would have the shirt on. I did not wear it to be disruptive, or I would have unzipped my jacket during George's speech. If I had any idea what happens to people who wear shirts that make the neocons uncomfortable...that I would be arrested...maybe I would have, but I didn't.

There have already been many wild stories out there.

I have some lawyers looking into filing a First Amendment lawsuit against the government for what happened tonight. I will file it. It is time to take our freedoms and our country back.

I don't want to live in a country that prohibits any person, whether he/she has paid the ultimate price for that country, from wearing, saying, writing, or telephoning any negative statements about the government. That's why I am going to take my freedoms and liberties back. That's why I am not going to let Bushco take anything else away from me...or you.

I am so appreciative of the couple of hundred protesters who came to the jail while I was locked up to show their support....we have so much potential for good...there is so much good in so many people.

Four hours and 2 jails after I was arrested, I was let out. Again, I am so upset and sore it is hard to think straight.

Keep up the struggle...I promise you I will too.
Love and peace soon,Cindy

I liked how at the beginning she said she was completely innocent and wasn't there to protest and then at the end she says, yeah, I was there to protest. Way to stay consistent Cindy!