Saturday, September 29, 2012

He's Baaaaaak...

And the lefties are falling all over themselves:

NDP, Liberals slam handling of Omar Khadr case

Keep it up, folks. Every time you open your traps, you make the outcome of the next election even more certain. (CTV is getting an ear-full from their readers in the comments, too. Hope the Lib/Dip compact is reading it. No, actually, I don't. I'd rather see them relegated to the garbage heap of history's bad ideas, so we can have the pleasure of throwing them out with the trash.)

Khadr could enrol at Edmonton university after prison sentence ends, official says
"Omar Khadr returned to Canada on Saturday, but a small Edmonton Christian university wouldn’t say if the move brings him closer to one day studying there."
[---]
"Arlette Zinck, an English professor at King’s, visited Khadr at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay in April and May as part of an effort to rehabilitate the Canadian, who has been convicted of terrorism offences.

Zinck, who met with Khadr for six or seven hours a day for lessons during two visits, began corresponding with him in 2008 when his lawyers were Edmontonians Dennis Edney and Nate Whitling."
[---]
"Students and professors at King’s became interested in Khadr’s case after Edney addressed a class on legal issues.

At a sentencing hearing in 2010, Khadr, now 26, said he would like to attend King’s. He stopped his formal schooling in Grade 8.(Emphasis mine.)

An informal offer has been made to pay Khadr’s tuition if he studies at the school."
No comments allowed under this article, though. Just as well. They probably wouldn't print mine.

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Oh Cry Me A River...

Friday, September 28, 2012

Countdown...

...39 Days

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On The Rails

Northern train makes its last run
"The last Northlander train from Toronto to North Bay and Cochrane trundled out of Union Station on Friday.

Critics predict 1,000 employees face layoffs in remote, economically strapped communities served by Ontario Northland, the provincial Crown-owned rail service.

As people wept and reminisced on the Northlander's last run, several regional mayors and MPPs vowed to maintain full-steam ahead lobbying of the province to restore rail service and stop undermining far north residents, industries and tourism."
Elizabeth May was unavailable for comment.

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So. God Gave The North Pole...

...to the Russians...it seems. I wonder what the Russians feel about global warming? I wonder what Putin does to Russia's AGW freaks?

Next thing you know, they'll be holding Santa hostage. :-(

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

The War On Girls

Asia seems to want to flirt with a strange sort of population control.  First, there was the story about an abandoned baby girl left in a ditch in Afghanistan.  Now there's this news about China's one child policy:

 40 Million Lost Women from China's One Child Policy
"The true spirit of Communism is most clearly seen in the faces of the Chinese population control police as they drag women away, beat them, strap them down to tables, and force them to abort babies that they want, up to the ninth month of pregnancy."
Hug your daughters tonight. Let them know you love them and they are wanted. And weep.

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BWHAHAHAHAHAHA




Found this one on an American blog. The caption says:"It's a little known fact that Winston Churchill once met with Obama."

40 days

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Well, Good Bye America...

...it was nice knowing ya'.

Producer of inflammatory anti-Islam film arrested, ordered held without bail


The mind boggles.

Hopefully, the courts will laugh and throw this one out.

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This Must Have Hurt

CBC forced to praise Harper:

Stephen Harper accepts World Statesman of the Year award


The article is littered with statements extolling Harper's accomplishments. I'll bet some CBC staffer felt the need to have a shower after writing that.

But they did manage to take a swipe at him about the United-in-Hate Nations, because, you see, he should have made an appearance there, too, while he was in New York.

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I Like. I Like.

This story is itself worth a read, but I especially like what the sole (to this time) commentor has to say about the regime in Iran:
"These protests are a direct result and in response to an evil and wicked regime who denies people their right to be free and express themselves without the kind of barbarian brutal treatment these Iranians have served up in the name of their Allah. It's hypocritical to hear Ahbinawackjob tell the world of the west when his own regime is wicked. Then again look at the makeup nations at the UN and he is preaching to the choir."(emphasis mine)

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Do You Feel That Pulse?

The media, always with it's fingers on the pulse of the Canadian electorate, is all confused. It seems they've lost  their pulse:

The Shiny Pony to enter horserace
"With NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair comparing the oilsands to tar ponds and Justin Trudeau ready to take the Liberals back to the '60s, Prime Minister Stephen Harper should be good until, oh, 2023.

A stretch, perhaps. But not by much.

According to media reports, the son of Liberal god Pierre Trudeau will officially announce his leadership bid next Tuesday at a rally in his home riding of Papineau.

We may run out of bated breath.

Outside the Commons Wednesday, the son of Canada's most over-rated and historically-revised PM, the Shiny Pony, as Sun News Network refers to him mockingly, had his media fan club giggling like groupies at a Justin Bieber concert."

With Justin Trudeau as their leader, Liberals would easily win federal election: exclusive poll
"In an exclusive poll conducted for the National Post, Forum found if Mr. Trudeau were leader of the Liberal Party and an election were held today, the Grits would win, handily, with 39% of the popular vote.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives would come in second, with 32% of the vote, and the NDP — today the Official Opposition and led by Thomas Mulcair — would return to third-party status, with just 20% of the vote.

“The real news here is that Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader has the effect of taking all the wind out of the NDP’s sails,” said Lorne Bozinoff, Forum Research’s president, of the 14% bump Mr. Trudeau would lend the Liberals."
I have two things to say: First is about polls: I wish pollsters would be required to reveal information about how they conduct their polls. What I'd like to see is a list of the questions asked and a profile of the people polled; Also a bit about how they conducted the poll. If it's online, then that is not randomly selected.

Second, I hope Trudeau the Younger actually does win the leadership race. I'd love to see the Liberal Party and the media take a nosedive and learn to backpeddle real fast. They both fawned all over Iggy, because he was a Harvard professor, but real people across this great land aren't so easily impressed. We're not particularly enamoured by dynasties, either, except the one in Britain.

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EEEEHAAAAAAW!

Take that, Dippers!! See what happens when you turf the NDP:
"The population of Saskatchewan increased by the most people in a single year in nearly a century, according to the latest Statistics Canada numbers.

The province grew by 22,154 between July 2011 and 2012, the Saskatchewan Party boasted on Thursday. It is the biggest year-over-year increase since 1921, the government noted. The jump brought the number of people living in the province to 1,079,958."
Bit by bit, day by day, I'm growing more and more confident that here in knuckledraggerland we'll never see the dippers in power again. Maybe we'll even have to stop dragging our knuckles.

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I Wonder How Many Of Those...

...new people are Americans, escaping the disaster that is The One?
"The West remains the powerhouse behind the country’s demographic growth, with Alberta’s population growing by 2.5 per cent and Saskatchewan’s increasing by 2.1 per cent in 2011-12. Immigration to Saskatchewan was up by 1.3 per cent, the highest rate in the country."

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Holy-Moly!!

How do you land a 1000 lb fish???
""In the first few minutes I had it on the line I thought my arms were going to fall off. Or I would end up in the river.""
Never mind, how do you eat it.

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Ha! Ha!

And y'all thought it was your good looks and charm. Well, I got news for you:

Men on the mind: Study finds male DNA in women's brains

And it's from carrying male foetuses.

Should "spawn" a lotta good jokes.

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So, You Think You've Had...

..a shitty day, do you? Well, let me tell you about the shittiest day I've ever had. It happened when I was still living in Saskatoon. I was walking in the park by the Bessborough, when a piece of fresh, steaming bird poop landed on my shoulder. It made me chuckle. Still does.

Could have been worse, I suppose. It might have landed in my hair. Or I might have been looking up with my mouth open.

Always look on the bright side!!

God, I'm pathetic! This is all I've got to blog about???

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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

This Is Rich...

...Egypt's Morsi warns Israel over 'law of the jungle' threats

Law of the jungle, eh? I think that's what was on display in every capital throughout the Muslim world last week.

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And Another One Bites...

...the dust:

Andy Williams has died.

Yet another icon from my youth. Oh where have the days gone?



PS: Do they do romantic music like that any more? I'm so out of touch.

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'Piss Christ' To Go On...

...display again.

I, of course, expect angry mobs of Christians to go on the rampage, burning down embassies, killing atheists, etc., etc..

Oh wait. (I don't know for sure, but I expect the "artist" is trying to prove that very same point. Unlike it is with Muslims, insulting a figure that is sacred to Christians will not bring angry, rampaging mobs out into the streets. No foreign ambassadors will be murdered. No embassies sacked, etc., etc. Not even if they are paid to do it.)

PS: I also think the rampaging Muslims incident of a few days ago will backfire badly on the old goats who planned it.

PPS: Let me qualify that. Since this "Piss Christ" exhibit is to take place in New York City, I wouldn't mind if angry mobs destroyed the UN building.

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First, Kill All The Lawyers...

...New national guidelines for lawyers recommend knowledge of aboriginal rights
"The Federation of Law Societies of Canada is recommending in its first-ever set of national standards for admission to the bar that all new Canadian lawyers possess knowledge of aboriginal rights.

Approved over the weekend in Vancouver, the move by the federation - the coordinating body for Canada's 14 provincial and territorial law societies - is part of a push to ensure Canada's lawyers are knowledgeable in aboriginal law, an area that some legal experts say is becoming more important and plays into everything from natural resources development to drafting or changing government policies.

Aboriginal law is the law relating to the content and application of the constitutional protection of aboriginal and treaty rights that was affirmed in the 1982 Constitution Act."
That should just about do it.

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

There's Frat Parties...

...and then there's frat parties:

Tennessee fraternity suspended over alleged alcohol enemas
"A fraternity at the University of Tennessee is being investigated after some members allegedly gave each other alcohol enemas over the weekend.

The university suspended its Phi Kappa Alpha chapter on Monday for 30 days or until the university makes a decision about the frat's future, the Tennessean newspaper reported.

On Saturday, a 20-year-old student was dropped off at the university's medical centre at around 1:30 a.m. with a blood alcohol level greater than 0.4, the Tennessean reported. He was in critical condition and non-responsive. He has since been released from hospital.

Police went to the frat house and found others, including three men, passed out."
Men??? I don't think so. Gives a whole new meaning to the word "assholes" though.

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Hypocrisy On Display Here

A few days ago, I ranted about some baseball player who had written some supposed "homophobic" slur on his face and how the team's owners were tripping all over themselves apologizing for it and even gave him a three game suspension.

Yesterday, it was the Calgary Stampeders' turn. One of their players flashed a moon at the Sask Rough Riders fans and all they got was this half-assed (no pun intended) apology:
"Understand, lubricated Rider patriots are downright notorious for how far they’ll push verbal baiting behind the visitors’ bench during games. They love to wind opponents up, goad them; get down, dirty, personally abusive in their chirping. No subject, however sensitive, is considered taboo.

First instincts are, naturally, to strike back in kind."
No suspensions though. Hell, the apology was even issued by the coach/manager, not the player. It even spawned some rather humourous headlines.

But don't you go dissing the gay agenda!

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Some Good Laughs...

...on this, the morning of day 43:

Funnies.

You have to admit. The lamestream media does offer up a lot of fertile raw material at which to poke fun, and you can depend on bloggers to poke fun at them.

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Monday, September 24, 2012

The Lesson In This...

...is, don't ask your dog to cook supper for you:

Dog turns on stove, setting house ablaze

...or maybe don't call your spouse a dog.

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You Know...

...I really do believe this is what Arab and Muslim kids are taught to believe:

Ahmadinejad: Israel has "no roots" in Middle East history

In any case, the mind boggles. (Actually, no. It doesn't boggle.)

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You Know, I'm Not Much...

...of a hockey fan, but I remember this one as if it were yesterday:

Da! Da! Canada!

Nyet! Nyet! Soviet!

Forty years ago this week!! I remember where I was when the winning goal was scored - in the student lounge at the College of Education at the U of S. The place was rocking and overflowing!

And I didn't know this:
"“My overall memory was that all the Canadians were drunk,” my mother, Barbara Fisher, who attended the four games in Moscow, recalled recently. “Never mind the Russians. It was the Canadians who were an embarrassment. . . . I thought, ‘What on earth they must think of us, (with) this going on?’ I mean, I knew what I thought of us.”

It is a view shared by Alma Said, who went to the games in Russia with three other secretaries who worked on Parliament Hill.

“Most of the Canadians were rude, impolite, badly mannered. A lot of them were people who liked to get plastered. Some were drunk even before the aircraft left Canada for Moscow. ” Said recalled. “It was embarrassing, but it was the best trip I ever had in my life.”"
That just makes it even better!!!

DA!! DA!! CANADA!!!

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And Then There's Stories...

...that make you want to scream!!

Soldiers Discover Abandoned Baby on Side of Road in Afghanistan

It's just by coincidence, of course, that the baby is a girl./sarc

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Sunday, September 23, 2012

44 Days

That's all.

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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Countdown Continues...

45 Days

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Oh My God!!

Monaco wants a piece of the action, too. What are we going to do? The Danes almost took Hans Island from us.

Look, people, all those pink blotches on the map belong to us. Get lost!!

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Every Year I Wait With...

...anticipation for the Ig Nobel Awards. That time has arrived:

Ponytail Math

Device that shuts people up, dynamics of sloshing coffee

Now those sound like valuable advances in science, as long as they aren't used on me (especially the first one).

Dead salmon brain activity

That could very well have human applications, too, dontcha think?

This one certainly does. But, alas, they caved:
"But what would have been the most spectacular display of science was called off at the last second. The Ig Nobel Prize for medicine went to a team led by Emmanuel Ben-Soussan, a medical researcher at the Clinique de l’Alma in Paris, for developing a technique that prevents the rare but dangerous problem of gas explosions during colonoscopy. (Yes, intestines really can explode.) A human subject was brought on stage for a demonstration. The doctor got as far as putting on a rubber glove before the demo was cancelled for fear of offending the audience."
And did you know that if you lean to the left, the Eiffel Tower looks smaller? What could we do without that knowledge? Perhaps there's a lesson here for folks of the leftard persuasion, too. They tend not to see the big picture and what they do see is bent out of shape.

Sure beats the real Nobel Prizes, in any case, especially the Peace Prize.

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Aaawwwweee...

....Sometimes the news just tugs at the old heart strings:

Bus driver gives his shoes to homeless man

And theeeeeeeen, the Canadian MSM steps in.

Of course, it's far more important that we learn about how "those Americans" flubbed up, than it is to learn about the kindness  of a good Samaritan.



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Friday, September 21, 2012

Days Left...

...46!

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Rumour Has It...

...that the first day of fall is happening tomorrow, but I already knew that. Yesterday afternoon, while sitting on my front steps, I saw a big flock of geese fly by in V formation, heading south-east. They were probably looking for some poor farmer's field to land in, where they could feast on swathed grain before making the next leg of their journey. Anyway, geese in V formation is as sure a sign of spring as the cackling of crows is of spring. The birds know.

Also sighted from my front steps are kids at school. I am amused when the recess bell rings and kids come streaming out of the school, running as fast as their little legs will carry them, to see who can get to the playground equipment first. The really funny thing is, when the bell rings to end recess they run just as fast to get back into school. You wouldn't catch me doing that when I was that age.

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

"Innocence of Muslims"





From a friend on facebook.

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Oh Yeah...

...that'll work:

Ultimatum to US: ‘Criminalise blasphemy or lose consulate’

Further evidence that Islam has promoted their prophet to the same status as Allah.

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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Protest All You Want...

...sweeties:

Female U.S. war resister could be deported Thursday
"A number of people hoisting placards and waving peace signs gathered in Toronto Wednesday for an eleventh-hour protest against the planned deportation of U.S. war resister Kimberly Rivera.

The demonstration was one of several planned across the country calling on Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to stop a deportation order that would see Rivera returned to the U.S. by Thursday.

Rivera, a former U.S. Army private who fled to Canada in 2007 to avoid further military service, received the order after a negative pre-removal risk assessment.

That assessment ruled she would not be in danger of punishment, torture or loss of life if deported."
As far as I'm concerned, where did she get the unmitigated gall to think Canada would provide her with sanctuary while our young men and women have sacrificed their lives over in the "sandbox". Good riddance. And to those Canadians who may have given her false hope, a pox on all your houses.

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I've Become A Comment Freak...

...on Sun Net News' website. The other day some got to reinventing recent history by claiming Saddam Hussein was a jolly good fellow. One quoted the tired old meme about 600,000 having been killed as a result of the American invasion - by the Americans. This figure is taken from Lancet's study which assumes that war casualties spread the same way communicable disease spreads. Then there was a discussion about how many people Saddam Hussein himself had killed. Of course, I went looking. Here's what I found:

How many people did Saddam Hussein kill?

How Many People Has Saddam Hussein Killed?

How may people did Saddam Hussein kill?

How many people did Saddam Hussein kill?[Not the same as previous link.]

Documented human rights violations 1979–2003

How Many People Has Saddam Hussein Killed?

Saddam Hussein

Top 5 crimes of Saddam Hussein

Worst genocides of the 20th and 21st centuries

How many people did Saddam kill?

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The Origins Of Multiculturism

Did you know that in the early 1960s a Royal Commission was established under the government of Lester Pearson to examine the issue of Bi-culturalism and Bi-lingualism. Yup. It was Pearson, not Trudeau, who was responsible for the French on the Cornflakes boxes. Trudeau merely implemented the recommendations outlined in the Commission's report.  And the PCs and Dippers also supported his endorsement of those recommendations.

The Commission also sowed the seeds of Multiculturalism in its fourth report.

Trudeau gets blamed for all of this, but it actually predates his election as Prime Minister. True, he did implement the recommendations, so he does share part of the blame.

With respect to multicultualism, these are his words:
"It was the view of the royal commission, shared by the government and, I am sure, by all Canadians, that there cannot be one cultural policy for Canadians of British and French origin, another for the original peoples and yet a third for all others. For although there are two official languages, there is no official culture, nor does any ethnic group take precedence over any other. No citizen or group of citizens is other than Canadian, and all should be treated fairly."
(Emphasis mine)

The commission's recommendations also laid the foundation for the creation and fostering of ethnic enclaves:
"The royal commission was guided by the belief that adherence to one's ethnic group is influenced not so much by one's origin or mother tongue as by one's sense of belonging to the group, and by what the commission calls the group's "collective will to exist." The government shares this belief."
Of course, ethnic enclaves had existed beforehand, too. Nearly every city of some size had and still has a "China-Town". And the prairies are dotted with little towns and villages that began as centres of commercial activity serving the multitude of ethnic "block settlements" created by Sir Wilfred Laurier's push to put peasant farmers on the fertile grain growing regions of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta - people of Ukrainian, Hungarian, Polish, and so on, origins.

The multicultural policy began as an attempt to reduce racial discrimination:
"A policy of multiculturalism within a bilingual framework commends itself to the government as the most suitable means of assuring the cultural freedom of Canadians. Such a policy should help break down discriminatory attitudes and cultural jealousies. National unity if it is to mean anything in the deeply personal sense, must be founded on confidence in one's own individual identity; out of this can grow respect for that of others and a willingness to share ideas, attitudes and assumptions. A vigorous policy of multiculturalism will help create this initial confidence. It can form the base of a society which is based on fair play for all.

The government will support and encourage the various cultures and ethnic groups that give structure and vitality to our society. They will be encouraged to share their cultural expression and values with other Canadians and so contribute to a richer life for us all."
[---]
"In implementing a policy of multiculturalism within a bilingual framework, the government will provide support in four ways.

First, resources permitting, the government will seek to assist all Canadian cultural groups that have demonstrated a desire and effort to continue to develop a capacity to grow and contribute to Canada, and a clear need for assistance, the small and weak groups no less than the strong and highly organized.

Second, the government will assist members of all cultural groups to overcome cultural barriers to full participation in Canadian society.

Third, the government will promote creative encounters and interchange among all Canadian cultural groups in the interest of national unity.

Fourth, the government will continue to assist immigrants to acquire at least one of Canada's official languages in order to become full participants in Canadian society."
The whole commission report is an example of what the Liberal Party of Canada does best - social engineering. And, of course, it hasn't worked out that well.

One wonders what members of all those ethnic groups that came to Canada prior to this commission did. I can think of a few individuals who did quite well - Saskatchewan's Ramon Hnatyshyn (of Ukrainian ancestry) for example, who became Canada's Governor General, after several years of a successful law practice in Saskatoon and a stint as an elected representative in Parliament, or Manitoba's Ed Schreyer (German-Austrian ancestry), who also became Governor General, and prior to that was Premier of Manitoba, or even John Diefenbaker, (German origins), who was Prime Minister, for a spell and who also had a successful career in law prior to entering politics, and, who championed the advancement and better treatment of native Indians during his law career and was a strong proponent of racial equality.

Of course, all these men were white, and therefore unable to cry "racism" at the drop of a hat, although Ukrainians certainly did not have an easy time of it as settlers on the Canadian prairies in the late 1800s and early 1900s. What they all share is a strong work ethic and a will to succeed. They didn't need no multicultural policy to tell them they were in need of special considerations.

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Today's Canadian Kerfuffle

A big hew and cry arose across the nation yesterday when the Quebec legislature was instructed to remove the Canadian flag from the building. Sometime later the flag was put up again. All of which raises a question, the answer to which, I would like to know. Do all the provincial legislatures fly both the Canadian flag and the provincial flag? I suspect the answer is yes, but I could be wrong. In any case, flag etiquette dictates the rules regarding such things, which I am sure will send separatist Quebecois in to spasms of anger. I guess Madam Marois had to do some fancy-dancy backtracking. Tough to be in a minority position, ain't it, sweetheart.

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Quit Apologizing!!!!

One of the biggest/strongest bees I have in my bonnet is the iron grip political correctness has on Western countries, Canada included. I believe the only way to loosen that grip is to speak firmly, courteously but honestly about what you believe to be true and let the agents wielding  the bludgeon of political correctness squirm and squeal all they want. Ignore them and their cant. DO NOT APOLOGIZE for holding positions that the goons wielding the club do not want you to express. Consequently, in the past few days I have been sorely disappointed by an apology that has been issued.

That apology came from a professional baseball player who I had never heard of before. (I'm not a sports freak, so deal with it.) His politically incorrect statement, for which he apologized, concerned homosexuality. I may not agree with his views on that subject, but, as far as I'm concerned beating back political correctness is far more important than whether or not Mr. Escobar and I may agree or disagree on that subject. Mr. Escobar, you are a coward and I sincerely regret that you have bowed to political correctness. But what's really, really disturbing, though, is that you have been given a three game suspension. It seems the Blue Jays bosses have also caved to political correctness. A pox on all your houses.

Contrast that with American presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, who, in recent days, has said several things deemed by the purveyors of political correctness (MSM included, of course) to be worthy of an apology.

However, Romney's non-apology is of the "sort of" variety, so even he doesn't get a pass from me.

And howsabout this one:

Romney owes Americans an apology: We all pay Sales taxes, cell phone taxes, gasoline taxes, liquor taxes and etc.

Cell phones? Liquor taxes? Pretty much proves his point, doesn't it. I guess we'll have to wait another 49 days to see whether this hurts his campaign. Lord luv a duck, I wish I could vote in American elections.





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Monday, September 17, 2012

Fifty Days...

...and still counting.

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As Much As We May Think...

...silly season is upon us, dammit, we just can't beat those Yanks:

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are racist.

Yes, they are. Don't argue.

For the record, I don't like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Nor do I like peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Banana has no business being between two slices of bread and peanut butter is best served on toast - or gado gado.

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Silly Season Begins

Parliament resumes.

Okay. Ignore everything below. The good old "reboot" trick works again, although I do think it's time for a new 'puter.
====================================
It seems my computer is fried. I can no longer cut and paste, which means no linkies.

Time for a new one, I think.

If it's not one thing, it's another.

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Sunday, September 16, 2012

From Today...

...51 days

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Saturday, September 15, 2012

Countdown Continues

52 days

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The Back Story?

Last week the Harper government severed ties with Iran. This week the story du jour is the protests throughout the Muslim world over a grade D You Tube movie trailer. I happen to think the two are related.

First of all, the protests began on the anniversary of 9/11.  That should be no surprise, even the dullest of diplomats in embassies could have predicted that something would happen on September 11th. Perhaps Harper had more intelligence (I'm referring to the diplomatic kind, not the kind associated with learning and mental acuity, although he has plenty of that, too.) Perhaps an attack on Canada's embassy in Iran was in the plans, and/or the murder of one or more of Canada's diplomatic staff in Iran.

It would seem logical to me that some mole in the Muslim world gave a heads up to at least one Western intelligence agency that the old bearded ones were planning to stir up shit by spreading lies to their poorly educated, easily provoked masses, especially to those who wanted to earn a bit of money by showing up at a protest. And that intelligence was shared, at least throughout Western ambassadors in the Muslim world. Perhaps The One got the memo, too, but being the enemy of his people, he may have failed to do what was necessary to protect his diplomatic staff in Libya.

In any case, it all makes sense to me. Old goats orchestrate protests using some lame excuse that none of their followers would have the smarts to refute.  Middle Eastern oil money pays for it. Western diplomacy is dealt another blow and most of the West goes back to sleep.

On a related topic, some day I'm going to do an entry on Tarek Heggy, and my theory that Islam is going through the same sort of process that took place in Europe during the reformation and enlightenment eras. I don't know how much of an audience Heggy has, but he certainly is a reformer and his name belongs up there with the great thinkers of the West who brought us from the Middle Ages to the modern era. Do read his essay at the link.

Related.

Great rant here:

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Times Have Certainly Changed

It wasn't that long ago, maybe even as recently as four or five years ago, or even just a year ago (remember the earthquake in Japan and the radiation leak that was going to kill us all) that leftards and greenies were going on and on about the dangers of nuclear power. But now that that most essential plant food, CO2, has been pegged and framed as the worst enemy of humans and plants alike, in fact all life, we have this:

Climate change expert calls for nuclear power 'binge' to avert global warming

T'is truly getting tiresome.

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All I Can Say Is...

Friday, September 14, 2012

Time To Start The Countdown

53 days

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I Once Knew A Guy...

...who claimed to be 256th (or something) in line to the Danish throne. I wonder what chance these people have of claiming the British throne:

Canadian's DNA key to confirming whether new-found corpse is Richard III

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This Stuff Just Keeps...

...rolling in. This latest one is from The Cousin, but she's considered part of The Sisterhood:

Three Ladies in a Sauna

THREE WOMEN, TWO YOUNGER, AND ONE SENIOR CITIZEN, WERE SITTING NAKED IN A SAUNA.

SUDDENLY THERE WAS A BEEPING SOUND. THE YOUNG WOMAN PRESSED HER FOREARM AND THE BEEP STOPPED.

THE OTHERS LOOKED AT HER QUESTIONINGLY. 'THAT WAS MY PAGER,' SHE SAID. I HAVE A MICROCHIP UNDER THE SKIN OF MY ARM.

A FEW MINUTES LATER, A PHONE RANG. THE SECOND YOUNG WOMAN LIFTED HER PALM TO HER EAR.

WHEN SHE FINISHED, SHE EXPLAINED, 'THAT WAS MY MOBILE PHONE. I HAVE A MICROCHIP IN MY HAND.'

THE OLDER WOMAN FELT VERY LOW -TECH. NOT TO BE OUT DONE, SHE DECIDED SHE HAD TO DO SOMETHING JUST AS IMPRESSIVE. SHE STEPPED OUT OF THE SAUNA AND WENT TO THE BATHROOM.

SHE RETURNED WITH A PIECE OF TOILET PAPER HANGING FROM HER REAR END.

THE OTHERS RAISED THEIR EYEBROWS AND STARED AT HER.

THE OLDER WOMAN FINALLY SAID ..... WELL, WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT ..... I'M GETTING A FAX!!
Okay, I will admit that was a bit gross, but whoever said The Sisterhood was a bunch of old prudes? Old? Yes. But prudes? Nope!  As long as The Sisterhood keeps sending  them, I'll keep hoisting them.

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I Have No Problem...

...with this, as long as we can put in a substantial article about his Pickle Palace, too.

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For Every...

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Start Your Day Off Right

Listen to Bill Whittle being interviewed on Sun News Network:

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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Mind Boggles

In two separate articles in two Australian online papers today, there was a story about some young yahoos "navigating the North West passage for the first time" to look for evidence of the catastrophe of global warming. Being one to shoot my mouth off, I had to send a message to both websites correcting them on their errors. Those errors are:

1) The first person to navigate the North West Passage was the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundson, way back in 1903 to 1906.

2) Trees have been found on Ellesmere Island, Canada's northernmost island, indicating beyond all doubt that the Canadian Arctic was once much warmer than it is today.

I suggested to both papers that they issue a correction and an apology for misleading their readers. Of course, neither website/paper had a comments section, so I had to search for "contact" information and I sent my rather curt suggestion that way.

Such is the state of the lamestream media today.


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Another One...

...stolen from Facebook.




Get 'em where they are weak.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Yup. Even The NDP's Staunchest Allies...

...seem to believe the NDP has a serious problem. The author of this piece, Murray Mandryk, in the Leader Post is a died in the wool leftard, too:

NDP can't be an exclusive club
"To better understand the rather visceral reaction to the Saskatchewan NDP that's clearly out there, consider a relatively innocuous comment from NDP leadership hopeful Erin Weir..."
But even he doesn't get it.

So Murray, here it is: To put it simply, everything the NDP has done in the past 70 years has turned into an unmitigated disaster, and everything the NDP believes is bankrupt old, worn-out stereotypes that only old goat dinosaurs and university professors could believe in and continue to promote. That includes you, Mandryk.

If and when the NDP ever figures that out, it will cease to exist simply because it forms the core of their identity and legacy. As I said before, might as well end it now, because we already have a party with new ideas, ideas not weighted down by a legacy of disaster but rather ideas that have proven over and over and over that they work. Ideas based on logic and real evidence, not ideology.

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Monday, September 10, 2012

Here's One Place...

...where the sea is not rising:

Giant 'balloon of magma' inflating under Greek island could cause first eruption in more than 60 years

"A giant 'balloon of magma' is inflating under the volcanic Greek island of Santorini, a study has warned.

The balloon is so big it has forced the island upwards by 14cm between January 2011 and April this year."
Don't tell Al Gore et al.

I remember reading somewhere a while ago that there is a similar bubble under the surface of much of the northern plains/prairies of the continent I live on. It's what makes all those geyzers in Yellowstone National Park so hot and likely the hot springs in Banff and Moose Jaw. If it ever blows we're all gonna be toast. Mom Nature just keeps on going no matter what her most stupid children do or think they can do.

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Another "Eat, Drink And Be Merry...

...cause you're gonna die anyway" thingy from science.

Wait a while. There will be another study that contradicts this one in a year or two.

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Flash A Moon At 'Em, Harry...

Good News!!

Saskatchewan's NDP leadership race is gearing up. So far a bunch of young nobodies have thrown their hats into the ring. They'll face a long up-hill battle gaining some relevance again. I was listening to the radio this morning and John Gormely was suggesting the NDP will have to completely remake themselves. Indeed they will. They will have to discard everything they've ever believed in. Gormley delves into what ails the Saskatchewan NDP in the second part of his article here:
"Now, there appears to be none of this - four men under 40, all relatively inexperienced in public life, two never elected and two with five years' experience as MLAs in opposition.

Either something has fundamentally shifted inside the one-time political powerhouse NDP or the party is still struggling to find its way to relevance in a Saskatchewan that hardly resembles the place this party governed for most of the last 70 years."
Maybe they should just fold their tents and steal away in the night. We won't miss 'em.

On a related note, Brad Wall still rocks.

Take that, Dippers!! You're history.

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Turns Out...

...the Centre of the Universe is smaller than I thought:

Toronto has a downtown fixation
"The 2010 Toronto municipal election revealed a house divided against itself. An unbroken line separates the 31 suburban wards in which Mayor Rob Ford received the most votes and the 13 central-city wards that supported his main opponent, George Smitherman.

Inside that line — as the conventional narrative goes — live the educated, the cosmopolitan, the progressive, the hip. Outside that line live, well, we're not sure. People like Ford, perhaps. The less educated, the less sophisticated, the conservative, the tragically unhip.

The preceding characterization is, of course, an insulting and inaccurate simplification. There are well educated, free-thinking people living in all parts of the city. Of the 13 wards where 40 per cent or more of adults have a completed university education, seven are inside the Ford-Smitherman line and six are outside. An impressive 51.2 per cent of the adult residents of Ward 23 (Willowdale) have a university certificate, diploma or degree.

The comparable figure for central-city Ward 18 (Davenport) is 24.4 per cent. Yet in Ward 23 Ford outpolled Smitherman and third-place finisher Joe Pantalone combined, while in Ward 18 Smitherman handily defeated Ford, with Pantalone a close third.

The notion that Toronto is an unnatural amalgamation of discrete communities breaks down for another compelling reason. The insularity and ignorance of the other side, that would exemplify both groups if they lived in two different worlds, are found only among Toronto's downtown residents, not its suburban ones.

Suburbanites work and play downtown; shop and eat downtown; attend concerts, musicals, and art exhibitions downtown; go to Jays, Leafs, and Raptors games downtown.

It doesn't work the other way around, and this strikes at the heart of the issue. Downtown residents don't go to the suburbs in near the same numbers, often don't know the suburbs, and by and large don't care to discover them. "
Three guesses where the CBC is located.

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Omar Khadr videos now in Canada.

Now, if we can just get them released to the public.

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Sunday, September 09, 2012

Oh My!

The shit has hit the fan:

Activist welcomes Canada's tough stance on Iran
"Maryam Nayeb Yazdi, a spokeswoman for the Free Saeed Malekpour Campaign and editor-in-chief of Persian2English.com, a blog which aims to expose Iran’s human rights violations, says "Canada's move is a good start to pave the way for an end to western appeasement policies with the Iranian regime.

"I am grateful for the vigilance that the Canadian government has shown," she told QMI Agency in an interview Sunday. "Over time, it has been proven that the Iranian regime is a threat to global security and has no regard for the civil or human rights of Iranian citizens or people living in other nations. This is a great first step by Canada, but we have a long way to go.""
[---]
"Yazdi says the Iranian regime continues to bully the rest of the world, adding that "everyone should stand strong against bullies, like the Canadian government has.""

Iran slams Canada for breaking off relations
"Canada closed its Tehran embassy on Friday and ordered Iranian diplomats be expelled, in a severance of ties in which it accused the Islamic Republic of being the biggest threat to world peace.

Mehmanparast, quoted by the ISNA news agency, retorted: “Canada’s current government is an extremist government … influenced by the Zionist regime (Israel), which takes measures to put pressure on the Iranian people and create problems for nationals of our country.”"
Riiight!

Iran lashes out at Canada’s ‘racist government’ after embassy closure
"Having just sent Iran’s diplomats’ packing and having brought its own diplomats home from Iran last week, Canada will keep trying to aid Canadian citizens there — including three on death-row — with the help of its partners and allies, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Sunday."
[---]
"The federal government announced Friday in Vladivostok that it was closing the Canadian Embassy in Tehran and expelling Iran’s diplomats from Ottawa.

“We have terminated our diplomatic presence there precisely because we are concerned by the behaviour and the capacity for increasingly bad behaviour of the government of Iran,” Harper said, without elaborating on what exactly he meant by that."
[---]
"“The current government of Canada under the leadership of Mr. Stephen Harper is known for extreme policies in the domain of foreign policy,” the Mehr news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying.

“The hostile behaviour of the current racist government in Canada in reality follows the policies dictated by the Zionists (Israel) and the British.”

Canada’s decision to expel Iranian diplomats and cut all official ties in Iran was the result of what Mehmanprast called “hostile behaviour” that had been encouraged, he said, by Israel and Britain.

Iran was harshly condemned by Harper in Vladivostok for developing what he believes is a military nuclear capability, for its anti-Semitic and genocidal threats against Israel and for its arming of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria.

“Do I anticipate specific actions? No, not necessarily,” Harper said, when discussing possible Iranian reprisals against Canada for having cut diplomatic ties. “But we know this is a country that doe not stop at anything. That is just the reality of the situation…Nothing (Iran might do) would surprise me. That is all the more reason why it is essential that our Canadian personnel no longer be present.”"

Harper says nothing Iran does in wake of embassy closing would surprise him
"With Iran branding his government a hostile stooge of Israel and Britain, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Sunday that nothing Iran does in response to Canada’s severing of diplomatic ties would surprise him.

Harper also pledged that Canada will work through its allies to help three of its citizens still in Iranian prisons. Questions surrounding their fate have become a live issue following Canada’s abrupt decision to close its Tehran embassy and expel Iranian diplomats from Canada.

An Iranian lawmaker said his government would have a firm response, while a foreign ministry spokesman called the Harper government hostile and racist, and accused it of doing the bidding of Israel and Britain, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.

Harper said Canadian diplomats were recalled because of Iran’s “capacity for increasingly bad behaviour.”

“So, nothing would surprise me. But that is all the more reason why it’s essential that our Canadian personnel no longer be present,” Harper told reporters on the final day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit.

“Do I anticipate specific actions? No, not necessarily, but as I say, we should all know by now that this is a regime that does not stop at anything. So that’s just the reality of the situation.”"

Iran embassy closure not prompted by any known military action, Baird says
"The abrupt decision to close the Canadian embassy in Tehran was not prompted by any known military threat against Iran, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said on Sunday.

“I can confirm that we have no knowledge whatsoever of any outside military action, whether it’s from the United States or from Israel,” Baird told CTV’s Question Period.
[---]
"Baird, who is in Russia attending an APEC summit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, announced on Friday that Canada was closing its embassy in Tehran, primarily over fears for the safety of Canadian diplomats.

In addition, Baird said Friday that all Iranian diplomats in Canada had been ordered out of the country within the next five days. The government also officially listed Iran as a terrorist state, meaning victims of terrorism can sue the Islamic Republic under Canadian law.

Baird did not specify what threats Canadian diplomats are facing, prompting rampant speculation among analysts. And again on Sunday, Baird declined to comment on any specific security assessments and cited the safety of Canadian diplomats as the reason behind the decision.

“We have real concerns about the state of security. Our embassy is right on the street. It’s not normally what we would like to have at such a dangerous position,” Baird said Sunday.

“So at the end of the day, that coupled with the anti-Semitic rhetoric of the government, their nuclear program and other issues caused us to want to ensure that our Canadian staff were safe.”

The safety of foreign diplomats in Iran has been an issue going back to the 1979 Iranian revolution, in which more than 50 U.S. diplomats were held hostage for 444 days. More recently, protesters stormed the British embassy in November after the United Kingdom tightened sanctions against the country, including targeting its central bank.

“There is no doubt that Iran is a sponsor of terrorism. I think we have to speak the truth, we have to be honest, we have to be upfront, and we’re doing that,” Baird said.
Well there goes my theory. Not.



I wonder if Peter MacKay's wife had any role in this? Of course, the MSM is salivating about something else in this regard. She's one gutsy lady.

Anyway, it's back to business as usual:

Larijani: Iran-Russia Strategic Ties Play Crucial Role in Regional Security

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Har, Har

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Quebec

Looks like the ROC needs to pull out.

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