We have good news and we have bad news.
(ht)
Crystallized Obnoxiousness
Writing that you’re “setting aside a bottle of expensive champagne to be opened and consumed at the moment of the vegetable’s expiry.” in response to a reader’s email seems a little over the top – particularly if you’ve just declared the “utter obnoxiousness of Terri Schiavo’s ‘defenders'” . As for obnoxious responses, I’m not sure what he expected, after his descriptions of “AHHHHH! WAAAAAAA!” Terri and her “dessicated cakehole”.
Ordinarily I enjoy Colby’s writing, and generally agree with him on substance in most issues. In this case I think he might have been wiser to begin and end the religious aspect of this debate with the “I’m not a Catholic” disclaimer and leave it at that.
Flickr
As Only Ann Can
On the bright side, after two weeks of TV coverage of the Terri Schiavo case, I think we have almost all liberals in America on record saying we can pull the plug on them. Of course, if my only means of entertainment were Air America radio, Barbra Streisand albums and reruns of “The West Wing,” I too would be asking: “What kind of quality of life is this?”
There are a few glaring exceptions. On the anti-killing side, to one extent or another, are: former Clinton lawyer Lanny Davis, former Gore lawyer David Boies, former O.J. lawyer Alan Dershowitz, Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman, McGovern and Carter strategist Pat Caddell, liberal blogger Mickey Kaus, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader and Rainbow Coalition leader Jesse Jackson, as well as several of my friends who are pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage but not Pro-Adulterous Husbands Who, After Taking Up With Another Woman, Suddenly Recall Their Wives’ Clearly Stated Wish to Die.
[…]
…Pinellas County Judge George Greer found that it was Terri’s wish to be starved to death. She requires no life support; all she needs is food and water. If being (a) on a liquid diet, and (b) unresponsive to one’s estranged husband are now considered grounds for a woman’s execution, wait until this news hits Beverly Hills!
Cutting through the media borne BS quite nicely;
” Despite the media’s idiotic claims that scores of courts have made painstaking findings of fact over 15 years that Terri is in a permanent vegetative state and would have wanted to die, only one judge made such a finding. Other courts have not made any factual findings whatsoever. They simply refused to overturn Greer’s findings of fact as an abuse of discretion.”
Emphasis mine.
Terry Schiavo is now dead. And while I have tried hard to be objective and extend the “benefit of the doubt” to her husband out of concern that hype and hysteria may have led to unfair and untrue accusations against him, it is extremely difficult to do so – for this is the same man who refused to extend the benefit of the doubt to Terri and her parents, by refusing access to MRI scans and rehabilitative therapy, and preventing any attempts to give her nourishment by mouth. On that basis, it is virtually impossible to defend his decisions as those of a humane and caring guardian.
With his motives compromised by his actions, there should be no wonder that a great many people on all sides of the ideological spectrum on the “right to die” question will continue to be deeply troubled by the use of the courts to impose death on an innocent and helpless woman through dehydration.
A Saudi Interview With Victor Hanson
I’ve been reading Carnage and Culture since picking it up at a used bookstore at the Raleigh airport, and it’s proving a good read. Today, author Victor Davis Hanson responds to questions from Idris A. Ahmed, editor of the Saudi daily, Al-watan Newspaper.
Their wording makes me wonder if Mr. Ahmed shouldn’t have run for the chairmanship of the DNC.
It’s another good read.
Catalogue This
Warren Kinsella pretends to be stupid. (Mar 30 post)
You know, if I were Scott Reid – and, thankfully for both of us, I’m not – I’d get Kevin Bosch to immediately start cataloguing all of the extreme statements being made on blogs by so-called “Blogging Tories.” I’d then make it into a nice little 30-second spot come election time. Dark screen, gloomy music, then sombre voice-over: “Is the Conservative Party extreme? Decide for yourself. Here are statements made on web sites by ‘Blogging Tories’ – statements made with the approval and knowledge of the Conservative Party. [QUOTE KNUCKLE-DRAGGING, MOUTH-BREATHING RANTS ABOUT IMMIGRATION, GAYS AND LESBIANS, THIRD WORLD, WOMEN’S RIGHTS, ETC.] The Conservative Party: they still don’t understand Canada. They never will. Vote Liberal.” Anyway, what do I know? I’m a washed-up political has-been, as all those Blogging Tories like to remind me all the time. Who am I to argue?
Well, Don at All Things Canadian is a little more specific.
1993-95: Executive Assistant to Dingwall, Minister of Public Works and Government Services – memos the Deputy Minister that Guite should be placed in charge of sponsorships.
1996-97: Leaves Dingwall to become counsel at Palmer Jarvis – an adverstising firm in BC
1996: Palmer Jarvis one of five firms to receive $50,000 for design of the Unity office logo
1997: Loses election in North Vancouver riding during General Election – (Palmer Jarvis donates $10,000)
2005: Sponsorship Inquiry:
MR. COURNOYER: If we go to page 118 under Tab 17, we have a number of fax
reports or fax sheets. At 118 we have a fax that is dated August 27th, 1996. Were you aware that Mr. Guit� was exchanging information with Mr. Warren Kinsella at Palmer Jarvis about this?
MS. MARLEAU: Absolutely not. That would be highly unusual. Mr. Kinsella had been the Executive Assistant to Minister Dingwall. My understanding was that he had left Minister Dingwall’s office. So that is unusual. But I couldn’t tell you more about it. I wasn’t aware of it.
MR. COURNOYER: You didn’t have — well, superficially, that is what the document seems to be, a fax sent to Mr. Kinsella.
Via Ianism
Wolf In Banker’s Clothing
The neocons extend their grasp, with wild-eyed polarizers at their side. Moonbats flutter in alarm.
And So It Begins, II
A supporter of same-sex marriage is using the human rights process to take away Bishop Frederick Henry’s right to freedom of religion and free speech.� Despite the Catholic Church’s established role in preparing men and women for marriage and conducting religious marriage ceremonies between men and women, it appears that supporters of same-sex marriage do not want religious leaders to be part of the debate on this issue.�
Bishop Frederick Henry wrote a letter to the Catholics in his Diocese in January, 2005 outlining the opposition of the Catholic Church to same-sex marriages (see coverage).� Bishop Henry called on Catholics to talk to their political representatives and express their opposition to legislation to change the definition of marriage to allow persons of same-sex to marry.� A Complaint filed with the Alberta Human Rights Commission alleges that Bishop Henry’s letter discriminates against homosexuals.�
Local radio is reporting there are two complaints.
[Part I]
Hugh Hewitt has a related article in the Weekly Standard.
All of these charges–from the most incoherent to the most measured–arrive without definition as to what “the religious right” is, and without argument as to why the agenda of this ill-defined group is less legitimate than the pro-gay marriage, pro-cloning, pro-partial-birth abortion, pro-euthanasia agenda of other political actors. Danforth’s position is, apparently, that the agenda of the left on these matters ought not to be resisted, which means that it will
be enacted. “For politicians to advance the cause of one religious group,” Danforth intones, “is often to oppose the cause of another.” That is inescapably true. To come to the defense of the unborn, as Senator Danforth correctly notes he always did during his legislative career, is to oppose abortion on demand. To come to the aid of the Christians in Sudan is to oppose the wishes of the Muslims who sought their destruction. Every political conflict is a choice between competing moral codes.
Interrogated
Ammar Abdulhamid, a dissident blogger in Syria, recounts a recent interrogation at the hands of a “higher fuck”.
This regime is so cut off from reality that it always ends up making what seems so unlikely well-nigh inevitable. That is the essence of my intuition. The withdrawal from Lebanon is not the end of the ordeal, as some want, but the real beginning of it. The wolves who are interrogating me today will once again be sent loose among the sheep to help ensure our continued patriotism.
And the leadership’s line of defense against its critics at this stage will be, as is usually the case in these circumstances, to plead ignorance, albeit it is taking place will be taking place in their name.
Indeed, they might be right. Indeed they will not know all the details.
For ours is not simply a system where the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing, it is a system where the thumb, or the middle finger if you like, does know what the other fingers of the selfsame hand are doing. And so it goes. In order to assure yourself that you have true deniability, you have to grant too much autonomy to the worst most ignorant and sadistic elements in the system.
Yes. Yes. These days are coming back, just when we thought and hoped they were gone never to come back. Few of us might end up going first to this cross, but all shall soon follow. It does not take a prophet to predict this.
No. This is not a comforting thought. Nothing about this is comforting. Comfort has no place here. But then, when the noose tightens, comfort is not exactly what’s at stake.
Via Roger Simon.
Alberta Al Qaeda
Kassem Daher, linked by CSIS to al-Qaeda, is a Lebanese native who came to Canada in the 1980s as a business immigrant. Daher, who once ran movie theatres in Leduc and Ponoka, left Canada in 1998.
In 2000, he was arrested in Lebanon after a shootout between police and alleged terrorists. After his arrest, Daher’s relatives denied he was ever involved in terrorism and urged the Canadian government to intervene on his behalf. He was never formally charged with a crime in Lebanon or Canada and has been free on bail for the past year, Barbara Campion, a spokeswoman for CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) told CanWest News Service on Tuesday.
[…]
In one February 1995 conversation, Jayyousi, Daher and Zaky allegedly discussed how the network was moving jihadist soldiers between Algeria, Egypt, Somalia, and Eritrea. Daher said “we are in charge of it in Canada,” according to the affidavit, and added that “we have brothers in Lebanon who are ready to go to Chechnya but there’s no money.”
“Daher and Jayyousi also discussed setting up a for-profit business in order to fund jihad,” the affidavit states. “Daher then mentioned his organization, the Canadian Islamic Association, which he described as a ‘cover, I mean it’s very good.’ ”
In January 2000, several Lebanese soldiers were killed in clashes with suspected members of a terrorist group called Takfir wal-Hijra.
On Feb. 2, Lebanese troops descended on suspects in the city of Karaoun and a shootout ensued, described by local media as a “spectacular gunfight.”
Government authorities arrested Daher and eight other suspected Takfir wal-Hijra members, and seized a stockpile of weapons that included rocket launchers and mortars.
Campion said Tuesday that CSIS believes Daher is still in Lebanon.
The Tedinator
For the past few days, Drudge, Neale News and Bourque have been featuring a paparazzi photo of a shirtless Arnold Schwarzenegger, alerting an unsuspecting citizenry to the shocking news that men nearing 60 years tend to become a little flabby.
Who knew?
Maybe this comparison is a little more relevant.
Dean Down Under
Yeaaaarrrrgh, mate.
Heh.
h/t
The Moral Superiority Of The Left
When I was in North Carolina (just returned home last night at midnight), I caught a brief interview with Jerry Falwell on Fox News about the Terry Shiavo case, where he mentioned he had been on life support earlier this year. He also added that if he had a relapse, he did not want his “plug pulled” and jokingly stated that the interview should be considered his living will. Ironically, only a few days later he is back in the hospital, in critical condition.
I haven’t followed Falwell that closely, though I’m aware he had become the favoured whipping boy of the political and media left for his activism and outspoken views. In a world where provocative and offensive views from the religious left (both Christian and Islamic) are cloaked under terms like “progressive”, “diversity”, “dissent” – or even rewarded politically (see Al Sharpton) I pretty much concluded that most of the criticism of Jerry Falwell had more to do with frustration at the electoral success of the religious right, than it did any genuine outrage over his statements or fundraising activities.
Angry In The Great White North has a selection of comments from Democratic Underground that provide illustration.
“Nah, let him rot on a bed for fifteen years. Then after 15 years of being a veggie, maybe, just maybe, there will be a miracle. Nah.”
“Spunge him, spunge him”
Pathetic. But predictable.
Alive, But Dead
In the fine tradition of “Fake, But Accurate”, CBS erroniously reported on March 28th via their website that Terry Shiavo had died (Radio host Glenn Back grabbed a screen capture (pdf).) – then quietly removed the story absent retraction, correction or apology. (And some claim that bloggers lack “journalistic ethics”…)
One wonders how a news organization with as many resources as CBS could manage to jump the gun so badly on the number one news story of the day – perhaps someone finally noticed the Kinko’s fax number on the leaked “death certificate”?
hat tip OTB
Caning Your Way To Better Mental Health
Well, I must admit I like this a lot better than the free heroin treatment approach…
A group of Russian scientists has suggested caning as a treatment for those who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction as well as depression and suicidal tendencies, the Izvestia daily reports.
The name of the report delivered at the international conference on new methods of treating addictions is �Pain affliction as a method of treatment for addictive behavior and other manifestations of non-vitalistic activity�. Scientists claim that drug addiction, alcoholism, suicidal behavior and psychosomatic disorders are all caused by a lack of zest for life. When a patient is caned, the body starts producing endorphins � happiness hormones � and life seems attractive again.
Doc, I feel so much better when it stops!
The scientists claim the effect of the treatment is even greater if a patient is caned by a doctor of the opposite sex.
Or a nurse in black leather.
Is That A Pistol In Your Sleeve?
Russian doctors have conducted an 11-hour operation to replace a patient�s deformed penis with one grown on his forearm, the Moskovskiy Komsomolets daily reports.
The 30-year-old Russian man, whose name was changed in the article to protect his privacy, had a defect from birth � his penis was crooked, two-and-a-half-inches long and lacked a scrotum, the newspaper writes.
The doctors had the penis removed and attached to the man�s arm. Using his body tissue it grew to six-and-a-half inches and was sewn back on to his groin.
It must have made for some interesting handshakes.
Jesse Jackson Visits Schiavo�s Hospice
Jackson’s visit: Update.
New Study Confirms The Blatantly Obvious
College faculties, long assumed to be a liberal bastion, lean further to the left than even the most conspiratorial conservatives might have imagined, a new study says.
By their own description, 72 percent of those teaching at American universities and colleges are liberal and 15 percent are conservative, says the study being published this week. The imbalance is almost as striking in partisan terms, with 50 percent of the faculty members surveyed identifying themselves as Democrats and 11 percent as Republicans.
The disparity is even more pronounced at the most elite schools, where, according to the study, 87 percent of faculty are liberal and 13 percent are conservative.
“What’s most striking is how few conservatives there are in any field,” said Robert Lichter, a professor at George Mason University and a co-author of the study. “There was no field we studied in which there were more conservatives than liberals or more Republicans than Democrats. It’s a very homogenous environment, not just in the places you’d expect to be dominated by liberals.”
[…]
The liberal label that a majority of the faculty members attached to themselves is reflected on a variety of issues. The professors and instructors surveyed are, strongly or somewhat, in favor of abortion rights (84 percent); believe homosexuality is acceptable (67 percent); and want more environmental protection “even if it raises prices or costs jobs” (88 percent). What’s more, the study found, 65 percent want the government to ensure full employment, a stance to the left of the Democratic Party.
To State The Question Is To Answer It
Mr. Stockwell Day (Okanagan�Coquihalla, CPC): Mr. Speaker, according to Unicef and other international groups, the Tamil Tigers forcibly recruit children and train them to become suicide bombers. Unicef has recorded over 3,500 cases like this.
In Canada the Tamil Tigers raise funds. Our allies, many other governments, have made it a matter of their foreign policy to ban the Tamil Tigers. The recruitment of children has continued even after the tsunami. Why will our government not ban this group?
Hon. Dan McTeague (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the LTTE has been listed in Canada pursuant, as the hon. member knows, to Canada’s United Nations suppression of terrorism regulations since 2001.
I want to point out to the hon. member that this listing makes it an offence for persons in Canada or Canadians outside of Canada to provide funds to the Tamil Tigers, as well as fundraising on its behalf. The hon. member clearly knows this. We will continue on that assumption because it is the right thing to do.
Mr. Stockwell Day (Okanagan�Coquihalla, CPC): Mr. Speaker, that is a separate list and the member well knows that. That is not the list we are
talking about in terms of banning the Tamil Tigers.
I will refer to comments made by a former director of Canada’s intelligence service. He said that our government’s policy of not banning the Tamil Tigers, and they are not banned under the classification that the member just mentioned, even puts the good people of the Tamil community in Canada here at risk. The Tamil Tigers as a group are not banned in Canada.
What does a terrorist group have to do that is more horrific than train
children to become suicide bombers in order to be banned in this country?
Hon. Dan McTeague (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, to state the question is to answer it.
The hon. member knows full well that the government is concerned about
terrorism. It is one of the reasons we have spent a considerable amount of
money toward ensuring that we have safe and secure borders.
The hon. member also understands that there are, in essence, certain
considerations that he is taking into account, including the concern we all
have to ensure that the people of Tamil origin in this country are not
treated as if they are all terrorists.
The hon. member has the same objective that we do, which is to ensure
that we keep a safe country and to work hard to ensure that in Canada we
keep security as the number one issue.
To put it another way – all a terrorist group needs to do to remain off the banned list in Canada is to continue supporting the Liberal Party.
I Could Scream
Reader “Maz2” passes along this new blog site, (hosted by Wretchard of Belmont Club fame).
I Could Scream devotes itself to “examining the plight of Islamic women”.