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Photos from the anti-Israel rally yesterday in Saskatoon.

http://becausenooneasked.com/2009/01/10/anti-israelpro-palestinian-rally-in-saskatoon/#comment-4665

Ewwww, I feel violated. I've been lurking a bit at BigCityLib, that arrogant cretin who derides defenders of free speech as "freespeechers". Naturally he's gloating over the Harper government's apparent inaction on section 13 of the "Human Rights" Act, and that the ability of the CHRC to harass and intimidate Canadian citizens who don't agree with the extreme left agenda will continue. He thinks the fight is over, when it's just warming up. I'm almost ashamed to share the same species with a revolting piece of crap like him.

In another post, he argues that comments on an extremist Muslim web site indicating an alleged plot by some of them to kill prominent Jews in the UK were planted by someone whose real intent was to make Muslims look bad. Very possibly this was true, although regrettably there seem to be plenty of Muslims in the world who are quite willing to look bad in ways that are not dissimilar. But the thought crossed my mind that maybe this fake poster got his idea from the well-known modus operandi of our phony "human rights" commissions ...

Not much going on tonight. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. So I wrote this, in search of a plausible explanation for why Jews & Gays, amongst others, would possibly support Hamas.

All comments welcome!

Queue up the prancing foxes over in Tony Blair's Britian. They're at it again.

"Giant plasma TVs face ban in battle to green Britain" is the headline from The Independant.
(see Drudge Report for the link)

Grab up those old black & whites folks and be ready to send them to Britian, not that there is anything to watch on the BBC.

Remember, they license the tellys so you can't hide your Samsung behind your picture of the Queen. They know where you are...

Robert W, blog dummie that I am, could you please tell me how to comment on your blog. I've tried, but I can't find the "door"!! Maybe I need glasses!

As for one of your comments about the media's compulsion to support regimes/groups which are obviously oppressive and nearly always against their agendas: "Members of the media are almost always on the Left." It seems to me that this is because individuals who go into journalism really feel that they can "change the world," and "just the facts, ma'am" are of no import to them.

Because they are so afraid of reality, but feel that they can influence the outcome of national/international events, they put the heaviest of blinkers on against any fact that distorts their view of the world -- which includes anything that might give credence to anyone on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Add to this, an obsessive and unhealthy stubbornness not grounded in historical facts -- "I feel that I'm right and I feel that you're wrong" -- and, voila!, you have a lib-left member of the media.

National Post today: no coverage--certainly no picture--of the reprehensible, racist pro-Hamas demonstration in Toronto on Saturday.

Big pictures on pages 1 and 2? Kate Winslet and Colin Farrell, who won Golden Globes.

National Post, smarten up. (And I've considered it superior to the other rags.)

I'm hoping that GWB does the right thing this week and pardons the two border guards that are doing hard time on bogus charges.

Posted this on the Saskatoon site:

All the pro-palestine and hamas supporters, did you ever notice that we have to go through expensive and intensive security everytime we use an airport? Is that because Catholic Nuns or Buddist monks have blown up planes and killed many people over the years? Over 90% of terrorists acts AROUND THE WORLD are committed by muslims and the vast majority of the butchery is muslims killing muslims. Must have missed the march when innocent tourists just like us were murdered in Mumbai but I see the same leftist groups, the unions and other socialists now allied with muslims, continuing to attack our way of life.

Hamas and Islamic leaders call for the deaths of all, all Israelis then the Great Satan, the US and Canada will be next. Did you notice how Hamas shot Fatah supporters last week? These people live to die. How do you know how many people have been killed in Gaza as you seem to blindly accept their word?

Israel is not a totally innocent party in this but ask yourself a simple question. Do you believe there will be peace in the Middle East once the only democracy, Israel, is gone?

Muslim terrorist protesters attacking the Police in London. What's worse, is the Police are running away like pansies, while a girl stands up for them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp-lwSe2llg&eurl=http://ibloga.blogspot.com/

Great Freezing AGW/CC Hoax/Fraud.
...-

"Extreme Cold Weather Alert
NorthernLife.ca - 6 hours ago"

"Harper Will Propose Climate Accord in Obama Visit, Globe Says"

"By Kevin Bell Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will propose a US-Canada accord on climate change"

A Muslim's Enlightenment.

"Huntington was instrumental for me as a Muslim to critically re-examine Islamic history, and recognize the principal conflict within Islam is between the forces of tyranny and the desire for freedom. Islamist terrorism is the ill-begotten offspring of this history of tyranny."

"Professor warned the world
By SALIM MANSUR"
[...]

"I recall recoiling on first reading Huntington's assessment of the Muslim world and where it is headed. But the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and later dissolved my hesitations and inner doubts about Muslim history."
http://tinyurl.com/7s95ad (ottawasun)

Winner: Best Barf Alert.
...-

"Since May 20, 2005, this site has received over 60 million hits. I felt every one."

"Garth Turner | Goodbye. -- Long, long ago, before I’d met Stephen Harper, before I once again won a seat in Parliament, before anyone believed a Conservative government could lose $50 billion in four years, before I was kicked out of my own party live on TV, before I learned Conservatives were no longer Progressive Conservatives, before I became a refugee Liberal, before I lost my seat, before I understood it’s all about power and not the people, before I wasted three years and neglected my wife, before my Tory colleagues shunned and hurt me and my new Grit family embraced me, before I was dooced, before the crash and when I still believed passionately in the integrity and worth of individual democracy, I started this blog. Now it ends."
http://jacksnewswatch.com/2009/01/12/daily-blogger-monday-january-12th-2009/

CBCpravda missed this one. Actually over the past few weeks it has been CTV(tass) picking up the trash gauntlet.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090112/dallaire_khadr_090109/20090112?hub=TopStories

CTV(Tass) All Khadr All the Time
150 Khadr stories in 3 years vrs CBCPravda at 733 stories. big coverage for this POS and his terrorist family living on the largess of the Canadian taxpayer. Now if Mama Khadr or the bag ladies got a job it would be news.

PS CTV - one of the bag ladies was on a hunger strike , surely you could do a piece on her death by now you POS news agency.

Anybody who has not clicked onto the link left by Irwin Daisy at 8:42am really needs to do so. This is a very disconcerting scene. I cannot understand why PM Brown doesn't deploy troops into London's streets to deal with these Islamic terrorist bastards.

Its time to bring out the high pressure water guns, the troops fully armed and make a stand. If this sort of lawlessness is not dealt with in a decisive way western society is only going to go deeper into a shit hole that we won't be able to claw our way out of. Its time for good men and women everywhere to tell our politicians - ENOUGH! DAMN IT - ENOUGH! When your government won't do what it takes to protect you - then citizens have no choice but to take matters into their own hands.

Sadly - it may be coming to that.

When the Nazis and Hamas show up to protest you're supposed to pray for an asteroid....

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Aryan+Guard+Gaza+protest/1168132/story.html

And to Anti-Racist Action Calgary, if your protest is bringing out support from the Nazis and you don't like that, maybe the problem is with the protest itself.

atmospheric optics. makes a rainbow look dull.

http://www.atoptics.co.uk/

what we are up against . Romeo Dallaire should know this and so should CTV(tass) and CBCpravda.

http://www.vbs.tv/full_screen.php?s=DGFE2305DC&sc=1363196

Mr. Troy says partisanship itself isn't a bad thing. It's the grease that lubricates the democratic system. The problem is that partisans today have lost perspective. There is more all-or-nothing rhetoric, less magnanimity among the winners, and nowhere to go for the losers after election day. "In a democracy, it's a healthy thing for people to have a degree of skepticism about political leaders," he says. "It's a good thing that people don't really trust politicians, and don't expect too much from government. Negative campaigning is all part of cutting politicians down to size."

Something all partisans should reflect upon. Even those grovelling for a job-for-life in the Senate.

"Harper Will Propose Carbon Tax in Obama Visit, Globe Says"

"By Kevin Bell Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will propose a US-Canada carbon tax to prevent climate change - Conservative Supporters Silent"

(Via SWJ; NYT warning) Michael Slackman, Crisis Imperils 2-State Plan, Shifting a Balance

With every image of the dead in Gaza inflaming people across the Arab world, Egyptian and Jordanian officials are worried that they see a fundamental tenet of the Middle East peace process slipping away: the so-called two-state solution, an independent Palestinian state coexisting with Israel.

Egypt and Jordan fear that they will be pressed to absorb the Palestinian populations now living beyond their borders...

Politically incorrect: Rancourt uses "pass-fail grading".
...-

"University of Ottawa bans controversial professor"
[...]

"Rancourt has a powerful ally in psychology professor Claude Lamontagne, who has 30 years experience, and was named teacher of the year in 2001 and 2002, then won the "Nobel of education," the 3M teaching fellowship, in 2003.

Lamontagne said he chose to speak up because he could no longer stand idly by while a colleague "was being muzzled."

"Universities in Canada are going to hell in terms of collegiality and academic freedom. Professors are scared to stand up for their rights because they want tenure, and they don't want to go against the stream.""
http://tinyurl.com/7snkl5 (sun)

Leon R. Kass, Why Even Atheists Should Applaud the Ten Commandments
AEI, Bradley Lecture
Monday, 12 January 2009

The Ten Commandments embody the core principles of the way of life of ancient Israel and of the Judeo-Christian ethic. Even in our increasingly secular age, their influence on the prevailing morality of the West is enormous--albeit not always acknowledged or welcomed. Today, the Ten Commandments provide a major symbolic battleground for America’s culture wars, assailed by relativists and atheists as the merely parochial teachings of an Iron Age tribal religion. Yet, despite its notoriety, the Decalogue is still only superficially known, in part because its very familiarity interferes with a deeper understanding of its teachings and its moral and political significance. This lecture, a fresh interpretation of the biblical text in Exodus 20, aspires to such an understanding. It is informed by the belief that, if rightly understood, the Decalogue would command universal applause, even from atheists--and not only for its opposition to murder, adultery, and theft.

[Audio and video of the lecture is usually available a day or two after the event. Check at the link above.]

RAND Corporation, The Rise of the Pasdaran
Assessing the Domestic Roles of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) — also known as the Pasdaran (Persian for “guards”) — was initially created by Ayatollah Khomeini during the 1978–1979 Islamic Revolution as an ideological guard for the nascent regime. Since then, it has evolved into an expansive socio-political-economic conglomerate whose influence extends into virtually every corner of Iranian political life and society. In the political sphere, many high-ranking officials are former Pasdaran. As a force in Iranian culture and society, the IRGC controls media outlets and conducts training and education programs that are designed not only to bolster loyalty to the regime and train citizens in homeland defense, but also to improve the IRGC's own institutional credibility. And on the economic front, the IRGC controls a wide variety of commercial enterprises, including both government contracting and illicit smuggling and black-market enterprises. In this monograph, Wehrey et al. assess the IRGC less as a traditional military entity and more as a domestic actor, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the variety of roles it plays in Iran's political culture, economy, and society.

[Summary and full report in PDF only.]

Why Even Atheists Should Applaud the Ten Commandments~Charles MacDonald at January 12, 2009 11:02 AM

I would suggest that many atheists do applaud The Ten Commandments. To me, the bigger question would be: why don’t “believers” allow others, who don’t share their zeal for the church, to applaud the Ten Commandments?

Why is it that it’s not good enough to espouse the principles of The Ten Commandments and The Beatitudes, and live one’s life by those principles? Why is it necessary to openly declare a “belief” in the story?

Can't get through to vote. If you want a different opinion of the WebBlogs try site below. It isn't as bad as the descriptor.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/more-like-weblame-awards-webstupid-awards-for-jerks/

I'd agree with glasnost. After all, morality and ethics didn't spring from the ground with the monotheistic religions. ALL peoples who form a collective, have a set of ethics and moral behaviour towards each other.

I'd say the great developments of the Greeks, clearly outlined by not only Plato and Aristotle, but others (Cicero, Cyrenaics, Stocis, etc) laid the basic foundations of a philosophy of ethics, which were then passed on to the monotheistic religions.

"Liberal leader says coalition government possible if Tories’ budget not acceptable." (nnw)
...-

Liberal Iggy says, vote for the Separatist Coalition.
The Troika Hierarchy: Iggy is Number 1, Taliban Jack #2, commieDuceppeBloc is Number 3.

It's Iggy's Pyramid/Ponzi Scheme.

STOPIGGY.

Goreacle's Green AGW/CC Alert: a Two-Fer Footprint from Chicago will flood O's inogunation?

"The second blast of cold will come from even deeper in the arctic."

Da proof is da proof: >>> "Computer models show just how cold the weather will be."
...-

"Arctic Air Floods Chicago to New York City

Arctic air bottled up over Alaska will soon be unleashed over the Midwest and East. The cold air will arrive in two waves this week. The second surge threatens to be the harshest and farthest reaching.

The first shot of arctic air will plunge into the northern Plains behind a clipper system today. The bitterly cold air will spread across the Midwest and Deep South on Tuesday and the Northeast on Wednesday.

The second blast of cold will come from even deeper in the arctic. It will follow close behind the first, spreading into the northern Plains on Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, the coldest air of the season will spread across the Midwest and the East."
http://tinyurl.com/8rlxuz (weatherperson)

charles macdonald- yes, I think that the two-state solution is by now, completely finished. The reason is, in my view, Israel's settlement of the West Bank, which is hardly conducive to a two-state solution and is instead, obviously an agenda to incorporate the West Bank as part of Israel.

As I've said, this incorporation is part of the Orthodox/Conservative interpretation of The Truth, ie, the god-given nature of the Land of Israel includes the West Bank (see this in the ancient Jewish Rules or Halakhic texts). This view has a vital political weight in Israel.

I think that Israel would like Egypt to take over Gaza, and would like the Palestinians in the West Bank to move into Jordan.

But again, this is Israel's agenda. In my view, the Islamic fascist section of the ME, also has no desire for a Palestinian state. I'll try to add a link of an ar ticle in today's National Post titled: Sami Alrabaa: Hamas prefers war as an alternative to progress. I'll leave out the h stuff for you to fill in since I always get spammed if I leave it in:
tinyurl.com/86t6up

At any rate, this is an excellent article about the Islamic fascist rejection of democracy, and a democratic Palestinian state.

I disagree with the author only on his leaving out Israel's settlement of the West Bank and disabling of the Gaza economy as a causal factor in increasing the attraction for Palestinians for Islamic fascism. I think that Israel is not blameless in this situation; to me, it is clear that it doesn't want a Palestinian state. But, what is also clear - is that neither do the Arab States; and neither does Islamic fascism.

It seems that the only people who DO want such a state, are the local Palestinians. Not their government (either Fatah or Hamas); not their brethren in the Arab states; not Islamic fascism.

Thank you, ET, that is an excellent article:

Sami Alrabaa: Hamas prefers war as an alternative to progress

New poll for 'Young Democrats'. Who should replace Hillary?

http://www.nysyd.org/

Anyone want to vote for Caroline?

Socialism: Bangers'n'Smash.

The socialist army marches on your stomach.

Orwell's 1984: "Love Food Hate Waste".
...-

"Don't throw away leftovers, warn 'food police'

Householders are to be visited by officials offering advice on cooking with leftovers, in a Government initiative to reduce the amount of food that gets thrown away.

"Home cooks will also be told what size portions to prepare, taught to understand "best before" dates and urged to make more use of their freezers.

The door-to-door campaign, which starts tomorrow, will be funded by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a Government agency charged with reducing household waste.

The officials will be called "food champions". However, they were dismissed last night as "food police" by critics who called the scheme an example of "excessive government nannying".

In an initial seven-week trial, eight officials will call at 24,500 homes, dishing out advice and recipes. The officials, each of whom has received a day's training, will paid up to £8.49 an hour, with a bonus for working on Saturdays.

The pilot scheme, which will cost £30,000, could be extended nationwide if it is seen as a success. If all 25 million households in the UK were visited in the same way, 8,000 officials would be required at a cost of tens of millions of pounds."
http://tinyurl.com/9opv6h (telegraphuk)

"I'd say the great developments of the Greeks, clearly outlined by not only Plato and Aristotle, but others (Cicero, Cyrenaics, Stocis, etc) laid the basic foundations of a philosophy of ethics, which were then passed on to the monotheistic religions." - ET

Except the 10 Commandments, according to the historicity of the OT, came before.

maz2, if these goofs don't trust the public to load their fridges responsibly, it's surely only a matter of time before they stop trusting them to stuff a ballot in a box.

Contemporary art is always contemporary, at some point. And despite the pining, there are modern artists as large as this individual, but none who have captured religious love so well.

While this is not the birthday of Caravaggio, it is an appropriate homage to the beauty of art....in one of its' many forms...

"Do you know anyone who does not love the work of Caravaggio, born on this date in 1573? Today, we stand before his works dumbfounded by their intensity and psychological insight, probing with our eyes to unlock their secrets like St. Thomas probing the wound in Christ’s side above in Caravaggio’s The Incredulity of St. Thomas (above, from 1601-1602). How is it possible that Caravaggio’s work, so influential during his lifetime, fell into obscurity after his death until the early twentieth century? Hard to believe, but true. Even David Hockney’s accusations of Caravaggio “cheating” with a camera obscura can’t break the spell, at least for me, of his paintings’ power...."

Nice pictures:
http://artblogbybob.blogspot.com/2007/09/incredulity.html

Sacre bleu! Another cut to the Arts; the deepest cut to the Arts ever.
Self-inflicted by Radio-Canada, a subsidiary of CBC.

50 year Arts cut? Takes you way back to John Diefenbaker's landslide election victory in 1958.
...-

"Angélil quite rightly characterized Bye Bye 2008 as setting back Quebec entertainment a half century."

"John Moore: Good riddance to Bye-Bye"
http://tinyurl.com/6t3qqe (np)

Garth Turner calls it quits.

http://www.garth.ca/weblog/

The “oldest hatred” gets a beastly makeover: Israel’s bad image is often
imputed to bad P.R. If only, it is often said, Israel had better P.R., or was better
at P.R., the media would “understand” Israel’s predicament, and would be more
willing to give it a fairer shake. But anyone observing

http://scaramouche.motime.com/post/737480

For Vitruvius (and anyone else who might be interested):

Terry Teachout, My Favorite Classical Recordings

In 1969, at the age of thirteen, I bought my first classical album, a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. That purchase was the start of a lifelong obsession.

Forty years later, I own 2,000 classical compact discs—a fraction of the many LP’s, cassettes, CD’s and digital sound files that have passed through my hands since then. The rigors of apartment living have forced me to be choosy, so it is unusual for me to retain more than two performances of the same piece, usually a 78-era version and a more modern one. But I have also become acutely aware of the relative merits of the records I continue to own, and when I bought my first iPod in 2005 in order to listen to music while traveling, I loaded it with the ones that I liked best. Now, after much winnowing, I have come up with a list of 25 classical records that for me are indispensable, the ones to which I return most often, both on the road and at home...

Thanks, hardboiled -- very nice.