The First World War explained as a pub fight.

A private member's bill requiring future Supreme Court justices be bilingual has passed through the House of Commons.

The Canadian Bar Association voted overwhelmingly in support of a resolution to have the bill quashed, with the Quebec wing of the same organization, naturellement, opposing it.

Evidently Western lawyers feel that merit may make way for bilingual ability, whereas their Quebec counterparts fear misunderstanding through mistranslation, although they fail to cite a precedent case.

Although I am opposed to the bill it is a bit delicious to see the elite jackasses of this country get a little taste of their own medicine.

And a real conservative would not have allowed this NDP bill to get through the House.

The Socialist Party of America announced in their October 2009 newsletter that 70 Congressional democrats currently belong to their caucus.
This admission was recently posted on Scribd.com

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/08/american-socialists-release-names-of-70-congressional-democrats-in-their-caucus/

H/T Ghost of a Flea

The First World War explained as a pub fight is quite a novel way of simply explaining the immediate lead up to the war.

This must be a first, lawyers exhibiting some common sense. I suspect that some conservatives were quiet about this issue so as not to jeopardize the potential for Quebec votes.

Stevie J @ 10:52, this kind of like the Bolsheviks being part of the Russian Social Democratic Party and working for an ultimate takeover of the party.

Excerpt from David Horowitz's 1998 book "The Politics of Bad Faith: The Radical Assault on America's Future."

"It is now impossible to console ourselves any longer with the illusion that socialism might have worked if only this path or that panacea had been tried. In our lifetime, the revolutions of the Left have created despotisms and oppressions that dwarf all others on human record. Yet, to the diehards of the radical culture, 'Left' still evokes the idealism of a 'progressive' cause, while 'Right' remains synonymous with social reaction. It is time for a change in our understanding of the terms themselves.

"In what sense can a bankrupt idea be called 'progressive'? For two centuries the socialist idea -- the future promise that justifies the present sacrifice -- has functioned as a blank check for the violence and injustice associated with efforts to achieve it. The 'experiments' may have failed – so go the apologies for the Left -- but the intentions that launched them were idealistic and noble. But it is no longer really possible to hold up the socialist fantasy to justify the destructive assaults on existing societies which, whatever their faults, were less oppressive than the revolutionary 'solutions' that followed their demise. The failed 'experiments' of the Left and its divisive crusades must be seen now for what they are: bloody exercises in civil nihilism; violent pursuits of empty hopes; revolutionary actes gratuites that were doomed to fail from the start.

"Historical perspective imposes on us a new standard of judgment. Because they were doomed from their origin and destructive by design, these revolutionary gestures now stand condemned by morality and justice in their conception and not merely in their result. If there was a 'party of humanity' in the civil wars that the Left’s ambitions provoked in the past, it was on the other side of the political barricades. In these battles, the enlightened parties were those who defended democratic process and civil order against the greater barbarism that, as we now know for certain, the radical future entailed."

Loved the WW1 pub fight analogy - sent it to friend i use to play 'Diplomacy' with eons ago. A board game with all the afore mentioned countries in.

EBD - I see your WWI explanation, and raise you a WWII Facebook page of what happened.

http://www.collegehumor.com/article:1802364

PS - noisy ad may play adjacent to the graphic

Thanks. Several people have tried to explain to me about WWI; I never managed to retain anything beyond: Some kid killed an Austrian archduke and Russia got defensive, so Britain went to war with Germany. And there was Lawrence of Arabia and the Russian Revolution. All the people who would have been awesome were killed, which is why everything sucks now. Well, that and hippies.

That is pretty much what happened, right?

Regarding: "whereas their Quebec counterparts fear misunderstanding through mistranslation"

This problem here is that there is a risk of misunderstanding -- whether or not a translator is involved. I heard one "expert" contending that he detected a misinterpretation that may have affected a case. Well, the truth is, that if French is not your first language, you might be misinterpreting in some instances. The problem with having he judges themselves be bilingual is that you will NEVER be able to actually track the misinterpretation. It is hard to see how they (bilingual judges) will be more fluent than existing translators.

Now maybe those promoting this think that having all French judges would solve the problem -- but then there is the risk of misinterpreting things in English. C'est la vie. The problem is having to deal with two different languages period, but we have to. This piece of legislation solves NOTHING, and it does create additional problems. Everyone take note: LIBERALS support this motion.

Erik, that's very funny.

AlMoh's Camels: "queen for the night".

...-

"29. Walt

We left our two Arab friends from a previous thread (Who Can I Turn To – August 12), discussing Obama by their desert fire and preparing for bed, undecided whose camel would be queen for the night. We find them the following morning around the breakfast fire still talking about Obama and how he has disappointed them and the entire Umma.

I tell you sir, the first man said
He promised us the earth
He promised he would kill the Jews
He hasn’t proved his worth
I much prefer that Farsi guy
He’s nuts, I like his style
Not Arab, no, but that’s okay
He’s full of cunning guile
I quite agree, the other said
I’m disappointed too
You’d think a man who’s named Hussein
Would gladly kill the Jew
We’ve got to look for other guys
To lead us to the top
Not cheer us on one day and then
The next day tell us stop
I cannot stand a squishy man
No courage, no nor heart
I wouldn’t give him time of day
Or one small camel fart
And speaking thus of camel farts
The first man softly said
I know not what you feed your beast
But she farts all night in bed"

"Talking Down to a Bigoted Nation"

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2010/08/15/talking-down-to-a-bigoted-nation/#comments

“Environmentalism, which in its raw, early form had no time for the encrusted, seized-up politics of left and right, has been sucked into the yawning, bottomless chasm of the ‘progressive’ left.”

…-

“Confessions of a recovering environmentalist

Paul Kingsnorth, 16 August 2010″

“Environmentalism, which in its raw, early form had no time for the encrusted, seized-up politics of left and right, has been sucked into the yawning, bottomless chasm of the ‘progressive’ left.” A personal, twenty-year journey through the world’s wild places and the movements to protect them is also, for Paul Kingsnorth, an education in the limits of a project that has forgotten nature and lost its soul.”

“Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity … and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is imagination itself – William Blake

Scenes from a younger life # 1:

I am 12 years old. I am alone, I am scared, I am cold and I am crying my eyes out. I can’t see more than six feet in either direction. I am on some godforsaken moor high up on the dark, ancient, poisonous spine of England. The black bog-juice I have been trudging through for hours has long since crept over the tops of my boots and down into my socks. My rucksack is too heavy, I am unloved and lost and I will never find my way home. It is raining and the cloud is punishing me; clinging to me, laughing at me. Twenty-five years later, I still have a felt memory of that experience and its emotions: a real despair and a terrible loneliness.”

http://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-kingsnorth/confessions-of-recovering-environmentalist

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2010/08/15/talking-down-to-a-bigoted-nation/#comment-119296

EBD - don't let anyone tell you that socialism is noble even in theory, because it is anything but. It makes everyone slaves to the collective and destroys everything that makes us great as a species. It is evil , even in theory.

If anyone here hasn't already read it, read George Orwell's "Road to Wigan Pier. He started writng it as a propaganda tract for the British socialist party but in the process of thinking it through realized that the cure of socialism was worse than the disease of economic depression. Dispite this he claimed to be a socialist all his life. I have read almost everything Orwell ever wrote, and several biographies on the man, and that is a point I still don't get.

"read George Orwell's "Road to Wigan Pier"

Excellent recommendation, and it's interesting, not a dull political essay.

"Pakistan's 'image deficit' may be behind difficulty in fundraising: UN"

Ya think..

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Pakistan+image+deficit+behind+fundraising+difficulty/3403861/story.html#ixzz0wm7lw96w

Check out Kathy Shaidle's "Genius: Let's start calling it 'the Obama Mosque'":

http://www.fivefeetoffury.com/

There's a great interview on Fox News with Andrew Sullivan, a (very articulate) New York City construction worker who's started a movement among construction workers to not lay one hammer to one nail in the construction of a mosque at Ground Zero.

His blog is http://www.bluecollarcorner.com/blog/

Black Mamba - I didn't comment on another thread, but your comment about linear A was teh awesome. RE your summary of WWI above, very funny!

EBD, thanks for posting the WWI thing. A great book that concisely explains the tragedies that spawned WWI is "Why Nations Go to War" by Stoessinger. It talks about Kaiser Bill's casual mistake of giving the "Nibilungentraue" (spelling?) to Austria after the assassination of AFF. (Essentially, the Kaiser told Austria "we'll back you up no matter what you want to do" - which was essentially a blank cheque for all of Germany's resources, men and materiel). The "Willy-Nicky telegrams" are very sad and weirdly amusing to read in retrospect.

What a waste. . . . and not only because it made hippies.

The best book I have ever read upon the origins of WWI is 'Dreadnought' by R.K. Massie. It draws heavily on official communications on all sides and diary entries from most of the major players involved.

They are considering another Canada Remembers Air Show, there is a survey at:

www.canadaremembersairshow.com and
www.creditunioncenter.com

to show your support.

"Edward? Edward! Why are you hitting yourself in the legs with a crowbar?"

Taxpayers' money is being spent on prostitutes, lap-dancing clubs and exotic holidays under schemes designed to give more independence to the disabled.

One local authority is using its budget to pay for the services of a prostitute in Amsterdam, while others have said visits to lap dancing clubs are permissible under new policies...

Of Hope and False Hope.

Roger Scruton and Whittaker Chambers.

…-

Roger Scruton:

“The Uses of Pessimism: And the Danger of False Hope
By Roger Scruton”

“Hope, especially religious hope, is an important part of human existence. But it is also, argues Scruton, the “final scourge”. “False hope” isn’t just a false friend; it is humanity’s most implacable enemy.

Scruton identifies seven fallacies that he sees as underwriting false hope. Put briefly, these translate into a tendency to always look on the bright side, a belief that freedom is hampered by law, an unwillingness to countenance refutation, a belief that failure in one human quarter is directly connected to success in another, an inclination to impose solutions rather than letting them evolve over time, the idea that human history has an endpoint, and the tendency to assume agreeable concepts such as liberty and equality are mutually reinforcing.

In the final chapters, Scruton suggests these inclinations may be ineradicable, having evolved in response to particular dangers in hunter-gatherer societies.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/do-worry-and-dont-always-be-happy/story-e6frg8nf-1225900609218

…-

Whittaker Chambers:

“Witness”

“The Communist Party “had one ultimate appeal. In place of desperation, it set the one word: hope.

If it was the outrage, it was also the hope of the world. In the 20th century, it seemed impossible to have hope on any other terms.”
...-

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2010/08/15/talking-down-to-a-bigoted-nation/#comment-119324

Whither Al Gore? (WAG). (Formerly AGW)

"Green groups are aghast".

...-

"Britain puts decarbonisation on hold

Economy First: Britain Puts Decarbonisation On Hold

Allegra Stratton, The Guardian, 16 August 2010

The coalition is watering down a commitment to tough new environmental emissions standards, raising the possibility of dirty coal-fired power stations such as Kingsnorth going ahead.

Green groups are aghast that a flagship policy called for in opposition by both Lib Dems and Tories, and which they last year tried to force on the Labour government, will now not be implemented in the coalition’s first energy bill to be published this year.

Their criticism of the government’s commitment to green issues follows news last week that nature reserves could be sold off as countryside protection measures also bear the brunt of budget cuts in the Department for Environment.

Introducing a so-called “environmental performance standard” (EPS) for power companies would have restricted greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas plants and encouraged companies wishing to build to use more efficient technology.

The introduction of an EPS was personally championed by David Cameron, George Osborne and Nick Clegg when in opposition; their opposition to Kingsnorth became something of a cause célèbre – and even features in the coalition agreement – but was opposed by energy companies and Tory backbenchers.

The chief executive at one coal-plant operating company warned that the UK’s renewable energy technology – which would be used to help new plants meet the target – was too undeveloped to make the EPS feasible."

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/08/16/britain-puts-decarbonisation-on-hold/#more-23511

Columnist Hasan Arif of various NB newspapers covers a lot of ground this morning. He sees bigotry behind the Tea Party and opposition to the Obama GZ Mosque. And birthers! And Islamophobia. And targeting little illegal Hispanic babies!

Truly jaw dropping

"A backlash of bigotry"
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/1177451

"I’m an attorney and I’m three weeks into an exhausting trial (is there any other kind?). Watching witness after witness take the stand and being absolutely certain that at least some of them are lying got me to thinking. I’ve known several attorneys in my day who would not hesitate to encourage their clients to lie. More depressing, though, is that I know far more clients who are eager to commit perjury.

"I cannot count for you the number of clients and other witnesses I’ve had ask me 'What should I say?' Not as in 'What should I say to present my true story in the best light possible?' but as in 'What should I say, true or not, that increases the likelihood that I (or the person I’m testifying for) will win at trial?' It is distressing to see the disappointment on their faces when I suggest that they might consider telling the truth.

"So I suppose I’m asking just how important the Bookwormroom readers think the truth is these days. Does anyone tell the truth any more? Does it even matter, if everyone assumes everyone else is lying anyway? How can our society, much less our courtrooms, function if people will say anything to get what they want?"

Amnesty International said it was the first confirmed stoning in Afghanistan since the fall of Taliban rule in the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

It called the stoning a “heinous crime” that showed the Taliban and other insurgent groups “are growing increasingly brutal in their abuses against Afghans.”

“Amnesty International has warned that the Afghan government should not sacrifice human rights, particularly the rights of women and minorities, in the name of reconciliation with the Taliban and other insurgent groups,” the London-based rights group said.

A Taliban spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

The best account I've ever seen of the outbreak of World War I was by A.J.P. Taylor. Called "War by Timetable", it was originally published as a very short book - more like a pamphlet - but was reprinted in his collection, "From the Boer War to the Cold War". Well worth reading, it does a great job of explaining just why and how things happened as they did.

Though I must admit, the pub fight version does pretty nicely in the allotted space.

I have wondered what effect the congenital deformed arm of "Kaiser Bill" had on his psyche. Was the underlying cause of his drive to have a greater navy; a greater army; a greater presence on the world stage initiated through petulance to show his many cousins. Cousins who as progeny of Quenn Victoria were in the ruling positions throughout Europe?
Cheers;

Twitter is having an Obama 2012 campaign slogan run at the moment.

Some of my favourites so far,

"Now with executive experience!"

This was a little harder than I thought, but I totally got it now.

The rest of the world can't be wrong

Because you literally have nothing left to lose

Hundreds more at #Obama2012Slogan

Thanks Erik; glad you're back.

Who needs France, anyway? It's full of French.

An answer to Harry Reid's how could any Hispanic be a Republican.

http://jforbes.us/reid/

thanks Black Mamba!

Mike Sr - I believe Kaiser Bill had a brachial nerve palsy as a result of a difficult obstetrical delivery. As you state, his arm was essentially functionless. It affected his horsemanship, much to the ridicule and dismay of his father.

I have often wondered - if a different obstetrician was there, or a different delivery, how would the world look now?

It's one of history's underrecognized turning points!

You can put too much emphasis on personality traits. The Kaiser actually did a great deal to try and stop the war. He was hot-headed and temperamental, but he wasn't a fool. Given time he always calmed down and thought sensibly, and he had more than enough time in the summer of 1914 to realize that he really didn't want this. Unfortunately it was out of control by then. When the Russians mobilized, he had a straight choice between leaving Germany defenceless and at Russia's mercy, or going to war, and while he might have been wise to have gambled on the first option, you can see that it looked like an irresponsible gamble and he felt duty bound not to take it.

The fleet was built for many other reasons than Wilhelm's ego. It was enormously popular, as the only national institution that wasn't inherited from old Prussia and tied up under Prussian control. It also made economic sense, providing a guaranteed market for the steel and shipbuilding industries that covered most of their fixed costs so they could produce other things at greater profit; and political sense, keeping both the industrialists and the industrial unions happy.

You can't entirely separate men from events. But men very different in character from Wilhelm might have done much the same things as he did in the circumstances.