to find that racist, fiery rhetoric was being spewed in the church he attended for twenty years. But he quits the church now that it has been brought to his attention. Move along now.
The Triumph of the Political Class
This sounds like an interesting book that would be worth the time for Canadians to read, too. While the book addresses British politics I think many of the same maladies and trends apply to Canada as well. We’ve certainly seen a rather stubborn trend of growth and power of the political class in Canada and getting Conservative parties elected has rather less effect on this trend than we would like.
Perhaps we haven’t descended as far or fast down this path as Britain has, and thankfully we don’t have the complications of the EU to deal with, but I think this book might offer some lessons for us in Canada.
Read the whole post here:
His basic argument is that today’s political class has little experience of the real world outside the corridors of power, is drawn from an insular group of metropolitan folk who consider themselves superior to, and cut off from, the ordinary mass; it craves power for its own sake and for its monetary rewards, is corrupt, venal, obsessed by controlling the media, and has damaged and is damaging any institutions and practices – such as the old House of Lords or judiciary – that get in its way. Oborne argues his case with a tremendous passion and penetrating use of argument. At the end of the 334 pages of text one is left – which I think is the idea – feeling rather depressed. With good reason.
And check out the book here.
Doing as the Leader Did
Little by little, one person at a time, more Westerners are beginning to get it. Unfortunately, most Western elites aren’t getting it, despite the fact that the truth is right there under their noses … in black and white text:
My essay on the topic:
There may be any number of reasons why Islam is so uncompromisingly supremacist, but one reason stands out among all others. That is the fact that the foundational texts of Islam are supremacist in the extreme … to the point of advocating violence as the main form of enforcement. To read about Muhammad, whose example all Muslims are required to follow, is to read about a brutal chauvinist who used murder, deceit, theft and all kind of barbaric means to pursue his agenda. Furthermore, he took the chauvinism common in his time and expanded on it, making Christian chauvinism of the era pale in comparison.
Compare this to Christianity. Anyone at all familiar with Christian foundational texts understands immediately that Christianity is by and large a pacifist religion. Christian foundational texts focus on spirituality and are almost completely devoid of political guidance. Christian foundations can best be described as “turn the other cheek”. Muslim foundations can best be described as “smite the unbelievers.”
Jihad watch weighs in, taking a stab at Western politicians who march on, blinkers firmly in place:
Almost seven years have passed since 9/11, and we’re hearing the same thing from our leaders that we’ve heard since 9/12. It is a reminder that, at the highest level of government, policy decisions are driven — hijacked, if you will — by willful blindness to the roots of the ideology that motivates not only al-Qaeda, but is also common to Hizballah, Hamas, and other jihadist groups. Does anyone at the State Department, Homeland Security, or elsewhere, ever puzzle at how ingrained and widespread jihadist activity is, even outside of the Wahhabi sphere of influence, if it’s supposedly all just a big misunderstanding and “hijacking” of an otherwise peaceful belief system?
Watch Hirsi Ali struggle in vain to get through to a thick-skulled journalist.
Why Britain Struggles To Assimilate Immigrants
When the concept of “multiculturalism” was introduced to Canadians, most assumed it meant more pavilions at Folkfest…
A third of London’s residents were born outside Britain, a higher percentage of newcomers than in any other city in the world except Miami, and the percentage continues to rise. Likewise, migration figures for the country as a whole—emigration and immigration—suggest that its population is undergoing swift replacement. Many of the newcomers are from Pakistan, India, and Africa; others are from Eastern Europe and China. If present trends continue, experts predict, in 20 years’ time, between a quarter and a third of the British population will have been born outside it, and at least a fifth of the native population will have emigrated. Britain has always had immigrants—from the French Huguenots after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes to Germans fleeing Prussian repression, from Jews escaping czarist oppression to Italian prisoners of war who stayed on after World War II—and absorbed them. But never so many, or so quickly.
To the anxiety about these unprecedented demographic changes—a substantial majority of the public, when asked, says that it wants a dramatic reduction in immigration—one can add a reticence in openly expressing it. Inducing this hesitancy are intellectuals of the self-hating variety, who welcome the destruction of the national identity and who argue—in part, correctly—that every person’s identity is multiple; that identity can and ought to change over time; and that too strong an emphasis on national identity has in the past led to barbarism. By reiteration, they have insinuated a sense of guilt into everyone’s mind, so that even to doubt the wisdom or viability of a society consisting of myriad ethnic and religious groups with no mutual sympathy (and often with mutual antagonisms) is to suspect oneself of sliding toward extreme nationalism or fascism; so that even to doubt the wisdom or viability of a society in which everyone feels himself part of an oppressed minority puts one in the same category as Jean-Marie Le Pen, or worse.
h/t Penny
Not Waiting For The Asteroid
You have a paper (as all of you know, the IHT is owned by the NYT) that is in crisis.
In a big crisis.
For many years.
Losing money.
Losing readers.
Losing advertising.
Losing market share …
And what your bosses do?
Reader Tips
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Reader Tips and SDA Late Nite Radio. Tonight, for your delectation, I have made newly available a rare performance from our SDA LNR studio collection of vintage 45 RPM singles. Here are Australia’s own Johnny Chester & the Chessmen performing The Old Copper Kettle, ca. 1960, this pressing by Canadian KiM records, K.M.1688, CT-30765, originally from W&G Recording in Australia. I would argue that one needs to listen to the end of this work ~ it’s only two minutes ~ to fully appreciate it, but I don’t want to say any more ’cause that would spoil it.
Your Reader Tips are of course, as always, welcome in the comments.
Nancy Pelosi on the surge
Nancy Pelosi demonstrates her keen understanding of military affairs – and credits Iranian goodwill for the success of the surge:
Asked if she saw any evidence of the surge’s positive impact on her May 17 trip to Iraq she responded:
Well, the purpose of the surge was to provide a secure space, a time for the political change to occur to accomplish the reconciliation. That didn’t happen. Whatever the military success, and progress that may have been made, the surge didn’t accomplish its goal. And some of the success of the surge is that the goodwill of the Iranians-they decided in Basra when the fighting would end, they negotiated that cessation of hostilities-the Iranians.
One hardly knows how to respond to such idiocy. The Iranians are finding it harder to blow up American troops these days, so it must be because of their goodwill. Of course.
The Pointy End just Got Sharper
About time … overdue …
Ezra has the details.
Update: More good news.
Opera Lovers Delight
I’d say that some things are beyond parody … but then, this is SDA:
MILAN, Italy (AP) — First it was the film and the book. Now the next stop for Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” is opera.
La Scala officials say the Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned to produce an opera on the international multiformat hit for the 2011 season at the Milan opera house. The composer is currently artistic director of the Arena in Verona.
Are You Feeling Guilty Yet?
The information gatekeepers, asleep at their posts
Our mainstream media organs, providing context, probing investigation, and depth of knowledge to the Canadian consumer, as…
…oops, never mind:
The fact that Viking, located on Vancouver Island and the Buffalo design holder, was not contacted by any media outlet in order to better understand the support arrangements for the CC-115 Buffalo is, in my opinion, unacceptable [emphasis added].
– David Curtis is president and CEO of Viking Air Ltd.
Unacceptable? Ya think?
Making a Silk Purse out of a Pig’s Ear
Are your Mullah’s getting you down? Sleepless nights?
Rest easy, because we’ve got the cure for you.
Read the following before bedtime and you’ll sleep as soundly as B. H. Obama during a Rev. Wright sermon:
Iranian Mullahs …
* Will never dare to use the bomb, even if they had it. To do so would be suicidal.
* Are years away from anything resembling a credible bomb, in any quantity.
* They lack the technological skills needed to make a workable bomb.
* Don’t have the means of hitting Israel with the bomb, their professed favorite target.
* Want the bomb for defensive purposes only.
* Would never hand the bomb over to proxy terrorists.
* Are using this whole bomb thing as a ploy to rally the populace and survive.
* Are visionary patriots planning for a future when the oil dries up.
* Are environmentalists aiming to curb global warming caused by the use of fossil fuel.
* Are striving to join the nuclear club for its prestige.
click
crossposted @ Celestial Junk
The Sound Of Settled Science
The “Parking Lot Effect.
Weather Picture of The Day
Anthony Watts’ cool new blog site.
Reader Tips
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to SDA Late Nite Radio. Kate has asked me to look after the daily Reader Tips entries while she is away, by combining them with the SDA LNR shows. So without further ado, here for your delectation is Zubin Mehta conducting the massed Israel Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, in Tel Aviv in 1990, performing the allegro finale from Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, op. 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=8222970279301407869
Your reader tips are of course, as always, welcome in the comments.
SDA LNR Update: Harvey Korman has passed away. Cal2, in the comments, has already noted this three part Archive of American Television interview with Harvey Korman and Tim Conway. On a lighter note, you might also enjoy this Friendly Business Lunch sketch, starring Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and Steve Lawrence, from, of course, the inimitable Carol Burnett show.
Scratch a “Green”
… and what do you find?
A limousine Liberal:
LONDON — After hundreds of angry drivers shut down highways in England yesterday in protest against green automobile taxes, and drivers and fishermen in France and Spain paralyzed their ports and roads in a fuel-tax protest, politicians began to signal Europe’s ambitious emission-control policies may soon have to be abandoned.
While Europe has led the way in using tax incentives to encourage people to buy low-emission cars and to build carbon-neutral houses in order to meet Kyoto targets, it has become increasingly apparent that inflation-battered voters are no longer willing to go along.
When I composed the ecophobe checklist, it was meant to be a joke … I may need to rethink that. There’s got to be a way of telling a genuine “green” from a fake.
For you earth haters … you can rate yourself here … click.
A Celebration of the Human Mind
UPDATE – Lease your very own Bugatti Veyron
Not Worried About The Asteroid
For the 77th consecutive month, FNC finished first in total day and prime time ratings during May. FNC was the sixth highest rated cable network on all of basic cable during prime time for the month (CNN and MSNBC finished 19th and 26th) and the seventh rated network in total day (CNN and MSNBC were 19th and 27th).
FNC also had 11 out of the top 13 programs in cable during the month in Total Viewers. The O’Reilly Factor was the #1 program in cable news for the 90th consecutive month, and saw gains in Total Viewers year-to-year (26%).
Reader Tips
I’ll be on the road over the next few days, though I should be able to check in from time to time. Guest bloggers are welcome to stop by, as usual, but if the weather is nice where you are, turn off the computer and get out of the house for a while!
“Finally, the photos are starting to leak out.”
