Leftwing organizations generally exist for one reason only, and that is to sponge. With each victim class or cause that can be created, no matter how dubious, a parallel leftist organization or government bureaucracy is set up, and in each case, the pockets of the productive are drained to fund said NGO or bureaucracy.
The mother of all such organizations in North America is Acorn … its tentacles reaching far and deep, each with suction cups at the end designed with the singular purpose of sponging up every possible dime.
The list of suction cups is long … 294 long:

1. ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FOR REFOR MAILING
1024 ELYSIAN FIELDS AVE
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70117-8402 FOREIGN NON PROFIT Name Type:LEGAL
Status:ACTIVE
Florida Secretary of State
2. ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION FOR REFORM NOW PRINCIPAL CORPORATE ADDRESS
1024 ELYSIAN FIELDS AVE
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70117-8402 Name Type:LEGAL
Filing Date:03/05/1980
Status:ACTIVE
Massachusetts Secretary of State
3. CHICAGO ORGANIZING AND SUPPORT CENTER, INC. BUSINESS
1024 ELYSIAN FIELDS AVE
NEW ORLEANS, LA 70117-8402 LOUISIANA NON-PROFIT CORPORATION Name Type:LEGAL
Status:CURRENTLY ACTIVE IN SECRETARY OF STATE RECORDS
Louisiana Secretary of State

… keep reading.

ht

Michael Yon was recently, er, terminated unexpectedly as an embed with the British Army at Helmand. He now takes on the matter, and other issues regarding Afstan, all barrels blazing. He is especially outraged by the answer to a Parliamentary question by Bob Ainsworth, the Secretary of State for Defence, an answer that would appear exceptionally economical with the truth. The whole piece is a must-read, an excerpt that should really give Canadians pause to consider:

…This dispatch is being written in downtown Kandahar City and I have not seen a soldier in days. The Taliban is slowing winning this city. There have been many bombings and shootings since I arrived in disguise [more here and here]…

Update thought: Seeing as Canadian media at KAF rarely go outside the wire anymore [see Globe and Mail pieces here]–busy on the death watch and all that you know, far too few of them from our cheapskate media organizations–we have to rely on foreign media to get much feel about what it is like in the field, especially combat [e.g. this link and this]. Besides which most members of the Canadian media know so little about things military and are so inexperienced in covering conflict that they could never hope to come close to the reporting of many American and British journalists.

–will be in their mighty hands! (*)

Free soup, bread and a bit of pampering were in order downtown yesterday as the London Homeless Coalition and a core-area yoga studio reached out with massage, foot care and meditation … A Salvation Army truck was on hand to provide donated bread and soup.

…

While she acknowledged few homeless people took part in being pampered, Peckham said it was a first-year outreach she hopes will grow in coming years.

…

Those who were not homeless — including a group of first-year nursing students from the University of Western Ontario – could choose to donate the value of their treatments to the homeless coalition.

Nursing student Cheryl Georgeneau said, “it’s definitely an interesting idea,” and for a worthwhile purpose.

Reflexologist Mary Benson said the event gave her some hands-on experience in London. “Everyone says how much better it makes them feel . . . I’m glad I can get my hands on people who would otherwise not be able to afford it.”

Jenny Finch, who expressed an interest in meditation and participated in a session on personal praise, was intrigued. “I just think this is cool,” she said.

There were also draws for a free haircut, yoga, Nia dance, therapeutic touch and psychic reading.

How could we have missed this? The clear and obvious answer to the age-old problems of poverty and hunger? Why, Nia dance and psychic readings, of course!
And rest assured that the only reason no homeless person’s opinion was sought to confirm the obvious success of this scheme was that those Sally Ann types kept on slinging soup down their gullets every time they opened their mouths. Just jealous, obviously.
Certain grumpy parties, however, suspect that there might be a snag:

While I’m sure all the granola eaters are gently patting themselves on the back for being so nice to the homeless for one day, let’s see how Moonbeam and Rainbow Chakra react when the urine people start camping out on their stoop for the next three years.

The inimitable Ibbitson’s Canada.

Mickey I. just loves himself to…
(Link fixed.)

No trick is too dirty or too low for American public schools. Brainwashing little 6 year olds. This is why I never did, and never will, trust teachers.

Here’s Bernice Young Elementary’s phone number
(609) 386-3520

Hey Sven, now just hear me out.
What if…
JUST WHAT IF…
we actually lowered corporate taxes to help spur economic growth and create jobs?

Good god man! You’re insane!!!

From everybody’s favourite novelty newspaper:

By imitating Trudeau, Ignatieff could recast himself as a leader with a bold vision for Canada, a man who offered voters a stark alternative to Harper, rather than the uninspiring leader whose main policy positions seem merely to mirror those of the Conservatives.

…

[Trudeau] was internationally famous and he made Canadians believe we mattered on the world stage.

…

And he had flair, dating a series of beautiful women and once performing a pirouette behind Queen Elizabeth’s back.

In contrast, Ignatieff, a man of intellect and international experience like Trudeau, comes across as too packaged, stiff, seemingly afraid to take a stand on any issue that pollsters tell him is unpopular.

…

To regain momentum, Ignatieff needs to offer voters bold programs for the future. To do so, he should steal from Trudeau’s agenda, running on just two or three overriding themes that resonate with Canadians, such as championing medicare or restoring our image as global peacemakers.

…

Being bold, taking risks, speaking his mind, promoting programs that made this country better: they all worked for Trudeau.

They might just work for Ignatieff, too.

Dare we point out that there’s a difference between making “Canadians believe [they] mattered on the world stage” and Canada actually mattering on the world stage? Or perhaps that’s the columnist’s point, the cynical scamp. The emphasis should really be on that word “believe” then, shouldn’t it? As in: making Canadians “believe” that championing medicare and restoring our image as global peacemakers are bold, risk-taking stands that the pollsters consider unpopular.

I apologize in advance if Kate had already posted this before, but I do not believe she has (nor could I find it anywhere in previous postings). This is a rather lengthy seminar, so I am authorizing you to pour 2 martinis, grab 2 cigars and getting yourself into a very comfy recliner. Below is the You Tube version (which is broken up into 14 separate 10 minute segments, which makes it more digestable, to see the other 13 segments it’s probably best just to go to You Tube and view it from there)

There is also the full version available for download here if you wish to view it all in one shot or e-mail it to friends or have a long flight.
In short it is the most comprehensive seminar on the merits of capitalism, designed to arm viewers with the emprical economic proof needed to effectively argue for free markets and a capitalist economic system. It IS lengthy, but (at the risk of sounding arrogant) it is almost mandatory you watch it – when you have the time of course – because the data, research, etc., really is that vital and necessary for those who believe in freedom and free markets.
I hope you enjoy it.

CAW death wish?
Mark
Ottawa

… [W]hen feminism exploded onto the scene, I was often mistaken for a supporter of the movement. But I have never been a feminist, because, having experienced my mother’s violence, I always knew that women can be as vicious and irresponsible as men … Indeed, when I later opened my refuge for battered women, 62 of the first 100 to come through the door were as abusive as the men they had left.

…

Feminism, I realised, was a lie. Women and men are both capable of extraordinary cruelty. Indeed, the only thing a child really needs – two biological parents under one roof – was being undermined by the very ideology which claimed to speak up for women’s rights.

This country is now on the brink of serious moral collapse. We must stop demonising men and start healing the rift that feminism has created between men and women.

Harriet Harman’s insidious and manipulative philosophy that women are always victims and men always oppressors can only continue this unspeakable cycle of violence. And it’s our children who will suffer.

(via 5Fo’F)
And speaking of the country on the brink of serious moral collapse: shag-bands, anyone?

When Anna asked him what they were, he replied: ‘If I snap a black one, the girl has to “do sex” with me.’

Quite a few of the blogs and commentators in the media from the left
wing of the political perspective aren’t decrying Count Iggy and the
Liberal Party’s lack of coherent policy. Many of them are actually
calling it a strategic decision in order to eliminate negative
feedback from the Conservative advertising juggernaut. These pundits
all use the Green Shaft and the Dion experiment as proof that you
can’t tempt fate.

These Liberals are completely wrong.

The Green Shaft didn’t become the albatross around Dion’s neck
because of the Conservatives. The Green Shaft was just bad
policy and Canadians rejected it. Sure the “Tax on everything.”
slogan was catchy, but more importantly, it was true. Dion wasn’t
rejected because the CPC was convinced he wasn’t a leader, he was
rejected because he wasn’t the leader Canadians wanted.

Dear Liberals,
Policy is what I want to hear. Yeah, I may call it out,
investigate it, run the numbers, insult it and tear it down but the
fact remains that if it’s good policy one of two things will happen.

• The Conservatives will do a Microsoft and embrace and
  extend.
• Canadians will say, “Hey, good idea. Let’s give this set of
  jokers a chance.”

Either way, it’s good for us. Us, being Canadians, as opposed to just
Liberal Canadians, or more specifically the LPC. I know that
previously you’ve run on the idea that Conservative values aren’t
Canadian values, but seeing as that too was rejected I’m hoping that
you’re thinking that just maybe Canadians are more important than the
LPC. Maybe when Canadians get the idea you care about them more than
what elite pure laine Quebec Liberal gets to be the Lieutenant that
decides Montreal’s Outremont they’ll give you and your policies a
chance.

Why don’t you see if you can get more than a “blue-ribbon panel” and
more of a “billion for unemployed” like the soft spot to your left,
eh?

Cheers,
lance

Un-Liberal Prime Minister Stephen Harper, speaking in Oakville today:

Ahmadinejad’s declarations, particularly recently, particularly…not just the detention of Canadian citizens, not just the flagrant abuse of human rights, but his recent declarations – just disgraceful, insulting declarations denying the holocaust – there is no way I’m going to permit any official of the Government of Canada to be present and give any legitimacy to remarks by a leader like that.

President Ahmadinejad has said things, particularly about the state of Israel, the Jewish people, and the holocaust, that are absolutely repugnant. It is unfitting that somebody like that would be giving those kind of remarks before the United Nations General Assembly. Canada does not want to be equivocal at all in terms of our view on that; we find it disgraceful, unacceptable, and we’re going to be absolutely clear on that. There are other things that bother us as well beyond these repugnant comments; also, obviously, the crackdown in Iran on all kinds, any kind of legitimate dissent; the fiasco around the elections is quite disturbing. As well, the holding of a Canadian journalist – Mr. Bahari, I think it is – without charge continues to be unacceptable (and) we continue to demand his release. But as I say, there are times when things are being said in this world that it is important that countries that have a moral compass stand up and make their views known, and our absence there will speak volumes about how Canada feels about the declarations of President Ahmadinejad.

Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.