‘Kingsley should have been fired years ago,” says NCC vice president Gerry Nicholls. “He was not a disinterested bureaucrat. Kingsley had an ideological axe to grind and he used his powers to go after groups he didn’t like.’
This column by Colby Cosh “Does America need a Foreign Legion?” might make for compelling argument – if it weren’t undermined by the facts. (link fixed) Update: more factual rebuttal in the comments.
“The AP and E&P have teamed up to perpetuate a lie.”
Senator Joe Lieberman has returned from Iraq;
[L]et there be no doubt: If Iraq descends into full-scale civil war, it will be a tremendous battlefield victory for al-Qaeda and Iran. Iraq is the central front in the global and regional war against Islamic extremism.
Aw, shucks, Jason. 🙂
Use this thread for your news tips and blog posts.
CBCpravda – sympathetic picture.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/12/29/saddam-hanging-061229.html
if Saddam wants sympathy he can look in the dictionary– its somewhere between $hit and syphilis
2006 personal income tax packages are out. The rate for the lowest income range is 15.25% (surprise!) and the basic personal exemption has been raised above last year’s. So after all the fuss and whinging, the difference between last year’s Liberal promise and this year’s actual forms is $68.85 before all other deductions (eg. if you paid maximum into CPP and EI and are employed, the difference reduces to $61.62).
Colby Cosh has a column in the Post about an -American Foreign Legion-.
I gotta say he gets so many things about the USA wrong that I wonder why he would devote a full column to the subject.
Here he opines on Ben Franklin,
“Even then, he and his colleagues understood that creating a Roman-style republic meant setting out on the Roman road to empire — and, inevitably, to imperial decline.”
It is news to me that the Founding Fathers were creating a republic that was Roman-style. I would have opined it was more Greek-style (is that a word?) in its design and intent, but the outcome of the creation is still, of course, uniquely American. As for the American Imperial Empire, where the heck is it? Is it in Guam or Puerto Rico? And where are the riches and treasures taken from the American Imperial Empire? IMHO, American ingenuity is responsible for the countrys wealth and the USA has shown time and again throughtout its history that it can operate as a full economy pretty well all on its own if and when it needs to.
As for President George Washington Cosh says this,
“Men like Washington, who advised his successors against “foreign entanglements,” tried to install the political version of anti-virus software. But today little energy remains behind U.S. resistance to the imperial temptation.”
But here is what Washington actually said (and did) when US interests were threatened by The Barbary Pirates (taken from the Historical Overview of the Federalist Navy, 1787-1801-First Naval Legislation under the Constitution).
Dec 3, 1793- President Washington spoke in general terms of the nation’s need to prepare to defend itself: “If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace…, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War.” A few days later, news reached Philadelphia of the truce between Portugal and Algiers, opening the way for Barbary corsairs to cruise the Atlantic and imperil trade with much of Europe. On 16 December the President forwarded to Congress documents on the unsatisfactory negotiations with the Barbary Powers. In response to these events, the House of Representatives resolved on 2 January 1794 “that a naval force adequate to the protection of the commerce of the United States, against the Algerine corsairs, ought to be provided,” and appointed a committee to prepare a report on what kind of naval force would be necessary to deal with the menace.
And then there is this statement from Cosh,
“Iraq has reminded Americans at great cost that wars cannot be won when no definition of victory exists.”
IIRC, President Bush was quite clear on this subject. He said the USA will have achieved victory when it has defeated and dismantled the Iraqi Baathist Party. That goal is very close to being fully achieved.
I highly doubt there will be a draft in the USA anytime soon (unless the Dems take full control) or that there will EVER be an -American Foreign Legion-.
I wager Cosh understands Canada and Canadians quite well and IMO he should stick to writing about those things he really knows.
Kate,
No hyperlink for “the facts”
So what does Senator Lieberman know anyhow? He didn’t talk to Capt Jamil Hussein to get the real story did he?
Seriously, I’d believe the good senator before I’d listen to most of the Democratic cacaus or any Lieberal/Dipper anytime.
When confronted with facts you can count on AP and E&P to blame the headline writers(who must not work for them?) before they admit any mistakes or manipulation.
Lieberman is the only real sensible liberal left in Washington…are there others? Hmmm…
Thanks, Doug. Fixed now.
Sorry to be a pest, close the italics tag. I’m reading the links. Thanks.
I’m getting a kick out of all the spinning on Kingsley’s resignation. For crying out loud, can a guy not just resign? It’s not like PMSH could fire him.
Gerry Nichols is a big cry baby, still sulking since he lost his fight against the election gag law in the Supreme Court.
On a different note, Lieberman has it all wrong. Things are going great in Iraq…any other interpretation is just a conspiracy by the defeatist, terrorist loving, evil left wing media.
On another note, I’m quite certain that the Marines will take recruits from foreign nationals. Doesn’t anyone out there know of Canadians that have joined the Marines? Someone should point this out to Mr. Bland Cheese.
Stephen Harper is in the running for LGF’s Orianna Fallaci Anti-Idiotarian of the Year award, be sure to vote:
http://tinyurl.com/y7kyqd
“Doesn’t anyone out there know of Canadians that have joined the Marines?”
Yes, my son. Fought in Iraq, clearing of Falluja (spelling?) as well.
I believe the latter has cost him mentally.
In the Grope and Flail comments on Kingsleys resignation, the tiny tot Liberals are blaming PMSH for ‘firing’ him. Apparently these commentators never noticed that Kingsley, God of Election Liberal Canada, never did one thing to punish or reprimand the Liberal Party for its breaking of election laws in the Quebec Adscam fiasco. I emailed Kingsley asking him why they weren’t doing anything about barring the crooked Liberal Party of QueCanada from running in the last federal election. He still did nothing.
I am still amazed that his office, that ran over everybody else’s finances with a fine tooth comb, could not notice the enormous discrepancy between the money the Liberal spent on elections and the reported money they collected in Quebec.
I would have fired his a$$ out the door a long time ago because he definitely was not a independent administrator of the election laws.
BTW here’s a $1000 bonus, vote Liberal.
My Iraqi friend, whose been living here in Vancouver for 2 years now, has a rather curious attitutde toward all of this. On one hand, being a Kurd, she has lost enough relatives at the hands of Saddam to be outraged, yet explains her ambivalence as years of knowing nothing else; being able to walk around freely sans burkha, etc.; having enough to get by while those in the military thrived. She does laugh however, at the west’s determination to rout al-Qaeda/the Taliban, both of which she insists are fronts for Syria and Iran. This is well known to most Iraqis who watch in amusement as we chase our tails. She has me convinced that the Iraqis just might be on to something.
During the last election, there were reports of all sorts of electoral hijinks occurring in the Desnethe-Missinippi riding in northern Saskatchewan. Claims of raffles for TVs if you voted Liberal, claims of missing ballots suddenly turning up; irregularities on the voters’ list. Even the NDP candidate said that things looked fishy. Lo and behold an investigation by Elections Canada turned up nothing, and a new Liberal MP Gary Merasty squeaked in, ousting Conservative MP Jeremy Harrison. Kingsley’s “investigation” turned up no wrong-doing. Hmmmmmm. The new Electoral Officer of Canada (whomever that may be) should make sure this riding is very closely watched next time.
rockyt, you are aware that as the chief election officer, Kingsley was not permitted to vote, I hope? 🙂
I would like to do a little research, but need your help.
During the last federal election somebody had the brilliant idea of transposing the contribution data at elections canaduh into an easy to use excel spreadsheet. It revealed a lot about how the Lieberals used grants to organizations who in return remitted portions of the grants back to the Lieberal party. Great fun was had by all.
Does anybody have the URL for that site? I had bookmarked it, but due to a computer crash have lost it.
I intend to run the names of the order of canaduh through the software. I just have a hunch.
Re: Colby Cosh
It strikes me that Colby’s entire article is based on an understanding of history that from my perspective is errant. US history has been dominated by isolationist, rather than imperialist tendencies. Unless attacked the US has historically been late to the party. Only when attacked could Roosevelt get the country to enter WWII.
there is good reason to exit the electoral chief, he was too slow.
perhaps he wasnt about to allow redistribution of the seats to BC and Alberta in a timely matter.
currently with a population greater than Quebec the combined seats of Alberta and BC are 17% lower. This was based on the census of a few years ago. Its likely more skewed yet.
And we cant blame time for this – Nfld is over represented by a factor of 54% compared to BC.This disparity is well over 20 years old.
Funny thing about Iraq being the “central front in the war against Islamic extremism” is that it had a secular government until until the invasion. Funny piece of BS that is.
“I would have opined it was more Greek-style (is that a word?)”
The word you are looking for is Hellenistic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_Greece
Slowly but surely, our PM is getting rid of all the liberal free loaders in high places. Was anything ever done about all the illegal names in landslide annies riding. And the libs talk about Bush stealing an election.
For general interest, check out “The Fallacy Files”. It’s a great blog and covers the major fallacies of logic we’re exposed to daily, esp in the MSM. Next time you want to throttle someone because they’re not making sense (but you can’t quite put a finger on why), use it to bring your blood pressure down a notch, and put that calm, knowing smile on your face.
“Unless attacked the US has historically been late to the party. Only when attacked could Roosevelt get the country to enter WWII.”
It didn’t help that a lot of influential people were sympathetic to the Nazis (Lindenberg and Taft namely).
The US has an isolationist streak but they’re hardly dominated by that philosphy. How many wars have the US been involved in? Now compare that to the number of times they’ve been attacked.
Doug,
The Marines do indeed take recruits from foreign nationals. I knew a guy, name was Frank Crabb. He joined in 1964. Three tours of duty. Killed in 1966. His name is on the memorial in Washington. I’ve looked it up.
Well done Kate,you not only have an excellent blogsite,you have become the token conservative on Cherniak’s very partisan list. Cheers and a happy new year.
Regarding MR kingsley,the gomery inquiry established that millions of dollars were funnelled to the liberals to fund thier campaigns. I wrote to him and also was one of the callers on cbc who suggested that illegally funded campaigns should be declared null and void.I did not recieve any response,therefore I have deduced that only campaigns that produce conservative winners are open for investigation.
they are vanishing, VANISHING in front of us.
the pictures, available because of the invention of photography, that compress the time line and show the alarming disappearing act the glaciers are committing.
for whatever reason.
maybe it is a natural cycle, but the extreme right wing denies the very possibility.
and as I said before, THIS TIME there’s 6 billion + of us pathetic humanoids around about to be affected by it all.
read it and weep
Glaciers are dying
TheStar.com – sciencetech – Glaciers are dying
The sound of water running throughout African mountains is the latest sign that the glaciers are turning into trickles
Charles Hanley
Toronto Star
NARO MORU, Kenya–Rivers of ice at the Equator – foretold in the second century, found in the 19th – are returning to the realm of lore and fading photographs.
From 1.6-kilometre-high Naro Moru, villagers have watched year by year as the great glaciers of Mount Kenya, glinting in the equatorial sun high above them, have retreated into shrunken white stains on the rocky shoulders of the 5,150-metre peak.
Climbing up, “you can hear the water running down beneath Diamond and Darwin,” mountain guide Paul Nditiru said, speaking of two of 10 surviving glaciers.
Some 320 kilometres due south, the storied snows of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tropical glaciers first seen by disbelieving Europeans in 1848, are vanishing. And to the west, in the heart of equatorial Africa, the ice caps are shrinking fast atop Uganda’s Rwenzoris – the “Mountains of the Moon” imagined by ancient Greeks as the source of the Nile River.
The total loss of ice masses ringing Africa’s three highest peaks, projected by scientists to happen sometime in the next two to five decades, fits a global pattern playing out in South America’s Andes Mountains, in Europe’s Alps, in the Himalayas and beyond.
Almost every one of more than 300 large glaciers studied worldwide is in retreat, international glaciologists reported in October in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. This is “essentially a response to post-1970 global warming,” they said.
Even such strong evidence may not sway every climate skeptic. Some say it’s lower humidity, not higher temperatures, that is depleting Kilimanjaro’s snows, for example.
Stefan Hastenrath of the University of Wisconsin, who has climbed, poked, photographed and measured East Africa’s glaciers for four decades, says what’s happening is complex and needs more study. But global warming plays a role, he says.
“The onset of glacier recession in East Africa has causes different from other equatorial regions. It’s a complicated sort of affair,” he said by telephone from Madison. But “that is not something to be taken as an argument against the global warming notions.”
In Kampala, Uganda’s capital, veteran meteorologist Abushen Majugu agreed. “There’s generally been a constant rise in temperatures. To some degree, the reduction of the glaciers must be connected to warming,” he said.
It was 10 years ago, on the 100th anniversary of the Italian first expedition to the Rwenzoris, that Majugu and colleagues were struck by an Italian gift to Uganda: photographs from 1896 showing extensive glaciers atop the spectacular, remote, nearly five-kilometre-high mountains.
In a scientific paper this May, Majugu and British and Ugandan co-authors reported that this ice, which covered 6.5 square kilometres a century ago, has diminished to about 1.3 square kilometres today.
The glaciers are “expected to disappear within the next two decades,” they concluded.
I win !!! grand slam home run this time !!! LOL !!!
Just one more comment. How long will it be before gay couples start proclaiming that they practice Hellenistic love? It does have a lyrical ring to it. Moreso than “cornholing my buddy”.
It’s quite amusing to read that Kingsley is/was a Liberal hack, even though he was appointed when the Mulroney Conservatives were in power. I suppose that means Brian Mulroney was really a closet Liberal.
Didn’t Kingsley’s son Justin Kingsley work in the PMO for Paul Martin? A little nepotism going on here? One might think that is a bit much for a so-called “non-partisan” government employee. Maybe a few “heads up” for Martin from the Kingsley clan here and there just to keep it all in the family? Preserve the boy’s cushy job?
It has the appearance of something less than above board don’t you think?
Kingsley’s a Lie-beral hack, always has been. Should have been thrown out with the trash a long time ago.
For once Iberia was almost right, Mulroney was/is an out of the closet Power Corp. hack.
Bollocks,Oh my,you have hit it out of the park. Now let’s go for another one. This is a fact. Glaciers have been receding since the ICE AGE.They will continue to recede until the next ICE AGE. Then they will get bigger.If the religious zealots don’t kill us by then I hope our descendants can discuss this further. To quote Johnny Rotten,who is at least as credible as the toronto star,”NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS”.
Best comment I’ve heard in some time, was from a tour guide on an Alaskan cruise when a passenger became hysterical at the sight of chunks of ice falling of a glacier. We must stop this economy she shreiked, the glacier is melting, whereupon the guide deadpanned, “They always do that between ice ages M’am”.
Well Bruce, then you must be thrilled that Mulroney and his minions are still hanging around and providing advice to the current government.
Winnipeg artists have another winner!today’s Free Press has article on display at U.of W that constitutes the new”art”.A lovely wall-hanging made out of menstrual blood on patches of fabric,to “highlight violence against women”..all donated by 15 anon.women,in memory of the 15 killed in the Lepine “massacre”.Wonder if this was funded in any way,as was the dead bunny artiste,Diane Thorneycroft.YUCK ! I’ll take a Robert Bateman over that any day!
No I’m not thrilled at all, it’s a big mistake for any members of the current government to be seen in his company. There’s good reason why he became known as Lyin’ Brian.
When Lying Brian became leader of the PCs, the ECONOMIST from London observed that Mulroney was as close to a Pierre Trudeau as the PCs could get. You have to be incredibly unobservant not to notice that blood is thicker than political party names when it comes to Quebecers. Quebec politicians change parties more often than Britney changes her panties. No wait…
Britney wears panties?
Glaciers in California are growing. Apparently, they didn’t get the memo.
Harper was scathing in criticism of elections boss who’s now resigning
By ALEXANDER PANETTA
OTTAWA (CP) – Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been scathing in his criticism over the years of the now-resigning head of Elections Canada.
To be precise, he has called Jean-Pierre Kingsley “dangerous” and “heavy-handed” and described Elections Canada as out-of-control “jackasses.”
Harper has also participated in court cases against Canada’s top electoral watchdog. …-
cnews
L. Beria still spouting lies and half-truths?
Beria said: “Mulroney Conservatives” . That was the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. That party is as dead as the ex-dictator of Iraq and the ex-dictator of the Soviet Union, Stalin. Lavrenty Beria was the ex-executioner for Stalin; one of many. All dead; not dead enough.
The war for civilization
Toronto Sun ^ | 2006-12-30 | Salim Mansur
Those who may share U.S. President George Bush’s anguish in these recurrent winters of our discontent are not many.
It is easy to describe Bush as a beleaguered president in a war that a majority of Americans now question as the November mid-term election demonstrated. They want an end to the war in Iraq without having to admit defeat.
The agony of Bush is compounded by his knowledge of the enemy.
That and the constraints placed, in a free society within the context of our integrated world, on his office and its ability to wage the sort of war necessary to defeat the enemy.
U.S. presidents Lincoln, Roosevelt and Truman were also reviled in their times and during their respective winters of discontent.
But their circumstances in defeating the enemies of freedom were much different, and less onerous than those Bush has to contend with.
The Confederates were slave-holders, bent on destroying the American Union, rather than give freedom to their slaves.
Despite doubts about Lincoln during the worst months of the long Civil War, the enemy was clearly visible and victory was precisely defined as saving the Union and crushing the Confederacy.
Similarly, Roosevelt and Truman fought the fascist and militarist powers of Germany and Japan who were on a rampage across the world.
Even in the darkest moments of World War II their political opponents could not, dared not, publicly doubt the objective of securing the unconditional surrender of these enemies.
But the enemy Bush is contending with — while a majority of Americans and America’s allies pretend it doesn’t exist — is not merely an alliance of states or a mix of ideologies or a cause that the United States must fight and defeat.
ATAVISTIC* IDEAS
The current enemy is the outcrop of a broken civilization of the past, spewing forth from its rotting bowels an endless horde of militants and fellow-travellers, carrying with them the most atavistic ideas about faith and politics that modern civilization, which Bush represents, hesitates to name for what it is.
We have to go back to the declining years of the Roman Empire to find a parallel with our times. Rome had spread civilization far and wide around the Mediterranean basin, but over time it became besieged by barbarians from outside its frontiers and then from within.
Civilization is more supple, hence fragile, than the iron and steel from which it is built. It might be likened to a garden, delicately laid out and carefully maintained.
When ignored or unattended, weeds destroy what human artifice builds with much labour. …-
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1760238/posts
(*atavistic: reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type. dictionary.reference.com)
Kingsley and the Canadian Wheat Board; and, more.
Translate: Kingsley, the Liberal$-Librano$, and their corrupt-criminal monopoly, pyramid scheme, aka the CWB. …-
Glad He’s Gone
Gerry Nicholls, National Post
Published: Saturday, December 30, 2006
The Liberals are trying to turn Chief Electoral Officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley’s sudden resignation into some kind of political scandal. But the only true scandal here is that Kingsley wasn’t fired years ago. …
For instance, during the 2004 federal election, the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) — a government agency — ran newspaper ads extolling the virtues of the board’s monopoly. The ad featured pictures of two bulls. One bull was labelled, “This is the CWB”; the second (this one castrated) was labelled, “This is the CWB in an open market for wheat and barley.” The bottom of the ad said, “No one has the right to tell you which one is right for your herd.”
Doesn’t that seem like an election ad? After all, the Liberals had a position on the Wheat Board monopoly. They supported it. And the Conservatives opposed it.
You would think Kingsley — who enforced the gag law with the fanatical zeal of a Spanish Inquisitor when it came to the NCC — would have jumped on this. He didn’t.
Even after some anti-monopoly farmers lodged a complaint, Elections Canada refused to press charges against the Wheat Board….-
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=72d5ca39-4e0f-420b-ad07-f626e5e24602
Whatever his reason, J-P Kingsley’s resignation is good news.
Thank God Kingsley is gone. Now maybe Canada can move forward with a new Electoral Boundaries formula based on one person, one vote and Elections Canada can stop hiding of its problems and fix them, for example 105% voter registration in Cape Breton.
It is time Canada moved forward with a modern electoral democracy based on equality and honesty.
Apparently, Prime Minister Harper “has called Jean-Pierre Kingsley ‘dangerous’ and ‘heavy-handed’ and described Elections Canada as out-of-control ‘jackasses.'”
Good on ya’ PMSH! Say it like it is!!
And good riddance to (the) King(sley) who sat on his throne like a Grand High Poobah, forgetful of his duties to the citizens of the realm.
In 2007: less demagoguery and more democracy, which has got to be good for the majority of Canadians.
So in the past week and a bit, we’ve seen the head of the wheat board, the head of Elections Canada, and the head of the Iraqi Baathist party all taken down.
You know, I guess I do have a little hope for this world…
try this formula on the current population of Canada , maybe the elections Canada types dont have a mathematical background or their lack of math skills showed they must exit.
http://www.elections.ca/scripts/fedrep/federal_e/RED/representation_e.htm#formula
there is no way you can get to the current distribution. and note how the “take” provinces on the equalization payment formula have a great advantage in seat distribution compared to the “give” provinces. BC, Alberta, Ontario seriously under represented, PEI, Nfld, and the Territories over represented.
the worth of a seat in BC. 120ooo
the worth of a seat in AB 111ooo
the worth of a seat in ON 118ooo
the cost of a seat in PQ 101ooo
the cost of a seat in PEI 34ooo
the cost of a seat in NF 72ooo
the cost of a seat in YT 31ooo
the cost of a seat in NWT 42ooo
the cost of a seat in NV 29ooo
these are average riding sizes in the screwed up electoral system. costs and worths are based on which side of the equalization formula you are on, if you were a federal liberal minded type you would reverse the designation.