“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure
about the former.” — Albert Einstein
One hopes that one of these days the Canadian media are going to smarten up and start headlining these stories with Carolyn Parrish Furiously Seeking Attention.
(Sure, I just did the same. However, I figure that she’s likely to hang around in the news for a few days, so it’s worthwhile to provide a Parrish bashing comments thread to corral the inevitable discussion.)
Call the UN. Now those hegemonic Bushitler-votin’ Christian fundamentalists are forcing the good people of Toronto to shoot each other.
Globe writer and “political pundit” Jane Taber either has a very poor memory, or she’s on board with Paul Martin’s aversion to the taste of crow in his efforts to bring Carolyn Parrish’s “independant” vote back under the control of the party whip. She writes in the Globe&Mail;
” Carolyn Parrish, the former Liberal MP who stomped on a doll bearing the likeness of U.S. President George W. Bush and was kicked out of caucus for her anti-American statements,”
Except, Parrish wasn’t kicked out of caucus after her anti-American statements – the Liberals ran a campaign that used anti-Americanism as an underpinning, after all. She was excommunicated for dissin’ the boss.
The Hill Times, from November 22nd, 2004
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister last week turfed Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish (Mississauga-Erindale, Ont.) from the Liberal caucus. Her expulsion became almost imminent after she blasted the Prime Minister and his advisers in an interview with The Canadian Press. Ms. Parrish said that she “wouldn’t shed a tear” for Mr. Martin if he failed to win the next election and that his advisers “can all go to hell.”
[…]
“What it was, in the end, defiance of the control of Mr. Martin and his backroom and that’s what it was, ultimately. If it was my position on the United States or my language or my boldness, they wouldn’t have signed my nomination papers,” said Ms. Parrish.
Speaking of revisionist history … Carolyn Parrish was born October 3, 1946 so it’s possible she’s never heard of World War II.
“I’m totally offended by him. . . . We are also not a country that is going to easily throw away 100 years of peacekeeping reputation and noble reputation in the world by a testosterone-filled general, and I think somebody should put a clamp on his mouth.”
Still… you’d think she’d have stumbled across it during her career as a teacher.
(Updated – who needs pundits when you have “Drained Brain” checking the facts for free in the comments?)
Carolyn Parrish argues passionately for the suspension of Canadian democracy and the right to vote, so that the results of public opinion polling may be duly upheld.
J.K. Rowlings has a very clumsy publisher. Her Harry Potter books have a habit of slipping out of their boxes at an alarming rate, sometimes stolen, sometimes found in fields – always mere days before their official release dates.
You’d think people would catch on.
A gagging order has been issued by a Canadian court after a handful of lucky Harry Potter fans snapped up the new book ahead of this Saturday’s release date.
JK Rowling’s highly anticipated sixth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was inadvertently sold to 14 people at a supermarket near Vancouver. Its contents have been kept a tightly guarded secret and the subject of mounting speculation. Even publishers and critics have been barred from glimpsing a copy until it is unveiled at midnight parties being held at bookshops across the globe this Friday night.
The offending shop quickly realised its mistake and whipped the wizardry tale off the shelves.
“It was an inadvertent error on behalf of one of our staff,” said Geoff Wilson, a spokesman for the Real Canadian Superstore.
Justice Kristi Gill at the Supreme Court of British Columbia ordered customers not to talk aboaut the book, copy it, sell it or even read it before it is officially released.
The injunction notice
So, there we have it.
It’s not enough that the courts in this land feel they must shield Canadians from testimony at “public” inquiries. It’s not enough that they protect the identities of virtually every sex offender who is clever enough to assault members of his own family.
Now the courts are using gag orders to help book marketers generate hype.
Even Harry Potter and his gang couldn’t have conjured up a better potion for a marketing campaign than the accidental leak of the latest Potter book from a suburban Vancouver store, a marketing expert says.
[…]
“Not in his magic spells could he work one this effective,” said Lindsay Meredith, a Simon Fraser University marketing strategies professor. “My straight-up hunch is this is some of the best damned PR I’ve seen in a while. They didn’t pay a penny for it and it’s way more powerful than advertising.”
Nope. The taxpayers did.
Kurt Leavins has been pontificating strenuously for the past several minutes that “air shows should be banned” because of the risk. Nevermind that more spectators have been killed and injured in Canadian hockey arenas than have ever been maimed at air shows (I believe the death toll in North America currently stands at 0) – Mr. Nanny State has nonetheless decided he deserves the right to be ultimate determiner of what other adults may do with their leisure time.
As his (Rawlco radio) show is currently interrupted by a news conference (with family members of the two pilots killed at the Moose Jaw yesterday), would one of you kind folks who work there at the Rawlco building please do me a favour?
Walk down to his booth and kick his ass for me.
I’ll write more on this later, but right now, I’ve got a set of leathers and a nastly little two-stroke motorcycle calling me.
But for the ultimate in obsequiousness, check out the newspaper pic of Martin and Bono from Gleneagles last Thursday. They are shaking hands and our main man is literally pawing the rocker’s leather jacket. Fawning describes Martin’s demeanor perfectly. He has on his face a grin so false and fake-hearty it triggered, in me at least, a giant gag reflex.
Maybe it’s his taste in hats.
“So Secretary Rice suggested to Kofi Annan that if he wanted scarier troops she would be more than glad to help him get the French and Canadians.”
Angry is angry.
(Then he nearly spoils it all with an apology.)
A reporter poses as an American tourist in Toronto, and uncovers the “ugly Canadian”.
First, I approached John, sitting on a stoop smoking, a Toronto hat on his head. I asked for a lighter, introduced myself and said I’d noticed anti-Americanism in Toronto. He asked if I was a Republican and I said I was. Then John asked, “Are you a fundamentalist of some kind?”
“This is Kensington Market,” he added. “It’s about the worst place for fellow right- wingers.” After I thanked him for his time and started walking away, he instructed, “Reconsider your views.”
From whence has this change of heart come?
Today I am traveling to Brussels to join representatives of more than 80 governments and institutions in sending a loud and clear message of support for the political transition in Iraq.
A year ago, in Resolution 1546, the U.N. Security Council set out the timetable that Iraq, with the assistance of the United Nations and the international community, was expected to fulfill. The Brussels conference is a chance to reassure the Iraqi people that the international community stands with them in their brave efforts to rebuild their country, and that we recognize how much progress has been made in the face of daunting challenges.
Elections were held in January, on schedule. Three months later the Transitional National Assembly endorsed the transitional government. The dominant parties have begun inclusive negotiations, in which outreach to Sunni Arabs is a major theme. A large number of Sunni groups and parties are now working to make sure that their voices are fully heard in the process of drafting a new constitution, and that they participate fully in the referendum to approve it and the elections slated for December.
Indeed, just last week an agreement was achieved to expand the committee drafting the constitution to ensure full participation by the Sunni Arab community. This agreement, which the United Nations helped to facilitate, should encourage all Iraqis to press ahead with the drafting of the constitution by the Aug. 15 deadline.
As the process moves forward, there will no doubt be frustrating delays and difficult setbacks. But let us not lose sight of the fact that all over Iraq today, Iraqis are debating nearly every aspect of their political future.
[…]
In a media-hungry age, visibility is often regarded as proof of success. But this does not necessarily hold true in Iraq. Even when, as with last week’s agreement, the results of our efforts are easily seen by all, the efforts themselves must be undertaken quietly and away from the cameras.
[…]
The Iraqi people continue to endure a painful and difficult transition, and they still have a long and tough road ahead. The United Nations is privileged and determined to walk it with them. In doing so, we serve not only the people of Iraq, but the peoples of all nations.
From “illegal war” to official declaration of “progress”, albeit progress claimed on behalf of the UN… I wonder if this had something to do with it.
Travelling in the US for a few days makes for a lovely break from blogging, despite the fact that I have so much catching up to do when I get back. It’s not just that there’s no news from Canada – whether the discussion is focused on the economy, foreign affairs, politics – there are no comparisons of America to Canada on any topic at all.
For all intents and purposes, Canada ceases to exist.
Which, all things considered, is about what this insipid little excuse for a country deserves.
Canadians believe U.S. President George W. Bush is almost as great a threat to our national security as Osama bin Laden, according to a government opinion poll obtained by the National Post.
Words fail.
One hundred odd protestors rode bicycles naked through the streets of London to protest the West’s obsession with oil.
Naked cyclists in oil protest ride
A group of naked cyclists took part in a bike ride to protest against oil dependency and to “celebrate the human body.” Crowds gathered as about 100 people set off from Hyde Park corner, London, in the World Naked Bike Ride past some of the capital’s most famous landmarks. Most of them stripped fully naked for the 10km (6.2 miles) cycle past Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, Covent Garden, Oxford Street and the United States Embassy.
Some bikes were decked out with banners reading ‘Oil is not a bare necessity but a crude obsession’ and ‘Support the trade justice movement’. Others have slogans painted on their backs and some were on roller-skates.
One of the organisers, Chad Neilson, 24, from North London, said part of the ride was to celebrate the human body. “It’s a protest against oil dependency and car culture and the overuse of cars for unnecessary reasons. There is too much pollution, it stinks in London, and we use too much fossil fuel. I think people should be a lot more comfortable with their bodies. There is nothing wrong with the naked body.”
I’m guessing that this protest will have negligible impact on our energy dependency and will cause approximately zero people to switch from cars to bicycling, naked or otherwise. Indeed, I would wager that the bicyclists used more oil on their chains than they “saved” with their protest.
via OTB
Isn’t this just lovely:
Reviled by many, defended by few, Canada’s most notorious female inmate won’t even be greeted by her family when she is released in less than a month. But CTV News has learned Karla Homolka does have some support in high places.
Homolka made her first public appearance in more than a decade last week at a court hearing in Joliette, Que. After two days of testimony, a Quebec judge imposed restrictions on Homolka’s movements for a year after her release from prison.
Liberal Senator Michel Biron, 71, was present in the Joliette, Que. courthouse last week. He sat beside Homolka’s lawyer during the hearing in a show of support for the convicted killer.
According to witnesses, Biron exchanged a slight smile with Homolka.
It’s a shame that there were no Senators sitting with the French, Mahaffy, and Doe families to speak out in favour of protecting their constitutional rights. You know, the right to not be drugged, raped, sodomized, beaten, and then murdered. But I guess that’s not as important as making sure that the people who do these things don’t get their widdle feelings hurt.
Ah, whatever. I’ve been following the coffee house conversations about Ms. Teale (what Homolka calls herself now), and the truth is that she’s a goner. There are enough people willing to cross the line and apply a little ‘retroactive justice’ that I don’t expect her to last a year before somebody plants her head first in some farmer’s field.
What Paul Martin said:
“Our purpose is to strengthen our universal public system and to provide timely access to medical services!”
What he really meant:
“We’re going to plug this loophole, and fast, because allowing affordable options for the rabble, er, ordinary Canadians seeking private health care could create waiting time problems for me with my private doctor!”
Democratic nutjob Howard Dean is continuing to make friends wherever he goes:
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, unapologetic in the face of recent criticism that he has been too tough on his political opposition, said in San Francisco this week that Republicans “all behave the same, and they all look the same. … It’s pretty much a white Christian party.”
“You know, the Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They’re a pretty monolithic party. Pretty much, they all behave the same, and they all look the same. … It’s pretty much a white Christian party,” the former Vermont governor told a San Francisco roundtable Monday in reaction to a question about the lack of outreach to minority communities by political parties. — SF Gate
How much do you want to bet that Dean keeps a copy of Warren Kinsella’s book Kicking Ass In Canadian Politics on his bedside table? He’s certainly got all of the talking points down…
Angry? (Check!) White? (Check!) Christian/Bible Puncher? (Check!) Mouthbreathers? (Check!) Knuckledraggers? (Check!)
Dean’s approach to politics will look familiar to Canadian Conservatives who have been on the receiving end of the same kind of abuse from the lefties in our country. For all of the left’s talk here in Canada about how ‘different’ we are from the U.S., it just looks like more of the same crap to me.
That’s some difference.
Anarchists from around the world are planning to cause chaos at next month’s G8 summit in Gleneagles as a row broke out last night between Bob Geldof and DJ Andy Kershaw over the absence of black musicians at events staged to benefit Africans.
With police fears mounting over Geldof’s call for one million people to protest at the summit, Kershaw last night condemned the almost exclusively white line-up for the pop concerts to coincide with the summit. “If we are going to change the West’s perception of Africa, events like this are the perfect opportunity to do something for Africa’s self-esteem,” he said. “But the choice of artists for the Live8 concerts will simply reinforce the global perception of Africa’s inferiority.”
Excuse me while I struggle free from this Oprah moment.
So, we need to assist Africa in building “self esteem”. We need to stop reinforcing the perception of Africa’s inferiority.
Well then, why didn’t you say something earlier? That’s an easy one to solve.
Let them start funding their own goddamn aid programs for a change.
Those who follow the blogosphere will remember that in late May, the Harper bashing website that Sinclair Stevens had originally registered under the Royal Commonwealth Society of Toronto was quickly amended to show Freedom International Association as owner after the information became public.
At the time, several commentors speculated that Mr. Stevens was a member of this Freedom International, a society dedicated to “resisting the legal enforcement of morality on a variety of fronts”. They espouse among other things, public nudity and legalization of sexual activity in public places.
Today I recieved an email response from Tony Pitman, whom I had contacted to ask about the Stevens website. He writes;
Thanks for your email. Yes, that would be a very odd affiliation! No, there’s no link between our two groups … fortunately! Just the coincidence of choosing the same name.
One can understand his relief!
