When George W. Bush left office we were assured by everyone on the Left that the Dawn of a New Day was near. We were promised that a conciliatory approach to international relations carried out by intelligent people (ie. not Republicans) was sure to resolve every diplomatic problem in the world.
Now, 2 years later, how has that worked out? Not very darn well it appears. The problem, of course, is that Barack Obama followed closely to what the Leftist ideologues were urging him to do. This course of action failed. Miserably. He refused to show any real sign of support for the brave, freedom loving citizens in Iran. Now many of them are dead or imprisoned.
More recently, he abandoned the democracy loving citizens in Lebanon and the government there fell, in no small part to the forces of Hezbollah, a proxy of the thugocracy in Iran. No one is sure what will happen next but there are great fears that things will be bleak. One thing all* Lebanese are in agreement about is that Barack Obama and America have abandoned them.
Fouad Ajami has a comprehensive new article about all of this. Definitely well worth a read.
Tory Time
The phrase “Harper Tories” is more than hack branding, it’s a precise definition. The boy from Leaside created the modern Conservative Party and turned it into the party of government. Barring the unforeseen – the Prime Minister being revealed as a cross dresser, Stockwell Day getting his wetsuit out of mothballs, a sudden outbreak of socialism in rural Alberta – the Conservatives are likely to remain the party of government for the indefinite future.
The Gods have more.
Hey, what’s that guy doing in our office?
This story from a couple of days ago reaffirms the Liberal flair for focusing on the truly important ethical issues of our time:
Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis (Scarborough-Agincourt, Ont.) was so offended by one of the (Conservatives’) ads, which he said unethically used Mr. Harper’s office on Parliament Hill as a backdrop to pitch the record of his government in partisan fashion, that he lodged a complaint with federal Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson.
Karygiannis fumed “I think it’s up to every Member of Parliament to write to Mary Dawson and say ‘I think this is unethical,'” before adding, somewhat nonsensically –
“We don’t live in a third world country where everybody controls the media. This is a democracy and as such if you want to be democratic about it and you want to promote that you’re a good guy and you’re a good prime minister, well, have him working there at the Conservative offices.”
Rumour has it that the Liberals’ upcoming ads will show them hard at work texting CBC reporters from restaurant tables.
But Glenn Beck Is The Crazy One
Yet, still employed.
Reader Tips
Louis Prima was an American singer and trumpeter whose unmistakably Italian-sounding, confident voice and loose, almost jokey performing style made him a – reluctant – favourite of mobsters in Chicago, Las Vegas, and New York. In tonight’s selection, a song called Felicia No Capicia, Prima lightheartedly complains about an expensive date who for some reason doesn’t quite grasp the whole quid pro quo thing.
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.
The Tenured Oracle
Prithee, oh mirthless one, speak to us of the hellfire and ruin that shall be wrought by your next-door neighbour’s ballot-box selection:
Professor Noam Chomsky….lamented (that) the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives and gains in the U.S. Senate may spell doom for the human race.
“The latest election….you could almost interpret it as a kind of death knell for the species,” (said) Chomsky, an emeritus professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
No word yet on what he had for breakfast the next morning.
A Weapon of Last Resort: Endless Mockery
When a person goes so far beyond any semblance of reasonable discourse, often the only thing you can do is . . . well, mock them:
Here’s a sampling from the brilliantly devious mind of Iowahawk:
Mr. Hector Gutierrez
Gutierrez Bros. Landscaping
Arlington, VA
Dear Mr. Gutierrez:
Nothing could have prepared me for the shock that awaited as I exited the front door of my home early Wednesday morning, where I discovered that your lawn crew had cut a swath of environmental destruction across my yard so horrifying that it only can be compared to the Rape of Nanking. I can scarcely bring myself to describe the killing fields that are my North azalea beds and the brutal degradation and torture suffered by the bluegrass around the locust tree by the rear patio.
Rowley Birkin, QC
Rowley Birkin, QC (1918 – 2000) was a delightful fictional character played by Paul Whitehouse on the BBC’s The Fast Show from 1994 to 1997. A retired barrister, Birkin tells mostly unintelligible stories by the fireside. Occasionally his speech becomes coherent for a short while, when he utters strange phrases such as “The whole thing was made completely out of matchsticks.”, “Snake! Snake!”, or “Took it off below the knee.”, and he almost always ends his stories with a sly “I’m afraid I was very, very drunk!”. I have, for your delectation, added the ten of his stories that I’ve been able to find on the Internet to my new Rowley Birkin, QC page at The Sagacious Iconoclast. They’re about a minute and a half each. |
Defunding NPR: A Good Example for Canada
In this piece, Byron York writes about a plan this year to stop all federal public funding of National Partisan Public Radio (NPR). Hopefully Conservatives in Ottawa are following this very closely with respect to the CBC.
If you’ve ever wondered how on earth the CBC wasted consumed $1,017,587,000.00 last year in taxpayer dollars, take a look at the number of producers for The Current, a little radio show on CBC 1.
Are You a Liberal?
In this video Dennis Prager echoes what I’ve thought for a long time, namely that many people who call themselves “liberal” are actually not. I’ve taken the time to discuss individual issues with close friends of mine who consistently vote Liberal/NDP/Democrat and lo & behold it quickly becomes apparent that they have mostly conservative views. Unfortunately the MSM has been so successful at brainwashing folks into voting far afield from where their views actually reside. This, by the way, is why I think so many on the Far Left are incredibly scared of the emergence of Sun TV News onto Canadian televisions in a few months.
Iranium: The show will go on
Further to this post,
The fatwa in Ottawa
let’s see if the Iranian embassy tries any more not so funny business this time. If they do someone should be thrown out of Canada by Foreign Affairs as persona non grata–PNGed as they say, see Article 9 here:
Iranium, the controversial film about the use of nuclear power in Iran, will be shown in Ottawa on Feb. 6.
The Free-Thinking Film Society said Friday the film will be shown at Library and Archives Canada, the same venue that cancelled a showing of the film earlier this week after complaints by the Iranian Embassy and an alleged security threat.
The society’s Fred Litwin said U.S. intelligence expert Clare Lopez will be on hand to discuss the film with the audience. Tickets are $15 ($8 for students and seniors), available in advance at Compact Music stores, Ottawa Folklore centre and the offices of Ottawa Festivals at 47 William St., as well as at the door.
Mr Litwin, in an e-mail, describes what happened the first try:
The Free Thinking Film Society provides an alternative to the ‘alternative’ – we espouse the values of limited, democratic government, free market economies, equality of opportunity, and the dignity of the individual.
…
On Monday, January 17th at 2 PM, I was informed by staff of the Library & Archives Canada (LAC) that they had received ‘complaints’ about Iranium and had decided to cancel the film. They offered to find an alternate venue.
I then phoned the office of the Minister of National Heritage (James Moore) to complain about the cancellation. I also sent an e-mail through the official website.
The LAC then offered to move the film to the Museum of Nature, but for a substantial fee. I really couldn’t understand why the film could be shown in one building, but not the other. I told the LAC that if it had to be moved, they would have to pick up the costs.
After conferring with our Board of Directors, we decided that it was way too late to move the film, and that we should hold our ground and insist that the film be shown at the LAC. At 6:30 PM on Monday night, I received a call informing me that the film was now back on at the LAC.
On Tuesday morning, January 18th, I was informed that the complaints had indeed come from the Iranian Embassy! At 4 PM, I received a call from a senior manager at the LAC that there were protestors inside and outside the building; that they had called the RCMP; who had then informed them that security could not be assured; and that they had no choice but to cancel the film.
I immediately got into my car and drove to the Archives, arriving about 4:50 PM. The building had been closed and employees were leaving the building. Few people knew what was happening – and I didn’t see any protesters anywhere. I was then informed that there were no protests – just the ‘threat of protests.’
The police then arrived and the fire department arrived. I conducted a few interviews and left with Clare Lopez for my home. After we left, the hazardous materials team arrived – apparently because of two envelopes left at the front desk – but that occurred after the building had been closed down.
So, there you have it. We still need some answers! What event on Iranian culture was cancelled by the Archives in December of 2010 and why? Why did the Archives cancel so fast on Monday? Why would anybody care if the Iranian Embassy was unhappy? Were there actually threats on Tuesday? From whom? Was there just the ‘threat of protest’? Why can’t people protest a film? And, why couldn’t the building be secured?
And, finally, why can the building now be secure on February 6th for the ‘new’ screening?
I applaud the Minister of National Heritage, James Moore, for his determination in standing up for freedom of speech – but it should never have had to go to his office…
I want to thank the hundreds of people who have called or e-mailed with their support for the Free Thinking Film Society and what we are doing. In particular, I have received many e-mails from Iranian-Canadians who thought they, and their families, had left the Khomeinist regime behind, and are outraged to see Khomeinist influence right here in the capital of Canada...
The e-mail address:
info@freethinkingfilms.com
Update: Ms Lopez will talk to Nick Vandergragt at 0900 Sunday ET on CFRA Ottawa’s “Sunny Side Nick“; you can listen live and the audio should be available later at the “Interviews” page of the website.
Now is the Time at SDA When We Juxtapose
2009: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy …
2010: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.
2011: …
ht: Ward
Protesting War is So 2006
Bringing Cultural Diversity
… to a neighbourhood near you:
Twelve Canadians who entered Afghanistan in February 2010 and fought against Coalition and Afghan forces there for nine months have been transferred to North Waziristan for more advanced training, a Pakistani Taliban leader told the Asia Times. Al Qaeda recruited the Canadians to carry out attacks in their home country.
They must be coming back to rescue their maidens from Canadian oppression:
I’ve been contacted by somebody in eastern Canada who needs urgent assistance with issues relating to forced marriage and honor-violence.
If you know of organizations in the country who help women in such situations, please send me their details. I couldn’t find any.
Being good Canadian lads, I’m sure these 12 adventurers enjoy the occasional marshmallow roast.
A Thorough Primer on the Current Politics of BC
David Berner was a talk show radio host in Vancouver for many years but about half a decade ago he left the airwaves for what he thought would be for good. But he is returning now with a half hour TV show in the format of Charlie Rose, which will be broadcast on Shaw TV Vancouver (Cable 4).
I had the great privilege yesterday of photographing the first episode of Berner’s show. He is a personal friend of mine and though politically we appear to be on opposite sides of the political spectrum, on some issues we are very much aligned. For example, there is no greater critic of the misguided, destructive, failed drug addiction policies of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside than him. Plus, we (and millions of other British Columbians) share a very legitimate, and wholly logical, cynicism towards the current political class in our province!
You, the fine members of SDA, get a sneak preview of the premiere episode of the David Berner Show, as it won’t appear on TV in Vancouver until next Tuesday. This first episode, entitled “Candidate Soup”, features Berner talking with the Globe & Mail’s political columnist for BC, Gary Mason. They carefully examine every leadership candidate for both the NDP and the Liberals. Depending on who gets elected, there is every possibility of a polarized battle later this year. If you need a visual, just think of two simultaneous cage matches and then the two winners/survivors going after one another . . . all while the citizens of the province shake their collective heads in disbelief, and frequently disgust.
Without any further adieu, you can now view Parts 1 and 2, plus a behind the scenes vignette by yours truly. If you’re a member of Facebook, feel free to join the show’s page.
Hell hath no fury
In an article in the WSJ titled “Palinoia, the Destroyer”, James Taranto notes that the “unhinged hatred of Palin comes mostly from women,” and quotes a 30-something New York Liberal named Jessica Faller. Excerpt:
“(Palin’s) sex appeal might not have been such an issue if her demeanor on the campaign trail had been more, well, conservative. But here is this comely woman, in a curvy red suit, giving ‘shout-outs’ during the debate with Joe Biden, giving controversial interviews without apology, basically driving in there, parking the car, and walking in like she owned the place.”
“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. But she couldn’t have pulled it off if she were a gray mouse in a pantsuit, and because the devil in the red dress wasn’t orating like a professor, it roused an unquenchable forest fire of rage and loathing in the breasts of many women, perhaps of the toiling gray mouse variety, who projected onto her their own career resentments and personal frustrations.”
“I am amazed at how people still abhor her. I personally do not. I don’t feel she would be a good choice to run this country, but she does not deserve the horrific treatment she gets. I can tell you, being privy to the endless, incendiary rants this past week about her, coming from hordes of liberal women–age demo 25 to 45–they rip her to pieces, they blame her for everything, and the jealousy/resentment factor is so clear and primal. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Taranto:
“We’d say this goes beyond mere jealousy. For many liberal women, Palin threatens their sexual identity, which is bound up in their politics in a way that it is not for any other group (possibly excepting gays, though that is unrelated to today’s topic).”
The whole thing here.
Reader Tips
Tonight we learn the essential, bare-bones facts about the country of Norway.
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.
Amerika psycho?
Publius, in one of the best posts I’ve seen for a while, eviscerates the Canadian punditocracy :
Damn Yankees: The Tucson Shootings and Anti-Americanism
When Gabrielle Giffords was shot, the American Left promptly blamed the American Right. The American Right returned the compliment by fingering the gunman as a Left-wing loner. So far, so predictable. The American political and media markets are highly competitive. When a political figure is shot, there is an almost instinctive response to blame the proponents of political Brand Y, since no sensible adherent to Brand X would ever do something so crazy. We see the enemy where we want to see him.
For much of the Canadian MSM, especially in its more Leftish precincts, the culprit was clear: It was America. Not a particular American. Not some group of Americans. It was Uncle Sam himself taking shots at Congresswoman Giffords. The evil that is the United States of America was just expressing itself. Think I’m exaggerating? Here’s Warren Kinsella:Why do these things happen? Because, in some ways, America’s heart is sick, too. Because – unlike up here – Americans make guns far more available than they should. And they make guns more readily available to sick young men such as Loughner.
That, mostly, is why these things keep happening.Let’s re-read that quote above, and replace the word America with Nigeria and American with Nigerian. The statement is much more accurate in describing an unstable third-world hell hole like Nigeria, than the United States of America. Most of the world is far, far more violent than the United States. Is most of the world sick too?
American murder rates are conspicuous higher than those of most advanced western liberal democracies. The bulk of these “excess” murders occur not among gun toting rednecks, but in urban ghettoes during drug related turf wars. The typical American, who is not a resident of a housing project, or involved in the hard drug trade, is about as safe as any Canadian. America’s blighted inner cities are about as indicative of America, as Canada’s aboriginal reserves are indicative of this country…
Americans are “hostile to opposing viewpoints?” Ever tried questioning the value of Medicare at a Toronto cocktail party? Or fourth-year humanities seminar? Or over a water cooler? It’s been a generation since Canada has any serious public debate on abortion. Who’s afraid of opposing viewpoints?..
The obsession with registration and control by the Left, on both sides of the 49th, manifests both a vast ambition and dangerous naivety. Rather than confront an uncertain world, – where illness, unemployment and all manner of injustice lurk – with a sober eye and cautious attitude, the Left calls for the abolition of uncertainty. Such a thing is impossible…
Read the whole damn thing, please.
Finally! Bipartisanship!
Democrats and Republicans working together.
Bye-bye
In Edmonton on Wednesday, RCMP officers arrested a 38-year-old Alberta man for his alleged role in the multinational terrorist group that carried out the bombing at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, Iraq.
Update: Extinction? We only wish Peter. H/T Mississauga Matt and I think Mazz2 for the vid.