A suspect is in custody for the despicable murder of Dr. George Tiller today.
Suspect arrested in connection with slaying of abortion provider George Tiller
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BY STAN FINGER AND JOE RODRIGUEZ
WICHITA - The suspect in this morning's fatal shooting of George Tiller is in custody, according to emergency dispatchers.
Authorities have yet to release more information about the arrest. Wichita police have scheduled a 4 p.m. news conference to discuss the case.
Tiller, 67, was shot just after 10 a.m. in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th, where he was a member of the congregation. Witnesses, a city official and a police source confirmed Tiller was the victim.
Police had said they were looking for white male who was driving a 1990s powder blue Ford Taurus with Kansas license plate 225 BAB. The vehicle is registered to an owner in Merriam, which is in the Kansas City area.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
iggy's weakness?
Angelo Persichilli sees many weaknesses for the grits if they try and force an election. ( I doubt the bloq and the dippers are all that interested). I also want to see the balance sheets to see how the grits have paid off their debts. I still find that hard to believe. I have yet to see the figures on the elections Canada website. I really doubt there will an election any time soon. The economy will improve and things won't be so rosy for the accidental tourist.
Third, the Liberals don't have a well-crafted political platform that would allow them to present themselves as an alternative to the Conservative government.
At present, they are only fishing for an issue that would justify a non-confidence vote. First they asked the government to spend more and now are crying foul because the deficit is too high. Their request for the resignation of the minister of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, accused of mismanagement, doesn't hold water. The opposition need only read a few foreign newspapers to realize that Canada is widely considered to be the developed world's best economic performer. In fact, according to the International Monetary Fund, we can spend even more. And if the Liberal party believes that proposed changes to the employment insurance rules can be sold to the public as an economic program or an election issue, it had better think again.
Finally, I don't sense a clear, strong desire among the Canadian public for an election in the middle of a painful recession. Yes, the polls are better for the Liberals than they were during Stéphane Dion's leadership. Yet neither are they what you might expect for a newly appointed leader of the opposition at a time when a national government is facing a harrowing recession with thousands of jobs lost.
Third, the Liberals don't have a well-crafted political platform that would allow them to present themselves as an alternative to the Conservative government.
At present, they are only fishing for an issue that would justify a non-confidence vote. First they asked the government to spend more and now are crying foul because the deficit is too high. Their request for the resignation of the minister of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, accused of mismanagement, doesn't hold water. The opposition need only read a few foreign newspapers to realize that Canada is widely considered to be the developed world's best economic performer. In fact, according to the International Monetary Fund, we can spend even more. And if the Liberal party believes that proposed changes to the employment insurance rules can be sold to the public as an economic program or an election issue, it had better think again.
Finally, I don't sense a clear, strong desire among the Canadian public for an election in the middle of a painful recession. Yes, the polls are better for the Liberals than they were during Stéphane Dion's leadership. Yet neither are they what you might expect for a newly appointed leader of the opposition at a time when a national government is facing a harrowing recession with thousands of jobs lost.
Terrible News!
I absolutely denounce this crime. Killing doctors or anyone is evil, regardless of your point of view. Those who did this should be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Killing a man on his way into church is truly despicable.
WICHITA, Kan. — DEVELOPING: Media reports say that abortion provider Dr. George Tiller has been shot and killed at his Wichita church.
Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortion. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades.
WICHITA, Kan. — DEVELOPING: Media reports say that abortion provider Dr. George Tiller has been shot and killed at his Wichita church.
Tiller has been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortion. His clinic has repeatedly been the site of protests for about two decades.
dishonour killing
This pig will now spend the next 25 years in prison. Hopefully he will never get parole. He murdered his sister and her fiance to restore "family honour".
OTTAWA -- A man charged in the "honour killing" of his sister and her lover has been convicted of their murders.
A jury found Hasibullah Sadiqi guilty of two counts of first degree murder Saturday morning.
The decision carries an automatic sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 25 years.
Sadiqi was on trial facing allegations he shot his sister, Khatera, and her fiance, Feroz Mangal, in a planned and deliberate fashion driven by outrage over the couple's engagement.
OTTAWA -- A man charged in the "honour killing" of his sister and her lover has been convicted of their murders.
A jury found Hasibullah Sadiqi guilty of two counts of first degree murder Saturday morning.
The decision carries an automatic sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 25 years.
Sadiqi was on trial facing allegations he shot his sister, Khatera, and her fiance, Feroz Mangal, in a planned and deliberate fashion driven by outrage over the couple's engagement.
The Carbon Credit Scam
Those who are the goreacles followers might want to read how paying indulgences to the church of kyoto works. It is worse than a scam. Perhaps we should be dealing with actual pollution not CO2.
We can't irrigate our land with it - it's the water of death. It kills the crops we put it on
But this is much more than a tale of big business versus poor farmers in the Third World. GFL is part of a worldwide carbon-trading scheme, centred in London, which is supposed to be helping to save the planet from global warming. On paper the scheme, which was ratified under the Kyoto agreement and supervised by the UN, looks like an efficient way to cut global carbon emissions. However, a Live investigation has exposed a series of major failings and loopholes in the scheme.
Four years ago, GFL installed technology to reduce the greenhouse gases it produces and was given a vast financial reward by the UN; a UK company was also given considerable sums for investing in the project. However, far from being a flagship green factory, GFL stands accused of poisoning the local environment.
Our own extensive tests by an independent laboratory showed dangerous contaminants in the land and water around the factory – chemicals that match those pollutants produced by GFL. Interviews with the people living nearby reveal their livelihoods and health have been severely affected. We found that the auditors who were supposed to verify the carbon savings were paid for by GFL, a stipulation of the scheme, and they checked only for greenhouse gases, caring little about other pollution.
We can't irrigate our land with it - it's the water of death. It kills the crops we put it on
But this is much more than a tale of big business versus poor farmers in the Third World. GFL is part of a worldwide carbon-trading scheme, centred in London, which is supposed to be helping to save the planet from global warming. On paper the scheme, which was ratified under the Kyoto agreement and supervised by the UN, looks like an efficient way to cut global carbon emissions. However, a Live investigation has exposed a series of major failings and loopholes in the scheme.
Four years ago, GFL installed technology to reduce the greenhouse gases it produces and was given a vast financial reward by the UN; a UK company was also given considerable sums for investing in the project. However, far from being a flagship green factory, GFL stands accused of poisoning the local environment.
Our own extensive tests by an independent laboratory showed dangerous contaminants in the land and water around the factory – chemicals that match those pollutants produced by GFL. Interviews with the people living nearby reveal their livelihoods and health have been severely affected. We found that the auditors who were supposed to verify the carbon savings were paid for by GFL, a stipulation of the scheme, and they checked only for greenhouse gases, caring little about other pollution.
Susan Boyle
She really should have won. She will become a very wealthy woman. So she is the big winner ultimately. I hope the organizers of the Royal Variety Gala will ask her to perform anyways.
Here is her performance from yesterday. I echo Simon, Susan I adore you! I look forward to seeing you in concert and buying your MP3s. Adler seems more bitter.
Here are the winners. They seem like nice lads, though I am not sure how they will parlay this act into a career, but I am sure Simon has a lot of ideas.
Here is her performance from yesterday. I echo Simon, Susan I adore you! I look forward to seeing you in concert and buying your MP3s. Adler seems more bitter.
Here are the winners. They seem like nice lads, though I am not sure how they will parlay this act into a career, but I am sure Simon has a lot of ideas.
Salim Mansur on Pakistan
Salim continues his series on the dangers in Pakistan. The taliban are a great danger to the west and Pakistan. Pakistan must defeat them, I am not sure the Pakistanis have the will to do this. There are many taliban friendly people in the Pakistani intelligence services and even the military.
Swat a beauty and a beast
By SALIM MANSUR
Swat Valley in northern Pakistan is a great distance away from Canada and unless one has visited this region, as I did several years ago, neither words nor pictures can convey the beauty of this part of the world to outsiders.
The terrible conflict now raging in this idyllic valley with Pakistani soldiers seeking to contain Taliban fighters from advancing towards the capital, affects Canadian interests as part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
The intensity of this conflict is revealing of the extent to which there is a fallout between Pakistan's army and the Taliban movement, nurtured by the highly secretive and powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for more than a quarter century.
Swat is the area north of Waziristan, or the Federal Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan, on the border of Afghanistan.
It is also the southern approach to the Gilgit Agency sitting astride the strategic Karakoram Highway, going over the "roof of the world" into China.
In spring 2006 Gen. Pervez Musharraf, then Pakistan's military president, quietly conceded FATA's control to Taliban forces after the army suffered many casualties in the nearly four-year-long, faint-hearted effort to enforce Islamabad's authority over the region.
Since the overthrow of Mullah Omar's Taliban regime in Kabul in 2001 and the routing of al-Qaida out of Afghanistan, FATA became the refuge of the Afghan Taliban forces and what remained of al-Qaida and its depleted leadership.
Swat a beauty and a beast
By SALIM MANSUR
Swat Valley in northern Pakistan is a great distance away from Canada and unless one has visited this region, as I did several years ago, neither words nor pictures can convey the beauty of this part of the world to outsiders.
The terrible conflict now raging in this idyllic valley with Pakistani soldiers seeking to contain Taliban fighters from advancing towards the capital, affects Canadian interests as part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
The intensity of this conflict is revealing of the extent to which there is a fallout between Pakistan's army and the Taliban movement, nurtured by the highly secretive and powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for more than a quarter century.
Swat is the area north of Waziristan, or the Federal Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan, on the border of Afghanistan.
It is also the southern approach to the Gilgit Agency sitting astride the strategic Karakoram Highway, going over the "roof of the world" into China.
In spring 2006 Gen. Pervez Musharraf, then Pakistan's military president, quietly conceded FATA's control to Taliban forces after the army suffered many casualties in the nearly four-year-long, faint-hearted effort to enforce Islamabad's authority over the region.
Since the overthrow of Mullah Omar's Taliban regime in Kabul in 2001 and the routing of al-Qaida out of Afghanistan, FATA became the refuge of the Afghan Taliban forces and what remained of al-Qaida and its depleted leadership.
Pravda
Pravda is now calling the US socialist. Good work obamessiah.
The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.
The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Susan Boyle comes second...
but she is still number one with me. She is still going to be a big star. She has a ready made fan base of millions. Many of the idol runners up did better than the idols. Congratulations to winner Diversity.
The dance troupe Diversity beat Susan Boyle into second place to win the worlds biggest talent show.
Dance troupe Diversity have been crowned the winners of Britain's Got Talent 2009.
The ten-strong dance troupe from Essex and London gained the most public votes in the competition, beating Scottish singer Susan Boyle into second place.
Diversity's choreographer Ashley Banjo was blown away by the result, told Ant and Dec, "When you said our name I thought I was dreaming. Everyone who has voted - you have changed our lives".
The group have only been together since 2007 but with members aged 12-25 they blew the judges away with their incomparable 'transformer' dance routine.
The dance troupe Diversity beat Susan Boyle into second place to win the worlds biggest talent show.
Dance troupe Diversity have been crowned the winners of Britain's Got Talent 2009.
The ten-strong dance troupe from Essex and London gained the most public votes in the competition, beating Scottish singer Susan Boyle into second place.
Diversity's choreographer Ashley Banjo was blown away by the result, told Ant and Dec, "When you said our name I thought I was dreaming. Everyone who has voted - you have changed our lives".
The group have only been together since 2007 but with members aged 12-25 they blew the judges away with their incomparable 'transformer' dance routine.
Amazing Ad
Matthew 25:346
34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
I have great admiration for the work of the Salvation Army. They do amazing work in the community and truly do as Our Lord and Saviour instructed. I thought this ad was pretty amazing.
Canadians optimistic about economy
My commentator Wilson pointed this poll out to me.
OTTAWA — Canadians have rarely been so optimistic about their economic future, according to a new poll done exclusively for Canwest News Service and Global National.
Pollster Ipsos Reid said 52 per cent of Canadians believe the economy will improve in the next year, a level of confidence the firm has not seen in 18 years of tracking consumer confidence. In November, just 20 per cent of those surveyed by Ipsos Reid believed the economy was improving.
"Most people in the country haven't been deeply affected by the recession personally," said John Wright, Ipsos Reid's senior vice-president. Wright said the recession has hit some sectors — automotive, for example — particularly hard but Canadians in other, largely non-manufacturing, sectors seemed to have been able to navigate their way through the economic turbulence.
OTTAWA — Canadians have rarely been so optimistic about their economic future, according to a new poll done exclusively for Canwest News Service and Global National.
Pollster Ipsos Reid said 52 per cent of Canadians believe the economy will improve in the next year, a level of confidence the firm has not seen in 18 years of tracking consumer confidence. In November, just 20 per cent of those surveyed by Ipsos Reid believed the economy was improving.
"Most people in the country haven't been deeply affected by the recession personally," said John Wright, Ipsos Reid's senior vice-president. Wright said the recession has hit some sectors — automotive, for example — particularly hard but Canadians in other, largely non-manufacturing, sectors seemed to have been able to navigate their way through the economic turbulence.
More obamessiah justice
This is pretty outrageous, but why am I surprised In obamessiah's America it's not about the content of your character. Imagine .....
Justice Department political appointees overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint accusing three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense of wielding a nightstick and intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place last Election Day, according to documents and interviews.
The incident - which gained national attention when it was captured on videotape and distributed on YouTube - had prompted the government to sue the men, saying they violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act by scaring would-be voters with the weapon, racial slurs and military-style uniforms.
Career lawyers pursued the case for months, including obtaining an affidavit from a prominent 1960s civil rights activist who witnessed the confrontation and described it as "the most blatant form of voter intimidation" that he had seen, even during the voting rights crisis in Mississippi a half-century ago.
Justice Department political appointees overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint accusing three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense of wielding a nightstick and intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place last Election Day, according to documents and interviews.
The incident - which gained national attention when it was captured on videotape and distributed on YouTube - had prompted the government to sue the men, saying they violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act by scaring would-be voters with the weapon, racial slurs and military-style uniforms.
Career lawyers pursued the case for months, including obtaining an affidavit from a prominent 1960s civil rights activist who witnessed the confrontation and described it as "the most blatant form of voter intimidation" that he had seen, even during the voting rights crisis in Mississippi a half-century ago.
The Big Night
Today is the big finale for Britain's got Talent. I know Susan Boyle will be the one to perform for Our Sovereign Lady. The wicked press has started its usual practice of trying to undermine and knock people down. Apparently it has upset Susan. She will have to get a thicker skin and get used to the carrion feeding tabloids. I hope they won't destroy this extraordinary woman. They so want to knock her down. I don't think they will manage that. Susan Boyle know that even if you lose BGT, you have tens of millions of fans who will buy your cds and go to your concerts. You really do have talent. I have told my friends at Roy Thomson hall that they need to bring you to Toronto to perform. It would be a sell out. Good luck lovely lady!!!
Adler on the accidental tourist
Charles Adler points out even the lefties want to know why iggy repeatedly said he is an American. Can you imagine a Tory leader with a background of saying he was an American? the liberal msm would be frothing at the mouth ( more than they usually are).
The Accidental Tourist bites nationalist Liberals on their Achilles Heel
Liberal Achilles Heel Ignatieff's lack of Canadan authenticity really rubs up against the Liberal Achilles heel in the worst way. In the Globe and Mail today even Rick Salutin is putting the boots to the accidental tourist Liberal leader.
The Accidental Tourist bites nationalist Liberals on their Achilles Heel
Liberal Achilles Heel Ignatieff's lack of Canadan authenticity really rubs up against the Liberal Achilles heel in the worst way. In the Globe and Mail today even Rick Salutin is putting the boots to the accidental tourist Liberal leader.
Another member of cair convicted
cair claims it wants peace, but its members seem to be funders of terrorism. In Canada my friend David Harris has been quite clear on this jihadi apologist organization.
So now yet another member of CAIR has been convicted of supporting terrorists.
This week's sentencing also draws attention to several other Islamic organizations associated with the HLF defendants. Besides working with the HLF, Ghassan Elashi was the founder of the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. His HLF conviction is his third: In July 2004 Elashi was convicted of shipping computers illegally to two state-sponsors of terrorism, Libya and Syria. Then, in April 2005, he was convicted of knowingly doing business with Mousa Abu Marzook, the senior Hamas leader who founded the Islamic Association for Palestine, CAIR's parent group. In that case, Elashi was convicted on a number of charges, including conspiracy and money laundering.
So, how has CAIR explained its ties to Elashi? It hasn't. Instead, it has tried to claim that any attempt to connect the group with its prominent former member is guilt by association. Thus, CAIR claims that it has "hundreds of board members and employees and some 50,000 members. It would be illogical and unfair to hold CAIR responsible for the personal activities of all these people. The fact that Elashi was once associated with one of our more than thirty regional chapters has no legal significance to our corporation given the fact that any actions taken by him were outside the scope and chronology of his association with one of our chapters."
This wording is interesting. It seems that Elashi's association with CAIR has no "legal significance" for the organization, "given the fact that any actions taken by him were outside the scope and chronology of his association with one of our chapters." This seems to be a way of saying that CAIR bears no legal responsibility for Elashi's activities and cannot be included in his prosecution.
That is fair enough. But conspicuously unstated is any condemnation of Elashi's actions in support of Hamas, or of the philosophy underlying those actions. And since Elashi was doing business with Marzook, who founded IAP, CAIR's parent organization, it is in no sense wild speculation to consider the possibility that Elashi's actions were consistent with, rather than contradictory to, CAIR's actual purposes in the United States.
So now yet another member of CAIR has been convicted of supporting terrorists.
This week's sentencing also draws attention to several other Islamic organizations associated with the HLF defendants. Besides working with the HLF, Ghassan Elashi was the founder of the Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. His HLF conviction is his third: In July 2004 Elashi was convicted of shipping computers illegally to two state-sponsors of terrorism, Libya and Syria. Then, in April 2005, he was convicted of knowingly doing business with Mousa Abu Marzook, the senior Hamas leader who founded the Islamic Association for Palestine, CAIR's parent group. In that case, Elashi was convicted on a number of charges, including conspiracy and money laundering.
So, how has CAIR explained its ties to Elashi? It hasn't. Instead, it has tried to claim that any attempt to connect the group with its prominent former member is guilt by association. Thus, CAIR claims that it has "hundreds of board members and employees and some 50,000 members. It would be illogical and unfair to hold CAIR responsible for the personal activities of all these people. The fact that Elashi was once associated with one of our more than thirty regional chapters has no legal significance to our corporation given the fact that any actions taken by him were outside the scope and chronology of his association with one of our chapters."
This wording is interesting. It seems that Elashi's association with CAIR has no "legal significance" for the organization, "given the fact that any actions taken by him were outside the scope and chronology of his association with one of our chapters." This seems to be a way of saying that CAIR bears no legal responsibility for Elashi's activities and cannot be included in his prosecution.
That is fair enough. But conspicuously unstated is any condemnation of Elashi's actions in support of Hamas, or of the philosophy underlying those actions. And since Elashi was doing business with Marzook, who founded IAP, CAIR's parent organization, it is in no sense wild speculation to consider the possibility that Elashi's actions were consistent with, rather than contradictory to, CAIR's actual purposes in the United States.
Friday, May 29, 2009
President Bush
It was just a wonderful afternoon. There were a few protesters, but they were pretty pathetic. I didn't actually notice the protesters until after they event. There was no one when I went in.There were 6000 people in the hall! I got to sit in the front row. To summarize the afternoon i like President Bush more and dislike President Clinton a little less. The Presidents were introduced introduced by Ed Clark CEO of the TD group( and a grit). He was quite complimentary of both Presidents. Clinton spoke first. He spouted of quite a lot of warmist nonsense claiming the planet would warm 9 degrees ( not sure if he meant Farenheit or Celsius). He talked about his post presidential life. He was quite gracious and fairly funny. Clinton saying we were all there to watch the two of them battle, but they were not going to do that.
President Bush was very funny. He started off saying that his mother considers Clinton a son, because he has been hanging out with George H.W. Bush so much. The audience greeted President Bush warmly, even when he mentioned Iraq. He was self deprecating and utterly charming.
Frank McKenna did a good job with questioning the two presidents. I was very impressed when Clinton made a complete mea culpa on Rwanda. It is interesting that his staff didn't even have a meeting on the subject at the time. President Bush , when asked why he helped give so much for AIDS in Africa said to whom much is given, much is expected. Both presidents defended each other in many instances. Clinton said Bush had a diverse cabinet of qualified people, even when he didn't get more votes for this. Both men praised Canada and our role in Afghanistan.
It was surprising both Presidents didn't understand the passport problem. It was a great conversation and it was nice to see such a civil conversation.
More here,hereand here.
President Bush
I just met President George W. Bush. I had my picture taken with him and
President Clinton.
Clinton was late. Presdent Bush came early and spoke to
everyone in the room. I shook his hand and told him I was a conservative
blogger from Canada. I told him I am a big supporter. He thanked me . He
was very friendly and jovial. He won over the whole room. When the picture
was taken President Bush told President Clinton he had met me before and I
was a good guy. I told President Bush, that meeting him was one of the greatest
moments of my life.
I also saw HM Minister of Finance Flaherty, HM Minister of Industry Clement
and Rick Anderson. So far an amazing day.
I am now going to hear the speeches.
President Clinton.
Clinton was late. Presdent Bush came early and spoke to
everyone in the room. I shook his hand and told him I was a conservative
blogger from Canada. I told him I am a big supporter. He thanked me . He
was very friendly and jovial. He won over the whole room. When the picture
was taken President Bush told President Clinton he had met me before and I
was a good guy. I told President Bush, that meeting him was one of the greatest
moments of my life.
I also saw HM Minister of Finance Flaherty, HM Minister of Industry Clement
and Rick Anderson. So far an amazing day.
I am now going to hear the speeches.
Green Jobs
I met Professor Gabriel Calzada at the Climate realist conference in March. He told us what disaster some of the "green initiatives", have been to the Kingdom of Spain. Apparently President Clinton agrees at least for a few minutes.
Parsing Clinton [Chris Horner]
Something strange is going on in Spain. As first noted here, President Clinton was reported in El Mundo this weekend as admitting that Dr. Gabriel Calzada's study out of Madrid's King Juan Carlos University shows that "green jobs" programs have actually cost Spain many jobs. Then, a WSJ blogger noted that the official transcript reflected that Clinton said something rather less politically harmful.
The problem is, Clinton was heard by several reporters as having said what El Mundo reported and quite contrary to the subsequently issued transcript — as noted by Expansión (from Google translate):
You can download Professor's powerpoint here Here is his talk.
Parsing Clinton [Chris Horner]
Something strange is going on in Spain. As first noted here, President Clinton was reported in El Mundo this weekend as admitting that Dr. Gabriel Calzada's study out of Madrid's King Juan Carlos University shows that "green jobs" programs have actually cost Spain many jobs. Then, a WSJ blogger noted that the official transcript reflected that Clinton said something rather less politically harmful.
The problem is, Clinton was heard by several reporters as having said what El Mundo reported and quite contrary to the subsequently issued transcript — as noted by Expansión (from Google translate):
You can download Professor's powerpoint here Here is his talk.
Gabriel Calzada from roy eappen on Vimeo.
Aboriginal women's Rights
My good friend Joseph Quesnel has a great piece in the National Post.
Joseph Quesnel: Native bill puts women's rights before First Nation politics
Posted: May 29, 2009, 9:30 AM by NP Editor
For a moment, enter into the life of a typical First Nation woman living on-reserve in Canada: If statistics are accurate, you are one of the poorest segments in society; also, you are unlikely to wield any authority within the power structure of the band; and you are probably not a chief or a councillor — you are more likely to be the victim of violence at the hands of a lover or husband.
Now imagine your marriage falls apart. Forget about staying in your home — the title to the home is most probably not in your name. That’s because the certificates of possession given by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, which give title to property on a reserve, are usually given to men.
Further, you are told by a lawyer that laws providing for an equitable distribution of assets upon separation do not apply to reserves. And if you have children, you fear for your custody rights as these are also not well protected.
Joseph Quesnel: Native bill puts women's rights before First Nation politics
Posted: May 29, 2009, 9:30 AM by NP Editor
For a moment, enter into the life of a typical First Nation woman living on-reserve in Canada: If statistics are accurate, you are one of the poorest segments in society; also, you are unlikely to wield any authority within the power structure of the band; and you are probably not a chief or a councillor — you are more likely to be the victim of violence at the hands of a lover or husband.
Now imagine your marriage falls apart. Forget about staying in your home — the title to the home is most probably not in your name. That’s because the certificates of possession given by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, which give title to property on a reserve, are usually given to men.
Further, you are told by a lawyer that laws providing for an equitable distribution of assets upon separation do not apply to reserves. And if you have children, you fear for your custody rights as these are also not well protected.
Little change in libya
I had hoped that gaddafi was going to change a little after ramping down his anti western diatribes a bit. Things are depressingly the same in libya, a former chair of the UN Human Rights commision. Sigh....
Death of A Dissident
By Natan Sharansky
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Fathi Eljahmi, the most prominent democratic dissident in Libya, died last Thursday. Eljahmi had endured seven years in unspeakable conditions in the Libyan prison system. His crime? He spoke out, unflinchingly, for freedom of speech and democratic reforms. Two days before his death, with Eljahmi already in a coma, the Libyans sent him to Jordan. The U.S. State Department lauded his "release" as a welcome development.
Death of A Dissident
By Natan Sharansky
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Fathi Eljahmi, the most prominent democratic dissident in Libya, died last Thursday. Eljahmi had endured seven years in unspeakable conditions in the Libyan prison system. His crime? He spoke out, unflinchingly, for freedom of speech and democratic reforms. Two days before his death, with Eljahmi already in a coma, the Libyans sent him to Jordan. The U.S. State Department lauded his "release" as a welcome development.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Cal Thomas on Sotomayor
Cal Thomas points out that humble beginnings seem to only matter if you are a liberal.
Liberals want to take the blindfold off justice.
In introducing his choice to replace Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court, President Obama touted Judge Sonia Sotomayor's biography. He noted her humble beginnings: she grew up in a housing project in the Bronx; a child of Puerto Rican parents; a father who died when she was nine; a mother who worked six days a week as a nurse so she and her brother could go to Catholic school.
If these humble beginnings mattered, as they relate to Sotomayor's view of the Constitution, Clarence Thomas should have sailed through his confirmation hearings instead of being subjected to "a high-tech lynching," as he famously put it. Clarence Thomas also came from humble beginnings (as did George W. Bush's Hispanic Attorney General Alberto Gonzales), but biography matters only if you're a liberal. If you evolve into a conservative, it is irrelevant, at least to the elites.
President Obama says a main criterion for selecting someone for the court is that the person be empathetic to people and to the consequences of legal decisions.
In a 2002 speech at Berkeley, Calif., Judge Sotomayor said she believed it is appropriate for judges to consider their "experiences as women and people of color" when they make decisions, adding that such things should "affect our decisions."
That statue above the Supreme Court -- the one of a woman wearing a blindfold and balancing scales in her hand -- is meant to depict the law as blind to one's gender, race and personal circumstances. Obama wants that blindfold removed and the law tailored, like a suit, to fit the individual. This is the classic liberal view of the law, or as Judge Sotomayor has put it, "(the courts) are where policy is made."
Liberals want to take the blindfold off justice.
In introducing his choice to replace Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court, President Obama touted Judge Sonia Sotomayor's biography. He noted her humble beginnings: she grew up in a housing project in the Bronx; a child of Puerto Rican parents; a father who died when she was nine; a mother who worked six days a week as a nurse so she and her brother could go to Catholic school.
If these humble beginnings mattered, as they relate to Sotomayor's view of the Constitution, Clarence Thomas should have sailed through his confirmation hearings instead of being subjected to "a high-tech lynching," as he famously put it. Clarence Thomas also came from humble beginnings (as did George W. Bush's Hispanic Attorney General Alberto Gonzales), but biography matters only if you're a liberal. If you evolve into a conservative, it is irrelevant, at least to the elites.
President Obama says a main criterion for selecting someone for the court is that the person be empathetic to people and to the consequences of legal decisions.
In a 2002 speech at Berkeley, Calif., Judge Sotomayor said she believed it is appropriate for judges to consider their "experiences as women and people of color" when they make decisions, adding that such things should "affect our decisions."
That statue above the Supreme Court -- the one of a woman wearing a blindfold and balancing scales in her hand -- is meant to depict the law as blind to one's gender, race and personal circumstances. Obama wants that blindfold removed and the law tailored, like a suit, to fit the individual. This is the classic liberal view of the law, or as Judge Sotomayor has put it, "(the courts) are where policy is made."
Bail for Lord Black?
One of Lord black's co defendants has gotten bail. Lord Black should get bail! Lord Black's conviction should be overturned!!
Hosted by Google Back to Google News
Black co-defendant John Boultbee granted bail pending Supreme Court decision
By THE CANADIAN PRESS – 3 hours ago
TORONTO — Conrad Black co-defendant John Boultbee has been granted bail by a Chicago court pending the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court appeal.
U.S. prosecutors say Judge Amy St. Eve has granted a motion asking Boultbee be released on US$500,000 bail until the Supreme Court makes a decision.
Black's lawyers are still determining whether to apply for bail, while no filings have been made for Peter Atkinson.
Hosted by Google Back to Google News
Black co-defendant John Boultbee granted bail pending Supreme Court decision
By THE CANADIAN PRESS – 3 hours ago
TORONTO — Conrad Black co-defendant John Boultbee has been granted bail by a Chicago court pending the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court appeal.
U.S. prosecutors say Judge Amy St. Eve has granted a motion asking Boultbee be released on US$500,000 bail until the Supreme Court makes a decision.
Black's lawyers are still determining whether to apply for bail, while no filings have been made for Peter Atkinson.
Snubbing the Sovereign? Not
Vetting jurors?
I agree with Lorne Gunter. Crown vetting jurors in advance is unfair. That should be done in open court. The Crown should not know more about jurors than the opposition.
Getting police to vet jurors is not a power the defence has at its disposal. It was similarly unfair for Barrie prosecutors to obtain lists of potential jurors well in advance of the legal date that they were to be given-- simultaneously -- to both sides. These practices are thumbs on the scales of justice weighing them down in favour of one side over the other.
Then there is the way these background searches intruded into the private lives of the innocent. Government authorities are not to know the content of your confidential files unless they have a warrant or your written permission. But now, in Barrie there are hundreds of innocent residents who have been spied on, indirectly, by the Ontario Attorney General's office.
Getting police to vet jurors is not a power the defence has at its disposal. It was similarly unfair for Barrie prosecutors to obtain lists of potential jurors well in advance of the legal date that they were to be given-- simultaneously -- to both sides. These practices are thumbs on the scales of justice weighing them down in favour of one side over the other.
Then there is the way these background searches intruded into the private lives of the innocent. Government authorities are not to know the content of your confidential files unless they have a warrant or your written permission. But now, in Barrie there are hundreds of innocent residents who have been spied on, indirectly, by the Ontario Attorney General's office.
No Consensus
Science does not run by consensus nor should it. The chicken littles wish to pretend that there is consensus in spit of all evidence to the contrary. The Washington Times points out this out about the Washington Post ( alarmist)
The latter claim is risible. Earlier this month, Gallup poll editor Frank Newport told U.S. News & World Report's Paul Bedard that on global warming, "Any measure that we look at shows Al Gore's losing at the moment. The public is just not that concerned." The highest number of respondents ever, he said - 41 percent - thinks warming claims are exaggerated. That 41 percent swamped the 28 percent who think the threat is "underestimated." Of eight major "environmental issues" (including water pollution and loss of rain forests), the public ranked warming last. The Pew Research Center in January reported climate change ranking dead last among 20 major public concerns.
Respected scientists are far from united on the issue. Reports in August from the International Geology Congress - and from other conferences or major scientific organizations in Canada, Japan, Australia and elsewhere - indicate majorities disagreeing with climate-change dogma. Republicans on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works have compiled a list of more than 700 well-credentialed scientists, including many who once believed in warming, who argue against the warming theory.
More than 31,000 scientists have signed a Global Warming Petition expressing doubts. The founder of the Weather Channel, John Coleman, has written that warming is "the greatest scam in history." As far back as two years ago, The Post's own Juliet Eilperin reported that consensus on warming was shrinking, not growing. And for good reason. Earth temperatures actually have dropped since 1998. The National Snow and Ice Data Center in April showed more Arctic sea ice than in any April since 2003. Even many prominent warming supporters acknowledge that their own models now forecast cooling for the next 30 years.
Whichever group of scientists is correct, the simple fact is that the idea of consensus is a myth.
The latter claim is risible. Earlier this month, Gallup poll editor Frank Newport told U.S. News & World Report's Paul Bedard that on global warming, "Any measure that we look at shows Al Gore's losing at the moment. The public is just not that concerned." The highest number of respondents ever, he said - 41 percent - thinks warming claims are exaggerated. That 41 percent swamped the 28 percent who think the threat is "underestimated." Of eight major "environmental issues" (including water pollution and loss of rain forests), the public ranked warming last. The Pew Research Center in January reported climate change ranking dead last among 20 major public concerns.
Respected scientists are far from united on the issue. Reports in August from the International Geology Congress - and from other conferences or major scientific organizations in Canada, Japan, Australia and elsewhere - indicate majorities disagreeing with climate-change dogma. Republicans on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works have compiled a list of more than 700 well-credentialed scientists, including many who once believed in warming, who argue against the warming theory.
More than 31,000 scientists have signed a Global Warming Petition expressing doubts. The founder of the Weather Channel, John Coleman, has written that warming is "the greatest scam in history." As far back as two years ago, The Post's own Juliet Eilperin reported that consensus on warming was shrinking, not growing. And for good reason. Earth temperatures actually have dropped since 1998. The National Snow and Ice Data Center in April showed more Arctic sea ice than in any April since 2003. Even many prominent warming supporters acknowledge that their own models now forecast cooling for the next 30 years.
Whichever group of scientists is correct, the simple fact is that the idea of consensus is a myth.
Claire Hoy on the accidental tourist
Claire Hoy points out that themessages in the recent Tory truth ads were first used by grits running against the accidental tourist. Guess all those senior grits have recanted now.
Yet, during Ignatieff's first run at the leadership - the one where he actually contested the job and lost, as opposed to his second run, where he maneuvered his way into the job without having to run for it - Ignatieff's Liberal opponents where making exactly the same point as Prime Minister Stephen Harper is making now.
Bob Rae - then seen as Ignatieff's main opponent (that's before the disastrous Stephane Dion sneaked up the middle and won) - said bluntly that, "there are things about a country that you don't learn from a book," things that you can only learn by being here and taking part in the rough and tumble of constitutional and economic debates.
Another leadership hopeful, Toronto Liberal Joe Volpe, added that nobody who has been away for more than three decades could possible be an expert about either his country or his party.
In other words, these senior Liberals felt that Ignatieff was not fit to lead a party and/or a country when he had been absent pretty much his entire adult working life.
Yet, during Ignatieff's first run at the leadership - the one where he actually contested the job and lost, as opposed to his second run, where he maneuvered his way into the job without having to run for it - Ignatieff's Liberal opponents where making exactly the same point as Prime Minister Stephen Harper is making now.
Bob Rae - then seen as Ignatieff's main opponent (that's before the disastrous Stephane Dion sneaked up the middle and won) - said bluntly that, "there are things about a country that you don't learn from a book," things that you can only learn by being here and taking part in the rough and tumble of constitutional and economic debates.
Another leadership hopeful, Toronto Liberal Joe Volpe, added that nobody who has been away for more than three decades could possible be an expert about either his country or his party.
In other words, these senior Liberals felt that Ignatieff was not fit to lead a party and/or a country when he had been absent pretty much his entire adult working life.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Ann Coulter on liberal empathy
Some are more worthy than others of empathy in the obamessiah world.
God save us from liberal "empathy." After President Barack Obama announced his empathetic Supreme Court nominee this week, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, we found out that some people are more deserving of empathy than others.
For example, Judge Sotomayor apparently "empathized" more with New Haven, Conn., government officials than with white and Hispanic firefighters who were denied promotions by the city on the basis of their race.
Let's hope she's as empathetic to New Haven residents who die in fires fought by inferior firefighters as a result of her decision.
God save us from liberal "empathy." After President Barack Obama announced his empathetic Supreme Court nominee this week, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, we found out that some people are more deserving of empathy than others.
For example, Judge Sotomayor apparently "empathized" more with New Haven, Conn., government officials than with white and Hispanic firefighters who were denied promotions by the city on the basis of their race.
Let's hope she's as empathetic to New Haven residents who die in fires fought by inferior firefighters as a result of her decision.
More Maxime
Maxime Bernier is quoted here in an interview with Joel-Denis Bellavance. It is so nice to hear a federal politician talk about freedom and liberty. Maxime is awesome!
«J'ai regardé pourquoi j'étais en politique. J'étais en politique pour défendre des valeurs que j'ai toujours défendues, soit la liberté individuelle, la responsabilité individuelle, l'intégrité et l'entrepreneuriat. Ce sont des valeurs beauceronnes et elles sont aussi le fondement des sociétés occidentales qui permettent d'avoir une société libre et prospère», ajoute-t-il du même souffle.
Give up lamb, alcohol and tomatoes
The ever controlling environmentostalinists have long lists of things we must give up. They apparently now deem lamb( and most other meat), alcohol and tomatoes as evil. we also must give up cars, oil and electricity. breathing will soon be outlawed. The environmentostalinists don't actually like people. They want many of us gone, so they can create their own utopia like mao and the khmer rouge.
GIVE up lamb roasts and save the planet. Government advisers are developing menus to combat climate change by cutting out “high carbon” food such as meat from sheep, whose burping poses a serious threat to the environment.
Out will go kebabs, greenhouse tomatoes and alcohol. Instead, diners will be encouraged to consume more potatoes and seasonal vegetables, as well as pork and chicken, which generate fewer carbon emissions.
GIVE up lamb roasts and save the planet. Government advisers are developing menus to combat climate change by cutting out “high carbon” food such as meat from sheep, whose burping poses a serious threat to the environment.
Out will go kebabs, greenhouse tomatoes and alcohol. Instead, diners will be encouraged to consume more potatoes and seasonal vegetables, as well as pork and chicken, which generate fewer carbon emissions.
EI a grit issue?
Chantal Hebert points out the grits EI strategy may backfire on them. It will just remind people ho put in these EI rules and who raided the EI surplus for years: the grits. So keep talikng iggy. Everyone knows you will back down, just like delusional dion.
If anything, the issue stands to backfire on the Liberals in Quebec.
If Ignatieff had to beat only the Conservatives to win the province in the next election, his campaign would be a cakewalk. But the two main parties really are in head-to-head competition in only two of the Quebec's 75 seats, Maxime Bernier's Beauce and Lawrence Cannon's Pontiac ridings.
In the eight other seats that the Conservatives hold, the Liberals were distant also-rans in the last election. Everywhere else, with the sole exception of the NDP-held Outremont, they are up against the Bloc Québécois.
Not only does Gilles Duceppe currently have the capacity to out-organize and outspend the Liberals but his party has also owned the EI issue since a previous Liberal government introduced the rules over which Ignatieff is now threatening to plunge the country into a summer election.
If he does ride the EI battle horse into a campaign in Quebec, Ignatieff will effectively be shifting the focus away from the Conservative present and unto the Liberal past.
If anything, the issue stands to backfire on the Liberals in Quebec.
If Ignatieff had to beat only the Conservatives to win the province in the next election, his campaign would be a cakewalk. But the two main parties really are in head-to-head competition in only two of the Quebec's 75 seats, Maxime Bernier's Beauce and Lawrence Cannon's Pontiac ridings.
In the eight other seats that the Conservatives hold, the Liberals were distant also-rans in the last election. Everywhere else, with the sole exception of the NDP-held Outremont, they are up against the Bloc Québécois.
Not only does Gilles Duceppe currently have the capacity to out-organize and outspend the Liberals but his party has also owned the EI issue since a previous Liberal government introduced the rules over which Ignatieff is now threatening to plunge the country into a summer election.
If he does ride the EI battle horse into a campaign in Quebec, Ignatieff will effectively be shifting the focus away from the Conservative present and unto the Liberal past.
The content of their character?
Why is it that the race and gender of people is brought up so often under the obamessiah's reign? Those who object to Sotomayer's choice will now be branded as racists. That is the liberal way now.
Thomas Sowell and others have an excellent pieces on why this is all fairly dangerous to the concept of equal under the law. Obamessiah wants to throw out the constitution and let justices rule with their hearts. This is a judge who has a very high reversal rate on appeal and has shown her own bias. All people should be equal before the law.
The Supreme Court of the United States is in effect operating on the heart of our nation-- the Constitution and the statutes and government policies that all of us must live under.
Barack Obama's repeated claim that a Supreme Court justice should have "empathy" with various groups has raised red flags that we ignore at our peril-- and at the peril of our children and grandchildren.
"Empathy" for particular groups can be reconciled with "equal justice under law"-- the motto over the entrance to the Supreme Court-- only with smooth words. But not in reality. President Obama used those smooth words in introducing Judge Sotomayor but words do not change realities.
Thomas Sowell and others have an excellent pieces on why this is all fairly dangerous to the concept of equal under the law. Obamessiah wants to throw out the constitution and let justices rule with their hearts. This is a judge who has a very high reversal rate on appeal and has shown her own bias. All people should be equal before the law.
The Supreme Court of the United States is in effect operating on the heart of our nation-- the Constitution and the statutes and government policies that all of us must live under.
Barack Obama's repeated claim that a Supreme Court justice should have "empathy" with various groups has raised red flags that we ignore at our peril-- and at the peril of our children and grandchildren.
"Empathy" for particular groups can be reconciled with "equal justice under law"-- the motto over the entrance to the Supreme Court-- only with smooth words. But not in reality. President Obama used those smooth words in introducing Judge Sotomayor but words do not change realities.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
HM Governor General
I have been critical of Her Excellency the Governor Genral in the past. Mme Jean is growing on me. Her loyal greetings for Victoria Day touched me. This latest!action in support of Our Native people, impressed me immensely. HM Governor General Michaelle Jean is doing a very good job. God Bless her!!!
A letter to obamessiah
Humourist Josh Freed worships the obamessiah, like many Canadians, however even he is disappointed.
Dear President Obama, Like most Canadians I rooted for you madly and cried when you were elected President-of-The-World. So far, I think you've been a great leader, reaching out to the whole planet.
But you've forgotten one nation - Canada.
On June 1, you will officially defend the "world's longest undefended border," a border I've crossed hundreds of times. From now on, we Canadians need passports to enter the U.S., a major hassle for truckdrivers, boaters and shmoes like me who can no longer cross to buy cheap Polo shirts without remembering to pack passports for the whole family.
Dear President Obama, Like most Canadians I rooted for you madly and cried when you were elected President-of-The-World. So far, I think you've been a great leader, reaching out to the whole planet.
But you've forgotten one nation - Canada.
On June 1, you will officially defend the "world's longest undefended border," a border I've crossed hundreds of times. From now on, we Canadians need passports to enter the U.S., a major hassle for truckdrivers, boaters and shmoes like me who can no longer cross to buy cheap Polo shirts without remembering to pack passports for the whole family.
John Hawkins: 20 liberal hypocrisies
This apllies to liberals everywhere.
20 Hypocrisies Of Liberalism
by John Hawkins
Everybody is guilty of being hypocritical sometimes. It’s just part of being human; however, modern liberalism has taken this concept to stunning extremes. The entire liberal belief system, from top to bottom, is a series of logical blind alleys, bottlenecks, and jaw-dropping contradictions.
To be a politically active liberal is to a be a person whose life is steeped in hypocrisy from the time he gets up until the time he goes to bed -- and that's despite the fact that many libs take morally abhorrent positions just so they can't be called hypocrites if they ever get caught doing something degenerate.
20 Hypocrisies Of Liberalism
by John Hawkins
Everybody is guilty of being hypocritical sometimes. It’s just part of being human; however, modern liberalism has taken this concept to stunning extremes. The entire liberal belief system, from top to bottom, is a series of logical blind alleys, bottlenecks, and jaw-dropping contradictions.
To be a politically active liberal is to a be a person whose life is steeped in hypocrisy from the time he gets up until the time he goes to bed -- and that's despite the fact that many libs take morally abhorrent positions just so they can't be called hypocrites if they ever get caught doing something degenerate.
liberal entitlements
Apparently they are entitled to their entitlements. They are the natural governing party. This entitlements includes stealing tax money, live in slaves, all claims of patritism, all immigrant votes, support from all journalists, immunity from prosecution or investigation and access to handicapped parking.( H/T)
Liberal Party van blocks handicap parking spaces
Bad optics for Michael Ignatieff's visit
POSTED BY TIM BOUSQUET ON MON, MAY 25, 2009 AT 2:49 PM
I should know by now to carry my camera with me everywhere.
Yesterday, national Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff spoke at the Dartmouth Sportsplex arena to shore up support for provincial Liberal Party leader Stephen McNeil. I was downstairs in the gym.
When I left, there was the Liberal Party van parked sideways across six handicap parking spaces, with cones and ribbons around it lest any handicapped driver get any ideas.
Liberal Party van blocks handicap parking spaces
Bad optics for Michael Ignatieff's visit
POSTED BY TIM BOUSQUET ON MON, MAY 25, 2009 AT 2:49 PM
I should know by now to carry my camera with me everywhere.
Yesterday, national Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff spoke at the Dartmouth Sportsplex arena to shore up support for provincial Liberal Party leader Stephen McNeil. I was downstairs in the gym.
When I left, there was the Liberal Party van parked sideways across six handicap parking spaces, with cones and ribbons around it lest any handicapped driver get any ideas.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Maxime Bernier
I am a big Maxime Bernier supporter. I like many of his ideas. he is a supporter of freedom. There is an interesting piece about him in the NP. As I have said before I really hope that Maxime gets back into cabinet. I think he can be a great asset in Quebec.
He won his last election by 25000 votes. He needs to have a more prominent role in the party! I like Christian paradis, but Ithink Maxime should be the lieutenant in Montreal.
But Mr. Bernier thinks otherwise. While publicly praising the efforts of current Quebec lieutenant Christian Paradis, the Beauce MP has told a number of Quebec political figures that he can make a difference and that he will be back sooner rather than later. One MP said that were it to happen, there would be no grumbling in a caucus where he is well liked. Mr. Bernier says simply that all politicians want to be ministers.
He said that winning in Quebec is simple — respect the Constitution by not dabbling in areas of provincial jurisdiction, and return the nation’s finance to surplus, not by increasing taxes, but by reducing the size of government.
“We have to explain that to Quebecers... we have to expand our message and communicate that,” he said, pointing out that he has launched his own video weblog to do exactly that. “But I’m not pessimistic. Is our relationship in Quebec over? No, no, no. We have a strong leader in Prime Minister Harper, who gave Canadians constitutional peace. [Quebecers] don’t want to go back to an era of Pierre Elliot Trudeau and Réne Lévesque.
He won his last election by 25000 votes. He needs to have a more prominent role in the party! I like Christian paradis, but Ithink Maxime should be the lieutenant in Montreal.
But Mr. Bernier thinks otherwise. While publicly praising the efforts of current Quebec lieutenant Christian Paradis, the Beauce MP has told a number of Quebec political figures that he can make a difference and that he will be back sooner rather than later. One MP said that were it to happen, there would be no grumbling in a caucus where he is well liked. Mr. Bernier says simply that all politicians want to be ministers.
He said that winning in Quebec is simple — respect the Constitution by not dabbling in areas of provincial jurisdiction, and return the nation’s finance to surplus, not by increasing taxes, but by reducing the size of government.
“We have to explain that to Quebecers... we have to expand our message and communicate that,” he said, pointing out that he has launched his own video weblog to do exactly that. “But I’m not pessimistic. Is our relationship in Quebec over? No, no, no. We have a strong leader in Prime Minister Harper, who gave Canadians constitutional peace. [Quebecers] don’t want to go back to an era of Pierre Elliot Trudeau and Réne Lévesque.
dipper thinks Tory truth ads effective
This is interesting. Though in the same article catsmeat mocks the truth ads. Funny since the story of catsmeats life is a negative ad.
LAVIGNE:You may have written a book on negative campaigning Warren, but the "Just Visiting" ads on Ignatieff are a far cry from the "Face" ads against Chrétien. Here are five reasons why these ads will have an impact. 5. They're timely. Most of the country doesn't know Michael Ignatieff. These ads, and his response to them, will have an effect on how he is defined by voters. 4. The narrative is simple. It's not about working overseas or about who is a good Canadian (that's the Liberal talking points trying to change the channel). The storyline here is questioning the motivation for coming back to Canada after 34 years to get power and if he doesn't get it he'll leave again. Average folks grasp that. Doubt is being planted in the mind of the jury. Once credibility on motivation is lost it doesn't matter what Ignatieff promises after that. 3. They use Ignatieff's own words. One reason why the "Not a Leader" ads were effective was because they used Dion's own words ("Do you think it's easy to make priorities") and Ignatieff's own words ("Stéphane, we didn't get it done") to carry the message. This is also the case with "Just Visiting." This is Ignatieff on Ignatieff. And his lines "this is just as much as my country as it is yours" in reference to the U.S.A. is devastating to cross-pressured Liberal-New Democrat vote switchers while "I don't want to take a GST hike off the table" will be a tough sell to Liberal-Conservative switch voters. 2. The buy is large and the campaign is multi-platform. There's no question there is some substantial weight behind the ad buy. Pick a non-elite channel or show, including Blue Jays games and Family Guy and you'll see these ads. It's a full campaign using a variety of platforms including the web and Facebook meaning that its reach will be substantial. 1. We're talking about them. And as a result, we're analyzing Ignatieff's motivations much more closely than had the ads not been produced. There is huge gulf between the bubble of Ottawa and Main Street Canada. While some commentators suggest that these ads are "stupid," others need to get over the fact that just because you don't like the messenger (Harper and his Team), doesn't detract from the relevant question their ad campaign poses.
LAVIGNE:You may have written a book on negative campaigning Warren, but the "Just Visiting" ads on Ignatieff are a far cry from the "Face" ads against Chrétien. Here are five reasons why these ads will have an impact. 5. They're timely. Most of the country doesn't know Michael Ignatieff. These ads, and his response to them, will have an effect on how he is defined by voters. 4. The narrative is simple. It's not about working overseas or about who is a good Canadian (that's the Liberal talking points trying to change the channel). The storyline here is questioning the motivation for coming back to Canada after 34 years to get power and if he doesn't get it he'll leave again. Average folks grasp that. Doubt is being planted in the mind of the jury. Once credibility on motivation is lost it doesn't matter what Ignatieff promises after that. 3. They use Ignatieff's own words. One reason why the "Not a Leader" ads were effective was because they used Dion's own words ("Do you think it's easy to make priorities") and Ignatieff's own words ("Stéphane, we didn't get it done") to carry the message. This is also the case with "Just Visiting." This is Ignatieff on Ignatieff. And his lines "this is just as much as my country as it is yours" in reference to the U.S.A. is devastating to cross-pressured Liberal-New Democrat vote switchers while "I don't want to take a GST hike off the table" will be a tough sell to Liberal-Conservative switch voters. 2. The buy is large and the campaign is multi-platform. There's no question there is some substantial weight behind the ad buy. Pick a non-elite channel or show, including Blue Jays games and Family Guy and you'll see these ads. It's a full campaign using a variety of platforms including the web and Facebook meaning that its reach will be substantial. 1. We're talking about them. And as a result, we're analyzing Ignatieff's motivations much more closely than had the ads not been produced. There is huge gulf between the bubble of Ottawa and Main Street Canada. While some commentators suggest that these ads are "stupid," others need to get over the fact that just because you don't like the messenger (Harper and his Team), doesn't detract from the relevant question their ad campaign poses.
Let Sri Lankans decide their fate
It is time for the Tamil diaspora to allow their friends and family still in Sru Lanka to decide their own fate. The diaspora must not give money or arms to foment more violence at home. The ltte was not a solution, but a lot of the problems. The ltte repeatedly murdered Tamil moderates. They encouraged election boycotts and used many horrific methods. Many Tamils were not in favour of these methods. Unfortunately the Tamil diaspora seems to be far more pro ltte than those who have suffered the war in Sri Lanka. Peace came in Northern Ireland after 9/11. The American Irish who supported the brutal IRA thugs, stopped sending money to cause havoc and murder , while they sat comfortably in America. The Tamil diaspora need to realize that sending money to tyhe ltte caused untold suffering for their own people as well to the Singhalese If the diaspora want to help let them send money for relief or go and work with the Red Cross. Let the violence end. There are signs of reconciliation coming from the Sri Lamkan president. Without the ltte killing all moderate Tamil voices, maybe moderate voices can now come forward on both sides. But Nirmala Rajasingam, a London-based member of the Democracy Forum whose sister, Rajani, was murdered in 1989 after criticizing the LTTE, urged the international Tamil community to let Sri Lanka's war-weary Tamils decide their own future. "We have to play a very subordinate supportive role to the Tamil community," she said in a telephone interview. "We cannot dictate to them or decide for them." Rajasingam said support for the LTTE has become more mitigated among Tamils in Sri Lanka, who paid the price of war, while the expatriate community has overwhelmingly supported the rebel army. The civilian tragedy of recent days, after 26 costly years of war, has convinced her more than ever that violence is not the answer. "Thousands have been murdered. The last bit was a bloodbath and a massacre," Rajasingam said. "I'm overwhelmed with sadness. We despise the Tigers, but we do not like the state and our heart goes out to our people." |
Sunday, May 24, 2009
grits have no money?
It seems the grits really don't have money, thats why its the grit msms who are trying to reply to the Tory truth ads. He also sidestepped a question about whether the Liberals had not yet run their own television ads, countering the Conservative message, because of a lack of party funds to pay for such a campaign. Instead of launching TV ads, Ignatieff responded last week with a YouTube video message posted on the Internet. |
iggy wants to "mess" with HM PM Harper
All I can say to the igster is bring it on. Your party has very little money, soI will be happy to see it spent on ads. iggy has few policies and the Tory ads are doing their job. They will bring doubt to the minds of Canadians about this accidental tourist. Ignatieff has responded with an Internet ad saying that Harper is smearing all new Canadians with the attack ads. It was a similar line used by Liberal strategist Warren Kinsella on CTV's Question Period Sunday. "I have two words for this kind of advertising. Wayne Gretzky, or Neil Young, or Celine Dion. I mean is the prime minister saying that those people are less Canadian?" he said. Tory strategist Tim Powers laughed off that defence and called it a "bad counterattack." "The challenge Mr. Ignatieff has, it's not that he lived outside the country, it's what he said when he was outside the country," Powers said on Question Period. |
The brutes of Burma
Norman Webster accurately describe the Burmese thug generals. Free the Lady!
Where brutes rule
The Burmese generals have proved once again their overwhelming capacity for viciousness
BY NORMAN WEBSTER, THE GAZETTEMAY 24, 2009
A Burmese monk in Thailand speaks at rally calling for Aung San Suu Kyi's release.
Photograph by: SUKREE SUKPLANG REUTERS, The Gazette
They are brutes, and they don't care who knows it. The dimbulb generals who rule Burma just keep on topping themselves in viciousness, all the while blithely ignoring an angry world.
More Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle makes the cut. Surprise, Surprise! I will post her performance as soon as I can get it.
Children and Poverty
I wrote this letter to the editor in response to this editorial
Support families to fight poverty
THE GAZETTE
MAY 24, 2009
Re: "Poverty money needs to flow more directly to kids" (Editorial, May 19).
We have seen that massive spending by governments have failed both in the United States and in Canada to reduce child poverty rates. I doubt more of these programs will do any better.
More spending is not the answer. It is by encouraging work and marriage that poverty will be ended. The rate of child poverty among two-parent families is substantially lower than it is in one-parent households. Giving children the example of two-parent households not dependent on welfare would substantially reduce child poverty rates.
Reduce the marriage penalty in income tax and allow income splitting. Allow school voucher programs so that parents can find the best schools for their kids.
I'm not sure why some conservatives are so concerned about gay marriage, when it is straight marriage that's in such trouble (especially in Quebec). Those troubles let a lot of children to fall through the cracks.
Roy Eappen
Montreal
Support families to fight poverty
THE GAZETTE
MAY 24, 2009
Re: "Poverty money needs to flow more directly to kids" (Editorial, May 19).
We have seen that massive spending by governments have failed both in the United States and in Canada to reduce child poverty rates. I doubt more of these programs will do any better.
More spending is not the answer. It is by encouraging work and marriage that poverty will be ended. The rate of child poverty among two-parent families is substantially lower than it is in one-parent households. Giving children the example of two-parent households not dependent on welfare would substantially reduce child poverty rates.
Reduce the marriage penalty in income tax and allow income splitting. Allow school voucher programs so that parents can find the best schools for their kids.
I'm not sure why some conservatives are so concerned about gay marriage, when it is straight marriage that's in such trouble (especially in Quebec). Those troubles let a lot of children to fall through the cracks.
Roy Eappen
Montreal
Salim Mansur on Pakistan
Professor Mansur continues his series on the failed stat. he discuses the role of the army in the misery that is pakistan.
Blame army for Pakistan's woes
By SALIM MANSUR
Pakistan is the "most dangerous place on earth" and an "incubator of fanaticism," Peter MacKay, Canada's minister of defence, observed recently.
This assessment is correct, since Pakistan is simultaneously a "rogue" and a "failed" state.
For the West and, most importantly India, this means the need to prevent Pakistan's failure from spilling over international boundaries and spreading instability. It also means containing the rogue state from exporting terror, given the real threat of nuclear blackmail by the same people responsible for keeping secure the country's nuclear arsenal.
The deep seated problem of Pakistan arises from the military's role in politics. Any normal country possesses an army for protecting and securing its interests. Of Pakistan it might be said the army possesses a country to maintain and advance its interests.
The military brass, supported by civilian bureaucracy and a large land-owning class, has run Pakistan as its fiefdom. During brief spells of civilian rule the army generals merely stepped back to give an appearance of a popular government in power.
Any explanation of how this situation evolved is complex and embedded in the history and culture of the people. Briefly, however, the primary domestic reason remains the collective failure of the political class to provide for responsible government based on a consensus of what the country represents and what the people want.
In the absence of such consensus, Pakistan as an ethnically divided country is held together by force, by the appeal to Islam as ideology that went into its making and by an obsession with India as an enemy Hindu state.
Deceiving allies
Internationally Pakistan's importance has resided in its location. The geo-strategic aspect of Pakistani territory has allowed the military rulers to get away with their heavy-handed rule internally and with deceiving their western allies.
Blame army for Pakistan's woes
By SALIM MANSUR
Pakistan is the "most dangerous place on earth" and an "incubator of fanaticism," Peter MacKay, Canada's minister of defence, observed recently.
This assessment is correct, since Pakistan is simultaneously a "rogue" and a "failed" state.
For the West and, most importantly India, this means the need to prevent Pakistan's failure from spilling over international boundaries and spreading instability. It also means containing the rogue state from exporting terror, given the real threat of nuclear blackmail by the same people responsible for keeping secure the country's nuclear arsenal.
The deep seated problem of Pakistan arises from the military's role in politics. Any normal country possesses an army for protecting and securing its interests. Of Pakistan it might be said the army possesses a country to maintain and advance its interests.
The military brass, supported by civilian bureaucracy and a large land-owning class, has run Pakistan as its fiefdom. During brief spells of civilian rule the army generals merely stepped back to give an appearance of a popular government in power.
Any explanation of how this situation evolved is complex and embedded in the history and culture of the people. Briefly, however, the primary domestic reason remains the collective failure of the political class to provide for responsible government based on a consensus of what the country represents and what the people want.
In the absence of such consensus, Pakistan as an ethnically divided country is held together by force, by the appeal to Islam as ideology that went into its making and by an obsession with India as an enemy Hindu state.
Deceiving allies
Internationally Pakistan's importance has resided in its location. The geo-strategic aspect of Pakistani territory has allowed the military rulers to get away with their heavy-handed rule internally and with deceiving their western allies.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Evil
Matthew 18:6But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
The case of a little boy named Peter has come to an end in Great Britain, The child was essentially tortured to death by his "parents". He was being watched by the child welfare authourities while this was going on. The "mother" was sentenced to an indefinite sentence but may apply for parole in 5 years. The boyfriend who inflicted the injuries will be jailed for life. I weep for this small child who died in agony while social workers watched and did nothing. These social workers were actually fired. They are appealing their dismissal.
Arsenic and Old Lace
I recently attend the play Arsenic and Old Lace. It was the annual fundraise for the Geordie Theater, a group that brings theater to children.
These fundraisers use volunteer actors from the community including lawyers, judges and doctors. The plat was written in 1939 and was made into a movie.
The play was very funny in a macabre kind of way. The actors did a great job, especially Dr Irene Smyth Simons.They certainly weren't perfect, but they are amateurs and their efforts for a good cause , were very appreciated. The sets were also very good. It was a wonderful evening whichended with a reception where ice cider was served!
Susan Boyle
Tonight the semi finals of Britain's Got Talent will be on. I have little doubt that Susan Boyle will make the cut.
More than 100 million people have viewed her youtube clip. Previous winner Paul Potts is also a fan. It seems she will even be mentioned by Homer on the Simpsons.
I don't get ITV, so I will have to keep track with the live blogging.
More than 100 million people have viewed her youtube clip. Previous winner Paul Potts is also a fan. It seems she will even be mentioned by Homer on the Simpsons.
I don't get ITV, so I will have to keep track with the live blogging.
American Political cartoons
nancy pelosi is still having a lot of trouble over her attack against the CIA.
Then of course there is the experienced member of the obamessiah biden ticket, joe ,both feet in the mouth, biden.
Of course how can we forget obamessiah and Lord knows I have tried very hard to forget him. Then there is the msm.
Then of course there is the experienced member of the obamessiah biden ticket, joe ,both feet in the mouth, biden.
Of course how can we forget obamessiah and Lord knows I have tried very hard to forget him. Then there is the msm.
US inflation
obamessiah's massive and ineffective spending is going to cause inflation. That has been my view for some time. Things are actually worse than anyone thought.
While everyone has been focused on the banks’ stress tests and how much government is spending to bail out troubled “too big to fails,” a disturbing trend on the other side of the equation is now emerging: How much (or how little) the U.S. government is receiving in tax revenues.
In 2007 and 2008, government tax revenues averaged about US$633.15-billion per quarter. For the first quarter of 2009, however, the numbers tell us that tax receipts totaled only about US$442.39-billion — a decline of 30%.
Looking to confirm the trend, we compared the data for April — the big kahuna of tax collection months — to the 2007-2008 average, and found that individual income taxes this year were down more than 40%. The situation is even worse for corporate income taxes, which were down a stunning 67%!
When you add in all revenue from all sources (including Social Security revenue, government fees, etc.), the fiscal year-to-date — October through April — revenue shortfall comes to 19%, vs. the 14.6% projected in Obama’s budget. If, however, the accelerating shortfall apparent year-to-date, and in April in particular, continues, the spread between projected and actual tax receipts will widen considerably.
For the first time since 1983, the U.S. government posted a deficit in April. That’s a big swing in the wrong direction, as the bump in personal tax collections in April historically results in a big surplus — on average about $68-billion.
While everyone has been focused on the banks’ stress tests and how much government is spending to bail out troubled “too big to fails,” a disturbing trend on the other side of the equation is now emerging: How much (or how little) the U.S. government is receiving in tax revenues.
In 2007 and 2008, government tax revenues averaged about US$633.15-billion per quarter. For the first quarter of 2009, however, the numbers tell us that tax receipts totaled only about US$442.39-billion — a decline of 30%.
Looking to confirm the trend, we compared the data for April — the big kahuna of tax collection months — to the 2007-2008 average, and found that individual income taxes this year were down more than 40%. The situation is even worse for corporate income taxes, which were down a stunning 67%!
When you add in all revenue from all sources (including Social Security revenue, government fees, etc.), the fiscal year-to-date — October through April — revenue shortfall comes to 19%, vs. the 14.6% projected in Obama’s budget. If, however, the accelerating shortfall apparent year-to-date, and in April in particular, continues, the spread between projected and actual tax receipts will widen considerably.
For the first time since 1983, the U.S. government posted a deficit in April. That’s a big swing in the wrong direction, as the bump in personal tax collections in April historically results in a big surplus — on average about $68-billion.
chavez the dictator
Some of my commentators claim chavez is not a dictator. His actions undermine their premise.
Now he has ordered a police raid on an opposition broadcaster. Chavez is a despicable tyrant and bringing Venezuela to ruin.
"I don't know if they're trying to find something to try to shut me up. They won't shut us up," Zuloaga told Globovision reporters.
Broadcast regulators are investigating Globovision for inciting "panic and anxiety" by criticizing the government for its slow response to a moderate earthquake earlier this month. Globovision is Venezuela's only remaining anti-Chavez television station on the open airwaves.
Chavez warned private media last week that they're "playing with fire." He specifically targeted Globovision director Alberto Federico Ravell, calling him "a crazy man with a cannon."
Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticized Chavez's government for investigating the station. The organization's Americas director, Jose Miguel Vivanco, accused the government of using the probe to harass critics.
Now he has ordered a police raid on an opposition broadcaster. Chavez is a despicable tyrant and bringing Venezuela to ruin.
"I don't know if they're trying to find something to try to shut me up. They won't shut us up," Zuloaga told Globovision reporters.
Broadcast regulators are investigating Globovision for inciting "panic and anxiety" by criticizing the government for its slow response to a moderate earthquake earlier this month. Globovision is Venezuela's only remaining anti-Chavez television station on the open airwaves.
Chavez warned private media last week that they're "playing with fire." He specifically targeted Globovision director Alberto Federico Ravell, calling him "a crazy man with a cannon."
Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticized Chavez's government for investigating the station. The organization's Americas director, Jose Miguel Vivanco, accused the government of using the probe to harass critics.
The March 18 Movement
We are all lucky that we can generally express our opinions without being killed. The mad mullahs of Iran murdered Omid Reza Sayafi last March 18, 2009. This group is trying to protect bloggers in totalitarian places like Iran. We need to try and protect free speech. I wish this movement luck and will do what I can to help.
The March 18 Movement was born out of a tragedy. On this day in 2009, Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, Iranian blogger and journalist, died in Evin Prison in Tehran. The December before his death, he was sentenced to two and half years in prison for allegedly insulting religious leaders, and engaging in “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Omid Reza was the first blogger to die in prison and his death reveals that getting censored is far from the worst thing that can happen to a blogger.
The irony is that, as more members of both the public and the media praise the ability of bloggers to inform, the more these de facto journalists around the globe become victims in fact. The March 18 Movement aims not only to make sure that Omid Reza is remembered, but also that other persecuted bloggers around the world do not disappear into interrogation rooms and prison cells. The March 18 Movement would like to become a voice for bloggers everywhere who are in risk of being crushed under the heavy machinery of repression.
The March 18 Movement was born out of a tragedy. On this day in 2009, Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, Iranian blogger and journalist, died in Evin Prison in Tehran. The December before his death, he was sentenced to two and half years in prison for allegedly insulting religious leaders, and engaging in “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Omid Reza was the first blogger to die in prison and his death reveals that getting censored is far from the worst thing that can happen to a blogger.
The irony is that, as more members of both the public and the media praise the ability of bloggers to inform, the more these de facto journalists around the globe become victims in fact. The March 18 Movement aims not only to make sure that Omid Reza is remembered, but also that other persecuted bloggers around the world do not disappear into interrogation rooms and prison cells. The March 18 Movement would like to become a voice for bloggers everywhere who are in risk of being crushed under the heavy machinery of repression.
Friday, May 22, 2009
delusional grits?
The grits seem to believe they will quintuple their donor base and donations in one year. I find this highly amusing. That would mean the grits would have to out raise the Tory fundraising juggernaut that raised $21 million last year. All this during a recession. we heard that this was going to hapen last year as well. The grit victory fund has been a bust. The grits have yet to buy the tracking software needed for this kind of project and would have to take out more loans to try and even begin such an undertaking. This sounds very much like more delusional grit dreaming. After all the grits don't have Senator Gerstein.
The resolution must be endorsed by the Liberals’ Council of the Presidents, which comprises riding-association presidents from more than 300 ridings across the country. Apps has convened a conference call for that purpose on May 28, next Thursday.
The fundraising plan is extraordinarily ambitious. The Liberals would seek, within a year, to nearly quintuple the party’s revenues from private donations over the 2008 level. The new goal: an annual war chest of $25 million, built on a massively increased pool of donors who, in most cases, agree to give at least annually, and often several times per year. Three mechanisms will be used for this objective:Membership in the Laurier Club, which is for people who contribute the maximum of $1,100 a year to the party, would be more than tripled to 10,000 members. A Leaders’ Circle will be created, with at least one member in every community in Canada with more than 50,000 people, to sign up new Laurier Club members.
The Victory Fund, a more broad-based group of Liberal supporters who authorize monthly donations of $10, would get a major push with the goal of an eight-fold increase to 25,000 members within a year.
Finally, the party would “make use of direct mail, telemarketing and established online/social media techniques to reach out to the millions of actual and potential Liberal supporters and sympathizers across Canada,” with the goal of raising $10,000,000 a year in small, one-off donatio
The resolution must be endorsed by the Liberals’ Council of the Presidents, which comprises riding-association presidents from more than 300 ridings across the country. Apps has convened a conference call for that purpose on May 28, next Thursday.
The fundraising plan is extraordinarily ambitious. The Liberals would seek, within a year, to nearly quintuple the party’s revenues from private donations over the 2008 level. The new goal: an annual war chest of $25 million, built on a massively increased pool of donors who, in most cases, agree to give at least annually, and often several times per year. Three mechanisms will be used for this objective:Membership in the Laurier Club, which is for people who contribute the maximum of $1,100 a year to the party, would be more than tripled to 10,000 members. A Leaders’ Circle will be created, with at least one member in every community in Canada with more than 50,000 people, to sign up new Laurier Club members.
The Victory Fund, a more broad-based group of Liberal supporters who authorize monthly donations of $10, would get a major push with the goal of an eight-fold increase to 25,000 members within a year.
Finally, the party would “make use of direct mail, telemarketing and established online/social media techniques to reach out to the millions of actual and potential Liberal supporters and sympathizers across Canada,” with the goal of raising $10,000,000 a year in small, one-off donatio
Charles Krauthammer on President Bush and obamessiah
obamessiah has almost fully adopted President Bush's security agenda. That's good, it will keep America safer. Dr Krauthammer points out how obamessiah manages to criticize President Bush and still adopt his policies
The latest flip-flop is the restoration of military tribunals. During the 2008 campaign, Obama denounced them repeatedly, calling them an "enormous failure." Obama suspended them upon his swearing in. Now they're back.
Of course, Obama will never admit in word what he's doing in deed. As in his rhetorically brilliant national-security speech on Thursday claiming to have undone Bush's moral travesties, the military commissions flip-flop is accompanied by the usual Obama three-step: (a) excoriate the Bush policy, (b) ostentatiously unveil cosmetic changes, (c) adopt the Bush policy.
The latest flip-flop is the restoration of military tribunals. During the 2008 campaign, Obama denounced them repeatedly, calling them an "enormous failure." Obama suspended them upon his swearing in. Now they're back.
Of course, Obama will never admit in word what he's doing in deed. As in his rhetorically brilliant national-security speech on Thursday claiming to have undone Bush's moral travesties, the military commissions flip-flop is accompanied by the usual Obama three-step: (a) excoriate the Bush policy, (b) ostentatiously unveil cosmetic changes, (c) adopt the Bush policy.
global warming and science
An excellent article from an unlikely source. (h/t)
"Global Warming may..."; The scientific status of Global Warming.
by Common Cents
First let's get a disclaimer here that I hope everyone reads and allows to soak in. To say something is scientific is not to say that it is true or false. I repeat, being scientific has nothing to do with being true or false. 2=2=4 is not scientific, but it is true.
Here are the standards that any scientific theory must meet. It must first be testable and second it must be falsifiable.
Testability is important because it will root the theory in the natural world. We can't test supernatural hypotheses. Falsifiability is the check on the power of testability. For instance, if an astrologer predicts that "you will meet someone interesting today" that is not falsifiable, but it is testable.
So a theory must be testable, i.e. in the natural world, and falsifiable, i.e. it must make predictions that can possibly be falsified in the experiments.
Can Global Warming meet that criteria? If not, then to call it science is wrong or to seek to change the definition of what counts as science.
"Global Warming may..."; The scientific status of Global Warming.
by Common Cents
First let's get a disclaimer here that I hope everyone reads and allows to soak in. To say something is scientific is not to say that it is true or false. I repeat, being scientific has nothing to do with being true or false. 2=2=4 is not scientific, but it is true.
Here are the standards that any scientific theory must meet. It must first be testable and second it must be falsifiable.
Testability is important because it will root the theory in the natural world. We can't test supernatural hypotheses. Falsifiability is the check on the power of testability. For instance, if an astrologer predicts that "you will meet someone interesting today" that is not falsifiable, but it is testable.
So a theory must be testable, i.e. in the natural world, and falsifiable, i.e. it must make predictions that can possibly be falsified in the experiments.
Can Global Warming meet that criteria? If not, then to call it science is wrong or to seek to change the definition of what counts as science.
Maxime Bernier's new Blog
I am a great admirer of Maxime Bernier. He is a true believer in economic and personal freedom. When I spoke to him a few days ago he told me he was starting a new blog. He introduced me to his venerable dad. We also discussed a flat tax.
I want Maxime back in cabinet. He should have an economic portfolio. I look forward to reading Maxime's blog. You should too. I hope he will join the Blogging Tories!
I want Maxime back in cabinet. He should have an economic portfolio. I look forward to reading Maxime's blog. You should too. I hope he will join the Blogging Tories!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
More problems for the NYT
Their credit rating is cut even further. So the credibility of their finances and their reporting are heading in the same direction: right down the drain.
S&P cuts New York Times rating deeper into junk status
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Thursday cut its rating on the New York Times Co (NYT.N) deeper into junk status, citing rising leverage in the midst of a newspaper industry slump.
A drop in ad revenue aggravated by the long U.S. recession will likely lead to a spike in leverage at the Times by 2010, S&P said in a statement. The rating agency said it expects the economy to begin to recover late this year, but there is significant uncertainty about when the newspaper ad slump will begin to heal.
S&P cuts New York Times rating deeper into junk status
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Thursday cut its rating on the New York Times Co (NYT.N) deeper into junk status, citing rising leverage in the midst of a newspaper industry slump.
A drop in ad revenue aggravated by the long U.S. recession will likely lead to a spike in leverage at the Times by 2010, S&P said in a statement. The rating agency said it expects the economy to begin to recover late this year, but there is significant uncertainty about when the newspaper ad slump will begin to heal.
Dependency and the the first nations.
An interesting piece from my friend James Wilson on the government and Aboriginal people
James B. Wilson
Director of Education
Opaskwayak Educational Authority Inc.
Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Dependency in First Nations Affairs: Conservatives cannot hide from this social crisis.
My children's great great grandfather, Elder James "Jimmy" Spence used to say, "The best way to ruin people is to give them everything."
Michael Ignatieff's Liberal party has signalled that, if returned to power, it would resurrect the Kelowna Accord as a means to improve life for Canada's First Nations people. That would be a mistake. The accord, a Liberal showpiece that had no objectives, measures or indicators attached to it, was a media-driven exercise in line with traditional big government responses that failed miserably to address the social crisis Canada must confront on its reserves. Big government responses don't work because they deny individuals the chance to pull themselves out of a dependency that has been wrought upon native communities by years of forced colonization and assimilation.
Contrary to popular liberal rhetoric, one cannot mandate restorative justice and cannot legislate prosperity. Colonization, patronizing promises and smothering assimilation policies by successive Canadian governments stand as a testimony of continuous social injustice toward First Nations people.
After the dismal track record of successive Liberal Canadian governments toward First Nations peoples it is time conservatives stand and face this chronic social crisis; it may be our only long term hope for equality. Can a conservative response to a social crisis lead to greater equity and justice for First Nations people in Canada? Absolutely, but those crises must be met head on rather than hiding and hoping that they go away.
What hasn't worked? Big government responses that deny individual agency have failed miserably - residential schools are one glaring example. As are media driven events that favour show over substance, such as the Kelowna Accord. What has worked in the past are small government approaches that enable and encourage individual and collective agency. Such policy gives First Nations people access to equal opportunity - the same access as mainstream Canadians.
Canada's First Nations are plagued with the societal indicators of a culture brutalized by colonization and forced assimilation. Historical policies denying individual and community agency have led to self-victimization and despairing cycles of dependency. However, many communities have "seen the future by wiping the tears from their eyes," and embraced individual and collective agency through conservative approaches such as free markets, property rights, economic development and strong accountable governance structures. They have broken from the cycle of dependency and flourished, emerging as strong healthy and vibrant. They have overcome the social crisis and have forged a new trail for those in struggling Reserve communities.
A conservative approach to creating social equality entails creating equal opportunity for groups like Canada's First Nations, not the forced equality bantered about in the past. For the government, that means creating supportive systems that will level the playing field so that First Nations people can climb out of crisis and into prosperity.
The first policy that can enable equal opportunity is one that addresses property rights and home ownership. Currently in Canada, in order to own a house on reserve, banks need a guarantee from a mortgagee's Chief and Council (regardless of their credit rating). Since this policy results in the vast majority of property and homes on Canadian reserves not being privately owned, there is no long term wealth creation. Reserve economies have become largely cash based. A conservative approach supports home ownership and property rights, thereby creating the building blocks for a viable economy on reserve.
Again, to create equal opportunity conservatives need to find situations where there is unequal opportunity and work to eliminate the variance.
First Nations schooling across Canada is a second clear example. Schools on reserve operate on roughly 30-40% less funding per student than their provincial counterparts and are more often located in remote locations where distance increases costs and lower socio-economic factors further impede learning. The inequity results in lower academic achievement, lower graduation rates, overcrowding and less access to post-secondary opportunities. As level of education is the most substantial indicator of future employment and income, it would seem self-evident that providing equality in funding of education to First Nations students will result in an equalizing of economic opportunity.
Conservatives must meet the social justice issues of First Nations people head on if they wish to demonstrate that their approach is in fact the best way to achieve long term justice, freedom and independence in society.
Failing to act, for fear of being labelled either politically correct or racist will not help. Providing equality in opportunity will allow First Nations people to assert agency in their lives, and get over the vicious cycle of colonization and dependency.
James B. Wilson
Director of Education
Opaskwayak Educational Authority Inc.
Opaskwayak Cree Nation
Dependency in First Nations Affairs: Conservatives cannot hide from this social crisis.
My children's great great grandfather, Elder James "Jimmy" Spence used to say, "The best way to ruin people is to give them everything."
Michael Ignatieff's Liberal party has signalled that, if returned to power, it would resurrect the Kelowna Accord as a means to improve life for Canada's First Nations people. That would be a mistake. The accord, a Liberal showpiece that had no objectives, measures or indicators attached to it, was a media-driven exercise in line with traditional big government responses that failed miserably to address the social crisis Canada must confront on its reserves. Big government responses don't work because they deny individuals the chance to pull themselves out of a dependency that has been wrought upon native communities by years of forced colonization and assimilation.
Contrary to popular liberal rhetoric, one cannot mandate restorative justice and cannot legislate prosperity. Colonization, patronizing promises and smothering assimilation policies by successive Canadian governments stand as a testimony of continuous social injustice toward First Nations people.
After the dismal track record of successive Liberal Canadian governments toward First Nations peoples it is time conservatives stand and face this chronic social crisis; it may be our only long term hope for equality. Can a conservative response to a social crisis lead to greater equity and justice for First Nations people in Canada? Absolutely, but those crises must be met head on rather than hiding and hoping that they go away.
What hasn't worked? Big government responses that deny individual agency have failed miserably - residential schools are one glaring example. As are media driven events that favour show over substance, such as the Kelowna Accord. What has worked in the past are small government approaches that enable and encourage individual and collective agency. Such policy gives First Nations people access to equal opportunity - the same access as mainstream Canadians.
Canada's First Nations are plagued with the societal indicators of a culture brutalized by colonization and forced assimilation. Historical policies denying individual and community agency have led to self-victimization and despairing cycles of dependency. However, many communities have "seen the future by wiping the tears from their eyes," and embraced individual and collective agency through conservative approaches such as free markets, property rights, economic development and strong accountable governance structures. They have broken from the cycle of dependency and flourished, emerging as strong healthy and vibrant. They have overcome the social crisis and have forged a new trail for those in struggling Reserve communities.
A conservative approach to creating social equality entails creating equal opportunity for groups like Canada's First Nations, not the forced equality bantered about in the past. For the government, that means creating supportive systems that will level the playing field so that First Nations people can climb out of crisis and into prosperity.
The first policy that can enable equal opportunity is one that addresses property rights and home ownership. Currently in Canada, in order to own a house on reserve, banks need a guarantee from a mortgagee's Chief and Council (regardless of their credit rating). Since this policy results in the vast majority of property and homes on Canadian reserves not being privately owned, there is no long term wealth creation. Reserve economies have become largely cash based. A conservative approach supports home ownership and property rights, thereby creating the building blocks for a viable economy on reserve.
Again, to create equal opportunity conservatives need to find situations where there is unequal opportunity and work to eliminate the variance.
First Nations schooling across Canada is a second clear example. Schools on reserve operate on roughly 30-40% less funding per student than their provincial counterparts and are more often located in remote locations where distance increases costs and lower socio-economic factors further impede learning. The inequity results in lower academic achievement, lower graduation rates, overcrowding and less access to post-secondary opportunities. As level of education is the most substantial indicator of future employment and income, it would seem self-evident that providing equality in funding of education to First Nations students will result in an equalizing of economic opportunity.
Conservatives must meet the social justice issues of First Nations people head on if they wish to demonstrate that their approach is in fact the best way to achieve long term justice, freedom and independence in society.
Failing to act, for fear of being labelled either politically correct or racist will not help. Providing equality in opportunity will allow First Nations people to assert agency in their lives, and get over the vicious cycle of colonization and dependency.
California
Californians have voted overwhelming against new spending and tax measures. The voters have sent the message to GOP Governor Schwartzenegger: cut spending!! The teachers union actually thought they could increase spending for education.
California is teetering on the edge of insolvency. Drastic cuts in services will be needed to fix the problem. Arnold does not seem to be part of the solution. Arnold has been co opted by the lefties. I wonder if obamessiah is listening.
The results are finalized in California, and taxpayers finally took a stand. Propositions 1A through 1E were soundly defeated last night. Here’s a rundown:
— Proposition 1A would have been the most damaging to taxpayers, as it would extend tax hikes on sales, income, and vehicles for two years, to the tune of $16 billion. It was disguised as a spending cap, but that cap was weak. Voters sniffed out the tax hikes and overwhelmingly opposed them 66-34.
— Proposition 1B didn’t fare much better, as it was rejected by a 62.5 to 37.5 vote. This measure was Gov. Schwarzenegger’s bow to the all-powerful teachers unions. It would have thrown an addition $9.3 billion toward education. It hoped to draw that money from the rainy day fund 1A would have established (so much for a spending cap). Thankfully for taxpayers, both measures were defeated.
— Proposition 1C would have allowed the state to borrow against future lottery revenues, about $5 billion. You have to give state government credit for creativity — they’re tops when it comes to new and innovative budget gimmicks that ignore the reality that they consistently spend outside their means. Voters recognized that Prop 1C ignored this fundamental reality and rejected it 65-35.
— Proposition 1D would have shifted almost $2 billion from the California Children and Families Program into the general fund to close the budget gap. This is more budgetary maneuvering that would have left taxpayers on the hook when the program’s funding was inevitably restored. It lost 66-34.
— Proposition 1E failed by the same 66-34. Like Prop 1D, it would have diverted funds from elsewhere in the budget to shore up general-fund overspending (about $230 million annually from Proposition 63 — a tax on the rich).
— Proposition 1F was the only measure to pass. It imposed a weak limit on pay raises for legislators, theoretically disallowing them during budget deficit years. Regardless of its actual teeth, the results show true populist outrage in California: The measure passed by a resounding 74-26.
More from Glen Beck.
California is teetering on the edge of insolvency. Drastic cuts in services will be needed to fix the problem. Arnold does not seem to be part of the solution. Arnold has been co opted by the lefties. I wonder if obamessiah is listening.
The results are finalized in California, and taxpayers finally took a stand. Propositions 1A through 1E were soundly defeated last night. Here’s a rundown:
— Proposition 1A would have been the most damaging to taxpayers, as it would extend tax hikes on sales, income, and vehicles for two years, to the tune of $16 billion. It was disguised as a spending cap, but that cap was weak. Voters sniffed out the tax hikes and overwhelmingly opposed them 66-34.
— Proposition 1B didn’t fare much better, as it was rejected by a 62.5 to 37.5 vote. This measure was Gov. Schwarzenegger’s bow to the all-powerful teachers unions. It would have thrown an addition $9.3 billion toward education. It hoped to draw that money from the rainy day fund 1A would have established (so much for a spending cap). Thankfully for taxpayers, both measures were defeated.
— Proposition 1C would have allowed the state to borrow against future lottery revenues, about $5 billion. You have to give state government credit for creativity — they’re tops when it comes to new and innovative budget gimmicks that ignore the reality that they consistently spend outside their means. Voters recognized that Prop 1C ignored this fundamental reality and rejected it 65-35.
— Proposition 1D would have shifted almost $2 billion from the California Children and Families Program into the general fund to close the budget gap. This is more budgetary maneuvering that would have left taxpayers on the hook when the program’s funding was inevitably restored. It lost 66-34.
— Proposition 1E failed by the same 66-34. Like Prop 1D, it would have diverted funds from elsewhere in the budget to shore up general-fund overspending (about $230 million annually from Proposition 63 — a tax on the rich).
— Proposition 1F was the only measure to pass. It imposed a weak limit on pay raises for legislators, theoretically disallowing them during budget deficit years. Regardless of its actual teeth, the results show true populist outrage in California: The measure passed by a resounding 74-26.
More from Glen Beck.
And from Newt Gingrich.
Terence Corcoran on obamessiah and the dems latest...
job and economy killers. I don't think the Waxman Markey bill will become law, but God help the US and Canada if it does. I will be attending a climate realist conference in Washington next month. Hopefully many legislators will be there and will learn the truth about the global warming scam.
Terence Corcoran: Capped, traded and scammed by fake markets
Posted: May 20, 2009, 8:03 PM by NP Editor
Terence Corcoran, carbon trading
The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill is worse than the Obama fuel standard
By Terence Corcoran
Not that we needed proof that the ideology of market mechanisms and carbon taxes as a cure to environmental problems is a total sham. We now have enough evidence to convict the perpetrators for first degree economic policy fraud. The evidence mounts around the world, but now mostly in the United States of America, where President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress are on the brink of burying real markets in energy and automobiles under the biggest command-and-control economic experiments since the great totalitarian regimes of the 20th century.
First we have President Obama’s fuel-efficiency standards, in which he dictates that passenger-car fleets must average 35 miles per gallon by 2016, up from 25 today. It’s the auto tech equivalent of flying to the moon. To get there, the government inevitably will have to force automakers, energy suppliers and car buyers to do what they are t
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tory Rally in Quebec
Senator Housako
MP Steven Blaney
I just got home from an amazing rally in Montreal at the Grand Salon of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. The Tories had 2300 enthusiatic Tories greeting HM Stephen Harper and many of the cabinet including HM Ministers Josee Vermier, Christian Paradis, James Moore and Jim Prentice. Maxime Bernier was there and he introduced me to his venerable dad who was also in attendance. Many Tory senators were there including Senator Eaton, Senator Gerstein, Senator Champagne and Senator Brazeau. I had a chance to talk to Senator Brazeau. I complimented him on his speech(which I posted this afternoon).
The crowd was boisterous and very happy to see HM PM. I will post the speech when it is posted on the PM's website. HM Pm listed many of the party's accomplishment and stated that he and the party believe that open federalism was still where the Tories stood. He denounced the accidental tourist and the bloq. He brought up the bloq basically not supporting a bill against child trafficking. He said the Tories didn't want an election, but the Tories are ready.He spoke of a strong and prosperous Quebec nation in the center of a united prosperous Canada.
I got yet another photo with HM PM and Laureen Harper( I'll post it later).
It was wonderful to see such a huge Tory crowd in Montreal. It also increased the coffers of the party, which is always good.
The new Tory Quebec lieutenant and his team are doing a good job rebuilding Tory roots in Quebec, a theme of the evening.
I hope we have many more rallies and really engage the people of Quebec. we need to rebuild and the ground and this event tells me the party is serious about doing just that. Senator Leo Housakos is great he turned this small cocktail party into a massive rally.
Here is an MSM account.
A Gift for Our Sovereign Lady
The Queen has been presented a horse by the RCMP. It is the fourth such gift to HM.
The Queen came forward and was presented with the horse by RCMP Commissioner William Elliott.
Canadian-born actor Leslie Nielsen — whose father was a member of the RCMP — narrated a two-minute video that included still images and video of the past presentation to the Queen of the other three RCMP horses.
RCMP Supt. Greg Peters said George, a nine-year-old black gelding, is the best of the horses from the RCMP's Musical Ride.
The police service horse turns nine on Monday — Victoria Day — stands 17 hands high and weighs 624 kilograms.
The Canadian police force gave the Queen a horse named Burmese in 1969, and George is related to Burmese through his bloodlines.
More Daniel Hannan
Hannity interviews Hannan and notes the similarities between obamessiah and Gordon Brown.
The Honourable Senator Brazeau
A great appointment to the upper house by HM PM Stephen Harper.
The Liberal Party of Canada
Hon. Patrick Brazeau: Honourable senators, last week in Vancouver, delegates from the Liberal Party of Canada met to confirm their third leader in almost six years. I am sure many in this chamber will agree that most Liberals did not have much of an opportunity to make this choice through elective means.
I was appalled when Paul Martin, in paying tribute to his successor, took credit for our government's rendering of last year's residential school apology. Perhaps I missed something, but was there not 13 years of Liberal rule in which this noble endeavour could have been achieved if the Liberal government had wanted to?
As for the notion of abandoning efforts at policy reform, this area is one where Mr. Martin deserves full marks for a most remarkable retreat from a progressive undertaking — we will talk about that subject later.
Under the leadership of his predecessor, his own party in a majority Liberal government had introduced legislation that sought to overhaul governance on reserves in an incremental fashion, and to bring greater accountability to First Nations citizens. Unfortunately, Paul Martin himself scrapped the measure.
[Translation]
Honourable senators, simply saying anything, depending on where you are or who you are speaking to, is not effective governance. That is not leadership. Real leadership means dealing with difficult issues without hesitation.
The Liberal Party now has a new leader. We are all wondering how that leader and his party will be defined in terms of policy and actions, because currently they have no policies.
[English]
In a meeting with him in his office last year, the new Liberal leader told me to be careful with whom I was keeping company on Parliament Hill. Well, I did not listen.
The Liberal leader has a lot to explain to Canadians and to Quebecers. It seems abundantly evident that depending on where he is and to which audience he is speaking, he will say anything, anywhere to anyone to obtain a vote. On the issue of policy, perhaps Mr. Ignatieff's strategy is this: Do nothing, say anything and hope that poll numbers sustain.
I was pleased to read that Mr. Ignatieff praised even former Prime Minister Mulroney. This praise is laudable, or perhaps it is because he was out of the country for 36 years and does not realize that Mr. Mulroney was a Tory.
Honourable senators, real leadership is about being tested and challenged and being upfront about sharing with the public what one stands for. Mr. Ignatieff has been the de facto Liberal leader for four months. He has not been tested, he has not been challenged, and he has not shared with Canadians exactly what he stands for.
[Translation]
Honourable senators, that is a fact. Our Prime Minister and our government are not about lofty rhetoric, hidden agendas or false promises.
[English]
We continue to offer real help, real hope and real promise for Canadians of all ages, colours and creeds from coast to coast to coast.
The Liberal Party of Canada
Hon. Patrick Brazeau: Honourable senators, last week in Vancouver, delegates from the Liberal Party of Canada met to confirm their third leader in almost six years. I am sure many in this chamber will agree that most Liberals did not have much of an opportunity to make this choice through elective means.
I was appalled when Paul Martin, in paying tribute to his successor, took credit for our government's rendering of last year's residential school apology. Perhaps I missed something, but was there not 13 years of Liberal rule in which this noble endeavour could have been achieved if the Liberal government had wanted to?
As for the notion of abandoning efforts at policy reform, this area is one where Mr. Martin deserves full marks for a most remarkable retreat from a progressive undertaking — we will talk about that subject later.
Under the leadership of his predecessor, his own party in a majority Liberal government had introduced legislation that sought to overhaul governance on reserves in an incremental fashion, and to bring greater accountability to First Nations citizens. Unfortunately, Paul Martin himself scrapped the measure.
[Translation]
Honourable senators, simply saying anything, depending on where you are or who you are speaking to, is not effective governance. That is not leadership. Real leadership means dealing with difficult issues without hesitation.
The Liberal Party now has a new leader. We are all wondering how that leader and his party will be defined in terms of policy and actions, because currently they have no policies.
[English]
In a meeting with him in his office last year, the new Liberal leader told me to be careful with whom I was keeping company on Parliament Hill. Well, I did not listen.
The Liberal leader has a lot to explain to Canadians and to Quebecers. It seems abundantly evident that depending on where he is and to which audience he is speaking, he will say anything, anywhere to anyone to obtain a vote. On the issue of policy, perhaps Mr. Ignatieff's strategy is this: Do nothing, say anything and hope that poll numbers sustain.
I was pleased to read that Mr. Ignatieff praised even former Prime Minister Mulroney. This praise is laudable, or perhaps it is because he was out of the country for 36 years and does not realize that Mr. Mulroney was a Tory.
Honourable senators, real leadership is about being tested and challenged and being upfront about sharing with the public what one stands for. Mr. Ignatieff has been the de facto Liberal leader for four months. He has not been tested, he has not been challenged, and he has not shared with Canadians exactly what he stands for.
[Translation]
Honourable senators, that is a fact. Our Prime Minister and our government are not about lofty rhetoric, hidden agendas or false promises.
[English]
We continue to offer real help, real hope and real promise for Canadians of all ages, colours and creeds from coast to coast to coast.
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