Would you rather have lunch with margaret atwood ( yuck) or Doug Ford? My friends at the Toronto Taxpayers Federation are having a contest. I even entered. Tell people why Toronto should have lower taxes. Enter here.
If you had to pick, would it be a meal with Margaret Atwood or a lunch date with Doug Ford?
You have a chance at both thanks to duelling essay contests being hosted by Toronto’s library union and now the Toronto Taxpayers Coalition.
Hoping to drum up support against deep cuts, the Toronto Public Library Workers Union last week unveiled the “Why My Library Matters to Me” essay contest. The prize: quality time with Margaret Atwood or one of 10 other notable Canadian authors.
Not to be outdone, the coalition, a right-wing advocacy group, launched a mirror-image essay challenge, complete with its own roster of prize right-wing celebrity dates.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
libby for dipper leader!!
Showing her amazing political smarts, libby davies proposed to allow recently arrived immigrants full pensions. She was obviously schooled by that other giant of political thought ruby dhalla. The party must have had a quick chat with the genius libby and voaila, the motion is withdrawn. libby needs to be leader so her amazing politics can go forward without reality interfering. Life is but a dream for the dippers.
The federal NDP has moved quickly to sweep a controversial motion by one of its possible leadership contenders out of the public eye.
Vancouver MP Libby Davies tabled a motion in the House of Commons in June calling for the elimination of the 10-year residency period to qualify for Old Age Security (OAS) benefits.
That would've opened up the program to new immigrants who'd barely contributed to the program through their taxes.
One day after a QMI Agency report, NDP pension critic Wayne Marston confirmed it would be withdrawn because Davies introduced it "in error."
"How the whole thing has occurred seems to be off track," Marston said.
He suggested Davies' office was confused about reviving private member's bills sponsored by MPs defeated in May's federal election.
Former Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla had introduced a bill in 2009 to reduce the residency period from 10 years to three to qualify for OAS.
While the NDP supported that failed bill, Marston says things are different now.
"There's nothing in the works at this point to do this at all," he explained.
Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro still slammed the NDP.
"This is a clear example that the NDP is not fit to govern," he said in Toronto.
The federal NDP has moved quickly to sweep a controversial motion by one of its possible leadership contenders out of the public eye.
Vancouver MP Libby Davies tabled a motion in the House of Commons in June calling for the elimination of the 10-year residency period to qualify for Old Age Security (OAS) benefits.
That would've opened up the program to new immigrants who'd barely contributed to the program through their taxes.
One day after a QMI Agency report, NDP pension critic Wayne Marston confirmed it would be withdrawn because Davies introduced it "in error."
"How the whole thing has occurred seems to be off track," Marston said.
He suggested Davies' office was confused about reviving private member's bills sponsored by MPs defeated in May's federal election.
Former Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla had introduced a bill in 2009 to reduce the residency period from 10 years to three to qualify for OAS.
While the NDP supported that failed bill, Marston says things are different now.
"There's nothing in the works at this point to do this at all," he explained.
Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro still slammed the NDP.
"This is a clear example that the NDP is not fit to govern," he said in Toronto.
Even some at the Washington Post get it
A great article by Robert Samuelson. Even bo can't be dense enough not to approve the ethical oil pipeline!
When it comes to energy, America is lucky to be next to Canada, whose proven oil reserves are estimated by Oil and Gas Journal at 175 billion barrels. This ranks just behind Saudi Arabia (260 billion) and Venezuela (211 billion) and ahead of Iran (137 billion) and Iraq (115 billion). True, about 97 percent of Canada’s reserves consist of Alberta’s controversial oil sands, but new technologies and high oil prices have made them economically viable. Expanded production can provide the U.S. market with a growing source of secure oil for decades.
We would be crazy to turn our back on this. In a global oil market repeatedly threatened by wars, revolutions, and natural and man-made disasters — and where government-owned oil companies control development of about three-quarters of known reserves — having dependable suppliers is no mean feat. We already import about half of our oil, and Canada is our largest supplier, with about 25 percent of imports. But its conventional fields are declining. Only oil sands can fill the gap.
Victory!!!
My friends Connie and Marc Fournier at Free Dominion have won an important case and important victory for free speech.
Free Dominion wins the Baglow case!
August 30, 2011 — xanthippa
FREE DOMINION WINS ONE!!!
YES!!!
This is most excellent news! And – most enjoyable reading…
Last month, I reported my observations and opinions (strictly personal ones) of the hearing for summary judgment in the ‘Baglow case’: here are part 1 and part 2.
Quick recap: John Baglow and ‘Peter O’Donnel’ got into a heated debate online which spanned several blogs and the Free Dominion discussion forum on the topic of Omar Khadr, his trial and whether or not supporting Omar Khadr constitutes ‘supporting the Taliban’.
John Baglow then tried to sue ‘Peter O’Donnel’ and Free Dominion for defamation: ‘Peter O’Donnel’ for what he said and Free Dominion for being the forum in which he said it. (‘Published it’ would be a more accurate term – but ‘said’ just rolls off the keyboard so much more easily!)
Today, the ruling in the case came in: the case has been dismissed....
Free Dominion wins the Baglow case!
August 30, 2011 — xanthippa
FREE DOMINION WINS ONE!!!
YES!!!
This is most excellent news! And – most enjoyable reading…
Last month, I reported my observations and opinions (strictly personal ones) of the hearing for summary judgment in the ‘Baglow case’: here are part 1 and part 2.
Quick recap: John Baglow and ‘Peter O’Donnel’ got into a heated debate online which spanned several blogs and the Free Dominion discussion forum on the topic of Omar Khadr, his trial and whether or not supporting Omar Khadr constitutes ‘supporting the Taliban’.
John Baglow then tried to sue ‘Peter O’Donnel’ and Free Dominion for defamation: ‘Peter O’Donnel’ for what he said and Free Dominion for being the forum in which he said it. (‘Published it’ would be a more accurate term – but ‘said’ just rolls off the keyboard so much more easily!)
Today, the ruling in the case came in: the case has been dismissed....
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Quebec and the Tories
I wrote yet another letter to the editor in the Montreal Gazette.
" Re: "Quebecers may have burned a political bridge" (Editorial, Aug. 27).
I found your editorial interesting. As a Tory, I can assure you that our party is not abandoning Quebec. We have had many meetings on how we can bring Quebecers into our big blue tent. The government is making every effort to represent Quebecers. It would of course be better if there were more Tory MPs in caucus, but it is also up to the Tories to win the trust of Quebecers - but not at any cost.
I am sure after witnessing how ineffective the new NDP MPs are, Quebecers will reconsider their choices in the next federal election.
Roy Eappen
Côte des Neiges
" Re: "Quebecers may have burned a political bridge" (Editorial, Aug. 27).
I found your editorial interesting. As a Tory, I can assure you that our party is not abandoning Quebec. We have had many meetings on how we can bring Quebecers into our big blue tent. The government is making every effort to represent Quebecers. It would of course be better if there were more Tory MPs in caucus, but it is also up to the Tories to win the trust of Quebecers - but not at any cost.
I am sure after witnessing how ineffective the new NDP MPs are, Quebecers will reconsider their choices in the next federal election.
Roy Eappen
Côte des Neiges
the goreacle plays the race card
the goreacle is democrat. Martin Luther King was a member of the GOP. Yet we have the goreacle calling people like me, who question his global warming hysteria, racists.
the goreacle has long ago jumped the shark. His increasing irrelevance is the reason for his ever more hysterical attacks. He and his fellow chicken littles, are losing the scientific argument and the public is on to them. The goreacle is now a joke and everyone is laughing.
One day climate change skeptics will be seen in the same negative light as racists, or so says former Vice President Al Gore.
In an interview with former advertising executive and Climate Reality Project collaborator Alex Bogusky broadcast on UStream on Friday, Gore explained that in order for climate change alarmists to succeed, they must “win the conversation” against those who deny there is a crisis.
the goreacle has long ago jumped the shark. His increasing irrelevance is the reason for his ever more hysterical attacks. He and his fellow chicken littles, are losing the scientific argument and the public is on to them. The goreacle is now a joke and everyone is laughing.
One day climate change skeptics will be seen in the same negative light as racists, or so says former Vice President Al Gore.
In an interview with former advertising executive and Climate Reality Project collaborator Alex Bogusky broadcast on UStream on Friday, Gore explained that in order for climate change alarmists to succeed, they must “win the conversation” against those who deny there is a crisis.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Privatizing the CBC
an excellent article from my friends at the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies. You should attend their conference on unions in Toronto next week.
I'm sure Rex bond find a better job elsewhere.
A Conservative government gave and a Conservative government must take away.
Lest we forget, it was a Conservative government under prime minister R.B. Bennett that created what became the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
That federal government was also the last led by the Conservative party (before it added the dreaded "Progressive" prefix to its official title) until the advent of Stephen Harper and the new Conservative party. Bennett was never known as a "progressive" in the political sense of the word. Like the current prime minister, he was an MP from Calgary and a true believer in the importance of private enterprise and individual initiative.
But if Bennett created the CBC in an apparent contradiction of his political bona fides, Stephen Harper needs to examine the CBC from both an ideological and pragmatic viewpoint - something he has been adept at doing. He must ask himself, and Canadians, why this country needs a publicly funded radio and television network.
For a conservative who believes in limited government ownership, the phenomenon of the CBC clearly violates the ideological standard. For any Canadian clinging to the CBC for Canadian content in the media, the corporation is clearly redundant in today's cable universe.
Like the proverbial child who refuses to leave the security of mom and dad's house, the CBC has shown a definite reluctance to move from state sponsorship to the real world of paying your own bills.
I'm sure Rex bond find a better job elsewhere.
A Conservative government gave and a Conservative government must take away.
Lest we forget, it was a Conservative government under prime minister R.B. Bennett that created what became the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
That federal government was also the last led by the Conservative party (before it added the dreaded "Progressive" prefix to its official title) until the advent of Stephen Harper and the new Conservative party. Bennett was never known as a "progressive" in the political sense of the word. Like the current prime minister, he was an MP from Calgary and a true believer in the importance of private enterprise and individual initiative.
But if Bennett created the CBC in an apparent contradiction of his political bona fides, Stephen Harper needs to examine the CBC from both an ideological and pragmatic viewpoint - something he has been adept at doing. He must ask himself, and Canadians, why this country needs a publicly funded radio and television network.
For a conservative who believes in limited government ownership, the phenomenon of the CBC clearly violates the ideological standard. For any Canadian clinging to the CBC for Canadian content in the media, the corporation is clearly redundant in today's cable universe.
Like the proverbial child who refuses to leave the security of mom and dad's house, the CBC has shown a definite reluctance to move from state sponsorship to the real world of paying your own bills.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Burned Bridges and Quebec
An interesting editorial in the Montreal Gazette. I think it is good that the federal government doesn't spend all of its time pandering to Quebec. Quebeckers need to reengage with Canada. It is also up to the Tory party to bring Quebec back into the Big Blue Tent.
Quebecers may have burned a political bridge
THE GAZETTE AUGUST 27, 2011
On May 2, Canada went to the polls. Quebec went wholeheartedly New Democratic Party. The rest of the country voted into power a majority Conservative government.
Like people everywhere, Quebecers voted the way they did because they believed it served their interests.
But there is inevitably a danger in staying on the fringes of power, and now that risk seems to be slowly taking shape.
Nearly four months after Quebec helped the NDP to a record number of seats in Parliament - 103 - this province does not seem to be enjoying any favours from the Harper government. Instead: It looks like the Champlain Bridge, a feder-al responsibility, might be left to Quebec and Montreal to patch together for as long as they can.
Quebecers may have burned a political bridge
THE GAZETTE AUGUST 27, 2011
On May 2, Canada went to the polls. Quebec went wholeheartedly New Democratic Party. The rest of the country voted into power a majority Conservative government.
Like people everywhere, Quebecers voted the way they did because they believed it served their interests.
But there is inevitably a danger in staying on the fringes of power, and now that risk seems to be slowly taking shape.
Nearly four months after Quebec helped the NDP to a record number of seats in Parliament - 103 - this province does not seem to be enjoying any favours from the Harper government. Instead: It looks like the Champlain Bridge, a feder-al responsibility, might be left to Quebec and Montreal to patch together for as long as they can.
Accomadation?
This is pretty ridiculous. I guess next you can get your degree out of a cracker jack box. If I were an alumni from the university of manitoba, I would be pretty angry.
The University of Manitoba said it is reviewing its policy on how to accommodate students with disabilities despite winning a victory in court this week over a controversial decision to grant a PhD to a student who failed his courses due to “extreme exam anxiety.”
Gábor Lukács, a former child math prodigy who started university at age 12 and was a professor by age 24, sued the university over its decision to grant the student, identified only in court documents as A.Z., a PhD in math although he had twice failed his comprehensive exams and was missing a graduate course.
Thursday, Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Deborah McCawley rejected Mr. Lukács request that the court intervene and rescind the degree, saying he didn’t have standing to take the case to court.
The university had defended its decision, saying it was legally required to accommodate a student’s disability, in this case, exam anxiety.
The University of Manitoba said it is reviewing its policy on how to accommodate students with disabilities despite winning a victory in court this week over a controversial decision to grant a PhD to a student who failed his courses due to “extreme exam anxiety.”
Gábor Lukács, a former child math prodigy who started university at age 12 and was a professor by age 24, sued the university over its decision to grant the student, identified only in court documents as A.Z., a PhD in math although he had twice failed his comprehensive exams and was missing a graduate course.
Thursday, Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Deborah McCawley rejected Mr. Lukács request that the court intervene and rescind the degree, saying he didn’t have standing to take the case to court.
The university had defended its decision, saying it was legally required to accommodate a student’s disability, in this case, exam anxiety.
Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition
My friend James Bowden has written a wonderful piece on a vital part of our parliamentary system. The role Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition is vital. James explains the origins of this part of our system and why loyalty is essential in this role. Loyalty to the Crown is loyalty to Canada. The Crown is the living embodiment of Canada.
I contend that the Bloc Quebecois should never have taken on the role or title of “Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition” in the 35th Parliament simply because it became the second largest party with 54 seats, compared to the Reform Party’s 52. This is not an argument against the presence of the Bloc quebecois in parliament (they were duly elected representatives), but a rebuke of the parliamentary injustice that allowed such a party to become Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition during the 35th Parliament. I base this argument on an interpretation of both British and Canadian sources, because the Canadian traditions developed directly from its British tradition, and on the nature of convention. I refuse to elevate the custom to that the party with the second largest number of seats becomes the Official Opposition to a constitutional convention. Certainly, the presence of an Official Opposition is a constitutional requirement and practical necessity in order that parliament effectively hold the government to account – but the presence of such a function is distinct from the determination of which party takes on the role. I will also examine Speaker Gilles Parent’s ruling from 1996 (the second session of the 35th Parliament) on the status of the Official Opposition and point out some bizarre inconsistencies and mistakes therein.
I contend that the Bloc Quebecois should never have taken on the role or title of “Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition” in the 35th Parliament simply because it became the second largest party with 54 seats, compared to the Reform Party’s 52. This is not an argument against the presence of the Bloc quebecois in parliament (they were duly elected representatives), but a rebuke of the parliamentary injustice that allowed such a party to become Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition during the 35th Parliament. I base this argument on an interpretation of both British and Canadian sources, because the Canadian traditions developed directly from its British tradition, and on the nature of convention. I refuse to elevate the custom to that the party with the second largest number of seats becomes the Official Opposition to a constitutional convention. Certainly, the presence of an Official Opposition is a constitutional requirement and practical necessity in order that parliament effectively hold the government to account – but the presence of such a function is distinct from the determination of which party takes on the role. I will also examine Speaker Gilles Parent’s ruling from 1996 (the second session of the 35th Parliament) on the status of the Official Opposition and point out some bizarre inconsistencies and mistakes therein.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Life is but a dream
Robert Fulford has a great piece in the NP about the dream like state of HM Loyal Opposition. Who knew that being a dipper led you to Hindu mysticism.
Jack Layton led the NDP more successfully than anyone else but what he led was as much a fantasy as a political party. Over five decades, under half a dozen different leaders, the NDP has evolved into a dream, a means of escape from ordinary life for those who feel the need of it. Layton's successor will be required to embrace an elaborate and much-loved fiction.
The way it's worked out, the central function of the NDP is to help members and supporters pretend that they are not living in a society built on capitalism. Democratic socialism is a fairy tale that they tell themselves as consolation for having to exist in a distressingly grubby, money-driven world. New Democrats don't like business, even if they happen to work for corporations. They know and have always known that the profit motive is not a good thing. Many of them are prosperous, many take pride in their expensive houses, exotic vacations and pensions administered on Bay Street. Some have inherited large sums of money. Even so, they don't care to be reminded that corporations make the comfort and convenience of their lives possible. They love their electronic devices but they don't wish to dwell on the fact that computers and iPads exist (and reach us at low prices) because of the burning desire to maximize profit. The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), out of which the NDP grew in 1961, stated its principles as the Regina Manifesto of 1933. It advocated many ideas still dear to Canadians but made one point absolutely explicit: "No CCF Government will rest content until it has eradicated capitalism."
Jack Layton led the NDP more successfully than anyone else but what he led was as much a fantasy as a political party. Over five decades, under half a dozen different leaders, the NDP has evolved into a dream, a means of escape from ordinary life for those who feel the need of it. Layton's successor will be required to embrace an elaborate and much-loved fiction.
The way it's worked out, the central function of the NDP is to help members and supporters pretend that they are not living in a society built on capitalism. Democratic socialism is a fairy tale that they tell themselves as consolation for having to exist in a distressingly grubby, money-driven world. New Democrats don't like business, even if they happen to work for corporations. They know and have always known that the profit motive is not a good thing. Many of them are prosperous, many take pride in their expensive houses, exotic vacations and pensions administered on Bay Street. Some have inherited large sums of money. Even so, they don't care to be reminded that corporations make the comfort and convenience of their lives possible. They love their electronic devices but they don't wish to dwell on the fact that computers and iPads exist (and reach us at low prices) because of the burning desire to maximize profit. The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), out of which the NDP grew in 1961, stated its principles as the Regina Manifesto of 1933. It advocated many ideas still dear to Canadians but made one point absolutely explicit: "No CCF Government will rest content until it has eradicated capitalism."
Salim Mansur: More freedom may save the west!
A great column on how to save the west. It is time to lessen the myraiad of ways the state lessens our freedoms.
If the decay of the West increasingly exposed since 9-11 is ever reversed, it will be as a result of the self-corrective tools of a free society.
Here, by decay I mean the layers of constraint placed by the state on individuals to think, speak and act as free people.
The constraints, as state-engineered regulations, are put in place always in the name of some good, yet the effect, intended or not, is diminution of individual freedom.
Whenever freedom based on individual rights is traded for some other good for advancing equality, fairness or some other politically correct state-directed policy, such as multiculturalism, it paradoxically enhances the power of the state over individuals.
The cumulative enhancement of state power and diminution of individual freedom eventually leads to turning an open society into a closed one. This process, as it advances, represents the decay of an open and free society.
If the decay of the West increasingly exposed since 9-11 is ever reversed, it will be as a result of the self-corrective tools of a free society.
Here, by decay I mean the layers of constraint placed by the state on individuals to think, speak and act as free people.
The constraints, as state-engineered regulations, are put in place always in the name of some good, yet the effect, intended or not, is diminution of individual freedom.
Whenever freedom based on individual rights is traded for some other good for advancing equality, fairness or some other politically correct state-directed policy, such as multiculturalism, it paradoxically enhances the power of the state over individuals.
The cumulative enhancement of state power and diminution of individual freedom eventually leads to turning an open society into a closed one. This process, as it advances, represents the decay of an open and free society.
Online trolls
I have experienced anonymous online trolls in the past, but nothing like Christie Blatchford. I liked Christies article on the over the top reaction to the death of jack layton. Apparently some did not, and objected in the most vulgar and despicable manner. I usually ignore anonymous posters, their comments would be less vulgar and hateful. Hiding behind the veil seems to empower some to be viscious and rude. This was true of certain bloggers and still is like cc and his caravan of nasties like ck et al. Christie just ignore these pathetic people. When people resort to personal attacks it generally means they have lost the argument.
'Ahhhh," my friend Mary said cheerily early one morning this week around the kitchen table where a bunch of us have coffee before our run, "CancerAids."
I'd been telling the group about the deluge of ghastly email I've been receiving about a recent column, and was in mid-description of same when Mary interrupted.
"CancerAids?" the rest of us chorused.
She explained that in the online world with which she is more intimately familiar than the rest of us (she is the hippest of the group), the term is a shorthand dismissal for a troll, a provocateur who writes simply to annoy others or is so manifestly dopey he's not worth the bother of more time-consuming abuse.
'Ahhhh," my friend Mary said cheerily early one morning this week around the kitchen table where a bunch of us have coffee before our run, "CancerAids."
I'd been telling the group about the deluge of ghastly email I've been receiving about a recent column, and was in mid-description of same when Mary interrupted.
"CancerAids?" the rest of us chorused.
She explained that in the online world with which she is more intimately familiar than the rest of us (she is the hippest of the group), the term is a shorthand dismissal for a troll, a provocateur who writes simply to annoy others or is so manifestly dopey he's not worth the bother of more time-consuming abuse.
Friday, August 26, 2011
More Experimental evidence against the hoax
The CERN experiments have shown a link to climate change to sunspots and clue cover. Once again weakening the role of CO2 as a driver of climate change. This means once again that many of the models used by the hoaxers have totally overplayed the climate sensitivity to CO2 concentrations.
The models are way too simple to explain climate and this is another nail in the coffin of the hoax.
As someone else put it. The theory of CO2 induced positive feedbacks for their doomsday warming is totally without experimental basis. The theory for sunspot-climate link is now pretty much proven beyond reasonable doubt both from the CERN work showing the mechanism and by the empirical data showing that there is a correlation. This is like comparing apples with pears. Real science with voodoo eco-political claptrap.
There is no way on earth anyone can ever again ask: “well what else could have caused it?” The only valid question is how much of the (apparent) warming is due to CO2, how much due to sunspots, and how much due to the multitude of other influences on the climate which have been similarly denied by the nutters running science at the moment.
h/t BCF
The models are way too simple to explain climate and this is another nail in the coffin of the hoax.
As someone else put it. The theory of CO2 induced positive feedbacks for their doomsday warming is totally without experimental basis. The theory for sunspot-climate link is now pretty much proven beyond reasonable doubt both from the CERN work showing the mechanism and by the empirical data showing that there is a correlation. This is like comparing apples with pears. Real science with voodoo eco-political claptrap.
There is no way on earth anyone can ever again ask: “well what else could have caused it?” The only valid question is how much of the (apparent) warming is due to CO2, how much due to sunspots, and how much due to the multitude of other influences on the climate which have been similarly denied by the nutters running science at the moment.
h/t BCF
HM Lucky PM? unlucky larry?
You can almost hear larry's gnashing of teeth and weeping and wailing.
There are times in politics when leaders don’t have to do much, when everything turns in their favour, when adversaries self-destruct, or pass away, when providence clears the path.
Lawrence Martin is the author of 10 books, including six national bestsellers. His most recent, Harperland, was nominated for the Shaughnessy Cohen award. His other works include two volumes on Jean Chrétien, two on Canada-U.S. relations and three books on hockey.
Luck is fleeting, it doesn’t happen often — unless you’re Stephen Harper. The prime minister’s case is becoming all the more extraordinary. His opponents fall with a regularity that borders on the surreal.
Before the recent federal election, it was noted that the tides of fortune often swing in Harper’s favour. What we didn’t realize was that the fates still had so many favours still to bestow. They were moving into a higher gear.
Behold what has happened since.
More gnashing from Dan Gardner and the Economist.
There are times in politics when leaders don’t have to do much, when everything turns in their favour, when adversaries self-destruct, or pass away, when providence clears the path.
Lawrence Martin is the author of 10 books, including six national bestsellers. His most recent, Harperland, was nominated for the Shaughnessy Cohen award. His other works include two volumes on Jean Chrétien, two on Canada-U.S. relations and three books on hockey.
Luck is fleeting, it doesn’t happen often — unless you’re Stephen Harper. The prime minister’s case is becoming all the more extraordinary. His opponents fall with a regularity that borders on the surreal.
Before the recent federal election, it was noted that the tides of fortune often swing in Harper’s favour. What we didn’t realize was that the fates still had so many favours still to bestow. They were moving into a higher gear.
Behold what has happened since.
More gnashing from Dan Gardner and the Economist.
pq out of touch and in free fall
The pq is in free fall in the polls. One of its members is proposing all kinds of changes to the system of government in Quebec which would make Quebec a really horrible place to live. It would mean continual referendums on separation and virtual mob rule. Most Quebeckers are tired of the endless debate on separation. drainville's proposals are hardly likely to make the pq anymore popular. Maybe drainville should quit the pq and form yet another irrelevant separatist party. Meanwhile francois legault is proposing his party last only one term. sounds like the bloc to me. Politics in my home province gets whackier by the minute.
For months, Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois has been getting an earful from her detractors, sovereigntists who accuse her of soft-pedaling the cause and behaving like an authoritarian. On Thursday, one of her purported friends weighed in, and the news was hardly better.
On a day that Ms. Marois woke to disastrous new poll results, one of her most prominent MNAs, Bernard Drainville, published his musings about what needs to change in Quebec politics. His conclusion: just about everything.
He avoided directly criticizing Ms. Marois, but he complained that the party she leads has lost its way. “Péquistes must also say a mea culpa and acknowledge that they have gradually moved away from Quebecers’ immediate and legitimate concerns,” he said. The PQ, he added, is no longer the “great reformer party” it was when it was created.
For months, Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois has been getting an earful from her detractors, sovereigntists who accuse her of soft-pedaling the cause and behaving like an authoritarian. On Thursday, one of her purported friends weighed in, and the news was hardly better.
On a day that Ms. Marois woke to disastrous new poll results, one of her most prominent MNAs, Bernard Drainville, published his musings about what needs to change in Quebec politics. His conclusion: just about everything.
He avoided directly criticizing Ms. Marois, but he complained that the party she leads has lost its way. “Péquistes must also say a mea culpa and acknowledge that they have gradually moved away from Quebecers’ immediate and legitimate concerns,” he said. The PQ, he added, is no longer the “great reformer party” it was when it was created.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Why Paul Krugman is a fool...
A great video on the broken window fallacy. Destruction is not a good way to "stimulate the economy".
amnesty international whines some more
I left this comment at the Ottawa Citizen article by an amnesty top whiner:I long ago stopped supporting your organization. You have become an organ of the left, not a voice for the wrongfully imprisoned or persecuted. Most Canadians are happy to see these thugs thrown out of the Great Dominion. Like the UN who allows monsters to be on their human rights councils, your organization attacks Canada and increasingly ignores the plight of real victims of human rights abuses.
You and your organization have made yourselves an irrelevance.
You and your organization have made yourselves an irrelevance.
Hebert: liberal democratic party?
Chantal Hebert, who has long been in favor of dipper grit merger, pushes it some more. I have already speculated about a are led liberal democratic party. The remaining blue grits should be driven out of such an entity. I am not afraid of such a merger. It would give a clear choice to Canadians. I suspect that the extreme left of the dippers might also leave such a grouping, but they may not have any place left to go. HM PM Harper has long sought a more left right split, to give Canadians a true choice. The next year should be very interesting
No amount of French-as-a-second-language training will give the future candidates to Jack Layton’s succession the rare asset that allowed him to so spectacularly connect to Quebec.
Although it helped him score points against the more patrician Michael Ignatieff in the last campaign, his down-to-earth French was not his main forte.
When it comes to federal politics and Quebec, language skills will only go so far.
In the past, some of the country’s most bilingual politicians have turned out to be the most tone-deaf to the nuances of the Quebec debate.
On that score, Layton probably had the most attuned ears of his generation of out-of-province politicians.
He intuitively knew that one often only needs to scratch the sovereignist surface of many Quebecers to find a disappointed federalist — and vice-versa.
He understood that a self-confident Quebec — secure in its identity — is the opposite of a threat to a strong Canada.
He had enough Quebec instincts to distinguish between a political minefield and a media brush fire.
Those instincts can be acquired but usually only over a significant amount of time. In Layton’s case, they were bred in the bone.
Among the prospective aspirants for his succession, there is little doubt that deputy leader Thomas Mulcair shares that quality.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Steve Jobs steps down as CEO of Apple
Steve Jobs is an amazing man. I love my apple computers and iPhone and ipad2. he has revolutionized our lives. I have been quite concerned about his health for some time. I will continue to pray for him.
Apple Inc.'s ailing chief executive Steve Jobs is officially stepping down from the helm of the company, an historic shift that hands the reins to chief operating officer Tim Cook.
The company said Mr. Jobs submitted his resignation to the board of directors on Wednesday and "strongly recommended" that the board name Mr. Cook as his successor. Mr. Jobs has been elected chairman of the board and Mr. Cook will join the board, effective immediately, the company said.
"The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO," said Art Levinson, chairman of Genentech and Apple board member, in a statement. He added that Mr. Jobs will "continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration."
Apple Inc.'s ailing chief executive Steve Jobs is officially stepping down from the helm of the company, an historic shift that hands the reins to chief operating officer Tim Cook.
The company said Mr. Jobs submitted his resignation to the board of directors on Wednesday and "strongly recommended" that the board name Mr. Cook as his successor. Mr. Jobs has been elected chairman of the board and Mr. Cook will join the board, effective immediately, the company said.
"The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO," said Art Levinson, chairman of Genentech and Apple board member, in a statement. He added that Mr. Jobs will "continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration."
Defending Israel
As someone who is a staunch defender of Israel, this article brought a big smile to my face.
These ridiculous gaza flotillas are a joke. if these do gooders really wanted to bring supplies to the needy, there are many groups they could help like the starving of Somalia. It's good to see them brought down with a little bit of Israeli ingenuity!
Contentions
Meet the Legal Wonks Who Brought Down the Flotilla
Alana Goodman
08.22.2011 - 7:00 PM
At a radical left-wing coffee shop in Washington, D.C. last month, Code Pink founder and “Freedom Flotilla II” passenger Medea Benjamin woefully recounted the moment she realized her boat, the Audacity of Hope, wouldn’t be legally permitted to leave a port in Greece to sail to Gaza.
“There was something called a ‘complaint’ that was put against our boat,” Benjamin explained to a crowd of anti-Israel activists stuffed into the back room of the restaurant. “Well, it didn’t take long for somebody to uncover that the person, or entity, that lodged the complaint was none other than this right-wing Israeli law center based in Tel Aviv, that knew nothing about our boat and certainly had no interest in the passengers’ safety.”
The “right-wing” law center that caused Benjamin so much grief is Shurat HaDin – the Israeli group that single-handedly took down the “Freedom Flotilla II” simply by filing creative lawsuits. In total, nine out of the 10 boats in the flotilla never touched Israeli waters, largely due to Shurat HaDin’s work.
Led by Nitsana Darshan-Leitner and her husband Avi Leitner, the legal center is pioneering a new strategy of Israeli-self defense: Pro-Israel Lawfare.
“There is a way of fighting back, we just have to start thinking like Jews again,” Avi Leitner told me during the Leitners’ recent visit to D.C. “And remember, the Jews invented lawfare, the Jews invented law. So you don’t sit on your hands.”
These ridiculous gaza flotillas are a joke. if these do gooders really wanted to bring supplies to the needy, there are many groups they could help like the starving of Somalia. It's good to see them brought down with a little bit of Israeli ingenuity!
Contentions
Meet the Legal Wonks Who Brought Down the Flotilla
Alana Goodman
08.22.2011 - 7:00 PM
At a radical left-wing coffee shop in Washington, D.C. last month, Code Pink founder and “Freedom Flotilla II” passenger Medea Benjamin woefully recounted the moment she realized her boat, the Audacity of Hope, wouldn’t be legally permitted to leave a port in Greece to sail to Gaza.
“There was something called a ‘complaint’ that was put against our boat,” Benjamin explained to a crowd of anti-Israel activists stuffed into the back room of the restaurant. “Well, it didn’t take long for somebody to uncover that the person, or entity, that lodged the complaint was none other than this right-wing Israeli law center based in Tel Aviv, that knew nothing about our boat and certainly had no interest in the passengers’ safety.”
The “right-wing” law center that caused Benjamin so much grief is Shurat HaDin – the Israeli group that single-handedly took down the “Freedom Flotilla II” simply by filing creative lawsuits. In total, nine out of the 10 boats in the flotilla never touched Israeli waters, largely due to Shurat HaDin’s work.
Led by Nitsana Darshan-Leitner and her husband Avi Leitner, the legal center is pioneering a new strategy of Israeli-self defense: Pro-Israel Lawfare.
“There is a way of fighting back, we just have to start thinking like Jews again,” Avi Leitner told me during the Leitners’ recent visit to D.C. “And remember, the Jews invented lawfare, the Jews invented law. So you don’t sit on your hands.”
Light Bulbs
I am glad Canada has delayed the foolish light bulb ban until 2014. Hopefully we will eliminate the ban totally before 2014. We should have the choice of what light bulbs to use. We will be getting a steady stream of Americans coming here on light bulb tourism. A good piece by Peter Foster.
I have always found CFL lights harsh, unattractive and annoying. I discovered this week that my aversion might be more than a psychological quirk attached to skepticism about "settled" climate science and distinctly unsettled climate policy. In a recent edition of a U.S. publication called The Energy Advocate, editor Howard Hayden, emeritus professor of physics at the University of Connecticut, points out that while incandescent bulbs are "notoriously inefficient, emitting less than 10% of the input power as visible light," they are visually pleasing because they emit light similar to the light from the sun, that covers the "entire wavelength range visible to the human eye." Professor Hayden notes that the problem with fluorescent lamps is that their light is not a continuous spectrum. Thus they distort colours. To put it less scientifically, they are hard on the eyes, and harder on older and more damaged eyes in particular.
Dr. Mary Lou Jackson, director of the Vision Rehabilitation Center at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in the Harvard Department of Ophthalmology, told me some people with damaged vision actually prefer CFLs. However, many do not. The important thing, she said, is to have the choice.
When Canadian light bulb legislation was amended in April to delay banning those "inefficient" incandescent bulbs until 2014, press reports suggested the then-minority Conservative government had done so "quietly." Perhaps that was so as not to enrage environmental NGOs or suggest to Washington that Ottawa was daring to walk out of eco-goosestep, thus inviting trade sanctions.
I have always found CFL lights harsh, unattractive and annoying. I discovered this week that my aversion might be more than a psychological quirk attached to skepticism about "settled" climate science and distinctly unsettled climate policy. In a recent edition of a U.S. publication called The Energy Advocate, editor Howard Hayden, emeritus professor of physics at the University of Connecticut, points out that while incandescent bulbs are "notoriously inefficient, emitting less than 10% of the input power as visible light," they are visually pleasing because they emit light similar to the light from the sun, that covers the "entire wavelength range visible to the human eye." Professor Hayden notes that the problem with fluorescent lamps is that their light is not a continuous spectrum. Thus they distort colours. To put it less scientifically, they are hard on the eyes, and harder on older and more damaged eyes in particular.
Dr. Mary Lou Jackson, director of the Vision Rehabilitation Center at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in the Harvard Department of Ophthalmology, told me some people with damaged vision actually prefer CFLs. However, many do not. The important thing, she said, is to have the choice.
When Canadian light bulb legislation was amended in April to delay banning those "inefficient" incandescent bulbs until 2014, press reports suggested the then-minority Conservative government had done so "quietly." Perhaps that was so as not to enrage environmental NGOs or suggest to Washington that Ottawa was daring to walk out of eco-goosestep, thus inviting trade sanctions.
A merger between legault's CAQ and the ADQ?
I have supported the ADQ in the past and think they are the only viable source for real reform in Quebec. The ADQ represents the center right in Quebec. I am not sure what legault represents.
He calls himself the gauche efficace ( the efficient left, a true oxymoron). Much of his stated policies are essentially lifted from the Parti Quebecois. I think a merger with this of the his left wing CAQ with the right of center ADQ would be a very bad idea. legault is of the left. He wants big government and more taxes. He would have the upper hand in any such merger and that would lead to yet another left wing party in Quebec. The ADQ would have to abandon all of its policies and would lose many of its members and activists. Quebec is sinking under the burden of its debt. It is receiving large subsidies from Canada to provide platinum plated social programs. The Quebec model is calling out for reform. legault just wants to tweak it a little. He essentially agrees with the big government model. He is also still a separatist. he essentially wants to form another version of the parti quebecois. It is waiting for the winning conditions for separation by another name.
There is a Facebook page that opposes this merger. It is called Adequistes et autres contra le CAQ. If you also think this is a bad idea for Quebec. Join the group! Let your voice be heard.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Constitutional Monarchy for Libya?
How did the monster gaddafu come to power and torture his people for the last 42 years. he overthrew King Idris. Constitutional Monarchy is the best system of government. The Libyans need a symbol of Unity. I hope they consider restoring the Senussi dynasty.
A restoration movement has been started in Benghazi. “We’ve brought back the flag, the anthem,” said one of the volunteers at the TNC’s press registration offices, “why not the monarchy?”
Its not an unprecedented idea. After fascist dictator Francisco Franco's death in 1975, Juan Carlos I de Borbףn, the present King of Spain, succeeded him and served not only as a symbol of continuity and stability, but also pressed to hasten the transition from fascism to a democratic constitutional monarchy.
Today Juan Carlos I's remains a popular, hands-off monarch with one of the lowest royal budgets in the world.
Like Spain’s restoration, the aim is not to have a politically active monarchy as is common in the Arab world, but a strictly limited constitutional one, with the king as a living symbol of Libyan unity, but who would not be allowed to take part in political affairs.
That is also what the would-be king, Crown Prince Mohammed Al-Rida Al-Senussi, proposes. However, he also says that it is up to the Libyan people to decide what they want — a monarchy or a republic — and that he will support whatever they decide.
Flat Tax is a good idea
Guido Fawkes points out that the countries in Europe with the most robust economies Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have flat taxes! The US and canada should pay attention!
Larry on the left
I usually don't agree very often with larry, but I think he has a point. It maybe why some on the left are more angry than sad. I don't think one of my friends on the right wanted Jack to die, but I have seen tweets wishing HM PM Harper would have died instead. I hope this is just grief talking, but I fear that it is more than that. I know Jack would have been disgusted by such sentiments.
Layton’s death a devastating blow to the left
LAWRENCE MARTIN
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011 2:00AM EDT
Jack Layton was the left’s great hope. The great hope is gone and the timing for the country’s social democrats could hardly be worse.
For a country channelling swiftly in a Conservative direction, Mr. Layton’s was the one big voice on the other side that was heard, that was respected, that had the potential of slowing and maybe even reversing the tide.
Jack Layton was the little guy’s politician, a rock-hard champion of the underdog and social justice. He was to the New Democratic Party what Jean Chrétien, particularly in his earlier incarnation, was to the Liberal Party. The departure of Mr. Chrétien left the Liberals without an anchor, and the passing of Mr. Layton could well do the same to the NDP.
Layton’s death a devastating blow to the left
LAWRENCE MARTIN
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011 2:00AM EDT
Jack Layton was the left’s great hope. The great hope is gone and the timing for the country’s social democrats could hardly be worse.
For a country channelling swiftly in a Conservative direction, Mr. Layton’s was the one big voice on the other side that was heard, that was respected, that had the potential of slowing and maybe even reversing the tide.
Jack Layton was the little guy’s politician, a rock-hard champion of the underdog and social justice. He was to the New Democratic Party what Jean Chrétien, particularly in his earlier incarnation, was to the Liberal Party. The departure of Mr. Chrétien left the Liberals without an anchor, and the passing of Mr. Layton could well do the same to the NDP.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Tony Abbott: Soon to be HM Australian PM?
I surely hope so. I am a big fan of Tony Abbott. Daniel Hannan talks about another Anglosphere nation shifting to the right. I can only hope and pray that our friend and ally the United States will soon dump bo as well.
Australia’s Labor government has staggered from blunder to blunder, sliding a little further in the polls each time. If there were a general election tomorrow, Tony Abbott, the magnificent Rightist leader, ought to win comfortably. His opponent, Julia Gillard has a one-seat majority. And one of her MPs has been using his union credit card to pay prostitutes (I suppose I ought to add “allegedly”, though you can make your own mind up from the clip below – hat-tip, Tim Montgomerie).
R.I.P. Jack
I was very saddened but not surprised to hear of the death of Jack Layton. Jack had looked ill to me for some time, but when I saw him July 25, I knew things were going terribly wrong. I agreed with Mr Layton on very little. He was a supporter of the Canadian Crown, as am I. He always referred to himself as leader ofr Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Indeed I ran into him and Olivia Chow at the state dinner for HM the Queen in August 2010. He introduced Olivia Chow as his MP. He had a lovely smile on his face.
My deepest sympathies to Olivia Chow , his friends and extended family. Canada has lost a favourite son.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement following the death of Jack Layton
“I was deeply saddened to learn this morning of the death of Jack Layton.
"When I last spoke with Jack following his announcement in July, I wished him well and he told me he'd be seeing me in the House of Commons in the Fall.
"This, sadly, will no longer come to pass.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I salute Jack’s contribution to public life, a contribution that will be sorely missed.
"I know one thing: Jack gave his fight against cancer everything he had. Indeed, Jack never backed down from any fight.
"To his wife Olivia, his family, and to his colleagues and friends, Laureen and I offer our heartfelt condolences. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time."
pq in free fall
Before the federal election the pq was well on its way to again being the Quebec government and causing more mischief. Now they are 10 points behind charest and 25 points behind the virtual party of Francois Legault. I do not support legault. He is still a statist who wants to increase taxes to save the Quebec model. Support for separation is also tanking. legault has recently said we should even stop talking about it. I hope Gerard Deltell and the ADQ stand firm on their centre right principal and resist legault.
Le mouvement souverainiste continue d’en arracher. Après la débandade du Bloc québécois en mai dernier, c’est maintenant le Parti québécois qui chute, entraînant avec lui l’appui à la souveraineté qui glisse de cinq points.
Selon un sondage Léger Marketing réalisé pour le compte de l’Agence QMI, le Parti québécois n’a plus que 24 % des intentions de vote, après répartition des indécis. Le PQ se retrouve donc 10 points derrière les libéraux de Jean Charest qui consolident leur première place.
Mais François Legault pourrait, plus que jamais, brouiller les cartes. S’il formait un véritable parti politique, l’ex-ministre péquiste pourrait espérer former le prochain gouvernement.
Les récents déboires du PQ, qui ont culminé par la démission de cinq députés, semblent avoir fortement ébranlé l’électorat souverainiste.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Fleeing species?
I heard on cbc that there was a new saying that species were moving because of global warming. Even the war mists know that global warming has not really happened in the last 15 years. Interestingly the source of this "news" story is pretty dubious.
In early 2004 Nature, a respected science journal, ran a cover story titled Feeling the Heat: biodiversity losses due to global warming. As one critic would later observe:
It is rare for a scientific paper to be the lead item on the evening news, or to fill the front pages of our national newspapers, but [that particular study] received exceptional worldwide media attention.
The lead author was named Chris D. Thomas. Now he’s back in the news – this time for a paper published in Science whose very own press release begins:
Many different species of plants and animals have been moving higher in elevation and farther away from the equator to escape the Earth’s warming climate.
Once more, the media is all over the story – and the headlines are nothing if not dramatic. The BBC declares that species are fleeing a warm climate faster than previously thought. Time magazine tells us that climate change is turning plants and animals into refugees. CNN asserts that animals are being driven to higher ground by warmth. (Lots more news stories may be seen here.)
In early 2004 Nature, a respected science journal, ran a cover story titled Feeling the Heat: biodiversity losses due to global warming. As one critic would later observe:
It is rare for a scientific paper to be the lead item on the evening news, or to fill the front pages of our national newspapers, but [that particular study] received exceptional worldwide media attention.
The lead author was named Chris D. Thomas. Now he’s back in the news – this time for a paper published in Science whose very own press release begins:
Many different species of plants and animals have been moving higher in elevation and farther away from the equator to escape the Earth’s warming climate.
Once more, the media is all over the story – and the headlines are nothing if not dramatic. The BBC declares that species are fleeing a warm climate faster than previously thought. Time magazine tells us that climate change is turning plants and animals into refugees. CNN asserts that animals are being driven to higher ground by warmth. (Lots more news stories may be seen here.)
Jason tells it like it is!
HM Minister of Citzenship Jason Kenney is one of my favorite people. He is smart and fearless. It is great to see Jason take on amnesty international. Amnesty has decided to forget political prisoners in regimes like Cuba and concentrate on Canada. I used to support amnesty, now I think of them as a leftist front organization.
Jason Kenney strikes back
Paul Wells on why the immigration minister waded into a fight with Amnesty over war criminals, and was in the right
Some stories are so odd nobody knows how to handle them. I don’t know how else to explain why Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s extraordinary public feud with Amnesty International has attracted so little coverage.
Here’s a senior Conservative minister departing from the Conservatives’ normal bland talking points and unleashing a written broadside against a critic. And Kenney’s sparring partner wasn’t a predictable target. It was the Canadian branch of Amnesty, one of the most revered human rights organizations in the world. But that didn’t stop the minister from calling Amnesty’s concerns “poppycock,” “sloppy and irresponsible” and “self-congratulatory moral preening.”
Here’s what the fuss was about: last month, Kenney and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews released the names and photos of 30 fugitives who’d evaded immigration authorities since being found inadmissible because they’re believed to be complicit in genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. In short, the ministers were asking the public to help track down fleeing war crimes suspects. The public has stepped up: since the ministers’ announcements, six of the 30 men have been apprehended and three of those six deported.
Amnesty’s two Canadian heads, Alex Neve and Béatrice Vaugrante, wrote Kenney and Toews to “express their concern” about all this. Deporting the men—simply kicking them out of the country—“fails to ensure that such individuals will in fact face justice,” they wrote. “All the deportation guarantees is that the person concerned will be removed from Canada.” What’s worse, the deportees might face “torture, extrajudicial execution or enforced disappearance” if they went home. Finally, Neve and Vaugrante worried about “the fact that these individuals’ faces and names have been so widely publicized,” which could do them “reputational harm.”
Too bad, Kenney replied. Dripping with sarcasm, his letter wondered whether the despots in Iran and North Korea have so thoroughly cleaned up their acts that Amnesty has nobody left to criticize. Why is the NGO “squandering the moral authority accrued” in its campaigns against real tyrants, he wondered, and instead “targeting one of the most generous immigration systems in the world”?
The deportation orders against the 30 fugitives were issued “after formal proceedings during which these men had the right to be represented by counsel,” he wrote. There’s no way Canada could “conduct full-blown trials, at the cost of millions of taxpayer dollars, to prosecute every inadmissible individual for crimes committed in distant countries, often decades ago.” The government’s first duty is to ensure that these people can’t find a cozy haven in Canada. “Your calls for more time, more process, more deference and more protection for war criminals and serious human rights violators . . . come across as self-congratulatory moral preening,” Kenney concluded.
Neve and Vaugrante wrote another letter to Kenney, repeating the concerns raised in their first, a little more delicately this time. But Kenney had left his mark....
Jason Kenney strikes back
Paul Wells on why the immigration minister waded into a fight with Amnesty over war criminals, and was in the right
Some stories are so odd nobody knows how to handle them. I don’t know how else to explain why Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s extraordinary public feud with Amnesty International has attracted so little coverage.
Here’s a senior Conservative minister departing from the Conservatives’ normal bland talking points and unleashing a written broadside against a critic. And Kenney’s sparring partner wasn’t a predictable target. It was the Canadian branch of Amnesty, one of the most revered human rights organizations in the world. But that didn’t stop the minister from calling Amnesty’s concerns “poppycock,” “sloppy and irresponsible” and “self-congratulatory moral preening.”
Here’s what the fuss was about: last month, Kenney and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews released the names and photos of 30 fugitives who’d evaded immigration authorities since being found inadmissible because they’re believed to be complicit in genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. In short, the ministers were asking the public to help track down fleeing war crimes suspects. The public has stepped up: since the ministers’ announcements, six of the 30 men have been apprehended and three of those six deported.
Amnesty’s two Canadian heads, Alex Neve and Béatrice Vaugrante, wrote Kenney and Toews to “express their concern” about all this. Deporting the men—simply kicking them out of the country—“fails to ensure that such individuals will in fact face justice,” they wrote. “All the deportation guarantees is that the person concerned will be removed from Canada.” What’s worse, the deportees might face “torture, extrajudicial execution or enforced disappearance” if they went home. Finally, Neve and Vaugrante worried about “the fact that these individuals’ faces and names have been so widely publicized,” which could do them “reputational harm.”
Too bad, Kenney replied. Dripping with sarcasm, his letter wondered whether the despots in Iran and North Korea have so thoroughly cleaned up their acts that Amnesty has nobody left to criticize. Why is the NGO “squandering the moral authority accrued” in its campaigns against real tyrants, he wondered, and instead “targeting one of the most generous immigration systems in the world”?
The deportation orders against the 30 fugitives were issued “after formal proceedings during which these men had the right to be represented by counsel,” he wrote. There’s no way Canada could “conduct full-blown trials, at the cost of millions of taxpayer dollars, to prosecute every inadmissible individual for crimes committed in distant countries, often decades ago.” The government’s first duty is to ensure that these people can’t find a cozy haven in Canada. “Your calls for more time, more process, more deference and more protection for war criminals and serious human rights violators . . . come across as self-congratulatory moral preening,” Kenney concluded.
Neve and Vaugrante wrote another letter to Kenney, repeating the concerns raised in their first, a little more delicately this time. But Kenney had left his mark....
State of the Union - The Present and Future of Labour Relations in Canada
My friend Joseph Ben Ami of the Centre For Policy Studies is having a great conference on Unions and labour relations in Canada. It takes place in Toronto on September 8, 2011. There will be many great speakers including Mayor Ford and HM Minister of Labour Lisa Raitt. The union movement has become a force against freedom and a force for the left. It is a battleground that will have to be addressed, if we are to make Canada freer and more prosperous. Thus is a great opportunity to discuss the drand formula, public sector unions and a lot more. come join the conversation!
You can register and see the details here
Saturday, August 20, 2011
The real racists?
An interesting piece on the problem lefties have with conservative gays, women , and other so called minorities.
Can Blacks, Gays and Women be conservative, or are leftists the true bigots?
I raise that question because actress and comedian Jeanine Garafalo , in appearance on Countdown with Keith Olberman, recently said that republican presidential candidate Herman Cain must be either a sellout or suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Ms. Garafalo and Mr. Olberman are both committed leftists so it is not surprising they would attack Herman Cain. What puzzled me was that they did not attack his ideas, they attacked his race. Specifically, they assumed that because of his race he could not possibly believe the limited government philosophy he espouses on the campaign trail.
For the left to attack the right as being racists, sexists and homophobes is common; in fact it is practically an ad hominem attack repeated almost without thinking. I sometimes find myself amused watching leftist commentators twist themselves into rhetorical contortions attempting to “read” racism or bigotry into any statement of right leaning philosophy. It has gotten so bad recently that even left leaning comedian Jon Stewart called out MSNBC host Ed Schultz. Schultz was attempting to portray Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry as a racist because Perry referred to the national debt as a “black cloud” hanging over the nation. Schultz suggested that the phrase “black cloud” was actually code for President Obama.
More from Michelle Malkin.
And this:
Can Blacks, Gays and Women be conservative, or are leftists the true bigots?
I raise that question because actress and comedian Jeanine Garafalo , in appearance on Countdown with Keith Olberman, recently said that republican presidential candidate Herman Cain must be either a sellout or suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Ms. Garafalo and Mr. Olberman are both committed leftists so it is not surprising they would attack Herman Cain. What puzzled me was that they did not attack his ideas, they attacked his race. Specifically, they assumed that because of his race he could not possibly believe the limited government philosophy he espouses on the campaign trail.
For the left to attack the right as being racists, sexists and homophobes is common; in fact it is practically an ad hominem attack repeated almost without thinking. I sometimes find myself amused watching leftist commentators twist themselves into rhetorical contortions attempting to “read” racism or bigotry into any statement of right leaning philosophy. It has gotten so bad recently that even left leaning comedian Jon Stewart called out MSNBC host Ed Schultz. Schultz was attempting to portray Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry as a racist because Perry referred to the national debt as a “black cloud” hanging over the nation. Schultz suggested that the phrase “black cloud” was actually code for President Obama.
More from Michelle Malkin.
And this:
Salim Mansur on 9/11 and Western Decay
An important piece by Salim Mansur. Do we all have the confidence in Western values, to keep us from being destroyed by our enemies. I am not at all sure ...
The manner in which Imperial Japan was defeated contrasts with the manner in which for the past decade the U.S. and the West, united or in disagreement, have confronted terrorism and violence emanating from the Arab-Muslim world.
The overriding reason, I believe, is the extent to which the West has lost confidence in its own cultural values and historical achievements. This is a vast and complicated story.
In the future, some historian of much talent and imagination might sit down to write this story, as Edward Gibbon did to tell the story of the fall and decline of the Roman Empire.
But there were periodically intimations of this story, which went unheeded.
The drift of the West is unmistakable, and its denial is a sign of the problem.
Poets have the uncanny, even prophetic, ability to sense ahead of others things or situations gone awry.
The manner in which Imperial Japan was defeated contrasts with the manner in which for the past decade the U.S. and the West, united or in disagreement, have confronted terrorism and violence emanating from the Arab-Muslim world.
The overriding reason, I believe, is the extent to which the West has lost confidence in its own cultural values and historical achievements. This is a vast and complicated story.
In the future, some historian of much talent and imagination might sit down to write this story, as Edward Gibbon did to tell the story of the fall and decline of the Roman Empire.
But there were periodically intimations of this story, which went unheeded.
The drift of the West is unmistakable, and its denial is a sign of the problem.
Poets have the uncanny, even prophetic, ability to sense ahead of others things or situations gone awry.
Rex Murphy on the unravelling hoax
Rex is a climate realist. He recognizes a hoax when he sees one. The goreacle is out of gas.
For those who have a wish to hear the grating sound of a man distempered and frustrated that the cause for which he has given at least a decade of his time, the “greatest moral challenge of our time,” is lost, I recommend listening to Al Gore as he was captured during an address at an Aspen global warming conference two weeks ago. It is a revelation.
Mr. Gore is not a happy Jeremiah. You hear him on the tape near rage, repeatedly shouting “bulls–t” over the arguments of his critics. He raves about conspiracy — a rebirth of the tactics of the dreaded tobacco industry of a few decades back. He blames “media manipulation” for the refusal of people to take up his gloomy summons. He hisses at “volcanoes and sunspots” as having much or anything to do with climate. “Bulls–!” he cries over and over — perhaps it’s the methane content that has him mesmerized with the word. Listen to this aria: “They pay pseudo-scientists to pretend to be scientists to put out the message: ‘This climate thing, it’s nonsense. Man-made CO2 doesn’t trap heat. It may be volcanoes.’ Bulls–t! ‘It may be sun spots.’ Bulls–t! ‘It’s not getting warmer.’ Bulls–t!”
Can a person win the Nobel Peace prize twice? I surely hope so, for this is the E=mc² moment of our green time.
For those who have a wish to hear the grating sound of a man distempered and frustrated that the cause for which he has given at least a decade of his time, the “greatest moral challenge of our time,” is lost, I recommend listening to Al Gore as he was captured during an address at an Aspen global warming conference two weeks ago. It is a revelation.
Mr. Gore is not a happy Jeremiah. You hear him on the tape near rage, repeatedly shouting “bulls–t” over the arguments of his critics. He raves about conspiracy — a rebirth of the tactics of the dreaded tobacco industry of a few decades back. He blames “media manipulation” for the refusal of people to take up his gloomy summons. He hisses at “volcanoes and sunspots” as having much or anything to do with climate. “Bulls–!” he cries over and over — perhaps it’s the methane content that has him mesmerized with the word. Listen to this aria: “They pay pseudo-scientists to pretend to be scientists to put out the message: ‘This climate thing, it’s nonsense. Man-made CO2 doesn’t trap heat. It may be volcanoes.’ Bulls–t! ‘It may be sun spots.’ Bulls–t! ‘It’s not getting warmer.’ Bulls–t!”
Can a person win the Nobel Peace prize twice? I surely hope so, for this is the E=mc² moment of our green time.
The New Canada?
As I often haVe said and written, I want to undo much of the evil wrought by Pierre Elliot Trudeau and his Canada destroying grits. The party of Laurier would have been horrified by the direction Pearson , Trudeau et all took Canada. The nnany state, toxic multiculturalism, disrespect for our traditions and constitution are all part of the trudeau ian nightmare. The Tories will reverse this. They must free us from the worst excesses of the nanny state and remind us of our links to a one thousand year old tradition of liberty. The Canadian authour < a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Farthing>John Farthing wrote a book entitled Freedom wears a Crown. I love Canada. I rejoice in it's traditions and it's people. The people of this great land deserve so much better than trudeau, Pearson and their constitutional and historical vandalism.
Indeed the grits should remember that the great leaders of the past also mmsupported small government, self reliance and the Maple Crown! So this return to traditional values should be embraced by all Canadians. Canada is not medicare but freedom and loyalty. We should be grown up enough to celebrate our past and embrace our future.
“What we’re seeing is the emergence of a new patriotism or at the very least a small-c conservative alternative to the established Liberal narrative about Canada,” says Patrick Muttart, the former deputy chief of staff to Mr. Harper and key election strategist, who now works for a public strategy firm in Chicago.
Indeed the grits should remember that the great leaders of the past also mmsupported small government, self reliance and the Maple Crown! So this return to traditional values should be embraced by all Canadians. Canada is not medicare but freedom and loyalty. We should be grown up enough to celebrate our past and embrace our future.
“What we’re seeing is the emergence of a new patriotism or at the very least a small-c conservative alternative to the established Liberal narrative about Canada,” says Patrick Muttart, the former deputy chief of staff to Mr. Harper and key election strategist, who now works for a public strategy firm in Chicago.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Despicable terrorist acts against Israel
HM Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird is absolutely right:
“Canada condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in southern Israel today. These cowardly attacks, particularly on civilian targets, are abhorrent and criminal.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I send my heartfelt condolences to those affected by today’s vicious attacks.
“Israel has a right to defend itself against such terrorist acts in conformity with international humanitarian law. Those responsible for these horrific attacks must be held accountable.”
These are cowardly actions by cowardly men.
Netanyahu Says Militants to Pay ‘Heavy Price’ for Southern Israel Attacks
By Gwen Ackerman and Calev Ben-David - Aug 18, 2011 8:39 PM ET
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Palestinian militants who attack Israelis will “pay a very heavy price,” after squads of gunmen killed eight people and wounded 30 in a series of assaults outside the resort town of Eilat.
“Those who thought they could hurt us without any response will see there is a price to pay, a very heavy price,” Netanyahu said in broadcast comments late yesterday before meeting top ministers to discuss possible Israeli action.
After the attacks, an Israeli air strike on the Hamas- controlled Gaza Strip killed six members of the umbrella Popular Resistance Committees, including its two top commanders. The group said it would avenge their deaths. A rocket fired from Gaza later hit near the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, the army said. No injuries were reported.
“Canada condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in southern Israel today. These cowardly attacks, particularly on civilian targets, are abhorrent and criminal.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I send my heartfelt condolences to those affected by today’s vicious attacks.
“Israel has a right to defend itself against such terrorist acts in conformity with international humanitarian law. Those responsible for these horrific attacks must be held accountable.”
These are cowardly actions by cowardly men.
Netanyahu Says Militants to Pay ‘Heavy Price’ for Southern Israel Attacks
By Gwen Ackerman and Calev Ben-David - Aug 18, 2011 8:39 PM ET
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Palestinian militants who attack Israelis will “pay a very heavy price,” after squads of gunmen killed eight people and wounded 30 in a series of assaults outside the resort town of Eilat.
“Those who thought they could hurt us without any response will see there is a price to pay, a very heavy price,” Netanyahu said in broadcast comments late yesterday before meeting top ministers to discuss possible Israeli action.
After the attacks, an Israeli air strike on the Hamas- controlled Gaza Strip killed six members of the umbrella Popular Resistance Committees, including its two top commanders. The group said it would avenge their deaths. A rocket fired from Gaza later hit near the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, the army said. No injuries were reported.
green jobs?
Even the lefty nyt is saying the green jobs bonanza promised by bo is a pipe dream. bo is trying to create the demand for these jobs, which are heavily subsidized. He has only to look to The Kingdom of Spain to understand this does not work. Let the market decide!
In the Bay Area as in much of the country, the green economy is not proving to be the job-creation engine that many politicians envisioned. President Obama once pledged to create five million green jobs over 10 years. Gov. Jerry Brown promised 500,000 clean-technology jobs statewide by the end of the decade. But the results so far suggest such numbers are a pipe dream.
“I won’t say I’m not frustrated,” said Van Jones, an Oakland activist who served briefly as Mr. Obama’s green-jobs czar before resigning under fire after conservative critics said he had signed a petition accusing the Bush administration of deliberately allowing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a claim Mr. Jones denies.
A study released in July by the non-partisan Brookings Institution found clean-technology jobs accounted for just 2 percent of employment nationwide and only slightly more — 2.2 percent — in Silicon Valley. Rather than adding jobs, the study found, the sector actually lost 492 positions from 2003 to 2010 in the South Bay, where the unemployment rate in June was 10.5 percent.
In the Bay Area as in much of the country, the green economy is not proving to be the job-creation engine that many politicians envisioned. President Obama once pledged to create five million green jobs over 10 years. Gov. Jerry Brown promised 500,000 clean-technology jobs statewide by the end of the decade. But the results so far suggest such numbers are a pipe dream.
“I won’t say I’m not frustrated,” said Van Jones, an Oakland activist who served briefly as Mr. Obama’s green-jobs czar before resigning under fire after conservative critics said he had signed a petition accusing the Bush administration of deliberately allowing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a claim Mr. Jones denies.
A study released in July by the non-partisan Brookings Institution found clean-technology jobs accounted for just 2 percent of employment nationwide and only slightly more — 2.2 percent — in Silicon Valley. Rather than adding jobs, the study found, the sector actually lost 492 positions from 2003 to 2010 in the South Bay, where the unemployment rate in June was 10.5 percent.
Lord Black on buffet
warren Buffet is aching to pay more tax. I doubt many of his rich friends are so inclined. Higher tax rates in the United Kingdom, Sweden and other high tax areas has led to the flight of capital and of rich people. My suggestion to my American friends is to revamp their tax code. It is 9 million words long. Lower and flatten tax rates and eliminate loopholes and corporate welfare. On the week end, 60 minutes had a piece on the disastrous effects of the 35% corporate tax in the US. It is one of the highest rates on earth.
He might stand still while the tax-swatter approached, but most of his income peers, in so far as he has any, would not. They would fly away in tax-planning terms, and what we would get is an escalation of the cat-and-mouse game of legislators and tax experts on licit avoidance. And a wealth tax, though it would be more collectible than taxes on large and unconventional incomes, would offend the American ethos of not confiscating, at least until death, the proceeds of the legitimate successes of individual American enterprise. And it would open the gates to terrible abuse, as legislators who are afraid to cut spending, pare entitlements to those who don’t need them, raise the actuarial presumptions about Social Security 67 years after its adoption and after the average life expectancy of participants has risen by over ten years, and other steps that will have to be taken, would resort to tokenistic fiscal persecution of the most affluent. Few living things, animal or vegetable, are more tenacious than a politician clinging to an envisioned panacea to justify the deferral of hard decisions. The country waited for the bust of the stimulus monstrosity, and then for the Simpson-Bowles report to be shelved, and for various futile and demeaning bipartisan jawbonings; if anyone took this Buffettism seriously, it would push things out into the next presidential term.
He might stand still while the tax-swatter approached, but most of his income peers, in so far as he has any, would not. They would fly away in tax-planning terms, and what we would get is an escalation of the cat-and-mouse game of legislators and tax experts on licit avoidance. And a wealth tax, though it would be more collectible than taxes on large and unconventional incomes, would offend the American ethos of not confiscating, at least until death, the proceeds of the legitimate successes of individual American enterprise. And it would open the gates to terrible abuse, as legislators who are afraid to cut spending, pare entitlements to those who don’t need them, raise the actuarial presumptions about Social Security 67 years after its adoption and after the average life expectancy of participants has risen by over ten years, and other steps that will have to be taken, would resort to tokenistic fiscal persecution of the most affluent. Few living things, animal or vegetable, are more tenacious than a politician clinging to an envisioned panacea to justify the deferral of hard decisions. The country waited for the bust of the stimulus monstrosity, and then for the Simpson-Bowles report to be shelved, and for various futile and demeaning bipartisan jawbonings; if anyone took this Buffettism seriously, it would push things out into the next presidential term.
I have a Dream....
A great piece by Kelly McParland in the NP. It would be great if separatism would become a fringe movement. As a federalist living in Quebec very little could make me happier.I am always reluctant to say the separatist movement us dying, because it so easily springs back to life. It is clear that many French Canadians are losing interest. That is a good thing for Canada. The next step is to wean Quebec from the federal teat.
Kelly McParland, National Post · Aug. 19, 2011 | Last Updated: Aug. 19, 2011 3:02 AM ET
'm becoming seriously concerned over the future of the separatist movement in Quebec.
Like millions of other Canadians, I have little memory of a Canada that wasn't confronted by the regular eruption of separatist demands. I was still in high school when the FLQ decided that blowing up mailboxes and killing provincial Cabinet members was the way to ensure an independent future for Quebec. If there'd been an election the day after Pierre Trudeau sent troops into Montreal to make clear that he wasn't going to play their game, I might actually have voted for him.
Kelly McParland, National Post · Aug. 19, 2011 | Last Updated: Aug. 19, 2011 3:02 AM ET
'm becoming seriously concerned over the future of the separatist movement in Quebec.
Like millions of other Canadians, I have little memory of a Canada that wasn't confronted by the regular eruption of separatist demands. I was still in high school when the FLQ decided that blowing up mailboxes and killing provincial Cabinet members was the way to ensure an independent future for Quebec. If there'd been an election the day after Pierre Trudeau sent troops into Montreal to make clear that he wasn't going to play their game, I might actually have voted for him.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Preston explains why we need to nassively reduce the nanny state
As I have said before even Lord Beveridge would be horrified at what the modern welfare state has become. The over reaching nanny state has harmed those it was set out to help and made us all less free.
Preston Manning in the Globe:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
And what is the lesson of this little rhyme,
A lesson with meaning for us in our time?
The lesson is this and its meaning is true:
There are certain things that the state cannot do.
If all the King’s horses and all the King’s men
Cannot put an egg together again,
Is it not a false hope, an illusion, a sin
To ask civil servants to reconstruct men?...
Preston Manning in the Globe:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
And what is the lesson of this little rhyme,
A lesson with meaning for us in our time?
The lesson is this and its meaning is true:
There are certain things that the state cannot do.
If all the King’s horses and all the King’s men
Cannot put an egg together again,
Is it not a false hope, an illusion, a sin
To ask civil servants to reconstruct men?...
GoProud, CPAC and Ann Coulter
I am very annoyed that my friends at GoProud are being snubbed by the ACU, so I wrote a letter to the editor in response to this excellent editorial in the NP. My American conservative friends should be concentrating on defeating Barack Obama. They should not be shooting at ideological allies.
You go girl
National Post · Aug. 18, 2011 | Last Updated: Aug. 18, 2011 3:02 AM ET
Re: The 'Fabulous' Ann Coulter, editorial, Aug 12.
I'm a gay conservative and I know many people like me. While I don't generally go around trumpeting my sexuality to people, it is relevant in this instance. I co-sponsored GoProud's Homocon 2010 in the United States with Ann Coulter as the guest. Some of my friends put on a bash at the Tory convention called the Fabulous Blue Tent and it was a huge success. There are quite a few Canadian conservatives who are gay.
I'm glad Ann Coulter is joining the GoProud board. I have attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., on a number of occasions and have voiced my displeasure at the decision not to allow GoProud to be represented at the event. Many conservatives of all stripes have let the organizers know that this was not a good idea. Most conservatives I know treat everyone with respect and dignity, even if we disagree on some issues.
GoProud is a very conservative organization and CPAC is the largest annual gathering of conservatives in the United States. It's dumb not to allow ideological allies to attend. It just gives ammunition to the left. GoProud should be at CPAC.
Roy Eappen, Montreal.
You go girl
National Post · Aug. 18, 2011 | Last Updated: Aug. 18, 2011 3:02 AM ET
Re: The 'Fabulous' Ann Coulter, editorial, Aug 12.
I'm a gay conservative and I know many people like me. While I don't generally go around trumpeting my sexuality to people, it is relevant in this instance. I co-sponsored GoProud's Homocon 2010 in the United States with Ann Coulter as the guest. Some of my friends put on a bash at the Tory convention called the Fabulous Blue Tent and it was a huge success. There are quite a few Canadian conservatives who are gay.
I'm glad Ann Coulter is joining the GoProud board. I have attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., on a number of occasions and have voiced my displeasure at the decision not to allow GoProud to be represented at the event. Many conservatives of all stripes have let the organizers know that this was not a good idea. Most conservatives I know treat everyone with respect and dignity, even if we disagree on some issues.
GoProud is a very conservative organization and CPAC is the largest annual gathering of conservatives in the United States. It's dumb not to allow ideological allies to attend. It just gives ammunition to the left. GoProud should be at CPAC.
Roy Eappen, Montreal.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Half an abortion
Selective reduction turns my stomach, but the procedure points out flaws in the pro abortions argument.
Look up any abortion-related item in Jezebel, and you’ll see the developing human referred to as a fetus or pregnancy. But when the same entity appears in a non-abortion item, it gets an upgrade. A blood test could help “women who are concerned that they may be carrying a child with Down’s Syndrome.” A TV character wonders whether she’s “capable of carrying a child to term.” Nuclear radiation in Japan “may put unborn children at risk.”
This bifurcated mindset permeates pro-choice thinking. Embryos fertilized for procreation are embryos; embryos cloned for research are “activated eggs.” A fetus you want is a baby; a fetus you don’t want is a pregnancy. Under federal law, anyone who injures or kills a “child in utero” during a violent crime gets the same punishment as if he had injured or killed “the unborn child’s mother,” but no such penalty applies to “an abortion for which the consent of the pregnant woman … has been obtained.”
Reduction destroys this distinction. It combines, in a single pregnancy, a wanted and an unwanted fetus. In the case of identical twins, even their genomes are indistinguishable. You can’t pretend that one is precious and the other is just tissue. You’re killing the same creature to which you’re dedicating your life.
Sophie’s Choice is a common theme in abortion decisions. To give your existing kids the attention and resources they’ll need, you have to terminate your fetus. This rationale fits the pro-choice calculus that born children are worth more than unborn ones. But in the case of reduction, the child for whom you’re reserving attention and resources is equally unborn. They are, and will always be, a living reminder of what you exterminated.
Look up any abortion-related item in Jezebel, and you’ll see the developing human referred to as a fetus or pregnancy. But when the same entity appears in a non-abortion item, it gets an upgrade. A blood test could help “women who are concerned that they may be carrying a child with Down’s Syndrome.” A TV character wonders whether she’s “capable of carrying a child to term.” Nuclear radiation in Japan “may put unborn children at risk.”
This bifurcated mindset permeates pro-choice thinking. Embryos fertilized for procreation are embryos; embryos cloned for research are “activated eggs.” A fetus you want is a baby; a fetus you don’t want is a pregnancy. Under federal law, anyone who injures or kills a “child in utero” during a violent crime gets the same punishment as if he had injured or killed “the unborn child’s mother,” but no such penalty applies to “an abortion for which the consent of the pregnant woman … has been obtained.”
Reduction destroys this distinction. It combines, in a single pregnancy, a wanted and an unwanted fetus. In the case of identical twins, even their genomes are indistinguishable. You can’t pretend that one is precious and the other is just tissue. You’re killing the same creature to which you’re dedicating your life.
Sophie’s Choice is a common theme in abortion decisions. To give your existing kids the attention and resources they’ll need, you have to terminate your fetus. This rationale fits the pro-choice calculus that born children are worth more than unborn ones. But in the case of reduction, the child for whom you’re reserving attention and resources is equally unborn. They are, and will always be, a living reminder of what you exterminated.
Good Riddance
Gilles duceppe seems to have quit the CBC. Too bad the Canadian taxpayer can' t fire the CBC.
Gilles Duceppe's stint in public broadcasting may have been controversial, but it was spectacularly brief.
In fact, the former Bloc Quebecois leader never actually made it onto the airwaves.
Less than two days after it was announced that Duceppe would make appearances once a week on a radio program with the French-language CBC, it has been announced that the deal is off.
The reason for the falling out is an apparent misunderstanding over the terms of Duceppe's contract.
The former Bloc leader always intended to focus on lifestyle and social issues -- but, according to a statement from Radio-Canada, he did want the chance to discuss politics once in awhile.
Gilles Duceppe's stint in public broadcasting may have been controversial, but it was spectacularly brief.
In fact, the former Bloc Quebecois leader never actually made it onto the airwaves.
Less than two days after it was announced that Duceppe would make appearances once a week on a radio program with the French-language CBC, it has been announced that the deal is off.
The reason for the falling out is an apparent misunderstanding over the terms of Duceppe's contract.
The former Bloc leader always intended to focus on lifestyle and social issues -- but, according to a statement from Radio-Canada, he did want the chance to discuss politics once in awhile.
dalton's never-ending nanny state
Now dalton has a snitch line to tell on examples of private healthcare. It is ridiculous that the government has a legislated monopoly on healthcare. This snitch line is yet another example of how premier mcliar doesn't trust the people of Ontario. It is the liberals know best and good forbid you try and do something on your own.
As provincial governments across the country grapple with the thorny issue of for-profit medicine, Ontario has taken the unprecedented step of setting up a toll-free snitch line for people to report cases of illegal private health care — and says it has triggered 35 investigations in barely a month.
The service was prompted by evidence that doctors and clinics are routinely flouting medicare rules with sometimes creative methods of generating extra income, Deb Matthews, the province’s Health Minister, said Tuesday.
The government has ordered 4,500 patients to be reimbursed out-of-pocket fees they had been levied by colonoscopy clinics in the last few years, while Ms. Matthews said she has heard of a surgeon charging $100 for a post-operative glass of orange juice.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that people are trying to get around (the law)…. I think it’s really important that we all protect our universal health-care system,” the Health Minister said in an interview. “It’s just important that we are ever-vigilant.”
Critics, however, call the initiative a politically motivated waste of money that could be better spent on improving actual medical services. In the lead-up to this fall’s provincial election, the Liberal government seems anxious to portray itself as a steadfast defender of public health care.
As provincial governments across the country grapple with the thorny issue of for-profit medicine, Ontario has taken the unprecedented step of setting up a toll-free snitch line for people to report cases of illegal private health care — and says it has triggered 35 investigations in barely a month.
The service was prompted by evidence that doctors and clinics are routinely flouting medicare rules with sometimes creative methods of generating extra income, Deb Matthews, the province’s Health Minister, said Tuesday.
The government has ordered 4,500 patients to be reimbursed out-of-pocket fees they had been levied by colonoscopy clinics in the last few years, while Ms. Matthews said she has heard of a surgeon charging $100 for a post-operative glass of orange juice.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that people are trying to get around (the law)…. I think it’s really important that we all protect our universal health-care system,” the Health Minister said in an interview. “It’s just important that we are ever-vigilant.”
Critics, however, call the initiative a politically motivated waste of money that could be better spent on improving actual medical services. In the lead-up to this fall’s provincial election, the Liberal government seems anxious to portray itself as a steadfast defender of public health care.
Master Chef
I enjoy Fox's Master chef and Hell's Kitchen. I was very happy that Jenny won Master Chef USA last night. Christian , her main rival was a nasty, arrogant and annoying competitor. I'm sure most people watching Master Chef( US) were hoping for his humiliation. I remind Christian, that pride goeth before a fall. Or as Jenny said it last night, Karma is a bitch that will bite you in the ass. I am also glad Adrien was in the finale.
I do think Chef Ramsey needs to buy a thesaurus. Chef Joe is also a nasty piece of work, but I liked his mom, and you need one really nasty guy for this formula.
MasterChef Winner on Gutting Fish, Lucky Mushrooms and the Villainous Christian
Aug 17, 2011 01:00 AM ET
by Hanh Nguyen
Capping off a two-hour finale Tuesday night, MasterChef named its Season 2 winner, Jennifer Behm, who beat out fellow finalists Adrien Nieto and Christian Collins for the title.
"I definitely will not pass up champagne this time," Behm tells TVGuide.com. The Delaware realtor had notoriously skipped out on a champagne-sipping reward during the competition and opted to cook alongside her rivals, risking elimination. "We actually have a whole case of Joe [Bastianich]'s prosecco from one of his vineyards to celebrate the evening and have a good time."
Mark Steyn on After America
Mark Steyn talks to John Oakley about his new book, After America. He congratulates HM Canadian Government for restoring the Royal designation of The Canadian Navy (RCN) and Air Force (RCAF) and talks about gilles duceppe and the cbc. Another great interview.
He was also on the Tommy Schnurmacher Show.
I bought After America from
Mark's site. He was very kind and sent me the book for free with a lovely inscription. (He remembered when he saw me the last time!) Thank you Mark!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Gilles Duceppe can't stop working for the Federal Government
Gilles Duceppe has worked for the federal government for the last twenty years. he has $140000 a year federal pension. He just like most separatists can't stop sucking on the federal teat. I have always said radio Canad is full of separatists. Well they have hired yet another separatist. Yet another reason to sell the CBC. Why are we subsidizing separatists? Was this supposed to bring more balance to the state broadcaster. Duceppe is a marxist and a separatist.
Canadians like the reinstatement of the Royal Designation
On Tuesday, Ottawa will reportedly announce that Canada's air and naval forces will be officially renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Navy.
The land command unit will be known as the Canadian Army. The moves will restore the titles that Canada's military forces used until 1968.
The names won't be formally unveiled until Tuesday, but reaction is trickling out from military personnel, politicians and ordinary Canadians both in favour of and against the move.
The CBC online poll is running more than 2:1 in favor of this amazing move by HM Canadian Government. Even the comments are generally pretty positive .
Monday, August 15, 2011
Restoring The Royal Designation
The campaign to restore the names of The Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force is victorious!
HM Canadian Government will restore the traditional names of the navy and air force. Take that trudeau. We will slowly, but surely undo your trudeaupian nightmare vision of Canada.
The Canadian Forces names: A mark of respect
Published Monday, Aug. 15, 2011 6:09PM EDT
The Conservative government's decision to restore the traditional designations of the Canadian Forces; the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is a welcome move that recognizes a reality that has been long ignored by officialdom: The decades-long attempt to erase the historic designations, and unique identities, of the RCN, Canadian Army and RCAF was a failure.
HM Government needs to cut more and faster
I am glad tosee announcements of cuts at Fisheries , Public works and environment Canada.
I hope to see many more cuts at many more ministries. There are entire departments that should be eliminated like the useless staus of women.
These early cuts are a good beginnig, but we need to reduce the size of the bloated nanny state by at least 25%.
I hope to see many more cuts at many more ministries. There are entire departments that should be eliminated like the useless staus of women.
These early cuts are a good beginnig, but we need to reduce the size of the bloated nanny state by at least 25%.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Too funny
The leader of the communist party of Ontario ( yes, I didn't know there was one either) is threatening George Mamolitti with a human rights complaint. They think Mamolittis is persecuting commies. We spent 50 years fighting the evil that is communism. Now commies are a protected group??? Even the dimwitted barber hall would have to dismiss such a complaint. It is another instance where someone tries to silence speech they don't like with these kangaroo courts. They need to be abolished.
Communist Leader Threatens Human Rights Complaint
Posted By: Newstalk 1010 · 8/14/2011 1:56:00 PM
The leader of the Ontario Communist Party is threatening to file a human rights complaint against Toronto city councilor Georgio Mamolitti.
Elizabeth Rowley made the comments on Newstalk 1010's The City, when she squared off with Mamolitti.
"We are giving serious consideration to launching a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission"
Communist Leader Threatens Human Rights Complaint
Posted By: Newstalk 1010 · 8/14/2011 1:56:00 PM
The leader of the Ontario Communist Party is threatening to file a human rights complaint against Toronto city councilor Georgio Mamolitti.
Elizabeth Rowley made the comments on Newstalk 1010's The City, when she squared off with Mamolitti.
"We are giving serious consideration to launching a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission"
mcliar can't get the e-health scandal out of the new
No matter howe hard he tries mcliar can't bury the billion dollar e-health scandal. 54 days until Ontario votes out the grits. This is a good reminder of why the grits need to be tossed out.
Ontario's Liberal government vowed Friday to fight a proposed class-action suit by employees at scandal-plagued eHealth Ontario, who have taken the first step in the legal action to get pay raises.
Hundreds of employees at the electronic health records agency were promised merit increases of 1.9 per cent and bonuses averaging 7.8 per cent this year, despite a Liberal government order to freeze public sector wages for two years.
MORE RELATED TO THIS STORY
McGuinty says loss of Ontario health records very serious issue
Tory posturing on eHealth bid could harm already fragile agency
eHealth contract contender says executives linked to scandal won’t be involved in new bid
After the planned increases were reported in March, Health Minister Deb Matthews told the eHealth board to take another look at the plan in light of the government's wage freeze, which was announced in the 2010 budget to deal with a deficit now at $16-billion.
Ontario's Liberal government vowed Friday to fight a proposed class-action suit by employees at scandal-plagued eHealth Ontario, who have taken the first step in the legal action to get pay raises.
Hundreds of employees at the electronic health records agency were promised merit increases of 1.9 per cent and bonuses averaging 7.8 per cent this year, despite a Liberal government order to freeze public sector wages for two years.
MORE RELATED TO THIS STORY
McGuinty says loss of Ontario health records very serious issue
Tory posturing on eHealth bid could harm already fragile agency
eHealth contract contender says executives linked to scandal won’t be involved in new bid
After the planned increases were reported in March, Health Minister Deb Matthews told the eHealth board to take another look at the plan in light of the government's wage freeze, which was announced in the 2010 budget to deal with a deficit now at $16-billion.
The hypocrite Suzuki
I have met Dr Willie Soon a number of times. He unlike the fruit fly expert and anti human david suzuki, is an actual climate scientist. suzuki is a professional hypocrite jetting all over the place to tell us not to use planes. Living in huge estates and sucking up corporate donations. I hope the car removes suziki's tax number and Dr Soon sues him for libel. suzuki should enjoy being sued into the stone age. That's how he proposes the rest of us live.
As the climate scare fizzles, Canada’s celebrity environmentalist resorts to ad hominem attacks
David Suzuki has never met, debated or even spoken with my colleague, scientist Willie Soon. But as more people dismiss Mr. Suzuki’s scare stories about global warming cataclysms, the more he has resorted to personal attacks against Mr. Soon and others who disagree with him.
Mr. Soon’s brilliant research into the sun’s role in climate change has helped make millions aware that carbon dioxide’s influence is far less than Mr. Suzuki wants them to think. In a recent column picked up by media outlets around North America, including Huffington Post, Mr. Suzuki attacked Mr. Soon, my fellow scientist, mostly by recycling a Greenpeace “investigation” that is itself nothing more than a rehash of tiresome (and libelous) misstatements, red herrings and outright lies. It’s time to set the record straight.
As the climate scare fizzles, Canada’s celebrity environmentalist resorts to ad hominem attacks
David Suzuki has never met, debated or even spoken with my colleague, scientist Willie Soon. But as more people dismiss Mr. Suzuki’s scare stories about global warming cataclysms, the more he has resorted to personal attacks against Mr. Soon and others who disagree with him.
Mr. Soon’s brilliant research into the sun’s role in climate change has helped make millions aware that carbon dioxide’s influence is far less than Mr. Suzuki wants them to think. In a recent column picked up by media outlets around North America, including Huffington Post, Mr. Suzuki attacked Mr. Soon, my fellow scientist, mostly by recycling a Greenpeace “investigation” that is itself nothing more than a rehash of tiresome (and libelous) misstatements, red herrings and outright lies. It’s time to set the record straight.
London riots: solutions
Robert Fulford is right about the rioting thugs. They have no shame. A former Tory candidate in
Tottenham has solutions. My parents, my Church and even my teachers taught me right from wrong. Apparently these kids have none of these. It is Lord of the Flies. A little hope from David Warren.
A while ago two of my students said they were going to 'turn over' a large house in a wealthy area near them. I asked why? They said they had it tough, they wanted a new TV, and it was something to do.
I listened, and then explained that just because they were poor they didn't need to rob a house. I told them that I didn't even have a TV, which amazed them. I explained to them how my Grandparents grew up in the East End during the great depression. There were few jobs, no money and no welfare. They went without food on occasion, suffered discrimination and had to deal with fascism, yet they emerged from poverty. I explained how they did it: They worked hard, sacrificed for the future, educated themselves, showed respect for the law and other people, had strong families and never gave up. The two boys looked thoughtful for a while and then one said: 'Yes, but I never had a father to tell me that'.
I founded the Boxing Academy in 2006. It is now an award winning charity that gives a second chance in life to teenagers in danger of exclusion. We are based in Hackney and Tottenham. These areas were getting better in so many ways, but there was always a nagging doubt that 30 or 40 years of misguided social policies had broken the ties that bind us. Once the money went - and it was always going to - the sticking plasters would fall off our broken society.
Tottenham has solutions. My parents, my Church and even my teachers taught me right from wrong. Apparently these kids have none of these. It is Lord of the Flies. A little hope from David Warren.
A while ago two of my students said they were going to 'turn over' a large house in a wealthy area near them. I asked why? They said they had it tough, they wanted a new TV, and it was something to do.
I listened, and then explained that just because they were poor they didn't need to rob a house. I told them that I didn't even have a TV, which amazed them. I explained to them how my Grandparents grew up in the East End during the great depression. There were few jobs, no money and no welfare. They went without food on occasion, suffered discrimination and had to deal with fascism, yet they emerged from poverty. I explained how they did it: They worked hard, sacrificed for the future, educated themselves, showed respect for the law and other people, had strong families and never gave up. The two boys looked thoughtful for a while and then one said: 'Yes, but I never had a father to tell me that'.
I founded the Boxing Academy in 2006. It is now an award winning charity that gives a second chance in life to teenagers in danger of exclusion. We are based in Hackney and Tottenham. These areas were getting better in so many ways, but there was always a nagging doubt that 30 or 40 years of misguided social policies had broken the ties that bind us. Once the money went - and it was always going to - the sticking plasters would fall off our broken society.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
new labour and the riots
new labour's chickens have come home to roost. The nanny state gone mad has fostered a generation of entitled children who haven no respect or empathy. Even now the rioters see themselves as victims. Though there are still a few good parents.
The rioters who have rampaged through the streets of Britain over the past seven days were the children of Tony Blair. Many of them were born under Tony Blair. They went to school under Tony Blair. They learnt their system of savage values and greed under Tony Blair. They are the product of the policies of Tony Blair.
So what happened? What explains the savage irony that New Labour, a movement that was supposed to do so much good, created instead so much evil and despair? This is the urgent question that David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband must each try to answer as they get to grips with the horror of last week.
More from Mark Steyn
The rioters who have rampaged through the streets of Britain over the past seven days were the children of Tony Blair. Many of them were born under Tony Blair. They went to school under Tony Blair. They learnt their system of savage values and greed under Tony Blair. They are the product of the policies of Tony Blair.
So what happened? What explains the savage irony that New Labour, a movement that was supposed to do so much good, created instead so much evil and despair? This is the urgent question that David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband must each try to answer as they get to grips with the horror of last week.
More from Mark Steyn
BBC fights to hide its bias against Israel
The bbc, just like the cbc doesn't want to be open and transparent. I hope Mr Sugar's widow wins the fight to reveal bbc bias against Israel
The BBC has spent more than £270,000 on legal fees to prevent the public from seeing the report, written in 2004 by Malcolm Balen, a senior journalist, for Richard Sambrook, then BBC director of news. But a defeat for the BBC could cost the corporation even more because it could weaken its ability to deny requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.
Mr Sugar lost at the Information Tribunal, the High Court and the Court of Appeal, but his legal team - who have waived their fees - are hopeful of success in the Supreme Court.
Mrs Paveley said: “I used to tease Steven about his obsession with fighting this so I think he would have a wry smile that I’m carrying it on, but I couldn’t let it drop.”
Mr Sugar, a solicitor, first asked the BBC to publish the Balen Report in 2005 under the Freedom of Information Act and refused to accept the BBC’s argument that it was outside the Act’s scope.
The corporation successfully argued in the past that the report should not be released because it was held for “the purposes of journalism, art or literature” and, as such, was exempt. It was commissioned to analyse the BBC’s coverage of Middle East issues and make recommendations for improvement.
The BBC has spent more than £270,000 on legal fees to prevent the public from seeing the report, written in 2004 by Malcolm Balen, a senior journalist, for Richard Sambrook, then BBC director of news. But a defeat for the BBC could cost the corporation even more because it could weaken its ability to deny requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.
Mr Sugar lost at the Information Tribunal, the High Court and the Court of Appeal, but his legal team - who have waived their fees - are hopeful of success in the Supreme Court.
Mrs Paveley said: “I used to tease Steven about his obsession with fighting this so I think he would have a wry smile that I’m carrying it on, but I couldn’t let it drop.”
Mr Sugar, a solicitor, first asked the BBC to publish the Balen Report in 2005 under the Freedom of Information Act and refused to accept the BBC’s argument that it was outside the Act’s scope.
The corporation successfully argued in the past that the report should not be released because it was held for “the purposes of journalism, art or literature” and, as such, was exempt. It was commissioned to analyse the BBC’s coverage of Middle East issues and make recommendations for improvement.
The Commonwealth
Senator Segal w
rites about the Commonwealth. THe Commonwealth encompasses 2.5 billion people bound together by ties of history and friendship. We must strengthen these ties. It is a perfect grouping to have a massive free trade zone!. It would encompass 1.3 of the world's populations. The senior Dominions and the United Kingdom should start off by dropping all trade barriers to the poorest members. I also agree with Senator Segal that we should encourage youth exchanges and encourage educational opportunities across the Commonwelath.
Canadians are rightfully proud that one of our prime ministers, John Diefenbaker, played a crucial role in creating the modern, multiracial Commonwealth.
When he stood — alone amongst white leaders — with the non-white prime ministers and other representatives of the Commonwealth and stared down apartheid South Africa and its application for membership in 1961, his and Canada’s status as an architect of the world body’s future was secured.
What is less-known is the key role Diefenbaker’s government played in establishing one of the Commonwealth’s additional success stories; it is also something Canadians and all 2.4 billion citizens of the Commonwealth’s 54 nations can look back on with pride.
I speak of the Commonwealth Scholarships that were championed by Canada at the Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference in Montreal in 1959. This meeting was chaired by our then-minister of finance, Donald Fleming.
“The spirit of this conference has been almost a unique creation,” Fleming said in his closing remarks. “Out of it have emerged decisions and accomplishments which we survey with the deepest satisfaction.”
Another dumb dipper idea.
The left as always enjoys, being victims. I am nobody's victim. Cabinet is already too big. I would eliminate the status of women ministry as well.
CALGARY - Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people — especially in Alberta — should have a special federal minister to defend their rights, says one Quebec NDP MP.
In an interview with a local radio station last week, NDP MP Dany Morin said he is calling for a special minister to represent those in the LGBT community.
He said LBGT people need someone to defend them in Ottawa.
"It's sorta like women who need a minister or spokespeople in women's issues," he said. "The LGBT people are minorities in Canada and their rights are not at the same level of others.
CALGARY - Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people — especially in Alberta — should have a special federal minister to defend their rights, says one Quebec NDP MP.
In an interview with a local radio station last week, NDP MP Dany Morin said he is calling for a special minister to represent those in the LGBT community.
He said LBGT people need someone to defend them in Ottawa.
"It's sorta like women who need a minister or spokespeople in women's issues," he said. "The LGBT people are minorities in Canada and their rights are not at the same level of others.
Friday, August 12, 2011
More on murdoch
I wrote this letter to the editor in the Montreal Gazette in July. I didn't notice that the published it until today.
Re: “The Murdoch mess and the press” (Your Views, July 20).
I agree with Gopal Sengupta that we should not try to limit a free press, but Rupert Murdoch and his organization have stepped far over the line. It is alleged that his agents paid royal protection officers for information about the location of the Queen. If true, it warrants the stiffest of sanctions.
I have not heard Murdoch apologize to the Queen and the royal family.
I have no wish to weaken the free press, but even the press must obey the laws of the land. That Murdoch and his minions breached British national security in such a way shows their utter contempt for the law.
Roy Eappen
Montreal
Re: “The Murdoch mess and the press” (Your Views, July 20).
I agree with Gopal Sengupta that we should not try to limit a free press, but Rupert Murdoch and his organization have stepped far over the line. It is alleged that his agents paid royal protection officers for information about the location of the Queen. If true, it warrants the stiffest of sanctions.
I have not heard Murdoch apologize to the Queen and the royal family.
I have no wish to weaken the free press, but even the press must obey the laws of the land. That Murdoch and his minions breached British national security in such a way shows their utter contempt for the law.
Roy Eappen
Montreal
More Free Trade Deals
HM Canadian Government has signed another free trade deal. HM Government has negotiated or is negotiating 50 free trade deals. Given the shakiness of the US economy, this is a good idea. I am also glad the opposition will not be able to press HM Government to start another stimulus. Cuts not stimulus is another good Tory idea, though we need to cut more and faster!
In a bid to enter new markets, Harper lands free-trade deal with Honduras
STEVEN CHASE
San Pedro Sula, Honduras— Globe and Mail Update
Published Friday, Aug. 12, 2011 7:09AM EDT
Canada has reached a deal on a free-trade agreement with Honduras, Stephen Harper announced Friday as he visited the country on the final stop of his Latin American trade mission.
The visit comes just as the country of 8.5 million is shedding its pariah status after a 2009 coup d’état that ousted the sitting president.
In a bid to enter new markets, Harper lands free-trade deal with Honduras
STEVEN CHASE
San Pedro Sula, Honduras— Globe and Mail Update
Published Friday, Aug. 12, 2011 7:09AM EDT
Canada has reached a deal on a free-trade agreement with Honduras, Stephen Harper announced Friday as he visited the country on the final stop of his Latin American trade mission.
The visit comes just as the country of 8.5 million is shedding its pariah status after a 2009 coup d’état that ousted the sitting president.
iffy's big adventure
An interesting article on the disastrous iffy years at the helm of the grits. It makes lots of good points. I think the grits and iffy totally underestimated HM PM Stephen Harper. I also think it is pretty arrogant to leave Canada for 30 years and then come home to instantly become Canadian prime minister. The reason the Tory ads worked, is that Canadians understood that. The last line of the article stating that iffy will inevitably leave Canada made me laugh. I've been saying the same thing since May
When Michael Ignatieff resigned as leader of Canada’s Liberals at a press conference in Toronto on May 3rd, members of his team were seen at the back of the room in tears. They were grieving not just for their party—which the previous day had suffered the worst defeat in its history, coming a first-ever third place in the federal election, behind not only their Conservative Party tormentors but also the left-wing New Democrats. They were grieving even more for the death of a dream, the sad end of a six-year experiment that they had once believed would conclude with a unique man, Ignatieff himself, pulling the sword of political governance out of the stone of political theory and coming to power in Canada as a contemporary philosopher-king.
The dream could be said to have been born in the autumn of 2005, when Joseph Nye Jr., then the dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, was eating soup and sandwiches at Cambridge’s Finale restaurant with Ignatieff, his star hire. The Canadian-born journalist-historian had proved a spectacular choice to head Harvard’s new Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. In his four years there, Ignatieff had catapulted the center into prominence as an institution renowned for its policy-relevant scholarship. Among other things, Ignatieff and the Carr Center had overseen the work between human rights experts and military and intelligence officers that culminated in the US Army’s counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq.
When Michael Ignatieff resigned as leader of Canada’s Liberals at a press conference in Toronto on May 3rd, members of his team were seen at the back of the room in tears. They were grieving not just for their party—which the previous day had suffered the worst defeat in its history, coming a first-ever third place in the federal election, behind not only their Conservative Party tormentors but also the left-wing New Democrats. They were grieving even more for the death of a dream, the sad end of a six-year experiment that they had once believed would conclude with a unique man, Ignatieff himself, pulling the sword of political governance out of the stone of political theory and coming to power in Canada as a contemporary philosopher-king.
The dream could be said to have been born in the autumn of 2005, when Joseph Nye Jr., then the dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, was eating soup and sandwiches at Cambridge’s Finale restaurant with Ignatieff, his star hire. The Canadian-born journalist-historian had proved a spectacular choice to head Harvard’s new Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. In his four years there, Ignatieff had catapulted the center into prominence as an institution renowned for its policy-relevant scholarship. Among other things, Ignatieff and the Carr Center had overseen the work between human rights experts and military and intelligence officers that culminated in the US Army’s counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq.
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I Support Lord Black
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