Thursday, September 30, 2010

More Good News, I Suppose

Total, Shell, ENI to end Iran investments

But doesn't that just make the "peaceful" nuclear program all the more justifiable? Oh, well, at least it starves 'em in the interim (which isn't very long) and reduces their capacity to meddle.

Labels: , , , ,

You Go Geert!!

It Takes a Scumbag

to do this: Student kills himself after gay sex footage put online

I hope they get him/her.

Labels:

You Gotta Wonder

Is this the new tactic in the ongoing jihad?  False alarms?  All it takes is a phone call from an anonymous tipster.  Simple, yet sophisticated. Works just as well.

Labels: , , , ,

As if

...this will make the sex "trade" any safer.

Labels:

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

More Evidence of Europe's Strengthening Backbone

Too Bad I'm Not a Movie Goer

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

More Immigration Reform

This will certainly meet the "make a leftard's head explode" test.

New immigration rules to weed out marriage fraud
"The Canadian immigration office in Hong Kong, with jurisdiction over much of southern China, rejects 50 per cent of spousal-sponsorship applications, the minister said, "because they've detected a wave of fraudulent marriages that are often facilitated by unscrupulous marriage consultants overseas."

Immigration staff received about 49,500 spousal-sponsorship applications from various parts of the world last year. While the government doesn't know exactly how many of those were deemed bad-faith marriages, Citizenship and Immigration Canada says "many" of the 10,000 applications that were rejected were turned down because there was evidence of a marriage of convenience."
Send get-tough message on human smuggling: New Immigration group
"People who pay smugglers to get them to Canada are not innocent victims and the federal government should get more aggressive about sending them home, says a leading member of a new immigration lobby group.

Former diplomat James Bissett says the government would send a strong signal to future smugglers and their human cargo if it got tough now.

"There is one solution to smuggling. That's to send them back," Bassett said Tuesday. "If you send one boat back you won't get another."
[---]
"One of the ideas under consideration is keeping refugee claimants in detention longer if they arrive by boat in large groups.

Bissett and his group say Canada's refugee and immigration system needs a complete overhaul to better differentiate between false and bona fide refugees and to better tailor the inflow of immigrants to the country's labour needs.

Martin Collacott, a former high commissioner to Sri Lanka, and Bissett said the government should enact a system to hear refugee claims more quickly and to ensure those who fail to make their case get shipped home quickly.

Bissett suggested keeping them in detention during the process might be a good step.

He said one of the reasons Canada was able to send a boatload of failed refugee claimants back to China more than a decade ago was because they were detained until their claims were heard.

The government opted for detention after claimants on an earlier boat from China were released pending their refugee hearing. All of them disappeared, probably into the United States."
Canada immigration policy critics call for overhaul
"Canada was built on immigration, and one of every six Canadian residents was born outside the country. It accepts about 250,000 immigrants and 175,000 foreign temporary workers a year.

But the group says the country's social system cannot handle so many newcomers, and the flow of immigrants is overwhelming its labor markets, with the unemployment rate now at about 7 percent."
And this will positively make their brains boil:
"Burney, who once worked as chief of staff to former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, said that Canada would continue to run into problems with the United States if it did not change the way it handles refugees.

Security along the Canada-U.S. border -- the longest undefended border in the world -- has been beefed up by the U.S. government since the September 11, 2001, attacks.

"The Americans have a lot of concern about the kind of people we're allowing in (to Canada as refugees), many of whom then want to get into the United States," Burney said."
[---]
""We are calling for nothing less than the complete review and total overhaul of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act," said the group's president, Margaret Kopala."
Bring it on, Cons. This can't happen soon enough.

Labels: ,

Nothing to See Here Folks, Move Along

After Mubarak

Mubarak has been president of Egypt for a very long time. He is old. He is ill. He is facing an election next year. He has a son, who, if he follows the typical Arab Nationalist tradition begun by Egypt's Gamal Abdul Nasser, will surely inherit the throne. But there is also a fairly strong sentiment expressed through political organizations in Egypt, that dynasties are not what is needed in Egypt. But in this piece, the author makes a very good argument for the son, Gamal Mubarak, taking the reigns of power from his father.  It's well worth a read.

I have for some time thought that in places like Egypt, and perhaps Libya, Western educated sons of current dictators may just be the ones that navigate their countries closer to democracy, partly because they have been educated in the Western world and understand the principles of democracy far better than homegrown groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, or the army establishment's top brass do or would.

But then again, I had the same hopes for Syria when Baby Assad took over from his father. Nothing of the sort has come from that ascension to the throne, perhaps because Baby Assad had not been properly groomed for the task, having been the second son, rather than the first born.  But his older brother died suddenly in a car accident, shortly before Hafez Assad's death, and the shy unassuming ophthalmologist was catapulted into the job.

But with Saddam Hussein and his despotic, psychotic sons no longer in the mix, perhaps the time is now ripe. Some little stirrings of democracy have been seen in many parts of the Arab world since the fall of Baghdad. Inch by inch, one son at a time, perhaps we will see democracy emerge.

All of which, makes me wonder what Mahmoud Abbas will come back with from his consultations with the toothless Arab League. What does the Arab League want more? A subdued and contained Iran or a continuation of the old whipping boy Arab countries have been flogging to no avail since 1948 - the Palestinian-Israeli thing. Since the peace talks seem on the verge of failure, as I predicted they would, could there be a Middle Eastern "October Surprise" about to pop out of the box?

Certainly, the time is rip for some outside-the-box thinking and the Palestinian thing has never been more than a diversionary tactic designed to keep their subject peoples preoccupied with something other than their own inadequate governments.  Should they go on fiddling while Rome (Iran) is burning?

And so much depends on what happens with Iran.  If Iran turns upside down, Baby Assad will have to sing a very different tune, or at least seek out a new puppet master.  Perhaps it will be Egypt. Or maybe Russia, as in the good ole days, especially if the Russians have any influence in the new Iran.  If he's smart, he'll choose Egypt.  I'm predicting the Arab world will be united for the first time since Gamal Abdul Nasser inspired the Nationalist movement.  The Israel thing will be relegated to history's dustbin as the old rhetoric subsides and the need for new rhetoric arises. But then again, if Russia fills the Iran void, we're right back to the Cold War with the Arab Nations playing East off against the West.

My, we live in interesting times.  I wonder where India's self-interest will align?

Labels: , , , , ,

Monday, September 27, 2010

"So Not Twentieth Century"

UPDATE: Interesting discussion about the worm at Hot Air with lots of good links. Suspects range from the USA, Israel to Russia, but I'm going to suggest it might be Julian Assange doing the "community work" he promised in exchange for his release.

---------------------------
But oh so cool.


Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Speaking of worms. Is it just me or is he looking more wormier with each passing day?

Labels: , ,

Oh My! Oh My!

Trust in Legislative Branch Falls to Record Low: 36%

Oh my God. You poor Yanks. Now you know how it feels to be Canadian.

At times like this, all you can do is laugh.

I don't know about you, but my favourite is this one:


Labels:

It Helps that She's Young and Good Looking, Too!

French politician confuses inflation with fellatio
"Ms. Dati was fired from French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office last year. She is often pictured on magazine covers wearing designer dresses. The single mother of one stirred up controversy over the mystery identity of her baby’s father, who some believe to be Mr. Sarkozy.

All we know is that when the time comes when fellatio is non-existent, the world will be a much different place than it is now."
BHWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Labels: , ,

Har, Har, Har, and NAH, NAH, NAH, NAH, NAH!!!

George Galloway loses bid to quash Canada's ban on him
"But he [Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley] ruled the government did not officially exclude him, and it was Mr. Galloway himself who made the decision not to enter Canada, based on a letter from the Canadian High Commission that, if he were to try, he might be judged inadmissible."
[---]
"“Mr. Galloway chose not to present himself at the border for examination and did not seek the exercise of ministerial discretion in the form of an exemption or a temporary residence permit,” the judgment reads. “As such, no final decision was made regarding his admissibility. There is, therefore, no decision which this Court can review.”"

That's what I've been saying all along. We normally don't ban people we want to arrest. We let them cross and then slap the cuffs on. We were just polite enough to give him a head's up. That's all.

Labels: ,

Just Thinkin'

Remember all the hysteria about media concentration?

Funny, then, the lengths the same constituency will go to in order to prevent greater variety and choice in the Canadian airwaves.

Labels: , , ,

Six Million Years Ago...

"... the Mediterranean dried up. Ninety million years ago there were alligators in the Arctic. Three hundred million years ago Northern Europe was a desert and coal formed in Antarctica. “One thing we know for sure,” Laughlin says about these convulsions, “is that people weren’t involved.”"
Read the original article here: What the Earth Knows
"On the scales of time relevant to itself, the earth doesn’t care about any of these governments or their legislation. It doesn’t care whether you turn off your air conditioner, refrigerator, and television set. It doesn’t notice when you turn down your thermostat and drive a hybrid car. These actions simply spread the pain over a few centuries, the bat of an eyelash as far as the earth is concerned... "

Labels:

Sunday, September 26, 2010

What I Don't Understand....

...is why Rex still works for the CBC? Rex Murphy is soooooo good at describing hypocrisy wherever it's found, in this case: The United Nations: Once a noble dream, is now just a joke. Yet, the corporation for which he works, the CBC, is virtually dripping with hypocrisy. Go figure. Maybe it's through his sense of duty to the tax paying public that they should at least get a little back for what they spend on that monstrosity. Rex is perfectly right about the UN. Its time has long passed, yet in so many ways, the CBC simply can't move on.

Nor can it distinguish news reporting from editorializing, viz, from today's CBC website:

The Greening of America

Does anybody remember that book? Unless you're over fifty, chances are, you've never heard of it. It was a fave of the 60s counter-culture generation, a wide ranging, rambling exaltation to the hippie generation, required reading in many undergrad liberal arts courses. Why is the CBC dredging it up? There have been many, many bestselling books published in the last forty years, not to mention others prior to that. Why choose one that glorifies a long lost cause? Not on any of these best seller lists, either.


Bay St. exec named PM's new chief of staff, from which we are treated to this bit of irrelevancy:
"News of Wright's appointment comes after a tough summer for the Conservative government, which has faced mounting criticism over costs of Canada's dual hosting of the G8 and G20 summits in June, as well as its decision to scrap the mandatory long-form census and a Tory backbencher's failed attempt to scrap the federal long-gun registry."
Couldn't resist integrating an editorial and a groundless assumption into an otherwise factual news story, could ya, CBC, not to mention utilizing the old media (I mean that in both senses) standby - construct a narrative so you can then exploit it, otherwise known as a straw man. (And just who has provided the fodder for the "mounting criticism", hmmmmmm? Simply listening to the banter taking place at the water cooler in the hallway or at the Starbucks at the end of the street isn't indicative of "mounting criticism" throughout the country you supposedly serve.) Really, you should leave the editorializing to Rex. He's much better at it.

And speaking of Starbucks, even their admitted opinion pieces smack of elitism: Starbucks price hike: How much is too much? Other than those who sit in the corner Starbucks franchise sipping their lattes while berating capitalism, the fruits of which they happen to be imbibing, who the hell cares???

In fairness, there are many news articles on CBC's webpage today that do stick to the facts and only the facts, but this is only the webpage. There are the radio and television venues, too. For example, try as I may, I can find neither an audio file nor a pixels on screen piece which headlined the Harper government's decision to boycott the recent speech at the UN by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But there is one about the US walking out, deep inside of which a description of Canada's and other nations' actions was buried, amid a recounting of the disgusting rhetoric (Ahmadinejad's 9/11 troofer beliefs, for example) of the speech itself. Fair enough, I suppose, but I would think either the content of the speech or the decision of 33 sovereign nations (not just the one CBC loves to hate) to snub the little dictator should merit some mention in the headline.

Taken together over the months and years, the bias and elitism of old-guard liberalism cannot be hidden, even with Rex Murphy as a counter-weight. I think Rex should move Sun TV. He seems to be a freelancer, so who knows, maybe he will.

/bitchin'

Labels: , ,

Yup. The End of the Current Election Cycle...

...is closing in.

Government to continue to wind down stimulus spending: Flaherty
"The Harper government recognizes that the economy is slowing but won’t alter plans to wind down stimulus spending in ways that would threaten its deficit-cutting goals, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Sunday."
In fact, it looks like a spring election.
"The report tomorrow will show that close to 22,500—or about 97 per cent—of the infrastructure projects linked to a mix of federal, provincial and municipal stimulus funds are underway, Mr. Flaherty said. The federal government is standing by its use-it-or-lose-it warning that it will pull its share of stimulus projects that fail to wrap up by Ottawa's deadline of March 31, 2011."
Right after the sod-turning and ribbon cutting.

Labels:

The Arab Parallel Universe According to the Egyptian Sandmonkey (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

[One of my favourite Arab bloggers (and the best of the Egyptian bloggers, bar none) is Rantings of a Sandmonkey. Here, without permission, is, verbatim, one of his best posts ever. Note, this was posted on blogspot. The Sandmonkey has since migrated to a different host, and the original posts from blogspot are not there.]

The 7 rules of the A.P.U.!

On yesterday post Jeffery left me a comment describing a phenomenon he noticed over the past 3 years of viewing middle-eastern news, something he referred to as the A.P.U., the Arab Parallel Universe. This universe was created by Arabs to explain to themselves why they are in the rut they have been for so long, while also glorifying their personal victories against a world that is always conspiring against them.

In the A.P.U. events that happen in our real universe also occur, except that the fashion of their occurrence and their outcome are very different then what we- in the real universe-know them to be. It amazed me that he came to that conclusion, since it brilliantly summed up something that I have been trying to describe for years. I immediately told all my family and friends about it and upon their realization that we are all citizens of the A.P.U., they started giving me examples and evidence of that geographic phenomenon.

In this post I will try to explain some of the rules of the A.P.U., and list examples of them for the sake of explaining to the rest of the world the rules of our very fun parallel Universe.

Now, the first thing you have to realize about the APU that its outlook on its history is dependent on the fact that Arabs are never at fault. That’s APU’s rule#1 : Arabs never make mistakes, and they rarely lose wars. In the APU, the British didn’t leave the Middle East cause they could no longer keep the empire after WWII; the Arabs kicked the British out. In the APU, Egypt won the 56 and 73 wars, without any help or intervention for seize (sic) fire by the USA. And since we are on the topic, Egypt only lost the 1967 war because the Jews surprise-attacked us when we weren’t prepared. We only had our troops in Sinai and were talking about driving Israel into the Dead Sea as a form of muscle stretching. We were only kidding about invading them and they used it as an excuse to attack and invade us. Those damn Jewish Zionist snakes.

Now, speaking of the Zionists brings us to APU Rule # 2: The Zionists and the Americans are always to blame for everything that is wrong in the APU. Drug use rise in Egypt? Israel is shipping drugs free to Egypt to destroy our naïve helpless youth! STD levels rising? STD & HIV infected Israelis moussad girls who come here to infect our virile Egyptian men with AIDS are to blame. The Egypt air plane that captain Batouty committed suicide with and plunged in the ocean? The Americans shot it down. Or the Zionists. The plane had 13 trained apache helicopter pilots and u know how those 13 men are all we need to liberate Palestine. So the Zionists had to bring down the plane rather then risk giving us the great strategic advantage of having 13 apache helicopter pilots. History books that contradict our version of reality? Zionist and American ploys to undermine our heritage and history and historical leaders. 911? Everyone knows that it was the moussad and the Bushies who planned the whole thing; especially with the 3000 Jews that didn’t show up for work that day at the WTC towers. Although we wouldn’t be surprised if it was Arabs, because the planning and execution was so flawless.

Which brings us APU rule #3: If there is any credit at all that can be contributed to Arabs in any way, they will take it. Even though this whole 911 thing was a jewish conspiracy anyway, if it turned out that arabs were behind it, then u have to admit that it was greatly planned and flawlessly executed and that its good to give America a lesson every now and then. They had it coming anyway with all their plotting against us. Hopefully the jews are next!

This brings us to rule #4: Good leadership is inversely related to how US-friendly a leader is! As a leader in the APU, it doesn’t matter what you do or how bad you messed up; As long as you “stand up” against the USA and its controller Israel then you are a good leader. Using this mentality, it’s easy to see why Sadat was the worst Egyptian leader ever, how Saddam is a great arab leader, a resistance hero and a symbol against US imperialism and how Gamal Abdel Nasser is the greatest president/ leader/ diplomat that ever lived/blessed this part of the world. It doesn’t matter that his nationalization of private property and socialistic economic policies ruined the Egyptian economy and that every war he waged ended in sounding defeat. The man stood up to the Americans and the Israelis, and that’s why he is the best leader ever!

Rule # 4 explains why the current Egyptian president makes all the public sounds to show that he is standing up against Israel for the poor Palestinians. It’s why he never visited Israel during his 23+ years tenure as Egyptian president-unlike the traitor dog Sadat- and why he keeps recalling the Egyptian ambassador from Israel every time the Palestinians attack Israelis and then the Israelis get uppity and attack back. It is also imperative to understand that in the APU Egypt no longer negotiates with Israel, no matter what you may have heard elsewhere. For example, the exchange of the 6 Egyptian soldiers that were arrested for plotting terrorist attacks in Israel for the Israeli spy Azzam Azzam was not really negotiated nor did Mubarak strike a deal with Sharon in any way. It was just a coincidence that they were released at the same time in the same location. Actually, as the speaker for the Egyptian president explained: “Azzam was supposed to be released 6 months ago, but we decided not to give him back to Israel until they gave us back our 6 students. The president made that abundantly clear to them”! See, we were smarter then the Jews there, we actually tricked them! But remember, there was no deal of any kind, no matter what you may have heard in the lying media.

This in turn brings us to the APU rule # 5: Any media that is not the official state-owned media is filled with Zionist, Jewish, American, Christian, imperialist, anti-arab influences and they LIE ALL THE TIME! If you want the unaltered truth and honest reporting, watch the official state-owned media. They have no agenda what so ever! Waffa Constantine’s story you say? What story? Christians are shown demonstrating on every channel except on the Egyptian state-owned channels? There were no Christian demonstrators in the streets. It’s all a vicious lie and rumor to hurt the incredibly strong Christian-Muslim relationship in Egypt, which is strong as ever by the way, and getting stronger every day. Strong, that’s a word we like to use when we describe it. To demonstrate it’s strength, the egyptian state-owned newspapers reported that Father Shenooda , in a meeting he did not attend by the way, thanked the Egyptian president for helping resolve the Waffa Constantine’s misunderstanding and anything else u may have heard about Shenooda never thanking Mubarak and about him getting so upset that he ended up secluding himself in a monestary is a lie. Just like the demonstrations against another Mubarak term. There are no demonstrations against Mubarak. What? CNN showed it? Those lying Jewish, Zionist, imperialist American dogs. They just want to foster division and doubt. We all know that all Egyptians want nothing but for Mubarak to stay president for life.

And this, in turn, brings us to the APU rule #6: There is really no need for elections in the APU, because Presidents and rulers are presidents and rulers for life. The people like it this way, because people like their “leadership” and the “stability” they bring to the country. But since we are all democracies, we have elections anyway. In the Egyptian democratic elections, for example, u have the choice between voting yes for Mubarak and voting no for Mubarak, which would mean if he gets a 100% no vote, he would still win cause he is the only one running. Hey, at least it’s better and a less confusing system then Libya’s direct democracy, which Ghadafi’s Son and future Libyan president explains here! And this finally brings us to the 7th and final APU political rule: The only viable alternative candidate to the current leader or president is this current leader or president’s son. The perfect example of which resides in Syria and an other example -God willing- will exist in Egypt in the near future. This rule is supported and stems from the fact that those presidents and leaders are chosen by god and have superior genetic material and intellect that only male members of their direct lineage may possess. Plus, Arabs really like dynasties and ruling families. It’s because Arabs are all really like a big family. Sure they may disagree, squabble or even kill each other, but what family doesn’t? Plus, it makes it a lot easier for our future leaders to relate to each other, since they all will experience and share the same struggle of being born into power. This can only help make relations between the countries stronger and lead to a more unified and prosperous APU.

So, in summary and conclusion, the 7 political rules of the APU are:

1) Arabs never make mistakes, and they rarely lose wars.

2) The Zionists and the Americans are always to blame for everything that is wrong in the APU.

3) If there is any credit at all that can be contributed to Arabs in any way, they will take it.

4) Good leadership is inversely related to how US-friendly a leader is!

5) Any media that is not the official state-owned media is filled with Zionist, Jewish, American, Christian, imperialist, anti-arab influences and they LIE ALL THE TIME!

6) There is really no need for elections in the APU, because Presidents and rulers are presidents and rulers for life.

7) The only viable alternative candidate to the current leader or president is this current leader or president’s son.

Hope that helped explain some of the confusing discrepancies that you may encounter from having those 2 parallel universes existing in the same reality. Mind you, those are only the political rules. There are other rules concerning economics , social traditions and norms, but those will be covered in future posts. This is the Sandmonkey, from the APU, signing off!

Labels: ,

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Col. Allan West, Again

Don't Ask Me How I Dug This One Up

...but it's a keeper.

In From the Cold by Andrew Coyne
"AN outsider watching the Canadian election today may be forgiven for wondering what the fuss is about. A centrist Liberal government is about to be replaced, if the polls are correct, by a centrist Conservative one."
[---]
"But beneath Canada's placid surface, the tectonic plates are shifting.

Slowly, by stages, rather than suddenly and violently, the Western world's most enduring political dynasty is cracking up. The Liberal Party of Canada, it is often noted, held power for more years in the 20th century than the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It has governed Canada, with occasional Conservative interludes, more or less since the First World War. Not for nothing is the system sometimes called "one-and-a-half-party rule.""
[---]
"In 2004, the once-invincible Liberals were reduced to a minority, thanks in part to the scandal in Quebec, in part to disappointment with Mr. Martin, and in part to the resurrection of a united Conservative opposition led by Stephen Harper.

A dour economist from Alberta, Mr. Harper is no one's idea of a natural politician. But he is blessed with both a first-rate mind for policy and a sure strategic sense."
[---]
"The Conservatives had been so far from power for so long, he calculated, that they had become an unknown quantity to many voters. Fear of the unknown was the Liberals' last remaining political weapon, their sole defense against widespread public fatigue with their government. Deny the Liberals that, and they would collapse."
[---]
"The Conservatives must plan for when they are again out of power and remove the instruments by which they were kept out.

Previous Conservative prime ministers aspired only to run the Liberal machine for themselves, leaving the motor running for the Liberals when they returned. Mr. Harper wants to dismantle it, piece by piece."
Unfortunately, we haven't seen too much of that - yet. But, there's a whiff of impending election fever in the air. Expect a flurry of as yet unfulfilled promises finally kept, with the best waiting to be unveiled as election promises. If I'm right, remember, you heard it here first. And considering Count Iggula is a gaff-a-minute guy, the Natural Governing Party of Canada my have an uphill battle. If I'm wrong, well, it's back to the cold, frozen gulag in Soviet Canuckistan. Just in time to stop runaway global warming.

Labels:

Nah. Nothing to Worry About Here, Folks.

UPPITYEREST DATE (BUMPED): Perhaps it was a jilted lover?
"There have been reports that the call came from a woman motivated by ill-will against the man."
[---]
"If the tip is found to be false, whoever made it could be charged with public mischief or, more seriously, a terrorist hoax, punishable by up to five years in prison."
You'll regret it, sweetie.
------------------------------
UPPITYESTDATE: The "suspect" has been released. Phew. (This report says 9 hours, not 11) Thank God Canadian, Swedish and Pakistani International Airways officials tend to ignore the leftards' memes. Passengers were nationals of several countries:
"The airline said there were 102 Canadian nationals on the flight, 139 Pakistanis, eight U.S. citizens, three people from India and one person each from Japan, Malaysia and Bangladesh."
Hopefully, there will be an appropriate amount of fallout landing on the right people. It's good to know the "system worked" and Janet Napolitano wasn't involved.

UPPITYDATE: The plane was cleared after 11 hours on the tarmac. No explosives were found. The "suspect" has been detained. There's a possibility the call made by a woman from the payphone in Canada was "a hoax", in which case mischief charges could be pending, if they know or can figure out who she was. There's gotta be one very angry and exhausted group of passengers and crew. I wouldn't want to be them. That's "254 passengers (minus the one man detained) — including 102 Canadians — and 18 crew members". This incident was reported in news all over the world, from China, to Australia, to Canada and the US.

UPPERDATE: He's a "Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, aged about 30."

UPDATE: This report says a passenger on board has been arrested.
--------Original Post Starts Here----------
I mean the flight just originated in Canada and was headed to Pakistan.

I'd like to know who this woman was who called in to the authorities. Good for her!! She's probably have a fatwa hanging over her head in no time flat, though.
"BBC Europe reports that Janne Hedlund of Stockholm police has told the Reuters news agency that everybody who boarded in Canada had passed security checks and as news filters in it is believed police have now boarded and are interviewing a man on board.

Sky News reports the suspect is a Pakistani national with a Canadian passport, officials said."

The BBC report is here. It was a Pakistani airline originating in Calgary with a stop in Toronto.

Cue up the sickening chorus of repetition from the left now: "Oh, but not all Muslims are radical.", as if that has any relevance at all.

Labels: ,

I Post. You Decide.

Sultry?



Sexy??





Or gay?



And the winner is???

Labels: ,

Time to Repost an Oldy but Goody

Panel 1 - Pt. 1



Panel 1 - Pt. 2



Panel 2 - Pt. 1



Panel 2 - Pt. 2



Panel 2 - Pt. 3



Panel 3 - Pt. 1



Panel 3 - Pt. 2



Panel 4 - Pt. 1



Panel 4 - Pt. 2



Panel 4 - Pt. 3



Panel 5 - Pt. 1



Panel 5 - Pt. 2



Panel 5 - Pt. 3



St. Petersburg Declaration

Labels:

Note the "Related" Headlines

RCMP investigate possible hoax in Pakistan plane bomb scare

Underneath this headline are the following "related" ones:

Eiffel Tower re-opened after earlier bomb alert

Lourdes re-opened after bomb threat

The world is a f*cked up place.

Labels:

Too Perfect to be a Hoax

FBI raids "war resister" residence. FBI spokesman named Steve Warfield.
"Targets of the searches accused the government of harassing anti-war protesters.

The investigation "concerns material support of terrorism but there is no imminent threat to the (U.S.) community," FBI spokesman Steve Warfield said."
Warning. If you are a member of the humorless left, you won't find this funny.

Labels:

And Now, On to Other Distractions

The sun joins the climate club
"THE idea that changes in the sun's activity can influence the climate is making a comeback, after years of scientific vilification, thanks to major advances in our understanding of the atmosphere."
But the club is still not quite prepared to give ole King Sol top billing.
"The findings do not suggest - as climate sceptics frequently do - that we can blame the rise of global temperatures since the early 20th century on the sun. "There are extravagant claims for the effects of the sun on global climate," says Giles Harrison, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Reading, UK. "They are not supported."

Where solar effects may play a role is in influencing regional weather patterns over the coming decades. Predictions on these scales of time and space are crucial for nations seeking to prepare for the future."
But you can see they are opening the escape hatch.

And just in time for the arctic sovereignty pissing match, there is this news: Surprise: Peer reviewed study says current Arctic sea ice is more extensive than most of the past 9000 years

Labels: , , ,

Yup. Europe is Waking Up

This time it's a German feminist who is breaking with the ranks.
"In Germany, the Islamists found willing listeners above all in the universities, among Protestants, and in the alternative milieu. Here the fear and guilty conscience about doing something wrong with respect to loving the foreigner was great.

“And great too, was the readiness of believers of the Old Left to follow new gods after the death of their deities Mao and Che Guevara: Allahu Akbar! Presumably, the young converts of the so-called Sauerland Group had been participating in the Red Army Faction, one, two generations earlier.”

Even greater than the danger of terrorism is the systematic infiltration of our educational and legal systems by the goals of Islamization. The fact that the third generation of Turkish-Germans speaks worse German than the second is also attributable to infiltration by Islamists: “In the marginalized ghettoes, their seed of contempt for democracy and exaltation of theocracy rises.”"
RTWT

Labels: , , ,

Friday, September 24, 2010

Are Universities Reforming Themselves?

Or is this just a Kennedy son exercising his royal prerogative? Either way, it's a damned good decision.

Bill Ayers denied emeritus status at UIC

Although, I'd like to think that aging Alumni are keeping their checkbooks closed, too, and donations and endowments are drying up, as a result. It must also help when the sons, daughters and grandchildren of those same alumni are finding the four year degrees they are getting in political correctness are not that useful in getting a job and that the money spent getting those degrees has been a complete waste. Not only are they unfit for employment but the profs who poured all that garbage into their heads are not all that well regarded, pariahs in fact.

So good for you Mr. Kennedy. Your father, RFK, and your uncle, JKF, would be proud of the stand you've taken.

Labels: ,

More Wise Voices...

...weigh in on the upcoming Geert Wilders trial. This time it's legal scholars.

Labels:

Is It Any Wonder...

...why political cartoonists depict the Democratic Party as an ass?  Here (scroll down for video) and here.

Another take on it.

Labels: ,

Oh, Those Journalists Journolisters!

Remind you of anyone?

Liberal journalists suggest government censor Fox News

"The very existence of Fox News, meanwhile, sends Journolisters into paroxysms of rage. When Howell Raines charged that the network had a conservative bias, the members of Journolist discussed whether the federal government should shut the channel down.

“I am genuinely scared” of Fox, wrote Guardian columnist Daniel Davies, because it “shows you that a genuinely shameless and unethical media organisation *cannot* be controlled by any form of peer pressure or self-regulation, and nor can it be successfully cold-shouldered or ostracised. In order to have even a semblance of control, you need a tough legal framework.” Davies, a Brit, frequently argued the United States needed stricter libel law."
I suppose this is one of those higher forms of patriotism.

Labels: ,

Canadian Media: Still Clueless After All These Years

Harper pushes for UN Security Council seat
"Harper was joined at the UN by Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and Peter Kent, the minister of state for foreign affairs. The vast majority of seats in the General Assembly Hall were empty, however."
But as Stephen Taylor points out, so what?

And we all remember when he was snubbed at the White House, don't we?

Labels: ,

Seriously, Journalists Have Lost It

Based on the language in the first few sentences of this article, you'd swear it was an opinion piece. But no, the tab at the top says it's "news". Interesting, anyway, but sheesh! Why not call it what it is?

Labels: ,

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Looks Like We Weren't the Only Ones

Canada boycotts Ahmadinejad at UN

U.S. Walks Out as Iranian Leader Speaks

Ahmadinejad's 9/11 speech sparks US fury
"The United States led an enraged Western walkout after Ahmadinejad's comments on the Al-Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center, which was just four miles (six kilometers) from the UN headquarters. European Union delegations quickly followed and Canada boycotted the speech even before it started."

U.N. delegates walk out during Iranian president's speech
"Incendiary statements from Ahmadinejad are nothing new for the assembled delegates. But tension grew as he recounted various conspiracy theories about the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., driving multiple representatives from the hall.

"Some segments within the US government orchestrated the attack," Ahmadinejad told the assembly. He followed with the claim that the attacks were aimed at reversing "the declining American economy and its scripts on the Middle East in order to save the Zionist regime. The majority of the American people, as well as most nations and politicians around the world, agree with this view."

After that statement, delegates rose and exited the hall. Representatives from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Belgium, Uruguay and Spain walked out while Ahmadinejad discussed claims that the U.S. was involved in the attacks or allowed them to happen as an excuse to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq".
[---]
"A European Union diplomat said that all 27 member nations had agreed to walk out if Ahmadinejad made inflammatory statements during his address."
"But Ahmadinejad did not demur from his line of attack as the walkouts proceeded. He went on to compare the deaths in the September 11 attacks to the casualty count in the wars in Afghanistan in Iraq.

'It was said that some 3,000 people were killed on September 11th, for which we are all very saddened,' he said. 'Yet, up until now in Afghanistan and Iraq, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions wounded and displaced, and the conflict is still going on and expanding.'
Of course, what he didn't say was that responsibility for much of the death toll in Iraq can be laid at his feet.

Labels: , ,

Human Genome Project (Older Post Previously Unpublished)

Random Links and Stuff (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

And Speaking of Julian Assange...

...in addition to the charge of rape Julian Assange should be charged with incitement to murder.

Labels:

Julian Assange = Creepy

Somebody from Sweden found my blog using the search terms: "Julian Assange creepy"

Nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Labels:

Amidst the Media Fascination....

...with the twerp, there is some good news:

Canada boycotts UN speech by Iran's Ahmadinejad

I'm not so sure I like the idea of Canada being on the Security Council, though. I'd rather see us voting to boot that organization out of North America.

Labels: , ,

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!


HT: Blazing Cat Fur, where there's more. (Caution: May induce loud, raucous laughter.)

Labels: , ,

Obama's New Approach

Also known as....
"President Barack Obama on Wednesday defended U.S. aid to impoverished people even during sour economic times at home yet promised a sterner approach, favoring nations that commit to democracy and economic revival."
[---]
"His message was that the United States wants to help countries help themselves, not offer aid that provides short-term relief without reforming societies."
..."Do as I say. Not as I do."

Labels: , ,

Yawn

Arabs Harass Female 'Peace' Activists: Left Silences Victim
"...when female peace activists from Israel and abroad come out to Judea and Samaria and demonstrate against the Israeli “occupation,” they are assaulted sexually by the Arab men whom they have come to help. These are not isolated incidents, Aloni-Sedovnik stresses. Rather, this is an “ongoing and widespread” phenomenon that includes verbal and physical abuse. She accuses the 'peace' camp of purposely covering up the trend so as not to offend “the Palestinians and their heritage, which sees women as sexual objects.”"
[---]
"Aloni-Sedovnik cites two specific cases which she has knowledge of – one is a case of rape and another is “severe sexual harassment.” The attackers in both cases, she stresses, were familiar with the victims and knew that they were “peace activists.”

The rape occurred several months ago in the village of Umm Salmona, near Bethlehem. The victim, an American activist, wanted to press charges but leftist activists put pressure on her not to do so, so as not to damage the struggle against the 'occupation.'"
[---]
"Aloni-Sedovnik accuses the Israeli media of complicity in the cover-up.

“How is it that we do not hear the voice of the radical feminists who repeat, day and night, that occupation is occupation, and it does not matter if it is a nation that is doing the subjugation, or a man who is subjugating a woman?

"It appears that there is a gap between the radical-leftist feminist theory about the active resistance to the occupation of the Territories, and the stuttering self-annulment in the face of the violent conquest of women.”"
[---]
"Earlier this year, a blogger and literature buff named Yehudah Bello, who writes in various venues about history and the theory of evolution, wrote a blog post with the striking title: “The Female Leftist Activists are Raped Day after Day, Night after Night.” Bello is no ultra-nationalist, and he supports the creation of a PA state – a fact which makes his claims all the more believable.

Most female leftist European activists, writes Bello, are brainwashed in their youth into hating Israel, and then sent directly into Judea and Samaria, without spending a single night in Tel Aviv, lest they see civilian Israeli society for themselves and find that they like it."
[---]
"It is is easy, explains Bello, “to carry out a sexual crime against a foreign girl, in her first days away from her family, in a place where no police have ever visited. And this is what happens, and has happened.”"
[---]
"These are not just cases of rape carried out to satisfy lust,” he writes. “Usually, they are carried out systematically in order to make the girl pregnant and then take her as a wife – after she converts to Islam, of course. We know about this system from the stories of women who underwent a similar process within Israel and escaped to Europe. But it is hard to escape from the Palestinian territories. Sometimes these women – some of whom are no longer young – are never allowed to leave their homes unaccompanied, in order to forestall their escape.”

If someone were to compare the list of foreign female activists who enter Judea and Samaria to the list of those who leave, Bello claims, the magnitude of the phenomenon would be proven. “Everyone knows about it, but no one dares talk about it. The Palestinians have been turned into martyrs. In the Middle Eastern television channels, IDF soldiers are represented as the brutal rapists, who rape Palestinian women.”

The reports by Aloni-Sedovnik and Bello are of particular interest because feminist groups have been spearheading leftist activism in Israel for many years. According to Gila Svirsky, the former director of the New Israel Fund in Israel and founder of NIF-sponsored Women's Coalition for Peace, “women’s peace organizations, known collectively as the Israeli women’s peace movement, became the most vibrant and persistent part of the peace camp in Israel.” These groups espouse an ideology which equates militarism (by Israelis) with male domination of women. Far from being a fringe element, leftist-feminists of this ilk are a dominant force in the Israeli academic world, the press, the Knesset and the judicial system."

Labels: , , ,

Politics of the Arctic: Whose Passport Should Santa Carry?

So much going on lately. The pissing match should be enough to change the chemical composition of the Arctic ocean and warm it up several degrees, with or without the addition of more CO2 in the atmosphere.
"The Arctic contains a vast wealth of untapped oil and natural gas, according to a report released in July 2010 by the U.S. Geological Survey.

It estimated that the amount of "undiscovered, technically recoverable" oil north of the Arctic Circle was more than double the amount that had been previously found in the Arctic."
[---]
"No single country owns the geographic North Pole or the Arctic Ocean, which covers around one third of the total area. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the eight states have jurisdiction over waters extending 12 nautical miles from their shore, and their exclusive economic zones stretch up to 200 nautical miles into the Arctic Ocean.

Russia is among a number of countries seeking to extend their jurisdiction by gathering scientific data to back their case for consideration by the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Russia and Canada clashed as recently as last week over which country controls the Lomonosov Ridge, a mountain chain running underneath the Arctic."
Raises some questions for the AGW groupies, and their propaganda wing, too.

So, I gotta ask it, since our betters in the MSM and Greenpeace don't seem capable of formulating such queries: How did all that oil and gas end up there in the first place? Could it be a once lush and tropical-like climate has changed?

And just as importantly, whose passport do you think Santa should be carrying? Russian? Canadian? American? Danish? Norwegian? Icelandic? or Finnish? I always assumed he was Canadian. Am I in for a bitter late-in-life disillusionment?

Labels: , , , ,

Who Are You?

Someone from the Defense Research Establishment in Ottawa is watching my blog. The IP address is 131.137.245.208. Aren't you working on my dime? Are you goofing off while at work, or are you spying on me? Is your name Richard Warman?

Labels:

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Palestinians (Older Post Previously Unpublished)

[Editor's Note: This posting was originally composed two years ago almost to the day. I don't know why I didn't post it then. A lot has changed since then, but a lot has not. Nothing in the links below needs revision, though. They provide a glimpse into the mindset of a Palestinian terror mastermind, funded by Saddam Hussein, BTW, and a backdrop for anyone watching yet another round of peace talks stumble along. The names of the key layers have changed, but the legacy they are dealing with has not. These links provide a glimpse into the shadow cast by history over the negotiators around the table.]
==========================
When Palestinians become oppressors

Execution in Arafat's Compound

The Smoking Gun: Arab Immigration into Palestine 1922-1931

Arafat the Monster

Labels: ,

Ya Think?

"Does the Sweden Democrats' victory show that political correctness perhaps has gone too far?"



Meanwhile, in another election set to happen in October, the City of Toronto is choosing a mayor and council. Here's Voltaire's pithy comment on it:
"One of the observations about this election that bears repeating is that it's the first time just about anyone can think of where the local media has been attacking the public for making its democratic choice.

This could be a watershed in showing the huge disconnect between the an elitist, leftist media and the majority of the public who remain completely unaffected by their attempts to influence us."
Case in point.

Labels: , ,

Monday, September 20, 2010

Does This Mean...

...our Tea Party has started? In Toronto of all places!!!

Labels: ,

I Don't See Any Parallels Here....

...Do you?
"A group of Muslims, led by an extremist cleric in Sargodha, Pakistan, is constructing a mosque on top of a Christian graveyard.

When construction was ongoing, it was originally thought that an addition was being built to a mosque that was already there. However, the Muslim group has been seen desecrating the graves of Christians in the graveyard, OneNewsNow reported.

According to the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, the government has ordered that construction cease. However, the mosque is still being built. Jonathan Racho of the group, International Christian Concern, sees this as no surprise, OneNewsNow said.

Racho told OneNewsNow, “We know that the Islamic faith is very much aggressive, and Islam expanded over a large part of the world through the use of jihad and the use of force, and they have been using this in many countries, including Pakistan.”

Racho also said that Muslims commonly use force to oppress Christians and make them leave an area. One way to do this is to build a mosque on a Christian cemetery. In such case there would be nothing gained by taking the issue to court, because Pakistani law forbids demolishment of a religious place, OneNewsNow reported.

Even as the desecration of the Christian cemetery is taking place, the Muslims have threatened Christians who would try to challenge them, saying there would be retribution, OneNewsNow said.

In a separate development, ICC has reported that there are incidents where Christians who are victims of the recent widespread flood have been withheld aid unless they convert to Islam, according to OneNewsNow."

Labels: , ,

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Good News on the Airport Security-Veiled Women File

Tightened airport screening forces Muslim women to remove veils
"Under an “interim order” by Transport Minister Chuck Strahl, airlines must now check the “entire face” of passengers passing through boarding gates. The order explicitly states that airline officials must look at passengers — first, to determine if they are 18 years or older, and if they are 18 or older, to verify their identity against their passport or other photo ID."
We're winning.

Labels: ,

Three New Canadian Bloggers

...on my blogroll. All of them will drive a leftie insaner:

Bullet Proof Courier

Bullet Proof Courier is a staunch supported of Ezra Levant's courageous drive to restore to all of us our freedom to speak our minds. Definitely a no-no if you're of the left persuasion.

Dr. Roy's Blog

I've been reading and commenting at Dr. Roy's blog for at least a year or two, but only discovered yesterday that I had neglected to put him on my blogroll. He was only in my "favourites" list. Shame on me.

He's a very loyal Canadian, and a staunch defender of the monarchy. He's also a Christian. And he's brown to boot - born in India. All of that, especially his faith and the fact that he refuses to play "victim" despite his pigmentation, qualifies him as a target of vitriol from the rabid left.

Raheel Raza

And Raheel. Awe inspiring Raheel. Pay this woman some attention.

A full nine years after 9/11 we've all justifiably wondered where the "moderate" Muslims are. She's the genuine article. They are out there, but they rarely get a hearing. And no wonder. They are subject on a daily basis to fatwas and death threats from the Religion of Peace.

Lefties don't want you to know that, either. They hold fast to their delusions that we right thinking folks are all a bunch of bigots and all Muslims are vicitms. This ruins everything for them, while those moderate Muslims will tell you the apologist mindset of the left works against them.

She's making waves not only in Canada, but in the USA. For example, she's come out strongly against the Ground Zero mosque.

Actually, Raheel is not a blogger but a spokesperson working on a long uphill battle to be free to speak her mind. Check out the links on the top of her website, especially under the "Articles" and "Media" headings. She needs our support.

Welcome to my blogroll, all three of you.

And while I'm on the topic of moderate Canadian Muslims, don't forget Salim Mansur. I don't think he has his own blog, but his writings do appear regularly at Proud to Be Canadian, along with other enemies of the left like Ann Coulter. A Muslim moderate who whines about victimhood is not a moderate. Mansur gets this with crystal clarity.

Can you hear the howling and gnashing of teeth from the left? It's getting fainter and fainter, but, with life support supplied by the Liberal and NDP parties, the beast is still alive.

Labels: , , ,

Tell Me Ahmadinejad,

...are you speaking out of both sides of your mouth, or are you unconsciously revealing your weakened position? Are you propping up your favourite American President hoping the Arab nations will take note? If it's the former, that should be encouraging news for the Green Movement in Iran. If it's the latter, then beware. This is classic doublespeak cultivated by the world's leading exporter of Islamism and we've seen your tricks many times before.

On the other hand, I suppose, he could be trying to capitalize on the Pal/Israel peace talks. You know, get a little sumtin for his losses, then cut his proxy thugs loose.

But then again, maybe it's just MSM spin. Better minds than mine are probably pondering these questions right now.

Labels: , , , ,

Aw, Keith..

...Why don't you just admit it. You're a closet Conservative with a "hidden agenda". I mean, you're even in favour of reforming our Human Rights Commissions. That's hardly a Liberal value.

Labels: , , ,

Juan Cole Assessed (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

Veeeeery Inneresting

Thank you sitemeter. Now I have someone from the American government, based in Arlington, Virginia, (location of the Pentagon, BTW) reading my blog post about Alberta Oil sands and Kay Hagan. Will George Soros be far behind? Welcome to my blog, Yankie. I hope you're a Tea Partier.

And while I'm at it, may I suggest you buy Ezra Levant's latest book: Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands.

Labels:

If You Only Have Time...

...to read one thing today, make it this, weep for your country (whether Canada or USA), and, if you have a blog, pass it on.

Labels: ,

Whittling About Half Done

This sudden explosion of old previously unpublished posts will take a break now. It's past 4:00 AM and I really, really need my beauty rest. Might not get up until noon tomorrow.

Labels:

Mother Earth: Exploding the Myth (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

Transcript from a CBC "Ideas" program featuring Saskatchewan Cree elder Stan Cuthand.

Labels: ,

It's All About the Oil, Illegal Wars, and Other Nonsense from the Left (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

[Note: Dead links have been removed]

Great chart showing oil reserves and production of leading oil countries. Iraq's is minuscule.

Big U.S. oil companies make deal to return to Iraq

Saudi Arabia

Middle East

Tehran Times

Hartford

Middle East Crude Oil Production and Exports
"Currently over 60% of exports from the Middle East are destined for Asian markets, where they sell at a premium. The geographical proximity of the two regions, growing Asian supply deficit and absence of alternative sources for Asian countries will result in an even larger share of eastern sales for Middle East Oil. However, the relationship between Asian refiners and Middle East producers is not seamless. Asian refiners have complained for some time about the premium they are charged on Middle East oil. In the future it will become tougher for producers to charge this premium, and also for Asia refiners to pay the extra, because of consistently poor refining economics in the Asia-Pacific region, and deregulation in Asian countries exposing domestic refiners to harsher economic realities."
Legality of invasion

Iraq's attempt to enter Saudi Arabia

Is there a military solution to terror

Lancet Study Farce

Democrats on Iraq's WDM

Iraq's oil contracts, March 2008

Iraq invites oil companies

Iraq Energy Expo

World's top oil producers, 2006

ed driscoll

How many people did Saddam kill?

And from an exchange at the now defunct blog "Soldier's Dad" which I really, really miss (complete with typos in the original):
"Lisa,

The modeling in the 1970's as to what would happen if Middle East oil stopped flowing was 30,000 people a month would freeze to death in the first winter in Europe. Unemployment in Europe would reach 50% withing 90 days and unemployment in the US would reach 50% in 180 days. Envery energy dependent country in the world would face massive civil unrest. Then the real war would start.

Neither China nor India were particularly large energy consumers then. They are now.

We all need to personally thank Jane Fonda for the movie "China Syndrome" which made it politically impossible to build a nuclear power plant in the US.

Whose the worlds second largest oil producer...Russia. Really slick plan the Russians had...the way to bring the West to its knees was to cut off the oil and keep the West from actually producing an alternative.

So our usual communist sympathizer suspects on the hard left were taught to chant

"No war for Oil"
"No No to Nuclear Power"

I am I forgot...the US has enough coal to meet our energy needs for 1,000 years...and yes your car will run on gasoline refined from coal.

"No No to Coal"

In the meantime the Soviet Union went merrily along installing dictators anyplace in the world that had more than 3 drops of oil.

Hugo Chavez is too stupid to get himself elected dog catcher never mind Glorious Leader of a major oil exporting country...he had help.


Whose the hero of all the anti-war groups in the US...Hugo Chavez.

I wouldn't be surprised if the KGB sabotaged Chernobyl deliberately in an effort to convince the Western Europeans that Nuclear Power was bad, bad, bad and keep them nice and dependent.

Then we have this years presidential race...the Obama messiah is a manufactured candidate if I ever saw one...who manufactured him...some guy from Syria named Rezko. Syria is yet another Soviet puppet state whose glorious leader is a complete idiot.
Anand,

I don't think we can use Jerry Brown as an example. His father was a serious "Bring Home the Bacon" politician. Blather on endlessly about the "Environment"...and then happily show up
at a ground breaking for an Asbestos Factory that would employ 10,000 at $20 an hour. If an "environmentalist" builds an asbestos factory...it must be okay...right?

I used to work for a major entertainment complex in Europe...the neighbors rightfully complained about the noise.

We needed more office space...but the building was a "Historical Architectual Building".

For the price of a Mercedes Sportscar the politico manage to get the local population to "Demand" we put windows in the openings.

We had been appealing to the local "Historical Society" for years to allow us to put windows...so we could get 30K sq feet of office space below the bleachers and rent it at a tidy profit.

Once the locals were in a tizzy, the historical society relented.

Thats what a "Jerry Brown" type of politico can accomplish.

I'm sorry...but there is a world of difference between a political opportunist and an ideologue.

When I look at Obama's pals...I see Ideologues. Ideologues get people killed.

I remember an interview that Dianne Sawyer did with Yeltsin. His mother died for a lack of medication that US physicians hand out like candy to the elderly in the US. The Soviet Premiere's mother died because he couldn't get medication that the poorest of the poor elderly in the US eat like candy.

Ideology killed Yeltsin's mother.
SoldiersDad | 06.10.08 - 11:43 pm |

Labels: , , , ,

Nonie Darwish (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

Nonie Darwish on the Gaza Prison Camp
"Today the Gaza Strip, now under the control of Hamas, has become the Gaza prison camp for 1.5 million Palestinians and continues to serve as the launching pad for attacks against Israeli citizens.

This is the legacy of the Arab world's Palestinian refugee policy, started 60 years ago, when the Arab League implemented special laws regarding Palestinians that all Arab countries had to abide by. Arab countries could not absorb Palestinians. Even if a Palestinian married a citizen of an Arab country, that Palestinian could not become a citizen of his or her spouse's country. A Palestinian can be born, live and die in an Arab country, but never gain its citizenship. Even now I receive e-mails from Palestinians telling me they cannot have a Syrian passport, for example, and must remain Palestinian even though they have never set foot in the West Bank or Gaza. Forcing the Palestinian identity on them is designed to perpetuate the Palestinian refugee status. Palestinians have been used and abused by Arab nations, and by Palestinian terrorists, for the purpose of destroying Israel."
RTWT

Labels: , , , ,

Islamism = Fascism (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

Lancet debunking (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

Good Luck With This One, Harper (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

Ottawa to extend property rights on reserves: Strahl
"The federal government has introduced legislation to ensure women on First Nations reserves have matrimonial property rights if their marriages dissolve, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl said Tuesday.

Provincial laws governing the fair division of assets when marriages fail do not apply on reserves, and the federal Indian Act, which governs most aspects of life on reserves, does not address the subject.

The proposed legislation also includes a mechanism for First Nations communities to develop their own community-specific laws to deal with matrimonial property, Strahl said.

It also offers similar protection to women and children on reserves as the laws available to those off-reserve, he added.

"Our government is taking concrete, practical action to fill an intolerable, inexcusable legislative gap that has existed for far too long," Strahl said.

Aboriginal women's groups have argued the absence of matrimonial property laws has created hardship for women whose marriages break down, usually forcing them and their children to leave their reserves or move in with family members.

The bill was drafted following widespread consultations over the past year with interested parties, including the Native Women's Association of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations."

Labels: , ,

Tenth Anniversary (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

Ten years ago this week [Ed: "this week" being the week of February 17, 1998], the President of the United States issued the definitive statement on Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Throughout the year, Clinton would repeat the warning.

Labels: ,

Europe Down the Tube? (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

Just what did Dubya actually say? Part I (Old Post Previously Unpublished)

This series will set the record straight for all the "it's all about oil" crowd. Using George W Bush's own words during the lead-up to the war, it is extremely easy to show that the decision to remove Saddam Hussein was far more complex and nuanced than most leftards have the capacity to understand or at least admit to having.

Speech to the United Nations, September 12, 2002, one year and one day following 9/11. [Note, link is now dead]

In this speech, Dubya makes a case that includes far more than just WMD, and whether or not you believe this justifies removal of the regime as I most certainly do, you cannot deny that the "Bush lied and people died" meme of so many leftards is just plain stupid. The parallels to the years immediately preceding WWII are eerily striking. To listen to the entire speech, follow the link above. A Real Audio link is provided on the upper right side. And now, to the speech:

Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, distinguished delegates, and ladies and gentlemen: We meet one year and one day after a terrorist attack brought grief to my country, and brought grief to many citizens of our world. Yesterday, we remembered the innocent lives taken that terrible morning. Today, we turn to the urgent duty of protecting other lives, without illusion and without fear.

We've accomplished much in the last year -- in Afghanistan and beyond. We have much yet to do -- in Afghanistan and beyond. Many nations represented here have joined in the fight against global terror, and the people of the United States are grateful.

The United Nations was born in the hope that survived a world war -- the hope of a world moving toward justice, escaping old patterns of conflict and fear. The founding members resolved that the peace of the world must never again be destroyed by the will and wickedness of any man. We created the United Nations Security Council, so that, unlike the League of Nations, our deliberations would be more than talk, our resolutions would be more than wishes. After generations of deceitful dictators and broken treaties and squandered lives, we dedicated ourselves to standards of human dignity shared by all, and to a system of security defended by all.

Today, these standards, and this security, are challenged. Our commitment to human dignity is challenged by persistent poverty and raging disease. The suffering is great, and our responsibilities are clear. The United States is joining with the world to supply aid where it reaches people and lifts up lives, to extend trade and the prosperity it brings, and to bring medical care where it is desperately needed.

As a symbol of our commitment to human dignity, the United States will return to UNESCO. (Applause.) This organization has been reformed and America will participate fully in its mission to advance human rights and tolerance and learning.

Our common security is challenged by regional conflicts -- ethnic and religious strife that is ancient, but not inevitable. In the Middle East, there can be no peace for either side without freedom for both sides. America stands committed to an independent and democratic Palestine, living side by side with Israel in peace and security. Like all other people, Palestinians deserve a government that serves their interests and listens to their voices. My nation will continue to encourage all parties to step up to their responsibilities as we seek a just and comprehensive settlement to the conflict.

Above all, our principles and our security are challenged today by outlaw groups and regimes that accept no law of morality and have no limit to their violent ambitions. In the attacks on America a year ago, we saw the destructive intentions of our enemies. This threat hides within many nations, including my own. In cells and camps, terrorists are plotting further destruction, and building new bases for their war against civilization. And our greatest fear is that terrorists will find a shortcut to their mad ambitions when an outlaw regime supplies them with the technologies to kill on a massive scale.

In one place -- in one regime -- we find all these dangers, in their most lethal and aggressive forms, exactly the kind of aggressive threat the United Nations was born to confront.

Twelve years ago, Iraq invaded Kuwait without provocation. And the regime's forces were poised to continue their march to seize other countries and their resources. Had Saddam Hussein been appeased instead of stopped, he would have endangered the peace and stability of the world. Yet this aggression was stopped -- by the might of coalition forces and the will of the United Nations.

To suspend hostilities, to spare himself, Iraq's dictator accepted a series of commitments. The terms were clear, to him and to all. And he agreed to prove he is complying with every one of those obligations.

He has proven instead only his contempt for the United Nations, and for all his pledges. By breaking every pledge -- by his deceptions, and by his cruelties -- Saddam Hussein has made the case against himself.

In 1991, Security Council Resolution 688 demanded that the Iraqi regime cease at once the repression of its own people, including the systematic repression of minorities -- which the Council said, threatened international peace and security in the region. This demand goes ignored.

Last year, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights found that Iraq continues to commit extremely grave violations of human rights, and that the regime's repression is all pervasive. Tens of thousands of political opponents and ordinary citizens have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, summary execution, and torture by beating and burning, electric shock, starvation, mutilation, and rape. Wives are tortured in front of their husbands, children in the presence of their parents -- and all of these horrors concealed from the world by the apparatus of a totalitarian state.

In 1991, the U.N. Security Council, through Resolutions 686 and 687, demanded that Iraq return all prisoners from Kuwait and other lands. Iraq's regime agreed. It broke its promise. Last year the Secretary General's high-level coordinator for this issue reported that Kuwait, Saudi, Indian, Syrian, Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Bahraini, and Omani nationals remain unaccounted for -- more than 600 people. One American pilot is among them.

In 1991, the U.N. Security Council, through Resolution 687, demanded that Iraq renounce all involvement with terrorism, and permit no terrorist organizations to operate in Iraq. Iraq's regime agreed. It broke this promise. In violation of Security Council Resolution 1373, Iraq continues to shelter and support terrorist organizations that direct violence against Iran, Israel, and Western governments. Iraqi dissidents abroad are targeted for murder. In 1993, Iraq attempted to assassinate the Emir of Kuwait and a former American President. Iraq's government openly praised the attacks of September the 11th. And al Qaeda terrorists escaped from Afghanistan and are known to be in Iraq.

In 1991, the Iraqi regime agreed to destroy and stop developing all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles, and to prove to the world it has done so by complying with rigorous inspections. Iraq has broken every aspect of this fundamental pledge.

From 1991 to 1995, the Iraqi regime said it had no biological weapons. After a senior official in its weapons program defected and exposed this lie, the regime admitted to producing tens of thousands of liters of anthrax and other deadly biological agents for use with Scud warheads, aerial bombs, and aircraft spray tanks. U.N. inspectors believe Iraq has produced two to four times the amount of biological agents it declared, and has failed to account for more than three metric tons of material that could be used to produce biological weapons. Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons.

United Nations' inspections also revealed that Iraq likely maintains stockpiles of VX, mustard and other chemical agents, and that the regime is rebuilding and expanding facilities capable of producing chemical weapons.

And in 1995, after four years of deception, Iraq finally admitted it had a crash nuclear weapons program prior to the Gulf War. We know now, were it not for that war, the regime in Iraq would likely have possessed a nuclear weapon no later than 1993.

Today, Iraq continues to withhold important information about its nuclear program -- weapons design, procurement logs, experiment data, an accounting of nuclear materials and documentation of foreign assistance. Iraq employs capable nuclear scientists and technicians. It retains physical infrastructure needed to build a nuclear weapon. Iraq has made several attempts to buy high-strength aluminum tubes used to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapon. Should Iraq acquire fissile material, it would be able to build a nuclear weapon within a year. And Iraq's state-controlled media has reported numerous meetings between Saddam Hussein and his nuclear scientists, leaving little doubt about his continued appetite for these weapons.

Iraq also possesses a force of Scud-type missiles with ranges beyond the 150 kilometers permitted by the U.N. Work at testing and production facilities shows that Iraq is building more long-range missiles that it can inflict mass death throughout the region.

In 1990, after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the world imposed economic sanctions on Iraq. Those sanctions were maintained after the war to compel the regime's compliance with Security Council resolutions. In time, Iraq was allowed to use oil revenues to buy food. Saddam Hussein has subverted this program, working around the sanctions to buy missile technology and military materials. He blames the suffering of Iraq's people on the United Nations, even as he uses his oil wealth to build lavish palaces for himself, and to buy arms for his country. By refusing to comply with his own agreements, he bears full guilt for the hunger and misery of innocent Iraqi citizens.

In 1991, Iraq promised U.N. inspectors immediate and unrestricted access to verify Iraq's commitment to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles. Iraq broke this promise, spending seven years deceiving, evading, and harassing U.N. inspectors before ceasing cooperation entirely. Just months after the 1991 cease-fire, the Security Council twice renewed its demand that the Iraqi regime cooperate fully with inspectors, condemning Iraq's serious violations of its obligations. The Security Council again renewed that demand in 1994, and twice more in 1996, deploring Iraq's clear violations of its obligations. The Security Council renewed its demand three more times in 1997, citing flagrant violations; and three more times in 1998, calling Iraq's behavior totally unacceptable. And in 1999, the demand was renewed yet again.

As we meet today, it's been almost four years since the last U.N. inspectors set foot in Iraq, four years for the Iraqi regime to plan, and to build, and to test behind the cloak of secrecy.

We know that Saddam Hussein pursued weapons of mass murder even when inspectors were in his country. Are we to assume that he stopped when they left? The history, the logic, and the facts lead to one conclusion: Saddam Hussein's regime is a grave and gathering danger. To suggest otherwise is to hope against the evidence. To assume this regime's good faith is to bet the lives of millions and the peace of the world in a reckless gamble. And this is a risk we must not take.

Delegates to the General Assembly, we have been more than patient. We've tried sanctions. We've tried the carrot of oil for food, and the stick of coalition military strikes. But Saddam Hussein has defied all these efforts and continues to develop weapons of mass destruction. The first time we may be completely certain he has a -- nuclear weapons is when, God forbids, he uses one. We owe it to all our citizens to do everything in our power to prevent that day from coming.

The conduct of the Iraqi regime is a threat to the authority of the United Nations, and a threat to peace. Iraq has answered a decade of U.N. demands with a decade of defiance. All the world now faces a test, and the United Nations a difficult and defining moment. Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced, or cast aside without consequence? Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?

The United States helped found the United Nations. We want the United Nations to be effective, and respectful, and successful. We want the resolutions of the world's most important multilateral body to be enforced. And right now those resolutions are being unilaterally subverted by the Iraqi regime. Our partnership of nations can meet the test before us, by making clear what we now expect of the Iraqi regime.

If the Iraqi regime wishes peace, it will immediately and unconditionally forswear, disclose, and remove or destroy all weapons of mass destruction, long-range missiles, and all related material.

If the Iraqi regime wishes peace, it will immediately end all support for terrorism and act to suppress it, as all states are required to do by U.N. Security Council resolutions.

If the Iraqi regime wishes peace, it will cease persecution of its civilian population, including Shi'a, Sunnis, Kurds, Turkomans, and others, again as required by Security Council resolutions.

If the Iraqi regime wishes peace, it will release or account for all Gulf War personnel whose fate is still unknown. It will return the remains of any who are deceased, return stolen property, accept liability for losses resulting from the invasion of Kuwait, and fully cooperate with international efforts to resolve these issues, as required by Security Council resolutions.

If the Iraqi regime wishes peace, it will immediately end all illicit trade outside the oil-for-food program. It will accept U.N. administration of funds from that program, to ensure that the money is used fairly and promptly for the benefit of the Iraqi people.

If all these steps are taken, it will signal a new openness and accountability in Iraq. And it could open the prospect of the United Nations helping to build a government that represents all Iraqis -- a government based on respect for human rights, economic liberty, and internationally supervised elections.

The United States has no quarrel with the Iraqi people; they've suffered too long in silent captivity. Liberty for the Iraqi people is a great moral cause, and a great strategic goal. The people of Iraq deserve it; the security of all nations requires it. Free societies do not intimidate through cruelty and conquest, and open societies do not threaten the world with mass murder. The United States supports political and economic liberty in a unified Iraq.

We can harbor no illusions -- and that's important today to remember. Saddam Hussein attacked Iran in 1980 and Kuwait in 1990. He's fired ballistic missiles at Iran and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Israel. His regime once ordered the killing of every person between the ages of 15 and 70 in certain Kurdish villages in northern Iraq. He has gassed many Iranians, and 40 Iraqi villages.

My nation will work with the U.N. Security Council to meet our common challenge. If Iraq's regime defies us again, the world must move deliberately, decisively to hold Iraq to account. We will work with the U.N. Security Council for the necessary resolutions. But the purposes of the United States should not be doubted. The Security Council resolutions will be enforced -- the just demands of peace and security will be met -- or action will be unavoidable. And a regime that has lost its legitimacy will also lose its power.

Events can turn in one of two ways: If we fail to act in the face of danger, the people of Iraq will continue to live in brutal submission. The regime will have new power to bully and dominate and conquer its neighbors, condemning the Middle East to more years of bloodshed and fear. The regime will remain unstable -- the region will remain unstable, with little hope of freedom, and isolated from the progress of our times. With every step the Iraqi regime takes toward gaining and deploying the most terrible weapons, our own options to confront that regime will narrow. And if an emboldened regime were to supply these weapons to terrorist allies, then the attacks of September the 11th would be a prelude to far greater horrors.

If we meet our responsibilities, if we overcome this danger, we can arrive at a very different future. The people of Iraq can shake off their captivity. They can one day join a democratic Afghanistan and a democratic Palestine, inspiring reforms throughout the Muslim world. These nations can show by their example that honest government, and respect for women, and the great Islamic tradition of learning can triumph in the Middle East and beyond. And we will show that the promise of the United Nations can be fulfilled in our time.

Neither of these outcomes is certain. Both have been set before us. We must choose between a world of fear and a world of progress. We cannot stand by and do nothing while dangers gather. We must stand up for our security, and for the permanent rights and the hopes of mankind. By heritage and by choice, the United States of America will make that stand. And, delegates to the United Nations, you have the power to make that stand, as well.

Thank you very much.

Labels: , ,