Oh Yah!!!

That'll help.

Writers, filmmakers to demand Egypt free detained Canadians

But they're Canajun, don't ya know. You know. Peace keepers. They are also artsy-fartsy types. How dare anybody not listen to them.

The Long Arm Of The Law...

...reaches all the way from Toronto to Arizona:

Arizona man arrives in Toronto to face G20 vandalism charges

Good work, I'd say. I wonder if the Arizonaian has grown up a bit since then, or will he use his court appearance to grandstand and act like a leftard.

Good Luck With That

Workfare for reserves: Tory plan ties benefits for aboriginals to job training

"The Harper government is planning a workfare program that would oblige young aboriginals on reserves to undertake job training in return for a welfare cheque."

This is just an old policy flipped on it's head. Many years ago, when I worked in Northern Saskatchewan, taking a post-secondary course at tax payers expense was just another way to live off the dole. Once the course was finished, none of the people I knew who took such courses entered the workforce or started their own businesses. They simply went back on regular old welfare.

"Ottawa wants to take young natives off welfare rolls before they become too used to receiving social assistance."

Too late for that. Welfare has become firmly entrenched on reserves. It started way back in the early post-WWII era. Young aboriginals today have been raised by people living on welfare, who in turn were raised on welfare and on and on back in time to the 1940s. When I taught school on an Indian reserve back in the mid-1970s, one of the old guys on the reserve used to tell me "Welfare spoiled the Indian." There's nothing new in this policy and it's waaaaay too late to be worried about aboriginal youth being unduly influenced by welfare.

"In the March budget, the Tories said they want to “better align on-reserve Income Assistance programs with provincial systems” in terms of compliance and program requirements. In provinces like Saskatchewan, income assistance is a program of last resort and requires able-bodied welfare recipients to look for work and take training courses when offered.

Yet, despite labour shortages across much of Western Canada, the number of aboriginals on income assistance remains stubbornly high.

Saskatchewan has an unemployment rate of 4.9%, yet 48.1% of natives on reserve are on income assistance. In Manitoba, which has an unemployment rate of 5.3%, half the on-reserve native population is on welfare.

There are pilot projects such as Active Measures in Saskatchewan — a tripartite initiative between First Nations and the federal and provincial governments — that aim to help people off income support by providing better access to career planning, literacy programs, training allowances, transport and child care."

Notice nothing is said about the dismal grade school attendance rate or the disproportionate rate of single teen motherhood, which are the cause of such problems to begin with. But, what the heck:

"Working with willing bands is crucial. While the feds are keen to introduce a degree of uniformity across the system, income assistance is actually distributed by First Nations to their band members.

The government would not confirm any such plan exists but sources suggest First Nations will be encouraged to sign up for the program, attracted by the enhanced funding, but will be encouraged to cut off welfare for those refuse to accept training."

There's money to be had, and where there's money to be had, there is where you will find Indian Chiefs stuffing it into their own pockets and a bleeding-heart justice system:

"The federal government’s ability to unilaterally make any major moves in the realm of aboriginal social policy is limited. A federal court judge in the Maritimes issued an injunction in April that will temporarily prevent Ottawa from reducing social assistance rates for First Nations.

The government wanted to align the rates for First Nations at provincial levels, which would have meant less money for recipients. The judge cited the absence of consultation with First Nations about the policy as the reason for the injunction."

I would say, it's high time we started looking at treaty provisions where breaking the law can be reason to consider the treaties null and void or, gasp, even promises made by Indians themselves that they did not want to be a burden in the future and were eager to learn how to live in the "Whiteman's" economy. Enough with exploiting our government's do-gooder mentality for all it's worth.

Charter Rights And Occupiers: A Judgment From The Bench

The limits to occupation

"On Monday, Justice David Brown of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued a lengthy decision weighing the various rights and interests in play. Ultimately, Justice Brown found that the City of Toronto was entitled to enforce its trespass bylaw and to require the occupiers to vacate St. James Park between midnight and 5 a.m., and to remove the structures they have built there.

His decision likely will figure heavily in other cities confronting this issue."

[---]

"Justice Brown acknowledged that the protesters in Toronto’s St. James Park are engaging in activity protected by the Charter of Rights. Contrary to those who make much of the fact that the Charter nowhere mentions the right to “occupy public parks,” Justice Brown correctly noted that our civil liberties are not defined by specific activities, but the meaning that they hold. Thus, it is not the right to “occupy” that is at issue, but whether by such occupation the protesters are expressing political opinions (freedom of expression), living out sincerely held convictions (freedom of conscience) and attempting to form a common front to influence public discourse (freedom of assembly and association). The Charter guarantees everyone the ability to fashion their expressive and associational activities as they wish. If the protesters believe that their message relies on a particular physical structure (say, a “tent city”) then that structure becomes part and parcel of the Charter-protected activity. If the protesters believe that their message relies on prolonged occupation, then their desire to remain in the park indefinitely (or, at least, longer than the City might wish) is similarly protected.

But that, of course, is not the end of the story. The Charter’s rights and freedoms are protected only to the extent of such “reasonable limits” as are imposed by law. No right or freedom is absolute — that is the price of a civilized society."

[---]

"Justice Brown seemed particularly persuaded by the non-protesters who explained the impact on them of having St. James Park rendered virtually off-limits (although it should be noted that these were anecdotal reports and the protesters disputed that characterization). Strikingly, he spoke of the need to keep urban parks as “oases of tranquility” rather than “battlegrounds of competing interests.”"

[---]

"...the protesters have a difficult argument in the idea that the Charter guarantees them an exclusive right to control the extent and degree of their occupation of a public space designed to be open to and used by all. The decision confirms their right to occupy, but imposes limits on it."

And soooo, sanity prevails:

Canadian Occupy protests on the ropes

"Authorities in Quebec City and Calgary have removed Occupy protesters' tents — all of the tents in Quebec City and the ones that sat empty in Calgary Monday night — but despite the City of Toronto's victory in court Monday, authorities there have yet to make their move.

At 11:30 p.m. Monday, a half hour after Olympic Plaza in downtown Calgary had legally closed for the night, bylaw officers began dismantling any tent that didn't have a person inside.

Tickets were issued to the dozen or so people still living in the park space."

[---]

"While police were there to back up bylaw, Bruce said there would be no arrests for those opting to continue to stay at the park.

"We're going to ask them to remove them. If they don't, we'll charge them," he said. "This is exactly what we said we'd be doing.

Loaded to near-capacity was a large Budget moving truck, filled with the unoccupied tents and any materials found inside them.

When the truck left, there was just eight "lived in" tents, a warming tent and an information tent left behind."

[---]

"In Quebec City, officials tore down the remaining tents at the downtown Occupy encampment. The park was cleared by 7:30 a.m. and police say no arrests were made.

City spokesman Jacques Perron said the camp was dismantled in the early morning because many of the protesters were absent.

“It avoided confrontation and it allowed us to clear the entire area,” he said.

Meanwhile in Montreal, Mayor Gerald Tremblay on Monday asked occupiers to leave.

He had originally told protesters they could stay as long as they complied with fire department rules.

However, Tremblay said safety could no longer be guaranteed on the site after a local paper reported on a series of violent altercations at the encampment over the weekend."

[---]

"In Toronto, a judge on Monday upheld the city's eviction order for the protesters camped out at St. James Park.

Some occupiers masked their faces with bandanas, barricaded their ragged, nylon tents with wooden skids, chained themselves to yurts, and bellowed anti-establishment rhetoric as the sun set."

[---]

"Hours after the judge upheld the eviction order, St. James Cathedral, which owns a chunk of the greenspace, ordered them off the church's land. Protesters had considered the property a possible source of sanctuary should police move in.

On Tuesday, the protesters plan to march with labour leaders to Nathan Phillips Square at 4 p.m., where a rally is planned."

Of course, we'd have to have unions involved this way. And hah!! Even the churches are pissed off. Too bad, so sad.

Another From The "Good Lord" File

'Bad mothering' lawsuit dismissed

"Raised in a $1.5 million Barrington Hills home by their attorney father, two grown children have spent the last two years pursuing a unique lawsuit against their mom for "bad mothering" damages allegedly caused when she failed to buy toys for one and sent another a birthday card he didn't like." I think I see their point, but maybe it was dad."

Getting To The Promised Land

This is how it's done:

Good Place To...

...cut.

Prepare for howling from all the usual suspects.

What they won't tell you, though, is that there are budget cuts across the entire gamut of government departments.

IT services, for example.

"As it stands, government departments and agencies operate their own IT programs. Because of that, there are more than 100 different e-mail systems, more than 300 data centres and more than 3,000 network services operating across the government, Ambrose said."

Sounds good to me.

Proving Once Again....

...how out of touch with reality academe can really be...

Harvard shocked by Canada’s rejection of Ignatieff

"Boston’s chattering classes are struggling with the stunning political defeat of one of Harvard’s most popular academics at the hands of Canadian voters, painting Michael Ignatieff’s historic loss as Liberal leader as a new low in Canadian politics.

A series of editorials and articles published this week in the Harvard Crimson, Boston Globe and elsewhere have blamed Canadians for being close-minded and anti-American when they handed Mr. Ignatieff and the Liberals the party’s worst defeat in history."

or maybe it's just Boston:

"“Harvard sees itself as the centre of the universe, so I’m sure it felt it very deeply,” said Graham Wilson, chair of Boston University’s department of political science."

It's pathetic. Even the excuses given miss the mark:

"In a front page article, The Boston Globe said the main reason for the Liberal collapse was that Mr. Ignatieff — the former director Harvard’s Carr Center of Human Rights Policy and an expert on international military interventions — had views on the Canadian mission in Afghanistan that had pushed “war-weary voters toward the more left-leaning New Democratic Party.”

The paper’s editorialists noted with some disbelief that Canadian politics had become “surprisingly caustic” and described the “sadness and indignation” his former Harvard colleagues felt at seeing that Conservative attack ads painting Mr. Ignatieff as a foreign Ivy League elitist had played so well with Canadian voters."

Look, people, Western Canada, the most America-friendly part of the country, always rejects Liberals. It was the Liberal Party of Canada that decided to parachute Iggy into the leadership position, by-passing the wishes of the rank and file membership. That sort of hubris doesn't go well in most of Canada, never mind just Western Canada.

And besides, Iggy was out of touch with Canada's political landscape. It doesn't matter what country he had been in, he wasn't here and there are numerous niggling little details of which he was obviously ignorant that would have translated into disaster for Canada had he been Prime Minister.

We tend not elect parties based on their foreign policy stance.  We're more concerned with bread and butter issues right here at home, and we wanted someone who deeply and intimately understands what those are.  All politics is local, right?

And - and this is a big one - I really think the Liberal Party is over. It is elitist. People of the Liberal persuasion have been preaching to us and looking down their snobbish noses at us for decades and we're sick of being treated like plebeians. So we banished them. Hopefully for good.

Oh, and we take great delight in the internal melt-down, squabbling and finger pointing in the Liberal ranks taking place now, as if to say, "how could this possibly have happened". Kinda proves our point.

Oh. And does this not also say something about the attitude so prevalent amongst liberal arts faculties in North American universities?  Time for an overhaul in that arena, as well.

Perhaps the Boston Globe and the Harvard Illuminati can just dismiss this as Canada's version of the Tea Party movement.

PS: American Thinker has taken note. The smirking is palpable.

Ever Heard of Theseus, Nicias or Phocion?

Me neither. Turns out they're ancient heroes from long, long ago Greece.

Why should we care? Well, we may soon have to come up with a list of heroes, or at least politically correct words, to replace some that are currently being used.

Further to this entry, here's a list of politically incorrect words which apparently are insulting:

US Military Is at War With Indigenous People: Not Just Geronimo, Tomahawk Missiles, Apache Helicopters — Using Any Native American Term Is Racist; Indian Activist Demands Apology

Do you suppose if we restrict ourselves to a list of swashbuckling heroes of European descent, we'd be accused of racism, too. I say we screw 'em and come up with that list and start using it. Let's allow Greek dudes to lead the charge:

15 Ancient Greek Heroes from Plutarch's Lives

And as any good white dude worth his salt knows, that's just the advance guard. They don't even teach about them in school any more. In the 2,500 years or so since then, there have been so many, and I for one, wouldn't be the least bit insulted if we resurrected their names and began to use them in ways that honour their heroism.

Well, This is a Good Way to End the Day

Appeal up in smoke, as court says pot’s no sacrament

"The Hamilton-based Church of the Universe – a group that uses marijuana as a religious sacrament — won’t be sparking up with the blessings of the court.

The Church, through its Toronto G13 mission, lost its bid Monday to be exempt from Canada’s pot laws.

It’s the latest defeat the church has had before the courts, including appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada on issues regarding its use of pot and other issues.

Last year, the federal court declined to hear appeals regarding the 2007 marijuana trafficking convictions against church founders Walter Tucker and Michael Baldasaro. In 1992, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by Tucker and his wife, Joanne, of a 1989 provincial court ruling that committed them for trial on drug charges.

Baldasaro, who ran for Hamilton mayor last year, was dismayed by the latest ruling, but said it won’t change their views. The judge said she found church members sincere in their use of pot but she did not think it was possible to create a workable religious exemption."

Where are Cheech and Chong when ya need 'em?

More Nasty Words

Joe Hicks weighs in on the proposal to scrub Mark Twain's works of their politically incorrect words and gives us two more words that we could agitate about, like good little lefties.

Well, I'm not a good little leftie. So, ready? Set! GO!!!

nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,

Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,
Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun, Injun,

Are there any others?

More on the Dire Straits Banned Song

Unedited Dire Straits Song to Play on Tofino, Ucuelet Radio

An unedited version of the song was played repeatedly on Q104 (Halifax) for an hour Friday in protest of a recent decision by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.

Newspapers featured articles condemning the decision, thousands of Canadians have phoned their favourite radio station to protest and on and on. Looks like Canadians don't like this censorship business. I just wish we could get the CRTC defanged. But I frankly think the Harper government is toothless and cowardly.

Faggot, Faggot, Faggot

Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot, Faggot.

Jesus, people. Are we living in the 50's? That rock and roll is corrupting the youth of our nation.

The Kennedy Clan Strikes Again

Couldn't have happened to a nicer lady. Wouldn't you say?

h/t Ace of Spades

And how about that porn map at Ace's place? Suits Florida rather well, I would say. If you know what I mean.