The animals have escaped the zoo.

I was going to write and gloat about Michael Moore and the fisking he received at the hands of Senator John McCain, the fisking he received from the crowd in the hall at the Republican convention. I was going to comment on Mr. Moore’s article for USA Today and Big Mike’s decision not to return to the hall of the Republican convention.

I logged on and was confronted with the headlines at the Debkafile:

First report of up to 8 dead in car bomb explosion outside Moscow market and Metro station.

Hamas-Hebron claims responsibility for double suicide attack Tuesday on two Beersheba buses whose death toll has risen to 16, with up to 100 injured. The two buses blew up on the southern Israeli city’s busy main street, Rager Blvd., hitting passengers, passing vehicles and pedestrians near town hall and Soroka hospital.
Terrorist access from Mt Hebron to Beersheba is unimpeded by security barrier whose construction is held up for high court rulings. Terror alert elevated in all parts of Israel.

Islamic Asnar al Sunna website posts images of all 12 Nepalese hostages in Iraq beheaded. Group linked to al Qaeda Iraq operative Musab al Zarqawi. Nepal is not part of US-led coalition. Victims entered illegally from Jordan in search of jobs.

Chirac flies to Russia for talks with Putin and also Schroeder, while French FM visits Jordan - in desperate diplomatic attempt to rescue two French journalists abducted in Iraq. Islam Army of Iraq gave France another 24 hours to lift headscarf ban. Hamas urges abductors to release men in respect of French position on Iraq and to isolate Israel and US

Then I turn to Little Green Footballs and was smacked in the face with the images of Palestinians in the street celebrating the successful mass murder of 16 and wounding of a 100 Jews in Beersheba today:








These are the images you will not see in the Toronto Star or the Globe and Mail today. They might never see the light of day in any Canadian paper. These are images are of a people whose humanity with the West is stretched to the furthest edges of the human gene pool.

They share a common bond with Islamic Asnar al Sunna who have posted images of the 12 Nepalese hostages that they have beheaded, they share a point of view that is simpatico with Chechen terrorists who have set off a car bomb and killed at least 8 in a Moscow market today. This is the humanity that Jacques Chirac has run off to appease in the hopes that he can buy the freedom of 2 French journalists held by the Islam Army of Iraq.

The bard is wrong, the quality of mercy is strained where terror reigns.

Question of the Day

CNN Daybreak’s question for the day is: "Are the prime television speakers at the Republican convention really representative of the Republican Party?"

There were many questions CNN’s daybreak could have asked in their email "Question of the Day" but the choice is telling. The question implies that the Republican Party is guilty of misrepresenting itself to the American Public by choosing speakers who are firmly entrenched as centrist in the Republican Party.

CNN is still grappling with the fact that the Pat Buchanan’s are no longer representative of Republican centre just as the Democrats are no longer the party of classical liberalism.

Just who are the keynote speakers at this year’s Republican convention?

Senator John McCain – Senator, Life long Republican, first ran for congress in 1982.

Rudy Giuliani – Former Mayor of New York, Life Long Republican

Arnold Schwarzenegger – Governor, Republican since becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States

Laura Bush – First Lady, wife of current President of the United States, Life long Republican.

Works for me. Though I would be the first to agree that the current Republican Party has a shortage of "girlie men" unlike the Democrats who seemed to have the market cornered, stockpiles stored, shelved and inventoried.

Coming soon to a pay cheque near you.

This spring Kofi Annan was busy trying to float the idea of the UN controlling and regulating the internet. So I suppose it should come as no surprise since Saddam is no longer financing the coffers of UN supporters that UN bureaucrats are now trying to institute the idea of global business and consumer taxes to finance UN activities.

The Center for Individual Freedom reports:

Like a bad sequel to a rotten horror movie, the debate over global taxation once again is rearing its ugly head — courtesy of the United Nations. And, despite lacking the requisite hockey mask and chain saw, the seemingly countless proposals for the imposition of global taxes are truly terrifying.

In July, Inter Presse news service reported that a top U.N. official was preparing a new study that will outline numerous global tax proposals to be considered by the General Assembly at its September meeting. The proposals will likely include everything from global taxes on e-mails and Internet use to a global gas tax and levies on airline travel. If adopted, American taxpayers could wind up paying hundreds of billions of dollars each year to the United Nations.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is among those leading the charge, having stated that he "strongly supports finding new sources of funding" for the U.N. through global taxes, according to Inter Presse. In fact, Annan made very clear his support for the imposition of global taxes in a 2001 Technical Note that he authored for a U.N. conference. "The need to finance the provision of global public goods in an increasingly globalized world also adds new urgency to the need for innovative new sources of financing," Annan wrote. The Note goes on to describe and evaluate the merits of several global tax proposals.

What are the odds that the Canadian Liberal government will not support any UN initiatives?

Tip: No Illusions

Missile Defense

There was an up roar over Carolyn Parrish’s comments on Canada’s possible participation with the US in developing a North American missile defense shield. I could care less about Carolyn Parrish, she lost creditability with me years ago, though I do find it odd that her constituency keeps returning her to Parliament which may or may not be an issue for the CSIS to investigate.

The larger issue that got lost in the Coalition of the Idiots narrative is; what is wrong with a missile defense shield over North America? I just do not comprehend why anyone (especially a liberal) would think a missile defense shield is a bad idea. It is a defensive weapon which should be a decided plus for all fiberals – after all they have spent the last 30 odd years wiping out Canada’s offensive capabilities. There is no guarantee that it would work, so it could be money down the drain and think of the potential patronage opportunities – double Fiberal plus.

I hear pious claim about not wanting to be part of the weaponization of space, but if you won’t allow the armed forces offensive capabilities and you will not allow citizens the right to weaponize their homes, then you better damn well make sure the incomings don’t land in the backyard.

Medalgate

The controversy with John Kerry and his medals goes on. The Sun Times:

In the midst of the controversy between the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and Kerry campaign representatives about Kerry's service in Vietnam, new questions have arisen. The Kerry campaign has repeatedly stated that the official naval records prove the truth of Kerry's assertions about his service.

But the official records on Kerry's Web site only add to the confusion. The DD214 form, an official Defense Department document summarizing Kerry's military career posted on johnkerry.com, includes a "Silver Star with combat V."
But according to a U.S. Navy spokesman, "Kerry's record is incorrect. The Navy has never issued a 'combat V' to anyone for a Silver Star."

The Suntimes wades into the quagmire with:

B.G. Burkett, a Vietnam veteran himself, received the highest award the Army gives to a civilian, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award, for his book Stolen Valor. Burkett pored through thousands of military service records, uncovering phony claims of awards and fake claims of military service. "I've run across several claims for Silver Stars with combat V's, but they were all in fake records," he said.

Burkett comments on one medal, 3 different citations:

Burkett, who has spent years, working with the FBI, Department of Justice and all of the military services uncovering fraudulent files in the official records, is less charitable: "The multiple citations and variations in the official record are reason for suspicion in itself, even disregarding the current swift boat veterans' controversy."

The question becomes why does John Kerry not execute his signature on Form 180 authorizing the release of his full record? Why does he insist that his full Navy file is on record at his website? Is it to protect the identity of those CIA/Special forces agents he ferried into Cambodia wearing his lucky hat and with his wonderdog, "VC", at his side?

Raising the Red Ensign

Two weeks ago the Raging Kraut hosted the Raising of the Red Ensign and explained how he came to fly the Red Ensign banner on his blog. It touched me deeply and reminded me of why this country is still worth fighting for (besides the scotch). The bar has been raised too high for my code-challenged self but I will do what I can with some shameless poaching.

I suppose that I represent what is old in Canada with what is new. Whether my ancestors were exiled for treason in their native land or were forced into exile by famine, tyranny, or persecution; to these shores they came and made a home in freedom. If there is one motif that unites all the family stories it is a commitment to freedom. To me, the Red Ensign represents the meeting of Freedom with the old and new in a land untouched by the sins of what was.



A defining moment in Canadian Nationhood was the battle of Vimy Ridge; so it appropriate that I led the with Alan at GenX40 who has one For the Reds highlighting the stain glass windows at Memorial Hall which is a testimony in art to our war dead 1914-1918.


Now we turn to the Armorer at Castle Argghhh! Who reminds us that August 19th was the anniversary of the raid on Dieppe, Operation Jubilee, where 7 out of 10 Canadians gave up their lives fighting on the road to freedom.

The Red Ensign’s very own Damian, of Babbling Brooks reminds us that November 11th “shouldn’t be the only day we remember our war dead” and has an excellence series of posts on “Extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the Enemy” here, here here and here.

Our Red Ensign Brigadier, Ghost of a Flea, produces a super hero amount of posts on a daily basis and still manages to find the time to run the Winston Review.


And if that wasn’t enough, the Flea has issued the triple dogged dare to bloggers everywhere to post pictures of themselves from grades 9 & 10. Alas, I went to so many different schools in those years due to a strong independent streak coupled with authority issues that I missed picture day every single time….

The coolest Death in the Afternoon pic has to go to Paul at All AgitProp, All the time. He also manages to juxtapose bible banning at citizenship ceremonies with a picture of our Fiberal PM getting feathered by a native shaman in a cabinet swearing-in ceremony. Further kudos go out to Paul for coining the phase “Bananada” that’s even better then “Scamada.”

Musing of a Canadian Slacker continues to live up to the blog name with still no new posts but glean the archives if you haven’t already.

Myrick, muses on such diverse topics as China-Taiwan relations, Siberian Throat Singing Punk bands and suggests that Canadians concerned with the current state of armed forces readiness might want to organize a Canadian version of a program in the US called Adopt a Sniper.

One of the interesting things about the blogsphere is how many people you don’t know are busy reading the same things your reading. Bumfonline was busy last week catching up on Podhoretz’s World War IV and Hitch’s Trial of Henry Kissinger as was I. Bumf also asks the question: Netherlands North? And he is not talking about the inability of Canadian federal bureaucrats to grow a decent marijuana crop.


Quotulatiousness has the goods on the latest Fiberal scourging of our Canadian military and sums up with an apt historical parallel. He succinctly answers the question that millions of his fellow citizens are asking.

Blogulaciousness, the blog stepfather-in-law, once removed of Quotulatiousness, wades into the fray with commentary about the ongoing Canadian #407 Highway dispute over toll prices with Spain being mediated by those arch-negotiators, the European Union. All that mediation experience with the Palestinians and Al Qaeda might finally pay off for Spain.

The Monger has been on vacation for the last few weeks so posting has been sporadic but I feel a rant on road etiquette could be forthcoming, but even so, check out the Monger archives. My personal favourite has to be the Suzuki Principle – a one size fits all principle with an every day application.

Occam's Carbuncle shares his vision of Two Canada's and carries posts of Busch-basing bears(I am a sucker for a bear story) which no doubt makes me a backward cracker escapee from the culture of defeat.

Paul over at Ravishing Light ravishes turns the light on Walter Cronkite,aka "High Priest of the Nattering Nabobs" and then moves on to shine the spot light on John Kerry, Vietnam Whiner.

Ith over at Absinthe & Cookies is currently on holiday but Crankybeach & Electra are keeping her cookies warm and fresh.

Ben at the Tiger in Winter posts on Counterfactuals, Messing with Texas and still has time to lunch with former national policy chair of the Liberal Party….. well, it once was the party of Laurier, once long ago, in another time and place.

Chris at Taylor & Company accepted the Flea’s triple dog dare and posts it. In A day late, A buck short he fisks Eric Margolis over troop withdrawals, offers insight on the insurance industry, and educates us on Canada’s own Wild Bill.

Trudeaupia fisks blood in Welcome Home, Returning Soldiers and Our Philosopher-Queens, plus posts proof of our troop's fighting spirit. A stroll through the archives is well worth the trip and he has great Laurier quotes.

Jason at Musings, who is obviously not a slacker, takes the safety off of Canada’s famed failed gun registry and on John Kerry’s wounds. He asks, “Who votes for this…well, idiot?”


I would also like to extend a welcome to The London Fog, our newest Red Ensign Blogger. The London Flog leads with the age old question: “Who's going to pay for your 'holistic' utopia? Huh? Part 989 374 278 881 of an ongoing series of exposes about people who want to spend your money.”


This ends the Raising of the Red Ensign and I turn over hoisting duty to Bumfonline for September 9th. A word of advice for the Bumf – give yourself plenty of time, it is easy to get lost reading among all the worthy blogs.

Smeared by the Truth

The problem with democracy as a system is that it only functions effectively as long as there are adequate checks and balances to power. The meltdown of the democratic presidential candidate is riveting drama but it is a sad day when the best candidate the Democratic Party can field is a narcissistic anti-hero.

For a democracy to thrive and prospure it is not enough to have at the minimum a healthy two party system, there must be a third check to power; a press that is independent and inquiring. Big media/journalism is now in the same sad sorry state that the Democratic Party is and that portends ill for all citizenry.

All hope is not lost, as the citizenry are leading the way through the blogsphere. The blogsphere has become the new townhall forum. In the ongoing sage of John Kerry, Vietnam veteran, we have David Limbaugh’s blog posts with a must read three part interview with John O’Neill, leader of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. This is the first time that I have seen John O’Neill actually finish a sentence. All in all, I think that Mr. O’Neill comes across very credibly. Read it and judge for yourself.


Captain’s Quarters and Powerline all have posts suggesting that the John Kerry is backing away from the official story of his first purple heart. If I was Michelle Malkin, I think I would be feeling somewhat vindicated right about now.

John Kerry maybe the first presidential candidate in history who is smeared by the truth.

Little Saigon Spring

When my oldest son was about 7 he asked permission to go to a classmate’s birthday party. Not knowing the birthday boy or his family and being a conscientious mother, I started to go into what my son calls my police mode but before I could get into full who, where, time etc. he stopped me dead in my tracks by saying, it is okay if I say no, "H would understand." That opened up an entirely different track in my interrogation. Why would H understand? Number 1 son says, "Most people who know H’s family will not let their children go." Now I am thinking, drunks, drug addicts, criminal activity but the truth turned out to be far different than what I imagined and meeting H’s father had a profound impact on my life and changed my outlook on so many things.

Mr. Nguyen was originally a peasant from North Vietnam. He was not part of the original boat exodus but the opportunity to escape came ten years later. It all started when the North Vietnamese army came to his village looking for soldiers for their army. In the course of his recruitment his father was killed and his mother and sister were raped and beaten. Mr. Nguyen and his brother paid for the life of their mother and sister by joining the army. Mr. Nguyen was just 14 the day Ho Chi Minh’s army came a calling. The entire time of his service, he was starved, beaten, and threatened. Like soldiers all over the world he did as he was told, but he prayed that the Americans would win. The worse day of his life was not the day that he lost both calves and feet to a mine, but the day he learned the Americans quit Vietnam for good.

I spent the afternoon listening to Mr. Nguyen’s story and sipping tea. What he told me challenged everything I had learned in school, everything I had read in the newspapers or watched on television about the Vietnam War. It defied the Hollywood images of the Vietnam War. I could not reconcile Mr. Nguyen’s story with almost 25 years of educational/media indoctrination to the contrary. Thus began for me, the first step on a journey that has yet to end. I think of Mr. Nguyen’s story often, especially when I see the Jane Fonda’s and the John Kerry’s cross my television screen or I read of their exploits in the papers and I think to myself, do they have no sense of shame? How can they posture and pontificate to the rest of us when their version of morality allows them to take no responsibility for the blood bath that they helped to wrought in Vietnam and Cambodia?

I am still on the road and I do not pretend to have all the answers but what I have learned about the Vietnam War was not what I thought I knew from being young in those days and I have learned never to let allow anyone else do my thinking for me. Though the lesson that runs deepest is; that all too often journalistic objectivity gets trumped by bias.

John Kerry, Vietnam Veteran

Front Page Magazine wades in the John Kerry, Vietnam Veteran Saga with an interesting twist from John Kerry’s own website.

Apparently, John Kerry’s own DD214 which is posted on his website shows that he was awarded the Silver Star with a combat “V” for valour. The problem here folks is that the Silver Star is not awarded with a combat “V” for valour. Bronze Star yes, Silver Star no, so sayth Front Page Magazine.

So the question becomes: did the clerk who typed up the DD214 form make a typo or has the document has been altered?

Front Page asks if it’s a typo, why hasn’t John Kerry had his DD214 corrected? Maybe he's been too busy ferrying all those CIA, Navy Seals, and Special Forces guys to Cambodia perhaps?

_____________

Here's my caveat: I am unfamiliar with how US medals are awarded - and I would not mind hearing from any US Vets who may have or know of anyone else who was awarded with a Silver Star with Combat "V".

Stay White and Die

"Why Atlantic Canada Remains White and Poor"

Yesterday, John Ibbitson, in the Globe and Mail opined that Atlantic Canada remains economically challenged because it has failed to attract immigrants of colour. Well, well. Who would have thought that regional prosperity depends wholly on a province’s ability to attract immigrants of colour? According to Mr. Ibbitson, all that is needed to do to turn the economic tide in the Atlantic Provinces is to recruit immigrants of colour. Stay white and you’ll die. Premier Lord, you have your marching orders – off to Sudan you go! Someone tell Alberta that provincial decline is imminent unless they attract a larger share of immigrants of colour.

Two years ago, just like the Atlantic salmon, I returned to my first home in the Miramichi region of New Brunswick after an absence of 10 years. I encountered a surface level of prosperity that I had not seen before. What caused the change in this traditionally depressed region? Apparently, it was the direct result of generous EI benefits for the seasonal workers in the lumber industry. Now that may or may not be true throughout the province but I hardly think that increased transfer payments from the federal government to help pay defray the cost of services that new immigrants traditionally need will improve the economy, nor for the life of me can I fathom how a native of China, India or Africa will revive the forest industry in the province with or without a university degree.

When my mother was young she left New Brunswick to seek employment in Toronto. She applied for a job as a typist. At the interview she was advised point blank that because she was from the Maritimes her salary would be substantially less than the wages advertised. Maritimers have learned to expect prejudice from Upper Canadians and the sad part is that in 2004 nothing has changed except the excuses. As long as prejudice is offered as the “excuse of the day” as the root cause for economic decline in the Maritimes the downward spiral will continue unchecked.

In celebration of Thatcherite Moments:

I came across a copy of this speech about two years ago by accident. It is from a John Findley Green Foundation Lecture ("New threats for old") by Baroness Margaret Thatcher at Westminister College, Fulton, Missouri, circa 1996. I was floored by how succinctly Baroness Thatcher perceived the present and gathering dangers that the West is facing.

….The long twilight struggle of the Cold War ended five years ago with complete victory for the West and for the subject peoples of the communist empire — and I very much include the Russian people in that description. It ended amid high hopes of a New World Order. But those hopes have been grievously disappointed. Somalia, Bosnia, and the rise of Islamic militancy all point to instability and conflict rather than co-operation and harmony.

The international bodies, in which our hopes were reposed anew after 1989 and 1991, have given us neither prosperity nor security. There is a pervasive anxiety about the drift of events. It remains to be seen whether this generation will respond to these threats with the imagination and courage of Sir Winston, President Truman and the wise men of those years.

Baroness Thatcher on new threats:

When Soviet power broke down, so did the control it exercised, however fitfully and irresponsibly, over rogue states like Syria, Iraq and Gadaffi's Libya. They have in effect been released to commit whatever mischief they wish without bothering to check with their arms supplier and bank manager. Note that Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait took place after the USSR was gravely weakened and had ceased to be Iraq's protector.

The Soviet collapse has also aggravated the single most awesome threat of modern times: the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These weapons — and the ability to develop and deliver them — are today acquired by middle-income countries with modest populations such as Iraq, Iran, Libya, and Syria, — acquired sometimes from other powers like China and North Korea, but most ominously from former Soviet arsenals, or unemployed scientists, or from organised criminal rings, all via a growing international black market.

According to Stephen J. Hadley, formerly President Bush's assistant secretary for international security policy: "By the end of the decade, we could see over 20 countries with ballistic missiles, 9 with nuclear weapons, 10 with biological weapons, and up to 30 with chemical weapons."

According to other official U.S. sources, all of northeast Asia, southeast Asia, much of the Pacific and most of Russia could soon be threatened by the latest North Korean missiles. Once they are available in the Middle East and North Africa, all the capitals of Europe will be within target range; and on present trends a direct threat to American shores is likely to mature early in the next century.

Add weapons of mass destruction to rogue states, and you have a highly toxic compound. As the CIA has pointed out: "Of the nations that have or are acquiring weapons of mass destruction, many are led by megalomaniacs and strongmen of proven inhumanity or by weak, unstable or illegitimate governments." In some instances, the potential capabilities at the command of these unpredictable figures is either equal to — or even more destructive than — the Soviet threat to the West in the 1960s. It is that serious.

Indeed, it is even more serious than that. We in the West may have to deal with a number of possible adversaries, each with different characteristics. In some cases their mentalities differ from ours even more than did those of our old Cold War enemy. So the potential for misunderstanding is great and we must therefore be very clear in our own minds about our strategic intentions, and just as clear in signalling these to potential aggressors.

And that is only the gravest threat. There are others.

Within the Islamic world the Soviet collapse undermined the legitimacy of radical secular regimes and gave an impetus to the rise of radical Islam. Radical Islamist movements now constitute a major revolutionary threat not only to the Saddams and Assads but also to conservative Arab regimes, who are allies of the West. Indeed they challenge the very idea of a Western economic presence. Hence, the random acts of violence designed to drive American companies and tourists out of the Islamic world.

In short, the world remains a very dangerous place, indeed one menaced by more unstable and complex threats than a decade ago. But because the risk of total nuclear annihilation has been removed, we in the West have lapsed into an alarming complacency about the risks that remain. We have run down our defences and relaxed our guard. And to comfort ourselves that we were doing the right thing, we have increasingly placed our trust in international institutions to safeguard our future. But international bodies have not generally performed well. Indeed, we have learned that they cannot perform well unless we refrain from utopian aims, give them practical tasks, and provide them with the means and backing to carry them out.

Baroness Thatcher, in conclusion:

By speaking as and when he did, Churchill guarded against a repetition of the withdrawal of America from Europe which, after 1919, allowed the instability to emerge that plunged the whole world — including America — into a second war.
Like my uniquely distinguished predecessor, I too may be accused of alarmism in pointing to new dangers to which present institutions — and attitudes — are proving unequal. But, also like him, I have every confidence in the resources and the values of the Western civilisation we are defending.

In particular, I believe (to use Churchill's words) that: "If all British moral and material forces and convictions are joined with your own in fraternal association, the highroads of the future will be clear, not only for us but for all, not only for our time, but for a century to come."

That at least has not changed in fifty years.

Indeed. Read the whole text.

Free Dope for Dopes

From the Victoria Times Colonists:

VANCOUVER -- Ottawa has given conditional approval to the dispensing of free heroin to drug addicts in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

The North American Opiate Medication Initiative will recruit 158 local drug-users for the 21-month pilot project, set to begin by the end of the year.

Now the taxpayers are being asked to fund the drug habits of heroine addicts but why stop there? Let’s spend the public purse and hand out free cigarettes to smoker’s.

The Huh Factor

From the Telegraph, Sit and Deliver:

German men are being shamed into urinating while sitting down by a gadget which is saving millions of women from cleaning up in the bathroom after them. The WC ghost, a £6 voice-alarm, reprimands men for standing at the lavatory pan. It is triggered when the seat is lifted. The battery-operated devices are attached to the seats and deliver stern warnings to those who attempt to stand and urinate (known as "Stehpinkeln").

"Hey, stand-peeing is not allowed here and will be punished with fines, so if you don't want any trouble, you'd best sit down," one of the devices orders in a voice impersonating the German leader, Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. Another has a voice similar to that of his predecessor, Helmut Kohl.

The manufacturers of the WC ghost, Patentwert, say they are ready to direct their gadgets at the British market.

Their prototype English-speaking WC ghost says in an American drawl: "Don't you go wetting this floor cowboy, you never know who's behind you. So sit down, get your water pistol in the bowl where it belongs. Ha, ha, ha." They also plan to copy the voices of Tony Blair and the Queen.

Heh, heh.

(Via Andrew Stuttaford of the Corner)

Thatcherite Canadian

Politically, I have felt something of a hodge-podge. Not a true libertarian, nor a Joe Clark conservative, I have often thought myself closer to a classical liberal but try explaining that position to a resident of Canada educated under the clutches of Trudeaupians. Actually, I did try to explain it to my 22 year old brother; he promptly denounced me as a "neo-con" and hasn’t spoken to me since. Ah, the benefits of a liberal arts education! Neo-con could suffice and I have a great deal of sympathy with the so-called Neo-con movement in the States, but that’s not quite it either. Now a chance comment by Jay Currie on a post of mine and I know what I am.

I am a Thatcherite Canadian and I know I am not the only one in this fair dominion. But here’s the rub, I may have found my mantle but most of the Thatcherite Ontarians have not had that Eureka moment. We are world weary and sick at heart of the Fiberal yoke. We bought into the Harris Commonsense Revolution but in the end we were betrayed by the big C government of Ernie Eves and his cronies.

Stephen Harper take note – if you want to carry Ontario in the next election, you need to speak to directly to us Thatcherites. You need to jump start the Canadian Thatcherite Revolution and in the words of Baroness Thatcher – don’t go all wobbly.

Snipers

Canadians are so well conditioned to accept the deplorable state of our Armed Forces that we often forget that there are some things our forces do so superbly well--in spite of the ongoing Liberal malfeasance towards them.

Myrick, a Canadian Expat, located in Singapore, has a post on “Snipers” that is well worth reading and provides links for more!

Old Europe versus New World

Jeremy Rifkin writes in the Globe and Mail:

Worlds apart on the vision thing. --Canadians are in the midst of a transatlantic debate: the American Dream of individual fulfillment versus the European Dream of community.

There are many and varied rebuttal arguments one could make about the viability of embracing the so-called European Community vision for Canada, but all we really need to do is acknowledge the "why" so many of our ancestors fled Old Europe for the New World, and if those reasons are still valid today? We need to ask ourselves, is it really more desirable today to live in Europe and; if it is, why haven’t the descendants of those same Europeans immigrants not returned in any viable numbers? If the vision of European Community is right for Canada, why is our largest migration drain Canadians choosing to immigrate to the United States?

Swiftboat Smears?

The Toronto Star has finally acknowledged the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth and leads with this by-line:

A Swift Boat smear campaign-Attack ad labels war-hero Kerry a liar and coward -But why would Bush supporters mention Vietnam?

I am really quite fed up with the bias in the media in respect to George W. Bush. I realize that as a public figure his words and deeds are open season by the media as it should be. But what I have a hard time stomaching is the double standard and bias that permeates the news media in relationship to him and the pass that is generally given to John Kerry, Democratic Candidate for the Presidency.

We had the AWOL scandal and the media hounding George W. Bush of over his service in the Texas National Guard. The media dogged the president to release his records which he in fact did release – all the records that were still available after 30 years – we even got copies of his dental records. Still that wasn’t enough. John Kerry has yet to release all his records, records that are still available, records that would answer some of the charges that the Swiftboat Veterans assert. Where is the media call for John Kerry to release all his records? One of the things we need to see is; who authorized the awarding of his first purple heart, and when was it approved? What has silenced the media hound dogs for a full release of John Kerry’s service records?

Instead, what I hear and read are articles that are attempting to smear the Swiftboat Veterans by the media. I do not know if the Swiftboat Veterans are telling the truth, but what I do need to know is if there is any basis for their charges. Whoever is donating to their organization is really irrelevant unless their charges are false. So far, I have not seen any evidence that their charges are false. It is only a smear if the allegations are false, truth cannot be a smear.

If anything, one of the charges leveled against John Kerry has proven to have some weight – the Christmas in Cambodia story that is "seared – seared" in John Kerry’s memory. Talk about selected and nuanced memory. Too bad that John Kerry commanded a swiftboat without anyone being able to come forward out of his band of brothers to say, "Yes, John Kerry commanded a Swiftboat into Cambodia, I know, I was there."

That point was not even mentioned in the Toronto Star article nor was there a reference made to Kerry’s "lucky hat" given to him by a secret operative that he ferried in Cambodia. Though if I was a "secret operative" being sent into Cambodia in 1968/69, I really do not think that I would give up any article or clothing – it is not like I could just present myself to the nearest quartermaster stationed in the jungles of Cambodia for replacement.

But what I do hear and read is George Bush’s service contrasted with John Kerry’s. What I do not see or read is an acknowledgement that when George Bush signed on to learn to fly F-102’s those pilots were being deployed in Vietnam. Just learning to fly a F-102 was a dangerous assignment. When John Kerry signed on to pilot a swiftboat, it was considered a safe assignment.

Let’s get one thing straight; learning to be fighter pilot is an elite assignment. The forces do not waste time and money attempting to train pilots that are slow, stupid or lack critical/creative thinking ability. Many are called but few are chosen is the guiding mentality in choosing who the forces will train to be a fighter pilot. Again, I have not heard that fact be acknowledged by the media.

Much is made of the fact that not one of the Swiftboat Veterans for truth served on John Kerry’s actual boat. The Swiftboat Veterans openly acknowledge that they were not his subordinates, but they were his peers and they served beside him and above him. And out of that band of subordinate brothers, not all are supporting him.

I really have to wonder about the character of a man who takes a 8mm camera into Vietnam and re-enacts his battle scenes in his down time or formally requests a purple heart for a tiny piece of metal that did not even require one single stitch. Anyone know if John Kerry re-enacted and filmed that engagement? The bottomline is, if that were George Bush, do you really think that media would give him a pass?

Alive and Well

Inspite of the Fiberal government's ongoing malefeasance towards the Armed forces, their espre'de corp is alive and well. Trudeaupia for details.

Ignore Munich Massacre, Express Solidarity with Palestinian People

As is my habit, I was reading Little Green Footballs and saw this excerpt from Debbie Schlussel:

To date, the IOC refuses to allow any memorial to these athletes who gave their lives for this "holy" commercial extravaganza, which today might be called the BALCO Games (in honor of the steroid producer who seems to be unofficial chief sponsor).

At the 2002 Sydney Summer Games, IOC officials loudly disavowed any connection to a memorial to the slain Israeli athletes, and worse, denounced the memorial. At the 1996 Atlanta Games, the IOC refused to organize a commemorative ceremony for the slain athletes, lest the Olympics dare offend the new Palestinian Olympic Team. (Unlike the rest of the world, the IOC already recognizes "Palestine" as a state.)"It's not the IOC's policy to stage special ceremonies," IOC director general Francois Carrard told USA Today.

Not surprisingly, that's a lie. At the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, the IOC spent lavishly on an exorbitant Alvin Ailey choreographed dance tribute to memorialize the late Olympic Gold Medalist Florence Griffith "Flo-Jo" Joyner—even though, unlike the murdered Israeli athletes, her death was not Olympic- or even sports-related.

In contrast to the dead Israelis who still have no Olympic memorial or any Olympic recognition whatsoever, the IOC and the rest of the world consistently worships and sacrifices at the alter of the terrorists who murdered them.

Just months after he masterminded the murder of the Israeli athletes, Arafat and his Palestinian terrorists were rewarded with an official Palestinian mission to the United Nations. Terrorism pays."

Then read what the Jerusalem Post is reporting:

"Reigning judo world champion Arash Miresmaeili of Iran was scheduled to face Israeli judoka Udi Vaks Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. in the under-66 kg division.

When weighed prior to the match, Miresmaeili weighed in at above the maximum of 66 kg, disqualifying him from the round. Israeli athletes said they suspected that the Iranian team stuffed Miresmaeili with food before he was weighed to intentionally disqualify him from facing his Israeli opponent, Army Radio reported. Vaks won the round on technicality, and he will compete later Sunday against an Egyptian or Algerian opponent instead.

The Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Miresmaeili on Sunday explaining his reasons for forfeiting the match. "Even though I trained for months, and even though I am in good shape, I refused to compete against the Israeli opponent in order to express my sympathy with the suffering of the Palestinian people. I do not regret my decision," he said."

In the ongoing struggle to remain politically correct, is the day so far off that International Olympic Committee will take action to ban Israeli athletes from competition all together?

The Last Amazon Returns

The Last Amazon has returned home today from her course. She earned a distinguished marksman designation and was the top shot out of her course. She is shooting in groupings of 5 within a spread of only 1.6 cm. Being the most amazing of daughters, she bought her mother a book. Rick Atkinson's In the Company of Soldiers. Blogging will be very light...

The Huh Factor

"Canada's new minister of sport, Stephen Owen -- on the job for less than a month -- said Wednesday in Athens, "I think we've got to be really careful about a fixation on medal numbers. We're all interested in it, but it's not really indicative of sport health in our country."

huh?

"Psychiatrists fear hero copycats"

I marvel whenever I observe or experience uncommon valour as a common virtue. As cliché as this phrase is; when experienced, there is a resonance that echoes to the very marrow of the soul.

Yesterday, I read this:

"After 2 men step into danger to save women, psychiatrists fear hero copycats"

"People will read about this, see this other person and admire that person. They would like to be like them and when it's still strongly on their minds they are more likely mimic their brave behaviour," said Dennis Krebs, a professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University and an expert on altruism.

Most susceptible to copycat activity are teens at a stage of life when they're trying desperately to conform.

That worries Kulwant Riar, a forensic psychologist. "There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity. It's not a very good idea for civilians to intervene when dealing with criminals. We don't need the general public becoming vigilantes, somebody's going to get hurt," he said. Riar urged authorities to caution people to stand back and instead make a phone call right away."

These psychiatrists fear the heroics of ordinary people will inspire others to choose the heroic in themselves and act. They fear that that the general public will be vigilantes but a vigilante acts as policeman, judge, jury and executioner. That is not what these brave souls have done. They made a moral choice to act and to intervene in order to save a life. If all they did was make a phone call, would the police have arrived in time? No matter how quick policemen or firemen are to respond, seconds or minutes can literally mean the difference between life and death for another.

If you must act, call the police, let the police handle it, say these psychiatrists. No doubt there are occasions when that is the most prudent course of action, but if you take that train of thought and follow it through to the logical conclusion won’t we all lose the ability to find the heroic in ourselves, and then, who will choose to become the policeman, the fireman, the soldier?

Isn't it evident by now that where crime flourishes it is because ordinary citizens in those communities have lost the ability to take moral action? Should we allow ourselves to become another Sweden where a woman can be brutally stabbed to death by a lone assailant in a crowded department store because no one chooses to make a moral decision to act? Or should we be like Saudi Arabia, where a man can lie bleeding on the ground crying out for help and the crowd walks on by deaf to his pleas? When you consign your life to the government, you become merely a spectator to your own fate.

Red Ensign Standard Has Been Raised

The Red Ensign Standard is being hosted by Raging Kraut.

Read why a Raging Kraut is a member of the Red Ensign Brigade.

Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Part 2

As the summer whines down, I keep experiencing the "huh" factor every time I go to read the Globe and Mail:

Flyers threatening Muslim students with violence and death have been discovered at Ryerson University, forcing the campus to investigate its second hate crime of the summer.

"The Islamic infidels have no belonging in Toronto and in the world at all ... we ask that whenever you spot a Muslim ... that you beat them and cause harm to them. Kill these Islamic infidels," reads one of the notices in broken English and signed by a group calling itself the Full Blooded Israeli Brigades.

I want to establish my caveat: In a civil society the incitement and promotion of violence against any group of citizens is inexcusable and a clear criminal code violation.

Having said that, the "huh" factor kicked in after I read the article.

Certainly, Jews have had their fair share of fanatics but I cannot see a supporter of Rabbi Kahane using "Islamic Infidel" maybe "swine" or "goyim", but "infidel"? No, I think not. To a Jew, you are either a Jew or Gentile. Muslims are gentiles. Infidel just does not have the ring of authenticity to it if you are dealing with religious Jewish fanatics. "We ask that whenever you spot a Muslim…that you beat them and cause harm to them. Kill these Islamic infidels". This sounds like a translation from the Sura in the Quran extolling believers on Jihad to kill aggressors wherever you find them.

The flyer was signed by an organization calling itself "Full Blooded Israeli Brigade". Now we have the language of the leftist revolutionary. I am sure that Israel has its’ share of leftists but "Full Blooded"? Only the most ignorant of Jews would not understand that to a Jew; you either are a Jew or not, there are no half-bloods, hence all Jews are Jews. Why "Israeli"? If it is Jewish extremists: Zion, Masada, Sabra or Maccabee Brigade would sound more plausible than "Israeli".

Why Ryerson? I live a few short blocks away from Ryerson and there is certainly a strong Muslim presence in the neighborhood. Pasting the university with anti-Muslim flyers is like going to Saudi Arabia and trying to convert the crowd in the market to Christianity.

The whole incident reminds me of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. For those unfamiliar with the Protocols; it was a pamphlet that was published in the 19th century by the Russian "Okhrana" or secret police and circulated widely throughout Russia and the rest of the world. The Protocols outlined a secret Zionist/Jewish plot for the enslavement of the world and the destruction of Christianity. It promoted the blood libel that the Jews needed to use the blood of gentile children to make Passover matzohs etc. The rationale was to blame all of Russia’s ills on the Jews thereby justifying and promoting pogroms against the Jews in the Pale.

The sad irony of this situation is; whether I am right or wrong in my suspicions, no one in a civil society benefits.

The Huh Factor

From the Globe and Mail:

The size advantage

This month, for the first time, transsexuals will officially be allowed to compete in the Olympics -- although none is anticipated in this year's games, reports The Boston Globe. The medical commission of The International Olympic Commission has expanded the definition of "female" with its decision that transsexuals do not have an advantage beyond that of a tall woman.

After I got over the huh factor, my next thoughts were; before or after surgery, and how on earth do they pass the drug test? Or is this a new defense for positive drug testing?

In the interest of fairness and the ongoing striving to be politically correct, why does the International Olympic Commission not recognize that not all transsexuals are males taking on a female gender? What about transsexuals who are born female and take on a male gender? But why stop there, why not just end the sex segregation in Olympic sports all together?

France Takes Charge

Kabul — Canadian Lieutenant-General Rick Hillier relinquished command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force on Monday, handing over responsibilities to French Lt.-Gen. Jean-Louis Py.

The handover marks the start of Eurocorps' first overseas deployment and the end of Canada's largest commitment to Afghanistan yet.

I am sure we all feel more optimistic today for the future of Afghanistan now that France has taken control over NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Red Ensign Moment

I heard from the Last Amazon. Now the Last Amazon has always been very obsessive about order and cleanliness. As a small child she refused to let her brothers play in her room, and when she had friends over they played in her brother’s rooms. She commented that the command at the CFB station where she is presently located is even more anal than her and she has spent a vast amount of time in cleaning.

This in turn reminded me of a chorus of a song that my grandfather learned when he was serving with the Fighting 26th Battalion circa 1914-1918.

We are in the army now,

We are not behind the plow,

Son of a bitch, we are digging a ditch,

We are in the army now.

Vietnam Quagmire Revisited

It appears that John Kerry, US Presidential Democratic candidate, who has made his 4 and ½ month tour of duty in Vietnam a cornerstone of his leadership campaign, is now mired deep in a Vietnam styled quagmire with Swiftboat Veterans.

Captain’s Quarters has the rundown, or maybe it’s the lowdown?

Since the Swiftboat Veterans have proved they can pack a punch and take a shot to the head, the only question left is -- can they deliver the goods?

Tattoos today, Topless tomorrows?

According to a Vancouver Courier article "middle-aged women are the fastest growing demographic seeking a permanent piece of body art."

Then there is this:

"Women over 60 are set to be banned from going topless on a popular beach amid claims that they are ugly and put off tourists."

(via The Cool Blue Bog)


If the trend is for middle-aged women to get tattoos, and over 60s are going topless, I have to go and call my mother and advise her, that once again, we missed the boat.

Middle East High Stakes Poker

Iran meets the Israeli stake and ups the ante. Debkafile reports:

"Iran's defense minister announces test coming shortly of improved Shehab-3 ballistic missile (capable of reaching all parts of Israel.) He warns Israel against striking Iran's nuclear facilities."

Read the rest.

Why Israel Won't Attack Iran

"Why Israel won’t attack Iran" is an opinion piece in the Lebanese Daily Star by Mahan Abedin. Mr. Abedin's piece focuses on 4 reasons why Israel will not take offensive action against Iran if Iranian reactors go critical.

He contends that there is no guarantee that any military option will necessarily achieve its objective as "Iran has developed robust defensive capabilities in recent years against any potential attack.", and refers to the distances involved in striking Iranian nuclear facilities and reminds readers of the "last time a foreign power attempted a raid of this kind was back in 1980, when the American plan to rescue its embassy hostages ended in failure."

The second and third reasons focus on variations of the MAD theory and geopolitical ramifications to Israel if the Israelis used the military option e.g. the Israelis would face military strikes via the neighborhood on its homefront and at Jewish interests in the Diaspora.

The 4th and final reason that the Israelis won't use the military option:

"Fourth, an attack is unlikely for it would seriously undermine both American and Israeli predictions of long-term political trends in Iran. There is a near-consensus in the intelligence circles of both countries that the current Iranian regime will likely reform itself beyond recognition in the next 15-20 years. Therefore, any military strike would probably prolong the life span of the regime by creating a nationalist backlash. The regime would capitalize on this and claim that its suspicions regarding American and Israeli motives have been vindicated."

Mr. Abedin concludes:

"Ultimately the Israeli threats do not constitute a rational solution to the dispute. The optimum forum for containing and solving the Iranian nuclear issue is the International Atomic Energy Agency. The US can ensure Iranian compliance by applying pressure at opportune moments, but it must also ensure that Israel not undertake a military adventure that would seriously complicate political developments in an already troubled region."

Ask yourself this:

To date, how effective has the IAEA been in monitoring and curtailing Iranian nuclear aspirations? To what lengths have the Mullahs gone in disguising their nuclear aspirations from the IAEA? How much influence do the Americans (or the Great Satan as the Mullahs affectionately refer to the Americans) really have over the Mullahs? Do the Mullahs have ambitions to increase their influence over the neighborhood and do they want to export their version of the Islamic revolution to the neighbors? Have the Mullahs supported and exported terrorists in the past? Can the West and Israel afford to wait 15-20 years for the nuclear mullahs to become a foot note in the Iranian history? Have the Mullahs issued credible threats to the existence of Israel and her people?

The problem with this kind of analysis is that it fails to take into account those kinds of questions. Nor does it even attempt to acknowledge the character of the Israeli people or the expertise and innovation of the Israeli military. Bush did not invent the doctrine of Pre-emption. Furthermore, it rests on the theory that the Americans would stand idly by in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Persian Gulf and not take sides and that the neighbors as repugnant as they find the Israelis to be, may view the nuclearization of the Mullahs as a potential threat to their own sovereignty and might just be inclined to sit this one out and limit their actions to voting for a condemnation of Israel in a UN resolution and increase funding to Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

If you were an Israeli, would you hide your head in the sand and wait for an incoming missile to destroy you or would you take a chance to act, albeit a desperate gambit before the incoming warhead faced you with certain annilation? Long before Ariel Sharon was Prime Minister Sharon, he was General "Bulldozer" Sharon.

The Jerusalem Post announced today that:

"The Homefront Command will start distributing to the local population living in close proximity to nuclear or 'research' facilities Logol tablets against radiation. In accordance with a government decision, soldiers will distribute the tablets directly to the homes of civilians living in the areas that are considered to be under threat in the event that any of the 'research' facilities are harmed."

La Passionata

I have learned that La Passionata, Partisan, Freedom Fighter, Veteran War Correspondent, Writer, Oriana Fallaci, is dying. I first was introduced to Madam Fallaci's work in the 80's with the English publication of "A Man".

Front Page Magazine translated from Italian a December 2002 article Fallaci wrote for Corriere della Sera.

I find it shameful that in obedience to the stupid, vile, dishonest, and for them extremely advantageous fashion of Political Correctness the usual opportunists--or better the usual parasites--exploit the word Peace. That in the name of the word Peace, by now more debauched than the words Love and Humanity, they absolve one side alone of its hate and bestiality. That in the name of a pacifism (read conformism) delegated to the singing crickets and buffoons who used to lick Pol Pot's feet they incite people who are confused or ingenuous or intimidated. Trick them, corrupt them, carry them back a half century to the time of the yellow star on the coat. These charlatans who care about the Palestinians as much as I care about the charlatans. That is not at all...

I find it shameful and see in all this the rise of a new fascism, a new nazism. A fascism, a nazism, that much more grim and revolting because it is conducted and nourished by those who hypocritically pose as do-gooders, progressives, communists, pacifists, Catholics or rather Christians, and who have the gall to label a warmonger anyone like me who screams the truth. I see it, yes, and I say the following. I have never been tender with the tragic and Shakespearean figure Sharon. ("I know you've come to add another scalp to your necklace," he murmured almost with sadness when I went to interview him in 1982.) I have often had disagreements with the Israelis, ugly ones, and in the past I have defended the Palestinians a great deal. Maybe more than they deserved. But I stand with Israel, I stand with the Jews. I stand just as I stood as a young girl during the time when I fought with them, and when the Anna Marias were shot. I defend their right to exist, to defend themselves, to not let themselves be exterminated a second time. And disgusted by the anti-Semitism of many Italians, of many Europeans, I am ashamed of this shame that dishonors my Country and Europe. At best, it is not a community of States, but a pit of Pontius Pilates. And even if all the inhabitants of this planet were to think otherwise, I would continue to think so.

Though I did not always agree with her politics, her writing always demanded an emotional and intellectual response from the reader. What greater tribune to be said of a writer than that they had the ability to make a reader think and feel?

Parables

The interesting thing about parables is the many different levels of subtext a parable can have and how uniquely each individual will react to a parable. Parables invite the reader to make a moral decision. That moral decision allows you to learn the reader’s values or the nature of their ethics. In a Parable of Two Boys I gave you the circumstances to make a moral decision about the actions of two boys and an authority figure. I could have easily called the two boys, Bill and Mike.

From the comments we have Alan who believes that authority figures are not always intelligent, that an individual has an innate right of self-defense, authority figures should always use moral judgments when deciding transgressions/punishments and that some names are luckier than others.

From various anonymous comments: I am a liar, I am stupid, I am fat, and I don’t eat enough donuts or ice cream or have enough of a life. That money is more valuable than thought from an anonymous commenter because he makes more money from porn sites than I do from this blog; that the Jewish G-d teaches that there is no moral right to self-defense, that it is immoral to teach children to defend themselves, that those who cry out against discrimination are the worse offenders, Isaiah Sender is a stupid name, that Isaiah Sender is a problem child and will always be a problem child, that authority figures are always innately right in exercising their authority.

I could have easily written about two distinct groups of people and an International Court of Justice but I suspect that the tragedy lies in that the anonymous responses would still response using their same system of values in judgment.

A Parable of Two Boys

This is the story of two little year old boys, Mohammed and Isaiah Sender, who played on opposing teams in a game of catch the flag at their summer day camp. Mohammed’s team won and when Isaiah Sender bent down to pick up the flag off the ground Mohammed stepped on it. Isaiah Sender stood up and Mohammed pushed him. Isaiah Sender pushed back. Then Mohammed grabbed Isaiah Sender in a headlock and hit him in the stomach. Isaiah Sender escaped the headlock and pinned Mohammed’s arm behind his back and shoved him to the ground and then Isaiah Sender punched him.

At this point, the staff intervened and dragged Isaiah Sender off Mohammed. Under questioning, Mohammed admitted he started the fight and he hit Isaiah Sender first, but Mohammed in his defense said, Isaiah Sender hit back harder. Isaiah Sender got suspended from day camp for fighting. Mohammed was not suspended so he can go to day camp tomorrow.

What is the moral here?

Clinton Mania in Downtown Toronto

I admit that I have never understood the appeal of former US President, William Jefferson Clinton. I could never feel his pain.

And I am truly baffled by the motivates of those Canadians who decided to camp out overnight on a side street at Indigo Books on Bloor Street West just to be guaranteed to have Mr. Clinton put his John Hancock on their copy of his memoirs. The way the crowd is lined up you would think he was holding auditions for a new intern pool.

What I really want to know is when will this guy just go away? Maybe Ann Coulter is right and:

Someday we'll be reading about Clinton officials causing incidents in nursing homes. (Which Clinton administration official do you imagine that might involve?)