What follows was quoted in a comment in the Globe and Mail as being a letter to the editor of a "major Canadian newspaper" from one "T. Bopp" from British Columbia. It will be our last post (for this year) on Canada's hopelessly marshmallowy refugee policy. [Is dis a policy? Ed.]
The forces of all-party electoral ethno-politics have dogged all efforts to reform a system that, courtesy of Canada's charter of rights, has turned us into a willing doormat for all those bent on taking advantage of our reluctance to protect the integrity of our borders.
As long as Ottawa's political mind-set stubbornly opposes the notion of real reform of the Western world's most generous and porous refugee system, by hiding behind the universality of Canada's sacrosanct charter, we will indeed remain "the land of trusting fools," as put so aptly by a Russian security official.
Unique among such charters in Western democracies, by extending full civil rights to any and all non-residents once they set foot on our soil, the Canadian charter has opened a veritable Pandora's Box of refugee and immigration abuse and resulted in a virtual inability to effectively and expeditiously deal with undesirables freely flocking to our shores
The Supreme Court's 1985 "Singh Decision" forever changed the 1976 Immigration Act, making the Canadian charter universal by guaranteeing "everyone ... the right to life, liberty and security of the person."
It has resulted in endless litigation, negated the law and served as a major stumbling block to meaningful reform to ensure our refugee system is reserved for those afflicted by genuine persecution in other nations.
By enabling them to virtually guarantee their "clients" the protection of the charter, once delivered to Canadian soil, the Charter's unrestricted universality remains a veritable boon to a growing industry for human smugglers and continues to serve as a powerful magnet to all comers.
If you're a Canadian and you agree, you may send your comments to the Honourable Jason Kenney at Minister@cic.gc.ca. Watch your language please.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Benedict XVI to Chinese Catholics: Have courage!
In his "Urbi et Orbi" message today, Pope Benedict XVI urged Chinese Catholics loyal to Rome -- the "underground church" of which I've written before -- to have courage in the face of Communist attempts to limit freedom of conscience and religion.The Holy Father used his traditional holiday speech, delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to tourists and pilgrims in the rain-soaked square, to encourage people living in the troubled areas around the world to take hope from the comforting message of Christmas. The trouble spots he referred to range from war-torn Afghanistan to the volatile Korean peninsula to the Holy Land — and also to China.
In recent weeks, tensions have flared anew between the Vatican and Beijing over the Chinese government's defiance of the Pope's authority to name bishops and its insistence that prelates loyal to Rome attend, against their will, a gathering to promote Communist China's schismatic and heretical "Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association".
This post has been adapted from the Associate Press report. To watch the AP video clips of the Holy Father celebrating Midnight Mass, click here.
The AP clip from the Pope's Christmas message is here. Note that the Holy Father is speaking in Italian, since he is addressing the people of Rome in his capacity as Bishop of Rome. The Telegraph has published the full text in English.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Muslims to Christians: "Get out of the Middle East!"
Christians make up less than 10% of Egypt's population. (Around 9% of Egyptians are Coptic Orthodox; only 0.3% are Catholic.) But even that small minority is too much for Muslim fundamentalists.
So says Father Rafic Greische, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Egypt, in an interview with Vatican Radio. He discussed recent difficulties faced by Egyptian Christians, including the imprisonment of Christians who protested the government’s refusal to permit the construction of a church.
“This is what the Muslim fundamentalists want," he said. "They want the Christians to evacuate from the Middle East and leave [the region to them]. And this is what is happening every day… and the governments do not take serious action to relieve or solve these problems."
Contrast that attitude with the tolerance and freedom of religion which our secular governments expect us to show to the Muslims -- including Islamic fundamentalists -- whom we have accepted into our countries. As Christians we are taught to turn the other cheek, but really...
So says Father Rafic Greische, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Egypt, in an interview with Vatican Radio. He discussed recent difficulties faced by Egyptian Christians, including the imprisonment of Christians who protested the government’s refusal to permit the construction of a church.
“This is what the Muslim fundamentalists want," he said. "They want the Christians to evacuate from the Middle East and leave [the region to them]. And this is what is happening every day… and the governments do not take serious action to relieve or solve these problems."
Contrast that attitude with the tolerance and freedom of religion which our secular governments expect us to show to the Muslims -- including Islamic fundamentalists -- whom we have accepted into our countries. As Christians we are taught to turn the other cheek, but really...
Monday, December 20, 2010
Red Green gives you some Christmas laughs
As is well known (see earlier post), Canadians suck at sitcoms and excel at sketch comedy. However, we have not discussed an eminently funny and internationally successful Canadian show which is neither. That would be The Red Green Show, sometimes known as The New Red Green Show.
The Wikipedia entry for The Red Green Show describes it as a cross between a sitcom and a sketch show. Walt says the only thing "cross" about it is Mrs. Walt's expression every time Red and the Possum Lodge gang come on the air.
Really the show is a series of monologues by Red (Steve Smith) or dialogues between Red and his nephew Harold (Pat McKenna) or other lodge members and friends, including such notable actors as Gordon Pinsent, Dave Thomas and -- as you'll see -- Graham Greene.
The writing, by Steve Smith, Rick Green (who appears but does not speak as Bill Smith) and others is brilliant, although some would say you have to be Canadian to get all the jokes. In keeping with the spirit of the season, Walt presents [geddit? ed.] a couple of Christmas segments.
The Red Green Show aired on various channels in Canada, with its ultimate home at CBC, and on PBS in the United States, from 1991 until the series finale in April 2006. It's in reruns on some comedy channels and PBS stations.
Yep, there's a website. PBS also has a Red Green page. "Keep your stick on the ice!"
The Wikipedia entry for The Red Green Show describes it as a cross between a sitcom and a sketch show. Walt says the only thing "cross" about it is Mrs. Walt's expression every time Red and the Possum Lodge gang come on the air.
Really the show is a series of monologues by Red (Steve Smith) or dialogues between Red and his nephew Harold (Pat McKenna) or other lodge members and friends, including such notable actors as Gordon Pinsent, Dave Thomas and -- as you'll see -- Graham Greene.
The writing, by Steve Smith, Rick Green (who appears but does not speak as Bill Smith) and others is brilliant, although some would say you have to be Canadian to get all the jokes. In keeping with the spirit of the season, Walt presents [geddit? ed.] a couple of Christmas segments.
The Red Green Show aired on various channels in Canada, with its ultimate home at CBC, and on PBS in the United States, from 1991 until the series finale in April 2006. It's in reruns on some comedy channels and PBS stations.
Yep, there's a website. PBS also has a Red Green page. "Keep your stick on the ice!"
Sunday, December 19, 2010
"How Jewish songwriters created Christmas"
"Oy, Christmas. It just wouldn’t be the same without Jewish songwriters."
So begins an interesting article by the Globe and Mail 's music reporter, Robert Everett-Green. Click here to read it.
Reminds Walt of the story about an Israeli tour group who were being shown around the Vatican. They gazed in awe at the architectural and artistic masterpieces of St. Peter's -- all the marble, all the gold leaf. And, it being Christmas, they paused at a Nativity scene and listened to the explanation of the guide.
Said one little old man, "So this all happened in Israel?"
Replied the guide, "Yes, in Bethlehem. The very place where Jesus was born is in your country."
"And the baby's mother was Jewish?" asked the man.
"Yes, she was," said the guide.
"And the baby was Jewish? Circumcised and everything?"
Another affirmative.
Then the old man turned to his wife. "What I can't understand," he said, "is how we ever let the Italians get hold of this!"
So begins an interesting article by the Globe and Mail 's music reporter, Robert Everett-Green. Click here to read it.
Reminds Walt of the story about an Israeli tour group who were being shown around the Vatican. They gazed in awe at the architectural and artistic masterpieces of St. Peter's -- all the marble, all the gold leaf. And, it being Christmas, they paused at a Nativity scene and listened to the explanation of the guide.
Said one little old man, "So this all happened in Israel?"
Replied the guide, "Yes, in Bethlehem. The very place where Jesus was born is in your country."
"And the baby's mother was Jewish?" asked the man.
"Yes, she was," said the guide.
"And the baby was Jewish? Circumcised and everything?"
Another affirmative.
Then the old man turned to his wife. "What I can't understand," he said, "is how we ever let the Italians get hold of this!"
"Jewish lightning" strikes Ontario town councillor
Political correctness is alive and well in Ontario's beautiful Caledon Hills, this according to Agent 3 who once roamed the hills freely.
Seems Caledon town councillor Gord McClure -- an eighth-generation local farmer known for his plain speaking -- used the term "Jewish lightning" in a debate about a historic home owned by former NHL star defenceman Paul Coffey.
Mr. McClure, a member of Caledon’s heritage committee, told a council meeting last week that he supports a proposed heritage designation for the home but not for the lot on which it sits.
Now comes the "slur". "If I owned the land I wouldn’t want the whole thing sterilized," McClure said. "We do that and it’s going to be hit by Jewish lightning."
Regional councillor Richard Paterak took McClure to be equating "Jewish lightning" with arson. Expressing his shock and sensitivity, Paterak said, "We should not make any comments that impugn any people or ethnic community and as a councillor [McClure] should know that."
Mr. McClure denied making a slur. "Paterak doesn't know what he's talking about," was the gist of McClure's remarks. He issued no public retraction and did not respond to phone and e-mail messages requesting comment.
Mr. Paterak's ethnicity and religion are unknown, at least to Agent 3 who says, "He must be an immigrant from Toronto."
Seems Caledon town councillor Gord McClure -- an eighth-generation local farmer known for his plain speaking -- used the term "Jewish lightning" in a debate about a historic home owned by former NHL star defenceman Paul Coffey.
Mr. McClure, a member of Caledon’s heritage committee, told a council meeting last week that he supports a proposed heritage designation for the home but not for the lot on which it sits.
Now comes the "slur". "If I owned the land I wouldn’t want the whole thing sterilized," McClure said. "We do that and it’s going to be hit by Jewish lightning."
Regional councillor Richard Paterak took McClure to be equating "Jewish lightning" with arson. Expressing his shock and sensitivity, Paterak said, "We should not make any comments that impugn any people or ethnic community and as a councillor [McClure] should know that."
Mr. McClure denied making a slur. "Paterak doesn't know what he's talking about," was the gist of McClure's remarks. He issued no public retraction and did not respond to phone and e-mail messages requesting comment.
Mr. Paterak's ethnicity and religion are unknown, at least to Agent 3 who says, "He must be an immigrant from Toronto."
154
Corporal Steve Martin, RIPIt's sad to have to report the death of yet another Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. Steve Martin, a corporal in the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment -- the famous "Van Doos" -- was killed by an IED while on foot patrol in Kandahar early Saturday afternoon.
Cpl. Martin's death brings to 154 the number of Canadian troops killed needlessly in the Afghanistan quagmire. Monday would have been his 25th birthday.
Sad footnote: The QMI Agency, which feeds Canada's Sun newspapers, found a retired colonel -- from Cpl. Martin's own regiment, no less -- to say that Martin's death is a positive thing, because it shows that our lads are better trained than before.
“That’s a good sign in the sense that there was a whole four month period without a loss,” said Col. Alain-Michel Pellerin, the executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.Further comment from Walt would be superfluous.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Robert A. Hall: "I'm tired"
The following piece was forwarded to me by an agent of an agent (!) with the comment: This should be required reading for every man, woman and child in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
"I'm 63 and I'm Tired" - By Robert A. Hall, a Vietnam veteran.
I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.
I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari’a law tells them to.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and mandrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America and Canada , while no American nor Canadian group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off?
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my children and grandchildren.
There's a lot of this thing circulating on the Internet, so I thought I'd check it out with Snopes. They say it is correctly attributed. Robert A. Hall is a former Massachusetts state senator and USMC Vietnam veteran. He blogs as "The Old Jarhead", in which "I'm tired" appeared on 19 February 2009.
"I'm 63 and I'm Tired" - By Robert A. Hall, a Vietnam veteran.
I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.
I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari’a law tells them to.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and mandrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America and Canada , while no American nor Canadian group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off?
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my children and grandchildren.
There's a lot of this thing circulating on the Internet, so I thought I'd check it out with Snopes. They say it is correctly attributed. Robert A. Hall is a former Massachusetts state senator and USMC Vietnam veteran. He blogs as "The Old Jarhead", in which "I'm tired" appeared on 19 February 2009.
Austrian yodeller fined for offending Muslims
From Arutz Sheva (an Israeli news service) via Fark comes this gem. Walt won't even attempt to rewrite it. Telling it straight is enough...
It seems as though in Austria, the popular yodel is an insult to Muslims.
An Austrian court has recently fined a citizen for yodeling while mowing his lawn, according to a report in The Kronen Zeitung newspaper.
The citizen, 63-year-old Helmut G., was told by the court that his yodeling offended his next-door Muslim neighbors, who accused him of trying to mock and imitate the call of the Muezzin.
Helmut's neighbours were in the middle of a prayer when he started to yodel. The Kronen Zeitung reported that he was fined 800 Euros after judges ruled that he could have tried to offend his neighbors and ridicule their belief.
Helmut G. clarified that “It was not my intention to imitate or insult them. I simply started to yodel a few tunes because I was in such a good mood.”
So now you know what to do if the Muslims start building a mosque in your neighbourhood. Crank your stereo (or whatever they call them nowadays) up to "mother" and put on those old Slim Whitman and Wilf Carter records!
It seems as though in Austria, the popular yodel is an insult to Muslims.
An Austrian court has recently fined a citizen for yodeling while mowing his lawn, according to a report in The Kronen Zeitung newspaper.
The citizen, 63-year-old Helmut G., was told by the court that his yodeling offended his next-door Muslim neighbors, who accused him of trying to mock and imitate the call of the Muezzin.
Helmut's neighbours were in the middle of a prayer when he started to yodel. The Kronen Zeitung reported that he was fined 800 Euros after judges ruled that he could have tried to offend his neighbors and ridicule their belief.
Helmut G. clarified that “It was not my intention to imitate or insult them. I simply started to yodel a few tunes because I was in such a good mood.”
So now you know what to do if the Muslims start building a mosque in your neighbourhood. Crank your stereo (or whatever they call them nowadays) up to "mother" and put on those old Slim Whitman and Wilf Carter records!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
George Bain explains lamestream media bias
Still browsing in the Media section of the library (see "It's Not News, It's Fark") and was finally able to lay my hands on Gotcha! by one of the top three Canadian columnists of the 20th century, George Bain.
Mr. Bain wrote for the old Toronto Telegram, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. In 1979, he became director of the School of Journalism at the University of King's College. He was a member of the News Hall of Fame, and in 2000 was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for having "contributed greatly to the development of journalism in Canada". He died in 2006.
A dozen years before his death, George got sick and tired of the liberal bias of the mainstream media. (Sarah Palin had not yet coined the word "lamestream".) Fortified with a large class of vitriol, he wrote Gotcha! (Key-Porter Books, 1994), rightly described as "a thorough and damning analysis" of said media.
The book is well worth reading, a compendium of detailed and insightful analysis of examples of the media serving the public badly by yielding to leftward bias, political correctness, ingrained negativity and intellectual laziness.
Here is a sample which Walt thinks is particularly relevant to topics recently discussed in this space.
It is easy to imagine, posted on bulletin boards of [the major] news bureaus, lists headed Good and Bad. Political parties are Good anywhere left of centre, and need not be so in any discernible way, so long as they make the proper sounds.... Left is Good.... Unions in themselves are inherently Good; business is Bad.
Canadian peacekeepers are Good but the military (who are the same people but with guns) are Bad. People who shoot other people are Bad, but if they are caught and imprisoned they are Good, because prisons are Bad.
Immigrants are not Bad unless they take jobs from others who came earlier. However, if they entered the country as illegal refugees, they are automatically Good, because they wouldn't be refugees if they had not been persecuted, which is Bad, therefore they are Good.
How I wish I could write like that.
Also recommended: In addition to being a cynic, George Bain was a oenophile. He was also a humorist, and won the Stephen Leacock prize for Nursery Rhymes to Be Read Aloud by Young Parents with Old Children. My favourite, though, is Letters from Lilac, which describes lovingly the sort of small town in which I grew up.
Mr. Bain wrote for the old Toronto Telegram, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. In 1979, he became director of the School of Journalism at the University of King's College. He was a member of the News Hall of Fame, and in 2000 was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for having "contributed greatly to the development of journalism in Canada". He died in 2006.
A dozen years before his death, George got sick and tired of the liberal bias of the mainstream media. (Sarah Palin had not yet coined the word "lamestream".) Fortified with a large class of vitriol, he wrote Gotcha! (Key-Porter Books, 1994), rightly described as "a thorough and damning analysis" of said media.
The book is well worth reading, a compendium of detailed and insightful analysis of examples of the media serving the public badly by yielding to leftward bias, political correctness, ingrained negativity and intellectual laziness.
Here is a sample which Walt thinks is particularly relevant to topics recently discussed in this space.
It is easy to imagine, posted on bulletin boards of [the major] news bureaus, lists headed Good and Bad. Political parties are Good anywhere left of centre, and need not be so in any discernible way, so long as they make the proper sounds.... Left is Good.... Unions in themselves are inherently Good; business is Bad.
Canadian peacekeepers are Good but the military (who are the same people but with guns) are Bad. People who shoot other people are Bad, but if they are caught and imprisoned they are Good, because prisons are Bad.
Immigrants are not Bad unless they take jobs from others who came earlier. However, if they entered the country as illegal refugees, they are automatically Good, because they wouldn't be refugees if they had not been persecuted, which is Bad, therefore they are Good.
How I wish I could write like that.
Also recommended: In addition to being a cynic, George Bain was a oenophile. He was also a humorist, and won the Stephen Leacock prize for Nursery Rhymes to Be Read Aloud by Young Parents with Old Children. My favourite, though, is Letters from Lilac, which describes lovingly the sort of small town in which I grew up.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Kemi recruits gangstas to her cause
Scene 1: one of Toronto's black ghettos; July 2007; a street party; scores of bros en sisses a-rappin' en a-ravin'. Suddenly there's a Jamaican salute! When the gunfire ends, an 11-year-old boy lies dead.
Scene 2: a Toronto courtroom, yesterday; two gentlemen with Caribbean accents, members of two rival gangs, are acquitted of murder charges; white defence lawyers (paid for by Canadian taxpayers) proclaim the justice system works. Cop spokesthingy disagrees, says "We’ve worked extremely hard at improving relationships in the community and we’ve had tremendous success." Uh-huh.
Down at the Toronto Sun editors need a concerned member of the "black community" -- someone who's not afraid of getting shot -- to say something. Thus a phone call to top black female media ho Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo. See "The skinny on Kemi" for details of her checkered past.
Ms O-O, as self-appointed champion of the families of black murder victims, says the verdict sends "a horrible message" to gangs that they are "free to shoot up our streets and kill our children." With over four dozen gang- and drug-related black-on-black killings on the books already this year, seems to Walt the gangstas already knew that.
But, the Sun says, once Kemi calmed down, she invited the lads who got away with murder, Gregory Sappleton and Akiel Eubanks, to join her war on gun violence.
“If they really care at all about this boy, I want them to work with me, to talk to young people about what they’ve been through and how they feel about gangs,” she said. No word yet on when Messrs Sappleton and Eubanks will start appearing with Ms O-O at community self-criticism rallies.
Footnote: Agent 3 asks whatever happened to Jamaican-born Dudley Laws, civil rights activist and executive director of the Black Action Defence Committee. As far as we know, Mr. Laws has not been seen in public since Ms O-O arrived on the Toronto scene about 3 years ago. Is it possible that Kemi is Dudley in drag?
Scene 2: a Toronto courtroom, yesterday; two gentlemen with Caribbean accents, members of two rival gangs, are acquitted of murder charges; white defence lawyers (paid for by Canadian taxpayers) proclaim the justice system works. Cop spokesthingy disagrees, says "We’ve worked extremely hard at improving relationships in the community and we’ve had tremendous success." Uh-huh.
Down at the Toronto Sun editors need a concerned member of the "black community" -- someone who's not afraid of getting shot -- to say something. Thus a phone call to top black female media ho Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo. See "The skinny on Kemi" for details of her checkered past.
Ms O-O, as self-appointed champion of the families of black murder victims, says the verdict sends "a horrible message" to gangs that they are "free to shoot up our streets and kill our children." With over four dozen gang- and drug-related black-on-black killings on the books already this year, seems to Walt the gangstas already knew that.
But, the Sun says, once Kemi calmed down, she invited the lads who got away with murder, Gregory Sappleton and Akiel Eubanks, to join her war on gun violence.
“If they really care at all about this boy, I want them to work with me, to talk to young people about what they’ve been through and how they feel about gangs,” she said. No word yet on when Messrs Sappleton and Eubanks will start appearing with Ms O-O at community self-criticism rallies.
Footnote: Agent 3 asks whatever happened to Jamaican-born Dudley Laws, civil rights activist and executive director of the Black Action Defence Committee. As far as we know, Mr. Laws has not been seen in public since Ms O-O arrived on the Toronto scene about 3 years ago. Is it possible that Kemi is Dudley in drag?
Monday, December 13, 2010
The odor of sanctity?
According to Joe Carter, writing in the First Things blog the Pope’s summer home will soon be heated by "horse flatulence".
Mr. Carter is passing on a story in Inhabitat, a blog "devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future."
The Vatican, says Inhabitat, is doing its utmost to make itself "the greenest state in the world", which shouldn't be hard (Mr. Carter says) since the Vatican is the smallest state in the world. [Not San Marino? Ed.]
There are rumors that Vatican officials are researching a more environmentally friendly equivalent to the the Popemobile. They hope that an electric vehicle can be found to substitute for the iconic motor vehicle used by the Pope when visiting foreign states or making outdoor public appearances.
Perhaps, though, they should be thinking about a horse-drawn carriage. It seems the Vatican does have horses, although the point of keeping them is something of a mystery.
Being horses and eating oats or whatever, the Papal ponies produce a certain amount of equine flatulence. So, Inhabitat tells us, the Pope’s summer residence is being outfitted to harness the methane generated by the horse stables!
Now if they could only find a way to heat the buildings with some of the hot air generated by Cardinals Bertone, Kasper and others, they'd really be showing a commitment to reducing the Vatican's greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Carter is passing on a story in Inhabitat, a blog "devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future."
The Vatican, says Inhabitat, is doing its utmost to make itself "the greenest state in the world", which shouldn't be hard (Mr. Carter says) since the Vatican is the smallest state in the world. [Not San Marino? Ed.]
There are rumors that Vatican officials are researching a more environmentally friendly equivalent to the the Popemobile. They hope that an electric vehicle can be found to substitute for the iconic motor vehicle used by the Pope when visiting foreign states or making outdoor public appearances.
Perhaps, though, they should be thinking about a horse-drawn carriage. It seems the Vatican does have horses, although the point of keeping them is something of a mystery.
Being horses and eating oats or whatever, the Papal ponies produce a certain amount of equine flatulence. So, Inhabitat tells us, the Pope’s summer residence is being outfitted to harness the methane generated by the horse stables!
Now if they could only find a way to heat the buildings with some of the hot air generated by Cardinals Bertone, Kasper and others, they'd really be showing a commitment to reducing the Vatican's greenhouse gas emissions.
Book review: It's Not News, It's FARK
Browsing through the media section of our very decent public library [The indecent one is two streets over. Ed.] I came across It's Not News, It's FARK, by Drew Curtis. (Gotham Books, 2007)
It wasn't the title that intrigued me so much as the subtitle: How mass media tries to pass off crap as news. This is something that bothers me virtually every time I watch a local or network newscast. I wish I had a stopwatch so I could note the amount of time spent on real, "hard" news (e.g. a suicide bomb attack in Sweden) as opposed to Charmaine-soft news (e.g. the suicide of a drug-raddled "celebrity" famous for being famous).
Drew Curtis defines "fark" as "what fills space when mass media runs out of news.... Fark is supposed to look like news, but it's not news". (He says that the origin of the word "fark" is not his attempt to find another euphemism for the Great Anglo-Saxon Monosyllable. Rather it just leapt into his mind one night when he'd been drinking.)
Writing in a jugular vein [jocular, surely! Ed.], the author analyzes and gives examples of eight media patterns which any news junkie will recognize.
It wasn't the title that intrigued me so much as the subtitle: How mass media tries to pass off crap as news. This is something that bothers me virtually every time I watch a local or network newscast. I wish I had a stopwatch so I could note the amount of time spent on real, "hard" news (e.g. a suicide bomb attack in Sweden) as opposed to Charmaine-soft news (e.g. the suicide of a drug-raddled "celebrity" famous for being famous).
Drew Curtis defines "fark" as "what fills space when mass media runs out of news.... Fark is supposed to look like news, but it's not news". (He says that the origin of the word "fark" is not his attempt to find another euphemism for the Great Anglo-Saxon Monosyllable. Rather it just leapt into his mind one night when he'd been drinking.)
Writing in a jugular vein [jocular, surely! Ed.], the author analyzes and gives examples of eight media patterns which any news junkie will recognize.
- Media Fearmongering -- What would happen if some wildly improbable event occurred? Like the death of millions from "Mexican swine flu". Of course the event never happens and probably never will.
- Unpaid Placement Masquerading as Actual Article -- Not like product placement in a TV show or movie. Rather, running a press release promoting something (a book for instance), no more than a commercial in disguise. Sometimes these are labelled as "advertorials", sometimes not.
- Headline Contradicted by Article Text -- Since most people only read the headlines, especially on the Internet "news" sites, most people never notice.
- Equal Time for Nutjobs -- A great idea when the subject is debatable, like immigration reform, but ridiculous when there simply isn't another side, like whether the earth is round and when the Maple Laffs will win the Stanley Cup.
- The Out-of-Context Celebrity Comment -- The Dixie Chicks didn't like President Bush's foreign policy. So what?!
- Seasonal Articles -- People trampled in Black Friday shopping frenzy. Airports expected to be crowded at Thanksgiving. This is news?!
- Media Fatigue -- Especially in America, we get saturation coverage of an event (serious or trivial) for about a day, then the media and consumers of media get tired of it. After the initial feeding frenzy, the media have no new info to report, so they find another story.
- Lesser Media Space Fillers -- Mr. Curtis's examples are: missing white chicks, plane crashes, and amputations of random body parts.
It's Not News, It's Fark didn't make me laugh out loud. Actually I wanted to cry or throw up, maybe both. But if you want a clear statement of why you're not getting much solid stuff, as opposed to bland pap, in your newspaper or on the airwaves, you'll want to read this.
Oh, by the way... Drew Curtis is the creator of a "news" site, http://www.fark.com/. Don't say Walt is guilty of Sin No. 2. But if you're wondering where the screaming morning DJs get those little factoids of weird news, visit the Farking site!
Canada set to fix flawed Haitian election
Today's Globe and Mail reports that "Call me Steve" Harper is considering sending his fixers to show the Haitians how to run an election that gets the result you want without a lot of unseemly rioting in the streets.
Exactly who will be sent is something of a mystery. Her Jeanness, the former Governor-General, is already the UNESCO Special Envoy to Haiti (her homeland), but seems to be fully occupied with her onerous duties in, errr, New York.
It's unusual for Walt to pick up a comment from a reader of another website, but the following, from "Moerbrugge", was appended to the G&M article, and says it all better than I can.
Well certainly all the help - and billions of taxpayers dollars - we have sent to Haiti in the past has made things better.
I rate Haiti just behind Afghanistan as Canada's foreign intervention triumph - Canada's has really made a difference. Both countries are enjoying a period of peace prosperity and good governance thanks to our efforts.
In particular the police forces and military of these two countries have benefited from Canadian training and expertise and are functioning at a high level of efficiency and probity.
You can almost feel the gratitude.
Exactly who will be sent is something of a mystery. Her Jeanness, the former Governor-General, is already the UNESCO Special Envoy to Haiti (her homeland), but seems to be fully occupied with her onerous duties in, errr, New York.
It's unusual for Walt to pick up a comment from a reader of another website, but the following, from "Moerbrugge", was appended to the G&M article, and says it all better than I can.
Well certainly all the help - and billions of taxpayers dollars - we have sent to Haiti in the past has made things better.
I rate Haiti just behind Afghanistan as Canada's foreign intervention triumph - Canada's has really made a difference. Both countries are enjoying a period of peace prosperity and good governance thanks to our efforts.
In particular the police forces and military of these two countries have benefited from Canadian training and expertise and are functioning at a high level of efficiency and probity.
You can almost feel the gratitude.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Evangelical pastor booted off air for thought crime
The Canadian thought police strike again. The branch involved this time is the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC), whose task is to rid the Canadian airwaves of anything that is not politically correct.
Off the air, thanks to the CBSC, is "Word TV", hosted by telepastor Charles McVety, which used to air on the self-styled Christian cable channel CTS. CSBC ruled that statements Rev. McVety made about homosexuals -- suggesting that perhaps they are less than perfectly normal and well-adjusted -- violated its broadcasting codes.
The CBSC said it had received complaints -- it didn't say from whom -- about how McVety's program portrayed issues "such as homosexuality, Islam, Haiti and euthanasia".
They charged that the program "had included discriminatory comments on the basis of sexual orientation, religion and mental disability". So CTS, faced with the prospect of losing its licence to print money, pulled "Word TV" off the air.
Said Rev. McVety, "They call me evil for expressing an opinion." In his opinion, "it is now a crime to speak against homosexuality." That seems to Walt not so much an opinion as a matter of fact.
Rev. McVety also referred to Toronto's Gay Pride Parade as advertising the city "as a sex tourism destination...with full opportunity for sex with hot boys." Gee, what would make him think that? Could the site of lovely young men (?) waving their, errr, hands from parade floats while clad only in posing pouches (or less) have informed Pastor McVety's comment?
Rev. McVety also blames gay rights groups for wanting to change Ontario's sex education curriculum. Conveniently ignoring the fact that the Ontario Minister of Education who promoted the new curriculum is a self-proclaimed lesbian, CBSC Chairthingy Ron Cohen said "To suggest that document is teaching kids to practice homosexuality? Absurd. Obviously absurd."
Mr. Cohen, who is not at risk of being made a Cardinal of the Church, seems to think that any opinion which he does not share is absurd. Rev. McVety disagrees. "We should not have Mr. Ron Cohen, a bureaucrat, tell me what my opinions can be and what my opinions can't be," McVety said.
A statement on the show's website referred to the CBSC as "thought police" that launched "a vicious attack against Word TV [even though] Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of speech, opinion, press and religion."
Apparently Rev. McVety hasn't learned that in Canada (as in China) freedom of speech, opinion, etc. only extends to those who agree with the secular liberal establishment.
Off the air, thanks to the CBSC, is "Word TV", hosted by telepastor Charles McVety, which used to air on the self-styled Christian cable channel CTS. CSBC ruled that statements Rev. McVety made about homosexuals -- suggesting that perhaps they are less than perfectly normal and well-adjusted -- violated its broadcasting codes.
The CBSC said it had received complaints -- it didn't say from whom -- about how McVety's program portrayed issues "such as homosexuality, Islam, Haiti and euthanasia".
They charged that the program "had included discriminatory comments on the basis of sexual orientation, religion and mental disability". So CTS, faced with the prospect of losing its licence to print money, pulled "Word TV" off the air.
Said Rev. McVety, "They call me evil for expressing an opinion." In his opinion, "it is now a crime to speak against homosexuality." That seems to Walt not so much an opinion as a matter of fact.
Rev. McVety also referred to Toronto's Gay Pride Parade as advertising the city "as a sex tourism destination...with full opportunity for sex with hot boys." Gee, what would make him think that? Could the site of lovely young men (?) waving their, errr, hands from parade floats while clad only in posing pouches (or less) have informed Pastor McVety's comment?
Rev. McVety also blames gay rights groups for wanting to change Ontario's sex education curriculum. Conveniently ignoring the fact that the Ontario Minister of Education who promoted the new curriculum is a self-proclaimed lesbian, CBSC Chairthingy Ron Cohen said "To suggest that document is teaching kids to practice homosexuality? Absurd. Obviously absurd."
Mr. Cohen, who is not at risk of being made a Cardinal of the Church, seems to think that any opinion which he does not share is absurd. Rev. McVety disagrees. "We should not have Mr. Ron Cohen, a bureaucrat, tell me what my opinions can be and what my opinions can't be," McVety said.
A statement on the show's website referred to the CBSC as "thought police" that launched "a vicious attack against Word TV [even though] Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of speech, opinion, press and religion."
Apparently Rev. McVety hasn't learned that in Canada (as in China) freedom of speech, opinion, etc. only extends to those who agree with the secular liberal establishment.
Black pastors explain causes of black crime
Guess who's responsible for black crime? Contrary to what you may read in the columns of the New York Times and the Globe and Mail, the problem lies within the "black community".
So say a number of "pastors and other leaders of the black community", in an article in today's Toronto Sun.
Rev. Richard Adjei, of Church of Pentecost Canada, said in many cases the victims do not have fathers. “There is a lack of role models for these youths,” he said. “Every time a person is shot it leaves a victim and it becomes a cycle that has to be broken.”
Parent Nigel Moulton said the killings are being treated as black-on-black crime by members of the wider ["whiter", surely? Ed.] community in Toronto. “If we don’t do something as a community then we wouldn’t get the help of anyone else,” he said. “We have to stand up and do something about the black killings.”
No comment as yet from Kemi O-O. And no word on when Pastor Adjei or the others quoted will be hauled in front of the Human Rights Commission.
So say a number of "pastors and other leaders of the black community", in an article in today's Toronto Sun.
Rev. Richard Adjei, of Church of Pentecost Canada, said in many cases the victims do not have fathers. “There is a lack of role models for these youths,” he said. “Every time a person is shot it leaves a victim and it becomes a cycle that has to be broken.”
Parent Nigel Moulton said the killings are being treated as black-on-black crime by members of the wider ["whiter", surely? Ed.] community in Toronto. “If we don’t do something as a community then we wouldn’t get the help of anyone else,” he said. “We have to stand up and do something about the black killings.”
No comment as yet from Kemi O-O. And no word on when Pastor Adjei or the others quoted will be hauled in front of the Human Rights Commission.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Dear Amy: watch your language!
Agent 17 sent the following e-mail to syndicated advice columnist Amy Alkon.
In today's Palm Beach Post you were quoted numerous times using "I am like".
This is what I would consider more dumbing down of our language.
This seems to be an affliction of today's youth but I cringe when I see it in print from an educated adult columnist.
If you could explain this trend, I would appreciate it.
Here, as it appeared in pbpulse, is Leslie Gray Streeter's article ["puff piece", surely? Ed.] "Syndicated advice columnist and author Amy Alkon wants you to mind your manners!"
And here's what Ms. Alkon said that provoked Agent 17 to write to her. "So there were these kids in there riding on a Razor scooter, and the workers weren’t saying anything, so I told them that they needed not to do that. And their mother scowled at me like 'How dare you parent my child.' And I was like, 'Well, you weren’t doing it.'"
I agree. I'm...like...so pissed when smart people...like...pepper their speech with these...like...y'know...
I'm tempted to blame the decline of our written and spoken language on American education, but British and Canadian speakers do it too. Yes, George W. Bush, an educated man, drops his g's when speaking from the stump. But Tony Blair (M.A., Oxon.) affects the dreadful glottal stop characteristic of the "Estuary English" spoken by the likes of David Beckham. And Mr. Blair commonly prefaces a sentence with "Hey, look...", just as Ms. Alkon starts with "So..."
This debasement of the language of Shakespeare must be deliberate. I believe it's an attempt by the speakers to bring their discourse down to the level of "the common people".
In other words, "dumbing down". Why? So those whose comprehension stops at the second syllable can "relate" to the speaker. Of course. As Prince Charles might say, "It really is...like...appalling."
In today's Palm Beach Post you were quoted numerous times using "I am like".
This is what I would consider more dumbing down of our language.
This seems to be an affliction of today's youth but I cringe when I see it in print from an educated adult columnist.
If you could explain this trend, I would appreciate it.
Here, as it appeared in pbpulse, is Leslie Gray Streeter's article ["puff piece", surely? Ed.] "Syndicated advice columnist and author Amy Alkon wants you to mind your manners!"
And here's what Ms. Alkon said that provoked Agent 17 to write to her. "So there were these kids in there riding on a Razor scooter, and the workers weren’t saying anything, so I told them that they needed not to do that. And their mother scowled at me like 'How dare you parent my child.' And I was like, 'Well, you weren’t doing it.'"
I agree. I'm...like...so pissed when smart people...like...pepper their speech with these...like...y'know...
I'm tempted to blame the decline of our written and spoken language on American education, but British and Canadian speakers do it too. Yes, George W. Bush, an educated man, drops his g's when speaking from the stump. But Tony Blair (M.A., Oxon.) affects the dreadful glottal stop characteristic of the "Estuary English" spoken by the likes of David Beckham. And Mr. Blair commonly prefaces a sentence with "Hey, look...", just as Ms. Alkon starts with "So..."
This debasement of the language of Shakespeare must be deliberate. I believe it's an attempt by the speakers to bring their discourse down to the level of "the common people".
In other words, "dumbing down". Why? So those whose comprehension stops at the second syllable can "relate" to the speaker. Of course. As Prince Charles might say, "It really is...like...appalling."
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Canada closes embassy in Haiti
Canada has closed its embassy in the strife-torn capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. The embassy will remain shuttered "until further notice" because of riots and protests following the release of presidential election results. (See previous post.)
A spokesthingy for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DEFAIT -- check your French dictionary) says "We would have closed up sooner, maybe just after the earthquake, but we had Michaëlle Jean coming, so someone had to be there to clean the red carpet. You know how it is, eh."
A spokesthingy for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DEFAIT -- check your French dictionary) says "We would have closed up sooner, maybe just after the earthquake, but we had Michaëlle Jean coming, so someone had to be there to clean the red carpet. You know how it is, eh."
Democracy in dark countries - Part III
Meanwhile, Haiti also had an election on Nov. 28. The campaign was marked by the unrest (pardon the euphemism) and violence which have characterized elections in Zimbabwe and Côte d'Ivoire -- see today's earlier posts. In
In this case, the unpopular outgoing president, René Préval, was constitutionally barred from succeeding himself, let alone declaring himself president for life. (That had been done before.) But he had a hand-picked successor, Jude Célestin, who might have been a shoe-in but for little problems like the botched earthquake relief effort, an outbreak of cholera and the presence of UN troops (the ones who shat in the drinking water) who were there to ensure the voting could take place in circumstances of calm and fairness.
Candidates other than M. Célestin included former first lady Mirlande Manigat and popular carnival singer [??? rap artist, surely! Ed.] Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly. Former Canadian Governor-General Michaëlle Jean somehow resisted pressure to run.
Not counting the 1000s of ballots found in gutters and garbage dumps, preliminary results of the voting had "Sweet Micky" second to Mme Manigat, with M. Célestin running a clsoe third. This presented a problem to the outgoing government, since the run-off election is supposed to be limited to the first- and second-place candidates only.
So guess what? A new result was announced. Célestin, it was said, had managed to pull ahead of Martelly at the last moment. Reaction of Micky's supporters was as swift as it was predictable.
Protesters set fire to the headquarters of Préval and Célestin's Unity party. Multiple fire trucks responded to the scene as flames licked the roof — an unusual scene in a country with few public services — but in late afternoon piles of charred campaign posters continued to smolder.
"We want Martelly. The whole world wants Martelly," said James Becimus, a 32-year-old protester. "Today we set fires, tomorrow we bring weapons." Other protesters said they would continue to mobilize but do so nonviolently.
For his part, "Sweet Micky" told his supporters yesterday afternoon to watch out for "infiltrators" who might try to incite violence. "Demonstrating without violence is the right of the people," he said. "I will be with you until the bald-head victory."
M. Préval, still president until the dust settles, had earlier urged the candidates to call off the protests. "This is not how the country is supposed to work," he said in a radio speech. "People are suffering because of all this damage."
Indeed. Haiti is not in Africa. It is, however, an African country which happens to find itself stranded on the other side of the Atlantic. All those involved in this farce are African, by which I mean black. Expect corruption, incompetence and chaos and you will not be disappointed.
In this case, the unpopular outgoing president, René Préval, was constitutionally barred from succeeding himself, let alone declaring himself president for life. (That had been done before.) But he had a hand-picked successor, Jude Célestin, who might have been a shoe-in but for little problems like the botched earthquake relief effort, an outbreak of cholera and the presence of UN troops (the ones who shat in the drinking water) who were there to ensure the voting could take place in circumstances of calm and fairness.
Candidates other than M. Célestin included former first lady Mirlande Manigat and popular carnival singer [??? rap artist, surely! Ed.] Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly. Former Canadian Governor-General Michaëlle Jean somehow resisted pressure to run.
Not counting the 1000s of ballots found in gutters and garbage dumps, preliminary results of the voting had "Sweet Micky" second to Mme Manigat, with M. Célestin running a clsoe third. This presented a problem to the outgoing government, since the run-off election is supposed to be limited to the first- and second-place candidates only.
So guess what? A new result was announced. Célestin, it was said, had managed to pull ahead of Martelly at the last moment. Reaction of Micky's supporters was as swift as it was predictable.
Protesters set fire to the headquarters of Préval and Célestin's Unity party. Multiple fire trucks responded to the scene as flames licked the roof — an unusual scene in a country with few public services — but in late afternoon piles of charred campaign posters continued to smolder.
"We want Martelly. The whole world wants Martelly," said James Becimus, a 32-year-old protester. "Today we set fires, tomorrow we bring weapons." Other protesters said they would continue to mobilize but do so nonviolently.
For his part, "Sweet Micky" told his supporters yesterday afternoon to watch out for "infiltrators" who might try to incite violence. "Demonstrating without violence is the right of the people," he said. "I will be with you until the bald-head victory."
M. Préval, still president until the dust settles, had earlier urged the candidates to call off the protests. "This is not how the country is supposed to work," he said in a radio speech. "People are suffering because of all this damage."
Indeed. Haiti is not in Africa. It is, however, an African country which happens to find itself stranded on the other side of the Atlantic. All those involved in this farce are African, by which I mean black. Expect corruption, incompetence and chaos and you will not be disappointed.
Democracy in dark countries - Part II
A few days ago there was a presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire, or Ivory Coast as it's known to Anglos who refuse to learn a second language. Time was up for Laurent Gbagbo, who had been president since 2010 and presided over the collapse of the Ivorian economy.
How bad was it? So bad that the African Development Bank moved its headquarters from the old Ivorian capital, Abidjan, to Tunis, which is in the Arab part of Africa. (A previous president had decided to move the capital from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro because it was his home town.) TIA.
The Ivorian constitution allowed M. Gbagbo to succeed himself, provided of course that he was duly elected by the people. So an election was held and -- surprise, surprise -- M. Gbagbo was defeated. At least, someone else got more votes.
M. Gbagbo proved to be a sore loser, and refuses (the present tense is correct) to concede. BBC News Africa calls it "a classic case of an African incumbent refusing to stand down after losing an election".
As I write, I am listening to a report from Abidjan in which commentators are attempting to describe the confusion that arises from living in a country with two capitals and, now, two presidents.
Ivory Coast is in western Africa. All those involved in this farce are African, by which I mean black. But Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast are not the only countries to be subjected to misrule by corrupt and incompetent blacks. See next post.
How bad was it? So bad that the African Development Bank moved its headquarters from the old Ivorian capital, Abidjan, to Tunis, which is in the Arab part of Africa. (A previous president had decided to move the capital from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro because it was his home town.) TIA.
The Ivorian constitution allowed M. Gbagbo to succeed himself, provided of course that he was duly elected by the people. So an election was held and -- surprise, surprise -- M. Gbagbo was defeated. At least, someone else got more votes.
M. Gbagbo proved to be a sore loser, and refuses (the present tense is correct) to concede. BBC News Africa calls it "a classic case of an African incumbent refusing to stand down after losing an election".
As I write, I am listening to a report from Abidjan in which commentators are attempting to describe the confusion that arises from living in a country with two capitals and, now, two presidents.
Ivory Coast is in western Africa. All those involved in this farce are African, by which I mean black. But Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast are not the only countries to be subjected to misrule by corrupt and incompetent blacks. See next post.
Democracy in dark countries - Part I
Three farcical tales of how democracy works in some parts of the world.
In 2008, Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, the dictator who has ruled Zimbabwe ever since its 1980 "liberation" from the evil colonialists, buckled under international pressure to have an election. A strong opposition party was allowed to contest the presidency and other positions.
Considering the levels of pre-election violence and intimidation, Comrade Bob was understandably surprised when early results showed him trailing the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, with a third candidate running a very poor third. So, quicker than you could say "Bob's your uncle", the counting was suspended and, errr, never finished.
A run-off presidential election was scheduled for some month's later, but Mr. Tsvangirai's party, whose numbers had already been reduced by government-sponsored terrorism, decided that discretion was the better part of valour and did not contest. International observers pronounced themselves less than satisfied, so Comrade Bob graciously gave "the teaboy" the position of Prime Minister in a "Government of National Unity".
There's an old Zimbabwean saying that no GNUs is good GNUs, and so it has proved. True to his word, Mugabe has never allowed Morgan to occupy State House, and continues to rule the country pretty much as he pleases. Now he is threatening -- threatening, mind you -- that if Tsvangirai doesn't stop obstructing him, there will be another election!
Zimbabwe is in southern Africa. All those involved in this farce are African, by which I mean black. But Zimbabwe is not the only country to be subjected to misrule by a corrupt and incompetent black dictatorship. See next post.
In 2008, Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, the dictator who has ruled Zimbabwe ever since its 1980 "liberation" from the evil colonialists, buckled under international pressure to have an election. A strong opposition party was allowed to contest the presidency and other positions.
Considering the levels of pre-election violence and intimidation, Comrade Bob was understandably surprised when early results showed him trailing the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, with a third candidate running a very poor third. So, quicker than you could say "Bob's your uncle", the counting was suspended and, errr, never finished.
A run-off presidential election was scheduled for some month's later, but Mr. Tsvangirai's party, whose numbers had already been reduced by government-sponsored terrorism, decided that discretion was the better part of valour and did not contest. International observers pronounced themselves less than satisfied, so Comrade Bob graciously gave "the teaboy" the position of Prime Minister in a "Government of National Unity".
There's an old Zimbabwean saying that no GNUs is good GNUs, and so it has proved. True to his word, Mugabe has never allowed Morgan to occupy State House, and continues to rule the country pretty much as he pleases. Now he is threatening -- threatening, mind you -- that if Tsvangirai doesn't stop obstructing him, there will be another election!
Zimbabwe is in southern Africa. All those involved in this farce are African, by which I mean black. But Zimbabwe is not the only country to be subjected to misrule by a corrupt and incompetent black dictatorship. See next post.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
In the NHL, you'd better play white!
For those poor souls who don't follow the National Hockey League, let Walt make a couple of introductions.
Darren Pang is a former goalie -- a good one too -- who now appears on TSN (Canada's answer to ESPN) as an analyst/panelist on the hockey telecasts.
P.K. Subban is a rookie defenceman with the Montréal Canadiens, a.k.a. "les Glorieux", the best team in the NHL's Northeast Division. Young Mr. Subban has a lot of talent and ability. Unfortunately, he is a hotdog and a loudmouth. Oh...he also happens to be black.
"P.K."'s controversial style came up in last night's between-periods panel discussion. Pang made a comparison between Subban and another young defenseman, Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues, who Pang believes does things on and off the ice "the right way." Unfortunately for "Panger", he didn't say "right". Listen carefully.
The forces of political correctness struck immediately. Walt imagines the switchboard at TSN lighting up like a Christmas tree. ["Holiday bush"? Ed.] So before the show concluded, time and space was found for Pang to grovel appropriately.
Darren Pang is a former goalie -- a good one too -- who now appears on TSN (Canada's answer to ESPN) as an analyst/panelist on the hockey telecasts.
P.K. Subban is a rookie defenceman with the Montréal Canadiens, a.k.a. "les Glorieux", the best team in the NHL's Northeast Division. Young Mr. Subban has a lot of talent and ability. Unfortunately, he is a hotdog and a loudmouth. Oh...he also happens to be black.
"P.K."'s controversial style came up in last night's between-periods panel discussion. Pang made a comparison between Subban and another young defenseman, Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues, who Pang believes does things on and off the ice "the right way." Unfortunately for "Panger", he didn't say "right". Listen carefully.
The forces of political correctness struck immediately. Walt imagines the switchboard at TSN lighting up like a Christmas tree. ["Holiday bush"? Ed.] So before the show concluded, time and space was found for Pang to grovel appropriately.
Catholics in China -- follow-up
In "Catholicism under fire in China" (Nov. 18) I reported on the Communist Chinese government's plan to call a meeting of the "National Assembly of Catholic Representatives" before the end of 2010.
The ostensible purpose of the meeting is to elect a new president of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), the schismatic puppet "church" set up by the Reds after the revolution of 1949. Understand the real meaning. The "president" of the CPCA is called (by the Communists) the head of the Catholic Church in China. That, of course, is the vilest heresy. There can only be one head of the Church, and that is the Vicar of Christ, His Holiness the Pope.
No Catholic, and especially no Catholic bishop, can give even the appearance of assent to the claim of the Communist appointee to be head of the Church, not even in his own country. It's on a par to Henry VIII's claim to have made himself head of the Church in England. St. Thomas More, St. John Fisher and many other martyrs met a cruel and horrible death for speaking the truth to Henry VIII's power -- the truth being that the English king had not the power to take the place of the pope.
To avoid having anything to do with the illegal and heretical election, some of the Chinese bishops have gone into hiding in order to avoid attending the meeting. Othere are attending -- some because they have been forcibly transported to Beijing, according to AsiaNews -- but will refuse to concelebrate with those state-appointed bishops who are not in communion with the Holy See.
Please continue to pray for the bishops, priests and lay people of China who face imprisonment, torture, even martyrdom, for their loyalty to the One True Church and the Chair of St. Peter.
The ostensible purpose of the meeting is to elect a new president of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), the schismatic puppet "church" set up by the Reds after the revolution of 1949. Understand the real meaning. The "president" of the CPCA is called (by the Communists) the head of the Catholic Church in China. That, of course, is the vilest heresy. There can only be one head of the Church, and that is the Vicar of Christ, His Holiness the Pope.
No Catholic, and especially no Catholic bishop, can give even the appearance of assent to the claim of the Communist appointee to be head of the Church, not even in his own country. It's on a par to Henry VIII's claim to have made himself head of the Church in England. St. Thomas More, St. John Fisher and many other martyrs met a cruel and horrible death for speaking the truth to Henry VIII's power -- the truth being that the English king had not the power to take the place of the pope.
To avoid having anything to do with the illegal and heretical election, some of the Chinese bishops have gone into hiding in order to avoid attending the meeting. Othere are attending -- some because they have been forcibly transported to Beijing, according to AsiaNews -- but will refuse to concelebrate with those state-appointed bishops who are not in communion with the Holy See.
Please continue to pray for the bishops, priests and lay people of China who face imprisonment, torture, even martyrdom, for their loyalty to the One True Church and the Chair of St. Peter.
Catholics in Pakistan -- follow-up
On November 26th I wrote about Asia Bibi, a Christian Pakistani woman who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam. Her case was under appeal, and there was some talk at the time, that the anti-blasphemy might be changed before the appeal was heard, to let her off the hook. (As she was sentenced to death so "off the hook" is putting it too lightly.)
However, the High Court at Lahore has now ordered the Pakistani government not to change the nation’s blasphemy law before the court hears the appeal, so it's still quite possible Ms Bibi may feel the sting of the executioner's sword.
Meanwhile, terrorist organizations associated with the Taliban have issued a fatwa against Shabhaz Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for religious minorities (sic), who is himself a Catholic. Mr. Bhatti is -- or was -- leading a commission that would have considered changes to the blasphemy law.
On Monday, ZENIT, a Catholic news service, ran an interview with another Pakistani Christian, Shaheryar Gill. Mr Gill is associate counsel to the American Center for Law and Justice. Here, Mr. Gill speaks of the effects of Pakistan's blasphemy law.
"20 years or more of the blasphemy law in Pakistan has instilled in people that punishment for insulting Islam is death. So, rather than going to the court, people have taken the law into their own hands.
"There was an attack on a village in Kasur by a Muslim mob where hundreds of Muslims attacked a Christian village of 135 families. The triggering event was a blasphemy charge. There was a dispute between a Christian and a Muslim.
"A Christian was driving his tractor and he saw a motorbike standing in the middle of the road. He asked the owner of the motorbike to please move so that he could pass. The owner said to the Christian with the tractor: 'How could a "Chuhra" [a derogatory term for a Christian] tell him what to do'? Over this they had a little fight. Some people intervened and stopped the fight and everybody went home.
"After a few hours a Muslim family gathered other people and attacked and beat the Christian family. The next day they announced in the mosque that a Christian desecrated the Quran. A mob gathered and attacked 135 families of that village just because of a petty fight between two people."
Let's be clear. We are talking about people who are being killed for no other reason than their belief in Christianity. They are dying for their Faith. The Church has a name for such people. It's MARTYRS.
However, the High Court at Lahore has now ordered the Pakistani government not to change the nation’s blasphemy law before the court hears the appeal, so it's still quite possible Ms Bibi may feel the sting of the executioner's sword.
Meanwhile, terrorist organizations associated with the Taliban have issued a fatwa against Shabhaz Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for religious minorities (sic), who is himself a Catholic. Mr. Bhatti is -- or was -- leading a commission that would have considered changes to the blasphemy law.
On Monday, ZENIT, a Catholic news service, ran an interview with another Pakistani Christian, Shaheryar Gill. Mr Gill is associate counsel to the American Center for Law and Justice. Here, Mr. Gill speaks of the effects of Pakistan's blasphemy law.
"20 years or more of the blasphemy law in Pakistan has instilled in people that punishment for insulting Islam is death. So, rather than going to the court, people have taken the law into their own hands.
"There was an attack on a village in Kasur by a Muslim mob where hundreds of Muslims attacked a Christian village of 135 families. The triggering event was a blasphemy charge. There was a dispute between a Christian and a Muslim.
"A Christian was driving his tractor and he saw a motorbike standing in the middle of the road. He asked the owner of the motorbike to please move so that he could pass. The owner said to the Christian with the tractor: 'How could a "Chuhra" [a derogatory term for a Christian] tell him what to do'? Over this they had a little fight. Some people intervened and stopped the fight and everybody went home.
"After a few hours a Muslim family gathered other people and attacked and beat the Christian family. The next day they announced in the mosque that a Christian desecrated the Quran. A mob gathered and attacked 135 families of that village just because of a petty fight between two people."
Let's be clear. We are talking about people who are being killed for no other reason than their belief in Christianity. They are dying for their Faith. The Church has a name for such people. It's MARTYRS.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Islamist ideology = kill the Christians
His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, is seen here comforting some of the Iraqi Christians who survived the tragic and disgraceful Hallowe'en Massacre perpetrated by Muslim militants at the Syriac Catholic cathedral in Baghdad.This past Sunday, at the Angelus, the Holy Father prayed for the victims of the "continual attacks that are taking place in Iraq against Christians and Muslims." Then and previously he cited other "situations of violence, of intolerance, of suffering...in the world." But the insistent reference to Iraq seemed to express unusual concern.
The October 31 attack was deliberately planned for a time when hundreds would be hearing Mass. 58 Catholic faithful were butchered and scores wounded, in what can only be seen as a revelation of the true intention of the Islamist radicals.
The attackers were wearing explosive belts. They opened fire and threw grenades shouting, "You will all go to hell, but we to paradise. Allah is most great." The attack lasted five hours! In that time, the terrorists stopped killing twice to pray to Allah, and all the while recited the Qur'an as if in a mosque.
They devastated the altar, used the crucifix for target practice, and terrorized even small children simply because they were "infidels".
Here we see confirmed the widely-held Muslim belief that violence against "the infidel" is something intrinsic to Islam, not a distortion of it. This is the idea that was at the centre of the Pope's lecture in Regensburg, for which he was widely condemned as "racist" and "intolerant".
What the Holy Father was saying, though, is that this idea of "jihad against the infidels"and that pope Ratzinger maintains can be reversed only with a "revolution of enlightenment" on the part of Islam itself.
What are the chances of such enlightenment? Don't hold your breath while waiting. In Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq the killing of Christians just because they are Christians goes on, with western nations turning blind eyes and deaf ears.
Just two days ago, a married couple were attacked murdered in their own home. And the exodus of Christians from the Middle East continues.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Take down that offensive Christmas tree!
Following Walt's earlier post urging you to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS, Agent 17 passes on this sad-but-true story from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Ed. has shortened it a bit; you can read the whole horrible thing here.
SOUTHLAKE -- Chase Bank told Texas businessman Antonio Morales to remove the Christmas tree he donated to a local branch because it could offend people.
The tree remained in the lobby from the Monday before Thanksgiving until Tuesday. Morales said the bank manager -- a personal friend -- called him Wednesday to tell him the tree had to go. She later showed him an e-mail from JPMorgan Chase saying that the tree had to be removed because some people were offended by it.
Greg Hassell, a JPMorgan Chase spokesman, said that the company's policy isn't anti-Christmas. "People wish their customers merry Christmas when it's appropriate," he said.
However, to ensure that everyone who visits Chase branches feels welcome and comfortable, the bank's policy is to use only decorations supplied by the company.
"We appreciate the thoughtful gesture from Mr. Morales," Hassell said. "Unfortunately, we're unable to keep it [the tree] on display for the remainder of the holiday season." JPMorgan Chase ensures that decorations are "something everyone is comfortable with, regardless of how they celebrate the season," Hassell said.
But others see the tree as a symbol of the season. A spokeswoman at Trinity Bank in Fort Worth said it has had a tree in its lobby since the Friday after Thanksgiving.
"I've been in this business more than 30 years, and every place I've worked we've put up a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving," said Linda Robertson, assistant vice president.
Bryan Fischer, director of issue analysis for the American Family Association, called Chase's decision absurd.
"According to Advertising Age, 91 percent of American people celebrate Christmas," Fischer said. "That means that the single most inoffensive thing you can do at this time of year is wish someone a merry Christmas."
Fischer said that companies that have gotten away from acknowledging Christmas claim that they do it because they want to be inclusive.
"The most inclusive thing you can do is wish someone merry Christmas," he said. "This means that Chase is running the risk of offending far more people by disrespecting Christmas than they are by honoring it."
Agent 17's comment: This will frost your privates as it did mine. 91% of Americans celebrate Christmas and the minority dictates what we do!
Walt sez: Political correctness triumphs again! In the land of the free and home of the brave, minority "rights" trump majority opinion every time.
SOUTHLAKE -- Chase Bank told Texas businessman Antonio Morales to remove the Christmas tree he donated to a local branch because it could offend people.
The tree remained in the lobby from the Monday before Thanksgiving until Tuesday. Morales said the bank manager -- a personal friend -- called him Wednesday to tell him the tree had to go. She later showed him an e-mail from JPMorgan Chase saying that the tree had to be removed because some people were offended by it.
Greg Hassell, a JPMorgan Chase spokesman, said that the company's policy isn't anti-Christmas. "People wish their customers merry Christmas when it's appropriate," he said.
However, to ensure that everyone who visits Chase branches feels welcome and comfortable, the bank's policy is to use only decorations supplied by the company.
"We appreciate the thoughtful gesture from Mr. Morales," Hassell said. "Unfortunately, we're unable to keep it [the tree] on display for the remainder of the holiday season." JPMorgan Chase ensures that decorations are "something everyone is comfortable with, regardless of how they celebrate the season," Hassell said.
But others see the tree as a symbol of the season. A spokeswoman at Trinity Bank in Fort Worth said it has had a tree in its lobby since the Friday after Thanksgiving.
"I've been in this business more than 30 years, and every place I've worked we've put up a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving," said Linda Robertson, assistant vice president.
Bryan Fischer, director of issue analysis for the American Family Association, called Chase's decision absurd.
"According to Advertising Age, 91 percent of American people celebrate Christmas," Fischer said. "That means that the single most inoffensive thing you can do at this time of year is wish someone a merry Christmas."
Fischer said that companies that have gotten away from acknowledging Christmas claim that they do it because they want to be inclusive.
"The most inclusive thing you can do is wish someone merry Christmas," he said. "This means that Chase is running the risk of offending far more people by disrespecting Christmas than they are by honoring it."
Agent 17's comment: This will frost your privates as it did mine. 91% of Americans celebrate Christmas and the minority dictates what we do!
Walt sez: Political correctness triumphs again! In the land of the free and home of the brave, minority "rights" trump majority opinion every time.
Wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
The Christmas season is upon us. I got the Christmas tree up last night. And I will be making a conscious effort this year to wish everyone I meet a Merry Christmas!
It's my way of saying that I am celebrating the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
I am asking you, dear readers, if you agree with me, to please do the same.
And if you'll pass this on to others, maybe we can prevent one more Canadian / American / British tradition from being drowned in the sea of political correctness.
Further thought... If you don't believe that people have forgotten what Christmas is really about, Google the images associated with the phrase "Merry Christmas". Sad is what it is.
SCTV is (back) on the air!
Let's face it. Canadian sitcoms stink. Remember King of Kensington? And how about the execrable Little Mosque on the Prairie?
You probably haven't seen or heard of either of those, even if you live north of the border. King was created by a Canadian Norman Lear wannabe. It tried to be sensitive and funny at the same time and succeeded at neither. As for Little Mosque, it starts with a ridiculous premise -- the title says it all -- and goes downhill from there.
It's not that Canadians have no sense of humour. There's a lot more good-natured irreverence in Canada than in the counterpart society to the south. Unlike their American cousins, Canadians know theirs is a nitwit country, and they're not afraid to laugh at themselves. Who do you think writes all those Canadian (and other) gags for The Simpsons and South Park?
Walt thinks the problem is that most Canadian sitcoms are commissioned by and for the deadly dull Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a public (i.e. government-owned) broadcaster so politically correct that it's impossible to poke fun at any identifiable group except maybe the Church.
Yet making fun of racial, ethnic and religious characteristics of one group or another is the essence of most of the jokes you'll hear around the water cooler or at the watering hole. Sketch comedy, fortunately, is another matter. Some would say that sketches are a lower art form, but in reality they require better writing and better, funnier ideas than sitcoms. There's a lot more to creating a funny TV sketch than dressing some actors up in funny clothes and makeup (e.g. Coneheads) and letting them do slapstick for a couple of minutes.
Canadians do sketch comedy superbly. And one of the best Canadian sketch comedy shows, SCTV, is back on the air. Incredibly, SCTV (Second City Television) was originally broadcast on the CBC from 1976 through 1984.
That network's insistence on political correctness led to the creation of the famous "Great White North" sketches, featuring Bob and Doug Mackenzie (Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis), which begat a movie, Strange Brew.
Even Americans found the Mackenzie Brothers hilarious. Thomas and Moranis said in an interview that they didn't think Americans realized the characters were Canadian, "only a couple of dumb guys". Here's a sample.
Check the cable and satellite listings for the comedy channels and you'll likely find SCTV somewhere. It's still funny, a quarter of a century later.
Postscript: These days the CBC would never allow the "Great White North" segment. God forbid that Canadians should ever say that theirs was a white society. That would imply that people of non-whitish hues don't belong. We couldn't have that...eh...
You probably haven't seen or heard of either of those, even if you live north of the border. King was created by a Canadian Norman Lear wannabe. It tried to be sensitive and funny at the same time and succeeded at neither. As for Little Mosque, it starts with a ridiculous premise -- the title says it all -- and goes downhill from there.
It's not that Canadians have no sense of humour. There's a lot more good-natured irreverence in Canada than in the counterpart society to the south. Unlike their American cousins, Canadians know theirs is a nitwit country, and they're not afraid to laugh at themselves. Who do you think writes all those Canadian (and other) gags for The Simpsons and South Park?
Walt thinks the problem is that most Canadian sitcoms are commissioned by and for the deadly dull Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a public (i.e. government-owned) broadcaster so politically correct that it's impossible to poke fun at any identifiable group except maybe the Church.
Yet making fun of racial, ethnic and religious characteristics of one group or another is the essence of most of the jokes you'll hear around the water cooler or at the watering hole. Sketch comedy, fortunately, is another matter. Some would say that sketches are a lower art form, but in reality they require better writing and better, funnier ideas than sitcoms. There's a lot more to creating a funny TV sketch than dressing some actors up in funny clothes and makeup (e.g. Coneheads) and letting them do slapstick for a couple of minutes.
Canadians do sketch comedy superbly. And one of the best Canadian sketch comedy shows, SCTV, is back on the air. Incredibly, SCTV (Second City Television) was originally broadcast on the CBC from 1976 through 1984.
That network's insistence on political correctness led to the creation of the famous "Great White North" sketches, featuring Bob and Doug Mackenzie (Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis), which begat a movie, Strange Brew.
Even Americans found the Mackenzie Brothers hilarious. Thomas and Moranis said in an interview that they didn't think Americans realized the characters were Canadian, "only a couple of dumb guys". Here's a sample.
Check the cable and satellite listings for the comedy channels and you'll likely find SCTV somewhere. It's still funny, a quarter of a century later.
Postscript: These days the CBC would never allow the "Great White North" segment. God forbid that Canadians should ever say that theirs was a white society. That would imply that people of non-whitish hues don't belong. We couldn't have that...eh...
Friday, December 3, 2010
Thanksgiving madness: sign of a lost society
This disturbing -- make that frightening -- video was sent by John Vennari at Catholic Family News to a mutual friend.
John writes:
This is a secular viewpoint. And though the tone may appear a bit sensational, I think the basic points in the video are valid.
Walt agrees. We cannot be blind and deaf to the sickness we see and hear around us every day...especially on "happy holidays".
Click here to visit the Catholic Family News website.
John writes:
This is a secular viewpoint. And though the tone may appear a bit sensational, I think the basic points in the video are valid.
Walt agrees. We cannot be blind and deaf to the sickness we see and hear around us every day...especially on "happy holidays".
Click here to visit the Catholic Family News website.
Internet problems - note from Ed.
Dear readers,
Walt tries hard not to let two consecutive days go by without saying something about something. However, we are at the mercy of our Internet "Service" Provider. When they cut the wire, we are rendered mute. So it was on Wednesday and Thursday.
Walt knows that there is at least one sometime reader who was hoping he (Walt) would fall off the face of the earth. It hasn't happened yet!
Ed.
Walt tries hard not to let two consecutive days go by without saying something about something. However, we are at the mercy of our Internet "Service" Provider. When they cut the wire, we are rendered mute. So it was on Wednesday and Thursday.
Walt knows that there is at least one sometime reader who was hoping he (Walt) would fall off the face of the earth. It hasn't happened yet!
Ed.
Conversing about immigration
The Globe and Mail -- Canada's answer to the New York Times -- thinks Canadians should have a "conversation" about matters of importance for the future of the country. The Glob's politically correct editorial staff made up a list of the Top Ten Topics. Immigration did not appear on the list. Neither did racism or culture clash or anything which wasn't 100% politically correct.
This is more than passing strange, considering that immigration, bogus refugee claims, black crime, and the stubborn refusal of south Asians to adapt to Canadian society are the topics one overhears being discussed anywhere real Canucks gather. Anywhere outside of Starbucks and the drawing rooms of Rosedale, that is.
The Tory government of "Call me Steve" Harper, showing that it is only half-deaf to the wishes of ordinary Canadians, has introduced Bill C-49, which would curb human trafficking -- the smuggling into the country of illegal aliens.
The socialist NDP and leftish Bloc Québecois have announced that they will oppose the bill. So, in the current minority parliament, the bill's fate rests in the hands of the opposition Liberals.
The Liberals, led [after a fashion. Ed.] by Count Michael Ignatieff, hold a large number of seats in the Toronto and Vancouver areas, including some which are East Indian ghettos. The voters there are Sikh, Sikh, Sikh.
On the other hand, the Glibs are never going to return to their position as Canada's Natural Governing Party unless they can win back a goodly number of white bread ridings in TROC -- The Rest Of Canada outside the hotbeds of multicult. They are in danger of losing their grip even on Toronto's suburbs, as witness this week's by-election in the largely Italian-Canadian riding of Vaughan.
So if you're Count Iggula, what do you do? Pander to the racists or pander to the vizmins? Count on Mikey to make the wrong decision. Yep, he announced a couple of days ago -- apparently without consulting his caucus -- that his party will also oppose the government's bill.
Just another demonstration of how out of touch Iggy and the puppeteers who pull his strings are with the thoughts and feelings of the majority of Canadians.
That's not just Walt's opinion. Click here to read Michael Den Tandt's column in the Sun/QMI papers today. Here's the main point:
"Earth to Liberals: You are offside with most Canadians, including Liberal Canadians, on this issue.
"Ending the abuse of our immigration and refugee system is not contrary to the interests of immigrant communities, or of refugees. The opposite is true.
"If the abuse continues, as we have seen in Europe, the popular pressure against immigration will only grow."
This is more than passing strange, considering that immigration, bogus refugee claims, black crime, and the stubborn refusal of south Asians to adapt to Canadian society are the topics one overhears being discussed anywhere real Canucks gather. Anywhere outside of Starbucks and the drawing rooms of Rosedale, that is.
The Tory government of "Call me Steve" Harper, showing that it is only half-deaf to the wishes of ordinary Canadians, has introduced Bill C-49, which would curb human trafficking -- the smuggling into the country of illegal aliens.
The socialist NDP and leftish Bloc Québecois have announced that they will oppose the bill. So, in the current minority parliament, the bill's fate rests in the hands of the opposition Liberals.
The Liberals, led [after a fashion. Ed.] by Count Michael Ignatieff, hold a large number of seats in the Toronto and Vancouver areas, including some which are East Indian ghettos. The voters there are Sikh, Sikh, Sikh.
On the other hand, the Glibs are never going to return to their position as Canada's Natural Governing Party unless they can win back a goodly number of white bread ridings in TROC -- The Rest Of Canada outside the hotbeds of multicult. They are in danger of losing their grip even on Toronto's suburbs, as witness this week's by-election in the largely Italian-Canadian riding of Vaughan.
So if you're Count Iggula, what do you do? Pander to the racists or pander to the vizmins? Count on Mikey to make the wrong decision. Yep, he announced a couple of days ago -- apparently without consulting his caucus -- that his party will also oppose the government's bill.
Just another demonstration of how out of touch Iggy and the puppeteers who pull his strings are with the thoughts and feelings of the majority of Canadians.
That's not just Walt's opinion. Click here to read Michael Den Tandt's column in the Sun/QMI papers today. Here's the main point:
"Earth to Liberals: You are offside with most Canadians, including Liberal Canadians, on this issue.
"Ending the abuse of our immigration and refugee system is not contrary to the interests of immigrant communities, or of refugees. The opposite is true.
"If the abuse continues, as we have seen in Europe, the popular pressure against immigration will only grow."
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