Rightchik

So Proud to be a Canadian Conservative

2011-07-12T07:22:00.000-04:00

Minister Baird, thank you. Thank you for standing up to the UN on the matter of North Korea chairing the disarmament panel!

There can be no doubt that the UN needs to change, it is a morally corrupt organization that kowtows and caters to the bullies of the world. I am glad to see the Conservative government taking this principled action.

While no other democracy has the courage to stand with us now, I have no doubt that we have started something. Canada is once again taking the lead on the world stage I am delighted.

There is a documentary called U.N. Me that was shown by The Free Thinking Film Society here in Ottawa that really got to the heart of what is wrong with the UN and I am glad to see that Canada is trying to fix it.

Kudos and congratulations!!!!!!

Hey flotilla supporters - this is what you are supporting

2011-07-09T10:03:00.000-04:00

Let's be clear on this. The suffering in Gaza is not happening because of Israel, it is happening because of Hamas and the cruelty of their sharia laws. It boggles the mind.

Hamas Declares War on…Male Hairstylists

July 7, 2011 – 10:49 am

Fact is stranger than fiction – although this is a story that could have easily found its way into the Adam Sandler movie "You Don't Mess With The Zohan".

In this case, however, the facts are far from comedic. The BBC and others have reported that Hamas has arrested a man in Gaza for styling a woman's hair. This incident follows a law enacted last year which prohibits the practice as contrary to Sharia law.

The unfortunate Gazan in question is not the first to be targeted for this "crime". In February, five other male hairstylists in Gaza were similarly arrested, and were required to agree to an affidavit renouncing their work.

This development signals just one more step in Hamas' drive to create an increasingly Taliban-like environment in the Gaza Strip, rooted in its own radical interpretation of Islam. Since taking power of Gaza in its 2007 coup, Hamas has instituted "modesty patrols", shut down bars and theatres, banned lingerie displays, and prohibited women from riding in cars with unrelated men and smoking hookahs in public.

Court rules that illegal immigrants have no right to free health care

2011-07-09T09:47:00.000-04:00

This is really good news! I am very please with this decision. Illegal immigrants should not be receiving free health care, I also think their children should not get a free education. Citizen contribute by way of paying taxes, voting and being invested to make this country a better place. Those would subvert the system to take advantage of our nature should be stopped in their tracks. I am sorry this lady is sick but she made choices not to become a citizen.

Illegal immigrants have no right to free health care: Court
Adrian Humphreys Jul 8, 2011 – 7:00 PM ET | Last Updated: Jul 8, 2011 8:32 PM ET

An illegal immigrant has no right to free medical intervention or ongoing health care under the Charter of Rights, the Federal Court of Appeal has ruled in a precedent-setting decision.
The ruling will help protect Canada from medical tourism, when people come to Canada expressly to get medical treatment paid for by the government, an immigration specialist said.
Nell Toussaint is a citizen of Grenada who came to Canada in 1999 as a visitor. Her visitor’s permit expired six months after her arrival, but she remained here without legal status.
In 2006, she developed kidney problems. She has received free medical care, but much more is needed. In 2008 she applied for a temporary residence permit that would make her eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. She did not pay the application fee, however, and her application was not processed.
Her health has since deteriorated.
In 2009, she applied to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for medical coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program, which offers emergency medical care for indigent people legally living in Canada. As an illegal immigrant, her application was declined.
With the backing of refugee support organizations and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association Ms. Toussaint appealed to the courts – seeking both to have her application fees to remain in Canada waived and to gain access to health coverage under the Charter of Rights, which grants the right to life and security of the person.
In May she won her appeal on the application fees, with the Federal Court ordering the government to reconsider its refusal. The Federal Court of Appeal, however, did not agree with her position on health care.
“The program could not have been intended to pay the medical expenses of those who arrive as visitors but remain illegally in Canada and who, after the better part of a decade of living illegally in Canada, suddenly choose to try to regularize their immigration status,” says the unanimous decision, written by David W. Stratas and released this week.
“The appellant by her own conduct … has endangered her life and health. The appellant entered Canada as a visitor. She remained in Canada for many years, illegally. Had she acted legally and obtained legal immigration status in Canada, she would have been entitled to coverage.”
The decision has been hailed as a significant and sensible one.
“This case is extremely important because it limits the potential claims that other classes of people in Canada may make for medical coverage, such as visitors or those without any status and under the radar, of which the number is currently unknown but estimated in the hundreds of thousands,” said Sergio Karas, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer and analyst.
Iris Fischer, a lawyer who argued for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association on Ms. Toussaint’s behalf, said covering crucial treatment is in accordance with international and humanitarian principles: “The CCLA is disappointed that the Federal Court of Appeal did not recognize that a denial of health care to Ms. Toussaint in these life threatening circumstances violates her right to life and to equality.”
National Post
ahumphreys@nationalpost.com

I couldn't agree more - and I know a lot of soldier who do too!

2011-07-09T09:37:00.000-04:00

Spare the austerity, spoil the military

Christie Blatchford, National Post · Jul. 9, 2011 | Last Updated: Jul. 9, 2011 4:06 AM ET

With Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan ending this week and the nation awash in an attendant flurry of publicity, the usual questions are being asked: Was it worth the loss of "blood and treasure" (the common phrase, cloying in my view, for those who were killed or injured)? Did Canada achieve anything lasting? How will Afghanistan fare?

Good questions all, but a combat engineer and army major, Afghanistan veteran Mark Gasparotto, asks another: Whither the Canadian Forces?

In a thesis written for his master's in defence studies, Gasparotto examines four CF policies and concludes they collectively have served to weaken the army's operational effectiveness and undermine the martial spirit which ought to form the backbone of any fighting army.

All stem from efforts to make up for the shabby pay and treatment Canadian soldiers received in the 1990s (famously called the "decade of darkness" by former Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier) and are rooted in high-minded intentions. All are meant to see that soldiers are welltaken care of by a grateful nation. All reflect the army's struggle to reconcile its traditional ideals (that soldiering is a calling, not just another job; that the unit and mission are more important than the individual, etc.) with those of a contemporary and increasingly individualistic society.

Thus the title of Gasparotto's brave paper -No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.

The policies are (1) tour length (including a policy that provides a paid trip home from the theatre of war); (2) support to deployed troops (everything from the quality of food, gyms, barber services to availability of web access); (3) bonus "environmental duty allowances" (which pay deployed soldiers, depending on their length of service, anywhere from an extra $300 to $750 a month); and (4) socalled universality of service, which means that soldiers must meet a minimum fitness level, a requirement which is now being waived or bent for injured troops.

Gasparotto uses the results of his survey of senior officers and non-commis-sioned members -127 leaders anonymously completed the survey -to bolster his concerns. Fully 40% agreed or strongly agreed that the CF focus on troops' well-being threatens the primacy of mission success.

In Afghanistan, the standard Canadian tour for most of the duration of the mis-sion was six months, though that has recently been lengthened to eight. Because every soldier had to get home for leave, some were heading back to Canada for their break within a month of arriving, with the result that much of the time, units were at 80% combat effectiveness.

At Kandahar Air Field, where Canadians were based with troops from a dozen other countries, the creature comforts were significant. So accustomed have troops become to such amenities that after Canada's 2010 relief mission to Haiti, for instance, the commander lamented in a post-op brief that the "CF has lost the ability to go in austere."

Some survey respondents commented in particular on what Gasparotto calls "the insatiable appetite" of troops for web access to "remain connected to friends and family no matter where they are in the world or what they are doing on operations."

As one respondent said, "Any suggestion to go without air conditioners, video games and unlimited access to communicate back to Canada is met with anger."

In fact, using the army's own figures, Gasparotto shows that since 2006, "the CF spent an average 3.7 times more on its own infrastructure [in Afghanistan] than what it spent on reconstruction" for locals.
The environmental duty allowances, some respondents argued, have a similar deleterious effect.
Soldiers (and sailors and air crews, too, who receive different but equivalent bonuses; there are more than a dozen different kinds) become accustomed to the extra pay, and when posted to jobs, such as those at the army's own schools, which don't offer the allowances, will try to avoid taking them.
This is also telling of the vocation-versus-profession dilemma: If in order to recruit from a decreasing pool of potential candidates who have their generation's high expectations for personal satisfaction, the CF markets itself as simply another good employer, what is lost?

"The CF must redirect its energy by strengthening the intangible benefits of military service -the very ones that attracted most of its members at the outset to choose a career in the military," Gasparotto says. "It is by focusing on the intangible benefits that the CF can fortify the vocational model of duty . among a new generation of Canadians who want to serve their country."

The emotional universality-of-service issue may pose the single trickiest challenge.

At its simplest, it means that everyone in the army needs to be able to fight as an infantryman and pass a mandatory fitness test. A soldier who can't may stay in uniform on a temporary basis not to exceed three years.

But as troops began returning from Kandahar with grave injuries, both physical and stress-related, and in the face of a widely reported promise from then-boss Hillier that "no soldier wounded in Afghanistan will be released" without his okay, the policy wasn't universally applied, leaving the CF vulnerable to legal challenges from recruits who can't pass the minimum test.
More important, the survey suggests, is that while the vast majority of respondents believe the Canadian government is responsible for providing indefinite care to injured soldiers, and that wounded warriors must get all the help they need, the CF itself must not be allowed to become what one respondent called "an alternate form of welfare."

The survey asked respondents if these policies, adopted since Afghanistan, are sustainable -emotionally, operationally and materially.

Two distinct points of view emerged, Gasparotto writes. But a marked number of respondents -and among Afghan vets it was half -say they aren't sustainable.

As an officer commanding in Kandahar, where he was in charge of 23 Field Squadron, Gasparotto struggled with this himself, and concludes now, as he did on the ground back then, that if a leader, unit or the entire CF is preoccupied with providing care to veterans "the CF will have mortgaged its future as a combat-capable force."

These are useful, timely and thorny questions for a battleweary army to ask itself.

cblatchford@postmedia.com

Conrad Black responds

2011-07-09T09:28:00.000-04:00

Truthfully, this man is fascinating. I would love to meet him, but I would have to download some dictionary app for my Blackberry just so I could understand all those big words he uses. He has an interesting - if somewhat bitchy comment in today's National Post - check it out.

TONIGHT:Bruce Bawer & Hege Storhaug The Problems of Immigration in Europe

2011-06-08T07:45:00.000-04:00

TONIGHT:

Don't Miss this important discussion on immigration

Bruce Bawer & Hege Storhaug

The Problems with Immigration in Europe.

June 8, 2011, 7 PM

Library & Archives Canada

395 Wellington

Admission: $20.00, Students $10.00

Tickets available at the door.

Please join us for an amazing evening when Bruce Bawer returns to Ottawa with his colleague Hege Storhaug to speak on the problems of immigration in Europe

Hege Storhaug is the information director of Human Rights Service in Norway and the author of several books on immigration and integration, forced marriage, women in Pakistan, and related subjects.

Few people have such intimate details of what is actually happening on the ground in Europe. Storhaug has travelled over 17 times to Pakistan to monitor the situation of Norwegian Muslims as they are forcibly returned home for schooling and other reasons.

Storhaug will present facts and figures and also be ready to autograph copies of her new book.

Bruce Bawer is an internationally-acclaimed author, whose recent book is "Surrender: Appeasing Islam, Sacrificing Freedom".

David Harris, an expert on security and terrorism, will also be on hand to add a Canadian perspective.

Join our free panel discussion:

Persecuted Minorities Living Under Tyranny

The Free Thinking Film Society invites you to join Bruce Bawer, Peter Stockland and Benjamin Weinthal for a captivating panel discussion on the persecution of Christians and Gays & Lesbians overseas, and the left wing establishment's ignoring of real international human rights problems.

The atrocities Christians and Gays face overseas often goes unreported. The Christian population in the Middle East has been dwindling for decades while persecution in places like Iraq is on the rise. Gays & Lesbians live in fear as their basic human rights are denied and face the death penalty for acting on who they are.

All this takes place while groups like "Queers Against Israeli Apartheid," unions and academics focus their efforts on discrediting the only state in the Middle East where human rights of all people are respected.

In a discussion moderated by Chantal Desloges (One Free World International), Bruce, Peter and Benjamin will bring to light these important issues in a dialogue that endeavours to identify opportunities for change in places where tyranny prevails.

When: Friday, June 10, 3:30-5:00pm
Where: Oak Room, Westin Hotel

There is no cost to attend this event however seating is limited. RSVP to: info@freethinkingfilms.com

Bruce Bawer - Acclaimed author and social commentator

Considered one of America's leading cultural critics, Bruce Bawer was born in New York City in 1956 and received his BA, MA, and PhD in English from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Described by Kirkus Reviews as "a literary essayist for the ages," he has published several volumes of literary criticism, including Diminishing Fictions (1988), The Aspect of Eternity (1993), and Prophets and Professors (1995). His other books include A Place at the Table (1993), one of the most influential books ever written about homosexuality; Stealing Jesus (1997), which Publishers Weekly called "a must-read book for anyone concerned with the relationship of Christianity to contemporary American culture"; Coast to Coast (1993), which was named by the Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook as the year's best first book of poems; and While Europe Slept (2006), a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and New York Times bestseller. Bawer's latest book, Surrender (2009), was described by Booklist as "sublimely literate and rational...immensely important and urgent." Bawer has also contributed hundreds of articles and reviews to such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, City Journal, The Wilson Quarterly, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New Republic, Cato Policy Report, The Nation, and The Times Literary Supplement, and is a regular contributor of literary essays to The Hudson Review. Since 1999 he has made his home in Oslo, Norway.

Peter Stockland - Former Journalist and Director of the Cardus Centre for Cultural Renewal

Peter Stockland is Director of the Cardus Centre for Cultural Renewal and a Senior Fellow with Cardus policy institute.

Prior to becoming director of the Centre, he was vice-president of English-language magazines for Readers' Digest Magazines Canada Ltd. He is a former editor-in-chief of The Gazette newspaper in Montreal, a former editorial page editor of the Calgary Herald newspaper and has worked as a journalist throughout Canada during his 30-year career in the media.

He currently runs his own communications company, Prima Communication, in Montreal where he lives with his wife, Linda. In addition to his journalism career, he is also a fiction writer who has published in numerous magazines across the country. His short story If Only collection will published by Siren Song Press this fall.

Benjamin Weinthal - Journalist and Research Fellow with the Foundation for Denfense of Democracies

Benjamin Weinthal, a Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) research fellow based in Berlin and member of FDD's Iran Human Rights Project , is an investigative reporter. He has uncovered efforts by European companies to circumvent sanctions, exposed the extensive trade relations between Europe and Iran, and written on Iranian human rights abuses against Iran's persecuted gay and Baha'i communities.

Benjamin is an internationally-recognized journalist who serves as FDD's eyes and ears on the ground in Central Europe.

Benjamin's investigative reporting has contributed greatly to the West's understanding of the Iranian energy sector. In November 2007, Benjamin broke a story revealing $5.7 billion in business transactions between Germany and Iran, establishing Germany as Iran's most important trading partner in the EU. In 2008, energy and engineering giant Siemens reduced its trade with Iran following a Wall Street Journal op-ed that Benjamin wrote. A January 2010 article by Benjamin reported on the pro-Iranian trade practices of the German-Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce, which advised companies how to go through the United Arab Emirates to avoid sanctions.

He published the first English-language reports on the sale of Siemens-Nokia surveillance technology to Iran's regime, which was used to repress Iran's pro-democracy movement and dissidents.

Benjamin reports on European-Iranian relations, human rights violations in the Islamic Republic, and Europe-based anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism for The Wall Street Journal Europe, Slate, The Advocate, Gay City News in New York, The New Republic, The National Review Online, The New York Daily News, The Jerusalem Post, and The Weekly Standard.

Benjamin earned his BA in Philosophy at New York University and a Masters in European Literature and Culture from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

Ezra, I love you but...

2011-04-21T08:05:00.000-04:00

I like living in a cable universe where there is a Sun News Network but I do think it could shine a little brighter.

The sets are alright - pretty Foxish if you ask me but I am okay with that. And I like the idea that they were manufactured here in Canada.

But how about a news update every half hour? Better news crawlers would be appreciated too. What about a news hour at dinner and again around 10 pm? Seriously, if Sun News does this I might never switch the channel. Really. Because I like to know what is going on I switch it to CTV at the top and bottom of every hour to find out what is happening across the country and around the world.

The evening shows spend too much time looping. I don't like that. At all.

I know, I know, 20 million for a budget isn't much of a budget but surely there must be some Television Broadcasting new graduate who would be delighted for a shot at reading news and doing graveyard hours talk shows for cheap. Please note that I didn't say journalism grad - I don't think very much of our university journalism faculties. But that is beside the point. More meat, less filler please.

But I digress from the my original intent of my blog as the title above suggest, so here goes...

I have a crush on Ezra so it is really hard to say anything that can be construed as critical. Ezra, I adore you but do you remember that dinner back in October in Ottawa hosted by the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies? Remember the story Mark Steyn told about what it was like to be a guest on the Glenn Beck show? How Glenn would wax on and on about the guest and whatever the guest wrote/spoke out about but never actually let the guest speak?

Yeaaaahhhh.

Sorry buddy, but you need to let your guests speak a bit more. I know you have a lot to say and I want to hear it. Maybe you could let your guests speak a little more - you have lots of airtime coming to you so you don't have to get everything out there in the first week.

It's like the time I told my friend Lula that she needed to get her upper lip waxed. It was hard for me to say and it was harder for her to hear it but it had to be said.

Ezra, I tell you this because I love you.

Thank you Liberal Party donors!!!

2011-04-18T20:09:00.000-04:00

I have been glued to Sun News Network since getting home this afternoon and I would just like to take a moment to thank all people who have donated to the Liberal Party of Canada!

There are an exrtaordinary number of Liberal Party election ads and I would like to thank all you lefties for your financial support on this great new voice in the Canadian television landscape. Your support is appreciated! Your investment will do a great deal of good to ensure a more balanced approach to news!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Elizabeth May can't be PM because she's a girl!

2011-04-11T07:35:00.000-04:00

Liz May said something in a recent interview with Peter Mansbridge that is so offensive, so disgusting it leaves one incredulous.
To explain her own lack of good judgement and moral courage she used the defense commonly known as "But I'm a girl".

Shame, shame shame!!!

It starts out at minute 8 when Mansbridge gets into her accusation that Stephen Harper cheated in the last debate. After being asked why she didn't address her claim immediately at the debate she rambled a bit about why she didn't bring it up then but then there it is at minute 10:15. She claimed that she didn't take a stand against what she clearly thought was the Prime Minister cheating by saying it was a "gender related school issue".

http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/story/2011/04/08/national-elizabethmayinterview.html

What the?!?!?!?!

She can't call someone out because as a girl she was taught not to be confrontational in school? Really?!?!?

So because she's a girl she wasn't able to confront the Prime Minister for cheating? She's running for the hardest job in the land.

Being Prime Minister is all about confrontation. Every single day in the big chair there is going to be someone confronting, challenging and doing everything they can to maneuver and manipulate the PM and she just told Canada that she will fold quicker than a lawn chair at the first sign of rain at a folk festival!

Clearly Elizabeth May can't handle this kind of confrontational job being the delicate petite fleur of a girl that she is!

She done a great disservice to Canadian women because she reinforced the idea that a woman doesn't have the balls or rather ovaries to make the tough decisions. This is not a message that should be coming out of the mouth of a female political leader. But then again, Liz May isn't much of a leader is she?

If I saw someone cheating, I would do the right thing and call them out. And I would do it because I am a girl who was taught to do the right thing.

Why Stephen kisses Laureen

2011-04-09T14:39:00.000-04:00

What a title! And I am sure that is why the Toronto Star decided to give it to the article by Alex Marland that was published today.

A provocative little catch phrase sure to catch the readers attention and it worked because I read it. This is about the noticable presence of Mrs Harper on the campaign trail and nothing to do with the state of passion within the Harper marriage.

It is a very positive commentary on Mrs Harper and undoubtably an bang on analysis of why she is so much more visible than in the past.

I like Mrs Harper and any man who can hold the attention of such a woman must have a few things going for him!!!

The first interesting news story in 2 weeks

2011-04-08T08:22:00.000-04:00

Why do dogs like car rides so much?

Now tell me, don't you feel good after reading this? Beats the heck out of all that election blah blah!

You're welcome!

Are we there yet?

2011-04-07T07:48:00.000-04:00

I didn't want this election to happen. Four elections in seven years in my mind is two too many.

I'm angry at the Conservatives for insisting on a budget that the opposition wasn't going to support. I'm angry at the opposition for not working with Conservatives to create a budget that everyone could live with.

Elections cost about $300 million a pop. Times that by four and that gives you over a billion dollars - yes over a BILLION dollars! How many hockey rinks would that build? Or kilometers paved? Schools built?

But, nooooooooo.

It hasn't even been two weeks since the writ was dropped and I can't take anymore of the news coverage or the advertising campaigns. It all just angries up the blood. And my head is still hurting from that unnatural shrill emitting from Elizabeth May when she found out she wasn't going to be part of the debates.

I am electioned out. Don't get me wrong - free and democratic elections are a good thing! I am grateful that I can vote. And if this democracy needs me, I would vote every day but this election has nothing to do with preserving democracy.

I'm not sure what it's about (couldn't this have been taken care of in the men's locker room with a ruler) but I am pretty sure it's got nothing to do with me, my family or the people I love.

I just want this to be over. Like a family vacation in a crowded car with broken air conditioning and a gassy little brother. I know that we are going somewhere with this election but really, I just want to know - are we there yet?

The Free Thinking Film Society presents 3 Billion and Counting

2011-04-06T10:24:00.000-04:00

3 Billion and Counting

Sat. April 9, 2011
Aviation Museum
11 Aviation Parkway
Ottawa
7:00 PM

Dr. Rutledge and his team take an in depth look into a disease that has killed more people than any disease ever known -- Malaria. They interview African, Indian, and US Governments, charitable organizations, scientists, politicians, doctors, clinics, victims, and survivors. They explore and expose the politics of domestic and international policies and find the evidence that the public never truly understood. What they find is astonishing. The greatest ecological genocide in the known history of man is laid bare -- the 1972 ban of an extraordinary life-protecting chemical DDT. This is politics -- the cold brutal crookedness that kills with a stroke of a pen. Shortsightedness of governmental and environmental policies is causing the deaths of millions and the suffering of billions. When the EPA, Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, and Sierra refused interviews, Dr. Rutledge knew he had touched a nerve.

For businessmen and women to endorse and encourage "alternatives" while a safe and proven PREVENTION sits idle is like fiddling while Rome burns. Africa loses nearly 3000 women and children on a daily basis not to mention 12 billion dollars annually to malaria alone. The team discovers that malaria is completely preventable -- completely. These young filmmakers trek from R. Carson's SILENT SPRING to the dead silence of millions of corpses and billions of suffering ones. And, thirty plus years after the DDT ban the death toll is gargantuan. Is it a mere coincidence that deaths from West Nile virus, mosquitoes, and bedbugs are growing by leaps and bounds right here in the US?? This film is intended to go directly to you, the American people, with the certainty that it will dramatically open up a virtual blizzard of public debate. This is one film that is long overdue...

Admission: $15 (includes HST), $10.00 for students/ seniors
Compact Music, 785 1/2 Bank Street
Compact Music, 190 Bank Street
Ottawa Festivals, 47 William Street
Buy online
Tickets will also be available at the door.

Why isn`t this story going away?!?!?!?!?!

2011-04-06T10:14:00.000-04:00

Bruce Carson had problems. He did some bad things and was punished for it. Years later he applied for a job that required a high security clearance and he passed.

Security clearances aren't approved by politicians or their aides. They are approved by bureaucrats. I know a little about going through this process. It takes months. And the people who approve them are not exactly geniuses.

With my application what seems to stump Public Works and Government Services (that`s who does it) is the fact that I can be a Canadian citizen who was born in another country. My father was serving in Germany when I was born and because of those special but hardly unique circumstances, the moment I took my first breath I took it as a Canadian even though I was breathing German air. PWGS planks don`t seem to understand it so delays, delays and more delays.

No back to Carson. He was cleared so he got the job. The PM doesn`t do the background check himself, he relies on others to do that and Carson was approved.

It seems funny to me but I know plenty of people on the left who believe that everyone should get a second chance. Drug dealers, human smugglers, murderers and yes even thieves (Svend Robinson) all deserve a second chance if they have made amends, so Carson was just getting his second chance.

PM Harper not only followed proper procedure but showed some compassion for giving a man a shot to redeem himself.

I don`t understand why the media and the opposition seem to keep hammering the PM with this. I also can`t understand why Harper isn`t just saying, yeah I knew the guy had a past but he changed, passed security and I believe in second chances. If our PM would give this answer he would deflect this and make it a non issue.

Sun News Network needs you!

2011-04-06T09:54:00.000-04:00

In just a couple of weeks Sun News Network goes live. I am not sure where they go live because my cable provider Rogers is not even going to give me the opportunity to pay to watch.

I sent them an email (which you can send too but more on that later) and this is the response I got back:

Thank you for your feedback.

At this time, Rogers does not have plans to launch the Sun News Network.

Rogers does its best to package and launch services that offer the best value to its customers.

We do appreciate your interest and suggest you continue visiting Rogers.com for future updates.

For future email correspondence with respect to this e-mail, please quote reference number 46268220

Regards,
Mathieu V
Rogers Online Customer Support

Well, there you have it! No Sun News for Rogers subscribers. Let's face it, money talks and providers will only bring Sun News to your tv if it's in their best interest and a bigger bottom line is in their best interest.

Will your cable/satellite provider carry Sun News? If not please go to the Sun News site and fill out the form which will automatically be sent to your provider.

Please tell your cable provider you want Sun News.

Democracy rules in Canada

2011-04-05T12:45:00.000-04:00

A judge has ruled that Elizabeth May cannot bully her way into the debates!

Federal Court judge denies Elizabeth May her bid to join leaders' debates

OTTAWA - Green party Leader Elizabeth May has lost in her a last-ditch effort to get in to the televised leaders' debates.

Federal Court judge Marc Nadon has decided not to expedite the case before the first debate on Tuesday.

The Greens had been hoping the court would agree to hear her case and rule before the debates got underway next week.

Party lawyer Peter Rosenthal argued the guidelines used to decide who's in the debates change with every election and are "constitutionally deficient."

A lawyer for the media consortium that's running the debates argued the matter was too complex to be heard fully within a matter of days.

The Greens wanted a judicial review of a CRTC policy that says broadcasters do not have to include all political parties in debates.

The media consortium running the debates insisted that only parties with seats in the last House of Commons can participate.

The French-language debate will take place April 14.

A surplus of parties means a deficit of democracy

2011-04-05T12:28:00.000-04:00

The Globe and Mail has an excellent op ed peice by Bob Plamondon. Bob wrote Blue Thunder: The Truth about Conservatives from Macdonald to Harper , Full Circle: Death and Resurrection in Canadian Conservative Politics and Hay West: A Story of Canadians Helping Canadians all available at Chapters or on Amazon!

A surplus of parties means a deficit of democracy

Bob Plamondon

If an election is about giving citizens the power to choose a government and a future direction for the country, it looks like this campaign is going to fall short of the mark. Since the polls indicate another minority government is likely, voters can’t be sure what the next Parliament will produce. Will the party with the most seats be given a fair crack at governing? Or will some combination of the parties who finish second and below cut a deal to grab power?

Some countries force clear majority rule by removing lower ranked candidates from the ballot until a true electoral plurality vote is achieved. This is also the way Canadian political parties choose their leaders. But since this would not work well in a parliamentary election, and for other reasons, some suggest proportional representation as the cure to our democratic ills. And yet, in a country as diverse as Canada – socially, culturally, economically, linguistically – I cannot think of a better way to undermine accountability while at the same time institutionalizing division and chaos in Parliament.

Meantime, our current system is clearly failing us. In a four-way race a riding can be won with a little more than 25% of the vote. This gets repeated riding-by-riding to the point where popular support in the high 30s can produce a majority government. Ironically, more choice can pervert the democratic will.

Thanks to a profusion of parties we have heard less in this election about vision and policy and more about strategy and tactics. We may spend more time talking about who is in the debates than about the debates themselves.

All this meaningless political chatter confuses and frustrates voters, which may explain why we had the lowest voter turnout in Canadian history in the last election. In America, where there are two parties on the ballot, voter turnout has risen in the past three elections, and in 2008 was the highest since 1968.

In Canada, with fewer of us voting and five parties on the ballot, a majority government can be had with about 25 per cent of the eligible votes. Why would a party bother to make a broad national appeal if it can guarantee a win by building a rock-solid base of support by catering to a small but reliable segment of the population?

Of course the parties that have no chance of winning government like minorities because it gives them disproportionate influence. But minority governments come with their own problems. By necessity they are more focused on day-to-day survival than governing for the long-term best interests of the nation. Minorities are short-lasting, which is why we are having our fourth election in seven years. A minority Parliament also makes a government less accountable to fulfill their election promises since the other parties can block passage of any legislation they deem offensive.

No one likes a minority Parliament more than the Bloc Québécois for the clout it gives them to negotiate for pecuniary and other gains for Quebec. And with so many federalist parties on the ballot, the Bloc won 65% of Quebec seats with only 38% of the votes in the last election.

Whether it’s a minority or majority government, with four or five parties in the House of Commons the opposition is divided, conflicted and ineffective. Question Period and committee meetings take on a different tone when the government does not face a concerted and co-ordinated attack.

Although our system is intended to produce an accountable government and an official Opposition, public funding mechanisms encourages a proliferation of political parties. Any party that gets two per cent of the vote gets an annual subsidy courtesy of the taxpayers of Canada. This may be a great way to sustain a think tank or advocacy group, but it’s not good for democracy.

I believe we would get a more accountable government, a more effective opposition, a more engaged electorate and a more united country if we had two dominant political parties rather than five. If we narrowed the number of parties and increased the likelihood of a majority government the relevance and influence of the Bloc would be diminished, and they might even disappear.

It is unfortunate that the parties have been unable to rationalize the choice for voters on their own. But I predict a structural transformation of the Canadian political dynamic is likely to happen naturally after this election.

If Stephen Harper wins a majority, a merger of the Liberals and NDP would emerge as a likely necessity to thwart a Tory dynasty. Should Mr. Harper win the most seats but not a majority, a major shake-up of the other parties is just as likely. Having defeated the government in March on a matter of contempt, and having collectively won, say, 60 per cent of the vote, the opposition parties would likely seek to defeat a Tory minority government at the first opportunity. The Governor-General would have little choice but to ask the second-place party to form a government. A coalition by name, co-operation by convenience, or floor-crossing en masse, the Liberal and NDP brain trust would merge into one.

There are few scenarios where I see the structure of our political parties remaining intact after the vote in May. This will be good for Canada as it will not only strengthen our democracy, but also obviate the need for strategic voting and make the choice for voters crystal clear next time out.

Warning: This post has nothing to do with the election!!!

2011-04-05T11:53:00.000-04:00

The other day in Toronto hundreds of women gathered in slut solidarity to protest the comments from neanderthal police officer Const. Michael Sanguinetti who suggested said and I quote here "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”

WTF??!?!?!?!?! Are we in 1956 or in some stone age sharia state? Both of which are places where victims are blamed for the actions of their assailants.

Const. Sanguinetti has apologized and disciplined internally but the man has no business speaking to anyone in the public and I certainly hope that he is removed from any and all future public speaking roles.

Now reading about this got me thinking about the word slut and the women this word is assigned to.

When I was in high school the worst name a girl could be called was a slut. When my own girl was in high school it was the same and now I am pretty sure that still holds.

Just what is a slut? A woman who likes sex? A woman who has a lot of sex? A woman who has a lot of sex partners? Is a slut identified by the clothes she wears? How high do heels have to be, how much cleavage can be shown, how tight the jeans, how short the skirt? Are these women identified by how they dress or perhaps they are identified on the walls of men's restrooms.

Or more importantly - so what?!?! What does it matter what a woman wears or how lively her sex life is?

I've made a decision. I am reclaiming the word! If rappers can reclaim the word nigger and if gay men can reclaim the word fag then I am reclaiming the word slut.

Slut, slut, slut, slut.

I like the word. I am the word. I am a slut.

We all know of my penchant for CFM shoes and my proclivities in attire are most definitely sluttish. So in the name of sisterhood I proudly align myself with those women who marched in Toronto and every other slut out there who refuses to relegated to second class status.

I am a law abiding citizen in a democracy. I vote for who I want, I read what I want, I associate with who I want. I pay taxes, donate to charity, volunteer my time and am a good neighbour. I don't kick puppies and I follow the rules of the road. I say please and thank you and I tip well. I call my mother and am a good mother. I pray, I am grateful and I wear lots of make up and tight clothes. As for sexual partners that I have had, well, I don't kiss and tell. So I may be a slut but that doesn't mean my right to personal safety is null and void.

If anything, we should be proud of all the sluts in our community. Sluts are proof that western society and values are superior. Proof that in this society people don't blame their behaviour on others, we are accountable. There will be none of that devil (in a blue dress) made me do it crap! We don't imprison rape victims for adultery. We don't murder our daughters for dishonouring our family name because some animal brutalized her.

If you want to know if a society is a true democracy, look to your sluts! Are they roaming free and safe? If they are then you know you live in a society that holds dear the ideology of western culture and democracy!

So, in praise of all sluts, from a woman who epitomizes the modern slut I give you Lady Gaga!

I am beautiful in my way
Because God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way

An honest Liberal

2011-04-04T13:59:00.000-04:00

I believe Alfred Apps, President of the Liberal Party, and that's why I am going to vote Conservative!

Reality makes oilsands hot | Editorial | Comment | Ottawa Sun

2011-04-04T12:10:00.000-04:00

Reality makes oilsands hot Editorial Comment Ottawa Sun

There's even an equation for it.

Oilsands + eco-hyperbole = tarsands / (Mideast crisis + Venezuelan whackjob) - other options = Alberta oil.

While we admit this equation is rather crude, so is the end product the U.S. so drastically needs, even as it tries to reduce its dependence on oil imports as the Middle East and northern Africa goes through its various revolutions, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez continues to play Crazy 8s with a euchre deck.

Increasingly high prices for gas at the pumps -- which is still less than in Canada, thanks to our tax-on-tax fuel gouge -- naturally has Americans demanding action from their president.

And so where has Obama turned?

Well, he turned south to Mexico, it's No. 2 supplier, and then he turned north to Canada, its No. 1 supplier -- all to lessen his need to export oil from such venues Saudi Arabia, No. 3, Venezuela, No. 5 and Iraq, No. 8.

And all this is happening while these less politically-desirable oil producers look over their shoulder to the burgeoning Asian market.

So suddenly, at least in the eyes of Obama, the oilsands no longer look quite as "dirty" as they did when oil prices were lower and the Arab world was being nicely run by despots.

Remember the equation? The "other" options?

Only 8% of all energy consumed in the U.S. is what the eco-people would cite as "renewable," the majority of it being hydro, wood, and biofuels.

Only 1% of that 8% is solar, and 9% of that 8% is wind --both demonstratively unaffordable until technology catches up to pipe dreams.

In fact, 92% of the United States' total annual energy consumption -- as in 94.6 quadrillion Btu in 2009 -- is from what the eco-folk would call non-friendly sources. Oil (37%), natural gas (25%), and coal (21%).

Even the bogeyman of the moment, nuclear power, provides only 9% of the U.S.'s total energy requirement.

So "dirty oil" is suddenly OK.

Welcome to reality.

Conservatives - meet your national campaign team.

2011-04-04T10:36:00.001-04:00

The Hill Times has a great piece on who is who at Conservative campaign HQ, take the time to read it!

I am grateful for all the volunteers who give so much to bring home a Conservative win. These generous people are truly the foot soldiers of democracy and without them we would be nowhere.

What or who I am not so enamoured with are those who are running the national campaign. I have no doubt that they want a Conservative win but I am not exactly sure of some of the hair brained ideas coming out of the Lancaster Rd. war room.

I have heard that they are insisting that every candidate clear every interview request through them. I have also heard that they are telling candidates not to talk to certain media on threat of having nominations revoked.

I don't like the limits on reporters questions to the PM.

I don't like this debate fiasco and yes, it is a fiasco.

And the list goes on.

Actually, I got ticked off with Conservative HQ some time ago when I noticed that they were subverting the nomination process. In other words many ridings were being forbidden from holding the traditional nomination meetings and letting members of an EDA make the decision on who was going to represent them. There were a few too many acclamations for my liking.

I guess political parties are like families. They may really, really tick you off by what they do but in the end, you circle the wagons and give your support.

Political divorce | Christina Blizzard | Columnists | Comment | Ottawa Sun

2011-04-04T10:14:00.000-04:00

Blizzard is right! There is a double standard in how media spins out different policies and I am sad to say as a Conservative I am used to the double standard. I guess that is why I am sooooooo glad that I will soon be living in a tv universe with Sun News!

Political divorce Christina Blizzard Columnists Comment Ottawa Sun

I'm back Baby. I am back!

2011-04-04T10:01:00.000-04:00

After a well deserved and high adventure hiatus I have returned to the blogosphere. Stay tuned!

Hat's off to Elizabeth May

2010-11-14T07:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May walked into the lion's den. She came to a conservative film festival to debate Ezra Levant on the ethics of the Alberta oil sands.

This act of courage is to be commended. Unlike so many on the left Ms. May actually engaged a philosophical opponent in dialogue. And I say, thank you Ms May!

It is good to know that a leader on the left side of the political spectrum wants to have debates and is willing to speak in front of non believers. That really shows well her character.

Now, I wouldn't want any of her policies enacted and I will never vote for her but I do have a new respect for her.

Through the debate there were times when she made me laugh, frustrated the hell out of me but I confess she has given me a few things to think about - information that I didn't have earlier, but want to investigate. Okay, her voice got a little shrill and shrieky when the two of them were really going at it but she is improving in her debate skills.

Note to Ms. May's staff - while practice makes perfect perhaps a few lessons with a vocal coach and a communications specialist will help with that. Really, she needs to control the modulations of her voice - it will help get her points across better.

That's democracy in action. When people from opposing issues can come together (and it was a sell out crowd BTW) debate the issues and try, or at least try to try, to find some common ground on which policies and governance can be built.

Also let's face it - what kind of masochist do you have to be to take on Ezra? I wouldn't debate Ezra on something we both agree with! He has a memory that allows him to recall obscure bits of information, a vocabulary that should be consulted by the good people who publish the Oxford English Dictionary and the tenacity of a pitbull.

By coming to the Free Thinking Festival, Elizabeth May showed she has really big ovaries! And I want to again offer my sincere thank you for her agreeing to come and debate.

BTW people - it is not too late to come on down to the National Library and Archives to watch some fine films and get engaged yourself in debate. Today we are showing Mr. Conservative.

Producer, narrator and granddaughter CC Goldwater takes viewers on a cinematic journey into the life of Barry Goldwater. The film reveals Goldwater as a man either glorified or vilified by the American public, and traces the roots of Goldwater’s conservative philosophy, conveys how he united the conservative movement to lead the Republican Party into a new generation of politics and demonstrates how his consistently Libertarian mindset led him to diverge from the Conservative party orthodoxy in the ‘80s and ‘90s. As journalist George Will has said of Goldwater’s pivotal presidential race against Lyndon B. Johnson, “People say Goldwater lost in 1964. Some of us think Goldwater won. It just took 16 years to count the votes. In 1980, we finally got the results in. And conservatism had won.”

Speakers after the film include John Robson from the Ottawa Citizen, Joseph Ben Ami from the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies, Karen Selick of the Canadian Constitution Foundation and our lefty in residence Terry Glavin journalist and author!

We are also showing the film For Neda, about the Iranian woman who during the recent protests for democracy was murdered. This is her story and it's important to hear it and help the people of that oppressed country find the freedom they so desparately deserve!

Our gala film tonight will be The Stoning of Soraya M, another story out of Iran. Academy Award® nominee Shorheh Aghdashloo stars as Zahra, a woman with a burning secret. When a journalist (Jim Caviezel) is stranded in her remote village, Zahra takes a bold chance to reveal what the villagers will stop at nothing to hide. Thus begins the story of Soraya (Mozhan Marnò), a kind woman whose cruel, divorce-seeking husband trumps up false charges of infidelity against her, which carry an unimaginable penalty.

Soraya and Zahra attempt to navigate the villagers' scheming, lies and deceit to prove her innocence. But when all else fails, Zahra must risk everything to use the only weapon she has left - her voice - to share Soraya's shocking story with the world.

From the Wall Street Journal:

"The Stoning of Soraya M." is as blunt as the rocks hurled in the execution of its title. The independent film, set in an Iranian village in the late 1980s, tells the story of a woman falsely accused of adultery, then put to death according to religious laws enacted after the country's Islamic revolution. A grisly climax helped doom the film's chances for traditional distribution in the U.S., but the filmmakers say it was essential to call attention to the horror of stoning, which still occurs in Iran and some other Muslim countries, according to human-rights groups.

"A movie like this needs to be absolutely uncompromising in its approach. The subject demands it," says director Cyrus Nowrasteh, who was born in Colorado to Iranian parents. He has tackled sensitive topics in his previous work, such as the ABC miniseries "The Path to 9/11," which he wrote and produced.

Please come.

The Showdown in O-Town

2010-11-13T08:20:00.000-05:00

It's today people - the Ezra Levant and Elizabeth May debate at the Free Thinking Film Festival.

Yes, The Showdown in O-Town! Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada, will be debating Ezra Levant, author of "Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands," at the National Library and Archives. Seating precedence will be given to Festival Pass Holders.

The debate will follow the movie, Mine Your Own Businsess. This documentary hacks away at the cosy image of environmentalists' as well meaning, harmless activists, and asks the hard questions of foreigners who lead campaigns to "save" remote areas from development. Their answers are often disturbing, with racist overtones, but we, in the west, blindly support such campaigns that want to keep people in poverty.

Now for the first time we ask local people about their lives and what they want for the future. This film demolishes the cosy consensus that environmentalists are well meaning agenda free activists and shows them to be anti-development ideologues who think the poor are happy being poor and don't want the development that we, in the west, take for granted.

Needless to say, this documentary makes us all think about the unintended consequences of blindly supporting environmentalist/anti-development campaigns across the globe. It is a challenge to the cosy consensus that allows westerners to deny progress to those who need it most.

Be there!

Don't believe the attack ad truce

2010-11-12T07:20:00.000-05:00

Don't believe the attack ad truce

Free Thinking Film Fest

2010-11-12T07:10:00.000-05:00

It's here.

After a year of planning, The Free Thinking Film Festival is going to launch tonight at 7pm in the National Library and Archives here in our nation's captial.

This is the only - I repeat only - film festival in this country that is strictly focussed on films with conservative values. THE ONLY ONE. It is important to support this event especially in a time when the media and pop culture are dominated by left wing values.

As conservatives you should understand this - it's economics. If you don't want documentaries, tv, news, music etc to be controlled by the left then you must actually support efforts to fight that. In other words - you need to buy tickets. You need to donate. You need to open your wallet when you open your mouth and make a valuable contribution.

Tonight is a fundraiser for the Military Family Resource Centre, an organization dedicated to supporting the families of military personnel. It's a good cause.

Tomorrow's hightlight is sure to be the Ezra Levant and Elizabeth May debate. I am really looking forward to it and if you are coming be sure to be there early to ensure a seat!

But go to the website and check it out. There are lots of movies and debates to see, great merchandise like books, mugs, t-shirts (for both the ladies and the gents) and caps, and of course we are going to have some great autographed books to purchase and some DVDs!

Free Thinking Film Fest!

In Flanders Fields

2010-11-11T06:53:00.001-05:00

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Kalifornistan

2010-11-10T15:29:00.000-05:00

Opening Night Gala

"Kalifornistan"

Friday, November 12, 2010
Library and Archives Canada
Main Auditorium
7:00 PM

The opening night gala is also a fundraiser for the Military Family Resource Centre which helps military families in the capital region.

In the shadowy Port of Los Angeles, an insane terrorist stalks a beautiful dancer ... while plotting the nuclear apocalypse he hopes will make him a celebrity. KALIFORNISTAN is a darkly comic satire on terrorism made by Canadian actress and filmmaker Govindini Murty and American filmmaker Jason Apuzzo. KALIFORNISTAN follows the deranged leader of a terror cell called 'Glorious Jihad of Kalifornistan' as he plots to destroy Los Angeles with a nuclear bomb - while being distracted by a sultry exotic dancer. KALIFORNISTAN fuses film, video, documentary and surveillance footage into a cutting-edge narrative on the violence, narcissism and delusional fantasies that fuel contemporary Islamic terrorism. KALIFORNISTAN takes viewers on a twisted journey of the post-9/11 world from Gitmo to Iran, from the dark corners of LA harbour into the mind of a terrorist too deranged even for Al Qaeda.

Human Events says of KALIFORNISTAN: “The film clicks as strong, effective satire ... Kalifornistan ... dares to see the average terrorist for what he truly is -- a laughably warped soul with a world view shaped by Islamic radicalism -- and too many extremist blogs ... and once you meet the terrorist at the heart of the film you’ll wonder why more filmmakers haven’t taken this approach before.” LA's Daily Breeze says that "Kalifornistan may be the South Bay's 21st century cinematic equivalent of Gone in 60 Seconds, the 1974 cult classic." Online journal Rational Review says that KALIFORNISTAN "is beautifully shot" and "it's Fellini meets Kubrick."

Govindini Murty is an Ottawa native who co-founded the Liberty Film Festival in Los Angeles with her husband Jason Apuzzo in order to provide a greater diversity of viewpoints in Hollywood. Murty and Apuzzo have been frequently featured in the media, are independent filmmakers, and are also the Co-Editors of Libertas Film Magazine.

Speakers after the film: Govindini Murty and Jason Apuzzo

Andrew Klavan: Lies! Deceit! Treachery! You Too Can Be a Mainstream Media Reporter

2010-11-10T08:34:00.000-05:00

Jewish Humour in America

2010-11-09T13:04:00.000-05:00

Yes, there is a theme going on today! Enjoy.

Andrew Klavan: Fun With Anti-Semitism

2010-11-09T11:48:00.000-05:00

I am a Zionist

2010-11-09T10:26:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of accompanying my friend Fred from GayAndRight to the Gala Dinner for the conference being held in Ottawa on anti-semetism.

It was an honour and a pleasure to be there with hundreds of people from around the planet who are working hard to combat anti-semitism. A disease of the heart in the words of keynote speaker, John Mann who gave an inspiring speech that roused the crowd to a standing ovation!

I have never shied away from my support of Israel, but then again I haven't really blogged about it either.

So, today I shout from the rooftops that I am a Zionist and I want to know are you?

But what is Zionism? According to the Jewish Virtual Library:

Zionism, the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, advocated, from its inception, tangible as well as spiritual aims. Jews of all persuasions, left and right, religious and secular, joined to form the Zionist movement and worked together toward these goals. Disagreements led to rifts, but ultimately, the common goal of a Jewish state in its ancient homeland was attained. The term “Zionism” was coined in 1890 by Nathan Birnbaum.

Well, that is a very simple and concise explanation. But perhaps not enough to make you jump up and say "hell yeah!". Perhaps you think you need more information. And you ask yourself:

Are Jews a Nation or a Religion? Again, the good people at the Jewish Virtual Library have this to say:

Judaism can be thought of as being simultaneously a religion, a nationality and a culture.

Throughout the middle ages and into the 20th century, most of the European world agreed that Jews constituted a distinct nation. This concept of nation does not require that a nation have either a territory nor a government, but rather, it identifies, as a nation any distinct group of people with a common language and culture. Only in the 19th century did it become common to assume that each nation should have its own distinct government; this is the political philosophy of nationalism. In fact, Jews had a remarkable degree of self-government until the 19th century. So long as Jews lived in their ghettos, they were allowed to collect their own taxes, run their own courts, and otherwise behave as citizens of a landless and distinctly second-class Jewish nation.

Of course, Judaism is a religion, and it is this religion that forms the central element of the Jewish culture that binds Jews together as a nation. It is the religion that defines foods as being kosher and non-kosher, and this underlies Jewish cuisine. It is the religion that sets the calendar of Jewish feast and fast days, and it is the religion that has preserved the Hebrew language.

Is Judaism an ethnicity? In short, not any more. Although Judaism arose out of a single ethnicity in the Middle East, there have always been conversions into and out of the religion. Thus, there are those who may have been ethnically part of the original group who are no longer part of Judaism, and those of other ethnic groups who have converted into Judaism.

If you are referring to a nation in the sense of race, Judaism is not a nation. People are free to convert into Judaism; once converted, they are considered the same as if they were born Jewish. This is not true for a race.

Okay, this is good because it very simply explains what seems a complex question.

So are you moved to call yourself a Zionist? No? What's that - racist? No, just the opposite in fact - some more on that topic from you guessed it - the Jewish Virtual Library:

In 1975, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution slandering Zionism by equating it with racism. In his spirited response to the resolution, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Chaim Herzog noted the irony of the timing, the vote coming exactly 37 years after Kristallnacht.

Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, which holds that Jews, like any other nation, are entitled to a homeland.

History has demonstrated the need to ensure Jewish security through a national homeland. Zionism recognizes that Jewishness is defined by shared origin, religion, culture and history.

The realization of the Zionist dream is exemplified by more than four million Jews, from more than 100 countries, including dark-skinned Jews from Ethiopia, Yemen and India, who are Israeli citizens. Approximately 1,000,000 Muslim and Christian Arabs, Druze, Baha'is, Circassians and other ethnic groups also are represented in Israel's population.

Many Christians have traditionally supported the goals and ideals of Zionism. Israel's open and democratic character and its scrupulous protection of the religious and political rights of Christians and Muslims rebut the charge of exclusivity.

The Arab states define citizenship strictly by native parentage. It is almost impossible to become a naturalized citizen in many Arab states, especially Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Several Arab nations have laws that facilitate the naturalization of foreign Arabs, with the specific exception of Palestinians. Jordan, on the other hand, instituted its own "law of return" in 1954, according citizenship to all former residents of Palestine, except for Jews.

The presence of thousands of black Jews in Israel is the best refutation of the calumny against Zionism. In a series of historic airlifts, labeled Moses (1984), Joshua (1985) and Solomon (1991), Israel rescued almost 42,000 members of the ancient Ethiopian Jewish community.

To single out Jewish self-determination for condemnation is itself a form of racism. "A world that closed its doors to Jews who sought escape from Hitler's ovens lacks the moral standing to complain about Israel's giving preference to Jews," wrote noted civil rights lawyer Alan Dershowitz.

When approached by a student who attacked Zionism, Martin Luther King responded: "When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You're talking anti-Semitism."

The 1975 UN resolution was part of the Soviet-Arab Cold War anti-Israel campaign. Almost all the former non-Arab supporters of the resolution have apologized and changed their positions. When the General Assembly voted to repeal the resolution in 1991, only some Arab and Muslim states, as well as Cuba, North Korea and Vietnam were opposed.

And there you have it, an explanation of what Zionism is and isn't.

Why am I a Zionist? There are many reasons to plead the case for Israel - read the book and documentary The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz. He is much more eloquent than I could ever hope to be. The website has excellent information. Read the book, watch the movie.

I have no new arguments to add to this. I need Israel to exist. I need to know in that part of the world there is an oasis of sanity. A place where democracy and freedom can reign.

As some of you may know, this past year saw me visit Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Israel. Israel is the only place I would want to call home. It is a sanctuary, an oasis. A beacon for people like me - people who embrace human dignity, rights, individual freedom, equal justice for all and modern with a willingness to learn, grow and be better! Israel shines in spite of being in a very dark part of the world.

I could go on and on. Simply put, I believe that Israel has a right to exist. And I guess that makes me a Zionist.

Harlan Pepper

2010-11-07T09:13:00.000-05:00

Look at the future of Canadian music.

These young lads are 17 and 18. I just saw them open up for Lee Harvey Osmond and it was love at first sight! These young men are major talents. Incredible. Simply incredible.

Go to their website and buy their CD and buy some more as gifts! Christmas is coming so stock up.

What type of Conservative are you

2010-11-06T10:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's slug fest ... I mean debate on the politics of sex got me thinking about the different factions in the Conservative party. So I started doing some research and it appears that others have put a great deal of thought into this.

Here's what I found from Justin Quinn,

There is wide debate within the conservative movement over how differing ideologies can fall under one common category. Certain conservatives may doubt the legitimacy of others, but there are arguments for each view. The following list attempts to clarify the discussion, focusing on conservative politics in the US. Some may feel the list falls short because conservatives can find themselves divided when attempting to describe themselves using these definitions. Admittedly, categories and definitions are subjective, but these are the most widely accepted.

1. Crunchy Conservative

National Review commentator Rod Dreher first coined the term "crunchy conservative" in 2006 to describe his personal ideology, according to NPR.org. Dreher says "crunchy cons" are conservatives “who stand outside the conservative mainstream,” and tend to focus more on family-oriented, culturally conservative concepts such as being good stewards of the natural world and avoiding materialism in everyday life. Dreher describes crunchy cons as those “who embrace a counter-cultural, yet traditional conservative lifestyle." On his blog, Dreher says crunchy cons are as mistrustful of big business as they are big government.

2. Cultural Conservative

Politically, cultural conservatism is often confused with social conservatism. In the US, the term often incorrectly describes members of the religious right because the two share ideologies on social issues. Christian conservatives tend to like being described as cultural conservatives, because it implies that America is a Christian nation. True cultural conservatives worry less about religion in government and more about using politics to prevent fundamental changes to US culture. The goal of cultural conservatives is to preserve and maintain the American way-of-life both at home and abroad.

3. Fiscal Conservative

Libertarians and Constitutionalists are natural fiscal conservatives due to their desire to reduce government spending, pay off the national debt and shrink the size and scope of government. Nevertheless, the Republican Party is most often credited with creating the fiscal conservative ideal, despite the big-spending tendencies of the most recent GOP administrations. Fiscal conservatives seek to deregulate the economy and lower taxes. Fiscal conservative politics has little or nothing to do with social issues, and it is therefore not uncommon for other conservatives to identify themselves as fiscal conservatives.

4. Neoconservative

The neoconservative movement sprouted in the 1960s in response to the counter-culture movement. It was later bolstered by disillusioned liberal intellectuals of the 1970s. Neoconservatives believe in a diplomatic foreign policy, stimulating economic growth by lowering taxes and finding alternative ways to deliver public welfare services. Culturally, neoconservatives tend to identify with traditional conservatives, but stop short of providing guidance on social issues. Irving Kristol, co-founder of Encounter magazine is largely credited with founding the neoconservative movement.

5. Paleoconservative

As the name suggests, paleoconservatives emphasize a connection with the past. Like neoconservatives, paleoconservatives tend to be family-oriented, religious-minded and opposed to the vulgarity permeating modern culture. They are also opposed to mass immigration and believe in the complete withdrawal of US military troops from foreign countries. Paleoconservatives claim author Russell Kirk as their own, as well as political ideologues Edmund Burke and William F. Buckley Jr. Paleoconservatives believe they are the true heirs to the US conservative movement and are critical of other "brands" of conservatism.

6. Social Conservative

Social conservatives adhere strictly to a moral ideology based on family-values and religious traditions. For US social conservatives, Christianity -- often Evangelical Christianity -- guides all political positions on social issues. US social conservatives are mostly right-wing and hold firmly to a pro-life, pro-family and pro-religion agenda. Thus, abortion and gay rights are often lightning rod issues for social conservatives. Social conservatives are the most recognized group of conservatives on this list due to their strong ties to the Republican Party.

So this is obviously written with an American take but I think it is pretty easy to project this on Canadians as well.

But I would like to add another group!

7. Closeted Conservative (or the CloCon) - A CloCon is an average sort of Canadian who really doesn't get very involved in politics - they are not ideologues. They are just folk who want to keep more of their pay cheques, keep criminals off their streets, make sure that kids are fed and the roads are safe. They have solid Conservative values but they are kind of embarrassed to admit they have conservative values because they are afraid that their friends will think that they are religious fanatics or cold heartless SOBs.

I know many CloCons. Acquaintances who come up to me after a dinner party or some other gathering and tell me that they agree with me but could never say what I say because of the backlash they would get with their other friends or coworkers.

Seriously.

I think that is one of the reasons I spend a lot of time criticizing SoCons when it comes to matters of abortion, gay marriage, sex education, contraception and prostitution. SoCons are driven by religious zealotism. A CloCon is not. They tend to be live and let live sorts. Follow the rules of society and mind your manners.

I think there are more CloCons than any other group. In fact I am pretty sure of it. Take a look at membership numbers in each of the EDAs. At election time the CPC candidate always gets more votes than there are official members in the EDA. What does that tell you?

It tells me that many conservatives are only willing to admit their political allegiance behind a sheet of corrugated cardboard on a sheet of paper that is folded and can't be traced back to them.

Classic CloCon behaviour.

So what kind of conservative are you?

Shine

2010-11-05T22:42:00.000-04:00

What are you doing tomorrow night?

If you live in Ottawa you should come down to The Elmdale Tavern (Laurier's favourite drinking hole) and listen to Tom Wilson and his new band Lee Harvey Osmond.

If you can't, then enjoy this gem of Tom's from 1997!

Some call it honor..

2010-11-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

Something very interesting from The Jerusalem Post

Some call it ‘honor’

By LARRY DERFNER
11/05/2010 16:33

One woman is risking all to break the conspiracy of silence surrounding so-called honor killings, and thus, hopefully, bring some honor back to Lod.

Samah Salaime Egbariya, the leading Arab women’s activist in Lod, the country’s most dangerous city for Arab women, is quietly giving advice to a beautiful ninthgrade girl wearing a hijab, or Muslim head scarf, and tight black slacks. It’s dark outside and they’re in a local high-school classroom where Egbariya’s after-school discussion group on “human skills” has just let out. At a glance, the girl looks like she’s trying to bridge two dissonant worlds. She also looks like a girl who could find herself in trouble in a place like Lod.

Egbariya had a girl like that in a youth group she led a couple of years ago in Ramle – 16, pretty, eager for freedom. Her family punished her, kept her home and Egbariya didn’t hear from her. A year or so later, she ran into the girl in town. “She told me her family had married her off to a much older man. It was a payoff to settle a family dispute. About a year after that she was murdered,” says Egbariya, 35, a social worker who now heads the local NGO Arab Women in the Center.

“These teenagers want so badly to be free. They see me as a role model,” she says after the girl leaves the classroom.

She shows me pictures from the march in Lod two weeks ago attended by some 1,000 local Arabs, including Islamic religious leaders, against the recent killings of women that have made the city infamous. The march focused the blame on Lod politicians and police for treating the problem with malign neglect, but it also faulted – in diplomatic terms – the violent, tyrannical strain of male chauvinism in many extended Muslim families, or hamulot.

“Most of the women at the rally were devout Muslims, and they were chanting, ‘Allahu akbar, God is great,’ and denouncing ‘traitors’ and ‘collaborators’ and the police. We, the secular feminists, a few dozen of us, were chanting against the killing of women, against the orphaning of children. It became almost a competition and the religious women didn’t like it, and I said we have to stop competing and come together, so we agreed to chant, ‘By God, stop killing Muslim women,’” she says.

Egbariya organized the pupils in the after-school class to hand out leaflets for the march, and many attended. She explains why the class is so topheavy with boys: “I lost about 10 girls in the last couple of weeks because their fathers said it was too dangerous for them to come home in the dark.”

Among the topics she discusses with the kids is honor killings – the murder of a woman by male blood relations – cousins, uncles, brothers, the father – for “dishonoring” the hamula by acting “immodestly,” thus giving rise to suspicions or false accusations that she is having extramarital sex.

Asked if the kids in class know that honor killing is wrong, she replies, “Of course they know,” noting that teenage girls are the most common victims. “They talk against it in class. But not all of them feel safe enough to talk against it outside.”

IN THE LAST MONTH, two Muslim women (as well as an Arab man) have been murdered in Lod, bringing the total this year to four. In Lod and adjacent Ramle – “many of the hamulot are spread out across both cities,” Egbariya notes – 20 Muslim women have been murdered in the last five years.

Police have generally written them off as honor killings, which incenses the Arab community – both because it’s not true and because it stigmatizes the family of the victim, especially the family’s unmarried girls.

Neither of the two Lod women shot to death in the last month, Abeer Abu Khatifan and Amal Khalili, were killed by blood relations, says Egbariya. With other activists in her NGO, funded by the Connecticut-based “social entrepreneurship” fund Echoing Green, she keeps in close touch with the families of victims, follows the police investigations and stays tuned to the local grapevine.

Abu Khatifan, 33, a mother of four, was shot by a masked man at her home. Afterward, her husband and other relatives grieved openly – not the typical public behavior of a family whose members have carried out an honor killing. Egbariya says the family suspects she was killed by a relative over a property dispute, not “honor.”

Khalili, 27, a divorced mother of three, was shot to death by a masked man while sitting in her car with her brother and little daughter, who were left unharmed except for scratches from broken glass. In this case, suspicion has fallen on Khalili’s ex-husband and his family, who reportedly had harassed the victim since the court awarded her the couple’s house. If true, she was killed over an economic dispute fueled by divorce, not family “honor.”

Going over a list of the 20 Arab women in Lod and Ramle killed in the last five years, Egbariya says that to the best of her knowledge, nine were honor killings, usually of unmarried adolescent girls. In only two of these nine cases did family members testify against the killers. In the overwhelming majority of these murders, no one was convicted or went to jail.

Whether the motive was “honor,” economics or anything else, what links these killings is that in every case, says Egbariya, “a woman was doing something that a man disapproved of, that challenged his power.”

WE’RE DRIVING through some of the Arab neighborhoods of Lod: Ramat Eshkol (“This used to be a Jewish neighborhood, but now it’s only Arabs and Ethiopians,” she says), Neveh Yerek, or Green Fields (“I don’t see a lot of green here,” she notes), and Rakevet, near the railroad tracks, as poor a shantytown – dotted, though, with drug dealers’ villas – as can be found in any Israeli city. “You see the spikes on top of all the gates? Self-protection is the name of the game around here,” she says.

Egbariya is a tall, quietly charismatic woman who, when describing harsh realities, often resorts to ironic humor. But when we drive up to the community center she ran when she first came to Lod in 2000, she is in plain distress, covering her face with her hand. “I haven’t been back here in nearly seven years, since I left.”

In 2004, months after she left, the center was torched by some unknown assailant for an unknown unreason. Now it is a dark, cavernous squat for junkies. The floor is black with accumulated trash and filth, mocking the murals that were painted on the walls in more hopeful times.

This was where Egbariya’s work with local Arab women victims began. After a little while on the job, she saw that a lot of the women coming to the center were tense, crying, afraid to leave the house. They told her the source of their “inner terror” – the violence and threats from some of the men in their hamulot. Egbariya decided it was necessary to end the “conspiracy of silence” and she organized a conference at the center for Arab women, public figures and religious leaders.

“A short time before,” she recalls, “a man from Lod killed his 15-year-old niece. He’d been beating his divorced sister and his niece threatened to call the police on him, and one afternoon the girl was sleeping and he put a pillow over her face and shot her dead. The mother was going to speak at the conference – in ‘disguise,’ but everyone would know from her words who she was. A few hours before the conference, the man comes to the community center – he was walking around free – and told me he wanted to make a sulha, a truce, with his sister – which wasn’t true – but that if she spoke at the conference, he would make a balagan, a ruckus. I asked him what he meant by balagan, and he said he would bring an M-16 into the center and start shooting.

“I called the police and they told me to cancel the conference, and so did a lot of the people planning to attend. But I said if we do that, we’ve lost and this guy and all the others like him have won, and a lot of people backed me up. So the police planted some officers in the audience. About 120 people showed up. The mother told her story, the audience knew who she was. People were crying. The father didn’t show up that night – and I’ve never seen him since.”

Some 40 regulars at the community center went on to become activists in the city, she notes.

Egbariya left after four years when some local Arabs plugged in to the municipality decided they wanted “one of theirs” to run it, she says.

They tried bribing her to quit, without success, and one day a young married man showed up in her office and started coming on to her. “When all else fails, they go after a woman’s honor – it’s where she’s most vulnerable. I told the man, ‘You want to catch me in a fadiha, a shameful act? I’ll call your wife right now and we’ll see whose fadiha it is.’ There was a video camera in the office and I started filming him.

“He left, but when I got home, my husband told me that’s it, if they’re willing to go to such lengths to get rid of you, then this is too dangerous. So I resigned.”

Living with her husband, who is a teacher, and their three sons in the Jewish-Arab village Neveh Shalom, she was first exposed to the phenomenon of honor killings – and the conspiracy of silence – as an adolescent in the Galilee village of Turan. A village girl just a little older than herself was poisoned by her father. Egbariya asked the men in her family why, and was told that the girl had “made a mistake.” She asked her older sister what sort of mistake could lead a girl to be killed by her father, and was told, “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

EGBARIYA MENTIONED that 20-year-old killing in a lecture to some 120 police officers in the North, which was arranged through the Abraham Fund. “A policeman in the audience said he remembered it,” she says. “The father was released from prison after five or six years. The head of the Arab local authorities was his main character witness.”

She went on to get her master’s degree in social work at the Hebrew University, starting her career in Jerusalem’s Old City, where “the families live one on top of another, seven to a room. There’s incest, sexual molestation in the alleys, and if the women report it to the authorities, they’re considered traitors.” But she didn’t have to deal with murder until coming to Lod.

The streets in the city’s Arab neighborhoods are an assault on the senses – here and there sewage runs openly along the curb, the smell of animal carcasses hangs in the air, heaps of trash and rubble seem to be everywhere, and in the roughest parts of town, such as Pardess Snir and the Dahamesh enclave, residents say they hear gunfire through the night.

We stop at the entrance to the Muslim cemetery. “When a woman is murdered over family ‘honor,’ there’s no funeral, no gravestone, somebody just comes at night, digs a grave, throws the body in and covers it up,” Egbariya says, then tells the story of an Arab mother from Ramle who stood up against this on behalf of her murdered daughter, who is buried in the cemetery.

“Her daughter was 17 and she was killed a few years ago by her son. He didn’t want to do it, but men in the hamula kept pressuring him, until one night they drugged him and he killed his sister, then they threw the body into a hole and covered it up. The mother went to the police, she testified against her son and he was convicted and imprisoned. This is unique. The mother put up a gravestone on her daughter’s burial place, and had it inscribed with a saying from the Koran, ‘On Judgment Day, God will ask: ‘For what crime were you killed?’ The hamula didn’t like this, so they destroyed the gravestone. Since then, the mother has lost her mind, she goes around talking to herself.”

BREAKING THE CONSPIRACY of silence around honor killings requires relatives of victims to go to the police and testify, but this means either death or exile from Israeli Arab society. Egbariya recommends the creation of a witness protection program, but it’s hard to imagine people coming forward in any but the rarest cases when the consequences are so dire. Still, she blames police and other municipal authorities for taking an attitude of “as long as the Jewish population isn’t being hurt, it’s not our problem.”

Honor killings take place in Muslim communities across the Middle East, and occasionally in the West; the reason usually given why Lod ranks No. 1 in Israel’s Arab sector is because of the extent of violent crime and guns, which are also controlled by hamulot.

With police notorious for refusing to intervene until after a crime has been committed, Egbariya has even found herself turning to the hamulot themselves for justice and protection for her charges. Once a teenage girl in Ramle was being hounded by her parents and relatives for being too “free,” and one day she was reported to have passed what looked like a note to a man in the shouk, and the rumor went around that it was a love note to her boyfriend. Shots were fired at her family’s house; the girl was in immediate danger.

“Her brother was a drug dealer under house arrest, and the girl told me he beat her up until she agreed to sell drugs for him. The man she met in the shouk was a buyer and the ‘note’ she gave him was a packet of drugs in exchange for money for her brother,” says Egbariya. “I went to the heads of her hamula and told them the story. Next thing I heard, they’d sent men to beat up the brother.”

A girl’s life was saved. A murder of surpassing dishonor was prevented. In Egbariya’s words, this was a rare winning battle “in a long, terrible war.”

Faith is good ... and funny!

2010-11-05T21:20:00.000-04:00

Conservative Obsession with other people f***ing!

2010-11-05T08:41:00.000-04:00

* Please note, if you are easily offended and don't like very graphic language - don't read this! I don't want to read comments complaining about the salty language.   But now you've been told!

What is it with Conservatives? Why are so many of them obsessed with the sex lives of others?

Gay marriage

Too many conservatives fought this one. REAL Women of Canada actually suggested that allowing gay people to get married decreases the number of straight people getting married. Really?

Maybe formal marriages are decreasing because people see no need to get that little piece of paper for a variety of reasons. But I am pretty sure that people aren't getting married because gay people can. Although I did read that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made a public statement saying that they would not get married until gay marriage was legalized in California. But I dont' think that is what REAL was talking about.

If my friend Fred over at GayAndRight decided to get married to his very charming and handsome boyfriend it would in no way offend me. Or make my own marriage less valid, sacred or whatever in any way. The only thing that offends me is that as an event planner I haven't been able to break into that market! (Note to self - develop new marketing plan.)

Abortion

On this topic I agree with President Bill Clinton. Abortion should be safe, legal and rare. Any woman who is faced with this decision has my deepest and sincerest empathy. I do not envy her this choice and I won't judge any woman on this. Who knows what the circumstances leading up to her pregnancy were.   No woman wakes up and says to herself, "Hmm, I think today is a good day to get pregnant, then have an abortion later on". Okay, maybe Sinead O'Connor did but that girl has got issues.

Too many conservatives are still fighting to have the legislation on this changed. But it's done. Women in Canada have the legal right to terminate a pregnancy. That is not going to change. I don't have any stats but I suspect that abortion isn't more common because it's legally available.

Women have induced abortions for thousands of years. A tea of mugwort and pennyroyal has been a standard for European women for centuries. Other cultures and climates have their own concoctions to induce. My mother told me of how women she knew used knitting needles or got blind drunk on Pernod to terminate a pregnancy.

Mugwort and pennyroyal will kill if the mixture isn't prepared exactly. Knitting needles and coat hangers cause deadly infections. Alcohol poisoning can knock you out forever. No woman deserves to die because she has an unwanted pregnancy.

Abortions aren't going to stop.

Want to prevent abortions? Well, then we need to get to my next point with the SoCon obsession with other people fucking.

Sex Ed and Contraception

All the folks ranting and raving about sex ed in the schools are conservative. And the suggestion that condoms be handed out in high schools is enough to make a SoCon's head implode. (Don't come with comments about it's not the school's responsibility either. I don't buy that - this is a health issue. We immunize kids in schools. Prevent pregnancy is morally akin to preventing disease. We do one and should do the other.) But I digress.

Remember the third world maternal health program? Remember when it was first announced that contraception would not be included? Remember the reaction?

Stephen Harper looked like a schmuck and Conservatives looked like ignorant, self righteous prigs.

Information and condoms for everyone! Conservatives like to pride themselves on business acuity. Seems to me that an investment in sex ed and condoms/birth control will pay off in saving millions, hell, billions on welfare, healthcare (think AIDS and STDs) and prison.

Prostitution

And this is the item that inspired me to write this post. It appears that Justice Minister Rob Nicholson is appealing to Craigslist to remove ads for prostitutes. Doesn't he have anything better to do with his time? Real criminals to be concerned with?

Okay, I know it is illegal to solicit but why is that?

Some women agree to have sex after a man takes them out to dinner and a movie. Some women have sex because they feel the need to get laid. Some women agree to have sex after a man proclaims his love. Some women agree to have sex with a man only after he has said "I do" in a very official ceremony. And some women have sex with men who give them cash.

Cash, dinner, diamond ring. One thing being exchanged for another.

What goes on between consenting adults who want to fuck each other - how they negotiate that is quite frankly nobody's business but their own.

And there you have it. The conservative obsession with other people fucking.

It makes me wonder why. Why are so many conservatives obsessed with the sex lives of others ? Psychology 101 tells me that it's because they aren't getting any of the good stuff themselves. So they project. Sad really.

Conservatives need to have more sex.   Even Mark Steyn thinks we should be having more sex and he's advocating unprotected sex! And who am I to argue with Mark Steyn.

So like the man I have previously called the most perfect man on the planet, I encourage all conservatives to start having more sex.

I don't care with who you have sex with. None of my business. Or why you have sex. None of my business.

But, I am always open for a good gossip session. I would like to formally invite any MP staffer (don't care about party affiliation) out for drinks. I just want to buy a refreshing beverage for all you poor overworked, under appreciated foundations of our democracy. I know that you are the legs that your MP stands on. I understand - I once worked for a politician as community liaison,event management and communications,  I know you are overworked and undervalued! You drink, I buy. I listen. We'll have fun!

But it all comes down to this message for conservatives. Stop obsessing with other people fucking and start obsessing about who you are fucking.

Like the ad says, just do it.

Andrew Klavan: Liberal Fantasies vs. Reality, Can you Spot the Difference?

2010-11-03T10:31:00.000-04:00

It's nice to see that what I have been saying about the lack of conservative cultural space is being said by others.

The creators of music, movies, television - any form of mass consumed culture are the people who are controling the public agenda. Too many people rely on celebrities for information. Sadly, some of those aforementioned people are politicians and policy makers. Remember Bono and Paul Martin?

So again, I implore you please support Canada's only conservative film festival. Fight liberal fantasies!

Do you think the University of Ottawa got this memo?

2010-11-03T09:56:00.000-04:00

STATEMENT OF NOBEL LAUREATES ON ACADEMIC BDS ACTIONS AGAINST ISRAELI ACADEMICS, ISRAELI ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS AND ACADEMIC CENTERS AND INSTITUTES OF RESEARCH AND TRAINING WITH AFFILIATIONS IN ISRAEL

By Roger Kornberg, Stanford University and Steven Weinberg, University of Texas at Austin

Published in: A Project of the Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Task Force on Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions October 28, 2010

Statement of Nobel Laureates on Academic BDS Actions Against Israeli Academics, Israeli Academic Institutions and Academic Centers and Institutes of Research and Training With Affiliations in Israel

Believing that academic and cultural boycotts, divestments and sanctions in the academy are:
* antithetical to principles of academic and scientific freedom,
* antithetical to principles of freedom of expression and inquiry, and
* may well constitute discrimination by virtue of national origin,

We, the undersigned Nobel Laureates, appeal to students, faculty colleagues and university officials to defeat and denounce calls and campaigns for boycotting, divestment and sanctions against Israeli academics, academic institutions and university-based centers and institutes for training and research, affiliated with Israel.

Furthermore, we encourage students, faculty colleagues and university officials to promote and provide opportunities for civil academic discourse where parties can engage in the search for resolution to conflicts and problems rather than serve as incubators for polemics, propaganda, incitement and further misunderstanding and mistrust.

We, and many like us, have dedicated ourselves to improving the human condition by doing the often difficult and elusive work to understand complex and seemingly unsolvable phenomena. We believe that the university should serve as an open, tolerant and respectful, cooperative and collaborative community engaged in practices of resolving complex problems.

Sidney Altman
Yale University
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1989

Lawrence Klein
University of Pennsylvania
Nobel Prize in Economics, 1980

Kenneth Arrow
Stanford University
Nobel Prize in Economics, 1972

Walter Kohn
University of California Santa Barbara
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1998

Robert J. Aumann
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Nobel Prize in Economics, 2005

Roger D. Kornberg
Stanford University
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2006

Mario Capecchi
University of Utah
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2007

Harold Kroto
Florida State University
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1996

Aaron Ciechanover
Technion
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2004

Finn Kydland
University of California Santa Barbara
Nobel Prize in Economics, 2004

Claude Cohen-Tannoudji
École Normale Supérieure
Nobel Prize in Physics, 1997

Leon Lederman
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Nobel Prize in Physics, 1988

Robert Curl
Rice University
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1996

Tony Leggett
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Nobel Prize in Physics, 2003

Edmond H. Fischer
University of Washington
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1992

Robert Lucas, Jr.
University of Chicago
Nobel Prize in Economics, 1995

Jerome Friedman
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nobel Prize in Physics, 1990

Rudolph A. Marcus
California Institute of Technology
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1992

Andre Geim
Manchester University
Nobel Prize in Physics, 2010

Roger Myerson
University of Chicago
Nobel Prize in Economics, 2007

Sheldon Glashow
Boston University
Nobel Prize in Physics, 1979

George A. Olah
University of Southern California
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1994

David Gross
University of California Santa Barbara
Nobel Prize in Physics, 2004

Douglas Osheroff
Stanford University
Nobel Prize in Physics, 1996

James Heckman
University of Chicago
Nobel Prize in Economics, 2000

Martin L. Perl
Stanford University
Nobel Prize in Physics, 1995

Avram Hershko
Technion
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2004

Andrew V. Schally
University of Miami
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1977

Roald Hoffman
Cornell University
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1981

Richard R. Schrock
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2005

Russell Hulse
University of Texas Dallas
Nobel Prize in Physics, 1993

Phillip A. Sharp
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1993

Tim Hunt
London Research Institute
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2001

Steven Weinberg
University of Texas at Austin
Nobel Prize in Physics, 1979

Daniel Kahneman
Princeton University
Nobel Prize in Economics, 2002

Elie Wiesel
Nobel Peace Prize, 1986

Eric Kandel
Columbia University
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2000

Torsten Wiesel
Rockefeller University
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1981

I'm glad someone else brought this up

2010-11-03T08:21:00.000-04:00

This is a very telling bit of news. Former MP Inky Mark has publicly voiced concerns over the process in which candidates are selected.

I am glad that this has finally hit the harsh light of day. I had been actively involved in my local EDA and was completely frustrated by the nomination process to get a candidate in place. Still am.

The candidate search process was and is clearly pro forma. There is no taking this to the membership. Some ridings have candidates that they can get into the community before a writ is dropped and some (like the one I live in) are being denied this advantage.

HQ seems to be waiting for someone they deem suitable to show interest and if not,then look up. What's that? Is it a bird? A plane? No wait, it's parachute candidate.

Let me state that my local EDA works very hard. The people who volunteer are good people. People who are hard pressed. Much put upon by the party. But, they have no more control over this process than any other EDA.

This is a problem.

The power structure of the Conservative party is apparently forgetting an important lesson. It's simple. The Reform Party.

HQ is forgetting just who they work for.

The membership doesn't need the suits on the Hill to tell them what to think. We can do that very well for ourselves thank you very much. In fact, it's the membership that lays down the law,so to speak. We decide what works for us and what doesn't. And guess what else the membership can do? That's right. Money and votes can walk away. Remember Preston Manning? How many votes and dollars did he take from the PC party? You'd think Harper would be acutely aware of that.

Or perhaps HQ needs a little more recent lesson. Look at Alberta. How about Danielle Smith?

Conservative "leadership" needs to change this paternalistic attitude. One member, one vote and every member gets to have a say.

I once saw an accident. I saw it coming. I saw the speeding car and I saw the red light. I knew that car was going to hit the other car going through the intersection. Couldn't stop it. All I could do was call 911 and run to provide assistance.

I see a crash about to happen to the Conservative Party of Canada. I am helpless to stop it. But it can be prevented. Perhaps Nigel Wright will set things right.

I hope.

I have hope.

I can't believe I am about to say this...

2010-11-03T07:17:00.000-04:00

...but there is a court that is even crazier than any Canadian Human Rights tribunal.

A judge in New York has ruled that a six year old girl can be sued. Two years ago little Juliet Breitman was riding her training bike with her little buddy when there was an accident and the kids crashed into 87 year old Claire Menagh who broke her hip. She died three months later.

Sad. But suing a six year old? Not only is Menagh's family suing a six year old (who has no assets) but they are suing the parents.

According to Reuters:
"For infants above the age of 4, there is no bright-line rule," Wooten wrote, adding that the girl had been three months shy of turning 5.

Wooten also disagreed with the lawyer's assertion that Juliet Breitman should not be held responsible because her mother was supervising the children at the time.

"A parent's presence alone does not give a reasonable child carte blanche to engage in risky behavior such as running across a street," Wooten wrote. He added that "the term 'supervising' is too vague to hold meaning here."

Wooten concluded by writing that there was no indication or evidence that "another child of similar age and capacity under the circumstances could not have reasonably appreciated the danger of riding a bicycle into an elderly woman."

I am shocked. We are not talking about young offenders who knowingly commit crimes. We are talking about a four year old learning to ride a bike and accidently hitting a pedestrian.

This is beyond the pale. I don't know what to say.

Okay, I do know what to say. I am glad that Canada is not as litigous as the US.

Who thinks Danny Williams has a small penis?

2010-11-02T18:26:00.000-04:00

I don't know if Newfoundland premier Danny Williams has a little dick but I imagine that he does. I am pretty sure though that he does have the metaphorical thin skin.

Men who are confident about their endowment can take a joke about the size of their manhood. They don't have volunteers fired for it.

Danny Williams needs to grow a pair.

A Reuben by any other name

2010-11-02T08:02:00.001-04:00

I love this. It's a classic tale of human nature.

This theme is applicable within any religion. Hell, I have even had to deal with "witchier than thou" pagans. And believe me when I say those types are especially annoying. What is it about human nature to insist that their tribe did something first, better, bigger - whatever!

Of course, this not only applies to religions and races but it also applies to politics. Conservative politics. I know. I have been told by a number of proclaimed conservatives that I am not conservative. Those people come out whenever I criticize the Prime Minister or his government. I've even been called Warren Kinsella. Seriously, I kid you not, right here on the pages of my own blog.

We are a house divided. And it is is going to bring our house down. Where are our foundations? What shall we build on?

And just where the hell am I going with this?

The Free Thinking Film Festival is a conservative cultural event that is showing films and documentaries that promote solid conservative values. The Free Thinking Film Society was established in 2007 in Ottawa to provide an outlet for filmmakers and moviegoers alike who are looking for an alternative to the ‘alternative’. In other words, we celebrate the efforts of risk-taking documentarians whose work espouses the values of limited, democratic government, free market economies, equality of opportunity rather than equality of result, and the dignity of the individual, all underscored by a healthy and patriotic respect for Western culture and traditions. Although there are a lot of courageous voices in the non-fiction film industry producing thoughtful pieces of art which reject cultural relativism, central economic planning and American culpability for all that ills the world, you wouldn’t know it by looking at the listings for most art house cinemas. We’re dedicated to changing that by bringing these exciting and challenging documentaries to Canada’s capital.

The left rules the media and the cultural landscape because they have built a solid foundation for their philosophies. They know that edutainment creates loyal followers. In other words - voters! Young people, impressionable people are influenced by the media that they are exposed to. And what they are exposed to is something by Michael Moore or James Cameron. Left wing propaganda.

Conservatives need to wake up to this reality. Then they need to take action. There are far too many conservatives who think that ideology is enough to change people minds and to win their hearts (and votes) but that simply isn't so.

Take action by buying a pass. Can't go - buy a pass and give it to someone. Can't go and don't know anyone to give to - then just buy the pass anyway and consider yourself a patron of the arts. Free Thinking Films receive no taxpayer dollars! C'mon - support the arts. Support conservative arts!

Okay, long meandering rant but let's face it - it's been a long month for me. I had my roof replaced, basement renovated, a house full of guests, married off a daughter, went to Vegas and landed at YOW in a cocktail dress, feathered capelet and sequined pink skull shoes to head off to the Crowne Plaza to honour the phenomenon known as Ezra Levant. I think I am still a little high from meeting Mark Steyn (the world's only perfect man from what I can tell but that's another blog).

I'm tired. But I'm right. And yes, I am also that other right.

Hell, I am Rightchik.

Peter MacKay, Jean-Pierre Blackburn and Stephen Harper - pay attention

2010-11-02T07:56:00.000-04:00

There are 70,000 active regular force military personnel.

There are 30,000 active reserve force military personnel.

As of 2003 there were 309,000 living veterans.

In 2008, 13,929,093 votes were cast.

Now let's assume that each active military personnel and veteran have 2 people that love and care about them. Oh and let's also assume those people vote. Vote in a manner that is sympathetic to their patriotic loved one.

So we have 409,000 active and retired military voters with another 818,000 people who love them and could be persuaded to vote in a way that benefits aforementioned loved ones.

That is 1,227,000 voters - roughly 10 percent of actual voters.

Can you really afford to alienate that many people?

Because if there is even a grain of truth to the story about the Conservative government manipulating budgets to cut costs at Veterans Affairs, none of you deserve to be where you are.

Mr. MacKay, next Mother's Day don't send an email to my husband asking him to extend your best wishes to me for my support of his service. Mr. Blackburn save your apologies. Mr. Harper, save your platitudes.

Make no mistake - check the stats on voter turnout for military personnel and their families. Go on. Get one of your assistants to check with their counterparts at StatsCan.

Do you think what you're doing - and not doing - isn't noticed? Do you think that a Conservative vote is a shoo in for someone who serves or has served their country?

Let me tell you something about every soldier I know. They may be good at taking orders but they are even better at thinking for themselves and on their feet. It's the survival instinct that has been drilled into them.

Just how do you think this Conservative government is tapping into that instinct?

The religion of peace and love

2010-11-02T07:50:00.000-04:00

Whatever god all infidels pray to, it may be a good idea to pray for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani who all suspect will soon be buried up to her head and then stoned.

Yes, another example of the religion of peace and love in action.

Oh yes, of course...

2010-11-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

... religion of peace and love. This just proves it.

Is anyone concerned about Christianophobia? Hate crimes against Christians?

Where are the Imams to condemn this atrocity? I have said it before and I will say it again, when Muslim clerics don't condemn armed violent jihad and Muslim community leaders don't denounce these types of acts, their silence only enables the violence.

The silence is deafening but telling.

Bound for Vegas

2010-10-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

In anticipation of my arrival in Sin City I offer some entertainment!

The first vid is Canadian punk rock legend Art Bergmann - a charming fellow who the Major and I spent a couple hours drinking scotch with after his show. And the other is from the more recent crop of pop tarts! Note that there is a 30 second delay for this one. It would appear that Ms Perry's record company and it's lawyers are all over youtube

Enjoy!

The rights of a murderer must be protected

2010-10-22T08:59:00.000-04:00

Should the murderer, Russell Williams still receive his military pension?

Yes.

He put money into that pension - his money and the state does not have the right to take that from him. There can be no doubt that his crimes are vile and deserving of punishment but nowhere in our laws does it allow for someone to be deprived of a pension they legally and lawfully invested in. Will the state take his other investments? His house, his RRSPs.

The state can take his freedom but that is all it can take. What about other convicted criminals - do they have their pension contributions denied to them. This isn't regular CPP that I am talking about - I am talking about a private pension plan. Lots of organizations have those types of plans that employees can contribute to. And I am pretty sure that civilians have committed crimes and have been allowed to keep their pensions.

Why is Williams being singled out?

Is it because he committed the crimes while serving in the military? Where does this slippery slope take us?

We can't allow the state to seize property out of moral indignation. Because then, someone is going to have to decide what crimes and misdemeanours are subject to this type of punitive action. No doubt that job would be left in the hands of bureaucrats like those who poisoned the Canadian Human Rights Commissions.

Is that what we want?

I also think of Williams wife, who I assume is in the process of divorcing him - she has a right to half his pension which she would receive in a divorce under any other circumstance. Then of course there are the possible civil actions of the victims. Money can't replace what was taken by Williams but it is what the law allows.

I have no sympathy for Williams. I hope whatever days he has left in this mortal coil are filled with unending pain and anguish.

My prayers go out to the families and friends of Jessica Lloyd and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau.

It appears that I am psychic

2010-10-21T11:32:00.000-04:00

How interesting that after my hour on the treadmill (Rightchik believes that her body is a temple and constant upkeep and maintenance is required) I find this story from the birthplace of socialist health care in Canada.

If you are a professional athlete and need an MRI you can jump the very lengthy public queue as long as you pony up $13,500 which apparently will pay for the medical test for someone who plays a game for a living and two members from the proletariat.

Well we did learn in Animal Farm by George Orwell that while all animals are equal, some are more equal than others.

Mr. Harper allow me to introduce Mr. Mulroney

2010-10-21T09:50:00.001-04:00

It's been no secret in Ottawa circles and by circles I mean the cocktail circuit attended by those who walk the halls of The Hill that Mr. Harper has made it clear that Mr. Mulroney is not getting near him.

Harper wants no advice from a Conservative PM who ushered this country through great economic success. Believe me, there are no friendly dinner invites to 24 Sussex. And that is a damn shame.

The Montreal Gazette has this excellent piece about a speech Mulroney gave regarding the absolute need to take a long, hard look at universal health care and it's sustainability in the form in which it currently exists.

Allow a two tier system, one that will allow people to opt out and pay for private insurance. We are soon heading on the path where we will be like Great Britain and women will have to wait 10 months to see a ob/gyn. Yes, that is the waiting time for an English woman to see a baby doctor about her pregnancy.

A number of years ago at a routine dental check up my dentist came in with the just taken x rays to show me that there clearly was a tumour growing between my jaw and the root of a tooth. He told me bluntly that it did not look good. I had a choice to make. I could wait a couple months to get into the local oncology department which would take care of everything through OHIP. Or as I had insurance coverage I could probably get in the next day with a dental surgeon who would charge me $1500 up front but would be reimbursed for through my plan.

Guess which option I chose?

And yes, it was a precancerous tumour. I can't imagine what could have happened if I had to leave it there for months to fester and grow and mutate!

I want out of this country's forced health care. I want to choose and pay for my own. I want to make room in the public system for those who can't afford to pay. I do not advocate that we end health care for everyone - I just think that people should have the option to opt out and pay for what they want.

Many countries have successful two tier systems - like Denmark, France and Germany to name a few. Check out the wiki site on this topic.

Anyway, Mr. Harper stop being so rude. Invite Mr. and Mrs. Mulroney over to dinner. You might learn something. Like how to bring home majority governments.

I'm baaaack

2010-10-21T09:14:00.000-04:00

Over 3 weeks ago, I picked up chaos and madness from Ottawa Internation. More familiarly known to me as my darling girl, Tori and her fiance, The Boy.

In the ensuing weeks I focussed my entire life on those two young people and more specifically on their upcoming nuptuals which took place this past Saturday.

The wedding was beautiful and the reception was perfect and I only had to threaten to sue one vendor but I did terrify a banquet manager along the way.

Now I am back in the world and have actually started to pay attention to the world around me. My, my what a mess it is out there. It seems that Rightchik's opinions are needed to shine a little ray of light and hope. But I warn you.

Postings on Friday onward will be coming from Vegas - I do hope they are ready for me...

Sorry Israel, but just because you can doesn't mean you should.

2010-09-29T13:10:00.000-04:00

East Jerusalem stinks. I mean that literally. When you walk into the Kidron Valley outside the walls of the old City towards the Mount of Olives you walk through a graveyard with some positively ancient tombs that skirt the edges of this Arab part of the city. It stinks like urine.

When you gaze from the old city walls into East Jerusalem you notice one very stark difference between that neighbourhood and every other one in that holy city. There is a distinct lack of green. It is dirty and dusty and distinctly less.... well, let's just say less.

When I was there in June the Mayor of that city was talking about rehabilitation programs to demolish unsafe buildings and to create parks and build community centres. Sounds nice, but not sure if I believe that is what is going to happen.

Many of the Arabs who are living in these homes have been there for centuries. That's right centuries. (In fact there is a Muslim family which has had the keys for the Church of the Holy Sepluchre for centuries - every day for generations someone from that family wakes up and opens the doors and locks them again at night.)

Consequently, many don't have legal papers indicating ownership, which would make it very easy for the government to come in and say well, prove that you own this building or this land. Hmmmmm

Combine this with the end of the moritorium on building new settlements and you know that nothing good is going to happen.

Yes, Israel has spent years and years trying to negotiate peace and have offered much, to only have it rejected time and time again. But, they must continue to take the high road. To be the bigger person so to speak.

It's not fair that Israel always looks like the bully and the bad guy in this whole mess, but building more or expanding settlements is not going to help that particular view.

Israel must not only stop expansion or creation of settlements they must now dig deep and keep making gestures of good will. Ask the community leaders of East Jerusalem to form a committee to determine how to improve their community and then do it. Invest money into street cleaners and plant trees or at the very least rosemary bushes which are planted everywhere else in the city!

It's time everyone face the facts, nobody's going nowhere. Both groups are stubborn and are posturing with the righteousness of their positions.

It's like when your younger brother is having a tantrum because you have something he wants and your Mom begs you to share it over just so he will shut up. Israel, guess who you are here?

Why am I not surprised

2010-09-29T13:04:00.001-04:00

Veteran's Affairs management and staff are a disgrace and should all be ashamed of themselves.

Yet another example of how this government department doesn't care at all about veterans came to light in this piece in the Ottawa Citizen.

Sgt. W.T. Quick, a 93 year old veteran applied for a disability pension for the hearing loss he suffered from prolonged exposure to grenades and gun fire as a range instructor. He was strung along for months and months being told that his case would be expedited due to his age.

He was dead 5 days when Veteran's Affairs called to say that he would be getting a cheque for $55,000. The family said he had just passed away and the wonk on the phone said no worries. The cheque was sent, deposited as part of the soldier's estate and his family moved on in their grief.

But Veteran's Affairs decides to take the money back. They just used the power of the government to take the money out of a bank account. No discussion, no nothing.

That man deserved that pension and the money is rightfully that of his estate.

But I suspect that Veterans Affairs staff is not ex military. I doubt that these pencil pushers even care about the sacrifices made by the men and women who they are supposed to help. They treat those who serve us with contempt. You have to wonder why they are even in that department, they could request transfers.

Decisions are being made by real people - people who obviously have no compassion for the people they are tasked to assist. They act like insurance company staff. They are beyond hope. The department requires a full and complete overhaul.

The time has now come for Prime Minister Harper to step up and clean up this mess. No he did not make this mess but it is his mess to clean.

Mr. Harper, you are sitting in the big chair. You have the power to make meaningful change. Use the power of your office and do something. Please.

Guess what they want to ban now?

2010-09-28T08:52:00.000-04:00

Want to know why kids are fat?

Could it be lack of exercise? Spending hours and hours in front of a television or computer screen? Having parents that feed them junk food?

If you thought that you would be wrong!

It would appear that the good people of San Francisco know that childhood obesity is caused by toy giveaways at McDonalds. So, they are banning the toy giveaway in Happy Meals!

What? I love those toys! Doesn't sound like much of a Happy Meal to me. More like a Meh Meal to me.

They are already trying ban trans-fats for use in restaurants in certain municipalities here in Canada. I like my potatoes fried in animal fat! You should try using duck fat - mmmm, very yummy!

Anyway, while I don't know the caloric intake of the little plastic toys that McDonald's gives away, I seriously doubt any kid is eating them. So the toys may make the children want to go to the fast food haven - guess what, Mommy and Daddy can say no! And if the 'rents say let's go, they have choices. There are apple slices instead of fries, you can have a burger without cheese or have a salad - you can buy the toys separately.

And maybe that's what MacDonald's should do - drop the price of the Happy Meal and charge a minimal amount for every toy.

This is scary. Once again, the left is taking control and refusing to allow people to make their own decisions. Mark my words gentle reader, within a year someone will try this here in Canada. A year.

Finally the UN is being proactive

2010-09-27T10:34:00.000-04:00

The UN gets a lot of criticism for not being proactive, not taking action when it's needed.

Well, you can't say that anymore.

The UN will soon officially announce the appointment of astrophysicist Mazlan Othman as head of the Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). That's right, if aliens land, there will a special envoy from the UN to officially welcome them to earth.

I like to think that when aliens do come, they will arrive like a busload of Japanese tourists with cameras and moving in packs. We'll have to make sure that there is a mountie and horse ready for the pictures.

Hmmm, what about passports? Visas? What if they want to visit more than one country?

How much is it going to cost to host an alien delegation? What kind of security is needed? And how do you deal with the protocol?

So many questions. So many things to think about. What to do, what to do?!?!?!?!?!

Well, I am soooo glad the UN is on top of this.

Films for Free Thinkers

2010-09-27T08:54:00.000-04:00

The Free Thinking Film Society is a non profit organization that has been working very hard to create a conservative cultural space. Over the past three years many films have been shown to enthusiastic crowds. Here's the list:

Obsession: Radical Islam’s War against the West, January 29, 200
Mine Your Own Business, May 29, 2007- A look at the excesses of environmentalism.
Indoctrinate-U, February 18, 2008 - Political correctness in the University.
Che: Anatomy of a Myth, July 10, 2008 - A look at the real murderous Che Guevara.
L’illusion Tranquille, October 11, 2008 - The power of the unions in Quebec.
What Black Men Think, January 19 2009 - A conservative look at the Black Community in the US.
The Monster Among Us, April 13, 2009 - Anti-semitism in Europe
The Case for Israel, April 13, 2009 - Alan Dershowitz’s documentary look at Israel.
Media Malprace: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted, June 15, 2009 - Liberal bias in the media.
Bruce Bawer speaks on his book “Surrender: Appeasing Islam, Sacrificing Freedom”, September 14, 2009- Panel discussion with Marc LeBuis, David Harris, and Terry Glavin.
Not Evil Just Wrong, October 18, 2009 - The costs of global warming hysteria.
Do As I Say, December 14, 2009 - Liberal hypocrisy.
UN Me, January 25, 2010 - A critical look at the UN.
A Night on Afghanistan, March 9, 2010 - Keeping Our Promises; Fundraiser for the Afghan School Project in Kandahar.
The Soviet Story, May 11, 2010 - The crimes of the Soviet Union.
Bat Ye’or, David Littman and Sam Solomon, June 7, 2010 - Israel, Western Civilization, and the Coming Caliphate.
Crossing, September 14, 2010 - “The ‘Schinder’s List’ for North Korea” – The Wall Street Journal.

Bet you wish you were there! No worries, Free Thinking Films is having a festival! The only conservative/libertarian film festival in Canada. You should come. And if you can't come you should buy passes and donate them to the members of the Conservative Campus Clubs here in Ottawa! Not all youth on campuses are left wing zombies!

However I digress.

Fred Litwin has worked very hard on creating this society and I am honoured that he brought me on board to help out about a year ago. This past week, Fred sat down with Leonard Stern from The Ottawa Citizen to talk about the festival that has been a year in planning. I am so proud to be working with Fred and everyone else who have dedicated so much to make this happen.

Films for free thinkers

By Leonard Stern, The Ottawa Citizen September 25, 2010

Every city with aspirations needs to host a film festival, and this November Ottawa will do so.

There won't be much celebrity glam, though. The three-day event takes place at Library and Archives Canada on Wellington Street, not the sexiest venue around. Yet maybe you don't need bling to breed buzz, not when you've got films like these.

The festival is the brainchild of Fred Litwin, an Ottawa man with an interesting story. He is, first of all, independently wealthy -- an MBA graduate who made it big with technology giant Intel during the boom years of the 1990s. After enjoying five stock splits, and a career that took him to New York, Singapore and Hong Kong, Litwin cashed out and retired in 2000, at the age of 44.

What makes Litwin interesting is that he wears identities that do not always fit well together. He is proudly gay, and also proudly conservative. He even started a Canadian organization for gay conservatives called Gay Dominion, which technically makes him a gay activist, though that doesn't seem quite right because he still exudes a solidly corporate air.

Litwin is the founder of the Free Thinking Film Society of Ottawa. The society's mandate is to show movies, mostly documentaries, that serve as a counterbalance to the kind of documentary fare -- namely, left-wing polemics -- to which people are typically exposed in theatres and on television.

Litwin got the idea for the society some years ago when documentary-maker Michael Moore was riding the wave of anti-Bush fervor with his wildly successful Fahrenheit 911, a diatribe against American foreign policy. (Christopher Hitchens, in a review of Fahrenheit 911, wrote that "to describe this film as dishonest and demagogic would almost be to promote those terms to the level of respectability.")

Litwin approached the ByTowne Cinema on Rideau Street, which screened Fahrenheit 911, to ask if it would be interested in bringing in a second documentary called Michael Moore Hates America, by a Moore critic named Michael Wilson. The cinema wasn't interested and so Litwin figured that if contrarian movies from a conservative perspective were going to see the light of day in Ottawa, then he'd have to screen them himself.

In early 2007, Litwin brought in his first film, Obsession, a hard-hitting investigation into militant Islam. He found a local theatre willing to screen it but, at the last minute, the manager got cold feet and backed out -- leaving Litwin scrambling. In the end he showed the film at the main auditorium of the Metcalfe Street public library. He sold every seat.

Since then, the Free Thinking Film Society of Ottawa has screened movies that you simply won't see anywhere else: Indoctrinate-U (on political correctness in universities); L'Illusion Tranquille (on the power of unions in Quebec); "Not Evil Just Wrong" (on the costs of global warming hysteria). "People are aghast that conservatives make films," says Litwin.

The funny thing is Litwin isn't really all that conservative. He supports same-sex marriage. He's pro-choice. He's against the death penalty. He dislikes the incivility of many right-wing media personalities, and thought it was a mistake for Canadian conservatives to bring Ann Coulter to Canada earlier this year. He's been to conservative events where someone will disparage homosexuals and he'll ask himself: "Why am I here?"

He is, however, anti-totalitarianism -- and it's a sad statement if nowadays that has been narrowed down to a "conservative" position.

Several of the films at his inaugural festival this November will highlight the evils of dictatorship. There's Outside the Great Wall, a 2010 documentary profiling 12 Chinese intellectuals, artists and pro-democracy activists who are living in exile. There's For Neda, a just-released documentary about the life and death of Neda Agha-Soltan, the young Iranian woman who was killed during anti-Ahmadinejad protests last year. There's Katyn, a 2007 drama about the Soviet slaughter of Polish soldiers and civilians during the Second World War.

Many of the films that the Free Thinking Film Society has shown over the years are obscure, and no doubt some deservedly so. Propaganda is propaganda. Right-wing documentarians who are tied to an agenda can be just as tiresome as liberal counterparts like Michael Moore.

Litwin insists he and the society's board of directors have become increasingly sensitive to quality control. Litwin rejected a film about Ronald Reagan because it was over-the-top hagiography. He also declined to screen a documentary celebrating the Tea Party movement in the U.S., even though the topic is timely. "There was no nuance," says Litwin.

Art and politics are always entangled, especially in documentary filmmaking. It's hard to adopt a completely neutral voice, and probably undesirable in any case. But respect for historical truth is a value that even artists with agendas should be able to accept.

If the Free Thinking Film Society of Ottawa agrees, then the upcoming festival deserves to do very well.

Leonard Stern is the Citizen's editorial pages editor.

Once a noble dream, the UN is now a joke

2010-09-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

Rex Murphy really nails it right on the head with this one.

Once a noble dream, the UN is now a joke

Rex Murphy, National Post · Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010

On Thursday, Stephen Harper visited the United Nations to make a plea for Canada having another turn on the UN Security Council. Why? After so many instances of the UN's impotence, corruption, and waste, why does the body still retain any residue of prestige. Is a seat on the Security Council worth the public begging?

The UN is a study in moral relativism: It presents the same countenance to the most despotic regime as it does to a genuine democracy. Its so-called Human Rights Council is a byword for farce. In situations where urgent intervention is required, it is either incapable of acting or deliberately temporizes at crisis moments. Who can forget Rwanda?

It inserts itself into the great questions of the day--the planet's climate, for instance--and then seeks to monopolize or control the arguments and input into that question. It affects impartiality, but is agenda-driven. The United Nations may have begun as a noble dream, but it has become just another bartering house for international politicians, a quick prestige stop for some, a chance for Third World diplomats to sample the gaudy West.

Thursday's roster at the UN featured two speakers other than our Prime Minister. The always elegant and poised Barack Obama made a speech urging support for his Middle East peace initiative. Then, barely an hour later, grinning like a cheshire cat, the President of Iran took the dais, to articulate the wicked and asinine canard that the September 11 attacks were the work of the United States government -- as a pretext to launch wars that benefit "the Zionist regime."

Of course, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been cursing and excoriating Israel, and threatening it with extinction, for as long as he's been in power. Indeed, his hatred is obsessional, and dominates his view of the entire world. ( "All values, even the freedom of expression, in Europe and the United States are being sacrificed at the altar of Zionism," he declared.) But to blame America for the slaughter of its own citizens -- and to do so in a speech on American soil -- this is a step beyond. This is bile at its most rancid.

I can understand overhearing this pathetic junk in some sad coffee shop or bar. Combinations of vitriol and nonsense are, unfortunately, not rare. But this was not some sad coffee shop or bar. This was the general assembly of the United Nations -- where, one would think, accusations of this offensivness and derangement would be out of bounds.

Delegates from some nations, Canada among them, did not stay for the speech. But the mere fact that the UN provided a forum for Ahmadinejad to ventilate his outlandish and hateful speculations tells us something about the worth of the body.

One would like to think this speech will give our Prime Minister pause in seeking to win a seat on the Security Council: Some signals from responsible nations that they are no longer willing to extend automatic respect to the UN, to continue playing its games, might work to wake it up.

But I'm not hopeful on this. The thing with long-maintained pretences is that no one wants to be the first publicly to shatter them. And so we will persist in seeking the "honour" of a Security Council seat. But if we get it, Canada will bring far more honour to the bargain than we will receive.

-Rex Murphy offers commentary weekly on CBC TV's The National, and is host of CBC Radio's Cross Country Checkup.

How do you engage in dialogue when it's banned?

2010-09-25T08:58:00.000-04:00

Exit International wants to buy airtime on Canadian TV to lobby to legalize assisted suicide. This is the ad

In 2007 I watched my Father wither, suffer and eventually die of lung cancer. I had the great blessing of helping take care of him in the last weeks of his life. He was a big bear of a man and by the time he died there was very little left. We cared for him at home. And he was a fighter. For two years he fought cancer but in the end he lost the battle.

I live in Ottawa and my family lives out west, so I didn't see how the disease slowly and surely wreaked its devastation. Only in the end did I see how he suffered. I saw the pain it gave my step-mother and my brother who lived daily with Dad's cancer.

Sometime after the funeral I spoke with my daughter. I told her that if I ever get terminally ill and unable to fight the good fight that I would probably choose to end my life. I don't want my family to live with prolonged anguish and suffering When the writing is on the wall I'm sure I will be able to read it!

This upset Tori. She told me that she didn't want to know about it when I made the decision. I respect that. It doesn't change my mind.

The government doesn't get to dictate what I do with this mortal coil. I can pierce and tattoo myself. I can choose to get pregnant or end a pregnancy. I choose what to do with my hair. And I choose how I take care of my body by what I eat and how often I exercise.

If I get sick, I can choose to go to a doctor, go to an acupuncturist or do nothing. My choice. How I live my life is my choice. Everything I do with my body is my choice. And should there come a day when I think that living with a terminal illness is too much, then I want to be able to make that choice without making anyone who assists me a criminal.

The ad from Exit International isn't about flaunting the laws of the land, it's about opening dialogue about an important social issue. There have been ads in the past that lobby change in government policy before, this shouldn't be any different.

It's a sensitive and rather unpleasant subject but we need to talk.

Good idea Mr. Harper! Keep 'em comin'

2010-09-24T09:06:00.000-04:00

I like this idea - term limits for government appointees. I like the idea that those given power are not entrenched. I like the idea that there is a clear timeline to accomplish a mandate.

I would like the idea even more if it were applied to elected officials. Ahhh, dare to dream....

Don Martin: Harper considers one-term limit for appointees

It should be christened The Stogran Amendment.

Fed up with allegations and accusations of playing favourites with patronage gigs, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is considering a plan to eliminate renewable contracts for government appointments.

The move is partly credited to the political headache created by Veterans Affairs Ombudsman Pat Stogran, who unleashed a public relations war after being denied a second term. He had been pushing hard to obtain enhanced compensation for injured soldiers.

Several others, ranging from the heads of the RCMP Public Complaints Commission and Military Complaints Commission to the Competition Bureau and Victims of Crime Ombudsman, have been cut off after a single term to opposition charges that Harper was eliminating those who disagreed with his policies.

Insiders insist the Prime Minister has been moving toward single term appointments by making it almost routine to refuse extensions beyond one mandate. The move could be formalized later this year.

The Prime Minister had also considered stretching the standard four-year term by another year or two to exceed the average life of a majority government, but has apparently cooled to the idea.

Beyond Stogran, the government has not renewed the terms for other outspoken officials. Victims of Crime Ombudsman Steve Sullivan, Competition Bureau boss Sheridan Scott, RCMP Public Complaints Commission chair Paul Kennedy and Military Complaints Commission head Peter Tinsley did not have their terms renewed.

Perhaps sensing it was a faint hope anyway, Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page recently announced he would not seek an extension to his five-year term when it expires in 2013.

I didn't donate did you?

2010-09-24T09:02:00.000-04:00

And some people acturally wonder why the donations to aid flood victims didn't come pouring in:

Pakistan to fight for terrorist convict's release
The Associated Press

Date: Friday Sep. 24, 2010 6:24 AM ET

KARACHI, Pakistan — Pakistan's prime minister called a female scientist convicted of trying to kill U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan "the daughter of the nation" on Friday and vowed to campaign for her release from an American jail.

Yousuf Raza Gilani's comments appeared to be an attempt to manage public anger over the 86-year sentence handed down to Aafia Siddiqui by a New York court on Thursday. The case of the American-trained Pakistani scientist and mother has struck a chord among Islamist groups and ordinary Pakistanis, many of whom are convinced of her innocence.

The sentencing prompted demonstrations in at least two cities, with much of the anger directed at the already unpopular Pakistani government for failing to somehow intervene in her case.

Around 100 members of an Islamist political party briefly scuffled with police in the capital, Islamabad, after Friday prayers as they attempted to march to the U.S. Embassy. Authorities in other cities were also bracing for protests.

Gilani said he had lobbied U.S. officials for Siddiqui's release to "improve the U.S. image in Pakistan."

"We all are united, and we want the daughter of the nation to come back to Pakistan," he told parliament, which unanimously adopted a resolution demanding Siddiqui's repatriation.

"I fought for her, my lawyer fought for her and now I will take up this matter on a political level," he said.

Siddiqui, 38, was detained in Afghanistan in 2008. She was found guilty of seizing a weapon from one of her captors and trying to shoot U.S. authorities who were interrogating her there.

Many Pakistanis believe claims by Siddiqui's supporters that the U.S. abducted her long before that and kept her in a secret prison for years as it pursued its fight against global terrorism. U.S. officials deny those claims, though they had listed Siddiqui as a suspect wanted for alleged links to al Qaeda before her arrest.

The Tea Party of Canada

2010-09-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Taxed Enough Already

Started in the US, the Tea Party Movement is something that resonates with a lot of conservatives. In fact just today I received a invite to joint the Facebook group Tea Party of Canada.

So, I checked out their FB page and this is what they have to say:

Canadians are 'T'axed 'E'nough 'A'lready and demand more responsible government from their elected officials.

We, the undersigned, ask candidates seeking public office within Canada to sign our compact committing themselves to the principles of peace, order, and good government and to enacting a legislative agenda containing the resolutions written below.

Principles

Peace

The property and subsequent privileges afforded by all Canadian citizens are inherited from their ancestors and upheld by the Crown of Canada through Divine Providence, and thus cannot be granted or taken away by any government officials either elected or appointed.

Order

The common and civil laws of this country are upheld by the Royal Family and established by historical precedent. It is from and within the natural family that an individual’s life and property are inherited and protected. Individuals create wealth through the free exchange of services and goods in the marketplace.

Good Government

The proper role of government should be limited to providing only the most essential social services not afforded by the private sector, enforcing private business contracts, and supporting the Ministers of the Crown in administering justice and defending our sovereignty.

Resolutions
1. Respect the constitution

Require that every piece of parliamentary legislation respect the constitutional division of federal and provincial powers, and respect both written acts and unwritten legal conventions dating back to royal proclamations including the Magna Carta.

2. Cut and limit federal spending
Create a task force that will examine, each year, the areas in which mandatory spending by federal government is limited to 10%. Total spending by federal, provincial, municipal should be cut until expenditures are 30% or less of the GDP. Limit the growth of government spending to the sum of inflation plus the percentage of population growth except for emergency spending.

3. Demand a balanced budget
Adopt a special rule of order requiring a two thirds majority of parliament to pass a budget that includes a deficit or a tax increase except when wartime or national requires emergency spending measures required to protect public security.

4. Reduce corporate and personal income taxes
Work with the provinces to reduce combined federal and provincial corporate taxes to no more than 20% and combined federal and personal income taxes to no more than 30%. Increase consumption taxes in order to maintain a balanced budget.

5. Simplify taxation to one basic rate
Scrap progressive tax systems in favour of a simpler, single income tax rate system for both persons and businesses. Encourage each province to set up its own revenue agency for collecting provincial taxes. Eliminate payroll tax contributions to EI and the CCP.

6. Decrease regulation of industry
End the red tape facing industry, especially environmental legislation regulating occurring CO2 gases, labour laws that restrict how companies can deal with unions and broadcasting laws regulating content. Privatize crown corporations.

7. Amend the constitution
Begin work to change the constitutional amending formula to require passage by a clear majority in both chambers of parliament, and a majority in all ten provincial legislatures. It would include an equal Senate, provincial rights over immigration, the right to opt out of federal programs, and a strengthened “notwithstanding clause”. A renewed constitution must include Québec.

8. End equalization payments to provinces
Phase out the wealth transfer from the so-called “have provinces” to the “have-not provinces” by the federal government over a number of years. As a first step, wealth generated from natural resources should be exempt from the equalization formula.

9. Challenge federal government-run health care
Dismantle the Canada Health Act and return the exclusive powers to regulate health care to the provinces as stated in the constitution. Properly regulated privately-delivered health care services should be allowed alongside public delivery.

10. Stop intrusion into provincial jurisdiction

Defund federal programs that operate in areas of provincial jurisdiction such as education and environmental laws governing the extraction of natural resources. Each province should have its own police force to enforce laws under provincial jurisdiction.

11. Reject a carbon tax

Prevent new taxes placed on the carbon content of energy fuels or any cap-and-trade scheme that would place indirect taxes on consumers. Reliance on fossil fuels should be lessened through research into energy sources and private development of green technology.

12. Reform the immigration system
Preference should be given to English and French-speaking immigrants of Commonwealth and Francophonie countries who share our cultural values. Demand for skilled labour must precede humanitarian concerns.

Very interesting stuff. I am not sure if this group is looking for official status and to run candidates in upcoming elections. I wouldn't be surprised if this is where it's headed. I think there are a lot of conservative/libertarians who want to be with a political party that holds tight to it's principles.

I'll join just as soon as I am assured that The Tea Party in Canada has no interest in who I have sex with, marry or what I do with my body.

Minister Mackay - pay attention!

2010-09-23T08:49:00.000-04:00

Before my husband deploys he must go through a number of interviews and training sessions. One of the interviews he has to go through includes with me.

We go to a social worker that works for DND who then asks us a series of questions that could have been taken from a script of The Cosby Show to determine the state of our marriage. We are always assured that all information is confidential as she furiously takes notes.

I am then given a business card and told to call if I need anything! Hahahahahahahahahaha

I would never seek assistance from military channels! Why? Because I can't trust them to keep my confidences. I can't trust them not to put things in a file that could impact my husband's career.

I know too many soldiers who go without medical or psychological care because of fear of reprisals.

A number of years ago my husband was going through a high level security clearance and soon some very unusual questions were being asked. Why does your wife always wear black? What are her religious beliefs? In fact, they came back to my husband informing him that I was not a Canadian citizen - implying something nefarious.

I was born in Germany while my Father was deployed with the RCAF. They had my registration of birth abroad, which clearly indicated my Canadian citizenship.

So, do I use military sponsored support? Hell no and what happened to Sean Bruyea is why.

What was the Minister of Defense doing with this soldier's medical file? Which medical professional handed it over to what political and bureaucratic hacks? This soldier's file was passed along to hundreds of bureaucrats and politicians and worse, used to smear this man's reputation.

Imagine. A man serves his country and is abused by those in power for it. Shameful!

Minister MacKay, while this didn't happen under your watch it is incumbent upon you to get to the bottom of this and make this right. In other words, people need to lose their jobs and Mr. Bruyea deserves compensation and a sincere apology that is done in person and not by some aide. You also need to assure those who still serve and those who love them will be better protected from the machinations from government staff and representatives.

It's the least you can do for those you have done so much.

How to help the world's poor

2010-09-22T08:54:00.000-04:00

The billion people who are starving on this planet aren't in that position because Stephen Harper and the Canadian government aren't doing enough.

There are a billion people starving because they live in kleptocracies that steal from their people, deny them basic human rights and generally don't care what happens to their citizens. North Korea, China and countless African nations to name but a few.

This past June I travelled to Israel and made a little side trip to Jordan. While in Amman I visited The Royal Automobile Museum built by King Abdullah to pay tribute to his father and commemorate his love of cars. The next day driving to Petra I saw a family harvesting wheat from rocky fields with their hands. No scythes or even garden shears. Picking the wheat by hand.

Yeah, the Hashemite kings really love their people. Cars worth millions and millions in a building that is quite something but low yields due to rocky fields and harvesting what little there is by hand.

The money that was spent on King Abdullah's latest addition (some sort of rare new Mercedes) could have purchased a fleet of rock pickers and tractors that could have been distributed all over the country to help farmers clear fields which would allow for higher yields of wheat. And there would have been plenty left over to buy every farmer a scythe.

Why on earth should I have any of my tax dollars given to this country or any other that puts the Swiss bank account of their rulers ahead of their people.

It is time to tie aid to values. A country that wants aid should have a democratic and transparent government, support human rights, have a free media and a free market economy! That's right. Strings attached. No more free lunches. Let us offer aid to those who want a hand up and not a hand out.

If other countries want to give money to ensure that people like Yasir Arafat or Idi Amin die with billions in Swiss banks then that is up to them. But Canadians should take a more ethical stance.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's Speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa

2010-09-21T15:54:00.000-04:00

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is addressing the Canadian Club of Ottawa. Here's a copy of his prepared speech, for your viewing pleasure:

***********************

Thank you very much for the invitation to be with you today. It's a pleasure to address this well informed and distinguished group of opinion leaders.
Merci de m'avoir invité à me joindre à vous aujourd'hui. Je suis très heureux de prendre la parole devant un tel groupe d'éminents leaders d'opinion.

The fall session of Parliament has just started.
It's a good time for some serious, frank talk.
We have some important choices to make.
Choices that have consequences.
An extraordinary time
We've gone through an extraordinary time the past two years.
A synchronized recession, the deepest since the Depression.
A global storm which, though it has eased up, has not yet passed.
We've all been affected.
Business owners working hard to avoid layoffs.
Families working hard to make ends meet.
Individual Canadians looking for work in what was initially a bleak employment landscape.
That's why our government's main focus has been - and will continue to be - the economy.
To keep Canadians working, to create good new jobs, and to secure our recovery.
Through the G7 and especially the G20, the world has pulled together.
And from the beginning, the world has looked to Canada - first in admiration, increasingly for guidance and leadership.
We're punching above our weight - far above our weight.
And now the heavyweights are coming to us for lessons.
Proud to be a Canadian
In my travels, at international meetings, I hear it again and again.
Leaders of the world, looking at Canada and our economy with envy.
Saying "We want to be a Canadian."
Quand je suis en voyage et quand j'assiste à des réunions internationales, j'entends très souvent le même message.
Les leaders du monde sont envieux du Canada et de son économie.
Ils disent qu'ils aimeraient être canadiens.
Et chaque fois, je me répète qu'il est bon d'être canadien de nos jours.
You're familiar with the reasons Canada stands out - now, more than ever.
Low, increasingly low taxes.
The lowest debt burden of the major advanced economies - by far.
Rock-solid banks.
A major - and effective - stimulus program.
Almost 430,000 new jobs since July 2009 - more than were lost during the recession.
And a balanced budget on the horizon.
These are huge accomplishments.
Accomplishments that Opposition politicians choose to ignore.
Opposition politicians who talk down our economy for political gain at every opportunity.
To them I say: rise above petty politics.
At an uncertain time, join us in working to strengthen Canada and promote that strength around the world.
Do your job as critics. Criticize this government as you need to. But don't tear down our country for short-term political gain to do it.
We all have the right to celebrate our performance during the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression and the world leading strengths of our economy..
But even more, we have the responsibility to appreciate.
To appreciate that Canada's advantages are rare and valuable.
That they are not an accident.
And they are not guaranteed.
They are the result of the choices we have made.
And they depend on the choices we will make.
Our top priority.
Tax rates, deficit projections, debt-to-GDP, jobs numbers - they're impressive, but abstract.
Where they matter, is in the lives of Canadians - our families, our businesses, our communities.
Our quality of life, the future of our children and grandchildren.
That's what's at stake.
That's what our government is focused on.
That's what will remain our top priority.
We cannot and must not be complacent.
Yes, Canada has outperformed during the global recession.
But still too many Canadians are looking for work.
For every one of them, a job isn't just about putting food on the table.
It's about using their talents, making a contribution.
It's about their dignity.
Other Canadians are anxious.
They're working flat out to pay the mortgage, and wondering if they'll make it this month.
They want to sign their kids up for hockey, but don't have the money to spare.
The recession isn't their fault.
They look to us for leadership, so we can get through it together.
And that means our government's work must continue.
We must stay on course.
We must implement our stimulus plan fully, and keep helping those who need it.
We must return to balanced budgets, and protect our Canadian advantage.
Nous devons assurer la mise en œuvre intégrale de notre plan de stimulation, et nous devons continuer d'aider les gens qui en ont besoin.
Nous devons rétablir l'équilibre budgétaire et conserver l'avantage du Canada.
The risks we face
But there are risks ahead, serious risks.
The global economy remains fragile.
Europe, several countries are struggling to maintain control of their finances, with implications well beyond their borders.
In the United States, our main export market, the unemployment rate remains a full point-and-a-half above ours.
Around the world, the growth we saw earlier this year has slowed.
And beyond the economic risks, there is, I regret to say, a political risk.
That is the risk of an unnecessary election, an election that would jeopardize our economic recovery, just as we enter the home stretch.
Canadians don't want an election.
Our government isn't seeking one.
But the opposition coalition - the Michael Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois coalition - has been consistent in one thing, if only one thing.
From the beginning of the global economic crisis, they have put their own self-interest above Canadians.
Par contre, la coalition de l'opposition - celle de Michael Ignatieff, du NPD et du Bloc québécois - a été constante à un niveau, si ce n'est que le seul.
Depuis le début de la crise économique mondiale, elle a agi dans son propre intérêt plutôt que dans l'intérêt des Canadiens.
More than once, when they've thought they had a shot at seizing power, they've threatened to force an unnecessary election - knowing it would put Canada's recovery in jeopardy.
I'll come back to this risk in a few moments.
For now, to appreciate what's at stake, let's look at our recent history.
Real benefits, strong leadership
We are proud of our record.
Just five short years ago, Canada was led by a weak, dithering, and directionless government.
Support for Quebec sovereignty was on the rise.
And our ability to defend Canada's sovereignty was on the decline.
Waste, mismanagement, and corruption were rampant on the inside.
And regular Canadians - the people who work hard, pay their taxes, and play by the rules - were left on the outside.
Today, our government is strong.
Our federation is united.
Canada is standing up for its sovereignty and interests on the world stage.
And Canadians have received real benefits that deliver real support for the real world: cutting the GST; introducing the $1200-per-year child care benefit; delivering the Tax-Free Savings Account; we did all this and more, while protecting health care and pensions.
But most important, we met the challenge of the global economic crisis head-on, with our world-leading Economic Action Plan.
First we took preventative action.
We paid down debt when times were good.
We strengthened our already strong banking system.
We injected tax cut stimulus into the economy before the crisis.
And we rejected Michael Ignatieff's proposal for a job-killing carbon tax.
Once the crisis hit we didn't panic.
Instead we went to work.
We listened to Canadians in one of the largest pre-budget consultations in history
We fast-tracked our budget - the earliest in Canadian history.
We delivered further tax cuts.
We enhanced EI benefits for those hit hardest by the global recession.
And we made job-creating investments in roads, bridges, buildings, and other infrastructure that will leave a legacy for future generations.
The risk of an unnecessary election
Ladies and gentlemen, an unnecessary election would put all of this at risk.
Not just Canada's amazing accomplishments in recent years.
Mesdames et messieurs, une élection inutile risquerait de tout compromettre.
Et je ne parle pas seulement des impressionnants accomplissements des dernières années.
Not just our hard-won, world-leading status.
But also our long-term growth and prosperity.
The ability to invest in the priorities of Canadians.
The quality of life of our children and grandchildren.
Throughout the recession, the Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois coalition has demanded we raise taxes.
Demanded we take more money from the pockets of hard-working Canadians.
Their leader has vowed to reverse tax cuts for job-creating businesses.
He refuses to rule out raising the GST back up to seven per cent.
He refuses to rule out a carbon tax - an idea he came up with, a job-killing tax on everything, rejected by Canadians in the last election.
He even supports a new tax on iPods.
Under an Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois government, nothing would be safe.
No part of our economy would be spared.
No taxpayer would avoid the hit.
What's the supposed benefit?
The coalition promises massive, new, permanent entitlement programs.
Programs we can't afford.
Programs that would make more room for government, and less room for growth.
We can't afford such risky economic management
The costs are too high.
It's not just in the coalition's across-the-board tax hikes.
It's not only big government reaching into your pocket for more and more of your hard-earned money.
The real cost of these reckless promises is in the lives of Canadians, our families, businesses, and communities.
Experts estimate the Michael Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois tax hikes would kill almost 400,000 jobs.
Coincidentally, that's virtually the number of jobs Canada lost, but has since regained, during the recession.
Behind those 400,000 jobs are real Canadians, real families.
They deserve better than a Liberal leader who would risk their jobs, their livelihood.
I know he's been abroad for a long time.
But here in Canada, you don't tell people what to worry about.
You listen to Canadians and they tell you.
They are worried about their jobs.
The economy.
They're worried about political agendas that will mean more spending paid for by their hard-earned tax dollars.
That's a night-and-day difference from our Conservative government under Stephen Harper.
The record shows we take a principled, practical, and prudent approach to leadership.
The coalition led by Mr. Ignatieff has its own agenda - power, power, power.
While their leader is untested and unready, their ideas are not.
They have been tested - and they have failed.
Bigger and bigger government.
Endless red tape.
Higher and higher taxes.
Any coalition that would give the NDP access to taxpayers' wallets should strike fear in regular Canadians.
What's more, any coalition that would give a veto on national policy to a party dedicated to the breakup of our country is unacceptable.
A clear choice
Canadians are tired of political instability.
They are tired of elections every two years.
And they know we need a stable government, to ensure our economic recovery and long-term growth.
Les Canadiens sont fatigués de l'instabilité politique.
Ils sont fatigués des élections aux deux ans.
Et ils savent qu'il nous faut un gouvernement stable afin d'assurer la reprise économique et la croissance à long terme.
There is going to be an election, sooner or later.
The coalition may make it sooner.
Regardless, when it comes, Canadians will face a stark choice.
The outcome will be a majority government, one way or another.
A stable, national majority under Stephen Harper's leadership.
Or the reckless coalition of Michael Ignatieff, the NDP, and the Bloc Québécois.
Of course they deny they'll officially join forces.
But they did it before.
They'll do it again.
And that is the choice we will face.
That is the risk we must avoid.
The consequences are just too great.
In the global recession, the ship of state has had a difficult voyage.
But we can see the harbour lights.
And that's just when a would-be captain and his ragtag crew are trying to storm the bridge.
If they seize the wheel, ladies and gentlemen, they'll have us on the rocks.
And that's not how this voyage should end.
The Ignatieff-NDP-Bloc Québécois tax hikes would not only jeopardize our recovery from the global recession.
The coalition's policies would also squander our Canadian advantage, and limit our long-term prospects.
They would set us on the same downward spiral other countries are now trying desperately to escape.
Heads and hearts
On that happy note ...
Of course we know how the coalition will try to frame our government.
Because we won't make promises we can't keep, they'll say we're harsh and mean.
But not spending beyond our means - not raising taxes on hard-working Canadian families - that's not about being harsh.
It's about keeping us safe.
It's about ensuring Canadians can provide for their families.
That their government can provide the priority services they need and expect.
That their children and grandchildren can look forward to a great future in the best country in the world.
That we can be ready to meet a crisis, and come out of it even stronger.
Families get this.
Small business owners get this.
Canadians get this, and that's why they get what our government is doing.
That's why they can trust us.
That's why they know Stephen Harper's leadership is the kind of stable, responsible leadership our country needs.
The opposition coalition will say we should be warm and fuzzy.
I admit I've been known to get into a scrap, if it's something I really care about.
Well, seeing up close for two years what our country has been through, what the world has been through; seeing how Canadians have handled themselves, how our country has distinguished itself in the world; and knowing what's at stake for our economic recovery and our long-term prosperity;
I'm willing to enter the fray.
As for the need to be warm and fuzzy, I think our fellow citizens expect more than sentiment from their government.
Canadians don't separate their heads from their hearts.
We need the prudence of the former to achieve the aspirations of the latter.
Our history shows we're willing to work hard, to work together, and to make tough but balanced choices when necessary, for the sake of our achieving our shared goals.
L'histoire montre que nous prêts à travailler dur, à collaborer et à prendre au besoin des décisions difficiles mais équilibrées, dans le but d'atteindre nos objectifs partagés.
A country as great as Canada couldn't have been built any other way.
And our Conservative government under Stephen Harper wouldn't do it any other way.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen

Losing control

2010-09-21T10:54:00.000-04:00

I am not even going to speculate as to when the powers that be will manipulate and maneuver the next federal election. But I am pretty sure whenever it is, it will be damned inconvenient, Iggy and the Libs will make backroom deals with the NDP, Libby Davis will say something completely outrageous and the Conservatives will not be in debt in spite of spending every single allowable penny but not have a majority to show for it.

Harper's latest misstep with the Quebec hockey arena funding signals something very telling and his former advisor, Tom Flanagan was quite on point with The Hill Times when he spoke with them.

Here's my pop psychology 101 take on this.

The big office has a great view and is so much nicer than Harper's last office on the Hill. Power is quite the boost to the ego. Unfortunately ego gets in the way of so many things and Harper is not charismatic enough to have an out of control ego.

Now before all you Harperites get your panties in a knot, take a deep breath and don't take this personally. Calm down, have a cup of tea and finish reading this post.

Over the years Harper has lost some very savvy and excellent advisers and rumours here in the nation's capital speak of out of control ego. Harper appears to replacing sage and candid advisers with yes men and groupies. Harper needs to have advisers who can provide him with candour. The loss of these advisors has resulted in many missed opportunities.

Remember the firing of Diane Albonczy? Her funding announcement could have shown that Conservatives aren't gay bashers. How about third world maternal health? The Ombudsman for Veteran Affairs not getting his contract renewed? The census? Long gun registry? Section 13 of the Human Rights? Again, so many missed opportunities.

Let's be clear - Harper is Prime Minister not because of divine right. His position is at our leisure, not his pleasure.

But as Flanagan points out, Harper is losing control. You have to wonder why that is happening.

Take Back Your School still fighting the good fight

2010-09-21T10:13:00.000-04:00

Like all superheros the fine young people at Take Back Your School never rest. They are ever vigilant in fighting imposed leftism wherever they find it. They have secret identities but they don't wear capes! And I don't think they wear neon coloured tights.

The other day I received this email from my contact in that group. This is what he/she had to say:

As you may know, the Canadian Federation of Students has been fighting Health Canada's ban on blood from gay men for many years now. Even after the recent ruling by the Ontario Superior Court, they insist that it is a simple case of discrimination and should be overturned to protect people's feelings.

Of course, as with all CFS endeavors, this is being done on the students' dime.

Well, I agree. We need to go with the science. When the science proves otherwise then the policy needs to change. I knew a man with a young wife and three children. He was a hemopheliac and back in the early '80s he had a blood transfusion. AIDS took his life, that of his wife and his two youngest children. I have also lost gay friends to AIDS. Too damn many funerals.

So, we screen who gives blood. It's not discrimination, it's public safety. Anyway, I think young J from Take Back Your School wrote an excellent (and passionate) blog on the matter! Read on and enjoy.

The blood ban

September 18, 2010

by takebackyourschoolBack in the 80s, Canada faced something commonly referred to as the “tainted blood scandal.” Our country’s screening techniques were lacking just as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C were becoming more prevalent, and thousands of people were infected with diseases from tainted blood transfusions. In 1989, the federal government announced a $150 million compensation package for over 1,200 of those Canadians. Billions more came years later. It was a whole big mess – read all about it here.

In 1985, in an attempt to combat the problem and prevent it from happening again, Health Canada stopped accepting blood donations from gay men, who were at a much higher risk of carrying the HIV virus.

Fast forward to 2010. Since in the demented minds of CFS executives, every case of alleged discrimination is a “student issue!!!”, the CFS saw it fit to print up hundreds of thousands of flyers in their latest push for an end to the blood ban. (This was immediately after banning bottled water from several campuses – because bottled water is wasteful.)

To them, this isn’t about public safety or science. It is, just like all their other pet causes, about “DISCRIMINATION.”

After listening to their rants and raves, and reading their propaganda websites, one can be excused for assuming that the HIV / AIDS numbers are way down and that heterosexuals carry the disease more than gay/bi men do, making the “blood ban” completely nonsensical. Of course that is not true at all – as is often the case with CFS causes, the numbers say otherwise.

The number of positive HIV test reports among men have actually been up and down in Canada over the last decade. For example, although they went slightly down from 2006 to 2007 (the last year data is available for), the number actually went up every year from 2000 – 2004. The number one exposure category is still, overwhelmingly, men who have sex with men.

Are these not numbers? Aren’t lefties supposed to be the ones who love numbers, stats, and science? I thought it was knuckle-draggers like me who were supposed to reject all this stuff.

The numbers are enough to convince the experts that the blood ban is still necessary to protect the blood supply. I can’t help but chuckle when I think of how the CFS must perceive the executive offices at Health Canada – full of a bunch of gay-hating Klan members sitting around a board room table, chugging bottled water by the case and coming up with new ways of preventing gays from donating blood. Mua ha ha.

Despite the numbers and the position of Health Canada, the CFS and other gay activists claim that the blood ban is discriminatory and should be done away with. They claim that donating blood is, along with a free University education, a HUMAN RIGHT!

That argument actually went to the courts. And just a couple weeks ago, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that the law in fact does not give someone the right to donate blood. In her decision, Justice Catherine Aitken noted that gay and bisexual men may feel “a loss of dignity, a feeling of marginalization, a sense of disappointment, and a sense of injustice” when denied the opportunity to give blood.

But she followed that up with what anyone who employs logic and common sense could have told you from the very beginning – that that “injustice” is not in the same league as a blood recipient being asked to accept lower safety standards.

The ruling could not have been more clear. But before the judge had left the courthouse, the CFS went on record stating that they “will continue to apply pressure until CBS relents and changes its outdated policy.” Because in the minds of the CFS and the gay activists, hurt feelings trump public safety. Even in the face of the highest court in the land, they can’t help but simplify it in the form of discrimination.

For those keeping score at home, the CFS has now rejected:
- The numbers.
- The science.
- The legal rulings.

I know what you’re thinking. Hold the phone! Was I dreaming, or didn’t we just sit through an entire summer of preachy liberals accusing us all of being anti-intellectual and ignoring the experts? When Harper axed the long-form census, he was ignoring the science of StatsCan and the wishes of countless NGOs. All the “experts” and scholarly types derided the G20 for holding their summit in downtown Toronto, the government for spending a billion dollars on security, and the police for arresting “peaceful” protesters. And with climate change, conservatives ignore the “experts” by supporting the oil sands.

But now, when the stakes are highest and a direct threat to public safety is posed, we are supposed to ignore the law, as well as the advice of the experts, and just do away with the blood ban. Because people feel discriminated against.

Right.

At the risk of sounding very repetitive, as I know I am prone to, I want to make sure that this is crystal clear: The CFS is advocating the overturning of a rule that is in place to protect the lives if Canadians, and based in statistics and science… because people feel discriminated against.

As we wrote about here a few months ago, the CFS chooses their campaigns very carefully. They are never focused on real societal change, but rather minor adjustments or revisions of already-existing policies that no one can take direct opposition to, and the success of which can never be accurately measured. Then, anyone who is opposed to it is simply a misogynist / sexist / racist / homophobe. (Case in point.) This is done to avoid any real contentious issues that might draw attention to just how useless the CFS really is.

But it is not easy to get such a free pass when the stakes are so high. When it comes to grants or funding, the CFS are just a bunch of spoiled kids who think the state owes them an education. But now, they are a direct threat to our collective health. Literally. What started the whole court case mentioned above?

In 2002, Kyle Freeman told Canadian Blood Services in an anonymous e-mail that he was a gay man who had donated blood on 18 occasions between 1990 and 2002.

The blood agency tracked down his identity and sued him for having lied on the blood donor questionnaire, specifically to question 19: “Male donors: Have you had sex with a man, even one time, since 1977?”

Mr. Freeman countersued, arguing that the question violated his right not to be discriminated against based on sexual orientation, which is guaranteed under section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He also asked the court to strike down the ban.

You read that right – the best way for this guy to fight back against what he sees as discrimination, is to break the law and threaten the blood supply. The numbers lie, the experts are homophobes, the courts are wrong, but this guy and the CFS are right. And we should endanger our blood supply because they say so.

If this rule is overturned, and gays are allowed to donate blood even after the tainted blood scandal and in defiance of scientific recommendations, does it not then follow that those who require blood transfusions be made aware of whether the blood they are about to receive is from a homosexual?

Let me guess – no, because that would be discriminatory.

See - proof that there are young people out there who haven't been brainwashed by the system! Independent thinkers! We need to support these young people so while Take Back Your School acts as a shadow organization you can offer support to a Conservative Campus Club and by support I mean financial. Support young conservatives!

Keep up the good work! I am so proud of you.

Eyewitness to radicalization

2010-09-21T08:38:00.001-04:00

My friend and top political mind, Gerry Nicholls is back home! After months in the US working on a Senate primary race he is back and is sharing his experience. Personally I think that he should write a book that examines the factions that exist in conservative political groups and how that fragmentation keeps conservatives from majority governments. Hint, hint Gerry.

Eyewitness to radicalization

Gerry Nicholls National Post • Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010

Working as a consultant in a GOP U.S. Senate primary race for the past nine months gave me a good look at the internal workings of the Republican Party. And speaking as a conservative, I didn't like what I saw.

Late last year, I was recruited to work for a Republican Senatorial candidate in New Hampshire named Bill Binnie. On paper, he was a near-perfect candidate. The son of immigrants, he came from humble beginnings. Through hard work, he went on to became an extremely successful businessman and global entrepreneur. He had truly lived the American Dream.

More importantly, thanks to his business background, he knew how to create jobs, balance a budget and generate economic growth. And those are exactly the kind of skills Americans need in the United States Senate to help turn their troubled economy around.

Certainly, Binnie was not lacking in resources. A multi-millionaire, he poured nearly $6-million of his own money into the campaign. Polls consistently showed he would have easily trounced the Democratic Senatorial nominee in the November general election.

Yet when the election dust had settled on Primary Day last week, my candidate finished a distant third, garnering only about 14% of the vote. What happened?

Unfortunately, there was something about Binnie that made him unpalatable to many Republican voters: He was a social moderate. More specifically, when it came to abortion, he was pro-choice. This made Binnie a target for social conservatives, who regarded him as an ideological enemy.

To them, my candidate's pro-choice views meant he was simply not a "true Republican"; he was, as they liked to put it, a "RINO" -- a Republican In Name Only.

It was an odd description for a man who was in reality a Ronald Reagan-style fiscal conservative. Binnie wanted to cut taxes, reduce government spending and end the bail outs. He was also strong on national defence and fiercely opposed to "Obamacare."

Nevertheless, despite his staunchly conservative views, elements of America's social conservative movement became obsessed with defeating Binnie. And when the polls showed Binnie was a serious contender who stood a good chance of winning the Republican primary, they took action.

A social conservative group from outside the state spent hundreds of thousands of dollar on a multimedia negative ad campaign, which labelled Binnie "shockingly liberal." Their ads grossly distorted his views. They even claimed he was pro-choice because he wanted to "avoid the expense of disabled children."

Meanwhile, others jumped into the fray. The New Hampshire Union Leader, an influential newspaper with strong socially conservative leanings, hammered Binnie almost daily, both editorially and in the news section.

And Sarah Palin, the standard-bearer of American social conservatives, not only endorsed his opponent, but dismissed Binnie as a "self-funded millionaire running with an R next to his name."

It's hard to take that kind of pounding in a Republican primary. So, not surprisingly, Binnie, who at the end of July was close to being a co-front-runner in the primary race, began to steadily fall in the polls.

Valiantly, he fought back for the principles he believed in. "To me, the word 'Republican' is more than just a political label," Binnie wrote in a newspaper op ed. "To me, if you're a Republican, it means you stand for the very principles which made America great, principles such as freedom, individual rights and tolerance ... Yet elements within my own party have a different vision of what it means to be Republican. They are more about imposing moral values than individualism, more about allowing government to dictate decisions on issues that should be a matter of personal conscience."

In the end, it was all for naught. The fact is: Social conservatives have come to dominate the Republican Party and they will simply not tolerate social moderates in their midst. That's too bad because they are driving away good candidates. In the process, they are making the Republican Party weaker, narrower and less electable.

What a pity: Now, more than ever, America needs a strong, widely supported alternative to the Obama Democrats and their left-wing agenda.

- Gerry Nicholls is a writer and communications consultant. He wrote an excellent book called Loyal to the Core: Me, Stephen Harper and the NCC - buy it here!

Naughty pictures, sleazy husbands and broken contracts

2010-09-21T08:17:00.001-04:00

I feel sorry for Justice Lori Douglas. No seriously, I do.

It appeared that this lady had quite the exciting sex life with her husband. There are pictures to prove this. Granted their sexual activities are not for everybody however they are certainly entitled to it. Consenting adults should be able to do whatever they want as long as no laws are being broken.

But it would seem that Douglas's ex husband didn't quite play by those rules. He stepped over the line when he took those photos and used them in ways that she did not consent to. She cannot be held responsible for what her ex-husband did.

So sleaze bag husband take photos and tries to get a client of his to have sex with his wife. Client declines but apparently is traumatized by the experience of being shown a picture of a naked lady and being offered the opportunity to bang her.

Fair enough.

So this "victim" is given a payoff of $25,000 for his suffering and signs a non-disclosure agreement.

Fast forward a few years and now the "victim" is even more traumatized and wants - brace yourself - $67 MILLION!

I can't believe a court hasn't thrown this nonsense out. What a waste of the court's time and the taxpayers money.

I have to wonder if this guy has ever looked at pictures of other naked ladies. Was he traumatized? Can someone check his house for porn? And just how many men are traumatized when asked to have sex?

I mean - really?!?!?!

Okay, it was inappropriate for a lawyer to have this conversation with a client. And sleaze bag husband paid for it. Loser client obviously wants some easy money. I hope the courts make it anything but easy for this guy.

Now back to Justice Douglas - so what if she had erotic pictures of her floating around. I do too. In fact, one of them is hanging up on my wall. And the album with other pics was a gift to my husband. He liked it.

Should Justice Douglas have mentioned this during the screening process for the bench. Probably but this was a private matter that for all intents and purposes she considered closed. She divorced the bad husband who had a non disclosure agreement with the "victim".

Her sex life shouldn't have any bearing on her qualifications to render legal judgements. Is that what we are going to start doing, ask potential jurists about their sexual activities? If you can't ask about gender preferences, then other preferences are off the table as well.

What's next? Are we going to be like our American neighbours? Are we going to obsess with who our public figures sleep with? Do I really want to know if Harper, Iggy or Jack are getting anything on the side. NO! I don't need to know and quite honestly I don't care! But this is a slippery slope. What info is off limits? How much is too much?

I am going to say again - this is a colossal waste of the court's time and taxpayer's money. That is the real issue here.

Postscript: As I am writing about lawyers, judges and litigious men, all references to sleaziness are merely alleged and rumoured. And by putting the word victim in quotation marks is merely to draw attention to the seriousness of the issue. Oh, and when I say loser I mean, um, hmmm, uh.... I mean as an empathetic term of endearment. Yeah, that's what I mean.

Creating a Conservative Cultural Space

2010-09-20T13:53:00.000-04:00

I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have heard conservatives (of all stripes) lament the distinctly leftist agenda of all things cultural. From movies, to TV, to music, to books and everything in between there is a vast wasteland of Michael Moore's and Oprah wannabes waving their fingers at the right.

Have you attended a festival or any other artistic event that wasn't left leaning? If it is creative it is probably wagging a finger at you and tsktsking your conservative/libertarian beliefs! I don't know about you but I decided not to put up with this anymore.

I am supporting The Free Thinking Film Festival. Okay, full disclosure, I am the Vice Chair of the Free Thinking Film Society and came on board as Event Planner with Fred over a year ago. Three years ago Fred started the society because like me (and you I am willing to bet) because he was frustrated. He wanted to create a cultural space for conservatives and libertarians. The society "celebrates the efforts of risk taking documentarians whose work espouses the values of limited, democratic government, free market economies, equality of opportunity rather than equality of result, and the dignity of the individual all underscored by a healthy and patriotic respect for Western culture and traditions."

Sounds good doesn't it? Here's the thing though. Conservatives need to support this event. That means buying weekend passes. Don't live in Ottawa or you are away that weekend? No problem, buy anyway and donate it to the University of Ottawa or Carleton University Conservative Clubs - they would be very appreciative of your generosity and kindness.

Perhaps you are on the board of an organization that promotes conservative or libertarian values - well, not only should you buy passes but you should rent a table. Email info@freethinkingfilms.com to get the details.

Do you have a business? Have you thought about sponsorship? Currently the Festival is being sponsored by Heritage Brewing and County Cider Company. Their support and generosity is greatly appreciated! Yours would be too.

Free Thinking Films is a registered non profit organization that has taken no government funding. Your support is needed. We have great volunteers and are getting a lot of positive feedback but let's cut to the chase, we need people to pony up a few bucks.

One of my biggest pet peeves are people who complain about government but don't vote. If you are conservative, this is probably a sticking point with you too. Well, this is pretty much the same thing. Don't complain about the lack of conservative cultural events if you are not willing to support the only conservative film festival that is happening in Canada!

The left understands how important cultural events are to promoting their agenda. It is that understanding and strength that got Obama elected. It is because understanding of how culture and artistic endeavour influence public policy and public opinion that the seal hunt is almost extinct, that once a year at "Earth Hour" millions of people willingly shut off all electricity, that children are encouraged to rat out their parents for being not environmental. There are just so many examples of how the left has used music, movies, literature and celebrities.

Just say no to Michael Moore, Bono and Sean Penn and say yes to The Free Thinking Film Fest!

Ezra Levant and Elizabeth May

2010-09-20T12:23:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, it sounds like the beginning of a good joke but this is no prank.

On November 13th, 2010, Elizabeth May will debate Ezra Levant on the oil sands of Alberta - as part of the First Annual Free Thinking Film Festival 2010.

Elizabeth May is the leader of the Green Party of Canada, and Ezra Levant is an author who has a new book out called "Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada's Oil Sands."

The debate will take place at the Library & Archives Canada right after the showing of the film, "Mine Your Own Business," which starts at 2:30 PM on Saturday, November 13th. The debate should start at approximately 4:00 PM.

"I am delighted to welcome both Ezra Levant and Elizabeth May to our festival," said Fred Litwin, Managing Director for the Free Thinking Film Society of Ottawa. "I want to present a fair and honest debate - something of substance for attendees."

How exciting is this? Very exciting! I wouldn't miss it and neither should you. To buy a ticket to see this debate click here but for a few dollars more you can have a pass to the entire festival including each of the gala events AND supporting the Military Family Resource Centre, so really, you should click here!

Rape by deception facts come to light

2010-09-13T16:55:00.000-04:00

On July 22nd I posted a blog about an Arab man of rape. Like millions others I was under the impression that the conviction was based on the fact that the man merely lied in order to get laid.

This is not the case. The real story is that a plea bargain was made to convict a violent rapist. This was then spun into a story that was meant to show Israeli justice as distinctly anti Arab. I saw it as paternalistic.

The real story was unearthed by Just Journalism. They are to be commended for their commitment to the facts.

UPDATE: Guardian publishes 'rape by deception' case facts

10 September 2010

Following the circulation of an English translation of Lital Grosman’s investigative article for Ha’Ir and the publication of ‘‘Racist’ rape by deception story debunked by journalist’ by Just Journalism on 8 September 2010, The Guardian has published, ‘Arab rape-by-deception charge 'was result of plea bargain'’ both online (8 September) and in print (9 September).

Penned by Rachel Shabi, cited by Just Journalism as having claimed in The Guardian’s original coverage that the conviction in Israel of Palestinian Sabbar Kashur represented Israel’s ‘anti-democratic sentiment and mob rule racism’, the new instalment includes all the previously absent key facts:

- Kashur was originally charged with violently raping the woman

- The ‘forcible rape’ charge was only changed to one of ‘rape by deception’ as part of a plea bargain to secure a conviction

Shabi notes that ‘[t]he case caused international outrage when it was first reported, in July, but now an Israeli newspaper has reported that the conviction was the result of a plea bargain over a violent rape.’

UPDATED (09.50 13 September 2010): Following correspondence with Just Journalism, the BBC World Service interviewed Israel-based journalist and blogger Lisa Goldman on 10 September about the newly-reported facts of this case. The interview can be listened to here. Just Journalism contacted the BBC News website on 11 September but has not received a response. As yet, the website has not reported the latest on the story.

Sunday Mornings...

2010-09-12T09:05:00.000-04:00

Conservative student action attacked yet again at U of O (pronounced Zero)

2010-09-11T09:54:00.000-04:00

I got this email just a few moments ago from my embattled student friends at U of O. I really admire the young people who run Take Back Your School and the campus Conservative group at that educational institution. Anyway, read on:

Capitalism under attack at UOttawa

September 11, 2010

by takebackyourschool

Along with other half-wit student unions across the country, the socialist busybodies at SFUO banned selling bottled water on campus last year. Surprisingly, this applied not only to student union-operated businesses, but all businesses on campus, including Starbucks!

You can still buy bottled vitamin water, bottled mineral water, bottled carbonated water, and any array of other items packaged in plastic bottles on campus. Just not plain old regular bottled water. But that of course does not stop these morons from convincing themselves they have done something great for the environment.

The Campus Conservatives took notice of this idiot-logic and used the annual “clubs day” to draw attention to just how ludicrous it is. At their booth, they had a petition to allow independent businesses to sell bottled water, and handed out a free bottle of water to each person who signed it.

Around noon, SFUO VP Communications Paige Galette came out and engaged the Campus Conservatives in a calm, rational discussion about the merits of free market economics on campuses. Just kidding. She threw a hissy fit and started yelling at the people operating the booth, accusing them of doing something illegal, and got some of her comrades to form a human barrier (LOL) around the booth to stop people from getting access to the bottled water.

One of the people operating the booth asked to see the clause which states that it is illegal to give out water for free on campus. Galette escorted him into the student centre to show him the clause. After waiting for a few minutes, a different SFUO VP came and told him that there has been a misunderstanding and that only the sale of bottled water is banned on campus (duh) and that the club was entirely within their rights to give it out for free.

An email from the conservative club informed us that they gave out over 400 bottles of water, got hundreds of people to sign the petition in favour of bottled water (mostly first year students who see this garbage “law” for what it is), and gave a couple of interviews to newspapers. Click here for their official news release.

You can also let Paige Galette know what you think of her actions: 613-562-5800, ext 4072 or email vp.communications@sfuo.ca.

These young people need our support. Take Back Your School operates anonymously so you can't open up your wallet to help out but The University of Ottawa Campus Conservatives could use some cash! Contact them at uottawaconservatives@gmail.com to find out how to donate.

I am so proud of these young people and what they are doing. Keep up the good work!

1st Annual Free Thinking Film Festival

2010-09-09T08:30:00.001-04:00

Free Thinking Film Festival

Creating a conservative cultural space!

On November 12th, 2010, the Free Thinking Film Society kicks off the first film festival in Canada to celebrate freedom and liberty. The First Annual Free Thinking Film Festival will feature three huge Galas, and over 19 films, panel discussions, and lectures. In addition, festival attendees will be able to relax at Free Thinking Alley where they can browse the literature of our supporters, buy books and DVDs, enjoy a bite to eat, and meet other enthusiasts.

"There are a lot of courageous voices in the non-fiction film industry producing thoughtful pieces of art which reject cultural relativism and the 'blame America' bandwagon," says Free Thinking Film Festival President Fred Litwin. "But you wouldn't know it by looking at the listings for most art house cinemas. Our festival shows the kinds of films that some theatres seem to be afraid to show."

The Festival opens on November 12th with the Canadian premiere of "Kalifornistan," which follows the deranged leader of a terror cell called 'Glorious Jihad of Kalifornistan' as he plots to destroy Los Angeles with his 'mighty plutonium superbomb' - while being distracted by a beautiful dancer. The film was produced by Jason Apuzzo and Govindini Murty - who also stars in the film and who is from Ottawa.

The opening night Gala will also be a fundraiser for the Military Family Resource Centre - which serves the military population of the National Capital Region, which consists of approximately 6,100 military members and their families.

On November 13th, French reporter Philippe Karsenty, internationally known media analyst and founder of Media-Ratings, a media watchdog which monitors the media in France will lecture at the Archives. Karsenty exposed the false allegations that Israeli soldiers killed a 12-year old Palestinian, Mohammed al-Dura during a gun battle in Gaza in 2000.

The Festival will end with the showing of "The Stoning of Soraya M," an independent film, set in an Iranian village in the late 1980s, tells the story of a woman falsely accused of adultery, then put to death according to religious laws enacted after the country's Islamic revolution. Writer-Director Cyrus Nowrasteh will be in attendance to answer questions.

In between the 3 Gala events, the Festival will show 19 films like "The Cartel," a film about the power of unions in public schools; "Mugabe and the White African," a film about the injustice of the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe; "Generation Zero," a film about the cultural roots of the global financial meltdown; "Atomic Jihad," a film about Iranian President Ahmadinejad's coming war for Islamic revival; "Mr. Conservative," a surprising look at the life of Barry Goldwater; "Do As I Say," a film about liberal hypocrisy; "For Neda," a look at the brave woman Neda Agha-Soltan who was murdered by Iranian militia during protests against Iran's fraudulent election; "Conflict: The Power of Propaganda," a Canadian film which looks at media bias against Israel; and "Outside the Great Wall," a look at 12 prominent Chinese intellectuals and artist fighting for democracy in China.

End the long gun registry

2010-09-09T08:18:00.001-04:00

I received this call to action from the good people over at The Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Please help them end the long gun registry.

Dear supporter,

September 22nd is the next scheduled vote in the House of Commons on the path to ridding us of the wasteful long-gun registry. We need to make our voices heard.

After Bill C-391 (the bill to abolish the long gun registry) passed second reading with the majority's support, a Parliamentary committee passed a recommendation to kill bill C-391! On September 22nd the House of Commons is obligated to vote on this recommendation!

We want the vote to kill C-391 to fail; only then can this bill move on to its third and final reading.

But let’s stick to the September 22nd vote first.

With government MPs all supporting an end of the wasteful long-gun registry, we need at least 11 Opposition MPs voting NO to succeed. Can you take a minute to contact them? (8 Liberals; 12 New Democrats; 2 Independents)

The CTF has just finished a new “End the long-gun registry campaign page” that provides campaign updates, details of upcoming votes, references to debunk the latest pro-registry spin, and above all, detailed contact information for the 22 Opposition MPs that have previously supported abolishing the registry.

Under pressure from party bosses, many have already indicated that they will be changing their votes to now support the registry. Let’s change their minds.

NOW is the time for them to hear from taxpayers – especially local taxpayers -- who know the registry has been an ill-conceived crime-fighting tool that wasted billions of tax dollars and created inconvenience to thousands of law-abiding Canadians. Send these courageous opposition MPs a message of encouragement to hang in there and invite them to poll their constituents.

Seventy-two per cent of Canadians recently told pollster Angus Reid that the long gun registry has done nothing to prevent crime. An unscientific survey of rank and file police officers was even more decisive, with 92% of them wanting it scrapped.

Let’s win this fight!

--- Courtenay, Shannon, Kevin and the rest of the CTF team.

PS: We’d like to run a more targeted campaign before the vote and rally the voices of taxpayers. If you live in one of the ridings of the 22 Opposition MPs who were onside at C-391’s last reading, please contact our development director at development.director@taxpayer.com.

PPS: We’re building up a war chest to fight this battle on the airwaves. Your donation helps us target key Opposition MPs with radio ads that will support their courageous stand to end the wasteful long gun registry in the face of opposition from party bosses.

ראש השנה‎

2010-09-08T08:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Come sundown, a wonderful celebration begins and to all my Jewish friends and readers I wish you a Happy New Year that is filled with blessings as sweet as honey.

$178,000 to save the seal hunt..

2010-09-08T07:46:00.000-04:00

...is well worth it, even if it failed.   Warning: This blog post contains very graphic footage!

There are those in the media who are trying to create a scandal about the money that was spent trying to lobby the EU. I don't have an issue with the price tag because it needed to be done. Someone had to speak for our hunters. To be the voice for those who are dependant on the seal hunt for their survival.   Sadly, I think the effort was doomed to failure because of the arrogance of the Europeans. Their sense of superiority is laughable at best.

The EU and those who decry the hunt are hypocrites. They don't make a peep out of the bullfights in Spain. It's a blood sport whereas the hunt is not done for show. The fur is sold and used while the meat is eaten. The kill is done swiftly - the seal does not suffer. In Spain the bulls suffer greatly but maybe you be the judge

In that first bit that showed the hunter killing the seal, he clubbed it twice. Quick, over in seconds. Now take a look at this:

I count at least 4 spears in that bull and four men torturing that bull while it was bleeding slowly. And notice the crowds cheering. This is entertainment to these people - thousands of people enjoying the bull suffering. This amusement is tolerated and our northern peoples are forced onto welfare to support their families?

In fact, $178,000 seems like a meagre effort. We need to invest in a proper lobby. The government needs to hire a firm to create educational material, slick ads and do major PR work on this. Yes, you read that right - spend, spend, spend! It's the principle.

A cultural genocide was started in this county by a French slut (Brigitte Bardot) and is perpetuated by the likes of a millionaire musician (Paul McCartney) and here we are taking it. Families are suffering because of the loss of income - alcoholism rates, suicide rates, spousal and child abuse rates all have gone up because of the seal ban. And some poncy left wing media type thinks 178 grand is too much to spend on restoring the livelihoods and dignities of these Canadian families?

The audacity of the EU to judge us as barbaric for a seal hunt that has taken place for time immemorial for survival is incredulous.   The foolishness of a Canadian journalist to buy into this hypocrisy is a sad statement on the media in Canada.

Atwood out to lunch when it comes to free speech

2010-09-07T09:01:00.000-04:00

Leave it to an Albertan newspaper to print something sensible.

Atwood out to lunch when it comes to free speech

To see CanLit star Margaret Atwood protesting the startup of a conservative all-news TV channel in Canada is a bit rich, considering she makes a very good living built on the foundations of free speech.

Make what you want of Stephen Harper and his former communications director Kory Teneycke having lunch in New York last year with Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch and Fox News president Roger Ailes. It may look odd, but it's no proof that Harper is engaged in a politically motivated drive to bring a "Fox News North" to Canada with Teneycke as its head.

Teneycke left the PMO's office and nearly one year later wound up at Quebecor as vice-president of its unapologetic right-wing TV news venture, Sun TV, which was rejected by the CRTC in its bid to be carried on basic cable. A decision is pending on what type of licence Sun TV might now get, and there are rumours that Harper views CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein as problematic. Conspiracy theories abound, including von Finckenstein being offered plum ambassadorships to get him out of the way.

It is this "process" -- not free-speech censorship -- that Atwood claims she was concerned about when she signed on to the U.S. website Avaaz. org and supported its campaign to stop "Fox News North." The site says: "Prime Minister Harper is pressuring the Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (sic) to approve plans for a Fox News North. If successful, this would bring Americanstyle hate media to Canadian airwaves, and be funded by our license fees!"

Why are New Yorkers involving themselves with Canadian television? The site claims Harper has a plan to create a Fox News North "to mimic the kind of hate-filled propaganda with which Fox News has poisoned U.S. politics."

To assume 1) that Harper is directly involved and 2) that Sun TV will be engaged in "hate" is over the top. Even if one regards Fox TV poster boy Glenn Beck as a crackpot, there is a simple solution. Don't watch. Similarly, should Sun TV win its licence, Atwood and anyone else so inclined could simply ignore it. It's not as if it's asking for subsidies or grants, like the CBC or much of the CanLit on Canadian bookshelves. Sun TV is not even seeking, nor has it ever sought, mandatory carriage on cable. It simply wants to be an option on the cable menu.

If Harper can be shown to have interfered in what is supposed to be an arm's-length process so he can get his own TV cheering section, adding yet another trophy head on his wall of pesky bureaucrats that he's managed to run out of town, Atwood could be forgiven.

As it now stands, she's accepting as fact a bunch of unproven, theoretical paranoia with absolutely no paper trail leading back to Fox, except presumably for a lunch receipt from a New York restaurant.

Canada: Stop "Fox News North"

2010-09-03T00:04:00.000-04:00

I was checking out what my Facebook friends had to say about their day when I stumbled across the link to a petition posted by a friend of mine. (Yes, yes this story is not fresh as a daisy but please remember, I have been distracted recently and in my own happy little world since The Major returned).

I am frightened. Seriously.

This is a petition, that the website claims has already almost fifty thousand signatures to prevent a news channel gaining CRTC approval because it is going to format itself like Fox News.

I like Fox News - hard hitting news with what I consider to be a fair and balanced approach but with a distinctive libertarian flair. Not everyone's cup of tea and if you don't like it, well here's a suggestion - don't watch it!

I don't like the left wing bias subsidized by my tax dollars found on the CBC but guess what. I don't watch CBC anymore. Imagine that. I made a choice that didn't involve forcing my beliefs on anyone.

Canada: Stop "Fox News North"

Prime Minister Harper is trying to push American-style hate media onto our airwaves, and make us all pay for it. His plan is to create a "Fox News North" to mimic the kind of hate-filled propaganda with which Fox News has poisoned U.S. politics. The channel will be run by Harper’s former top aide and will be funded with money from our cable TV fees!

One man stands in the way of this nightmare -- the Chairman of Canada's Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Konrad von Finckenstein. And now, Harper is trying to get him out of his job. Sign the petition below to send a wave of support to von Finckenstein and forward this campaign to everyone -- we'll publish full page ads in Canadian papers when we reach 100,000:

To CRTC Chair von Finckenstein and PM Harper:

As concerned Canadians who deeply oppose American-style hate media on our airwaves, we applaud the CRTC's refusal to allow a new "Fox News North" channel to be funded from our cable fees. We urge Mr. von Finckenstein to stay in his job and continue to stand up for Canada's democratic traditions, and call on Prime Minister Harper to immediately stop all pressure on the CRTC on this matter.

I am tired of the left wing bully tactics. Time to act. Surely one of my readers out there can start a petition in support of a new news channel. Maybe a petition demanding that all subsidies of the CBC cease and desist - that they be required to finance themselves through advertising revenue like all other media outlets? I will buy a drink for the first person to get either of these up and running for me! Of course you must come to Ottawa to collect but the offer stands.

Fight fascism and have a drink with Rightchik.

Crossing

2010-09-02T23:02:00.000-04:00

Please join The Free Thinking Film Society for a very special evening when we present the film, Crossing.

A “Schindler’s List” for North Korea’
Wall Street Journal

Taken from a number of true stories of North Korean refugees, Crossing is the first film to accurately depict the trials and hardships faced everyday by the North Korean people. We will be bringing in North Korean refugees who now live in Canada to talk about their life. Reception to follow film and Q&A.

September 14, 2010, 7 PM
National Archives/Library of Canada
395 Wellington
Admission: $20.00

A small self indulgence

2010-09-02T09:45:00.000-04:00

Someone who I have admired for some time is going to be looking at my blog for the first time today or tomorrow and so I am posting this just for him. Welcome to Rightchik - I hope you find some small amusement with me.

Does this woman deserve this honour?

2010-08-31T11:13:00.000-04:00

Charlotte Whitton.

The first female editor of Queen's University paper, "The Queen's Journal" and star of the women's hockey team.

She was the founding director of the Canadian Council on Child Welfare from 1920-1941 which became the Canadian Welfare Council and now it is known as the Canadian Council on Social Development.   So she helped children. So kind for a woman who never had any of her own.

She has been touted as a great women's rights advocate but opposed making it easier for women to divorce. How odd for a woman who never had a husband. Hmmmm

In her position as Director of the CCCW she advocated "scientific" racism that viewed groups such as Jews and Armenians as "undesirable" immigrants." Undesirable?

The Canadian Jewish Congress has issued the following information: "Certainly in the course of the Second World War and the Holocaust, she was instrumental in keeping Jewish orphans out of Canada because of her belief that Jews would not make good immigrants and were basically inferior." In 1964, she blocked Bertram Loeb's $500,000 donation to the Ottawa Civic Hospital because, it was said, she "simply didn't want the name of a Jewish family on an Ottawa hospital building."

Oh, and she became the first woman Mayor of Ottawa.   She was an accomplished woman for her time - but then again any woman with money and no kids and no husband can get alot done.

So back in June The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada considered her nomination as a person of national historic significance. However this recommendation is being reconsidered after the Canadian Jewish Congress provided information detailing Whitton's anti-Semitic views and activities.

Honestly, they have got a damn good point there. Why would we honour a woman like this?

But along comes Senator Hugh Segal who admonishes the CJC for their opposition of Charlotte Whitton's nomination. Why? Well this is what he told The Ottawa Citizen:

As a social worker and campaigner for kids at risk, she was way ahead of her time," Segal said in an e-mail to the Citizen.

"She was tireless and beyond corruption as mayor. She was a feminist pioneer by deed and not just by rhetoric." The CJC opposes official recognition for Whitton as a person of national historic significance because she campaigned to keep Jewish orphans out of Canada during the Second World War.

But Segal said the CJC "is wrong to oppose honourable recognition of her career." Judging historical figures by today's standards of tolerance and pluralism, he said, is "a no-win proposition.

Sounds like cultural relativism. In simpler terms - bull-pucks! Using that logic, one could argue that Hitler should be honoured for his forward environmental/green policies. He was a pioneer in that regard.

Doesn't sit well does it?

Yes, it was a different time. People used words like nigger and kike and chink with impunity. The only black people that you had in your home were the ones who cleaned it.  People were judged on the colour of their skin and not on the content of their character or their contributions to community.

Whitton was no feminist - she was a spinster who blocked women from divorcing their husbands. She was no child advocate - her refusal to allow Jewish children to come to Canada doomed those children. In other words she was a privileged white woman who lived by the old fashioned ideas that there were different rules for different people.

She was a hypocrite. And a despicable one at that.

So to Senator Segal - yes, I can judge her. Charlotte Whitton may have been a product of her time but she is not worthy of honour in my time.

Open Letter to Canadian Council of Imams

2010-08-28T11:20:00.000-04:00

Gentlemen - it is time for you to speak out and condemn armed jihad. Condemn all jihad that would use violence, deceit and threats to any and every non Muslim. Tell your congregations that the only way to convert someone is through dialogue. Any other method is unacceptable. And if someone does not convert then it is the will of God.

Preach a message of acceptance. Every Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Pagan, Hindu, Atheist. Agnostic and everyone else should be loved and embraced as a neighbour, friend and brother.

Issue a press release not only condemning the men who have been recently arrested - condemn their motivations and actions. Speak loudly and clearly as you denounce all violent jihad.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret - we're not as stupid or gullible as you might think. In spite of what our music, movies, politicians, liberal media or guilt ridden lefties would lead you to believe, most Canadians are very, very different.

We're tolerant, we're patient and we will give anyone a chance. You're getting yours right now. But we're not ones to be pushed around. Look at our history.

Do the right thing. Show us that you are truly Canadian.

If you would like to contact the Canadian Council of Imams and ask them to condemn armed jihad. You can reach them at:

Chairman Imam Hamid Slimi info@canadiancouncilofimams.com
Secretary Imam Habeeb Alli hab2u@hotmail.com
Vice Chair Dr. Mohammad Alnadvi alnadvi@hotmail.com
Inter-Faith Imam Abdul Hai Patel Patel afsaz@rogers.com

Remember to be civil and polite should you contact any of these men. Remember how we behave tells alot about who we are, how people respond reveals alot about them.

Chicken Little comes to class

2010-08-27T09:26:00.000-04:00

Okay children, does anyone know what this word means?

Alarmist

Apparently the Canada Council on Learning predicts that Canada will become a third world nation. That, boys and girls is an example of an alarmist statement.

It would seem that we need to "focus on the nature and quality of teaching and not necessarily on national benchmarks"

The first part sounds good if that means breaking the unions. I can remember years ago when my daughter was in elementary school and the unions sending their propaganda home with her. Made me livid. I called the principal and demanded a fee for delivery services of my child. She was perplexed by my request.

In New York City there is an entire building filled with teachers who go there every day to read. No work involved, but they have been deemed unfit to teach but cannot be fired. Here in Ontario I hear many nightmare stories of bad teachers who can't be fired.

I don't begrudge the money they earn but I begrudge their contractual entitlement to employment whether they are competent or not. So how do you judge a teacher's competence? The average grade of the students? How the students or parents rate the teacher's performance. How do we benchmark teacher performance.

Well, I don't know how to do that but I like the idea.

Now the second part of the CCL's statement sounds like they want to get rid of standardized testing. That I don't like. Not only should we have standardized testing - it should be national and it should be rigorous. Don't tell me that if we do that then all teachers will be doing is teaching to the test. No, it means that we focus on what the curriculum should be.

In high school my daughter wanted to take a "gimme" class - fashion. That's right, a class on fashion. Not sewing - just recognizing trends and styles past and present. Why would such a frivolous class be offered is beyond me. Let me assure you the young lady took a civics class instead.

What future generations need is a rigorous education. Grammar, literature, history, mathematics, science, home ec, industrial arts, health and physical education must come before everything else. Let us give our children a fighting chance to compete in a global market.

I don't think that we will ever be a third world, no matter how crappy our education gets. So while the sky isn't falling, I will concede that maybe it's raining cats and dogs!

The terrorist next door

2010-08-26T08:45:00.000-04:00

Do you know your neighbours?

I know mine. Or I think I do. Every Christmas Francois and Brenda have a wonderful cocktail party and we all gather to wish each other the best of the season. Every June we have a street party with games for the kids, a potluck BBQ and even a band. Everyone waves, stops to chat, watches for each other's kids (kind of feel sorry for them when they are teens because there will obviously be no house parties when Mom and Dad are away).

We chat with each other and have the keys to each other's houses. We know who is travelling, who is ill, who is celebrating. We know.

But what do we really know? I suspect that my little street in Ottawa is an anomaly. Then again, no one on this street hides behind face masks or isolates themselves or stands aloof.

Yesterday in Ottawa there were two arrests for suspected terrorist activities (two at the time of this writing) and according to the neighbours that have been interviewed didn't know their neighbours. The metaphorical ships passing in the night. Neighbours not really knowing who was in the house next door. Imagine finding out that the people next door see you as nothing more than an infidel that should be blown straight to hell. Mmm, I just can' t see Max and Kim thinking that way about me.

So what's my point? The point is that the maple leaf pin on the backpack is meaningless. We are despised as much as the US is. We are despised because of the principles that we pride ourselves on. We now live in a country where the values on which this country was built are not embraced by all our neighbours.

I guess that says alot about the people we are for welcoming the multitudes to a better life but even more about the type of people who come here and bring their hatred and wars with them to our shores.

RCMP make arrests for 'terrorist offences' in Ottawa

2010-08-25T16:36:00.000-04:00

RCMP make arrests for 'terrorist offences' in Ottawa

Note: The below is from the CBC.ca website:

The RCMP say they have arrested two Ottawa residents and expect to make more arrests for what they describe as "terrorist offences."

The RCMP's national security enforcement team arrested two people early Wednesday morning, and search warrants are being executed, the police force said in a news release.

No charges have yet been laid.

Police sources told the CBC that two men were arrested at a residence at 91 Esterlawn Private, near the intersection of Carling and Woodroffe avenues in the Carlingwood area. Police arrived at the home at about 6:45 a.m.

A third arrest was made in the Bayshore neighbourhood, about four kilometres west of Esterlawn Private, the CBC's Simon Gardner reported.

The first two people were arrested in connection with plans that were in the developing stages and had yet to be executed, police sources told the CBC.

No further details were provided. Charges are expected to be announced at a news conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon, police sources said.

Neighbours said a quiet couple of Middle Eastern descent lived in the Esterlawn townhouse with a small child or possibly two children, Gardner reported.

A spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews wouldn't comment on the investigation but issued a statement saying Canada remains "vigilant in protecting against threats."

"As Minister Toews has said, it is clear that Canada is not immune from international or homegrown radicalization," said spokesman Chris McCluskey.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2010/08/25/ottawa-rcmp-arrests.html#ixzz0xeUNFOOS

The Major Returns

2010-08-25T11:26:00.000-04:00

He's back - finally.

One year and 16 days after he left for Damascus, the Major came back to me yesterday. It was overwhelming. I saw him with his back to me at the luggage belt at Ottawa International and just stood there.

I must have been there for a few minutes just looking at him. It was surreal, like watching a movie. There but not part of it.

After my subconscious accepted that there he was, I ran as quickly as my feet (in four and a half inch high spiked heels) could take me. I couldn't say anything - nothing. Those who know me that of all my gifts and abilities silence is nowhere among them.

But silent I remained. Then I cried and shook and sat down on the edge of the luggage belt. Awash of emotions - so much to process. He was home.

Thank the gods he really and truly was right there in front of me and we were together in Canada.

Now it begins, the readjustment. We have gone through this process a few times before, but I don't think it gets any easier. I have carried on with running my life and my house just as I see fit. No one to consult as I was responsible for everything. His stuff, my stuff, our stuff - all the stuff that needs to be attended to while a soldier is away serving his country.

He comes back and he wants to be part of stuff again, maybe take over some, change things to suit him. For many military couples, this time is hellishly difficult. The one left behind feels resentment to having the soldier come back and "take over" and the one who returns resents not being able to feel like part of the family, the king of his castle has been dethroned.

Make no mistake, there is a reason why the military has one of the highest divorce rates of any profession.

Funny, it's not something that Veterans Affairs or the Department of National Defence seem to think about. Serve your country, lose your family. It happens but it's not a story that those in power like to talk about. They would rather show the happy family reunions and believe me, they are happy. Then reality sets in long after the PR spin stops.

Is it easy for me and the Major? No. Will we get through it? Yes, we have before already have gone through three other deployments, so the odds are good for us. But I think of 70% of soldiers whose marriages and relationships won't.

Responding to Racist Comments

2010-08-18T10:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday a regular reader of mine wrote the following in response to a blog I wrote about the Tamil boat people who recently docked in Vancouver:

"Canada is 'their' country now. I have fought a long time against this happening but most people didn't care or lift a finger. The biggest offenders are the business elites and power people who believe that immigration is good for them economically. What they don't see is the coming power shift that they cannot stop. This shift will overwhelm them and they may lose everything they have. There is nothing I can do but hope that the message gets through and they wake up? I don't want the white majority in this country to become a minority or else it will only be decades before all is lost."

Normally I respond in the comments section but truthfully, I spent the day with Mimy, the genius that ensures that my long black locks stay soft and luxurious. Anyway, when I got home I checked the comments section and found some really interesting contributions and then the above nonsense. I wanted to shine a very bright light on this type of darkness of thought that makes people think that conservatives are bigots.

Conservative ethics, values and philosophies are what I want for Canada and one's skin colour does not determine their values. So this guy says he doesn't want the white majority to become a minority. Let's be blunt - ethics, values and philosophies are a matter of character.
I know many conservatives of various races, a great variety of skin colours. They value democracy, free market economies, capitalism, small government, a free press and speech!

Are those values "white"? Or are they conservative/libertarian values?

If skin colour determines conservative values what the hell does that say about socialist hells like the Netherlands, Sweden or Great Britain? Wasn't Marx white? Core values may be influenced by the communities that we live in but they are by no means a function of ethnicity.

Conservatives who engage in discussions about someones skin colour as it pertains to values have no place amongst those of us with real conservative values. Real conservatives don't judge others by the colour of their skin, but rather the content of their character.

The media bias against conservatism is hard enough to counteract without having the idiots in our midst confirm all those inaccurate stereotypes that we fight against. Roust the bigots from our midst. Call them on their sh*t. Don't let them get away with it.

A small point of full disclosure - I am from a racially mixed family. Not everyone in my house growing up was white. I have seen racism in all its forms from the ugly obvious to the sinister subtle. I will not be silent when it crosses my path.

I do not judge people by their race, gender, age or sexual orientation - if it is genetic it doesn't enter into the equation as a person cannot control the building blocks of life. But any construct of man - ideology, philosophy or belief system will be held up to the light and exposed and examined for worthiness. The comments made on my blog yesterday is not worthy.

Even when it was the bears...

2010-08-17T09:02:00.000-04:00

There are an awful lot of lefties out there that are painting Conservatives as nothing more than cartoonish ignoramuses. This really frosts my flakes!

Myer Siemiatycki, a professor in immigration settlement studies at Ryerson University seems to be leading the charge. Anyone who voices concern over the boatload of illegals that moored this week in Vancouver basically gets labeled as bigoted, narrow minded and ignorant. And wait until you read what other lefties have to say on the matter.

I don't have a problem with immigrants, I just have a problem with ones that don't follow the rules to get here. As for refugees, I have no issue with providing a haven for those who need it. But I resent the accusation that I am some racist for being concerned about human trafficking and the idea that some very bad people may sneak in.

Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews is someone I trust to handle this properly. He seems to have a good handle on the situation and I really hope that there are no cabinet shuffles to remove him from his work on this issue.

It is going to cost Canadian taxpayers about seventy grand to deal with each of these people. That's over 34 million dollars! I am mad as hell that this much is being spent in times when Canadians are struggling to pay their taxes, their mortgages and their bills.

But here we are and we are just going to have to suck it up. For now, I'll just blame the bears.

Born to be bad not a Canadian

2010-08-16T10:30:00.000-04:00

Well, isn't this a tricky one. Born in Canada but not a citizen.

Actually it isn't. Citizenship for the self admitted criminal Deepan Budlakoti is not as cut and dry as he thinks it should be.

Mr. Budlakoti was born in Canada while his parents were working as household staff for the Indian High Commission. They weren't citizens, made no efforts at that time to become such and the Act is very clear - children born to those while serving in the diplomatic corps are not automatically granted citizenship.

A short time ago, the self admitted criminal was caught selling guns and now he is shocked that as a non citizen he is now finding himself facing deportation.

Some say he has worked hard to turn around his life - apparently he has a legitimate business that grossed almost a hundred grand last year. I guess that is why this upstanding guy was selling guns.

Don't ask, just watch

2010-08-13T09:23:00.000-04:00

I love this video clip! Hope you do too.

Remembering Bill

2010-08-12T08:35:00.000-04:00

This past Monday I went to Bill's funeral. I didn't know Bill. I met him once.

It was in 2007 at Thanksgiving. The Major (who at the time was The Captain) was deployed in Sudan and I was invited to join my future son-in-law's (hereafter referred to as The Boy) family for dinner. Bill was the brother of The Boy's mother.

Bill was a quiet man, well at least at dinner that night he was. He was polite and he had kind eyes. He was very much a part of this family and he was loved.

Bill died the week before last. He fell and died. Alone.

Once upon a time, Bill had a job and lived in a house like us. He had stuff and places to go. But Bill also had demons. Bill fought the bottle and sadly, the bottle often won. Bill lived his last years on the street, in shelters and assisted living.

I probably passed by Bill a thousand times, never making eye contact. That's what I do or rather don't do. I don't engage with panhandlers, the homeless - anyone on the street who isn't well - isn't... you know...

But going to Bill's funeral and listening to the people who loved him as they remembered him made me think about what place men and women like Bill have in my political philosophy.

I like to think that my philosophy is one that combines self reliance and opportunity with compassion. So how do I reconcile Bill? How do I help? Can I help?

And this brings to mind a couple of things. First, having dealt with addicts in my own family, I know that you can't help anyone who doesn't want it. Sometimes, there are no reasons for why people live the lives they do - that's just how they live them.

I don't know. It's sad.

The second thing that comes to mind is a story told by Ottawa Police Chief Vern White. One of his officers was patrolling around and was flagged down by a hooker who had a severe drug addiction. She begged him to help her. She wanted out of her life and she wanted to be clean. The officer drove to every rehab in the city in the middle of the night looking for a place, a bed to bring this woman. There was no place for her and early in the morning she was dropped off on a street corner.

There are a lot of problems that our government has to deal with and I don't envy them their task. So much to do and limited funds. I don't have the answers. Although I do wish there was a place in a rehab anytime someone stepped up and said they wanted help.

I know that Bill was loved. And that he will be missed. I didn't know him, but I will remember Bill.

Shelley Glover, please keep trying!

2010-08-11T10:12:00.000-04:00

According to the Ottawa Citizen airlines and travel agents are saying that MP Shelley Glover and the Conservative caucus are way off base about Canadians being worried about security because nobody is reporting any concerns to them.

I don't know about you, but I am not sharing with my travel agent my concerns about airport security! Why would I, she has nothing to do with security.

As for voicing concerns to airlines - while travelling. Yeah right! As if I am going to be branded a racist or trouble maker and prevented from getting on a plane. One time, I was en route back to Ottawa and was in Pearson and at a security check I was pulled over by Air Canada staff because I didn't look well. I was told that while I am not being forced to sit in this particular room, they wanted to make sure that I was well enough to travel. Basically, it was sit in the room or we won't let you board the plane. I had been up for 20 hours straight and had allergies.

These people wield their power in very schizophrenic way.

So can you imagine telling Air Canada staff that I don't like how they do their security screening?!? Ha! That would undoubtedly land me with a human rights suit because I have hurt someones feelings and probably refused boarding. Besides, it hasn't been my experience that airlines like to take accountability for their actions (or lack thereof).

No, I think on this matter will pay heed to MP Glover and thank her for taking some very much needed initiative! Travel agents are interested in selling and airlines are interested in profit margins.

Just who in the hell on the House of Commons Public Safety Committee Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security are more concerned with staying in their ridings for the summer rather than investigating the serious breach in air safety as demonstrated in this YouTube video:

Back in February I was in Syria and as I was leaving, while in line at the security check in Damascus a male security guard spoke to a woman ahead of me and it was apparent that he told her to remove her veil and head covering because she removed those items and she left them off until he spoke to her again. I saw similar incidents in Egypt and Israel.

Apparently asking a woman to unveil to show her face and the rest of her head is common practice in the middle east. But not here?

These are the members of the Committee

Chair - Garry Breitkreuz

Vice Chairs - Don Davies, Mark Holland

Members - Luc Desnoyers, Shelly Glover, Andrew Kania, Dave MacKenzie, Phil McColeman, Maria Mourani, Rick Norlock, Brent Rathgeber, Borys Wrzesnewskyj

Associate Members - Jim Abbott, Harold Albrecht, Mike Allen, Dean Allison, Rob Anders, David Anderson, Scott Armstrong, Claude Bachand, Leon Benoit, Maxime Bernier, James Bezan, Steven Blaney, Kelly Block, France Bonsant, Sylvie Boucher, Ray Boughen, Peter Braid, Gordon Brown, Lois Brown, Patrick Brown, Rod Bruinooge, Dona Cadman, Paul Calandra, Blaine Calkins, Ron Cannan, Colin Carrie, Rick Casson, Michael D. Chong, Olivia Chow, Rob Clarke, Joe Comartin, John Cummins, Patricia Davidson, Bob Dechert, Dean Del Mastro, Earl Dreeshen, John Duncan, Kirsty Duncan, Rick Dykstra, Ed Fast, Raymonde Folco, Judy Foote, Royal Galipeau, Cheryl Gallant, Bernard Généreux, Peter Goldring, Jacques Gourde, Nina Grewal, Jack Harris, Richard M. Harris, Laurie Hawn, Russ Hiebert, Randy Hoback, Candice Hoeppner, Ed Holder, Brian Jean, Randy Kamp, Gerald Keddy, Greg Kerr, Ed Komarnicki, Daryl Kramp, Mike Lake, Guy Lauzon, Pierre Lemieux, Ben Lobb, Tom Lukiwski, James Lunney, Inky Mark, Wayne Marston, Pat Martin, Irene Mathyssen, Colin Mayes, Cathy McLeod, Serge Ménard, Ted Menzies, Larry Miller, Brian Murphy, Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Deepak Obhrai, Robert Oliphant, LaVar Payne, Daniel Petit, Pierre Poilievre, Joe Preston, Bob Rae, James Rajotte, Scott Reid, Blake Richards, Lee Richardson, Greg Rickford, Andrew Saxton, Gary Ralph Schellenberger, Bev Shipley, Devinder Shory, Bill Siksay, Joy Smith, Kevin Sorenson, Bruce Stanton, Brian Storseth, David Sweet, Greg Francis Thompson, David Tilson, Brad Trost, Merv Tweed ,Tim Uppal, Dave Van Kesteren, Maurice Vellacott, Mike Wallace ,Mark Warawa, Chris Warkentin, Jeff Watson, John Weston, Rodney Weston, Alice Wong, Stephen Woodworth, Terence Young.

So, who from this list didn't want to cut short their summer vacation to convene a special meeting to investigate. To find out just send an email to the clerk of the Committee, Roger Prefontaine SECU@parl.gc.ca who will forward your concerns to these MPs.

I would like to know just who the lazy SOBs are out of this lot - don't you? Maybe the ones who resisted Shelley Glover's attempt to convene will be able to find work with the airlines once their political careers end.

Another brick in the wall, hey Ayatollah leave those kids alone

2010-08-09T08:11:00.000-04:00

Watch this classic rewritten to protest against the horrors of the regime in Iran.

Thank you to Blurred Vision for releasing this song. Let it become an anthem for freedom in Iran.

BTW - this band is Canadian!

Same old song and dance

2010-08-06T08:11:00.000-04:00

Same old song and dance

A fall election would really show the joke’s on the voters
By GERRY NICHOLLS, QMI Agency

Political pundits are predicting we may have a federal election as early as this fall.

At one time, this might have excited me.

After all, Canadian elections used to be thrilling little periods of time packed with uncertainty and surprises.

But not anymore. These days, federal elections are utterly predictable.

For instance, based on what happened in our previous couple of elections, here is what I predict will happen in the next one.

— Prime Minister Stephen Harper will tell Canadians to vote for him because he isn’t Michael Ignatieff.
— Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff will tell Canadians to vote for him because he isn’t Stephen Harper.
— The CBC will televise a leaders’ debate that will be about as edifying for voters as an episode of Real Housewives of Orange County.
— Green Party Leader Elizabeth May will traverse the country on a campaign bus propelled by windmills and at some point will dress up as a polar bear.
— Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe will diligently carry out his main political mission which, of course, is to annoy the heck out of English Canadians.
— Our TV screens will be filled with attack ads which will portray the Conservative leader as the son of Satan and the Liberal leader as a wimpy egghead. (Both leaders will then denounce the other’s use of negative ads.)
— NDP Leader Jack Layton will dust off his 1960s class-warfare rhetoric and do his best Hugo Chavez impersonation.
— The Conservatives will be on the verge of winning a majority until they figure out some imaginative way to screw it up.
— Our top political journalists will provide Canadians a detailed analysis of the election’s most pressing election issues, such as who is ahead in the latest poll and who made the funniest “gaffe.”

Then, when the political dust is settled and the election is over and millions of dollars have been spent, we will pretty much have what we have today — a minority Conservative government and a House of Commons packed with squabbling politicians.

This predictable outcome will then result in the following:
— The Liberals will tell themselves “Everything is fine. All we need is a new leader.”
— Canada’s left-wing establishment will urge the Liberals, NDP and Bloc to form a coalition and topple the Tories because the misguided people got it wrong again.
— The Bloc Quebecois will continue to denounce Canada while happily accepting Canadian tax dollars.
— The Green Party will vanish into oblivion until the next election.
— The Conservatives will celebrate by building an artificial lake in downtown Ottawa.

Mind you, some things about the next election are not predictable.

For instance, we don’t know if Stephen Harper will wear a turtleneck or a sweater vest in his campaign ads. Also, we have no idea if Michael Ignatieff will be provides as much comic relief in an election as he does the rest of the year.

So at least there is some suspense.

Anyway, the good news is we still have a month left of summer before any political shenanigans take place.

Enjoy the predictable peace while you can.

— Gerry Nicholls is a political writer and author of the book Loyal to the Core: Harper Me and the NCC, freedompress.ca

And you think Canadian human rights tribunals are crazy...

2010-07-27T11:41:00.000-04:00

Human rights commissions and tribunals are staffed by assorted wing nuts and nut jobs. It seems that the majority of cases brought to these pseudo courts are more about making some easy money and crocodile tears from hurt feelings.

It would appear that our neighbours to the south are having problems of their own with Human Rights Commissions. In Minnesota, they are interfering in a tradition that has been with us since the advent of the birth control pill!

That's right, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights has ruled that Ladies Night is strictly verboten! Apparently bars that discount cover charges and drinks to lure the ladies through their doors are guilty of gender discrimination!

What kind of man complains about Ladies Night to a Human Rights board? I`ll tell you - the kind that can`t can't get a phone number out of a single female in a room full of drunk women, much less get laid!

Losers!

Look, women accept the fact that we pay more to have a shirt dry cleaned, our hair cut and that insurance companies will cover the cost of Viagra but not birth control!

This whole thing is just silly. I need a drink.

Butt out

2010-07-26T09:54:00.000-04:00

It would appear that the anti-smoking lobby are at it again. It's not enough that they have managed to ban smoking in privately owned buildings that house businesses but now it seems that in Ottawa they are looking at banning smoking in outdoor public places!

Funny, Ottawa Health has no problem with handing out crack pipes (they call it the Safer Inhalation program - yes, Council voted it down, but the Health department still funnels money to third parties for crackheads) but heaven help anyone who just wants to smoke a cigarette in public.

Ironic isn't it?

I quite smoking January 30, 2008 - I had smoked for 17 years. I made the decision to quit after caring for my Father in the last weeks of his life. He died of lung cancer. I miss him very much and I think of him every single day. Watching this giant of a man that I adored and loved above all others waste away was painful. I understand the damage that smoking causes.

That being said, the anti smoking lobby are behaving in a manner that is far too fascist for me. Sure smoking is bad but guess what - so is butter and cream. How many people die of heart disease from high cholesterol? High fat dairy products are just plain irresponsible - at least if you use the anti smoking logic.

Sorry little Johnny, but no more ice cream for you. Butter, cheese, whipped cream, sour cream, yogurt - nothing except maybe skim milk but this is a national health crisis that is draining the public health resources. We must think of what is best for people!

And if dairy has got to go, then what about red meat, salt and hell, let's get rid of refined white flour that and anything else that contributes to poor health.

Where is the line drawn and who gets to draw it?

Now I just know some fascist anti smoker will say, but Tamara I don't get heart disease from being in the presence of someone who is fat. I say the good people at Harvard Medical School disagree! That's right, hanging around fat people (those most likely to have heart disease) will in fact make you fat as well.

So if you want to get into a pissing match with the whole "studies prove this", watch it - I have access to information too!

Just a little piece of historic trivia - Hitler was a non smoker vegetarian. I think that explains alot. Don't you?

Sins, repentance and redemption. A tale of two politicians.

2010-07-24T08:05:00.000-04:00

This is a story of two politicians - their stories follow a similar plot but the endings - oh, the endings are very different.

Our first hero is Maxime Bernier, a well liked fellow from a small town in Quebec. He came from solid Conservative roots - his father represented the riding! Attractive, charming and a rising star from the moment he entered caucus as an MP.

He was given a major portfolio and said a few things he shouldn't have (telling a foreign leader who he should appoint just doesn't play well in diplomatic circles). But that furor was being managed. And that's when it happened. The real scandal. It had been discovered that Bernier had left very important documents at his girlfriend's place. Not good, especially since she was a beautiful woman with a past.

I have heard it said that the bit of info was leaked by aforementioned girlfriend who was rather miffed about the break up. I don't know if this was hill gossip or if it's true. What I do know is that Mr. Bernier had his entire character come into question over his choice in women. I think this whole incident would not have gotten so much press had it not been for the fact that Bernier's ex was very photogenic, had extremely large breasts and a past that included some very unsavoury characters. Very Hollywood tabloid!

But instead of denials and making excuses Bernier offers his mea culpas and resignation. With great humility he retreats from the spotlight, keeps his head down and works his ass off to represent his riding. His grace during this time proves that he is truly repentant for his sins. Time marches on and now Bernier is out and about and poised to once again move into a place of responsibility and prominence.

Then there is Helena Guergis who is from a small town in Ontario. She comes from a family who are very active politically - assorted mayors and municipal councillors. Like Bernier, she rose up relatively fast in the caucus once she was elected. Another bright and shining star. Again like Bernier she made a mistake - she behaved in a very unministerial manner at an airport and then a staffer sent a most unfortunate letter to a media outlet. It got all very unpleasant but Guergis was weathering this storm.

And then her real scandal came hot on the heels of the lesser missteps. It was leaked to the press that her husband - a man who seems to have issues with driving, things that he may or may not put into his body for purely deleterious effects was using his wife's office to conduct/elevate his business in the eyes of his potential clients. Again, a politician who chose a partner who was not, hmmm, how shall we say - like Caesar's wife.

Unlike Bernier, Guergis showed no remorse in the potential scandal, she proclaimed loudly her innocence and became quite - well - insistent that she did nothing wrong. And while she may have done nothing wrong criminally by allowing her husband to use her office showed poor, very poor judgement.

No remorse, no repentance and without those she will find no redemption.

If Guergis had good grace (and good sense) she should have immediately resigned, apologized and moved into the background - quietly! She didn't and consequently is now out of caucus, out of the party and out of time.

At least Harper's time, which he doesn't seem to be giving to her in any way shape or form. And I don't blame him - there seems to be a history of entitlement there. I seriously doubt that she is worth the trouble to him.

After comments recently made by Ralph Goodale, my spidey senses are telling me that they are eying Guergis and her riding. Can you imagine Ralph defending Helena's honour? He did! And now Guergis is telling reporters that she is a solid Conservative and if she can't run under the blue banner she will run as an independent.

Should be somewhat amusing to watch although really, go home Helena. Resign your seat and take care of your baby. Leave this stress behind, we all know it's not good for the new one.

So there you have it, the story of two rising star MPs who make mistakes with a lover central to each scandal. One politician accepts responsibility for their actions and the other doesn`t. One finds renewal and the other - well, the other doesn`t.

But like all stories there is a moral here. Admit when you`re wrong, accept the consequences of your actions and be willing to make amends. Be humble, be grateful. Work hard and most important - keep your fool mouth shut.