Katrina: Hugo Chavez offers aid and insults

Nuts to both.

Katrina: German Minister of the Environment doesn't understand why people are upset

Germany's Minister of the Environment, Jürgen Trittin of the Green Party, doesn't understand why people are upset over what he said:

By neglecting environmental protection, America’s president shuts his eyes to the economic and human damage that natural catastrophes like Katrina inflict on his country and the world’s economy. ... [M]any Americans have long been unwilling to follow the president’s errant environmental policy. Indications are multiplying that Bush has more than Katrina’s headwind blowing in his face... When reason finally pays a visit to climate-polluter headquarters, the international community has to be prepared to hand America a worked out proposal for the future of international climate protection. The German Government stands ready.

It's America's fault. So what else is new?

Katrina: Move the refugees out to sea?

They're considering the idea.

Katrina: Canada steps up to provide help

From the Government of Canada:

The Deputy Prime Minister added that she has contacted U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and advised him that Canada stands ready to provide assistance if needed. In addition, the Minister of Health, Ujjal Dosanjh, has directed the Public Health Agency of Canada to contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and offer any assistance that may be helpful, such as emergency medical supplies contained in the National Emergency Stockpile System.

And from the Leader of the Opposition, Stephen Harper:

Conservative Leader and Leader of the Opposition Stephen Harper issued the following statement today:

“On behalf of the Conservative Party of Canada I would like to express our sympathy to all the victims and their families of Hurricane Katrina. As my wife Laureen and I watched news reports of the disaster with our children we were shocked by the magnitude of their loss.

As Leader of the Opposition, I extend our support and offer of any assistance that we can provide. Natural disasters such as this remind us that when our close friends and neighbours are in trouble we, as Canadians, are always ready to help out.”

Normally, I would say that such an offer would be appreciated, but politely declined. But the scale of the devastation makes me wonder if maybe this time the Americans might take us up on it.

Whatever the US decides to do, it's nice to know that maybe, just maybe, Canadians have grown up a bit and become ever so slightly less smug, compared to the way we were back in 1973.

For those who are interested, some details about the National Emergency Stockpile System:

The NESS contains everything that you would expect to find in a hospital, from beds and blankets to a supply of pharmaceuticals and a range of antibiotics. It includes 165 "field hospitals", or mobile hospitals, with 200 beds in each. These are positioned throughout the country. The units can be deployed on short notice (within 24 hours) to be set up in existing buildings such as schools and community centres.

[Other international reaction.]

Katrina: German minister blames George W Bush

A reader points me to this startling bit of news. Apparently blaming George W Bush for Acts of God is German government policy.

small dead animals

Kate at small dead animals informs me that because of server problems, her blog is down.

Katrina: Some lessons that shouldn't be learned

The events in New Orleans might be instructive to emergency planners and city engineers. But there might be lessons that we would hope that some people won't learn.

Cindy Sheehan: Martin Sheen's tenuous grasp of Irish history

Martin Sheen congratulated Cindy Sheehan on her vigil, and evoked some bits of Irish history and tradition. My own cursory examination of Irish traditions failed to reveal the specifics of what he was talking about. Now a far better educated student of history casts doubts too.

Cindy Sheehan: Waning interest

Cindy Sheehan continues to lose the grip on the media, both in terms of sheer coverage and in sympathy.

Khaled Mouammar: Palestinian Activism and the Immigration Board

News today of a complaint filed against York Regional Police Services Chief Armand LaBarge, who went on a tour to Israel to study anti-terrorism and law-enforcement strategies:

Tomorrow, Khaled Mouammar and a few other members of the Arab community will ask the York Regional Police Services Board to publicly apologize for approving Chief LaBarge's week-long trip to Israel in March.

''Chief LaBarge's visit to Israel will definitely reinforce the stereotype of Arabs and Muslims as terrorists,'' he wrote in a letter to David Barrow, chairman of the board.

To be fair to the chief, it is Arabs and Muslims blowing themselves and the people around them to smithereens that reinforces the stereotype.

But then Khaled Mouammar and his whole family are quite engaged in the Palestinian cause. Violently so, on occassion.

That is not to say that they don't also work in Canada's interests. Khaled and wife Mary serve, or have served, on the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, making decisions about who is a legitimate refugee claimant, and who might be trying to take advantage of the refugee system for their own ends, like Fatah or Hezbollah members looking to set up shop in Canada.

Al Sharpton: Driver is arrrested -- repercussions

News from Texas that, as they were racing back to the airport after leaving Camp Casey (why the rush?), Al Sharpton's car was pulled over for speeding. The story gets more complicated, and then more complicated again the deeper you look.

Katrina: Prayers

A prayer for Mary and her little charges.

Katrina: Spending too much time on it

According to this Canadian blogger, bloggers north of the border are spending too much time on Katrina:

Blogs are the new media and are different than the "tired old media". If that's the case, then why is every fucking blogger in Canada wasting so much time covering a bloody storm in the US just like that supposed "tired old media"?

Right then.

I'll erase my earlier posts and replace them with this one:

New Orleans: Rain is forecast

I guess that's plenty. I mean, it's only Americans, after all. Not like it matters. Good Canadians (socialists all) shouldn't care about the cost of gas anyway -- we're all riding bikes to help reach our Kyoto goals, right?

[Readers of Michelle Malkin wondered "how this hurricane is being covered throughout the world". Well, here's one answer -- too much!]

Cindy Sheehan: Theology lesson from Martin Sheen

Martin Sheen's visit to Camp Casey was complete with Roman Catholic dignity as he led the crowd in the recitation of the Rosary.

Of course, Sheen and the Gold Star Families for Peace managed to politicize the Rosary.

I wonder if either Martin Sheen or Cindy Sheehan, alleged Catholics, even know what the Rosary is for.

So what the heck, I'll take a moment to explain what the Rosary is really about.

Cindy Sheehan: Martin Sheen's Irish traditions

Martin Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlett in the NBC drama "The West Wing", came to Camp Casey and regaled the crowd with a speech invoking a centuries-old Irish tradition.

Problem is, I'm not sure what tradition he's talking about.

Katrina: Idiocy on the left

From some idiot:

If 3,000+ people die because of this hurricane, do you think Shrub [President George W Bush] will declare "A War on Hurricanes" and declare himself "The Weather President?"

No he won't because he's not as stunningly as stupid as you appear to be for for making such a remark:

The tide came in, just as it always did. The water rose higher and higher. It came up around the king's chair, and wet not only his feet, but also his robe. His officers stood before him, alarmed, and wondering whether he was not mad.

"Well, my friends," Canute said, "it seems I do not have quite so much power as you would have me believe. Perhaps you have learned something today. Perhaps now you will remember there is only one King who is all-powerful, and it is he who rules the sea, and holds the ocean in the hollow of his hand. I suggest you reserve your praises for him."

The royal officers and courtiers hung their heads and looked foolish. And some say Canute took off his crown soon afterward, and never wore it again.

So to every dim bulb out there who thinks to blame George W Bush somehow, or thinks he's not doing enough, or that he could have limited the damage somehow, or that if only it wasn't for the War in Iraq, or whatever, there are limits to what he can do, and I suspect that as a man of faith, like King Canute, George Bush knows that far better than many of his fans and most of his detractors.

(Hat tip to Michelle Malkin)

Katrina: The damage to the Louisiana Superdome

Wow.

Gay priests to be rooted out and removed

Word is that the Pope is about to sign off on a document that will ban homosexuals from the priesthood, and identify homosexuals already serving and removing them.

How long before a homosexual priest in Canada decides to sue for his job?

Katrina: Foreign help and remembering Gordon Sinclair

Michelle Malkin echoes the thoughts of many readers who wonder if foreign countries are likely to offer much in the way of help to the United States as New Orleans is lashed by Hurricane Katrina. Thirty-two years ago, the great Canadian Gordon Sinclair ranted about that point exactly.

Katrina vs Cindy Sheehan: The moth picks the wrong flame

Al Sharpton is guaranteed to flutter moth-like to any event where he is likely to have his picture taken.

I guess he picked wrong today. With Katrina hitting New Orleans, and Cindy Sheehan losing steam, it looks like Reverend Al would have done better to have gone to a New Orleans shelter to help with relief efforts than to hang around with Cindy Sheehan and her increasingly tiresome grief show.

Actually, if Reverend Al had gone to New Orleans and helped with setting up a shelter as the storm approached, he would have earned a measure of respect from me, even if he was motivated by a desire to be in the public eye.

He is sometimes called a "media savvy buffoon" by his detractors who grudgingly concede his ability to play the media. Today he's just a buffoon.

Katrina: An opportunity for environmentalists using Kelo

One potential aftermath of Hurricane Katrina might be an attempt to remove private homeowners from shorelines, a long-time goal of many environmentalists, using the Kelo decision as legal cover.

Cindy Sheehan: Losing fans

Is Hurricane Cindy losing intensity as it makes landfall at the shorelines of reality? This one-time supporter thinks so.

Dick Cheney: "A sick man"

New York State Representative Charles Rangel, who said the war in Iraq was "as bad as the Holocaust" and tried to re-introduce the draft, has added medical doctor to his resume, along with professor of comparative history and military recruitment expert, diagnosing the vice-president, Dick Cheney, on the basis of the vice-president's voice.

Katrina: The USCG rescues idiots

As much as you might seriously think idiots like these deserve to become fish food, the men and women of the US Coast Guard step in and do their jobs, giving these fools another chance to endanger themselves and others when the next big storm comes:

Thirteen surfers had to be pulled to safety Sunday after becoming fatigued in 15-foot seas created by Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Troy Davis said the rip tides were strong and most of the rescues were 400 to 500 yards off Quintana Beach, about 60 miles south of Houston on the Gulf of Mexico.

Sunday evening, nearby Surfside Beach closed the Surfside jetties that are used by many surfers as a launching point.

Maybe lawmakers should consider making people financially liable for the cost of a rescue under circumstances like these.

Katrina: What stands to be lost

First and foremost, the lives of the people in the path of the storm are the prime concern. But I looked over what else is located in New Orleans, and what losses might be suffered if Katrina hits the city as hard as many people believe it will.

Katrina: National Weather Service Warning

Hat tip to Wizbang, this stunning warning from the National Weather Service. Honestly, it reads like the description of a 70s disaster movie.

Katrina: Remembering Hazel

My parents told me stories about the night Hurricane Hazel struck Toronto in 1954.

Katrina: Apocalyptic predictions

That word, "apocalyptic", gets tossed around a lot, but this time it makes sense:

When Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans on Monday, it could turn one of America's most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released by floodwaters from the city's legendary cemeteries.

With top winds of 165 mph and the power to lift sea level by as much as 28 feet above normal, the storm threatened an environmental disaster of biblical proportions, one that could leave more than 1 million people homeless.

The center's latest computer simulations indicate that by Tuesday, vast swaths of New Orleans could be under water up to 30 feet deep. In the French Quarter, the water could reach 20 feet, easily submerging the district's iconic cast-iron balconies and bars.

Estimates predict that 60% to 80% of the city's houses will be destroyed by wind. With the flood damage, most of the people who live in and around New Orleans could be homeless.

"We're talking about in essence having, in the continental United States, having a refugee camp of a million people," van Heerden said.

Katrina: Just how low is New Orleans?

While we wait, I checked an elevations chart. Only Death Valley in California is lower in elevation than New Orleans.

Katrina: Live ongoing coverage from WDSU

Live ongoing coverage from WDSU TV in New Orleans.

It's 4:52pm Eastern, and the news is not good. The uncertainty in the storm's future track is shrinking, and Katrina is still making a bee-line for the city.

"If you are in the viewing area, you are going to be hard hit. If you are not one the road right now, your window of opportunity is almost gone. You've got a few minutes left to leave."

And here are the live webcams from the Port of New Orleans (for as long they stay up).

(Hat tip to Wonder Woman)

Feeling special...not!

Shelia Copps has some less than glowing comments about Paul Martin and how he handled the Michaelle Jean affair. Read the whole thing in the Montreal Gazette. But I found this bit, concerning how badly Paul Martin is polling in Quebec, particularly interesting:

David Herle, Martin's key political strategist, told the Liberal caucus last week in Regina that the Liberals could win a majority government victory without making any gains in Quebec.

Martin quickly tempered that proposal by saying his party had every intention of winning in his home province of Quebec and would put all his efforts toward gaining seats in the province.

All his efforts? All his efforts?!

The other nine provinces are what? Chopped liver?

Maybe if we all pretend to be from Quebec, someone in the Liberal Party will expend effort to earn our seats.

Terrorism: Another training camp in the US -- targeting grade school kids

A disturbing story about what exactly is being taught to Muslim children in this school in California. Makes the fight over "intelligent design" as a schooling issue seem trivial by comparison.

Katrina: A quick primer on the geography of New Orleans

Like most Canadians, I only have a passing sense of the geography of New Orleans.

I decided to do a quick bit of research, just to understand better what is happening as Hurricane Katrina approaches.

Here is a map of New Orleans and the surrounding area:

As you can see, New Orleans actually faces north towards Lake Pontchartrain. As many people know, much of the city is below sea level, or below the level of the Mississippi, kept dry by levees and pumps. If (and when) the system fails, the city will be flooded with a combination of water and sewage.

That'll be nasty for buildings left standing. Remember that New Orleans is an old city, and many of the most famous sites are structures over three centuries old.

The main evacutation route is I-10. To go north-east, you have to traverse a causeway.

Though New Orleans is the major focus of the coverage, no doubt there is a lot of concern for the people and property in the outlying communities such of those on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico (Phoenex, Port Sulphur, Shell Beach, etc).

The following is a Landsat-7 natural colour shot of the area in the red circle. You can see the Mississippi meandering through the city. When it floods, the effects will be severe:

Here's an idea of what might be affected when the river floods. Note the levee bike path that runs along the river on the west side of the map. See how the famous French Quarter lies right against the river:

I'll keep an eye out for more maps after the storm comes.

Katrina: Evacuation Question

A question for readers who have ever been in an evacuation, or better yet, those who work for emergency services and have ever had to help with an evacuation.

Here is a picture from CNN from yesterday. New Orleans is preparing for the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina (now a category 5 storm). A large-scale evacuation is underway:

Fox News Channel is carrying a similar live shot, the only difference that there is no inbound traffic at all.

My question is simple: Why doesn't the highway patrol designate one or more inbound lanes as outbound? Some cones, some temporary signage, some traffic control officers, lots of media spots ("Remember that on interstate such-and-such, three inbound lanes are now outbound all the way to exit this-and-that").

I'm sure there's a good reason.

London Bombings: Ken Livingstone blames the USA and supports suicide bombers

Does the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, support suicide bombers who target and kill Americans? Well, the mayor supports a cleric who yesterday made it clear that he supports them, so...yes he does.

CAIR and CAIR-CAN: Peddling old discredited news

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the United States, and the Canadian branch. CAIR-CAN, is an advocacy group focusing on Islamic issues.

Part of fulfilling that mission is tracking media stories of importance to Muslims. Apparently, they don't do all that good a job of it.

Anti-War protests at Walter Reed Army Medical Center

From CNSNews:

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the current home of hundreds of wounded veterans from the war in Iraq, has been the target of weekly anti-war demonstrations since March. The protesters hold signs that read "Maimed for Lies" and "Enlist here and die for Halliburton."

The anti-war demonstrators, who obtain their protest permits from the Washington, D.C., police department, position themselves directly in front of the main entrance to the Army Medical Center, which is located in northwest D.C., about five miles from the White House.

Among the props used by the protesters are mock caskets, lined up on the sidewalk to represent the death toll in Iraq.

Code Pink Women for Peace, one of the groups backing anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan's vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Crawford Texas, organizes the protests at Walter Reed as well.

I've got two questions.

First, if Casey Sheehan had been wounded instead of killed, would Cindy Sheehan support having people chant "George Bush kills American soldiers" under Casey's window while he was trying to recuperate?

Second, for consistency's sake, should the protesters apply the chickenhawk rule to themselves? Perhaps only people who have fought and been wounded in combat should be allowed to carry placards reading "Maimed for Lies" and wave them in front of family members coming to the hospital to visit loved ones.

(Hat tip Michelle Malkin)

Crawford Counter Protest: Just how big is this thing going to get?

This story is about to take a turn. Counter protesters: 3000 and counting.

I guess a lot of people were listening very carefully to Cindy Sheehan's message.

Updated for 4:20pm.

Dancing jerks

From WorldNetDaily (and still making the rounds on the internet chat rooms even though it happened two weeks ago):

A California man dubbed a "Satanist" on an online message board has posted photos of himself dancing on President Ronald Reagan's grave, raising the ire of the former chief executive's admirers.

"[T]he original plan called for the Electric Slide, and then humping the ground, and then whatever else I could get away with, but security was stricter than we had anticipated."

The post is signed "Monte."

Monte's antics are delighting many, earning Monte high praise:

There is no way I can top this Ruthlessness without raping a nun, and posting the video on the board.

I nominate this jackass for a free Ruthless shirt and a free hooker. He should also be made into a Ruthless banner and a link to this should be posted on the main site.

Words fail me, so I'll turn to the Great Communicator:

Monte can thank Ronald Reagan for the ennobling freedoms he enjoys.

Cindy Sheehan: Casey Sheehan and the UCMJ

Cindy Sheehan's missive today takes a legalistic turn. She brings up Casey Sheehan's oath as a soldier, or tries to, and tries to use it as a club to strike at the President and the War on Terror.

Free Speech: Can the Washington Post get anything right?

In response to this story about a student newspaper getting fooled, I pointed out that with the poor example of journalism in the main stream media, I could hardly blame these students for doing such a lousy job. I called out the Washington Post in particular.

Reading this story, it appears that I grabbed exactly the right example. The Washinton Post engages is a another case of dowdification.

Cindy Sheehan: Tom DeLay takes a page from the president's playbook

From Yahoo:

Iraq war protester Cindy Sheehan, whose vigil near President George W. Bush's Texas ranch has become a symbol for the anti-war movement, said on Friday she plans to focus on Congress, starting with Bush close ally and fellow Texan House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

"I think our first stop might be Tom DeLay's office," she said, surrounded by supporters. "I just wanted to let him know so he'll be in his office when we get there."

"The president is not going to meet with us, probably," Sheehan said. "We the people need to influence our congressional representatives and I hear he's pretty close by," referring to DeLay.

Well, so much for holding out until the president meets with her. The president has shown that he won't succumb to emotional blackmail. That lesson seems to have been taken to heart:

A spokeswoman for DeLay said his schedule was already set and did not plan to change it to meet with Sheehan.

Ouch! Will this degenerate into a farce? Cindy Sheehan and her bus driving from empty district office to empty district office...

Fort Qualls: The crosses are going up there, too

So what's the difference between the crosses at Camp Casey and the crosses at Fort Qualls?

Those at “Camp Qualls” have their own unique version of the memorial crosses erected by the anti-Bush war protesters over at “Camp Casey” and “Camp Casey II.” Rather than presuming to speak for the families of the fallen, those at “Camp Qualls” are letting the families themselves give permission to erect memorials in honor of their fallen sons and daughters.

Some parents themselves have personally arrived to plant the crosses.

Now I wonder if someone has thought to suggest that for every cross that goes up at Fort Qualls, a cross with the same name at Camp Casey, should it be there, ought to be immediately and quietly removed. Stands to reason...

news and politics

I won't blame these students for falling for this sick hoax

Michelle Malkin links a story from Carbondale, Illinois:

For two years, Carbondale residents have been riveted by the writing of a little girl imploring her father in Iraq: "Don't die, OK?"

The Daily Egyptian, Southern Illinois University's student-run newspaper, today will admit to its readers that the saga - of a little girl's published letters to her father serving in Iraq - was apparently an elaborate hoax perpetrated by a woman who claimed to be the girl's aunt.

"We're always talking about skepticism and basic fact-checking," said [Lance Speere, former faculty adviser and now general manager for the newspaper], who noted how taken the staff had been with the little girl. "Leading with your heart can make you blind."

Geez. But this is not about some student newspaper. This is about the pros at the Washington Post and others who have been telling the Cindy Sheehan story for weeks, even as bloggers had long since been unearthing her radical comments, her anti-Israel rants, her off-the-wall conspiracy theories about how bin Laden was allegedly responsible for 9/11, the inconsistencies in her stories about her family life, or her relationship with Casey Sheehan.

Yours truly has been doing this non-stop for over two weeks.

But they would rather continue to tell the compelling story of a grieving mother (and show new pictures from her daily grief show) instead of using their skepticism and asking some harsh questions.

Talk about leading with your heart.

Did these students screw up? Big time. Do I blame them? Hell no. Look at the lousy examples they have to follow.

[Wizbang has more links.]

Cindy Sheehan: The organized outpouring of emotion

A San Francisco ABC affiliate has an interesting story about the money flowing into, and out of, Camp Casey.

Cindy Sheehan: Two views of Casey

Cindy Sheehan insists that she knew her son. Really.

Same-Sex Marriage: One complaint against Bishop Henry dropped, one to go

Calgary Bishop Fred Henry, facing two complaints lodged with the Alberta Human Rights Commission for public statements made in opposition of same-sex marriage, has dodged one bullet. But then it turns out that person was never really aiming at the bishop. What about that second shot?

I guess this means transporters are down, too

From CTV:

A major geomagnetic storm washed over Canada early Wednesday and a second smaller event was forecast for early Thursday, providing a light show for sky watchers and potential headaches for satellite companies.

"It's up at the high end, this one -- this is up in the major storm category," said David Boteler, a scientist with Natural Resources Canada.

A large sun spot Monday afternoon sent a wave of electrons and protons screaming through space at 1,644 kilometres a second -- four to five times the usual speed.

In March 1989, a severe geomagnetic storm knocked out Quebec Hydro's grid from James Bay to Montreal, cutting power to almost six million people.

In 1994, a similar storm destroyed circuits in the $296-million Anik E-1 satellite, disrupting Canadian TV, radio and data transmissions.

Two years later, yet another geomagnetic storm affecting American satellites caused a massive break in pager service in the United States. And in 2003, a storm briefly cut power to 20,000 people in Sweden.

Apparently the storms are unusual:

Overall sun spot activity is in decline, on the downswing of an 11-year cycle. But that hasn't stopped what Boteler describes as "almost rogue storms" that have washed the Earth in the past two years.

"These very large ones are rather unpredictable," said the scientist.

It's probably happening because we don't recycle enough. Or eat too much red meat. Or greenhouse gases -- yup, something to do with greenhouse gases.

And it's George W Bush's fault for cutting the US loose from Kyoto...somehow.

Whatever. As long as it doesn't screw up my TV tonight.

Cindy Sheehan: The MSM starts to catch up

Thanks to the The Phantom, this column from FrontPage:

Sigmund Freud had a concept he called “projection, which has been defined as a defense where the ego deals with unacceptable impulses and/or terrifying anxieties by attributing them to someone in the external world.

In many ways I think that explains the behavior of the media’s current patron saint, Cindy Sheehan, whose hate rhetoric aimed at President Bush is really meant for someone else who she can’t admit even to herself is her real target. To do so would represent one of those “unacceptable impulses” Dr. Freud was talking about.

In this case it could well be that Cindy Sheehan is projecting her rage at George Bush when the one she really despises is her late son Casey, who died as a hero in Iraq, precisely because he did die a hero in Iraq.

That startling conclusion is the one I cam to all the way pack on August 8, in one of my first posts on the topic of Cindy Sheehan:

She can't be angry at her dead son, so she gets angry at the President. An acceptable target? Of course, judging from the vitriolic postings at places like Daily Kos. A patriotic family would have had all sorts of concerns about targeting the president, but Cindy Sheehan reads the vile comparisons of Bush to Hitler, or Bush to a chimpanzee, and the threats to impeach, to arrest, to harm or kill the president (carefully veiled, of course).

Now she can blame the President for her son's death, instead of blaming her son for making an adult decision in time of war, or even more troubling, blaming herself for raising a son who would hear the call and serve with distinction.

Cindy Sheehan is a troubled woman.

Part of me snorts in derision in this insightful article my Michael Reagan, coming three weeks late. But putting that aside, the MSM is starting more and more to confront concerns that have been voiced in this blog and in others about Cindy Sheehan's stability and her motivations.

It was only a matter of time.

Cindy Sheehan: Hooked on a feeling

A feeling of power, I think. Why else would she vow that Camp Casey would never close up shop? And why in a speech that runs three pages and two-thousand words, she never once mentions meeting with the President?

An act of foolhardy bravery? Not by me

From skynews (via NealeNews):

A new claim that men are more intelligent than women is poised to reignite controversy about the difference between the sexes.

Research to be published later this year argues that men's IQs are on average five points higher than those of women.

The scientists who conducted the study say this is why men are more likely to win Nobel prizes and gain other major academic distinctions.

Looked at from a population perspective, it meant there were three men to each woman with an IQ above 130, and 5.5 men for each woman with an IQ above 145.

See Angry.

See Angry with a ten-foot pole.

See Angry drop the pole and run in the opposite direction from this story.

Michaelle Jean: A question of semantics

Michaelle Jean, former Quebec sovereigntist (probably), now "committed" Canadian (maybe), and next Governor General (sadly), might be one of many things:

• She might be a defector. A defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one cause in exchange for allegiance to another. In this case, she can be written up in news reports as "Defector from the sovereignty cause, Governor General Michaelle Jean, said today..." On the other hand, "Governor General Michaelle Jean abandoned Rideau Hall today and drove herself over into Hull, Quebec, in order to announce her defection to the new independent Quebec..."


• She might be a traitor. A traitor is someone who betrays the nation of their citizenship and/or reneges on an oath of loyalty and in some way willfully cooperates with an enemy. In this case, she can be written up in news reports as "Traitor to the sovereignty cause, Governor General Michaelle Jean, said today..." But then she might one day be written up in an entirely different way, "In the latest news of the ongoing Quebec secession crisis, defector from the sovereignty cause Governor General Michaelle Jean revealed herself to be a traitor to her oath by declaring that..."


• She might be a spy. A spy secretly reports on a target organization on behalf of a controlling organization. We might have news reports that read "Governor General Michaelle Jean admitted to being a spy for CSIS during the 1990s when she secretly taped conversations with key sovereigntists..." On the other hand, we might have to read something different one day, "Former Governor General Michaelle Jean revealed herself to be a spy for the Parti Quebecois during her tenure at Rideau Hall..."


• She might be a double agent. A double agent pretends to spy on a target organization on behalf of a controlling organization, but in fact is loyal to the target organization. We might have news reports that read "Governor General Michaelle Jean admitted to being a double agent for the Parti Quebecois during the 1990s when she pretended to work for CSIS, revealing details of CSIS plans to the sovereigntists..." On the other hand, we might have to read something different one day, "Former Governor General Michaelle Jean revealed herself to be a double agent for CSIS during her tenure at Rideau Hall, which at the time was racked with ongoing allegations of sovereigntist support..."

Or Paul Martin can withdraw her nomination and submit a new one, and we'll never have to hear about Michaelle Jean ever again.

Fine by me.

More and more people would agree:

Decima Research found that support for the appointment by Prime Minister Paul Martin plunged more than 20 percentage points - from 59 per cent to 38 per cent - during a two-week period earlier this month. Between the two polls, Jean and her husband, Quebec film-maker Jean-Daniel Lafond, were compelled to publicly affirm their loyalty to Canada following allegations they were once known in Quebec cultural circles as sovereigntists.

The latest survey of 1,028 Canadians, conducted through last weekend, found that those who were unsure about Jean's appointment climbed to 39 per cent from 25 per cent, while those who were decidedly unfavourable jumped to 22 per cent from 16 per cent.

The New Look [Update]

As with all changes, some people will like it, and some will loathe it. I've reworked the look of Angry in the Great White North yet again.

Among the changes:

• Whole new colour scheme, based on muted greys and whites, with the only colour (outside of ads and link buttons) being the new beaver icon.


• Better contrast with the use of boxes.


• Hopefully copy-and-paste within comments works properly now.


• Removed the expandable boxes -- all links are visible.


• Reduced the ads by a smallish amount.


• Removed some side-bar boxes that were just noise.


• Weekly and category archives currently disabled. I need to rework those templates.

Why now? I had planned to do this on the weekend, but since the MuNu problems completely slaughtered my traffic for today, I figured I could get it out now with minimal disruption. Seems to have worked out well enough.

Let me know what you think. All comments are welcome, but know that I'm not likely to go back (I do have the files backed up if necessary) and that I like the new look, so I will be mostly open to considering smallish changes.

Update: Looks like more trouble in MuNu land. Things seem to be up for now, but that might change. Apparently the other drive is experiencing the same problems seen by the first drive that crashed and brought us down for 24 hours. Trackbacks are off, and apparently comments as well.

Other issues: When I press the "Search" button, I get PayPal. D'oh! I can't fix it right now because I can't see any of the MT templates. Which is another problem. Double d'oh!

Comments were still not quite right. I might switch back to the inline commenting I was using before. When I can see the templates, that is.

Some minor irritants that I have seen but you might not have noticed. Will be working those soon.

Re-enable archives.

Update: Another problem at MuNu trashed my brand new templates! But the admin was able to get 90% of them restored. Whew!

Turns out Searches have been disabled by the administrator, as well as trackbacks, pending resolution of the resource issue plaguing MuNu. I've taken the search box component out of the blog.

Still no resolution on the comment memory issue -- seems to work on certain screens.

By the way, for those who have noted a slowdown, it seems to be further server issues. The template has not gotten "feature rich" overnight.

Archives are re-enabled and the templates seem to be working. Some of those minor things you don't know about sorted out. Still need to look at comments.

Discontent with Air America

Since we don't get Air America in the Toronto area (as best as I can tell), I don't say much about it. I leave it to the experts like Michelle Malkin and Brian Maloney.

But I came across an interesting post at Democratic Underground.

Cindy Sheehan: A call to review her tax-exempt status

US tax laws concerning tax-exempt non-profit organizations are very strict. Is Gold Star Families for Peace skirting the edge, or has the group jumped way over the line? Maybe the IRS should ask some questions.

I'm back -- and with a new address

Well, as some people might have noticed, the MuNu server was blasted (combination of a DoS/spam attack and a flaky drive that collapsed under the assault), so I've been off for essentially 24 hours.

Good news is that all seems to be up and running.

Other news: I'm still hosted on MuNu (Pixy Misa, the admin, has done amazing work to get things back) but I've registered a new domain name (using tip and advertising money).

You can now get to my blog via www.agwnblog.com (my new email address is agwnblog@gmail.com)

The old address (for the site and for emails) will continue to work.

I'm hoping that the site address will be easier to remember than the MuNu address, and the new email address is sure easier to type (the old one has three dots before the @ sign -- what was I thinking?!). Stay tuned for a new look to be unveiled on the weekend.

As for the downtime, I've used it to take a break from blogging, so no backlog to catch up on -- sorry for people hoping for a bunch of new articles. Be assured I'll ramp up over the next few hours and all new posts will be the order of the day starting soon.

The last post I got up before everything went dead had to do with the story behind the story at Timken High. Look it over for an example of what the main stream media could do if they decided to actually research a story instead of just printing press releases. You might not like my conclusions, but you have to admit, the information is interesting.

Thanks to Michelle Malkin who helped let everyone know what was going on.

Problems at Timken High

There is a rash of teen pregnancies at this Ohio high school. Let's look at the details not captured in the short media report.

Blog News: New email address

As part of a migration plan, I've set up a new email address at agwnblog@gmail.com. Emails sent to the old address will be forwarded the new address.

Helen Thomas: A symbol of what is wrong with the media today

I know what you're thinking. Helen Thomas, is she still alive?

Gas Prices: Paul Martin is right

Stop looking at me like I just sprouted three heads. When the Prime Minister is right, he's right!

Cindy Sheehan: On motherhood

Cindy Sheehan speaks, and unfortunately, I have to comment.

Cindy Sheehan: Joan Baez at Camp Casey

I wonder if folk singer Joan Baez did her blackface routine.

Cindy Sheehan: Tracking Interest -- New Data

Tracking interest in Cindy Sheehan from Google News -- it doesn't look good for Cindy.

Paul Martin: Fixing Western alienation with a bag of money

Paul Martin seems to be missing the point of Western alienation.

The Kelo Decision: Another slap in the face of property owners in the US

When New London won its case and the Supreme Court agreed that the land they confiscated 5 years ago was rightfully confiscated under the principle of eminent domain, who would think it could get worse for the poor folks who had lost their homes?

Well, it got worse.

Mixed-Race Kids can't work with their Native-Blood Dads

I don't do much posting about First Peoples issues. I'm not qualified to speak on them, my interest in their problems is low, and frankly, they don't seem interested in listening to advice that says "Get off the reservation, get yourself to the city, get an education, and get a job."

But sometimes a story comes by that reveals bureaucratic stupidity in all its glory that you need to see it:

...the fishing operations of the Bjornaas and other native fishermen are now in jeopardy as the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources moves to prohibit non-band members — even the Indians' mixed-race children — from working on the boats.

A commercial operation is being threatened because of who this person married? The kids are denied gainful employment because of their parentage?

Read the whole thing.

Dumb Science: Add "predation" to your list of things to worry about

You know what I think when I look outside my window in the morning? Not enough cheetahs and lions.

CBC Lockout: Knowlton Nash reveals the real problem with the CBC

In describing the grim future of the CBC, Kowlton Nash, veteran broadcaster (retired) accidently revealed why the CBC is doomed.

Cindy Sheehan: The embargo continues to lift

More and more "bad news" stories from Camp Casey are being carried by the major media outlets.

Knowlton Nash: The future of the CBC looks grim

On the subject of the CBC lockout:

As the CBC limps into the second week of a lockout with its unionized employees, the future of the taxpayer-supported broadcaster is looking increasingly fragile.

Disgruntled viewers and listeners, upset at CBC's apparent lack of preparation for massive program disruptions its own management ultimately precipitated, are being forced to look and listen elsewhere for news, information and entertainment.

The CBC is on strike? In all seriousness, I really hadn't noticed.

Cindy Sheehan: Not taking "No" for an answer

Apparently the question of permission to use names of the crosses is getting uglier.

And the embargo on reporting bad news from Camp Casey is being lifted. This report comes from KXXV-TV, the ABC affiliate in Waco, Texas.

Guy Fawkes Redux

Another attempt to attack the Houses of Parliament in London is foiled, 400 years years after the first one.

Gas Prices: Jack Layton to the rescue

Gas prices are high, but in Canada, the socialists are going to save us.

Cindy Sheehan: True story or freeper fantasy?

A caller tells a story of his visit to Camp Casey, and Rush Limbaugh and I both wonder if this guy is for real.

Hans Island: As long as the UN isn't actually involved

News that Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew will meet with the Danes about disputed Hans Island:

Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew is slated to meet his Danish counterpart in September at the United Nations to talk about Hans Island.

I hope they're not hoping to engage the UN itself in the negotiations. No hint that they will; it seems like they're meeting in New York because it's convenient. Still, call me paranoid, but doesn't everything the UN touch turn to crap? Better is Canada and Denmark deal with this bilaterally. Certainly the Danes are playing nice:

Denmark's foreign minister said Monday that a patrol ship headed to the island would not land troops.

Also the crew will not tear down a Canadian flag erected on the tiny rock.

Better if the ship just turned around, but they haven't given up their claim, so I suppose they still want to make their point.

Apparently it's not so hard...

...to get multiple IDs, including Canadian passports. I've always imagined the need to be connected to some kind of network, shadowy figures who only work on the say-so of some other trusted operative, terrorist, or quasi-state agent.

But apparently any old nut can do it.

Cindy Sheehan: Sick of handlers?

Cindy has been out of Camp Casey for over 24 hours. Is she breaking loose of her handlers?

Cindy Sheehan: Christopher Hitchens gives the MSM a lashing

From Slate, Christopher Hitchens notes the pitiful performance of the media in covering the Cindy Sheehan situation.

The Monarchy: Has the time come to re-think the whole thing?

From the Edmonton Sun (hat tip to NealeNews):

The Queen will not review the controversial appointment of Michaelle Jean, and Buckingham Palace will not reveal the number or tone of e-mails it is receiving from Canadians on the governor general-designate.

"People can e-mail Buckingham Palace if they'd like to give an opinion on a whole range of subjects," said a palace spokesman.

"But with regard to the appointment, the Queen acts on the advice of the prime minister, so it's something we wouldn't comment on. We would not become involved in it."

Won't reveal the number of emails? Why ever not? If it was 20 disgruntled losers, say so. If it was 200,000 emails and still counting, then let us know that too.

For crying out loud, we pay for her trips to Canada. We put her face on this and that. We name schools and highways and hospitals after her.

Our civil servants and elected officials and military take oaths to the Crown.

We've sacrificed thousands in wars for King and Country.

And all we get is this brush-off? Keep quiet, and listen to your prime minister. Don't look to us for an opinion about the person who represents us. We frankly don't care.

Maybe not caring is a two-way street. Maybe it's time for a head of state who can have real opinions, and can evaluate the advice of the Prime Minister and act in the best interests of the people who elected him to his job. A head of state who submits himself to the judgment of the electorate periodically.

Or maybe the time is long past.

Cindy Sheehan: On responsibility, divorce, and taxes

With a hat tip to the National Review media blog, we have more...clarifications...from Cindy Sheehan.

Cindy Sheehan: Expecting to be around for a while

The Gold Star Families for Peace website has been given a big facelift. Much more professional now. Big picture of Cindy now dominates the home page. The host now supports PHP.

I guess they're expecting to be in for the long haul. Who figures that if all the troops came home tomorrow, GSFP would find a reason to stick around?

Cindy Sheehan: It's all "relative"

I guess it depends on which relative you are.

Cindy Sheehan: It's a plot! (That makes no sense...)

I hope Cindy Sheehan's mother gets better. I really do. I also hope Cindy Sheehan gets the help I think she needs.

But there are always those who, frankly, would not benefit from all the help in the world. Like the ones who think the stroke suffered by Cindy Sheehan's mother was induced by the nefarious forces of the right wing.

For crying out loud. Cindy Sheehan was her own worst enemy. The longer she stayed in the spotlight while the administration kept mum, the more likely she would flame out with the main stream media forced to acknowledge her radical agenda for lack of anything else to report on.

Please, people, think hard before you promote your bizarre conspiracy theories. Make sure they make sense. I hate to say it, but this break probably came at a good time for Cindy. And for the conspiracy nutbars out there, yeah, I suppose you could argue the stroke story is just a sham to get Cindy out of Texas and away from the media. Sorry, I couldn't work aliens or Bigfoot in there, but I'm not very good at conspiracy theories.

Cindy Sheehan: A question of permission and of selective memory

I've noted in two previous posts (here and here) that Cindy Sheehan is using the names of fallen soldiers, apparently without the permission of their families, to promote her cause.

Cindy Sheehan has a problem with the concept of permission.

She and her people also have a problem with telling the whole truth.

Michaelle Jean: Now Paul Martin decides to stop dithering

It seems like the Michaelle Jean debacle is due in no small part to Paul Martin's decision to finally stop dithering.

Maybe he should go back to dithering. He seems to do less harm that way.

Canadians and other foreigners moving to the US because of the Iraq War

Margot Kidder, last seen in 1978 in the Superman movies, has become a US citizen so that she could protest the war. Apparently, concern about the Iraq War is resonating with thousands of foreigners.

Michaelle Jean: Clearly the wrong choice for Governor General

Given the substantially ceremonial job of Governor General, though understanding the oh-so-real powers that the person holding the post can wield, and given that the position is by appointment and not by vote, it stands to reason that the person designated for the job must be generally acceptable, and certainly should not have serious opposition.

If it was an elected partisan position, that would be different of course. But the selection of Governor General by any Prime Minister is likely to last longer than his government. The designee should be a unifying apolitical figure.

But now there is news that the storm of controversy over the Michaelle Jean is growing in size. The latest news is that the Royal Canadian Legion is reviewing the appointment, and a website set up by Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre where Canadians can get in touch with the Queen is getting thousands of hits.

Clearly, Michaelle Jean cannot function as the unifying figure. The longer she stands as the designee, the more damaging the controversy, both to her and to Canada and its institutions.

She is not suited for the job, and her name must be withdrawn immediately.

I can't believe we're even debating this.

Cindy Sheehan: Tracking interest [Update]

Maybe there's a reason the administration is adamant about not seeing her. Could it be an attempt to manage the media coverage? A look at the level of interest over the last two weeks or so suggests there might be something to that idea.

[The shift in the reporting seems to be starting.]

Cindy Sheehan: Stretching out her 15 minutes

From Hardball:

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Are you considering running for Congress, Cindy?

CINDY SHEEHAN: No, not this time. I‘m a one issue person. I know a lot about what‘s going on in Iraq but I don‘t know anything about anything else. And I want to focus my energy on bringing the troops home.

MATTHEWS: Okay. I have to tell you, you sound more informed than most U.S. congresspeople so maybe you should run.

SHEEHAN: Thank you, Chris.

Just ask your questions, Chris. (lol)

On the other hand, she has voiced some harsh opinions about the United States:

I would never have let him go and try and defend this morally repugnant system we have. The people are good, the system is morally repugnant.

Not a vote getter, that one. It would interesting to see how she would answer the question "Why would you choose to work in a 'morally repugnant system' as a Congressperson?"

It would have been a good question for Chris Matthews to ask. Next time an obvious one drops in front of him like that, someone prod him with a broomstick to wake him up.

Rondi Adamson on Cindy Sheehan

Canada's own Rondi Adamson takes a look at Christopher Hitchen's masterful dissection of the Camp Casey protest. She's taken some notes from his appearance on Hardball, as well as pointing us at his Slate piece.

Check it out. Leave it to Christopher Hitchens to tell it like it is.

Curious what Canadian panel show Rondi is talking about...

A message to Matt Ankney

Someone seems to be putting a nasty comment up on every one of my posts. This is a message for him.

Warning: Raw language inside.

Cindy Sheehan: The ignorance of the Washington Post

This piece at the Washington Post suggests that the author, Peter Beinart, first heard about Cindy Sheehan about 15 minutes before he typed out this bit of nonsense.

Cindy Sheehan: Negative optioning

Negative optioning is a technique, now outlawed in many jurisdictions, in which a service provider essentially tricks people into buying new services they didn't want. Cable TV companies were among the worst offenders, followed by phone companies. A cable TV provider would introduce new channels with a 30-day free preview. What the consumer didn't know (but what appeared in tiny printing on their previous bill) was that unless they called in and asked not to have the channel, it was assumed you wanted the channel, and you began to get billed for it.

The scheme depends on enough people being too lazy to make a call to cancel a channel that costs just a extra few bucks on their cable bill. As it is, it artificially inflates the "success" of the new channels, suggesting a lot of people wanted to subscribe to it.

It is illegal in most states, including Texas.

Why do I bring this up? Because Cindy Sheehan and the Sheehanites are engaging in the negative optioning of politicized grief.

Enough of the chickenhawk nonsense

The chickenhawk argument is a type of ad hominem attack that says that someone who supports the war has no right to say anything unless he's in the military (a variant requires that he force his children to enlist).

This is a key element of the Cindy Sheehan protest, and it is also thrown by people on the left at people, especially bloggers, on the right.

One blogger has taken it on himself to try and dispel that argument once and for all.

Cindy Sheehan: Problems in logic

Cindy Sheehan makes her morning post, voices some denials, then blithely wonders why people keep picking apart her words.

Because they don't make much sense.

Michaelle Jean: Making two statements -- one for the English, and one for the French [updated]

Our designate for Governor General has issued a carefully worded written statement.

A bit too carefully written, oddly enough.

And what's with the extra secret message to French Canada (ie, Quebec)?

Terrorist babies?

Babies have been stopped from boarding planes because their names appear on no-fly lists.

You know, you need to apply some common sense to these things.

Clint Black: "I Raq and Roll"

I've always liked New Country.

Cindy Sheehan: She knew about the divorce...but didn't? [update]

Cindy Sheehan responds to many of the concerns raised by bloggers. Here are her comments with regards to her divorce. She tries to put the issue to rest, but to me it seems like she's confirming my worst suspicions regarding the way she sees her family as a far distant concern, not nearly as important as her protests and her politics.

Update: I think the question of when the papers were prepared and filed can be answered. Also, Patrick is not looking for a quick and easy divorce, but is pushing hard to protect his own interests. Indeed, he is looking for Cindy Sheehan to pay spousal support to him!

Larry C Johnson (Left) vs Charles Krauthammer (Right)

Strangely, this will be the third time I've come to the defence of someone who, frankly, doesn't need a two-bit blogger like me defending him.

First, it was Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters.

Then it was Michelle Malkin.

Now it's syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer.

Michaelle Jean: Clearly not suited to be Governor-General

For the role of Governor-General, representative of the Queen in Canada, the person selected for the job should be recognized to be a loyal Canadian without question.

Without question!

Michaelle Jean has failed that most basic test, with good reason, and should immediately be replaced with a new nominee.

It's so obvious, I can't believe we're debating this.

Cindy Sheehan: Stay away from this memorial

An online memorial to the fallen has a special notice for Cindy Sheehan and the Sheehanites: Stay Away!

Cindy Sheehan: Usurping the names of the dead

The crosses set up at Camp Casey were vandalized. A Sheehan supporter posted a picture. It shows several broken crosses, and on one you can just make out the name of a fallen soldier Cindy Sheehan has drafted into her cause. He now joins Cindy Sheehan's son Casey in the roll call of brave young men she claims George W Bush has killed. This soldier's name is Robert L. duSang. This is his story.

[Update: Apparently Cindy Sheehan and her group have not been seeking permission to use names, responding only to requests to have a particular cross removed. There is a name for this -- it's called negative optioning.]

Associated Press: The Sheehan propaganda machine

This might be old news, but Martha Mendoza, AP National Writer, filed this report on Saturday past:

Normal life ended for Cindy Sheehan in April 2004, when her oldest son Casey, 24, a father of twin girls, was killed in Iraq.

Casey wasn't married, nor did he have any children, as far as I know. The report notes that "Associated Press Writers Lisa Leff in San Francisco and Angela K. Brown in Crawford, Texas contributed to this story."

Makes for good copy, children without dads, twins no less, but really. I suppose a lot of people would not know better. I can't find a correction or a retraction. Has anyone seen a correction?

Cindy Sheehan: Other groups stealing my spotlight!

OK, that's not what she said, exactly.

Cindy Sheehan: Declares the family as off-limits (and manages to sneak in another lie) [updated]

Cindy Sheehan tries to make it sound like the decision to divorce was a mutual one. All I can say is, try again.

[Dates have been corrected]

Updates added.

Update: Cindy Sheehan responds to the divorce controversy!

Cindy Sheehan: Remembering Casey at Camp Pendola

I have found a reprint of an article written four days after Casey Sheehan's death, including the way his family originally wanted remembered, by raising funds for the Catholic-run children's summer camp at Camp Pendola.

I hope funds are still being sent to Camp Pendola in Casey's memory, instead of to Gold Star Families for Peace to support their bizarre impeachment plan. It was how Casey was supposed to be honoured.

The Politically Correct Corpse

Oddly enough, I think I can actually get behind this.

Iraq is better off now?

Recent statements by Howard Dean and Cindy Sheehan that life in Iraq is no better, or even worse, after Saddam's reign was ended by the US invasion need to be considered. Fortunately, they can be fact-checked.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, Deaniacs and Sheehanites will have to reconsider their position.

Cindy Sheehan: The last member of the Sheehan family is a no-show

Cindy Sheehan's statement that son Andy would be joining her at Camp Casey has turned out to be untrue as well. Her family situation has unraveled completely, but she appears to be content enough to stay with her new family.

Deaniacs and Sheehanites making common cause

I wonder if Howard Dean, Democratic National Chairman, is taking advice from Cindy Sheehan. They seem to have similar ideas about how much better life was for Iraqis, especially women, under Saddam.

Cindy Sheehan: Ignoring the woman who wants to thank Casey for his sacrifice

Cindy Sheehan is shameless when it comes to ignoring the facts. Does she even know what's real anymore?

Cindy Sheehan: She knows better than the Iraqis [Important Update]

Cindy Sheehan knows what's really going on. Don't bother listening to people from Iraq. They're all fools (if they disagree, that is).

Important Update: Just found Cindy Sheehan's account of her meeting with the Iraqis...and it is amazing.

Gomery Scandal: Now fully normalized

People can get used to anything, I suppose.

Cindy Sheehan: Support from a member of Congress

John Conyers, Democrat member of the House of Representatives for district 14 in Michigan and top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has jumped on the Cindy Sheehan bandwagon.

Cindy Sheehan: The President cares more than she will admit

A remarkable story in Newsweek plays against the image of the heartless warmonger portrayed by the revisionist Cindy Sheehan.

Cindy Sheehan: The deification continues [updated]

Stranger and stranger...and it's taken on a Pythonesque quality.

Cindy Sheehan: Taxes and Matrimony

Cindy Sheehan has vowed not to pay taxes. Is this part of the reason her marriage is falling apart? Is Patrick Sheehan worried that he's about to become an unwilling sacrifice in Cindy Sheehan's war?

Softwood Lumber: The reason for my silence

The reason is simply that I think the Americans have the right of this, and that is an unpopular view in Canada.

Terrorism: Two Canadians arrested trying to smuggle weapons from the US

News from Niagara Falls.

Cindy Sheehan: Is she accepting the cult status?

I've noted how people around Cindy Sheehan are behaving as if they were in a cult, but has Cindy made it official?

Cindy Sheehan: Marriage goes from bad to worse -- Patrick Sheehan files for divorce [update]

Reports of a divorce petition filed Friday. One reader says that it was filed by Partrick Sheehan.

Cindy Sheehan: "Mother" of the anti-war cult

This is grotesque -- there is no other way to describe it.

Cindy Sheehan: Changing stories of family solidarity

Confusion abounds about Cindy Sheehan's family and their support for her political activism.

Toronto Gun Violence: The downside of more cops

The Ontario provincial government is promising to help hire more cops for Toronto and other municipalities to fight the rise of gun violence. There is a downside.

I can stop blogging now...mission accomplished

My sole goal for blogging has been achieved.

Scariest President...Ever!

I don't know that he has much of a chance, but be assured, if Christopher Walken became president, the US could probably retire one whole carrier group. He is just that scary.

(Hat tip to Instapundit)

Cindy Sheehan: Michelle Malkin and the definition of hypocrisy

Time to take some sloppy liberal thinking and give a good going over...

Update: Interestingly, the first comment posted (anonymously, of course) is exactly the sexually demeaning garbage that Michelle Malkin and Kathleen Harris have to put with all the time. What is it about strong-willed women that frightens "progressive" men so much? I assume it was a guy, but who knows? In any case, here's hoping the rest of the comments are of higher calibre -- so far they seem to be.

Update: Michelle Malkin defends herself against the charge of hypocrisy using exactly the same argument -- it was Cindy Sheehan brought her family into the debate, and not Michelle Malkin.

Cindy Sheehan: Legitimized by the Hollywood Moonbats

I guess you know you've made it when the Hollywood stars start to praise you.

Cindy Sheehan: If it's not about meeting the President...

...then what is this all about?

Cindy Sheehan: An opinion

Couldn't have said it better myself:

And so now Cindy has become a pawn for terrorist apologists like Michael Moore to exploit beyond the limits of their wildest imaginations. People will listen to Cindy, they gloat to themselves- her son died in the war! Yay for us! We have a ringer! It's sickening.

The one thing we need to remember here is that Cindy's opinion is more controversial than what we typically see from families of the fallen- not more credible. She is using her son, a fallen hero, as a prop in a misguided campaign against her own country- that is her right and she has to live with her actions.

The writer is a former Army Black Hawk Pilot. Deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne from Feb '03 to Jan '04 (OIF 1), and Kuwait (with 3rd Army HQ) from Aug '04 to Jan '05.

Read the whole post.

Cindy Sheehan: Cindy Sheehan rejects her family -- she is fully a member of the anti-war cult

Ugly. Very ugly.

And watch the cult-like response.

Right Blogs vs Left Blogs

The right blogs are winning, in the US anyway.

Cindy Sheehan: My husband left me because of George W Bush

From CNN:

She and her husband are separated, affected by the stress of losing their son. But her three other children, ages 19 to 24, may join her in Crawford, she said.

It's not a direct quote, but the structure of the sentence seems is such that it is paraphrasing what Cindy Sheehan said to the AP reporter in Crawford, Texas.

Interesting -- she says that Patrick Sheehan left because of the stress of losing their son. Since that is George W Bush's fault, personally, that means the problems in her marriage are also the fault of the President.

But Casey died over a year ago.

Could the problem be that Patrick has moved on, and Cindy has not? He had spoken on the toll this was having:

He spoke about the toll this work is taking in the family. “If she is not away traveling or speaking, she is home with her laptop, watching news, or talking on the phone…This is important, we try to continue to support her.”

I wonder what Patrick Sheehan would say, in light of the Cherie Quartarolo letter. Would he say that the problem is Cindy's crusade and her new friends from the radical left? Was he no longer able or willing to pay the toll she was demanding of him?

If so, would Cindy Sheehan ever be able to admit that the fault over her marital problems is hers?

I've avoided voicing an opinion about what Casey would think about his mother's behaviour. But any son or daughter would say that the breakup of their parent's marriage is a terrible thing, and would beg them to stop doing whatever they were doing that was driving them apart.

Of that I can be certain.

Cindy Sheehan herself confirms the Quartarolo letter

From reporter Melanie Morgan to this blogger via email:

Cindy Sheehan herself verified the letter is from her sister-in-law. The effigy was of an AMERICAN SOLDIER hanging from the rafters of a Sacramento anti-war activists home.

Cindy and I exchanged words about the unpatriotic, un-american and hurtful effigy. She went on a rant about Bush Lied/people died.

The effigy was referenced in the email trail between Melanie Morgan and Cherie Quartarolo, in which Ms. Morgan discusses with Ms. Quartarolo the conversation Ms. Morgan had with Cindy Sheehan.

I'm convinced now that any questions concerning the authenticity of the Quartarolo letter can be laid to rest. The letter, as you recall, was quite clear about the fact the Cindy Sheehan is on her own in this crusade:

The Sheehan Family lost our beloved Casey in the Iraq War and we have been silently, respectfully grieving. We do not agree with the political motivations and publicity tactics of Cindy Sheehan. She now appears to be promoting her own personal agenda and notoriety at the the expense of her son's good name and reputation. The rest of the Sheehan Family supports the troops, our country, and our President, silently, with prayer and respect.

Sincerely,

Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.

And from an email from Cherie Quartarolo to this blogger:

I can verify that Casey's family listed below have contributed to and approved the Sheehan Family Statement:

Paternal Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins

This will be our only statement, Thank you for respecting our privacy.

Cherie Quartarolo, Casey's aunt and godmother

Cindy Sheehan: The real Gold Star Mothers and Wives

There are plenty of people out there who have suffered pain and want to help others.

Moving on

Some people have indicated that I should move on. I will, and soon, but let me explain why I've focused so much on CIndy Sheehan recently.

• I find the story personally fascinating, and when all is said and done, blogging is based on personal interest. Hence all the cat blogs.


• The nature of grief. How the grieving can be supported, ignored, or twisted.


• Political protest, and how it can be effective, or counter-productive.


• How people can become deluded with wild expectations. How they assign those expectations to others as protection for when those expectations are not met.


• The difference between being a passionate supporter and a rabid groupie.


• The consequences of free speech.


• The lack of too much political news on the Canadian front (though I have written a few bits on the new governor-general appointment).


• I'm not well-versed in Judge Roberts or Air America to be able to follow those stories well, that is, too my standards, or to add anything new.


• Frankly, the traffic has been great.

The last is tricky, of course. I take this too far, and traffic will drop off as people lose interest. Not to worry, though, I have other ideas for stories working their way around in my noggin. As for Sheehan, just as I figure this is about to lose steam, something new happens, like the letter from the rest of the family, and it opens a new cache of interesting issues that people seem to like debating.

Today, we'll see how the mega-protest at Camp Casey is working out. And maybe I'll get some posts on other stuff in as well.

e-Darwinism: Stupidity costs a liberal his job

Who sends poison pen letters using his work address? A guy too stupid to hold a job, apparently. From Michelle Malkin:

X-Originating-IP: [216.105.154.202]
From: "Mitchell, Patrick" Patrick.Mitchell@ogletreedeakins.com
To: "'malkin@comcast.net'"
Subject:
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 11:41:22 -0400
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2657.72)

YOU STINK you nasty CUNT! Eat Shit and DIE bitch!!

Oh dear.

Well, the human resources department at Ogletree Deakins took action:

Dear Ms. Malkin,

I am the Managing Shareholder of the law firm of Ogletree Deakins with offices located across the country. I was very disturbed to learn today that a legal secretary in our Los Angeles office sent you the vile e-mail referenced on your home page. Such remarks are clearly inappropriate in any context and an e-mail such as this certainly should not have been sent during working time using our firm's equipment. The comments of this employee are not reflective of the views or opinions of the firm and are directly in violation of our e-mail policy. As Managing Shareholder, I wanted to extend to you our apologies and let you know that this serious violation of our firm's work rules has resulted in the discharge of this employee.

Once again, let me offer you our deepest apologies for any discomfort that the referenced e-mail has caused. It will not happen again.

Sincerely,

Gray Geddie

Oh man, that's too funny. I mean, just how stupid do you have to be? For crying out loud, get yourself a Yahoo email account for that sort of thing.

OK, everyone together now:

Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences.
Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences.

Now here's hoping a Republican gets his job.

Cindy Sheehan: Court is held at Camp Casey [Update]

Someone has some pictures...and they show Cindy Sheehan holding court?

Odd.

Cindy Sheehan: Cherie Quartarolo writes

Directly from Casey Sheehan's aunt and godmother, Cherie Quartarolo.

Cindy Sheehan: Her extended family is distressed by her activities [update]

Casey Sheehan had other relatives, of course, and they apparently are very unhappy with Cindy Sheehan's behaviour.

I'm not surprised.

Aljazeera and Sir David Frost

From the Guardian:

Arabic satellite television news channel al-Jazeera is in talks to sign up veteran broadcaster Sir David Frost.

Signing up Sir David would help the station dispel the suspicions that some in the UK and the US have about al-Jazeera.

No, signing him would create suspicions about Sir David.

Rondi Adamson is Israel-Blogging

Rondi Adamson, journalist and columnist who looks a hell of lot better in a pink V-neck tee than Ezra Levant, is starting to post pics from her trip to Israel, with some very interesting accompanying commentary, such as:

• "What the hell is this? And why do I have three pictures of it?"


• "Is this the Syrian border or the Lebanese border?"


• "Is that the Mayor of Metulla or the man who brought me wine in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep?"


• "Is that kitty/camel/doggie in Jerusalem or near Masada?"

Check it out. Some great pictures and cool stories.

Suicide Bombers: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address would make a good recruitment tool

A DHS consultant says Islamic suicide bombers think of themselves as the fallen soldiers praised by Honest Abe in the Gettysburg Address.

When I read things like this, I figure it speaks more about what the speaker thinks about the terrorists, instead of providing any real insight about the bombers themselves.

Cindy Sheehan: Husband is...concerned

Jay asked about where Cindy Sheehan's husband was in all this.

Patrick Sheehan as been busy working, paying the bills (suggesting that her "supporters" from the hard left are happy enough to let him carry the load so that they can use their money to by copies of Michael Moore books and videos).

He hasn't been silent, not entirely. But it also seems like no one is interested in listening to anything he might say.

Cindy Sheehan: Send her guns!

A point I've been making over and over again on this blog is that Cindy Sheehan is being used by the hard left. Left to her own, she might have found some peace and progressed through her grieving, but we'll never know because she is being egged on to greater heights of rhetorical excess by her "supporters". When bloggers like myself or members of the main stream media like Bill O'Reilly take on her words and criticize her for it, we're labeled monsters for attacking a grieving mother.

We're not. We're crticizing an extreme political activist who happens to be a grieving mother. Extreme? She's the one who wants to send the Bush twins to Iraq (presumably to die like her son). She's the one who says she wants to see the President to "get answers" but then in a speech says she wants to "pound a stake" into his "black heart". She's the one who call a critic an "obscenity against humanity".

But these are just words. Some of her supporters seem to think that they've wound her rhetoric up as far as it will go, and are now agitating more direct action. And as always, they want her to commit these acts on their behalf.

They want to send her guns!

Cindy Sheehan: Her own worst enemy

Cindy Sheehan is mad that the President won't meet with her. She has no one to blame but herself for that.

Cindy Sheehan: Not looking good for 200,000 protesters

Something is coming together in Crawford, Texas. Problem is, I can't tell if it's 200,000 protesters, or 200,000 excuses.

Bryan Pinn: The wedding is off

Bryan Pinn writes about the impending nuptials.

Hans Island: Danes want to negotiate

News from the Chinese Xinhuanet news agency:

Disagreements about who owns a small Arctic island have led Denmark and Canada to seek out the negotiating table, Ritzau news bureau reported on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark urged his Canadian counterparts to meet at the negotiating table to decide the fate of a small Arctic island.

Hans Island has been a source of contention between the two nations since 1973 when they agreed to disagree about who owns the island.

The article makes no mention of a Canadian response:

The escalating tensions regarding ownership of the island led Rasmussen to call for a peaceful solution.

"It's time to end 'the war of flags'. It does not seem fitting in a modern, international world. Countries such as Denmark and Canada ought to be able to find a peaceful solution to such a disagreement," Rasmussen said.

"Peaceful solution"? Just how far did Rasmussen think this was going to go? What behind-the-scenes messages has Ottawa been sending?

I can't find the story at Ritzau.

Firefly: Those heteronormative bastards!

The Firefly cellphone is a poor design for the modern Canadian pre-teen.

Cindy Sheehan on eBay: Nothing says free political speech has to be tasteful

Making political points based on someone's grief, even your own, might be tacky, but it is free political speech. So is making a few farthings on trashy items on eBay.

Michaelle Jean: Not the only one who thinks this is a lame choice

The office of Governor-General has been destroyed by the Liberal Party over four decades, and Michaelle Jean is the final act. But don't take my word on it.

Michaelle Jean: Important to all humanity

Boy, aren't we full of ourselves today:

Fluent in five languages, the 48-year-old former CBC broadcaster was approached recently to replace Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.

With her daughter and husband by her side, [Michaelle] Jean also told a press conference last week: "You know I know exactly where I was born. I know exactly where I'm from ...

"Having a person like me as governor general of Canada will mean a lot, not only to Canadians, but all abroad.

"I think it will mean a lot for humanity."

Let's see here. The Governor-General is an essentially a figurehead for a monarchy that itself has extremely limited powers. In this case, this particular Governor-General is fulfilling that role in a country that prides itself on having no opinions, no military, no reason for anyone to be angry with it, or even notice it.

A lot for humanity? Unless there is a high-tech lab tucked away in Rideau Hall where Michaelle Jean plans to find a cure for the common cold, I think that humanity will, on the whole, will be utterly indifferent to her tenure as Governor-General.

It'll be just 30 million or so Canadians who will have to put up with her.

[Hat tip to reader Mark Collins.]

Bell Mobility: Doing good work

After having given Bell Mobility a blast over PimpTones, it's only right to highlight the fact that the people at this company also know how to go above and beyond. For instance, providing cell phones and calling cards to every passenger from Air France Flight 358 immediately following the crash so that no one would have to go long before hearing the voices of their loved ones.

Girl on the Right has the story.

[Bell Mobility isn't bragging about this to the media. Girl on the Right got the info from someone on the inside.]

Revolution in Crawford, Texas: A prediction or a prayer?

There is an unmistakable scent of desperation clinging to the predictions being bandied about concerning this week in Texas.

Cindy Sheehan: Gold Star Families for Peace a rip-off

Now this is unseemly.

Cindy Sheehan and the orgies of carnal pleasure

Cindy Sheehan's efforts are labeled bizarre. I can see why.

PETA: "Cows = People" (Why are people mad at us?) [Updated]

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have done it again. They've shown themselves to be utterly disconnected from the rest of the human race, and then wonder why the rest of us want them to go away.

The Rolling Stones: "Shut up and sing" becomes "Shut up"

From Drudge, lyrics to "Sweet Neo-Con" by the Rolling Stones:

You call yourself a Christian, I call you a hypocrite
You call yourself a patriot. Well, I think your are full of sh*t! ...
How come you're so wrong, my sweet neo-con.

So much for "Shut up and sing".

It'll be curious to see what happens. The words used in the song means many American radio stations will be able to use decency standards as an excuse not to air the track. It'll be popular in Europe (and possibly Canada), where the rules are more lax, and where the prevailing political attitude is definitely anti-American. I'd expect a short burst of popularity, like a "Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley. Actually, I doubt it will do as well as the Wooley classic, which was #1 for 6 weeks in 1958. Mick Jagger would have been 15 at the time (he was born in 1943), so he most certainly would have heard it, perhaps even enjoyed it:

Well he came down to earth and lit in a tree
I said Mr. Purple People Eater don't eat me
I heard him say in a voice so gruff
I wouldn't eat you cuz you're so tough

As a 62-year-old rocker, gristly and tough would be apt descriptions.

Now here's a thought. What if other bands and personalities in the music business are asked in interviews for their opinions once this disc is released? How many will prevaricate, make noises about the long and great career of the Stones, point out that everyone has an opinion and a right to free speech, etc, etc?

Uh-oh, a closet Republican! Time for some reverse McCarthyism.

Carnival of the Clueless #9

My own entry about judicial cluelessness made the cut for the Carnival of the Clueless #9. Visit this week's carnival for a look at cluelessness from the left, the right, the centre, and from those who seem to spend their time spinning is slow circles, philosophically speaking.

Harry Belafonte, Dick Gregory, Woody Allen, and the historically impaired

Stupidity and ignorance are things these people all have in common and in great supply, and yet we want their autographs. I guess there is plenty of stupidity to go around.

Toronto Gun Violence: Sharing is not always a good thing

With the spate of gun violence in Toronto, the province is stepping in to help:

Efforts to hire 1,000 more police officers [through] a cost-sharing plan with the municipalities are well underway and the first officers should be on the street next summer, [Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter] added.

"Should be" is the important notion here. The cops will be there only if the municipalities cough up the cash. If the cash-strapped municipalities can't pony up the matching funds, the province will not simply put 500 cops on the streets.

In that case, there will be no cops. None whatsoever.

Apparently the shooting of a four-year-old boy in Toronto last week during a drive-by was not enough to cause Monte Kwinter and his boss Premier Dalton McGuinty to just make the cash available for cops, period. No, the silly cost-sharing string is tied tightly around this cash so that it can be yanked back in an instant.

Maybe if the little guy had succumbed to his wounds, instead of surviving the four bullets that struck him, the provincial government would be a little more forthcoming.

That's a terrible thing to say, but what else can you say about people who have enough money for 500 cops but won't use it unless you come up with money for 500 more cops.

Look, I'm not even complaining that this money would be spread around the entire province instead of being targeted exclusively at Toronto. Is it first come, first serve? Municipalities in cottage country come up with some extra cash first get the biggest pieces of the pie, while Toronto has to be satisfied with the leftover crumbs when in a week or two, they slash funding to some program or other so that they can come up with the matching funds?

Toronto Mayor David Miller is making a stink about how this is the fault of the Americans, their lax gun control laws, and gun smuggling across the border. I guess he has to. If he made any nasty comments about how tight-fisted Queen's Park is being, he could kiss that money good-bye.

So for the city of Toronto, it's back to the equivalent of finding loose change in the sofa.

The stages of bureaucratic denial

When a bureaucratic institution like the United Nations faces investigation over wrong-doing, it seems to go through the Seven Bureaucratic Stages of Denial. Note that denial is not one stage -- it's all the stages:

1. Denial that the problem exists


2. Denial that the problem is as big as some people say


3. Denial that the problem has to do with the organization


4. Denial that the problem is widespread through the organization


5. Denial that the problem has undermined the good work done


6. Denial that the problem has to do with me, personally


7. Denial that the problem will affect me, the guy taking over from the guy who just spent the last year in denial

Keep these seven stages in mind while you read about the first charges laid in the Food-for-Oil Scandal. Here are some choice excerpts:

Among other things, that report is expected to consider new evidence suggesting [UN Secretary General Kofi] Annan knew more about an contract awarded to a Swiss company that employed his son, Kojo. Both have denied any wrongdoing. This is #6.

Mark Malloch Brown, Annan's chief of staff, again defended the UN's handling of the program, saying it was the organization's very willingness to open the books that had attracted so much attention. This is #4.

[Benon Sevan, the former chief of the $64 billion US program], a Cypriot citizen believed to be in Nicosia, is under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. He denies the allegations and accuses Volcker's team of succumbing to pressure from UN critics and of scapegoating him. This is a combination of #6 and and a hint of #3.

One happy day we will be seeing someone doing #7, meaning that Kofi Annan is out of the picture.

[Wizbang figures we'll hear more soon.]

Harry Belafonte -- Truer words never spoken

From his speech to the San Francisco-based human rights group Global Exchange on accepting the 2004 Human Rights Award, Harry Belafonte:

Somebody is going to have to make a sacrifice. Somebody is going to have to put their body in front of the machine. Somebody is going to have to die. It's the way things are. It's the way things have been. And we, in our efforts to try to change and make a better world, will have to pay a price. Truth is -- we must ask ourselves, are we willing to go all the way?

Number of deaths suffered by the US military in Iraq, in an ongoing effort to depose a murderous dictator and rebuild a nation into a democracy: 1825 (CNN)

Number of deaths suffered by Global Exchange while carrying around placards and accomplishing absolutely nothing for anyone: 0

Thanks to Harry Belafonte for those stirring words.

[More from Captain's Quarters and Michelle Malkin. La Shawn Barber is most disappointed.]

Has Canada already lost the fight for Kandahar?

I don't need to know a thing about the weapons used by the Canadian troops being deployed to Kandahar, the topography of the land, or the capabilities of the enemy to know that Canada is going to lose this fight.

Why? Because of a lack of ham-and-cheese sandwiches.

The right to act on your religious belief vs the right to be impregnated?

A case in California shows that when someone tries to assert their right to follow their religious beliefs they can expect to get into serious trouble, even if they make a good faith effort to accomodate others.

Bottom line -- you can say your have religious beliefs, you just can't act on them.

Senator Marcel Prud'homme: Church should not be allowed to refuse baptism

This is old news, from mid-July, but I re-read it with an eye on government intervention in Church matters on behalf of homosexuals. In retrospect, I'm not sure why it did not get more attention.

Warning from Gay Activist: Don't you dare cheapen and corrupt marriage!

Same-sex marriage. Not a problem. Stop stressing about it. All those doomsday scenarios about what would happen once marriage stopped being about a commitment to children resulting from a monogamous long-term heterosexual relationship are just nonsense.

Right. No slippery slopes here.

Syria and Iran, Syria and Egypt, Syria and Iraq and Egypt...always about Syria

News today that Syria and Iran are making noises about a "united front". The media is not the place to go for history lessons, of course, but what a lot of people don't realize is that Syria was part of another "united front" almost 50 years ago, one that involved key Middle East states Egypt and Iraq.

Cindy Sheehan: Using and being used

Cindy Sheehan, anti-war protester and troubled mother, is a study in someone who uses and is being used. In Freudian terms, she looks to be suffering from a classic case of displacement. But as long as she generates publicity for the hard-left anti-war movement, her friends on the left are not going to rush her into therapy anytime soon. She's much more useful to them just the way she is.

The Hiroshima Bomb: First or Second?

It seems like the media figures that it is of critical importance to make the Hiroshima bombing a "first" (the 60th anniversary of the dropping of the Little Boy bomb passed this weeked on August 6). It was a "first" in many ways, and it was horrific for the people who suffered from it, and it did do much to break Japanese resistance and bring an end to the war without invading the home islands.

But it was also a historic event, meaning that its place in history cannot simply be moved around for the sake of a story headline.

Jennifer Lopez on motherhood, matrimony, and making a living

The wisdom of J.Lo -- all prepare to be amazed.

Hottest Canadian MP -- A winner has been selected

We have a winner!

Stephen Taylor: Governor-General Follies

Canada's Comedian Laureate wannabe, Stephen Taylor, takes us on a tour of the CBC training ground for future governors-general:

To the left I see that Heather Hiscox is reciting a language lesson, "insurgent, extremist, gunman, militant, um, um... terrorist?" The instructor slams a ruler on her desk and exclaims emphatically, "WRONG! See me after class." Over on the other side of the room, George Stroumboulopoulos is performing Queen Elizabeth's trademark Royal Wave for himself in the mirror as he smirks with a sense of absurdity and humour.

CBC host George Stroumboulopoulos as governor-general?! Now that's not funny in the least.

Disagreement is not a bad thing: Evolution and the Catholic Church

Many people seem to have this idea of the Catholic Church as some sort of gestalt mind, a Borg-like single brain with all members thinking in lock-step.

The Church does have a body of doctrine, but that doctrine was compiled over centuries. Doctors of the Church debated for years on this issue and that, applying all the forces of human reason and of observation to try and tease out the truth.

What surprises some people even more is that it is an ongoing process.

A weak fatwa from American Islamic scholars

In late July, Canadian Islamic leaders issued a fatwa condemning violence and terrorism. Sounded good, and it got a great deal of play in the press, but I pointed out that the text of the fatwa never required good Muslims to cooperate with secular authorities if they had knowledge of a criminal act.

In an update, the media reported that two scholars spoke at the conference saying such cooperation was required. The fatwa still makes no mention of this, nor is it clear that those two scholars were speaking on behalf of the over 100 who agreed to the text as written.

Was I being churlish? Perhaps.

But Captain's Quarters is reporting that a fatwa issued by American Islamic leaders has its own shortcomings:

After a band of Islamic scholars in America issued much-heralded fatwa against religious violence last week, the media cheered its message as a concrete example of mainstream Muslim opposition to terrorism. However, the edict generated considerable skepticism among analysts, which noted several technical problems with the specific wording, arguing that the fatwa had enough gaps to justify all but the most egregious acts of terrorism. Now the Washington Times reports that the command has failed to satisfy even American Muslims, who sound similar criticisms.

As Captain Ed notes in words that apply equally here:

I thought that the fatwa was a good first step, but that it came a bit late -- almost four years after the death of 3,000 Americans on 9/11. Obviously, Western Islamic scholars need to review these criticisms and make the necessary adjustments so that they can clearly state what they feel to be unacceptable and prepare themselves for true reform. It shouldn't take another London bombing or WTC attack to get that effort under way. If they want to be taken seriously, then they need to start reforming their mosques and their messages now.

But with a press willing to cheer them for any nod in the direction of the tradition of Western tolerance, I doubt that sufficient pressure will be applied in Canada or the US to effect real reform.

I guess Michael Jackson won't be back from Bahrain anytime soon

If this report is true, the Michael Jackson acquittal was a sham.

Professor Bainbridge

American uber-blogger Professor Bainbridge has linked to me, specifically interested in my pieces on Church and State issues, something of that he has written about extensively. Currently he is tracking that issue as it plays out in the John G. Roberts Supreme Court confirmation process now underway in the US.

For those who are interested in the Professor's thoughts on Catholicism and politics, check out these pieces:
Roberts' Catholicism
CST and Marxism: Plus Ruminations on Catholic Legal Scholarship
Catholic Voting
Kerry's Ongoing Catholic Problem
Dissent and Catholic Scholarship

For visitors coming here from Professor Bainbridge's blog for the first time, looking for my pieces on Church and State, here are the major ones:
Choices have consequences
Is the Church working to a plan?
More fallout from the Comartin affair
CBC issues call for the Church to be subservient to the State
Church and State -- Checkpoint [Updated]

Marc Emery: Dopehead logic

Marc Emery speaks, and he's thrown down the gauntlet. He's willing to be a martyr for the cause.

Problem is, I have no idea what he's talking about.

"I've given up on the security council."

Those are the words of Canada's most easily recognized soldier, Retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie.

The seriousness of the Hans Island Affair -- the psychoanalysts agree

Psychoanalyst bloggers Sigmund, Carl and Alfred recognize that the Hans Island Affair is not a delusion brought on by stress, or a psychotic break from reality, or a reaction to Canada's poor relationship with his father.

As they put it: "Canada and Denmark are going at it, ships and all. Yup, for real."

They quote yours truly, so obviously they are discerning bloggers of great taste.

Our own Supreme Court mess in the making

With a hat tip to Damianpenny, news that a vacancy is going to appear in Canada's highest court:

Supreme Court Justice John Major will retire on Christmas Day, two months ahead of his mandatory retirement date.

The departure of Major, who joined the court in 1992, opens the door for a replacement in time for the New Year.

Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin announced yesterday that Major, 74, has written to the justice minister to advise he will retire on Dec. 25. Under the law, Major must retire before he turns 75 on Feb. 20.

Now with news that separatism in the West is on the rise, and understanding that Justice Major came from Alberta, meaning that with regional representation being the tradition in the high court another Western Canadian jurist should take Justice Major's place, what do you think is the worst possible thing our Justice Minister, Irwin Cotler, could say right now?

Guess what? Exactly what he did say:

Justice Minister Irwin Cotler has said he's prepared to seriously consider candidates proposed by the Quebec government to fill vacancies in the court.

Last August, the Quebec government wrote to Cotler asking for a "formal participation" in the process to select justices.

The survey from the Western Standard said 36% of Canadians west on Ontario would seriously consider separation from the rest of Canada.

I figure Cotler just added 5 points to that.

(I just hope we don't start checking for illegitimate children as the New York Times is doing in the US. The CBC has more class than that, surely.)

First go after the Bush twins, then target John Robert's kids [Update]

The New York Times is allegedly looking for something newsworthy to report on George W. Bush's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge John G. Roberts. A report says that the paper has sent reporter Glen Justice, who in 2004 so messed up a story in an attempt to make John Kerry look good during the election that a correction had to be printed, to investigate, of all things, the adoption records for Josie and Jack, Judge Roberts' two young children.

Danes are making a move on Hans Island

With a hat tip to NealeNews, a report of a Danish vessel making its way to Hans Island:

A Danish navy ship was heading Thursday toward a small wind-swept island off northwestern Greenland that is at the centre of a diplomatic spat with Canada.

The Arctic patrol cutter Tulugaq will attempt to reach the 1.3-square-kilometre Hans Island, which is claimed by both countries, in late August if the ice permits, navy spokesman Alex Jensen said.

And they intend to keep coming, over and over again:

"If we manage to reach the island, we will hoist a new Danish flag. We're trying to change the flags as often as possible because they are quickly torn apart by the strong winds," Jensen said by telephone from the Danish navy base on Greenland's west coast.

If Canada was serious, it would have a contingent of Rangers on the island. The Danes could come ashore, hoist their flag, but the moment they boarded their ship, the Rangers would respectfully take down the flag and store it so that it could be returned to the Danish ambassador in Ottawa.

Fact is, the Danes are not acting like people interested in negotiations. Or to be more accurate, they want to negotiate from a position of strength, and part of that is to show that they regularly visit the island. Canada has to counter that by showing that the Danes visit only because Ottawa has tolerated those visits.

Who knew things could get so warm so far north?

Death to the twins

Daily Kos is resurrecting that tired old argument that George W Bush needs to send one or both of his twin daughters into battle. You'd think the Left would come up with new talking points.

Judicial misconduct? Louisiana Congressman under investigation

I bring this up because it involves the relationship between judges and legislators, something that has been discussed in Canada, with regards to apparent favouritism shown to lawyers friendly to Liberal Party when judicial appointments have been made.

It also has the potential of turning into an ugly race problem as well.

Blogshares

My blog is listed on Blogshares, the online faux stock market where blogs are companies and people trade stocks.

I don't play the game myself, but I am watching as my blog is moving steadily up in price. Now this:

Angry in the Great White North was the subject of much speculation when analysts at several firms were heard to be very positive about it's recent performance. It's share price rose from B$506.92 to B$795.86. Much of the hype was said to originate from Mugwug whose Beaver (artefact) was said to be involved.

Mugwug declined to comment on the recent speculation.

Don't ask me what this means, exactly, but just in case it's good news, I've issued 10,000 new shares for purchase, in case you're interested. You can access my Blogshares page to review the performance and get in on the action.

PimpTones be gone

From the Montreal Gazette:

Wireless provider Bell Mobility has stopped selling a contentious series of cellphone ringtones that referred to women as "bitches" and "hoes" and offered a satirical take on the culture of prostitution.

The company removed its PimpTones ringers from its Web site after a CanWest News Service report on the downloadable audio clips, which feature actors talking about "skanks" and "players" in the vernacular of a street pimp.

Better late than never.

I bet the guy who thought this was a winner idea for Bell Mobility got b*tch-slapped. [OK, that was sarcasm.]

James Wolcott: Insults from the "professionals"

As a blogger, I try to take my cue from the pros in the media in an attempt to make my writing better. I expect I've been only moderately successful, but any success I've had has come from picking the right role models.

That's not as easy as it sounds. There are plenty of "pros" who seem to indulge in the cheapest and nastiest mudslinging.

New York City Subway Searches -- Critics can't make up their minds

From the New York Times:

The New York Civil Liberties Union plans to file a lawsuit today challenging the legality of the Police Department's new policy of randomly searching bags and packages in the subway system.

The lawsuit, to be filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, contends that the searches are "virtually certain neither to catch any person trying to carry explosives into the subway nor to deter such an effort." It also says that many riders have been selected in a "discriminatory and arbitrary" manner, creating the potential for racial profiling.

Paul J. Browne, the Police Department's chief spokesman, said the searches, which began on the evening of July 21, were both effective and legal. Under the search policy, officers are to use an essentially random criterion - stopping every 5th, 12th or 20th passenger carrying a bag or package. Selecting riders on the basis of race or national origin is prohibited.

I'll be the first to say that searches wihtout a warrant or reasonable suspicion bother me, though the US courts do recognize exceptions to the prohibition against searches under specific circumstances. I'd prefer explosive scans. That is, instead of a search, in which a police officer goes through my stuff looking for explosives, a police officer passes an explosives sniffer over my bag and my person, beeping if residual molecules indicative of explosives are detected. No pockets are turned out, no bags are opened.

Seems to me a reasonable compromise, though a problem might be the expense of the technology and how quickly it works. Might be fine for an airport, with thousands of passengers who arrive two hours before a flight, but not for a subway with millions of passengers expecting to catch a train in fifteen seconds.

But forget about all that for the moment. Here's my problem.

The New York Civil Liberties Union says the searches are "discriminatory and arbitrary". Which is it? The selection criteria can't be both. If it is arbitrary, people are selected at random, and no particular person is included or excluded from the selection. If it is discriminatory, then some people are chosen for searches and some aren't based on some individual criteria.

Typical liberal claptrap -- see something you don't like, and start the namecalling, even if the names are mutually exclusive and contradictory.

US Federal Judge: You need to use actual children to entice pedophiles in online stings

Law enforcement officers in Canada and the US routinely attempt to trap pedophiles by posing as children in chatrooms. They will allow the pedophile to suggest a meeting for sex, then arrest the person at the pre-arranged meeting.

Such a technique caught United Arab Emirate diplomat Dr. Salem Al-Mazrooei (see here and here).

But according to a ruling by a federal judge in the US, unless the person at the other end of the keyboard, who is being proposed to by the pedophile in what might be very explicit terms, is actually a child, the arrest is illegal and the case will be tossed out of court.

Kim Jong-il -- I guess a PDA for his birthday is out of the question

From the Guardian:

Kim Jong-il, according to a North Korean website, has powers of recall and concentration that even the most cerebral of revolutionary socialists can only dream of.

The website claims that the North Korean president can cite a soldier's entire career faultlessly, never forgets telephone numbers and can memorise computer code.

As soon as he wakes up, Mr Kim apparently undergoes intensive mental training, committing to memory the phone numbers of fellow workers, among other essential data.

I hate to say it, but a very small part of me will miss Kim Jong-il when he goes. He's a monster to be sure, the pain and suffering he is visiting on his people has to stop, and he's a threat far beyond the borders of the Hermit Kingdom, but who else on this planet has people writing such nonsense about them with straight faces.

Mr Kim's amazing powers also extend into the physical realm. He is, according to those around him, an expert horseman and golfer, having shot 11 holes-in-one during his first-ever round.

Eleven holes-in-one is fine, I suppose. But we'll never know how good his short game is.

PimpTones? Who at Bell Mobility thought this would be a good idea? [Updated]

You're on the bus with your kids, and someone's cell phone goes off:

"Bi-(BEEP)-ch, do I look like a motherfu-(BEEP)-ing track suit?"

Your daughter looks at you and asks, "Daddy, what does 'motherfu-(BEEP)-ing track suit' mean?"

This touching father-daughter moment was brought to you by Bell Mobility.

Kelo Decision: The march to take your property begins in the US

From the San Diego Union-Tribune:

San Diego redevelopment officials are using the threat of taking private property to compel a laundry business [Alsco] in Little Italy to negotiate selling its land to make way for a condominium and retail project.

What right does the city have to take sides in private negotiation like this? If you recall, the Kelo decision expanded the definition of eminent domain to include things like improving tax revenue. Normally, the State can take your property, with compensation, to build a road or some other common use property, and even then only after serious consideration. But now, in the US, a city council can chose sides depending on what property will generate more tax revenue. In this case, a condo development would be preferable to a laundry that employs 150 people. The laundry has been given the a month to respond -- they can sell, they can become partners with CLB, or they can develop their own condos.

Their own condos? Apparently, "No deal" is not an acceptable answer:

CLB Partners has sought, without success, to buy the Alsco land since 2000, developer Patrick Rhamey said. He described his company's communication with Alsco staff as courteous, but indecisive and frustrating.

Again, that's not supposed to be the problem of the city council. But the council is making threats of eminent domain to argue that a condo is more valuable than a laundry that has been operating at that location for over five decades.

When the Kelo decision came down, the warning was raised that the potential now existed for an alliance between well-heeled developers with close ties to city politicians to push out working class homeowners and business. Clearly, city planners would prefer to cater to the posh and boot out the hoi polloi.

It'll be interesting to know of any links between the developer, CLB Partners, and the Centre City Development Corp., San Diego's downtown redevelopment agency.

[Another example, also in California, reported at Captain's Quarters. And speaking of the posh vs the hoi polloi, read about Time$cam at Michelle Malkin, in which the Times is handed a prime piece of propery that was confiscated for "public use", but the lease agreement specifically forbids any other business on the property likely to attract the public -- daycares, dentists, discount stores (but posh and expensive art houses are OK)]

Disaster at Pearson Airport in Toronto [Good news update]

At this hour:

An Air France jet with as many as 200 people aboard has skidded off a runway while landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, bursting into flames and sending thick black smoke pouring into the air.

There is no word on the condition of the passengers and crew members on board the A340, with the plane still burning an hour after the 3:50 p.m. crash.

The airplane was trying to land in bad weather when it skidded off the east-west runway just metres from one of Toronto's busiest roads, Highway 401.

"There was quite a downpour. The visibility was really bad, with lots of lightning," said John Finlay, a CBC News journalist who was at the airport at the time of the accident.

My parents live out that way, literally five minutes from the airport -- later I'll ask them about what they saw or heard.

Here's hoping that everyone is OK, but at this point, it seems unlikely that there won't be casualties. One good thing though -- the plane was landing after a transatlantic flight, so the fuel tanks should have been low.

Update: From CTV:

But police have confirmed reports that some of those on board had escaped the wreckage, saying an unspecified number of people have been taken to hospital.

Severe storms were hitting the area at the time of the accident. Eyewitnesses reported seeing lightning hit the plane before it burst into flames.

Update (Great news): From CTV

Officials say there are no fatalities after a jet burst into flames after overshooting the runway at a Toronto airport in severe weather.

All 297 passengers and 12 crew members survived the ordeal.

"According to our current information and the Air France chief there, there are no casualties," an Air France spokesperson said.

Steve Shaw, Vice-President of Corporate Affairs for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, also confirmed there are no known fatalities, but he added around 24 were taken to hospital for injuries.

Sgt. Glyn Griffiths of Peel Regional Police said that some injured passengers -- including one of the co-pilots -- were seen walking a short distance from the wreckage, trying to flag down commuters on the nearby Highway 401 moments after the crash.

"We located the co-pilot on Highway 401," Griffiths said.

Needless to say, the traffic tonight was a mess with the 401 closed completedly off.

Turns out the fact that the plane was landing did turn out to be a factor:

David Jeanes, president of Transport 2000, said the crash could have been much worse if the plane had been at the start of its flight.

"Aviation fuel is very volatile," Jeanes told CTV News. "Fortunately it was a landing rather than a takeoff. Crashing on a takeoff, the explosion can be huge because of the large amount of fuel on the plane."

Battle For Hans Island Spreads from Google to Blogosphere: CRISIS in the ARCTIC!

From the folks an Independent Sources, a round-up of the blogosphere's analysis of the tension in the Far North. Definitely worth going through the variety of opinions, including from the Danes (well, the English speaking ones, anyway).

Check it out.

Does Simon Begin think an outraged response to sexualized children is an act?

From the Montreal Gazette:

Pre-teens and adolescents should not be allowed to wear provocative clothes in schools, high-ranking members of the Quebec Liberal Party youth wing said yesterday.

"When you see a little girl who's 8 or 12 years old wearing a g-string, that's maybe a bit too provocative and offensive," said Simon Begin, president of the party's youth commission.

"I don't want to act like an outraged Conservative. It doesn't outrage me more than that."

Well, I guess that counts as support.

I guess.

But his comment, "I don't want to act like an outraged Conservative", is vaguely insulting. First, it's not an "act". I wonder how many of those "Conservatives" are indeed parents, or can better imagine how parents feel than Mr. Begin can. There's an undercurrent of distaste, or looking down on the outrage as unreasonable, unsophisticated, or insincere.

Simon Begin creeps me out. It's one thing to say that he wants to keep heated emotions out of the discussion as much as possible in order to achieve a consensus. It's another thing altogether to imply that an emotional response to the sexualization of our children is the mark of the Conservative, or that it is an "act" of some kind.

Tax breaks for public transit use

Finally, the Conservatives are starting to sound, well, conservative.

Marc Emery and his fans at the Globe and Mail

A Canadian has been picked up in Canada for breaking American laws in American jurisdictions and faces extradition.

The wheels of justice at work, right?

The Globe and Mail instead paints a picture of Americans interfering in Canadian justice, and gives everyone a chance to say how stupid Americans are, instead of giving serious consideration to what responsibility must be borne by someone who knowlingly commits an illegal act in the United States, and what protections such a person enjoys in Canadian courts.

Angry in the Great White North by Steve Janke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License. Based on a work at stevejanke.com.