A new book by Stewart Bell, author of Cold Terror.
Curing Literacy
Overheard on a CNN “Ask the Doctor” segment just now;
“I am 48 years old and have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I am devastated. My doctor says it’s “localized” – a medical term that I can’t understand. What are the odds that I’ll recover and go back to my life as a teacher?”
Historically Challenged Movie Reviews
Scott Johnson has seen The Great Raid, and has a lengthy post up at Powerline reviewing the reviewers. He features a quote from NYT reviewer Steve Holden;
Its scenes of torture and murder also unapologetically revive the uncomfortable stereotype of the Japanese soldier as a sadistic, slant-eyed fiend.
An uncomfortable stereotype? Perhaps Holden should spend a little less time in the theatre and a little more in the history section of his library.
Update “Next93” in the comments;
If you read the Holden quote again, you’ll see a favorite rhetorical trick of the left (or, as the Italians say it, �la sinestra�). Look at the phrase “the stereotype of the Japanese soldier as a sadistic, slant-eyed fiend”.
First, why �slant-eyed�? Is someone claiming that the soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army DIDN�T actually have epicanthal folds? Is someone claiming that these folds somehow caused or excused certain behaviors? Would the actions depicted be somehow less sadistic or fiendish if the perpetrators had, say, both eyes on the same side of their heads like a flounder?
No. Eyes (in quantities up to but not exceeding two and uniformly distributed) are expected on fiends and friends alike. I�ll go out on a limb here and say that�s pretty much a norm that we�re all comfortable with. Same for the eyelids. So why bring it up?
Precisely because it IS an ethnic slur, and one of the worst sort possible in 21st century American culture � it�s a slur based on a visible ethnic difference. White Americans have a massive guilt complex when it comes to �visible� ethnicity, and any phrase that reminds them of that complex is therefore extremely uncomfortable. We�ve been trained for four decades to automatically reject any phrase or concept that implies that a visual ethnic difference is an indicator of character or ability.
Stupid as it sounds, some people may be willing to call a sadistic fiend a sadistic fiend, but not if it involves throwing in an ethnic slur. I�m not saying this is a Bad Thing, I just resent it�s being used gratuitously to manipulate opinion.
Now, if Holden had simply referred to �the stereotype of the Japanese soldier as a sadistic fiend�, most people would have recognized the other trick he used � using the word �stereotype� as a synonym for �reputation�. Most of us Boomers were trained starting in high school that �stereotypes are Bad�, and ethnic stereotypes are the worst; we automatically reject anything that perpetuates harmful ethnic stereotypes, except, of course, for stereotyping all Americans of Italian descent as being murdering, sadistic, racist Mafia thugs � which is nothing more than good TV.
So, there you have it, the phrase �the reputation of the Japanese soldier as a sadistic fiend�, which would have conjured up an indisputable historic fact, is replaced by a phrase that somehow makes the reader feel that any suspicion about the behavior of the Japanese soldier during WWII must be the result of western (American) racism.
Amazing what a few well-placed words can do, isn’t it?
“I can’t guarantee what is going to happen”
More on Aly Hindy;
Here’s a story that will make you feel warm and safe; one of Canada’s most insane Islamist fanatics, a man who was not allowed to meet with Prime Minister Paul Martin, spent his earlier life designing safety measures to protect nuclear facilities in Canada and the US.
QOTW
The whole issue reminds me of the morning my 2 1/2 year old daughter kept holding her toast out where the dog could get it. After repeated warnings he was going to take, she still was in utter shock when he finally did. Draw your own parallels. – Reg
With Courtney Love In The Role Of Daisy
Interior shot of a backwoods cabin in rural Georgia. The room is tastefully decorated with Bruno Mathsson lounge chairs, Eero Saarinen side tables, a rebel flag and moonshine still. An old bearded man lies on a vintage midcentury Alvar Aalto death bed.
Surge Incapacity
Commentary from Newbeat 1
There was a disaster management conference about a month ago but it’s been 4 years since 9/11 -and they were shocked that fed-provincial disaster management officials hadn’t met in 10 years.You can only get away with this when the media is asleep.There is a lot of CYA buck passing going on because it doesn’t look like they are ready for anything.
Exactly what has been done to protect canadians since 9/11?- only 200 out of 6000 first responders had advanced disaster training according to the AG’s report-how many major disaster simulations have been done in 4 years? How many CSIS agents are we short? -at least 700.Exactly what are they prepared for- since it doesn’t look like they are prepared for terrorists at airports, ports, transportation systems, emergency rooms.
A Cold Spash Of Tsunami Aid Reality
Peter Worthington throws a pail of cold seawater on those still basking in the glow of feel good;
Fresh in memories is Prime Minister Paul Martin initially pledging $1 million for tsunami relief, then $8 million, then promising to match the $40 million Canadians donated, and finally upping the total to $425 million.
Where is that money today? It’s anyone’s guess. The government gave it to CIDA to distribute, with no check on how it was to be spent. CIDA apparently funneled it to various non-government aid groups, also with no accounting of how it would be spent.
Marc Emery And The Nazi-Jew
Normally, a photoshop and comments posted at a forum wouldn’t be worthy of mention, especially ones deleted by admin (at the request of Libby Davies, NDP MP for Vancouver East).
|
“NEOCON-KAPO irwin cotler is signing depotation orders for CANNABIS CULTURE people wanted in the united states because he is secretly trying to get israeli spy Jonathan Pollard out of jail in the united states…. “ |
But, in this case, they seem to have received marching orders;
“I thought the term Jewish-Nazi, or Nazi-Jew, was an oxymoron until Cotler became the Injustice Minister.” Marc Emery, BC Marijuana Party jail “blog”
The Prince of Pot is no prince of peace, either;
Mosca, volunteer president of the Grandview-Woodlands Community Policing Centre, told me yesterday she’s been harassed unmercifully since complaining to a Vancouver TV reporter that the city was allowing the Da Kine cafe to sell pot a block away from a local elementary school.
And it’s little wonder this is happening, given the bullying e-blast she received soon after on the Marijuana Party’s website from the blogging Emery (who got her first name wrong).
“I noted that there is a person called Irene, of the Grandview/Woodlands community policing centre, and she must be picketed at that policing centre,” Emery wrote. “Two people should be there with signs every day, saying that she is a Nazi, or having a swastika by her name, or some kind of strong, anti-prohibitionist sentiment, as she is clearly trying to shut down one of our temples for the cannabis culture, with absolutely no grounds or basis whatsoever other than her hatred . . .”
Don’t you just feel the love.
Update via Thrasymachus in the comments – “Feel the love”, indeed. (graphic content)
Reader Tips
Another dog show weekend. Those of you who want to pull a little attention to your own ramblings, or that have useful tips – use this post for your trackbacks or just drop the link in the comments.
Catch you Sunday.
More Violence In Saskatoon
Aboriginal youth gangs swarming festival goers and robbing buskers at the Fringe.
A weekend house party on Ave. H ending with 17 year old stabbed to death over a baseball cap. While police “interview witnesses” the home invasions by revenge seekers have begun – one involving the grandparents of a youth who was at the party. When they couldn’t find him, they trashed their home and vehicles.
Last night a 52 year old man answered a knock at his door and was hit with a baseball bat by one of four home invaders in masks. Holding a knife to his throat, they demanded cash and his video game system. A fourteen and a sixteen year old are in custody.
The mother of a witness to the Ave. H murder spoke on radio this morning. They are living in fear. There have been bricks through their windows and threats. In her words – “My son witnessed the murder. They know who it is. Why don’t they just go get him?”
Just another week in Saskatoon.
Fan: STANDBY
John Podhoretz at The Corner;
It behaved disgracefully and in a nakedly partisan fashion, with former officials of the Clinton administration attempting to use the platform to damage the president’s reelection chances. Then, after months of ludicrous conduct, out of nowhere came the brilliantly conceived and written report that set a new standard of eloquence and coherence for government documents, became a major bestseller and redeemed the commission’s reputation.
Well, that didn’t last long.
In a story filed at 7:10 PM, the Associated Press is now confirming all the particulars of what will now forever be called the Able Danger disaster. The 9/11 Commission staff did hear about intelligence-gathering efforts that hit pay dirt on the whereabouts of Mohammed Atta — in 1999 — and deliberately chose to omit word of those efforts.
And why? Because to do so might upset the timeline the Commission had established on Atta.
And why is that significant? Because the Mohammed Atta timeline established by the Commission pointedly insisted Atta did not meet with an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague.
And why is that significant? Because debunking the Atta-Iraq connection was of vital importance to Democrats, who had become focused almost obsessively on the preposterous notion that there was no relation whatever between Al Qaeda and Iraq — that Al Qaeda and Iraq might even have been enemies.
More at Powerline.
Ask Not
Listening to Charles Adler rant a little today about the brazen politics involved in the selection of “black Haitian immigrant who came to Canada fleeing oppression” Michelle Who?” as new Governor General – I was struck with a realization.
All of her commendable talents aside, this marks the first time in Canadian history that the most symbolic patronage appointment in government has not been bestowed on a person who has, as in the words of the late US President John Kennedy, demonstrated “what you can do for your country.”
Instead, it has gone to an individual who brilliantly showcases the new Liberal Party version of citizenship; “What your country can do for you!”
At one of her first news conferences a reporter asked Michelle Jean if she thought she was a “token”. Well, that she isn’t.
She’s a poster child.
Deja SARS?
“Pig fever” hits the Pacific coast as Communist coverup continues: According to Boxun, the disease the Communists continue to insist is streptococcosis suis (“pig fever”) has hit Guangdong and Liaoning Provinces (Shenyang is the capital of the latter). The Communists have also been hiding the actual number of deaths from this disease, which is “at least 200” in Sichuan Province alone. The Communists are still refusing to let any outsiders in to examine this disease, which one doctor claimed is actually Ebola (fourth item), and are clearly in full disease-coverup mode.
One would think that the experience of SARS would prompt a lot more attention to this story.
Winning The Hearts Of Saskatchewan Voters
The latest job numbers come from Sask Trends Monitor, Saskatchewan’s preeminent statistics publication and clearly show a disturbing trend of rapid government expansion. Overall employment grew by 1.4 per cent in the first seven months of the reporting year – well below the 2.1 per cent growth in Alberta and 1.7 per cent growth in Manitoba, but above the national average of 1.1 per cent.
Dig a little deeper into the numbers and you find that private sector employment grew by 1.7 per cent, while government employment grew nearly twice as fast. In fact, there are 5,000 more government employees today then there were back in 2002 – a staggering statistic given Saskatchewan’s stagnant population growth. What’s worse is that almost all of the new job growth is taken by people 55 years or older, which means we’re not attracting or keeping any young people in Saskatchewan.
Of course, this doesn’t stop the government from trumpeting their overwhelming success in economic development. Industry Minister Eric Cline said the job increases are a “testament to the diversification and strength of Saskatchewan’s economy.”
The economy is diverse if by “diverse” you mean the difference between various government departments. Cline also warns that this growth is a “double-edged sword” in that they are now having trouble filling some positions.
For taxpayers, an unfilled government position isn’t a liability, it’s a blessing.
Since 1995, our provincial government has grown its payroll by 12,190 bodies and hiked the average wage by 22 per cent. The number of working people sticking around in Saskatchewan to pay these wages is in slow but steady decline.
In 2002, 22.1 percent of Saskatchewan employees were on the public sector payroll.
This summer a budget stalemate in the state of Minnesota threatened to shut off the goverment funding tap completely. The news item I caught mentioned that legislators had even failed to reach agreement on emergency funding – raising the possibility that 5,000 state employees might go without pay cheques. As of 2000, Minnesota has a population of just under 5 million.
(Thanks to David MacLean of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, for sending this along)
2Slick For The Daily Show
Last night on the Daily Show, John Stewart interviewed John Hockenberry on his upcoming article in Wired on military bloggers. Stewart has been reading milblogs and was enthusiastic and complimentary on the quality of writing – which is no surprise to those who follow the blogosphere. He seemed puzzled that the mainstream had ignored their stories – also no surprise to those who follow the blogosphere.
Hockenberry explained how he became interested – relating an incident about running head to head with a then little known milblogger “2Slick” – and how badly it came back to bite him. After 2Slick posted his highly insulting email, Hockenberry began receiving thousands of emails and feared his career was over.
They quickly made amends, 2Slick is retired and back in the States, and there is a “convert” in the media.
It was hard not to grin while listening to it. Back in mid November, I spotted 2Slick’s post, via the Commisar and crossposted to the high traffic Outside The Beltway (where I’m a group member) . Within hours Blackfive and others were directing traffic there. No wonder Hockenberry was swamped with mail.
Quoting Rightwingsparkle might have been the first to spot the story;
Ahh…the power of the blog…..you gotta love it.
Hats off to John Hockenberry – I don’t know if his email (John.Hockenberry@nbcuni.com) still functions, but I sent him a congratulations and thankyou. You don’t often see that much humility and integrity in journalism, but he displayed it last night.
update – 2Slick agrees, and mentions Hockenberry’s email is hockoo@earthlink.net. Do read the Wired piece – it’s a great article.
update 2 – Flea is looking for an on-line clip of the Hockenberry interview.
The University Of Lloyd
Count on Manitoba politics to accomplish something that nobody else has been able to do – make Quebec look respectable.
Remember how the Ax redefined the core area when a federal minister to include his riding of Fort Rouge? Well, now, miraculously, ‘downtown’ includes his new riding – er, fiefdom- the U of W.
Former CBC talking head Jennifer Rattray, in her new role as University of Winnipeg talking head, could barely contain herself when introducing her boss as the man who was the “champion” of the mission to recapture Spence Street from the evil motorists. This latest social engineering project led by the man who brought us the Core Area Initiative in the Trudeau era, is built on a bewildering number of twists and turns overlooked by MSM.
This is the first time anybody other than business owners are talking about the need to address safety downtown. As you will recall, last year it was certainly never an issue under the former mayor, a stance repeated by his chosen successor who openly declared while debating other candidates on CBC Radio that downtown was safe.
The only media outlet to raise the red flag on the growing dangers to pedestrians in the U of W area was The Black Rod, last February, when we reported that security guards at Portage Place, a mere 3 blocks east of the campus, were wearing body armour [emphasis mine].
[…]
This sudden concern about security on the streets also validates the anti-panhandler initiative of Mayor Sam Katz, which, of course, is being opposed by those darlings of the campus crowd, Benham and Gerbasi. The duo were conspicous by their absence as Axworthy and hostess Rattray gushed about the cooperation of His Worship and the sudden commitment of the U of W to improving the ability of citizens to walk the streets without feeling threatened.
While the usual Liberal Party smiley-faces- Anita Neville, David Northcott, John Angus, grinned like a bunch of… well, politicians, at Axworthy blowing kisses in Katz’s direction, one of the usual suspects was not seen, nor spoken of, the entire time.
That’s because the migration of crackheads, aggressive addicted panhandlers and roving girl gangs to the University’s doorstep is the legacy of that ‘man who shall not be named.’
But we will.
Urban visionary Glen Murray, take a bow.
While the former mayor was building over-priced world- class bridges and proposing world class new deals that went nowhere, he somehow failed to see the state of the neighborhoods or to hear the panic coming from the homeowners affected by the daily deterioration of their community.
How the mighty have fallen. First the good citizens of Charleswood showed their appreciation of his civic leadership by showing him the exit door. Then the Prime Minister had to shoehorn him into a patronage position against the objections of the entire opposition. And now he’s persona non grata in the city he loved almost as much as himself.
[…]
Last month the federal government submarined Sam Katz at every turn over the New Deal’s gas tax rebate and the mayor’s insistance that the money be used to fix roads and sidewalks. Then at the event, Katz told the press the top 2 issues for Winnipeggers are the streets and safety. The feds told Katz the rules are the gas tax money must go to- – you guessed it– so-called “green projects” that carry the union label – sustainable development.
And oh look, just a week ago, what new department did Axworthy reveal was in the plans for his restructured administration? A “sustainable development” office. To coincide with — the anti-car, pro-transit, pro-bicycle — new Spence Street mall.
What fate. The federal government can address both of Katz’s priorities by handing the money, not to City Hall, but to the former Liberal Godfather in Manitoba, Lloyd Axworthy hisself.
I don’t designate many links as must read.
This is one.
Comparison
This is a nifty little reference table.
Fulan Bong
Via Murray Wood (Rawlco Radio) … a rambling stream-of-consciousness attempt to liveblog the mind-altered narcissism of Marc Emery, on his threatened extradition to the US to face drug and money laundering charges.
*******
“it’s not about saving my ass…. (in the US) I’ll even qualify for the death penalty… for anyone who sells 60K plants or 60K seeds, I’ve been selling seeds every day of my life for all my adult life…”
he’s collected “millions and millions” and given it to charitable groups and addiction centers all over the globe… he has no money.. as soon as he gets it he gives it away.
Jack Layton came to his home to implore him to get “his people” to suppoort the NDP.. given thousands and thousands to poltiical parties..
Every member of parliament has had a subscription to his magazine for the last 10 years….
No politicain ever said to him that he was doing something wrong.
No politician ever turned down a dollar of his money.
He’s paid $600K in tax, and Revenue Canada has consulted him, asked him how they could get more marijuana tax money. Apparently a Revenue Canada rep will testify in court on his behalf.
Health canada told him that they’ve told people can get their seeds for med marijuana from him..
[This man NEVER stops for a breath)]
He’s had a profound effect on the landscape on how people across the world view marijuana [no kidding – he sounds like a lunatic]
… on a mission to promote human rights activisim to get marijuana convicts out of jail around the world, a terrible holocaust, a tragedy, and if the US wants to prosecute him for that he’s proud to go.
Though, he’d rather not, so call Irwin Cotler, everyone, he needs a groudswell, his fate is in your hands, Emery has served you all his life…. if he’s going to be a martyr and spend the rest of his life behind bars, it will be great to know that there are people out there who love him.
Trivia in defense of marijuana:
…the food they serve at McDonalds kills tens of thousands of peple every year
…people don’t like pot because it makes people loopy, or critical
… parents don’t like pot because their children smoke it
… teacher don’t like it because students “lose respect for the lessons they learned ” and they should lose respect.
In response to a question about his hypocrisy over funding drug addiction clinics; He never had any one on pot “apply to his clinic” because they were addicted… if they have a problem with the drug, stopping ends it the very next day. (He says he’s treated 65 people?)
A (supportive) caller describes a friend in detail who has usedj since highschool, can’t keep a job, etc. lost his family because he will choose the drug over everything –
Emery: no person who grew up in a stable 2 parent home has ever become addicted to anything – but people who become addicted to drugs shouldn’t go to jail and that “doesnt mean we put people in jail who facilitate their addiction”.
He’s ready to “sacrifice himself” to speed up legislation … there are forgotten people in concrete cells in the American gulag… pot users are just like the Jews, the blacks, the natives, rounded up and put in camps. Like the Chinese persecute the Falun Gong… what’s the difference between smoking pot and finding enlightenment and doing Ti Chi to find enlightenment?
Closing sentence; “If he can bring any light on this war on all human beings has been sponsored by thiis rogue organization called the United States”.
*****
So, colour me convinced. Today, in the name of legalizing (-)-(6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6a,7,8,10a -tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol, I join the millions of Canadians who are dedicated to Marc Emery’s attainment of martyrdom.
Godspeed, Mr. Emery.
Godspeed.
“Daddy, What’s A Separatist?”
Billy: Dad, what’s a separatist?
Dad: Son, I dreaded the day this conversation would come. Well -those are people that come from Quebec. They love our country and just want to belong. They are largely misunderstood. We have to do everything we can to make sure they feel welcome-like running advertising programs in their “belle province” that promote unity; or appointing one of their own as the Governor General.
Billy: Quebec? Johnny O’Malley said they came from Alberta.
Dad: Oh. Those ones. You don’t want no part o’ that.
Billy: Why?
Dad: Because they are intolerant, Christian bigots who tend to discriminate against homosexuals, unions and domestic animals. They also believe Hooters have good wings.
heh.