Michael Moore is being sued by a veteran of the Iraq war for misrepresenting him and distorting what he said, in the film Fahrenheit 9/11. Mr. Moore, justice is served.
Learn more about his deceptions here, here, here and here.
UPDATE: The second link originally linked to a closed-down website. That problem has been corrected.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
At Least It's Not a Third Leg!
The jokes would never stop. This chinese kid actually was born with three arms! Fully functional!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Ugggghhhh
Who came up with the idea of getting drunk on your birthday? Seriously, it's one thing to wake up the next day as an older version of yourself, why would you want to feel like barfing all day too?
It was a good time though, thanks to those who stopped by - it was good to see you! And thanks for the b-day comments here too!
It was a good time though, thanks to those who stopped by - it was good to see you! And thanks for the b-day comments here too!
Monday, May 29, 2006
May 29th
It's my b-day today, I've turned the big 2 - 9: It's officially the last year that I get older. :)
However, as it turns out, this year May 29th has some extra significance. It's Memorial Day in America. On Memorial Day, which occurs on the last monday of May, Americans are reminded of those who fell for their country. I wish it was possible to meet all the men and women who've made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and ultimately the world, so that I could thank them all personally. Since it's not though, I guess it will have to suffice to simply remember their acts, and enjoy the freedoms they have bought us all.
So, I'm gonna skip out on work, go get some lunch, and then hit a round of golf with a friend. It's the right thing to do. :)
However, as it turns out, this year May 29th has some extra significance. It's Memorial Day in America. On Memorial Day, which occurs on the last monday of May, Americans are reminded of those who fell for their country. I wish it was possible to meet all the men and women who've made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and ultimately the world, so that I could thank them all personally. Since it's not though, I guess it will have to suffice to simply remember their acts, and enjoy the freedoms they have bought us all.
So, I'm gonna skip out on work, go get some lunch, and then hit a round of golf with a friend. It's the right thing to do. :)
hahahahaha
via Seriously Guys, an incredible story of one man, several gallons of liquor, and a car.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
What Goes Through Their Heads When....
...others, like the madman of Iran do things like deny the holocaust? The people in this picture (filed by Reuters, May 28th, 2006 with a report about the Pope paying tribute to them) experienced it! Why doesn't he ask them what happened at Auschwitz?
If You Still Like Me After That Rant...
Then come on down to my house tommorrow (monday) night for a bonfire and some libations. Perhaps even a shrimp ring or two. Maybe even something roasted on the BBQ. Or some smores? It's my 29th birthday, and it just so happens that it's on the 29th of May, so clearly there will be some champagne on hand.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Second Thoughts?
Jack Kevorkian, otherwise known as Dr. Death, is dying slowly in prison. Sounds like he's had a lot of time to contemplate his life, and it doesn't sound like he's at all interested in being euthanized.
Friday, May 26, 2006
The Inexorable March Towards Freedom, Final Part
Wars have been occurring since the dawn of civilization. They're usually fought over territory, resources, politics, and religion. Almost always, they are fought because some group believes that they have the manifest destiny to control the lives of the others that they are fighting. All the way up from the Romans, wars have been fought for the conquest value. The more territory captured the better. The more loot plundered, the better. The more people converted to your way of life the better.
All the way up from the time of the Roman empire, the lot of humanity has been improved by war. This is a provocative statement maybe. But consider how evil is sometimes necessary for the attainment of greater virtues such as heroism. Also consider how the Romans were the first to seperate church and state. Or how the American civil war triggered the end of slavery. Or how World Wars 1 and 2 almost finished off the ideas of fascism and communism. Or how the Cold War finished the job.
I believe that throughout time, civilization has shaken off such bad ideas as state-run religions, and communism, mostly through violent means. Further, I believe that this war that the West is currently engaging in will spell the end of religious imperialism, and for that result alone, this war is worth it.
What is the pattern? The pattern is that each step along the way, people become freer. There are more democratic countries in the world every year. The citizens of those countries demand more and more rights from their governments all the time. There is more freedom of speech, religion, organization, than ever before. As a DIRECT consequence, citizens are more prosperous, and peaceful.
The Americans did not start this war. But they are responding the right way. They've understood the greater picture ever since the Declaration of Independence, and I for one am glad that they've got the guts to fight this war alone if they have to. They're doing it for their own selfish reasons, but the whole world is better for it. And the best part is, only a conspiracy theorist can tell you with a straight face that the Americans are doing it for any malevolent reason. They've been saying all along that a more democratic middle east will bring more peace and freedom to the world, because they rightly believe that the freer people are, the more peaceful they will be. God bless America, Canada, Iraq, Australia......etc. etc.
All the way up from the time of the Roman empire, the lot of humanity has been improved by war. This is a provocative statement maybe. But consider how evil is sometimes necessary for the attainment of greater virtues such as heroism. Also consider how the Romans were the first to seperate church and state. Or how the American civil war triggered the end of slavery. Or how World Wars 1 and 2 almost finished off the ideas of fascism and communism. Or how the Cold War finished the job.
I believe that throughout time, civilization has shaken off such bad ideas as state-run religions, and communism, mostly through violent means. Further, I believe that this war that the West is currently engaging in will spell the end of religious imperialism, and for that result alone, this war is worth it.
What is the pattern? The pattern is that each step along the way, people become freer. There are more democratic countries in the world every year. The citizens of those countries demand more and more rights from their governments all the time. There is more freedom of speech, religion, organization, than ever before. As a DIRECT consequence, citizens are more prosperous, and peaceful.
The Americans did not start this war. But they are responding the right way. They've understood the greater picture ever since the Declaration of Independence, and I for one am glad that they've got the guts to fight this war alone if they have to. They're doing it for their own selfish reasons, but the whole world is better for it. And the best part is, only a conspiracy theorist can tell you with a straight face that the Americans are doing it for any malevolent reason. They've been saying all along that a more democratic middle east will bring more peace and freedom to the world, because they rightly believe that the freer people are, the more peaceful they will be. God bless America, Canada, Iraq, Australia......etc. etc.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Inexorable March Towards Freedom, Part 1
I was a communist while I was in business school. Those who've gotten to know me in the years since then might be shocked by that statement (given my current worldview), and those who don't know me might be confused, given that I was a business student while espousing an anti-profit ideology. Well, it didn't make sense, that's true. But I was happy to believe that everybody in the world could live the same way, and in some sort of utopic, ambition-free, hedonistic paradise, if only some people wouldn't be so GREEDY, and SELFISH, and RELIGIOUS. I never really thought too much about how the greedy, selfish, religious people out there could be made to agree with me. Now I know how that's being attempted, but more on that later.
When I was a communist, I didn't believe in profit. Business school taught me how to make one though, even while hiding from me the reason why I OUGHT to make a profit. Because of that, I started my career in business (working for 'big oil', no less) with a big guilt complex. My ideology, and that of roughly half of the general population, instructed me to believe that profit was bad, and that I was exploiting people by demanding one. Thus, I found it easy to be seduced by the ideas floated by the liberal government of the day - higher taxes, gas company collusion probes, environmental accords, recycling cults, welfare programs for the poor, etc.
When I was a communist, I didn't believe in God. My replacement for God was the movement towards organized society, and egalitarianism. As a communist, I felt guilty about Christianity's (the religion of my childhood) impact on the world, because it didn't seem like a fair religion in its dealings with non-believers. It was imperialistic and aggressive - and it had many sins to account for as a result.
A communist has some maxims to live by. Marx was fond of telling his sheep 'from each according to ability, to each according to need'. Others have used variations on 'for the good of society, ahead of the good of the individual.' There are some tools that can be used to leverage these ideas into social change that will theoretically, gradually, win wide social acceptance for the foundations of a communist society. Those are multiculturalism, relativism, and the stigmatization of exploitation.
Multiculturalism and relativism are cousins. Multiculturalism is the idea that cultures are different, but equally important in their contribution to the fabric of a society. Relativism substitutes cultures with ideas, and claims that ideas, in addition to being equally important, are equal in their moral content. Thus, no discrimination should be made between cultures, or between ideas.
Exploitation is the essence of profit. When you make a deal with somebody for an exchange of one type of good with another type of good (ie. your labour for your boss's money), you are out to obtain the maximum advantage that you can for your self. That is exploitation. When you are a boss, and you must find a way to sell a type of good for a profit, you must be seeking to exploit either: a labour pool, and/or a resource pool. This all seems logical. But when exploitation is stigmatized, then the profit motive is stigmatized as well. Thus, the profit motive should not be employed, because it exploits others either directly, or indirectly through the exploitation of resources; which by degrading the environment is detrimental to the greater good.
So, multiculturalism is the lever that was meant to persuade society to believe in the equality of all people. Relativism is the lever that was meant to persuade society to believe that Christianity is no more morally correct than Paganism, or Atheism, or Statism, or any other religion. The stigmatization of the term 'exploitation' is the lever that would try to persuade society to believe that the profit motive was just another way that individuals could act against the greater good.
And for a while, it worked on me, in addition to millions of others in this country, and billions more in other Western nations who had previously thought they'd slayed communism.
To be continued.....
When I was a communist, I didn't believe in profit. Business school taught me how to make one though, even while hiding from me the reason why I OUGHT to make a profit. Because of that, I started my career in business (working for 'big oil', no less) with a big guilt complex. My ideology, and that of roughly half of the general population, instructed me to believe that profit was bad, and that I was exploiting people by demanding one. Thus, I found it easy to be seduced by the ideas floated by the liberal government of the day - higher taxes, gas company collusion probes, environmental accords, recycling cults, welfare programs for the poor, etc.
When I was a communist, I didn't believe in God. My replacement for God was the movement towards organized society, and egalitarianism. As a communist, I felt guilty about Christianity's (the religion of my childhood) impact on the world, because it didn't seem like a fair religion in its dealings with non-believers. It was imperialistic and aggressive - and it had many sins to account for as a result.
A communist has some maxims to live by. Marx was fond of telling his sheep 'from each according to ability, to each according to need'. Others have used variations on 'for the good of society, ahead of the good of the individual.' There are some tools that can be used to leverage these ideas into social change that will theoretically, gradually, win wide social acceptance for the foundations of a communist society. Those are multiculturalism, relativism, and the stigmatization of exploitation.
Multiculturalism and relativism are cousins. Multiculturalism is the idea that cultures are different, but equally important in their contribution to the fabric of a society. Relativism substitutes cultures with ideas, and claims that ideas, in addition to being equally important, are equal in their moral content. Thus, no discrimination should be made between cultures, or between ideas.
Exploitation is the essence of profit. When you make a deal with somebody for an exchange of one type of good with another type of good (ie. your labour for your boss's money), you are out to obtain the maximum advantage that you can for your self. That is exploitation. When you are a boss, and you must find a way to sell a type of good for a profit, you must be seeking to exploit either: a labour pool, and/or a resource pool. This all seems logical. But when exploitation is stigmatized, then the profit motive is stigmatized as well. Thus, the profit motive should not be employed, because it exploits others either directly, or indirectly through the exploitation of resources; which by degrading the environment is detrimental to the greater good.
So, multiculturalism is the lever that was meant to persuade society to believe in the equality of all people. Relativism is the lever that was meant to persuade society to believe that Christianity is no more morally correct than Paganism, or Atheism, or Statism, or any other religion. The stigmatization of the term 'exploitation' is the lever that would try to persuade society to believe that the profit motive was just another way that individuals could act against the greater good.
And for a while, it worked on me, in addition to millions of others in this country, and billions more in other Western nations who had previously thought they'd slayed communism.
To be continued.....
Read this before part 2
Mark Steyn, in another brilliant rip at Statism as Religion.
Onkar Ghate, discussing among other things, a justification for changing and 'exploiting' our environment.
Me, briefly discussing how relativity does not apply to morality.
Onkar Ghate, discussing among other things, a justification for changing and 'exploiting' our environment.
Me, briefly discussing how relativity does not apply to morality.
The Inexorable March Towards Freedom, Part 2
On September 12, 2001, I became a Capitalist. There's another word that one can interchange with capitalism. That word is libertarianism. So I am also a Libertarian.
I remember what I was doing the previous morning, September 11, almost down to the most mundane and boring detail. And for those of you who know me, I usually don't remember things from like, ten minutes ago. I won't waste space here with details; too many people have relived those moments in painful recollection to others, I do not wish to. But reflecting on events the next day, I could not correlate the actions of the hijackers with any sort of relativist rationalization. Especially as the news came out that the terrorists were likely Islamic radicals, relativism and its cousin, multiculturalism began to fade in meaning for me to abstract physical phenomona and food festivals. Even my previous denunciation of Christianity and religion in general started to retract; sure, Christianity had a barbarous stage. Judaism too. Hell, most major religions have had their moments of empiristic ambition, ie. The Crusades, or the Ottoman Empire. But it started to seem to me that Islam had not passed from this phase through enlightenment as had Christianity and Judaism. But I digress to the original event.
Multiculturalism has become such a rigid concept in western society that there are folks out there that, being overinvested, will tell you that the culture of death that precipitated in the 9/11 attacks is equal in importance to any other culture.
Relativism has created opinions that Christian mission organizations such as MCC are equal in moral goodness to Islamic terrorism. Funny how some of the folks that are scared about Stephen Harper saying 'God Bless Canada', will then blame guys like him and GWB for the atrocities that inevitably precede shouts of "Allahu Akbar'.
Exploitation of oil resources by multinational companies and their suppliers is somehow perverted by seditious agents here into slogans such as 'no blood for oil', while the suppliers of this oil (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, etc.) actively use the proceeds of these oil sales to oppress their own people, torture and kill dissidents, and pursue an anti-Western agenda. Ironic, no?
On September 11, 2001, three thousand innocent people died while working to support their familes, their country, and a certain way of life. A group of terrorists, while not communist but certainly fascist (and therefore related by way of authoritarianism), killed them to show the world how much contempt they had for the institutions of the western world. While there was, and continues to be, much outrage about these attacks, there is a contingent of our society who condemns the United States and any of her allies for not being multicultural ENOUGH. For not understanding the sensitivities of other cultures. For not allowing this death cult to feel equal to true religions of peace. For not allowing the moralities of death, feminine subservience, and religious subservience the equivalent moral status of the freedom to live as one sees fit.
FREEDOM. The people who died in the 9/11 attacks lost their freedom to live as they saw fit. They were murdered. They were murdered in the name of God. They were murdered by a religious fringe who would claim moral equivalence to all other religious groups. They took advantage of the left's levers of relativism and multiculturalism - this act was the logical conclusion of those concepts. Their choice of targets - Americans - was symbolic of what they were attacking that day: Liberty. America is the only country in the world to be founded upon an idea that all people should be free, and when I saw that my cherished ideals of multiculturalism and relativism could be leveraged into an assault on freedom, I knew I had made the wrong choice in selecting an ideology.
I began to look at Liberty as the prime value to be upheld in society. With respect to other cultures, Liberty is really what allows all cultures to flourish - 'multiculturalism ' as we understand it now, is a word that's only used to press people into believing that all cultures are equal. This of course, is a euphemism. Perhaps all people are equal, but the culture of feminine oppression that is found in the middle east, in africa, and elsewhere is certainly not equivalent to the feminist movement cultures to be found in western nations, for example. The thing that makes the feminist movements superior is the concept of Liberty, of course. That women should be free to live their lives as they see fit.
'Relativism', as we understand it now, means for all practical purposes that any moral guide, whether it be State, Islam, Christianity, Objectivism, etc., is equivalent. Of course, given the events of 9/11, and the ensuing terrorist attacks around the world, we know that some people are following a moral code that is not valid. There can be no excusing these acts to differing societal mores. I'm sorry. I cannot accept any reason for these attacks being valid and just.
'Exploitation', as we have been made to understand it now, means that for all practical purposes any transaction where one party gains an advantage from the other party involved, is wrong. Of course, given that both parties enter into a transaction voluntarily and at their Liberty, exploitation must be the expected result. Each party exploits the other, with the tacit acceptance of the other. And thus, exploitation is the functional expression of Liberty in an economic mode that I'd describe as Capitalism.
Given a choice, as we all were on 9/11, between a multicultural concept that excuses any heinous act, and Liberty, I took a side.
To be continued....
I remember what I was doing the previous morning, September 11, almost down to the most mundane and boring detail. And for those of you who know me, I usually don't remember things from like, ten minutes ago. I won't waste space here with details; too many people have relived those moments in painful recollection to others, I do not wish to. But reflecting on events the next day, I could not correlate the actions of the hijackers with any sort of relativist rationalization. Especially as the news came out that the terrorists were likely Islamic radicals, relativism and its cousin, multiculturalism began to fade in meaning for me to abstract physical phenomona and food festivals. Even my previous denunciation of Christianity and religion in general started to retract; sure, Christianity had a barbarous stage. Judaism too. Hell, most major religions have had their moments of empiristic ambition, ie. The Crusades, or the Ottoman Empire. But it started to seem to me that Islam had not passed from this phase through enlightenment as had Christianity and Judaism. But I digress to the original event.
Multiculturalism has become such a rigid concept in western society that there are folks out there that, being overinvested, will tell you that the culture of death that precipitated in the 9/11 attacks is equal in importance to any other culture.
Relativism has created opinions that Christian mission organizations such as MCC are equal in moral goodness to Islamic terrorism. Funny how some of the folks that are scared about Stephen Harper saying 'God Bless Canada', will then blame guys like him and GWB for the atrocities that inevitably precede shouts of "Allahu Akbar'.
Exploitation of oil resources by multinational companies and their suppliers is somehow perverted by seditious agents here into slogans such as 'no blood for oil', while the suppliers of this oil (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, etc.) actively use the proceeds of these oil sales to oppress their own people, torture and kill dissidents, and pursue an anti-Western agenda. Ironic, no?
On September 11, 2001, three thousand innocent people died while working to support their familes, their country, and a certain way of life. A group of terrorists, while not communist but certainly fascist (and therefore related by way of authoritarianism), killed them to show the world how much contempt they had for the institutions of the western world. While there was, and continues to be, much outrage about these attacks, there is a contingent of our society who condemns the United States and any of her allies for not being multicultural ENOUGH. For not understanding the sensitivities of other cultures. For not allowing this death cult to feel equal to true religions of peace. For not allowing the moralities of death, feminine subservience, and religious subservience the equivalent moral status of the freedom to live as one sees fit.
FREEDOM. The people who died in the 9/11 attacks lost their freedom to live as they saw fit. They were murdered. They were murdered in the name of God. They were murdered by a religious fringe who would claim moral equivalence to all other religious groups. They took advantage of the left's levers of relativism and multiculturalism - this act was the logical conclusion of those concepts. Their choice of targets - Americans - was symbolic of what they were attacking that day: Liberty. America is the only country in the world to be founded upon an idea that all people should be free, and when I saw that my cherished ideals of multiculturalism and relativism could be leveraged into an assault on freedom, I knew I had made the wrong choice in selecting an ideology.
I began to look at Liberty as the prime value to be upheld in society. With respect to other cultures, Liberty is really what allows all cultures to flourish - 'multiculturalism ' as we understand it now, is a word that's only used to press people into believing that all cultures are equal. This of course, is a euphemism. Perhaps all people are equal, but the culture of feminine oppression that is found in the middle east, in africa, and elsewhere is certainly not equivalent to the feminist movement cultures to be found in western nations, for example. The thing that makes the feminist movements superior is the concept of Liberty, of course. That women should be free to live their lives as they see fit.
'Relativism', as we understand it now, means for all practical purposes that any moral guide, whether it be State, Islam, Christianity, Objectivism, etc., is equivalent. Of course, given the events of 9/11, and the ensuing terrorist attacks around the world, we know that some people are following a moral code that is not valid. There can be no excusing these acts to differing societal mores. I'm sorry. I cannot accept any reason for these attacks being valid and just.
'Exploitation', as we have been made to understand it now, means that for all practical purposes any transaction where one party gains an advantage from the other party involved, is wrong. Of course, given that both parties enter into a transaction voluntarily and at their Liberty, exploitation must be the expected result. Each party exploits the other, with the tacit acceptance of the other. And thus, exploitation is the functional expression of Liberty in an economic mode that I'd describe as Capitalism.
Given a choice, as we all were on 9/11, between a multicultural concept that excuses any heinous act, and Liberty, I took a side.
To be continued....
My Sister Got Older Today!
I don't know if she reads this blog, but if you do Tamara Nicole Peters, HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY! She's also an expectant mother, due in August.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Gotta Hand It to The Guy...
Barry Bonds, despite the often poisonous words of his many critics, is an incredibly historic figure in baseball's rich history. He's now saying, having tied Babe Ruth's homerun tally - and being close to Hank Aaron's record, that he won't stop until he's got the world record. That's 868 homers (113 more than Hank Aaron's 755), set by Sadaharu Oh of Japan's Yomiuri Giants in 1980. Gotta hand it to the guy, he doesn't give a damn about what others say, and all he cares about is being the best.
Correction
It seems as though part of the National Post's story which I referred to about Iranian minorities having to wear certain indentifiers is wrong. Apparently, the legislation is focused on making the entire muslim population wear uniforms, and this Iranians don't deny. However, Christians and Jews will not need to wear special identifiers as was originally reported. Well, I guess that's not as neo-nazi as the original story would have led one to believe. But it's still awfully 1984-ish, you know? Like, could you imagine the government of Canada decreeing that everyone's gotta dress up into some kind of weird canuckian robe 24/7? I bet it would have a Leafs logo on it somewhere....
Seriously though, I still wonder how the Christians and Jews are gonna be regarded with respect to this law. They're not Muslim, so will they be free to dress as they please? Or will they be forced to dress like Muslims too?
Seriously though, I still wonder how the Christians and Jews are gonna be regarded with respect to this law. They're not Muslim, so will they be free to dress as they please? Or will they be forced to dress like Muslims too?
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
First they came for the Jews.....
Iran has recently passed legislation requiring the country's minority Jews and Christians to wear badges that identify then as non-muslim. Next will be ghettos, then camps, and given Iran's desire to 'wipe Israel off the map', extermination.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Commenting
Thanks to a tip from a guy, I have solved my commenting/spam problem. There is now a word-verification stage, and I don't have to moderate comments anymore.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Comments
Due to a recent rash of spam comments, I'm turning comment moderation on. I'll try to be good at putting comments up quickly.
Trouble in Turkey
An Islamic crazy has just killed a judge who ruled that it was illegal to wear religious headwear in classrooms. While I don't think I support the judge's decision, the idea that I should kill him would have never crossed my mind. I would imagine that you would clearly need to be insane in order to commit such an act. Sadly insanity, Islam, and violent acts are equal parts in a vicious mix far too often.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Connecting The Dots
Mark Steyn, Canada's most important contribution to Geopolitics in history, shows how the same tired old lefties who complained that the Bush administration should have been able to connect the dots on the 9/11 attacks before it happened and should have prevented the whole tragedy, are now outraged that the administration is trying to connect the dots to prevent a future attack. He is, of course, talking about the new outrage over NSA's surveillance programs. NSA doesn't really scare me much. I mean, I'm a libertarian, so it does cause me to involuntarily shiver a bit, but really, if the American government is serious about trying to identify threats before they fully materialize, they'll NECESSARILY have programs like this running at all times. How else to do it?
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Iran's Smoking Guns
Via Iraq The Model, there are reports surfacing that Iran has lately been supplying Al-Qaeda in Iraq with improved laser-guided surface-to-air missiles, IEDs, etc.
Meanwhile, Back in Chavezistan...
Hugo Chavez is offering to supply oil to low-income European families for cut-rates. His offer is similar to one he made to New Yorkers this winter, and is designed to make a 'point' about American-style capitalism and its 'inherent' inequities.
Maybe, seeing as his country has a per capita GDP is $6500.00 and sports a full 47% of the population below the poverty line, he should think about selling the oil for market prices and returning the profits to his countrymen instead of starving them. Just to give some perspective, Canada, whose oil wealth is probably close to Venezuela's, has a per capital GDP of $32,900.00, and 15% of its population is below the poverty line.
But, as Natan Sharansky will point out, Hugo is more interested in making an enemy out of the US that his citizens will fear and despise, than he is in their well-being. Why does that make sense? Because, making an external enemy for his people to hate will mask his socialism's failures, and also his dictatorial ambitions. It's a formula that's been well used throughout the last few decades, by many a dictator. Unfortunately, as Sharansky shows in his book The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror, in order for Chavez to maintain the control that he seeks, one day he'll have to turn on his own people and create a climate of fear that is not centered on some other nation, but on his own government. He will eventually need to terrorize his own citizens in order to maintain control.
But hey. I mean, gotta love the guy for standing up to "The Great Satan" and the rest of the "Imperialistic Dogs", eh?
Maybe, seeing as his country has a per capita GDP is $6500.00 and sports a full 47% of the population below the poverty line, he should think about selling the oil for market prices and returning the profits to his countrymen instead of starving them. Just to give some perspective, Canada, whose oil wealth is probably close to Venezuela's, has a per capital GDP of $32,900.00, and 15% of its population is below the poverty line.
But, as Natan Sharansky will point out, Hugo is more interested in making an enemy out of the US that his citizens will fear and despise, than he is in their well-being. Why does that make sense? Because, making an external enemy for his people to hate will mask his socialism's failures, and also his dictatorial ambitions. It's a formula that's been well used throughout the last few decades, by many a dictator. Unfortunately, as Sharansky shows in his book The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror, in order for Chavez to maintain the control that he seeks, one day he'll have to turn on his own people and create a climate of fear that is not centered on some other nation, but on his own government. He will eventually need to terrorize his own citizens in order to maintain control.
But hey. I mean, gotta love the guy for standing up to "The Great Satan" and the rest of the "Imperialistic Dogs", eh?
Friday, May 12, 2006
Living The Rock n Roll Dream
Gonna go see the Mad Caddies tonight. It's been a rocknroll spring for me, having seen Metric in Winnipeg and Ladytron in Minneapolis recently, then tonight's show, and on Thursday next week I'm gonna go see The Joel Plaskett Emergency.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
An Excellent Source of News
Bill Roggio, blogger for The Fourth Rail, is being embedded with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. Now we will learn something about our involvement in this war that isn't fed to us by CBC. He was previously in Iraq, embedded with Americans, and did some excellent reporting while there.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Another New Addition to The Blogosphere
A good friend of mine out on the west coast, who, for the sake of anonymity we'll call Ace, has a blog. It is called AlternativeToSanity. Welcome to the blogosphere Ace!
Awww, Harper's Not Letting His Peeps Have Any Fun...
Jane Taber of the Globe and Mail bemoans the fact that, as part of Harper's promise to cleanup government and root out perceived connections between lobbyists and government officials, the PMO is no longer allowing officials to accept free tickets from corporate sponsors for social events. Boo hoo.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Even an Anti-Militarian has to be Impressed by This
The U.S. military has developed a literal "forcefield" system for its' tanks and personnel carriers. That's a bit crazy.
Dictator-for-life/Leftie
Fox News is reporting that Hugo Chavez, el-Presidente-for-life, is threatening to hold a referendum on whether he should govern for the next 25 years, if opposition parties boycott the election in Venezuela. What kind of loaded proposition is THAT!
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Winds of Change has a tremendous article up that discusses some themes and directions in Europe, and some predictions that seem like they'll be viewed as prescient in the future.
Ann Coulter, who I sometimes find to be a little too over-the top, has some wise things to say about the public's reaction to gas price fluctuations, as compared to it's ambivalence with regards generally to University/College tuition prices. Particularly, she asks the question why aren't we outraged at high prices of tuition that are paying for tremendously poor-quality educations? Especially since even the worst, partisan professors/buffoons are demanding six-figure salaries.
I've personally had mostly good profs, as far as that goes, but some of the people she names, ie. Ward Churchill, should probably not be making that kind of money, particularly when he's paid by taxpayers. And she is right on the money with this quote:
I've personally had mostly good profs, as far as that goes, but some of the people she names, ie. Ward Churchill, should probably not be making that kind of money, particularly when he's paid by taxpayers. And she is right on the money with this quote:
"The only solution to high gas prices considered on CNN was to pay oil company executives less, perhaps by order of the president. But somehow, no one ever suggested that the solution to the high price of college — far outpacing inflation — was to pay professors less. In that case, the solution is for the government to subsidize college professors' salaries even more than it already does. "
Saturday, May 06, 2006
A New Addition to the Blogosphere
The lovely and talented Emilie Lemay has a blog. Also, check out her art at emilielemay.com.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Yet Another Ballsy Move by Harper
I must say, this man has done more good works in less than 4 months than his predecessors did in 13 years. Stephen Harper is clearing the way for Quebec to participate semi-autonomously in UN matters, starting with UNESCO. This, I believe, is a meaningful gesture, a signal to Quebecers that he's got a different idea of how Canada should look than previous politicians. I can only hope that he wants Quebec to stay, but as part of a Federation of provinces who have more control over their own destinies - that is, a more decentralized federation.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Better Than The Death Penalty
Zacarias Moussaoui will not be a martyr. He will never again experience the freedom that he would have been working to destroy. This man will experience an horrifically empty life. Decades will pass while he slowly dies. The world will move on, civilization will continue to advance, his religion will continue to experience enlightenment, and Zacarias Moussaoui will be able to do nothing but watch. Nobody will remember him. The cause for which he gave his life will fail. To execute him would have been to give him the only thing that he ever really desired. To imprison him for life will be to demonstrate to him and his death cult that to the free world, their movement is just one more irritant to be removed, neutralized, and discarded.
They're Drilling Into His Brain!!
Maybe he should stop climbing palm trees. Keith Richards, who was recently hospitalized for falling out of one, is suffering from a bleeding brain.
Fidel's Finances
Oh to be the dictator of a worker's paradise. Apparently the gig pays well. Fidel Castro is estimated by Forbes to be worth over a billion smackeroos, and counting. I guess that means that everyone else in Cuba must be worth a billion too, right? I mean, you're not allowed to be richer than your comrades are you? Clearly, that would be against the spirit of communism.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Nates is a Joosebag Calgary Booster
Ok. Nates is wearing a Calgary Flames bra. Courtney is passed out. The Flames are losing 2 nothing, 6 minutes left in the 3rd. The situation is grim. Will there be a battle of Alberta? Not if these two have anything to do with it. Go Oilers.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Parody Alert
Varifrank does a funny parodic spin on the ongoing immigration protests. As always, there's a grain of truth to it...
May Day
Yesterday was May Day, the annual holiday for socialists. Catallarchy has a collection of essays that look at the reality of the 'worker's paradise' that so many countries have tried to set up. What they really did was create prison states, murder their own citizens, and attempt to destroy the entire world. Read the whole thing.
Monday, May 01, 2006
A Fork in The Road
I'm staying up later than usual tonight, so blogging has been a little heavier. Why am I still up? A long afternoon nap, a latenight run with a friend, and caffeine are all culprits. But there's something else, something that has been on my mind for about a week. Tommorrow is the day that I ask my two roommates to find a new place to live. That's right, I'm ruthlessly and coldly intruding in their sedentary lifestyles, with no concern for their welfare, and little sympathy for the hardships I may or may not impart upon them.
It's not that we don't get along, or that they're terrible roommates. It's just that I'm changing, and part of the change has to involve living my life in a way that will be incompatible with the way that these guys do. Besides, I can already envision the pool table that will go downstairs where Andy's room was, and the nice home office/guest room that I can set up in Ken's old room. Financially, the loss in rent that I'll experience will be partly offset by lower bills - less water/hydro consumption, no cable TV, and no land-line telephone to pay for.
I think I'm at peace with this decision, but still....I'm a little nervous about the conversation that we'll have to have tommorrow. I hope that it goes well, and that they're not too upset.
It's not that we don't get along, or that they're terrible roommates. It's just that I'm changing, and part of the change has to involve living my life in a way that will be incompatible with the way that these guys do. Besides, I can already envision the pool table that will go downstairs where Andy's room was, and the nice home office/guest room that I can set up in Ken's old room. Financially, the loss in rent that I'll experience will be partly offset by lower bills - less water/hydro consumption, no cable TV, and no land-line telephone to pay for.
I think I'm at peace with this decision, but still....I'm a little nervous about the conversation that we'll have to have tommorrow. I hope that it goes well, and that they're not too upset.
Atlas set to hit the big time?
Variety reports that Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's most influential work, is set to be made into a movie by LionsGate entertainment. That would be a movie I'd go see.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
