Don't have time to do a long piece now, but I want to thank Eye on a Crazy Planet's readers for coming by, and for your interest and support through 2011.
Have a fantastic New Year's and we'll look forward to a great 2012 together.
(Even the people who buy in to the Mayan apocalypse nonsense!)
EYE ON A CRAZY PLANET
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Chatham, Ontario tops Canada's list for goofiest 911 calls
This one is just number 7 on Chatham's top ten silly 911 calls:
A woman called 911 after being denied entry to a local nightclub. She forgot her identification and wanted an officer to attend to verify her name and prove to security staff that she was of legal drinking age. When she was told police don’t do that, she argued that they should.
The whole list is here.
A woman called 911 after being denied entry to a local nightclub. She forgot her identification and wanted an officer to attend to verify her name and prove to security staff that she was of legal drinking age. When she was told police don’t do that, she argued that they should.
The whole list is here.
Friday, December 30, 2011
The New Nexus of Narcoterrorism: Hezbollah & Venezuela
"..A recent New York Times front-page article (December 14, 2011) revealed the extensive and intricate connections between Hezbollah and South American cocaine trafficking. Far from being the passive beneficiaries of drug-trafficking expats and sympathizers, Hezbollah has high-level officials directly involved in the South American cocaine trade and its most violent cartels, including the Mexican gang Los Zetas. The “Party of God’s” increasing foothold in the cocaine trade is facilitated by an enormous Lebanese diaspora. As I wrote in my May 2011 e-note, in 2005, six million Muslims were estimated to inhabit Latin American cities. However, ungoverned areas, primarily in the Amazon regions of Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil, present easily exploitable terrain over which to move people and material. The Free Trade Zones of Iquique, Chile; Maicao, Colombia; and Colón, Panama, can generate undetected financial and logistical support for terrorist groups. Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru offer cocaine as a lucrative source of income. In addition, Cuba and Venezuela have cooperative agreements with Syria, Libya, and Iran.
Some shocking revelations into the global interconnectedness of Latin American governments and Middle Eastern terrorist groups have come from Walid Makled, Venezuela’s latter-day Pablo Escobar, who was arrested on August 19, 2010 in Cúcuta, a town on the Venezuelan-Colombian border. A Venezuelan of Syrian descent known variously as “El Turco” (“The Turk”) or “El Arabe” (“The Arab”), he is allegedly responsible for smuggling 10 tons of cocaine a month into the US and Europe—a full 10 percent of the world’s supply and 60 percent of Europe’s supply. His massive infrastructure and distribution network make this entirely plausible, as well as entirely implausible the Venezuelan government did not know. Makled owned Venezuela’s biggest airline, Aeropostal, huge warehouses in Venezuela’s biggest port, Puerto Cabello, and bought enormous quantities of urea (used in cocaine processing) from a government-owned chemical company.
After his arrest and incarceration in the Colombian prison La Picota, Makled gave numerous interviews to various media outlets. When asked on camera by a Univisión television reporter whether he had any relation to the FARC, he answered: “That is what I would say to the American prosecutor.” Asked directly whether he knew of Hezbollah operations in Venezuela, he answered: "In Venezuela? Of course! That which I understand is that they work in Venezuela. [Hezbollah] make money and all of that money they send to the Middle East."
Read the entire article at the Foreign Policy Research Institute website
Some shocking revelations into the global interconnectedness of Latin American governments and Middle Eastern terrorist groups have come from Walid Makled, Venezuela’s latter-day Pablo Escobar, who was arrested on August 19, 2010 in Cúcuta, a town on the Venezuelan-Colombian border. A Venezuelan of Syrian descent known variously as “El Turco” (“The Turk”) or “El Arabe” (“The Arab”), he is allegedly responsible for smuggling 10 tons of cocaine a month into the US and Europe—a full 10 percent of the world’s supply and 60 percent of Europe’s supply. His massive infrastructure and distribution network make this entirely plausible, as well as entirely implausible the Venezuelan government did not know. Makled owned Venezuela’s biggest airline, Aeropostal, huge warehouses in Venezuela’s biggest port, Puerto Cabello, and bought enormous quantities of urea (used in cocaine processing) from a government-owned chemical company.
After his arrest and incarceration in the Colombian prison La Picota, Makled gave numerous interviews to various media outlets. When asked on camera by a Univisión television reporter whether he had any relation to the FARC, he answered: “That is what I would say to the American prosecutor.” Asked directly whether he knew of Hezbollah operations in Venezuela, he answered: "In Venezuela? Of course! That which I understand is that they work in Venezuela. [Hezbollah] make money and all of that money they send to the Middle East."
Read the entire article at the Foreign Policy Research Institute website
The inside story of the demise of CKLN Radio
An anonymous blogger calling him or herself "Your CKLN Insider" created a blog called The Real CKLN Exposed, which presents a story of waste, corruption and malfeasance with a rogues' gallery of characters. The blog purports to give the details of what led to the Canadian Radio Television Commission revoking the license for Ryerson University's student radio station.
I don't know how accurate it is, but it makes for very interesting reading.
UPDATE: An anonymous commenter suggested this link to a story from the Ryerson U paper The Eyeopener, which provides some more info on the fall of CKLN. Thank you and reader tips are always welcome!
I don't know how accurate it is, but it makes for very interesting reading.
UPDATE: An anonymous commenter suggested this link to a story from the Ryerson U paper The Eyeopener, which provides some more info on the fall of CKLN. Thank you and reader tips are always welcome!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
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University of Toronto trying to rehabilitate "Professor Jew Count"
You might remember U of Toronto professor Rupaleem Bhuyan, who was described by colleague Professor Ernie Lightman as having facilitated an anti-Semitic "Jew Count" in her Social Work post graduate class, and according to the director of PhD programs at the Factor-Inwentash school of Social Work at U of T, said " ‘racialized’ students come from underprivileged backgrounds and were justified in not wanting to be around old Jews because they are rich and would make them uneasy. " and added that "the donor plaques at the university were all from rich Jews", which she felt proved her point.
The U of T demonstrated either extraordinary cowardice by retaining her, or perhaps shares that point of view, but doesn't want to admit that too loudly for fear of forfeiting the Jew money they take in every year from benefactors like Peter Munk, Jeff Skoll, Charles Bronfman, the Reichman family, etc, etc. Or perhaps because Ms Bhuyan is a visible minority, she gets a free pass on the racism issue, since as we know from the University's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) faculty, only whites can be racist.
Whatever the reason, with the imprimatur of the University of Toronto, Bhuyan is popping up as a speaker at conferences, perhaps in the hope that by the time of her next review, the controversy will all be forgotten.
If the University of Toronto keeps hiring people like that or sweeping their public classroom bigotry under the carpet, perhaps Canadian Jews might consider an alternative destination for their largess.
The U of T demonstrated either extraordinary cowardice by retaining her, or perhaps shares that point of view, but doesn't want to admit that too loudly for fear of forfeiting the Jew money they take in every year from benefactors like Peter Munk, Jeff Skoll, Charles Bronfman, the Reichman family, etc, etc. Or perhaps because Ms Bhuyan is a visible minority, she gets a free pass on the racism issue, since as we know from the University's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) faculty, only whites can be racist.
Whatever the reason, with the imprimatur of the University of Toronto, Bhuyan is popping up as a speaker at conferences, perhaps in the hope that by the time of her next review, the controversy will all be forgotten.If the University of Toronto keeps hiring people like that or sweeping their public classroom bigotry under the carpet, perhaps Canadian Jews might consider an alternative destination for their largess.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
"Class War" coming to Toronto in January if the public service unions get their way
The Toronto Stop the Cuts network, an anti-austerity, union front group co-founded by the author of a notorious anti-Semitic OISE thesis, is planning a last-ditch stand against Toronto`s upcoming budget vote on January 17.
Judging by the people committed to participating on the group`s facebook page, it looks like the protest will be a convention of the most undesirable characters Toronto has to offer.
In addition to Jenny Peto, you`ll be able to find James Clark, of the Iranian dictatorship advocacy group The Canadian Peace Alliance, May Lui, the hilarious OISE grad who said that a long wait-time at a hardware store made her a victim of sexual oppression, Jesse Zimmerman, the aggressive, hysterical fanatic that tried to accost best-selling author and journalist Michael Coren during and after a public speech, Sea Hitler stooge Lyn Adamson, Ryerson Prof Alan Sears, who hopes the anti-Israel movement is the gateway drug to the fall of international Capitalism, and a mish-mash of self-interested CUPE officials, OISE staff and depraved Marxist half-wits.
This fight against Ford is the vanguard of the coming battle of public service unions against taxpayers.
Taxes skyrocketed under Ford's predecessor David Miller and the amalgamation of the City of Toronto, which was supposed to streamline services and increase efficiency, saw the city's employment roll grow by 7000 people. That's where the tax increases have gone under Miller and that's what the unions are going all-out to preserve at the expense of the average citizen.
The unions are using every tactic they have at their disposal, including their financing of the incoherent Occupy Toronto protest that cost Toronto's taxpayers $714,000 according to the anti-Ford newspaper The Toronto Star.
They pour money extracted from union dues into the neo-Marxist propaganda outlet rabble.ca, where making an anti-union comment gets a person banned from their user forums.
They finance the violent, fanatical group OCAP (Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) that, like Occupy Toronto, exploits the homeless and mentally ill to advance their agenda, which they see as being the beginnings of "class warfare."
The unions and their proxies are trying to frame Toronto's budget battle as one of cuts to essential services. Make no mistake, they are concerned with reductions, but only to the overflowing union coffers, not to the quality of the lives of the average citizen whose taxes they want to spike higher.
That is the real, ugly face of the anti-Ford movement in Toronto. They act in service, not of fairness, but the advancement of an agenda that serves only themselves. In the world they strive for, public policy is not driven by democratic representatives that are elected by every citizen, but a politburo that will impose its will on the less enlightened masses whom they claim to represent despite its lack of consent.
The neo-Marxist, lunatic media outlet rabble.ca produced this poorly-made, hyperbolic 'class warfare' video hoping to mobilize the crazies against Ford:
Judging by the people committed to participating on the group`s facebook page, it looks like the protest will be a convention of the most undesirable characters Toronto has to offer.
In addition to Jenny Peto, you`ll be able to find James Clark, of the Iranian dictatorship advocacy group The Canadian Peace Alliance, May Lui, the hilarious OISE grad who said that a long wait-time at a hardware store made her a victim of sexual oppression, Jesse Zimmerman, the aggressive, hysterical fanatic that tried to accost best-selling author and journalist Michael Coren during and after a public speech, Sea Hitler stooge Lyn Adamson, Ryerson Prof Alan Sears, who hopes the anti-Israel movement is the gateway drug to the fall of international Capitalism, and a mish-mash of self-interested CUPE officials, OISE staff and depraved Marxist half-wits.
This fight against Ford is the vanguard of the coming battle of public service unions against taxpayers.
"The biggest myth about labor unions is that unions are for workers. Unions are for unions, just as corporations are for corporations and politicians are for politicians." -Thomas SowellFord has kept his promise of not raising taxes beyond the rate of inflation (in fact he did better by not raising it at all in his first year in office). He put money back in taxpayers' pockets by eliminating the vehicle registration tax.
Taxes skyrocketed under Ford's predecessor David Miller and the amalgamation of the City of Toronto, which was supposed to streamline services and increase efficiency, saw the city's employment roll grow by 7000 people. That's where the tax increases have gone under Miller and that's what the unions are going all-out to preserve at the expense of the average citizen.
The unions are using every tactic they have at their disposal, including their financing of the incoherent Occupy Toronto protest that cost Toronto's taxpayers $714,000 according to the anti-Ford newspaper The Toronto Star.
They pour money extracted from union dues into the neo-Marxist propaganda outlet rabble.ca, where making an anti-union comment gets a person banned from their user forums.
They finance the violent, fanatical group OCAP (Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) that, like Occupy Toronto, exploits the homeless and mentally ill to advance their agenda, which they see as being the beginnings of "class warfare."
The unions and their proxies are trying to frame Toronto's budget battle as one of cuts to essential services. Make no mistake, they are concerned with reductions, but only to the overflowing union coffers, not to the quality of the lives of the average citizen whose taxes they want to spike higher.
That is the real, ugly face of the anti-Ford movement in Toronto. They act in service, not of fairness, but the advancement of an agenda that serves only themselves. In the world they strive for, public policy is not driven by democratic representatives that are elected by every citizen, but a politburo that will impose its will on the less enlightened masses whom they claim to represent despite its lack of consent.
The neo-Marxist, lunatic media outlet rabble.ca produced this poorly-made, hyperbolic 'class warfare' video hoping to mobilize the crazies against Ford:
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Guilt by Association: Why the totalitarian left is so offended by it (unless you happen to be asociated with a "right-winger")
All my adult life as a newspaperman I have been fighting, in defense of the Left and of a sane politics, against conspiracy theories of history, character assassination, guilt by association and demonology. I.F.StoneA "new McCarthyism" is seen in the manner in which guilt by association has been pursued by the likes of Glenn Beck and "mainstream" GOP leadership (if there is such a thing). Katrina vanden Heuvel, The NationIn the United States of America, we don’t practice guilt by association. And let’s remember that just as violence and extremism are not unique to any one faith, the responsibility to oppose ignorance and violence rests with us all. Jeremy Ben Ami, President, JStreet
This is the story of a late-twentieth century invention, namely the ostensible moral and intellectual sin of accusations of "guilt by association."
This trope, "guilt by association," or GbA, has a curious history and a curious present. It has the following characteristics:
1) The trope user is almost invariably a self-described person of the "Left," or, in somewhat more modern usage, a "progressive." The target is someone perceived as, or at least designated as someone opposed to the Left, a "right-winger."
2) The trope has a surface resemblance to accusations of established errors of reasoning -- fallacies -- but in fact it is the user of the trope who is illogical and irrational.
3) The accusation underlying the usage of the trope is as much moral as intellectual; the trope user combines a disdain for the ethics and morality of the target (the ostensible bad faith of so-called right-wing McCarthites, for example) with an accusation of intellectual incompetence (failure to understand elementary logic).
4) The trope enables its users, who are often devoted supporters of totalitarian and other hateful movements, to pose as moral and intellectual superiors.
The totalitarian Left decries "Guilt by association." And yet, if you remember just a few months ago, after the mass murders committed in Norway by the crazed lone gunman Anders Breivik, they were the same people trying to associate his rampage with Christianity, Israel, and any writer who was critical of extremist Islam. This is far from being the only example of western totalitarian leftist hypocrisy. In the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, people like Noam Chomsky and George Galloway came out immediately blaming not the fanatical expression of a religion with which they have allied themselves, but the United States and the West for having angered the Islamists.
I would encourage everyone to read all of Professor Werner Cohn's fascinating essay HERE.
Monday, December 26, 2011
David Frum and Brian Lilley on Iran, Obama and the 2012 election
An interview of David Frum by Brain Lilley brings up the development of dealing with Iran by means that include crashing its currency.
The interview also contains an interesting discussion of Iran vs the world and Obama's strengths and weaknesses going into election season
The interview also contains an interesting discussion of Iran vs the world and Obama's strengths and weaknesses going into election season
The Hobbit trailer and official song
The new Hobbit movie from Peter Jackson looks pretty good.
People familiar with the books know that the tone of The Hobbit is quite different to The Lord of The Rings books, and in a way, it's too bad Jackson ended up making them in reverse order.
Speaking of tone, or lack thereof, a little known fact is that there is a groovy, .and in this instance, by groovy, I mean awful "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" sung by Leonard Nimoy that you can see and hear below. Most illogical.
People familiar with the books know that the tone of The Hobbit is quite different to The Lord of The Rings books, and in a way, it's too bad Jackson ended up making them in reverse order.
Speaking of tone, or lack thereof, a little known fact is that there is a groovy, .and in this instance, by groovy, I mean awful "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" sung by Leonard Nimoy that you can see and hear below. Most illogical.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
The Globe and Mail celebrates vandals and criminals because they are anti-Ford
The people who go around vandalizing public property used to be criminals and hoods. But because the ruling aristocracy at the Globe and Mail is offended by a brash outsider holding on to Toronto's mayoralty, they now celebrate low-lifes as "the grafitti community" since they share the Globe's disdain for Rob Ford.
Thank you, mainstream Toronto media, for making yourself increasingly irrelevant.
Happy Festivus Everyone!
I'll save the airing of grievances till another day. Until then, have a happy Festivus, Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever you do that makes you happy!
and as a special bonus, the most offensive Christmas song ever:
and as a special bonus, the most offensive Christmas song ever:
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Head of Jewish Anti-Defamation League tries to raise money by attacking Israel's best friend in Congress
Abe Foxman, the head of the anti-Defamation League, which invents more cases of "anti-Semitism" than Jerry Seinfeld's Uncle Leo, has sent out a fundraising letter with a veiled attack against Congressman Allen West.
"If Joseph Goebbels was around, he’d be very proud of the Democrat Party, because they have an incredible propaganda machine," West told reporters in Washington on December 15, by way of trying to explain Republican unpopularity in some districts "Let’s be honest, you know, some of the people in the media are complicit with this and enabling them to get that type of message out."
It should not require an explanation to understand that when talking about propaganda, even in a hyperbolic, politicized context, it isn't trivializing the Holocaust or anti-Semitic to comparatively invoke the most infamous propagandist in history.
West put it correctly when he responded, “What I'm talking about is a person that was the minister of propaganda. And I'm talking about propaganda. So please."
Hearing the name of a Nazi uttered by a US Congressman evidently got Foxman salivating at the prospect of raking in some extra donations, so he promptly put out a fundraising letter to try to exploit the situation. Perhaps Foxman was so blinded by little dollar signs floating in front of his eyes that he didn't quite realize who he was vilifying in his money-grubbing scheme.
There is no member of Congress more supportive of Israel and Jews than Allen West. But some of the self-appointed spokesmen for American Jewry and their organizations seem more concerned with their political allegiances and the fat salaries they draw than the actual interests of the people they claim to represent.
Foxman's cowardly attack, in which he didn't even have the guts to name West, went out in an email saying:
Encouraged by the idiocy of statements like Foxman's, the Democrats launched a failed motion to censure West.
Foxman has disgraced his organization by showing himself as willing to exploit a friend as a foe in pursuit of self-interest.
But the remaining question is, when is Foxman planning to make a few bucks by asking Jerry Seinfeld to apologize for his frivolous Goebbels reference?
"If Joseph Goebbels was around, he’d be very proud of the Democrat Party, because they have an incredible propaganda machine," West told reporters in Washington on December 15, by way of trying to explain Republican unpopularity in some districts "Let’s be honest, you know, some of the people in the media are complicit with this and enabling them to get that type of message out."
It should not require an explanation to understand that when talking about propaganda, even in a hyperbolic, politicized context, it isn't trivializing the Holocaust or anti-Semitic to comparatively invoke the most infamous propagandist in history.
West put it correctly when he responded, “What I'm talking about is a person that was the minister of propaganda. And I'm talking about propaganda. So please."
Hearing the name of a Nazi uttered by a US Congressman evidently got Foxman salivating at the prospect of raking in some extra donations, so he promptly put out a fundraising letter to try to exploit the situation. Perhaps Foxman was so blinded by little dollar signs floating in front of his eyes that he didn't quite realize who he was vilifying in his money-grubbing scheme.
There is no member of Congress more supportive of Israel and Jews than Allen West. But some of the self-appointed spokesmen for American Jewry and their organizations seem more concerned with their political allegiances and the fat salaries they draw than the actual interests of the people they claim to represent.
Foxman's cowardly attack, in which he didn't even have the guts to name West, went out in an email saying:
Just this past week, a Member of Congress was quoted referencing Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels when discussing communication techniques of the Democratic Party.If he's going to suggest that every reference to a Nazi is the same thing as an insult to the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust, Foxman should refrain from painting other people as "ignorant."
We are truly living in troubled times when politicians feel they can benefit the national discourse with such vitriolic comparisons which insult the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust.
This was not the first time this has happened in this political season and I fear it will not be the last time we hear such ignorant and spiteful discourse between now and next November.
Encouraged by the idiocy of statements like Foxman's, the Democrats launched a failed motion to censure West.
Foxman has disgraced his organization by showing himself as willing to exploit a friend as a foe in pursuit of self-interest.
But the remaining question is, when is Foxman planning to make a few bucks by asking Jerry Seinfeld to apologize for his frivolous Goebbels reference?
There is no requirement for separation of church and state in Canada
John Robson of Sun TV gives an important lesson in history and our constitution that refutes the erroneous assumptions about separation of church and state in Canada.
video by SDAMatt
video by SDAMatt
UNESCO is shocked!..shocked that the Palestinian Authority pays for the praise of Hitler in Arabic, despite all the nice things they say in English
 |
| Palestinian hero? |
UNESCO issued a statement that it "strongly deplores and condemns the reproduction of such inflammatory statements in a magazine associated with UNESCO's name and mission."
Or they were just embarrassed that it became public knowledge.
Take your pick.
It`s a jihad Christmas, Charlie Brown!
The closer you look at Ron Paul, the more he looks like a racist, incompetent, incoherent idiot
Ron Paul's basic defense against charges of racism and extremism is that things that went out under his name aren't his fault because he is incompetent.
And the guy wants to be President of the United States of America!? If the Republicans nominate Paul, they don't deserved to win a Presidential election for the next 20 years.
I predict Gingrich will emerge as the nominee, but the fact that Paul is leading in the polls in Iowa is either a scary indication of the state of affairs in Iowa or suggests that polls are worthless.
From The New York Times:
Here's Ron Paul comparing Iran's nukes to the USSR and saying we shouldn't worry about Iran having them. Here's a little tip for you, Dr. Paulooka, the Soviets, for all their many flaws, did not try to die in the name of Lenin so they go to paradise and get 72 virgins.
h/t American Power
And the guy wants to be President of the United States of America!? If the Republicans nominate Paul, they don't deserved to win a Presidential election for the next 20 years.
I predict Gingrich will emerge as the nominee, but the fact that Paul is leading in the polls in Iowa is either a scary indication of the state of affairs in Iowa or suggests that polls are worthless.
From The New York Times:
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Newt Gingrich turned his fire on Representative Ron Paul of Texas on Friday, saying that his Republican opponent had to answer for political and investment newsletters that included racist, anti-gay and anti-Israel passages that Mr. Paul has disavowed.
Mr. Gingrich also sharply criticized Mr. Paul for what he said were his isolationist views on foreign policy. The pointed comments suggested a new dynamic in the presidential primary race, with Mr. Paul as a new and enticing target. His fortunes have risen in Iowa, scrambling the field as some polls suggest that Mr. Paul could pull off a victory in the caucuses on Jan. 3. But in recent days, he has come under increasing scrutiny for offensive passages in newsletters that bore his name, although he has denied writing or approving them.
“These things are really nasty, and he didn’t know about it?” Mr. Gingrich said to reporters after a town-hall-style meeting here.
At the same time, Mr. Gingrich refrained from criticizing Mitt Romney, with whom he has frequently sparred, calling him, at worst, “a Massachusetts moderate.”
Speaking to a large and enthusiastic crowd outside the Blue Marlin restaurant here on a warm and sunny day, Mr. Gingrich mainly framed his candidacy in opposition to President Obama. But he strongly criticized Mr. Paul’s foreign policy positions. Mr. Paul’s criticism of American military involvement overseas is at odds with the views of many Republican voters who may otherwise be attracted to his strong antigovernment message.
“The only person I know who is for a weaker military than Barack Obama is Ron Paul,” Mr. Gingrich said.
Here's Ron Paul comparing Iran's nukes to the USSR and saying we shouldn't worry about Iran having them. Here's a little tip for you, Dr. Paulooka, the Soviets, for all their many flaws, did not try to die in the name of Lenin so they go to paradise and get 72 virgins.
h/t American Power
Friday, December 23, 2011
Good ol' fashioned Jew-hate from the Presbyterian Church of Canada
The Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center reported today about a one-sided, anti-Israel presentation by representatives of the Presbyterian Church of Canada that occurred at St. Andrews Church in Toronto on Thursday December 15, 2011. It was the account of a few Presbyterian representatives who responded to the anti-Semitic KAIROS Palestine document that dismisses violence against Israel and includes terminology such as “The West sought to make amends for what Jews had endured in the countries of Europe, but it made amends on our account and in our land. They tried to correct an injustice and the result was a new injustice.”
The KAIROS Palestine document seeks to delegitimize any biblical attachment between Jews and the land of Israel and explicitly calls for “resistance” against Israel while ignoring the causes of the middle east conflict, Israel’s need for security due to the many and ongoing acts of terror by Palestinians and Arabs against Israelis.
The document is a disgrace, which wrong-headedly attempts to lend the ideology of Christianity to support Palestinian renunciation of the peace process.
Rick Horst, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, reported on his impressions of the Israel Palestine conflict after a trip there and seems to have taken the idiot's guided tour, which features complaints about Israeli "injustice" but neglects to mention the suicide bombings, the Palestinian state TV shows that call for the murder of Jews, and the Palestinians' government-sponsored incitement to violence in their schools and mosques .
Horst, who is also Minster of the Barrie, Ontario`s St. Andrews`s Church, decided to utilize a common anti-Semitic canard in his report and said (see from 8:16 in linked video), "Palestinians are daily harassed and abused and treated with indignities that are simply not allowable under international law, yet it continues to persist because of frankly the power of the Jewish and Zionist lobbies both in America and frankly all around the world including Canada`.
You get that? According to the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, the plight of the Palestinians isn't due to their ongoing attempts at terror, or their failure to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. The fact that Palestinians impose the death penalty on anyone who sells land to a Jew doesn't make them an Apartheid state. It's because of an evil Jewish plot. And our politicians' support for Israel, like that of the Prime Minister of Canada, or federal Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, or Liberal Party leader Bob Rae isn't because they have sided with a free, liberal democracy that provides equal voting rights to all its citizens over an undemocratic entity devoted to terrorism. Horst's implication is that it's because Canada's political leaders are under the influence of the Jews and Zionists.
What Horst is reporting is not a very accurate reflection of the situation in Israel and Palestine. But it is a sad reflection of the deplorable infusion of classic anti-Semitism at the highest reaches of Canada's Presbyterian Church.
UPDATE: Some interesting background on Rev. Horst. It seems the fellow ran for a federal Liberal nomination a few years back while still a member of the NDP. After that was exposed, he was defeated for the nomination in a special re-vote.
UPDATE 2: Here is the document produced by the "Bethlehem Call" to which Rev. Horst responded so enthusiastically.
It produced idiotic, morally reprehensible statements such as:
"Today, the illegal regime and illegal forms of the Israeli occupation of Palestine assumes
dimensions of systemic injustice whereby the unthinkable and unimaginable becomes globally accepted, supported and normalized. This is an example of Empire (global domination) at work."
"The brutality in the “violence of silence” internationally provides an almost impenetrable shield for the Israeli government to implement its evil designs in blatant disregard for human rights and international law. Silence is an opinion. Inaction is an action. We witness decidedly spineless cowardice in failure to resist the Israeli government by the majority of governments, political parties, media outlets, businesses, most of organized religion including Christianity and the silence of prophets worldwide."
"The deligitimization and criminalization of the Israeli government and its local and international support base is gaining unstoppable momentum."
There's plenty more, all equally stupid.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Free speech under fire
Elizabeth Sabaditsch-Woolf is the guest on The Arena with Michael Coren on Sun TV News tonight at 7 pm Eastern
Make sure you catch it.
UPDATE: Here's the Sun TV interview
Make sure you catch it.
UPDATE: Here's the Sun TV interview
The veil has dropped: PLO now includes terror group Hamas
Hamas, which calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews in its founding charter has now joined the Palestine Liberation Organization as partners in a coalition.
This represents a major setback for any potential peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, while making it more apparent that the Palestinians' ultimate goal is the elimination of the Jewish state.
This represents a major setback for any potential peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, while making it more apparent that the Palestinians' ultimate goal is the elimination of the Jewish state.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Israel cracks down on extremist settlers
While having to contend with Palestinian terrorists, extremist Jewish settlers are becoming an increasing problem that Israel is taking steps to control.
Tea Party ahead of Republican establishment on Gingrich
The Tea Party again may be ahead of the Republican establishment and its far-right mavens. Despite the recent bemoaning on the conservative shortcomings of Newt Gingrich from the likes of Mark Steyn and Ann Coulter of how Gingrich doesn't represent Tea Party ideology, the former Speaker of the House has the actual Tea Party endorsement.
There seems to be fear among the prognosticators of hyper-conservatism that Gingrich may be soft on abortion, immigration, global warming and a slew of their other issues. They've even voiced the fear that the Reaganite who ushered balanced budgets and welfare reform through Congress may actually be a closet progressive.
That's just the kind of short-sightedness and self-absorbed shallow thinking that could hand Barack Obama a second term.
The Tea Party outlook may have its many failings. Any movement that has had love affairs with candidates who are as unelectable as Sarah Palin and Christine "I am not a witch" O'Donnell has some obvious shortcomings. But as a young movement whose core issue is the reduction of government spending and taxes, it has shown the capacity to learn and evolve and unlike its self-proclaimed proponents, understands that whomever ends up winning the Republican primaries will be running for President of the United States, not President of the Tea Party.
Disaffected Democrats along with independents put off by Obama's mishandling of the economy and foreign affairs will have to be won over by the Republican nominee. Mitt Romney isn't that guy. Romney is the Republicans' Al Gore, an unlikeable, unnatural stiff that couldn't win a national election on his own. A hard-right social conservative who appeals to the core concerns of the Palin Republicans could alienate swing voters more than enough for the eloquent, intelligent sitting president to be able to overcome his present unpopularity.
For all their Newt-bashing, the GOP right-wingers haven't been able to come up with a viable alternative to him, and they should be thinking of that basic fact before they open their mouths or put finger to keyboard (or pen to paper as a previous generation would say). There are no better choices in the current slew. Paul is crazy, Bachman is inept, Santorum is a non-starter, and Huntsman has a lot of the right qualities except for the most essential; he hasn't been able to get anyone to be interested in him.
Newt's performance in the weeks leading up to the Iowa Caucuses have proved he still has the sharpness and the capability to lead and to attract new converts. He should not have to win over the people he should already have in his corner.
Gingrich may not be the dream candidate of the far right, but he's the best hope they have for a Republican to beat Obama next November. So to the Coulters and Steyns who are griping loudly enough to potentially hurt the Republicans' best shot at the White House, the advice I'd offer would be from Stephen Stills' classic song; if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.
There seems to be fear among the prognosticators of hyper-conservatism that Gingrich may be soft on abortion, immigration, global warming and a slew of their other issues. They've even voiced the fear that the Reaganite who ushered balanced budgets and welfare reform through Congress may actually be a closet progressive.
That's just the kind of short-sightedness and self-absorbed shallow thinking that could hand Barack Obama a second term.
The Tea Party outlook may have its many failings. Any movement that has had love affairs with candidates who are as unelectable as Sarah Palin and Christine "I am not a witch" O'Donnell has some obvious shortcomings. But as a young movement whose core issue is the reduction of government spending and taxes, it has shown the capacity to learn and evolve and unlike its self-proclaimed proponents, understands that whomever ends up winning the Republican primaries will be running for President of the United States, not President of the Tea Party.
Disaffected Democrats along with independents put off by Obama's mishandling of the economy and foreign affairs will have to be won over by the Republican nominee. Mitt Romney isn't that guy. Romney is the Republicans' Al Gore, an unlikeable, unnatural stiff that couldn't win a national election on his own. A hard-right social conservative who appeals to the core concerns of the Palin Republicans could alienate swing voters more than enough for the eloquent, intelligent sitting president to be able to overcome his present unpopularity.
For all their Newt-bashing, the GOP right-wingers haven't been able to come up with a viable alternative to him, and they should be thinking of that basic fact before they open their mouths or put finger to keyboard (or pen to paper as a previous generation would say). There are no better choices in the current slew. Paul is crazy, Bachman is inept, Santorum is a non-starter, and Huntsman has a lot of the right qualities except for the most essential; he hasn't been able to get anyone to be interested in him.
Newt's performance in the weeks leading up to the Iowa Caucuses have proved he still has the sharpness and the capability to lead and to attract new converts. He should not have to win over the people he should already have in his corner.
Gingrich may not be the dream candidate of the far right, but he's the best hope they have for a Republican to beat Obama next November. So to the Coulters and Steyns who are griping loudly enough to potentially hurt the Republicans' best shot at the White House, the advice I'd offer would be from Stephen Stills' classic song; if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.
UNICEF says Santa is a Eurocentric, western, white-privileged male
UNICEF's new ad makes Santa out to be an uncompassionate, mean-spirited westerner, contemptuous of the suffering of the Third World, while portraying themselves as the good guys. That might go over better if UNICEF wasn't an appendage of the UN, the most incompetent, corrupt organization in the world.
With more ads like these, the rest of us might become more indifferent to the 3rd World too.
If you're looking for a good cause to give a donation this season, consider the NGO UN Watch, which works to protect human rights while exposing the deceit and hypocrisy that goes on at The United Nations.
ht Legal Insurrection
With more ads like these, the rest of us might become more indifferent to the 3rd World too.
If you're looking for a good cause to give a donation this season, consider the NGO UN Watch, which works to protect human rights while exposing the deceit and hypocrisy that goes on at The United Nations.
ht Legal Insurrection
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Crazy Muslim Preacher says saying "Merry Christmas" worse than killing someone
Actually, nutbar Abu Mussab Wajdi Akkari says saying Merry Christmas is worse than drinking alcohol, fornicating and killing someone.
The first two are fun, but killing someone?!
Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah to all of Eye on a Crazy Planet's readers!!
h/t Sassy Wire
The first two are fun, but killing someone?!
Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah to all of Eye on a Crazy Planet's readers!!
h/t Sassy Wire
An irrational hatred for a good mayor
At a dinner party I attended on the weekend in the west end of downtown Toronto, the composition of guests couldn't have been more representative of what people would expect from that area of my home town. Virtually all of them white and middle or upper middle class, comprised of York University graduates, an OISE professor, single professionals and some parents who delayed having children until a point that would have put them in the age range of grandparents a couple of generations ago. And I; aside from whom, there was a uniform political outlook that night that is euphemistically referred to as progressive.
I tend to avoid political conversations at these type of social events. Though I enjoy discussing interpretations of government policies and the possible motivation of the officials who formulate them, there are some people who become rather agitated when the facts don't bear out their emotional reactions to an idea to which they are attached. On one occasion, I heard after-the-fact from a woman I briefly dated, that at a party of hers, one of her friends became infuriated and left immediately after overhearing me say that some disadvantaged people in our society may be responsible for their own condition and it isn't the role of government to intervene in and correct every bad decision people make. Okay, to be totally honest, the way I may have phrased it may have been slightly different and may have been punctuated with a colloquial term for fornication, but that was the gist of my argument.
Toronto's mayor Rob Ford is a current example of how local progressives, captivated by their own emotional reactions and biases, but without any factual substantiation, have distorted reality into a pessimistic Apocalypse of societal collapse. An ex-girlfriend who works in the Social Services sector expressed the same sentiment as the party guests over drinks a few days earlier, as she righteously pontificated about how Rob Ford is destroying the city.
When I asked her exactly how Ford was supposedly destroying the city, she wasn't able to come up with a single concrete example. She talked about Ford making service cuts as a general concept, but couldn't actually name any that were implemented. What was more telling was that she could not come up with a single example of how anything this alleged Shiva, the God of Destruction who now holds Toronto's mayoralty, has done that personally affected her negatively in any way.
Rob Ford has been in office for almost 14 months and has for the first time in the amalgamated city's history brought in a budget that reduced spending from the previous year. There has been a property tax increase of exactly 0% under Ford and he has kept his promise of reducing Council expenses and eliminating the municipal Vehicle Registration Tax.
By contrast, his predecessor, David Miller imposed huge property tax increases, reduced the frequency of trash pick up while imposing, for the first time in the city's history a trash pick up fee that every household continues to pay. Miler took a lot of money out of people's mouths while giving back virtually nothing to anyone but a few of his special interest friends.
But for people who see themselves as progressive, perception and pessimism frequently trump reality. They don't like the idea of a hated right-winger having been the overwhelming democratic choice in a city they see as theirs. It results in a outlook that refuses to admit that Ford could do anything right and that he must be derided at all times, not for what he's done, but for what he might do.
I say this as someone who voted for David Miller the first time he ran for mayor. His opposition to the Island airport tunnel struck me as a reasonable approach, but more to the point, his opponents were uninspiring. But his terms in office were a huge disappointment because he grew government and government spending while gouging Toronto's tax base. That was the reality of the mayor who preceded Ford. The current mayor may be less smooth but he is more capable and committed to serving the public, and I'll take a poor perception over a bad reality any day of the week.
I tend to avoid political conversations at these type of social events. Though I enjoy discussing interpretations of government policies and the possible motivation of the officials who formulate them, there are some people who become rather agitated when the facts don't bear out their emotional reactions to an idea to which they are attached. On one occasion, I heard after-the-fact from a woman I briefly dated, that at a party of hers, one of her friends became infuriated and left immediately after overhearing me say that some disadvantaged people in our society may be responsible for their own condition and it isn't the role of government to intervene in and correct every bad decision people make. Okay, to be totally honest, the way I may have phrased it may have been slightly different and may have been punctuated with a colloquial term for fornication, but that was the gist of my argument.
Toronto's mayor Rob Ford is a current example of how local progressives, captivated by their own emotional reactions and biases, but without any factual substantiation, have distorted reality into a pessimistic Apocalypse of societal collapse. An ex-girlfriend who works in the Social Services sector expressed the same sentiment as the party guests over drinks a few days earlier, as she righteously pontificated about how Rob Ford is destroying the city.
When I asked her exactly how Ford was supposedly destroying the city, she wasn't able to come up with a single concrete example. She talked about Ford making service cuts as a general concept, but couldn't actually name any that were implemented. What was more telling was that she could not come up with a single example of how anything this alleged Shiva, the God of Destruction who now holds Toronto's mayoralty, has done that personally affected her negatively in any way.
Rob Ford has been in office for almost 14 months and has for the first time in the amalgamated city's history brought in a budget that reduced spending from the previous year. There has been a property tax increase of exactly 0% under Ford and he has kept his promise of reducing Council expenses and eliminating the municipal Vehicle Registration Tax.
By contrast, his predecessor, David Miller imposed huge property tax increases, reduced the frequency of trash pick up while imposing, for the first time in the city's history a trash pick up fee that every household continues to pay. Miler took a lot of money out of people's mouths while giving back virtually nothing to anyone but a few of his special interest friends.
But for people who see themselves as progressive, perception and pessimism frequently trump reality. They don't like the idea of a hated right-winger having been the overwhelming democratic choice in a city they see as theirs. It results in a outlook that refuses to admit that Ford could do anything right and that he must be derided at all times, not for what he's done, but for what he might do.
I say this as someone who voted for David Miller the first time he ran for mayor. His opposition to the Island airport tunnel struck me as a reasonable approach, but more to the point, his opponents were uninspiring. But his terms in office were a huge disappointment because he grew government and government spending while gouging Toronto's tax base. That was the reality of the mayor who preceded Ford. The current mayor may be less smooth but he is more capable and committed to serving the public, and I'll take a poor perception over a bad reality any day of the week.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Actress Confronts Sean Penn Over His Support for Chavez: ‘You Are a Communist A**Hole!’
Cuban-born, Venezuelan-raised actress Maria Conchita Alonso and actor Sean Penn had a contentious exchange at Los Angeles International airport recently, in which Alonso called Penn a “communist a**hole“ and Penn called Alonso a ”pig.”
More at The Blaze
More at The Blaze
Chiquita's Epic Marketing Fail
By trying to suck up to environmentalists and paid protesters of a small group called Forest Ethics by saying they'd avoid Canadian tar sands oil, Chiqita has managed to alienate virtually all of Canada. Forest Ethics' campaign managed to get less than 650 YouTube views in over three months. Now, because of the Chiqita's overreaction to it, there are nation wide calls for Canadians to boycott all Chiqita products. This could go down in history as one of the all time bad marketing moves.
h/t that fine blogging husband and wife duo Blazing Cat Fur and Five Feet of Fury
h/t that fine blogging husband and wife duo Blazing Cat Fur and Five Feet of Fury
Talentless singer obsessed with pre-pubescent children attacks Canadian institution
Raffi Cavoukian, who has devoted his adult life to performing for an audience that becomes too sophisticated for him by the time the reach the age of 7, has decided to pour his energies into vilifying Canadian hockey institution Don Cherry.
It seems Cherry's legendary enthusiasm was too much to bear for the wussy, horrible children's music singer and new spokesman of the totalitarian far-left.
Says Cavoukian of Cherry, “He sounds and acts like a bully. That’s not fun and it’s not a good example for the kids who are watching...In this day and age of all the hockey violence, we should be putting a stop to this...there’s absolutely no call for this guy to demean anybody who isn’t into the violence. That’s just really stupid on any level...his act is uncivil and doesn’t belong on our public broadcaster.”
The Cairo-born Cavoukian has called for the censorship of Cherry. Just so this can be put in context, Cavoukian was an endorser of the Sea Hitler Canadian Gaza boat, an effort of the sort the late Christopher Hitchens said would be more accurately described were they to call themselves "Canadian Friends of Hamas."
In addition to being an enabler of terror supporters, Cavoukian has tied himself to the radical, hateful wing of the New Democratic Party.
The best indication of Cavoukian's profound thinking abilities is his endorsement of the vapid Occupy movement, which despises government while at the same time wanting it to expand and assume responsibilities for everyone's life.
Cherry likes hockey violence and Cavoukian doesn't. So Cavoukian's answer is censorship. Cavoukian better hope that censorship isn't expanded to talentless hacks who offend the musical sensibilities of anyone who has outlived kindergarten.
-------------------------------------------------
N.B. It's worth noting that the crazies affiliated with Judy Rebick's fanatical website rabble.ca have been trying their best to shut down Don Cherry for a while. First they wanted to censor him because he had the temerity to voice his support for Canadian troops, which hypocritical so-called peace activists (or as Hitchens pointed out, they're not really so much anti-war as they are pro war, but for the other side) found intolerable.
Unable to get any results on that score, they've enlisted Raffi to try to censor Canada's favorite hockey commentator because of the very reason Cherry attracts a huge audience.
It seems Cherry's legendary enthusiasm was too much to bear for the wussy, horrible children's music singer and new spokesman of the totalitarian far-left.
Says Cavoukian of Cherry, “He sounds and acts like a bully. That’s not fun and it’s not a good example for the kids who are watching...In this day and age of all the hockey violence, we should be putting a stop to this...there’s absolutely no call for this guy to demean anybody who isn’t into the violence. That’s just really stupid on any level...his act is uncivil and doesn’t belong on our public broadcaster.”
The Cairo-born Cavoukian has called for the censorship of Cherry. Just so this can be put in context, Cavoukian was an endorser of the Sea Hitler Canadian Gaza boat, an effort of the sort the late Christopher Hitchens said would be more accurately described were they to call themselves "Canadian Friends of Hamas."
In addition to being an enabler of terror supporters, Cavoukian has tied himself to the radical, hateful wing of the New Democratic Party.
The best indication of Cavoukian's profound thinking abilities is his endorsement of the vapid Occupy movement, which despises government while at the same time wanting it to expand and assume responsibilities for everyone's life.
Cherry likes hockey violence and Cavoukian doesn't. So Cavoukian's answer is censorship. Cavoukian better hope that censorship isn't expanded to talentless hacks who offend the musical sensibilities of anyone who has outlived kindergarten.
-------------------------------------------------
N.B. It's worth noting that the crazies affiliated with Judy Rebick's fanatical website rabble.ca have been trying their best to shut down Don Cherry for a while. First they wanted to censor him because he had the temerity to voice his support for Canadian troops, which hypocritical so-called peace activists (or as Hitchens pointed out, they're not really so much anti-war as they are pro war, but for the other side) found intolerable.
Unable to get any results on that score, they've enlisted Raffi to try to censor Canada's favorite hockey commentator because of the very reason Cherry attracts a huge audience.
A few classic Hitchens moments
Who hasn't wanted to tell Bill Maher's audience they were a bunch of morons, but who else had the guts to do it to their face?
Sunday, December 18, 2011
More disinformation from Palestinian leaders
Mahmoud Abbas says Hamas has agreed to renounce terror and violence.
Hamas says, "Oh, no we dont'!"
How could anyone possibly be expected to negotiate with these liars and buffoons?
Hamas says, "Oh, no we dont'!"
How could anyone possibly be expected to negotiate with these liars and buffoons?
Kim Jong Il croaks!
Iraqi Pepsi marketing celebrates 9-11 terror attacks?
This facebook picture from a US Soldier in Iraq shows a Pepsi can manufactured in Dubai for Pepsi Arabia featuring what looks like a depiction of the 9-11 terror attacksht Gateway Pundit
Another reason to celebrate Chris Hitchens' life and mourn his passing
The most disgusting, vile, stupid people on the planet are cheering that one of the loudest voices that exposed their vapidity, ridiculed them, and laid bare their moral debauchery is no longer with us.But don't worry, plenty more of us are still here.
Related video: A fascinating discussion taped in 2002 of Hitchens and Newt Gingrich discussing The War on Terror
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Sharia Law in Canada: Something to Fear and The Pitfalls of Diversity
This documentary in two parts was produced by the National Film Board of Canada in 2006
Part 1 is caled Sharia in Canada, Something to Fear? and Part 2 is The Pitfalls of Diversity
Part 1 is caled Sharia in Canada, Something to Fear? and Part 2 is The Pitfalls of Diversity
Friday, December 16, 2011
Psychopathic Egyptian Presidential Candidate Tawfiq Okasha responds to American Freemason Michael Coren
Egyptian Presidential candidate Tawfiq Okasha attributes the harsh criticism of his anti-Semitic rant to my friend Michael Coren's being a Freemason. Although Coren is a devout Catholic (and bestselling author of Why Catholics are Right) and the Church prevents its adherents from being Freemasons.
"American" Coren is Canadian, but when you're an insane Egyptian playing to an Islamist audience in the "Arab Spring," none of that is likely to matter.
Get a feeling the Arab Spring of 2011 is going to resemble the French Spring of 1789, The Russian Spring of 1917, and the Iranian Spring of 1979?
"American" Coren is Canadian, but when you're an insane Egyptian playing to an Islamist audience in the "Arab Spring," none of that is likely to matter.
Get a feeling the Arab Spring of 2011 is going to resemble the French Spring of 1789, The Russian Spring of 1917, and the Iranian Spring of 1979?
Don Cherry supports a higher Canadian murder rate!
That was just some blog satire. But The Canadian Press and Globe and Mail printed it as if it were true without even bothering to check with Cherry.
Just another reminder not to believe everything you read in the newspapers.
Sanity lost one of its great voices today
Christopher Hitchens greatest crime, from the standpoint of radical socialists and the anti-Western left, was not just that he disagreed with them or that he consistently humiliated them with his reasoned logic, but that he ceased to be one of them.
He passed today at the age of 62 from the espohegeal cancer that, for the last year of his life, took his speech but not his powerful voice that he was able to express in writing until nearly his last day.
I had the priviliege of being on stage at one of his last public speaking appearances, at The Munk Debate where he and former British PM Tony Blair argued about whether religion is a force for good in the world. Despite the obvious bond of affection between the two, Hitchens never ceased to be a ferocious combatant, despite having to pause at times because of his failing health, and his arguments overwhelmingly won over the audience.
Hitchens' one consistent loyalty was to logic and the honesty of what he believed. The only sort of person who never changes their mind is the kind who doesn't have much of a mind. Hitchens possessed one of the great minds of our time and as he was exposed to new knowledge, he didn't reject it because it conflicted with his entrenched ideas; he absorbed it to develop, change and reason in a more complete way.
He passed today at the age of 62 from the espohegeal cancer that, for the last year of his life, took his speech but not his powerful voice that he was able to express in writing until nearly his last day.I had the priviliege of being on stage at one of his last public speaking appearances, at The Munk Debate where he and former British PM Tony Blair argued about whether religion is a force for good in the world. Despite the obvious bond of affection between the two, Hitchens never ceased to be a ferocious combatant, despite having to pause at times because of his failing health, and his arguments overwhelmingly won over the audience.
Hitchens' one consistent loyalty was to logic and the honesty of what he believed. The only sort of person who never changes their mind is the kind who doesn't have much of a mind. Hitchens possessed one of the great minds of our time and as he was exposed to new knowledge, he didn't reject it because it conflicted with his entrenched ideas; he absorbed it to develop, change and reason in a more complete way.
He moved from being a comrade of the Marxist left to a veritable spokesman for the NeoCon right when he saw the reality of Saddam Hussein's persecution of the Kurds. The left was more interested in their ideological devotion to opposing the so-called forces of a non-existent imperialism than in the actual lives of human beings. In too many cases, this manifested itself among western socialists who claimed to be for peace in a gleeful acceptance of totalitarian dictatorships, under which less fortunate people would be consigned. As Hitchens, in his typically concise and devastatingly honest way put it, "it's not that they're anti-war, they're pro-war, but for the other side."
He was not bound by simplistic notions of ideological partisanship. He just told the truth as he saw it, and in the process angered many whose attachment to a fixed idea was more important to reason. In the last decade of his life, his atheism was militant, if ironic for someone whose name means "friend of Christ" If the forcefulness of his disbelief did not disprove God, the reactions to it from believers bolstered his contention that such belief was irrational.
As someone who does believe in God, I found the ferocious reaction to Hitchens from people who professed to have strong faith both curious and disheartening. If God is God, then He is not an imaginary friend who vanishes when you cease to believe in Him. The benefit of having God in one's life is to those who know Him, not to God. So why would people who claim to believe in God be upset at the disbelief at others? God cannot be proven like a scientific formula. Those who know Him must find Him on their own path. And for those who do not, what really matters is not whether they believe in God but that God believes in them.
The wealth of reason, truth, and the constant passion and battle for justice that he fought leaves me no doubt that God believed in Christopher Hitchens. Should Hitchens find that he was wrong about his atheism, I doubt he will be very disappointed. Because if there's one thing he shared with the Creator, it's a sly sense of humor.
One student's year of oppression and brainwashing at OISE
I began my year at OISE [Ontario Institute for Studies in Education - University of Toronto] with my mind open and ready to learn, with no previously conceived notions about the political atmosphere of teachers college; I had simply heard that, in general, it was often boring and easy. However, my experience at OISE was anything but boring. In fact, it left me feeling angry, deflated and, most of all, deeply saddened about the direction in which Canada is headed. Initially, I was entirely shocked by the blatantly obvious political agenda. On the first day I noticed that my classroom wall had a poster listing the main Canadian political parties. It then listed each party’s supposed track record with major Canadian issues, such as health care and education. Unbelievably, the poster went on to proclaim, that, as future teachers, we should be sure to “Vote NDP”.
...Needless to say, the year passed by at a dreadfully slow pace. I found myself sitting through classes on how to get hetero-normative language out of the schools, reading countless documents that had been reviewed for “equity”, and reading mandatory Marxist and feminist literature. I was urged to attend equity/diversity workshops, and asked to volunteer in Gender Construction workshops that were mandatory for gr. 10 students, where issues like “straight supremacy” would be discussed by curious 15 year olds.
At one point, a classmate asked the professor: “So, are we supposed to be activists, or teachers?” and the professor promptly replied, “Can the two really be separated?”
Read it all HERE
...Needless to say, the year passed by at a dreadfully slow pace. I found myself sitting through classes on how to get hetero-normative language out of the schools, reading countless documents that had been reviewed for “equity”, and reading mandatory Marxist and feminist literature. I was urged to attend equity/diversity workshops, and asked to volunteer in Gender Construction workshops that were mandatory for gr. 10 students, where issues like “straight supremacy” would be discussed by curious 15 year olds.
At one point, a classmate asked the professor: “So, are we supposed to be activists, or teachers?” and the professor promptly replied, “Can the two really be separated?”
Read it all HERE
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Pro-Palestinian journalist tells the truth at UBC lecture: Western Anti-Israel activism serves to help terrorists
People will say all sorts of revealing things among friends and fellow travellers that they would never dream of uttering to an audience where they know they would face some scrutiny. That’s why it is important to hear what anti-Israel activists say among themselves at what they refer to as Palestinian solidarity events. Within their own coterie, sometimes the veil slips and they discuss the actual agenda of the movement to vilify Israel with the label, “apartheid state.” The purpose of the movement is not justice for Palestinians within Israel, something that they already have in a country that has universal enfranchisement and equality before the law. The purpose is to buy time for terrorists opposed to Israel’s existence to regroup and launch more violent attacks against the Jewish state, which they hope not to make fairer, but to eliminate altogether.
That agenda was made clear by Palestinian solidarity activist and journalist Jon Elmer at the University of British Columbia, at a speech sponsored by that school`s Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights and Boycott Israeli Apartheid groups on December 2. It was one of many such presentations that Elmer has given on Canadian campuses under the billing of “Ghetto Palestine: a talk with Jon Elmer.”
In his talk, Elmer made it tacitly clear that apartheid is not something that Israel practices, but is trying to avoid. Israeli leaders are cognisant of the fact that their country cannot remain democratic if Palestinians in the West Bank are absorbed into Israel without having voting rights. That is why Israel had not annexed the territory and is working towards a two state solution with the Palestinians. Elmer overtly acknowledged that Israel`s withdrawal from Gaza was to avoid having a demographic conflict with the Palestinians.
Though Elmer`s talk was filled with typical anti-Israel propaganda, such as referring to Israeli “occupation” of Gaza although Israel evacuated all troops and left it to self-government in 2006, much of what he said was startlingly frank and shocking.
He was explicit in his support for violence as a tactic that the Palestinians should use to achieve their goals, saying, “there is a problem with sanctifying non-violence and privileging it above all other elements of the national liberation struggle.”
After discussing how Israel had effectively wiped out most of the terrorist or as Elmer terms it, “resistance” leadership, he recognized that the Palestinian terror infrastructure was weakened and unable to launch effective armed struggle against Israel.
“The political context right now in the Palestinian milieu is not strong enough at this point for there to be an Intifada, “ he reported. Then in a remarkable confirmation of what supporters of Israel have alleged about the real motives of western Palestinian activists, he admitted that the main purpose of their political activism was to support the violent attacks on Israel.
Said Elmer, “It’s important to understand that the solidarity actions, the solidarity activism that happens during this period of time is in effect buying political time and political space for the indigenous movement to rebuild. So it’s possible, like with South Africa, for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to work effectively hand in hand with the indigenous struggle and at times do some of the heavy lifting in the international arena while the local struggle takes time to redevelop.”
He also made a facile comparison between the Syrian dictatorship of Assad and Gaddafi’s dictatorship in Libya to the situation between Israel and the Palestinians, saying that it was hypocritical to support the armed struggle against undemocratic dictatorship to while not supporting Palestinian violence. Elmer`s apparent moral relativism and anti-Israel bias may account for inability to differentiate between brutal, undemocratic dictators bent on preserving their own power at all costs and a democratic country that respects rule-of-law whose government’s main concern is the protection and safety of its citizens. But the honesty of the Palestinian solidarity movement’s promotion of violence, their not-so hidden agenda to eliminate Israel, and the acquiescence of The University of British Columbia and other universities to events that lend support to terrorism is a reality that Canadians need to recognize when understanding the discourse of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in our public institutions and media.
That agenda was made clear by Palestinian solidarity activist and journalist Jon Elmer at the University of British Columbia, at a speech sponsored by that school`s Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights and Boycott Israeli Apartheid groups on December 2. It was one of many such presentations that Elmer has given on Canadian campuses under the billing of “Ghetto Palestine: a talk with Jon Elmer.”
In his talk, Elmer made it tacitly clear that apartheid is not something that Israel practices, but is trying to avoid. Israeli leaders are cognisant of the fact that their country cannot remain democratic if Palestinians in the West Bank are absorbed into Israel without having voting rights. That is why Israel had not annexed the territory and is working towards a two state solution with the Palestinians. Elmer overtly acknowledged that Israel`s withdrawal from Gaza was to avoid having a demographic conflict with the Palestinians.
Though Elmer`s talk was filled with typical anti-Israel propaganda, such as referring to Israeli “occupation” of Gaza although Israel evacuated all troops and left it to self-government in 2006, much of what he said was startlingly frank and shocking.
He was explicit in his support for violence as a tactic that the Palestinians should use to achieve their goals, saying, “there is a problem with sanctifying non-violence and privileging it above all other elements of the national liberation struggle.”
After discussing how Israel had effectively wiped out most of the terrorist or as Elmer terms it, “resistance” leadership, he recognized that the Palestinian terror infrastructure was weakened and unable to launch effective armed struggle against Israel.
“The political context right now in the Palestinian milieu is not strong enough at this point for there to be an Intifada, “ he reported. Then in a remarkable confirmation of what supporters of Israel have alleged about the real motives of western Palestinian activists, he admitted that the main purpose of their political activism was to support the violent attacks on Israel.
Said Elmer, “It’s important to understand that the solidarity actions, the solidarity activism that happens during this period of time is in effect buying political time and political space for the indigenous movement to rebuild. So it’s possible, like with South Africa, for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to work effectively hand in hand with the indigenous struggle and at times do some of the heavy lifting in the international arena while the local struggle takes time to redevelop.”
He also made a facile comparison between the Syrian dictatorship of Assad and Gaddafi’s dictatorship in Libya to the situation between Israel and the Palestinians, saying that it was hypocritical to support the armed struggle against undemocratic dictatorship to while not supporting Palestinian violence. Elmer`s apparent moral relativism and anti-Israel bias may account for inability to differentiate between brutal, undemocratic dictators bent on preserving their own power at all costs and a democratic country that respects rule-of-law whose government’s main concern is the protection and safety of its citizens. But the honesty of the Palestinian solidarity movement’s promotion of violence, their not-so hidden agenda to eliminate Israel, and the acquiescence of The University of British Columbia and other universities to events that lend support to terrorism is a reality that Canadians need to recognize when understanding the discourse of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in our public institutions and media.
al Qaida leader recognizes Omar Khadr's father as a terrorist martyr
The Khadr family denies their patriarch was a terrorist - just a "humanitarian aid worker" which after the Mavi Marmara we now know is a frequent euphemism for terrorist.
Too bad the Khadrs didn't coordinate their messaging with al Quaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who just praised the father of the convicted murderer as a martyr and acknowledged him as one of their own.
Too bad the Khadrs didn't coordinate their messaging with al Quaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who just praised the father of the convicted murderer as a martyr and acknowledged him as one of their own.
Anti-Semitic Jew Norman Finkelstein gets facts wrong and jokes about Holocaust (again)
Norman Finkelstein, the former De Paul University professor who is known primarily for his obsessive hatred of Israel, is the modern anti-Semite's favorite Jew. He appeals to both neo-Nazis for his sinister criticisms of Jewish remembrance of the Holocaust, and to Islamists for his efforts to de-legitimize the Jewish state.
He possesses Naomi Klein's gift for distorting isolated, anomalous pieces of information into conspiratorial, overarching theories. But unlike Klein, Finkelstein has a reputation for a comprehensive, indeed compulsive need for factual accuracy, even if his interpretation of fact is sometimes suggestive of a mental disorder.
However recently, he seems to have even lost that one vaguely redeeming component of his credibility.
Finlelstein has the habit of posting stories to his website, prefaced by his own acerbic comments.
Recently, Finkelstein posted a report of a talk with the noted author and commentator Mark Steyn in Toronto, with the notation, "Jewish writer warns of Third…or is it Fifth?…or maybe its the Seventh?…Holocaust!"
It would appear that in Finkelstein's mind, the notion that concerns about contemporary anti-Semitism could only be a by-product of some sort of hysterical thinking on the part of a Jew.
Except, Steyn, a best-selling author, syndicated columnist, and frequent host of one of America's most popular radio talk-shows is an Anglican who was baptized as a Catholic.
In his rush to attribute all the evils of the world to Jews, Finkelstein's intemperance got the better of him. Speaking of intemperance, Finkelstein is sounding more and more like Mel Gibson did a few years ago. At least Mel had the reasonable excuse of being plastered out of his mind on tequila and had the decency to apologize. The humourless Finkelstein doesn't have that to fall back on.
He possesses Naomi Klein's gift for distorting isolated, anomalous pieces of information into conspiratorial, overarching theories. But unlike Klein, Finkelstein has a reputation for a comprehensive, indeed compulsive need for factual accuracy, even if his interpretation of fact is sometimes suggestive of a mental disorder.
However recently, he seems to have even lost that one vaguely redeeming component of his credibility.
Finlelstein has the habit of posting stories to his website, prefaced by his own acerbic comments.
Recently, Finkelstein posted a report of a talk with the noted author and commentator Mark Steyn in Toronto, with the notation, "Jewish writer warns of Third…or is it Fifth?…or maybe its the Seventh?…Holocaust!"
It would appear that in Finkelstein's mind, the notion that concerns about contemporary anti-Semitism could only be a by-product of some sort of hysterical thinking on the part of a Jew.
Except, Steyn, a best-selling author, syndicated columnist, and frequent host of one of America's most popular radio talk-shows is an Anglican who was baptized as a Catholic.
In his rush to attribute all the evils of the world to Jews, Finkelstein's intemperance got the better of him. Speaking of intemperance, Finkelstein is sounding more and more like Mel Gibson did a few years ago. At least Mel had the reasonable excuse of being plastered out of his mind on tequila and had the decency to apologize. The humourless Finkelstein doesn't have that to fall back on.
Media helping to create the Western Muslim Monster
There's a particular type of "official Muslim" that the media turns to for comment whenever they need a reaction or comment about "the Muslim perspective." It's not just true for Muslims, it applies to Jews, Catholics, Hindus and any other group that has community organizations.
Mainstream media, being what it is, will go to the same people over and over. That's because, with rare exception, news media is lazy and more interested in forming policies and ideas than reporting on them, So media people tend to rely on a small clique they know they can count on for a predictable response that also have the ostensible imprimatur of being from a "recognized" organization.
Sometimes that predictable response in inflammatory, which generates controversy and gets eyeballs on the news in their papers, websites and broadcasts. There's nothing wrong with that from a business standpoint. But a great many people are influenced by the media and don't realized that "official" people from "recognized" organizations are generally self-interested and not necessarily representative of the majority of people on whose behalf they claim they are speaking.
This dilemma of spokespersons giving their views and having them emerge as being representative of a community surfaced again in the idiotic comments of Calgary Imam Syed Soharwardy, who said Canada's treatment of Muslims compares to pre-war Nazi Germany's treatment of Jews.
Anyone with a cursory knowledge of history understands that Mr. Soharwardy would have to be an imbecile to make such a comparison. But the larger problem this highlights is that people like Soharwardy, radicals with offensive concepts of Canada and an apparently poor understanding about the responsibilities of the individual with regard to the community and the state, are presented as being Muslim spokespeople.
The perception of Muslims throughout Canada is damaged not just by the stupidity of such people or even more egregious examples as provided by the leadership of organizations such as the Canadian Islamic Congress and the Canadian Arab Federation. The media has done more than its share to create, in the mind of the public, the concept of the western Islamic monster, which must cause the average Canadian Muslim to cringe.
Mainstream media, being what it is, will go to the same people over and over. That's because, with rare exception, news media is lazy and more interested in forming policies and ideas than reporting on them, So media people tend to rely on a small clique they know they can count on for a predictable response that also have the ostensible imprimatur of being from a "recognized" organization.
Sometimes that predictable response in inflammatory, which generates controversy and gets eyeballs on the news in their papers, websites and broadcasts. There's nothing wrong with that from a business standpoint. But a great many people are influenced by the media and don't realized that "official" people from "recognized" organizations are generally self-interested and not necessarily representative of the majority of people on whose behalf they claim they are speaking.
This dilemma of spokespersons giving their views and having them emerge as being representative of a community surfaced again in the idiotic comments of Calgary Imam Syed Soharwardy, who said Canada's treatment of Muslims compares to pre-war Nazi Germany's treatment of Jews.
Anyone with a cursory knowledge of history understands that Mr. Soharwardy would have to be an imbecile to make such a comparison. But the larger problem this highlights is that people like Soharwardy, radicals with offensive concepts of Canada and an apparently poor understanding about the responsibilities of the individual with regard to the community and the state, are presented as being Muslim spokespeople.
The perception of Muslims throughout Canada is damaged not just by the stupidity of such people or even more egregious examples as provided by the leadership of organizations such as the Canadian Islamic Congress and the Canadian Arab Federation. The media has done more than its share to create, in the mind of the public, the concept of the western Islamic monster, which must cause the average Canadian Muslim to cringe.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Justin Trudeau is the 99% and makes himself over to prove it
Liberal MP Justin Trudeau, the privileged son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, wouldn't want to be thought of as one of the ruling elite, the horrible 1% vilified by the vacuous Occupy Movement.
But with the baggage of wealth and being a member of Parliament, he actually IS a member of the ruling elite.
So how to convince his peeps that he is down with the masses!? Why, what better way than to turn his face into the ubiquitous Guy Fawkes mask that is as much a feature of the Occupy Movement as the cultish repetition of "the people's mic."
There's an old story that the beautiful but dumb dancer Isadora Duncan approached the brilliant but grizzled playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw with the offer, "We should have a child together George! Imagine what a triumph a child would be with my looks and your brains!"
"That may be so, my dear," replied Shaw, "but what if he were to have my looks and your brains?"
Every time Justin Trudeau makes the news, I'm reminded of that story.
But with the baggage of wealth and being a member of Parliament, he actually IS a member of the ruling elite.So how to convince his peeps that he is down with the masses!? Why, what better way than to turn his face into the ubiquitous Guy Fawkes mask that is as much a feature of the Occupy Movement as the cultish repetition of "the people's mic."
There's an old story that the beautiful but dumb dancer Isadora Duncan approached the brilliant but grizzled playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw with the offer, "We should have a child together George! Imagine what a triumph a child would be with my looks and your brains!""That may be so, my dear," replied Shaw, "but what if he were to have my looks and your brains?"
Every time Justin Trudeau makes the news, I'm reminded of that story.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
TTC slogan "The Better Way" takes on a brand new meaning
Did you ever have a long, boring trip on the subway and wish there was an interesting way of passing the time?
An enterprising (and hopelessly drunk) couple found that way on the University-Spadina subway line in Toronto on Sunday afternoon.
Sexual intercourse!
After objections from fellow passengers, they did exercise a bit of decorum and got off the train at the Spadina station. But understandably, they didn't want to suffer the pangs of transit interruptus, so they resumed their activity on the subway platform. (see video)
Evidently, charges are pending.
WARNING: nudity, profanity and sex in video below
An enterprising (and hopelessly drunk) couple found that way on the University-Spadina subway line in Toronto on Sunday afternoon.
Sexual intercourse!
After objections from fellow passengers, they did exercise a bit of decorum and got off the train at the Spadina station. But understandably, they didn't want to suffer the pangs of transit interruptus, so they resumed their activity on the subway platform. (see video)
Evidently, charges are pending.
WARNING: nudity, profanity and sex in video below
Monday, December 12, 2011
Diary of a wimpy president
December 12, 2012
Wow, I''m taking a lot of heat for wimping out on the Iran drone. The military guys told me to send in missiles or planes to destroy the thing, but that would have made the Iranians, really, really mad!
Those creepy mullahs look like evil wizards from fairy tales. They might have used some of their dark magic on me! I'm not going to run that risk.
To make everyone happy, I've politely asked Iran to return the drone to us. I'm sure if I ask nicely, we may get a few pieces back after Iran and China are done examining it. That should make those mean old Republicans happy.
B.O.
Wow, I''m taking a lot of heat for wimping out on the Iran drone. The military guys told me to send in missiles or planes to destroy the thing, but that would have made the Iranians, really, really mad!
Those creepy mullahs look like evil wizards from fairy tales. They might have used some of their dark magic on me! I'm not going to run that risk.
B.O.
There are a lot of things you could say about Alec Baldwin...
But that he doesn't have a sense of humor isn't one of them.
Anarchist movement descends into anarchy - go figure
The 99%?? I'm pretty sure that 99% of them are outpatients at a mental hospital.
The OccuMorons are getting to be really annoying. I invested a lot of time and energy into making fun of their defunct movement and they one-up me again by making themselves look stupider than I ever could.
This video is of their General Assembly at Toronto City Hall last night.
Blazing Cat Fur made this video and has more
The OccuMorons are getting to be really annoying. I invested a lot of time and energy into making fun of their defunct movement and they one-up me again by making themselves look stupider than I ever could.
This video is of their General Assembly at Toronto City Hall last night.
Blazing Cat Fur made this video and has more
More signs of impending war against Iran - D.C. Court rules Iran helped al Qaida
In a little-noticed ruling on Nov. 28, a Washington, DC district court found that both Iran and Sudan were culpable for al Qaeda's 1998 embassy bombings. As is typical in cases dealing with state sponsorship of terrorism, neither Iran nor Sudan answered the plaintiffs' accusations. But in a 45-page decision, Judge John D. Bates issued a default judgment.
The court found that the "government of the Islamic Republic of Iran...has a long history of providing material aid and support to terrorist organizations including al Qaeda," which "claimed responsibility for the August 7, 1998 embassy bombings."
More at The Long War Journal/Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
The court found that the "government of the Islamic Republic of Iran...has a long history of providing material aid and support to terrorist organizations including al Qaeda," which "claimed responsibility for the August 7, 1998 embassy bombings."
More at The Long War Journal/Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
Sunday, December 11, 2011
After last night's debate, it looks like Gingrich is a shoe-in
Last night's Republican debate in Iowa left Newt Gingrich looking stronger than ever, while his most serious rivals, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, both shot themselves in the foot.
Romney has remained frozen in the polls, with any possible contender leapfrogging over him. A number of pundits have speculated the reason for Republican rejection of Romney being doubts about his conservative credentials. The actual reason is a lot simpler. Romney is arrogant and unlikeable. That came across loud and clear when Texas governor Rick Perry falsely accused Romney of having written that he wanted a national health care plan like the one he instituted in Massachusetts, which, for some Republicans, bears too strong a resemblance to Obamacare. Rather than just using the occasion to show that Perry was wrong, Romney decided to rub it it by offering to make a $10,000 bet on it. Now the bet and Romney's wealth and arrogance are getting more attention than his health care proposals.
But Perry was not able to diminish the perception of having a lack of command of basic facts, something that has haunted him from the beginning of the campaign.
Ron Paul was...Ron Paul; intelligent and sincere, but though his poll numbers place him around third, his isolationist and libertarian extremism will render him unable to win his party's nomination.
After the collapse of Herman Cain's campaign, the unlikely front runner and virtual certainty for the nomination remains former Speaker of the House Gingrich.
He proved himself even more presidential last night by standing by his words and being able to take his opponents' attacks and turn them around to show his strength.
Romney tried to attack Gingrich over comments where during a recent interview, the front-runner declared the Palestinians to be an "invented people." Rather than backtracking, Gingrich stood by his comments and added, “Somebody ought to have the courage to tell the truth. These people are terrorists." After criticizing President Obama's handling of middle east foreign policy, he continued, "It’s fundamentally time for somebody to have the guts to stand up and say, ‘Enough lying about the Middle East.’” Gingrich's remarks on that earned him the loudest, most sustained cheers that any candidate received last night.
When Romney accused him of being a "career politician," Gingrich's pointed comeback highlighted Romney's shortcomings when he replied, "Let's be candid, the only reason you didn't become a career politician is because you lost to Teddy Kennedy in '94."
There is plenty of time for anything to happen in the Republican primaries, but given the current slate of candidates and the abilities they've shown, barring a meltdown, Gingrich looks to be a lock for the nomination.
Were he to win the general election, the US would take a very different direction than under Barack Obama. Gingrich has said that he would make John Bolton, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, whose hawkish conservatism makes him a lightning rod to the far left, as his Secretary of State.
With a declining economy and rising unemployment in America, and the perception that the current president is inept, weak, arrogant, and unable to manage the nation, President Newt Gingrich, a prospect that would have been unimaginable when he had reached the pinnacle of his career in Congress, may be a reality in 2013.
Romney has remained frozen in the polls, with any possible contender leapfrogging over him. A number of pundits have speculated the reason for Republican rejection of Romney being doubts about his conservative credentials. The actual reason is a lot simpler. Romney is arrogant and unlikeable. That came across loud and clear when Texas governor Rick Perry falsely accused Romney of having written that he wanted a national health care plan like the one he instituted in Massachusetts, which, for some Republicans, bears too strong a resemblance to Obamacare. Rather than just using the occasion to show that Perry was wrong, Romney decided to rub it it by offering to make a $10,000 bet on it. Now the bet and Romney's wealth and arrogance are getting more attention than his health care proposals.
But Perry was not able to diminish the perception of having a lack of command of basic facts, something that has haunted him from the beginning of the campaign.
Ron Paul was...Ron Paul; intelligent and sincere, but though his poll numbers place him around third, his isolationist and libertarian extremism will render him unable to win his party's nomination.
After the collapse of Herman Cain's campaign, the unlikely front runner and virtual certainty for the nomination remains former Speaker of the House Gingrich.
He proved himself even more presidential last night by standing by his words and being able to take his opponents' attacks and turn them around to show his strength.
Romney tried to attack Gingrich over comments where during a recent interview, the front-runner declared the Palestinians to be an "invented people." Rather than backtracking, Gingrich stood by his comments and added, “Somebody ought to have the courage to tell the truth. These people are terrorists." After criticizing President Obama's handling of middle east foreign policy, he continued, "It’s fundamentally time for somebody to have the guts to stand up and say, ‘Enough lying about the Middle East.’” Gingrich's remarks on that earned him the loudest, most sustained cheers that any candidate received last night.
When Romney accused him of being a "career politician," Gingrich's pointed comeback highlighted Romney's shortcomings when he replied, "Let's be candid, the only reason you didn't become a career politician is because you lost to Teddy Kennedy in '94."
There is plenty of time for anything to happen in the Republican primaries, but given the current slate of candidates and the abilities they've shown, barring a meltdown, Gingrich looks to be a lock for the nomination.
Were he to win the general election, the US would take a very different direction than under Barack Obama. Gingrich has said that he would make John Bolton, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, whose hawkish conservatism makes him a lightning rod to the far left, as his Secretary of State.
With a declining economy and rising unemployment in America, and the perception that the current president is inept, weak, arrogant, and unable to manage the nation, President Newt Gingrich, a prospect that would have been unimaginable when he had reached the pinnacle of his career in Congress, may be a reality in 2013.
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