Cato

Mrs. Shrek, found!

2010-07-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

She's Anna Cropper, as seen in Lord Peter Wimsey: The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, 1973.

Tarzana Joe's Poem of the Week

2010-06-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Competence Is Its Own Reward
By Tarzana Joe

This talk that I lack competence is just a nasty rumor.
I'd laugh at those who say so, if I had a sense of humor.
Confronted with a problem, I think once, and I think twice,
And if I can't resolve it, I ask Biden for advice.
Solutions we come up with I consider fine and dandy,
But for matters of great moment I keep the good book handy.
At bed-time when I hit my knees, I ponder, and I quote it,
And thank the Lord each evening that Saul Alinsky wrote it.
If I bristle at my critics and come on a little strong,
You have to understand, what I do is never wrong.
I really thought dictators would kowtow and do my bidding,
I vowed to close down Gitmo, you know I was just kidding.
New York's the perfect venue where we'll bring a sheik to justice,
And I'm doing all I can so Ahmadinejad will trust us.
I've ordered Eric Holder to keep working days and nights,
To round up every terrorist and read them Miranda rights.
The offer I made Sestak shouldn't cause such consternation,
It was all part of the stimulus, a little job creation.
So what if Cajun crawfish have a slightly oily taste,
I could use another crisis which I won't let go to waste.
Yes, into waves of turmoil, I don't hesitate to leap,
It's just I'm only six foot two, and the water's eight feet deep.

(Courtesy of an anonymous reader of Jim Geraghty's Morning Jolt).

Separated at Birth: Wayne Newton & KD Lang

2010-02-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

I thought it was soooooo Vegas Kool that Wayne could perform at the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics on Friday night!

I wrote to Mr. Gottlieb, again...

2010-01-26T15:27:00.000-08:00

...regarding his criticism of Tim Tebow for participating with Focus On The Family to produce a pro-life Super Bowl ad:

"Subject: Dr. Dobson is a mainstream evangelical

The ad is one in a series of very tasteful pro-life ads. There is nothing controversial about the ad itself. The power of the ad springs from the bare-bones, irrefutable facts as stated!

Tim Tebow has acted consistently with his Christian beliefs - being pro-life & believing that homosexual behaviour is contrary to God's plan for human beings are inherently part of the package. His humanitarian missions work springs from the same well.

Making arguments for traditional marriage is not "hate speech". If voting to exclude same-sex couples from marrying is hateful, then welcome to California, State of Hate!

Besides, do you recognize the irony in your introducing "political" arguments into your sports show by criticizing the airing of "political" ads during the Super Bowl? You said it yourself: 'Let's get back to sports'!"

I Guess I Have To Start Liking Pete Carroll Now

2010-01-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

I just e-mailed Doug Gottlieb's show (I told you I have no life!); subject: Pete Carroll Downer On Wikipedia. "It must be a drag to have your wikipedia page synopsis suddenly flip from highlighting your 97-19 college, 7-2 bowl record to your 33-31 NFL, 1-2 NFL playoff record!"

Now that he's coaching the SeaDawgs I've got to root for him. This will require some major internal double-talk. Part of me wants him to fall flat on his face, really fast, so as not to lose too many seasons, and then see him out the door quickly, and part of me wants to see him have massive USC-like success. Oh, the perils of liking sports too much. Or not enough.

Colin Cowherd is losing it

2010-01-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

...now he's comparing Colt McCoy going down in the BCS Champ game to potential lead actors turning down good roles in hit movies. Streeeeeeeetching! I must have no life, cuz I wrote him twice this morning:

"You mean Alabama WANTED Texas to be within 3 with 3 minutes left?

A true freshman QB - a FRESHMAN - got his legs under him & moved the ball AT WILL against the "Great" "Bama Defense. Texas would have CRUSHED Alabama if Colt McCoy hadn't been hurt! That injury could have happened in any game; it had NOTHING to do with some supposedly genetically superior SEC D! As he said himself, he's been hit like that 100 times; it was a freak injury because he happened to have a helmet hit him in the back in just the right way to numb his arm. Alabama's D was EXPOSED by a Frosh QB! (Colt likely wouldn't have had that sack-fumble at the end, either, which was really the key play of the game - & yes, that was a good defensive play, but a rookie mistake)."

"Oh, yeah, & Alabama was cheated of a REAL Nat'l Chmpshp!

Alabama LOST last night. Why? Because once Colt McCoy went down, they couldn't win. If they win the game, it was a cheap win because of a freak injury to the opponent's best player. If they lose, then they were beaten by a freshman QB."

He keeps going on and on about the SEC's record in Bowl Games over the last 10 years. And that is relevant exactly how? Last night was one game. 'Bama got lucky and knocked Peyton Manning out of the game. Fortunately for Texas, Colt's backup wasn't Curtis Painter - but he is a true freshman.

Time To Put Up The Christmas Lights

2009-12-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

Actually, it was time 2 weeks ago, but I failed. I have continued to fail ever since. It is Well Past Time. Fortunately it is not nearly as cold as it was on the weekend, only 9F, -13C. 88% humidity, though - unusual for this land at this time of year when it's cold. Blah, blah, blah...

Someplaces in the world are warm, right now.

Off to Disneyland

2009-10-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow. Don the Mouse Ears(tm), baby!

...except they'll be West Coast Ears, I believe.

Sgt. Joe Friday takes Barry O to the Woodshed

2009-09-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Taylor Swift v. Kanye West

2009-09-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

As Posted On Facebook (APOF): http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=727628734&share_id=132508587030&comments=1&ref=share#div_story_132508587030_132508587030

As I said, what a surprise, a rapper is a jerk! Taylor Swift rocks.

O says "Don't let them scare you, let ME scare you!"

2009-09-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

Golden Book III: RCA Radiola Super-Heterodyne!

2009-09-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

Go for broke! Spring for the $690 model - you won't be replacing it for 10 years, & you can use all those profits from your new investments in bonds! (click on the image to enlarge).

Golden Book II: Bulls, Bears, & Bonds

2009-09-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

A column from the December, 1929 edition, for your consideration, (with bonus ads!)(click on the image to enlarge):

New Post Because I Left My URL Somewhere - Therefore Golden Book I

2009-09-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Like, I left it on the TEMS (The Ed Morrissey Show) chat feed, so I'd better post something. Hopefully I'll be doing a bunch of these over the next while, as I've got a ton of material. I came into possession of an almost-complete set of Golden Book magazines recently, and they have some interesting stuff in 'em, & not just the ads, either. Here's the first cover to be posted:

There is an article inside called "Bulls, Bears & Bonds", in the "Investment Trends" column. I expect this magazine went to print in November, so it was written hard on the heels of The Crash. I'll post that later... & bigger, too, I hope.
Update: Just click on the image, & it will be bigger! It's magic!

Staycation...

2009-07-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

...is awesome. I recommend the process to everyone with children who are ALL away at camp! Time for bed, now. Have to deliver The Boy's papers in the AM!

Sarah Palin

2009-07-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of surprised at the reaction of some conservative, otherwise Palin-supporting commentators regarding Sarah's resignation. I listened to her speech; it made total sense to me. I think that normal people and the way they think is a mystery to political types. Her family is being savaged, she has accomplished a lot in her time as Governor of Alaska, and once she had decided not to run again and to make that decision public, she became a lame duck. If she had kept the decision to herself, she would have continued to be effective as Governor, but she is too open, honest, and transparent to have kept the decision a secret. The media-created tabloid-governorship was also making it very difficult to govern effectively, and her traditional work ethic and sense of responsibility wouldn't allow her to stay in a job that circumstances wouldn't allow her to do her best at. I might be wrong (shock!), but I don't think a run for the presidency factored in the decision, either. I rather doubt that she is all that chuffed about the idea.

Surprise, surprise!

2009-03-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

Apparently I'm "Extremely Conservative" - what a shock.

68/400.

Timothy Geithner

2009-01-21T00:06:00.000-08:00

If this guy is confirmed as Treasury Secretary, I think we can say definitively that President Barack Milhouse Oblahblah and his administration have no respect for the rule of law. Overstating the case, am I? He will be in charge of the IRS. He was advised repeatedly by his then employer, the IMF, to pay the taxes in question. He was busted, but only paid part of the taxes owing, and finally only paid the rest when he was nominated for the position President B. Hubris Obamania now wants him to fill. I love this quote from a member of the Senate Banking Committee: “This is the guy who heads up the IRS,” says the senator who is baffled by Geithner’s situation. “All the taxpayers look to him, and when he says, ‘Gee, I don’t know why’—does that become a defense?”

President Oblahblah

2009-01-20T23:34:00.000-08:00

From Alo Konsen on twitter. I know it's an old nickname, having googled it, but it's new to me, and perfect after that typically empty nothing of a nullity inauguration speech. Perhaps he should have just read a few pages of the phone book, I doubt if any of his unruly acolytes would have noticed! President Bush's speech on returning to Texas, on the other hand, was awesomely awesome - and way funnier!

Eagles Win!

2009-01-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

No, not Philly - although I wouldn't be totally decimated if they did, but I'm rooting for the Cards - the Cedars Junior Boys Eagles Basketball team, who won the John McInnis Junior B Invitational tonight by defeating Nechako Valley (NVSS - Vanderhoof) 50 - 45. Their other 2 games they beat College Heights and John McInnis by 15 or 16 points each. Congratulations, boys!

"The Real Face of Hamas"

2009-01-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

Mugshots: what do all these people have in common?

2009-01-12T22:58:00.000-08:00

h/t: fannation obama watch express

A Gross (But Fair!) Generalization

2009-01-12T17:48:00.001-08:00

People who are down on Israel are not very bright (or thirsty!):

Natalie says:

2009-01-12T01:19:00.000-08:00

"Homework is like bugs on my windshield. I want to be able to keep it clear."

Time to get involved...

2008-09-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

... and by "get involved", I mean blather on to no one in particular, or, more likely, no one at all. Watched the first debate tonight, and my impression was that Senator McCain clearly won, overall. Like others, I thought the first 1/2 hour was weak for Senator McCain, even though he had several chances to hit home runs. When they hit the foreign policy stuff, Senator McCain beat Senator Obama senseless, and with a friendly smile on his face. Senator Obama looked angry and, to me, came across as distinctly unlikeable. On the other hand, I'm in the tank for the Adult in the race.

Anyway, this video should be watched by anyone who wants to understand why we're potentially on the brink of a kinda-sorta 'nother Great Depression:

Sam's Conquering of A.L.L.

2008-06-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Sam Goertzen's blog - read it daily for inspiration and perspective!

http://samsconqueringofall-goertzens.blogspot.com

GPs going home, Happy Resurrection Day, Off to Kelowna Tomorrow...

2008-03-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

...but not Robin. She has decided that she has too much work to do. A part of me is in slight panic mode, and has been disconcerted all weekend long, as I am leaving my work for 3 1/2 days. I'll go in for a 1/2 day tomorrow, then drive to Cache Creek or Kamloops in the afternoon... but I feel like there are too many things to get done here! Oh, well, sometimes it is really good to have a forced vacation. Robin just decided yesterday that she wasn't going to be coming, so here I go with the kids. Once we're on the road it'll be Grand, but the pre-trip anxiety is no fun. Of course, I was kind of ambivalent about the trip in the first place, so it is kind of ironic that I would end up going as the lone adult, now... sigh. Tally Ho!

Interesting to surf around on a Monday that is a holiday here, but not everywhere... and the kids on a two week break, too. Like Christmas!

To end, memories of Dinner with the GPs last Tuesday. (Robin was there, but apparently didn't make the phone video!)

Sorry, the sound really sucks - stupid treo 650 vidcam! Time to upgrade. The dessert Nick & Nat are eating is chocolate caramel spring rolls - yummy!

Perhaps the pain has subsided enough...

2008-02-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

...that I can finally write of the loss of the gallant, tragic Patriots. In a way, it is much more memorable that they came one fluky play short of their perfect season. Greek/Shakespearian tragedies are made of this stuff, whereas if they'd won, it would've just been one more Super Bowl win. Besides, just think of the fire this experience is going to light in the belly of the returnees next season! On a more personal note, it is a great exercise in self-control and sportsmanship to have to suck it up when your 9 year old daughter and your wife are in the room cheering on Eli Manning (and the Giants, by extension)! Nick & Nat & I were very sad, Amy was thrilled, and Robin was satisfied. Now I know how the Bengals' fans felt in '89, or the Cowboys' in '81. On the other hand, I expect the Giants will go away next year when we have someone else come out of the NFC East, be it the rejuvenated Eagles, or the 'Boys, or even the Redskins, whereas the Patriots will likely reload and be right back in the hunt.

Turned out Brady really was hurting - big time hurting. He hasn't thrown that badly in a long time, and while much of it was due to the Giants' pressure, and they should get every bit of credit that they're due, normally he'd be connecting with his hot reads regardless of the pressure. He was not himself, and it is unfortunate that he is not getting more credit for the valiant performance he put in.

Which brings me to another point. Where does all this talk of "hubris", and "poor sports" come from? The public face of the Pats has been nothing but graciousness and humility all season long - always giving their opponents credit, always taking them seriously, always complementing them on their skill and abilities. Someone came up to me at church yesterday and said that none of the Patriots shook hands with the other teams' players or coaches after the game. I said "Bill Belichek did", and the point was conceded, but she went on to say that no one else did. Wow. She must have been watching the game on another planets' satellite system from mine. The end of the game was a bit weird, what with time running out and the field being flooded with people, and then the officials putting time back on the clock. Just goes to show, though, that people will see what they want to see, based on their preconceptions. How far this team has come from that 2001 underdog team. This game was like that one's evil twin... especially so as it showed the depth of many peoples' hatred of the Patriots that they'd root for a team from New York City instead!

Go Pats!

Marriage Refresher

2008-01-30T00:40:00.000-08:00

So Robin & I are attending a marriage seminar this Friday eve/Saturday morn. Vern & Sue Tompke are leading it, which is quite a kick, since Vern & I went to school together from grade IV on. The first Bible Study I ever went to was led by Vern & Rob Husband, another Canyon Elementary Alum. Unfortunately, they can't stay to watch the Giants get killed by America's Team on Sunday afternoon. Vern was always a Cowboys fan (America's other team), and is responsible in large part for my '80s love of the '9ers - cuz they beat the Cowboys. One of my happiest childhood memories is playing football with Vern and Rob and Gerry Gartland down at the school. Anyway, I sure am looking forward to seeing them. Sue is a Dear, with a wonderful sense of humor, and those Chilliwack Vineyard folks are blessed to have the spiritual leadership of these folks.

Nat & Friend

2007-11-01T01:39:00.000-07:00

Natalie with her favorite teacher... Becky Vandenberg. Fortunate girl, to get Miss V in her last (for the time being) year at Cedars'... Happy Birthday, Natalie!!!

Once a month posting...

2007-09-20T00:30:00.000-07:00

...is better than nothing! Natalie has a well-tuned eye... she got up this morning and took a few pictures off the front lawn... Fall.

Back from Vacation

2007-08-20T00:25:00.000-07:00

I shoulda been liveblogging our trip, when I could. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. 'Twas a magnificent journey! Down the coast as far as San Francisco, with many stops along the way, and back to the family reunion in Lister. Loads of Fun!

Ducks the first Westcoast team to win the Stanley Cup!?!?!?

2007-06-07T01:21:00.000-07:00

My letter to Jason Smith at "Allnight" on ESPN: 'Umm... you said it, as did your news guy. In fact, the Victoria Cougars won the Stanley Cup in 1923, and last I checked Victoria is on the Wet Coast. The Victoria Cougars, by the way, are now the Prince George Cougars, who made it to the third round of the WHL playoffs this year before being summarily dismissed by the eventual Memorial Cup Champion Vancouver Giants. Vancouver, of course, itself a West Coast City, won Lord Stanley's Silver in 1915, with the Millionaires: "The Vancouver Millionaires (1911 to 1922) were a professional ice hockey team in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association for Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They won the Stanley Cup (the only Vancouver team to win the Stanley Cup) in 1915, defeating the Ottawa Senators 3 games to 0. They played for the cup in 1918, 1921, and in 1922. Their jerseys were maroon with a white V, with Vancouver spelled down one side of the V and up the other. The home arena of the Millionaires was the Denman Arena, one of the first artificial ice surfaces in Canada. Hall of Famers Fred "Cyclone" Taylor and Didier Pitre played for the Millionaires.

In 1922 the team changed its name to the Vancouver Maroons (1922 to 1926). They continued to play in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association until 1924 when they then joined the Western Canada Hockey League upon the merger of the two leagues. The team finally folded in 1926." - Wikipedia.'

Three cheers for the Ducks, by the way. They are soooo much kooler than the Sens.

Nick's Mohawk

2007-06-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, now I'll post 'em:

Experiment failed...

2007-06-04T00:41:00.000-07:00

...when I tried to post from church this morning. I was going to post a picture of Nick with his new mohawk, but couldn't operate blogger properly from my Treo. Oh, well. Do it from home, then! But, darn it, Robin wants me to come to bed. After all, it is one in the a.m. but it's bleedin' hot, too! Tomorrow, then.

Gee-tarrr!

2007-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Nick's first guitar lesson. Michael Vigano is his teacher, at Sound Entertainment in Prince George. Enthusiasm!

John Kerry puts his foot in it again...

2006-10-31T17:30:00.000-08:00

My letter to Mr. Hewitt today:

Hugh!

a) Kerry is too clever by half, that is his problem, because it makes him an idiot. He was making a double entendre, taking a slap at the President - he doesn't have to name him for the audience to understand immediately who he is talking about - while at the same time taking a shot at the troops. He is counting on his audience laughing out loud at the first part and internally grinning grimly and slyly at the second. He thinks that the broader audience will brush it off as another "Daily Show" type insult of the President, not realizing - (does this guy never learn?) - that a large part of the broader audience will only hear the gross and disgusting insult of the troops. People say that Bill Clinton "compartmentalized" his mind - but I'll bet he never really forgot what was in the other compartments. John Kerry doesn't seem to recall that he has just a little bit of personal history when it comes to calling down brave Americans.

b) It is okay to recognize that Mark Halperin has a point of view that gives rise to a legitimate debate without agreeing with him. I expect that he would say that your reaction to John Kerry's idiot comment illustrates his point - he would likely say that your partisanship blinds you to the "joke" he was making at the expense of the President, and that if you belonged to the Journalist as Objective Observer School of Reportage you would have "gotten it". And you could counter with the legitimate point that the vast majority of the "Objective Reporters" out there just happen to be hiding liberal views and would write the whole thing off as a joke while burying the sick insult aspect of Kerry's comment. The put-all-your-points-of-view-on-the-table school of reportage is much more consistent with a free society; it engages the marketplace of ideas honestly. Mr. Halperin's theory of reportage is like marxism - sure, it sounds great in theory but it can't really work in the real world; everyone has biases and their biases matter.

This latest Kerry foot-in-mouth-moment is a great example of a false dichotomy. Kerry's comment isn't either (a) or (b), it is both (a) AND (b). To recognize that makes it no less disgusting, and gives the person who recognizes it as such more credibility with a broader audience. It is, in fact, even sicker that Kerry thinks he can get away with a double entendre like that - I expect he thought that most people would only hear the Presidential insult, as he lives in a world where that sort of thing is a staple, and that the "clever people" in his audience would be the only ones who would "get" the "deeper meaning" wherein he was speaking to his anti-military confreres. He makes the mistake many liberals make - he thinks he is the smartest guy in the room.

Yikes. They're called "News"papers for a reason...

2006-09-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sigh... I know, in my somewhat infrequent postings, that I have of late been spending seemingly disproportionate time critiquing the Telegraph, but it is one feed that I actually read - most I delete without even looking at - and it seems to me that it used to be, at least under Conrad Black (may acquittal be imminent!) a somewhat conservative paper. These days, it seems that they have this policy of only employing reporters (I hate the word "journalists"!) and opinion writers who are terrible with facts and Nutbar Left on opinions. Random fisking to follow:

I exposed CIA agent by mistake, says ex-Bush aide
By Alec Russell in Washington

(Filed: 09/09/2006)

The greatest political scandal to hit the Bush presidency took a tantalising twist yesterday when Richard Armitage, the former deputy secretary of state, admitted that he was the first to reveal the identity of the CIA agent Valerie Plame.

"Yesterday" it took a twist? Richard Armitage's role in this silliness has been known, and commented on, for some time. It is clear now that the Bush-haters in the press who alleged that there was a grand conspiracy to "out" Valerie Plame were writing at the level of Weekly World News "Alien Baby" stories. Well, actually, it was clear when they were writing it, and others were saying so.

The exposure, which came during bitter in-fighting that erupted in Washington after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in 2003, resulted in the indictment of a senior White House aide for the first time in decades and prompted a flurry of accusations that President George W Bush was directly responsible for the leak.

A flurry of accusations... by Fever-Swamp Nutters!!! Please note, also, why there was "bitter in-fighting": Colin Powell's State Department, and Richard Armitage, were fighting Administration policy at every turn. The real scandal here is that Richard Armitage and Colin Powell both stayed silent for so long, letting the Administration twist in the wind - in the midst of a war - while the nutbars speculated endlessly on the machiavellian machinations of the Rove/Cheney Gang. One of Mr. Bush's personal strengths, but political weaknesses, is his personal loyalty. He ought to have fired Colin Powell way before Mr. Powell left. On the other hand, Ms. Rice's State Dep't appears to be demonstrating that the problem may be due to deep liberal contrarianism in that particular department.

Last night furious conservatives accused Mr Armitage of treachery and demanded an apology from the Bush opponents who claimed that the exposure of Miss Plame's identity in July 2003 was the work of a vindictive White House seeking to undermine critics of the war.

Yes, "Last night" and for a couple of weeks, now, at least. I thought this was a "news" article?

Miss Plame is the wife of Joe Wilson, a former ambassador, who was one of the first to criticise the Bush administration's case for war.

Mr Wilson had angered the White House by refuting the allegation – first made by British intelligence and contained in Mr Bush's 2003 State of the Union address – that Saddam's regime had sought uranium from Niger.

Umm... Mr. Wilson attempted to refute the allegation. It has since been shown conclusively that Saddam indeed had attempted to purchase uranium from Niger. In any event, whether he did or didn't is irrelevant, as the intelligence agencies of Britain, France, and the U.S. believed it at the time, and the Administration had nothing better to go on.

Shortly after Mr Wilson wrote an article in the New York Times in July 2003 accusing the Bush administration of twisting the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction a conservative columnist revealed that his wife worked for the CIA.

Okay, just hang the ol' facts out there with an implied conclusion. Ahem, post hoc ergo propter hoc.

And, finally... Valerie Plame was not a covert operative. No crime was committed. Repeat until you finally get it!

Telegraph, again

2006-08-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

Re: The Telegraph on 1 September: Are you insane??? If someone is willing to fly people to the continent "for a fiver", more power to them! If they go belly up, that's life! "Environmental costs" will be sorted out, "inevitably", by the market. The Telegraph used to LIKE the market... what has happened?

My Pic as not hosted elsewhere...

2006-08-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hmm... trying to get this photo on to "My Profile"... too big! Learning... learning... how to shrink? Let us see what software we have... trying Nero... post again here... OK, that didn't work either. How do I make this blankin' thing small enuf? Aha! Done! Office Picture Manager did what I wanted it to do.

A pleasure to read...

2006-08-12T00:48:00.000-07:00

...this article in the Telegraph. I love that kind of historical context; the attempt, however imperfect, to place currency in historical streams. (I always figured the Roundheads were the good guys!)

Coughlin II

2006-07-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

...and again, here. So I wrote: "The only realistic way out of the current mess in Lebanon is for Israel to follow through and take out both Syria & Iran's capacity to make war against her, either directly or through their proxies, Hizbollah & Hamas. A window of opportunity is open now, but may soon close if an international force ever lands in southern Lebanon. (On the other hand, an international force there might free up Israel to do the real work against the puppetmasters. On still another hand, the last thing Israel needs is a pack of European - & English - anti-Semites encamped on its northern border! It is fitting that the LibDems' foreign affairs spokesman is named Michael Moore.) In any event, the U.S. and U.K. should make it very clear to Israel that it has a free hand to clean up the region. Secretary Rice's diplomatic charade should be abandoned, pronto... or perhaps given a fair chance to fail quickly, thus demonstrating the need for decisive action by Israel."

I wonder if anyone ever reads the comments that are invited for those newspaper columns?

Israel is NOT the problem

2006-07-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

Con Coughlin,"Defence and Security Editor" of The Daily Telegraph, wrote this in today's Telegraph: "The Israeli government has already blamed Syria and Iran for the unrest on its northern border."

I posted a comment as follows: "As has everyone else with a brain between their ears! Iran calls the shots with Hezbollah & the terrorists wouldn't be able to take the actions that they have without Damascus' approval. If Western tourists are inconvenienced by the lack of an airport they should place the blame where it belongs: on the shoulders of nutbar Islamic radicals from Beirut to Tehran."

The gist of the article was that Mr. Olmert is a rookie leader with scant military experience, and this could have a variety of negative consequences. True. On the other hand, in terms of his response to this crisis, I think he is placing the blame in the right place. As for President Bush's refusal to condemn Israel for its response to the terrorists, my only concern is that he hasn't shown as much support as he might have done. As William Kristol has suggested, he ought to travel to Jerusalem from the (useless) G8 meeting to show the unconditional support of the U.S. for Israel against the Islamofascists.

God is Good Part I - Purpose

2006-05-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Since I last wrote, much has happened, including a rather serious car accident. After reviewing the witness statements, most of whom thought I was dead for certain, I am more convinced than ever that God wants me alive for some reason. Some reasons are obvious: they live with me, all 4 of them. But beyond that? I wander from the german bakery/sandwich source to the courthouse for my machine-dispensed can of coke, and wonder... and pray... and on my return, I sign into Biblegateway, guilty that I'm reading Lileks over my sandwich rather than something I haven't even looked at today. And there I see it:

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Aha!!! And further...

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[d]says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[e] 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12 (New International Version)

(Footnotes:
a. Romans 12:1 Or reasonable
b. Romans 12:6 Or in agreement with the
c. Romans 12:16 Or willing to do menial work
d. Romans 12:19 Deut. 32:35
e. Romans 12:20 Prov. 25:21,22)

Pretty quick answer, huh? God is Good.

A Big Day

2006-02-01T23:45:00.000-08:00

...and I'm outta there! Bye, Lee. You've been great! Next stop: Independence [corr. - ed.]! Praise God for the path He's leading me on...

Let's not get crazy, now...

2006-01-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

Mr. Hewitt led me to a critique of a cartoonist from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who referenced a classic Bill Mauldin cartoon. I think conservatives lose credibility too often when we slap people around just because they're liberals. So I commented on his post: "Hmmm... the guy may be a ranting liberal cartoonist, but I think in this case the criticism is misplaced. If Shakespeare is referenced in a novel it doesn't need to be footnoted. I'm not a huge political cartoon afficionado but I recognized the reference, even if I didn't know the name of the original cartoonist. Blasting away at liberal targets on marginal stuff discredits the legitimate criticism on the cry wolf principle."

SeaDawgs Rule!

2006-01-22T23:56:00.000-08:00

...just as I called it, contrary to popular opinion it will be a Steelers-Seahawks Super Bowl - and the Dawgs will take it. These guys are much better than anyone is giving them credit for.

Hook 'em Horns!!!

2006-01-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Texas 41, USC 38. 'Nuff said. Vince Young is amazing.

Dizzy...

2005-12-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

...is what I am right now. A brisk walk didn't help. Ingesting two double cheeseburgers from DQ didn't help. Man, I hope it's just a cold coming on... or stress... this Constructive Dismissal thing has created a bit of tension around here. OUT! That's what I need. The sooner, the better. Sleep would be good, too.

I can't get interested in the Canuck election this time around - at least not yet. It's hard to get very excited when the outcome is 58% likely to be another Lie-beral minority, 40% likely to be a Tory minority, and 2% likely to be... something else. Besides, one can just tune in after Xmas, which makes it a relatively painless 3 week campaign. Frankly, I couldn't care less that the campaign is happening over Xmas, and I think the Lie-berals have cottoned on to the fact that most people don't care, which is why I haven't heard much lately about the evil Tories forcing - Gasp! A Christmas Election Campaign! Oh, the Horror!

Update: Apparently Child #2 has been dizzy all day too, and wished to go home mid-day. Whew. Hopefully that means I'm not going to die tonight...

The Innu have a Duty to Mitigate

2005-12-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

Instead of hunting polar bears and cariboo, for instance, they'll have to learn to kill lions and gazelles. The WWF might not heartily endorse that idea, however.

I am a Horseman, a Mighty Warrior!

2005-11-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

Rohirrim, I be.

Rohirrim

To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

Mr. Hewitt was going to talk free trade, so...

2005-11-07T17:05:00.000-08:00

Hugh,

Mr. Bush (a great man whom I take a LOT of flak for supporting in this neck of the woods) is going to have a very difficult time selling the concept of free trade to anyone in the Americas so long as the United States continues to refuse to play by the rules of the the FTA & NAFTA. The Softwood Lumber Dispute has gone as far as it can go in the dispute resolution process, the Canadians have won at every level, and the United States' Federal Government still refuses to abide by the rulings. Five & a half BILLION dollars which belong to Canadian lumber producers - some of whom are American companies - is sitting in limbo, when it ought to be repaid immediately. This administration is handing a big stick to Hugo Chavez with which to beat the possibility of any new trade agreements with. It also makes it very difficult for Americaphiles like myself to get an ear here in Trudeaupia. Why would any cold-eyed, intelligent, trade-friendly, business-like president or prime minister sign a trade agreement with a party - the United States - who can't be trusted to follow through on the agreement?

As I tell my friends here, who shake their heads when they see the Stars 'n' Stripes hanging in my office (and which I have had hanging somewhere close to me almost non-stop since 9-11), Mr. Bush is a free-trader. Unfortunately, Senators & Congressmen - of all stripes - are protectionist to the core when it comes to the goring of their constituents' oxen - even when those oxen are sick and dying of the protectionist disease, and the North American lumber industry is a case study in how tariffs hurt everyone, especially those they are meant to protect. (And Mr. Bush is unwilling to tell the Commerce Department to enforce trade tribunals' rulings or lobby Congress hard to lay off the protectionism, because there are Senate seats up for grabs in lumber producing States - understandable, but unproductive in the long run). Under tariffs, the Canadian lumber producers have become lean and hyper-efficient, while the U.S. producers have become fat, unproductive, and lazy - to themselves and U.S. consumers alike - just ask Home Depot.

If free trade is to work, the players have to follow the rules. Play hard, play tough, play to win - but when the ref rules it a touchdown, line up for the kickoff - don't sit down in the middle of the field and refuse to let the game continue.

Another missive...

2005-10-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! The CBC actually had a listenable conversation on about sports! So I wrote 'em: "Now THAT was interesting to listen to - the debate about "intuition v. statistics" in baseball management. So often the discussions on The Current are boring, biased, and ignoramuses-sharing-their-ignorance. The lesson? Do more sports! (Real sports, please, not boring Olympics crud). My complements to Kevin Sylvester, as well. It is great to have a guy do sports interviewing and discussion on CBC who appears to be genuinely interested in sports!"

Must... write... daily...!

2005-10-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

It has been waaaaay too long... let's see... what to write about? The kids just finished watching their Lilo & Stitch movie... Tarzana Joe's poem of the week is on the Hewitt show... I've been sitting in front of the fire, just chatting in a friendly & cozy manner with "The (very) Fetching Mrs. B"... but the invasion of the munchkins has broken that spell, and it's time for a different kind of interaction, mainly a family conference on the future of the bunny, whom Natalie appears to be slightly allergic to... unfortunately this leads to some conflict between the sibs, and now I'm almost alone in the living room, with Amy curled up in the green wing chair, waiting to be carried off to bed and tucked in... funny, she'd been sent to her room for cutting her brother with a sharp comment... a busy weekend? The ducting for the overhead microwave/range hood needs to be installed, fortunately the Dad-in-law drew up plans before he departed for home, Toronto... I need to do some work... I'm doing Promiseland on Sunday, and we need to spend some time together.

People are waking up all over

2005-07-31T23:55:00.000-07:00

The Dutch began to wake up after Theo Van Gogh's murder by Mohammed Bouyeri. The British never really went to sleep, completely, I don't think, but they're certainly awake now. This article from the Telegraph contains this excellent quote: "Living fish swim against the stream. Only the dead go with the flow." Whoa. I think I've found a blogmotto. Now to translate back to latin...

Leadership

2005-07-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

Why is it that all the other major english speaking nations of the world have Leaders? Huh? (scroll down on The Anchoress)

Joe Wilson follow-up

2005-07-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

Powerline (here, here, here, and elsewhere), Barone, Steyn, Captain Ed (many places), & Tom Maguire sum it all up pretty well. It is funny to see how this "scandal" is crumbling like sand-cakes in the Dem's hands. The whole "the White House outed Valerie Plame for revenge" line never made much sense to me. That kind of behaviour would be so out of character for this White House - and this President - that it just didn't ring true. The pettiness of such an action didn't make any sense in the context of an administration that is focused on a very serious war. I can't imagine a smart political operator like Karl Rove taking such a stupid risk, either. Now that the true facts are emerging, the whole scenario makes a whole lot more sense. Ms. Plame has been working at Langley at a hardly-undercover desk job since 1997! Matt Cooper called Karl Rove, not the other way around, and according to Mr. Cooper, Mr. Rove's intention was clearly to ensure that Mr. Cooper didn't put too much stock in anything Joe Wilson had been saying recently, not to "out" an "undercover" "CIA operative". Yikes. Could the lefties have gotten this one any more wrong?

Plame was "undercover"? Letter to "The Hill"

2005-07-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

Sirs:

Your article as noted above says:

"Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, had been an undercover CIA agent working on issues involving weapons of mass destruction until columnist Bob Novak printed her name in a column in July 2003."

"A federal law makes it a crime to disclose the name of a CIA undercover agent." [My emphasis].

How "undercover" could she have been if it was common knowledge in DC that she worked for the CIA? As Captain Ed Morrissey [actually it was Dafydd on Captain'sQuarters - sorry!] has noted, as follows:

"So we are thrown back to the question I discussed in Dafydd: If It's Rove... Part Deux: is there any evidence at all that Karl Rove was aware that Plame's employment was classified information? The answer to that question is no, there is not. If there were, I trust that it would have been a banner headline, above the fold, on every newspaper in the country. Rather, as Andrea Mitchell and others have admitted (and as I mentioned before), Plame's employment was commonly known around the D.C. cocktail circuit, and that is almost certainly where Rove found out about it -- not from classified sources that he would have had no access to in the first place.
There is thus every reason to suppose not only that Rove did not believe that information to be classified, but further that he was under the impression that reporters already knew it... as indeed they may well have. After all, the focus of Rove's comment was not that she was in the CIA but rather that she, not Cheney or Tenet, was the one who suggested her husband, Joe Wilson, for the trip."

Secondly, the article alleges that "Bush had said that he would fire any administration official involved in leaking the name of an undercover agent." Captain Ed [umm... Dafydd again] takes that one apart as follows:

"I probably should not assume that everyone is on the same page of the dictionary. But one of the commenters to a previous post of mine, Dafydd: Bride of "If It's Rove"..., raised a definitional point that deserves response.

Attempting to prove that Bush indeed made some sort of "firing pledge," he notes a press conference on June 10, 2004 in Savannah, GA, in which the following exchange occurred:

Q: Given -- given recent developments in the CIA leak case, particularly Vice President Cheney's discussions with the investigators, do you still stand by what you said several months ago, a suggestion that it might be difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent's name?
THE PRESIDENT: That's up to --
Q: And, and, do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. And that's up to the U.S. Attorney to find the facts.

The first point that leaps out at me is that the last sentence indicates that Bush's "yes" was in fact answering the first question -- whether it would be difficult to find the source -- not the second about some "pledge" that in fact cannot seem to be located. The referrant of the word "that" in Bush's response cannot possibly be the pledge, unless Bush is suggesting that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald should be trying to discover whether any such "firing promise" was made.

The second point is one that also went unnoticed by the commenter: the rather wide divergence between the "pledge" that Bush is said to have made, to "fire anyone found to have" "leaked the agent's name," and what Sen. Reid claimed yesterday that Bush had pledged: "The White House promised that if anyone was involved in the Valerie Plame affair, they would no longer be in this administration, his administration."

Even if such a pledge were made, Reid's statement was still a wild-eyed exaggeration of it."

Get Effective!

2005-06-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

...listening to Mark Steyn on Hugh Hewitt; subject: the deaths of a number of Navy SEALS in Afghanistan. Mr. Steyn makes the point that we haven't heard a great deal about Afghanistan lately because these specialized troops and others like them have been so effective, and that troops like these are the future of warfare.

It has been clear for years (and I've been telling anyone who will listen to me - umm... not a lot of people, really, but the dogs, the computer screen, the radio) that, if the Canadian government was not going to spend the money to support a full-fledged fighting force, it should fund a specialized commando force, a quick-strike, smart, steely-eyed group of soldiers - a group of significant size - that can be dropped into any place in the world on a moment's notice. I believe the Canadian Armed Forces have made some movement in this direction, but the direction must be committed, decisive, and backed with substantial money. Secondly, the Forces need to invest in the equipment to deliver these troops to the theatre. Given that we have a pretty decent Air Force, an aircraft carrier - a real one - is actually a really good idea. Then the next time we are called upon to fight alongside our American brothers, we'll be "ready, aye, ready!"

Oh, and please pray for the families of the Special Forces members killed yesterday, and visit Soldiers' Angels and the United Warrior Survivor Foundation to help out.

Amnesty Int'l dives into the swamp

2005-06-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

I sure am proud of having a President and a Vice-President who will stand up to idiocy. (Amnesty Int'l calling Gitmo a "Gulag"). (Sorry, I think you have to register to read it, but it isn't a huge hassle).

Ms. Stronach's Defection

2005-05-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

Letter to CBC's The Current yesterday:

"First of all, that was a very well done interview with Ms. Stronach. Mr. Germain asked almost all of the hard questions, and put them forcefully. From someone I've often thought of as a fellow who throws softballs to Liberals, it was a pleasant surprise. The only big question I think was missed was 'It appears that you had made up your mind to defect prior to sitting in on a Conservative Party strategy meeting on Sunday [according to an interview I heard with Chuck Strahl yesterday]. Did you not have an ethical obligation to advise the party before that meeting that you were leaving, or, at the very least, excuse yourself from that meeting - even if you were only considering defecting at the time?'

Secondly, Heather McIvor as a political talking head is down to about 0 on the credibility scale. I've been listening to her on CBC radio for years, and she has been a fairly consistent shill for the Liberals, and a very consistent slanderer of the Tories, and before that, Reform and the Alliance. Belinda Stronach never was the heart and soul of the Ontario Tories, and that comment about Paul Martin being seen as a "...vulture feeding on the carcass of the Conservative Party" betrays her motivation to sell the idea that the Tories are dead. The fortunes of the Tories do not rise and fall with their ability to sell themselves to ultra-left liberals like Ms. McIvor - sorry, Ms. McIvor, but they're not actually looking for your vote. Your other two commentators were much more balanced in their perspectives, although it's interesting that no one seemed to see this as a potentially huge boost for both Stephen Harper and for Conservative Party fortunes. Let's see, they've a) lost a mole from their ranks before she could do more damage, b)lost a high-profile but weak MP who has always been seen as an awkward fit for the party and an unapologetically extreme social liberal who was unacceptable to the base, c)had the base's enthusiasm instantly stoked by a back-stabbing defection, and d) lost a problem MP to Paul Martin - who may be smiling now, but who has just let a clearly untrustworthy person into his cabinet. The net result of this whole affair might be a further cementing of the reputation of the Liberal Party as the party of sleaze and the ethically challenged. The irony of putting one of those ethically challenged persons in charge of cleaning up the sponsorship mess seems to be lost on Mr. Martin."

(I write this as I listen to your replay of Susan Murray's report on Scott Brison's defection. Gee, isn't it a surprise how CBC political reporters feel right at home working for the Liberal Party? Susan Murray as Scott Brison's communications director, Jason Moscovitz as VP of Public Affairs at the BDC...)

CBC & the BC Election debate

2005-05-04T01:04:00.000-07:00

I listened to the 1st 45 minutes on the radio. The way I heard it, the commie twins were throwing nerf balls, and Mr. Campbell was scoring body blows. Perhaps I am somewhat biased, tho. I popped up CBC radio's web article, and immediately experienced that jarring disconnect that inevitably accompanies input from "blue state" reporters. They invited me to write, so I did:

'"Campbell's credibility questioned during debate" - nice headline. Gee, I wonder how the Communist Broadcasting Corp. is going to spin this story?

"VANCOUVER – Premier Gordon Campbell was forced onto the defensive during Tuesday night's leaders' debate, as NDP Leader Carole James accused him as someone who can't be trusted to keep his campaign commitments. " - I don't know which debate you were listening to, but the one I heard had Mr. Campbell hammering Ms. James & Ms. Carr repeatedly - and this from a guy who could make the Gettysburg Address sound like a shopping list. Ms. James' lame attempts to pin those "broken promises" assertions on him had all the impact of tissue paper hitting the floor. What was it that Clinton guy used to say? "It's the economy, stupid!"

"She began by getting the premier to promise he would not privatize the Insurance Corporation of B.C. and B.C. Hydro." - umm, except she didn't, and neither did he. He phrased his answer carefully, and it wasn't a blanket commitment to never privatize ICBC & BC Hydro - at least I didn't hear it that way. I think Mr. Campbell is quite intent on keeping that door open this time around.'

The ABA is as daft as the CBA

2005-04-11T23:32:00.000-07:00

...as noted by Thomas Sowell, here. Everywhere, it seems, poor leaders rise up to campaign for their sinecures. Criticism is good, people! If no one criticizes Judges, they go around thinking they're doing a good job! Which is not to say that there are not a lot of hard-working Judges out there, or Judges who are doing a good job - it is just that the two don't necessarily go together. A person can work his tail off and turn out garbage - I have experience in this area, really.

Maybe it's just the time of year...

2005-04-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

Why am I so bored? My level of interest in life waxes and wanes inexplicably. Perhaps it is the rebound effect of being hyper-engaged in "issues" for a period of time. After the US election I lost interest in current events for a time, and this last two weeks have been pretty intense, given Terry Shiavo's situation, and now Pope John Paul II. (May God welcome him into Glory and a well-deserved rest). I don't know how these full-time media people keep their energy up. I note that Mr. Lileks is taking a break from blogging. I have often thought that I wanted his life, or at least several aspects of it, but I don't know that I could keep up the pace.

I'm almost entirely "caught up" in my work life. Perhaps that has removed the great slab of tyrannically urgent tasks that are generally hanging over my head, and it has left an empty space that I'm not quite sure how to fill. I'm sure this is an opportunity for reflection, for prayer, for seeking God's Will & planning based on what He shows me. I pray that I will take the opportunity...

CBA Officialdom: Take Note

2005-03-31T01:07:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of View From the Right: "In 1895, future U.S. president and Chief Justice William Howard Taft, then a federal circuit court judge, wrote:
'The opportunity freely and publicly to criticize judicial action is of vastly more importance to the body politic than the immunity of courts and judges from unjust aspersions and attack. Nothing tends more to render judges careful in their decisions and anxiously solicitous to do exact justice than the consciousness that every act of theirs is to be submitted to the intelligent scrutiny and candid criticism of their fellow men. In the case of judges having a life tenure [i.e. federal judges], indeed, their very independence makes the right freely to comment on their decisions of greater importance, because it is the only practicable and available instrument in the hands of a free people to keep such judges alive to the reasonable demands of those they serve.'
What Taft says is so basic, so indispensable, and yet, in today's world, it sounds like an ancient, forgotten tongue. Far from freely commenting on Supreme Court judges, our political establishment and the public treat them like near-royalty, bowing and scraping before them like courtiers. Look at the unctuousness that prevails at any public event at which Supreme Court justices, particularly the liberal justices, are invited as speakers. In our age of self-esteem and denial of objective standards, the more shameless the judges become in their transgression of the laws and Constitution, the more respect they get." (Lawrence Auster) [italics are mine].

That turned up when I googled "impeaching federal judges" in the light of Terry Shiavo's death sentence and torture at the hands of the Florida State and Federal judiciary. Anyone who has ever appeared on a regular basis in Canadian courts would recognize the wisdom of President Taft's words. It also appears that Mr. Auster has been listening to our Prime Minister. "Bowing and scraping", indeed.

Back to Reality

2004-11-11T22:57:00.000-08:00

So, the Election is over, and the Good Guys won. I find myself thanking God nearly every day for His gift of a second term for President Bush. Whenever I am tempted to gloat, I am snapped to by thankfulness, thankfully. As a result, and due to a lack of time to cruise the blogs, I have not been reading much of the hand-wringing of the Koses and Atrioses of the world. I think this is a good thing. But I have been diligently reading Lileks - (jeepers, I even ordered two copies of his book! One for me, and one for Pops-in-law, the architectural engineering techie consultant) - and he and Hewitt and Ingraham have been helping me to adjust to a world without the tension of an upcoming battle-for-the-ages-that-the-fate-of-the-world-depends-on to ride.

Thankfully, I've been able to take a few days to r&r at my sister's in Kelowna. My bro-in-law got Halo 2 the day it came out, of course, and I'm looking forward to wasting much time with that over the next 3 days. Forget about work for a while, kick back and get healthy after 10 days of strepp throat. It is very nice to have a place to go where you can be at home without being at home!

Saw the in-laws off on the plane this morning on our way out of town. A pretty good visit; they worked their tails off, as usual, but I tried not to feel too guilty, and was generally successful.

I'm hoping to be able to play a bit with Robin's newish digital camera. Maybe I can figure out how to get out of the menu and into picture-taking mode, finally. Hopefully bro-in-law will let me play with his movie camera a little as well, so I can get some footage of the kids before they're all in college. Maybe I'll even post it!

Projection

2004-10-08T01:40:00.000-07:00

It seems to be a theme, lately. The Surrender-monkeys howl "Eet eez awl a-bowt zee oyl!" Yup. And here. John I-don't-fall-down Kerry: "Mr. Bush can't admit when he is wrong!"

CBC is sooooo funny...

2004-09-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Oh, man, long time no post.

Cruising LGF I found this link to a column on the CBC website by Adrian Dix, Glen Clark's old COS. He is a fellow swamp-dweller, I'm afraid, and I had to tell them so: "Where do you find these people? No wonder the NDP got smoked in the last BC election, and will be smoked again. He needs to clue in to reality: Bush in a LANDSLIDE, likely, barring any horrendous screw-up or disaster. Kerry is "the tall Dukakis": New England liberals don't translate well to the rest of the country. The Democrats have descended into the "Michael Moore fever swamp" and are not coming back any time soon; any time before November 3, anyway."

Sometimes I wonder if lefties are really as computer literate as they are sometimes reputed to be. A few seconds of cruising the blogosphere might clue a fellow like Mr. Dix in, poor deluded man.

Comments to the CBC on their Olympic "attitude"

2004-08-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

"I am SICK and TIRED of your smirking anti-American Olympic coverage. The US Mens Basketball team have been pointedly NOT calling themselves the "Dream Team", yet you morons continue to use that epithet. This year's "Dream Team", if you haven't been paying attention, is the US women's softball team. The previous B-ball teams that used that moniker actually devastated their "competition"; this one has known from day one, as has anyone who knows anything about basketball, that they were in for a rough ride. Your snotty coverage makes me ashamed that my tax dollars go to support the Communist Broadcasting Corporation (as if I weren't ashamed of it already). You guys can display a bit of attitude once Canada has earned as many medals, as, say, Australia."

The Tories and Free Speech...

2004-08-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

So while I was at it, I thought I might as well let them know what I think of their handling of this one, too:

"I appreciate that Mr. Harper has commented on the CHOI FM controversy, but the weak position taken back in July represents an opportunity lost. The Tories should have jumped right on this issue, arranged to have someone speak at the rallies in Quebec City, and hammered the Liberals on their totalitarian tendencies as effected by the CRTC. This is a great "branding" issue, and I'm afraid that we're past the point of being able to grab ahold of this one; the news cycle has passed us by."

Sham SCC Judicial Appointment Hearing

2004-08-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

I dashed off this note this a.m. to the Conservative Party of Canada:

"I am very disturbed by the way the Conservatives on the Justice Committee handled the Supreme Court appointments issue. As it was reported in the media, NOT ONE QUESTION was asked about the appointees - not one. And these are two of the most ultra-liberal appointments ever made. Yes, the process is really the problem, but y'all have been co-opted. Irwin #$%@#!!! Cotler can come out and defend the process now by saying that you folks agreed with it! You'd have been better off taking the fight for a public process into the public domain, and you have GOT to start firing with both barrels at the pathetic quality of these appointments! The liberal-left in this country has successfully re-made the SCC in its own image, to the detriment of the country. The process of appointment review needs to be full, and public, and voted on by Parliament, and the PM needs to be shamed into going that way. The Constitution does not bar such a process, it simply gives the appointment power to the PM. And don't be deterred by shouts of "American style circus!". Senate hearings are not a "circus" - that is simply insulting. Snooty Carolyn Parrish types look down on everything American while ignoring the weaknesses in our clearly inferior system."

If the Tories ever want to form a government with a meaningful mandate they need to work a little harder at forming a clear, coherent, positive alternative vision.

Ironic Democrat Strategy

2004-08-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

So I guess the Kerry brain(huh?)-trust figured that if they pitched Kerry as a war hero the GOP wouldn't be able to fire back at him. They were right. The Republicans have been clear; they will not be questioning Kerry's war record. What the Dems didn't figure into the equation was that their support of McCain-Feingold would come back to bite them so badly in the behind. 527s have opened the door to groups like the SwiftVets to punch back, without having to worry about the fallout for their candidate's campaign. Bush can take the high ground while people with real credibility on the issue fire back with both barrels.

But it isn't like they couldn't have seen it coming; Soros' and Hollywood's 527s like MoveOn.org et. al. have been busy for months performing the same service - with more money - for their side. In the end they have handed Kerry's critics a free pass to destroy his campaign strategy. Ehhh-xcellent...

And now that the debate is out in the open, others are coming forward to defend the inaccurate statements made about them. Witness Retired Rear Admiral William L. Schachte Jr. and what he said about Kerry's first Purple Heart to Bob Novak here. Kerry forgot about his flanks, having tunnel vision on his opponent; and he wants to be Commander-in-Chief?

The transition was way too fast...

2004-08-21T00:28:00.000-07:00

So I go from watching Tucker Carlson to Bill Moyers in the space of half an hour. Urrgh... motion sickness. TC was viewable, Michelle Malkin and Deroy Murdock, his trademark smirk'n'tie, and then 1/2 an hour later I get this. So I wrote Moyers:

"So, Ms. Jamieson thinks the Times and the Post got the analysis right on the Swift Boat Vets thing, eh? And which planet is she living on, exactly? The mainstream press has been pretending for two weeks that the facts in the "Kerry in Cambodia" lie-fest are unverifiable... yet if one actually does some simple fact-checking, one will come to the inescapable conclusion that the Swift Boat Vets for Truth are right, and Kerry is a LIAR. HE HAS ADMITTED THAT HE LIED ABOUT CAMBODIA. WHAT MORE DO YOU LIBERAL NUTBARS WANT?! The record is clear: Kerry is a serial liar, for his own aggrandisement. Why don't you ask a tough question for once in your life, Mr. Moyers? Ever challenge a guest? EVER?! Face it, the mainstream press has BLOWN IT on the Swift Vets issue. Having missed the boat, as it were, the big papers are now trying to pretend that it is a non-story, or, if there is a story there at all, that it is about Republican shenanigans in the 527 realm. For shame, Big Media. For shame, Bill Moyers. For shame, Jim Lehrer. I'm getting my news in the Blogosphere from here on in - at least they get the point and have their facts straight."

Uh-oh, now I've done it...

2004-08-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Just what I need. Another excuse to avoid work. Must... dictate... oh, to heck with it! Hewitt is on, and I just caught the end of Steyn. Find some light, brainless work... maybe I'll read some stuff by this guy... he must be a thinker, he has a thinking cap...