Ms. Stronach's Defection

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

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

...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...

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

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

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

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...

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"

"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...

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."