i'm really not used to being ashamed of canada. i hope i don't have to get too good at it.
"Do not go gentle into that good night. Blog, blog against the dying of the light"
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Ashamed
Alison reports on the Dziekanski whitewash and commenter psa says this:
Notes on the decline and fall
At The War Nerd, Mark Ames analyzes the Georgia-Ossetia war and what is next in the declining American empire:
We have entered a dangerous moment in history — America in decline is reacting hysterically, woofing and screeching and throwing a tantrum, desperate to prove that it still has teeth. Which it does — but not in the old dominant way that America wants or believes itself to be. History shows that it’s at this moment, tipping into decline and humiliation, when the worst decisions are made, so idiotically destructive that they’ll make the Iraq campaign look like a mere training exercise fender-bender by comparison.
Russia, meanwhile, is as high as a Hollywood speedballer from its victory. Putting the two together in the same room — speedballing Russia and violently bad-tripping America — is a recipe for serious disaster. If we’re lucky, we’ll survive the humiliating decline and settle into the new reality without causing too much damage to ourselves or the rest of the world. But when that awful moment arrives where the cognitive dissonance snaps hard, it will be an epic struggle to come to our senses in time to prevent the William Kristols, Max Boots and Robert Kagans from leading us into a nuclear holocaust which, they will assure us, we can win against Russia, thanks to our technological superiority. If only we have the will, they’ll tell us, we can win once and for all.
Great line of the day
From Arianna Huffington:
When you look at the elements that were crucial to the creation of each of these debacles [Iraq, Fannie Mae, Citigroup, Madoff] it's amazing how much in common they all have. And not just in how they began but in how they ended: with those responsible being amazed at what happened, because...who could have known? Well, to paraphrase James Inhofe, I'm amazed at the amazement.Emphasis mine.
In fact, when historians look for a name that sums up the Bush II years, they could do worse than calling them The 'Who Could Have Known?' Era.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Its been a long time since elementary school
The last time I bothered to think about the Canadian "head of state" was in about Grade 6.
All this tut-tutting aboutwoefully ignorant Canadians is silly. We know what's important.
In this survey, 90 per cent knew that the Governor General can turn down a Prime Minister asking for a new election. Now, that's important. But as for the other questions, meh!
Our head of state technically is still the Queen, but in reality it is our Prime Minister.
And as for how our government can be described, well, technically it is a "constitutional monarchy" but in reality its a parliamentary democracy.
And as for whether we elect our prime minister, well, of course we do -- that's why we have political parties. Canadians have been told for a century now to vote for the party, not the person, and the vast majority of the time that is exactly what we do. Our last election was all about Mr. Sweater-Vest vs Mr. Green Shift.
All this tut-tutting aboutwoefully ignorant Canadians is silly. We know what's important.
In this survey, 90 per cent knew that the Governor General can turn down a Prime Minister asking for a new election. Now, that's important. But as for the other questions, meh!
Our head of state technically is still the Queen, but in reality it is our Prime Minister.
And as for how our government can be described, well, technically it is a "constitutional monarchy" but in reality its a parliamentary democracy.
And as for whether we elect our prime minister, well, of course we do -- that's why we have political parties. Canadians have been told for a century now to vote for the party, not the person, and the vast majority of the time that is exactly what we do. Our last election was all about Mr. Sweater-Vest vs Mr. Green Shift.
Another thousand cuts
Well, so much for the packaged sliced meat business in Canada -- after the Maple Leaf experience, I would have thought the other companies would have been compulsive about their equipment cleaning processes, but maybe I thought wrong. Now lets see if Gerry Ritz can come up with a few more jokes.
Great line of the day
Steve has a great post up about how the Canadian public mostly hates the idea of having a coalition government and Liberals had better deal with this reality. And in the Comments, Issachar points out another lesson that the Liberals have now had to learn:
Having your funding entirely dependent on the Conservatives NEVER getting a majority is a very bad idea for the Liberal party.
Monster crash
I was reading this story, and this story, and this story -- and then I finally found this, for a little comic relief:
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The cu-cu-cu bird
And from across this great province we call Saskatchewan, we hear once again the cry of the cu-cu-cu bird -- "C-C-C-Christ, its c-c-c-cold here!"
Things that make you say "Hmmm"
From the Globe and Mail story globeandmail.com: How high-risk mortgages crept north:
Of course, everything that goes wrong is always the government's fault, isn't it, because private business is practically perfect in every way and all those dumb civil servants can't manage their way out of a paper bag and nobody ever would have believed....
Oh, I guess I need another cup of coffee...
Former Triad chief executive officer Mark Tonnesen, who spearheaded his company's aborted push into Canada, said the proliferation of high-risk mortgages could have been mitigated if Ottawa had been more watchful.Yeah -- or if all those trustworthy, mature, serious, self-regulating, responsible mortgage companies hadn't been so stupid and irresponsible and greedy!
Of course, everything that goes wrong is always the government's fault, isn't it, because private business is practically perfect in every way and all those dumb civil servants can't manage their way out of a paper bag and nobody ever would have believed....
Oh, I guess I need another cup of coffee...
Friday, December 12, 2008
Great line of the day
From Paul Wells:
And are we finally seeing the end of the media myth about how smart, disciplined and competent Stephen Harper is?
From a springtime of committee chaos to a summer of ultimatums to a fall election, a December crisis, a tasty prorogue-y holiday feast, and the near certainty of another New Year psychodrama. I could swear there was a pattern in there. Blame the opposition if you like, but what olive branch did the PM hold out that they refused? Stephen Harper spent his whole adult life complaining that the state was no good for anything. Now, under him, it is so. Consistency at last.Emphasis mine.
And are we finally seeing the end of the media myth about how smart, disciplined and competent Stephen Harper is?
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Our Liberal leader
Some photos of Iggy from the Ignatieff photostream:
At the 2007 Toronto Pride parade
Afghanistan
In St. Catherines, Feb 08
Chrysler Tour, March 2008
International Women's Day breakfast
BBQ with Protective Services - June 1, 2008
At the National Gallery
Etobicoke-Lakeshore Summerfest 2008
At the leadership launch
At the 2007 Toronto Pride parade
Afghanistan
In St. Catherines, Feb 08
Chrysler Tour, March 2008
International Women's Day breakfast
BBQ with Protective Services - June 1, 2008
At the National Gallery
Etobicoke-Lakeshore Summerfest 2008
At the leadership launch
Monday, December 08, 2008
Respect
Thousands of people lined the highway of heroes today as the three soldiers came home:
Aaron Harris Toronto Star
Kevin Van Paassen, The Globe and Mail
From the Toronto Star story:
Aaron Harris Toronto Star
Kevin Van Paassen, The Globe and Mail
From the Toronto Star story:
Heavily bundled mourners, some waving flags and some wearing red hats, scarves or coats, lined both sides of the street outside the base.
"I wanted to play `Going Home' but the pipes froze. I couldn't even feel my fingers on the holes," said Dan Irvine, 49, a former military man from Napanee who took his bagpipes to the procession . . .
The convoy reached Cobourg at about 4:15 p.m. There, on the Ontario St. bridge, stood a shivering crowd of perhaps 200, including 73-year-old Korean War veteran Dave Galbraith, who arrived with five friends. . . . As the hearses passed, some people took their hats off despite the wind and heavy snow.
The motorcade passed Oshawa around 5 p.m. People had begun arriving on local bridges more three hours earlier. Korea veteran Danny Mann, 74, wore medals and a Royal Canadian Dragoons beret.
. . .
"The public response to the casualties, I think, has been quite extraordinary," said Canadian military historian Jack Granatstein.
"I have never seen anything in my life like the crowds that line Highway 401," he said.
Now for something completely different
For more than 60 years, artist Roy Doty has been drawing an annual Christmas card -- all different, all humorous, all terrific. Check them out.
Concern trolls at the National Post
So now the National Post is trying to smear Ignatieff by describing his nomination as interim leader as an "unseemly lunge at power".
Oh, isn't it just so wonderful to see the folks at the National Post so damned concerned for the purity of the Liberal party?
The way I see it, we Liberals have a choice -- at the end of January, when Parliament resumes, we can have in place to deal with Harper either a caretaker leader without authority or stature, or a fresh and highly respected leader who is committed to revitalizing the party.
Which do you think the National Post would prefer?
Oh, isn't it just so wonderful to see the folks at the National Post so damned concerned for the purity of the Liberal party?
The way I see it, we Liberals have a choice -- at the end of January, when Parliament resumes, we can have in place to deal with Harper either a caretaker leader without authority or stature, or a fresh and highly respected leader who is committed to revitalizing the party.
Which do you think the National Post would prefer?
I don't want to start a fight, but
This doesn't make sense:
Last week, we didn't want a vote. We were in favour of the Coalition being named as the government without a general election, because the rules of Parliament said that this could be done.
This week, some do want a vote. Some now seem to be opposed to Michael Ignatieff being named as interim leader without an election by the whole membership, even though the rules of the Party apparently do not even allow for such a vote to be held.
Basically, I think it comes down to this -- if the rules have been followed, then the result is legitimate.
Or am I describing this wrong?
Last week, we didn't want a vote. We were in favour of the Coalition being named as the government without a general election, because the rules of Parliament said that this could be done.
This week, some do want a vote. Some now seem to be opposed to Michael Ignatieff being named as interim leader without an election by the whole membership, even though the rules of the Party apparently do not even allow for such a vote to be held.
Basically, I think it comes down to this -- if the rules have been followed, then the result is legitimate.
Or am I describing this wrong?
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