Mr. Dion's Mistake

... If Mr. Dion, in his desperation to distinguish himself, had not plowed his party into the left lane- leaving Mr. Harper an open road- we could easily be looking at an imminent return to Liberal power.
... He should have picked out a blue suit...

Britain's broken culture

... And excelent column by John Sullivan in the Post today, clearly recognising the breakdown of our culture. Having failed to uphold foundations of civility and order, our society is returning to it's naturally brutal state.
... However, to blame multi-culturalism is an easy, and erroneous, strawman. Values of decency, consideration, and respect are the most crucial cornerstones of each individual's life- irregardless of race, religion, or country.
... The good news, my friends, is that the tide is about to turn...

Values and Freedom

... Human nature has fallen when liberty has become merely an opportunity to accumulate- money, experiences, relationships- yet, indifferent to others.
... To succeed, "the pursuit of happiness" must be balanced with consideration and concern for others- a necessary appendix to the awesome contribution of Ayn Rand.

The New Political Season

... It should be an entertaining start to the new political season. The opposition parties will be pumped up with a summer's worth of accumulated outrage, eager to try out their practiced poses for the cameras, and rattle their election sabers... but not too loudly.
... All attention will be on one man- the leader of our government- who's presence stands in complete contrast to the almost-anonymous existence of the opposition's equivalents.

Undercover QPP at protests

... There seems to be no limit to the things that would be absolutely inexcusable anywhere else in the western world, yet because it is Quebec, we just learn to quietly accept.
... And, you can't say anything, because their politicians will trample each other to be the first on the news, demanding more money to compensate for this latest imaginary assault on their ever-fragile nationalistic sensitivities.

Dion Hints at Turmoil

... The drowning Mr. Dion and Duceppe, desperate to justify their presence, are again childishly threatening to focus their efforts on obstructing our nation's government, unless their "demands" are accepted.
... The opposition parties have become more like stalkers, having lost their own identity and purpose, they are obsessed with Mr. Harper.
... Advice to Mr. Harper- do not spend a moment, or a penny, more than necessary acknowledging their existence. Ignore their threats to force an election- which would change nothing, except the leadership of their parties.
... The really funny part is that the opposition parties might just force an election soon... jostling themselves off of the cliff in their excitement.

China's Goods 2

... An excelent editorial in the Post today, clearly explaining the complexity of addressing the issue of hazardous Chinese products- an over-whelming task for our governments to monitor, and almost impossible for consumers to recognise easily-disguised goods.
... It is likely that we will continue to see the consequences of these dangerous products. This, combined with the almost-inevitable disgrace of the Beijing Olympics, will return the recently-emerging China to desperate dark ages- like Russia, their only distraction from domestic disaster being increasingly belligerent military action.

On China

... Where will this China issue end? Their cultural indifference to the health and safety of it's citizens is so ingrained, that it would take generations to build a society which respects life, and therefore develops a conscience about the quality of their goods, and their conditions of employment.
... However, in the meantime, assuming that China will take to real steps to ensure the quality of their goods, and if our governments take no real steps towards monitoring their goods, I expect that we will just wait for greater tragedies- which will cause a global ban on all Chinese products.
... Which would then cause a belligerent China to more deeply align itself militarily with the other great domestic failure Russia (who manufactures nothing, and so is free of these scandals), against the imagined aggressions of the U.S.
... Therefore, there are no options. Our governments must begin to exercise their rightful responsibility to refuse the importation of unsafe or unhealthy goods.

Protests cont.

... At what point did people so lose awareness of their own capacity to creatively and constructively work towards change in our world, as to believe that "protesting"- ie. standing around shouting with signs- is really "doing something"?
... It is revealing that the "creativity" of protesters is limited to disrespecting democracy, obstructing public spaces, and damaging private property.

Protests and barbarianism

... It is absolutely wrong to consider "street protests" a legitimate part of a healthy democracy.
... They are a symptom of a culture degenerating into barbarianism and anarchy- disrespecting the right of freely-elected representatives to govern- instead, believing that policies should be determined by the demands of any mob in the streets.

A Farewell to Mr. Dion

... It's too bad. Mr. Dion seemed a nice enough fellow, who fulfilled his role of allowing the party to put some distance on the Chretien/Martin years; and who will really not deserve the typically ungrateful heave-ho that the Liberals give all their leaders- trampled by the stampede of giddy contenders.

Protesters to be kept separate

... It seems an excelent idea to keep the protesters to next week's summit "seen and heard" by remote video feed.
... It might be a consideration to have one designated global protest site, with video feeds to any political summits around the world.
... The protesters could be provided with foam bricks and boulders to throw at cut-outs of riot police and government buildings, and plastic "car" shells could be available to be turned over. Masks of political leaders could be provided at the entrance of the site, and large screens could display the words to popular protest chants- international translations by subtitles in the video feeds.
... And, just like now, the protests would be financed by union dues forced from unsuspecting workers around the world.

Tories positioned for election (N.P. Ag 15)

... It is doubtful that a federal election is even remotely in the Conservative's plans... or the Liberals, or anyone.
... Despite predictably roaring with indignation every time Mr. Harper stands to speak, the Liberals will never, ever fight an election with Mr. Dion as leader. The Liberals true concern is waiting for a decently graceful opportunity to push Mr. Dion aside.
... The only election we will see in 2008 will be the crowning of Mr. Ignatieff as the new Liberal leader- which will be their second mistake, merely solidifying their current status for a few more years.

On Space Programs 2

... I seem to remember in the 70's, watching us bounce a couple of men on the moon. Now, forty years later, we are soon hoping to repeat the feat.
... At this pace- recognising that there are no even-slightly inviting looking planets within sight of our most powerful telescopes- the interplanetary shuttles should begin departing for these imaginary, light-year distant colonies in about a million years.
... It would be a great laugh, except that we're being forced to pay for this fairy tale.
***
... Attention, selected genetically-superior human specimens... proceed to your assigned evacuation sites, where you will board the shuttles, and be placed in suspended animation for thousands of years. Then, you will be revived, to spend the rest of your lives in a sterile, entirely un-natural environment, separated by a transparent shield from the lifeless, -4000 degree desert which is your new home.
... Exciting!

On the Space Program

... It is interesting to consider the somewhat oblivious arrogance of those who inexplicably assume that everyone has an unquestioned ambition to "journey successfully into space"- quite comfortably extracting the expense of this insatiable enterprise from every working person.
... Space is just space... get over it.
... There are plenty of human frontiers and challenges to "inspire our imaginations" here on earth.

Re: Global warming? (N.P.)

... With the majority of "scientists", politicians, and environmental groups charging ahead on the "warming" bandwagon, it will be interesting to see their reaction to the news that the warmest years were not just recently, but back in the 1930's.
... Of course, if we were in China, it would be a simple matter of a few executions, or "suicides".
... More likely, with so many reputations invested in the warming theory, I expect that they will just stay the course, and ignore this very inconvenient truth.
... The world itself might not actually be warming, but it is probably starting to feel that way to Mr. Gore... again...

Hey Liberals...

... Hey Liberals... this is the only time that I will help you.
... Soon enough, Mr. Dion will announce his resignation as leader. Then, in 2008, you will have a leadership convention. "How exciting," you think, "Mr. Ignatieff or Mr. Trudeau will restore the party to it's former glory days of the 70's."
... This will likely be your mistake. Mr. Trudeau is an aimless kid, with nice curly hair and a name. Mr. Ignatieff is a bumbling academic who has wandered into the political arena- possibly by mistake. Conceivably, you could nurse Mr. Trudeau through his leadership, but Mr. Ignatieff would be the most regrettable chapter in your party's history.
... Mr. Rae will be an excelent Opposition leader. He is bright, articulate, and not burdened down by any particular political philosophy... a true Liberal. He will be a worthy foil to Mr. Harper- who will be the PM of this country for as long as he chooses to remain in public life.
... There you go Liberals... saved you a few more lost years... don't say I never did anything for you.

Re: Barry Bonds

... It is a good thing to keep physically fit, or to enjoy the camaraderie of playing sports. However, there is a line that is crossed when individuals sacrifice their health and integrity, even injure others, in order to win meaningless games and medals.
... Our cultural veneration of sports "heroes" is a somewhat childish attraction to people who's lives are not actually productive or constructive- essentially irrelevant existences exclusively obsessed with hitting balls with sticks, or running really fast, etc.

Re: Time for Quebec (N.P. column)

... Instead of "Je me souviens", perhaps it is time for a new motto for Quebec- our most excelent countrymen, who needlessly continue to encourage a politically-sustained illusion of abuse.
... How about "Pauvre nous", or "Passe moi les tissue".

On Mr. Ignatieff

... Mr. Ignatieff... another comical character in the endlessly entertaining parade of Liberal dilettantes and debutantes- who, after having sufficiently humiliated themselves, are quietly shuffled out the back door, their picture discretely cut out of the party's family album.
... The moral of the story being ... that if you do not enter politics with firmly-held principles, you end up a Liberal- a nervous nobody just standing in the middle of the road, like a deer caught in the headlights of history.

Goodbye P.S. Unions

... It's actually very simple to eliminate the error of public service unions. Our governments need only announce that they no longer recognise the right of any third party to represent government employees... each employee will be considered independently employed...

$ One Dollar an Hour

... Seeing the farmers unable to free themselves from the chains of marketing boards, I was thinking that it would be interesting to see what would happen if someone publicly offered a job paying $1/hr... refusing to recognise the right of government to force a minimum wage, and refusing to submit government insurance or pension payments. It would not be a concealed "under the table" job, but an open, honest agreement between two individuals to exchange labour for wages- independent of state intervention.
... Would the employer be arrested, brought before the courts, and then fined? What if he refused to pay the fine, and again publicly offered employment on the same terms?
... When gardening, it is futile to pull out one weed, and then wait a year before pulling out another. It is more effective to pull out all the weeds at one time.

Re: Marketing Boards

... Nibbling away at individual marketing boards, one grain at a time, will not give farmers the respect of being allowed to sell their products freely. Neither will the inevitable stalemate of endlessly debating numbers, percentages, and statistics.
... We will only be free of all agricultural marketing boards when we decide that, unless an issue of safety or security, it is wrong for the government to intervene in the commerce of the nation.