SATIRE & downright Silly Stuff
(and occasional bit of nice or worthy stuff!)
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NEW! Now in ascending order - current articles first..

This site was "retired" in August 2013. Politics can be interesting/frustrating/exciting.. appealing to many trains of thought and ideals. Lately (2017-2018) in the U.S.A. there is apparently a "movement" underfoot that has the potential to disrupt or damage international trade and political relations, and even worse, through misguided personalities and egotism, is unconsciously encouraging the possibility of conflict regionally or, in the worst case, globally. Society and our value systems are changing rapidly and something has to be done to stop this steamroller before it gets out of hand. This site is back to question what is going on and explore conventional - and unconventional - avenues and actions in a hope to arouse attention in those bodies that have the inclination and power to actually do something! So.. for better or worse..here we go!!


POTUS (TRUMP) does not like NATO - too costly!


Wednesday July 11th 2018 - At today's NATO meeting, "Hisself" chastised Nato members - specifically Germany - because they did not contribute to the cost of supporting NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) proportionately. Previously agreed targets of 2% of each member's GNP had not been met by a number of countries. The US does contribute the largest share - 90% according to Trump (a gross Lie of course, statistics suggest 22% is more realistic!) so Trump wishes their share to lessen and the difference to be picked up by other members. Many suspect that all this is grandstanding by POTUS as a prelude to his upcoming one-on-one meeting with Russia's Putin in Helsinki! Trump has - once again - criticized western and (previously) supportive nations and pressed his reverence to antagonistic nations. He appears to idolize Putin - seeing him as strong and assertive - we would not normally use such descriptions - preferring to use terms such as "cruel and dictatorial"! What comes out of the Trump - Putin closed session should be interesting - stay tuned!!


POTUS (Trump) should carry a fire extinguisher with him at all times!
because... Liar, Liar..Pants on fire - HE LIES SO MUCH!


Wednesday July 11th 2018 - Today's latest False Fact according to POTUS - as he sees it....

"Germany is totally controlled by Russia because they will be getting from 60% to 70% of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline,"
The Truth! Germany relies on Russia for most of its imports of natural gas. But gas makes up less than 20% of Germany's energy mix for power production!

Hey! If we are on the topic of countries controlling others based on their energy exports, then Canada has a significent ownership in the US because Canada provides almost 40% of the oil used in the US. If the trade wars persist, and we have that degree of ownership then can we ("please" - we're "polite") ask the US to build a wall (like the proposed Mexico wall) on the US-Canada border... to keep LIAR-POTUS out of our country!
F.Y.I... Here are some interesting (Factual) figures - POTUS has obviously not done any Fact-Checking! (he never does methinks!!)

Top sources and amounts of U.S. petroleum imports
(percent share of total) in 2017 - million barrels/day
Import sources Gross imports
Total, all countries 10.08
OPEC countries 3.36 (33%)
Persian Gulf countries 1.74 (17%)
Top five countries
Canada 4.02 (40%)
Saudi Arabia 0.95 (9%)
Mexico 0.68 (7%)
Venezuela 0.67 (7%)
Iraq 0.61 (6%)



Is the world really going to Hell or does it just appear that way!
(a.k.a. " Do egotistical liars make good U.S. Presidents? )

Sunday July 8th 2018 -
Once upon a time... there was a country called The United States of America, a country which adhered to good laws, a common sense of decency, and a lifestyle envied my most countries in the world. This was a country populated over the years by immigrants from many countries regardless of race, culture and colour. A country which offered a decent lifestyle and many opportunities where hard work, simple "smarts" and a bit of old fashioned luck could result in dreams coming true. It was a country with a somewhat complex political system but one where parties adhered to simple rules of order, mutual respect and a display of truth and honesty!

...Times they are a changing!!!... That country is disappearing!

Enter "The Donald"... with an entrepreneurial spirit and some claim to fame thanks to Television programs and some successes in the real estate market. He was seen by many as a "survivor" having experienced a number of bankruptcy ordeals yet bouncing back every time! He decided to run for the Nation's highest office - President - and he won! So ended the "fairy tale" of the United States described above. "President" Trump has since surrounded himself with like thinking conservative people - "yes men" - and is in the process of rewriting how the U.S. government works - and it is not a good rewriting!! Rather than communicating via representatives and scheduled meetings/press conferences, "POTUS" as he is called by many (President Of The United States) - he communicates via Tweeting on every conceivable subject - usually on an impulse, usually with very little analytical thought being given. His staff, advisors, Congress and the Senate usually learn of his activities or plans via tweets - of course the world learns the same way. POTUS loves doling out statistics and figures, the problem here is that he confuses fact and fiction and if fiction alone does not provide him with results he wants, he simply and openly creates or manipulates facts - which many, including this writer, simply call "Lies"! Yes.. the President of the Unites States lies about anything whenever he wants to spin a conversation to suit his objectives.

So how did "The Donald" become POTUS? Firstly, he started a campaign of misinformation designed to attack the previous (Democrats) presidency under Obama and instituted a smear campaign against his Democratic rival - Hillary Clinton. His thrust was to demean the "Dems", convincing the middle and lower class elements of society that "Big Business" and "the Establishment" were bad and there was a need for change. A lot of fact twisting and imaginary story telling accomplished this! Presently, POTUS is stuffing the Supreme Court - the top judicial body in the land, with judges whose thinking patterns are similar to his own - in effect, potential "Yes People"! He has also created an almost uncontrollable divide between the two US parties - Democrats and Republicans, especially the radical fringe. He instilled an almost unbelievable fanaticism amongst his followers to the point where they believe everything he does and says - and fact checking never never gets a second thought amongst his "Followers"! POTUS listens to no one! POTUS does what he wants to do regardless of facts and truth, and seeks no input on his decisions. Everything he plans and does will "Make America Great" again! What is developing - and this is truly worrisome, is his lack of knowledge about international politics and economics - and an irrational tendency to alienate America's friends and trading partners while at the same time, praising and revering America's antagonists such as Russia, North Korea and China. This is where he is increasingly dangerous! He fails to think before leaping!!

As a recent example of POTUS making bad decisions, his ego convinced him that regardless of his inexperience in world politics and economics, he deemed himself competent to sit down with North Korea's dictator, President Kim Jung UN - one of (if not THE) world's most dangerous dictators and avoider of human rights! POTUS "Demands" North Korea denuclearize and threatens "Fire and Fury" if it does not! As it turns out, North Korea sees through POTUS's bluster and is presently making Trump look like a fool in it's disregard of agreements made when Trump met with Kim. They ALWAYS do this, history tells us! Time will tell us where this confrontation goes - hopefully the system requiring two keys to activate the "nuclear football" will be effective as POTUS has the potential to bypass all his "Yes Men" advisors and "do his own thing", especially if his ego gets bruised!!

Then there are the current and looming Trade Wars! This is a subject that is extremely complex and would take too much time to explain but could be paraphrased by stating that POTUS wants to change the international trade system radically - not by negotiation and working collectively with friendly nations with similar concerns - but by using threats and instituting tariff barriers against friend and foe alike. The proper procedure to correct trade situations would be to join friendly trading partners and collectively take whatever steps to convince the undisciplined trading partners to get back into line. That would be the smart way to work towards a resolution - but as we are seeing, the smart way is not POTUS's way! So... we are at a point where the once-mighty USA has alienated Canada, Mexico, most European countries, Central and South American and Asian countries, especially the largest of all, China - especially China who holds over a trillion dollars of US national debt. China would not call in it's debt all at once. If it did, the demand for the US dollar would plummet like a rock. The dollar collapse would disrupt international markets even more than the 2008 financial crisis and would hurt China as well but, if annoyed enough, and considering they would love to have the Yuan replace the US dollar as the global currancy then they just might consider that move. The trade war is on! "Tit for Tat" tariffs are being implemented as I write and there will be losers all around - and get ready for it my American friends - the US will suffer much more than they realize and you will end up in a recession - as will many opponent countries. Impacted countries will retaliate with their own tariffs and restrictions. Agreements in place can be thrown out - POTUS does this all the time (NAFTA possibility is a good example - with US threats to cancel the arrangement). So.. let's look at the "what-if" factor when considering, let's say, Canada's retaliation potential. "What if" Canada reduces or closes Oil, natural gas or electricity exports to the US? Canada presently exports between 30 and 40% of all oil used in the US and that percentage could increase, mind you Canada is embarking on increased oil export trade with the far east - another reason for the recent approval to expand the western pipeline to BC's export points. Increasing oil export to non-US points will ultimately reduce the flow to the US of course and that will be good for Canada. Then there is Electricity. 15% of all California electricity comes from British Columbia and a significant percentage of East Coast US electricity comes from Quebec and Ontario. The US imports a significant percentage of natural gas from Canada as well. Electricity generation in the US would increase if POTUS has his way - he pledged to reopen many coal fired generators as a promise to Virginia coal miners - but as an offset, many existing power generators (34%) are natural gas fired. Additional nuclear generators (presently 20%) would help of course but it takes a lot of time to build and bring these up-to-speed! Another "What-if"? What if Canada institutes a fee or tariff on marine trade through the St Lawrence seaway system? The Montreal section of the locks as well as Welland section are entirely on Canadian soil so Canada can do whatever it wishes - akin to POTUS's disregard of contracts and treaties? What would the US do? Would the "elephant" try to squash "the mouse"? This may be harder than the Pentagon thinks. Violence is certainly not the answer - rarily is - but sometimes appears to be the only solution. In the meantime... from a Canadian viewpoint - Canadians are P'd off with Trump, radical Republicans with their warped ideas and the USA in general. Almost everyone I talk to is actively avoiding "made in the USA" products, is reconsidering the US as a tourism destination and is advocating and supporting a "get tough" attitude when it comes to dealings with our previously friendly neighbours to the south! We all realize we may feel pain over all this trade war but so will US citizens - more than they can start to realize! Canadians can handle pain if the cause is right! And for the war-mongerers, here is a tidbit of trivia... in WW2 Canada with a population of under 14 million placed over a million men and women in uniform. With a current population of over 35 millions, we could muster around 2.5 million in arms if necessary. Some Canadians in today's world would welcome an opportunity to again burn down the White House as happened in the War of 1812 which the U.S. does not accept as a defeat but technically lost! (as an aside, for anyone supporting such a negative scenario, may I recommend reading Richard Rohmer's 1974 book "Exxoneration" (Publisher: McClelland and Stewart; ISBN-10: 0771077025, ISBN-13: 978-0771077029 - a fiction novel based on a failed US invasion of Canada.)

Time will tell where all this will go but let me say this; POTUS is alienating the western world and the USA is no longer the desired place to live as in past years. The USA is seen as becoming a badly-governed country with a critical violent crime and drug situation and repressive governing policy based on fear and increasingly racist view with promises to reverse many improved social standards and regulations. POTUS is the "wrong person" to occupy the Presidency at "the Wrong Time" and is the most serious guiding force for impending chaos the world has seen since the second world war!

Finally... for now... this week will be interesting as POTUS is visiting with the Queen of England - courtesy call - before attending a NATO meeting where he is expected to press for decreasing US NATO financial contributions and increased other member contributions. What will be will be on this one! The interesting event will be POTUS having a one-on-one meeting with Putin - another confirmation that POTUS is increasingly "falling in love" with Putin and the West's other opponents, while alienating America's long-time friends and allies. Here is a cartoon (Thanks to TIME) which says it all graphically!

More to come... stay tuned!



Buddies forever??

Syria - Not "If" but "When" and by "Whom"!

Friday August 30th 2013 The US just released a report explaining it's view that Bashar al-Assad's Syria is responsible for the gas attack earlier this month. The report not only provides evidence of Syria's actions but also updates casualty numbers resulting from the attack - over 1,000 deaths including 400-500 children. Congratulations Bashar al-Assad, you are now ranked up there with the Nazis and Muslim terrorists as being sub-human!

Are you going to get away with your murderous actions? Temporarily maybe, thanks to the likes of the British parliament, Stephen Harper, some members of the US Congress and other pacifistic thinking politicians. It's time that we all start to understand that today we have a "global" world and the days of thinking "an overseas problem should be handled by an overseas action(s)" have disappeared. That's 19th century thinking, not 21st! There is an old saying that " give someone an inch and they will probably want a foot"! If Syria goes unpunished, the message to others - especially in the Middle East, will be "do what you wish" with impunity. There are nations (Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Yemen etc) who still favour a world without Israel and who have been hesitant to do anything about it due to the threat of retaliation from the Western powers. If that fear disappears, does Israel's security diminish? And if they are truly threatened with extinction, how will Israel retaliate? We all know that answer to that - Israel's Jericho 3 MIRV missile has a delivery range of up to 3,000+ miles and Israel reputedly has between 100 and 300 nuclear devices deliverable by ICBM missile (Jericho), cruise missile, bomb, artillery and even a suitcase bomb (information - "Jane's" as Israel refuses to acknowledge possession of any nuclear weapons). So.. an attack on Israel will certainly result in an Israeli retalitiation - possibly nuclear - there is always that chance if they start to lose - and that brings in agreements with larger supportive nations (ie: US supports Israel, Russia supports some middle-east nations as does China) - so everything could accelerate very quickly with disastrous results! Letting nations like Syria or Iran "do their own thing" can have disastrous results so there really is no room to ignore actions such as those taken by Syria as inaction may prompt other nations to copy Syria! We may have an ocean between the Middle East and ourselves but that does not count for too much these days! The old saying "A stitch in time saves nine" appears to apply here - a small action now may save the need for a larger action in the future!

Syria - "Libya Revisited" or worse?

Tuesday August 27th 2013 When the Lybian conflict started, the Lybian Army consisted of 64,000 Regulars and reservists. The Lybian Air Force comprised 3,000 personnel with 618 aircraft with most attack aircraft being somewhat outdated Su-22, J-21, Mi-14, Mi-24, MiG 21 & 23's as well as Mirage F1's. The majority of these machines were grounded and inoperative. The Syrian Air Force - as of today - is quite different and is comprised of 60,000 Air Force personnel (plus 20,000 reserve) and upwards of 1,200 aircraft, many of which are updated models including MiG-29, MiG 23, MiG 21, Su-24 and Mi 25 and French Gazelle attack helicopters. Syria's standing Army (including reservists) numbers 500,000. The Syrians are much more formidable than the Lybians, in manpower, technology and training.

As of today, there is a lot of "War Talk" flooding the media as Syria is being accused of a deliberate massacre of it's own citizens last week. Facts known to date point to a Syrian involvement in this horrific act and the some nations (predominantly US, UK, France, Commonwealth countries and many Arab nations) are advocating (and planning for) military action! At the time of writing this, the US has 4 missile-launch capable destroyers stationed in the Mediterranean sea - with other warships joining them shortly, and a significant number of aircraft and unmanned drones capable of launching missiles and laser-guided bombs. For some time now, the "UN" in it's usual impotent and procrastinating manner has taken a "wishy-washy" view to the bloody conflict in Syria but with the recent gas attack and numerous collateral damage and deaths - especially children - the international community has "had enough" and led by western nations, is planning to embark on a military action designed with "surgical" targeting in mind, in an effort to disable the Syrian government's ability to continue it's atrocious actions.

It appears that a coordinated TomaHawk Cruise Missile, Predator and manned aircraft strike against significant military bases, lines of communication, military airports and specific political structures is imminent! Syria has been warned this is the case - and the timeframe may be in a few days - possibly less - depending on when UN inspectors presently in Syria looking for proof of the gas attack, have left the country. What may be a worry is recent intelligence that the Syrian regime is recruiting pilots with radical views who will be prepared to "martyr" themselves in suicide missions - much like the WW2 Kamikaze attacks performed by Japanese pilots. The technology used by the West should be able to overcome these attacks - if they occur - but war being what it is - no one knows until things start to materialize! Time will tell - shortly! In the meantime, as usual, CNN is actively involved in creating visual graphics appropriate for a conflict of this nature. Oh well!!

Oh Oh! Are the Senator oink'ers losing their trough??

Friday August 16th 2013 Based on the antics of 4 members of the Federal Senate who have been/are being charged with numerous offences, it has now been decided to audit all Senators! It's about time! It would be incredible if the misdoings of the Senate were restricted to the 4 presently in the news! Considering that Senators appear to enjoy a culture of "entitlement" and they obviously communicate with each other, I would be very surprised if no more were identified as "trough slurpers"!

Now the question is whether they will be penalized for their misdoings or merely asked to repay some or all of their ill-gotten gains! These over-fed and arrogant appointees enjoy things - at the public expense - that you or I do not! I would not mind owing a second property which added another $22,000 to my annual income - Hey! - that amount alone would allow me to purchase a nice country home on a lake somewhere! I would love to occasionally trip down to Toronto to see a nice concert or show with someone else picking up the whole tab - which is what some Senators have done!

The list of misadventures is growing and, again, I suspect the list of those facing charges is about to grow as well. Harper, either close the senate (their so-called work is dubious) or make membership an elected requisite with acceptable rules and compensation. We can no longer accept the well-trodden trails fron Senator desks to the Government money trough! Oink Oink!!

Egypt in turmoil - who are the "Bad Guys"?

Friday August 16th 2013 Army versus the Islamic Brotherhood - both sides using the preferred tactics of middle-east confrontation - violence! Ousted Egyptian President Morsi was ousted from power by the people of Egypt with the help of the Army. Coup? or will of the Egyptian people? It was not a coup but because Egyptians were increasingly concerned about where Morsi's policies were heading. Morsi won the election by a narrow margin during runoff elections. For many voters, it appeared to be a case of voting for the lesser of evils. Egyptians had bitter memories of Hosni Mubarak's presidency so voting for Ahmed Shafiq, Morsi's only opponent and Mubarak's appointee, seemed entirely out of the question. Morsi earned many of his votes because he appeared less repressive than Shafiq not because he was popular. Voters simply chose the candidate whom they believed would do the least damage.

Morsi started to ignore the very ideals that put him in to power. Before the June 30 protests, his administration was preparing to order the arrest of a number of liberal journalists and media personalities, and had arrested notable opposition activists including Ahmed Douma, who was held without charges for months, along with satirist Bassem Youssef, who was charged with " ... insulting Islam, mocking prayers, and 'belittling' Morsi in the eyes of the world and his own people." Jailed activists were still being tortured in prison - activist Mohammed El-Gendy was tortured to death while in prison. Morsi also attempted to strengthen his power by granting himself immunity from the country's supreme court, making himself unaccountable to government institutions. Most absurdly, he appointed a member of Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya – the group responsible for perpetrating the infamous Luxor Islamic terrorist attack that killed 62 people in 1997 and a United States-designated terrorist group – as the mayor of Luxor. Fears were growing that Morsi's objective was to transform Egyptian society into an Islamic world - similar to Iran with all the "usual" oppression to individual and group freedoms, women's rights, skewed education and general dislike of democrary and the West. Most Egyptians - Christians and moderate Muslims alike decided the dangers were growing so he had to go! The armed forces agreed with this view and assisted in his ouster. The army - always a notable force in Egyptian politics - promised elections in the near future and appointed an interm Government and President to preside pending future election results. Naturally, the Islamic Brotherhood and radical Muslims did not like this turn of events!

Radical Muslims are not all terrorists but too many are! The common thread with moderate Muslims is that they appear to see little or no problem with certain degrees of oppression and lack of individual freedoms - as Morsai was introducing and planning. Islam, to many - especially the radicals - condones any action that results in Islamic values controlling society, and martyrdom is a cherished action which by itself promotes violence. The religion is very open to interpretation and, unfortunately, that interpretation has often been seen to promote violence against anything and anyone who is not Muslim! The "Muslim" problem - and there really is a problem - is that aggression in the name of Islam cannot be controlled yet alone stopped! Moderate Muslims may shake their heads at times but they really do not speak out against the radicals or radical actions. Politically, stragetically and morally, there is no way - apart from one - which is to limit the growth of Islam and at the same time, make non-Islamic life more attractive and viable! This is obviously a tall order and will take a reworking of Western thinking with regards to the Western world's position. Some nations are starting to inhibit Muslim emigration to their shores and are also encouraging Muslim assimilation into their culture (ie: Australia, France, Holland etc.). This form of action takes time so in the meantime bullets will fly, bodies will accumulate, Muslim radicals/terrorists will keep on burning other denomination churches, bombings will continue and organizations such as the UN will keep on whining while really doing little or nothing!
The only winner in all this, for the meantime, appears to be CNN!!

Why do Senators get away with theft??

Wednesday August 14th 2013 Patrick Brazeau, Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and former Liberal senator Mac Harb - names that have been occupying space in national news for a while have something in common - the ability to shuffle up to the public (money) trough, stick their piggish noses in and slurp up a lot of taxpayer's dollars! The biggest mistake they made - in their minds - is that they GOT CAUGHT!! They can rationalize to their hearts content but the bottom line is that doing what they did is not only contrary to Senate (and common sense) rules, but it is common theft!

Fudging expenses and 'padding' expense accounts is unfortunately common in the business world, - often overlooked depending on the production capability or 'value' of the employee - but action - if any - taken is strictly a private matter and the responsibility of the Employer! When you start dipping into the public purse (aka your and my tax dollars) then that is another matter alltogether! If you or I knowingly falsified expense reports and as a result received and kept many thousands of dollars (in Wallin's case, six-figures of dollars) and were caught, we would normally be charged and heavily fined - possibly jailed - and most certainly dismissed from our employment! BUT if you work for the Government, that may not be the case! Yes you would have to repay the 'stolen' funds and face public ridicule but that may be it - you might not face charges and you would probably not be "fired" from your position! In the case of these "entitlement" demanding folks - the "3 musketeers plus 1" - above (Brazeau, Duffy, Wallin, Mac Harb) they are members of the Canadian Senate which (with a few exceptions) is a collection of aged, overpaid, underworked and possibly incompetent 'Government-in-power' appointees with a questionable function supposedly designed to ensure the House of Commons 'tows the line' with their law proposals. What we have seen so far is that these Senators have been/are being pressured to repay all or part of their "borrowed" trough dollars but no decision has been made to fire anyone. Why? They may resign of course, but why would they? - they sit on the Senate, do little work for their substantial compensation which is virtually guaranteed for life regardless of any change in the Government! Truly, this is a classic case of "pull up the ladder Jack.." - Government employees or appointees must adhere to a set of rules very much different from what we, as taxpayers, must follow! Maybe some well publicized jail time and job losses might send a strong message which will stop or lessen these types of abuse happening again! This extreme form of "entitlement" just has to stop!! Oink Oink!!

Time to open our eyes...
OK! I am going to receive some flack on this one!! Firstly, I am not racist and I respect most religions regardless of my personal views. Having said that, I fear that the world as we know it - for better or worse - is on a collision course where all the freedoms we have earned over the years are slowly slipping away. Take a moment and give thought to all the major events over the last few years - from 9-11 in New York, the London Bus bombings, bombings in Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Spain, France, Germany - the list is long! The common thread? Islamic extremists!

Islam is a respected religion - however, no matter how we try to sugar coat it - this religion is creating zealots who are creating havoc in the world and, eventually, could become the major political and controlling source in our children's lives! Crazy idea? Check out this - a list of Islamic attacks in the last 30 days around the globe - and this, statistics on Islamic terror attacks in 2013

Terror Attacks 310, Suicide Bombings 28, Dead Bodies 1651, Wounded 3048

The vast majority of violent incidents across the world have been created by terrorists - in the name of Islam. What concerns this writer is that regardless of the claims that it is only a small minority of Muslims involved, the numbers of those doing the harm is actually large (and growing apparently) and supported by an even larger number of Muslims around the globe. Unfortunately, little can really be done to suppress these violent attacks and the world appears impotent when it comes to actually stopping the insurgency, regardless of claims to the contrary - the statistics say otherwise!

So ... since most of the "problems" appear to be in the middle east, far east or Europe, why should we in North America be too concerned? Well, today's "concerns" may well become tomorrow's "horrors"! Consider this - what if Muslim populations in democratic countries increased to the point where they formed a majority - which means a democratic vote could result in a ruling Muslim party? You can almost guarantee that freedoms would be supressed or disappear - womens rights and education, sharia law imposition, aggression against non-Islamic religions etc. We have seen this trend time and again - that's simply what happens when Islam becomes the ruling force in any country! But an Islamic majority could not really happen in a modern democratic country, right? Think again!! Let's look at the UK for example.

Here are some figures, based on recent data (courtesy/source: thecommentator.com). In Britain, between 2004 and 2008, the Muslim population of the UK grew at an annual rate of 6.7 percent, making Muslims 4 percent of the population in 2008. Extrapolating from those figures would mean that the Muslim population in 2020 would be 8 percent, 15 percent in 2030, 28 percent in 2040 and finally, by 2050, the Muslim population of the UK would exceed 50 percent of the total population. The political and social consequences of all this will be significant. Britain's traditional foreign policy, particularly regarding the US and Israel, would very likely change. In fact the US and Israel are already anticipating the consequences of a majority Muslim Western Europe.

But closer to home, here in Canada, there are some interesting/disturbing figures. (National Post data). Using 2006 as a "base", as of 2011, the percentage of change in the Canadian population based on religious affiliation is as follows: Muslim: +72.53, Hindu: +67.68, No religion: +63.68, Sikh: +63.43, Buddhist: +22.14, Christian Orthodox: +14.82, Jewish: -0.15, Roman Catholic: -0.5, Anglican: -19.83 and United: -29.29%. In a nutshell, where the Muslim population increased by 72.53%, Christian and Jewish levels decreased. Considering the accepted fact that Muslim birth rates are generally higher than non-Muslim birth rates (As of 2011, it is predicted that the world's Muslim population will grow twice as fast as non-Muslims over the next 20 years. By 2030, Muslims will make up more than a quarter of the global population - "Wikipedia"), the day could arrive when Muslims might become the majority proportion of the Canadian Population. I also suggest that the same process could also take place in the US and elsewhere.

So - what is the solution? Can we expect a softening of harsh Islamic tendancies over the coming years? Doubtful, based on recent trends. Will increased diplomatic pressure on Islamic countries slow things down? No - resentment alone will increase the Islamic will! Will tough military action make a difference? No, this has not worked before and will undoubtedly fail to work in the future. So what can be done? My thinking is this - and it will be undoubtedly unpopular by many - that democratic western nations will have to make drastic change to their immigration policies - from selection by source country to selection by faith. Admittedly, this does go against base principles of our democratic beliefs however there may be no other option to preserve Christianity and our free way of life if any of the above makes sense and does have a chance of occurring! France, Australia and some other nations are starting to think this way - and some have already taken action, initially reducing or curtailing immigration from primarily Muslim countries - in effect immigration by religious views - without saying that is what they are actually doing!

It is time for Canada, the US and other democratic nations to start thinking this way. It may already be too late for Britain and some European nations, nevertheless, somthing should be done now!

Note: To honest and peace loving Muslims, my views are not intended as a slight against Muslims in general however facts are facts and if the Muslim community is not capable of controlling those amongst you with violent and imperialist views then other actions such as above may have to come into effect. Much of the "Muslim" problem, in the eyes of the west is not bad people, but bad ideology. The Qu'ran can be interpreted in too many ways! As "non Muslims" we are "infidels" and we all know what the Qur'an says about infidels in the eyes of many so Christian-based nations must do what they have to do to protect our freedoms.

When destiny catches up... Canada has voted!

Tuesday May 2nd 2011 - Well, the Canadian Federal elections are over, thankfully - now the politicians can get back to earning their pay instead of running around making promises that may or may not be kept, taking pot-shots at each other, stretching the truth a bit (or a lot) and inundating the airwaves with those irritating ads! Personally I like the outcome! It is as I guessed it would be and of course I like being right! LOL. The Conservative party under Prime Minister Stephen Harper increased their seat number, allowing them to finally have a majority in the house. They may not be the "perfect" party however their stewardship of the Canadian economy has been very good. Canada's economic position is one of the strongest in the world right now and is the strongest of the G8 nations - better than the USA, UK - even Germany! Our dollar is valued at about 5 cents over the US dollar - great for purchasing power and, surprisingly, not hurting exports and industry in general! Their controlling the reins of power in Ottawa bodes well for the country, very well indeed!

The official opposition is now the NDP (New Democratic Party) - a left-wing socialist leaning party targeting middle-income and working class voters. They did quite well, especially in the province of Quebec where they almost decimated the separatist leaning BQ (Block Quebec) party whose numbers reduced to a paltry 4 seats resulting in the party leader, Gilles Duceppe, resigning. One more irritation knocked out of the political picture for the average Canadian. Had the NDP won a majority and become the Governing party, well.. that would be a different matter and we may all have "gone to hell in a basket" so to say, what with their "anti-big-business" and "pro-working class" political attitude. But that was not the case so I suggest that what we will see is some acquience to NDP views and compromise by the governing Conservatives - and that will not be bad for Canadians.

In 3d place, the Liberal Party of Canada - for a number of years the ruling party, under the likes of Pierre Trudeau, Paul Martin, Jean Chretien - and normally a party supported by a strong Quebec base of voters. Lately, as a result of many accusations of graft and corruption (ie: Gomery inquiry) plus a history of using patronage and regional brokerage politics to govern, the Liberal Party has lost the trust of most Canadians and also their most recent leader, Michael Ignatieff, a Harvard educated historian, author, university professor and diplomat. Ignatieff was not a bad leader but unfortunately for him, his party's strategy was not well thought out and also Ignatieff really could not "connect" with Canadian voters. His time spent working in the US made him suspect by many and his party's negative attitude toward Harper's strengthening the military and encouraging job creation by providing tax incentives to big business irked many! The Liberal Party has never dropped so low in the rankings in it's entire history, right back to Confederation! Ignatieff has resigned as a result of this dismal performance! As Pierre Trudeau once said "no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should"!

The Bloc Quebec? Bye-Bye, and it's about time! Their platform was simple - threaten separation as leverage to frighten the rest of Canada into giving Quebec whatever they wanted! For too long this worked and many other Provinces along with the Federal government Kow-tow'ed to Quebec and allowed a disproportionate number of benefits to be directed to Quebec, quite irritating to non-Quebeckers and anglophones as the province's Francophone population of just under 7 Millions (census 2010) represents just under 20% of the 34 Millions Canadian population total. The Quebec Provincial government looks like it will soon be headed up by the PQ (Partie Quebecoise) which is an acknowledged separatist-leaning party but the good news is that all the squabbling and foolish activities should be limited to the province and not constantly being thrown in the faces of everyone in the Federal House of Commons! As I said above, it's about time!

So it's a case of getting on with business as far as federal politics go in the "Great White North"! The military will continue to be upgraded and it's reputation as one of the best trained and effective fighting forces in the world will continue. (Canada has NEVER lost a war - one of the few counties in the world to be able to say that {sorry Yanks, the war of 1812 knocked you out of that category LOL}). The Canadian economy will continue to be supported and our high standard of living should be maintained. Also, our precious socialized medical program (which Americans have never fully understood) will be improved and supported. Yes, thanks to the election results, "Life is Good! Now if only someone could solve the global fuel situation... Hard to accept how Canada, a net oil exporter (20+% of US oil requirements are met by exported Canadian oil) ends up paying more for gasoline than countries to whom we sell gas and oil! I understand the reasoning - just do not like it! Europe is far worse off so I should shut up, right? Onward!!!

Mr. Ignatieff... Give it a break!!

Friday April 15th 2011 - I just finished listening to Michael Ignatieff who was giving one of his election photo-op talks. Now I do not know Mr. Ignatieff - I have never met him and probably never will so in evaluating him, I must rely on what I see and what I hear. Based on that, he and his party, the Liberals, get a failing grade! Mr. Ignatieff was a Harvard professor and as such, somewhere along the line, he should have picked up on a basic tenet that every good salesperson learns early, that extolling the virtues of your own product is preferable to knocking the competition! People simply do not react favourably to "dirty politics" and expect truth. Now I am not saying Mr. Ignatieff lies, I do not believe any major politician would deliberately do that, but fact can be twisted and manipulated to the point that what is truly fact becomes almost the opposite. Mr. Ignatieff harped on an event where an individual who was photographed with him was asked to leave a Conservative rally because the photo appeared on Facebook. Well!! In Mr. Ignatieff's mind, this is a case of, and I quote, "Mr. Harper's manipulating and controlling Facebook"! Whoops... one "bridge too far" on this one!! Mr. Ignatieff, please stick to the facts, please do not distort the truth and please start promoting your party's platform regardless of the fact that it is a little weak in benefits that would attract this writer, rather than spending your time knocking the other parties! You forget that in past years the Liberal party wore the undisputed crown of corruption and untruths, albeit primarily from the Quebec support base, so please, avoid being sanctimonious about a few Conservative blunders that were not really significant (usually low-level staff) and get on with a proper and truthful campaign. Focus on what you really can do for the voters as opposed to the "competition"! That way you may restrict the Conservatives to again becoming a minority government rather than the majority government that may very well occur. 'Nuff said!!

Canadians vote May 2nd - which party to choose???

I watched the Leaders debate last night. Exciting? NOT! Informative? Not really. Entertaining? No Way! As expected, Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke to the camera and outlined his party's platform in a cool and collected manner while the Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff almost avoided addressing his party's platform, choosing instead to berate Harper on every possible occasion with some use of questionable "facts". Jack Layton, leader of the socialist/labour supporting NDP did speak to his party's objectives along with swipes at Harper and Ignatieff. Layton is probably the most admired of the leaders, personally, however his party's stance on almost everything would virtually destroy Canada's economy with it's socialist programs. The Conservatives (Harper) have led the Country through the recent global recession in a commendable manner. Canada's economy is amongst the worlds most stable right now and leads the G8 countries in economic growth. The Canadian dollar is about 4-5% higher than the US dollar as a result. Harper is targeting increased social benefits, enhanced military support, increased support for big and small business and a balanced budget by 2015 - all this with no or minimal taxation changes. Ignatieff on the other hand is promising the decimation of the armed forces, something the liberals have proven good at doing over the years while in office, along with reductions in tax benefits provided big business - something economists suggest may drive business away in this highly compeetitive global economy. Ignatieff forsees increased personal taxation to finance his programs. No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, especially politicians who often think with their mouths rather than their brains. The Conservatives have made errors and not all MP's are controllable about what they do and say. However, the Conservatives have done well for the country and have made Canada's economy and living standard strong. The Liberals on the other hand are still sweating under the ghost of John Chretien and his corrupt-ridden party. Many still feel that the ghost of corruption is still hanging around in the Liberal halls of office. Ignatieff himself does not come across as a likeable person. Too much of the staid "Harvard Professor" image still haunts him and many question his loyalties. The New Democrats? Likeable people but no possible chance of gaining much ground and no chance of being anywhere near the top siggesting a vote for them is a wasted vote! Duceppe and his Bloc party? Forget them - they are openly separatist and could not give a damn for anyone outside Quebec!

So whom to vote for? This is really a no-brainer! I would vote for the party with the proven record and who have created a stable economic environment and whose promises have something for almost everyone without bankrupting the country - the Conservatives. They will surely regain control and with luck, form a majority government so they can get more work done rather than spend precious time listening and reacting to the other parties' bickering and wasting time. If you are a Canadian, it's your vote and your decision but as you will see above, your choices are limited and in my mind, you do not really have a "choice".

Boy! Does he say it as it is!!!...

A radio announcer gives his views on the apathy of many Muslims when it comes to terrorist activities perpetrated by muslim radicals, but become outraged at any criticism of the muslim faith whether written or cartoon. In response, a caller tries to berate him about this - and that does it! The announcer 'says it as it is' - citing what this writer believes is the common belief by most Canadians and Americans - that most muslims do not condone terrorist activities however in every muslim there lies a small belief that the radical element is doing what is right in supporting the faith! If this was not the case, why is there not more public outrage arising from the muslim community apart from the random and infrequent statements of Islamic leaders and Imams? Why no muslim community outcry? Why the silence? Do they feel that any criticism of terrorist activities is contra to the spirit or belief of Islam? Are they afraid? If so, of what? I honestly cannot believe that gangs of thugs would be running around our streets looking for outspoken muslims to beat up! The only gangs of thugs they could or should be afraid of would be gangs of radical muslim activists and terrorists - and that just helps reinforce my belief in the apparent hypocrisy of Islam!

You be the judge and you form your own opinion - you have mine!.
I'M TIRED, REALLY TIRED...


This is floating around the internet, written by Robert A. Hall, a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the U.S. Massachusetts State Senate.
It is not intended as a racist statement but merely a critique on modern society and values - it makes you question a few things! One area of concern to this writer is the growth of Islam in contrast to the decline in Christianity. According to Religious Tolerance Christianity is the belief of 2,039 million or 32% (dropping) of the world's population whereas Islam is the belief of 1,570 million 22% (growing) of the world's population. Demographics on birth rates by religion suggest that in Islamic countries/communities, the birth rate is double - or more - of Christians. So, in time.... you do the math! Not that it's OUR problem now, just consider what your view would be if in 50 or 100 years from now, your State or Province had a voting population where the majority were of the Islamic religion. What does that mean regarding laws and control? In the last few years, in Ontario Canada, the (small) Islamic population tried to pressure the Provincial government to impose "Sharia Law" - a strict non-progressive Islamic law structure virtually eliminating women's rights and imposing severe restrictions on daily life. What may have happened if the Provinces' government had an Islamic majority? Sharia Law could have been introduced. So.. again.. if in 50 or 100 years your Province or State (or country) had an Islamic majority..... scary thought!! Here is Robert's article....


Robert A. Hall
"I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honour"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Sharia law tells them to.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and mandrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America and Canada, while no American nor Canadian group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off?

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers, and politicians of all parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes, or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught.

I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.

I'm really tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63.. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just really sorry for my grandchildren."

IS THERE NO LIMIT TO STUPIDITY?
Ottawa police and RCMP apologize for arresting Muslim terror suspects during Ramadan.

This is an article that appeared in today's Ottawa Sun (Thursday January 6th 2011). Reading it made me wonder if I should scream out or laugh and whether it was a joke or not! The whole sad episode made me think of the title of an old movie "Dumb and Dumber". The article speaks for itself. OMG!

Anthony Furey, Ottawa Sun, Thursday January 6 2011 - It was announced Wednesday that a day after three Ottawa Muslim men were arrested last August on suspicion of terrorism, community outreach officer Cpl. Wayne Russett ordered emergency meetings, running around the city “actively engaging the local Muslim communities” to apologize that the arrests were made during Ramadan.

Is this a joke? And if not, I hope the senior officers responsible are going to be put on extended leave without pay while Parliament investigates this intent at obstruction of justice.

It’s shocking that the apology sessions were labelled an emergency. The only emergency was the terror suspects. And we need to arrest them no matter who they are, where they are and what they are doing lest their suspected plans come to fruition.

And if that isn’t ludicrous enough, Cpl. Russett said there would be no food or drink at the meetings “to show our support to our Muslim brothers and sisters during Ramadan.” His ‘brothers and sisters’? So he’s either related to them or he’s one of those whiteys who likes to go up to respectable black men and say ‘What up, dawg?’ in the hopes of getting down with the brothers — which is ludicrously demeaning, turning minorities into TV stereotypes.

What many civil servants don’t seem to understand is that the whole point of equality before the law is that we don’t treat people differently based on who or what they are. Police must respect the rights of everyone equally, which is why people get rightfully peeved at the injustice of racial profiling.

But what the RCMP is now telling us is that Muslims will be treated with kid gloves during Ramadan — which is for a whole month! So the message is out: If you’re Muslim and considering committing a crime, do it during the month of Ramadan.

There should be nothing offensive to a Muslim about one of their kin being arrested during their religious holidays. What should be offensive to them is that one of their kin may have planned a terrorist attack during those holy days.

And why would some random Muslim be upset if some other random Muslim is arrested during Ramadan? I don’t care what day the other non-religious straight white males are arrested on.

If you think Bob’s committing a crime go and get him on Christmas Day, get him at his daughter’s high school graduation, get him while he’s sitting on the can — just go and get him before someone gets hurt.

It’s shameful that the very people hired to protect us are the ones who are putting in place protocols that endanger us. Parliament needs to review RCMP policies to guarantee that political correctness is not standing in the way of crime prevention.

What we need is equality. No preferential treatment. No racial profiling. No turning a blind eye to religion.

I’m just glad to see prominent Muslims already speaking out against this, like respected media personality Tarek Fatah, who said such officers “unwittingly perform the role of useful idiots” to the gain of terrorists’ plots.

It’s not law-biding, tax-paying Muslims who understand that religion is what you do in the private sphere that we have to worry about. It’s bleeding-heart white men who are so afraid of being labelled Islamophobic or racist that they indirectly tarnish the reputations of those good Muslims by giving the bad ones a get-out-of-jail-free card.

anthony.furey@sunmedia.ca
Now this one is a "doozie"! Saw this article in the Sun this morning - still chuckling at how stupid some idiots in the middle east can become. (BUT we're talking about the government in Tehran led by Mahmoud "I'madinnerjacket" Ahmadinejad - undisputed king of all the global nutbars). The only damper on this comical story is that this idiot (I'madinnerjacket) is leading his nation into the nuclear age and that suggests real international problems down the road! - JMM
DANGER AT EVERY TURN...
- by Earl McRae, Ottawa Sun, Tuesday December 14th 2010
Canadians' pet beavers, moose out for Iranian blood and don't forget maple syrup spiked with arsenic
Iran is warning its people not to visit Canada because if Canadians find out they’re Iranians, they could wind up dead. As in murdered. Canadians hate Iranians so much they will stop nothing short of homicide.

When a natural-born Canadian hears the word “Iranian,” he becomes Bela Legosi at the sight of blood. We can’t help it, it’s genetic. Part of being Canadian. God knows how many undiscovered murdered Iranians there are lying around this country in shallow graves.

What triggered the Iran advisory against visiting dangerous Canada was the drugs-related shooting death last week of a 16-year-old Ottawan named Yazdan Ghiasvand Ghiasi, a Canadian, but an Iranian-Canadian.

Iran is calling his murder “an assassination.” Because he had Iranian blood. Iran mentions two other “assassinations” of Iranian-Canadians in this country.

Iran is demanding the Canadian government investigate thoroughly the “assassination” of Yazdan Ghiasvand Ghiasi, and bring the culprits to justice. Iran did not say that the “justice” should be death by stoning, but I should be ashamed for even thinking along such barbaric lines. No civilized country would ever embrace that.

One can understand why Iran is upset. No one who visits Iran is ever in danger of anything. Being that Iran is the world’s finest and most inspiring example of social enlightenment and human rights, it has always surprised why its citizens would want to leave that country for, say, murderous, Persian-hating Canada, as, according to the last figures from Statistics Canada, some 121,000 of them have done.

Obviously, 121,000 lunatics, each with a death wish.

It’d be nice if Iran released its own figures on how many hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, of born-and-bred Canadians have emigrated to Iran and become citizens out of a desire to live and prosper in a country with the world’s finest record of social enlightenment and human rights.

The last year for which there were figures, 2007, shows that Canada imported $44 million worth of product from Iran, 75% of it food and carpets. Carpets are not an essential import for Canada, but there’s a reason why Canada imports carpets from Iran.

In that Iranians in Canada have a fetish for genuine Iranian carpets, and Canadians are out to assassinate anyone in this country of Iranian blood, it makes them more identifiable to the assassins when they spot them humping along the street with newly purchased carpets on their shoulders.

The beavers are a different matter. One of the great dangers in Canada facing Iranians is dismemberment and death at the teeth of the Canadian beaver which, for reasons not fully understood since beavers don’t talk, has a particular hatred of Iranian flesh.

The government in Tehran is aware of this, but with Iranian-hating Canadians now disguising their Iranian-hating pet beavers to look like groundhogs so as to entice unsuspecting Iranians, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his boys are advising Iranians to stay away from beavers and groundhogs while visiting or living in Canada.

This, however, overlooks the Canadian moose which, according to the office of Canada’s charges d’affaires in Iran, is also on Ahmadinejad’s list as a threat to the life of anyone with an Iranian passport, or of Iranian descent, and they are all advised to carry with them mugshots of moose so they’ll know it’s a moose, not a camel, when they see one creeping up on them.

Another thing that makes Canada a dangerous place for Iranians is that national staple maple syrup. Ahmadinejad claims to have a secret CSIS report in which servers in Canadian restaurants, when they suspect it’s an Iranian at the table asking for maple syrup on the pancakes, are to head into the kitchen and say: “Iranian. Table four. Maple syrup. Arsenic spike.”

My heart goes out to all Iranian visitors and Iranian-Canadians — for them, a wicked, evil, homicidal, sadistic, assassinating nation, Canada.

Here's an article that is p......'ing off a lot of Canadians. Tim Hortons, that bastion of Canadian coffee "wake up'ism" has screwed up and has decided to create two versions of their holiday gift and travel mugs. One version for Quebec, the other for Canada. Hmmm.. Quebec is no longer a part of Canada? To many who are getting tired of Quebec whining that would be a "wish come true"! The Canada mug has an image of a maple leaf, the Quebec version has a snowflake! So much for attempts at national unity! I wonder what dolt at Tim Hortons thought up this one? Oh! I get it, if it's a case of supporting Canadian unity and "stand up and be counted" -vs- kow-towing to the mighty dollar and Quebec insecurities (delusions of grandeur?) then Canadian unity be damned!! What's next "je me souviens" on Quebec Kellogs Cornflakes?? Hmmm... Starbucks anyone?
Here is the article...

Tim Hortons festive mug loses the maple leaf in Quebec
December 2010 - news.sympatico.ca


Canada

Quebec
 

Canada

Quebec

Tim Hortons has released its holiday mugs across Canada, but the Quebec version isn't like the rest. Where a maple leaf appears on mugs in all other provinces, a snowflake appears in Quebec.

It's no secret that from Charlottetown clear across to Victoria, we Canadians take our donut stores pretty seriously. Donuts and coffee bring us together. They unite us. Like maple syrup and hockey, they're something we share, no matter what part of the country we might happen to call home.

And here in Canada, no single store better embodies that spirit of unity through the provision of fried bread and iffy coffee better than the venerable Tim Hortons chain - so much so that its familiar sign seems as universally Canadian as our national flag.

All that might be about to change. On Friday, reports emerged that this year, Tim Hortons had released its festive holiday mug in two flavours: one for Quebec, and one for the rest of Canada.

The so-called "Pan-Canadian" version features scenery from across the nation: the Rocky Mountains, the CN Tower, and other regional cliches. Tying it all together is a graphic featuring a few maple leaves blowing in the wind. (Which, when you think about it, seems like more of an autumn image, but never mind.)

The Quebec version, by contrast, features none of the regional imagery and replaces the maple leaf with a more generic symbol of Canadian winter, the snowflake.

Through a spokesperson, the company insists that the decision was not informed by politics: "Sometimes, direct translations may not make sense."

Huh? Direct translations? Explain how that's relevant here, bub. Yes, it's true that languages can be hard to translate. And yet, isn't that why the mug uses pictures, rather than words?

To that end, excuse us all if we don't know the precise French translation of an English line drawing of the CN Tower. Most of us, philistines that we are, thought it looked exactly the same as an English translation of a French line drawing of the CN Tower.

Tim Hortons made a very deliberate decision to cater to two different markets - and at some levels, there's surely nothing wrong with that - but then lacked the courage to back up its decision.

Yes, this is one of those instances - all too common these days - in which a company's lame press defense of its decision may be more damaging than the original decision itself.

ROBIN WILLIAMS HAS THE ANSWER...

The Plan! (originally published December 2007 on this site)
"You gotta love Robin Williams"......This comedy tid-bit was originally credited to an on-stage comedy bit attributed to Robin Williams however, since appearing seven years ago, the actual author has not yet been identified - and certainlty was not Robin. Nevertheless, the content of this rant reiterates the need for some plan since other efforts are not working and the United Nations has now become the podium for a large number of "irrevelant" countries with their own agendas - which do not include world peace! (It is time for the UN to go "bye-bye"!) So, once again, here is the skit content!

Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!)

I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan."

1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good 'ole' boys", we will never "interfere" again .

2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Ge rmany , South Korea , the Middle East , and the Philippines They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.

3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.

4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need a ny more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.

5) No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get an "F" and it's back home baby.

6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-suffici ent energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while.

7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)

8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to All ah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.

9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building woul d make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.

10) All American s must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH..learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?

"The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?
' " 
The following has absolutely nothing to do with Satire; It is merely a "feel good" story based on an actual incident involving troops en route to Afghanistan. It has been around for some time. If, after reading this, there is no glistening in your eyes, then you really should do some soul searching and should learn to start caring for those in the past, present and into the future who place their lives on the line or have sacrificed themselves for us all. As we approach November 11th I felt it should again be told. - jmm
Snack Lunches
November 2010

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation.

'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.

'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan.

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that snack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time...

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a snack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base.'

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten snacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?'

'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class.

'This is your thanks.'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars..

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base.

I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.

As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country.. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to ' Canada ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'

That is Honour, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'
What does it take to get the french to smarten up??
November 2010

In France, at a fairly large conference, Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper was asked by a French cabinet minister if Canadian involvement in Afghanistan was just an example of "empire building". Mr. Harper answered by saying, 'Over the years, Canada has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'

You could have heard a pin drop!

--------------------------------------------------------------

A Canadian Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the Canadian, US, English, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks, but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, North Americans generally learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'
Without hesitating, the Canadian Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

You could have heard a pin drop!

--------------------------------------------------------------

When Robert Whiting, an elderly Canadian gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane at the French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on. 'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. The official replied 'Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.' The Canadian said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it.' 'Impossible, Monsieur. Canadians always have to show passports on arrival in France!' The Canadian senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, 'Well, when I came ashore on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'

You could have heard a pin drop!
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Edit: The above is from an e-mail item circulating the internet, apparently based on fact!
Liberals vote to ban unilingual judges
- bilingualism gone too far??

August 2010

OK! Enough is enough! For you non-Canadians out there, Canada is a country with a population of about 34 million of which 6 million are francophone's living in the province of Quebec. That means there are about 28 million non-Quebec francophone citizens. Many of the 6 million would love to have their own "country" (you know, all the benefits of being a part of Canada including accepting 'equalization' payments out of the pockets of mon-quebeckers and calling their own shots) but I do not see why - they do that now, not just for themselves but for all of Canada!! The bilingualism issue keeps being thrust down the throats of all Canadians - to a ridiculous level I must add! I appreciate that where a significant portion of any community is francophone, all services should be available in French but where a community has no francophone citizens at all, why have bilingualism forced upon the community at large? (for example, the postal clerk issue in Pakingham Ontario where a long-time and popular english speaking clerk was dismissed in favour of a bilingual clerk - to service an entirely anglophone community - stupid bilingualism at work!!). Canadians have a reputation of being friendly and on many occasions, somewhat apathetic. They do not like "rocking the boat" on non-crucial issues, and bilingualism has evolved into a "non-crucial" issue. The vast majority of Canadians hate bilingualism - it is not necessary and French as a language is in decline (sorry, Quebecers and France, that is a fact worldwide!) - but have begrudgingly accepted it rather than continuing to make an issue of it! That may start to change soon, if the federal Liberal Party have their way and english Canadians catch on to what they are trying to do!

The Liberal Party is the second largest in Canada's political system. They have always had a large Quebec representation and as a result have constantly strived to promote Quebec issues, often to the detriment of other areas. Now they are promoting fully bilingual Supreme Court judges. Considering that most Canadians speak English (including a large number of Quebecers), bilingual judges qualified to sit as a Supreme Court magistrate could be almost entirely drawn from Quebec - it could happen! If the Liberals have their way, the Supreme Court could become a body entirely composed of Quebecers, francophone Quebecers in fact! This could be dangerous to Canada as a whole. Apart from the annoyance of, once again, Quebecers dictating to all of Canada, the issue of separatism, or promoting Quebec issues over others could once again arise and if it does, the final say in legal matters would fall into the hands of a unquestionably biased court! There is an old saying, "you can take Quebecers out of Quebec, but you cannot take Quebec out of Quebecers"! It's time to draw in the reins. Time for the horses to again start pulling the cart and not the cart pulling the horses!! With no more whining and an adherence to Canadian norms and values, Quebec can be a welcome partner and contributor to the Canadian scene! However, if they want their own nation (without all the Canadian benefits they mistakenly think will exist) then let them "try" to go that route. But in the meantime, please, let's tell our politicians that the concept of an all-Quebecer Supreme Court is simply unacceptable! If that means voting against the Liberal Party, so be it! 'Nuff said!
Here is a woman who should run for Prime Minister!
July 2010

Thought you might like to read this letter to the editor ~ this is circulating around the internet! Do you ever notice how some people just seem to know how to write a letter? This one does! This was allegedly written by a Canadian woman, a housewife in New Brunswick, to her local newspaper but oh how it also applies to the U.S., U.K. And Australia. Here is a woman who should run for Prime Minister!

Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001 And have continually threatened to do so since? Were people from all over the world not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from the capitol of the USA and in a Field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were claiming to be tortured by a justice system of the nation they come from and are fighting against in a brutal insurgency.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for Incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.
I'll care about the Qur'an (Koran) when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief of which is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan .
I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.
I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in Afghanistan come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in cowardly fashion in Mosques and behind women and children.
I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of Nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.
I'll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that their freedom of speech on stories is more important than the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting at home to hear about them when something happens.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a CANADIAN soldier roughing up an Insurgent terrorist to obtain information, know this:
I don't care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank:
I don't care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed 'special' food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts:
I really don't care.
And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled 'Koran' and Other times 'Qu'ran.' Well, Jimmy Crack Corn, you guessed it;
I just really don't give a damn.
Is it just me but did anyone else get ticked off
about the 2010 Olympics opening ceremony??

February 2010

For the last many months, the anticipation of the 2010 Olympics starting was building up in the minds of most people I know, including this writer. Last Friday, we were there - with the opening ceremonies. It was a tremendous show and a tribute to VANOC, the Vancouver organizing committee - BUT -a couple of things irritated a lot of people!

Firstly, why in the world did all the French language commentaries precede the English ones? Nothing against our francophone brethren but lets face it, we are a country with a population of 34 millions, with about 6-7 million if them french speaking! That means 27 million Non-french speaking! Hmmm... politics entering the VANOC world? As I said, nothing overly significant, just another irritant that we have seen before, guess some of us are just getting fed up with it - time to speak out!!

Secondly, Nikki Yanofsky, a talented jazz singer from Montreal who has a beautiful voice sang the Canadian national anthem at the opening ceremonies. Nikki is a wonderful singer, so who in the world put together the interpretation of the national anthem that we heard? It was slow, dreary and boring and not a very good image of our anthem. I understand that the version sung was not Nikki's doing - she was told to sing it that way, by whom remains the mystery.

Thirdly, is it just me or was there a little overkill in the aboriginal participation of the ceremony? Participation is not the right word I suspect, monopolization comes closer to the truth! Mind you, I loved the "Spirit Bear" entrance. Each to their own taste I suppose...
Are we all getting just a little fed up???
November 2009
I don't know about you but I am getting fed up with the annoying antics of our paid politicians - you know, those MP's who are handsomely paid with our tax dollars!!

It would be really nice if they decided to do some real work rather than focusing on attempts to embarrass or ridicule other parties for no other reason than to improve their vote reception position! Let's correct a situation - the opposition will oppose it... Let's not correct the situation - the opposition will oppose it! On and On and On!!!

The current 'cause célèbre' is the handling of detainees in Afghanistan where our troops round up suspected Taliban or Al-Queda terrorists and hand them over to Afghani authorities. Allegedly, these detainees are not always handled with kid gloves - something all the 'bleeding hearts' would like to see!! We can all debate how they should be treated and cite the Geneva convention on such matters, but personally, I have better things to be concerned about! These unfortunate folks are suspected terrorists and I believe that they were rounded up for valid reasons. I say 'unfortunate' not because they might be innocent, but because they got 'caught' doing something! Our troops are over there for a purpose and annoying 'locals' for no apparent reason is not one of those purposes! It's nice that our western culture is based on the premise that "one is presumed innocent until proven guilty" but, unfortunately, 9-11 and the plethora of bombings, shootings, beheadings and promise by Al Queda to destroy anything non-Islamic may have changed all that. Our boys are over there not to save Afghanistan, but to prevent the terrorists from expanding their destruction to our shores. It's not about oil or poppy fields, not about politics or a humanitarian cause - it's dealing with terrorists over there rather than having to deal with them in our back yards!

So, to our MP's, please start doing your work and deal with real matters, not bantering back and forth about who knew and who did not know about alleged mistreatment of suspected Afghani terrorists. Torture is a relative word and all the bleeding hearts and do-gooders should consider what 'mistreatment' they would accept if gaining information from an uncooperative suspect would mean the difference between life and death for family members. Now consider that scenario on a larger scale - like 9-11. If mistreatment of captives would have prevented 9-11, could that be rationalized? You betcha!!
New Ontario 'Harmonized" Sales Tax GRAB!

Hello Ontario ,

This new PST/GST "harmonized " tax is not getting any real coverage in the news paper/television and I am not sure why. Maybe we are not aware of the impact !! It is going to be the biggest tax increase in the history of Ontario. It's like no one wants to inform us of the facts.

The new tax will be administered by the Federal Government. It will be based on the GST, that means if the tax is currently collected on the Goods and Service Tax at 5% it is going to be increased to 13%, that sounds fine as Ontario's Provincial Retail Sales Tax is 8%. Add the two together and things seem fine.

In reality however... BIG problem! Retail Sales Tax is not collected on everything that Goods and Services Tax is and the key word here is "Services". Retail Sales Tax is NOT collected on services. What is going to increase? Here is a small list of services currently only taxed at 5% going up to 13%.
  • Natural Gas bill
  • Internet bill
  • Water bill
  • Gas at the pumps- That is about 6 cents per L. (that is a tax on top of a tax)
  • Hair cut
  • Your Tim Hortons Coffee (Starbucks too!)
  • Your lawyer and accounting fees
  • Massage therapy, Doctors fees
  • Condo Maintenance Fees!
  • Anything that requires labour around your house - plumber, electrician, painting, grass cutting , auto repairs, dog grooming, etc.
  • Electricity bill- This is a good one. Look at your electricity bill. There is a charge on it for debt retirement charge. That is a charge for the huge debt the OPC ran up. Only in Ontario would we pay tax on a debt, and only in Ontario would we increase this tax. TAXES ON TAXES!!
This is just a small list as there is so much much more. Let talk about small business for a minute. Mr. Mcguinty tells us in the budget that this new tax is going to save small businesses 500 million dollars. I do not know how much it costs to fill out a six line tax return monthly, but all small business owners I know do their own. If you are in business you will know about compensation on your Retail Sales Tax return. This is when you get to keep 5% of the tax collected up to $1,500.00 per year to help with your administration costs. That is gone once this tax is combined. Really it only helps large corporations with multiple vendor permit numbers, not small businesses.

There were two places where we thought we were going to see an advantage in this tax. Good news, I thought. WRONG!! First there is presently no GST on used cars if bought privately and the provincial tax on alcohol is between 10% to 12%. That is 2% to 4% higher then our normal Retail Sales Tax. Good old Mcguinty took care of that quickly. He is now saying to make it fair between used car lots and private sellers , that he will collect the Retail Sales Tax on all used cars. ANOTHER 8% and for what value added ??? Get ready for this one; he is going to add a levy on alcohol to promote social responsibility. This man is using the words social responsibility at the same time as he is raising our taxes, something he promised NOT to do when he made those worthless campaign promises, during his last election!!! This man reinforces the image of "never trust a politician"! Honest and trustworthy people enter politics and that is where the trust and honesty usually disappears!!

Forwarding this and letting everyone know, could save you a lot of money over your lifetime. Please forward it to everyone in your e-mail contact list.

Stand up Ontario and tell Dalton we cannot afford any more McSquinty/McGuinty politics. In the business world this would be called Theft - in politics it is called "Government"????? Tell McGuinty to get his grubby hands out of our pockets!! Stop trying to "CON US" - spell it out properly and NO MORE OPPORTUNISTIC TAX GRABS!!!

Edit: This item has been floating around the internet - worth reading and passing along. Better still, check this out and have a "chat" with your local MLA. Time to react!!! - October 2009
The world as we know it may be changing - for the worse!

There is a video being shown on YouTube that provides statistics on national and international birth rates, and if these statistics are even remotely accurate, the world is changing and possibly not for the better. I hope that the figures are indeed wrong, and it is obvious that whomever put this video together has much bias against certain non-christian groups, but if the figures are factual, in the future, after you and I have passed on, there is a liklihood that our grandchildren and their children may live in an Islamic dominated world. That by itself would not necessarily be a problem however history has shown that in every instance radical elements rise to the top and take control over the apathetic majority. (Note: according to the CIA World Factbook and supported by www.nationmaster.com, the actual fertility rates are: France 1.98, England 1.66, Greece 1.36, Germany 1.41, Italy 1.3, Spain 1.3. Canada 1.57 and USA 2.1). Take a look at this video and draw your own conclusions!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

Stand down, soldier
By: Patricia Calder Colborne
  

There is a banner someone brings to the fence of Canadian Forces Base Trenton whenever there is a repatriation of a soldier killed in Afghanistan. It reads: "Stand down, soldier. Your job is done. You can go home."

People line up along the fence surrounding CFB Trenton waiting for the aircraft from Afghanistan to touch down, open its cargo door, and offer up its burden. Some of the onlookers are civilians, some are retired service men and women, some are on leave from active service and dress in uniform for the occasion. Some of them even bring young children.

There's a large contingent of bikers, the Blue Knights, wearing distinctive blue vests. One couple is visiting from Nova Scotia. Another man has just come home from Europe. The gathering spreads farther and farther along the fence.

Soon, a drone is heard overhead and the CC-150 Polaris transport plane comes into view. A hush falls over the people standing at the fence. The aircraft circles into position near the hangar where a family stands in the wind and cold to receive their loved one.

The silhouettes, especially the shoulders, speak of their exquisite pain. Their eyes are fixed on the wooden box that is now being hoisted onto strong shoulders and carried in measured steps toward the hearse.

The only colour in the whole scenario is the Canadian flag draped in its somber duty like a blanket over the fallen comrade. It seems to speak the words from the banner: "Stand down, soldier. Your job is done. You can go home."

After a 20-minute repatriation service, the casket is loaded into the black hearse. The family members board a limousine. Slowly the convoy exits the gates of 8 Wing-Canadian Forces Base Trenton.

The black vehicles are escorted front and back by two police cars as they drive out of Trenton and onto the celebrated Highway of Heroes. A signal is sent to a police car waiting on the ramp of the next overpass along the way to Toronto: "Cortege en route. ETA 15 minutes." Messages are radioed to the firefighters and ambulance workers in commuter parking lots all along the way to Toronto who have been anticipating the final good-bye. Each firetruck and ambulance rides to the top of its respective overpass where the crowd welcomes the shelter from the wind.

The police car drives down the ramp to block traffic from entering Highway 401. The crowd on the overpass is watching for that space of several minutes when there is no traffic in the westbound lanes. Then a whisper is telegraphed from one person to another: "They're coming. They're coming." By this time, not one space is left unoccupied along the railing.

I stand on the side of the hill by the sign that welcomes drivers to Brighton. I want to be as near as possible to the cortege. My student will be passing by. His sister, also a former student at my school, will be sitting in the limo with her mom and dad behind the dark glass. The last time I saw these siblings they were sitting innocently in a classroom.

On my one side is a member of the Legion, a retired Sergeant-major dressed in khaki. He is the first to sight the cortege and barks instinctively, "Heads up!" to everyone on the overpass.

I am frozen in place, steeling myself against an onslaught of emotion, tears burning behind my glasses. The Sergeant-major snaps a salute and, even though he is a complete stranger, I feel supported by his experience and professionalism. Behind me, the people who have come to the overpass for just this moment wave their flags. The dark glass of the limo opens and a long arm in a black coat ending in a black glove answers in silent acknowledgment.

In less than a moment the cortege is gone. Only now do I notice how many young people have also been standing vigils at the overpass. They look to me like students skipping school.

Who are all these other people? Does each of them have a connection, as I do, to the fallen soldier? Some of them are relaying messages by cell phone -- to other overpasses down the line. Are all the on-lookers on all the overpasses along the Highway of Heroes connected, like a web that stretches from Trenton to Toronto cradling the casket of the fallen at its centre?

What a strange experience our presence creates. A unique made-in-Canada ad hoc ritual that leaves participants feeling richer, and sadder, and more connected for having spent this one moment in the wind.

Edit: This article is passing around the web - and so it should. This writer and his friends spend much of the summer camping in the Trenton area. Every time there is a repatriation of a Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan, we all drive out to the Trenton base or join many others on one of the many overpasses that cross Hwy 401 (also known, approprietly, as "The Highway of Heroes") between Trenton and Toronto. Everyone is sad! Everyone is proud! Everyone is thankful for the job these soldiers have done and are doing for us!
Do you think we should get out of Afghanistan?
and do you think the US should get out of Iraq?

If you do... then this may change your mind! (CLICK on photos to enlarge)


(these photos were taken at a rally of Islamic radicals held in London England)

But, you might say, these are expressions by ignorant and ill-educated students and Islamic radicals and are expressions not condoned by peace loving Muslims. Well... read this, a commentary claimed to be by Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well known and well respected German psychiatrist. This is a good commentary on the Muslim terrorist situation - one of the best I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read.

A German's View on Islam

A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'

We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectre of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics, who bomb, behead, murder, or honour-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque.

It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.

The hard quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous.

Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.

China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.

And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our posers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.

Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.

Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just ignores this commentary is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and relate this commentary on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, worldwide, read this and think about it, and act on it before it's too late.

CANADIAN.... Eh !

(Photo credit available - do not know who creator is)
So, What Do We Canadians Have To Be Proud Of?

  • - 1. Smarties
  • - 2. Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp
  • - 3. The size of our footballs fields, one less down, and bigger balls.
  • - 4. Baseball is Canadian - (First game June 4, 1838 - Ingersoll , Ont)
  • - 5. Lacrosse is Canadian - created by Canadian aboriginals
  • - 6. Hockey is Canadian
  • - 7. Basketball is Canadian (James Naismith, Almonte Ont - 1891)
  • - 8. Apple pie is Canadian (sorry - even before Noah Swayne who is credited with it's creation)
  • - 9. Mr. Dress-up beats Mr. Rogers - at least in our opinion!
  • - 10. Tim Hortons beats Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Creme
  • - 11. In the war of 1812, started by America , Canadians pushed the Americans back past their White House'. Then we burned it, and most of Washington .. We got bored because they ran away. Then, we came home and partied........ Go figure.
  • - 12. Canada has the largest French population that never surrendered to Germany. (probably the ONLY French population that never surrendered..)
  • - 13. We have the largest English population that never ever surrendered or withdrew during any war to anyone, anywhere. EVER. (We got clobbered in the odd battle but prevailed in ALL the wars).
  • - 14. Our civil war was fought in a bar and lasted a little over an hour.
  • - 15. The only person who was arrested in our civil war was an American mercenary, he slept in and missed the whole thing. He showed up just in time to get caught.
  • - 16. A Canadian invented Standard Time.
  • - 17. The Hudsons Bay Company once owned over 10% of the earth's surface and is still around as the world's oldest company.
  • - 18. The average dog sled team can kill and devour a full grown human in under 3 minutes. (That's more information than I need!)
  • - 19. We know what to do with the parts of a buffalo.
  • - 20. We don't marry our kin-folk.
  • - 21. We invented/discovered ski-doos, jet-skis, zippers, insulin, penicillin, zambonis and the telephone. Also short wave radios that save countless lives each year.
  • - 22. We ALL have frozen our tongues to something metal and lived to tell about it.
  • - 23. A Canadian created Superman (Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932).
  • - 24. We have coloured money - the US is now going that way as well.
  • - 25. Space Station's 'Canadarm' robotic arm - name says it all..
  • - 26. Our beer advertisements kick butt {More importantly...so does our beer}
    BUT MOST IMPORTANT!...
  • - 27. The handles on our beer cases are big enough to fit your hands with mitts on.
    Oh yeah...
  • - 28. And our elections only take one day - and of course, "no chads".

Note: I received the following by E-mail - typical of many opinions floating around. I was curious whether this article was legitimate so I did a little digging - and yes, this is a legitimate item - you can find the original Howard Galganov interview on www.galganov.com/editorials.asp?ID=1073

How To Depress A Quebecois Reporter         Friday, December 05, 2008
Freedom Isn't Free - By Howard Galganov

I received an interview request from a reporter with the Journal de Montreal Newspaper (December 3, 2008) the day before Harper’s meeting with the Governor General.

She wanted to know my reaction to the proposed Coalition between the NDP, Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois.

For those of you who don’t know much or anything about the Journal de Montreal, it is a French language daily that is the closest thing Quebec has to a ‘national newspaper’.

It is also a VERY racist Quebecois nationalist rag, to the point of being Quebec’s Separatist cheerleader.

During my QPAC days in Quebec, the Journal de Montreal liked to refer to me in their headlines as l’Anglohone Juif Galganov. In translation: Anglo Jew Galganov. Where was the Human Rights Commission then?

The Journal de Montreal can best be described as a sensationalist tabloid that mixes gossip, sports and news. It should also be noted that more than a million French Quebecers read the Journal de Montreal every day.

The reporter expected me to answer her question with a degree of outrage towards this coalition, so imagine her surprise when I told her that I was all for it?

She asked if I was kidding? How could I possibly be for a federal political union that includes the Bloc Quebecois?

She was more surprised with my answer when I told her that this coalition between Socialists and Separatists will not last beyond a month or so, and will guarantee two unexpected and unintended consequences.

The first consequence will be the end of any hopes for Leftist electoral victories for either the Liberals or the Socialist NDP for a generation or more to come, freeing Canada from the type of FREEBIE LEFTIST policies that are destroying the fabric of our country.

The next consequence really shook her when I explained that a coalition with the Quebec Separatist Bloc would hasten the departure of Quebec from Confederation, allowing Canada to finally grow without the Quebec anchor around our neck.

The interview became more of a discussion as she asked me if I thought the rest of Canada would throw Quebec out. And if they did, why would they do that now and not before?

My answer stunned her even more. And from the sound of her voice, she was more than somewhat depressed when I explained to her that Canada does not need Quebec. More to the point, Canada will be far better off without Quebec.

It is Quebec that needs Canada, since Quebec brings nothing to the table other than threats, costs and complications that hinder the growth of our country.

I also explained that the rest of Canada didn’t need our domestic and foreign policies decided upon by a beggar province. Not to mention that Canada’s official bilingualism policies are discriminating against more than 97% of the Canadian population (English speaking) living outside of Quebec.

With this proposed coalition, the Bloc will win several big concessions that will include:

MORE MONEY from the rest of Canada - But the rest of Canada is broke.

Ontario is a HAVE-NOT province. And if it isn’t yet, it certainly will be soon.

At less than $50 per barrel, and still falling like a lead balloon, Alberta is dying with the lack of demand for its petroleum products, and will not earn enough money to sustain its budgetary goals without cutting programs, raising taxes, or dipping into its Heritage Fund. All of which are akin to cancer for Albertans.

Where else will Quebec expect to get the BILLIONS of dollars their deal with the two idiots, Stephane Dion and Taliban Jack have promised?

Just imagine the outrage from the West, when Alberta has to write a check to a Separatist province that helped wipeout a government Albertans voted for near unanimously?

Just imagine the added outrage from the West when six Quebec Separatists are named to Canada’s Senate as part of the deal?

Just imagine the boiling-over outrage from the West when Quebec Separatists must first vet all of Parliaments business before it can be brought to the floor, much less implemented?

I CAN’T WAIT I TOLD HER!

Then I reminded her that certain inalienable decisions would be made the moment Quebec and Canada part company.

By federal law, Canadian Banks and Insurance Companies must be headquartered within Canada. There go the banks. By law, airlines cannot pick-up and deliver passengers from one national location to another national location unless that airline is headquartered in that nation. Goodbye Air Canada.

Then there’s the Canada Export and Development Corporation that underwrites just about all of Bombardier’s sales abroad. Goodbye Bombardier along with other federally financed corporations in Quebec.

Goodbye all the federal government jobs that disproportionately employ French Quebecers. Especially those who can speak some English.

And Goodbye official bilingualism.

At this point in our conversation, her voice was quite subdued when she asked if I think Canada will push Quebec out the door?

No was my response. I think Quebec and Canada will separate from each other much like Czechoslovakia did, when the Czechs and Slovakians both decided to go their separate ways without any fanfare, great debates, referendums or anything else.

It just happened, much the way I see it just happening between Canada and Quebec where there will be no reason for Quebec to stay within Canada once the financial tap is closed.

And there will be no reason for Canada to want Quebec within Confederation when the rest of Canada finally learns that we will be far better off without Quebec dragging us down.

Even though Harper bought himself and the Conservatives 6 weeks of political peace by suspending Parliament to the end of January, much of the damage has already been done to the long-term future between Quebec and Canada by this attempted Putsch by the Coalition of Idiots.

The rest of Canada really doesn't care much for what Quebec wants anymore, since the rest of Canada is more concerned with what it needs to stay afloat.

I explained to her that I am just one political Blogger out of thousands who are spreading a similar message by asking pertinent questions while bringing demographic FACTS to the table.

And in spite of what the out-of-touch conventional media seems to think, Quebec’s future within Canada is not looking all that good. And that looks pretty good for the rest of Canada.

We owe Duceppe, Dion and Taliban Jack our gratitude for finally pushing the envelope too far.

Best Regards . . . Howard Galganov

NOTE: There is an associated ‘Radio Broadcast’ (approximately 18 minutes) with this editorial, which can be heard simply by clicking Here (on Galganov's site - radio button is located at the top right hand side of the page.)

The Three (greedy) Stooges
(With apologies to the 3 Stooges)

'Moe' Duceppe,    'Curley' Layton,    'Larry' Dion
recipients of the "First Ever" 'EVIL' Award..

Coalition government? If it does happen, get used to it Canadians... this will be the way we are 'governed' from now on! If opposition parties are allowed to form a coalition to overthrow a duly-elected minority government, then every minority government that is elected from this day on stands a real chance of being overthrown in a "Legal Coup"! Let's face it, regardless of which party is in 'power', the prime 'cause célèbre of any opposition party is to topple the government and improve their lot in the process, whether the ruling party is doing a good job or not!!. Politicians tend to "learn" quickly and discovering a means of gaining power through coalition will be too appealing to disregard. As Lord Acton once said "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely"! Responsible opposition in the halls of parliament? That is becoming 'history" by the looks of it! The 'proper' process, where there is opposition to any government action or inaction, is to challenge the ruling party in the House and in doing so, sway public opinion to put pressure on that party. This is how our Parliament is designed to work. Our forefathers never contemplated a situation where opposition parties could systematically join forces and collectively overthrow the party in power. The only winner in this present debacle, is the Bloc Quebecoise party! If the coalition is allowed to form a government, Gilles Duceppe will be able to virtually dictate his terms - otherwise he can easily threaten to side with the-then opposition, the Conservatives, to form another "coalition" to topple the new regime ... and so on.... It does not matter what paperwork may have been signed guaranteeing" the coalition union - any party can opt out at any time!

So we had better get used to turmoil, an unstable Parliament, and the embarrassment of having Stephan Dion as our "leader"! I normally vote Liberal - but that stopped when Dion became leader of the party. He is an academic who is not known for taking advice, 'knows better' than his caucus and advisors and is so focused on his "green" policies that he has the potential of seriously damaging our economy and playing havoc with our armed forces and let's face it, his public image is lacking and he has trouble speaking the English language which is somewhat irritating for most Canadians. In the current unstable world economy, we do not need this! What we need is stability, not an indecisive and unstable government led by an almost 'lame duck' Prime Minister facing elimination, supported by a provincial-based party hell-bent on splitting up the country! What have Canadians done to deserve this? We certainly did not vote for this! What an insult to all Canadians - it is simply outrageous!

You probably missed it in the local news, but there was a report that someone in Pakistan had advertised in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who killed a Canadian - any Canadian.

An Australian dentist wrote the following editorial to help define what a Canadian is, so they would know one when they found one.

A Canadian can be English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. A Canadian can be Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, Arab, Pakistani or Afghan.

A Canadian may also be a Cree, Métis, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Sioux, or one of the many other tribes known as native Canadians. A Canadian's religious beliefs range from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or none. In fact, there are more Muslims in Canada than in Afghanistan. The key difference is that in Canada they are free to worship as each of them chooses. Whether they have a religion or no religion, each Canadian ultimately answers only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

A Canadian lives in one of the most prosperous lands in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which recognize the right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

A Canadian is generous and Canadians have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return. Canadians welcome the best of everything, the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best services and the best minds. But they also welcome the least - the oppressed, the outcast and the rejected.

These are the people who built Canada. You can try to kill a Canadian if you must as other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world have tried but in doing so you could just be killing a relative or a neighbour. This is because Canadians are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, can be a Canadian.
I AM
CANADIAN

Have we, as Canadians, been "too nice" for "too long"?

I am in the minority in Calgary , Vancouver , Toronto and every casino in this country. I was born in the forties, yet I am somehow responsible for some First Nations people being screwed out of their land in the 1700's! I pay import tax on cars made in Ontario. I am allowed to skydive and smoke, but not allowed to drive without a seat belt. All the money I make until mid July must go to paying taxes. I live and work among people who believe Americans are Ignorant.... These same people cannot name this country's new territory.

On April 1st, 1999, the map of Canada changed for the first time in 50 years with the creation of Nunavut Territory. The Northwest Territories was split and approximately 2 million square kilometres of the central and eastern arctic became ' Nunavut '. Although I am sometimes forced to live on hamburgers and don't have a pot to piss in, I sleep well knowing that my taxes helped purchase a nice six figure home in Vancouver for some unskilled refugee. Although many are unpatriotic and constantly try to separate... Quebeck'ers still provide most of my nation's prime ministers. 95% of my nation's international conflicts are over fish. I'm supposed to call black people African Canadians, although I'm Sure none of them have ever been to Africa for that matter. I am being told that paying a 200% tax on alcohol is fair. I am also being told that the same tax on gasoline is also fair. Even if I have no idea what happened to that old rifle my Grandfather gave me when I was 14, I will be considered a criminal if I don't register it. I am being told that spending $15 billion to promote the French language In the rest of Canada is fair when the province of Quebec doesn't support or recognize the English language.

I am being told that paying $1million for "3 Stripes" ('The Voice of Fire painting in Ottawa ) by the National Art Gallery was a good purchase, even though 99% of this country didn't want it or will ever see it.

When I look at my pension and realize that I take home half of what I actually make, I say "Oh well, at least we have better health care than the Americans." I must bail out farmers when their crops are too wet or too dry because I control the rain. I must bail out big corporations who drive their business into the ground and say 'yeah that's ok' when they move all their manufacturing plants and jobs to a third world country and say 'no problem'.

My National Anthem has versions in both official languages. Canada is the highest taxed nation in North America, the biggest military buffer for the United States , and the number one destination for fleeing terrorists.

I am not an angry white male. I am an angry taxpayer who is fed up!
I am Canadian !!!

YOU WORRY ME!!!
This pilot 'hit the nail' right on the head in his open letter.

The paper stated today that some Muslim doctor is saying we are profiling him because he has been checked three times while getting on an airplane. The following is an actual letter received from an airline pilot. This well-spoken man, who is a pilot with American Airlines, says what is in his heart, beautifully.... Read, absorb and pass this on.

'YOU WORRY ME!'

By American Airlines Pilot - Captain John Maniscalco

I've been trying to say this since 911, but you worry me. I wish you didn't. I wish when I walked down the streets of this country that I love, that your color and culture still blended with the beautiful human landscape we enjoy in this country. But you don't blend in anymore. I notice you, and it worries me.

I notice you because I can't help it anymore.

People from your homelands, professing to be Muslims, have been attacking and killing my fellow citizens and our friends for more than 20 years now. I don't fully understand their grievances and hate, but I know that nothing can justify the inhumanity of their attacks.

On September 11, nineteen ARAB-MUSLIMS hijacked four jetliners in my country.

They cut the throats of women in front of children and brutally stabbed to death others. They took control of those planes and crashed them into buildings killing thousands of proud fathers, loving sons, wise grandparents, elegant daughters, best friends, favorite coaches, fearless public servants, and children's mothers.

The Palestinians celebrated, the Iraqis were overjoyed as was most of the Arab world. So, I notice you now. I don't want to be worried. I don't want to be consumed by the same rage and hate and prejudice that has destroyed the soul of these terrorists But I need your help. As a rational American, trying to protect my country and family in an irrational and unsafe world, I must know how to tell the difference between you, and the Arab/Muslim terrorist.

How do I differentiate between the true Arab/Muslim-Americans and the Arab/Muslim terrorists in our communities who are attending our schools, enjoying our parks, and living in OUR communities under the protection of OUR constitution, while they plot the next attack that will slaughter these same good neighbors and children?

The events of September 11th changed the answer. It is not my responsibility to determine which of you embraces our great country, with ALL of its religions, with ALL of its different citizens, with all of its faults. It is time for every Arab/Muslim in this country to determine it for me.

I want to know, I demand to know, and I have a right to know, whether or not you love America . Do you pledge allegiance to its flag? Do you proudly display it in front of your house, or on your car? Do you pray in your many daily prayers that Allah will bless this nation, that He will protect and prosper it? Or do you pray that Allah with destroy it in one of your Jihad's? Are you thankful for the freedom that only this nation affords? A freedom that was paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots who gave their lives for this country? Are you willing to preserve this freedom by also paying the ultimate sacrifice? Do you love America ? If this is your commitment, then I need YOU to start letting ME know about it.

Your Muslim leaders in this nation should be flooding the media at this time with hard facts on your faith, and what hard actions you are taking as a community and as a religion to protect the United States of America . Please, no more benign overtures of regret for the death of the innocent because I worry about who you regard as innocent. No more benign overtures of condemnation for the unprovoked attacks because I worry about what is unprovoked to you. I am not interested in any more sympathy. I am only interested in action. What will you do for America - our great country - at this time of crisis, at this time of war?

I want to see Arab-Muslims waving the AMERICAN flag in the streets. I want to hear you chanting 'Allah Bless America ' I want to see young Arab/Muslim men enlisting in the military. I want to see a commitment of money, time, and emotion to the victims of this butchering and to this nation as a whole.

The FBI has a list of over 400 people they want to talk to regarding the WTC attack. Many of these people live and socialize right now in Muslim communities. You know them. You know where they are. Hand them over to us, now! But I have seen little even approaching this sort of action. Instead I have seen an already closed and secretive community close even tighter. You have disappeared from the streets. You have posted armed security guards at your facilities. You have threatened lawsuits. You have screamed for protection from reprisals.

The very few Arab/Muslim representatives that HAVE appeared in the media were defensive and equivocating. They seemed more concerned with making sure that the United States proves who was responsible before taking action. They seemed more concerned with protecting their fellow Muslims from violence directed towards them in the United States and abroad than they did with supporting our country and denouncing 'leaders' like Khadafi, Hussein, Farrakhan, and Arafat.

If the true teachings of Islam proclaim tolerance and peace and love for all people, then I want chapter and verse from the Koran and statements from popular Muslim leaders to back it up. What good is it if the teachings in the Koran are good, and pure, and true, when your 'leaders' are teaching fanatical interpretations, terrorism, and intolerance? It matters little how good Islam SHOULD BE if huge numbers of the world's Muslims interpret the teachings of Mohammed incorrectly and adhere to a degenerative form of the religion. A form that has been demonstrated to us over and over again. A form whose structure is built upon a foundation of violence, death, and suicide. A form whose members are recruited from the prisons around the world. A form whose members (some as young as five years old) are seen day after day, week in and week out, year after year, marching in the streets around the world, burning effigies of our presidents, burning the American flag, shooting weapons into the air. A form whose members convert from a peaceful religion, only to take up arms against the great United States of America, the country of their birth. A form whose rules are so twisted, that their traveling members refuse to show their faces at airport security checkpoints, in the name of Islam.

We will NEVER allow the attacks of September 11, or any others for that matter, to take away that which is so precious to us: Our rights under the greatest constitution in the world. I want to know where every Arab Muslim in this country stands and I think it is my right and the right of every true citizen of this country to demand it. A right paid for by the blood of thousands of my brothers and sisters who died protecting the very constitution that is protecting you and your family.

I am pleading with you to let me know. I want you here as my brother, my neighbor, my friend, as a fellow American.

But there can be no gray areas or ambivalence regarding your allegiance, and it is up to YOU, to show ME, where YOU stand. Until then .


'YOU WORRY ME!'


I personally agree with this sentiment. I hope you will forget all about the 'political correctness' mandate we've had rammed down our throats, and see if this doesn't ring true in your heart and mind. For Canada , with all the multiculturism that we've been told is so important....why should we not, as Canadians, expect that the millions of new people immigrating to our country will show their love for our country, their allegiance to our country, their willingness to obey the laws of our country, and acceptance that we are a Christian country? Just because they are able to enjoy exercising their own religion, they should not expect us to be ashamed of ours. They knew Canada was a Christian country when they came here. Why are we erasing Christianity because immigrants who are unwilling to adopt our way of life expect us to? There is just too much insanity in the world, and we have to start taking a stand! If we dont... If we stand back and let this continue, the time will come when WE are the minority... and when that happens, our democratic ideals that we, as a nation have shed blood for, will be used against us... through legitimate and democratic voting, non-christian views will be inserted into our daily lives as laws. Think of it!!! Worry about it!!! Worry for your grandchildren!!! If we do not start dealing with this matter - THEY will have to, and words may not be enough by then!!


Gotcha !!!!!!!
You bet they never saw it coming..... (video clip below)

Canadian Sniper wiping out Talaban Snipers. In Afghanistan .. These video shots are not made through the shooter's telescopic sight... they are made looking through the spotter's scope. The spotter lies right next to the sniper and helps the sniper to find and home in on the target.

The sniper is using a 50 calibre rifle. A 50 cal. round is about 7-8 inches long and the casing is about an inch in diameter. The bullet itself is one-half inch in diameter and roughly one and one-half inches long.

Pay close attention to the beginning of the video. A Taliban is laying on top of the peak in front of you... when you hear the shot fired.... watch what happens. The sniper is also about a half mile away... or more.

A Canadian sniper in Afghanistan has been confirmed as hitting an enemy soldier at a range of 2,310 meters, the longest recorded and confirmed sniper shot in history. The previous record of 2,250 meters was set by US Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock in Vietnam in 1967. The Canadian sniper was at an altitude of 8,500 feet and the target, across a valley, was at 9,000 feet.

Canadian sniper units are world famous and have often operated in support of US infantry units, which were grateful for their help. The record lasted only one day however, until a second Canadian sniper hit an enemy soldier at 2,400 meters (8,000 feet). The Canadian snipers use special .50-calibre McMillan tactical rifles, which are bolt-action weapons with five-round magazines. The Canadian snipers were the only Canadian troops operating without helmets or flak jackets as they had too much other equipment to carry. Each three-man team has one sniper rifle, three standard rifles (Canadian C7s), one of them with a 203mm grenade launcher.

Here is the VIDEO (2.3Mb) - astonishingly impressive... imagine hitting a target at such a distance!!! WoW!

ps... in case you want one of these MacMillan .50 Cal rifles - you can get a McMillan - TAC-50 Tactical Rifle, .50 BMG - for only $6,500.00 and a good scope may cost close to that again - so those pesky groundhogs you are after better be really big before you go this route!!

Salute To A Brave And Modest Nation
Sunday Telegraph Article From UK wires:
Kevin Myers, The Sunday Telegraph

LONDON - Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan , probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored.

Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States , and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts. For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved. Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy.

Almost 10% of Canada 's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle.

Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, it's unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular Memory as somehow or other the work of the 'British.'

The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth-largest air force in the world.

The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British.

It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of it's sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular on-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia , in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.

So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan?

Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac, Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun.

It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well
Crap that politicians spout just to get elected

OK Hil, we cancel NAFTA but keep all the benefits to us and if they don't like it, then 'tough' we will grab their oil, gas and electricity resources and outlaw igloo building..

Like most of us up here on the "other" side of the 48th parallel, following the US election Primaries runup is both interesting and quite entertaining at times - especially with the race between Democrat contenders Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. That "competition" has progressed from civility to downright nasty to "silly". The latest appeal, in an attempt to appease Labour in some northern states, involves renegotiating the NAFTA (North American Free Trade) agreement. That agreement, signed in 1992 is basically as the name implies - tariff-free movement of goods between the two countries (as well as Mexico who signed the agreement too). To make a long story short, as far as Canada is concerned there will be no negotiation and the agreement will remain intact. The US has some cause to be concerned about the agreement but in those cases, it invariably involves Mexican trade - where Mexico's low labour costs undermine the US (and to a degree, Canadian) labour market. The podium rhetoric coming from Clinton and Obama suggests that the US will demand change, it's political and economic clout being the leverage necessary to persuade Canada and Mexico into change. Well, surprise-time! As far as Canadian trade under NAFTA is concerned, it simply "ain't gonna happen"! It is a sad statement but a true one, to suggest that the average American has no clue about what cessation of the agreement with Canada could mean to the US. The average US citizen would be flabbergasted to learn that Canada is, by far, the largest supplier of oil, natural gas and electricity to the US. Combine that with the proven fact that the Canadian NAFTA agreement really does not cost American jobs and you have a scenario that all these promises to "renegotiate" NAFTA will simply not happen as such renegotiation would only result in Canada's position being improved - to the detriment of the US. Of course, that statement will bring the US "Hawks" out of the woodwork as any "threat" to oil, gas or electricity supply to the US could, in their minds, be answered with the threat of US military intervention. Good luck there folks! Canada is not even close to being a military match to the us - nor does it ever want to be - but what military strength it can muster could be a real problem to any US military aggression. Back in 1974, ex-general Richard Rhomer wrote a book titled "Exxoneration" (Simon & Schuster & Pocket Books - # 671-80368-9, also published by McLellan & Stewart 1976) involving Esso Canada buying out Exxon in the US, and restricting energy flow to the US as a result of a harsh winter - resulting in hardship south of the border. The US response was to "bully" and attempt a military invasion. Bad decision - it did not work militarily and was eventually squashed due to international involvement. Good reading, even in today's theatre where technology has improved substantially.

So, Senators Clinton and Obama - we respect your appeals to the Labour force in an attempt to sway votes, but be realistic... stop touting "clout" and respect what the agreement presently does for you - and speaking of a forced renegotiation is really "hollow words" to those who know what the true situation is. Never forget that Canada is a small country compared to the US and has a small military but by all international standards, probably the best-trained in the world (sorry - but that is a fact) and back in WW2, although it's population was half of what it is today, Canada was able to put 1,000,000 men in the field and by war's end had the thrid largest navy in the world! Not bad for a small nation!! So please speak with reason and stop the political rhetoric - just in case some dolt in the US Congress starts seriously thinking without all the facts.

Americans, we actually like you and get along fine with you - we are so alike in many ways - but please get your politicians in line! Silly statements we can ignore... but if anyone gets serious... different story!
'nuff said.

Is it Ignorance or just plain Stupidity?
(or just a craving for attention?)

Many of us have received an E-Mail message circulating the internet, in support of coalition forces overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of the attached photos are touching and indicative of what our troops are doing for us, but one of the photos - the one here - really "ticks me off"! Two mindless women aka idiots, who are not only attempting to send their" message" - whatever that is - but are also defacing their country's flag (they appear to be Americans from background images). Life has not been too bad for them as they look well (overly?) fed - guess that they just have a problem being appreciative of the good life living in the West offers them! Protest is acceptable if there is a just cause and many of us have differing views on what is going on in Afghanistan or Iraq - but those opinions should be based on the politics of the matter - focused on the decision-makers and their decisions - not on the people asked to carry out those decisions - the troops. There are many like myself who feel that there is a cause to be in the conflict zone in the middle east, based on the thinking that there is a real problem to be solved (Islamic militancy) and better it be solved over there than in our back yard! The troops are putting their lives on the line so we can enjoy a free lifestyle - something these chubby and misguided women have either forgotton or whose parents neglected to tell them in the first place. Oh! for the possibility of shoving a burkha over their fat little heads and shipping them somewhere like Iran, Syria or Saudi-Arabia - to watch what happens when they try their little protest antics over there! Wouldn't that be fun?? Grow up girls - get a life/schooling/job - whatever it takes - you obviously have too much time on your hands and that excess time allows your feeble little brains to come up with stupid ideas! 'Nuff said!
HOW ALL GOVERNMENT PHONES IN CANADA SHOULD BE ANSWERED??

"GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO CANADA".




"Press '1' for English".


"Press '2' to disconnect until you learn to speak English."


Have a Very Merry Christmas..

I hope everyone is having a very merry Christmas. We just watched the Queen's annual Christmas message. One thing that immediately struck us all was how she addressed the "Christmas" issue. What jumped into our minds is what the reaction might be in Canada as the Queen mentioned only one religion, Christianity. Of course, the UK culture is Christian-based and Christmas is a Christian celebration. Stephen Harper, Canadian Prime Minister, in his Christmas message, went one step farther, mentioning both the Christian and Jewish religions. What will invariably happen - and that is truly sad - is that in days to come, letters will appear in newspapers, written by non-Christian or non-Jewish parties or representatives, crying about the fact that the PM, or Queen for that matter, does not treat their religion in the same manner.

What these groups forget is that Canada, and England as well, is a "Christian" culture. Canadians are amongst the world's most tolerant people when it comes to recognizing and accepting other faiths and beliefs. Our beliefs, our faith, our day-to-day activities, mores and 'culture' is historically based on the Christian faith and morality. As the demographics and "face" of the population changes, the culture changes a little bit of course, but there will be a "line in the sand" over which any movement away from a Christian culture cannot be allowed to cross. To become a "Canadian" means acceptance of our culture, beliefs and way of life. It does not mean attempting to force another 'culture' on the rest of the country ( such as the recent situation in Ontario where attempts to introduce 'Sharia Law' into our legal system were properly thwarted!!). So, to new Canadians and immigrants wishing to become Canadians, I say this.. "Welcome, enjoy your life here and be successful. We will respect your beliefs and faith BUT you will have to adapt to OUR culture - we will accept and tolerate yours, but we will NOT adapt to yours."

While on the subject of Christmas - to all our troops overseas in Afghanistan, and elsewhere, a very Merry Christmas as well. What you are doing is 'right'. Too many people, normally pacifist-minded types who have not thought the situation through, suggest we should not have troops in Afghanistan or anywhere else for that matter. They suggest we should "turn the other cheek" and allow countries such as Afghanistan to "do their own thing"! Anyone thinking this way is naive and misguided if they think that the Taliban and other terrorist groups will settle down and restrict their activities to a local area, if the "infidels" or westerners disappear. To them I suggest that some homework be done... look into what Al Quada and other Muslim Fundamentalist terror groups say - that their aim is to eradicate "Infidels", especially Christianity - as tolerating 'false faiths' is unacceptable to their beliefs (in their minds). The message these activists are sending is that if they had their "druthers", all societies would adhere to the faith of Islam and governments would conform to Islamic rule. So... to the tree-huggers, do-good'ers and pacifists who are quick to claim that 'turning the other cheek' is the proper response to terror, I ask that they consider what life would be like in a fundamentalist world. Restricted freedoms of action and speech, no "Christmas" to celebrate or any other Christian display of faith, reduced rights for women, civil law and behaviour regulations that would be intolerable to most, no freedom of speech, controlled media and entertainment - in effect, prison life without the walls or barbed wire. Let me put it this way... if we took every one of these complainers and put them into a camp somewhere, where life would emulate what it would really be like in the above fundamentalist ruled world, then I suggest, we would soon have no more complainers! So.. regarding Afghanistan, better we "solve" the problem over there than have to "solve" it over here, in otherwords, "nip it in the bud"!!
TIME TO 'DRAW THE LINE"
Enough is Enough...!

This may make me a "redneck" in some minds, possibly even a "racist"
...... BUT .....
I am sorry but, after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Hindi, - enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Japanese, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Greek, or any other language because of immigration.

It was written in English, adapted into co-founding French, and should be sung word for word the way it was written.

The news broadcasts even gave the Hindi translation -- not even close!

Sorry if this offends anyone but this is MY COUNTRY - and I am deeply offended by a group of newcomers trying to change our culture and lifestyle! I am not against immigration, this country was built on the backs of valued hard-working immigrants. All we ask of newcomers is just arrive like everyone else. Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have done in the past -- and LONG LIVE CANADA!

DON'T BE PART OF THE PROBLEM:

Think about this: If you don't want to express your views for fear of offending someone -----YOU ARE! You are offending all proud Canadians who value their way of life and culture. Yes, Canada has a 'culture'! It may be a mix of other cukltures but it is based on an English or French speaking environment where Christian values and sensibilities are practiced and adhered to. Our laws and mores are based on this "culture" so if you do not like it or are unwilling/unable to adapt and adopt - then please go elsewhere!

Will we still be the Country of Choice and still be 'CANADA' if we continue to make the changes forced on us by people from other countries that came to live in CANADA because it is one of the best countries in the world to live in???????

Think about it!

IMMIGRANTS, NOT CANADIANS, MUST ADAPT!!

It is time for CANADA to speak up.
Those Poor Poor mistreated Taliban Prisoners..

AW MY GAWD!!! Guess what... according to the Canadian media, everyone is aghast at the possibility that Taliban prisoners might have been abused after they were turned over to Afghan authorities by our troops. What a sad thought!! These murdering swine - you know, roadside bombs and IED's blowing up innocent bystanders and children, kidnappings and the occasional beheading, promises to continue the Fatwa against all infidels (non muslims) and to crush any and all religions apart from Islam. These thugs even terrorize, maim and kill their own people!

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children, including a number of Canadians, die a horrible, burning or crushing death on September 11, 2001 or didn't they? And was support and encouragement of those terrorists not traced to the Afghanistan Taliban?

And today I'm supposed to care that Taliban prisoners might be "mistreated" after capture by Canadian troops? Not By Canadian troops but AFTER they're turned over by Canadian troops.

Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the idiotic fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.

I'll care when these cowardly thugs tell the world they are sorry for killing far too many Canadian kids, pressed into service to rescue Afghan Muslims from themselves.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Afghanistan come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques. They are not soldiers! They are mindless terrorists.

I'll care when the stupid zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the Canadian media stops pretending that international law should prevail in a fight with religious fanatics.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a Taliban terrorist getting roughed up to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer Mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

I do care however about the Liberals and NDP taking up time in Question Period and making this a cause celebre. I care a whole lot that these bastards are wasting our tax dollars giving this a moment's thought. I care that they dare claim this Afghan prisoner bullshit "is a concern of all Canadians". Here's one Canadian who absolutely, positively doesn't give a shit.

Consider this... if a loved one, your spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, brother or sister, or other relative/close friend is in danger and their death can only be stopped by obtaining information from an individual - what lengths would YOU go to to obtain that info? You bet the issue of "torture" would not come up. So - if these murderers, who would slit your throat without blinking an eye fo no reason at all, are roughed up a bit - do you Really care? Bet you don't if you are honest with yourself!
The Plan!.

You gotta love Robin Williams...... Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message. Here is Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!)

"I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan."

1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good ole boys", we will never "interfere" again.

2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany , South Korea , the Middle East, and the Philippines . They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.

3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave.We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal! !! France will welcome them.

4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.

5) No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home baby .

6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while.

7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else(like Canada! or Oklahoma!). They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)

8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.

9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.

10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way , no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH...learn it..or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?

The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?'
UK Repossesses U.S.A.
A Message from John Cleese to the citizens of the United States of America:


In light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus show that you can govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.
  • - Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume Monarchical duties over all states, Commonwealths, and territories (excepting Kansas, which She does not fancy).
  • - Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections.
  • - The Senate will be disbanded (a questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed).
  • - You will obtain a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary
    • - 1. Look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.
    • - 2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters and the suffix -size will be replaced by the suffix -is. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels (look up 'vocabulary').
    • - 3. There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -size. You will relearn your original national anthem, God Save The Queen.
    • - 4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
    • - 5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent.
    • - 6. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
    • - 7. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
    • - 8. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) -- roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.
    • - 9. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with malt vinegar.
    • - 10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as Beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
    • - 11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having ones ears removed with a cheese grater.
    • - 12. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American Football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body Armour like a bunch of nancies.
    • - 13. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn to play cricket.
    • - 14. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.
    • - 15. An internal revenue agent (i.e. Tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
    • - 16. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; strawberries in season.
Regards,

John Cleese
Saddam Hussein Convicted - gets Death Penalty
( that is if they can catch him...)
Isn't it time to
stop 'pussyfooting' around??
I don't know about you, but I'm getting concerned about the new trends to avoid saying anything that may offend someone - even when it should be said and especially so when the 'offensive comment' regards something that is widly known and accepted! Are we turning into a bunch of gutless wimps, overly concerned about upsetting someone or some group that needs chastizing??

I think it's time to "Say it like it is"! To hell with being concerned about 'ruffling feathers'!

A couple of points in question..
(1) If you watch CTV, CBC or Global news, or happen to look at a newspaper occasionally, you will see that stories involving crime in Toronto and some other major cities rarily involve caucasians. This comment will undoubtedly upset some black Canadians (and others) but the statistics do suggest that there is a disproportionate ratio of black, especially Jamacian immigrant, incarcerations regarding violent criminal incidents in Toronto! We have all seen or heard about the statement '80% of the crime is perpetrated by 5% of the population". The police know this and occasionally someone speaks out but is quickly stomped on by the offended minority group - you know, outraged news interviews, protest marches to City Hall etc. Now before I start to receive reams of spam, all this is not really a racist comment, because I am simply not a racist! It is strictly an observation based on well-known and documented fact and statistics. We, as a population, are so wrapped up in avoiding contraversy that we hide from the problem(s) - and as a result, impede the possibility of correcting or cleaning up the problems!

(2) OK! If people are going to yell at me, why not get it all out!! Let's discuss another 'taboo' area - radical thinking Islamist extremism! Why is it that virtually all the world's violent problem areas involve Islamic extremists? (the only notable exception being North Korea). Think about it! Indonesia, the Serbian Croat matter, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the British bombings, 9/11, the Spanish train bombing, riots in France, Russia's 'Georgian' problem, the Danish cartoon issue, the 13 Toronto 'terrorists' - on and on... and on! Some countries are starting to take note of this! France is tightening it's immigration rules (and so is Britain) when it involves Muslims. ( In effect, the 'welcome mat' is no longer 'out'!) Australia has taken a hard-line approach and is openly telling immigrants that they should absorb themselves into the Australian christian culture and if they do not like this, please stay away or 'go home'!

Now we all appreciate that the vast majority of followers of Islam are law abiding and non-violent citizens - at least in this country. It is commonplace to simply consider the fundamentalists as an aberration that does not impact all muslims. But is that the case? We read about and hear stories almost daily about Imam's standing up in mosques in the free world, refusing to overly chastize extremists and constantly reminding the muslim community that they are the chosen ones, christians are infidels or second-rate citizens! What does all this do to the mind of the average muslim? I do not know, I am not a psychologist or sociologist but what I think I see is a 'quiet' acceptance of the goals of the fundamentalists albeit with a slight abhorrance of their violent methods. In otherwords, I honestly believe that the majority of muslims have a deep-down and secret hope that one day muslims will 'rule' and that all the infidels (non-muslim) will disappear or convert to Islam! It is this inherent thinking that sometimes bubbles to the surface and prompts otherwise decent individuals to take violent action! The British subway bombing incidents support this I think!

So, what can be done? Well, for starters, let's stop entertaining the belief that Muslims have a right to insert their religious laws and rules into our culture. Luckily (and I hate to say 'smartly' when it comes to politicians) the Ontario government 'shot down' Islamic pressure to have Sharia law accepted as a legal parallel to our civil law in the province. It was close mind you, there was an element in the government who may have accepted the approach rather than offend anyone - and the results would eventually have created a problem. In case you do not know, Sharia law 1s a set of Islamic religious laws that is archaic in that it suppresses women's rights, imposes inhuman punishment for relatively minor offences and in may ways, stands against many things that we accept as being constitutional or 'normal'! If followers of Islam cannot adopt our mores and standards then they should not be here! Like Australia, it should be made clear to would-be immigrants that certain things are expected of them and if they cannot accept these principles, then do not come here. Also, we should be more cautious about which immigrants we let into the country from other cultures. We want responsible citizens who are willing to work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labour. We do not want nor will we tolerate immigrants bent on misusing our social support mechanisms. Our whole immigration policy needs overhauling. Entering Canada ( or any other modern christian-cultured country) should be a privilige, not a 'right' guaranteed by family ties. If you are accepted into the country then it should not ge a "given" that your whole extended family gets to come here as well. That is often where the reality of economic pressures starts resulting in impoverished lifestyles and the criminal result. We are a tolerant society but 'enough is enough'! When our social values get threatened and safety, lifestyle and culture get targeted, then we must act! Time to get the politicians wakened up and earning their pay, representing our values. If we leave it too long, we will lose that opportunity as future elected politicians may not represent 'our' views. Just consider a parliament heavily weighted in favour of certain minorities or Muslims - what may be the result! Does not bode well people, not well at all! Getting nervous?
Time to change the Rules..
Only in Canada.

Do not apply for your old age pension. Apply to be a refugee instead. It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890.00 and each can apply to get an additional $580.00 in social assistance, for a total of up to $2,470.00.

This is in contrast to a single Canadian pensioner who, after contributing to the growth and development of Canada for 40 or 50 years, can receive a monthly maximum of only $1,012.00 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees? Let's send this thought to as many Canadians as we can and maybe we can get the refugee allowances cut back to $1,012.00 and the pensions increased up to $2,470.00, so pensioners can enjoy the money they were forced to submit to the Canadian government for those 40 to 50 years.

Or here is another thought, why not increase pensions to $2,470.00 and every pensioner can send half of the increase of $1,458.00, or $729.00 directly overseas so that the refugees will not have to come here - that way everyone wins. Potential refugees can improve their standard of living and remain in the cultural environment they choose and not have to arrive here with a strong desire to change ours, and pensioners will receive a significant pension increase and not have to worry about being subjected to the whims and fancies of a non-christian increasing minority bent on changing our culture and way of life to correspond to their beliefs! We value our culture, we value the equality between men and women, we value our capitalist economy, we do not want non-christian religious fanatics dictating our laws and using violence as a social control agent - so as I said above, it will be a "win-win" situation and as a side effect, Canada will win accolades from the international community for helping out citizens of non-Christian countries! Let's go-fer-it!
Time for a new approach????
If it ain't broke... don't fix it!! If it works... use it!
- The UN - Stupid or just plain useless? -

August 2006 - Been sort of quiet over the summer - so much to do, too little time to do it in... but once in a while something arises that deserves a good rant! Recent actions by the United Nations certainly deserve criticism. ('United Nations' - what a misnomer - nothing 'united' about this body that really rewrites the definition of the word "useless"!)!

The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is upset about the aggression of Israel against the poor innocent Hezbollah in Lebanon - or that's the way his message appears. The quiet-spoken and obviously naive UN head wants Israel to pull back and stop "terrorizing" Lebanon and the Hezbollah. Any mention of Hezbollah ceasing it's terror tactics against Israel? Nope - nary a word! Talk about having blinders on! (or is it a case of "UN stupidity'?)

If anyone exists who has not read a paper, watched TV or listened to a radio broadcast recently, the story is simply this: Israel is a small, successful nation of Jews surrounded by Arab countries (primarily Muslim) and bordered on the west by the Mediterranean sea. The Arab countries would all like to see Israel disappear once and for all! Over the years there have been skirmishes and wars with Israel involving Iran, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan - effectively every nation in the area. Not once has Israel actually "started" the action! Israel does not want additional land, they have all the sand they need. They are secure in their religious beliefs and are not concerned what religious beliefs their neighbours want to follow. They just want to be left alone, in peace, to pursue their economic and social goals - period! They have better things to do with their limited resources than maintain a large and expensive armed force!

On the other side, Muslims in general consider Israel as a state of Infidels. Radical Muslims see Israel as a threat?? and enemy who must be opposed, and Hezbollah (translation, "Party of God" - another misnomer) have adopted the total destruction of Israel as a primary part of their doctrine and 'religious' belief.

So - Hezbollah initiate raids and bombings into Israel, kidnap and murder Israelis - and no one in the Arab world blinks an eye. Israel finally "has had enough" and reacts to a kidnapping of soldiers with air raids into Lebanon to attack Hezbollah strongholds. Hezbollah, apparently from all accounts, was awaiting (and hoping for) this move and reacts by indiscriminately firing hundreds of uncontrolled rockets back into Israel - not aiming for military targets, but aiming for population centers - and the rockets are designed to kill and maim civilians - clearly weapons of terror! Israel then decides to create a "buffer zone" along the Israel/Lebanon border to make it difficult for Hezbolla to continue to fire these weapons. Clearly then, Hezbollah is the agressor and Israel is defending itself and taking steps to protect it's sovereignty and protect it's citizens.

But for the UN, Israel should accept and disregard these attacks by Hezbollah and should refrain from air raids and incursions into Lebanon. As I said - "stupidity" and a total lack of realism sponsored, primarily, by politically and religiously motivated member countries.

Part of the problem is that the UN in general and some sub-committees in particular have become disproportionately staffed by representatives from Muslim populated nations. The majority of emerging third world nations have a large muslim population and despite claims to the contrary, most muslims, even moderates, would not shed a tear if Israel ceased to exist! So these countries have naturally adopted an "anti-Israel" and "pro everyone else" stance. The United States, currently the "great evil" capitalist and imperialistic war mongering nation in the eyes of Islamic radicals, is an open supporter of Israel and supplies Israel with it's war machinery. So even those moderates who might even quietly sympathize with Israel's plight, cannot say much for fear of appearing "pro American"! Bottom line is that the UN is hevily biaised against Israel's interests and it shows every time an issue arises. On top of that, many western nations love an opportunity to take political advantage of situations like this, for their own aims. Iran and Syria supply Hezbollah with weapons - which originate in Russia and China. Russia and China do not want to disrupt this lucrative arms trade so they do not openly support Israel as they should. Other European nations depend on oil supplies from the middle east that might be impacted if they show open support for Israel - so they sit close-mouthed!

The UN Security Council is currently bogged down in a debate about a "Peace Plan" that will not really work. Hezbollah will never stop attempting to destroy Israel - as mentioned above, it is part of their belief. No treaty or agreement can stop them entirely - the only sure means of limiting their efforts is to make it hard for them to attack from a distance using rockets and missiles and to ensure this, Israel's military program is to control a buffer zone along the border! The UN is leaning towards letting Lebanon control this zone but that will not work! The Lebanese government is pro-Hezbollah and it's so-so military proven ineffective so the chances of them actually controlling Hezbollah within the buffer zone are slim to nonexistant!

Until someone, probably from within the Arab world, convinces Hezbollah and other radical muslin organizations to pull back, Israel will have to continue protecting itself in the only way history has proven effective - militarily! The "do-good'ers" and "tree huggers" may mean well but, as usual, they are naive and ineffective - and the UN is too "political" and biaised to really do anything constructive.

Oh, did I mention that the UN Human Rights Council is about to meet to 'investigate' (condemn) Israel's activities in the conflict? Apparently they will not criticize Hezbollah for it's obvious terror actions but will focus on Israel's activities. Lebanon's claims of huge numbers of casualties are fuelling this attitude of course. One problem is that Lebanese claims appear largely distorted - for example, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora claimed a raid on Houla killed around 40 civilians. The actual number turns out to be about "one", also at lease one Lebanese war photographer has been caught "enhancing" casualty photographs supplied to Reuters! The second problem is that the representation on the UN Human Rights Council is largely from Muslim countries - and their bias is indeed showing!

Where will it all end? Who knows, but rest assured, if Israel is pressed too much and if she ever reaches the state where her existance is truly in peril, she will take any step to protect herself and if she has to resort to using nuclear weapons to survive then she certainly will - she has nothing to lose at that point and the views of any other nation will not prevent her acting in her own defence. Israel has had the "Jericho" nuclear weapon for many years - and she has many of them as well as other limited yield nuclear weapons. So radical muslim and arab nations - be careful, be VERY careful, and tread softly.. that scorched earth and big hole in the ground could be YOU someday!
Most Political Parties are filled by basically honest members but include a few thieves!

The Liberal Party is filled by thieves but includes a few honest people!

Therein lies the difference!!

Occasionally a picture cartoon says it all!
This one certainly does!



cartoon - Ottawa Citizen - Tuesday May 23d 2006

CLICK for larger image

Am I the only one who thinks
the world has gone nuts?

Just a couple of news items that crossed my desk lately which made me stop and wonder 'what the heck is going on...?"

Firstly - and this was in the news last week - a fellow in Quebec was charged with bilking a religious order out of over sixteen million dollars. Apparently this fellow encouraged a relatively unknown order of nuns - the Sisters of Notre Dame du Bon Conseil, to invest in some bum hotel properties which went belly up, and he charged them a fee of one million dollars for this nefarious advice. My question has nothing to do with the crime or other allegations but more with wondering what the heck a small and insignificant group of nuns, pledged to a life and poverty who are supposedly trying to help out the impoverished, are doing with millions of dollars kicking around? They lost 16 millions - just wonder what the total amount of their cash "holdings" is? Add in obvious property values and you have a very money heavy group of women! Shouldn'y some of those millions be used to do what their "goal" suggests they be doing - helping out the poor?

Secondly - who is this 'nutbar' Dyan Adams, the so-called crusader for Francophone rights in Canada? The military will be receiving a new armoured vehicle - the "Stryker" - an 8 wheeled vehicle with a lot of armament that is going to be added to the arsenal of the Strathona Horse Regiment in Edmonton. This is a fully anglophone armoured regiment - I know as I served with them eons ago - and the military claims it will save millions of (taxpayers) dollars by initially accepting the new vehicles with english-only manuals. But NO, Dyan Adams is insistant that even though it is dubious if any francophone will ever work in these vehicles, the manuals must be bilingual! Another case of a pro-francophone zealot pushing to "francophon'ize" the country beyond reasonable and necessary levels??

Thirdly - Premier Putin of Russia has decided to invite the new (elected) Palistinian leaders - members of Hamas and acknowledged terrorism supporters determined to push Israel into the sea - to Moscow for a visit. In addition, he is insisting that they are not terrorists! Normally this would be an understandible move by the Russians if they were dealing with a wealthy nation - Russians love selling zillions of dollars worth of armaments to these countries - but this is not the case here! And, of course, guess who is also insisting that Hamas is not a terrorist outfit - France - those cheese eating, wine swilling surrender monkeys who are always on the lookout for some opportunity to grandstand or gain brownie points from anywhere!

Fourth - and finally - there is the upheaval in the radical muslim world over the Danish cartoons. What is with these people? Most muslims appear to go about their lives quietly with respect for other's values and religious views. So why are these radical nutbars in such a snit? Is it really because some cartoonist in Copenhagen created a graphic less-than complementary to Mohammed? I doubt it! That cause-celèbre is only the excuse or flash-point for the extremists to continue U.S. bashing! Sure they started out burning Danish flags, burning a few embassies and cars, the occasional killing here and there - you know, typical radical muslim radicalism at work ridding the world of infidels - but then true to style, here we go - reverting back to America-bashing! I would hate to be a peaceful muslin trying to lead a normal life - anywhere - with the image these crazies are imbedding in the minds of everyone - that has to be stressful! But then, wouldn't it be nice if all these peace loving followers of Islam would take the time to convince their Imams to speak out against the radical nutbars? Very few do, unfortunately, and one must wonder why not. Is it fear of reprisal, or is there some underlying feeling that any infidel or non-Islamic believer has reduced status and value so eradication could be a viable option. Hmmm... I hope not! (the original Danish cartoon issue was not really an issue until a Copenhagen Imam took the cartoons, added a few more to increase the inflammatory effect then sent them to a fellow Imam in Egypt who "started the ball rolling".) So who is really to blame? Ordinary Muslims who do not speak out or all these Imams who feel a justifiable Jihad is approaching or the lunatic fringe driven by the likes of the Al Queda gang bent on world Muslim domination. Fun times eh? There are simple answers of course, and it is not nice to think about putting all these radical nutbars in a room full of diseased birds....! Or is it!

 Exercise your right... be sure to VOTE on the 23d  

(this is taken from an actual letter sent by an Edmontonian.. purportedly written by a Torontonian before the last election)

I am a Canadian. One voter out of millions of Canadian voters. Paul Martin is no friend of mine. Liberal governments have not made my life any better. Liberal governments have made the future worse for my children. Jean Chretien of the Liberal Party became Prime Minister many years ago. Guess who was the Liberal Finance Minister .....Paul Martin...LEST WE FORGET.

Since 1993:
(1) My taxes have increased.
(2) My family's share of the national debt has increased.
(3) My personal expenses have increased.
(4) My waiting time to see a doctor has increased.
(5) My concerns for my family's safety have increased.
(6) My costs to educate my children have increased.
(7) Government interference in my life has increased.
(8) My personal debt has increased.
(9) My income has stayed more! or less the same.
(10) My savings have decreased.
(11) The buying power of my dollar, in Canada, has decreased.
(12) The value of my dollar, in the U.S., has decreased.
(13) My trust of elected officials has decreased.
(14) My trust in the justice system has decreased.
(15 )My trust in the immigration system has decreased.
(16) My hope that a Liberal won't waste my tax dollars has decreased.
(17 )My dreams for a better future for my kids, in Canada, have disappeared.

That is my story since the Liberals came to power. I am not voting for Paul Martin's Liberals. I am voting against Paul Martin and his Liberal Party in January. I am voting for Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. Do I like the Conservatives? Not particularly......I don't really like Politics. I am not political by nature. I am not passionate about politics. I am a middle age ! guy (48). I live in a small house on a fairly quiet street in Edmonton. I have a wife and two children. I have no pets. I am a middle class man. I don't usually say too much. Until now. Now I am going to say something!

In 35 of the past 37 years, Canada has been ruled by:
(1) Pierre Trudeau- a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(2) Brian Mulroney - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(3) Jean Chretien - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(4) And now we are going to vote for Paul Martin???? - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec???

The leader of the Conservative party, Stephen Harper, is:
(1) Not a lawyer.
(2) Not a multi-millionaire.
(3) And best of all.. NOT FROM QUEBEC!!!

Stephen Harper says that the Conservative party will:
(1) Reduce my taxes.
(2) Pay off the national debt as fast as they can.
(3) Shrink the size and influence of the federal government.

That's good enough for me. I'm going to give the Conservative party a chance with my vote. But wait! Paul Martin is now saying the same thing. My mother told me forty years ago: "Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - shame on me!" The Liberals have had 34 years to be financially responsible.Remember, Jean Chretien was Trudeau's Finance Minister. Remember also, Paul Martin was Jean Chretien's Finance Minister These people have been raising my taxes for thirty four years. They have been mis-spending my tax dollars for 34 years. 34years!!!! And now Paul Martin says he'll stop taxing and spending. No way!!

Thank you for reading my story so far! Why am I telling my story to you? Although I feel alone, I know that I am not alone. Your story may be similar to mine. And you may also feel alone. One small voter in the midst of millions of voters. What can you and I do together to change things? Here is my idea: Lets you and I join up together. Just you and I, Together. As a small team of two. How can you and I fight a huge political machine? You and I have two things that we can use:

(1) Our individual personal connections.
(2) The Internet.

The Internet is supposed to be this globalizing tool, right? Let's put it to use. I have 27 Canadians in my personal e-mail address book. I am sending this e-mail to each of them. I'm asking you to do two things:

(1) Forward this e-mail to every Canadian in your own address book.
(2) Vote against Paul Martin and the Liberal Party on January 23rd.

Vote for the Conservative candidate in your riding. I have probably written this e-mail too late. As I said I am not politically adroit. I feel like Peter Finch, in the1976 movie "Network", when he shouted: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Please, forward the e-mail RIGHT NOW!! I hope the Internet is as fast as some people claim it is. This may not work. This e-mail may "fizzle out" and go nowhere. But you and I will have tried, won't we have? My best wishes to you. My best wishes to Canadians everywhere.


Sometimes one picture
is worth a thousand words...
( Cartoons published in the Ottawa Citizen as noted )
(CLICK for larger view)

Ottawa Citizen - Friday January 6th 2006


Citizen - Friday December 30th 2005
& Caglecartoons.com

In light of the ever-increasing revelations about Liberal corruption and feelings of entitlement, and the increasing fortunes of Harper and the Conservatives, I was about to enter into a substantial "rant" about the "do's" and "dont's" to be considered on January 23d - until I saw the above cartoons in the Ottawa Citizen. What else can be said... the above cartoons spell it out quite clearly and save you, the reader, from an elongated diatripe!! I am an 'Ontar'ian" and I say to fellow Ontar'ians - let's "smarten up" and kick out the 'Corruption Party' and give Harper-et-al, a chance to prove their colours! Remember, old fears about Conservative "hidden agenda's" and "scarey Harper" originated where? ... from the "corrupt party" of course! Vote Conservative - it's time!! Enjoy!

" Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession.
I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
- Ronald Reagan , Former U.S. President

CHOOSE WISELY!

While vacationing on a ranch, Paul Martin gets thrown from his horse, lands on a rattlesnake, gets bitten and dies because the emergency room at the nearest hospital is too understaffed to treat him in time. So his soul arrives in Heaven and he is met by St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.

"Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a Liberal around these parts, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in; I'm a believer." says Martin.

"I'd like to just let you in, but I have orders from the Man Himself. He says you have to spend one day in Hell and one day in Heaven. Then you must choose where you'll live for eternity."

"But, I've already made up my mind, I want to be in Heaven," replied Martin".

I'm sorry, but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter escorts him to an elevator and he goes down, down, down, all the way to Hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a lush golf course; the sun is shining in a cloudless sky, the temperature a perfect 72 degrees. In the distance is a beautiful clubhouse. Standing in front of it is his Dad, and thousands of other Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats. Everyone laughing, happy, and casually but expensively dressed. They run to greet him, hug him, and reminisce about the good times they had getting rich at the expense of 'suckers and peasants.' They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and caviar.

The Devil himself comes up to Martin with a frosty drink, "Have a Margarita and relax, Paul!"

"Uh, I can't drink anymore, I took a pledge," says Martin, dejectedly.

"This is Hell, son. You can drink and eat all you want and not worry, and it just gets better from there!"

Martin takes the drink and finds himself liking the Devil, who he thinks is a really very friendly guy who tells funny jokes like himself, and pulls hilarious nasty pranks, kind of like they pulled on the GST and Free Trade promises. They are having such a great time that, before he realizes it, it's time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves as Martin steps on the elevator and heads upward.

When the elevator door reopens, he is in Heaven again and St. Peter is waiting for him. "Now it's time to visit Heaven," the old man says, opening the gate. So for 24 hours Martin is made to hang out with a bunch of honest, good-natured people who enjoy each other's company, talk about things other than money, and treat each other decently. Not a nasty prank or frat boy joke among them; no fancy country clubs and, while the food tastes great, it's not caviar or lobster. And these people are all poor, he doesn't see anybody he knows, and he isn't even treated like someone special!

"Whoa," he says uncomfortably to himself. "Pierre Trudeau never prepared me for this!"

The day done, St. Peter returns and says, "Well, you've spent a day in Hell and a day in Heaven. Now choose where you want to live for eternity."

With the 'Jeopardy' theme playing softly in the background, Martin reflects for a minute, then answers: "Well, I would never have thought I'd say this -- I mean, Heaven has been delightful and all -- but I really think I belong in Hell with my friends."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down, all the way to Hell. The doors of the elevator open and he is in the middle of a barren scorched earth covered with garbage and toxic industrial waste, kind of like Sudbury. He is horrified to see all of his friends, dressed in rags and chained together, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags. They are groaning and moaning in pain, faces and hands black with grime.

The Devil comes over to Martin and puts an arm around his shoulder.

"I don't understand," stammers a shocked Martin, "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a clubhouse and we ate lobster and caviar, drank booze. We lazed around and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and everybody looks miserable!"

The Devil looks at him, smiles slyly, and purrs, "Yesterday we were campaigning; today you voted for us!"

January 23'd - Exercise your right - VOTE!

Whether YOUR personal choice may be...

Block(head) Party - for Quebec separation...
Liberal Party - for corruption, arrogance & entitlement...
NDP - for corporate alienation & higher cost of living...
Conservative - for new blood and less Quebec influence on our lives...


GET OUT AND VOTE ON JANUARY 23d

When will the Tail stop Wagging the Dog?

Quebec, that controversial and occasionally irritating Canadian province, has a population of 7,568,600 (as of Jan 2005) - of which 1,568,000 are aboriginals, english speaking or third language speaking peoples. That means there are +/- 6,000,000 franco-Quebeckers. Canada's population is approaching 33,000,000 which means the franco-quebeckers amount to approximately 18% of Canada's population. Quebec is "the tail"... Canada is "the dog" and again, the "tail" continues to "wag the dog" - and that is the way the outgoing and disgraced Liberal government appears to like it! For example - there has been much criticism lately due to our "about-to-become-ex" Prime Minister ignoring the recent Commonwealth Conference and also his foreign affairs minister doing likewise! This disregard for the ancient anglo Commonwealth association in favour of increasing franco association is becoming quite disturbing. Are you aware that last year, only $30 millions was allocated to the Commonwealth organization while over $50 millions was devoted to the La Francophonie? Then there is the perpetually irritating bilingualism issue! Quebec's 6 million francophones, bolstered by another million+ francophones living outside of Quebec, have dictated that Canada's bilingualism policy extend everywhere, not just to areas where francophones reside in numbers! Pure overkill! This writer has no qualms about francophone concentrations having the ability to be serviced in their native language - contrary to what Quebec forces it's resident anglophones to endure. But's lets be reasonable - the policy is out of control... Quebec through it's plethora of disproportionate francophone representation in the federal government and bureaucracy, has, and continues, to force the french language down our throats! And the cycle is worsening! In the US there is a population of over 290,000,000 and of that number, 240,000,000 speak english as a mother tongue and almost 50 million speak another language including 4 million who speak french at home. This means that over 20% of the US population speak non-english, predominantly Spanish, yet not one single US state has an official bilingualism policy! US boxes of Kellogs Corn Flakes are in english only, not Spanish and English. Up here in Canada, the federal civil service has evolved to the point where most bureaucrats and mandarins are francophone due to the increasing pressure to be competent in french as well as english. Anglophones are under no "real" urgency to learn french because, simply stated, most people do not require that knowledge for day-to-day living! The world as a whole is gravitating towards useage of english - even the emerging giants of China and India. No one, but no one, is moving toward increased useage of french - with the exception of Canada that is! Even France had to begrudgingly accept the recent changes where the European Economic Union moved to english from french as the primary working language and NATO changed the Brussels Headquarters working langguage policy to english from french as well. The trend is clear - english is and is increasingly so, becoming the prime "working language" on earth! But not Canada!

In Canada there is no true "need" to learn french - the "need" pursued by our misguided federal government is strictly a political one in an effort to shore up the Quebec vote! The danger, as we are now experiencing, is that francophones have become so well esconced in the federal structure that they, in turn, through hiring practices they themselves create, are increasing the "need" to be francophone to get into the federal civil service so - ergo - the civil service becomes even more disproportionatly francophone - and so the spiral continues! The common argument is that anglophones merely need to learn french to join the public service. That is "BS" unfortunately! In a continent of 265,000,000 anglophones, the need for french is not there and accordingly the schooling system merely pays lip service to learning french. Even those dedicated civil servants, or civil service wanna-be's who attempt learning french, quickly find out that anglophones without a "proper" sounding french language pronounciation do not "make the grade" in many cases and even if hired, do not usually progress within the francophone ranks as they should! Many anglophones with public service aims are also discouraged and enraged by the pressures to learn french when the prime french concentration in Canada, namely Quebec, is blatently discriminating against anglophones in general and the english language in particular in that province!

So how do we stop the "tail" wagging "the dog"? It may already be underway and ironically, "thanks" to the Block(head) party! The number of Liberals who will be elected in Quebec in the upcoming national election will be much fewer thanks to the Gomery scandal. The number of conservatives who will be elected will be fewer - if any. So... whichever party, Liberals or Conservatives, form the next government, will be primarily non-francophone and the dependance on Quebec will reduce as the new government, likely a minority party, will be bolstered by the NDP to remain in office. Western isolationist views combined with Canadian voter disgust at Liberal corruption and "entitlement" policies, will pressure the government to start changing their focus and views - and this will invariably include attitudes towards Quebec and the whole bilingualism issue!

And of course... if Francophone Quebeckers choose to separate, then the whole bilingualism issue will slowly go away! Most Canadians consider Quebec a demanding and unreasonable entity whose influence in our day-to-day affairs is entirely disproportionate to their numbers and unwanted. If Quebec wants to separate, then the price will be harsh - not the "take all" attitude that most separatist empathizers think is the case! There are many, including this writer, who wish there was a way Quebec could temporarily separate - much like a marriage trial separation - where they would quickly learn that being on their own would result in the "french fact" facing disaster and oblivion. In the meantime, we have to tolerate Quebec in the expectation that the election results will produce a federal government less willing to tolerate Quebec tantrums and less willing to "kiss Quebec butt"! Hopefully they will "kick" it a bit more instead - it's time! Yes, it's time!


The Ant & The Grasshopper
- Canadian style!!

CLASSIC VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The shivering grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

THE END


THE CANADIAN VERSION: So true it's scary.

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others less fortunate, like him, are cold and starving.

The CBC shows up to provide live coverage of the shivering grasshopper; with cuts to a video of the ant in his comfortable warm home with a table laden with food.

Canadians are stunned that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so while others have plenty.

The NDP, the CAW and the Coalition Against Poverty demonstrate in front of the ant's house. The CBC, interrupting an Inuit cultural festival special from Nunavut with breaking news, broadcasts them singing "We Shall Overcome" .

Sven Robinson rants in an interview with Pamela Wallin that the ant has gotten rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his "fair share".

In response to polls, the Liberal Government drafts the Economic Equity and Grasshopper Anti-Discrimination Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant's taxes are reassessed, and he is also fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as helpers.

Without enough money to pay both the fine and his newly imposed retroactive taxes, the government confiscates his home.

The ant moves to the USA, and starts a successful agribiz company.

The CBC later shows the now fat grasshopper finishing up the last of the ant's food, though Spring is still months away, while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he hasn't bothered to maintain it.

Inadequate government funding is blamed, Roy Romanow is appointed to head a commission of enquiry that will cost $10,000,000.

The grasshopper is soon dead of a drug overdose, the Toronto Star blames it on the obvious failure of government to address the root causes of despair arising from social inequity.

The abandoned house is taken over by a gang of immigrant spiders, praised by the government for enriching Canada's multicultural diversity, who promptly set up a marijuana grow op and terrorize the community.

THE END

Thanks to an old classmate in NB for this one - no comments needed - the above says it all!!


... and now for something delightfully different!!!

Yours truly was about to delve into a 'rant' about yesterday's election of André Bosclair to chief honcho of the idiotic Quebec separatist party and the fact that we are about to get unindated with separatist drivel over the coming months, also, about how the Quebec police are spending more time running around checking for illegal "butter coloured" margarine than being too concerned about cocaine use and trafficking. (Boisclair's admission of past cocaine use barely raised an eyebrow in Quebec circles). Would you believe they have established a "Margarine Police" unit? Now they have "Margarine Police" as well as "Language Police" to entertain us! Wonder if the Margarine cops will have the same uniform as the goose-stepping Language cops - complete with leather jack boots, etc..

Back to my point... I was about to rant away about the above until a good friend sent the following. We tend to take our soldiers, sailors, air force and coast guard members far too much for granted these days. The following story has probably occurred many times and is well worth reading - we should NEVER forget those who helped give us the ability to live the lives we lead.


I sat in my seat of the Air Canada Boeing 767 flight waiting for everyone to hurry and stow their carry-ons and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long , uneventful flight home. With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking their time to stuff luggage far too big for the overhead and never paying much attention to holding up the growing line behind them, I simply shook my head knowing that this flight was not starting out very well.

I was anxious to get home to see my loved ones so I was focused on "my" issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get their act together. I knew I couldn't say a word so I just thumbed through the magazine from the seat pocket in front of me. You know it's really getting rough when you resort to the overpriced and useless sky mall crap to break the monotony. With everyone finally seated, we just sat there with the cabin door open and no one in any apparent hurry to get us going although we were well past the scheduled take off time.

No wonder the airline industry is in trouble I told myself. Just then, the attendant came on the intercom to inform us all that we were being delayed. The entire plane let out a collective groan. She resumed speaking to say "We are holding the aircraft for some very special people who are on their way to the plane and the delay shouldn't be more than 5 minutes. The word came after waiting six times as long as we were promised that "I" was finally going to be on my way home.

Why the hoopla over "these" folks? I was expecting some celebrity or sport figure to be the reason for the hold up.........Just get their butts in a seat and lets hit the gas I thought.

The attendant came back on the speaker to announce in a loud and excited voice that we were being joined by several Canadian Soldiers returning home from Afghanistan!!! Just as they walked on board, the entire plane erupted into applause. The men were a bit taken by surprise by the 340 people cheering for them as they searched for their seats. They were having their hands shook and touched by almost everyone who was within an arm's distance of them as they passed down the aisle. One elderly woman kissed the hand of one of the Soldiers as he passed by her.

The applause, whistles and cheering didn't stop for a long time. When we were finally airborne, "I" was not the only civilian checking his conscience as to the delays in "me" getting home, finding my easy chair, a cold beverage and the remote in my hand. These men had done for all of us and I had been complaining silently about "me" and "my" issues. I took for granted the everyday freedoms I enjoy and the conveniences of the Canadian way of life I took for granted! Others had paid the price for my ability to moan and complain about a few minutes delay to "me" those heroes going home to their loved ones.

I attempted to get my selfish outlook back in order and minutes before we landed I suggested to the attendant that she announce over the speaker a request for everyone to remain in their seats until our hero's were allowed to gather their things and be first off the plane. The cheer! s and applause continued until the last Soldier stepped off and we all rose to go about our too-often-taken-for-granted everyday freedoms......... I felt proud of them. I felt it was an honour and a privilege to be among the first to welcome them home and say 'Thank You' for a job well done. I vowed that I will never forget that flight nor the lesson learned.

I can't say it enough, 'THANK YOU' to those Veterans and active servicemen and women who may read this and a prayer for those who cannot because they are no longer with us.

GOD BLESS!! WELCOME HOME! AND THANKS FOR A JOB WELL DONE !!!!!


The Good... The Bad... and the somewhat Ugly!

The Good! Armistice Day, or more commonly known in the US, Veteran's Day. It was wonderful to follow the story of the 200 or so WW11 veterans who boarded the "Armistice Train" in Halifax which took them to Ottawa to attend the National Remembrance Day services. At every stop and along the way there was a continuous series of crowds and well-wishers who met at stations or waved as the train journeyed from the Maritimes to Ottawa. The number who took the time and made the effort to see the train and say "Thank You" to those wonderful men and women was heartwarming. Even more spectacular this year, was that a high percentage of those well-wishers were youngsters and teens. One of the greatest fears held by many is that time is eroding the memories of the 'dark days' - the late 30's and early 40's when almost 50 million humans lost their lives as a result of World War 2, and many younger people have little or no knowledge, or sadly, interest in that time. Seeing the younger set acknowledging our war heroes is magnificent to say the least! Also "Good" is seeing the Ottawa Citizen contain a section with photos and description of a large number of area veterans who served in both wars. Many readers, including this one, undoubtedly took the time to read over every single item and remember how much we "owe" - that is the least we can do as a sign of appreciation.

The Bad! Again, in this morning's Citizen, an article about our "about-to-become-an-ex" Prime Minister, Paul Martin's decision not to attend the Commonwealth Health of Government Conference being held in Malta. All Commonwealth heads of state including Britian's Tony Blair and Australia's John Howard will attend but our Prime Minister has plans to attend a local aboriginal meeting. No one is suggesting that meeting with aboriginal leaders is not important, we all know their lot in life is lacking and firm action is required - and soon, but the Commonwealth Conference is one Canada not only helped form, but has also attended continuously since 1971 for 34 years. Canada is sending a signal that it deems the Conference to have a somewhat useless or insignificant status. Not the best message at a time when the world is starting to look at Canada as less of a leader and more of a disorganized whiner! Smarten up Martin - the opposition parties have stated that they will not call an election before the holidays so relax and get back to work! Stop worrying about what misdeeds and cajoling are necessary to bolster your vote-getting possibilities! Do the job you and your cronies are well paid to do! The dynasty is over - I hope!

The Ugly! Once more, thanks to the Ottawa Citizen this morning, an article that should make every Canadian taxpayer turn red and every military veteran's stomach turn! It is well known that the Canadian Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) is simply stupid, bordering on incompetent with a good measure of meanness and uncaring thrown in. We are all aware of the recent battle by a veteran who served and who was refused a military pension for 44 years due to DVA making a mistake and not accepting that they did just that! This gentlemen, this soldier is well into his later years and I am sure that over the last 44 he could have used the monies that were rightfully his. He will be receiving a retroactive settlement of over $900,000 - to bad he did not have more time to enjoy the fruits of his efforts! I digress... The issue I started out to mention is that under the stewardship (or lack of it) of Belinda Stronach, DVA released figures showing that over the last 2 years, the DVA "Caregiver Program" designed to enable family members to care for terminally ill veterans, had run up a total expenditure of almost 70 Million dollars being the "administration cost" of managing a program which reluctantly doled out only $11 million to caregivers in the same period! And it's going to get worse of course! Costs will certainly rise and we are losing veterans at a high rate so payouts will decrease! That's $70,000,000 dollars to manage payouts of just $11 million! To make matters more distasteful. the DVA is apparently taking a "tough approach" to any claims being made and the number of unwarranted refusals for whatever reason are high! This is a department intended to serve veterans and is not designed to be a "profit-center" where claim refusal fattens the bottom line! Stronach, you may be cute but unless you smarten up your mean and money-grabbing little bureaucrats, you will be telling the world that you too are becoming just another useless and uncaring minister! Or have you already reached that point!


WoW! What a week...!!

OK, many readers have suggested that this writer tends to be a bit "anti-french'! Well.. just to clarify, No, I am not "anti French" persay, but experience has taught me two things about SOME Quebec francophones - one, francophone campers, generally, are loud, boisterous and rude and, two, Quebec politicians are (or are in the process of trying to be) unexcuseably corrupt!

The camping thing... I have addressed before and is based not only on personal experience and observation but also based on the opinion of "every single non-francophone camper I met over this past summer"! Now that's credibility unless mass hysteria has set in! On the Quebec politician and corruption suggestion? Hey! Ever heard of the Gomery Inquery? Jean Chretien was named as the responsible party, ten key Liberal party members were evicted from the Liberal party and the Quebec wing of the Liberal party had it's ability to independently raise funds taken away! Oh! Did I mention that all these people were Quebec politicians? This week there was also an interesting article in the Ottawa citizen, addressing the fact that Quebec, as a province (hopefully that may change soon...!) almost always disagreed with any major area of concern expressed by the rest of Canada. Let's go further... since so many Federal politicians and bureaucrats & their mandarins are francophone, they live in a state of fear (or at least extreme concern) that La Belle Province may separate. Accordingly, there is a tendency to cow-tow to Quebec wishes. The Citizen article gives some neat statistics - comparing English Canada's attitudes to Quebec's in areas of international economic dealings, military preparedness and international aid! In some instances, the disagreement gap in opinion polls was as high as 40%! Military-wise, it's the old situation... the majority of francophone Quebecers could care less about "overseas" concerns - it's a "Canada problem" - not theirs to worry about! International aid? With the exception of recent problems in Haiti, there is a huge gap in per-person average donations for the Tsunami relief and more recently, the Asian earthquake, between Francophone Queberers and the rest of Canada. Haiti was only well funded because of the large contingent of new Haitian french-speaking immigrants now residing in Montreal - over 300,000 now from what has been reported!

International trade? Quebeckers in general, and the separatist acedemic nut-bars in particular are still in "ostrich mode" with their heads sunk up to the neck in sand! The most recent "crusade of interest" is the possibility of a separate Quebec having it's own army! Now that's interesting.. a group of people who embrace pacificism and are renowned for their ability to turn tail and quickly run away from any aggression whatsoever are contemplating a military entity? WoW! Possibly they should forget this possibility and concentrate on something they would be very good at - may I suggest Olympic running? Their ability to 'run away fast' should make for many successes in this area!

This silly-but-dangerous group still thinks in terms of an independent Quebec using Canadian dollars as a currency, no repayment of any share of the National Debt (hey.. that's around $17,000 for every man, woman and child at this point), continuance of all economic relationships and dealings, and world acceptance of their silly lot! Now they would want Canada to "sell" them Quebec-based military institutions (or are they going to "take" them?? PLEASE do try that one!!) Nope! Ain't gonna happen! One day, Quebeckers in general are going to wake up to reality and it will become quite clear to them that their options are only three, namely (1) stop whining and saying "gimme gimme" all the time, and become a realistic working part of Canada, (2) try separating and have their standard of living drop so badly as to coin a new phrase "fourth-world country", or (3) end up being absorbed by the US where francophone culture will quickly disappear and they will lose their unilingual stop signs and have to put the dollar sign in front of currency on all signs and documents! (can you imagine what would happen if one small US state started demanding separate language, signeage and special considerations from Congress? It is to laugh!!

I like the idea of Quebec remaining in Canada provided the whining stop, we get a more representative federal government willing to address Canada's interests, not just Quebec's - and I can even put up with the bilingual Kelloggs Corn Flakes box. On the otherhand, if the whiners care to pull away (Hmmm.. possibly Greenland might want to take them - Whoops, Greenland is too smart for that) then I can live with reduced equalization payments, a higher Canadian dollar as a result, lower taxes from tremendous savings in the bureaucracy as a result of disbanding bilingualism and that most sacred of things - mental peace! I suspect that our newspapers might reduce in size without daily reportings on Quebec corruption and silliness (and of course whining) - great benefit for the tree-hugger set of course! Hey! Even without poutine, Canada will do well after a split! Being self-sufficient in gas and oil, we will even be able to sell to Quebec - at an increased price mind you! And please, no one bring up the James Bay hydro issue, Quebec's greatest natural hydro resource, or St Lawrence seaway control. Any separation of Quebec from Canada would also induce a similar succession of the Northern Cree nation from Quebec - (same game rules, world courts would allow the Cree same separation rights as allowed Quebec of course) and the Cree dislike Quebec with a vengence from all accounts! Their lands include the James Bay hydro projects. Quebec would lose it's hydro exporting revenues and have to purchase electricity from the Cree. Interesting, HuH? And if Quebec tried playing 'hard ball' or disrupting the St Lawrence seaway in any fashion, then we could sit back and watch the US crush Quebec, economically or physically!

OK - I'm getting tired from ranting... stay tuned... always more to come!


Canada has to STOP being "so nice" - to New Canadians!

This crossed my desk today. I have seen it dozens of times but having just recently returned from a camping trip where we encountered some "new Canadians" displaying disgusting habits at our campground and claiming "this was their way as toilets were not readily available in their home country"! This writer almost "lost it" and luckily the offenders were booted out of the park - so when the article arrived - originally included in a major Toronto newspaper the e-mail claimed - I decided to "share" it with anyone who wished to read it! This is not a racist commentary, nor is it against other cultures or races - merely a cry for Canadians to hold on to their culture.

Will we still be the Country of choice and still be 'Canad' if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries that came to live in Canada because it is the Country of Choice??????


Think about it!


All we have to say is, when will they do something about MY RIGHTS?

I celebrate Christmas but because it isn¹t celebrated by everyone we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it has to be Season¹s Greetings.

It¹s not Christmas vacation, it¹s Winter Break. Isn¹t it amazing how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday?

We¹ve gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone, that we are now being offended. But it seems that no one has a problem with that.

IMMIGRANTS, - NOT Canadians, SHOULD ADAPT.

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, We have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Canadians. However...... the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct! " crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration - let's face it, we need qualified immigrants to "grow" as the natural birth rate has become very low - nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Canada. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants.

However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of Canada being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Canadians we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This unique culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak mainly ENGLISH and to a smaller degree FRENCH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language.

So...., if you wish to become part of our society, please learn the language!

²We Stand On Guard For Thee²; is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan.. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women. based on Christian principles founded this nation..... and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home......... because God is part of our culture whether every citizen believes in him or not!

We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don¹t care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle.

But once you are done complaining....... whining...... and griping....... about our flag....... our pledge...... our national motto........or our way of life....I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other Great Canadian Freedom.......


THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.


"Why are politicians so ignorant???"


"Taxpayer?? You got "SCREWED!!"

Do you have Microsoft "PowerPoint" on your system?
If so, you will love THIS Slide Presentation.
(Download - 888kb)
As they say... a slide show can be worth a billion er.. thousand words

Quebec - a "Distinct Society"? - you Betcha !!

The Gomery Inquiry is starting to reveal some not-so-surprising results! Public reaction to the sordid revelations ranges from the polite "WoW!" , the more common "Despicable" to the most common "Scum!". If what we have seen so far is any indication of what is to come, it appears we are headed to an early Federal election, the result being an overwhelming acceptance and support for the Progressive Conservatives who will form the next government. I suspect that the public is aghast at the obvious epidemic of graft and corruption that has eaten into the Liberal political ranks, almost entirely within the Quebec wing as facts are disclosing! This writer has made no secret that he is firmly convinced that graft, corruption and malfeasance is second nature to Quebec based politicians, regardless of whether they are Federal, Provincial or Municipal "servants" (and that word is a laugh - "servants"? To themselves of course!). It really does not give me pleasure to see my suspicions being confirmed!! It is time, for the sake of maintaining Canada's good name and it's citizen's good sense of right-and-wrong, that corruption is removed from the political scene!

Which brings up another point! I recently participated in a friendly debate with a friend over the possible outcome of the Inquiry results as it impacts Quebec residents. There is an almost certainty that the Separatist and Nationalist entities in that province will gain from the Gomery revelations. Quebeckers especially are dismayed, no... disgusted, with what they are learning. Of course they do not blame the Quebec scoundrels involved, but rather the Federal system - this is the "Quebec way"! They are partially correct! Up until now, the Federal "system" (and I use that word loosely...) has focused on having a disproportionate Quebec representation in the upper levels of the "government" (another word used loosely!). Quebec, home of the majority of Francophones, represents about 20% of the Canadian population but due to instilled fears of "separation" and the "need" for universal bilingualism", the "Quebec fact" is represented within government to the tune of 50-60%. WoW! 20% of the nation are dictating to 80% of the population! And that 20% tend to produce politicians who accept and participate in graft and corruption - beyond the normal political "porkbellying", more in line with acts of skullduggery and downright illegality!

So... as the debate continued.. is there a threat of increased "separation" pressure arising in Quebec? Yes, of course. Quebeckers love to whine it seems - and when a "cause celèbre" rises - off we go!!! What is becoming apparent however, is that the threat of "Quebec succeeding from Canada" is no longer the issue - the issue is becoming increased Anglo thinking of "Canada separating from Quebec"! If you remove the Quebec politicians from federal government levels, will the corruption reduce? This writer suggests "You Betcha"! Can Canada survive without Quebec? Again - "You Betcha"!

Quebeckers tend to ne naive about the impact of separation. They see an amicable parting, sharing of Canadian currency, no impact on the National Debt, removal of everything "Canada" from their "nation", separate representation on the world scene, no disruption of economic ties and alliances and removal of the English language from day-to-day activities. As I suggested - Naive! In reality, Quebec will suffer dramatically! They will be financially burdened with having to accept their portion of the National Debt (current debt estimated at $600 Billions - Quebec share @ 20% = $120,000,000,000 - that's 120 Billion or per person, assuming Quebec's 7.5 million population reduces to about 7 million with Anglophone exodus and some returning of ex-Quebec Francophones living elsewhere, about $17,143 for every man, woman and child. Quite the debt! Then of course, Quebec receives almost 5 Billion dollars annually as a result of equalization payments - that would stop immediately! Quebec would no longer receive subsidized gas and oil and since they really do not have any independent sources, Quebeckers would experience a massive increase in home heating, vehicle fuel and industrial costs as a result! Quebec Bond ratings would drop into the toilet immediately as lenders would certainly wait to see what would happen before allowing any adjustments. Payments on the Quebec and major Quebec corporation debts would skyrocket! many imports to Qyuebec, presently subsidized by Federal funds, would return to "natural" levels and become more expensive. A Quebec currency, fragile at first, would hold little value and as a result, everything apart from locally produced and supplied profucts would become very expensive. Look at what happened in Cuba - previously on a US dollar base, the Cuban Peso is virtually worthless outside the country. The Quebec standard of living would decrease quickly, thereby accelerating a tendancy to "leave" - which creates a "catch 22" senario. As people leave, the burden on the remaining increases so more will leave etc.. etc... Down the spiral goes! Then, if all that were not bad enough, the Aboriginal Cree Nation would certainly want to be part of Canada, not Quebec, and a case presented to the World Court would undoubtedly allow their wish to be granted. Quebec's physical territory would reduce and even worse, they would lose the Hudson Bay watershed and the Churchill Falls hydro complex - adding to their woes as there goes the bulk of their low-cost electricity, again negatively impacting industry. Not a nice scene - but this is reality! No, Canadians, this writer included, would certainly not accept and "amicable" separation formula that did not contain adjustments for all the points mentioned above! Once Quebeckers start to accept these realities then they will cease any more mention of the "S" word. Hopefully this will happen before the rest of Canada starts to think about kicking Quebec out of the fold - and thanks to the Gomery Inquiry, that could start to happen shortly! Stay tuned... news at 11, 12, 1 etc...


'Sponsorshipgate' - why am I NOT surprised.....?

The Gomery Inquiry - we have all seen the news items... Chretien's feeble attempts to shut it down and to have the Judge removed due to an alleged bias so any involvement in the debacle by himself will not be discovered, along with his attempts to demean the reputation of Judge Gomery through his golf-ball antics! The whole process is costing a lot of taxpayer dollars and it will take a lot more! The hue-and-cry is starting with many questioning if the whole process is worth the cost! That is what the negatively-involved parties want, people! The politicians, advertising executives, beaureaucrats and crown corporation types involved in this whole debacle would like the matter to disappear and public pressure over escalating costs could cause that to happen! THE ENQUIRY MUST GO ON! This continued fraud perpetrated on the Canadian public by Quebec based politicians simply has to stop! It's bad enough that many Quebecers have developed the tactic of whining and "gimme-gimme" to a fine art in persuading the uneasy Federal Government to cater to their whims - all in the fear of alienating the province - but to go that next step - illegally "screwing" Canadians out of their hard earned tax dollars by fraudulent scams and schemes is totally unacceptable!

The latest?? Jean Lafleur (a good anglo name, right?) - president of a Quebec based advertising company, while under investigation at the Gomery Inquery, has suffered an almost total loss of memory regarding anything that involves Federal funds being given to his company! This poor fellow - a high ranking executive who must have 'something on the ball' to attain such a position - appears to have developed an unfortunate lack of remembering! What a crock of Bovine Scat!! To make matters worse, apparently his office "encouraged" employees to make donations to the local Liberal Party MP - up to $1,000 each, and then reimbursed the employee for these "donations"! ("Encouraged" sounds like "... do you like working here..." to me!) This circumvents Federal donation policy as 'hidden' donations are illegal of course! Hmmm... could these "hidden" donations totalling $10,000 plus the $50,000 donated by Lafleur's and his own company, be some form of "payback" to the Liberals as a "thank you" for the lucrative ad contracts that came their way? Hopefully Judge Gomery will discover the truth! Mind you... no one will be surprised if these allegations are proven, will we? Unfortunately, it is just another nail in the renown 'Quebec prophensity for fraud and corruption' coffin - or as most non-francophones like to say "it's the Quebec way"! When will all this stop - Argggggg......!!! All of this makes the concept of "Quebec Separation" quite appealing to many anglo Canadians, this writer included!


 Silly tid-bits from this morning's paper...  
( Ottawa Citizen - Thursday January 19 2005 )

In Britian, authorities have discovered a novel way of countering cocaine use in public toilets. Coke users have been using toilet seats to make 'lines' of cocaine - the flat smooth surface has been ideal for their needs. The police stumbled upon the fact that the good old 'fixer of everything'- WD-40 oil, when sprayed over the toilet seats in advance, turns cocaine into a gooey mess, and totally unuseable. Good for cocaine dealers... bad for coke-heads.

The good old conservative extremists in the southern USA have taken up a new cause - Sponge Bob Square Pants. For those of you who are in the dark as to who 'Bob' is... he is a friendly children's cartoon character who lives at the bottom of the ocean with friends. It is the friends that are concerning the religious zealots. Apparently, Sponge Bob Square Pants has a friend, a pet snail named Gary and (aw my god...) have been seen holding hands. To make matters worse, 'Bob' and 'Gary' like to sit down together and watch television, their favourite program being "The adventures of mermaid man and barnicle boy'! And as a further indication that these are all gay traits, Sponge Bob Square Pants has been seen in the company of that purple icon 'Barney' and 'Jimmy Neutron' two other children's cartoon characters! I guess groups like 'The American Family Association" and "Focus on the Family", both 'Dubya' Bush-loving Republican extremists are going to have a cardiac attack when they discover that ordinary guys like frequenting bars on a saturday night to watch hockey or football - now what can be more 'gay' than that?? Thank God those idiots are way down south in the southern US - hope they stay there!!

In Australia, the government is a little embarrassed over an incident where they sent a scolarship cheque to a boy's mother addressed to "Mrs. Passed Away" - 15 months after her husband died. Needless to say she was not pleased.

A Toronto Doctor is in deep Kaka-poo after he placed a photo of himself and a young prostitute engaging in oral sex, on the web. He found it hard to understand why the medical association decided to lift his license and why the young lady, whom he had hired as a medical assistant at the local hospital, was let go!

Sometimes newspapers are worth reading......


 Pension Income in Canada [mind blowing]  

( From the Toronto Star, 18 April 2004 )

I found it interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890.00 and each can also get an additional $580.00 in social assistance for a total of $2,470.00. This compares very well to a single pensioner who after contributing to the growth and development of Canada for 40 to 50 years can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012.00 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.

Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!

Lets send this to all Canadians, so we can all be pissed off and maybe we can get the refugees cut back to $1,012.00 and the pensioners up to $2 470.00 and enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the Government over the last 40 or 50 years.

(Ed Note: this is not a criticism or negative comment about refugees in any way - our country depends on an immigration influx to maintain population growth - BUT - this is certainly a criticism of our too-often stupid and not-thought-out government policies and applications. Feel free to send a copy of this to your local MPP who, if possible, might take time out from self-serving interests, to actually read it. Don't expect any results however - they are too busy spending YOUR money on boondoggles. submarines and gun registry related items to actually care what pensioners think! Shame!!!     
PS.. since this article appeared, we understand that the Toronto Star published a follow-up article revising some of it's figures. We have not seen that revision so are unaware of the impact of the revisions which may change the apparent benefit to immigrants however surely it will not change my opinion that our federal government takes the word "incompetence" to a newly defined level! <;^)-


NOW if you want to SHARE this information with your local MP - go to this WEB PAGE on the Govt. of Canada web site which will provide his/her e-mail address - just 'cut and paste' this article (printable copy below) and e-mail it off to them with any comments you might wish to provide (no swearing please!) Ask them for their comments and 'demand' a reply! Should be 'fun' - No?
)
(for a printable copy of the article - CLICK HERE
When will all the arrogance and stupidity stop?

OK! It's been a while... good Christmas and no hangover's at New Years so... time for another 'Rant'!
Canadian apathy has once again been taken advantage of... the folks in Clarence-Rockland, a small community east of Ottawa (in ONTARIO, you know... ENGLISH CANADA) have decided that the french language is under attack and accordingly, have 'marshalled the forces' and passed a municipal by-law esconcing the french language by requiring new businesses to display french on business signs. What is worse, they have followed the lead of those poutine-munching. wine swilling idiots in Kebec, and have created a "Language Police" (Gestapo de la lange français), charged with the responsibility of enforcing this new absurd and totally unnecessary regulation. Other area communities with a high francophone resident population have reacted negatively, stating that their communities do not need this type of gestapo control as anglo and francophone citizens do tend to get along quite harmoniously. But the Clarence-Rockland french crowd feel it is their god-given right to join the whiners who reside across the river (Kebec) and start moaning about their diminishing quality of life (ie: reducing importance of the french language in their lives). How does the old adage go?? "you can take them out of Kebec but you can't take Kebec out of them??". Kebec supresses the use of English - that's bad... but for Ontario resident francophones expecting Ontario to promote the use of french ... that's worse! Grow up people... you are only going to make matters worse and do harm to your previously harmonious community. If you do not like living in an anglo environment, then please drive back across the river to the 'Great Independent Nation of Kebec' (HaH! - bunch of losers!) and ...... stay there!

Just another tid-bit... we have all done our bit to help out the Tsunami disaster relief situation, making donations and supplying relief materials or just helping out in one way or another. Canada 'cares' and that attitude will never cease. We have all seen those terrible photos of the disaster and the horrible impact on the local population. We have all heard stories of courageous acts and the dedication of foreign embassy staff as they do what they can to help out foreign nationals visiting the area who were caught up in the disaster and often left with nothing but the clothes on their back. Canada's Sri-Lanka and Indonesian embassies acted commendably! But not in the eyes of one french-canadian from (guess where??) Kebec, who was not only annoyed about having to wait while the Canadian Embassy clerk assisted a couple in front of him who were standing dressed in only bathing suits, their total belongings after the disaster, and in bare feet - sans 'flip-flops' yet! How dare they take so long!! Not only did he complain about having to wait, but on reaching the counter, he felt it was his god-given right to complain that he was not being served in 'la langue français' - in Thailand no less! It is this type of individual and this type of attitude that makes most English Canadians look down upon Kebec francophones and consider them idiots and whining losers and, quite frankly, wish they would take their sub-culture province, float it away somewhere and separate out on their own, Franc's, poutine, patates frites and all! Reasonable and understanding francophones willing to live in a bicultural atmosphere not intent on shoving french down everyone's throats are most welcome to stay but french separatistes and radical francophones - please (a 'takeoff' on Winston Churchill's famous expression) "KBO" (restated as 'Kindly Bugger Off)! 'Nuff said!!
Russia's Magnificent Snow & Ice Festival

I appreciate that this is a "satire" page and the purpose of the site is to allow me to rant and rave about silly, wierd or downright stupid things or acts, but every once and a while, something comes along that is worth taking the time to stop and take a look at. Here is a web site ( home.ripway.com/2004-7/151132/ice/russia.htm)that boggles the mind. For all of you out there for whom winter is an ordeal, take a look at what magical wonders can be weaved with the help of ice and snow - absolutely beautiful! The degree of art and absolute patience in creating such winter wonderland marvels is fantastic! And as the site states, it really does make you think about travelling over to Russia to see this first hand. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Merry Christmas everyone!
FRANCOPHONES, THEY ARE "DIFFERENT"
- BUT ONLY SOME ARE COWARDS!

** Some historians have suggested that by 1939, Canada's French Canadian Forces still felt slighted from measures that were taken in the First World War. In 1914, the Canadian military temporarily undertook a policy that reorganized traditional French Canadian battalions, and which prevented francophone volunteers from serving in separate regiments abroad as they were amalgamated into national battalions. This policy was soon abandoned because of the tremendous resentment that it created, but not soon enough. By 1917, when Canadians were forced to adopt conscription regulations, huge numbers of French Canadian men who were drafted chose to ignore their orders and simply disappeared ** - establishing in the minds of many anglo Canadians and other nations alike, the suspicion that the French were a cowardly lot, prone to run rather than fight for their country. (the most common retort to this image is to claim that Canada was not really their country as they were Quebeckers first - to this I say "Bull feces"!) NOTE: I can confirm this tendancy for francophones to run, first hand - from the stories my Father told me about the early days of WW11 when, after volunteering, many francophones, following training completion, decided to reverse their decision and attempt to run away. My Father and soldiers under his command were given the responsibility of troop embarkation from Sorel across from Montreal, and were issued orders to "shoot" any soldier who tried to run. There was more than one instance when this unfortunate event took place. In time of war, in the military, there is no room for cowardice - it has to be that way! At the time, Canadian leaders felt that they were dangerously close to a French demand for separation (so what's new??). In 1939, Prime Minister Mackenzie King was still quite sensitive to this issue. He knew that conscription for foreign service was not an option, and to encourage French Canadians to volunteer, (and most Canadians are not aware of this) he delayed the Canadian declaration of war to emphasize that Canada was joining the effort autonomously, and not just because of England's request. (ref: Six Army's in Normandy, John Keegan. pgs.118-120) ((** some of this material gleaned from articles discovered on the web))

A little (web) research has confirmed that more than 71 per cent of people in Quebec voted against the conscription, while 80 percent of those living outside Quebec voted for it. It is estimated that in excess of 80 per cent of Quebecois and other French-speaking people outside Quebec voted against conscription. To this writer, that says a lot about the character of the beast!

Ironically, I started writing this rant and lo-and-behold, in this morning's (Thurs, Nov 10) Citizen, there appeared an article on page 1, by Randy Boswell, entitled "Canada was too eager to fight Nazis, 24% of Quebecers say"! Apparently in a poll of 2.027 Canadians conducted by Environics, respondents from Quebec were about three times as likely to say that Canada showed too much support for the war effort against Nazi Germany and it's allies. Hard to believe, right? I guess that somehow, Nazi atrocities, you know... the internment and death camps, genocide issues, master race ideology etc.. did not appear to be "a problem" to these ill informed idiots! I have often wondered why the French, whether from France, a "colony" or elsewhere, have been tagged with the behaviourism of being cowardly. Possibly it is just an inherent quality that has been passed down from generation to generation? Who knows - and "quite frankly Scarlet", who gives a damn! Just that if you must rely on someone to help in a time of crisis and the person you are looking at is a Quebecker, better to think again, in my opinion!

In another question posed by Environics, "in the event that another world war breaks out, which of the following do you believe will be the main cause?" The options were (a) middle eastern terrorism, (b) American foreign policy (c) the growth of an asian superpower or (d) third world poverty. 42% of Quebec respondents chose option (b) American foreign policy, whilst all other regions ranked terrorism as the likliest cause!

I do not know about you but all this tells me that many Quebeckers have their heads screwed on wrong or else their heads are deeply buried in the sand (or they have gorged on too much poutine lately!) Now before I receive a ton of blistering e-mail complaints, I would like to make something clear... I am not anti-francophone! Militarily, some of the bravest Canadians were francophones, whether from Quebec or elsewhere across Canada. The Royal 22nd Regiment - the famous Van-Doos, have a list of battle honours that can match any other Canadian regiment's claim to fame. These were brave Canadians and many of them rest peacefully in gravesites around the world, in France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Korea and elsewhere. Their names should be respected and remembered. In the civilian world, there have been many francophones who have spent their lives as good dedicated Canadians, doing "their bit" for the nation and humanity as a whole. These people I respect and I would happily go out of my way to help or support in any situation. But then there are the "extreme nationalists" or "separatists"! This ugly and misinformed lot, quite frankly, do not give a damn about anything or anybody other than their own self-centered causes. (ie.. the recent debacle involving a Quebec 'Blockhead' who refused to supply Legion members with a Canadian flag for their Remembrance day ceremonies). This sorry bevy of whiners live in an 18th century dreamland where France, the "mother country" was a world power and "important". They still adhere to the illusion that the French language is also 'important' and that English, the language of the world business community, is or should be a dying means of communication. Talk about avoiding reality! I have a description of Quebec separatists that brings a chuckle to listeners every time it is expressed... "many francophones are a bunch of wine swilling, poutine gobbling, cheese eating yellow-bellied and cowardly surrender monkeys who would rather run away than fight for any worthwhile cause"! So tomorrow, Remembrance day, as we attend ceremonies or just bow our heads in remembrance of those who gave their all so we may have a life of freedom, do thank the heroes, regardless of nationality or language, both passed on and those still here, but also reserve some contempt and disgust for the Quebec cowards who chose to run and hide rather than do the right thing for their country! They have to live with their own shame but it does not hurt to "dig the knife in a bit further" and not let them forget and hopefully, as their automobile license plates attest "Je me souviens" - they will remember their shortcomings!
Politicians - Oink??

November 5th, 2004 - I haven't really ranted that much lately - storing it up I guess - but after wading through the newspapers and television news for the last three days, the time has come! We all know that now we are faced with another four years of "DuByA'iSm" - four more years of hisself charging off somewhere to smite everyone and everything who does not adhere to his christian sense of whatever! Iran - take note! North Korea, better pay your troops - they may be needed soon! Canadian beef farmers & west coast lumber people - best keep up the efforts to find alternative markets, as the "Champion of the World" with banners flying and rallying of the masses under the cry of "God, Guns and Gays" is off and running to save mankind! My question, of course, is who can we count on to save us from Dubya?? Help!!!

On the topic of politicians, here is a question for you! I have often wondered why politicians are usually stricken with the "Me Me" virus. You know, that nasty bug that turns normally decent people into self-serving, constituent-ignoring, money wasting, arrogant and blood-sucking politicians - all in the name of 'democracy'! Did I also mention "at times stupid"?? I must be old fashioned - REALLY old fashioned, as I was brought up under the (misconception) that politicians were supposed to represent the values and desires of their constituents? Supposedly, when you vote for a representative, whether municipal, provincial or federal, or even for the local soccer team, you vote for the person(s) whom you feel will do the best job based on what you think is required or beneficial for that "cause"! Alas, once the "X" ink is dry on your vote, you have added to the impending epidemic (pandemic?) where your candidate, if successful, becomes a prime target for the "Me Me" virus to attack! Once in office, what YOU wanted no longer counts! Your values? Forget it! Your interpretation of what needs to be done? Who are YOU kidding - YOU are not smart ernough to realize what REALLY needs to be done! "They" know better (on your behalf of course)! "You are not a politician so you do not know" appears to be the elected official credo! OUCH!! Canadians want a beefed-up military but the politicians keep on cutting finances and making stupid "on the cheap" decisions! (Hey! If they gave the military what it needs, there may not be enough left over to pay for their hefty salary and expense increases!). Canadians want their valued socialized medical system repaired - the politicians wriggle and worm around on this one, promising this and that but what really happens? Not much! Canadians may not like the Bush administration but it is not going to go away for at least four years so best learn to live with it - for now. So what do some politicians do? Open their ignorant mouths and spout off for the sole purpose of getting press or air time! (Parrish - take note!). Think about the Ontario Provincial government for a moment - the best example of politicians doing everything possible to counter what the voting public really wants, and in contradiction of what was "promised" during the election process! ("ay, there's the rub" - Shakespeare). I wonder if we would have had Chretien then Martin as Prime Ministers had their election campaign promises included; wasting over a billion dollars on an ineffective and unwarranted gun registry and also another billion on the HRDC scandal; wasting public funds in the Quebec promotion scandal, then further wasting of money in an expensive "investigation" that will be short-shifted on to a back shelf somewhere in time; being "cheap" and not purchasing proper equipment for the military (submarines, Iltis jeeps etc - but Chretien somehow found the money for his unnecessary Challenger jets, right?); embarassing Canadians by letting our prestige and honour droop on the world stage through not "pulling our weight" in the UN or NATO, NORAD etc.; pushing "bilingualism" down the throats of Canadians where totally unnecessary {to appease Quebec of course, that bastion of bilingualism where the local (I hesitate to say "provincial") government mandates french language unilingualism}. Talk about the "tail wagging the dog"!
On the topic of bilingualism, Dyane Adams, "furher" of the federal language gestapo, er... sorry, police, goes out of her way to impress upon everyone, the need to have all Canadians become bilingual (which really means anglophones learning french - francophones in Quebec get a "bye" on this one!) As this policy continues, more and more francophones will gain power in Ottawa to the detriment of anglophone wishes and rights! What's next? The Canadian national anthem being written to include the words "Je Me Souviens" (translation: we lost the battle and war with the silly english but won everything in the end") or the Canadian maple leaf flag having a 'fleur de lys' added? What's next... the 'national' food becoming "poutine"??

My views are well known - Quebec separatists - please pay up your debt to Canada and leave - go "elsewhere" with your ignorance and pettiness! We really can well get along without you - honest! French is a dying language... note the recent turmoil and desperation in France where government officials are anguished over the demise of the language in favour of English as the world's language of choice, especially in business! Even France's ministers are "secretly" learning english, much to the dismay of 'Emperor' Jacques Chirac! (someone.. please inform him that the French Empire is no longer around!). Quebec still thinks the "Blue Plague" should spread - time will ultimately prove them all wrong - thankfully! But in the meantime we have to put up with the arrogance, ignorance and often rudeness - and being Canadians, we tend to do just that - not wanting to upset anyone of course! Now if only a certain "Blockhead" MP from Quebec would do the right thing and provide Legion veterans with a Canadian Flag as requested - then that would be a step in the right direction! Who am I kidding - Fat Chance of that!

One final comment - say what we might about George Dubya Bush and his cronies, they would not tolerate a small insignificant section of the USA trying to cram their idiosyncracies down everyone else's throat like Kebec is trying (and being allowed) to do here. They would "crush" the situation, quickly - and for that I give my admiration! Dyane Adams et al... get a Real job - stop trying to push unneeded and unwarranted "francophon'ism" down our throats - for a change, start to appreciate the realities of the matter, "S... or get off the Pot" - and if necessary, take up the cause of our "real" forefathers - native aboriginal Canadians who are in dire straits thanks to our uncaring and ineffective bureaucracy and politicians who care about nothing else than becoming re-elected and keeping their "fat" public paid jobs! They too have a 'credo'.. "Our spot at the public financed feeding trough must be preserved. *Snort*."

I warned/promised you - it would be a "catch up" rant - I believe I delivered!!
Aw M'Gosh... Dubya or Kerry - who to choose??

Summer's over, camping's over - I'm back so more 'ranting' - Sorry about that!! But here goes...

One of the best reasons for being a Canadian and not an American is that we do not have to be serious about the upcoming US election for President. No offense, south-of-the-border friends, just that our political system is 'different'! Not necessarily better at times - we, as you, have our share of idiots and demigods strolling through the halls of gouvernment ('government' to you US folks) and as is their nature, they do 'stuff' that varies from dumb to plain stupid - with the occasional good deed! But as far as the US election is concerned, I would hate to have to make a decision about placing an "X" beside the name of either Dubya or Kerry. There are so many opinions about each.. and the US press and 'spindoctors' certainly paint each one as ogres or saint - depending which 'camp' is speaking or which of the biased press services is reporting!

As a Canadian, my opinion would normally be swayed by each candidates views on what will be done - or not done - regarding us northern folk on this side of the border. Dubya and his cronies want us to get involved in his "Star Wars" (by whatever name) missile program - but that is an expensive and somewhat useless (redundant) program. Last time I looked, the terrorist set really had no ICBM's that would warrant a missile defence shield of that magnitude! Possible suitcase 'nukes, in the hands of terrorists courtesy of the old USSR - well that's a different problem - and has more danger attached - and about which a Star Wars defence program would do absolutely nothing! On the other side, Kerry appears to be "protectionist" and would start 'closing the border' to Canadian goods and services. The US is our largest trading partner and although Canada is slowly finding other markets, that market is a necessity to our economic wellbeing. Kerry actually signed on to a motion to permanently close the trade border to Canadian beef - citing the "mad cow" issue as a reason! Bull DooDoo! The Mad Cow (BSA) disease is not the issue - never has been - the true issue is the US Farm Lobby Group which is having a great time now since they have been able to increase their market penetration and increase prices to US consumers as a result of the boycott! Farm Lobby Group 1, US Consumers zero!! In a similar situation, the US western lumber and paper production lobbies have continued to have prohibitive trade taxes levied against Canadian wood exporters even though the World Courts have decreed this an unfair trade practice. It's the old story, the US wants everyone to play by their rules which they themselves can change at will!!

I digress!! Back to the US election. Unless you are a US card-carrying and fanatical Republican who would rather die than not vote for your Party, I would strongly suggest seeing Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" which raises some really disturbing questions about Bush's stewardship of the great ship USA! He questions the Saudi Arabian - Bush family connection and blatently suggests that big money and overseas interests play a big role in formulating US international policy!

On a lighter note, there are some humourous (humorous) sources of US political information. There is a mix of humour and a couple of serious items to ponder! - The first one "Pentagon Strike" is scarey!! Remember, this is a "satire" site so "keep your cool"!!
Pentagon Strike - www.freedomunderground.org/memoryhole/pentagon.php#Main
Political Bohemian Rhapsody - www.kontraband.com/show.asp?ID=1647
It's good to be in DC - www.kontraband.com/show.asp?ID=1632
This Land Is My Land- http://www.kontraband.com/show/show.asp?ID=1645&NEXTID=0&PREVID=1647&DISPLAYORDER=20041015114022&CAT=anims&NSFW=
Top 40 lies about terrorism - www.commondreams.org/views03/0730-06.htm
Dishonest Dubya - www.kaicurryservices.com/peacecandy/gwbush/dishonestdubya/
My pet goat - www.kaicurryservices.com/peacecandy/gwbush/mypetgoat.html
Political spoof with Ferrell - www.kaicurryservices.com/peacecandy/gwbush/ferrell.html
Vote For Bush - http://www.kontraband.com/show/show.asp?ID=1564&NEXTID=0&PREVID=1568&DISPLAYORDER=20040903213741&CAT=anims&NSFW=
America's favourite contractor - Halliburton - www.markfiore.com/animation/favorite.html
Skull & Bones (audio) - www.prisonplanet.tv/audio/091204skullandbones.mp3
Font Politics - www.markfiore.com/animation/fontpol.html
Whiner take all! - www.markfiore.com/animation/quit.html
Remind us.. - www.kaicurryservices.com/peacecandy/gwbush/remindus/index.html
US Electoral Vote Predictor - www.electoral-vote.com/
Kooks of Hazzard - www.flowgo.com/funpages/view.cfm/5814
Kerry's 'Flash Dance' - www.flowgo.com/funpages/view.cfm/4267
No where to go Bin Laden - www.flowgo.com/funpages/view.cfm/4647
The BIG debate - www.flowgo.com/funpages/view.cfm/5946
Monkey or Munster? - www.flowgo.com/funpages/view.cfm/2676
June 6th 2004 - 60th D-Day Anniversary
(CLICK HERE for a copy of the Ottawa Citizen front page June 6th 1944 {332Kb file})

Why cannot politicians put aside their political will and greed and appreciate things for what they really are?? I just finished watching the Normandy D-Day events held in France. Firstly, and I know I am going to irritate some with this one... why was Germany represented at the ceremonies?? I appreciate that some will argue that past is past and we should forgive and forget, but one should always be careful and remember the famous quotation by George Santayana "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it" - the world did not learn much of a lesson from WW1 hence WW11. The total number of deaths in WW11 exceeded 61 million, over 25,000,000 in the soviet union alone! To place things in perspective, this amounts to almost double the current population of Canada. Many of these deaths were the result of atrocities at the hands of Nazis, primarily the Gestapo and infamous SS. Forgive?? It is really hard, especially for the families of those whose members had or have numbers tatooed on their arms. Forget?? Never! Germany's representation at the ceremonies was an affront to those brave souls who fought the Nazi scourge. Yes, there are some who will say that it was the Nazis who committed the horrible deeds, not ordinary Germans. It is surprising to hear that before and in the early stages of the war, everyone in Germany was a Nazi at heart but following the war, no one was or had been a Nazi - in fact it was hard to find anyone who had ever known a Nazi!! Convenient! I was priviliged to know a brave officer, no longer with us, - a fighter pilot who participated in the liberation of one of the Nazi death camps and who also worked in Germany until the late 1980's. His stories of denial among German citizens following the war and into the present were enough to make anyone's hair stand on end!

Then there was France! Firstly, and for the record, many French men and women acted gallantly during the war and many of them gave the ultimate sacrifice! These people should be honoured and never forgotten. But the vast majority of the French population do not deserve such respect. Their support, in fact "insistance" on the creation of the Vichy "pro Nazi" government actually collaborated with the Nazis! At today's ceremonies, and no one should be surprised at this, it was definitely a "French Show" - with the glorification of all things French being placed front-and-center ahead of the meaning of the whole remembrance ceremony! I was personally surprised that when the Naval guns started booming away at the ceremonies start up, that all the French spectators did not jump up and run away! Old habits tend to die slowly! Jacques Chirac spouted the glories of Charles de Gaulle who actually scuttled many of the Allied plans regarding the Normandy campaign and was probably the most arrogant and uncooperative S.O.B. during the invasion. Allied requests for him to broadcast a message to the French population prior to the invasion were refused because the plans called for his address to be made AFTER those of Ike Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander! De Gaulle's pompous and egotistical character got in the way - again! De Gaulle was finally appeased as he was "allowed" to lead the liberation parade into Paris. The Brit's Montgomery was quite pompous and quite a pain but he got some things done! Degaulle was pompous and got nothing done! 'Nuff said!

It was nice that the French Government awarded the Legion D'Honneur - France's top military award, to representatives from the Allied nations. It was appropriate and very the least they could do. Now, on the political scene, if they would only stop trying to attain their so-called "destiny" of being a significant world power (a hangover from the days of Napoleon) and play a more cooperative role on the modern global stage, then possibly the world may become a better - and safer - place to live in.

To those brave veterans still with us and those no longer with us - Thank you!
THE ROBIN WILLIAMS PEACE PLAN

This may very well be the best thought out item we have read since 9/11/01. Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan ... what we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message.

I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan.

1. The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, Noriega, Milosovich and the rest of those good ol' boys: We will never "interfere" again.

2. We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany, South Korea and the Philippines. They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one sneaking through holes in the fence.

3. All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of who or where they are. France would welcome them.

4. All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit. No one from a terrorist nation would be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.

5. No "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" (for "deport") and it's back home baby.

6. The US and Canada will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing non-polluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while.

7. Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go some place else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)

8. If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides, most of what we give them is stolen or given to the Army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.

9. Move the UN Headquarters to an isolated island some place. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.

10. All Americans (Including Canadians) must go to charm and beauty school. That way no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The language we speak is ENGLISH.....learn it...or LEAVE..!!

Now, ain't that a winner of a plan. The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and a Hockey Stick and she's yelling, "You want a piece of me?"
When do Americans and Canadians "Take a Stand"?
(appeared as an editorial in an unknown US newspaper)

Will we still be the Countries of "choice" and still be Canada or the USA if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries that came to live in Canada or the USA because they are the "Countries of Choice"???????? Think about it........
All I have to say is, when will they do something about MY RIGHTS? I celebrate Christmas, but because it isn't celebrated by everyone, we can no longer say "Merry Christmas", now it has to be "Season's Greetings"! It's no longer "Christmas vacation", it's "Winter Break". Isn't it amazing how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday?? We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone, that I am now being offended. But it seems that no one has a problem with that!!

This says it all! After hearing that the state of Florida changed its opinion and let a Muslim woman have her picture on her driver's license with her face covered this is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa newspaper. He did quite a job, didn't he? Read on, please!

"IMMIGRANTS, NOT AMERICANS OR CANADIANS, MUST ADAPT. I am tired of our nations worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans and Canadians. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to our countries. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of our countries being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans and Canadians we have developed our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This position has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak ENGLISH or French, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!

"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.

If freedom offends you, or you don't like this way of life, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our cultures and have no desire to change them, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. These are OUR Countries, OUR lands, and OUR lifestyles. Every citizen has the right to express his opinion and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flags, our pledges, our national mottos, or our way of life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great freedom, THE RIGHT TO LEAVE."
Chrétien is gonzo... but his "Legacy" still hangs around!!

Been a while since I added anything to this page - nothing mind-boggling happening, as Trudeau once said "merely the world unfolding as it should"! Had PET known that Chrétien would "rule" as he has, he would not have uttered that phrase!! Before I go off on a rant, I would like to establish a few ground rules... I like Martin - I suspect he would like to do "the right thing" wherever possible! This, of course, is not always the "mark" of a politician however! I dislike Quebec politicians! Nothing "personal" just that experience has taught me that in Quebec, graft and corruption is somewhat accepted in bureaucratic and political ranks - it is simply "a way of life"! I do not dislike Quebec Francophones - on the whole, they are patriotic, honest, fun loving Canadians like you or I - it is the fanatical fringe and small group of narrow-minded and self-supporting separation promoting idiots that give the rest a bad name. If not separatist-minded, there is another group whose life ambition is nothing short of shoving the French language down the throats of many who will never use it - all in the name of "protecting" the language from extinction! Well.. if France, Quebec, Angola, Haiti etc.. are examples of the effects of having a French culture, then maybe the French language should be allowed to slip into extinction. Let's face it.. apart from naming cheese and a few notable wines, and creation of well-known expressions such as "advance to the rear, vite" and "nous surrenderons" - the French language has no real value! Anyways, back to Chrétien and his legacy!

The Federal Liberal Party is having problems. Chretien's so-called "Legacy" is becoming widly understood - it is a legacy of misspent public dollars, open graft and corruption, and self-supporting actions by a small number of Chretien's hand-picked appointees. That says a lot! Even more appalling is the fact that almost all the "suspects" are from the Province of Quebec or French speaking! Guess it is a "cultural" thing - and to a certain degree, we should not be too hard on the suspects - possibly it is not totally their "fault" but also the fault of the political system in Quebec which indoctrinates and often encourages such behaviour.

What can be done?? There are a couple of steps that can bring a sense of normalcy back into the federal political world. First, let's get back to population-based representation in the house rather than the "decreed" specific representation enjoyed by Quebec. Secondly, lets slow up or stop the "forced" proliferation of the French language and it's "being shoved" down the throats of non-francophones. The federal bureaucracy should be allowed to self-populate based on expertise and merit, not on mother tongue! What we have now can be considered by some as almost a "conspiracy" - force federal bureaucrats to be bilingual (which means francophone as a mother tongue in most cases) so they will hire other francophones and - lo and behold - "control" of the country falls into the hands of a small percentage of Canadian citizens - some of whom would like to pursue the "separation" route when "appropriate"! So... let's appoint and hire based on ability not language! Thirdly - let's send a strong message to the "suspects" and perpetrators involved in the series of "scandals" and mis-management actions (did I say illegal too?) - let's avoid "slaps on the wrist" and let's talk hardtime incarceration!! And, of course, let's take every step to recover whatever we can from the hidden coffers of these perps - the message has to be strong! Then we can get back to the old game of Liberals vs Conservatives vs NDP or whatever - but on a level playing field, and according to publically accepted "norms"! 'Nuff said!!
Military Comparisons..

Nothing serious about this one folks... merely a visual comparison of the US Navy's Seals -vs- their Iraqi counterparts! (Please... no letters - it's a JOKE - honest!)
US Navy Seal Team           pre-coalition Iraqi Navy Seal Team
Invite the Germans to D-Day Celebrations - WHAT??

This one has been getting a bit of press lately! France's often-not-so-bright numbskull of an egotistic Président aka "King" aka "Roi" etc.. Jacques Chirac, has taken it unto himself to invite the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to attend the D-Day ceremonies! WoW! ... because the D-Day invasion and liberation of Europe from the Nazi scourge started in France, the idiotic French President has decided that he can invite whomsoever he chooses and 'history be damned'! Since the latest "suck-up" job by the cheese eating, wine swilling cowardly French involves brown-nosing with the Germans (it is well known in French Government circles that world domination will eventually (hopefully) be in the hands of a Germanic-Franco er.. sorry.. Franco-Germanic Alliance) it behooves their cause to have the Germans attend.

Meanwhile... back in the REAL world, anyone having anything to do with WW11 is aghast at such an affront! It is not just a case of inviting the "enemy" to the D-Day Celebration because time heals many things and yesterday's conflicts have to be put behind us to a certain degree. "They" lost many good men too - but that is not the issue. The issue is that Germany in World War 2, went far beyond normalcy in it's search for the elusive Third Reich and thanks to the sick minds prevailing at the time, undescribable horrors occurred which cannot, must not ever be forgotten! Having decendants of that murderous regime participate in the sacred ceremonies is an affront to every country and citizen who participated in crushing the Axis alliance. It's bad enough that the French participate - merely because it is their soil that the invasion landed on and yes, there were a few courageous French resistance fighters who deserve our respect and thanks - a very few mind you - because the French really did little in the war apart from collaborating with the Nazi's at every possible opportunity! Mind you, throughout history, the French have mastered the ability to "advance to the rear" in a quick and expedient manner!

Apart from appealing to any decency in the minds of the French Government (HaH!) there is little that can be done. It is really the fault of the Allies of course. After liberating France, like idiots and seeing benefit in allowing the French to continue making their delicious wines, the Allies handed France back over to the French - big mistake. It's not too dissimilar to the Plains of Abraham "thing" where the British beat up on the French in Quebec City but then started giving back control of this 'n that, and see where that has gotten Canada to date. The vanquished (French) now want to control the rest of the country (the English) - and OUR stupid Government is letting them do that under the guise of the "Bilingualism Policy" (you know, where 25 million Canadians must learn French while the main French speaking area (7 million - Quebec) refuses to accept English!)

To place the French way of thinking in other areas is akin to; allowing Paul Bernardo and Karla Humolka to attend anniversary ceremonies for the Mahaffy and French families; Letting Japanese military officials attend Pearl Harbour ceremonies; Having Clifford Olsen play Santa Claus to the families of the BC children he murdered; Getting Israel to invite Hamas and the PLO to address the Knesset during Independence Day celebrations on May 14th; Letting Michael Jackson set up a kindegarten school in "Neverland"! I think you get my point!

Possibly... maybe... hopefully one day, the French will topple over from eating too much paté and guzzling too much vino and fall asleep - and with just a little bit of luck - might do as Rip Van Winkle did - and sleep for a heck of a long time, allowing the rest of the world to set about doing things that really count without the interference of the imperialistic, cowardly and irresponsible French!
The King is dead... Long Live the King!!

Hisself is finally gonzo! Nothing personal Mr. Chrétien, just that you lacked ethics and exuded arrogance during your term(s) in office! You threw around taxpayers dollars at will, enhanced your own position and the wellbeing of your friends and supporters at taxpayer expense, ignored the plight of our once-proud military and focused on your own ego just a little too much for the average non-Quebecker Canadian to swallow! Bon chance monsieur Ex-prime ministre - enjoy your retirement!

OK - now we have Paul Martin! Here is what I HOPE happens soon - and Martin has gone on record to state that this is what he WILL do...
- repair relations with the US
- start supporting the military
- strengthen relations with the provinces
- improve Canada's damaged image around the world
- undo many of Chretien's improper "Legacy" mis-spendings!
- re-examine the purpose, structure and accountability of the (*snore*) Senate
- get rid of the Cabinet "deadwood" and lessen Quebeck, increase Western representation (and get rid of that nuisance Sheila Copps)
- reduce the federal bureaucracy
- eliminate the rediculous and cost-inappropriate Firearm Registry
In otherwords, act as a Canadian Prime Minister SHOULD act! - it's been too long, far too long!!
Going.. Going.. Thank God, Almost GONE!!
( but still time for a couple of 'shots'!)

Canada's 'Primo Embarrassment' and leader of incompetence, patronage and corruption, aka Jean Chretien, is finally leaving - the auspicious event scheduled for Friday December 12th 2003 - mark it in your history books people! The new Prime Minister, Paul Martin, is starting off on the right foot - he is planning to grab the biggest broom available and 'sweep' almost all of the deadwood, er.. cabinet, out of office and replace them with some more forward-thinking and uncorrupted types. I say 'uncorrupted' because they are not yet in office so the PLC watchdogs and ethics commission people must be on their toes as, we all appreciate, "power corrupts"! Mind you, rumour has it that the future cabinet will be comprised of more Westerner's and less Quebeckers - a positive step as Westerner's tend to be more open and honest while Quebeckers (at least the political types) tend to accept corruption and coercion as being 'normal' and like to skulk around in the background, unanswerable to no one!

Now... a couple of points relating to the departure of King Jean from the throne... It appears that the PLC (you know, that body of civil servants supposedly serving 7 million francophones and 24 million non-francophones but comprised of a majority of Francophones) has decreed that, soon, all PLC positions must be filled by fully bilingual staff and bureaucrats. In otherwords, the francophone control over the government mandarins will increase. Why this must be, many people do not know! Why someone responsible for this-and-that in BC or the west, or Nova Scotia or any other province except Quebec or New Brunswick, has to have a thorough knowledge of the french language is beyond me! Remind me again, will you, who-beat-who at the Plains of Abraham?? All this, especially when you consider that the main source of francophones is 'La Province" where use of the english language borders on death by guilliotine!! Boy, this writer will be happy when that spoiled problem-child cry-baby of a province? finally leaves and the rest of the country can get back to normalcy without all the whining and whimpering!!

And finally (say 'thank you')... this morning's paper (Ottawa Citizen, Nov 24th) carried an article about the scheduled decision for the replacement of the decrepit Sea King helicopters being postponed again. It seems that the specifications will invariably result in the ideal candidate chosen being the 'Cormorant' helicopter and that news will be an embarrassment to the outgoing Roi Jean - hence the 'need' to postpone the announcement until after his departure from the 'throne'! Why you ask? Well, when the Mulroney government back in 1993 (er.. like 10 years ago) decided that the Cormorant (yes, the same helicopter but now 10 years older and a heck of a lot more expensive) was the best suited for the Navy's needs, Chretien-et-al cancelled the deal, not because it was a bad deal, but rather because 'dose udder guys made it"! Now, 10 years later, the same helicopter still appears to be the best candidate - after the Chretien government paid out a whopping penalty of $400,000,000 to cancel the original deal (and guess whose money the $400M is - yours and mine of course)! And, Oh, by-the-way, did I mention that the "new" price for virtually the same machine will be a lot larger than the original contract?? Well, King Jean, another copper nail in your 'Legacy' coffin!!

PLEEEEZE... December 12th, come soon so the embarrassment and unnecessary draining of the tax coffers will finally cease!!
Is 'Adieu' time getting closer? We hope so!!!

It's getting closer... all the 'press' we hear these days suggests that our 'King' of mismanagement and questionable and unethical antics may be pushing ahead his 'retirement'! Possibly he has decided to bow to all the pressure from his caucus, his party and even the grassroot party members and voters who wish that he would just go away! It was General Douglas MacArthur who coined the phrase "old generals never die, they just fade away". I suggest that today we should coin a new phrase "old politicians should not hang around, they should fade away - quickly"! Current guesstimates suggest that 'hisself' may actually step down before Christmas - WoW! Will that be a nice Christmas present for Canadians. Possibly the ongoing stories of corruption and gross incompetence may stop when he (finally) leaves! Since my last missive, we have learned about the $5 million given to a small rarily-used airport in Quebec, used only by the Desjardin (Caisse Depot) family?? And... are you aware that over the past few years, Shawinigan has received more Federal grants than the entire western provinces have received in the same period? Hmmm.. wonder who there is in Ottawa that might have orchestrated all this?? Hmmm! And this... the National Arts gallery in Ottawa is finding itself financially strapped and will probably have to cut exhibits. Why? Because 'someone' in the federal government decided that the Gallery should set up a "branch" in - ready for it?? = Shawinigan! Yes, as crazy as it sounds, Shawinigan is now the center of a new exhibit called "The Body Transformed " - and this only cost the National Arts Gallery a million dollars to set up - and the cost will skyrocket to many times that the experts say! Don't believe it? Check this out! And you thought that 'hisself' squandering 100 million dollars on two unnecessary private jets and condoning his cabinet ministers taking improper "gifts" from the Irvings was as bad as it was going to get! HaH! This man's arrogance and ability to give Canadian taxpayers "the finger" is at an all-time high!

Our greatest hope now - and it probably will happen this way - is that Paul Martin will force 'King Jean" to abdicate his throne sooner than later then Martin will sweep all the old deadwood out of the cabinet and install some new, forward-thinking and relatively honest members (which means a minimum of Quebec ministers). And if we are REALLY lucky, Martin might make changes so that the Senate, that useless body of incompetent patronage appointees, will earn their seats by public vote and therefore be answerable to somebody other than their useless selves!

Some day now... soon I hope... those immortal words shall ring out... "The King is dead... long live the King" - or something like that!
How do we get rid of this curse??

What is the mark of a national leader? France has Jacques Chirac - an egomaniac! The United States has George Bush - brighter leaders we have seen! Canada has Jean Chretien - do they come any more ineffective? Ah yes! Jean Chretien, who insists on "denial" and I do not mean the river! His party wants him to leave. Voters want him to leave. The international community and foreign leaders are tired of stifling laughter at his buffoonery and want him to leave. His wife and family want him to leave. Let's face it, everyone apart from himself wants him to do the right thing and let a proper government get back to the country's business! The man and his patronage-pushing cronies are an embarrassment and a "joke"! For the last many years I have increased my disgust with the Ottawa crowd but this morning, Wednesday October 15th, it came to a head. The Ottawa Citizen ran an article about the damage Mr. Chretien has caused to our once-proud military - and included a photo of the Bosnia incident where Chretien wore an army helmet backwards - quite indicative of his non-caring attitude towards the military. The same paper also ran an article about the military having to increase rents for on-base military families - rent for outdated and decrepit accommodations with minimal or non-existant insulation and bad fixtures. Absolutely disgusting! Of course, I could mention the government non-support for our brave Korean vets who had to pay for a decent memorial themselves. Then there is the current controversy over the useless and aged Iltis jeeps, decrepit and dangerous Sea King navy helicopters, outdated naval supply ships, lack of air transportation - the list goes on!

Now in a small way I understand this government's hesitation to dip into the coffers to update our military. It is not easy to support a military while plowing billions of taxpayer dollars into the likes of the gun registry, HRDC boondoggles, various golf club ventures that I could mention (Shawinagate??), exhorbitant Cabinet and MP expenditures and other costs relating to corrupt and inexcusable management practices that we are all aware of!

Please Mr Chretien, the writing has been on the wall for a long time - it is "time to go"! Not next year but NOW! Put your personal dislike for Paul Martin aside and let the country get back to business. Let the new PM clean house and get rid of all the "deadwood" - Canadians really do need a strong and effective government with some fresh views. Take John MacCallum with you and let us have a Defence Minister who knows what to do and is willing to do it - not an ineffective "yes man" who does not understand nor care to appreciate the need for a viable military in today's global world. Forget the legacy issue! Your pension is fat enough! Go home and write your "memoirs"! Canada BEGS you - please just go!
Rubber duck flotilla set to invade U.S.
By John Elliot - The Times, London

An armada of yellow plastic ducks is bearing down on North America's Atlantic coastline after an epic voyage halfway around the world. The invasion force is supported by similar numbers of green frogs, red beavers and blue turtles. The bath toys began their journey in January 1992, when the container ship on which they were travelling was hit by a storm in the Pacific. They were thrown into the ocean and have roamed the globe since, generally remaining together in large flotillas.

After bobbing along the coast of Alaska the toys headed for the Bering Strait, which they reached in 1995. They then crossed the Arctic Ocean. The ducks, frogs, beavers and turtles were part of a shipment of 29,000 plastic bath toys from China to Seattle. The toys are thought to have spent about five years encrusted with snow and ice as they made their way past polar bears and seals and eventually around the tip of Greenland. By 2001, they had passed Iceland and reached the area of the Atlantic where the Titanic sank, said Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a retired oceanographer from Seattle who has been tracking their progress, using reports of sightings and data on ocean currents. Now; Mr. Ebbesmeyer says, the ducks and their companions could arrive in New England at any time. He hopes to hear from anyone who finds one of the toys.

"Some kept going, some turned and headed for Europe. By now, hundreds should be dispersed along the New England coast," he said. Time and the weather have faded the toys, with the ducks changing from yellow to white. They are stamped with the words "the first years." When they originally splashed into the Pacific 11 years ago, the toys were in sets of four; wrapped in clear plastic and cardboard. Shortly after their escape, near the international dateline on a parallel line with the state of Oregon, salt water washed away the glue that was holding the wrappings together, allowing the toys to wander. Mr. Ebbesmeyer has calculated that while most of the toys set course for the Arctic, a breakaway group is likely to have made for Hawaii. He first began charting the movements of the toys after hundreds were washed up in Alaska in 1992 and 1993. He said that the voyage of the toys has shed light on sea currents. Every year about 10,000 containers fall off ships. Mr. Ebbesmeyer said that 30 per cent of the rubbish washed up on the western shores of Britain is from the U.S.,while up to 20 per cent of the waste strewn along North America's Pacific coast is from Japan.

Mr. Ebbesmeyer is a guru among beachcombers. He plotted the progress of 8o,ooo pairs of Nike running shoes after a spill in tbe northern Pacific in 1990, the journey of 34,000 ice hockey gloves that went overboard in 1994 and the course of five million pieces of Lego that were lost off Lands End in 1997.
Seeing is believing... maybe??
The Ottawa Citizen - Monday July 14, 2003 - page A5

Yes, the caption is correct... "Prime Minister Jean Chrétien is looking for
office space in which he can write his political memoirs after his retirement..."
Does this mean he will be around LONGER???
The story of Noah (as it would be told today)

The Lord appeared to Noah in Canada in the year 2003 and said "the Earth is wicked, overpopulated and has to start anew."

The Lord then instructed Noah "to build an ark and to save two of every living thing along with a few good humans." "Here's the blueprint," said the Lord. "Hurry. In six months I will start an unending rain; for 40 days and 40 nights."

Six months later the rain came down. The Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his flooded yard........... and no ark in sight.

"NOAH," The Lord roared from above "where's my ark?"

"Forgive me Lord," begged Noah. ''Things have changed."

"I was told I would need a building permit, and I've been arguing with the inspector about the need for a sprinkler system. My neighbours claim that I will violate the zoning laws by building the ark in my yard and that the height limitation will be exceeded. I had to go to the Development Appeal Board for a decision who told me I had to go to Transport Canada and the Department of Highways and Hydro. One wanted a bond posted for the future costs of moving power, trolley and other overhead obstructions to clear the passage for the ark's move to the sea. I argued the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of this. Getting the wood I needed was another problem. There's a ban on cutting local trees in order to save the spotted owl. I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls. But no go! I gathered the animals, but then I got sued by an animal rights group. They insisted I was confining wild animals against their will. As well, they argued the accommodations would be too restrictive and it would be cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in so confined a space. Then when Environment Canada got wind of the project they decided that I could not build the ark without filing an environmental impact study on YOUR proposed flood, and I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I'm supposed to hire for my building crew. The trade unions want me to hire only union trades people with ark building experience. To make matters worse, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency seized all my Assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally and with endangered species. So forgive me Lord, but it will take at least 10 years to get the paper work finished let alone the ark."

Suddenly the skies cleared, the torential rain subsided and the sun began to shine. A rainbow stretched across the sky as Noah looked up in wonder.

"You mean you're not going to destroy the world?" Noah asked.

"No need to," said the Lord, "your Government already has!"
Name--Position

1. Saddam Hussein--President of Iraq/CINC of Military
2. Qusay Hussein--SSO, SRG & RGFC Commander
3. Uday Hussein--Saddam Fedayeen Commander
4. Abid Hamid Mahmud Al Tikriti--Presidential Secretary (WMD Release Authority)
5. Al Hasan Majid--Pres. Advisor, Fmr South Reg Cmdr
6. Izzat Ibrahim al Duri--Vice Chair of the RCC, North Reg Cmdr
7. Hani Abd Latif Tilfa al Tikriti--SSO Director
8. Kamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan Tikriti--RG Secretary
9. Barzan Abd Ghafur Sulayman al Tikriti--SRG Commander
10. Muzahim Sa'b Hassan al Tikriti--Air Defense Force Commander
11. Ibrahim Ahmad Abd al Sattar Muhammad al Tikriti--Armed Forces Chief of Staff
12. Sayf al Din Fulayyih Hassan Taha al Rawi--RGFC Chief
13. Rafi Abd Latif al Tilfah--DGS Director
14. Tahir Jalil Habbush al Tikriti--IIS Director
15. Hamid Raja Shalah al Tikriti--Air Force Commander
16. Abd al Tawab Mullah Huwaysh--OMI Director (WMD Production)
17. Aziz Salih Numan--BP Regional Cmdr/Cmdr BP Militia - Reg Cmd
18. Muhammad Hazmaq al Zubaydi--Central Euphrates Reg Cmdr
19. Sultan Hashim Ahmad al Tal--Minister of Defense
20. Ayad Futayyih Khalifa al Rawi--Al Quds Force Chief of Staff
21. Zuhayr Talib Abd al Sattar al Naqib--DMI Director
22. Abd al Baqi abd Karim al Sadun --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Baghdad
23. Muhammad Zimam Abd al-Razzaq al Sadun --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Ta'mim & Ninawa Gov
24. Samir abd al Aziz al Najm --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Diyal Gov.
25. Yahya Abdallah al Ubaydi --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Basrah Gov.
26. Nayif Shindakh Thamir --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Salah ad Din Gov.
27. Sayfal al Din al Mashhadani --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Muthanna Gov.
28. Fadil Mahmud Gharib --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Babil/Karbala Gov.
29. Muhsin Khadar al Khafaji --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Qadasiyah Gov.
30. Rashid Taan Kazim --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Anbar Governate
31. Ugla Abid Sighar al-Kubaysi --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Maysan Governate
32. Ghazi Hamud al Adib --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Wasit Gov.
33. Adil Abdallah Mahdi al Duri al Tikriti --BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Dhi Qar Governate
34. Husayn Al Awawi--BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Ninawa Governate
35. Khamis Sirhan al Muhammad--BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Karbala Governate
36. Sad Abd al Majid al-Faysal--BP Chmn & Cmdr BP Militia - Salah ad Din Gov.
37. Latif Nussayif Jasim al Dulaymi--Dep Chmn Baath Party
38. Taha Yasin Ramadan--Vice President
39. Rukan Razuki abd Al Ghaful Sulayman al Tikriti--Chief of Tribal Affairs
40. Jamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan al Tikriti--Deputy Chief of Tribal Affairs
41. Mizban Khidir Hadi--RCC Member, Reg CDR Central Euphrates Region
42. Taha Muhyl al Din Maruf--Vice President and RCC Member
43. Tariq Aziz--Deputy Prime Minister
44. Walid Hamid Tawfiq al-Tikriti--Governor of Basrah Governate
45. Hikmat al Azzawi--Dep Prime Minister, Economics & Finance Min.
46. Mahmud Dhiyab al Ahmad--Minister of the Interior
47. Amir Rashid Muhammad al Ubaydi--Former Oil Minister
48. Muhammad Mahdi al-Salih--Minister of Trade
49. Husam Muhammad al-Yasin--National Monitoring Director
50. Sabawi Ibrahim--Baath Party, Saddam Maternal Half Brother
51. Watban Ibrahim Hasan al Tikriti--Baath Party, Saddam Half Brother
52. Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al Tikriti--Baath Party, Saddam Half Brother
53. Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash--Party Youth & Trade Bureau Chairman
54. Humam Abd al-Khaliq Abd al-Ghafur--Min of Higher Education & Scientific Research
55. Amir Hamudi Hasan al-Sadi--Presidential Scientific Adviser/NMD Dir Gen
56. Prime Minister Jean "Roi" Chrétien--always semi-retired and inefficient king of Canada

MOST RECENT "CAUGHT" UPDATE...
(listing courtesy "Dutchguard")

Sometimes a picture says it all!!    <;^)-

Is the UN stupid or just plain useless??

I read an article in this morning's Ottawa Citizen (Monday April, 28th) entitled "The UN's self-inflicted wound". Basically it is a note to those who opposed the US intervention in Iraq and who were of the opinion that only a UN sanctioned involvement in Iraq was necessary and that the US invasion was undermining the United Nations as an effective organization. Firstly let me suggest that using the words "United Nations" and "effective" in the same sentence is a laugh! The UN has, long ago, turned it'self into an ineffective and unreliable body! It is destined to go the route of the League of Nations, the UN's "father" body which went belly-up in the 30's.

The UN really started to dissolve during the Rawanda massacres. Canada was involved then and we have all heard how UN dictates or inaction allowed hundreds of thousands of Rawandans to be killed as the Hutu and Tutsi tribes competed in the "machete hacking olympics"! Canadian and other nation UN "peacekeeping" troops had to helplessly stand by and watch as these warring factions literally practiced genocide - the UN "did not want to interfere" in a country's private matters"! The UN's position then was "immoral" and "uncaring"!

Since the Rawandan affair, the UN has slipped into a realm of stupidity! It's bad enough that last month the U.N. named Iraq as the "Chair of the UN's Disarmament Conference" and shortly thereafter, named Libya as "Chair of the UN Human Rights Commission! ( see "kidding" above ). Now, apparently the UN in all it's continuing wisdom, has decided to name North Korea and Cuba as candidates for election to it's Human Rights Commission! You read it right - Human Rights Commission! That's like asking Hitler to chair the Jewish National Congress, or Japan's Emperorer Hirohito to become Secretary of War for the US in 1941. Did I say that the UN was becoming useless? Talk about a self-evident truth! To step further into the world of UN uselessness, apparently last Friday, April 25th, (Citizen quote) "... only 31 of 53 member states on the Human Rights Commission supported a resolution condemning the oppression in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule. Malaysia, Zimbabwe and others called the resolution 'shameful' and they pushed instead for a condemnation of US 'occupation'. Zimbabwe?? Aren't they the ones terrorizing/murdering white farmers in an effort to have whites leave their farms? The UN did attempt to censure Zimbabwe for these actions but the effort was blocked by the African Group of member states! No, there is really no self-serving going on inside the UN!! Yeah, Sure!!

And some people wonder why the US moved when it did - there should be no wonder - if they did not "take care" of the Iraq situation, no one would!
France helped out Iraq during the war??
For all those who admired France for opposing the "coalition" assault on Iraq, consider this: It turns out that France had been supplying Iraq with strategic intelligence on US plans and meetings held between France and the US. Not nice! Apart from being a nation of cheese eating, wine swilling half-drunk surrender monkeys, a title well-earned over the years, they have now stooped to knifing previous allies in the back! Well, there will be some form of payback for their cowardly deeds! France and French companies are apparently owed some $6-9,000,000,000 (US) (yes, that's Billions) by Iraq - a tidy sum they stand to lose if the new Iraqi government decides to "wipe out" all Saddam Hussein Regime debts! The US and Britain are both pushing for the new government, once installed, to do just that! What's that? A smile on the face of George Dubya Bush when this topic is addressed? Could it be?? You betcha!! Gonna be a lot of weeping and wailing in the lily pond soon!
IRAQI DECK OF CARDS MOST WANTED LIST
there are really 56 not 55

    
     The newest
card
addition
#56
What a Lousy Government Canada has!
WoW! The W.H.O. (World Health Organization) has published a "Travel Advisory" concerning travel to Toronto due to their perception that the S.A.R.S. (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) situation there may be dangerous to visitors. This appears to be a result of incorrect information or overzealousness on the part of WHO underlings who have misread the situation, or, as suggested by some, a political move to offset the Chinese situation - an appeasement to divert some attention away from the plight of Hong Kong and the mainland.

Toronto, actually Canada as a whole, is somewhat upset about this advisory as it will indeed be the "kiss of death" to Toronto's tourism industry for some months, and even if the advisory is lifted shortly, the damage is done - travel plans for many will have been made and reservations elsewhere confirmed! This is serious stuff as the Canadian economy will suffer in the short term - there have been suggestions that the GNP index may fall from an anticipated 2.5% to as low as 1% - that's a big drop and involves big dollars.

So what has our federal government done about it? Not surprisingly, nothing! Our illustrious Leader Jean Chrétien has been busy out of the country - faking a "business trip" to the Dominican Republic which, in reality was a chance to play more golf! (Baaaad timing!) He will deny this, of course, but how else do you explain the rumour concerning an underling's comments that his planned golf game with Bill Clinton had been arranged well before the trip? No, once again, the "slowly departing" unimaginative and self-centered prime minister has put his worldly pleasures before the concerns of the country! (what's with this golf "thing" anyway? First "Shawinigate".. now this??). Chrétien and crew have exhibited absolutely no leadership in the SARS crisis - and it is a crisis, not because of the actual outbreak, that will soon subside, but because of the ramifications of international perception. Whoops... sorry! I forgot... Chrétien has decided to wrap up all his cabinet ministers and ship them down to Toronto where the next Cabinet meeting will be held - to show the world that there is no danger in visiting Toronto. What a dullard!! Possibly more (and earlier) support for the hard-pressed medical community might have been a better move? Possibly more ministerial concern being provided at the onset of the outbreak may have helped? There are no money concerns... the Feds have over seven hundred millions of dollars earmarked for a new "bilingualism program" (possibly I am "off base" here but would not that money be better spent on bolstering our medical system rather than teaching an inuit child somewhere in the far north to speak "freedom" {whoops.. sorry.. I mean "french"} or a federal official to learn french when his position has no need for the language or involvement with the public?). Possibly Federal insistance, along with provincial and municipal pressure, on quarantine enforcement might have helped - it SHOULD be a criminal offense to ignore quarantine orders in crisis situations - an offense backed up by incarceration - that might make offenders think twice about continuing on with normal activities and spreading the problem! SARS is a "present" problem, and may occur again, but you can bet on the fact that other similar infections are lurking around the corner, ready to "pounce" someday. We should be ready for them! We should consider the SARS outbreak as a "warning bell" and take steps to ensure that real controls and procedures are in place.

Now... as far as Chrétien-et-al having their Cabinet meeting in Toronto... may I suggest that it be held in the most infectious hospital?? Nothing personal folks, just that there has to be some way of removing the corrupt scourge that has this country in a stranglehold - and until the "chief Dino" finally steps aside next year, Canada will continue to regress in the world's eyes! (Hey! if things improve, Canada may well be raised to the status of a third-world nation in the eyes of many!) Possibly the whole cabinet in quarantine would allow someone else to take over the reins and really do what Roi Jean and company have long forgotten to do - properly run our country!! Ahh... dreams!
Oh Oh! I said it would happen..

Saturday April 12 2003 - It did not take a genius to forsee that George 'Dubya' Bush would cancel his intended May visit to Ottawa. What caught most people by surprise is the excuse given! Most felt he would be "diplomatic" about cancelling the trip, citing war related activities as the excuse (although most Canadians would realize that his being 'ticked off' at Canada's non-support for the Iraq conflict was the true reason). What Bush did state, quite blatently, was that Canada's non-support position was the reason, and his personal dislike for Jean Chrétien merely confirmed his decision to not visit! Possibly Bush was also influenced by Chrétien's recent "offer" to send a couple of RCMP officers to Iraq to help out with the "policing" of that nation following the conflict? Possibly Bush saw Chrétien's offer of two troopers, three horses, two musical ride spears, six bales of hay for the horses and a five day supply of McDonald gift certificates for the troopers, as being somewhat inadequate, especially as the US would be asked to transport them over and back! Ah, Mr Chrétien, in my view you are a bumbling fool with no sense of diplomacy and tact! It was a sad day in Canada when you were the voter's choice - even sadder to realize that that there was no viable opposition to prevent your "taking over' the throne! Please do not make any more attempts to rectify the situation with the US and their (not ours, unfortunately) allies - you will only make matters worse. Just wait until you leave next year - that alone will smooth over matters with our next-door neighbours, presuming we are all still here of course. I suspect that Canada is becoming more of an irritant to the US than Iraq was - and we all know where that ended up! Heads up Canada, "Incoming"!!
Proposed Time Magazine Releases..


April 21 2003
Time Canada edition
            

February 2004
Time Canada edition

March 2004
Time Canada edition

April 2004
Time Canada edition

May 2004
Time Canada edition

David Letterman's Top Ten reasons why Canada will not fight in Iraq!
  • 10. Both of Canada's soldiers have no way of getting there.
  •   9. Canadians are too busy at home with the Maple Syrup Season.
  •   8. After 136 Years, Canada is still copying the cowardly French.
  •   7. Saddam's name pronounced backwards is "MADD ASs". They'll stay away from him THANK YOU.
  •   6. There is only limited potential for sales of Canadian Bacon in Iraq after the war.
  •   5. Canada's Sea King Helicopter was damaged and needs more repairs.
  •   4. Celine Dion can't sing to the troops because she has a contract in Las Vegas
  •   3. The Rivers in Iraq are too shallow for Canadian War Canoes.
  •   2. CNN doesn't broadcast NHL playoff games and Canadian TV's won't work in Iraq
  •   1. One of Canada's two soldiers is needed to protect the Prime Minister on the Caribbean golf links
Open letter to Jean Chrétien - Prime Minister
submitted to the Ottawa Citizen

April 11 2003

Congratulations Mr. Prime Minister, you have finally succeeded! Your long-sought-after "Legacy" is now etched in stone! Pierre Elliot Trudeau is remembered for repatriating the Constitution! John Diefenbaker is known for single-handedly dismembering the Canadian Aerospace industry! Lester B. Pearson is known for his diplomatic efforts and Nobel Prize! You, sir, will be long remembered for your efforts in dividing Canada and alienating our greatest ally and trading partner, the United States, by not supporting those nations whose goal was to rid this world of a scourge that compares to the likes of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin! You will be known as the prime minister who ended Canada's long and proud tradition of supporting "right" and opposing "evil" by stalling then refusing to support what a majority of Canadians (58% of English Canadians according to Ipsos-Reid) consider to be a "just cause" in eliminating the Iraqi threat and fighting terrorism. In not supporting elimination of the Iraqi threat you have sent a message to the world that Canada possibly condones the Iraqi regime - because when considering terrorism, there is no middle ground - you either support or oppose!

Your latest move, announcing that the Canadian Navy, involved in anti-terrorist support work in the middle east, must not hand over any captured Iraqis to U.S forces, is an example of illogical and irresponsible thinking! How far will you go in your efforts to embarrass Canadians and alienate our allies? Shame on you Mr. Prime Minister! And shame on those Liberal party members who did not have the courage to tell you that you were wrong! Yes, you finally have your "Legacy" but one that I personally would not be too proud to tell anyone about!
PLEASE FILL UP MY CAR!!
A plea to US gas stations..

Ok folks, enough is enough! Apparently some Canadian travellers in the US are encountering situations where US gas station attendants are refusing to provide service because the customer is Canadian - they are PO'd at Canada's anti-war, anti-USA stance. Please do not hold all Canadians responsible for the attitude of our mis-directed politicians and a few pacifist-minded individuals.

Our present government is one that we are really "stuck" with! As opposed to the US two-party political system, we have a multi-party system which at times, unfortunately, can lead to one party gaining a majority in our parliament. If the "other" parties have weak leadership or platforms that do not appeal to the population, then it becomes very difficult to "oust" the party in power. If the "ruling party", presently the "Liberal" party under their leader Jean Chrétien, has an overpowering and self-serving attitude, then they can pretty well "do what they want" and the "voters be damned"! To further compound our woes, the prime minister Jean Chrétien has decided to retire but is postponing such a move until early 2004 - and the government does not have to call an election for some time! Canada does not have "empeachment" options like the US - too bad actually! We are stuck with the present government until a credible opposition party with a credible leader comes into view! Not only do Canadians need you to gas up their cars when requested, they also need your sympathy for the governmental plight they find themselves in!

It can be claimed that Canadians voted for this pacifist quebec cow-tow'ing government therefore they are responsible and must face the consequences of their action! The answer is both "yes" and "no"! We voted in this government, or more properly stated, we did not vote OUT the government - mainly due to the fact that there was no alternative! (how does the old saying go .. "the devil you know is better than the devil you do not know"!

You see, Canada is different from the US in a numnber of areas, one being that we treated our history different - well, at least we let it happen differently! When the US took on Britain during the revolution, you won therefore you told the British where to go and got on with business! When Canada, under the-then rule of Britain, beat the French on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, we made the foolish mistake of letting the vanquished (French) start to dictate matters to the victors (British)! It has been that way ever since! The French language province of Quebec has become a master at the art of whining and using the phrase "gimme..gimme", and our federal politicians have yet to catch on to the fact that all the "threats" of separation emanating from that francophone province are overstated and that they should finally be "put in their place"! Whoops - sorry about that - I forgot, a disproportionate number of federal representatives either come from that province or are sympathetic to it! Through political blunders in the past, Quebec, with a francophone population of just over six millions, has been allowed a disproportionate representation in government circles, in a country of almost thirty two millions. Francophone Quebeckers represent just over 18% of Canada's population but through bilingualism legislation, have gained disproportionate representation exceeding 50%. Living on a continent of over 330 million english speaking inhabitants, the average Quebecker appreciates the need to speak english so most quebeckers are bilingual. The majority of non-Quebec Canadians have no need nor inclination to speak French - but nevertheless, our francophone-loving federal government has total Canadian bilingualism as a goal and is doing everything in their power to achieve this goal whether the "rest of us" like it or not! So.. a "french" thinking attitude exists in our upper government circles! Such an attitude encompasses a pacifist (some say cowardly) attitude which has led to the decimation of our once-proud military and has created an image in the political minds that the world revolves around Ottawa! France's attitude says it all - better to run and hide than stand up for good against evil - or stand up for anything for that matter! Quebeckers are decendants of the French gene pool and that says it all, right?

Personalities are personalities and let's face it, our bumbling prime minister has gone out of his way to alienate George W Bush - in fact it is no secret that they hate each other! They rarily speak, Chrétien is the only western leader not to have been invited to Bush's ranch and Bush has never visited Ottawa - in fact a planned visit this coming May will be cancelled - the "war" being the excuse! Not so - Bush is so ticked off at Chrétien's non-support that he has virtually "written him off"! The Washington attitude right now is to forget Canada until such time as our ineffective leader finally leaves - good riddance!

So as I said above, please have empathy with the average Canadian's plight! We love visiting the US - we like the people and can escape our wintery weather, the francophone curse and our sometimes-corrupt politicians! Most Canadians, although they do not state it enough, appreciate the US and would really like to support the effort in Iraq and the anti-terrorist campaign. So when you see a nervous Canadian rolling up to your pumps, please offer a smile of sympathy and a kind word or two along with the fillup - a gentle "we understand... we really understand" will do nicely thank you.
CHRÉTIEN CHANGES MIND!!
Canadian Parliament decides to back US/UK stand on Iraq!!

(April 1 2003) FINALLY... Jean Chrétien has decided to admit his error in not offering moral support for the US action to oust Sadaam Hussein and his murderous regime! In a late night sitting of the House of Commons yesterday (March 31 2003) he announced that the US Ambassador had been informed of Canada's change in attitude. Chrétien stated that "we were being put in a position where our opposition to the US position was being seen as support for the Iraqi regime and that certainly is not the case". He went on.. "The United States recognizes that Canada has very little to offer in the way of military assistance and in any event did not want our physical assistance apart from Canadian service people already working with them through the military exchange program under the NORAD and NATO agreements". Chrétien offered an apology to all Americans who felt Canada had deserted them in their "hour of need" and suggested that all Canadians, including citizens of Quebec who had, through a misunderstanding, booed the American Anthem at a sporting event, fully supported the aims of the Iraqi encounter as they had also done in Korea and Vietnam. He again apologized for his not being clearer in his support for Americans during the events of September 11, when the World Trade terrorist attack occurred. (It is widly accepted that his view on 9/11 was that it was "just an attack" and that he did not comprehend the fact that to most Americans, it was more than a simple attack - "it was a grave moral issue"!)

And as a final surprise to most observers, Chrétien also took the opportunity to send a stern message to his caucus - and all members of the House and Senate - that regardless of their personal views on the Iraqi situation, members must keep their opinions to themselves and not openly criticize the US or it's allies over their mid-east position. Following his remarks, the House gave the Prime Minister a standing ovation!

April Fool!!


There is absolutely no way that our ineffective Prime Minister would ever admit he was wrong no matter what the circumstance! He would never apologize for anything - throughout his forty year membership in government circles, he has never apologized to anyone about any of the misdeeds or errors of judgement he is quite famous (infamous?) for! His now-apparent "Legacy" of mis-management, corruption and ongoing government waste has earned him a place among the list of the most notorious and tactless national leaders anywhere. **( As further confirmation of this fact, yesterday, March 31st 2003, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation announced the Prime Minister was a recipient of a "lifetime achievement "Teddy Award" for government waste. To mark the anniversary next week of Mr. Chrétien's first election to the Commons, at it's fifth annual awards ceremony on Parliament Hill, the conservative lobby group gave him a gold painted figurine of a sow. Federation president Walter Robinson noted that federal spending totalled $8.3 billions when Mr. Chrétien was first elected April 8, 1963 and has steadily grown to over $180 billions under a succession of primarily Liberal governments. Mr. Robinson said Mr. Chrétien, as prime minister, had risked military lives by cancelling a new helicopter purchase in 1963, balancing the federal books with nearly a decade of tax increases, and presided over a nearly ten percent decline in the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar. The Federation's "Teddy Awards" are named in honour of Ted Weatherill, a senior federal public servant fired in 1998 following a series of newspaper stories about his lavish spending habits.)

* Ed note: content of awards portion of article taken from Tim Naumetz's {Can West News Service} article appearing in the April 1 2003 Ottawa Citizen
WARNING!!
Anglophone survival at risk!!

This morning's Ottawa Citizen carried the story... Our "Language czar" Dyane Adam has "decreed" that the federal public service hiring policy will no longer accept unilingual anglophone hiring for "bilingual" Public Service positions. The old policy was to allow unilingual hiring with a two year window to allow learning the other language! Effectively, since North America contains about 330,000,000 english language inhabitants and about 6,000,000 French speaking inhabitants, primarily located in Quebec, most Quebeckers speak english and most english inhabitants do not speak french - in fact in the North American arena, Spanish is by far the second language! What this means, for Canada, is that more and more civil service positions will be filled by francophones!

In today's global economy, the whole issue of "bilingualism" in Canada is antiquated, driven only by the political butt-bussing attitudes of the francophone crowd running the show in Ottawa. We can thank Pierre Elliot Trudeau for starting all this! In his attempts to appease the whiners in Quebec, he created the "Official Languages Act" making french the second official language of Canada. (*Trudeau's Official Bilingualism Act remains the biggest sore spot with the non-Quebec provinces. Because Canada now has two official languages, everything in Canada must now appear in both French and English. And I mean everything. Just about every product you can buy in Canada, from cornflakes to a DVD player will come in a box where every single bit of text is reproduced in French below the English. This makes our boxes very crowded with words, and until recently, Canadian cereal boxes never had those cool games on the back, because the French translation of everything used up too much room.*)

This march towards total bilingualism is an attempt to spread the francophone language and culture and is a major appeasement to the whiners in Quebec who constantly moan about their potential to lose culture. To them I say "Tough"! This is now a global economy and I would suggest that learning Spanish or Chinese would be more beneficial to the upcoming generations of Canadians! But this would be a practical step and we all know that the lunkheads running this country know nothing of practicality! But it gets worse...

Not only is there a major government thrust towards making every man, woman, child, dog, cat and pet goldfish in Canada fully capable of speaking french, there are actually steps in the works to eradicate the english language in Canada! Yes, alas, it is true! You see, anglophones object to seeing french on their cornflake boxes and similarily the francophones object to seeing english - both "sides" preferring to see neat games and contest stuff instead! And since the francophones are taking control... well you see what is happening!! I have suspected this for some time but another article in this morning's Ottawa Citizen confirmed the trend. The article related to the fact that since harvesting of seal pups off Newfoundland had been prohibited, the population was increasing out-of-hand and so a program of sterilization is in the works. Yes, in an effort to stop the spread of these creatures, they will be systematically sterilized until the population becomes "manageable". This procedure's potential has apparently not been lost on those advocating total francophone rule in Canada. I fear that there will be an attempt to slowly eradicate anglophones - down to a "manageable population", say 2-400 where the gene pool will become so concentrated as to produce morons which will further justify total elimination of the species as being useless! (In fact, rumour has it that this scenario is being examined by a noted Kebec movie-maker as a possible movie script, financed by a consortium made up of the federal government. Quebec government and the cowardly French.)

Yes, sad but true, if left to their own devices, the federal government will continue to keep on filling their own ranks from the corrupt and self-serving Kebec political pool, keep on staffing the public service with francophones and eventually, embark upon a devious plot to eliminate the argumentative anglophones who do not seem to appreciate that french is, by far, superior to english in all aspects! Hmmm.. wonder where this DeGaull/Chirac'ish attitude came from?? Let's guess... the cowardly French motherland? Possibly... possibly!

(* courtesy of "J.J.'s Complete Guide to Canada")
Boycott France campaign takes off..

NewsMax.com is leading the Boycott France campaign because American lives and security is at stake.

France has every right to disagree with America. But France has moved from simple dissent to active hostility toward America. French President Chirac warned East European nations that if they side with America, France will oppose their membership in the European Union.

This week, William Safire reported in the New York Times that France has been secretly helping to arm Iraq -- and has been helping Iraq build long range missiles. These same missiles may soon be used against American soldiers. Just as France is exercising its right to disagree, Americans and Canadians can exercise their right to boycott - and avoid helping companies and countries that oppose America.

French Products and Companies to Boycott

* Air France. Air Liquide. Airbus. Alcatel. Allegra (allergy medication). Aqualung (including: Spirotechnique, Technisub, US Divers, and SeaQuest). AXA Advisors
* Bank of the West (owned by BNP Paribas). Beneteau (boats). BF Goodrich (owned by Michelin). BIC (razors, pens and lighters). Biotherm (cosmetics). Black Bush. Bollinger (champagne).
* Car & Driver Magazine. Cartier. Chanel. Chivas Regal (scotch). Christian Dior. Club Med (vacations). Culligan (owned by Vivendi).
* Dannon (yogurt and dairy foods). DKNY. Dom Perignon. Durand Crystal
* Elle Magazine. Essilor Optical Products. Evian.
* Fina gas stations and Fina Oil (billions invested in Iraqi oil fields). First Hawaiian Bank.
* George Magazine. Givenchy. Glenlivet (scotch).
* Hennessy. Houghton Mifflin (books).
* Jacobs Creek (owned by Pernod Ricard since 1989). Jameson (whiskey). Jerry Springer (talk show)
* Krups (coffee and cappuccino makers).
* Lancome. Le Creuset (cookware). L'Oreal (health and beauty products). Louis Vuitton.
* Marie Claire. Martel Cognac. Maybelline. Méphisto (shoes and clothes). Michelin (tires and auto parts). Mikasa (crystal and glass). Moet (champagne). Motel 6. Motown Records. MP3.com. Mumms (champagne).
* Nissan (cars; majority owned by Renault). Nivea. Normany Butter.
* Parents Magazine. Peugeot (automobiles). Pierre Cardin. Playstation Magazine. ProScan (owned by Thomson Electronics, France). Publicis Group (including Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising).
* RCA (televisions and electronics; owned by Thomson Electronics). Red Magazine. Red Roof Inns (owned by Accor group in France). Renault (automobiles). Road & Track Magazine. Roquefort cheese (all Roquefort cheese is made in France). Rowenta (toasters, irons, coffee makers, etc.).
* Salomon (skis). Sierra Software and Computer Games. Smart & Final. Sofitel (hotels, owned by Accor). Sparkletts (water, owned by Danone). Spencer Gifts. Sundance Channel.
* Taylor Made (golf). Technicolor. T-Fal (kitchenware). Total gas stations.
* UbiSoft (computer games). Uniroyal. Universal Studios (music, movies and amusement parks; owned by Vivendi-Universal). USFilter.
* Veritas Group. Veuve Clicquot Champagne. Vittel. Vivendi.
* Wild Turkey (bourbon). Woman's Day Magazine.
* Yoplait (The French company Sodiaal owns a 50 percent stake). Yves Saint Laurent.
* Zodiac Inflatable Boats.

EVERYONE can do their "bit" to send a message - we do not support cowardism!

Canada's Prime Ministers 1867 -

Many of my American friends read the articles on our Government and (in my opinion) somewhat useless Kebec-loving Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and as a result, often query about our government style and history. Regarding the history issue, for the edification of Americans and history buffs, here is a listing of Canada's Prime Ministers from "day one"!
("L" = Liberal, "C" = Conservative. "A" = Arrogant)


#1- Sir John A. MacDonald, C. (1867 - 1873, 1878 - 1891), #2- Alexander Mackenzie, L. (1873 - 1878),
#3- John Abbott, #4- John Thompson, #5- Mackenzie Bowell, #6- Charles Tupper, (all C.) (1891 - 1896),
#7- Sir Wilfred Laurier, L. (1896 - 1911)

#8- Sir Robert Borden, C. (1911 - 1920), #9- Arthur Meighen, C. (1920 - 1921, 1926),
#10- William Lyon Mackenzie King, L. (1921 - 1926, 1926 - 1930, 1935 - 1948), #11- R.B. Bennett,
C. (1930 - 1935), #12- Louis St. Laurent, L. (1948 - 1957), #13- John Diefenbaker, C. (1957 - 1963)
, #14- Lester Pearson, L. (1963 - 1968),

#15- Pierre Elliot Trudeau, L. (1968 - 1979, 1980 - 1984), #16- Joe Clark, C.
(1979 - 1980), #17- John Turner, L. (1984), #18- Brian Mulroney, C. (1984 - 1993),
#19- Kim Campbell, C. (1993), #20- Jean Chretien, A. (1993 - 2004, hopefully sooner!)

(photos & dates courtesy of "J.J.'s Complete Guide to Canada")
PM's stance makes Canada unreliable ally: report
Chrétien-Bush feud mirrors enmity between Diefenbaker and J.F.K., CD. Howe Institute says
( Ottawa Citizen - Tues March 25, 2003 - By Peter O'Neil )
Prime Minister Jean Chretien's anti-war foreign policy puts sentiment and posturing ahead of Canada's self-in- terest? according to a report to be released today by the C.D. Howe Institute.

Mr. Chrétien's decision to stay out of the war in Iraq sends the Canada-U.S. relationship to its lowest level since the early 1960s, when John F. Kennedy and John Diefenbaker were feuding over Cold War defence issues, the think-tank report concludes.

"By refusing to take part in the Iraq war, Canada removed it's name from the list of countries that can be counted as reliable partners and principled allies'," according to authors Michael Hart and Bill Dymond, both former senior Canadian trade officials.

The harsh assessment echoes comments made Sunday by former prime minister Brian Mulroney who said Mr. Chretien's "juvenile delinquency" on foreign polidy has betrayed Canada's historic alliance with the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Australla. In an interview yesterday, Mr. Hart said long-standing relationships among senior bureaucrats remain strong.

But any sense of co-operation is stymied at the political level because 0f enormous hostility that began when Raymond Chrétien. the prime minister's nephew and Canada's former ambassador to the U.S,, said before the 2000 election that Canada would be more comfortable with Al Gore as president. "Day-to-day operations will continue, but future forward-looking problem-solving is grinding to a halt, because the benefit of the doubt - and that depends on relationships - isn't there" he said. "I mean, in the White House Mr. Chrétien is widely loathed; has been for years. That's not good."

Mr. Hart and Mr. Dymond argue that Canada is regularly sending "bizarre" signals on its position on several issues, reflecting "ad hoc reactions (from the Chrétien government) to unfolding events without any clear idea of Canadian interests, priorities or capabilities," according to a C.D. Howe news release. The main casualty is the effort to improve border flows and expand trade in the post Sept. 11 era, an effort that is "crawling along rather than moving quickly;" Mr. Hart said.

Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal, who last week accused President George W Bush of lacking statesmanship, continued to argue yesterday that the Canada-U.S. relationship can withstand the recent wave of disagreernents and name-calling. In recent months a top Chretien official called Mr. Bush a "moron" while Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish said she hated American "bastards"

CanWest News Service

Ed Note: This writer is getting quite tired hearing about the illogical, indecisive and uncaring attitude displayed by our not-so-illustrious (some suggest cowardly) prime minister Jean (like-it-or-lump-it!) Chrétien! In my opinion, his search for a "Legacy" displays no concern for the wellbeing for his country and it's people. "H'its my way or de 'iway" appears to be his directive to parliament. Mr. prime minister, MOST CANADIANS WANT to support the US and it's allies! ALL YOU HAD TO DO was to offer moral support, that's all! The US has superior technological and manpower resources to get the job done - they DID NOT ASK FOR nor did they really want Canadian armed support! You have destroyed the military to the point where any support would be minimal in any event - you simply made a really BAD DECISION this time and guess what? YOU will not have to pay the price, retired from office next year with a really FAT PUBLIC-PROVIDED PENSION and an opportunity to play golf at the Shawinigate golf course or any other golf course that your ongoing corruption and deceit has sponsored! No, It's Canadian tax payers who will have the "privilige" of dealing with lessened trade with the US, no longer enjoying "preferred trade status", increased border crossing hardships, removal of the auto pact, reduction in NAFTA benefits and the resultant rapidly increased unemployment! You do tend to "screw up" often and this time, you have REALLY DONE IT! Shafting your own people! You had better hide your head in Shame! Oh, but I forgot.. you will probably "retire" back in "la province" where separation and pacifist attitudes among many "France-loving" cowards will probably accept you as a "hero"! I just do not know what terrible things Canada, as a country, must have done to deserve an tactless scoundrel such as you! Disgusting!
letter to the Editor - Ottawa Citizen March 20,2003

(with apologies
to "The Wiz")

Tinman

Cowardly
Lion
Chrétien

Scarecrow
Ok, now I am getting mad! Canada has been embarrassed again thanks to our "leader"?? Jean Chrétien and his "yes men"! First there was the series of ongoing faux-pa's, "goofs" and attempts at obliteration of our once-proud armed forces. Then the issues of corruption and mis-management (Shawinigate, Gagliano affair, HRDC Boondoggle, Gun Registry mess...) came to light. Now, after months of indecisiveness and "flip-flopping", our not-so-illustrious prime minister has decided, on behalf of all Canadians, to not support our allies - up to 40 countries in the "coalition of the willing" at the time of writing - in their attempts to remove the Iraqi cancer called Sadaam Hussein. The USA, Britain, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and others are supplying physical or moral support - but not Canada and it's wishy-washy Liberal government!

Britain's government acted in a similar manner prior to the second world war, not wanting to act in a decisive manner in stopping the Nazi scourge - and look at the results. Sadly the Chrétien government has not learned from that lesson. Possibly the government is embarrassed at the decrepit status of the military, that they have created, and "opting out" saves further embarrassment? Or is is that Jean Chrétien really doesn't care what the world community thinks of Canada and Canadians?

I am sorry, Mr. Prime Minister, I care and am not proud to wave a Canadian flag right now. The world accepts France as a nation which often acts in a cowardly manner - it's almost expected - but for Canada to also act in a cowardly fashion, well... that is something new and a surprise to almost everyone. Shame, Mr. Prime Minister, Shame that you do not feel it necessary to support our neighbours in a just cause! If the role was reversed, they would not hesitate - but you do! It's embarrassing and cowardly! You have finally created your long sought-after "Legacy" - and WE have to live with it!

(Ed note: the number of supporters of the cause has increased from 40 to 52 as of Saturday March 22 2003)
SLAM, BAM - GOODBYE SADAAM!
... and there will be no tears at your departing this earth - promise!!

Well it's on - and going well! Why the "protesters" continue to "do their thing" I will never know! Like, er.. the CWWC (Coalition of the Willing without Canada) will stop the march to Baghdad beacuse of the protests, right? Yeah, sure! Now there are apparently 52 nations who have decided to back Madass's ouster. This could have been 53 but "you-know-who" and his "poultry-feces" Liberal associates are too busy mouthing off at the US while dining on escargots and steamed lobster, to bother about silly things like their Country's reputation. Mind you, once it's all over, the danger has passed and the conflict part of the exercise is complete, then possibly JC and his wishy-washy cronies will wish to "join in" and be part of "the winning team"! I hope the US and others politely tell them "where to go"! Canada's reputation as a freedom-loving player in the world arena has been severely damaged. Hopefully, when the yellow-bellied Quebec originating jackasses running this country are removed from office and Paul Martin takes the helm, then possibly there will be an opportunity for Canada to regain it's reputation. Until then we have no choice to bear the humiliation and scorn being sent this way by more progressive thinking nations, and possibly associate with other insignificant and cowardly nations, like France and Nigeria! Mr. Prime Minister - you are embarrassing us!
So how do the world's nations "stack up" over Iraq?
USA, UK, Spain - let's go and kick Sadaam's butt! Keyword: courageous

France - we don't want war 'cause we are a nation of cowards and we are afraid of everything, even our shadows! Keyword: gutless yellow-bellies

Germany - unless it means a fourth reich and world domination for us, we want no part of your war! Keyword: arrogantly stupid

Russia - since we sold Iraq all their outdated weapons, it appears a conflict of interest for us to participate! Keyword: self-servicing

Canada - according to their useless Prime Minister, "we choose/do not choose to not participate/participate in any'ting/nothing dat hanyone/no-one wishes/does not wish to do or not to do, h'as long as de Hewnited Nations supports dat move or non-move, 'dat's for sure! 'an don' forget that I 'ave French ancestory and I scare easily, mon dieu!" Keyword: totally useless

Israel - Oi-ve! Maybe, at last, possibly, hopefully - a mushroom cloud over Baghdad! Keyword: revenge

Mexico - Carrruuummmbaaaaa........ Olé - pass the tequila senorita! Keyword: adios

China - Ha so! - we need a billion troops to kick North Korea's butt when the time comes so we have none to spare so we will have to sit this one out folks, but thanks for asking! Keyword: remember Tianamin Square

Japan - no sushi bars? count us out!! Keyword: Sony

    La Guerre!!     
which in English means: "Iraq - your butt is ours!"
And in "true" French means: "Run away - Run away!"
Rules of Etiquette for Dealing with Peace Activists
( Thanks to a US friend for this one)

With all of this talk of impending war, many of us will encounter so-called "Peace Activists" who will try to convince us that we must refrain from retaliating against the ones who terrorized us all on September 11th, 2001 and from causing any harm to foreign governments that possess weapons of mass destruction/terror that may be used against us in the future.

These activists may be alone or in a gathering and most of us don't/won't know how to react to them. The following rules of etiquette are to be applied when/if you come upon one of these people, or one of their rallies. We do not promote undue violence so the following exercise should be considered as an guideline for the education of naive and uninformed protesters to the "realities" of today's modern world:

01. Listen politely while this person explains their view(s). Strike up a conversation if necessary and feign interest in their idea(s). They will tell you how revenge is immoral, and that by attacking the people/governments that threaten us, we will only bring more violence against us. They will probably use many arguments, ranging from political to religious to humanitarian.

02. In the middle of their remarks, without any warning, PUNCH THEM IN THE FACE!

03. When the person gets up off the ground (always punch them sufficiently enough to knock them to the ground), they will be very angry and may even try to hit you, so be careful.

04. Very quickly and calmly remind the person that violence only begets more violence, and remind them of their own stand on this matter. Tell them that if they are really committed to a nonviolent approach to undeserved attacks, they will turn the other cheek and negotiate a solution. Tell them they must lead by example if they really believe in what they are saying.

05. Most of them will think for a moment and then agree that you are correct.

06. As soon as they do this, HIT THEM AGAIN! Only this time, hit them harder and faster than before. Square in the face.

07. Repeat steps 4 thru 6 until the desired results are obtained (the idiot realizes the folly of his/her argument or he is pummelled into a state of unconsciousness).

There really is no difference in an individual attacking an unsuspecting person or a group of terrorists attacking an unsuspecting nation of people. It is unacceptable and must be dealt with, perhaps at a high cost. We owe our military a huge debt of gratitude for what they are about to do for us and our children. We must support them and our leaders during times like these. We have no choice. We either strike back, very hard, or WE will keep getting punched in the face...
A different kind of French kiss
- Dave Barry
( Dave Barry is a humour columnist for the Miami Herald)

OK, if nobody else will do it, I'm going to patch up this spat between the United States and France. As you know these two nations are not getting along, as evidenced by the high-level meeting in Paris last week during which French President Jacques Chirac and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, in what aides described as a frank exchange of views, bit each other.

Yes, relations are at an all all-time low. The French view us as a bunch of fat, simplistic, SUV-driving, gum-chewing, gun shooting, mall dwelling John Wayne cowboys who put ketchup on everything we eat, including breath mints. Whereas we view the French as a bunch of snotty, hygiene-impaired, pseudo-intellectual, snail-slurping weenies whose sole military accomplishment in the past 100 years was inventing the tasselled combat boot.

Sadly - as is so often the case when people resort to vicious stereotypes - both sides in this dispute are 100 percent correct. But the fact that we hate each other, with good reason, does NOT mean we can't be friends! After all, The United States and France have a close relationship that dates back to the Revolutionary War, when we were helped in our struggle for independence by a French person whose name we will never, ever forget, as long as we have Internet access to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Let's see ... Ladybird, Ladybug, Ladyfinger ... OK, here it is, Lafayette. Actually, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, his full name was - I am not making this up - Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Metier, Marquis de Lafayette. As a result, he had a hellish childhood. His mother would lean out the kitchen window and shout: "Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Metier, Marquis de Lafayette! You get back in here and finish your snails THIS INSTANT!" Hearing this, the other French children would tease Lafayette, calling him "Marie" and threatening to brush his teeth. So as soon as he could, he left France and came to America,

I am calling upon you, my fellow Americans,
to "extend the olive jar" to our French brothers
and sisters and yappy little dogs.

where he joined the army and told everybody his name was Mark. From that moment on, France and America were close allies. In 1886, as a gift symbolizing more than a century of friendship, France gave us the Statue of Liberty, in return, we sent the French 18 tons of jerky, which they claimed was lost in shipping. And the relationship continues to this very day, when many of the words that we use all the time, such as "French fries," "French toast," "French kiss," "French poodle" and "Chef Boy-Ar-Dee", are, believe it or not, actually of French origin.

We simply cannot allow a close relationship like this to be destroyed because of some silly little dispute over who gets to run the world. That is why today I am calling upon you, my fellow Americans, to "extend the olive jar" to our French brothers and sisters and yappy little dogs. I want you to deliberately approach French people wherever you can find them - on the street, on the Internet, in the "Small World" ride at Disney World, in public restrooms - and make friendly overtures to them in their own language (French). To help you do this, here is a list of friendly French phrases:

"Bonjour, personne française!" ("Hello, French person!") "Je suis un Americain, et, dangue il, je vais vous donner une grande vieille étreinte!" (I am an American and, dang it, I am going to give you a big old hug!") "Parole! Vous ne sentez pas demi aussi de mauvais que j'ai prévu!" ("Say! You do not smell half as bad as I expected!") Qui s'inquiete qui court darned le monde?" ("Who cares who runs the darned world?") "Voulez-vous la gomme? Elle ketchup-est assaisonnée!" ("Do you want gum? It's ketchup-flavoured!")
"Voulez que je vous porte au mail dans mon SUV?" ("Want me to take you to the mall in my SUV?") "Vous pouvez vous rendre au garde de sécurité" ("You can surrender to the security guard!") "Ha ha, je suis badiner juste autour hors de l"amitié! " ("Ha ha, I am just kidding around out of friendship!) "Hé, revenez ici!" ("Hey, come back here!") "I1 n'y a aucune cause pour l'alarme! Mon pistolet a une sûreté!" ("There is no cause for alarm! My gun has a safety!")

Yes, fellow Americans, with a little effort, we can heal this rift between us and our old friends. Because, in, the end, we have a lot more in common than we do separating us! Or, as the French would say, "Je suis un grand gros menteur" ("I am a big fat liar").
DILEMMA AT UNITED NATIONS SOLVED...


cartoon courtesy Ottawa Citizen & syndicam.com
I have finally figured a way out of the UN debacle regarding Iraq. I am surprised no one else had figured this out before. It is very simple and can be wrapped up in very short order, a couple of months should do it! Here is how it would work:

The US temporarily forgets about invading Iraq and instead, teams up with Iraq and Britain and invades France. Since the French normally capitulate without a fight, the whole invasion will be over within an hour of the French daily newspapers hitting the street or "rue"! Now, the next step will be to gather up all the Palestinians from the middle east and transport them to France, in effect "give" them the newly captured territory (previously known as France). The only difficulty I forsee here is potential conflict between many Palestinian Imam's who will all want to use the Eiffel Tower to announce prayer times - as the landmark Tower will surely be converted into a mosque. In any event, now that the Palestinians finally have their new "home" and own nation, the Arab/Israeli conflict should disappear almost overnight! Next, the new "coalition of the willing, able and past-evil" will set their sights on North Korea, and with China's help, quickly defeat North Korea and unify both the north and south. This will eliminate the need for a continued US presence in Korea, allowing over 50,000 soldiers to return home. The final step in this program will be for the US and Britain to "turn" on their partner Iraq, and remove the Hussein regime and "terminate" Hussein and his cronies and possibly, at the same time, continue on and wipe out Iran as well! (Hey, this could be easily explained as a simple error, in that the names are similar, the only difference being the last letters in the names, an "n" and a "q"). The somewhat useless United Nations could be called upon to take over the reconstruction of Iraq and Iran - giving the UN something positive to do for once! So, to recap, Tony Blair's political problem is resolved as is the George Dubya Bush's! France no longer exists (thanks for that - just that we will now have to teach the Palestinians how to make beaujolais!), The Korean threat will have disappeared and the Koreas are once again unified! The Palestinian/Israeli conflict is passée, Iraq has been disarmed with the UN now handling the democraticization of the country, and Iran no longer remains a credible nuclear threat having been conquered! With the loss of North Korea, Iraq, Iran and the Palestinians as harbourers of terrorism, the terrorist threat should subside or die. The Germans, having seen all this action, will quickly discard any thoughts of a fourth, fifth or sixth Reich, in effect invading anyone, and the world will finally be at peace!

Now, if only there was a way of convincing Britain and the US to drop by Ottawa and remove our arrogant and ineffective Prime Minister and his mouthy underlings, before heading home, then the world would surely be a better place all round!
COMING LATE MARCH 2003, TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU...
Main Feature
   
Second Feature
   
Matinée
VOULEZ VOUS...
( received by e-mail from the East Coast, Canada )


"My favorite bumper sticker in Washington D.C. right now is the one that says 'First Iraq, then France'." -Tom Brokaw

The French announced today that they would not help us remove Saddam from Iraq. Well Duh! They didn't even help us remove Hitler from France." -Jay Leno

"France said this week they need more evidence to convince them Saddam is a threat. Yeah, last time France asked for more evidence it came rolling thru Paris with a German Flag on it." -Dave Letterman

Why are all the highways in France lined with trees? So the Germans can march in the shade!!!

"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country. France has usually been governed by prostitutes." - Mark Twain

An old saying: "Raise your right hand if you like the French.... Raise both hands if you are French".

"I just love the French. They taste like chicken!" - Hannibal Lecter

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. All you do is leave behind a lot of noisy baggage." -unknown

"France has neither winter, nor summer, nor morals. France is miserable because it is filled with Frenchmen, and Frenchmen are miserable because they live in France." -Mark Twain

"I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me." - General George S. Patton

"As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure" -Jacques Chirac, President of France. "As far as France is concerned, you're right." -Rush Limbaugh,

"We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it." - Marge Simpson

"Only thing worse than a Frenchman is a Frenchman who lives in Quebec, Canada." -Ted Nugent

The only way the French are going in with us is if we tell them we found truffles in Iraq.

War without France would be like ... uh ... World War II

What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up? The French Army

Q. How do you stop a french Tank? A. Shoot the guy pushing.

"The only time France wants us to go to war is when the German Army is sitting in Paris sipping coffee." - Regis Philbin

How many Frenchmen does it take to change a light bulb? One. He holds the bulb and all of Europe revolves around him.

Q. How many Frenchman does it take to defend Paris. A. We don't know, it's never been tried.

"The French are a smallish, monkey-looking bunch and not dressed any better, on average, than the citizens of Baltimore. True, you can sit outside in Paris and drink little cups of coffee, but why this is more stylish than sitting inside and drinking large glasses of whiskey I don't know." - P.J O'Rourke (1989)

The best French bashing line heard over the last week is: "We can count on the French to be there when they need us."

REPLACEMENTS FOR THE FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM:
  "Runaway" by Del Shannon, "Walk Right In" by the Rooftop Singers, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" by Connie Francis, "Running Scared" by Roy Orbison,  "I Really Don't Want to Know" by Tommy Edwards,  "Surrender" by Elvis Presley,  "Save It For Me" by The Four Seasons, "Live and Let Die" by Wings,  "I'm Leaving It All Up To You" by Donny and Marie Osmond,  "What a Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers,  "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin & "Raise Your Hands" by Jon Bon Jovi
               HOW SOON THEY FORGET...
( this was received today, Mar 11, from a WW2 Vet in the US - I agree wholeheartedly! - JBoi)



The Eiffel Tower could
have been part of Germany
I HOPE THIS WILL REACH AND SERVE AS A REMINDER TO ALL THE ARROGANT, IGNORANT, AND UNGRATEFUL FRENCH CITIZENS. OUR HOPE IS THAT THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT WAKES UP, SHUTS DOWN THE U.N. (FOR WHICH THEY PAY THE MAJORITY OF COSTS) FOR THOSE WORTHLESS IDIOTS TO SIT IN NICE HOTELS, DRIVE IN LIMOS AND TALK AND DEBATE NOTHING OF VALUE. THE E.U. AND N.A.T.O. HAVE OUTLIVED THEIR USEFULNESS AND HAVE NO PLACE IN TODAY'S WORLD - THEY SHOULD BE DISBANDED.

I WONDER IF THE EIFFEL TOWER BECAME A PILE OF RUBBLE ON 9/11, WOULD THE FRENCH STILL WANT TO PRIDE THEMSELVES ON THEIR ARROGANCE? OR WOULD THEY CRY? NEVER!! EVERYONE SHOULD DEMAND OF THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT THAT IMMEDIATE HELP AND ACTION BE TAKEN. DO THE FRENCH REALLY FEEL THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT AS TO MAKE THE FINAL DECISION AND RELISH IN THE FACT THEY ARE IN THE MEDIA AS SELF PROCLAIMED "KEY" MEMBERS? THE ANSWER IS SIMPLY YES! THEY ALL QUICKLY FORGET THAT IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE USA AND HER ALLIES - WE COULD ALL VISIT THE "EIFFEL TOWER OF BERLIN" IN AN EXPANDED GERMANY.

PLEASE CONSIDER THIS AS A REMINDER TO ALL WHO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GRAVES OF THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES DEFENDING OUR WAY OF LIFE BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN FRANCE WAS NOT SO ARROGANT AND SELF-SERVING.

I leave you with a passage from another great American Hero - (Give him the 'key' again!)

"In closing, let me urge consideration and let the exhibition of the Enola Gay accurately reflect the American spirit and victory of August 1945. Those of us who gained that victory have nothing to be ashamed of, neither do we offer any apology. Some suffered, some died. The million or so of us remaining will die believing that we made the world a better place as a result of our efforts to secure peace that has held for almost 50 years. Many of us believe peace will prevail through the strength and resolve of the United States of America".

Paul W. Tibbets
Command Pilot,
Enola Gay, USAF
France awarded yet another dubious honour.


New French
Flag of Arrogance
The Geneva based "Committee for Recognition of International Arrogance" has just named France as the most arrogant country. This so-called recognition is awarded annually to the nation that displays the utmost degree of arrogance. The committee goes on to say that "France won this recognition due to it's arrogant attitude towards other nations and recent stance opposing the US and Britain regarding the Iraq conflict". The French once had a recognizeable "empire" in the eighteenth century and long for the "old days" when they were a recognized world power. They openly resent the influence and affluence of the United States, and French statements and actions consistantly reflect their futile desire to be considered Europe's "leader" and the European equal to the US. The French are quick to dismiss reminders of their well-known lack of spirit and almost automatic capitulation when faced with adversity - one area where they will cetainly never be able to match the US, who holds a record of facing adversity with courage and action. France's recent association with Germany and Russia in opposition to the UN vote on Iraq and "anything American" merely underlines their desire to be seen as THE European Leader, as well as protecting their own vested interests in that they, along with their two new associates, are prime suppliers of arms and biological/chemical testing and production equipment to the Iraqi regime."

For those readers asking where Canada and the USA placed in the arrogance ratings, the USA placed No 6 in the listings and Canada placed No 36. Rumour has it that if it were not for Canada's egotistical King and Prime Minister, "Roi JC 1", Canada's rating would have dropped to 46, fourth from the bottom of the group of 50 countries included in the award committee's nomination list. Rumour also has it that if the Canadian province of Quebec ever attains separate nationhood, it will immediately attain a position in the top 5, something to look forward to, eh, Bernard Landry?

Ed Note: No one is suggesting that all French citizens are cowards, there are certainly a small number prepared to act courageously when called upon, just that the actions of the country's politicians and officials as a whole appear to suggest that "advancing to the rear, quickly", is a French 'state of mind' brought on by centuries of practice!
Quiz Time! What "distinctly stupid" province run by idiots has developed a new "rip-off" scheme?

If you answered "Kebeck" you are correct! Those dependably stupid idiots in Quebec City have just decreed that all Quebec issued birth certificates are invalid - they use the term "insecure" - if issued prior to 1994. Any Quebec born person wishing to obtain a passport or having a need for a birth certificate copy, and who was born prior to 1994 must re-apply to Quebec City for a "secure" birth certificate copy! You see, the idiots running whatever ministry that controls the certificates, have decided that because of all the concerns about terrorism, they have to tighten up security, and reissuing birth certificates is one way to increase control. Oh, did I not mention that there is a charge for re-issuing the new "secure" certificates? Not sure what it is but rest assured they intend to do more than "cover costs" here!

Now here is "the rub"! To obtain a new "secure" document, you must fax a copy of your old "insecure" certificate, and they will send back the same thing but now classified as "secure"! So in effect, you are getting the same thing back, the only difference being that your wallet is now lighter to the tune of whatever they charge!! Ah... La "belle province" - contrôlé par les idiots!
WE ARE WOMEN
For you ladies out there that are "following" the Bin Laden and Iraqi situations and have come to the conclusion that the French, Germans and other self-interest groups represented at the UN have become totally useless (so what's new?), and that "someone has to do something - NOW" then check this out!
Go, girls, Go!
( Thanks to Patricia in NC for this one )
I think I have solved the Navy's "helicopter" problems!

Just had a brain wave... for years now, we have heard all about the demoralization of the armed forces and lately, the demise of the 40 year old and crumbling Navy Sea-King helicopters. We have also been subjected to embarrassment after embarrassment at the hands of our egotistical and arrogant prime minister and his cronies. The most recent episode, and this appeared in this morning's (Thursday March 6 2003) edition of the Ottawa Citizen, involved the new 'Table 'd Hote' for King JC's trips in the government jets. (Remember, we had two completely capable Challenger private jets at his nib's disposal but that wasn't good enough for his "image" so his nibs decided to purchase two more, at taxpayers expense, for over $100,000,000 [lots of zero's, right?] thus bringing his "fleet" up to four!) The paper itemizes the lunch and dinner fare to be foisted on 'hisself', consisting of 'typical' airline food like lobster, scallops, escargots, vintage wines - you know, typical "Air Canada" type fare (NOT!!). Apparently Cara operations who supplies food to the major airlines, the food you and I get on commercial airlines, was not good enough for our bumbling PM et al. Hey! It's not their money, so why should they be concerned!

{Ed Note: I wonder, when "they" are cavorting around in the luxury jets while dining on escargots, lobster and truffles, washed down with some chateauneuf-de-pâpe, do they give any thought to the frequent crashes of the Navy's outdated and long-overdue-for-replacement Sea King helicopters, and occasional injury or death to the pilots? Nah... it's the military's problem, not theirs!! As Marie Antoinette supposedly said... "Let them eat cake"!}

Anyway.. as I said above, I think I have solved the problem. George 'Dubya" Bush has Airforce One for his lengthy trips but for "around town" and local trips, he uses a helicopter supplied by the U S Marine Corps, named "Marine One". Now, here's the idea... let's get a Sea King helicopter and name it "Chretien One" and have it at his nibs' disposal! Possibly a few knuckle-biting trips may bring the idiot to his senses and knock some common sense into his head. Worth a try? Of course there is the possibility that 'Roi JC' may like the idea and arrange for a brand spanking new helicopter for his use, and {*expletive*} the armed forces!
Open a Bank account - get a free gun!

This one gets our first ever "Double-Star-of-Stupidity" award - and it's obvious why! Even Chretien cannot compete with this unbelievable scheme. Michael Moore - author of "Bowling for Columbine", a commentary on America's lax gun law system, said it ... but I did not believe it.. there is a bank in the US that hands you the gun of your choice when you open a bank account with them. You heard it correctly - open an account - get a gun! Michael states, and I quote
"North Country Bank (with branches throughout Northern Michigan) offers you a wide choice of guns when you open up a certificate of deposit account. In effect, they are giving you all of the interest the account will earn in advance in the form of a gun. The bank is also an authorized federal arms dealer so they can do the quick background check right there at the bank. I put $1,000 in a long-term account, they did the background check, and, within an hour, walked out with my new Weatherby—just as you see it in the film. (I did have a choice of getting a pair of golf clubs or a grandfather clock, but they didn’t have either of those hanging on the wall like they did those three rifles). I learned about the bank’s gun offer from an ad in the local paper that showed a gun across the top with the heading, “ More Bang for Your Buck” from North Country Bank. I still have the account and the gun to this day (though I plan to legally “auction” off the gun for charity, and creatively have it destroyed—more on that later!)"

Yours truly appreciates and respects guns, has his share of them and sees nothing wrong with reliable people owning them for sporting or collection purposes, but your local bank handing them out for "free"? Too far folks... too far!

In case someone wants to come charging back at me waving NRA slogans etc, consider this, and again, the data comes from Michael's wealth of statistical information in "Bowling for Columbine":
You might be surprised by how many people are killed by guns each year. Look at these statistics from Bowling for Columbine.
Germany: 381, United Kingdom: 68, France: 255, Australia: 65, Canada: 165, Japan: 39, U.S.A.: 11,127
"There are 120 million people in Japan, and 39 gun murders. The equivalent for us should be about 90 murders a year, not over 11,000. And those are just the murders! There are 15,000 gun suicides and 4000 gun accidents. It adds up to about 30,000 people in America each year killed through gun violence." — Michael Moore


Makes you wonder, eh?
Technology... ain't it grand!
Feathered friends were to be first used as early warning of chemical attacks

Friday Feb 28 2003 - Ottawa Citizen.. Operation "Field Chicken" has been shut down, at least for now. The chickens are dead! Just more than a week after 43 chickens were brought into camp to ride into battle with the US Marines in Kuwait, all but two have died. In true military style, most were buried in the soft sand outside of regimental headquarters. Small wooden tombstones mark their graves. There's one for Captain Pop-eye, one for Pfc. King, another for LCpl Pecker and, finally, one marking the grave of The Unknown Chicken.

The plan was to use the chickens the way miners once used canaries to warn them of poisonous gas underground. If the Marines moved into southern Iraq during a war, the chickens would be an early signal if Iraq launched biological or chemical weapons. More likely, the birds would have warned the Marines of false alarms that could be set off by non-lethal oil fires. Problem is that the birds started dying the day they arrived and no one could figure out why.

One person, CWO Ken King, a city boy from Providence RI has apparently discovered the reason for the demise of these clucking warriors. Ken is the only chicken owner with any birds left alive. He figures that chickens instinctively peck at the ground and since the ground in Kuwait is sand, the chickens were pecking and picking up grains of sand which clog up their giblets or nostrils - whatever. King removed his chickens from the sand and they did just fine. Semper Fi!
Time to save the Navy...

Oh Oh! Today's Citizen carried the story... another of the "aging" 40 year old and outdated Navy Sea King helicopters decided to stop flying while about thirty feet above the deck of the Navy's "Algonquin" DDE Destroyer Escort which was on it's way to the Gulf as part of Canada's contribution to "the cause"! The Algonquin, unfortunately, was to be the command center for all combined Gulf naval activities, taking over from US ships which would be redirected elsewhere for active involvement in the Iraq situation. The Algonquin received some deck damage and has to return to port in Halifax. Talk about "another" military embarrassment!

Why the Algonquin has to return to port is beyond me! I have an alternative solution which would allow the Algonquin to continue it's voyage to the gulf without interruption. All we have to do is take our somewhat useless Prime Minister, place a propeller-beanie-cap on his head, place him on the Algonquin, and off we go! We now have a "Sea King Jean" helicopter! He will be just as useless as the decrepit Sea King Helicopters but far more useful in this new role than the role of Prime Minister. He also would add to his long-sought-after "Legacy" - surely the world would not pass up an opportunity to remember such an auspicious event! And.. he would take up less deck space than the Sea King so the deck could avoid the need for repair, at least as an interim step. While "Roi J C" was at sea, someone who knew what he was doing (like Paul Martin) could take over the Federal Government reins and get on with the job of properly running the country.

Dear Minister of Defence, the Honourable John McCallum - are you listening??

If only we could look into the future...
( following received anonymously from a reader in the USA )

Anyone remember this?? It was 1987! At a lecture the other day they were playing an old news video of Lt.Col. Oliver North testifying at the Iran-Contra hearings during the Reagan Administration. There was Ollie in front of God and country getting the third degree, but what he said was stunning! He was being drilled by a senator;

"Did you not recently spend close to $60,000 for a home security system?"

Ollie replied, "Yes, I did, Sir."

The senator continued, trying to get a laugh out of the audience, "Isn't that just a little excessive?"

"No, sir," continued Ollie.

"No? And why not?" the senator asked.

"Because the lives of my family and I were threatened, sir."

"Threatened? By whom?" the senator questioned.

"By a terrorist, sir" Ollie answered.

"Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?"

"His name is Osama bin Laden, sir" Ollie replied.

At this point the senator tried to repeat the name, but couldn't pronounce it, which most people back then probably couldn't. A couple of people laughed at the attempt. Then the senator continued. Why are you so afraid of this man?" the senator asked.

"Because, sir, he is the most evil person alive that I know of", Ollie answered.

"And what do you recommend we do about him?" asked the senator.

"Well, sir, if it was up to me, I would recommend that an assassin team be formed to eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth."

The senator disagreed with this approach, and that was all that was shown of the clip.

By the way, that senator was Al Gore.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also: Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners." However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands. The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released.

Thus Mohammad Atta was freed and eventually thanked the US by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified. It was censored in the US from all later reports.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmmm... guess Chretien and his cronies do not have a monopoly on stupidity!
TidBits of Dumbness...
Halifax - The Canadian Press - Jennifer Surrette, a member of the Animal Rights Coalition, commenting on the release back into the ocean of an oversize lobster residing in a Halifax grocery store... "we go to the grocery store and every animal you see is dead".

A university of Manitoba professor is contesting his conviction on running a stop sign, after nine, yes nine, adjournments. His defence? He is claiming that the word STOP is far too vague!! Duh!

Kebec's premier Bernie Landry - for his statement, quoted in the press, saying poor people should manage to feed their children because even birds - with their tiny brains - can do it! Double Duh!

Montreal - Wed Feb 16 2003 - the city of Montreal is appealing the acquittal of a 16 year old boy who was given a $118 ticket for making noise by skateboarding downtown. The judge had thrown the case out of court saying the sound of skateboard wheels was not noisy. (JBoi - "what's next? Mothers pushing strollers or prams hauled into court in handcuffs? Disabled wheelchair users surrounded by SWAT teams? High-speed pursuit chases involving tots on "Big Wheels"?) Duh..Duh..Duh!

Jboi comment: Rumour has it that the Kebec Department of Tourism, following a program initiated by the French Tourism Authority in Paris (Maison de la France), will soon publish an advisory to tourists travelling in that province this summer, suggesting that visitors refrain from holding up both hands in the air as doing so usually causes everyone in the area to do the same thing accompanied with cries of "nous rendons" {"we surrender"} and as a result, traffic becomes congested, taking hours to clear up! <;^)-
View of the World: Ramblings of an Old Man
By Joe Galloway
article contributed by Patricia in Raleigh
If you aren't interested in the ramblings of an old man, please delete now. If you're still there, pull up a chair and listen.

Is there anyone else out there who's sick and tired of all the polls being taken in foreign countries as to whether or not they" like" us? The last time I looked, the word "like" had nothing to do with foreign policy. I prefer 'respect' or 'fear.' They worked for Rome, which civilized and kept the peace in the known world a hell of a lot longer than our puny two centuries-plus.

I see a left-wing German got elected to office recently by campaigning against the foreign policy of the United States. Yeah, that's what I want, to be lectured about war and being a "good neighbor" by a German. Their head honcho said they wouldn't take part in a war against Iraq. Kind of nice to see them taking a pass on a war once in while. Perhaps we needed to have the word "World" in front of War. I think it's time to bring our boys home from Germany. Outside of the money we'd save, we'd make the Germans "like" us a lot more, after they started paying the bills for their own defense.

Last time I checked, France isn't too fond of us either. They sort of liked us back on June 6th, 1944, though, didn't they? If you don't think so, see how nicely they take care of the enormous American cemeteries up above the Normandy beaches. For those of you who've studied history, we also have a few cemeteries in places like Belleau Woods and Chateau Thierry also. For those of you who haven't studied it, that was from World War One the first time Europe screwed up, and we bailed out the French. That's where the US Marines got the title 'Devil Dogs' or, if you still care about what the Germans think, Teufelhunde." I hope I spelled that right; sure wouldn't want to offend anyone, least of all a German.

Come to think of it, when Europe couldn't take care of their Bosnian problem recently, guess who had to help out there also. Last time I checked, our kids are still there. I sort of remember they said they would be out in a year. Gee, how time flies when you're having fun.

Now we hear that the South Koreans aren't too happy with us either. They "liked" us a lot better, of course, in June 1950. It took more than 50,000 Americans killed in Korea to help give them the lifestyle they currently enjoy, but then who's counting? I think it's also time to bring the boys home from there. There are about 37,000 young Americans on the DMZ separating the South Koreans from their "brothers" up north. Maybe if we leave, they can begin to participate in the "good life" that North Korea currently enjoys. Uh huh. Sure.

I also understand that a good portion of the Arab/Moslem world now doesn't "like" us either. Did anyone ever sit down and determine what we would have to do to get them to like us? Ask them what they would like us to do. Die? Commit ritual suicide? Bend over? Maybe we should follow the advice of our dimwitted, dullest knife in the drawer, Senator Patty Murray, and build more roads, hospitals, day care centers, and orphanages like Osama bin Laden does. What with all the orphans Osama has created, the least he can do is build some places to put them. Senator Stupid says if we would only "emulate" Osama, the Arab world would love us.

Sorry Patty, in addition to the fact that we already do all of those things around the world and have been doing them for over sixty years, I don't take public transportation, and I certainly wouldn't take it with a bomb strapped to the guy next to me. Don't get me wrong: I'm not in favor of going to war. Been there, done that. Several times, in fact. But I think we ought to have some polls in this country about other countries, and see if we "like" THEM. Problem is, if you listed the countries, not only wouldn't the average American know if he liked them or not, he wouldn't be able to find them. If we're supposed to worry about them, how about them worrying about us?

We were nice to the North Koreans in 1994, as we followed the policies of Neville Clinton. And it seemed to work; they didn't restart nuclear weapons program for a whole year or so. In the meantime, we fed them when they were starving, and put oil in their stoves when they were freezing.

In a recent visit to Norway, I engaged in a really fun debate with my cousin's son, a student at a Norwegian University. I was 'lectured' to by this thankless squirt about the American "Empire," and scolded about dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese. I reminded him that empires usually keep the stuff they take; we don't, and back in 1945 most Norwegians thought dropping ANY kind of bomb on Germany or Japan was a good idea. I also reminded him that my uncle, his grandfather, and others in our family spent a significant time in Sachsenhausen concentration camp, courtesy of the Germans, and they didn't all survive. I further reminded him that if it weren't for the "American Empire" he would probably be speaking German or Russian.

Sorry about the rambling, but I just took an unofficial poll here at our house, and we don't seem to like anyone!

(JBoi NOTE: I suspect that the reason that Canada was not mentioned in this article is due to the fact that many Americans appreciate what idiots we have 'running' {obvious misnomer} our country and accordingly sympathize with us and feel we have enough to contend with already!!)
Jay Leno said it...

We were watching the Tonight Show last night, not unexpectedly, Jay Leno had to touch upon the current UN vs US Iraqi debacle and, again not unexpectedly, like most disgusted Americans, had to comment on the back-stabbing attitude displayed by France. Jay noted that the largest anti-war protests had been held in Paris. (seems like the French government is good at something - organizing rallies and demonstrations). his comment was that as the crowd marched through the arch of the 'Arc de Triomphe', the French government officials rushed out with their hands in the air, screaming, "we surrender"! I guess tigers don't change their stripes! Thanks William Watson, for the phrase "France is a nation of cheese-eating surrender monkeys". Says it all, right?
Axis of "just as evil" formed...

Beijing (SatireWire.com) - Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the "Axis of Evil," Libya, China, and Syria today announced they had formed the "Axis of Just as Evil," which they said would be way eviler than that stupid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of in his State of the Union address.

Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are Just as Evil... in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils... best at being evil... we're the best."

Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the Axis of Evil.

"They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"An Axis can't have more than three countries," explained Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So you can only have three. And a secret handshake. Ours is wicked cool."

THE AXIS PANDEMIC

International reaction to Bush's Axis of Evil declaration was swift, as within minutes, France surrendered.

Elsewhere, peer-conscious nations rushed to gain triumvirate status in what became a game of geopolitical chairs. Cuba, Sudan, and Serbia said they had formed the Axis of Somewhat Evil, forcing Somalia to join with Uganda and Myanmar in the Axis of Occasionally Evil, while Bulgaria, Indonesia and Russia established the Axis of Not So Much Evil Really As Just Generally Disagreeable.

With the criteria suddenly expanded and all the desirable clubs filling up, Sierra Leone, El Salvador, and Rwanda applied to be called the Axis of Countries That Aren't the Worst But Certainly Won't Be Asked to Host the Olympics; Canada, Mexico, and Australia formed the Axis of Nations That Are Actually Quite Nice But Secretly Have Nasty Thoughts About America, while Spain, Scotland, and New Zealand established the Axis of Countries That Sometimes Ask Sheep to Wear Lipstick.

"That's not a threat, really, just something we like to do," said Scottish Executive First Minister Jack McConnell.

NOTE: this article appeared January 2002 on http://www.satireweb.com/. It is replacated here in it's entirety - you may have seen it before but it certainly rates a chuckle or two! Enjoy...

Let's protect the bad guys...

The farce continues! Yesterday, Valentine's day 2003, the somewhat-useless-becoming-even-more-useless United Nations "ganged up" on the US regarding the Iraq situation! "Peaceniks rule - common sense doesn't" would be an eloquent way to describe the day's events! Iraqis must be "rolling in the aisles laughing"! Led by France, Germany and Russia, in that order, and augmented by an obviously politically prompted Hans Blix et al, the Security Council "slapped down" the US and it's desire to obtain some degree of UN acceptance of it's plan to oust the "MadAss" regime by force. What a disgusting farce! France wants the US out of Europe so it can start to appear as the "Leader of the Pack" in the European Union and, at the same time, it's largest biochemical and biotechnical purchasing customer, Iraq, will keep on buying! Germany, the second largest supplier of bio-expertise and bio-products to Iraq, and who also sees itself as another an up-and-coming contender for "leadership" in the European Union, is also adamantly opposed to anything US! (ps... watch for the upcoming pressure for the US to remove it's bases from Germany). Russia, apart from it's tendancy to oppose almost anything US, has just negotiated a major oil contract with Iraq (let's not disrupt that shall we?) and is still THE major arms supplier to Iraq who, by the way, owes them in excess of eight Billion dollars, US dollars that is, and I suspect they would like to get paid, right? Hmmm... wonder why they do not want an Iraqi conflict? (then, of course, a US trip into Iraq would undoubtedly unearth all the sophisticated military "toys" Russia has been selling in violation of recent UN agreements, unbeknownst to most of the world!)

Here is the problem! Up until a few years ago, Institutions like the United Nations, Norad, NATO, SEATO etc.. existed as the "policing agents" of the world. The UN was respected and was in a position to flex it's muscle when any threatening situation arose in the world arena. NATO and SEATO were often called upon to act as the muscle for the UN, and UN control was maintained after-the-fact by nation-member provided peacekeeping activities - an area that Canada was experienced in and well respected for. That has all changed! Over the last few years, the UN has been sliding downwards as a reputable world forum. More and more member nations have started letting local and selfish politics rule the day rather than making decisions based on the good of the world order! The United Nations is dying much like the League of Nations did after the first world war. To a great degree, most world nations are starting to follow an apathetic or pacifist road not unlike the one Britian followed on the eve of the second world war - and we all know where that attitude led! With the demise of UN influence and respect, someone had to take over the role of "world policeman"! Enter the United States who is the only real "super power" left since the disintegration of Russia with it's provincial breakup and faltering economy. (This status of course, runs contrary to the aspirations of the French whose desire is to revive 16-17th century imperalism and once again become a truly recognized world power - which will never happen until their military learns to advance forward, rather than rapidly advancing to the rear in all cases of crises!). In times of old, the US, in it's "policeman role" was tolerated because it's strength kept the soviet threat at bay! With that threat gone, the "need" has disappeared!

If 9-11 had occurred downtown Paris or in Berlin, guess where the situation would be now! France or Germany would be kneeling at Washington's doorstep, pleading for military support to combat the evil terrorist threat! The US would be seen as a "good guy" as it, and it alone, had the power and inclination to effectively oppose such a threat. Unfortunately, that is not the case. 9-11 happened in the US so, in reality, even though there is some degree of empathy on the part of the likes of France, Germany, Russia etc.., it is "not their problem" so back to business as usual, and that means supporting a lucrative trade with Iraq. No way are these self-centered nations going to support any activity that will disrupt their own economic enterprises! The sad thing here is that past European generations appreciated the help the US gave them when the Nazi thugs were overrunning their lands. How quickly they forget! Now if only we could convince Al-Queda to blow up the Eiffel Tower or Brandenburg Gate rather than make any further strike in the US, then things may get back to normal and the US presence may again be appreciated! France, Germany and Russia - you are ungrateful, self-centered fools! Smarten up!
Does Kebec emulate France over Iraq, cluck...cluck...cluck?

There should be no surprise over the fact that this writer is not impressed with Kebec francophone attitudes towards military action and crises (see article above) - in fact, it is a time tested fact that given a crisis situation, the average Kebec francophone would rather "run" than "fight", following the time honoured practice of their overseas "motherland"! Bridget Pellerin's article in the Ottawa Citizen this morning (Thursday February 13th) adds credence to that feeling and suggests to me that I am not alone in this way of thinking!

In her article, Ms Pellerin quotes Economist William Watson who claims the US media says, and I quote, "France is a nation of cheese-eating surrender monkeys"! I love it - so articulate! Mr. Watson disagrees with that analysis and points out that public opinion in France is not unanimously anti-war. On the otherhand, Ms Pellerin states that "This is unfortunately not something someone can say about francophone Quebec"! Ms Pellerin aptly puts it by stating "That Quebecers are a pacifist bunch is no surprise, as any Second World War veteran can tell you. Pacifism is not in itself a flaw, nor is informed and articulate opposition to war in Iraq. What's distressing is the unanimity of francophone Quebecers in the crucial debate".

From reading the articles, one quickly comes to the realization that Quebec's attitude can be easily summed up with a quote from Bernard Landry who questions "when do we kill people who did not attack us?", in other words, if it's not an attack on Kebec, who gives a darn! - and this is a government who wishes one day to become a sovereign nation in the world community?

Well, Mr Landry, I suspect that there are a number of francophone quebeckers who would like to be a part of Canada and who recognize that evil must be contested! Those are the folks who fought in the world wars and Korea, and who would gladly help kick madass Hussien's rear end if given the choice. Alas, however, the majority of Kebec francophones do feel that whatever happens outside of the borders of their precious and isolated "nation", is not really their problem. Sadly, if Quebec were threatened by anyone, Canada would pull out all the stops to help defend it! Conversely, if Canada were threatened, there would be a mass exodus of francophone quebeckers heading into the woods or running away elsewhere - if they could! What a cowardly bunch! Nuff said!
CANADIAN CONFIDENCE...
( don't know the source of this one - crossed my desk, so here it is... )

Osama Bin Laden was sitting in his cave wondering which country to invade next, when his telephone rang.

"Hallo, Mr. Laden" a heavily accented voice said. "This is Archie, down 'ere at the Harp Seal Pub in Badger's Cove, Newfoundland, Canada ey? I am callin' to tells ya dat we are officially declaring war on you ey!"

"Well Archie," Osama replied, "This is indeed important news! How big is your army?"

"Right now," said Archie, after a moments calculation "there is myself, me cousin Harold, me next-door-neighbor Mick, and the whole dart team from the pub. That makes eight!"

Osama paused. "I must tell you Archie, that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

"Holy jeez," said Archie. "I'll have ta call ya back!" Sure enough, the next day, Archie called again. "Mr. Laden, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!"

"And what equipment would that be Archie?", Osama asked.

"Well sir, we have two combines, a bulldozer, and Harry's farm tractor."

Osama sighed. "I must tell you Archie, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armoured personnel carriers. Also I've increased my army to one and a half million since we last spoke."

"Lard T'underin' Jaysus, bye", said Archie, "I'll be getting back to ya." Sure enough, Archie rang again the next day. "Mr. Laden, the war is still on! We have managed to git ourselves airborne! We up an' modified Harrigan's ultra-light wit a couple of shotguns in the cockpit, and four byes from the Legion have joined us as well!"

Osama was silent for a minute then cleared his throat. "I must tell you Archie that I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION!"

"Jeysus, Mary and Joseph," said Archie, "I'll have ta call youse back." Sure enough, Archie called again the next day. "Mr. Laden! I am sorry to have to tell you dat we have had to call off dis 'ere war."

"I'm sorry to hear that" said Osama. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well, sir," said Archie, "we've all sat ourselves down and had a long chat over a bunch of pints, and come to realize dat dere's no way we can feed two million prisoners."

CANADIAN CONFIDENCE CANNOT BE SHAKEN!
YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING...

I had to see it to believe it! Tuesday (Feb 4th 2003) morning's Ottawa Citizen carried an article - apparently the U.N. has named Iraq as the "Chair of the UN's Disarmament Conference" as of March. Hmmm... ALSO, two weeks ago the U.N. named Libya as "Chair of the UN Human Rights Commission! Double Hmmm..! Hey, I see it all now... Jean Chrétien named Chair of the Anti-Corruption Commission!! Kebek's Landry named Chair of National Solidarity!! BC Premier Gordon Campbell appointed Chair of a Committee to manage the Spotted Owl and reduce forestry activities and also named as spokesman for M.A.D.D.! Hmm.....!!

So much for UN credibility!! Now the UN is following the same path as the defunct League of Nations which was disbanded as being ineffective following the first world war! Possibly the US is right, kick butt in Iraq, or North Korea too for that matter - nothing positive will come out of the UN and somebody has to "police" matters before these little war-mongering demi-gods cause some catastrophe!

The United Nations has reduced it's effectiveness to that of a forum for whiners, where unimportant and wimpy nations can "have a say" in global matters! It's all politics and the general welfare of the world has long ago been placed on the back burner. Look at recent events - Russia is against any movement on Iraq, possibly due to the recent multi-billion dollar deal concerning purchase of Iraqui oil & it's renowned weapons sales? Hmmm...! France and Germany have paired up to oppose any movement on Iraq, possibly as they see themselves the new "leaders" of the European Union and they want an opportunity to flex their muscles, especially against the "imperialistic" US? (plus their vested interest in supplying ALL Iraq's chemical & biological equipment needs). Hmmm....! Some "leadership"!!

France - the country with the worlds' record for capitulation when faced with any adversity whatsoever - example is the WW2 capitulation and Vichy government actions (exception being the brave heroics of the French underground of course). No need to question why the Kebec separatiste fringe runs rather than confronts when opposed - it's their heritage! (remember the cowardly military "volunteers" in Sorel Kebec, 1939, who tried to run away from serving their country? Remember why conscription did not happen in Canada during WW2 - Kebec (with the exception of a few brave and heroic souls) generally "chickened out" and the Feds felt that an "English Canada-only" conscription would be political suicide).

Then Germany - two wars started, two wars lost, they have a lousy "track record" - it's in their blood - they feel "superior" to anyone else and have to continuously promote that belief! Even their national anthem - often called "Deutschland ueber Alles" - has been translated to reflect ambitions of conquest and enslavement of other countries! There may be a "circle of life" - hopefully there is no "circle of politics", at least as far as Der Deutschland is concerned!

Now all these two primadonnas have to do is work out whether the "new Europe" will be called "Gerfrance" or "Fragermany" - decisions... decisions... decisions!
COUNTDOWN TO WAR...

Friday Jan 31 2003 - It was announced today that if Canada's somewhat ineffective and draconian government can pull itself away from the habit of fence-sitting, and declare support for an attack on Iraq, then the Military is ready to contribute to the effort. The RCR (Royal Canadian Regiment) - 3d Battalion stationed at Camp Petawawa north-west of Ottawa, has confirmed that it has been practicing for desert warfare and is now willing and able to join in the campaign when and if asked! It was confirmed that the unit had just completed maneuvres in -30C degree weather and deep snow as a exercise in preparedness to desert warfare. Hmmm...!! When questioned about the differences between cold weather and deep snow vs hot weather and sand, the response was that there is really no difference - an "ambush" is an "ambush" regardless of the climate and terrain. Hmmm..!! The military stated that joining the Iraq conflict would be conditional on a number of items. They would go if the US or other Allies would supply transportation for troops and equipment should U-Haul not be able to lend a hand in this department, and if someone would lend them desert clothing. The clothing used in the recent maneuvres was white and may stand out against sand dunes and could be quite ineffective for nighttime operations. This would not stop the mobilization of the Battalion however, as one soldier put it "we can do the same thing we did in Afghanistan, we bleached and re-bleached our green uniforms to make them lighter - that helped, especially at nighttime when night-vision goggles makes everything look light green!"

So it looks that Canada may be joining the upcoming fray! Now if the cheapskates in Ottawa will only send the troops the bullets they have been asking for....
Just saw the latest news on Iraq protests - OK. Sunday morning (Jan 19, 2003) and I just finished watching the news concerning all the protests over the impending war in Iraq. I often wonder how many of these protesters really understand what they are protesting about. If you discount the Fascist element, the usual number of hell-raising communist sympathizers, those Muslim supporters who feel anything anti-Arabic is heresy, the 'anti-anything-American' crowd, also the usual group of university and college students who support "protesting-against-anything-for-the-sake-of-protesting-against-anything", then what is left is a group of easily manipulated individuals who have obviously not taken the time to think matters through carefully! If there isn't already, there should be a saying ... "Hearts of gold and minds of jelly"! They mean well but reality has escaped them!!!

OK! What are they protesting? - the possibility of a unilateral US assault on Iraq, or for others, any assault on Iraq even with UN blessings! The "anti-war-regardless" crowd is very prominent here. No one likes war - it is destructive, results in great loss of life, destroys families and accomplishes little - but at times when all reason fails, it may be the only resolve! What would happen if the protesters had their way and everyone "backed off" the Iraqi question? Lets take a look at a hypothetical scenario;

MadAss Hussein and his cronies would definitely continue striving to enhance their power within the country, and within the eyes of the Arab world as a whole, and the best way of doing that would be to increase their armament capacity - this is what they have always done! In my opinion, the Arabic world knows one thing and one-thing-only concerning power and prestige - that is military might - and always with a view to one day eliminating the penultimate threat to their "world" - Israel! Everything "they" do is based on this anticipation! So military might is power! MadAss Hussien will eventually develop or purchase a nuclear capacity - that is virtually guaranteed! The Arab world would be impressed with any Arab state being in the "big league" and having the "power" to stand up against any oppressor, especially the American "Infidels"! With nuclear weapons in his war chest, MadAss Hussein would be revered by his Arabic brothers - and with his ego, would cherish the thought of placing Iraq in general, and he in particular, into the history books as a prominent force within the Arab world!
OK, so he acquires nuclear capability, what then?

With that man's (MadAss) illogical reasoning powers, now self-designated as the "saviour" of the Arabic world, he will start to flex his military power, either voluntarily or as a result of manipulation by other Arab leaders! Rest assured, that flexing will be immediately directed at the State of Israel! He cannot target US interests in the middle east as that would amount to targeting other Arab nations! He cannot target the US itself, the distance is too far and that is simply "out of his league" - he knows this! The only option, and the one that will be looked upon favourably by other Arab nations, is to target Israel! So, with his "nuclear capacity" supporting his actions, he will one day attack Israel, probabably a pre-emptive strike using biological or chemical weaponry! A conventional military action would probably not work as it is well understood that Israeli forces are far superior in capability and armament, and coupled with facing annihilation as a country, their resistance would be fanatical! No, the only assault with any chance of success would be a massive strike using non-conventional weapons. Too long a conflict would quickly draw the USA into the skirmish due to existing treaties with Israel. A "quick-and-it's-over" assault with an Iraqi victory and Arab world accolade, may cause the US political world to pause and rethink any immediate response. So... Iraq attacks quickly and massively in a chemical or bio attack! That's that - right?

Wrong! Israel has "the bomb" - their "Jericho II" rocket (derivative of the Shavit SLV satellite launching vehicle) can hit anything in the Arab world, and their nuclear capability also includes limited-yield nuclear field artillery and "cruise" missile weaponry. If attacked on a massive scale, their response would be immediate - and nuclear! There is absolutely no doubt about it, Israel would have no choice! Bye Bye Bhagdad and Basra! The problem is that this might create a massive mobilization by the Arab world - and off we go!!! So much for the middle east oil supply the world depends on - it could quickly become radioactive and unuseable!

So... all you protesters out there... best think this one through again! It is sad to suggest this, but most historians would probably agree, that if all of you were alive back in early 1939, you would be out protesting western military attitudes towards Hitler's Germany. Look at the difficulty Winston Churchill had in persuading the naive British Gouvernment into starting to think about arming the nation as a prelude to the forthcoming conflict! You may think there is no parallel here, but there is! Prior to the war, too many people thought Hitler was not "dangerous", a little imperalistic yes, but not really dangerous! MadAss Hussein shares all the traits of the little moustached Bavarian corporal - let MadAss aquire "the bomb" and watch out! The Kurds in Northern Iraq that he gassed with nerve gas know better! This is not Vietnam, the VC were not on the verge of developing "weapons of mass destruction" - they were fighting for what they saw as reunification of their homeland! Ho Chi Min was a capable military strategist and quite rational! MadAss Hussein is an ego-driven megalomaniac who is really dangerous! The Iraqi scenario is totally different and has global catastrophic possibilities!

There are better causes to protest over! MadAss Hussein is pure evil! He must be stopped before the above scenario - or worse - becomes a reality! Unless a coup happens - and with his gestapo-quality internal control that will probably never occur - the only option is to militarily destroy his regime! Now is the opportunity - we should take it! Stop supporting Iraq's ambitions through ill-conceived protests!
Sometimes a picture says it all - PLEASE... 2004 come soon!!
(for our American friends who may ask.. 2004 is the date our idiot P M has promised to resign!)

( courtesy Michael DeAdder - published Friday January 31 Ottawa Citizen)
( CLICK for larger image )
Letter to the Ottawa Citizen - Monday Dec 9 2002

OK, I've had it! Like most Canadians, over the last many years, I have watched in growing dismay (and embarrassment) at the never-ending antics of our not-so-beloved Prime Minister Jean (Roi/King) Chretien! Mr. Chretien, you are searching for your "true legacy". Why? You have already established it!

Pierre Elliot Trudeau will be remembered for his panache and repatriating the Constitution. Lester B Pearson will be remembered for his diplomacy and the Nobel Prize he was justifiably awarded. Louis St. Laurent will be remembered for his role in establishing the St. Lawrence Seaway. William L. M. King (forget the dog) brought in the Canadian Pension Plan. Mr. Chretien, you, on the otherhand, have far more to be remembered for - and little of it for the common good! Let's see now... under your "guidance" the government has:

  • - demoralized and degraded the Canadian Forces almost to the point of ineffectiveness,
  • - allowed the HRDC $1 billion "boondoggle" to occur (hey, it's only taxpayers money, right?),
  • - driven US and Canadian relations to a very low point and embarrassed Canada in the eyes of the world through your never-ending faux-pa's, goofs, and indeciseveness! Let's see... "Washington.. Dino" right?
  • - indirectly, through reduced Federal funding sharing, allowed our beloved Health Care system to drift into an almost ineffective state of disrepair, losing unrecoverable practitioner expertise during the process.
  • - then there was the "Shawinigate" affair of course, - golf anyone?
  • - structured the Ethics Commissioner's office in such a way as to keep that office "under the thumb" and ineffective!
  • - refused to act in a managerial capacity when Cabinet Ministers or underlings acted in an improper manner (such as the Francoise Ducros affair and Alfonso Gagliano fiasco) and, even worse, adopted a policy of "denial" and "rewarding" wrong-do'ers!
  • - mismanaged UI premium funding resulting in a surplus of some $25 Billions then continuously whining about not having any money for the military or health care.
  • - attempted to avoid settling a $1.26 billion law suit for back interest payments being sought by Canadian War Veterans, - they fought for our country, they died for our country so they are justified in recovering what is "owed" to them - period - they should not have to fight for it!
  • - of course, there is the infamous Challenger jet $100+ million story - the PMO's office "needed" a brand new jet for esthetic reasons, although existing jets available were more than adequate (hey! maybe we should be lucky he did not demand a 747 "Chretien One" similar to George Bush's "Airforce One"!)
  • - and the final attack on Canadian sensibility - J C's announcement regarding retirement but hesitation to do so until 2004, and his continuous program of attacking his possible successor, Paul Martin! Good God man, time to hit the pasture - please - get on with it! IT IS TIME TO GO and allow Canada to regain it's honour and respectability! Nothing personal, of course, it's just that the PM is less than a good Prime Minister and the present Government is ineffective and appears at times to be somewhat corrupted - WE deserve better!
  • - and then there is the "franconization" issue, and compulsory "bilingualism" policy that is costing Canadian business and consumers a fortune, and at the same time, cow-towing to the whines and childish dictates of the Kebec séparatistes - but that's another story!

    PLEASE, Mr Chretien - SAY BYE-BYE NOW! Do not waste more of our time and dollars by hanging on until 2004 - the Country wants you OUT now, so someone with more political savvy and less affinity for patronage (ie" Paul Martin) can get on with rebuilding Canada's prestige and getting down to business. We cannot afford any more misspent dollars and loss of international respect!

    edit: since the above was submitted, the Firearm Registry debacle has come to light - you know, the $2 Million dollar plan to control firearms that boomed into a Billion dollar boondoggle? What can be said - "he done did it again"! J.C Rules - Canadians pay!

    PLEASE Canadians - contact your local MPP - send the word - Chretien has to go!! NOW!
  • January 2003 - The two US pilots who accidentally bombed Canadian troops are on trial in Louisiana Well, not really on trial, but are attending hearings as a prelude to possible court-martial proceedings - but that is not the issue. The pilots "goofed" and as a result four soldiers died and a number of others were injured. It was not deliberate - and the pilots erred, whether through fatigue, overuse of compulsory "go" pill amphetamines, lack of activity knowledge or whatever, they simply made a mistake. In times of military conflict these things happen. The terminology "friendly fire" is well known to anyone with a military background.

    The hearings may be valuable in that a sincere examination of procedures and control systems may prevent this sort of occurance happening again. Friendly fire killed thousands in WW11 and almost as many in Vietnam but what makes this event newsworthy is that coalition (Canadian) troops were involved, not US troops. This writer, as all Canadians and I suspect most Americans, regrets the incident and understands that the two pilots involved must be penalized for an apparent disregard for procedures -but- possible jail time on murder charges is not warranted. This is the military and combattants are placed under unusual stress when in a combat area, and this stress causes accidents. Yes, such events should not occur! Yes, procedures should be amended to ensure they do not reoccur! Yes, the pilots should be punished through demotion or other reasonable means! NO, they should not face jail time for making a mistake while serving their country! Nuff said!
    And how's the world doing today...? Hmmm... today's newspaper (June 12 2002) carried quite an assortment of articles confirming common sense and ethics may be disappearing! Good old JC hit the news columns again. Just before the 2000 election, Chretien's government gave the provinces one billion dollars, intended to improve the health system by purchasing diagnostic and treatment equipment, you know, purchase things such as MRI's, dialysis machines etc. Guess what - over half of this amount was spent on items such as lawn mowers, sewing machines and photocopiers. So if you are in hospital, facing major surgery and you see someone pushing a lawn mower toward you - RUN!

    Chretien is up to his old tricks again. He is getting criticism about increasing corruption complaints - "'ow dare hanyone criticize dis government - h'its not propper"! So... he brings in a new code of ethics, hoping to placate the opposition and disgruntled backbenchers. Also, (and this may have been "planned" - 'ya think?) the new code includes conditions whereby Prime Ministerial would-be's (Hmmm Paul Martin??) may have to divulge contribution sources - which in turn may scare away future contributors -or- open such contributors to the wrath of the government! Chretien... you are one sneaky B-stard, JC!

    While on the topic of King JC and his "Court" of imbiciles, here are another couple of tid-bits about his antics:
    - He sent his grandson to Florida on a government Challenger jet at public expense - tsk! tsk!!
    - JC held a private reception for 1,200 wealthy Liberal contributors at 24 Sussex Drive - at public expense!
    Guess these are acceptable "perks" included with the job, right? (NOT!)

    Then there is the issue of the $330,000 given to a Kebec sports show company for a show that was cancelled - guess what? No one asked for the money back!! Boy are WE in the wrong business - we have to work for our money!

    OK! Enough JC stuff. I wonder to what levels the "bleeding hearts" of this world will go when considering REAL problem areas. For example, the "turn the other cheek" crowd, condemning Israel for it's aggressive stance against the Palestinian terrorists - why can't Israel back off and "give the Palestinians a chance" - let them have their own land etc.. Well, dear do-gooders, time to face reality! A recent poll taken in Palestine confirmed that over half of all those polled, stated that no matter what concessions were made by Israel, their view would not change - they would not rest until Israel was destroyed and totally eradicated! Fat chance for negotiations with that attitude methinks!

    Then the same bleeding hearts started whining about poor old Al Muhajir - that poor Arab-American arrested for attempting to set up a terrorist detonation of a "dirty" bomb (conventional explosives attached to radioactive materials) in the USA. The US government has placed him "incommunicado" as an "enemy combattant"! Hey, there is no doubt - this potential muderer tried to kill thousands in the misguided name of Islam - and these do-gooders want to forgive him? Want him treated "fairly"? I think I'm going to "throw up"!

    Finally - again, from today's paper, another do-gooder yet to "face reality"! "Sister Kinsella", allegedly a lady of the cloth, suggested we all "forgive" Palestinian bombers and terrorists! "They need our forgiveness and respect"! Hey! the old saying "..forgive them for they know not what they do" has it's limitations! These murderers know exactly what they are doing! They are trained to murder, they want to murder, they murder, effectively - so let's forget any thoughts of forgiving them! They should be reviled and punished - they should have only two options - live peacefully or die - period! The only good murdering terrorist is a dead terrorist - keep it simple & dig lots of holes in the cemeteries!
    Now we know why Chretien does what he does... Interesting article in today's (Tues, June 3d 2002) Ottawa Citizen - headed "How Liberal politics really work in Quebec" - explains many of good old JC and his "gang"'s actions - comes down to how they were "taught" the political game I guess! Here is the article, written by Jack Aubrey:
    The crisis that has overtaken Jean Chretien's government has deflected attention from the ethical debate in which the recent round of cabinet bloodletting began.In the fourth part of the National Post-Ottawa Citizen series on Liberal mismanagement and misdeeds, we look at the grubby political culture of Quebec.
    Antonio Genest was a hard man to find in Shawinigan during the 1972 election campaign, even though he was the Conservative candidate running against Jean Chretien. That's because, secretly, he was Mr. Chretien's friend, and, to help the future prime minister win the election, he spent most of the campaign virtually hiding out in his Grand-Mere, Que., hotel rather than stumping. The deceit worked so well in 1972 - Mr. Chretien won by an impressive 17,000 votes after almost losing in 1968 - that the scheming pair did it again in 1974; this time Mr. Genest ran as the pseudo-candidate for the Socred party. He later said he did it as payback after Mr. Chretien found his son a job at a national park. The tactic worked by drawing votes away from the Liberals' main right-wing opponent, while presenting no opposition; Mr. Genest did not give a single political speech during the entire 1974 campaign. Both men confessed to the skullduggery years later. And, years later, Mr. Genest sat in his favourite watering hole in Grand-Mere, still awaiting his reward for his role in making a prime minister. "If you see him, tell him I'm still waiting for my call," he told an interviewer. The Genest stalking-horse ploy offers a telling glimpse into quebec politics. Mr. Chretien may have been elected prime minister in 1993 on a platform of honesty and integrity in government, but that is not how the political game is played in his home province."

    ed: - funny how such a short article spells out the reason for such a large problem, isn't it!
    When 'corrupt' just won't do it, how about slimy, warped, putrid... It's not often that I see an editorial that I truly agree with - but here's one, gleaned from the April 30th 2002 Ottawa Citizen, written by Don Martin of the Calgary Herald - it's a "classic"!
    The word "corrupt" was fired at the Liberal front bench three times in the largely deserted House of commons last week. Clearly, now that the Opposition has learned the charge irks the Liberal leadership, it will gleefully use it incessantly.
    But in any battle of barbs, creativity counts. So the victory goes to Deputy Prime Minister John Manley who dismissed the Canadian Alliance as an "empty hollow bag of wind." Gee, now that hurts. But with so many alternatives, levelling mere "corruption" accusations at a government working so hard to smear the political profession on so many other fronts should be avoided lest it lose its sting. Besides, as Health Minister Anne McLellan correctly noted, "If anyone thinks that anything I have done or any colleague has done is corrupt, they should be going straight to the police because that's the nature of corruption". So to assist the Opposition as it casts about for just the right word, might I suggest the following be referenced as a dictionary of dirt to define the sort of "corruption" it has encountered in the last year:

    Slippery: Ambassador Alfonso Gagliano, naturally. The diversion of taxpayer dollars and jobs to friendly corporations and political allies by this then public works minister was so rank, even the Liberals couldn't stand the smell. Which brings us to... Scuzzy: Such is the prime minister's argument that he's never fired a minister when, in reality, he should've canned half a dozen and spared taxpayers the cost of a patronage parachute for landing in foreign service or Senate clover. Also qualifies as disingenuous. Slimy: Rushing through an untendered $101-million contract to buy two new jets for the prime minister and his cabinet out of over-stretched miltary budgets is slimy. Or insidious. Or depraved. Or unconscionable. Take your pick! Disrespectful: The feuding petulant duo of Canadian Alliance MP Jason Kenney and Tory Elsie Wayne fit this bill - he for denying unanimous consent to a motion calling for a Canadian Forces Day and she for taking revenge by denying consent for Kenney's motion calling for two minutes of silence on Remembrance Day. Shabby: Finance committee chairwoman Sue Barnes may have gone through the motions of securing legal and ethical clearance to deal with a beer tax issue despite her husband's job in a major brewery, but to not declare it openly and abstain from related decisions was, well, rotten: As in Den- mark, see ambassador as in Gagliano under slippery above. Putrid: The still unresolved question of the $570,000 photocopy of the $550,000 lost report compiled by Groupaction of Montreal, with a more pungent whiff coming from the various billing agencies being connected to hefty Liberal party donations. Sullied: As in Art Eggleton's reputation, after it took three briefings for the defence minister to understand that taking prisoners in Afghanistan is a battlefield development worthy of notifying the prime minister. Unforgiveable: The collecting of leadership cash for Finance Minister Paul Martin by those under contract to advise his Finance Department. Sorry, Jim Palmer of Calgary; that's you. Warped: The whole "Shawinigate" mess, from covering the prime minister's riding with pork to passing off scrawls on napkins as contracts in golf-course sales. There isn't enough space in this section to detail the twists and turns of this caper. Fraud: That would be the federal gun registry; the mother of all monetary sinkholes, which was set up to cost $85 million and is now closing in on the $800-million mark for a service riddled with registration-information errors. Unjust: Letting only two of 235 private member's bills pass through the preliminary voting stage, only to be killed by the Liberal majority at committee. Chicanery: The verbal gymnastics of dancing around the Liberal campaign promise to make the ethics counsellor accountable to Parliament instead of the prime minister. Sorry, Jean, it's just not the same. Hypocritical: Why, hello, Allan Rock, the former health minister who gladly ignored patent laws by ordering a generic anthrax antibiotic, only to become the cheerleader for patent protection as the current industry minister in charge of those laws. Scheming: The U-turn taken by veteran Alliance MPs who campaigned mightily against the parliamentary pension, only to buy into the sweetheart deal last year. Yes, in some cases, the corruption of fundamental principles is almost corrupt. Don Martin writes for the Calgary Herald.

    (Ed comment) Whoops! Sorry Don, you missed a 'biggie' ... Plain old-fashioned STUPID: This one goes to the immigration department which allows non-Canadian nationals employed in embassies around the world, to control immigration policy, like "Duh!... what are the chances of unsavourable types entering the country as a result?? Hmmm... more on this one below..!
    "The country the world forgot, again" - a British tribute to Canada's lost soldiers.
    ( this article appeared in the April 28th 2002 Ottawa Citizen - worth a read - <;^)-)

    Until the deaths last week of four Canadian soldiers accidentally killed by a US warplane in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops were deployed in the region. As always, Canada will now bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always, will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

    It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid of both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored. Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and liinb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again. That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts. For much of the 20th century; Canada was torn in two different directions: it seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved.

    Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two World wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy. Almost 10 per cent of Canada's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire order of battle. Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, its unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular memory as somehow or other the work of the "British". The Second World War provided a rerun. The Canadian navy began the war with a half-dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth-largest air force in the world. The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time.

    Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in the film, where the US had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity. So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality unless, that is, they are Canadian! Thus Mary Pickford, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, Shania Twain, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, Pamela Anderson, David Cronenbeig and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer British. It is as if in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood or Celine Dion.

    But Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that one per cent of the world's population has provided 10 per cent of the world's peacekeeping forces. Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular non-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers killed two Somali infiltrators.

    So who in the U.S. knows about selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan? This past weekend four shrouds, red with blood and maple leaf, head homewards - and four more grieving Canadian families know that cost all too tragically well.
    This article originally appeared in the April 2st edition of The London Sunday Telegraph - Kevin Myers.
    Israel vs Palestinians - who's right? The debate goes on!!! The world 'condemns' Israel for invading Palestine camps. The world also 'condemns' Arafat's 'bomb-toting-kiddies' for blowing up innocent Israeli citizens! So what is new? A legally created country's existance is threatened by outside sources and it reacts in the only language it's assailants recognize - force! War is not "nice" and war is not "fair" - war is cruel and people get hurt and die - non-combattants as well! All I hear about on the 'news' is a growing pressure for Israel to "pull back" after which the "other guys" will stop murdering innocents through the latest "martyr & bomb" killing program! Who is kidding whom? The current struggle has little to do with Palestinians wanting their own "homeland", it has nothing to do with Israel wanting to be "imperialistic" - it has everything to do with an arab desire to have Israel "go away" - *poof* - disappear! Simply put, the Arab nations "hate" Israel and her existance! They "hate" the fact that the US uses Israel as a controlling device to ensure the Arab League is kept in control and the Muslim Fundamentalists (aka fanatics) are kept at bay (something to do with oil supply to the west??)!

    If Israel succumbs to the current "world pressure" and withdraws from the West bank and Gaza, nothing will happen - the bombings will not cease, on the otherhand, in true arab style proven through history, the arab nations will see the withdrawl as a sign of "weakness" and feel world pressure is "on their side" and, accordingly, you will see more pressure placed on Israel directly, and the US indirectly! The only way all this will cease is to create a palestinian state, move all palestinians there, move all Israelis back into a defined Israel, and build one heck of a large wall between the two. Good 'razorwire' border management combined with modern technology could easily make such a barrier impenetrable - hey! This might work. It could work unless the Arab league, especially the "nutbars" in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran decide that a "Jehad" or "Holy War" was feasable in which case Israel would almost certainly defend itself using tactical weaponry (count on it!). This doomsday scenario increases as time progresses and the world discovers more alternative fuel sources, and I suggest that the day the hydrogen fuel cell becomes commercially feasable will be the day the US starts to pull back on it's support for Israel - and when that day comes, Israel's vunerability starts to increase! There really is no 'answer' until the hatred ceases and I cannot see diplomacy doing anything constructive in this regard - so build a wall!!
    WHOOPS!! People are 'catching on'! This morning's paper (Citizen) carried an article(s) regarding recent polls and our "beloved" (NOT!) Prime Minister's receding popularity. Apparently poll results suggest almost 70% of respondents felt that our government(s) were either corrupt or partially corrupt! Comforting feeling, right? Amost three out of four citizens queried doubted the Government's credibility and honesty! WoW! Although the poll addressed politicians in general, the target of this attitute must be the "Feds". And guess who the numero-ono honcho there is? Yup! Our illustrious "non-leader" Jean C.! I guess it must have something to do with his broken promises - (GST anyone?), flagrant disregard for proper contract tendering (helicopter mess, two new 'cadillac' jets, - did I hear "golf club"? - and more, and pure unmitigated arrogance. The man has surrounded himself with an aura of "power" which is becoming intolerable to the average citizen, and which is ruining Canada's reputation on the world stage. To the US, he is a "dinosaur", backward-thinking one at that! To the Brits, he is a "nuisance", to the French, merely a little boy desiring a "pat on the head" (mind you, who really cares what the French think) - and the list goes on! Ohhh.. Mr Chretien, you are embarrassing us! The good news in all this, as suggested above, is that voters are "catching on" and this bodes well for the country as a whole, as there will be another election one of these days - and, with luck, we may be "saved" if we can "dump the dinosaur" - gonzo, bye-bye, au revoir - whatever, as long AS HE GOES!! - before he ruins everything!!
    The Bloc Quebec - dependably STUPID! One must pause and wonder how a great country like Canada can be "blessed" with such a stupid bunch of idiots such as Quebec's "federal" party - the Bloc Quebec (aka "BlockHeads" - good fit!). The Canadian Government, like all other governments around the globe, issued a letter of condolence to Britain's Royal Family over the passing of the Queen Mother. Nice move, and simple, right? Nope! - not in the halls of the Kebec BlockHeads! The letter of condolence referred to Canadians as "subjects" -SO- (why are we surprised?) the BlockHeads took umbrage at Kebeckers being included in the category of "subjects"! (guess they only like being classed as "subjects" of "King" ... er sorry..."Roi" Landry!) What a disgusting, classless lot - bet their mothers are embarrassed they gave birth to them! Even in the hour of another country's grief, they have to resurrect their little spasms of mindless petty politics! How do we get rid of these vermin? If anyone has any ideas, please let me know! In the meantime, I am thinking of setting up a fund to seek donations so Canadians can collectively hire a pest-extermination company like PCO to pop down to Kebec and eliminate this scruffy lot! Either that or start loading clips!


    Disclaimer: I do not consider myself a bigot or racist! I respect minority groups, appreciate other cultures and encourage emigration to my country. BUT I am deeply concerned and offended about growing demands by minority groups and a careless government immigration attitude that may, one day, result in my becoming a member of a minority group (if you live in Toronto, you already know what I mean) - with some current minority groups, by virtue of numeric superiority, being able to legally install their foreign culture, anti-Christian values and moral code, as the 'norm', subjecting all Canadians to oppressive laws and regulations.


    (opinions expressed above are the personal views of the writer(s) and are intended for private viewing only. Reference to actual individuals apart from politicians is not intended and reference to politicians and public figures is really intended if that reference is of a degrading and critical nature - what the heck, this is a satire page, right? Also.. we would like to 'promise' that no animals were hurt in the preparation of these articles - but hopefully, we cannot make the same claim about politicians, the stupid ones especially!)


    Disagree with any of the above? Remember, it's just my way of letting off steam when I see stupid things being done by whom I consider to be very stupid or arrogant/ignorant people! If you have a comment, in support or against any view, feel free to let me know - E-Mail me if you wish! If you have something to contribute, well then "fire away"! Any contributed items will be fully credited of course!

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    July 11th 2018