Sheikh Vader Visits UK

This needs no explanation.

Tories Officially Unopposed

I seldom rant, but…

What’s wrong with the official opposition - the Liberals? I just checked their website and they’re harping on the so-called ‘In and Out’ scandal the day after the financial statement. Shouldn’t they be out there calling us incompetent for lowering the GST? or for cutting corporate taxes? What happened to traditional politics? It’s like that party’s been taken over by some immature attack blogger.

Here’s the Liberals’ site:

The top story looks promising, but it’s just some boring rubbish about a fake scandal.

Here’s the NDP site:

There we go - we’re all family-hating bastards, boo sucks to us. Brilliant. I look at it, I roll my eyes, I get a bit annoyed, maybe offended. This is what I want from an opposition. I look at the Liberals and I just get confused.

Do they even still oppose our policies? I can’t tell. Usually you can look at how they vote, but the Liberals keep voting to support us.

Heck, look at the Liberal Blogs and they’re just as confused. A lot of them say that most of our policies are ok, or they say that we’re wrong for stealing Liberal policies, or that we’re a threat because we have a vision and they don’t.

As I have asked before, what is the point of the Liberal Party? Two thirds of them are capitalists and agree with us Tories on most things, and the other third are retrograde socialists and would be better off in the NDP. It’s the bisexuality of federal politics. They ought to pick a side.

Off-Topic: Japanese Self-Defence Video

This is stupid and off-topic for this blog, but holy living God, this is one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life:

I checked with a Japanese colleague and she says it’s legit

Canada now the richest in the G-8

I’m busy setting our company’s 2008 prices for the UK. We loosely base our prices on the average income of a country. So we’ll charge more to the UK than to Italy, and more to Italy than to Mexico or Brazil.

While doing that I looked up some numbers on the IMF website.

These are the GDP per capita numbers for the G-8 countries in 2007, using today’s Canadian exchange rate:

1. Canada CDN$46,581.96
2. United Kingdom CDN$44,702.62
3. United States CDN$43,449.26
4. France CDN$41,544.09
5. Germany CDN$40,394.70
6. Italy CDN$36,050.75
7. Japan CDN$33,482.21
8. Russia CDN$8,485.01

It’s very satisfying. Maybe it won’t last, but there it is, we’re number one.

Why are we giving money to the world’s 4th richest country?

Pictured - a power plant under construction in African hell-hole of Equitorial Guinea.

Just a random question, really - but why are we giving foreign aid to the world’s 4th richest nation?

Take a look at the CIA World Factbook’s standing on the relative wealth of nations. Canada comes in at number 16 [old numbers though - see here]. Up at number 4, more than $10,000 per person above us, us the tiny West African Petro-Nation of Equatorial Guinea.

(Using the purchasing power parity formula) In 2006, Equitorial Guinea brought in US$50,200 per person vs. Canada’s $35,700. And yet, in 2005, the last year for which there are numbers, Canada’s CIDA gave the world’s 4th richest country $3.57 million in development assistance.

This to a country which is rich, which is a dictatorship, and whose top officials are prone to criminality. So while the good people of democratic East Timor have to make do with $1,000,000 in Canadian assistance, the thug-in-chief of Equatorial Guinea gets thrice that. Or put another way, Canada gave the country enough money to build nearly 18 stereo systems like the one in the president’s vacation house in Cape Town.

Money well spent, surely.

US lawmakers return Qurans - too violent

A failed outreach attempt is causing controversy in Oklahoma.  The state “Ethnic American Advisory Council” sent out copies of the Quran to lawmakers in the Oklahoma state legislature.

At least 18 of them have returned the book - one of them saying he was returning it becasue:

“most Oklahomans do not endorse the idea of killing innocent women and children in the name of ideology”

The reaction asside, why would a government agency hand out copies of the Quran?  Well, take a look at the make-up of the “Ethnic” Advisory Council and it’ll make some sense:

Dr. Riaz Ahmad
Mohammad Farzaneh
Dr. Fayyaz H. Hashmi
Dr. Basel S. Hassoun
Dr. Mohammad Karami
Dr. Sandra Kaye Rana
Wes Salous

Everyone of them a muslim name. 

Kind of curious that an organization supposedly out to advance tolerance for all “Ethnic” Amerians would be composed of only one group.  It’s even more curious that their first order of business would be to use state funds to propagandize for their religion.   

It would be curious at least until you find out more about some of their … connections.

Amazing Afghanistan War Photos

The National Post had an amazing set of photos from the front today.  They’re not on-line so you’ll need to run out and get the paper.   I was only able to track down two of them.

The caption for the photo below is: “A Wounded Canadian soldier crawls for cover after his position was ambushed by Taliban fighters yesterday in Afghanistan’s Zhari district”.

 

By Finbarr O’Reilly
HOWZ-E-MADAD, Afghanistan, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The explosion of the shell against a mud wall in a field of grapevines sent the Canadian soldier crouched behind it flying backwards.

Blood spilling from his nose and mouth, the stunned man crawled for shelter through swirling smoke and dust as comrades laid down covering fire and moved towards him.

Under fire from Taliban insurgents, Canadian Master Corporal Frank Flibotte and Major Jean-Sebastien Fortin attended to the wounded soldier, helping him to his feet and supporting him as he staggered into an armoured RG-31 vehicle that had raced to the scene.

Canadian forces from the NATO-led coalition and Afghan National Army troops clashed with Taliban insurgents at Howz-e-Madad in the Zhari district of Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province on Tuesday in a battle typical of the conflict gripping the country’s southern region bordering Pakistan.

The Canadian soldier, who did not want his name published, was only lightly wounded. An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier was shot in the shoulder during heavy fighting that lasted several hours and was airlifted by helicopter to Kandahar Air Field for emergency treatment.

There was no confirmation of any Taliban killed or wounded, though three suspected fighters were detained for questioning.

The joint operation between ANA and Canadian forces was meant to be a raid on a mud compound near the main highway.

“The Taliban attack from this place every two days or so, hitting civilian trucks and our supply convoys,” said Fortin.

FAILED TRAP

“What we wanted to do was disrupt them by setting a trap, but we were compromised and took heavy fire and had to pull back.”

The Canadians called in armoured support from its Quick reaction Force, consisting of more than a dozen armoured vehicles, while U.S. Humvees and U.S. Rangers also provided back-up. Artillery sent in smoke cover and U.S. Apache helicopters clattered overhead.

Fortin estimated there were between 10 to 15 Taliban fighters.

“They used mounted machineguns, RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and 82-millimeter recoilless rifles,” said Fortin.

It was the twenty-third such “contact” of the past month, he added.

“It’s not finished,” he said. “I’m just glad our guy was ok.” (Finbarr O’Reilly is a Reuters photographer embedded with Canadian troops)

9% of Canadians want Dion as PM

Buried deep in a Toronto Start article titled: “PM’s blueprint fails to captivate nation” , was this interesting tidbit:

The poll also found Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is the least popular opposition leader in more than 20 years…The Angus Reid poll results for Dion were terrible. Only 9 per cent said they would prefer to see him as prime minister, compared with 32 per cent for Harper. “This is just terrible … numbers haven’t been this bad for an opposition leader since (former Liberal leader) John Turner back in 1984-85. That’s as bad as it gets,” said Mario Canseco, a spokesperson for the polling firm.

That’s right - just 9% of Canadians would prefer to see Dion as Prime Minister. 9%. For a comparison:

43% of baby-boomers are happy with their marriages
32% of Canadians believe homosexuality is always wrong
20% of Canadians support or accept polygamy
13% of Quebec Catholics believe they will be reincarnated
12 % of Atlantic Canadians oppose mixed-race marriages
10% of Quebecers are interested in and active in politics
9% of Canadians want Dion as Prime Minister

The Cold Civil War

Good Mark Steyn article on the ‘Cold Civil War‘:

A year before this next election in the U.S., the common space required for civil debate and civilized disagreement has shrivelled to a very thin sliver of ground. Politics requires a minimum of shared assumptions. To compete you have to be playing the same game: you can’t thwack the ball back and forth if one of you thinks he’s playing baseball and the other fellow thinks he’s playing badminton. Likewise, if you want to discuss the best way forward in the war on terror, you can’t do that if the guy you’re talking to doesn’t believe there is a war on terror, only a racket cooked up by the Bushitler and the rest of the Halliburton stooges as a pretext to tear up the constitution.Americans do not agree on the basic meaning of the last seven years.

Quelle Surprise - Frenchman Surrenders

I think Dion has showed that he cannot be trusted to keep his word.  That he’s full of bluster and that he will not stand up for what he believes in - that is, if he believes in anything.   If he were Prime Minister, how would he negotiate with the provinces?  How would he stand up for our country in trade negotiations?

So what is this “man”? Is he a liar or a coward?  And for Liberals, how do you feel about your man betraying you/breaking his promise/retreating from his ultimatum?

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said Wednesday his party is not prepared to force an election over the throne speech, saying “we are determined to make Parliament work.”

In his address to the House of Commons, Dion said the Conservative government’s throne speech was so full of holes that “it warrants little faith.”

But he said the speech came at a time when Canadians don’t want another election.

“The Throne Speech we heard yesterday, with all of its weaknesses, has to be assessed in light of the fact that Canadians don’t want another election right now. They want Parliament to do its job,” Mr. Dion said.

“We are determined to make parliament work, in keeping with Canadians’ wishes.” [more]

Liberal Blogosphere Reaction to the Throne Speech

(update)

If you want the three word summary of what the Libs are saying: “Bring it on”.

The Liberals are all bluster right now - they’re spoiling for a fight. The following are all from Liblogs - Cherniak’s blog aggregator.

Let’s start with PC Conservative Green Liberal MP Garth Turner:

Garth Turner - I’m equally sure Mr. Dion’s heart and gut tell him to do the principled and brave thing, to stand up against a bully, defend those who have been betrayed and deceived and fight for the Canada he believes in. He may be behind. He may be bruised. He may be in the company of doubters.

But he is not one of them.

[source]
Stephane Dion made it very clear the conditions he wanted to support the throne speech. Harper has refused to meet those conditions. Time to bring down this government. [source]

I’ve just donated $150 to the Liberal Party of Canada, and I hope they use my funds in a campaign by opposing the throne speech.
[source]

Dion and the Liberal caucus have no choice but to vote against the Throne Speech, if they wish to maintain their integrity.
[source]

[source]

Today’s Throne Speech by Prime Minister Stephen Harper was a stroke of political genius.
[source]

This is the day that Stephane Dion either shows he’s got the guts to lead or simply confirms that he is what he’s appeared to be ever since he got the leadership - hapless and ineffectual.
[source]

Throne Speech Leaked

Via CTV:

The government’s throne speech will promise a one percentage point cut in the GST and legislation aimed at cracking down on violent crime, according to a leaked copy obtained by The Canadian Press.

The speech is scheduled to be delivered by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean at 7 p.m. ET.

It will also include a promise to hold a Parliamentary vote on the Afghan mission, and will say that Canada is unable to meet its Kyoto commitments.

Formally abandoning Kyoto? - if Dion’s a man of his word, then he’ll keep his promise and vote against the speech.