Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Sites | Writers | Advertise | My Orble | Login

Opinionated Ranter - The Adventures of Being Awesome...

 
I am but a man trying to live the dream. This is how I see the world...

Opinionated Ranter - March 2007

CABBIE KILLERS

A little over a year ago we elected a new Conservative federal government. One of the planks they campaigned on was a ‘get tough on crime' mandate. Admittedly, this is a minority government which may fall at any time, but if they keep doing what they're doing, they will be returned with a majority. Some people are starting to wake up and take notice.

On April 8, 2005, Deidre Baptist, 25, and Ronald Crane, 29, unlawfully confined, robbed and killed Hassan Yussuf, who drove a cab in Edmonton and leaves behind a wife and seven children.

As Yussuf begged his killers to spare his life for the sake of his wife children, these two dragged him from his cab, stabbed him and left him to die in the trunk of the cab, where his body was found four days later. The motive of his murderers was to get money to satisfy their own ‘needs' for more drugs and alcohol so they could keep partying.


Court of Queen's Bench Justice Eric Macklin noted that, "Both Ms. Baptist and Mr. Crane have referred to their difficult past and, particularly, the profound impact on them caused by the death of their father in 1995. How tragically ironic that they seemingly did not bear this fact in mind while mercilessly killing Mr. Yussuf and leaving his seven children with the very same loss they say had a devastating effect on them." He also, with infinite wisdom, significantly increased the period of parole ineligibility of both Baptist and Crane from the minimum 10 years that goes with the automatic life sentence attached to a second-degree murder conviction.

Baptist, a mother of four, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 18 years. Crane, a father of two, was handed a life sentence with no chance of parole for 22 years. My hat is off to Justice Macklin. We can only hope that more judges wake up and follow his example. Of course, the mother of Baptist and Crane sniffled and sobbed from the gallery as the sentence was handed down, while about 30 friends and family of Yussuf seemed to take it in stride. They're satisfied with the relatively stiff sentences slapped on the brother and sister. "They were dangerous people and they got what they deserved today, because they killed an innocent man," said Farhia Ali, the widow of Yussuf.


Invited repeatedly to address the court before sentencing, Crane saved his comments for afterward, yelling, "See you later" to his supporters (who in their right mind could support this) and then blurting out a string of expletives as he was being led back to cells. Baptist, who appeared to be holding back tears, blew kisses to her family members. Don't hold your breath waiting for me to find any sympathy for either of these losers.

Good for Justice Macklin and let's see more of this.

Sources: Eliza Barlow Cabbie Killers Get Life Sentences Edmonton Sun/Sun Media
Comments (1)Comments (1) Add CommentsAdd Comments
42
Vote
   


DO WE WANT HIM?

Australian-born David Hicks, after being detained at Guantanamo Bay for 5 years, pleaded guilty to terrorism and will be sent back to Australia to serve his sentence. I get the feeling he will get a better deal there than he would if he had to serve time in the USA. But this article isn't about Hicks. It's about Omar Khadr, our own little Canadian terrorist.

Khadr, now 20, is not stupid. He is probably hoping for a slap on the wrist if he can make it back to Canada. He is presently cooling his heels at Guantanamo awaiting trial on charges of murder. It is alleged that he threw a grenade which killed a Marine corpsman in Afghanistan and wounded another. The trial is expected to begin any day now.

Khadr, his parents and his siblings are Canadian citizens, much to the chagrin of many Canadians, who resent this family which has, in the past, boasted it is "an al-Qaida family." The wounded Marine's family is suing the Khadr family and prosecutors are calling his conviction a slam dunk. Basically all that remains to be seen is what sentence the US military tribunal hands down and whether Khadr can convince them to send him ‘home' to serve it.

A little bit of background is in order here. Khadr's father, Ahmed Said Khadr, was born in Egypt and was killed in a Pakistani attack on suspect al Qaida fighters in 2003. Said's youngest son, Abdul Karim, was partially paralyzed in that shoot-out. Khadr was captured in 2002, at age 15, in a U.S. attack near Khost. Said's Palestinian-born wife and daughter brought Karim back to Canada for medical treatment in 2004, and promptly bit the hand that feeds them. They were extremely vocal in the uncomplimentary things they had to say about Canada and were unabashed supporters of Osama bin Laden. Except for the fly in the ointment, their other son, Abdurahman.

Abdurahman, after being captured by the Americans renounced violence and terrorism, while his mother says she would be proud if her sons became suicide bombers. And this twit is a Canadian citizen. Others have been deported from our country for considerably less, yet this Canadian-of- convenience is thus far allowed to stay here and spew her venom. The Khadr family is nominally "Canadian", but they personify one of the problems with our immigration system which is admitting people who may undermine or subvert the values Canada lives by. They should have been deported a long time ago.

Hicks' admission of guilt is seen as a ploy to be sent back to Australia, which both his family and the Australian government want. Well, Australia can have him. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but he will only have to serve nine months of the sentence. In his defence, I have to point out that, though he was a convert to Islam and trained with al Qaeda, he fought against U.S. allies in Afghanistan in late 2001 for a mere two hours before selling his gun to raise cab fare and trying to flee by taxi to Pakistan. His attorney, Marine Maj. Michael Mori, portrayed him as a now-apologetic soldier wannabe who never shot at anyone and ran away when he got a taste of battle.

That is certainly not the case with Khadr. While neither Liberals nor Conservatives were keen on the Khadrs, especially after Jean Chretien, when he was PM, once persuaded Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to free the father, Omar's loyalties are to an alien creed and a foreign country, and he should endure the consequences of his choice. Ahmed Said Khadr was being held by the Pakistanis, accused of participating in the terrorist bombing of the Egyptian embassy. On a visit to Pakistan, Chretien persuaded Musharraf to free Khadr, whom he believed was innocent. As it turns out, Chretien was snookered by Khadr. And now, due to the Hicks verdict, the ball is back in Canada's court. Do we accept or reject him if he pulls off a sweet deal like Hicks did?

The U.S. regards the detainees at Guantanamo as enemy fighters, being held until the war against terrorism is ended, rather as prisoners of war were "detained" until WWII ended. Guantanamo abides by the Geneva Conventions, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court. Food and medical treatment are excellent. But Guantanamo is still a prison-like environment, make no mistake about that. Perhaps charging Khadr with first-degree murder is a bit over the top when clearly he was fighting against what, to him, was an invading army. He was a soldier fighting for his cause which really had nothing to do with Canada. But Canada should never accept him back. His intentions are clear and he is backed by his mother and siblings.

After revoking their citizenship, have the whole bunch sent back to Lebanon. They've cost us enough in medical treatment and spit on us to top it off. I'd gladly help pay for the plane ticket.

By the way, where are the agitators who complain about prisoner treatment at Guantanamo now that the British are being held by the Iranians? Selective outrage?

Sources: Peter Worthington Canada Won't Want Him Toronto Sun
Jane Sutton Australian First Reuters
Comments (3)Comments (3) Add CommentsAdd Comments
37
Vote
   


A LITTLE PROGRESS

Issam Al Yamani has been living quietly in the Toronto area for the past 22 years. He came to Canada from Lebanon in 1985. Today he is fighting deportation. Why? Because of his membership in an outlawed terrorist group, the PFLP [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine].

Not just a member, Al Yamani was involved at the highest level with this terrorist group, serving as the personal secretary to the head of the organization. Jamie Todd, a Department of Justice lawyer, defending the government's right to remove Al Yamani said, "It may not be in the national interest to provide haven for retired terrorists or retired members of a terrorist organization." We'll forgive Todd for this marvelous understatement. "If you are taking dictation from the head of the PFLP in the early 1980s, your involvement is deep. Terrorists can be kept like any other weapon, in an arsenal or silo for future contingencies," he added, raising the spectre of future concerns as well as Al Yamani's past in his arguments to Justice Anne Mactavish. Of course, Al Yamani says he is insulted by the comments. "I am not a sleeper cell or a retired terrorist. I've never been a terrorist."

Let's see. The PFLP is a terrorist organization. It has been outlawed. Al Yamani was the personal steward of the head of the organization. And he says he was not a terrorist. And I'm sure there are plenty of priests who aren't Catholic, too. Sorry, but if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck............

"It is all a fabrication," says Al Yamani. Of course it is. The government just doesn't like the way he combs his hair, so they trumped up these charges. Al Yamani is married and has two Canadian-born sons, one in his late teens and another in his mid-20's. Perhaps he thinks this will save his bacon (so to speak) but I can see his wife following him back to Lebanon. There seems to be no reason to deport the boys.

"I believe in the Palestinian right to self-determination. I believe in ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine," he says. He fails to state how far he is willing to go for his beliefs. He freely admits that he has been a PFLP member at different points over the years and that he handled about $1million in funding that was channeled to a variety of groups in the Palestinian territory that was earmarked for ‘humanitarian' purposes. And we all know how ‘humanitarian' the Palestinians can be toward the Israelis.

Canada outlawed the PFLP in 2003, describing it as a terrorist organization that since 1968 had committed hijackings, car bombings and suicide bombings. The PFLP's bombing of an Israeli pizzeria in February of 2002 killed three civilians. Al Yamani has argued that membership in the PFLP is a form of expression protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. So was joining the Nazi party during WW II, but we've revoked the citizenship of former members and kicked them out of the country. What makes Al Yamani think he's so special?

Al Yamani's lengthy legal fight has allowed him to remain in Canada but his arguments haven't met with any success. After years of litigation, an Immigration and Refugee Board declared him, in 2005, to be inadmissible to Canada on security grounds. The Federal Court of Canada upheld that ruling last year. Al Yamani then appealed to Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, for ministerial relief. That appeal was denied, so it looks like this is the last kick at the can for Al Yamani. Justice Mactavish has thus far reserved her judgment in the case.

Perhaps the wheels of justice roll slowly, but let's hope they roll in the right direction now. Better late than never.

Sources: Adrian Humphreys Canada Can't Be Haven The National Post
Add CommentsAdd Comments
47
Vote
   


SHOULD WE BE OFFENDED?

S L Bradish wrote about someone who's passing off Easter chocolate in the form of a naked Jesus. She mentions the outrage felt by the Muslim community over a cartoon which appeared in a Danish newspaper. Read her article and see how the Christians and Muslims react differently when this type of nonsense crops up.

By now we've all heard of the British sailors who were taken prisoner by the Iranians for allegedly trespassing in Iranian waters. That debate goes on with neither side giving an inch. However, there are some things we should be aware of


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
53
Vote
   


MANNERS

D. Armenta recently wrote an article about manners. It is well worth reading and raised quite a bit of discussion. I'm not about to add to what was written, but it came back to me today when I saw an item about it on a show called ‘Living In Toronto'. My wife and I are still shaking our heads.

It seems that if you have more money than brains, or have totally lost control of your child, you can ship them off to a place that will teach them manners. This service doesn't seem to be for two year olds who throw tantrums in the cereal aisle of the grocery store. It is geared to older children who don't know how to use a knife and fork. It is also geared to parents who abandon their responsibility in teaching their children the basics and separating them from their hard earned dollars


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
51
Vote
   


SMOKER'S RIGHTS

I just posted an article about a letter I had sent to the editor of the local paper about something our Health Minister is contemplating. This article is a follow up to let you know a bit about the background that prompted the letter.

Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman, said recently that because of growing pressure to curb the deadly effects of second-hand smoke in high-rises, it is time to debate whether smoking should be banned in apartment buildings. He never says where the ‘pressure' is coming from, but it is safe to say it is coming from the smoking Nazis. He says that while he would rather see market forces drive landlords to declare their buildings smoke-free, he acknowledges it would be worth having the discussion about whether legislation would be necessary to back up any ban."We've got to look at it from a regulatory standpoint," he said. "We sure will do that. There will be a good discussion. But there is a lot of power in the hands of the people." Pretty words, but Smitherman has already been outed as a two-faced dictator


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
49
Vote
   


SAY WHAT?

I heard a news item this morning that still has me shaking my head. It seems there is a group in Michigan that wants to raise gasoline prices by $0.09 per gallon over the next three years. This sounds rather outrageous, but they are saying the extra money would go to road repairs. Say what?

They claim that without this funding the roads of Michigan will fall into disrepair. Sorry, I have travelled many roads in Michigan and, except for the turnpikes and major highways, they are little better than tank traps. That is not to say our roads here in Canada are any better. A front end alignment is virtually useless as by the time you drive home from the alignment shop, your front end is going to be as bad as it was before you wasted the money


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
49
Vote
   


STUN GUNS

In my never ending mission to spread a little joy wherever I go, I share this with you. It came to me through the mail the other day and is just too funny not to pass on. I can sympathize with the guy though.
*************************
Stun gun ....... ONLY A GUY WOULD DO THIS


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (3)Comments (3) Add CommentsAdd Comments
45
Vote
   


TYRANNY

This is a letter to the editor I wrote the other day. The smoking Nazis are feeling their oats and want to ban smoking in apartment buildings now. How long before they come to your private house and demand you butt out there? I warned about this some time ago and it looks like I was right. Beware folks. These guys will stop at nothing.
******************
Sir


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (5)Comments (5) Add CommentsAdd Comments
52
Vote
   


COWARD

The CBC recently did a report on a US army deserter and wanted feedback from the audience on it's take of how the report was done. I was going to do an in-depth article about this, but I think my position is clear on this. Deserters are cowards.

I went into the CBC web site and cut 92 responses out, but I won't bore you with them here. Suffice it to say that there were 38 votes to keep the guy in Canada, 25 to toss him out and 29 that rambled without addressing the question of whether he should go or stay


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (4)Comments (4) Add CommentsAdd Comments
45
Vote
   


MAKING SCENTS

The other day S L Bradish wrote an article about a fellow who was banned from his local pub because of the foul odour he emitted. No one seemed to notice when they were allowed to smoke in the bar, but after banning smoking, it became apparent the man ate too many beans and was spreading the joy of his scent with his drinking buddies. I thought it was a funny story and commented about a woman who is being threatened with being tossed off a bus for wearing too much perfume. I thought this was happening in Toronto, but in fact, it's taking place in Calgary.

The woman, Natalie Kuhn, wears ‘Very Irrésistible' by Givenchy and swears she only uses two squirts of the stuff before heading out for the day. The perfume is billed as bringing out a woman's "spontaneity, audacity and sensuality." I've never smelled it but I assume it is not what one would consider a discreet scent. Just the name makes me wonder why she is riding a bus instead of driving a Benz


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (4)Comments (4) Add CommentsAdd Comments
50
Vote
   


MISGUIDED

It was only a matter of time. Those who are against Canada's annual seal hunt seem to be afraid the truth is getting out. The hunt is not decimating the seal herds as witnessed by the growth of same over the last few years. The hunt is not inhumane as witnessed by scores of international veterinarians and scientists who agree that it is as humane, if not more so, as anything found at a well run slaughter house. White-coats are not killed and haven't been since 1986, contrary to what PETA would want you to believe. Film clips of inhumane killing have been exposed as fakes, being set up by the likes of PETA, who want you to believe the lies they promote. They can't even argue that the seal hunt has no economic value. That is just plain absurd and not worth going into. They can't argue that the seal hunt has no bearing on the Inuit, as Inuits are the first to tell you that they hunt seals all year round and depend on the seal hunt for a larger than usual harvest.

So where do the nay-sayers turn? To glo-bull warming. Keep in mind that those opposed to the hunt, the Humane Society International, Greenpeace, the Green Party of Canada, PETA, et al, are all wildly liberal organizations that think the world would be a better place without human beings on it. They cite the fact that the high pup mortality due to poor ice conditions this year make it necessary to cancel the annual hunt. Why? Ice conditions are better further north where the majority of the hunt takes place. If I can't catch fish in one spot, do I call it a day? No, I'll move to another spot. Because ice conditions are poor in one area, is that a reason to cancel the whole hunt? I don't think so


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (1)Comments (1) Add CommentsAdd Comments
41
Vote
   


THE STELLA AWARDS

I got this in my mail the other day and thought I'd share it. It's self explanatory. Enjoy, but don't go out and try for one of these awards, PLEEEEAAAASSSEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

Time once again to review the winners of the Annual "Stella Awards." The Stella Awards are named after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's (in NM). That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous, ridiculous, successful lawsuits in the United States


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (5)Comments (5) Add CommentsAdd Comments
57
Vote
   


UN MORALS

Hillel C. Neuer is the executive director of the NGO United Nations Watch. The other day, he gave a speech at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. After the corruption seen in the UN under the watch of Kofi Annan, this man seems to be a real breath of fresh air. He calls ‘em as he sees ‘em.

The UN Commission on Human Rights was created sixty years ago in the aftermath of the Nazi horrors during WW II. Neuer asks what ever has become of that dream? With reports filtering in daily from around the world of torture and persecution, what has the council pronounced, and what has it decided? Absolutely nothing. Harry Truman said that it had become a Do-Nothing, Good-for-Nothing Council. True, but only up to a point. It has, in fact, enacted one resolution after another condemning a single state, that of Israel


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (4)Comments (4) Add CommentsAdd Comments
55
Vote
   


ELECTION FRAUD

Quebec goes to the polls today to install a new premier for the next three or four years. There is nothing particularly exciting about this, other than the rest of Canada wondering how much federal money the new guy will wangle out of Ottawa to keep them in the Confederation. However, there does seem to be a bit of a controversy. The Muslims have their burkhas in a twist over a ruling by the chief returning officer that requires all voters to be bare-faced when casting a ballot.

Marcel Blanchet says that anyone voting in today's election must do so with an uncovered face. Apparently he'd received word that some voters would be casting ballots while wearing Hallowe'en masks. Whether this is true or not is beside the question. There is too much possibility for election fraud if the voter can't be identified


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
45
Vote
   


IS IT FAIR?

This little debate has been in the news for some time, but it seems to be making greater waves as of late as we look forward to a provincial election this fall and a federal one at any time. At issue is whether or not non-citizens should have the right to vote.

In particular it is making more headlines in Toronto than anywhere else, but like a snowball rolling down a hill, it will eventually gather enough steam to be taken very seriously. Toronto Mayor David Miller, along with some other elected officials, is all for the idea. He claims it will bring more "diversity" to local government. It certainly would. While the Ontario assembly would be responsible for any necessary legal changes, it is only the provincial New Democrats, the party most likely to adopt the idea, that are currently trying to decide on a policy position for the fall election. Mayor Miller, being an NDP supporter is gung-ho as he realizes he has done nothing for Toronto in his two terms in office, save to spend it into an ever increasing pit of debt, and might well need the votes of non-citizens at best and illegals at worst to save his bacon in the next campaign


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (4)Comments (4) Add CommentsAdd Comments
60
Vote
   


THE EIGHT BALL

Tom Brodbeck writes a column for the Winnipeg Sun and he has an award given out called ‘The Eight Ball', which he hands out to highlight some of the worst perversions of justice in our court system. After reading his latest column, I couldn't agree more with his choice.

The latest winner of this award is provincial court Judge Fred Sandhu. Why don't we take a look at what Sandhu did to merit this honour and see if you agree with both Brodbeck and me


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (3)Comments (3) Add CommentsAdd Comments
49
Vote
   


FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Recently I wrote an article called "What Does He Have To Do?" outlining the grief President Bush was having during his travels through Latin America. He was trying to come to some kind of agreement with various governments on how to handle the problem of illegal immigrants sneaking across the border into the USA. He was met by flag burning, effigy hanging mobs who decried the Americans foreign policy of deporting these people. They wanted it all without any thought of giving anything back.

Someone must be reading my articles. A couple of days later, I received the following in my mail. I can't vouch for the authenticity of it, but it seems to make sense. I leave it to you to decide


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (3)Comments (3) Add CommentsAdd Comments
41
Vote
   


TIGGER

This is an odd one. It seems a school in California is being sued by the ACLU for suspending a girl for wearing socks with the Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh, character on them. The girl, Toni Kay Scott, 14, has also hired a law firm to represent her for being sent to an in-school suspension program called Students With Attitude Problems last year for violating a dress code.

Okay, she was sent here for violating a dress code. The article, written by CanWest News, carries the headline, "U.S. School Sued Over Tigger Socks". The school in question is the Redwood Middle School, located in the Napa Valley Unified School District, which is also being sued. The leading sentence of the article states, "A California Grade 7 student might end up in court for wearing Winnie the Pooh socks to school." And that seems to end the involvement of the socks. It appears nowhere else in the article except for this: "She had donned socks with the Tigger character from the Winnie the Pooh cartoons on them, along with a denim skirt and a brown shirt with a pink border


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (3)Comments (3) Add CommentsAdd Comments
52
Vote
   


SPOILED

I am spoiled. Just ask my wife, she'll tell you. But that's a different story.

I had to go out of town the other day and wouldn't you know it? The weatherman was right for once. It was a cold, overcast, rainy day. Not enough rain to make turning your wipers on justifiable, just enough to keep them on slow to medium speed and make you waste about 18 gallons of windshield washer fluid. Just enough to make the roads greasy enough that you couldn't use cruise control. And that's how I found out just how spoiled I am


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (4)Comments (4) Add CommentsAdd Comments
50
Vote
   


STOP THIEF

You've got to hand it to the Japanese for being polite. The Ohashi Collection Kan museum in Takayama, wanted to show off a prized possession, but they also wanted to let the visitors have an interactive role with it. So, they rolled out a 100 kg (225 lb.) Block of gold and put it on display. Unguarded by sensors. Or a case. They wanted visitors to be able to touch it.

Touch it, they did. Someone scoffed it. In broad daylight, Sunday, three masked dudes absconded with the bullion and were driven away by a fourth accomplice


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (7)Comments (7) Add CommentsAdd Comments
54
Vote
   


GREAT RACES - THE MONACO GRAND PRIX

The Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco and has been run since 1929. It is considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world alongside the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Indy 500 certainly is a prestigious race and it's importance is verified by the fact of its history and the celebrity of its entrants. As a Formula One event, it ranks in the same class as Monaco, Le Mans and Monza, but it hardly fits the bill as a brutal test of man and machine.

The Indy requires drivers to go fast and know how to turn left. Once in high gear, there is little gear changing going on. Granted, the drivers do get uncomfortable in the high heat of cars interior, but except for some spectacular crashes both today and in years gone by, there really isn't too much to this race save its party atmosphere. Monaco combines atmosphere, parties, way more prestige and the requirement that the drivers actually get to down shift a couple of thousand times while turn right every now and then


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
60
Vote
   


MORE GLO-BULL WARMING NONSENSE

I thought I was done with this subject, but it keeps coming back like a bad rash. Before I get into it though, I have to acknowledge a writer who is putting up brilliant articles about the lies and deception the Al Gore is spreading. Howard, at Real Crash here on Orble, quotes further and probably better references than I did in my articles about this sham. He is clear and concise and anyone even remotely interested in the true science behind the glo-bull warming threat would be doing themselves a favour by reading his articles. He has done a wonderful job and I hope more people will come to see "Mr. Inconvenient Truth" for what he really does, as Howard shows.

Today's subject is our friend and icon of all that is true, Dr. David Suzuki. Firmly entrenched in the Gore camp, Suzuki has been traipsing around the nation selling his doom and gloom story that we'll all be dead from glo-bull warming by 4 PM next Thursday. However, he seems to be a bit on the defensive side as more and more people begin to question his ethics and methods. This article will rely heavily on what Suzuki himself has written


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (1)Comments (1) Add CommentsAdd Comments
44
Vote
   


FOOTPRINT OF THE LEFT

Republicans or Conservatives are in a minority situation. At least, they are over in Europe. In Europe, there is a TV show called "The Eurovision Song Contest", on the air for more than 50 years, and watched by as many as 600 million people worldwide. Call it a kind of "European Idol" where each contestant represents a different country. Now, Israel is hardly in Europe but it has been represented in this contest for years. This year is different.

You see, the organizers are threatening to throw Israel out of the competition, claiming its entry is too overtly political and that its "inappropriate" message risked "bringing the contest into disrepute." The whole controversy is over a song called "Push The Button", a protest against the dangers of nuclear war. By even considering disqualifying Israel shows just how far to the left organizers of Eurovision have swung, and even more how uncomfortable Europeans are with the idea of Israelis as victims


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (1)Comments (1) Add CommentsAdd Comments
43
Vote
   


FIGHTING BACK

The annual Canadian seal hunt is set to begin at the end of the month. As always, there are the loud mouthed animal rights activists, who don't know anything about it, straining their vocal cords over how inhumane the whole thing is. Look, I don't care if you're a vegan, that's your choice, but it doesn't allow you to take away from others something that is their source of food and money just to make you feel better.

The European Commission restated its opposition to an immediate ban on the import of Canadian seal products Thursday, but said it would proceed with a study to determine whether the centuries-old hunt is carried out in a humane manner. Why? Studies have already been done by a wide group of international scientists and veterinarians who found the seals are killed in a most humane way. White-coats have been exempted from the hunt since 1987, so those pictures PETA and the rest of the crowd want you to believe are indicative of the kill are just plain lies. Using a hakapik is probably more humane than shooting the seals, as with a gun, you could easily miss and merely wound the animal, but the club shatters the skull quickly, neatly, quietly and gives you 100% certainty that the animal is dead without it having suffered


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (6)Comments (6) Add CommentsAdd Comments
59
Vote
   


MORE ON THE HIJAB

It didn't take long. Why couldn't we see this one coming? The Muslim Council of Montreal has taken up the plight of Sondos Abdelatif, 19, who was told that she would have to remove her hijab in order to continue with the training program at Montreal's Bordeaux jail. The fact that shechose to withdraw from the program is not going to stand in the way of those who want to blow the incident out of proportion. Quebec's Public Security Department said the Muslim headwear could pose a threat to Abdelatif's safety should prisoners get hostile. "As a security measure, the hijab cannot be accepted as an element of the uniform to execute the functions of a correctional officer," department spokesman Real Roussy said.

Maybe that's what it boils down to. The uniform. Going into the training, Abdelatif would have been aware that guards are required to tie their hair back and no ties are allowed. For those of you who don't get it, a tie can be grabbed by an inmate and used to choke the wearer to death. Open collars are mandated. The hijab can also be used to form a noose around the head of the wearer and choke her to death. Abdelatif would have known she wouldn't be able to wear the hijab, so why did she try to become a prison guard in the first place? We had the same scenario when a Sikh wanted to become a Mountie, yet be allowed to wear his turban. The Mounties caved and the Sikh is now one of them. But he too knew what the official uniform was when he applied and he was quite content in raising a fuss, basing his case on discrimination. It's funny, but I don't recall any Sikhs making a ruckus to wear a turban if they apply for a job at McDonalds. Nor any Muslims demanding to wear a hijab if they apply to Wendy's. Why? Because they simply don't apply for those types of jobs


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (6)Comments (6) Add CommentsAdd Comments
56
Vote
   


YOUNG CRIMINALS

"The number of young people jailed or put on probation fell in two consecutive years after the Youth Criminal Justice Act was passed in 2003 and experts say this suggests the legislation is working as planned. The number of youths aged 12 to 17 sent to custody and community correctional services declined 33 per cent following the act's adoption, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday." So says an article reported by the Canadian Press the other day. I say the experts are wrong.

The ‘experts' are of a liberal mind who want their numbers to work, and as with the glo-bull warming crisis or the idea that rehab in prison actually works or the protests against the seal hunt or the war in Iraq, these people will leave no stone unturned to convince you and me that they have all the right answers


[ Click here to read more ]
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
44
Vote