Sunday, September 09, 2012

A FURTHER WORD ON THE THOUGHTLESS ENDING OF DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH IRAN - NOT THE WAY CANADIANS TRADITIONALLY DO THINGS - HARPER'S LEGACY


 POSTED RESPONSE TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


This was the act of an extremely foolish and impetuous man.

Canadians traditionally are people who try to resolve issues through diplomacy, and you can't have diplomacy without diplomats, a point I would have thought rather obvious, but apparently not so to all, judging from a sampling of mindless comments.

There is not one good thing that can result from this act for Canada or Canadians, with the sole exception, if you are a Conservative, of the Conservative Party's campaign coffers owing to special interest donations.

Then there are the hollow cheers from the little mob of unofficial representatives for Israel's interests (interests as defined by the three madmen currently running the place: Netanyahu, Barak, and Lieberman) who swarm like flies on any story of this nature, trying to bury thoughtful comments and prevent meaningful discussion.

You can tell them, almost to a person, despite the pseudonyms used in almost every case, by their tone: it lacks all logic and is devoid of ethics.

They never argue the genuine merits of one side or the other: they just call names, advocate the destruction of millions of innocent people, and offer limp efforts at frat-boy jokes.

What is Canadian about such behavior? Just as what is Canadian about Baird's utterly foolish act?

Nothing, unless your idea of being Canadian is to sound and act like America's Republican buffoons, the pathetic likes of Newt Gingrich or Sarah Palin or Rush Limbaugh or indeed Mitt Romney.

None of whom ever uttered a thoughtful sentence, and all of whom regularly go out of their way to say obtuse and abusive things that create conflict and division.

Divisiveness and conflict - that literally defines Stephen Harper's legacy to Canadian politics.

The audience you draw does tend to define the nature of your acts, and you've only to read a sampling here to understand what Harper and Baird have achieved, and it is not something in the interests of the vast majority of Canadians.

But then Harper is a 39% prime minister, isn't he?

And our democracy is badly bent when that kind of support allows acts and words that will do damage for years to our long-term interests.

MORE ON THE IDIOTIC ACT OF ENDING ALL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH IRAN - COMMENTS WHICH INDICATE THE ABYSMAL LEVEL OF THINKING AMONG SUPPORTERS OF THIS CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT ACT


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


"There is a good chance the Canadian Iranian Embassy was being used for more than public relations. Espionage, spying whatever, it should have been closed years ago."


Israel is well known in intelligence circles for its relentless espionage on Canada and the U.S.

American counter-intelligence has a special, large assignment in working against the efforts of their so-called ally.

The ally who produced the most destructive spy in American history, Jonathon Pollard.

The ally who sold some of Pollard's "product" to the Soviet Union.

The ally who, during its 1967 war, deliberately attacked, for two solid hours, the American intelligence ship Liberty in order to blind the American government to what they were doing in that war.

The ally whose spies were caught during 9/11 watching and photographing the disaster from a phony moving truck, an event never explained.

From Canada's point of view, it is the ally which time and again has abused Canada's passports by using phony ones on assassination assignments.
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"Yes, Ahmadinejad is an idiot, but then again so are you and people still speak to you. "

Ahmadinejad has said a few foolish things, mainly under his irrepressible tendency to poke fun at the pretensions of theirs.

But a highly successful politician in a country with a greater population than that of France or Britain and who holds a PhD in Civil Engineering is anything but an idiot.

It is foolishness to say so.

He is likely more intelligent than most of the recent presidents of the United States.

And the foolish things he has said should be compared to the collected words of a Bush or a Reagan or a Romney.

Assuming a bright, capable man is wild-eyed plays right into the hands of Israel's around-the-clock propagandists, and it certainly does not contribute to understanding.
___________________________________________

"Why is Mulcair a lobbyist for Iran?"

Why are you a lobbyist for stupidity?
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"I see now, we need those absurdly expensive F35's to combat the enemies Harper is making on behalf of Canada, how American!!"

Well said.

And just watch, if we do buy these absurd machines, and if they do fly as advertised finally after billions more spent, when Netanyahu yells, we'll be flying the dozen or so operational at any one time (they require horrific maintenance) to wherever Israel has decided once again to bomb someone it doesn't like.


On a per capita basis, there is one country whose armed forces, including every weapon imaginable, is obscenely out of proportion to its size in population or wealth, and that country is Israel.

It sits by the Mediterranean like a Crusader enclave, a virtual garrison state, a country with the population of Ecuador and the arms and army of France.

And it is currently run by a madman.
__________________________________

‘And how exactly do they think to "retaliate"? After we nuke the crap out of them, there won't be a bacteria left to live in that stinky country.'


"Bacteria' is the plural form of the noun, requiring a plural modifier, not "a."

But then that covers the intelligent part of your words.

How can anyone but a complete madman lightly speak about exterminating 70 million people?

But I do believe we've had such talk in the past.

In Germany during the 1930s.
_________________________________

"Look at the lefty socialist twisting in the wind trying to defend Iran, an exporter of terrorists."

Well, I don't know about Iran exporting terrorists.

Seems an absurd thing to say since there isn't one genuine news story about Iranian terrorists anywhere.

Iran also remains at peace with all its neighbors.

Can we say the same for Israel? I don't think so.

Of course, we do have stories of what Israel exports.

At least half a dozen people were killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza - that giant refugee camp - this week alone.

And Israeli's Barak just made threats - his favorite hobby, making threats - about how the IDF could easily conquer and run Gaza.

Of course, there's all that wonderful human-rights stuff about Israeli terrorists assassinating totally innocent Iranian scientists with car bombs.

And your words are a perfect example of the kind of dishonest rubbish-thinking exported by Israel.

Day after day after day.
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"I'm guessing principled decisions such as this, totally escape the left."


No, you have it the wrong way round.

Decisions such as this totally escape the principled.

And we should add that language such as your "the left," intended to characterize large numbers of people you don't like, would have been perfectly comfortable on the tongue of a Dr. Goebbels.

Indeed, all your fellow name-callers entirely miss or ignore that damning fact.

Saturday, September 08, 2012

CANADA'S EMBARRASSING JOHN BAIRD CUTS DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH IRAN - A GENUINELY STUPID ACT - FACTS CONCERNING THE MANUFACTURED CRISIS - ISRAEL VERSUS IRAN - AN IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT CALLING ISRAEL'S CRITICS "ANTI-SEMITES"


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


Fact 1: Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program according to every expert and credible intelligence agency.

Fact 2: Iran belongs to the Non-proliferation treaty and it permits regular inspections.

Fact 3: Iran has demonstrated no aggressive intentions in its modern history.

Fact 4: The President of Iran likes to make tail-twisting statements and likes to poke fun at pretensions, but he has never threatened Israel. He is often misquoted by Israel in that regard, but what he actually said is nothing more than what the CIA itself has said in internal studies of Israel: it does not have a long-term future in its present state, and that fact has nothing to do with war.

By the way, with all the propaganda we have dumped upon us regularly, not many people know that Iran's President is an extremely intelligent man, possessing a PhD in Civil Engineering. He is not a wild-eyed fanatic, a description which much better fits the current Prime Minister of Israel.

Fact 4: Israel does not belong to the Non-proliferation Treaty, and it allows no inspections of any kind, ever.

Fact 5: There's a good reason for not belonging to the treaty because Israel in fact has a nuclear arsenal of about 150 warheads. It broke every law there is in achieving this status.

Fact 6: Israel is one of the only countries known to have worked towards the proliferation of nuclear weapons. It worked with and assisted apartheid South Africa in becoming a small nuclear power. The current President of Israel's signature is on documents from decades ago offering to sell nuclear weapons to South Africa.

Fact 7: Israel has very much demonstrated aggressive intention - indeed, it has done so for the last 60 years, attacking every neighbor that it has, many more than once. It started several major wars and it has committed outright atrocities against the people of Gaza and Lebanon.

Fact 8: Israel is led by screaming madman, a man who daily issues threats against those who have not attacked his country and works tirelessly to get the United States engaged in yet another war. Both the Presidents of France and the United States are on record as saying that he is liar who cannot be trusted.

Grovel, grovel, grovel. Mr. Baird, it's okay to get up off your knees now. It truly is distasteful to see a Foreign Minister of Canada behaving in this irrational fashion.

Is there any stupid behavior this government is incapable of as it chases campaign donations from special interests?
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"Nothing quite like a story about Iran to bring out the Jew haters."


This kind of carelessly stupid rhetoric is repeated every time anyone criticizes Israel.

The only merit in this boringly-repetitive and hateful man's words - and those of several regular chums here in the cause of defending what cannot be defended - is that this charge is becoming hopelessly threadbare.

The words already have become close to meaningless from constant repetition.

But the words are well on their way to becoming laughable, in a black comedic sort of way.

Remember the fairy tale of the boy who constantly yelled "Wolf!" He enjoyed himself with his stupid antics, but when a real wolf appeared, there was no one who would listen and help him.

It is the people with hard ethics and concerns for human rights who always are the only real friends of people undergoing terrible treatment.

The likes of Harper and Baird - right-wing opportunists - were the very people in every country of Europe who never spoke up in the late 1930s. They were busy joining Bunds and Fascist organizations of every description in Britain, Germany, Italy, and the United States.

Not a single liberal of conscience joined such filthy outfits.

And it is liberals of conscience today who criticize Israel's outlandish and savage behavior.

The leader of North Korea - a state often described as "rogue' - is comparatively quiet and peaceful compared to the madman running Israel today.

There is no other way to see the facts, unless you are blind ideologue who cares nothing for truth, which of course is exactly what your use of language says of you.

MITT ROMNEY BELLOWS ABOUT "SHAME" OF JERUSALEM BEING LEFT OUT OF DEMOCRATS' PLATFORM - A MATTER OF NO CONCERN TO ALMOST ANYONE - BUT THE KIND OF SILLINESS YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR TENS OF MILLIONS IN CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS


POSTED RESPONSE TO A COLUMN IN THE TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL


Grovel, grovel, grovel.

What in God's name does this matter have to do with most of America's 300,000,000 people?

Nothing, absolutely nothing.

And what does it have to do with most of the world's 7,000,000,000 people?

Nothing, absolutely nothing.

So why does he go out of his way to raise it?

Campaign contributions from special interests.

Of course, it is Romney's behavior that truly is shameful for someone aspiring to be a world leader.

BLOODIEST MONTH PASSES IN SYRIAN CONFLICT - OF COURSE IT IS NOW A CIVIL WAR - SUPPORTING HOOLIGANS - HARPER GROVELS - A WORD ON AL JAZEERA NETWORK


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN THE TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL


Well, it has become a civil war, and such wars have a history of being the bloodiest everywhere.

And who is responsible for getting the horror going?

We know to a certainty it was the United States and Israel.
___________________________________

"The government sits back and does nothing while these activist / terrorists run rampant.

"WRONG .... the army is called out to use all means possible to restore order.

"Why do we continue to support every gang of hooligans ?"


Because this gang of hooligans is supported and supplied by the United States.

Do you see even one act or policy of the United States that our present government doesn't closely embrace?

I think it fair to say it grovels when facing South.

We have Mad Dog Baird making pompous pronouncements about unwarranted new measures against Syria.

We have his boss, the Dark Bulk, periodically breaking out in sudden outbursts of loyalty to Israel and Israeli interests, to the complete exclusion of all others.

And it is in Israel's interest that this whole elaborate plot to upset a stable country and perhaps partition it was created by the United States, just as the horror in Iraq was about Israel and not oil.
________________________________________

"If you want the true unpolluted by propaganda news, you must go OnLine to Al Jazeera."

Why on earth do we need to go to Al Jazeera when we have ignorant propagandists like “Hapl” scribbling daily in the Globe and Mail?

Indeed, Al Jazeera, while not perfect, is one of the more objective and balanced sources in a sea of propaganda and deliberate misinformation.

A COLUMN CALLED YIDDISH CURSES NOW AND THEN - FURTHER THOUGHTS ON THE HISTORY OF YIDDISH AND WHAT LANGUAGE-USE MAY REVEAL


POSTED RESPONSE TO A COLUMN BY HOWARD RICHLER IN THE TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL


Have you ever noticed how rich in words of contempt the Yiddish language is?

Even Yiddish-origin people who do not speak Yiddish use them.

They are literally a part of what we think of as the New York City character or Jewish humor.

Without making a big effort, we have: schmuck, meshuggina, zhlub, wus, dreck, putz, goi, gornisht, schlepper, klutz, schlemiel, kvetch, luftmensh, megillah, momzer, nebbish, nudnik, pisher, schlock, scmultz, shtunk.

These are generally not foul language or curses, just words full of contempt for something one is observing.

If there is truth in the idea that language reflects other deeper things in people, then these words of contempt say a great deal.

MITT ROMNEY'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH HIT THE RIGHT NOTES? - ROMNEY'S DARK BACKGROUND - RON PAUL'S HONESTY AND BAD TREATMENT BY ROMNEY'S GANG


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN THE TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL


Mitt has a dark record, well concealed, much like that other dreadful man, George W Bush.

Mitt was a "missionary" to get out of the Vietnam War.

Ever heard of a missionary toiling in the South of France and staying at a villa? That was Mitt's arduous task.

The smuck had so little character that he was photographed insulting and heckling honest war resisters trying to stop the idiot slaughter in Vietnam at the same time he entered this glorious "service."

His claim as to when he left Bain Capital is simply a lie, and trying to avoid iron-clad proof of that is why he won't submit his tax returns, a practice which has become the expected norm in the U.S. elections.

His claim about turning around Bain Capital with his wonderful management skills is patently false.

He took advantage of the government's bank account insurance agency to lay his hands on millions. Never even said thanks.

He's kept good parts of his fortune in offshore tax havens like the Caymen Islands. How admirable for a potential President.

He has made the most stupid statements - on everything from the poor to the London Olympics - time and again, almost as bad as Sarah "no brains" Palin used to do.

And his little adventure in driving the family dog strapped to the roof of his car on super highways for a twelve hour trip speaks volumes.

He is a sociopath.

And that fact is confirmed further by the stories of youthful acquaintances of his great idea of a practical joke: he used a flashing light on his car to pretend to be a policeman and pulled friends over on the road. Not funny to normal people and definitely illegal.

Readers might enjoy:




__________________________________________________


Romney's treatment of Ron Paul is still another big mark against him.

I'm not a libertarian, as Paul is, but I recognize a sincere and honest man of intelligence when I see one.

Romney's cronies worked very hard to strip him of delegates, honestly won.

They carried out all kinds of tricks in some of the state primaries to make it impossible for him.

They seated the states with significant Paul delegations in obscure locations of the convention hall.

And they would not allow Paul to address the convention except under the most unacceptable conditions, including vetting of every word, something an honorable man simply could not abide.

Why?

Paul dislikes war, and always says so.

And Paul dislikes America's nightmare marriage to Israel's wishes and drives.

Indeed, possibly no candidate in history enters the race with more secret promises of cash from that most powerful of special interests, Israel, quite possibly many of them illegal since you cannot accept foreign funds in American elections.

Its most unthinking supporters have promised many millions to defeat Obama, a man whose only right act has been to put some pressure on Israel for genuine peace, earning himself a bad reputation with the Israel Lobby and Netanyahu's people.

MORE FROM THE CLOUDCUCKOOLAND OF TEACHERS - ONTARIO TEACHERS THREATENING TO NOT ASSIST STUDENT ACTIVITIES IN THE FALL - THE NATURE OF PROFESSIONS - OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION NOT COMPETITIVE


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN THE TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL


They would succeed only in alienating a still larger portion of the public.

You cannot play these kinds of games in private industry and remain employed.

And extremely well-paid teachers should not be able to either.
__________________________________________

I see several references to professionals in recent comments.

There is nothing about teaching that warrants the name "professional."

Teaching is a talent, an art, a calling, but it is not a profession unless you misuse language.

A profession is defined by a special body of knowledge – as exists in medicine or law or architecture.

There is no such body of knowledge in teaching.

Elementary teachers do not even have to have any expertise from their BA. Many of them do not know math or language or other subjects any better than people on the streets.

Teachers' college serves up 8 or 9 months of unexamined assumptions and tidbits of pop psychology. It is totally unscientific and qualifies you for nothing beyond union membership.

Take any bright, motivated person - someone who actually knows a subject - and put him or her into the classroom, and you will instantly get results better than those of many of the "professionals," especially the thousands who are unmotivated and often know little worth giving children.

We need expertise and motivation in our schools, and the loose use of "professionals" does not give it to us, especially at the elementary level.

The great teacher and scholar, Roger Ascham, tutor to the young Queen Elizabeth I, said that it was the young who should get the very best teaching, and we do precisely the opposite.

And he was right.
______________________________________

"So the minister thinks it's a "privilege" for teachers to be able to spend the day in the classroom with students...

"What a crock. That statement ncely [sic] encapsulates why people loathe politicians. It's a job where people have to make ridiculous statements that conform to third-rate p.r. strategies. And they have to do it with a straight face. This minister is either delusional or a simpleton if she actually beleives [sic] that statement."

True for politicians, often.

But equally true for teachers, often.
__________________________________________

"I'm out. I'm using the time I spent doing extra curricular on my new additional part time job. I have no choice. My hydro bill is going up 8 percent."



There is a perfect example of a pathetic and unthinking pleading, seeming to come directly from the realms of Cloudcuckooland.

A teacher up in his scale, and it takes not many years to reach that, earns more than $80 thousand plus unbelievable benefits for what really is part-time work.

If you can't live comfortably on that, just try your next best job opportunity.

Clerk at WalMart? Clerk at the post office? LCBO check-out? Real estate sales? Whatever a general BA gets you, which isn't much.

Comments like yours only anger most people who earn a fraction of what your schedule rewards you with, and they have exactly the same costs of living.

And how about all the retired old folks, barely keeping their homes with costs like real estate taxes, used to pay your salary?

Anyone who complains the way you do only exposes himself as someone who should never have become a teacher.
___________________________________________

"Thinks it's very sad that people devote so much time and effort to criticizing the professions of others."

The only reason this happens is because we have to read and hear the special pleadings of teachers regularly.

And you say people should "shadowing a teacher" to see how difficult is the work?

Please, everyone with children has intimate exposure to teachers, and that on top of their own experience growing up.

I've done both substitute teaching and tutoring as well as university lecturing.

I do believe I have experience worth communicating, as do many others.

Again, teaching is simply not a narrow field of specialized knowledge, and that fact qualifies all thoughtful people to comment on what are widely seen as abuses and excesses.
_________________________________________

"Many [teachers] put their lives on hold for 10 months of the year. Spend some time shadowing a teacher before posting a rant. That's how you can truly make an informed opinion."

There is the special pleading of all time. While I don't doubt that this might happen in a few extreme cases, I've never seen it, ever.

Spend a little time with teachers, and what you'll often, in fact, hear are whining, special pleading, and just plain nonsense claims.
_____________________________________________

"It's time for disgruntled teachers of the public system in Ontario to show us that they can find better job opportunties elsewhere. Good luck!"

Yes, just a few examples would be interesting.

But, except in exceptional circumstances of course, it's an impossible task.

General BAs get you absolutely nowhere on the job market.

And a teaching certificate has zero, or even negative, value outside of the closed and privileged school system.
_____________________________________________

"The last time the teachers "worked to rule" my daughter was the high school year book editor. Alone, and unaided, my daughter got the Principal to cut her a cheque for $5K, bought the computer system she needed, taught herself Photoshop, and produced the yearbook in time and under budget. She received no acknowledgment for this accomplishment at her graduation the next year. The next year the yearbook editor had the help of teachers and went back to the non computer cut and paste method. Perhaps more student activities should be done without teacher "help"."

Good example of the kind of stuff that goes on in so many places and institutions.

Yet the whining teachers think an hour or two a week spent on some activity makes them over into the image of Mother Teresa.

And your point on the use of a computer program versus cut-and-paste is well taken. Many teachers cannot use a computer, and they are under no pressure to learn. So students watch them doing tasks in totally out-of-date ways, the teachers earning for themselves a great deal of respect I’m sure.

And your anecdote is the precise measure of how bad the situation has become and why the public has no respect for their special pleadings.

Think of all the volunteers in schools, in public libraries, in Sunday Schools, in food banks, and churches, in old age homes, etc, etc.

Tens and tens of thousands, week in-week out.

And no brownie points earned towards keeping up their status in their work place.

It makes you want to puke that a teacher making more than $80,000 with gold-plated benefits and impossible to dismiss for poor performance thinks he or she deserves an Order of Canada for handling an extra-curricular activity.

They are so out of it, they keep making these ridiculous pleadings, only making people more unhappy with them.
_____________________________________________

"You all think attacking teacher's [sic] is the solution but it is not..."

No one thinks that.

You are question-begging.

Everyone is tired of the whining and making a big deal out of every tiny event.

Especially in light of the mediocre performance of many and their guaranteed high remuneration.
_________________________________________
"When report card season comes, she spends an extra 15-18 hours per week for 3 weeks at home doing them."

Many teachers 'do" the report cards today in a matter of a few  hours.

They use a no-work-required, select-a-phrase computer program to fill the forms.

The parents and kids learn nothing from it, and the teachers put no work into it.
________________________________________________

"I know some school boards in the US that pay teachers for extra-curriculrar [sic] activities, such as track and field, debate, basketball, and mock trial.

"Either make it part of a teacher's duties or pay for the benefit. Teachers are not slaves."

Perhaps, but a lot of other variables are handled differently in U.S. jurisdictions, and it is just dishonest to make a comment which isolates one small fact of costs from all of the others.

First, in many poor jurisdictions in the U.S., teachers are paid a fraction of what they are paid in Ontario. You would shocked by the pay in many poor, rural states.

Second, in some U.S. jurisdictions, teachers are paid according to the cost of living in various parts of the state with teachers in rural places and small towns receiving substantially less than those in a city.

Third, in many jurisdictions in the U.S., substitutes only are required to have a degree - BA for elementary, MA for high school - and they are paid at a low fixed rate, as low as $50 a day.

In Ontario the union says they must all be grads of teachers' college, and they are paid at beginning full-time rates.

There are many other such differences, and you cannot compare one aspect without giving a more complete picture of all the financial flows.

As to your "teachers are not slaves,' well, that really does make you sound just silly.
_____________________________________________
"My mom is a teacher - still working at 67. She loves her job and she's good at it. Has banked over 350 sick days because she rarely takes a day off. She's only getting paid for 200 of those banked days upon her retirement as they are still being honoured. That means she's saved her employers paying her 150 sick days + the 150 days they would have had to pay for a supply teacher."


I'm glad she is a good teacher, but you do not get to "bank" days almost anywhere in private industry.

And did you know that in many companies and organizations in the U.S. that each sick day taken subtracts from your annual vacation days?

It's legal, and it is done.
_________________________________________

"Teacher's [sic] have to be in before 8:00, and if you think teachers are free after 5:00 when they homework to mark, lesson plans to write weekly, and new curriculum to learn and review, then you are silly. "

Please, maybe your mother believes that, but no one else does.

The parking lots at schools empty quickly.

And many teachers do almost no marking today, planning their assignments with just that in mind. Many use "group work" to cut the assignments down by a factor of five, too.

As for lesson plans, I've substituted, I've seen their books, and many are just bad jokes.

Finally, and most important for the quality of education, there is no one, absolutely no one, assessing our teachers’ work or knowledge or personality suitability.

Hired once, in for life.

It is impossible to have a high-quality system built on that weak foundation.

ASSAD SAYS IT WILL TAKE TIME TO DEFEAT REBELS - OF COURSE: LOOK WHO'S SUPPLYING THEM - ALMOST ALL OUR NEWS ON INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS IS NOW SYNTHETIC


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


Of course it will take time.

The national army is, after all, fighting people supplied and assisted by the United States, Israel, and other American satrapies.
_____________________________

"The west doesn't support truth, we deny it."

The truth is that virtually all of our news in the international sphere now is synthetic.

We almost never see any more genuine reporting from places like Syria.

We read re-written press releases from Pentagon or State Department sources.

Or we read re-written stuff from organs directly serving Pentagon interests, outfits like Reuters or the Washington Post.

Even when we do have reporters on war fronts, they are now "embedded" and not the least free to address hard issues.

And a military like that of the U.S. has many ways of intimidating and shaping what they may write in their embedded situation. An extraordinary number of journalists were killed by American forces in Iraq, including journalists from several other countries.

And then the planted and warped stuff that we do read is further re-inforced by an army of journalistic ants scribbling away at columns about places and events they know very little if anything about, the Margaret Wente's of this world.

There is no perspective in the mainline press on any international matter except the perspective intended by those manipulating events.

Orwell anticipated this reality with Oceania's party constantly re-writing history and making words disappear.

But the modern reality is far more subtle and insidious with all the pretenses of reportage maintained and all the hollow claims of truth from independent sources on the Internet, again a place well-larded with CIA-supported blogs and news sheets which have all the tone and appearance of genuine independent sources.

It is becoming harder, day by day, to speak to truth and have it heard.

ISRAELI COURT THROWS OUT SUIT OF RACHEL CORRIE'S PARENTS - WHO EXPECTS JUSTICE FROM COURTS RESEMBLING STALIN'S?


POSTED RESPONSE TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


Israeli courts speak with just about the same sense of justice legitimacy as did the United States Supreme Court in the 1850s, a court that never saw a case of slavery or abuse of slaves that it didn't think was just fine.

The legal apparatus of Israel serves as a big dumb show almost like Stalin's courts.

How else do you explain murders being fine?

Theft being fine?

Abuse being fine?

Arbitrary arrest and illegal imprisonment being fine?

And a systematic race-oriented bias to all the activities and policies of government?

REVEALED: CANADA'S SMARMY PUBLIC SAFETY MINISTER VIC TOEWS ALLOWS EVIDENCE FROM TORTURE TO BE USED BY CANADA'S SECURITY FORCES AND POLICE - JUST WHO IS DOING ALL THE KILLING IN THIS WORLD?


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


"Ottawa allows RCMP, border agency to use torture-tainted information"

Our country is being dragged down to the lowest ethics by this shabby, shabby government.

I almost can't believe that a thoughtful person would announce such a policy, but then there are many things done by this gang of grovelers to America and its interests that I almost cannot believe.

You talk of forgetting the past?

This is forgetting the centuries of immense and bloody struggle in the Western world to establish human and democratic rights.

Tossed overboard overnight by an unblinkingly militaristic government in the South, and it makes no difference there who holds office because they all serve the same interests.
____________________________________________________

It won't be long before Harper signs us up to free access to America authority on every level.

We'll have armed thugs darting in and out of our country to enforce their laws and interests.
_____________________________________________________

"I don't care how it was obtained. Use it to save lives."

Save lives?

What an utterly foolish thing to say.

Who is doing most of the killing today all over the world?

You're wrong if you say Muslim extremists.

The latest detailed study of American drone attacks - several thousand killings - shows that for the period covered, more than 70% of the victims in Pakistan were innocent civilians.

And of course, even the intended targets are indeed innocent under our law and the law of the savages carrying out these operations.

And did you know that now the thugs running this killing machine have adopted the tactics of American anti-abortion terrorists?

The hellish practice is that a second attack is made as soon as emergency response and families and neighbors begin heading for the first attack site.

Truly, what better example of terror do we have in today's world?
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We are being turned into Israel without consultation or consent by this extremist government, and Israel, as polls regularly show, is one of the least admired countries on the planet.


NATO SAYS IT KILLED PAKISTAN'S TALEBAN COMMANDER - NOTE ON AMERICA'S HIDING UNDER NATO'S SKIRTS - NATURE OF TALEBAN


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


So they say.

Prove it.

But even then, what really is the Taleban?

It is not a dark terrorist force.

It had nothing to do with 9/11.

But it was, by Afghan standards, a reform political party with a conservative religious affiliation.

The only crime they are guilty of is fighting the invading Americans.

But from America's establishment point of view, there is no greater crime.

And you must be regarded as one of Stalin's "wreckers," the vague word Stalin used when it was time for a bloody purge, working to oppose the benign work of America's insanely militaristic government.
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Again, NATO strike?

These are always, always American strikes.

But America sure loves to hide under the skirts of NATO while doing its dirty work.

And papers like the Globe sadly go along with the fraud, doing their part for America's beloved Pentagon.

JACK LAYTON'S GENUINE LEGACY


POSTED RESPONSE TO AN EDITORIAL IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


Jack Layton's genuine legacy is as Canada's last honest national politician.

He spoke to truth, virtually the opposite to the practices of the man now serving as prime minister.

And when you add his innate sense of humanity and decency, it is easy to understand why so many miss him.

He is likely the last of his kind.

I'm sorry to say Canada's politics have decayed so badly, coming to resemble increasingly the sad dumb show to the South, there is no more room for a Clark, a Stanfield, a Pearson, or a Layton.

CONRAD BLACK TRYING TO SAVE HIS ORDER OF CANADA


POSTED RESPONSE TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


If Black manages to weasel his way into keeping the Order, he will succeed only in degrading its meaning.

No country maintains prestigious awards for convicted felons.

God, what a pathetic government that allows this.

Black shouldn't even be here.

He gave up his citizenship voluntarily, indeed enthusiastically, years ago.

ONTARIO'S MCGUINTY ANNOUNCES $20 MILLION PROGRAM TO GET GUNS OFF THE STREETS - BUT THE PROGRAM DOES NOTHING TOWARDS THE STATED END - INEFFECTIVE POLICE - WORD ON THE COST OF GUNS


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


What a dishonest piece of legislation.

It does nothing about guns or guns being on the street or the criminals who carry and use guns.

It is a political lollipop for communities who have a high incidence of not looking after their own children.
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"The Globe story quoting an ex-gang member who said handguns can be got for $100 a pop...."

I doubt this story seriously.

There are what are called "Saturday night specials" in the U.S., cheap little revolvers that can be had there for less than a $100.

But a decent quality gun is expensive even in the United States.

In Canada's restricted market, its value of course multiplies.

Guys carrying 9-millimeter automatics are carrying hardware likely worth $1500 in Toronto.

In any event, the fact that we do not have a good fix on the quality and quantity of handguns in the city again is a reflection on our ineffective police.

AN EDITORIAL WRONGLY CLAIMS THE SEVERITY OF THE SENTENCES FOR "PUSSY RIOT" SUPPORTS FEARS AND CONCERNS ECHOED IN THE PRESS ABOUT RUSSIA


No, they do not.

POSTED RESPONSE TO AN EDITORIAL IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


The law is the law, and these gals knowingly and deliberately broke the law in Russia, even recording their acts.

Their behavior wasn't just illegal under the laws of Russia, it was disrespectful and rude to millions who view the church as a sacred place.

Just try doing something like that at Israel's Wailing Wall. There wouldn't be enough left for a decent burial when the D-9 bulldozers were finished.

And we have countless examples of genuinely unjust imprisonment in scores of countries.

Only the other day Bahrain sentenced a human rights activist to three years in prison, and his "crime" didn't involve the disrespectful behavior of these gals towards the beliefs of millions of others.

No word from the Globe editorial machine on that. Nor do we hear the Globe bemoan the thousands held in Israeli prisons against all proper law.

And what of the CIA's International Torture Gulag? No words of Globe concern there.

How about the more than two million refugees from America's war crimes in Iraq? Where's the concern?

Indeed, the biggest portion of these poor people were given shelter by that terrible country, Syria, where American paid goons are killing by the thousands and trying to overthrow a government?

I could write a list that would fill the newspaper of the savageries and injustices we see in the world right now.

And, believe me, a few goofy gals who deeply offended the beliefs of others would not be on it.

But the good old Globe editors are right out there on the front lines with that glorious defender of human rights and democratic values, Madonna, whining and bellowing about the trivial.

I have no doubt whatever that their sentences will be commuted at some point.

CANADA'S STEPHEN HARPER DOES ANOTHER ARCTIC PHOTO-OP - A MONEY-SAVING SUGGESTION


POSTED RESPONSE TO AN EDITORIAL IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


That's all Harper ever does...build momentum...political momentum.

That's why all the vacuous photo-ops in parks.

Maybe they could just build a little fake arctic set in Ottawa, all refrigerated and with a few Inuit kept around in native costume, for filming these ridiculously meaningless efforts.

You know, like the fake lake for the G-20?

John Baird, baring his teeth, could pass for a sled dog too if the camera did only a head shot.

Sovereignty in the North has only one serious threat, and that is the hyper-militaristic United States.

But our Boy in Ottawa not only is the most servile in our history towards that country and its goals, he is ready with agreements on our borders which will only further and quickly erode claims to sovereignty.

If you recognize the importance of our North and its future to us, you cannot support Stephen Harper.

But you do very much support Stephen Harper.

So this is all empty blather, just as his photo-ops are.
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If Harper genuinely wants a research facility in the North, we know there are plenty of unemployed government scientists to man it.

THE STORY OF AN ANTI-SEMITIC AUSTRIAN POLITICIAN WHO DISCOVERED HIS JEWISH ROOTS - THE RIDICULOUS NATURE OF ALL EFFORTS TO DEFINE RACE


POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL


Thought of in the right way, this is a hilarious story.

A political version of "time wounds all heels."
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Actually, this is not unprecedented.

When the Nazis set their laws regarding who is a Jew and who is not, they had a large philosophical problem.

They came up with an elaborate scheme of half-Jews being Jews and certain quarter-Jews being non-Jews.

Now, you can just imagine the many people who did not know or could not prove who their four grandparents were and what was their religious and ethnic history.

And there were many rumors of prominent Nazis having a Jewish skeleton somewhere in their family closet, as it were.

This was said of Eichmann, for example, and it was even a secret rumor about Hitler.

All appallingly ridiculous, as all such concepts are, much as Israel's rules about who is Jewish are ridiculous and out of keeping with modern thinking.