What Are The "More Legitimate" Reasons For Anti-Americanism

I find that most of it stems from the left wingnuts who were sucked in by the Trudeau cradle to grave mentality put forward by PET and even the slightest hint that sucking on the government teats is at risk causes people to look for scapegoats.

November 29 2006 @ 10:06 AM MST View Printable Version
Canada - U.S. relations
A genuine Canuck’s view of the United States of America
Contributed by: jensonj
A genuine Canuck’s view of the United States of America

By Nathan Chan

Tuesday, November 28th, 2006

Even though we are neighbours, Americans do not tend to think of Canada much. As a Canadian, I’ve been treated like a discovered distant relative with whom you have more in common than you could possibly imagine. Often I am told that I am, for all intents and purposes, one of you. Yet in spite of all the goodwill between our two countries, there is also much that divides us bitterly. Anti-Americanism is endemic in Canada: Some of it is pure pettiness, and some of it stems from legitimate grievances. Just think about that for a second: The United States’ most dependable political ally and one of its largest trading partners is full of people who cannot stand the United States! If Americans could understand why this negative feeling is so strong among their best friends, maybe they would understand why they are hated so much more in the rest of the world.

Part of Canada’s anti-Americanism stems from an inferiority complex. Let’s face it: your country is richer, stronger, more populous, and, most importantly, warmer. The common Canadian stereotypes a typical American as an obnoxious, ignorant, but somehow, unbelievably successful person. One former Canadian prime minister dreamed the 20th century would be Canada’s century, only for the United States to rise to superpower status instead. Maybe we were being a little overambitious, but we continue to ask ourselves: How did the United States advance so much faster than we did? Petty as it may sound, base jealousy is a major source of Canadian anti-Americanism. Unfortunately, we have many more legitimate reasons for feeling a little petulant toward the United States.

Anti-Christmas Grinches Have Crawled Out From Under Their Rocks

And while we see this to some extent in Canada it appears to be a well organized and funded iniative in the US and if you want proof of this click on the link below. Stay informed and vigilant or we could be the next victims......

Stop The ACLU Blogburst

Thanks Lemuel

Indian Activists Need To Seperated From Population At Large

The following should not be taken to condemn all of the Indian population...their are nutbars in all cultural and ethnic groups so let's put things in perspective.

Whats next: Burning Crosses on Residents' Lawns
Wednesday, November 29. 2006

While the government and protesters want everyone to think that everything is quiet the intimidation continues. While it is a way of life for many to simply want to hide their heads in the sand and deny that things are still happening to their fellow Canadians, their neighbours in Caledonia continue to experience the hate, the racism, the bitter anger that appears to have become part of the protesters' culture.

Of course, residents cannot trust the OPP to do their job and it appears that Fantino will do little different than what Boniface did. In a democacry the final line of defense to ensure that democracy stands are the people. It is Judge Marshall himself that stated that democracy and all civilized society require Law & Order to be maintained.

As you can see to the right the protesters' open racist's views are plain for all to see. Their method of intimidation is well known and little has changed.

The left photo is of Jim Smith's home in Caledonia. Jim and his son Jason have been pro-active in the fight to restore law & order to Caledonia. They were at the March for Freedom as well as having a few of their own demonstrations in Caledonia where they held up signs as cars drove by.

The right photo is at the entrance to the DCE land. This land is owned and managed by the Ontario Government and therefore they are responsible for the activities that occur on this land. Such hateful signs, which are professionally printed, show the level of contempt the protesters have for the residents of Caledonia.

Anyone who does not submit to the Native view of life, anyone who believes they have the right to free speech is a target for the hatred of the pro-Native side. See Link

The racism and hatred by some Natives and many of the protesters is clear to see. In the small town of Ipperwash of 1200 people there have been 23 break-ins over a two week period this November. Since the Ipperwash inquiry ended and the lawyers have all left crime has shot back up.

Posted by Editor

Hip Hop/Rap Artists Protected From "Hate" Laws

If I had a web site or was a radio personality or a columnist that sent out the same message that much of the hip hop/rap music sends out I would probably, at the very least, lose my internet connection and possibly face criminal charges. Why does the Ontario Human Rights Commission give a free pass to hip hop/rap individuals?

No rap slap
Human Rights Commission disses complaint about hiphop's hate-on for women
By SIGCINO MOYO

No one would have blinked if the complaint brought to the Ontario Human Rights Commission against HMV Canada Inc. for selling rap tunes hostile to women had been overshadowed by a debate on freedom of expression.

But such weighty considerations seem to have been completely lost on the commission.

Along with its recent recommendation that culture activist Valerie Smith's case not be given a full hearing before the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, the OHRC rendered a bewildering decision against her charge that Canada's largest retailer is poisoning attitudes against women.

Nowhere in the legalese, which smells a lot like bureaucratic fence-sitting to this gangsta-rap-lovin' scribe, does the OHRC deal with the main point of Smith's complaint: that the sale of offensive rap music constitutes discrimination against an identifiable group, namely women.

The commission did find that the lyrics Smith cited by some of the most reviled purveyors of rap – Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Eminem and Ja Rule – are "violent, hateful and abusive towards women and clearly contrary to the values of the [Ontario Human Rights] Code."

Indeed, the Code itself speaks clearly about discrimination based on sex, which includes "sexual harassment or inappropriate comments and actions of a sexual nature…, offensive remarks…, rough and vulgar humour or language related to gender."

However, the OHRC chose a narrow, and curious, interpretation of its own Code in Smith's case. From the commission's perspective, the manner in which the offending tunes are hawked, not the content of the tunes in question, must "result in unequal treatment to the complainant in services on the basis of her gender" for there to be any contravention of the Code.

Why.......

It Just Proves "Neo-Cons" Live In The Real World

Social in-activists live in their own little neighbourhoods where their "outrage" is relative to the distance they are from the problem. In the 60s we called them Harlem Liberals......

The China syndrome
Weird that neo-con PM, not social movement, is raising rights issue
By ANDREW CASH

Who'd have guessed that sup porters of human rights in China would be applauding Stephen Harper while business executives pine for the good old days of Chretien-led trade junkets?

Not that Chinese democracy has made much headway on the activist agenda here. While the Mideast has become a flashpoint for solidarity types, annual remembrance ceremonies for the Tiananmen Square massacre and for the thousands of dissenters in Chinese prisons grow smaller every year. The brave and tireless campaigning of the Falun Gong has elicited very little backing on the barricades – and the large Chinese-Canadian community is generally silent.

So I find myself wondering whether Harper's comments during the recent APEC summit in Hanoi that Canada will not let business interests trump human rights aren't actually a good move for the world. I'm not alone.

Sure, everything the minority-government PM does is electioneering. Here, he gets to look resolute on the global stage. When we saw that last, it was his Afghanistan war tour.

Marching on........

Common Sense Prevails......

.....when it comes to seperate the actions of "Kramer" from the comedy series Seinfeld. There is a move afoot to boycott buying the Season 7 DVD.

'SEINFELD' SOARS ON RACIST RANT
By DON KAPLAN
PrintEmailStory Bottom

November 30, 2006 -- THE K-K-Kramer scandal murdered Michael Richards' career - but it's doing wonders for sales of the latest "Seinfeld" DVD.

Season 7 of the popular sitcom is outselling the Season 6 set (released on the same day last year) by more than 75 percent, and more than 90 percent over season 5 at some online DVD retailers, according to TMZ.com.

On Barnes and Nobel's Web site, the DVD set is the sixth-best selling and Amazon ranks it in 12th place.

"I think the only explanation that could be is that there's a Kramer curiosity factor," says Dr. Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television.

"I can understand that, after what happened, there's a resurgent interest in 'Seinfeld,' and that seems to be expressing itself through people watching the show more and buying more DVDs.

"Boy, is it ever weird to watch 'Seinfeld' now," Thompson added.

Richards "carries baggage, when you see this happy-go-lucky guy barge into that apartment and talk about being 'master of his domain.' That really means something different now."

A video-phone recording of Richards exploding in a hateful, racist rant while performing his stand-up comedy act earlier this month leaked onto the Internet just days before the season 7 DVD set was released.

Camels, Nativity Scenes, Etc. - Can PETA Be Far Behind

Or any of the other nutbars who come out in the pre-CHRISTMAS season?

Away in a manger......

TTC Recommends Getting Rid Of Street Cars

If we do so doesn't spending millions of streetcar right of ways seem a little ludicrous...or this just an normal way of sticking it to taxpayers and car owners?

Mantra of TTC mandarins

Adding To The Stewart Legend

I don't understand why it takes the auditor general to dig up things like this....where are beauracrat mandarin who get big bucks to manage the day to day affairs of our government.........

Stewart legendary on and off the field
Former prisons ombudsman was known for prowess at the bargaining table
Nov. 30, 2006. 05:31 AM
JESSICA LEEDER
STAFF REPORTER

In the heyday of his football career, Ron Stewart was hailed as the "Mighty Mite," a Napoleon on the gridiron and one of Canada's most desirable bachelors.

Working jointly for the federal government and the now-defunct Ottawa Rough Riders in the late 1960s, he was cobbling together a decent enough income to sustain his penchant for the fine elements typical of a sports star's life: an entourage of blondes, expensive cars and custom suits, and "such delicacies as pheasant washed down with vintage wine," according to a 1965 Star article documenting his "playboy" lifestyle.

By then, Stewart — lambasted on Tuesday by Auditor General Sheila Fraser, who claimed that his final six-year stretch as prisons ombudsman was plagued with absenteeism, improper expense-account charges and misuse of government-purchased equipment — had built up a reputation in the Canadian Football League for being a legend on the field and off.

Go deep to catch this pass.....

.

Something I Am Not Anxious To Behold

Any of the leadership hopefuls in a thong......

Painful to behold
By GREG WESTON

MONTREAL -- As all of Gritdom assembles here for three days of partying, politics and picking a new leader (in that order), it is perhaps fitting that the most popular souvenirs selling at the trinkets-and-trash tables are the skimpy "I'm a Liberal" thongs.

If the Grits get this one wrong, they will be lucky to get out of the next election with their shorts. Even if they get it right, Liberals know that choosing the best on the ballot this Saturday is still a far cry from beating the pants off Stephen Harper.

more

Raw Milk Sharing Spotlight With Liberal Leadership Convention

This says much about the latter item.......

In this corner we have Sorabara and in the opposite corner Dalton McGinty........

Rational For Mafia Arrests In Montreal Last Week

Needed to make room for the professionals

Liberals need a litter box
By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN

We recently got a new cat from the Humane Society, whom we've named Shady Lady, because of her distinctive dark grey colouring.

Whenever the mood strikes her, Shady Lady races through our house, leaping over low-lying furniture and the dog, knocking down vases and sending dishes and glassware crashing to the floor.

Then she runs away, sits down and adopts a pose of total innocence, as if to say, as we come racing into the room to assess the latest damage: "Hey, it wasn't me that did that. It must have been some other cat."

The Liberal Party of Canada reminds me of our cat.

Having let the cat out of the bag on re-opening the Constitution to recognize Quebec as a nation because, how shall I say this ... oh, yeah, ... because Michael Ignatieff is a total idiot and a shameless political opportunist ... the Liberals now claim innocence regarding the mess they've made. Hey, it must have been some other cat.

This week, the Liberals announced they will not debate their Ignatieff-inspired lunacy to "officialize" Quebec's status within Canada as a nation -- otherwise known as "let's play Russian Roulette with national unity, if it might win our goofball candidate who's been out of the country for the past 30 years a few more votes on the second ballot."

Prior to that, Gerard Kennedy, with almost no delegate support in Quebec, piously announced he disagreed with the "Quebec nation" motion proposed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and passed by the House of Commons this week. Never mind that all but 15 Liberal MPs supported it and that Harper's motion -- as bad as it is -- at least doesn't talk about re-opening the Constitution, as Ignatieff and the Quebec wing of the Liberal party wanted to do.

Kennedy explained he had been silent on Ignatieff's far more incendiary musings that started this whole mess because he didn't think a leadership race was the place to do it. So that, apparently, is why he attacked Harper while ignoring Ignatieff.

See? It was that other cat that caused this whole mess.

By the way, who asked these clowns to start playing demolition derby with our nation in the middle of their stupid leadership race?

Not ordinary Quebecers. Not Albertans. Last time I looked, Ontarians weren't screaming for a sequel to Meech Lake. Ditto Newfoundlanders.

You want to do something useful, Liberals? Figure out a way to fix the health care system you helped to totally @%$!@ up during your 13 years in power. Ever heard of wait times?

But it's not just Liberals like Ignatieff and Kennedy.

It's Liberals everywhere. Monday morning I'm drinking my tea, reading the Globe, and what do I see in their Comment section?

A column by former Paul Martin (who?) "adviser" John Duffy, advising us that global warming is the next big issue and that the Liberals are the party to fix it. Uh, excuse us? The Liberals? The same guys who signed on to Kyoto in 1997 and then ignored it to the point where the Americans, who refused to sign, did a better job of controlling the growth rate of greenhouse gas emissions than we did?

Those Liberals are the best party to deal with climate change?

And we're getting this from John Duffy? The same guy who defended fellow Martin adviser Scott Reid's vote-destroying quip during the last election that parents would just blow Harper's child care money on "beer and popcorn?" That John Duffy?

Gee, the only thing funnier than that would be a column by Reid, the Liberal master of disaster himself, advising us that this weekend's Liberal leadership convention could closely resemble the 1992 Ontario Liberal convention that elected Lyn McLeod. (Really? Who cares?)

Of course, that was Reid's column yesterday in the Star.

Police Chief Bill Blair, be advised. I see any of these clowns anywhere near my neighbourhood, I'm throwin' our cat at them.

Mayor Miller's Street Safety Iniative Being Tested

Gang dispute triggered downtown shooting: police

CTV.ca News Staff

A downtown shooting last week that left one car peppered with bullets resulted from a dispute between rival gang members, Toronto police say.

The gunfire came after an incident at a fast food restaurant on Yonge Street, but investigators don't know the exact action that triggered the shooting.

Police have located one if the intended targets, but he isn't being helpful as he is refusing to co-operate.

Meanwhile, police released images of two people believed to be involved in the supper-hour shooting at Yonge and Shuter streets on Nov. 21.

Video cameras captured two men running from the scene after as many as 10 shots were fired by a man on the sidewalk near Shuter. He was reportedly aiming at a moving black Cadillac SUV.

Fuel for hot air balloons.....

Come On! Let's Get Serious

Resolutions at political conventions are like farting in the wind.....there is a momentary recognition that someone has farted but it dissipates within seconds. There are probably some nutbars with conservative leanings that would support this type of resolution also.......

Liberals love anal sex with little boys

Tuesday, November 28. 2006

"Allowing “Anal Intercourse” with 14-Year-Olds" a resolution at the Liberal leadership convention

“In what is likely a Canadian first for a major political party, the Liberal Party of Canada is proposing lowering the age of consent for “anal intercourse” in their publicly-released book of policy resolutions.” (www.lifesite.net, Nov. 22, 2006).

“While still resolutions, the policies which have made it into the book have been carefully considered by party faithful. “The policy resolutions represent the culmination of a nine-month grassroots policy process that began at the riding level and has worked its way up to the national Convention,” says a release on the resolutions.” “

Liberal grassroots policy process obviously does not take into account the latest World Health Organization (WHO) tally of millions who die from HIV/AIDS, nor that sexual health experts have warned that anal intercourse is a recklessly dangerous activity, which is the “riskiest form of sexual activity when it comes to the transmission of HIV/AIDS.”

“Nevertheless, a Liberal Party policy resolution, attributed to the British Colombia branch of the Party, calls for lowering the age of consent for such activity to 14-years of age. Policy 45 reads: “WHEREAS the current law discriminates against unmarried same-sex couples by not permitting unmarried persons under 18 to legally engage in consensual anal intercourse, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the Federal Government of Canada to bring the age of consent for anal intercourse in equal pairing with other forms of sexual activity.” The age of sexual consent for heterosexual intercourse in Canada is 14. (www.lifesite.net).

Posted by Editor

There Is A Limit To How Brave Or Stupid I Can Be

I will leave this battle to those who think walking through a minefield is just a walk in the park.

Liberal Women’s Caucus Releases "The Pink Book"

All Harper Has Done Is Confirm What Everyone Felt

That Quebeckers were just a bunch of spoiled children.......

Mayor MIller Preparing Agenda

For next Toronto City Council Meeting. Same old, same old........

Rationale & Apology Accepted?

End of Story?

Where Do I Get A Pork Pie Hat

With a hat band where I can put my PRESS badge. I think Justice McCarroll really needs to study blog offerings over a period of time before he labels it journalism and the contributors as journalists.

BTW who are LeBlanc's benefactors?

Monday, November 27 2006 @ 04:11 PM MST

A Blogger Who is a Court-Approved Journalist
Contributed by: julianortega

By IAN AUSTEN / The New York Times

Published: November 27, 2006

Many bloggers describe themselves as journalists. Last week Charles LeBlanc, a rooming house resident who lives on social assistance in Fredericton, New Brunswick, received a court decision establishing his journalistic credentials.

The confirmation came last Friday when a judge dismissed charges against Mr. LeBlanc of obstructing a police officer.

For the last two years, Mr. LeBlanc has been expressing his views on poverty and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder through a blog (http://oldmaison.blogspot.com). The idea, he said, came from benefactors who also provided him a small digital camera and a computer.

He declined to name the people, however, partly because at least one of them is employed by his favorite target: the many companies in New Brunswick controlled by the Irving family, which owns, according to a report on media ownership released by Canadas Senate earlier this year, all the English-language daily newspapers in New Brunswick.

In June, Mr. LeBlanc went to Saint John, New Brunswick, to report on a protest against a meeting of chamber of commerce and board of trade members from Atlantic Canada and New England. Protestors stormed the meeting. Mr. LeBlanc was among those arrested.

Officers from the Saint John police testified they are regular readers of Mr. LeBlancs blog as part of their effort to gather intelligence on protests. William J. McCarroll, the provincial court judge who heard Mr. LeBlancs case, wrote in his decision that 'Mr. LeBlanc is a blogger'. I'm sure that many, if not the majority of Saint Johners, are not familiar with this word.

After reviewing videotape from a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation crew at the scene, sometimes in slow motion, the judge found that it contradicted testimony of the arresting officer, Sergeant John Parks.

Members of the so called mainstream media were taking photographs and filming in the same area without interference from the police, the judge wrote in a 20-page decision. I believe its fair to say that the defendant was doing nothing wrong at the time he was approached by Sergeant Parks and placed under arrest. He was simply plying his trade, gathering photographs and information for his blog alongside other reporters.

The judge also said that the police had no right to delete about 200 photos stored on Mr. LeBlancâs camera.

Mr. LeBlanc said he had considered improving his skills by studying journalism at a local university. That is, until its journalism department accepted a donation of 1 million Canadian dollars from the Irvings. Do you think I could study in a classroom listening to an Irving employee? he asked.

http://nytimes.com/2006/11/27/business/media/27blog.html

Defining Freedom In Today's Environment

I found the following definition within another posting and it is possible I have taken it out of context but taken to it's simplest level it basically is saying that your freedoms are those that the state gives you.

The court accepted the sincerity of Mr. Reynolds’s religious convictions and assumed the authority of the free exercise clause, but asked, what exactly “is the religious freedom which has been guaranteed?”

The answer it gave (with help from James Madison and Thomas Jefferson) was that the freedom being guaranteed was the freedom to believe or think something, not the freedom to do something: “Laws are made for the government of actions, and while they cannot interfere with mere religious belief, they may with practices.” You can believe or say anything you like – including that God wants you to have plural wives – but you can’t act on it. That is to say, freedom stops at the brain and the mouth.

http://www.villainouscompany.com/vcblog/

Thanks Ian....I Love The Picture

And I hope Fred doesn't mind if I use it periodically because it looks like the next four years is going to be worse than the past three years......

Who's better than Mel?

Noooooooooooobody. Please come back!

When Fred Patterson talks about Toronto Mayor David Miller he often uses this picture: (Where Mayor Miller's head is most of the time. The only mystery is how his leftist lackeys are able to kiss his ass.)

I only wish I’d found it first. If a picture tells a thousand words, then this masterpiece is a novel.

Take a couple of minutes.........

In All Fairness It Is An Attempt To Reduce Student Debt

McTurd screws up as usual with our money

Monday, November 27. 2006

Cash for those who don't pay for hydro

First it was Ottawa sending $250 energy rebate cheques to jailbirds.

And now this: Queen's Park is sending out electricity relief cheques to people who don't pay hydro bills.

"My daughter is living in Barrie and sharing a home with other college students, and she got a cheque for $60," said a Sun reader, who asked not to be identified.

He explained that his daughter, 20, does not pay for hydro, but with the high cost of post-secondary education she can use the money.

Another reader emailed me: "My friend rents and does not pay for utilities, and she just got a cheque for $120. I'm a homeowner who struggles with hydro bills, and I get nothing. It's not fair."

It's all part of Dalton McGuinty's Ontario Home Electricity Relief program, which is dishing out one-time rebate cheques to help low-income families cope with skyrocketing electricity bills.

Here's how it works: Families with annual incomes up to $23,000 get $120, with the payment reduced by 1c for every $1 over $23,000 up to $35,000.

Single people, who earn $14,000 or less, get $60. Again, the payment is reduced by one cent for every $1 of income over $14,000 to a maximum of $20,000.

Meanwhile, McGuinty's energy minister, Dwight Duncan, who stiffed taxpayers of $789 for a lavish lunch while on a Europe junket last year, is sitting on more than $500 million in rebate money owed to Ontario's residential hydro users, who overpaid their bills.

The overpayments are due to the difference between last year's pegged power rates and the actual cost of power.

Posted by Editor

Black Leaders Want N-word Expunged

Sorry guys you don't have ownership of the N-word

GOD Has A New Friend Sitting At The Table

John Allan Cameron spent decades giving to those around him. Yesterday, the stars gave him an 'awesome Cape Breton sendoff'

By JOE WARMINGTON

The Godfather would have approved.

This was one goodbye that was done just right. Heck, this Godfather, who proudly wore a kilt, taught half the room how to do it in the first place.

When it came to celebrating Celtic music, no one did it better than John Allan Cameron.

Sure, there was a funeral yesterday for the legend, who died on the weekend at the age of 67. All the more reason to celebrate the way they do it down home.

You can't have all of that talent in a room and not get something going. It was a traditional Celtic goodbye. A ceilidh. In Pickering, of all places.

"That was the most awesome Cape Breton sendoff," said friend Brenda Robichaud.

You didn't have to be on the East Coast yesterday. It was here. You could hear the foot-stompin' Celtic sound inside the St. Isaac Jogues Church from the street. And neighbours from miles away could hear the sound of 13 pipers.

The last three days have been a giant goodbye for the Godfather of Celtic Music.

'SPECIAL PERSON'

"He was a special person who touched the lives of so many," said close friend Marty MacDougall.

Don Cherry knew Cameron for many years as a friend and "as my first bartender" on the Grapevine show. "He was the No. 1 Celtic entertainer in Canada and did more charities than anybody," he said. "He was one of those guys who always had a smile on his face and we are going to miss him."

Ashley MacIsaac said it was his commitment to charity that set him apart from other legends. "He didn't have to do that but he did," he said. "He played hundreds of benefits all over the place."

MacIsaac, fiddle legend Sandy MacIntyre and other musicians paid tribute to Cameron by doing a little jamming. It was incredible.

Even though you could see his wife, Angela, and son, Stuart, were shaken up by their loss, you could also see they understood the Godfather was there and enjoying every minute.

"He was a wonderful person," said former Leaf Glenn Healy, one of the pipers filling the air. "There are givers and takers and John Allan was a giver. He was the first guy to answer the call for help and will be missed by both the music community and the hockey community, too."

Celebrity piper John Elliott of the Peel Regional Police Pipe and Drum band, who has played three times with Sir Paul McCartney, said it was "an honour" to pipe for the legend yesterday.

Other bands to participate included The 8th Wing Band and the Celtic Heritage Band of Fergus. One pipe band would not be enough for the Godfather.

John Allan Cameron's selflessness is what made it so easy for so many celebrities to come to his funeral yesterday. On hand were Tom Cochrane, Murray MacLaughlin, Denise Donlon, The Good Brothers, The Campbell Brothers, Sandy Hawley, Catherine McKinnon, Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo and Walter Gretzky.

"That was a marvellous sendoff," said Wayne's dad. "Great individual was John Allan. I knew him for 30 years. He used to come to all our golf and tennis tournaments. If you needed John Allan, he would just say, 'When and where?' It was just as simple as that."

'LOVED AND ADORED'

And let's not forget what he did for Canadian musicians.

"We all loved and adored him," said Catherine McKinnon.

They both came from the Don Messer show, which led to some pretty big careers, including those of Anne Murray, The Rankin Family and the Barra MacNeils.

Cameron was one of those guys who said yes, not no. He wanted you to be successful.

"He was a real gentleman who had such a big and open heart," said Keelor. When Blue Rodeo first got started, it was Cameron who gave them the nod that helped them gain acceptance. "He was quite a musical mentor."

It's a real end of an era. But what an era. He gave people a chance and a chance is all a lot of these people needed. The rest is history. Canadian history.

"There is a sense of loss but there is a sense of legacy there," said MacIsaac. "When you played with him, you felt like you were at home in Cape Breton."

They were all at home yesterday, remembering the icon everybody called the Godfather.

"John knew everybody from the Queen on down," said CBC producer Gord Thomson.

And now it's God's chance to meet him. Watch out Heaven, kilts and toe-tappin' are coming your way if the Godfather has anything to say about it.

I Will Bet You Didn't Know

That under the new powers given to the city that:

But as CFO and deputy city manager Joe Pennachetti told me recently, the city also has the power to a fix a supplementary surcharge of $5, $10, even $25, to the $74 yearly vehicle registration fee Torontonians pay to the province.

"That (the vehicle registration surcharge) to me makes some sense ... it has a policy rationale rather than just a financial benefit," said Pennachetti, noting it could raise up to $10 million in new revenues per year.

and based on past performance if they can you can bet they will.

I take some joy in saying; "I told you so........"

Opponents To Pay Increase Just Pissing In The Wind

Based on past performance of Corrections Canada prisoners will get the proposed pay increase and the public be damned.......

What Is Happening In Our Prisons?

EDITORIAL: A raise? When hell freezes

The problem with having a federal ombudsman for prisoners is that, well, he's the federal ombudsman for prisoners.

Which means he has to do something to earn his keep.

And since we don't execute, torture, beat or starve prisoners in Canada, the alleged injustices about which their ombudsman can complain are pretty limited.

Which is why, we suppose, federal ombudsman for prisoners Howard Sapers says convicts deserve an "enormous" pay raise.

Last month he said prisoners should be given access to computers inside their cells. Good grief. What's next?

Meanwhile, Correctional Service Canada says (of course) that it's studying a pay raise for convicts, including indexing it to inflation.

For crying out loud, when is this madness going to end? Since the cost of keeping a convict in prison is up to $110,000 a year per man and $150,000 per woman, we doubt taxpayers are in any mood to hike prison pay.

Sapers said their pay of up to $6.90 a day, which they use to buy treats such as cigarettes and chocolates, hasn't been raised in almost 20 years. So what?

The difference between convicts and law-abiding workers and taxpayers is that convicts don't have expenses for shelter and food.

Sapers' arguments in favour of the raise make no sense. He says hiking prison pay will stop prisoners borrowing money from other prisoners and the physical violence and mental harassment that can result.

How? That's like saying if you give a spendthrift convict who can't manage $30 a week $300 instead, he'll do a better job of staying out of the way of prison loan sharks. C'mon!

We'll consider supporting a pay hike for convicts after minimum wages across Canada are high enough to give law-abiding working stiffs a decent standard of living. But we are sick and tired -- along with, we suspect, most Canadians -- of this constant mollycoddling of criminals by our lax justice system, from the moment they're caught to the moment they typically get early parole from "Club Fed" prisons.

Enough is enough!

What taxpayers need is an ombudsman to protect them from our catch-and-release criminal justice system.

Political Pettiness Impacts On All Of Us

Looking for a family doctor? You are more likely to find him next time you take a taxi than in the medical registry. This holds true for most of the professions and the strange thing is the inability of qualified immigrants to get recognition seems to be tied the power of orgs like medical, engineering associations, etc.

Glimmer of light for newcomers
Nov. 27, 2006. 01:00 AM
CAROL GOAR

Ontario is tantalizingly close to cracking one of the most difficult challenges in Canadian politics. If the three provincial parties can forgo the urge to take partisan cheap shots, Queen's Park could provide national leadership in toppling the barriers that hold back highly skilled immigrants.

It's a big if.

Immigration Minister Michael Colle reacted with knee-jerk negativity last week when Conservative Leader John Tory put forward a well-thought-out plan to help talented newcomers find work in their field.

"I don't think he understands the scope of this," the minister said dismissively.

Similarly, when Colle introduced a groundbreaking bill last spring, giving the province the power to cut through the red tape spun by professional regulatory bodies, his Conservative critic, Frank Klees, sloughed off the legislation as a desperate pre-election gambit. "It simply underscores the cynicism of this Liberal government."

Such pettiness does not augur well.

More

Peace In Middle East-There Is No Dancing On The Streets

I can't count the number of peace proposals that have been put on the table and the concessions that the Israelis have offered but you would think that the latest; Israel and Palestine, living more or less within the 1967 borders and sharing Jerusalem, the city of two capitals, would at least bring some hope but this doesn't seem to be the case.

It would appear that the offspring of the followers of Haj Amin al-Husseini still hold to the concept of a Jewish free world.

And of course we have Israelis who are not willing to give up the spoils of war......

The Height Of Stupidity-But Then Of Course It Is Toronto

I don't have any problem with allowing people the right to not volunteer information about themselves but to tie the hands of police when dealing with people carrying out an illegal act is sheer stupidity.

This Don't Ask Don't Tell policy needs to be revoked.

Do You Want To Guess Who The Post is Talking About

You will have to click on the link........

A lesson from history

The Washington Post looks back for examples of how past presidents whose party lost control of congress reacted. They offer up an example of how a president totally lacking in class handled the situation:

The president was in a funk. Morose from midterm elections that handed Congress to the opposition, he stewed in private, vented to friends, turned on aides and summoned self-help gurus to help him understand just what went wrong. He was left to argue with reporters that he was still "relevant."


They do go on and offer some observations that are actually helpful, but I thought their opening reminder that no matter how much we may feel disappointment at Bush the fact is that it could be worse was the most important.

The truth is that other than extending his tax cuts and staying the course in Iraq the President's agenda for his last two years was likely to be increasingly left leaning anyway. The fact that he now has a congress that wants to make the next two years an extended anal examination of his first six years may just save the nation just may prompt some much needed gridlock.

Reagan was correct when he noted that "that government which governs best governs least". Perhaps the circumstances will drag our government, kicking and screaming, back to the "best" form of governance.

# posted by Lemuel Calhoon @ 8:40 AM

There Has Never Been A Civil War In Iraq

This is being put forward by those opposed to the US involvement in Iraq and something the peaceniks/left wingnuts seem to forget it is hard to start a civil war when one side has all of the power and is ruled by a despot. At the same time for the US to not classify this as a civil war is making a big mistake. When the US leaves Iraq, and eventually they will have to do so, a bloodbath will occur among the Shiites and Sunnis and the winner, with support from Iran, Syria, et al, will join forces in trying to destroy Isreal.

I Am Not Sure What Pisses Me Off More

The possibility that my grandchildren might grow up in a Muslim state or that a group of European countries; who have shown very little in way of having balls during the last couple of years, will do what they do best.....purge their countries through ethnic cleansing.

Is An Apology Enough....Is Frustration An Excuse

Is there a double standard when it comes to boorish behaviour? I would say so......

Vick Makes Obscene Gesture to Home Crowd Nov 26 9:09 PM US/Eastern
By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA

Michael Vick apologized for making an obscene gesture toward Atlanta fans as he walked off the field after the Falcons' fourth straight loss Sunday. Vick used both hands to deliver the gesture and flashed an angry look toward the handful of fans remaining in the Georgia Dome.

Those who hung around booed the home team loudly after its dismal 31- 13 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

"First and foremost, I would like to apologize for my inappropriate actions with fans today," the quarterback said in a statement released by the Falcons. "I was frustrated and upset at how the game was going for my team, and that frustration came out the wrong way."

More......

Nicotine Nazis Must Be Having A Fit

The rights given to the org running the indian casino is just another example where the laws of the country do not apply to indians, especially the ones in Alberta. Giving them special rights when it comes to tapping government funds is bad enough but giving them exemption from the agenda of the nicotine nazis will come back to bite the Alberta government in the ass.

Natives get upper hand, say casinos

Kevin Libin
National Post

Monday, November 27, 2006

Fake pirate ship battles, Egyptian pyramids and medieval jousting may thrill them on the Vegas strip. But Edmonton's dream casino? It has to be all about the hockey.

The city's newest gambling refuge already has two NHL-sized ice rinks, overlooked by a sports bar with dozens of brands of beer on tap. Next year, general manager Brian Lee hopes to break ground on two more.

The River Cree Casino and Resort, Alberta's first native casino, already has a four-star hotel and plans for a "high-end" retail complex -- all conveniently located just west of the city limits, 10 minutes from West Edmonton Mall.

Or inconveniently, if you run that mall.

Gary Hanson, the general manager and chief operating officer of Canada's largest shopping centre, has a casino, too.

He also has a hotel. Even an ice rink. And retail stores, of course.

What he does not have is a special arrangement with the province allowing him to spend casino revenues on tourist amenities. None of the other casinos or hotels in Alberta do either, except the River Cree.

That has some Alberta hospitality operators furious, claiming the province has created a fierce competitor for them with a gaming licence so advantageous that it might as well be a licence to print money.

"Casinos in the rest of the province of Alberta do not have access to this fund," says Howard Worrell, vice-president of Alberta operations for Gateway Casinos. "No other hotel in the province of Alberta, no other hockey rinks in the province of Alberta has access to it -- or any similar fund."

Local casino owners are already cranky about losing gamblers who enjoy a cigarette with their slots: On the Enoch reserve, home of River Cree, where the region's smoking laws don't apply, 30% of the gaming floor is reserved for smokers.

"At our place, if you want to smoke today, and it's 20 below, you have to go outside," says Barry Pritchard, senior vice-president of Casino ABS, which runs Edmonton's Casino Yellowhead.

Screw you white man.........

And adding insult to injury we have BC premier wanting to extend special privilege status.......

The Cost Of Underestimating Stephen Harper

Today it's the bloc, who knows it will be tomorrow.

Duceppe's humiliation

Today could mark the worst day of Bloc leader's political career

Nov. 27, 2006. 01:00 AM

CHANTAL HÉBERT

Duceppe's humiliation
Today could mark the worst day of Bloc leader's political career
Nov. 27, 2006. 01:00 AM
CHANTAL HÉBERT

Ottawa

Today may go down as the worst day in the life of Gilles Duceppe as leader of the Bloc Québécois.

The expected adoption by the House of Commons of a Conservative motion recognizing that Quebecers make up a nation within a united Canada is likely to blunt one of the most potent weapons left in the sovereignist psychological arsenal.

There is not one federalist leader on Parliament Hill and in the National Assembly who will not find it easier to make the case for Canada in Quebec on the strength of this motion.

Its adoption also makes the possibility of another referendum more remote, even if the Parti Québécois comes to power after the upcoming provincial election.

And it is the result of a gross miscalculation on Duceppe's part.

McGinty, Fontaine, et al beware.......

Don't Say You Weren't Warned

McGinty gave the mayor the keys to the candy store and you can look forward to:

• levies on parking lots meaning higher parking fees.
• levies based on the size of car you drive.
• levies on developers who don't march to the econut's agenda.
• higher water fees.

and that is only the beginning. This mayor and his left wing cohorts will nickle and dime us to death.

Downtown condo owners & island squatters rejoice.......

Simple Logic Eludes Leftist City Councillors

Let's get back to basics as Downing suggests.....leave saving the world to others. Clean the streets; litter and beggars, get rid of our garbage without dumping it in some other persons backyard; get me more bang for my buck by contracting out; private haulers charge $10-15 less a ton than it costs with city workers, harmonize services; I have to rake and bag the leaves off a city tree while in the old Forest Hell you just rake them on to the road and the city picks them up; reduce congestion in the downtown core by closing underground parking lots especially the one at city hall and the list goes on and on........

I just want a livable city
By JOHN DOWNING

Readers haven’t been soothed by the Toronto election. They tell me they’re still fed up and that all the incumbents who cruised to victory shouldn’t think this was a vote of confidence.

After all, only four out of every 10 voted. Was it simply indifference?

Hardly! Many abstainers simply threw up their hands and said “what’s the use?”

Now the city is grubby compared to the good old days. Some call it a mess. (I wouldn’t go as far as the columnist who called it a “dump.”)

Many feel this group of councillors won’t improve the quality or cost of living here.

A man born here, who has moved around and now lives in Alberta, e-mailed me to say the huge difference is that most councils concentrate on basics like infrastructure while Toronto’s into micro-managing, social engineering and the grandstanding pursuit of higher status.

Less social re-engineering.......

Being A Parent Might Be Getting Tougher

I have never envied people raising teen age children especially in our materialistic society where the type of footwear or outerwear you kids wear can have then ostracized and as a preventive measure parents bankrupt themselves fiscally and morally. If current studies are correct parents are going to have to deal with adolesceny earlier.

10 Is the New 15 As Kids Grow Up Faster
Email this Story

Nov 25, 10:51 PM (ET)

By MARTHA IRVINE

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Zach Plante is close with his parents - he plays baseball with them and, on weekends, helps with work in the small vineyard they keep at their northern California home.

Lately, though, his parents have begun to notice subtle changes in their son. Among other things, he's announced that he wants to grow his hair longer - and sometimes greets his father with "Yo, Dad!"

"Little comments will come out of his mouth that have a bit of that teen swagger," says Tom Plante, Zach's dad.

Thing is, Zach isn't a teen. He's 10 years old - one part, a fun-loving fifth-grader who likes to watch the Animal Planet network and play with his dog and pet gecko, the other a soon-to-be middle schooler who wants an iPod.

In some ways, it's simply part of a kid's natural journey toward independence. But child development experts say that physical and behavioral changes that would have been typical of teenagers decades ago are now common among "tweens" - kids ages 8 to 12.

Some of them are going on "dates" and talking on their own cell phones. They listen to sexually charged pop music, play mature-rated video games and spend time gossiping on MySpace. And more girls are wearing makeup and clothing that some consider beyond their years.

Zach is starting to notice it in his friends, too, especially the way they treat their parents.

"A lot of kids can sometimes be annoyed by their parents," he says. "If I'm playing with them at one of their houses, then they kind of ignore their parents. If their parents do them a favor, they might just say, 'OK,' but not notice that much."

The shift that's turning tweens into the new teens is complex - and worrisome to parents and some professionals who deal with children. They wonder if kids are equipped to handle the thorny issues that come with the adolescent world.

More......

This Is Probably Not The Harper Most People Voted For

But they are getting much more for their buck than they bargained for....

Stephen : We hardly know you
Harper was supposed to be a boring technocrat as PM ... what happened?
By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN

By now it's apparent that we conservatives got much more than we bargained for in Stephen Harper.

Then again, so did the Liberals, Bloc, NDP and the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

Conservatives thought we were getting a technocrat as prime minister who would gradually shrink the federal government down to its core responsibilities of finance, defence, foreign affairs, justice, immigration, transportation and communications.

We thought his view of the world was pretty much limited to Alberta.

Boy, were we wrong.

In less than a year, Harper has emerged as a leader whose capacity for big ideas matches Brian Mulroney's and whose flair for the dramatic rivals Pierre Trudeau's.

Who wants to change Canada's global reputation as a "soft power" under the Liberals into a middle power with teeth -- and who is prepared to put boots on the ground in the world's hotspots and shed Canadian blood to do it.

Who is capabable of a political ruthlessness and cunning that should scare the bejeebers out of the Liberals, Bloc and NDP -- as it already has his own cabinet.

Clearly, the opposition and media underestimated Harper, who they predicted would be crushed by Paul Martin. (Remember?)

Indeed, they keep insisting in the face of all evidence to the contrary that Harper is just a "George Bush lite."

Uh, wrong. When a leader is as willing as Harper to anger his core constituents again and again for what he sees as long-term gain, something far more complex is going on inside that brain than a mini-Bush.

Open the box for more treasures........

The Result Of The N,,,,, Word Spelling

I have always found it ludicrous when I have been admonished by message board administrators for using descriptive words and the rationale was that it was a "family orientated board" and children might be reading the messages. Pointing out to these people that any profanity I might have in my vocabulary can be heard coming from the mouth's of these "children" on public transit, malls, the street, etc. but protecting society seemed to be paramount. That is why I find Slotek's column amusing where we now have a discussion on the use of words like a......, f...... and there will a documentary on profanity but it will probably be restricted.

Warning: This column might offend some people and you are cautioned not to allow children to read the column........

These Are The People You Elected To Educate Your Kids

I wait with baited breath to see the diversity curriculum the school board will come up with and I will bet little of it will have to do with the life skills to make a living.

Baffling survey in a class of its own
Toronto school board census confounds parents and pupils, says Anna Morgan

Nov. 26, 2006. 01:00 AM
ANNA MORGAN

Earlier this month, a census was distributed by the Toronto District School Board to students in Grades 9 through 12. Apparently, some personal information was needed to plan for Toronto's changing classroom population.

Parents were supposedly warned. The Internet message from the director of education innocuously stated that "some questions are about the student, such as age, language and country of birth." But when I started to hear about this "weird survey kids got at school," this parent started to pay closer attention.

After the usual identifiers — name, homeroom, birth date — the census delves into questions of race where, in our multicultural world, the number of pigeon holes used to box people in has grown. Students are asked "Which of the following best describes your racial identity: (Pick one only)." Choices are: Aboriginal, Asian (East, South or South East), black (Africa, Canada or Caribbean), Latin American, Indian-Caribbean, Middle Eastern (e.g. Egypt, Iran, Israel, Palestine), mixed background, white (Canada), white (Europe). There is also a box for Other(s), in case the pre-labelled categories didn't marginalize you quite enough.

The next question is, "What is your ethnic or cultural background." Out of the 34 options, religious affiliation is nowhere to be found. Too sensitive a question, I guess.

Identity politics seems to have written religious groups out of existence. I thought about this as I drove past the Sephardic Kehillah Centre in north Toronto, a synagogue founded by Spanish, French and Arabic-speaking Jews from North Africa. Which box should their many hundreds of children tick? Somehow, the classification of "Algerian" or "Libyan" conveys more misinformation than information for a group whose identity has always revolved around religion.

In fact, the more you think about it, the more out of place the survey looks. Are Muslims and Orthodox Christians from Bosnia going to be lumped together as if their heritage is the same? As far as the TDSB is concerned, is the experience of Falun Gong families really the same as all other Chinese students? Of course, we want people to get along here, but hiding their differences doesn't make for a meaningful survey. If we're afraid of the relevant questions, why bother asking at all?

It gets even better.

Page two begins with a question about disabilities. Immediately after this, almost as if a sub-category of the above, appears what for children might be the most personal question of all: "How do you identify your sexual orientation?" The options present a bewildering menu for even the most broad- minded of families: "Heterosexual (straight), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Queer, Two-spirited, Questioning, and Not Sure."

It's probably a failing in my education, but the distinctions that no doubt exist between gay and queer, bisexual and two-spirited, transgender and transsexual, were beyond me.

I hate to admit that my children may not be up to the Mensa levels expected of them by the TDSB, but they didn't have a clue either. When asked at the dinner table the difference between Questioning and Not Sure, I realized I should have paid better attention in that "Dancing-on-the-Head-of-a-Pin" course I took in graduate school.

The message to parents notes that the census is voluntary.

However, forms handed out by teachers are usually completed; kids who refuse may be seen as having something to hide. It also assures confidentiality: "There will be no student names on the survey when they are returned."

But my children's names were on the survey when it was handed to them by their teachers, as were the names of all the other students. No one was exempt; it was an equal opportunity "outing" of everything you would not want your teachers to know.

To one of my children's teacher's credit, the survey became an impromptu lesson. The class happened to be reading George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the TDSB fit nicely into the omnipresent character of Big Brother.

With all the talk about bringing great books alive in today's classroom, I guess this was too much for even a dutiful employee of the school board to resist.

Anna Morgan is a Toronto writer whose column appears every four weeks.

Point/Counter Point

The media, the constitutional experts, the bloggers, et al are having a field day with Harper's speech but when it comes right down to it he will pickup some support in Quebec which he needs if he is to gain a majority but most important he dealt a telling blow to the Bloc causing real problems for Doucette who pushs his agenda without putting himself in the media limelight....Harper turned the spotlight right him.

There is no convincing reason any province or group deserves special status, argues Rondi Adamson

PM is reaching out to Quebecers in a manner the Chrétien Liberals never did, notes Antonia Maioni

Life On The Rez - Life In The Mall

On the rez life seems to be all about suicide, addiction, spousal abuse, etc. while life in the mall seems to be about the availability and obtaining of a PS3. In both situations the same groups are involved.....our youth. Traditional values are paramount on the rez and attacked in the malls and it just makes you shake you head in despair. But the strange thing is that there are successes in both areas but we don't hear about them often enough.

Life on the rez.......

Life in the mall.....

A glimmer of hope......

Best News I Have Heard For A While

I took some pride when Red Green made massive inroads into the culture of our neighbors to the south and I take the same level of pride that those same neighbors will get an insight into the real Canada. Maybury move over........

Congrats to all!

Corner Gas heads to America

GAYLE MACDONALD

Globe and Mail Update

Millions of American households will soon get a taste of what (little) goes on in the fictional prairie town of Dog River, Sask., a blink-and-you'll-miss-it spot inhabited by nobodies in the middle of nowhere.

Friday, CTV's hit comedy Corner Gas — created by its producer/star Brent Butt — was picked up by Chicago-based cable network Superstation WGN, which will broadcast the show beginning next year into nearly 70 million homes.

In a release, Butt said he's thrilled that the program flow is heading south. “We get so much American programming up here in Canada, it's nice to be able to give a little something back. Something besides Celine Dion, I mean.”

Corner Gas is the top-rated Canadian show (outside of news and sports), consistently ranking in the Top 20 shows this season according to BBM Nielsen Media Research.

See you at the Ruby......

Fodder For The Media & Political Scientists

They are really the only ones who gain anything from this nation within a nation issue.Mr. Wiseman proves that....oh! btw I forgot to mention the other group that benefits.Constitution lawyers.

Quebec's place: Here we go again
Canadians are witnessing a phony `crisis' manufactured by politicians, says Nelson Wiseman

Nov. 24, 2006. 01:00 AM

No one was discussing national unity four months ago. Everyone is talking about it today. Why? Has the federal government done something to outrage the province like patriating the Constitution behind its back? Have Canadians slapped Quebecers' collective face by humiliating them as they did with some of their shrill objections to the Meech Lake Accord?

Have a group of bigots stomped on the Quebec flag as was done for the benefit of TV cameras in eastern Ontario in the late 1980s? Are Quebecers being told to speak English?

What we are witnessing is a manufactured "crisis." Actually, nothing has changed in respect of the existential issue of Quebec separating from Canada.

Talk of "nation," however, is beginning to foul the political air. When that happens, the public and the media look to political leaders to respond.

That the separatists want Quebec's separation is old news. Indeed, the "nation" debate for the Conservatives is an ancient issue too; Robert Stanfield entertained the idea of "deux nations" four decades ago and the Liberals feasted on it at his expense.

Since then we have endlessly debated Quebec's "specificity," statut particulier, "distinct society," "special status," and similar formulations.

Lucien Bouchard insisted Quebecers were un people, a people, and that Canada was not a "real country."

Apparently, Quebecers are now content to be a "nation." (Note: Quebec's "First Nations" already fit the bill so they are now eligible to be a Quebec "nation," too, all the while enjoying the benefits of being part of the Canadian "nation," a member of the United Nations.

More.......

Boy Oh Boy! A Fine Example Of People Protecting Their Ass

And not wanting to be labelled homophobic! I am not a sports "fan" so the sexual preference of athletes is a non-issue to me. My remote allows me to decide what I watch on tv so that also is not an issue. BTW I didn't attend the gay games in Montreal but then I don't attend Leaf games either.

Voices: Gay Leaf comedy

Nov. 24, 2006. 04:07 PM

We asked you if you thought a comedy about a gay Leaf will help gay athletes gain acceptance? Here's what you had to say.

I think it's great this movie is being made and I'm glad it's about an iconic Canadian team in an iconic Canadian sport. We know from the Dan Woog book "Jocks" that there is a real-life person from small-town Canada who's won at least one Stanley Cup and has a male life-partner in the NHL (he remained anonymous in the interview for Woog's book). This might help someone in this player's position to come out, even if it was only after his on-ice career was over.
Richard Evans, Cornwall

What's the big deal about homosexuality in professional sports? Last time I checked this was Canada in the 21st century. If a Leaf player can help Toronto get the Stanley Cup who cares if he is gay or not. Why is this even an issue?
Carlos Patricio, Toronto

I think it's a small step in an issue that is very large and unspoken. Bravo to writer Sean Reycraft for making the push.
Jackson Main, Toronto

Although it would be a wonderful thing to see diversity acceptance in sports and other societal and contexual scenerios, the comedy approach is kind of old and borders on a humour not unlike the racially based portrayal of blacks in former years, thus the humour contributes to systematically accepted oppression of those minority groups rather than embracing these individuals in a positive light on the merits of their talent and skill. It would be best to portray gays and other monorities in more realistic roles without special attention being focussed on their gender, sexual orientation and\or cultural or social conditions.
Sheila McKillop, Sudbury

Yes. As long as what's funny isn't simply the fact that the athlete is gay. However, a comedy that examines the irony of being gay within the ultra-macho framework of pro sports could be very illuminating and entertaining. I'd probably go see it.
Bryn Swan, Kingston

No I don't and why would it. It is an issue that has been resolved, so let's move on in life, sports or no sports. I am tired of it being used as a headline grabber or to sell something.
Robert Reeson, Pontypool

Is this even an issue? Why is this even a concern for the people of Toronto in this day and age?
Andrea Costantini, Toronto

What is this? The 1950s? Who cares what an athlete's sexual orientation is? I'm not paying to watch them have sex.
Andrew Spencer, Toronto

This comedy may not help gay athletes gain acceptance per se, but it will raise people's consciousness to the fact they do exist. And in greater numbers than one might think.
Robin Kelly, Toronto

Personally, I'm tired of this gay fad. We get it already; there are gay athletes, gay businessmen, gay cowboys and on and on. I think the entertainment industry is playing this up for the shock value that is still left from literature and movies that first introduced us to the possibility that homosexuals and lesbians are a part of our society.
Kyle Kowalenko, Toronto

The real problem is men, especially athletic men or “jocks,”who believe that associating with gay men somehow questions their masculinity/sexuality. Until that changes, nothing will help gay athletes. In fact, I fear that a comedy will likely just perpetuate gay stereotypes.
Rishi Agarwal, Oakville

Who cares? As long as they win the Stanley Cup one day!
Steven Hammond, Markham

No, I don't think a movie can do that on its own. It takes a long time for intolerance to fade away. If generation after generation is being taught to be intolerant, then it'll never go away.
Peter M., Toronto

Why is this news? I mean with everything else going on in the world, why does this get prominent space?
Enis Bayrisal, Toronto

No. The segment of society that has already accepted gay athletes will readily view the comedy and enjoy it. The others will not even make the attempt.
David Boyle, Toronto

It won't change the mind of anyone who isn't already accepting. The movie's producer has already described the son character as "prancing" and a "budding queen," so you'll have to forgive me if I don't foresee a horde of homophobes suddenly coming to their senses. Gay athletes will gain acceptance when more of them come out and are seen as great athletes, great people and great role models.
Lauren Ferris, Toronto

Theo Zeros In On Where We Could Be Going

Nation within a Nation? Ludicrous! One Country, one Nation, one People.

The Truth About Everything & Everybody

If you don't surf any other sites you must make visiting this a holy grail.......

http://www.dark-truth.org/articles.html

See you on the other side!

Neo-Cons Might Not Always Be Right......

.....but we try to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of our ancestors. This is something the left wingnuts, peaceniks, et al will not do and they accept no blame for the actions of their ancestors during the 30s and the eventual consequences.

Fighting to lose: how not to fight fascism

-Craig Read

November 23rd, 2006—Apparently so-called ‘stupid neo-con’s’ like myself are never right, even when reality and truth collide. Not fighting wars like they are contests of life and death; a struggle for supremacy; a literal and lethal act of national will and courageous clarity; is to imperil the lives of soldiers, bloody the reputations of states, and ignore the awful challenge posed to the West by fascistic elements of a pagan ideology and a group of failed totalitarian states.
Modern Day Middle East

The West as a collectivity, including the USA, simply does not recognize the threat it faces and does not understand that winning in the Middle East is the only way to grant states in Europe and North America security and safety.

When the knuckle-dragging neo-cons warned that not fighting the Iraqi war like it is a real war, but to focus instead on winning hearts and minds; build public toilets and worry about securing the country until Iraqi troops were trained; they were dismissed as heartless war-mongers.

When the neo-cons warned that not sealing off the border invites Syrian and Iranian interference in the struggling Iraqi democracy they were told that too few troops existed – they were too busy apparently in the barracks, or handing out candy.

When the neo-cons warned that not destroying Fallujah and Najaf immediately with overwhelming might would lead to an increase in civil strife, they were dismissed as blood-thirsty anti-Islamics since ‘innocents’ would be killed.

When the neo-cons warned that not killing Al Sadr the leader of a 20.000 man Shia army and not destroying the infrastructure and leaders of the key militia groups would lead to a civil war, they were informed that political processes would be much nicer and kinder.

Wake Up......

Had Enough Of Kramer, OJ, Etc.?

Want to get back to reality? Read On......

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55370

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55466

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55369

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55532

Just Around The Corner..........

A Picture is Worth..........

In Praise Of Discrimination

The title itself should start the blood boiling in the hearts of social in-activists and Harlem liberals........

In praise of discrimination
By Mona Charen
Friday, November 24, 2006

Six imams got on a plane in Minneapolis. Accounts vary, but it seems that they were speaking in Arabic before boarding of their disgust with the U.S. war in Iraq and with American policy in general. One was heard to declare that he would do whatever was necessary to fulfill his obligations under the Koran. Another repeated, "Allah, Allah." Once aboard, they aroused suspicion by requesting seat-belt extenders that they did not appear to require and took seats not together but scattered throughout the plane.

Several people contacted the flight attendants, and the men were asked to leave.

Now comes the nonsense. The Associated Press declares that this is a case of "flying while Muslim," and a TV anchor compares the imams to Rosa Parks. Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations denounced the incident as an example of "Islamophobia," adding, "We are concerned that crew members, passengers and security personnel may have succumbed to fear and prejudice based on stereotyping of Muslims and Islam."

The Department of Homeland Security has announced that its Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is opening an inquiry into the incident. And talk radio is abuzz. "Would they have done the same to a group of priests?" asked one talk radio host. "Or rabbis?"

Let us assume, for the sake of argument, that the person who was overheard chanting "Allah, Allah" was actually saying something else. Let's go ahead and allow that there was nothing suspicious about the request for seat-belt extenders, as several of the imams were a bit rotund. Let's even agree that the six imams were "victims" of discrimination.

It's a shame. But it's absolutely necessary. It cannot have been pleasant to be denied the opportunity to fly, to be singled out, to be embarrassed in front of a plane full of strangers. But this knee-jerk reaction to the word "discrimination" is completely out of place in this discussion.

When passengers see six Arab men praying, talking animatedly in Arabic (a fellow passenger understood Arabic and was one of those who contacted a flight attendant), and then boarding an airplane and sitting in different places, I wonder what goes through their minds? Is it: "I sure don't like Muslims. Think I'll just harass and annoy them"? Or could it possibly be: "Oh dear God, this is what the 9/11 hijackers must have looked like"?

Is it discrimination? Well, of course it is. But that cannot be the end of the discussion. We are so robotic in America whenever the word "discrimination" is used that we shut down thought and all genuflect in the direction of whoever is complaining. But the proper question is not whether it is discrimination but whether it is justified.

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What Is Wrong With White Only Scholarships?

Personally I don't think they are any better or worse than scholarships available to only blacks, hispanics, etc. etc. Racial/ethnic minorities would have you believe that they are the only ones suffering from poverty, prejudice, etc. and therefore they should be given all the breaks.

Whites Only Scholarship Creates Outrage

College Republicans Say Scholarship Was Created to Spark Debate

By ANNE-MARIE DORNING

BOSTON, Nov. 22, 2006 — - Joe Mroszczyk, president of the College Republicans at Boston University, admits he set out to stir up a hornet's nest when he came up with the idea of offering a whites-only scholarship at the school. But he got a little more buzz than he bargained for.

"To tell you the truth, we didn't see this coming," Mroszczyk said. "The Drudge Report picked it up yesterday, and today I just finished a round of national interviews. It's kind of overwhelming."

All the media attention is focused on a $250 Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship offered by Mroszczyk and the BU chapter of the College Republicans. Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher; they must write two essays; and, here's the kicker, they must be at least one-quarter Caucasian.

The application itself offers an explanation: "We believe that racial preferences in all their forms are perhaps the worst form of bigotry confronting America today."

According to Mroszczyk, his group is offering the scholarship to point out "how ridiculous it is to have any sort of racially based scholarship."

Kudos to Boston University......