The height of political sleuthing

Well done, Liberals and NDP. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this kind of accusation should come up. Obviously, the Tories worked very closely with the parties involved to ensure that we only see and think 'Conservative' on our athletes at the upcoming Winter Olympics and not our country. The Loyal Opposition have truly outdone yourselves. Sheesh.

This does get me thinking, though, that the opposition might want to get in touch with a few more companies with logos that are clearly too 'Conservative' for their own good. This betrayal of Canadian interests must not go unnoticed!

Shame on you Canada Steamship Lines, CanJet, and Colt Canada! Your fawning for the governing Conservatives has been exposed for the world to see and there's nothing you can do about it. How can I, about as regular a guy as they come, see a logo for Canada Steamship Lines and not think anything but Conservative?!

I will be wary of any stylized 'C' I come across from now on. It just can't be trusted.

Is Ignatieff on to something?

I still have a hard time seeing another election happening this fall. There are just too many factors suggesting a negative outcome for the Liberals. That being said, I wonder if this is a move on the part of Mr. Ignatieff to avoid being painted into a corner like previous election bluffs.

Back in January, the NDP and the Bloc quickly let everyone know that they wouldn't support the budget. This left the Liberals with no legitimate option but to allow the budget to pass, and discrediting Ignatieff as an effective leader in the process.

I wonder if this doesn't have something to do with avoiding that this time around. Instead of being painted into a corner by the NDP and the Bloc, the other opposition are now in a position where their decision, and not the Liberals, determines whether or not Canadians go to the polls once again. Iggy doesn't have to take credit for dissolving parliament and therefore saves face. At least somewhat.

While it's nice to see the Liberals actually taking a stand (er... maybe), I can't help but note that it still has little to do with anything but trying to make themselves look good.

Political correctness at its finest

I'll let the video speak for itself. Absolutely brilliant!



h/t Blazing Cat Fur

The President of Iran is a Douche; Durban II is a failure

For those who said that Durban II wouldn't follow the abysmal record of its predecessor, how would you like your crow?

Earth Hour Feel-Good Warm Fuzzy Group Hug

While many have already commented on the futility of this exercise, all I'll add is that I was one of many who observed little if any change in energy consumption. Before anyone tries to correct me, I am fully aware that the purpose of the event is not necessarily to solve the problems. I have heard (ad nauseam) the continued defense of this activity as a means to show solidarity and increase awareness of the plight humanity finds itself in. I still call "Bull sh#t!".

A quick overview of the comments at CTV about half an hour ago revealed the continued assertion that the air we breath is a very poison to the planet. So called 'Earth Hour-keteers' need to quit referring to carbon dioxide as a pollutant, period. Have people really (in)conveniently forgotten/overlooked that people exhale a lung full of carbon dioxide every few seconds? That some of you are still arguing that a natural biological process is part of problem is absurd and does nothing to lend credibility to your cause. It's not too unlike me saying that you can't drink water because I'm concerned about the overall supply. Get yourself some credibility and start using real evidence to convince me that the problem is real. Don't bother with the Gore's and Suzuki's of the world, either. Limit your citation to actual climate scientists and not Sham-Wow type salespeople.

I started showing two documentaries in my social classes to paint a significantly less one-sided argument about so-called climate change: 'An Inconvenient Truth' and 'The Great Global Warming Swindle.' Discussions with my students, and without prompting from me I might add, reveal that more of my students are less inclined to buy the greener alternative. When asked why, most of my students say that they simply don't trust the message of fear pandered by environmentalists.

I note one example from my childhood. When I was in the third grade, my teachers told our classes that the 'hole' in the Ozone was so bad that by the year 2000 we'd only be able to go outside by wearing spacesuits and fur coats. Yet another in a long line of scare tactics designed to frighten us into action. Climate Change is no different. We are presented with the alternative of living in a peaceful and healthy planet but ONLY if we act in the next 100 months, or next few hours depending on who you talk to.

Can we be more responsible? Sure. Is it absolutely necessary to avert disaster? I don't believe so, no. You have to do more than scare me in order to get me on board. You want people like me joining your cause, not laughing at it.

Political Correctness at a Glance...

While browsing the forums at CBC, which I don't generally recommend, I came across this comment. It does an exceptional job at capturing the essence that is political correctness and just how ridiculous it can be. Enjoy the rest of your Christmas!

xtrathinkin wrote:

To All My Liberal Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make Canada great. Not to imply that Canada is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only Canada in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To My Conservative Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thoughts on a possible coalition

There's been a lot of talk about the possiblity of the Liberals, NDP, and the Bloc Quebecois to work out some sort of deal to wrest government from the party that actually won the last election. Sure it was a minority, but no one can dispute that they secured a stronger mandate from the people. That the opposition is so eager to chage the political atmostphere so quickly after an election campaign a little more than a month ago is, in a word, disgusting.

I could write or rant (wrant?) a great deal on the subject but they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Those opposition politicians who think that a coalition is a good idea can look here. I apologize in advance to those with sensitive eyes.

Extremely Unwanted UPDATE: This is absolute garbage. I sincerely hope that the Canadian public will not be fooled and see this for the power grab that it really is. You opposition usurpers can go to hell!

'The Spirit of Christmas' indeed...

A story like this just makes me irate. That this overly fetive crowd couldn't be bothered to wait while officials dealt with the matter is abolutely despicable. There is no excuse for behavior like this, in my book. A definite sign that the commercialization of Christmas has gone too far... and all to likely save a few bucks. Shameful.

A humble proposal

If we have morons who are going to spout garbage like this, then maybe they should take the lead on the issue and get started with themselves. If anything, they can not only meet their ridiculous goals but rid us of their stupidity. Win-win.

Earth Hour: one more exercise in futility

With only 11 hours to go before Earth Hour celebrations(?) get under way here in E-Town, I can't help but think about just how useless this whole thing is. Its one thing to take small, tangible steps to decrease our impact on the environment but this is just plain ridiculous. The whole idea that turning off my lights for one hour will really enhance my perspective on the matter is truly laughable.

Consider that we have 365 days in a year composed of 24 hours each. This gives us a total of 8,760 hours in a given year. Let's assume for the sake of this argument that 8 hours a day are spent sleeping cutting average daily use of electricity to about two-thirds of the day. That leaves us with 5,840 hours of plugged-in time over the course of a year.

The proposal to cut into that staggering total by a single hour, dropping plugged-in time to 5,839, will not do anything in the long run. While some will argue that that impact adds up when you consider the number of participants, it still amounts to nothing in the end. If you want to make yourself feel better by identifying yourself as a participant in this farce, you go right ahead and pat yourself on the back all you want. The sad fact of the matter is that for most people this is all that they will do before cranking everything back up to full power and carrying on with their lives as if nothing had even happened.

This story is not about what people are willing to sacrifice for a mere 60 minutes. Unfortunately, this continues to say a whole lot more about what we as a society still can't bring ourselves to do with the rest of our precious time.

Post Earth Hour Update:
I spent the bulk of my evening watching a movie with my family. I did manage to steal a few quick glances out of my apartment window to see how others in the neighborhood fared. Generally speaking I saw little difference and more than a few neighboring apartments that made no apparent effort to hide what would be normal energy use. Either I'm surrounded by people with climate change awareness up the wazoo, or no one cared. I tend to think it was the latter...

Yet Another Reason I've Lost Faith in the Rising Generation

As a student and teacher, I've encountered a variety of learning styles and personalities. While I still cling to the belief, or hope, that most people eventually find their way to contribute to society, we just never seem to run out of the "what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-you?" variety.

During my lunch break today, I made a quick trip over to the nearest Subway to indulge in a delicious Turkey breast sub on wheat. Mmmmmm.... The two customers after me were two teenage girls somewhere around the age of sixteen or so. I'd like to assume that by this point in one's life, they would have figured out the basics of ordering food from a menu. Instead, to my combined amusement and bewilderment, these two bastions of intellectualism order "a sandwich." The confused worker raised an eyebrow and politely asked what kind of sub they would like to which the girls responded with raised eyebrows of their own: "What kind? What are you talking about?"

Before this matter was even settled, a new round of stimulating questioning commenced. "How much does a sub cost?" The employee, looking even more confused now, informs them that the price depends entirely on, once again, the kind of sub being ordered. More confusion. By the time I had received and paid for my meal, the two little Misses has just settled on the choice of bacon, the general idea of the menu remaining somewhat elusive to them.

But Jason, you say, this is only about a sandwich and nothing more. That may be true, but it is for me indicative of a general trend plaguing society. In our efforts to be inclusive and not subject our children to the heartache of failure, we have essentially made many of them lazy and stupid. No need to think things through on your own, oh no. And certainly not when teacher is there to pass you along regardless of your effort and mom and dad keep things fairly relaxed for your oh-so challenging lives.

Only a sandwich, yes. But I see the problems behind these kinds of things far too often to not be concerned.

Merry Christmas!

For the longest time, Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. Apart from the holiday traditions, it just seemed that most people were a little bit happier than they might normally be. While the trend continues to this day, I have to shake my head at the seeming attempts to slowly rid ourselves of Christmas.

I don't know how many times I've read stories like these in the papers. In short, I think the whole mentality is stupid. In our quest to appear inclusive and welcoming, vocal 'crusaders' have made it their responsibility to ensure that we don't even mention the true nature of our holidays. Oh sure, its fine for you to bring whatever traditions you want to our country. They propose we sweeten the deal and avoid the risk of hurting anyone's feelings by getting rid of our own.

While I'm all for being a tolerant nation and I am proud to belong to a country that is by and large a very welcoming one, what gives anyone the right to dictate the very words I say as a means of a holiday greeting? If you are too thin-skinned to handle a simple 'Merry Christmas' thrown your way from a sincere well-wisher, then you need to suck it up and move past your tattle-tale response. I don't throw a hissy-fit if someone wishes me a 'Happy Hanukkah' (spelling?). Instead I recognize that this is what it is: a way to share a little bit of happiness with someone else regardless of their creed or religion.

Think for a second about the outrage we would hear if Christians started making the same kind of noise about other celebrations as they are often afforded. There is no way in the world they would get away with that sort of campaign. What is it then that makes Christmas such a vulnerable target? What is it that makes it okay to target this particular holiday and not others?

So to all you whiners who despise the diminishing displays of holiday cheer, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you're happy.