tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37225662011-10-10T05:25:15.266-04:00Business. Politics. News. Kazmania. Watchnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1124305328082089692005-08-17T14:57:00.000-04:002005-08-17T15:02:08.086-04:00

I will be taking a break from patisan politics and blogging for the next little while to work on a new project with a few friends. If you care to find out what the new project is, visit www.movecanadaforward.com. And if it tickles your fancy, join us as we fight the good fight. I thought it would be most appropriate to let the fans of this blog know about this before I stop posting here for a

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123947544331047352005-08-13T11:25:00.000-04:002005-08-13T12:18:10.816-04:00

I was going to post this yesterday but I worried about potential lawsuites. Today, I am less worried so I'm going to post it.The readers of this blog know my absolute distaste for cowards who hide behind anonymous quotes. In fact, there is no one worse than the PMO when it comes to giving anonymous sources. And there is no one worse than than the Globe when it come to using them.So yesterday the

Watchnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123891159840007272005-08-12T19:56:00.000-04:002005-08-12T19:59:19.846-04:00

Ok.. there will be a long post about this later.. I just found out my uncle met August Pinochet when he was the Commander in Chief of the Army. We are about to get into the car and head into horrible California traffic. So I will ask him about two hours worth of questions and post something about it here when I get a chance. (likely Sunday or Monday.)So as Drudge would say: DEVELOPING.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123880163210754762005-08-12T16:52:00.000-04:002005-08-12T16:56:51.863-04:00

I just had a long post about Tisha B'Av that I somehow lost. Here is some of what I had written:I believe today is Tisha B'Av which is the ninth day of the month of Av in the Jewish calendar. It is the saddest day of the year for the Jewish people.On Tisha B'Av, on different years: (I'm copying the below because I just don't want to retype my version.)1. The sin of the spies caused Hashem to

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123794937960529102005-08-11T16:56:00.000-04:002005-08-11T17:15:37.966-04:00

Most people who have commented on recent US reaction to the NAFTA softwood panel seem to have misunderstood the basic principles of world trade. (If you are going to Brock's blog, read this comment as the most apparent misunderstanding of the system.)I wish I had the time to go into detail about various reasons why it is wrong to think that the United States is cheating. However, I only have

Watchnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123774877055762452005-08-11T11:36:00.000-04:002005-08-11T11:41:17.060-04:00

I disagree with people who say that the CPC should be running a positive campaign in the next election.In fact, I hope that this next election campaign goes down as the most negative election campaign in the history of modern politics. These guys are bunch of liars, cheats, and crooks. We should destroy their reputation. We should do so to point out that there are consequences to one's actions.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123691869705128002005-08-10T12:35:00.000-04:002005-08-10T12:37:49.710-04:00

with this.I feel like bit of a tool because I hadn't checked the "new services" link for a while. Well, this (officially posted less than 5 minutes after the last post) makes my thoughts about switching completely invalid. I now wish that the people in my FantasyFootball and all those listserves that I'm on would switch to Google.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123691578275899042005-08-10T12:28:00.000-04:002005-08-10T12:32:58.280-04:00

to Yahoo!For about two years now, I've been fairly loyal Google user. I love their interface and have made Google my homepage and use Google bar. But over this summer, I have begun using Yahoo! again. (The company mandates Yahoo! is the homepage of all laptops.) During this period i have found that I like the Yahoo! added features. I like the news on the side, and I like that you can personalize

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123610139897150482005-08-09T13:51:00.000-04:002005-08-09T13:55:39.903-04:00

if my girlfriend sees this. Quick, can someone tell me how I can delete something from cyberspace? Seriously, this is shocking!I have wanted a Harley for as long as I can remember. So I have been following the death/accident rate on bikes for some time. This is a huge spike.I wonder if the numbers are similar for Canada. Does anyone have this info? Specifically, does anyone have any info on

Watchnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123603147384972642005-08-09T11:50:00.000-04:002005-08-09T11:59:07.390-04:00

I think it is important for conservatives to be mindful of what our military officers say. After all, our military is the most visible contact point that many foreigners have with Canada. So we want our Generals to reflect Canadian values accurately. Certainly, we would not want something like this to happen in Canada. (In case you don't want to follow the link, this is an incident from a few

Watchnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123524711815520412005-08-08T14:07:00.000-04:002005-08-08T14:11:51.820-04:00

I really wish that we had smarter reporters. Or at least less lazy reporters. I don't even care if they were all liberals. I just wish they were smarter.Here is a perfect example of piss poor journalism. In a story about the daylight saving situation. In a report filed by CTV.ca News Staff, we find this gem:"It's unclear if Canada will make the same time change. At least one business leader

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123261247805660462005-08-05T12:58:00.000-04:002005-08-05T13:00:47.813-04:00

Go to this tonight. The boys need your help to take down the Evil Empire... evil empire of sports that is. The tickets are less than $10, if you go after the first pitch has been thrown you can get some really good deals from the scalpers.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123257328437420702005-08-05T11:43:00.000-04:002005-08-05T11:55:28.443-04:00

Ralph Goodale has officially gone off the deep end on bank mergers.He might as well go stand in front of the TSX/NYSE and scream: "Hi.. folks.. yeah you guys running around in ties, the government of Canada is thinking about nationalizing the banks.. wait.. I didn't actually say that.. go on.. just ignore me."Bankers hate uncertainty more than they hate socialism. Goodale's recent remarks that

Watchnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123173010125208232005-08-04T12:26:00.000-04:002005-08-04T12:30:10.130-04:00

This has got to be a joke:"Using ships and dogsleds, the Danish navy patrols Greenland's roughly 40,000-kilometre-long coastline, equal to the length of the equator."Now apparently these ships and dogsleds are being send to Hans Island. They are going to invade us with dogsleds??? How are we going to respond? What would be a porportionate response to a dogsled invasion? Do we let our beavers and

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123169915461479982005-08-04T11:31:00.000-04:002005-08-04T11:41:24.203-04:00

I don't know who John Samuel is and I don't know what his group, People's Forum or Peoples Forum as it says in The Star, does. But I do know that saying the the PM is ignoring visible minorities in his appointments right before the PM appionts a Haitian born GG to replace a Chinese born GG must make you feel as dumb as a cow. This is the danger of playing politics with race. With one move you

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1123081704793377182005-08-03T11:05:00.000-04:002005-08-03T11:08:24.796-04:00

Be like Kim!Here is an article that my housemate sent me. According to this, Kim Jong-il has a superbrain and is a super golfer. He is, according to those around him, an expert horseman and golfer, having shot 11 holes-in-one during his first-ever round.Now, I always knew golf was a sport for liars, but I didn't knjow it was a sport for communist dictators. I guess GPA's attempt to broaden the

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122999295540691112005-08-02T12:12:00.000-04:002005-08-02T12:14:55.546-04:00

or buy a fake purse, just remember you helped bring this about.There is no moral difference between supporting an organization that counterfeits designer purses and supporting one that counterfeits medicine. In fact, the odds are that it is the same bunch of thugs doing both. For your own sake, for sake of your children, for sake of our society STOP buying fake designer clothes.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122992571758303602005-08-02T10:17:00.000-04:002005-08-02T10:22:51.763-04:00

Here is an article about the recent hackers convention in Las Vegas. For sometime now, I have been casually studying various uses of biometric security systems. They are becoming more and more common, and it seemed to me that their extended use provided no greater security to anyone. Here was my thinking:Asking someone to do retinal scan before going into a bank site or anywhere else is like

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122930329780997992005-08-01T17:02:00.000-04:002005-08-01T17:05:29.786-04:00

Back in the days of Reform/Alliance, the media used to always hint that we were nothing but a bunch of racist, rednecks. (As an immigrant who is not white, I found that particularly odd.)I remember thinking at the time that if the main reason we are racist is that we don't have enough people of colour in our party, then what does that say about the media? After all, the only organization more

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122908241188985992005-08-01T10:51:00.000-04:002005-08-01T10:57:21.193-04:00

That is when Israel will bomb Iran. According to the IDF "Iran will probably have a nuclear bomb by 2012, but could have the capability as early as 2008 'if all goes well for it,'." So I’m guessing Israel will bomb the facilities about three hours before they are due for their grand opening. Of course, some believed that since Iran had volunteered to not enrich uranium, the IDF would not worry

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122904338098293612005-08-01T09:48:00.000-04:002005-08-01T09:52:18.103-04:00

Helen Thomas is claiming that she will never talk to a reporter again. (This is odd because she is a reporter and most of her friends, one could assume, are reporters as well.. as is her boss.)She says:"We were just talking -- I was ranting -- and he wrote about it. That isn't right. We all say stuff we don't want printed," I remember a while ago when a certain Alliance MP was a bar trying to

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122663306061938442005-07-29T14:49:00.000-04:002005-07-29T14:55:33.296-04:00

Well this is good news. I am not even going to talk about the entrepreneurial person, read: disgusting pervert, who has decided to built a brothel in time for the World Cup. All I want to point out is that the City of Dortmund, has decided to build "Drive in Sex Garages" to keep the prostitution off the streets. (And by prostitution, they actually do not mean solicitation, but the actual, er,

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122646750263046412005-07-29T10:13:00.000-04:002005-07-29T11:01:12.620-04:00

If you haven't been watching the Jays lately, you have been missing some great games. I watched all three of their games this week against the Angels. I can tell you that all three games were great fun. I wish I could have gone to Rogers Centre for them. I have a feeling that this might be a year for the good guys. They have a great team and are only 3 games behind Oakland for the wild card spot.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122583441913015952005-07-28T16:33:00.000-04:002005-07-28T16:44:01.920-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you a perfect example of fair journalism.Here is Helen Thomas saying she will kill herself if Cheney "the liar" ever runs for President.Can you believe that this lady was the LONGEST SERVING member of the White House Press Corps? Longest serving??? One can assume that the for the first 300 years she was good at hiding the fact that she hated all right wingers,

Watchnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122494572071226572005-07-27T16:01:00.000-04:002005-07-27T16:02:52.076-04:00

According to this "Vista's features will include better ways to visualize data, such as seeing through windows that are stacked atop each other, more natural file organization and faster searching."The seeing through windows thing is really cool. I wonder what the short cut for that is. I really like Mac's stacking. I know Windows XP has its own version of stacking, but frankly it sucks.So I'm

Watchnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122476812547606122005-07-27T10:55:00.000-04:002005-07-27T13:25:42.883-04:00

I am starting to have second thoughts about the war in Iraq. Before the war started, I was a big proponent of it. In fact, I wrote numerous times, here and elsewhere, that the war would further the cause of freedom and [edit] deal a hard blow to Islamic terrorism.I am starting to have second thoughts.I say this not because of the WMD situation and not because my first principles have changed. I

Watchnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122339529117275802005-07-25T20:49:00.000-04:002005-07-25T21:02:03.490-04:00

So according to this some Brazilian protestors are demanding the arrest of the British police who fired the fatal shots. "Some of the protesters held banners denouncing British police as the real terrorists."Okay.. let me get this straight:People in a country known for its corrupt and brutal, child killing police force are demanding the arrest of a police officer who was chasing a criminal?A few

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122273184618831352005-07-25T02:18:00.000-04:002005-07-25T02:33:04.623-04:00

Here is what I have to say about the shoot to kill policy: I didn't know there was any other way to shoot someone. Let me explain:A couple of days ago I had a post about the London police shooting a guy on (or is it in) the tube. This guy had been running away from the police and had refused direct orders to stop. The cops thinking that he was a terrorist shot him dead. It turns out he didn’t

Watchnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122225331502781382005-07-24T13:06:00.000-04:002005-07-24T13:15:31.510-04:00

According to CBC, Helena Guergis wants the government to end its aid programme to China. This is not a terribly good idea. Although I disagree with them, I do have some time for people who argue for stopping all foreign aid, but I just don't see the point on picking on China. It's politically harmful and internationally silly. The Chinese community in Canada is very much in touch with their home

Watchnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122048386439439812005-07-22T12:03:00.000-04:002005-07-22T12:06:26.443-04:00

You know the teacher that told you there were no such a thing as a stupid question? Well she lied!The Muslim Council of Britain demanded police explain why an Asian-looking man, reported as a "suspected suicide bomber" by Sky News, was shot dead at Stockwell station in south London on Friday. So here is the question the Muslim Council is asking: "You know that guy who was about to blow up the

Watchnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1122002686690352872005-07-21T23:21:00.000-04:002005-07-21T23:24:46.696-04:00

This is brilliant. Although the tactics being used by NYPD are the very tactics that I have advocated for some time, I think it is brilliant for a civil libertarian to point out that what the NYPD is doing may fall under the definition of "unreasonable search."I think there may be a legal argument there. However, I think it is a weak one. After all, similar searches are conducted at the airport.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121960576145497972005-07-21T11:35:00.000-04:002005-07-21T11:42:56.153-04:00

This will be a short post, but expect a much longer post later today.Today, the government of China finally bowed to US pressure and decided to scrap its decade old peg to the dollar. The new yuan rate versus the dollar revalues the currency by 2.1 percent, to 8.11 per U.S. dollar.First, various studies, including some from the Federal reserve in Cleveland, have said that the Yuan is overvalued

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121873790795021302005-07-20T11:32:00.000-04:002005-07-20T11:36:30.800-04:00

I'm not a big fan of conferences. They seem to academic for my liking. But I think this is bang on.Islamic extremism is a problem that needs to be studied. I don't mean that in a "less do nothing till we study this" way, but in a "let's keep what we are doing, but figure out if there are any easier fixes to the problem."

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121871854035890152005-07-20T11:03:00.000-04:002005-07-20T11:04:14.040-04:00

Folks at the Note, which is probably the best MSM blog out there, have this to say on last night's appointment:If this process has all the hallmarks of a national political campaign, judging on technical competence, one side looks like the disciplined, well-organized Bush-Cheney campaign of 2004, and one looks more like, say, the Kerry campaign. At least for now.Perhaps not coincidentally, the

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121871582215342392005-07-20T10:57:00.000-04:002005-07-20T10:59:42.220-04:00

Howard Kurtz, of the Washington Post fame, seems to agree with my analysis of the White House's brilliance in leaking Clement first. Here is his article on the issue.The Bush White House gets a 10 on their handeling of this issue. Brilliant!

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121829699563266472005-07-19T23:14:00.000-04:002005-07-19T23:38:24.310-04:00

As ABC and other reputable sources first broke the news that Judge Clement would not be the President's choice, I was absolutely dumbfounded. I spent a good hour reading everything I could to see a hint. (I found a few things, for example the President refered to the nominee as "he" in the morning presser and Judge Jones was in Huston.) But nowhere did I found any hint of a leak.1. This is a

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121800770967060162005-07-19T15:12:00.000-04:002005-07-19T15:28:03.120-04:00

Rumour mills claim that at 9PM EDT time today, President Bush will nominate the relatively unknown Edith Brown Clement to the Supreme Court. My last hopes that this was all false guessing was vanished when I read that a clerk at her office answered a question by saying "We've been told the only thing we are allowed to say is that she is away." I wish the President would not appoint Brown. The

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121721272651462212005-07-18T17:12:00.000-04:002005-07-18T17:14:32.656-04:00

According to this, Iraqis have begun forming neigbourhood militias to protect themseleves from suicide killers.This is the time for the Iraqi politicians to realize the importance of the American second amendment and to formally include it in their own constitution. The second amendment reads:"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,the right of the people to

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121706143741844862005-07-18T12:56:00.000-04:002005-07-18T13:05:08.356-04:00

The USA has the lowest percentage among Western nations of children who grow up with both biological parents, 63%, the report says. "The United States has the weakest families in the Western world because we have the highest divorce rate and the highest rate of solo parenting," Popenoe Read more in this report. The US government has, for decades, undertaken many anti-family policies. You know

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121700863679692002005-07-18T11:30:00.000-04:002005-07-18T11:34:23.683-04:00

I didn't know that France did not have a basic extradition treaty with the United States until I read the tale of Roman Polanski.So apparently Polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with a guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl in the late 70's. He was also charged with rape and five other felonies in 1977. (Follow me so far? Pleaded guilty, not accused, but pleaded guilty.)Soon after his

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121378596712304322005-07-14T17:57:00.000-04:002005-07-14T18:03:16.716-04:00

For some time I have been saying that the best way to get rid of terrorists is to give Israel a whole bunch of money and a whole bunch of weapons. Here is an article pointing out why this is true.Israeli's seem to have a core competence in stopping terrorism. We should think of the IDF as the Home Depot of anti-terrorism. They've seen it all, done it all, and know it all.The Israelis understand

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121191955628011282005-07-12T14:11:00.000-04:002005-07-12T14:12:35.626-04:00

That's what I'm talking about. (Or rather, that's what I was talking about a few posts ago.)

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121191736496023672005-07-12T13:53:00.000-04:002005-07-12T14:10:07.430-04:00

So it seems Canada's annual political game is back again. The Finance Minister is talking about Bank Mergers.Liberalized rules on bank mergers are required, but alone they will do very little to promote Canada's financial sector. Specifically, all liberalized rules on mergers will accomplish in the short run is allowing credit unions, mostly in Quebec, to merge. The Conservatives should push

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121185021270487062005-07-12T12:13:00.000-04:002005-07-12T12:17:01.276-04:00

During the height of IRA's terrorist attacks on the innocent people of the United Kingdom, many Orangemen started putting up Israeli flags to oppose IRA's loose affiliation with Arab terrorists. Today, it seems, IRA's political wing, Sinn Fein, has done a complete 180. Here is what they had to say on the London bombings:"Sinn Féin have condemned the bomb attacks in London.""On behalf of Sinn

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121118517250397122005-07-11T17:46:00.000-04:002005-07-11T17:48:37.256-04:00

According to this, one out of every three children is having sex at the age of 10, and 17 out of 100 will deliberately spread the virus if they know they are HIV-positiveThey are not even teenagers! Sir Bob and Bono should be trying to fix this instead of Africa's debt problem. Read the whole article. It gives some good insight about what is wrong with Africa.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121106185909957822005-07-11T14:14:00.000-04:002005-07-11T14:23:05.916-04:00

That's the message from our Deputy Prime Minister. You should mentaly brace yourself for a terror attack. I know I have prepared myself for quite some time. During the last federal election, I was given ample reason that I should not be sending volutneers to campaign at the GO Station because of the possibility of a terrorist attack. So here is an idea: If you, Mme. Minister, think that we might

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1121063326114659302005-07-11T02:26:00.000-04:002005-07-11T11:41:24.636-04:00

Lots of ink has been spilt taking about the dying Europe. Those on the left and right have talked about the low birth rate of the native Europeans and how their culture is being forgotten one generation at a time. Yet no one seems to talk about Canada in the same way. After all, Canada does not yet have the same fertility problems that most European countries face. But this does not mean Canadian

Watchnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120848739573495312005-07-08T14:48:00.000-04:002005-07-08T14:52:19.576-04:00

I don't get it. Why is Harry Reid pushing Sen. Crapo for an appointment to the Supreme Court? I've been thinking about this for a couple of days now and i still don't get it. All my thoughts are fairly well repersented here.The only answer I can come up with is that Harry Reid is more pro-life than the average Democrat so he probably wants to move his part toward the centre on this issue.Unless

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120844526122796262005-07-08T13:27:00.000-04:002005-07-08T14:59:00.950-04:00

I was talking to a friend last night about internment. Apparently some ShockJock named Savage is promoting the idea of locking up all Muslims in the United States and releasing them one at a time once their innocence has been proven.My first though was: I don't like shock jocks, and I don't like the idea of internment. (My girlfriend is Japanese, so there is the history, and I am Muslim, so the

Watchnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120758400080885852005-07-07T13:44:00.000-04:002005-07-07T13:46:40.083-04:00

an attack on any part of the commonwealth was considered an attack on the whole of it. That means if we still held true to the idea of commonwealth, we'd probably have to declare war today, alongside United Kingdom, and send troops to wherever they send troops. In the good old days, this would be World War III and it would be called just that. If that ever happens, I'd like to volunteer.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120748280066052752005-07-07T10:52:00.000-04:002005-07-07T10:58:00.070-04:00

This from London's Mayor:"I want to say one thing, specifically to the world today - this was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful, it was not aimed at presidents or prime ministers, it was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian ... young and old ... that isn't an ideology, it isn't even a perverted fate, it is an indiscriminate

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120672033078055892005-07-06T13:36:00.000-04:002005-07-06T13:47:13.083-04:00

Minister of Democratic Renewal in Charge of Campaigning for the Liberal Leadership on Taxpayer's Dime.Or at least that's what the title should be. The National Post is reporting that Belinda is going on a tour across Canada to listen to Canadians (read: Liberals), especially young Canadians (read: riding Presidents.)So here is the question you have to ask yourself:How long? How long will she wait

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120660622316317702005-07-06T10:33:00.000-04:002005-07-06T10:37:02.320-04:00

If you have not read the Fraiser report on Gomery you must. Most shocking statement so far:First, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Privy Council Office (PCO)were charged $112,000 and $44,000, respectively, for seats accompanying the primeminister during the 2000 election campaign. These revenues were not recorded for the1997 campaign, a notable omission.Can you imagine that? The

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120598220845496932005-07-05T17:11:00.000-04:002005-07-05T18:58:26.700-04:00

The fact that 17 Conservatives voted for the NDP's proposal to lighten bankruptcy rules for students is shocking.I thought we were supposed to be the party of responsibility. What is so responsible about telling students that you can rack up over $80,000 worth of debt (like I will by the time I'm through), declare bankruptcy, and be home free after two years of interest payments. (Incidently, 9

Watchnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120596392185318072005-07-05T16:42:00.000-04:002005-07-05T16:46:32.190-04:00

So apparently a newly elected politician in Nova Scotia wants to start her term by handing out $7 million worth of pork. At this rate she may outdo Ralph Klein at spending money. ($7 million spent, zero days on the job, that's $7 million divided by zero, equalling eleventy billion dollars a day.. which is about what King Ralph spends.)Seriously, what use would the crown have for an island that is

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120577520484445702005-07-05T11:28:00.000-04:002005-07-05T11:32:00.486-04:00

Here is my favourite quote:And, while one might query whether Sir Paul (with his own fortune of £500 million) or young Stella really need an extra 15 million or so apiece, in the end Linda McCartney made a wise decision in concluding that her estate would do more good kept out of Mr Brown's hands, or even re-routed to Africa, where it might just about have defrayed the costs of the deflowering

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120575705063973902005-07-05T10:49:00.000-04:002005-07-05T11:33:51.410-04:00

Can I tell you how much I hate this?Well, I'm not really asking for permission. I'm just going to tell you.I hate the CP report on Harper's BBQ event in Nova Scotia for the following reasons:1) Peter Mackay seems to be playing a larger role in the party. I can't think of a week that goes by where this guy does not effectively stiff one of our caucus critics on an issue. (The only exception so far

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120417910249065662005-07-03T14:59:00.000-04:002005-07-03T15:11:50.253-04:00

Over the next few days, quite a bit will be written about this.In fact, Time has already given strong hints that Karl Rove was a source. I don't know anything more than I've read through MSM about this, but I do want to write a bit about laws and politics. Almost every hack I have ever known has broken a law at some point or another. In fact, breaking laws and bylaws, and figuring out how to get

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120247144322332182005-07-01T15:44:00.000-04:002005-07-01T15:45:44.326-04:00

Samuel Adams advised: "It does not take a majority to prevail...but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." As they say, 'nuff said.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120238649820916572005-07-01T13:19:00.000-04:002005-07-01T13:24:09.826-04:00

This may become a regular feature.Here is a report about a San Francisco Anti-War protest. The "Breasts not Bombs" crew, who I'm sure includes bunch of really ugly people, decide to get naked to protest the liberation in Iraq. By itself it's gross, however, the fact that they brought they 10 year old daughter along and had her get naked too should be illegal. Unfortunately, it being San Francisco

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120234670813741342005-07-01T12:16:00.000-04:002005-07-01T12:17:50.816-04:00

I just got into the office after a long, long meeting and have a crazy day ahead of me, but I just wanted to note, that I have lots of energy now that I've read this.What a great day!

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120151245096158152005-06-30T13:04:00.000-04:002005-06-30T13:07:25.103-04:00

I am breaking my silence on issues directly involving Iran.This is not a controversy. The guy campaigned on the fact that he was the first person over the wall during the operation.I wrote about him in a National Post op-ed a year ago. This is what I said:It was almost exactly 25 years ago that student terrorists in Iran attacked the United States embassy and held 52 American citizens and

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120150698393726962005-06-30T12:56:00.000-04:002005-06-30T12:58:18.396-04:00

When this happens, you know that we have some serious problems in this world.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1120148477583899692005-06-30T11:57:00.000-04:002005-06-30T12:22:08.410-04:00

This confirms what many have said in the past. Canada's standard of living is dismally low. Canadians, on average, are worse off than those living in the poorest state in the Union, Alabama. Yeah. All the anti-Americanisms, and it turns out we are poorer than Alabamans. (I am not saying that Canada is not a better country, because I believe it is. On this important measure; however, we fail

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119996650656563562005-06-28T17:59:00.000-04:002005-06-28T18:10:50.660-04:00

Today, in the middle of the inside the park fights about youth wing vs. no youth wing, something is lost. Young people count, and we seem to have forgotten about that. It's a shame really. Here are some examples of some young people have done:1. Young Americans for Freedom drafted Barry Goldwater to run for President. (And those who know me, know that I believe it was Barry Goldwater who changed

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119971513802039312005-06-28T11:00:00.000-04:002005-06-28T11:18:17.870-04:00

Thanks to Paul Wells, I found this article by Paul Martin in one of the world's premier foreign affairs mags. Wells makes some good points (so go read them there), I'd like to make two additional points here:1. Stupid Organizations: There are very few international organizations that are of any use. With the exception of the World Trade Organization, I can't think of a single international

Watchnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119885959243864422005-06-27T11:18:00.000-04:002005-06-27T11:25:59.246-04:00

God Bless Ronald Reagan. He continues to have such an important place in the hearts of Americans. As you probably know by now, Reagan was named the Greatest American last night on the Discovery Channel. He beat out another Republican President, Abe Lincoln, by less than 1% to win the title. Being in California right now and having driven within a stone's throw of the Reagan Ranch yesterday I was

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119632394355746092005-06-24T12:44:00.000-04:002005-06-24T12:59:54.360-04:00

All the recent talk about needing to expand our base and building a broad coalition has got me thinking, what is wrong with our base? Do we all have scurvy? Why is it that leaders that we elect, seem to want to run away from us as soon as possible?So here it is, to partially make up for all the crappy things we do to them, a love letter to our base:Dear hard-working, often-rural, middle-class,

Watchnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119555649155689832005-06-23T15:27:00.000-04:002005-06-23T15:40:49.160-04:00

I think the Rick Mercer prank on Jason Kenney is fairly funny, but that doesn't mean it should go without a response. Here it is folks: Help me Google Bomb Rick Mercer by copying the following text into your blog or website:Bloodthirsty CapitalistAll that code does is add a link, like this: Bloodthirsty Capitalist, to your site.If you dont' have a website, start a new one through Blogger and copy

Watchnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119476298876177572005-06-22T17:34:00.000-04:002005-06-22T17:38:30.953-04:00

This is great news.Apparently the biggest obstacle might be getting people to accept them.I accept! I accept!Where do I sign up? I'm a bad driver so my girlfriend is probably happier about this than I am. Although, they have a guy from Cartoon U talking about this, so I am not sure how excited I should get.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119475403534699152005-06-22T16:56:00.000-04:002005-06-22T17:23:23.540-04:00

So here is the promised post on how private involvement in healthcare would play within NAFTA. Before I start, here is a caveat: I am, by no means, a NAFTA lawyer. I've spent the past two years studying world trade, as a topic, more intently than I've studied anything else, but that does not make me an expert. What I can talk about is the argument that others have made, namely that if government

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119453038434098332005-06-22T11:05:00.000-04:002005-06-22T11:10:38.443-04:00

[long post alert: this posts includes info on WTO, NAFTA post will be later today]A few have asked whether the government of Canada can realistically allow private participation in healthcare while barring American firms, including HMO’s, from entering Canada.This is a very interesting question and one that socialists like Maude Barlow have raised in the past. Throughout this post I will talk

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119383488963381532005-06-21T15:37:00.000-04:002005-06-21T15:51:28.966-04:00

Quite a bit has been written on religion's place in politics. I don't intend to re-write it all. For too long, Conservatives have been afraid to stand up and wear their religions as badges of honour. Poll after poll shows that great majority of Canadians self-identify with a religion. Why is it, if that the majority of Canadians are okay with religion, that we are hiding our religious values?

Watchnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119366350922031062005-06-21T10:52:00.000-04:002005-06-21T11:05:50.926-04:00

Saddam Offers a glimpse into what Middle Eastern leaders are claiming is Islam. This from the GQ artcile:Saddam told them he had hired his son Uday three prostitutes for the three nights before his wedding."He said the first night, this girl came and gave it to Uday pretty good," one soldier said. "So Saddam asked his son if he was ready for the next one. 'No,' Uday told Saddam. 'This one was

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119290613117390112005-06-20T13:52:00.000-04:002005-06-20T14:13:35.516-04:00

Adam Daifallah has a post on PQ's decision to hold its leadership election by the phone. This is idiotic. It has never worked. It will never work. The easier you make the act of voting the easier it becomes for corrupt people to hijack democracy. (Just think how hard it would be to sign up instant Tories if all those voting in nomination races were required to answer four questions about the CPC,

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119278518110940492005-06-20T10:20:00.000-04:002005-06-20T12:39:56.200-04:00

I'm not joking. Bill Clinton is the poster child for most of what is wrong with the world - or at least North America. Here is a guy who got to where he got by being a coward (draft dodging), a traitor (going to communist Russia to oppose US policy), and a morally bankrupt liar (Monica et al.) This guy's one identifying characteristic is his pure lust for power.Watch his "come-back kid" speech in

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1119027146881313662005-06-17T12:33:00.000-04:002005-06-17T12:52:26.886-04:00

Not many know this, but I've modeled my communication strategy on Ezra Levant, who I believe has based some of his techniques on what Tony Blankley did as Press Secretary to Newt Gingrich. (I've never asked him, but I'm assuming since Blankley came first, Levant learned from Blankley.)Anyway here is the essence of the Levant-Blankley communication strategy: DO NOT STAY QUIET. There are some

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118937770467182132005-06-16T11:30:00.000-04:002005-06-16T12:22:23.543-04:00

It is rumored that during the early days of Reform's caucus meetings, Preston Manning's favourite phrase was "As Sun Tzu says..." Manning used the phrase so often that even the most loyal Reform MP's began mocking him for it. But Manning is not alone in believing the value of war strategy in politics. There are many others. (Including this not-so-humble blogger.) I once attended a private lecture

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118869197219590142005-06-15T16:57:00.000-04:002005-06-15T16:59:57.223-04:00

Harper asks a question about the Chretien letter, and here is the response:Right Hon. Paul Martin (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have now answered the hon. member's questions twice, but I would like to raise another issue.The deputy leader of the Conservative Party has said that the Leader of the Opposition is going to spend this summer on the barbecue circuit. I understand the dangers of

Watchnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118859837396835442005-06-15T14:22:00.000-04:002005-06-15T14:23:57.400-04:00

"sounder on policy, sharper on tactics, stronger under fire" is how Andrew Coyne describes Stephen Harper.Right on!Coyne has officially become my favourite Canadian pundit - surpassing even Mark Steyn. (Yes. I just said that.)

Watchnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118847323336539292005-06-15T10:48:00.000-04:002005-06-15T10:55:23.340-04:00

Chantal Hebert is a socialist. It's that simple. But, like Ian Urquart, she is often right about tactical issues. (Not policy stuff. She is usually out to lunch on those.)In today's column she talks about the Conservative Party's failure to do more with the recent Supreme Court ruling. I think there is a good deal of truth to what she is saying. To borrow an often used line, it seems, on

Watchnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118764008546636812005-06-14T11:30:00.000-04:002005-06-14T11:54:37.563-04:00

So today's G&M has anonymous sources talking about how Stephen Harper must go. This, after some idiot leaked something to Bourque about Jim Flaherty running for leader. I know a few things in politics and one of them is this: Jim Flaherty is not running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of CanadaBut right now I want to talk about G&M's anonymous sources. I remember a West Wing episode

Watchnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118685331092424042005-06-13T13:47:00.000-04:002005-06-13T14:48:59.556-04:00

According to Liberal ethics, this is a-okay. If you get a chance, read more about Swaziland. Aside from having the world's highest HIV/AIDS ratio and being one of the poorest nations on the planet, Swaziland is well known for its King's odd orders. For example, a few years ago he made it illegal to have sex. He also likes to get married about once every year - always to someone under 20 it seems.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118676380709103992005-06-13T10:54:00.000-04:002005-06-13T11:35:52.260-04:00

The pissing match between the National Post and Stephen Harper has reached a new height. Many of you will remember when the National Post accused Harper of not being a real conservative shortly after the last election. The paper accused the Tory leader of being too willing to support Liberal initiatives on various issues - including provincial transfers. (Which incidentally is an issue that I

Watchnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118437331621361602005-06-10T16:56:00.000-04:002005-06-10T17:02:11.626-04:00

non-political post warning:Alexandria (VA) is going wireless. I have always wondered which city would be the first to go completely wireless.I lived in Alexandria for half a year when I was working in Washington DC and attending the NAFTA programme at The Washington Centre. It's a wonderful city. (And in case you are wondering, you can also get free internet by going to the George Mason

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118416582292359982005-06-10T10:46:00.000-04:002005-06-10T14:18:04.986-04:00

One of the subjects that I have some interest in is that of parenting. Unlike my girlfriend, I am not quite at the reading books stage, but I always stop to read any article or blog post on the matter while I am browsing the net. Today, I came upon this through Drudge.This, I think, is the most interesting excerpt:There are certain cultures--particularly Asian ones--that produce child prodigies.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118328325820240972005-06-09T10:31:00.000-04:002005-06-09T10:45:25.826-04:00

The mass hysteria over Harper seems somewhat too organized to be random. I don't know who is pushing it, but I intend to find out. If there is one thing I’ve learned about MSM, it’s that they don’t do anything without being pushed. My original post on this issue still applies.On health care and the Supreme Court:A couple of years ago I was on a rant about how judicial activism hurts the country

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118267945122100662005-06-08T17:51:00.000-04:002005-06-08T17:59:05.126-04:00

Okay. How apt is my post about actual conservatives questioning Harper given this?Brock's argument particularly crappy given that Stephen Harper grabbed a larger pluarlity of the vote out of any Tory/Reform leader in the past two decades with the exception of Mulroney. Stephen Harper will be the Prime Minister. Give him a year.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118263924972983902005-06-08T16:49:00.000-04:002005-06-08T16:52:04.976-04:00

My post earlier today, on Harper, seems even more appropriate now. See here for some predictable moaning.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118252225675117082005-06-08T13:12:00.000-04:002005-06-08T13:37:05.683-04:00

There are many places where one can read about Stephen Harper's "amateurism," his strategic mistakes, or his inability to lead.In fact, if I hadn't experienced, first hand, media's war on Stockwell Day, I would have said that Stephen Harper has gotten the worst media treatment out of all conservative leaders in the history of this country. So it is not a complete surprise to hear some

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118178076791693212005-06-07T16:56:00.000-04:002005-06-07T17:01:16.796-04:00

I think this latest Democratic effort to brand Republicans, and George Bush, as idiots is quite interesting. First they branded the Republicans as being heartless. They've accomplished that so they have no moved on to add the idiot label. This is not a one-off thing.According to Democrats and MSM, every Republican Presidential candidate of the past two decades has been mentally inferior to his

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118161325458895522005-06-07T12:20:00.000-04:002005-06-07T12:22:05.463-04:00

So John Kerry's Yale average was lower than George W. Bush. In fact he had four D's, out of ten courses, in his first year. This after spending most of his life going to expensive private schools where he would have been spoon fed the material. More on this later.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118078991227054332005-06-06T13:23:00.000-04:002005-06-06T13:29:51.230-04:00

MaderBlog has a decent, and short analysis of the Gonzales v. Raich decision. I consider myself a social conservative and I can't believe I'm supporting any decision written by Sandra "the horrible" Day O'Connor, but the federalist in me says that this is a bad decision. I don't care so much for how the interstate commerce clause precedent has come to mean that the Federal government can do

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1118075452885698712005-06-06T12:15:00.000-04:002005-06-06T12:32:25.736-04:00

The Libertoons are having an internal fight over Karla Homolka. Read their background discussion on S.810 first. Then come back here. I have been struggling with this issue for about two weeks now. I have thought about more than any other recent political issue. There are four competing priorities that I've considered:1. The right of the victims and their families. It is reasonable to assume that

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1117814013412089362005-06-03T11:21:00.000-04:002005-06-03T12:39:50.966-04:00

I’ve been tagged by Lanny Cardow in this tag game that seems to be taking over the Canadian Conservative blog world. I’ve been reading about them for three days now and I wondered when I would get tagged. I have to answer some questions and tag five new people – that will be a hard tag since there aren’t many people left! So here it is: Number of Books That You Own:This is really hard to

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1117811438286342642005-06-03T11:06:00.000-04:002005-06-03T11:10:38.290-04:00

So I've been on an extended blog-vacation for some time. For those of you who are wondering, this was caused by a scare after my National Post op-ed regarding Iran. Some believed that the Iranian government would not look kindly upon the relatives of a foreigner who bashes them in national media. Since I have lots of relatives back in Iran still, I decided to stop using the other site that made

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1106423107246718952005-01-22T14:45:00.000-05:002005-01-22T14:45:07.246-05:00

The Star finally gets it right and praises a Conservative MP.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1106271436716568332005-01-20T20:37:00.000-05:002005-01-20T20:37:16.716-05:00

This is probably the only thing that would convince my non-academic brother to get a PhD. I'm sure this is taxpayer dollars well-spent.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1105999534664240352005-01-17T17:05:00.000-05:002005-01-17T17:05:34.663-05:00

So there is a war going on in blogsphere. Libertoons (here and here) are going nuts trying to describe their oppostion or support for Toronto's smoking ban. Frankly, I am enjoying watching libertarians are having a hard time, twisting and turning themselves into various pretzel shaped objects trying to find an ideologically consistent way to deal with municipal laws. The truth of the

Watchnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722566.post-1105924643865192332005-01-16T20:17:00.000-05:002005-01-16T20:17:23.866-05:00

I've supported B'nai B'rith on numerous occasions. This will make me re-consider my support for the organization.

Watchnoreply@blogger.com0