Hmmmm....

It almost bedtime and I decided to sign in and see what (if anything) has changed on Blogger's dashboard so I don't forget completely how to blog.

It's been a busy summer and I'm hoping for a quiet fall... Time will tell...

How's everyone doing? Does anyone still check in here? Just asking... I wouldn't blame you if everyone abandoned the world's slowest blogger...

Damn...

I don't know it's because I'm lazy or too distracted... I still have a couple of posts half-written but I can't seem to find the mojo to finish 'em... Meh...

Doesn't it just make you want to spit?

As I usually do, I sat for a few minutes this evening and read a few emails, then I read & commented on a few threads on the Blogging Tories forums. Then I went digging around to see what the media have to say for themselves....

I stumbled across this little gem on the CTV website... Budget to put cash into people's pockets, says PM and I was delighted to think of such an idea. Getting to keep some of the money which I earn is a life-goal of mine...

It was going too well. I should have pushed away from the computer with a warm glow but no... foolishly, I read the comments section. There were the usual partisan snarling comments but the one which really got me was this one....

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mile Zero Victoria BC

Tax is not a dirty word. Quite the contrary taxes are good.

It's not tax cuts I want; but rather a stimulus to the economy by appropriate spending on green infrastructure programs such as public transit, investments to auto companies that will introduce green products ASAP and public housing geared to income among many other programs.

When we pool our resources, our taxes, we can make a bigger impact. By putting a few dollars in my pocket a year, that does little. I prefer to donate to the larger cause and thus prefer to pay taxes for beneficial programs for all Canadians and beyond.

Don't buy my vote with the promise of tax cuts, do what is right.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that this was written by a Dipper; no other party (except possibly the Maxist-Leninist Party or perhaps the Bloc but I digress) would be attractive to such a collectivist. It's got all the markings.

Well, Mile Zero... if you prefer to donate to the larger cause, bully for you. I would like to suggest you contact Revenue Canada and voluntarily double the amount of taxation you pay. Go ahead... Put your wallet where your mouth (or keyboard) is... For such a principled Dipper (oxymoron?), a tax cut would never buy your vote so don't interfere with tax cuts to everyone else... Instead, do your little bit!! Pay double taxes... do what is right!!

If you and all of your Dipper friends start paying double their current rate of taxation, chances are it won't have much of an impact since I doubt any of you pay any significant taxes. There isn't much money in being a professional protester and welfare cheques aren't subject to income tax.

For the rest of us who work for a living, we'd like to keep the money we earn and spend (or save) as we see fit. You see, we're capable of making mature choices and don't need a nanny state to take care of every little thing. Maybe when you grow up, you'll be the same.

-Mac

an old sailor's opinion...

A letter forwarded to me from a good friend who knows the author...

-Mac

To:	Lunn - Gary MP , "Martin, Keith - Riding 1"

Gentlemen,
As you both may be aware I contributed financially towards your recent
re-election - not because of your Party affiliations but because I know
and respect both of you.

Regretfully, I am too old now to serve Canada in any political
capacity.  However, I did serve faithfully  for 38 years in the RCN and
the Canadian Armed Forces - including in NDHQ, as a Rear Admiral and
Vice Admiral,  where I had  the honour to serve both under  Liberal and
Conservative Ministers of National Defence. In every  instance they
received  my complete respect and  loyalty regardless of Party.

My father also served in Canada's Navy  for 37 years from 1909 to 1946.
He commanded several RCN ships and both coasts, and was ultimately  the
Commanding Officer Pacific Coast during the last three years of World
War II.

His father was Speaker of the House of Commons, during  the Laurier
Government, then was Minister of Inland Revenue, then Minister of Marine
and Fisheries (in which capacity he became the founding Minister of the
Royal Canadian Navy), then served as Justice of the Supreme Court of
Canada, and ultimately died in office as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.
He devoted his entire life to Canada.

On behalf of three generations who have devoted their lives to Canada, 
I  unequivocally condemn the power grabbing  political charade now
taking place in Parliament.

We are witnessing a deplorable and juvenile scene which demeans  its
participants, and also further erodes  the residual  prestige of a
Canada which in both World Wars  achieved greatness and international
respect. Politicians and their sycophants delude themselves  into
believing that Canada  has influence and prestige in the modern world.
Compared to the Canadian  international influence and prestige I
witnessed in the 1950's we have become moralizing nonentities who are
recognizably no longer even capable  of constructing our own warships,
submarines  and military aircraft; and will soon become totally
dependent on other nations for even our means of defence.

When a terrorist crisis hits Canada  - and someday it undoubtedly will 
- the politicians will scurry about seeking who to blame for lack of
capability or preparedness. I can save them  the trouble - look in the
mirror! Make it a long look if you come from the NDP - the political
party which has consistently opposed defence spending over the past
three decades!

So this obviously dysfunctional consortia is about to approach the
Governor General  seeking her concurrence to form the next government?
Ask yourselves  how Her Excellency will be able to reconcile the fact
that Canadian soldiers, of whom she is the Commander-in-Chief, are
fighting,  and dying for Canada in Afghanistan; while Canadian
politicians are obsessed with  power grabbing.  Our military are not
stupid - how long can they be expected  to put their lives on the line
under those circumstances?

There was a stunning contrast yesterday between the statesmanship
displayed by President-Elect Obama with  his National Security Team and
the complete lack of statesmanship in Canada's Parliament.  A great many
Canadians will have noted that contrast and be disgusted with  Canada's
politicians.

I realize that you are only two Members of Parliament among many. I can
only hope that my words and my respect for you may assist you in
bringing your colleagues to their senses.
                                        Sincerely
                                        Nigel Brodeur

Ezra hits another one over the fence...

I can't say it nearly as well as Ezra himself... The Jewish Exemption... but I would argue that it wasn't the fact Ezra is Jewish that makes the different. It's the fact Ezra isn't afraid to challenge the HRCs and point out their hypocrisy in a highly disciplined legal manner.

I've never had the pleasure of meeting Ezra Levant but I salute him!!

How did that happen?

This evening, in a rare quiet moment, I looked at Enig-Mac and realized it had been months since I wrote anything whatsoever! I've dedicated very little time to writing... or rather to blogging... as I've spent much time writing but it was all at work-related writing... I haven't even posted my usual complaints about lack of time or lack of motivation, let alone lack of writing...

The bit of time I've had to blogging has been spent commenting on the wide variety of articles which pass through Jack's Newswatch plus a few threads and comments on the Blogging Tories Forums. I recommend both sites highly!!

Politics have continued despite my lack of blogging. Stephen Harper continues to govern, slowly evolving the Canadian political landscape. Stephane Dion continues to shock and amaze by his sheer lack of political acumen and his amazing environmental hypocrisy. Gilles Duceppe continues to try (without success) to find an honourable way out of politics. Jack Layton continues to be ignored (and that's not a bad thing) despite his best efforts. The media continues to try to build credibility for Lizzie May and she continues to prove she's unworthy of their attention.

The summer has finally arrived and the politicians will be slithering away from Ottawa to spend their days working the barbecue circuit; glad-handing, baby-kissing and (most importantly) fund-raising. It will be interesting to see if Dion finally manages to collect enough to pay off the debts from his leadership campaign, let alone run an election campaign.

Has anyone noticed how the MSM are hounding Dion about his lack of success in fund-raising? Me neither. Funny, that.

Tagged!!

Sandy tagged me to publish 'Six Quirky Things' so, without further ado...

1- I dislike talking on the telephone. No logical reason for it but I've always felt that way. No long passionate teenage "you hang up first" from me. As an adult, my telephone contact tends to be brief and to the point.

2- I collect wilderness art, especially of wolves. I have numerous collector prints, both from famous artists and obscure artists. The room where I'm typing this has eight framed prints (seven are of wolves) and three figurines (all wolves).

3- I shave my head and I've done so for years. The first "Cops For Cancer" campaign was in 1994 in Edmonton but the campaign, with it's signature head shaving, hit BC in 1996. I was one of the first volunteers in BC. I had my head shaved in Langford (just outside Victoria) and I haven't had a haircut since then.

4- I own a collector car (a 1973 Chevrolet Corvette) which I did a "body off frame" restoration on. It was the second vehicle I successfully restored. I also disassembled one with the intention of restoring it but eventually sold the pieces as it was too far gone to justify rebuilding.

5- The first three years of my education were conducted in a "one room schoolhouse" with other students from my community between grades 1 and 6. In the third year, the school board closed the few remaining country schools and consolidated them into regional elementary schools.

6- Like Sandy and her husband, my wife and I share household chores but we often do them together. Whenever we go grocery shopping together, I always sneak something (usually treats) into the grocery cart.

If it's alright, I won't 'tag' anyone else. I know... pretty boring...

-Mac

Count Coup

The natives on the great plains of North America had a curious tradition which seemingly defies logic; a strange, primal demonstration of bravery and defiance.

Warriors would try, either openly or covertly, to approach and to touch an enemy warrior, either with a hand or a stick, then escape without harm. The touch was non-violent but the intention was defiance and a demonstration of a lack of fear. There was significant risk of injury or death should the one being touched react violently... as often happened. The point was to demonstrate you could get close enough to harm another warrior and deliberately did not harm him.

The touch was considered provocative and, some suggest, stole away the other’s fighting spirit and mocked him. Indeed, another form of this tradition was to actually steal something material from an enemy; usually a preferred weapon or anything uniquely identifiable.

The French, in witnessing this tradition, called it “count coup” or, literally translated, “counting strikes”. Many of you may have heard the expression "counting coup" before and not have realized what that entailed.

Demonstrations of bravery were very important in primitive cultures for establishing one’s status within the tribe. A warrior who was successful at counting coup against his enemies was well regarded in his tribe and often rewarded by adding feathers to his headdress or notches to his walking staff.

So what does all of this have to do with modern life and geo-political situations? Well, read this BBC news story and you tell me... do you think these guys gained a few feathers or notches?

-Mac

Iran boats 'threatened US ships'

Five Iranian speedboats harassed three US navy ships at the weekend, approaching them and radioing a threat to blow them up, US officials say.

The incident happened in the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route. The US said their ships were about to open fire when the Iranian boats withdrew.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the Iranian action "provocative and dangerous".

Iran played down the event, describing it as an "ordinary occurrence".

"This... happens for the two sides every once in a while and, after the identification of the two sides, the issue is resolved," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said.

Official media also reported the US statement about Iran's allegedly threatening behaviour with scepticism, implying that Washington was exaggerating the incident.

'Serious provocation'

The speedboats, believed to belong to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, came within about 200m of the US vessels, Pentagon officials said.

"I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes," the Iranians said in a radio transmission, according to US officials.

The Iranian boats were operating at "distances and speeds that showed reckless, dangerous and potentially hostile intent," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

He said at least some of the boats were visibly armed. At one point the speedboats dropped floating "box-like objects", the US navy commander in the region, Vice Adm Kevin Cosgriff said.

US sailors assumed battle stations and the captain on one of the ships was about to order an attack when the Iranian boats turned away, US officials said.

The confrontation, which occurred at about 0400 local time on Sunday or late on Saturday in Washington, lasted about 20 minutes, according to the US.

The Pentagon has insisted that the three US vessels - identified as navy cruiser USS Port Royal, destroyer USS Hopper and frigate USS Ingraham - were in international waters.

[....]

Bias examined at the CP & the Grope & Maul

Recalling Sandy’s challenge, I went looking for an article to examine for those gentle and subtle hints of biased reporting... As luck would have it, I managed to find something although the bias is far from subtle.

Tories blast CBC in party fundraising letter

Mac sez... Nothing like a stirring headline to catch your eye, eh?

ALEXANDER PANETTA

The Canadian Press

December 25, 2007 at 6:37 PM EST

Mac sez... Merry Christmas to you too, Mr. Panetta.

The Conservative Party of Canada has slammed the country's public broadcaster in a fundraising letter to party members.

Top party official Doug Finley has sent Conservative grassroots supporters a letter in which he lambastes the CBC and asks people for money to help fight an election.

Mr. Finley, the party's campaign director, says he was shocked by allegations that a CBC reporter helped produce questions for a Liberal MP to ask Brian Mulroney at a recent parliamentary hearing.

Mac sez... Slammed, lambasted, shocked... Poor Doug Finley must be exhausted with all of that violent emotion. It’s a wonder he took the time to write to party members.

Now he's using the incident as a fundraising message to the party faithful: Tories face a chronic disadvantage because of their powerful enemies, and need your cash to overcome it.

But while casting the governing party as a perennial underdog, Mr. Finley glosses over the fact that the Tories are — by far — the top dog in the money department.
Notice Panetta doesn’t dispute the chronic disadvantage or the powerful enemies. Nope... it’s easier to just say it and then use a logical fallacy to dismiss the whole concept. The Conservatives can’t have powerful enemies or be at a disadvantage if they’re out-fundraising the other parties, right? Wait a minute... what does one have to do with the other? Nothing; therein lies the fallacy.

The Tories are loaded with cash after out-fundraising the Liberals by millions of dollars at a four-to-one ratio, and that money has allowed them to staff campaign headquarters and run multiple TV ads.

Mr. Finley glosses over those advantages in a letter that focuses on the challenges of being a Conservative.

Mac sez... Let’s see... we want to raise funds... so let’s tell everyone how well our previous fund raising has worked and how much we’ve managed to raise compared to the other parties. That should pretty much guarantee no-one will bother giving the CPC a dime.

“Let's face the facts,” Mr. Finley writes in a letter, released by the party Monday.

“Running as a Conservative in Canada is never easy.

“The Liberals have long benefited from the support of the country's most powerful vested interests. And the NDP has always been backed by the country's loudest vocal interests.”

He goes on to ask for $100 or $200, and argues that financial support will help the Tories overcome the challenge of fighting the Liberals and “their vested interest allies.”

Mac sez... So you’re willing to quote a few sentences from the letter after all. I wonder why you don’t publish the “slams” and the “lambasting” which you object to so much, Mr. Panetta? Perhaps it wasn’t quite as slamming and lambasting as you would like us to believe? Once again, you’re not offering anything to disprove Doug Finley’s assertions. I expect that means there’ll be a logical fallacy to follow...

The Conservatives already do have plenty of help sitting in their bank account.

The party has so much money that for months it's been operating a 1,500-square-metre election headquarters in an Ottawa industrial park.

And Mr. Finley leads an election team that has remained in place throughout the two years since the last campaign.

That team has spent millions bombarding Liberal Leader Stephane Dion with five waves of negative TV ad campaigns, and the cash-strapped opposition has been left to reply with low-budget Internet ads on Youtube.

Mac sez... Panetta doesn’t disappoint. Well, actually, he does... I mean he went for the logical fallacy as predicted. He reiterated the first fallacy and moved on to talk about the CPC election team and the TV ads which the CPC have used to effective define Dion... and then describes the opposition (feeling a need to include the Dippers, I guess) as being cash strapped and only able to reply via Youtube. Oh, poor helpless Opposition!! How desperate your plight!! So what exactly does any of this have to do with the CPC having powerful enemies, facing media bias, etc? Nothing... just a fallacy to falsely debunk Finley's letter...

But the Tory fundraising letter suggests the Liberals get help elsewhere.

Mr. Finley's letter mentions two other CBC reports where the network was accused of bias against Conservatives. He notes, in passing, that the CBC received $1.11-billion in government funding in 2006-07.

CBC brass have said they are investigating and considering possible disciplinary action against a reporter who allegedly supplied questions for Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez to ask Mulroney.

But the broadcaster's reaction has left some puzzled on Parliament Hill.

Other reporters say they've suggested questions for politicians in the past — for instance, when Conservatives were in opposition and grilling the Liberals during the sponsorship scandal.

Mac sez.... So, Finley cites more than one recent example of the CBC’s overt bias against the CPC and you don’t bother to quote Finley’s words, Mr. Panetta? How curious. Instead, you elect to focus on the single incident. One wonders what those other examples might be... but I digress...

The CBC brass is concerned enough to investigate and consider discipline but you prefer instead to question the veracity of the complaint and cite cases of anonymous reporters who supposedly supplied questions to unnamed politicians of no particular partisan group in an undefined past... all without providing any reference or proof whatsoever... and then, as the cherry on top, you mention the Conservatives in opposition during AdScam.

In other words, you haven’t slandered anyone. You haven’t provided any evidence whatsoever of reporters supplying questions... or even given the names of reporters who might have done so... or of politicians who have received such suggestions... You’ve proved nothing, you’ve disproved nothing... yet you’ve provided a “vehicle” for leftists to feel outraged against the CPC, for them to feel sorry for the destitute Opposition and to perhaps persuade them to open their wallets for someone OTHER than the Conservatives... which I expect was the whole purpose of your scribbling.

100% free of substance, detail and reference... specifically designed to provoke an emotional reaction against the CPC and it’s fundraising. It is noteworthy that these fund raising letters weren’t sent to just anyone. They were sent to party faithful and no-one else... (you did mention that in passing, didn’t you, Mr. Panetta?) so this story is really an invasion of the CPC’s privacy... unless you plan to start airing the sordid details of the fund-raising letters sent out by all the other parties as well. Is it okay if I don’t hold my breath waiting for you to do so??

Well done, Mr. Panetta of the Canadian Press. You’ve shown exactly how biased reporting works and you’ve proved it happens not only in the CBC but also in the Canadian Press... and the Globe and Mail who decided to publish this reekingly biased article you produced on a lovely Christmas Day.

I dedicate this Fisking to the ever-faithful Reg of Mitchieville...

World's Slowest Blogger Pontificates...

Merry Christmas, everyone.