Elections matter

A resolution of the Francophonie summit to recognize Lebanon's suffering in this summer's conflict, but not Israel's, was revised at Stephen Harper's urging.  There was drama before the final news conference of the summit, which was scheduled for today, when it became clear that Harper wouldn't support the resolution. It was backed by most members of la Francophonie...-- CTV

US midterm campaign getting serious

Or nasty, depending on your perspective:

The result of the dueling accusations has been what both sides described on Tuesday as the most toxic midterm campaign environment in memory. It is a jarring blend of shadowy images, breathless announcers, jagged music and a dizzying array of statistics, counterstatistics and vote citations — all intended to present the members of Congress and their challengers in the worst possible light. Democratic and Republican strategists said they expected over 90 percent of the advertisements to be broadcast by Nov. 7 to be negative...

When he was a quarterback, it didn't matter that he wasn't paying $69,000 in taxes," Mr. Reynolds said. "When you run for Congress, it matters."

Mr. Reynolds burst out laughing when asked why he was not using more positive advertisements. "If they moved things to the extent that negative ads move things, there would be more of them," he said.

Facinating interview

This interview is really, really worth listening to.  Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower, explains his important new book, basically chronicling the birth and rise of Al Queda and Islamic extremism.

 

I can't recommend it more highly.

No swing voters

The outlook for Republicans continues to improve, as gas prices fall, the economy hums along, and the president focuses on the Global War on Terror.  And the Democrats?

 

"But Democrats, whose base wants to hear how we get out of Iraq, simply dance around the answer. Democrats are acting like John Kerry in 2004, trying to appeal to swing voters in yet another election in which there are no swing voters." -- John Zogby

shut down the CBC: Paul Wells

Another one sees the light

the Volpe show rolls on

Haunted by yet another scandal, Joe Volpe said Monday that he'll continue in the Liberal leadership race despite new allegations that his camp signed up party members who were already dead.

 

 

elections matter

The Conservatives are cutting $1B in spending over 2 years, including:

• $78.8 million: Elimination of program that gave GST rebates to tourists (An easy choice - uptake was 3%)
• $50 million: Elimination of unused funding for Northwest Territories devolution
• $46.8 million: Smaller cabinet announced in February
• $45 million: "Efficiencies" in Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
• $15 million: Elimination of residual funding for softwood-lumber trade litigation
• $13.9 million: Cancellation of National Defence High-Frequency Surface Wave Radar Project
• $11.7 million: Removal of unused funds for mountain pine beetle initiative
• $6.5 million: Elimination of funding for the Centre for Research and Information on Canada
• $6 million: Operational efficiencies at the Canada Firearms Centre
• $5.6 million: Elimination of Court Challenges Program (outstanding call on this rediculous program)
• $5 million: Administrative reductions to Status of Women Canada
• $4.6 million: Cuts to museum assistance
• $4.6 million: Elimination of the RCMP drug-impaired-driving program's training budget
• $4.25 million: Consolidation of foreign missions
• $4.2 million: Cuts to Law Commission of Canada
• $4 million: End to medical-marijuana science funding (nice)

Clinton goes bananas

For a guy who usually keeps his cool, Clinton's interview with Fox News was a big surprise.  He is clearly worried about his legacy, an has the usual right wing conspiracy ideas.  An entertaining 10 minutes.

Mark Steyn highlights

A while back Mark Steyn hosted the Rush Limbaugh show, and some helpful blogger has put together a highlight reel.  Outstanding.  He also appears every Thursday on the Hugh Hewitt show.  You can listen to clips here, or podcast it of course.

Rae in the lead

According to a poll of liberal party members, Rae is tied with Ignatieff on the first ballot, but picks up substantial support on the second ballot.

 

And in not so helpful news, disgraced former cabinet member Alfonso Gagliano has come out to support his fellow Italian Canadian Joe Volpe. 

OBL no longer with us?

The French think the Saudis think he's dead. 

Your Liberal Leadership update

Dozens of people in Montreal, including the dead, have been improperly signed up as federal Liberal party members.  -- TorStar

Red Friday

Days like this make me proud to be Canadian. 

What began with two women looking for ways to support Canadian troops in Afghanistan, turned into a mass of thousands Friday, for a rally on Parliament Hill...

The front lawn of parliament turned red when between twelve and fifteen thousand people showed up at noon, dressed in red, to show their support for Canadian troops serving overseas.

The race is on

Klein has tendered his resignation, so the race which has been unofficially been on for years, is on.

 

Nine contenders have thrown their hats in the ring to replace Klein, who plans to step down by the end of the year following the selection of a new leader.

The list includes former cabinet ministers Lyle Oberg, Mark Norris, Jim Dinning, Victor Doerksen, Dave Hancock and Ed Stelmach. Two backbenchers, Ted Morton and Alana DeLong, are also in the race as is disabled rights advocate Gary McPherson.

The other thing worth noting is how much influence the outgoing premier's wife has had on him.  She really has been the boss of him...

 

A global war

In Somalia, Islamic extremists have killed an elderly nun.  As David Frum put it: stop calling Islam violent or we'll kilil more nuns.

 

In Afghanistan, 4 Canadians and 27 civilians have been klled by a suicide bomber on a bicycle, who also injured a number of others including some children.

 

In Iraq, bombers and gunmen have killed over 40 people, and the country is bracing for more as Ramadan approaches.  Also in that country, extremists are calling for a war on Christians over the pope's recent comments.

 

And in Thailand, Islamiic extremists set of bombs in a downtown area killing 4, including a Canadian yesterday.

 

Add to that all the recent plots uncovered in the US, Canada and Britain, and the war in south Lebanon, can there be any doubt that this is a global war with Islamic radicals? 

 

 

Brazilian ethanol

An interesting overview on ethanol made from sugarcane by Thomas Friedman.  When we lived in Brazil, ethanol was just a normal part of life.  I'm not sure I totally agree with all the recommendations in the article, but it is an intriguing idea and discussion.

Israel in turmoil

Weeks after the conflict with Hezbollah ended, Israel is struggling to assess and deal with its failures.  There are widespread calls for PM Olmert to resign, one general has resigned, and a commission of inquiry has been launched.  Let's hope things get better through this turmoil. 

 

But the biggest question facing the Israelis is: where is the leadership?

AB growth almost matches China

A 43% increase in GDP between 2002 and 2005? (according to StatsCan, who as we know doesn't always get things exactly right).

 

The whole article is unbelievable.  Everything is up - spending, saving, investment, wages, profits, birth rates, immigration.  The labour market is still tight, there may be a problem with high school drop outs, and of course housing prices are sky high.  But the bottom line is that AB is booming - big time.

The Canadian Armed Forces

We have a proud history of military excellence in this country, much to the chagrin of the left.  They'd like to see our soldiers renamed "helpful persons of unspecific gender", disarmed, and only sent abroad to build shelters and hand our rations.  It's disgraceful.

 

But our Canadian forces fight - surprisingly that's what soldiers do.  They know it, and we should know it too.  Fighting is the focus of the new ads released today, and for some this is controversial.  To them I say, wake up and learn your history and look around at our world.  To Defence Chief Hillier I say keep up the excellent work - you are making a difference. 

 

To you I say watch the ads - they are outstanding.

marriage works

The telegraph says so : the empirical evidence turns out to back up what has always been the common-sense view.

Quick, check for flying monkeys

Amnesty International has accused Hezbollah of war crimes!  Apparently they noticed the terrorist organization was targeting civilians with ball bearing laden missiles.

tragedy in Montreal

One dead and many injured by a young gunman who was later killed by police. 

Bush on 9/11

W gave a very good speech last night in prime time, remembering the attacks of 9/11, naming the enemy, and calling this struggle the challenge of this generation.

Since the horror of 9/11, we've learned a great deal about the enemy. We have learned that they are evil and kill without mercy -- but not without purpose. We have learned that they form a global network of extremists who are driven by a perverted vision of Islam -- a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance, and despises all dissent. And we have learned that their goal is to build a radical Islamic empire where women are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings, and terrorists have a safe haven to plan and launch attacks on America and other civilized nations. The war against this enemy is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century, and the calling of our generation.

Perhaps we are moving to a time when we can actually speak of the enemy as it is, and fight it like it must be fought.  Perhaps.  But only if we have the right leaders and if we support our men and women on the front lines - wherever that may be.

The Road to 9/11 Part 2

So the second part wasn't nearly as good as the first.  Maybe because it was looking at the Bush administration, or maybe because I thought I was watching the Richard Clarke show.  The former counter terrorism "tsar" is now a consultant to ABC, and by the looks of it, helped write the script.  Apparently he was the only one who was serious about terrorism, and was actually put in charge of things on the actual day.  Right. The other major annoyance was the actor they got to play Dick Cheney - he was old enough to be Dick Cheney's father, or maybe grandfather.  The guy's not 85!

 

But the ending was solid, with lots of actual footage.  Seeing the second plane hit again brought back a lot of memories, as did seeing the towers collapse. 

 

I'm pretty sure I didn't understand the significance of the events that day, but I'm also sure that it has shaped me and my views.  It was one of those monumental days in human history, like the falling of the Berlin wall, or maybe even the attack on Pearl Harbour. 

 

This is our generation's fight.  We didn't ask for it, but like other wars from other times it was thrust upon us.  We must not back down.

 

And we must win.

Harper on 9/11

The scourge of terrorism can't be stopped "unless some among us are willing to accept enormous sacrifice and risk to themselves," warned Prime Minister Stephen Harper...Harper said he remembered watching the second tower of New York's World Trade Center collapse on TV with his wife Laureen.

"As the enormity of the events began to sink in, I turned to her and said, 'this will change the course of history'," he said, according to remarks released in advance of his Monday night speech.

Since then, there have been bombings carried out in Bali, Indonesia, Madrid, Spain and London in Great Britain, to name a few, he said.  Many more plots have been foiled by security forces the world over, including Canada, he said.

"The targets and tactics were different in every case, but the objective is always the same: To kill, maim and terrify as many people as possible," Harper said.

"Not in the name of any idealistic cause, but because of an ideology of hatred."

This could also have been put under the heading "Elections matter".  Can you imagine what Paul Martin would have said?  Do you remember what Chretien did right after 9/11?  That's right - not much of anything.

9/11

David Frum has been looking at the war on terror all week, and is worth reading. 

Mark Steyn has compiled a number of his columns looking back at what he thinks is the event that will unravel the present order.  He also has a book coming out soon called America Alone.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani puts 9/11 in context and, in a different way, so does Christopher Hitchens.

 

If you come across something else worth reading, please post it in the comments or send me an email.

The Road to 9/11

The 5 hour ABC movie based at least in part on the 9/11 commission report has been very controversial.  Former President Bill "I did not have sex with that women, Ms Lewinski" Clinton and some officials have been up in arms over scenes that make them look paralysed by indecision.  And considering the movie was made my a major US network, I figured it would be soft on the 1990s and espcially on every liberals' favorite president.

So I was pleseantly suprised at how much I enjoyed watching the first three hours (sans commercials!).  It was fast paced, edgy, politically incorrect, and fun to watch.  The movie pulled together all of the events from the 1993 attempt to bring down the World Trade Towers to 9/11/2001.  It chronicalled the attempts to find the major terrorists the US government knew about, and the breaks and hard work that led to arrests.  And it highlighted the failures and lack of clarity that permeated the efforts. 

I'm looking forward to the conclusion tonight, which is of course the 5 year anniversary.  I'll probably have more to say then.

Corporate welfare pays of?

According to this study, corporate welfare in the tech sector pays off, bigtime.

 

The report, commissioned by Industry Canada's audit and evaluation branch, concluded that Technology Partnerships Canada has produced a net benefit of $32.3-billion to the Canadian economy over most of its existence, or 8.6 times the program's total costs.

your Liberal leadership update

The French-language [debate] was supposed to be an opportunity for candidates to woo Quebecers, but it quickly turned into a marathon of mangled syntax and butchered grammar.  Ten leadership hopefuls braved the debate, though only a handful could make their pitches in the first language of the province and of one-quarter of Canadians.

 

The result was at times comical, often confusing, and even left TV translators tongue-tied as they sometimes opted to remain silent rather than try to guess what the candidates meant.

 

Oh, and Ignatief promised to reopen the constitution so Quebec could be recognized as a country within a country.  Nice.

 

The Pope on "da Canadian values"

Pope Benedict hit out Friday at Canada for allowing same sex marriage and abortion, saying they result from Catholic politicians ignoring the values of their religion.

"In the name of tolerance your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse, and in the name of freedom of choice it is confronted with the daily destruction of unborn children," the Pope told a group of bishops from Ontario.

It's ugly in the UK

Resignations, infighting, and a PM who is being forced to step down earlier than he would like.  Sound familiar?  No it's not John Chretien or Ralph Klien.  It's Tony Blair!  Strange how a guy so well regarded internationally is so disliked at home...

Iraqi army milestone

Good news, to be sure: Iraq's government takes command of its armed forces Thursday, a milestone American officials have hailed as crucial to the country's difficult road to independence and eventual withdrawal of foreign troops.

Bush's speech

So I'm a little late on this, but it looks like Bush is finally making some progress on an effective message regarding the war on Islamic extremism.  Frum liked the speech, but noted how long overdue it is.  The NR editors are also positive:

 

Bush has given concrete details about how the program has kept us safe. To take one example: Al Qaeda was planning a monstrous follow-up to the 9/11 attacks, under the direction of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. But interrogation after the capture of a bin Laden intimate led to the apprehension of Mohammed's 9/11 sidekick, Ramzi bin al-Shibh; and the questioning of both terrorists then led to the capture of Mohammed before the attack could be carried out. More broadly, the program has resulted in, among other things, the revelation of plots to kill large numbers of Americans in domestic bombings; the identification of terrorist operatives dispatched to carry them out; the arrest of Riduan Isamuddin, a.k.a. Hambali, the Jemmah Islamia architect of the Bali bombings that killed 202 people; and the smashing of a 17-member Jemmah Islamia cell. The CIA's interrogations have also exposed al Qaeda's transportation channels and safe harbors, and compromised its communications. In short, they have probably saved thousands upon thousands of lives. To make sure they continue to do so, the president has proposed legislation that would do two things.

 

The central question of this decade is: is the west at war with radical Islam?  The answer to that question is a pretty clear indication of how you see the world, history, and politics.

 

 

 

NDP: our troops are terrorists

Canada's troops in Afghanistan have been "acting like terrorists, destroying communities, killing and maiming innocent people ", according to a resolution that will be voted on by New Democrats at the party's convention in Quebec City this weekend.

 

The resolution is one of 104 proposals on international affairs from local riding associations that will be presented at the convention. Others suggest Canada withdraw from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement, while one riding association proposes a freeze on trade with Israel until the "occupation of Palestinian lands" is ended.

"The Canadian occupation is propping up a regime composed of barbarous warlords who are little better than the Taliban ," says one riding association.

 

So it's only a draft right?  Sure.  But Jack Layton hasn't condemned it (his spokesperson offered no comment), and the only person who has condemned it is the sole NDP MP who supports the mission in Afghanistan, Peter Stoffer.  (How long before Jack kicks him out for not following the party line?)

 

I shouldn't even have to offer comment on this, but it seems it is necessary.  It is utterly despicable of Canadians of any political stripe to talk about our soldiers this way.  Our men and women in uniform are some of the best this country has to offer, who have left family and comfort to fight an enemy that cannot be appeased or negotiated with.  Reasonable people can disagree about the mission to Afghanistan, but to accuse our soldiers of atrocities is beyond the limits of civil discourse.  These resolutions should be debated now that they have been put forth, and then they should be overwhelmingly defeated.  If they are not, the NDP has no business on the national stage.

no praying on air canada flights

An orthodox jew was kicked off a flight for praying too obviously

Terrorism in Canada

This is a fascinating account of an Ottawa women who became a financial conduit for terrorists looking to strike in Britain.

Khawaja is accused of designing the cellphone detonator that the Britons were allegedly planning to use to ignite 600 kilograms of ammonium nitrate.  After they met in person, she was told he needed her to send money.  "He said it had to be a woman because sisters don't get caught -- brothers get caught if they send money," she said in her statement.Over the next few months, she sent thousands in cash as well as a debit card for a bank account which, prosecutors say, was later used by the British suspects.

Mexican uncertainty

Two months ago an election for president was held, with the leftist candidate losing by a very, very small margin.  Today, their highest court is expected to certify the results.  Protestors vow to keep up the fight, and there is talk of a parallel government.  And you thought the US election in 2000 was contentious...

 

Either way this turmoil isn't good for Mexico or its neighbours and trading partners.  Let's hope they get it sorted out soon, so they can continue with much needed reforms.

Friendly fire

It happens in every war, and yet it is still preventable.  Once again, Canadians have been killed by friendly fire.