keaimato

Last Post

2007-01-04T10:28:00.001-06:00

As much fun as I've had blogging over the last year, I've decided to pack it in. I appreciate all the loyal reader(s) who were interested in my perspective. I'll likely keep blogging every once in a while at the Marturia blog. Thanks for the memories.

Somalia pushes back against Islamists

2007-01-01T12:06:00.001-06:00

The Ethiopian backed Somali government is regaining control of their country and pushing back the Union of Islamic Courts which has overrun the country last year. The Somali Prime Minister has offered amnesty to the Islamic fighters if they turn in their weapons, and has called for peace keepers. Let's hope that peace can be brought permanently to that region.

Crime fighting

2006-12-27T15:39:00.000-06:00

Here is a summary of what is happening with the Conservatives crime fighting bills currently stalled in Ottawa. The opposition is stalling on the age of consent bill (raising it from an unacceptable 14 to 16). The opposition is stalling on mandatory minimum sentances The opposition is stalling on cracking down on drug driving The opposition is stalling on a bill to crack down on people

Christmas in Africa

2006-12-27T15:34:00.001-06:00

"We do not know where to escape, we are already suffering from floods, hunger and disease," Abdale Haji Ali told AP from Jowhar. "We are awaiting death." - CTV It looks like there will be war between Somalia and Ethiopia, which is being described as either Islam fighting the infidels or a war to curb the influence of Al Queda. And where is the UN? What can they do? What are they good for?

Former President Ford has died

2006-12-27T15:14:00.001-06:00

Who knows if Ronald Reagan would have been elected in 1980 if Ford had defeated Carter in 1976. Anyway, here is an interesting timeline of his life (interesting fact: his real name not Gerald Ford).

belated Merry Christmas!

2006-12-27T15:12:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a great time with family and loved ones over the holiday.

miracles do happen

2006-12-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

according to CNN: -- The U.N. Security Council votes unanimously to impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program.

Canadian politics

2006-12-20T09:56:00.001-06:00

Say it ain't so! Harper has gone green , which is good politics but questionable policy. But It is a good move, so I'll cut him some slack. From what I've seen, the preponderance of evidence suggests this is a real and a serious problem," he said in a National Post interview yesterday. "As you know, the science has evolved several times even in the last couple of decades, but all the evidence

Iggy number two!

2006-12-18T23:15:00.001-06:00

Dion has made Ignatief the deputy Liberal leader: "We will have a dream team to offer to Canadians," Dion said as he made the announcement in the city of Quebec Monday. "In this dream team, my dream was to have Michael Ignatieff as close to me as possible." Does anyone else find this wierd? Probably good politics, but still...

Sheila Copps likes Stephen Harper

2006-12-17T20:20:00.001-06:00

Or at least the elected senate idea. Hey, and so do I. Speaking of Mr. Harper, Time Canada has named him the NewsMaker of the Year Speaking of Time, the US edition has named YOU as the person of the year. It's an interesting cover and and an interesting concept. Ok, enough speaking of.

An eye opening look at the Israeli army

2006-12-17T08:38:00.001-06:00

No one should expect an army to be perfect. By their very nature they are flawed, and it's only in modern times that we want them to be agents of gentle change. Update: and here's a look at how our army is trained. Pretty interesting...

Christmas Spirit

2006-12-15T15:50:00.001-06:00

So a judge has ordered the courthouse Christmas tree removed, fearing that this "Christian symbol" will offend people. Here's an appropriate response: "It's so stupid. I'm at a loss for words," said Muslim Canadian Congress founder Tarek Fatah. "The judge should take a trip to the rest of the world. Christmas is celebrated by Muslims in many countries -- they should ban political correctness,

Alberta update - new cabinet

2006-12-15T15:45:00.000-06:00

Premier Ed "who?" Stelmach has announced his new cabinet, which includes three of his rivals from the leadership race. Oberg is in at Finance, Morton at Sustainable Resource Development, and Hancock at Health. Cabinet has also been reduced from 24 to 18. Not a bad start, all things considered.

good riddance Kofi

2006-12-13T15:36:00.000-06:00

In his last speech, outgoing UN chief Kofi (what problems in Africa?) Annan has complained about Bush and his handling of Iraq. There's a shocker. Annan summed up five principles that he considers essential: collective responsibility, global solidarity, rule of law, mutual accountability and multilateralism. Is he serious? Responsibility? Rule of law? Accountability? That's a funny

An economics lesson

2006-12-12T14:52:00.000-06:00

By Milton Friedman, of course When I spend my money on me, I care about how much is spent and how it is spent. When I spend my money on someone else, I care about how much I spend but not so much on how it is spent. When I spend someone else's money on me, I care little about how much is spent but am concerned about how it is spent. And when I spend someone else's money on someone else, I care

from the department of good news department

2006-12-11T22:10:00.000-06:00

The federal government announced today that it wants to deregulate local phone services in areas where there is competition. Industry Minister Maxime Bernier says the government intends to reverse a CRTC decision regulating local services. -- more

Evil cows...

2006-12-11T14:17:00.000-06:00

...polluting the earth more than cars

Roundup

2006-12-11T14:06:00.000-06:00

Chantel Hebert wonders about a Conservative/NDP environment plan . She figures both parties need it given Dion's emergence as Liberal leader and the rise of the Green Party. Did you know that the previous Liberal government gave $5M to a Mohawk community to form it's own police force and push out the existing one? Me neither. Guess how it turned out? The chief "staged what turned out to be

Mark Steyn interview

2006-12-08T19:22:00.000-06:00

I've never heard him so upset and so gloomy about the war on terror and the situation in Iraq. The interview after that is rough too. Listen when you get a minute.

I sure hope not

2006-12-08T10:43:00.000-06:00

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich last night offered a grim outlook for the final two years of the Bush Administration, saying at best it would resemble President Gerald Ford's administration and at worst President Jimmy Carter's. -- more

Same-sex marriage vote defeated

2006-12-07T17:15:00.000-06:00

The vote was 123-175, so the debate is now over. A number of liberals voted against the motion to re-open the debate, even though they voted against changing the definition in 2005. That vote was 158-133. I still think that changing the definition of marriage is bad overall for society, but I'm now convinced that as a political issue it is dead. No party can or should run on changing the

Gay marriage motion today

2006-12-06T10:20:00.000-06:00

The government will introduce a motion "to call on government to introduce legislation to restore the traditional definition of marriage without affecting civil unions and while respecting existing same-sex marriages." It seems to me that there is no chance this will pass and that people who feel strongly on the issue should have pressed harder 3 years ago. Even those of us who think marriage

Maps of War

2006-12-05T09:02:00.000-06:00

Every once in a while, technology surprises me. This is outstanding.

Sensible policy

2006-12-04T16:07:00.000-06:00

"Our government will not spend taxpayers' money on providing tattoos for convicted criminals,'' Day said. "Our priority is to have an effective federal corrections system that protects Canadians, while providing inmates with access to acceptable health-care and treatment programs.'' -- CTV

Premier Ed Stelmach

2006-12-03T08:14:00.000-06:00

Having barely won the most votes in a three man race, but still shy of 50%, it took the 2nd choice ballots of Ted Morton supporters to push him in to the Premier's chair . Stelmach finished third last week, but received the endorsements of virtually all the candidates who dropped off the ballot. Final totals were Stelmach 77,577 Dinning 51,282 (with Morton's second choice ballots added) This

AB PC Race

2006-12-02T21:59:00.000-06:00

Live Results. Looks tight so far... UPDATE: Premier Stelmach? He's pulled in to first place, followed by Dinning... Update 2: More results here and here and hereUpdate 3: Looks like DinningUpdate 4: Morton has conceded and it's coming down to second choices.Update 5: It's Stelmach!

Stephane Dion - the new Liberal Leader

2006-12-02T17:08:00.000-06:00

It is now official. Stephan Dion has pulled of a most improbable win, coming from 4th place to win 57% of the delegates at the convention. I don't think I read or heard anyone say that this was a possible outcome, so it's a significant upset and a huge story. Quick thoughts: - It was close, but not that close.-The deal that Kennedy made with Dion after the second ballot was huge.- Why didn't

4th ballot coming soon

2006-12-02T16:14:00.000-06:00

In the meantime, check out this story: the Tories claim they helped defeat Bob Rae: "They (Liberals) don't know how to play poker ... The NDP is also feeling happy right now.'' In recent months some leading Tories admitted privately that Rae was the Liberal candidate they feared the most. Their admissions became public the instant Rae was eliminated from the race. One Tory operative

Third ballot results

2006-12-02T13:46:00.000-06:00

Dion 37 Iggy 34 Rae 29 Rae drops off, and the question is who does he support. It is a showdown between Iggy and Dion, and Dion is going to win. He is officially the anyone but Iggy candidate, and he has doubled his support. Stephane Dion is going to win the Liberal Leadership.

Liberal Leadership Update

2006-12-02T12:03:00.000-06:00

The second ballot was: IGGY 31.6% RAE 24.1%, DION 20.8%, KENNEDY 18.8% DRYDEN 4.7% (via Bourque). As of now, Drydon, Brison and Volpe has all endorsed Ray, while Kennedy(!) and Martha have gone to Dion. So it's a three man race: Iggy vs. Rae vs. Dion. Third ballot in a little while. Check out the CTV politics blog for more (And Iggy/Rae alliance? An Iggy/Dion showdown? this is too much

Liberal first ballot

2006-12-02T00:08:00.000-06:00

Iggy 29% Rae 20% Dion 18% Kennedy 18% Drydon 5% Brison 4% Volpe 3% (has thrown his support to Rae) Hall Findlay 3% (she drops off) -- CTV has more Each candidate gave a speech tonight, and the buzz is that Drydon might have been the best (note: this was probably aided by low expectations). Dion disappointed. Rae and Iggy held their own, and are obviously the front runners.

Saturday

2006-11-30T14:20:00.000-06:00

Saturday is a huge day for Canada - the Liberals will choose their leader and serious contender for Prime Minister, and the Alberta Tories will pick their next premier. Both will have a significant impact on policy and politics in our great country over the next decade. I'm going to stick to the blogs for the AB race, and for the Liberal race, I'll probably watch TV (CTV Newsnet of course).

Liberal leadership update

2006-11-30T09:01:00.000-06:00

The first vote is Friday night, but the results are basically preodained. It's the second ballot and on that will be very interesting. Ignatieff's team is highly organized and there are repeated suggestions it has surprises planned — supporters planted in other camps for the first ballot for strategic reasons who will defect to Ignatieff on the second and third ballots to help push him over

Goodale Endorses Bob Rae

2006-11-28T22:34:00.000-06:00

And without irony said: "We must give Canadians something to vote for, not just against and always with two key characteristics from my personal perspective," he said. "First, rock solid fiscal responsibility which enables everything else that we seek to achieve. Let's look back: Their [NDP] first budget projected a deficit of almost ten billion dollars, and enacted a series of spending programs

more blogs following the AB PC race

2006-11-27T12:42:00.000-06:00

www.civitatensis.ca and thepolitic.com are pretty cool, and don't forget albertadecides2006.blogspot.com Oh, and here's how it works on Saturday: On the second ballot, PC voters will rank Jim Dinning, Ted Morton and Ed Stelmach in order of preference. If nobody walks away with the majority, the last-place finisher's votes will be distributed among the other two, according to preference, to

the numbers

2006-11-26T15:15:00.000-06:00

more from the edmonton journal, ctv, and calgary herald blogs: renewing the one party state, larry johnsrude and a site I wish I had found last night: the invisible hand, which had lots of live results last night. I'll definately be on that site next Saturday

results

2006-11-26T00:51:00.000-06:00

It looks like it is Jim Dinning, Ted Morton and Ed Stelmach moving on to next Saturday in the Alberta PC leadership/premier's race. Morten and Dinning are only 2000 votes apart, so it will be a tight race to the finish. Memberships can still be purchased. Next week's vote will determine the winner: party members will vote for their preferred leader but also indicate their second choice.

AB PC Leadership convention

2006-11-25T10:26:00.000-06:00

A live blog covering the event on Saturday: Larry Johnsrude of the Edmonton Journal

Is Jim Dinning a Liberal?

2006-11-24T22:40:00.000-06:00

The blogs are abuzz...plus he gave the Paul Martin campaign $25,000 with a nice note back in 2002. The vote is tomorrow. Membership is $5. If you live in AB, make sure you sign up and vote.

Inside "Quebec as a Nation"

2006-11-24T14:09:00.000-06:00

This is the stuff books get written about. Here is Chantel Hebert's account of what took place: Harper considering this move since the summer, that he orchastrated a great political move that wont open the constitution, etc. And here is the Globe and Mail's group think/report on the issue, pretty much the same thing with more detail. All in all this has come off as a huge win for Harper

What can be done?

2006-11-24T12:08:00.000-06:00

I offer no answers in this post, only dispair via the drudgereport today: Female bomber, 68, wounds 3 Israeli troops... Suicide bomber's family: We're very proud... RUSSIA DELIVERS ROCKETS TO IRAN *Sends air defense system... **Russian nuclear chief to visit Tehran... Bombs Kill 22 After Hell Day in Iraq... Shiites Burn Six Sunni Worshippers Alive... Is the middle east beyond hope?

Reverse-onus? Couldn't the PR people come up with something better?

2006-11-24T10:00:00.000-06:00

It's a great idea - forcing someone with multiple gun offenses to prove why they should receive bail, instead of assuming they should and forcing the prosecutor to prove why they shouldn't. And it fits well with the quasi three strikes law introduced recently and the increased mandatory minimum sentences. But reverse-onus? Is it just me or does it sound like it needs a PG13 rating? Please,

A blogger predicts a Morton win

2006-11-23T23:55:00.000-06:00

He thinks that there is a noticable shift in the air, that the anti-Dinning movement is strong, and that Morton is the kind of unpolished politician that Albertan's like. It's an interesting analysis and worth reading.

File under: "good politics, questionable policy"

2006-11-23T15:57:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, with fanfare and controversy, PM Stephen Harper introduced a motion that recognizes Quebec as a nation within Canada. They already call their Legislative Assembly the National Assembly, so this isn't groundbreaking or that big of a deal as far as I can tell. But it does pre-empt the Bloc on a similar motion, and it probably restores the Conservative fortunes in Quebec at least

Your AB PC leadership update

2006-11-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

The Edmonton Journal thinks Ted Morton has momentum. Let me be the first to say he has Mort-mentum. For more info, I've found these two blogs: albertadecides2006 and anybodybutdinning. Saturday is the day. If no one wins 50% of the votes, the rematch featuring the top 3 contenders is the following Saturday. Update: a recent poll says Morton is basically tied for the lead, and 25% of members are

Why Flaherty is the right man for the job

2006-11-22T23:15:00.000-06:00

As far as he is concerned, Ottawa's money really belongs to the taxpayers — and one way to rein in future government spending is to give surplus cash back to Canadians. "Government doesn't have any money it hasn't taken from people in the first place," he says.

Tax policy homerun

2006-11-21T20:39:00.000-06:00

Apparently the Conservatives are seriously considering income splitting . What is income splitting? It's a family friendly policy where by the income of the family unit is split in half and shared equally at tax time. So a single income family would see a serious reduction in the amount of tax they would pay, and even a two income family where both did not earn the exact same amount would

AB PC leadership race

2006-11-21T01:04:00.000-06:00

I'm in Edmonton, and have it on good authority that internal polling has it: Dinning just over 20% followed by Norris and Oberg at around 17, and Morton just below that. But the voting system is set up so that everyone but the top three drop off after the first ballot. Then it's voitng for first, second and third all on one ballot. Check out the Wikipedia entry and this blog covering the

Ted Morton - can he win?

2006-11-19T23:39:00.000-06:00

He's getting good press, and has set himself up as the guy who can be trusted as a real conservative in the AB PC leadership race. That first ballot should be interesting.

I hope this is true

2006-11-17T10:40:00.000-06:00

Bush draws Vietnam lesson for Iraq: don't quit

Alberta Premier's race - making the grade

2006-11-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

The TaxPayers Federation has graded the men who would be premier on tax cuts, transparency and health-care privatization. Complete results here. Ted Morton: BGary McPherson: B-Mark Norris: C+Lyle Oberg: C+Victor Doerksen: C-Jim Dinning: D+Ed Stelmach D+Dave Hancock: F (no response) Why do I post this? Because it matters who is the next premier of Alberta. Klein may have been a bit of a

R.I.P. Milton Friedman

2006-11-16T12:51:00.000-06:00

Milton Friedman, the grandmaster of conservative economic theory in the postwar era and a prime force in the movement of nations toward lesser government and greater reliance on free markets and individual responsibility, died today at He was 94 years old. In Professor Friedman's view, government had the opposite obligation: to keep its hands off the economy, to let the free market do its work.

O Happy Day: CRTC overruled

2006-11-16T09:41:00.000-06:00

For the first time in a decade the CRTC has been told to smarten up, and rightly so. The minister said the government prefers to see open competition within the market, leaving companies to fight for business amongst themselves. ''I am pleased to announce that our government has decided to change the CRTC's decision on VoIP,'' Bernier told the crowd. ''More specifically, we are telling the

The Scream invite riles Liberals

2006-11-16T09:37:00.000-06:00

It must be true because the Toronto Star says so.

When being snubbed is a good thing

2006-11-15T15:10:00.000-06:00

Today's papers are running big headlines about Harper being "snubbed" by the Chinese. But in this case we should be happy. The move is an apparent snub by Beijing over the Conservative government's emphasis on human rights...There have been a number of irritants in Canada-China relations since the Tories took power in January, including the Celil case, the granting of honorary Canadian

FIle under sour grapes

2006-11-14T16:44:00.000-06:00

So the Garth Turner thing is much ado about nothing. He's quiting the Conservative Party, because they wont let him run in the next election. Big shocker.

Iraq

2006-11-14T09:08:00.000-06:00

Stories like this are enough to cause dispair: mass kidnapping based on religious/cultural background, police just standing by. If the Iraqis don't want law an order, it's doubtful that the west can accomplish what it set out to do. The underlying assumption for the invasion was that Iraqis wanted to be a free country with a secular democracy. That assumption is open to question right now.

Rudy is in

2006-11-13T23:11:00.000-06:00

Still not sure if I can support him, but Rudy is in for 2008 . On the plus side, a solid conservative record as mayor NY, on the downside, his messy personal life and his liberal social views. But he is a top tier candidate and the race should be better because he is in it.

Absolutely, Iran should be allowed to acquire nukes

2006-11-13T15:49:00.000-06:00

"The western powers created the Zionist regime in order to expand their control of the area. This regime massacres Palestinians everyday, but since this regime is against nature, we will soon witness its disappearance and destruction ," Ahmadinejad said. At some point we are going to have to admit that Iran is being very clear about its intentions, and that we ignore them at our peril. Israel

the world according to garth...and the green party?

2006-11-13T08:46:00.000-06:00

So newly minted independent MP Garth Turner is going to make an "announcement " and reveal "distrubing" behavior from the PMO office. Speculation is that he will go over to the Green Party. Is anyone else kind of tired of this guy? It's one thing if he was quietly getting things done for your constituents, but the guy loves the cameras and the publicity. He even seems to have a persecution

May we never forget

2006-11-11T11:00:00.000-06:00

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to

The Scream is coming

2006-11-11T00:02:00.000-06:00

This made me smile: Howard Dean is coming to Canada. To give a keynote at the Liberal convention. I kid you not. Paul Wells makes it funnier. Quick list: Policy items where Howard Dean is to the Right of the Liberal Party gay marriage healthcare gun control taxes military spending I kid you not. Dean could never endorse gay marriage (civil unions, check), no Democrat would propose

Shocker: McCain is in for 2008

2006-11-10T20:04:00.000-06:00

ABC claims an exclusive on something everyone already knows. But he's setting up staff, office space, etc. Hugh Hewitt (and Rush Limbaugh for that matter) thinks McCain is to blame for losing the Senate and that his presidential campaign is over because of it. I agree he is partly to blame (Bill Frist just as much in my mind), but I also think he's well positioned to make a run. But he could

The British Front

2006-11-10T15:38:00.000-06:00

MI 5 is tracking around 30 different terrorist plots involving 200 cells and 1600 people. "It is the youth who are being actively targeted, groomed, radicalized and set on a path that frighteningly quickly could end in their involvement in mass murder of their fellow U.K. citizens,'' she said. "Young teenagers are being groomed to be suicide bombers."

Election redux

2006-11-10T15:30:00.000-06:00

Another outstanding analysis: This is not realignment. As has been the case for decades, American politics continues to be fought between the 40-yard lines. The Europeans fight goal line to goal line, from socialist left to the ultranationalist right. On the American political spectrum, these extremes are negligible. American elections are fought on much narrower ideological grounds. In this

Iraq, summarized

2006-11-10T15:16:00.000-06:00

Via Marturia.net, this article is piercing and true : My 21st birthday happened to coincide with the final evacuation of Saigon. From my modest experience on the ground in that country, I knew what was coming next. The boat people were no surprise to me. I think that was the day I fully realized, in adult terms, that evil often prevails in this world. So this is nothing new. The fate that

Al Queda celebrates

2006-11-10T13:37:00.000-06:00

For those that think our enemies weren't watching the US Midterms: The Democrats' victory in Tuesday's Congressional elections was a move in the right direction, the speaker said. Outgoing US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had stepped down to flee the Iraqi battlefield, "I tell the lame duck (US administration) do not rush to escape as did your defence minister. "The American people have

Rumsfeld roundup

2006-11-10T11:44:00.000-06:00

I am a Donald Rumsfeld fan. I have no shame or embarassment in saying it. I think he was an outstanding choice, which is not to say he is perfect. His replacement now is mistimed and disloyal. From a political and practical perspective, he should have resigned right after Bush's win in 2004. To have all of those military papers release an editorial on the weekend before the election saying the

polling works, apparently

2006-11-09T11:20:00.000-06:00

So I hearby publically proclaim that I will no longer claim that polling in the modern age doesn't work. I have for the last couple of elections, and I've been wrong. Think polling doesn't work? Check this out or this. But disagreeing with myself already, this polling is just shameful. Here's a shocker, right after the Cs broke their trusts promise and billions have been lost in the market,

From a bad to disaster

2006-11-09T08:34:00.000-06:00

So the Senate is officially Democratic. Nov 7 has officially gone from bad to disaster. If there are any Supreme Court vacancies in the next two years Bush and the nation are in real trouble. What kind of nominees can he get through this new Senate? The only analysis here is that the Republicans blew it. A good economy and a safe 5 years since 9/11 weren't enough. Yes the media was

Rumsfeld Resigns

2006-11-08T12:39:00.000-06:00

And is replaced by Robert Gates

this about sums it up

2006-11-08T12:02:00.000-06:00

World sees Democrat gains as rejection of Bush

The morning after the night before

2006-11-08T08:15:00.000-06:00

The Democrats have won the House, Nancy Pelosi is Speaker. The Senate is likely going to go the Democrats as well, but no winners have been called in Virginia or Montana. Missouri went south over night. Recount is likely in VA, but unlikely in MT There is no other way to describe this than awful. It's not a disaster, but it's close. As far as I can tell the Rs didn't win anything really

until tomorrow

2006-11-08T00:38:00.000-06:00

still hoping the senate will be ok...

Senate in doubt

2006-11-08T00:02:00.000-06:00

The Virginia race is going to go to recount, and could be lost. The Montana race looks gone. Missouri could go either way. Ugly. On the upside for the House, there is this post from the Corner: Dem Wins [Larry Kudlow] Look at blue dog conservative Dem victories, and look at Northeast liberal GOP defeats. The changeover in the House may well be a conservative victory, not a liberal one. Blue

CNN projects Dems win house

2006-11-07T22:18:00.000-06:00

Booo. I'm also checking the Corner for more election news...

not looking good

2006-11-07T20:46:00.000-06:00

Almost all of the results tonight are disappointing. When Leiberman (I) beating Lamont (D) is the best news so far, you know things aren't going your way...

Electionpoolooza

2006-11-07T18:15:00.000-06:00

Here's where I'll be tonight. I can only watch CNN since I can't get Fox News. Drudge - of course Hugh Hewitt - this is the blog you want to watch for inside stuff. ABC News - for their pretty graphicsSurprise! the exit polls are bad news for the Rs. Don't give it a moment's consideration. It's going to be a long night. Stay with Hewitt for the latest.

Breaking news

2006-11-06T22:07:00.000-06:00

The Republicans are headed for a disaster, etc, etc. The news is going to look bad in the papers and newscasts Tuesday morning - the Rs are going down, etc. I'm just getting that out of the way. On that note I listened to CBC radio for the last time tonight - they tried to quote Novak as saying that the Rs are "trembling" or something like that. The report was so wrong and biased it made

Pastors are human

2006-11-06T11:25:00.000-06:00

Much ado has been made about the former head of the National Evangelical Association and his admission (really an outing timed to maximize political effect) that he struggles with sexual sin. The interest is two fold: the story has excited the anti-Christian left because it smells the blood of a hypocrite, which is quite frankly what it suspects every prominent Christian to be. The second is

Breaking News: Canada benefits from free trade

2006-11-06T08:56:00.000-06:00

It's a sad state of affairs when we are still having this debate with the economically illiterate, but yet another report confirms that Free Trade Has Been Good for our Economy . For some the evidence will never be enough, and I realize that. But please, can we move on? "Canadians have prospered...Few countries have provided as shining an example of how to adapt and

SH gets the gallows

2006-11-05T23:53:00.000-06:00

The former dictator of Iraq has been convicted of mass murder, and will die in the gallows pending appeal. Shiites and Kurds, who had been tormented and killed in the tens of thousands under Saddam's iron rule, erupted in celebration

Mark Steyn hosting the Hugh Hewitt Show

2006-11-04T19:31:00.000-06:00

Mark Steyn hosted a 3 hour radio program on Friday, and it was pretty interesting. Here are the first, second and third hours. He's both funny and cutting in his perceptiveness. i highly recommend a listen if you have the time. Of course he is also promoting his new book America Alone, which I am half way through - most of the time I don't know whether to laugh or cry...if he is right

Dion: everyone's second choice

2006-11-04T14:58:00.000-06:00

Recent polling shows that the anti-Ignatief candidate could be Stephane Dion: The current front-runner, Michael Ignatieff, who leads on everything from first-ballot support to fundraising, appears the candidate most likely to stall. Dion is the leadership candidate most often picked when delegates are asked who their second choice is, and again when they are asked their third choice.

corruption at the UN?

2006-11-03T14:25:00.000-06:00

Who knew? The investigation is 'at full throttle' apparently, with indictments already and more to come. Faster, please.

Income trust round up

2006-11-02T10:29:00.000-06:00

Apparently BCE forced the government's hand , and did so with its eyes open. They felt they had no option, though, with the Telus decision to convert, so here we are. Andrew Coyne says it's good policy, but bad politics: It's got to be some sort of trick -- some cunning Conservative dodge, some deeply Roveian sleight of hand, in which what looks to the untrained eye like political suicide is

Quote of the day

2006-10-31T22:26:00.000-06:00

'I guess Kerry wasn't content blowing 2004, now he wants to blow 2006, too''... What did he do, you ask? Check it out. Apparently he was trying to tell a joke, and was referring to Bush. But it doesn't matter. This is almost as good as "I voted for the $87 Billion before I voted against it". He may be the worse high profile political candidate of all time. This is going to get a lot of air

Conservatives nixing income trusts

2006-10-31T22:19:00.000-06:00

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Tuesday the government will begin taxing income trust distributions and will cut corporate taxes to level the playing field between trusts and corporations. Income trusts, which avoid most corporate taxes and pay the bulk of cash flow directly to investors, have surged in popularity in recent years as investors have embraced their rich yields.

Flaherty: capital gains tax cuts

2006-10-31T11:04:00.000-06:00

The Conservative government is looking at ways to make good on a pledge to provide a break on capital gains taxes in the 2007 federal budget, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says.

NK to rejoin talks

2006-10-31T10:03:00.000-06:00

In a surprise diplomatic breakthrough, North Korea has agreed to get back to the table and resume six-nation talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program, China's foreign ministry said.

Lula re-elected in Brazil

2006-10-29T23:38:00.000-06:00

with over 60% of the vote, and inspite of leading a party mired in corruption...he did play the classic leftist card, accusing his opponent of planning to kick people of welfare and privatize public corporations. Gee, where have I heard that before?

Michael J. Fox: I haven't read it

2006-10-29T23:07:00.000-06:00

He admits he hasn't read the Missouri's cloning/stem cell amendment - watch the video. So a Canadian is campaigning in a Senate election and he admits he doesn't know what he's talking about. Nice.

Sask update

2006-10-27T15:55:00.000-06:00

I'm a day late on this one too (sister in law is getting married tomorrow), but here's the update from the People's Republic of Saskatchewan: Throne speech was yesterday, and among the usual stuff was an announcement on a new stat holiday tol be introduced in February, called Family Day The second thing that stuck out was the intention to introduce spend all the money collected in gas taxes on

Torching a reporter

2006-10-27T12:00:00.000-06:00

Mitt Romny gives a reporter a good natured smackdown - watch the video... Via Hugh Hewitt.

Kline on Rae

2006-10-25T21:01:00.000-06:00

ouch

24

2006-10-25T11:49:00.000-06:00

Coming soon...check out the trailer

Electionpolooza

2006-10-24T21:51:00.000-06:00

Check out this devastating ad for the Democrats in Missouri by Michael J. Fox, who believes that federal and state funding for embyonic stem cell research is the key to find a cure. Remember, private funding of this type of research is not illegal. So there is a less devastating but still very convincing response ad to run in the same markets. Watch them both on YouTube. Via Drudge.

NK didn't apologize for nuke test

2006-10-24T11:43:00.000-06:00

The ongoing saga...they aren't planning another test, but reserve the right to do so. And they didn't apologize for the previous test, as was reported. But who knows what really went on, right?

United 93

2006-10-23T22:45:00.000-06:00

We watched United 93 on the weekend, and although it's not as good as World Trade Center, it's still worth watching. It relives that day from the FAA standpoint - the chaos, the surprise, the sadness. It's good, but not great.

video posts!

2006-10-21T13:26:00.000-06:00

Check this border security video, and make sure you watch until the end (it's only about 4 minutes). There is an elephant and a mariachi band. More here if you are interested. And then there's this new ad from the Rs as we head in to the home stretch in the midterm elections. More here