Reminder: CO2 is NOT a pollutant...

I am all for caring for our environment and I get choked when I hear of cities dumping their sewage into the bay. That's why it makes me upset when envirounmentalists go on about manmade global warming and CO2 disaster stories. This is unproven science and there is so much "proven" damage to the environment.

I know, I know... I apparently am a heretic and a "flat-earth" believer. Ahh well, note the subtitle of my blog... I'm used to it. To top it all off, I believe Kyoto is a money-grab designed by alleged UN "Oil-for-food" participant, Moe Strong.

At least I have some intelligent company out there.. surprisingly not part of the MSM or Hollywood crowd.

Global Warming Skeptics Contest Al Gore’s Logic on ‘Hannity and Colmes’

Reprieve for Rona on the Environment

Everyone seems to believe that Rona got "kicked out" of her environmental cabinet position. Personally, I believe the environmental position in government is an extremely difficult position to be in. The environmental cause is full of activists and invested lobbyists and "experts" whose climate "models" cannot be questioned. I have heard through various news media that I don't have a brain, lack intelligence, etc etc for questioning these "models" and predictions of apocalypse.

The environment has become an emotional Canadian "value" regardless of common sense and inhibiting any debate. For that reason, I believe Rona is breathing a sigh of relief right now. It would be my guess that she was saddled with this position for a short term and was promised to be free of it at a certain point in time. Congratulations, Rona, for making it out alive!

Spoiled Pets

Unfortunately, my baby tore his cruciate ligament at the dog park this summer. Rather than putting him through $4500 surgery, I am trying alternative therapy.

Here is the "spaz" enjoying his swimming therapy with one of his favorite people, Brenda - the pet physiotherapist. For those of you with injured pets, I would highly recommend this low impact method of getting them exercised. My dog's muscles have atrophied and has started to get a little muscle back since starting a few weeks ago. Brenda and staff are great at http://www.pawsitivelypooched.com 

Some quick thoughts....

I haven't posted in a while because I've been busy with my new venture. I've started contracting and the transition from "extended holiday and get rid of burnout" mode to "working for a living" mode has taken much of my emotional energy.

However, I do want to comment on a couple of things that I feel should be addressed.

First of all, I believe I should follow up on Oprah's second town hall meeting with Bill O'Reilly as the guest. Again, I must acknowledge Oprah for being fair and balanced despite, in my personal opinion, her tendency to lean "left". She does a much better job as a talk show host of giving balanced coverage than 99 percent of our news media. I don't alway agree with Bill O'Reilly but he is refreshing compared to other commentators on TV. I didn't understand the whole "culture warrior" thing but I realized, as I was watching, that it is a brilliant move. Although people accuse him of being divisive, and did so on Oprah as well, I think he is making an effort to rephrase the whole left versus right debate in order to move away from the "left" and "right" ingrained beliefs and get people thinking again above the labels. It is an interesting idea and anything but divisive.

On the topic of Oprah, I watched the Al Gore and global warming show. I watched it knowing Al Gore has an agenda and knowing it would not be particularly factual. The whole show was Al and his "documentary" however, I was happy to see that Oprah once again had a dissenting opinion for another expert. When Al Gore "pooh-poohed" the expert's opinion, Oprah did point out that the opinion was from an expert as well and was a valid opinion. Hats off to Oprah even though, in my personal opinion, she believes the hype as well. She is a better woman than I for standing up for an opinion that varies from hers. It was also interesting that the global warming critics are accusing corporations of funding the experts with dissenting opinion on global warming. How does this differ from the agenda of the experts who agree with global warming being funded significantly by governments and environmental organizations. I would state that no matter what the experts on both sides say, money is a significant factor on BOTH sides.

Finally, my comments on Harper and his record as prime minister. Let me preface this by saying that I am heartened by his leadership and it is a pleasure to have a prime minister who actually gets things done and stands by his promises. I tend to put people up on a pedestal and therefore am extremely disillusioned when they fall. I am trying to keep that in mind as I judge his performance but let me say I have been extremely disappointed in a couple of his decisions of late.

The Income Trust decision was made in a much fairer way than that under the liberals. Insiders did not get a "heads up" in order to make massive amounts of money before the public got wind of it, allegedly. However, the conservative government made a promise not to tax income trust. Therefore, people who trusted conservatives (particularly conservatives), heavily invested in income trusts. I know of a retired couple who lost many thousands of dollars in their retirement fund because of this decision and severely impacted their "golden years". For a government that has made good on promises, this was very disheartening. This broken promise had a major negative impact on people I love.

The nation within a nation thing has me bothered as well. I am hoping it is a brilliant political move with aspects that I am not aware of that make it positive. It is not a normally conservative thing to do. I am totally against the idea of any special status given to any segment of a population. I rally against any rights that give any group "special" rights that are not afforded to anyone. I will write one day about how I feel on "special" statuses and the whole SOW thing and how I feel "special" status is divisive, bigoted, inequal, and counter productive. Harper and the conservatives have long been the champions of freedom and recognition for all people and all provinces. I worry about the ramifications of this recognition of "nationhood" and whether we are travelling down the "distinct" (read special" road again.

Okay... so, I have done my duty and blogged and have to go back to motivating myself to make a living again. Personally, let it be noted that being a true conservative, my extended holiday was not taken at the taxpayer's expense. That allotment should be for the needy, not the vacationer.

Have a great weekend!

Remember...

Take a few minutes to remember the courage of those who fought for ours and others' freedoms and for those who still do.

A Pittance in Time

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The Best Defense is a Good Offense...Oprah and Frank

I watched Oprah Winfrey's townhall show today. She had just read Frank Rich's book "The Greatest Story Ever Sold" and had him on as a guest for a townhall show. Frank works for the New York Times... one of the largest left biased papers in the US. Frank however states he is not "left" but has some "liberal views"... yeah, whatever Frank.

So, here is my take on the show. When I first started watching and saw the Frank was the main guest and the title of the book, I thought: "Oh no, another propaganda show by the media to push their left agenda". I just about turned it off because I get enough of this in the media. To my surprise, there was intelligent conversation going on. Bear with me here. It was a relief to my blood pressure levels when Oprah ran a very fair and balanced show. To balance the left spin from the guest, as a townhall, the audience participated. Although Oprah asked Americans to question whether there is critical thinking and why people aren't informed, it was apparent that many in the audience were well informed and critical thinkers. Chalk one up against Frank Rich because I guess the idea was, if they agree with the government instead of the MSM, people must not be informed or critical thinkers. The audience proved them wrong.

Frank began his spiel with the whole idea that the government "sold" America on the Iraq war by misinforming them about WMD's and misinforming America that Iraq needed to be attacked as they were responsible for 9/11. Lo and behold, thanks again to the audience and Oprah's questions, when Oprah asked the audience if they believed at the time they went to war with Iraq that Saddam and Iraq were responsible for 9/11, a huge majority of the audience did not believe Sadam and Iraq were responsible. Then Oprah asked if people had heard that Saddam was involved with Al Qaeda in the media. Again, an overwhelming majority agreed they had heard in the media that this was true. To top it off, it was agreed that the Bush administration had not said that Iraq had caused 9/11, but Frank stated that he "suggested" this by mentioning them in the same sentence sometimes, by innuendo etc. So, lets recap: Frank Rich states that Bush "sold" America by "mindmelding" (as one audience member said) and innuendo, the audience all agreed they heard from the media that Iraq was involved in 9/11, yet overwhelmingly the audience did not BELIEVE at the time that Saddam and Iraq had anything to do with 9/11. Hmmmm... sounds to me like critical thinking and being informed regardless of the media, innuendos, etc. Kind of blows the theory and his book to smithereens.

He also says that Bush scared people about WMDs and threats of a "mushroom" cloud. This is another issue and I, personally, still believe there were and they were hidden or moved to Syria. He states that Hans Blix said that Saddam was "starting to cooperate" when Bush started the war. I say, this is after 19 UN sanctions were still being thwarted by Saddam. As one audience member pointed out "what is a country to do". I agreed with this audience member. The funny thing is that Oprah just showed a program about the danger of North Korea yesterday and the scary fact that they now have nuclear capabilities. The rest of the world are in a quandary and NK is threatening the US now that it has them. Much of the US is calling for some sort of action and lamenting previous inaction. I believe Iraq could have been NK if left to their devices. Anyway, I will continue with the show...

Frank Rich proceeded to say that the media misleads and focuses on the "fireworks" of bombs going off but do not show the horror of bombs being dropped on families, etc. He talked about how they instead show a small group of Iraqis bringing down Saddam's statue for hours and that Iraqis had not truly welcomed the invasion. Again, thank heavens for the audience. Immediately, two different audience members (one a soldier who had been in Iraq and one whose cousin had served in Iraq) agreed with Frank that the media definitely misinforms. They talked about how the media focuses on the blood and the bad but never tells the stories of how over and over again, Iraqis thank the American soldiers in Iraq. They state that the media never shows all the gratefulness of many Iraqis and the positive and rebuilding going on and kids going back to school. Hmmmm.... blows Frank's theory again. On the other hand, another soldier did stand up and say some soldiers were confused.

I could go on but suffice it to say, it was illuminating. The audience was asked if they believed the media. Again, an overwhelming majority do not believe the media. Here is my opinion: the media have been overwhelmingly biased in their reporting and have been getting "bad press", particularly papers like the New York Times for pushing their agenda into stories instead of reporting the facts and a balanced approach to let readers and viewers make up their mind. Frank proceeds to write a book with the basic premise that people are believing misinformation on:

1. "suggestions" and "innuendos" from the government.
   
2. the positive slant on Iraq from media
3. are not critical thinkers and not informing themselves

Well, according to the Oprah audience at least, in an overwhelming majority, they:

1. did not believe the "suggestions" from the government
2. believe there is a much more negative slant from the media on Iraq than the reality and don't believe the media in general
   
3. are critical thinkers and trying to inform themselves
   

If the Oprah audience is any indication, Frank Rich is an idiot. Again, Kudos to Oprah for letting the audience speak. She congratulated Frank for being courageous. Yeah right.... perhaps if he was in Iraq or North Korea. In the US and Canada, it is just business as usual for the leftist main stream media.

The Left Denounces Their Extremists

I have often been totally confused by the left's stand on terror and international affairs. For a group that says they champion human rights and are pro-choice on everything, I can never understand their propensity to champion the worst offenders and oppressors of human rights. As we ask Muslims to denounce terror and their extremists, it is nice to see the Left denounce terror and their extremists. This video asks the questions I keep asking...

No Excuses for Terror

h/t a commenter at SDA

Steve Irwin - A Life Well Lived

Okay, I have to admit, Barbara Walters made me cry on 20/20 last night. Steve Irwin's widow, Terry, was interviewed.

I have meant to comment for a while on his death because I found the man fascinating. He had such an enthusiasm and passion for life that I couldn't help but smile when I watched him. Terry said, during her interview, that even knowing how it all ends, she would do it all over again.

It is this kind of life that I think all of us yearn for. Steve was an inspiration to all of us to find our passion. I do wish I had known him and by crikey, we'll miss him. Terry is also an inspiration in that we (and especially me!) could all learn that fear of loss should never override living life.

As an aside, it is incredibly strange the way he died. I am a chicken (see last paragraph) through and through but have snorkelled with stingrays a couple of times in the Caymans and the Cook Islands. They are basically beautiful graceful docile creatures. The fact that he wrestled crocs and snakes and then died from a stingray makes me think that there is a plan and when you're time is up, it's up.

A Mother Honours her Son - a True Canadian Hero

My sympathies, my respect, and my heartfelt thanks go to Shane Keating and his mother Judith Budd for their sacrifice. It is very sad and it breaks my heart. This mother honours his life in a way I have not seen in the press.

Corporal Shane Keating's Mother speaks

This is why it makes me even angrier when a member of our country's parliament dishonours them. It is a cheap political ploy at the expense of people who have given their lives for our freedom and the freedom of others.

However, I am truly proud when our prime minister speaks to the world and in Canada thousands of people rally for a noble cause.

ASSISTED SUICIDE FOR DEPRESSED - Slippery Slope now a Waterslide

One of the many reasons I am against Assisted Suicide is that the person requesting it may be depressed and not diagnosed. If a person is depressed, they will make decisions they otherwise would not. Depression makes it very hard to cope with the simplest of issues. There is medication today that can correct the chemical imbalance in the brain and bring you back to normal. (aside: tom cruise is an idiot)

So, for this reason, patients may want assisted suicide without being of right mind due to an illness. (Another reason is that our government pays for healthcare and it is cost effective so the slope is even slipperier but that is an issue for another day. Unless, of course, this is part of the issue in Britain).

There are now arguments in Europe for allowing assisted suicide for the depressed. Unbelievable! The slippery slope is now giving them a toboggan.


ASSISTED SUICIDE FOR DEPRESSED: "ASSISTED SUICIDE FOR DEPRESSED Britons suffering from severe depression may soon be able to opt for assisted suicide in a Swiss clinic, its founder claimed yesterday."

It Would be Funny if it wasn't so Spot On

... and if they weren't out shooting old nuns and blowing up children.

Current Rage Level of Islamic Extremists: Normal
(oops... link now fixed)

And, like this is any surprise - Al Qaeda vows to destroy the west over pope's remarks. Ummm, hasn't this been their goal all along? The interesting thing is how they bring up victories in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their PR guy must have been off that day. PR to western journalists states that Iraq and Afghanistan have nothing to do with Al Qaeda. Proving the Pope's Point, Episode 173.

Oriana Fallaci - on Iraq and war

I first heard about Oriana Fallaci on Small Dead Animals when she died recently. Even at that time, although Kate seemed to revere her, I still was not aware.

She is apparently an atheist and on the left - not my favorite combination. But, as I have learned, today's Canadian left nor the Democrats in the US necessarily represent the true left. I will have to read more about her to determine this. However, today I was directed to this piece she wrote in 2003. She doesn't pit left versus right but idealism against reality. Her insights give me shivers and I pay my respect to her today.

I don't think anybody has expressed this dilemma in Iraq better and like Oriana, although we will never know the answer, I agree with this statement:

As a proud defender of the West's civilization, without reservations I should join Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair in the new Alamo. Without reluctance I should fight and die with them. And this is the only thing about which I have no doubts at all.

Take some time, read, and think about her column: The Rage, The Pride, and the Doubt

Never Forget

Never forget that we saw true evil on September 11th, 2001. The terrorists attacked us on our continent. They did not stand and fight; they did not battle us on a war front; they did not attack military bases. They deliberately murdered fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, daughters, and sons. They deliberately targeted seniors and children. On a day that should have been like any other, they took innocent lives going about their day. Remember this.

Thank you to our Canadian soldiers who are risking their lives to protect us and the people of Afghanistan from these murderers. The true good martyrs are those risking their lives to save the innocent, not destroy the innocent.

Socialized Medicine

Many Canadians continue to believe we have the best healthcare system in the world. The only other countries that share our universal socialized government funded only healthcare system is Cuba and North Korea. Unbelievably, many Canadians also tout Cuba's healthcare system because they believe the propaganda.

This link gives you an all too clear picture of where socialized medicine can go if left completely to the responsibility of the government. As you look at these pictures of hospitals in Cuba, remember the words "cost effective" and consider the implications when these words replace good medical care.

For extensive reading about the issues with Canada's healthcare system, read What's Wrong with Healthcare? Consider the road we are travelling when the NDP, friends of Medicare, the media etc promote socialist style medicine and systems only and the NDP praises Cuba. Reality check anyone?

Meltdown...

First I link to a left wing/liberal post and now, Hollywood stars are taking a principled stand????? What is happening, people? Has hell frozen over? Is the world ending? Next thing you know, the CBC will call Al Qaeda terrorists. I'd better set up a counselling appointment....

Kidman condemns Hamas, Hezbollah

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Words of Wisdom from, ummmm, gulp,.... the Left.

Cerberus: Alexandre Trudeau on Fidel "Superman" Castro

Okay, so the one bias I have is being sorely tested here. I can't believe I am linking to a blog post by someone on the left!!! Yes, okay, I have to admit... there are some lefties with sense out there. I said it. I probably won't say it again and I'll deny it in the future. Here is a left-winger with some common sense. (Note: I have not read his other posts to verify whether this is an aberration)

Cerberus argues with the extreme left and stays true to his left of center ideologies. I have often been beyond frustrated by the left's anti-americanism, pro-terrorist/dictator stance. If dictators/societies murder gays, free speech practitioners, and religious factions, you would think the left would stand against them. From what I have seen, if those same dictators/societies are against the US, the left glorifies them. Cerberus is the one "leftie" I have read that honors his ideology by being consistent in this villification. Egads, he even questions those people who were fine with going into Afghanistan when the liberals were in power but have changed their stance with the conservatives in power. A leftie who stays consistent with their ideology? Whoda thunkit? As far as the Trudeaus go, PET had a socialist/communist ideology and obviously, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Aside: I am not an activist by any stretch but there are two things I stand behind. I don't eat veal because, as a child, I saw a program about young calves standing in wooden boxes to keep veal tender. Poor things. I also, although having plenty of opportunity, have not vacationed in Cuba. I don't judge others that do but I could not bring myself to spend money that may support that regime.

h/t SDA: Sometimes We Agree

Some Americans are Anti-Canadian too!

Caught a re-run of the Daily Show a while back and ended up laughing so hard! This is truly a classic. To you anti-american Canadians, this is what you look like and, just like you, he likes to dance and find mushrooms in the forest. Just goes to show that every country has it's anti-crowd.

Since some people have problems seeing embedded video, click here to link to the video on You Tube. I guarantee, it's worth it!

Only 1 out of 5 Canadians are Nuts

It is with great relief that a new poll shows only 1 out of 5 Canadians (or 18%) are nuts. 4 out of 5 Canadians agree with Prime Minister Harper's stance on the Israeli/Hezbollah conflict. This poll must have been taken outside the prison walls. I believe some of those 18% have been misled by the media and have been too busy to truly investigate and understand what has happened.

Further on in the poll, there seemed to be misunderstandings about who started the war. Again, I blame this on the mainstream media. Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, was bombing Israel and crossed the Israeli borders and killed Israeli soldiers. Israel is merely defending itself.

82% agree with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's stand and I am extremely relieved that my fellow countrymen are not Nuts. That is, if I can believe the polls anymore.

Suffice it to say, I am extremely proud of our prime minister! It is so heartening to have a voice of reason in our government for a change!

Majority back Harper's support of Israel, poll shows

If this poll is correct, it also makes me happy that Canadians aren't falling for the media bs!!!

Right and Left

I was talking to my sister and she asked what the whole right/left thing on blogs is all about. I will attempt to discuss my view of these ideologies in a childrearing analogy (keeping in mind I am not a parent so have no expertise -LOL).

Lets discuss two parenting styles or ideologies. Let me preface this by saying that both parents love their children very much. Let me also say that there are extremes of each kind but we each know the mainstream general common version of each kind. Keep in mind that I am not saying adults are children however there are basic ideologies backing the child-raising strategies of each set. I believe one, although just as loving, is far more harmful to society.

One set of parents, Mr. and Mrs. Right, are consistent. They have set boundaries, set consequences for crossing them, and are firm with their children. They regularly say no to their children and chores are expected. There are curfews, bed times, and lying of any kind is not tolerated. The children in this family do not consider their parents as friends. At some point in their rearing, the children have claimed to "hate" their parents. There are clear lines between right and wrong and the children know it. The question "why" sometimes does not matter as the behaviour is inherently wrong. If one of their children fails a grade, they should fail and redo that grade to learn that there are consequences and to learn the material to prepare them for the future.

The other set of parents, Mr. and Mrs. Left, are somewhat inconsistent. There are no boundaries or set consequences. They do not say no to their children. There are no curfews and no chores. The children have no responsibility to the household because they have the right to be children. The question "why" always matters and the parent is not aware of lying behaviour. There is no need to do anything in order to receive their allowance. In fact, they are given money when they want it. If the children are going to misbehave (ie: drink or smoke) then they would prefer it be done in their house as it is safer. There are no curfews and no set bedtimes. The parents want to be their children's friend. If the child fails a grade, the child should be moved to the next grade so that the child does not feel different or badly.

Now, this is a somewhat simplistic analogy but it is my view of the difference between right and left. As I said, both parents love their children very much. Both parents are raising their children in a way they believe to be right. Mr. and Mrs. Right believe that children should learn responsibility, right and wrong, and consequences even though feelings may be hurt. Mr. and Mrs. Left believe that children should be children and that responsibility will come later.

I feel that Mr. and Mrs. Left are actually doing the children and society a disservice. The children grow up to feel entitled regardless of behaviour. They do not understand responsibility and boundaries. They are "special", entitled, and spoiled. They do not understand consequences and have a rough time acclimating to society. Mr. and Mrs. Right's children, however, do not feel entitled regardless of behaviour. It may appear that Mr. and Mrs. Right do not love their children sometimes however it is because they love them that they raise them this way. They understand that hard work is rewarded, laws must be followed as there are consequences, there is right and wrong, there is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and that they have responsibility for themselves and their loved ones.

It is true that there are Mr. and Mrs. Rights who are too authoritarian and Mr. and Mrs. Lefts that are way too lax. However, there is a basic mindset of each childrearing ideology. Personally, I would rather share society with Mr. and Mrs. Right's children than Mr. and Mrs. Left's children.

Update: LOL... I guess to be inclusive I should state that it could be Mr. and Mr. Right and Mrs. and Mrs. Left however this is a sidetrack and not particularly relevant to the point I am trying to make. Unless, of course, you want to include Mr. and Mrs. and Mrs. and Mrs. Left but I digress

4 out of 5 Canadians are Nuts

I heard on the radio the other day that 4 out of 5 Canadians felt that Canada should remain neutral in our position between Israel and Hezbollah and not take a stand like Harper, our prime minister. Now, I admit, I only caught pieces of it as I was racing around doing errands however I could not believe my ears. I would definitely like to know what exact questions were asked and who was polled. Did they only poll prisoners?

The discussions I hear, media reports I read, and our government opposition parties seem to think there is debate over who is wrong in the Israel/Hezbollah conflict. The argument seems to be that if Canada is not neutral, they cannot be peace keepers and cannot be in a bargaining/negotiating position for peace. Recently, the police "negotiated" with a pedophile to get him to release a kidnapped child. Should society and our prime minister say that pedophilia is not wrong so that negotiations can be made? Are you kidding? Do you think that there was really negotiation going on? Do you think that the guns police were holding and their threat was not conducive to these "negotiations"?

Here is my take on the situation (bear in mind that I quit smoking a couple of weeks ago so I have no restraint on my rant):

Has the world gone CRAZY? What the heck are they THINKING? 4 out of 5 Canadians must be idiots. Our government opposition parties are completely WACKO!

Okay, so now I will attempt to clarify my position calmly however if you are reading this with an alternate position, don't bother - you are one of the 4 idiots.

I try to be a reasonable person. I don't like people that are too judgemental. I believe that there are two sides and many grey areas. However, there is right and wrong that cannot be argued. Rape is wrong. Serial Killers are wrong. Pedophilia is wrong. Need I go on? There may be all sorts of warped reasons that people do wrong things but there is not doubt that it is WRONG and cannot be tolerated in society. These examples of WRONG are evil because they abuse the innocent. They take away basic rights of security and survival from other people. In my unfocussed, cranky nonsmoking internal fight against addiction, I can clearly see this.

Terrorism is wrong. Hezbollah is not a country; it is a terrorist organization. Hezbollah targets innocent civilians and uses them as human shields. Hezbollah has stated that it is not looking for negotiations or settlements. They are looking for the removal and destruction of a country. They are attacking this country with that in mind and we villainize Israel for protecting itself. Should we villainize the police for protecting society from the pedophile? Actually, a better analogy would be if the police had not gotten involved at all to recover the children of the pedophile and just let the family negotiate on their own. What if the police actually villainized the family for taking up guns, etc? What kind of negotiation would there have been with the pedophile if society was saying that the family was wrong for protecting itself in this situation? Unbelievable. The world has gone crazy.

Thankfully, there are at least 1 out of 5 Canadians who agree with me and others out there. Read Victor Davis Hanson on The Brink of Madness.