El Perro de mi Amiga

The Start of my "Ignorance Is Bliss" Tour

No, I'm not actually going traveling! But I do have an announcement to make that I was going to hold off on for a few weeks. It concerns something that several longtime readers have already noticed. Namely, why did I suddenly stop talking about the U.S. Election a few days ago?

When I started my blog a few years ago, and years before that - with Letters to the Editor and frequent calls & e-mails to talk radio stations in Vancouver and Montreal and London, England - I always thought I could make a small, but meaningful difference to the public discussion. But after a series of interconnected events in a very short time frame, I have come to the following conclusion:

• 1% of the population has made current events & politics a big part of their life; some of them even blog about their views & insights; they always vote
• 9% of the population follows the news & politics quite a bit and is generally well informed; they always always vote
• 50% of the population thinks they're well informed but are not at all; they get most of their info from the headlines and the odd newscast; they almost always vote but only "study up" a few days before an election, doing their "research" by reading campaign literature and the odd newspaper editorial; their views are almost entirely based on their own prejudices and fears rather than any semblance of facts
  
• 40% of the population chooses to be completely ignorant, never reads the news, and never votes
  

The percentages are just based on my own anecdotal evidence, clearly with a bias to what I'm familiar with here in Canada. While the numbers may vary in other Western countries, I think the proportions will probably stay similar.

Ever since I was about 12 years old, I considered myself in that "top" 1%. If you're reading this blog then you probably are as well. It's not an arrogance thing. In fact, it's not even related to IQ. It's just that I always thought that staying well informed and participating as a civic duty, critical for a democratic society to remain democratic and vibrant.

Sadly though, I've come to the conclusion that the vast majority of people (the 90%) don't care about facts, don't care about corruption, don't care about participating to make things better. It just doesn't bother them whatsoever.

This afternoon, relating to a friend of mine this conclusion, he said, "Well, if it's only 10% that you're really speaking with, that's a much smaller group than the entire population!" True, but let's take a look at that 10%. They're a mixed bag, just like the rest of society.

To see what a blogger with a political bent regularly has to deal with, let's look at a recent example from another Vancouver blogger, David Berner. Anyone who reads David's postings knows that he very much wants Obama to win and can't stand either McCain or Palin. With that understood, take a look at this. It's a video of an effigy of a Christian woman being hung by a noose. That woman happens to be Sarah Palin. Was this shot in Iran or Pakistan or North Korea by the professed enemies of America? Nope. It was done in Hollywood, California by . . . wait for it . . . two gay men.

You would think - I would have garnered that any decent person would think - that such an action was beyond repulsive and completely appalling. Apparently not. Take a look at the comments and you'll see that 50% think nothing wrong of it whatsoever. David was so outraged by these pathetic comments that he added a follow-up post here. Picking up where he left off, what do you think would have been the reaction if instead there were two male figures, one white and one black, with some ensignia designating them as Jewish or Muslim and homosexual?

One would only hope that it would be nothing less than Righteous Outrage! But apparently if a person is a Christian or pro-Life or Caucasian or a conservative then anything goes. It's then viewed as "humor". And if you don't laugh then you're a square, unsophisticated dullard.

What's most ironic is that, other than being unable to change my ethnic background, I don't particularly fall into any of the other three categories (except when it comes to Law & Order and Fiscal Responsibility then I am definitely a proud conservative). My own views and political preferences do not act as a filter to determine what my values are for a given situation. For a great many on the Radical Left and admittedly a few nutbars on the Far Right, their values are always selective depending on who is being attacked. To see where this mentality can eventually lead, please carefully read this earlier post.

I admire David Berner for following up and taking the tough stand he has. But it's a losing cause. Hateful lost souls seem to be the norm in the new millennium, across the world. Now many of them also have computers. Ughhh! Am I guilty here of implying that free speech should be censored? For the record, it shouldn't be. But if you hold a party and an uninvited guest shows up and just wants to fight and argue with you and everyone else, is asking them to leave censoring their speech? Technically so but it certainly heightens the chances of having an intelligent conversation at your home.

Since the inception of my blog I've tried to express my views, share my insights, and engage in reasonable discussions. I've never expected anyone to agree with me but the lack of wisdom and lack of interest in any semblance of facts by way too many of those I've received public comments and private e-mails from has been nothing short of appalling. I'm tired of being angry and getting worked up by almost always faceless, nameless individuals who seem to seek great pleasure in casting their anger my way. This U.S. Election cycle has been the worst of all. And reading and listening to others that have also "dared" to not join the Obama Conga Line has made me realize that I'm not at all alone in this regard.

The comedian, Dennis Miller, once said that the brain chemistry in such individuals is messed up such that pleasure is actually achieved by getting angry and/or upsetting others. The political writer and trained psychiatrist, Charles Krauthammer, said recently that those who attacked Sarah Palin in the most vicious ways were very likely undergoing severe symptoms of self-loathing (paraphrasing). Who knows where the truth lies, but these are clearly interesting analyses.

I've long been convinced there's a concerted, though not tightly coordinated effort on the part of the Radical Left to reshape our society into a Socialist Paradise. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that many of them believe they're doing it for the good of all. But since socialism destroys Incentive, it's ultimately doomed to fail. And history has shown us that when individuals object to their countries being taken down a socialist, or even worse, marxist path that great harm comes to them by these same folks who were once praising its benefits for the disadvantaged and women & children.

If the polls are accurate, next Tuesday America seems poised to vote in an Obama government. Dennis Prager has explained the marketing that many people have bought into. Mark Steyn has warned us that Obama's campaign has engaged in highly illegal actions. John Kass has warned us how the inspiration and incentive of American entrepreneurs will be killed. But the 90% of the population isn't listening. Well, perhaps some of the 50% are with the election less than a week away, but not enough.

If Obama's walk down the socialist garden path ends up being just a minor course correction, benefiting those who truly are in need and increasing taxes enough to end the federal budget deficit then it'll have been a good thing. But I have sincere fears that The Great Leaders (Obama, Pelosi, and Reid) have much more far-reaching intentions. Socialist Wealth Distribution is one. Removing the free speech rights of conservative pundits is another. Dramatically reworkng the Constitution of the United States through radical amendments is another. Taking a Kumbaya no aggression approach to foreign policy, which will immediately threaten billions of people around the world to some seriously dark forces is another. Relinquishing control of key global decisions away from Congress and handing them over to the UN is another.

Never before in recent history has it appeared that the Far Left of the United States is poised to assume so much absolute power in government. Let's hope they have sufficient wisdom to moderate their egos. Otherwise 4 years from now the halo around Messiah Obama et co. will not be glowing as brightly.

To avoid being a hypocrite for the foreseeable future I will no longer be kvetching (complaining) about politics on my blog. Nobody cares. More accurately, TOO FEW care. The NDP may very well seize power next Spring here in B.C. Like in the 1990's their policies will once again destroy the provincial economy and only then will enough voters come to their senses to kick them out. I'll likely have long moved away from here by then, mostly because they're in power but if I'm back I'll cast my vote against them too.

So I've embarked on a new journey entitled "Robert's Ignorance Is Bliss Tour". I want to see what it feels like to be at the very bottom 1% of news aware individuals! Thankfully, I know some very ignorant people who will serve as good role models! To start things off on the right note, I deliberately didn't vote in the Vancouver Fairview by-election today. First time I've missed an election in 25 years. I will not be voting in the municipal election next month and I very much doubt I'll be voting in the provincial election next Spring.

With the absence of all this current affairs knowledge clogging my head, I already seem to have a lot more space (and energy) to focus on my work, which will ramp up my billable hours tremendously. I know for a fact that many financially successful friends of mine came to the same conclusion as I now have: Tune Out, Don't Care About Society at Large, Focus on One's True Friends & Family, and Make Lots & Lots of Money! They're now rich. It's my turn to emulate their success.

Though I'll share a little secret with you: Most of my money I will be devoting to a global philanthropic effort that will loosely be modeled on the great success that BC Digital Divide has achieved these past 3 years but more focused on education with a technology & entrepreneurial bent. Simply put, I'm convinced that there are all kinds of kids out there who don't come from wealthy homes and who don't have the obvious opportunity to go onto university to pursue degrees. My efforts will be directed to helping such individuals who show a track record of intelligence, ingenuity, and hard work to achieving their professional dreams. That'll be something I'll be blogging about much more in the future too.

Tito the Builder vs. The Corrupt Liberal Media

A short series of videos concisely sums up the absolute corruption of the mainstream media in Election 2008. In these videos you will see two major characters:

1. Tito Munoz aka "Tito the Builder - An immigrant from Colombia who came to America seeking a better life. He started out as a janitor, then worked his way up and now owns his own small construction company. He has pursued and is achieving the American Dream. That's why the Far Left HATES him!
   
   
2. David Corn aka "David the Journalist" - Was born in liberal America and graduated from prestigious Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He has been a harsh critic of both the CIA and the past Republican administration. His writing has been harshly criticized as "seriously distorting history". He represents everything that is wrong with journalists today in that he cannot stop himself from separating news reporting from editorializing and never criticizes the Obama campaign. In this way, he has become a de facto public relations operative for the Democrats.

Here's how everything got started. This first video has better audio:


But this one offers a better view of Corn, who just cannot remove the condescending smirk from his face. Such condescension is all too typical of the Far Left's derision and dismissal towards all average, hard working Americans:


In case you didn't hear the tax discussion, please play the first video again. Corn is challenged about Joe the Plumber's tax records being uncovered and published by the media. His response? Asking one of the people there whether they pay taxes. Pathetic. Really, really, really pathetic. One has to wonder how David Corn would feel if someone illegally retrieved his personal information and published it?!

Here are two more videos of Tito the Builder being interviewed:



Should McCain pull off a victory next Tuesday, I am convinced that much of the credit should go to the liberal media for their despicable, pompous arrogance. Whether it be Tito the Builder or Joe the Plumber, they just can't hide their elitist disdain for regular folks.

In months past I thought that the Obama Campaign had started a class war of sorts between the African American community and the Middle Class white community. While this has occurred to some extent, what has become more apparent is that a more divisive class war has erupted between:

1. The Liberal Elites - Who were born into wealth, have gone to the very best Ivy League schools, and were handed prime jobs in business, in government, and in the media - often through family and personal connections. While there's no official royalty in America, these de facto princes and princesses are living their lives as if there is. They've convinced themselves that they are smarter and just generally better than everyone else. They were given the American Dream by their parents and often never appreciated it.
   
   
2. The Rest of Us - Who were not born with a silver spoon in our mouths, didn't receive a brand new car on our 16th birthday, didn't have a $50,000 a year Ivy League education and a huge chunk of our first home paid for by daddy's money. We've actually had to go out on our own and work hard for everything we have. Some of us have achieved the American Dream already, some are still working on it, but we've always appreciated the opportunity we've had to pursue it and will never take it for granted.
   

Vancouver Vistas

Along 12th Avenue, just West of Granville:

The changing view from Cambie & Broadway:

"Journalistic Integrity"

In 2008 it certainly became clear that the term "Journalistic Integrity" became an oxymoron.

But I can't quite pinpoint the precise date when. Anyone? Anyone?

Why Are Women Generally More Liberal Than Men?

This is one of the most fascinating podcasts I've heard in some time.

Obama's Foreign Campaign Donations

At 1:07:00 (1 hour & 7 minutes) into John Batchelor's latest show is a detailed examination into the "strange" campaign donations made to the Obama Campaign. You will learn about strange donation amounts, made via credit card, to the campaign. Such amounts include the following: $188.67, $1,542.06, $876.09, $388.67, $282.20, $195.66, $118.15.

Do these sound like donation amounts that Americans would make via their credit cards? Of course not. It is now assumed that these are foreign donations and the strange amounts are the result of foreign currency conversions.

In case you're not aware, it is absolutely illegal for even $0.01 of foreign donations to an American election campaign. Don't believe me? Please click here.

You'd thus think that the mainstream media would be all over this story, right? You'd be wrong. This is one of the few stories I could find on it.

The John Batchelor Show

If you'd like to hear what I consider to be the very best, most informative radio program available in North America, then click here (right-click to Save As). Might make an interesting contrast to the usual stuff you carry on your iPod!

More on John Batchelor can be read here and here.

Huntley Brown: The Most Despised Man in the African American Community

Huntley Brown is an accomplished American pianist. He's also a despised man these days. Why? Because he dared to express his heartfelt views.

From Snopes.com, the Internet's de facto site at dispelling false rumors, is an e-mail that Huntley Brown sent to his friends, along with a follow-up explanation from him of why he sent it. You can read all of it here.

Just one man's opinion, but a very interesting opinion indeed.

By the way, since Mr. Brown disagrees with Barack Obama, does that make him a racist too?

Historical Perspective on Barack Obama's Views

Historian, John Batchelor, has a fascinating new article on socialist perspectives through the years. Worth a read!

Important Words About Freedom of Speech

In a very powerful new piece, Ezra Levant, makes a strong case for why Canada's "Human Rights" Commissions have us pointed in the wrong direction, toward a Soviet style society. And he posts a letter from a Jewish immigrant from Poland who learned first-hand what it was like to live in such a society. This gentleman's experiences are clearly ones that no native born Canadian (or American) can ever understand.

The fact that most in the population don't even want to bother listening to them is what saddens me. Deeply.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck at a Sarah Palin Rally

Melanie Phillips: Is America Really Going To Do This?

As the election draws near, British columnist, Melanie Phillips, shares her thoughts here.

Fred Thompson's Words of Wisdom

50 Years Ago Today: Aviation History

On October 26, 1958 a Pan Am Boeing 707 aircraft called Clipper America took off from New York City's Idlewild Airport (now called JFK) and flew to Orly Airport in Paris, with only a stop in Gander, Newfoundland. The aircraft carried 111 passengers and 11 crew. The entire journey took 8.5 hours. What we consider commonplace today was very much a novelty back then!

You can read more about this momentous event here and the British equivalent here.

Quote of the Day

"Barack Obama wants to change America by modeling it after Washington, DC. We believe in America and don't want to fundamentally change it like he does. We want to focus our changes where the real problem lies, in Washington itself!"

Latest from SNL

Help Send a Great Young Lady to Africa!

An acquaintance of mine, Hillary, is embarking on a trip to go to Africa in 2009 to work with the Rendille people of Kenya. She has a heart of gold and will go there solely to help others. In the process, her mind will undoubtedly be enriched as well.

You can read about her upcoming journey here. And visit her blog here. To help raise funds to pay for her trip she's selling her very best photographs. Please join me in helping Hillary out and adding some new art to your home!

Halloween Humor

Promoting Balanced Views and Free Speech in Canada

Over the past 2 months I've listened to a larger variety of talk radio in the U.S. One thing that many down there are convinced of is that Academia (primary school to university) and most of the MSM are completely infested with 95%+ Leftists. Not just Mildly Left or sort of Left, but Extreme Left.

I suspect they are right. Anyone who thinks that this hasn't had an enormous effect on brainwashing countless people over the past 40 years toward the very perverted value system of the Extreme Left is deluding themselves.

It got me thinking about the situation in Canada. Our CBC is on the Extreme Left. CTV and Global are a bit different but mostly seems pro-Liberal Party. All of the newspapers except the National Post seem Mildly Left to Extreme Left.

It's difficult to change private sector institutions other than to stop supporting them. But the CBC *should be* much easier to change because they're paid for by our tax dollars.

Once the U.S. election is over I would love to start a grassroots campaign to write the head of CBC News and see what changes he has effected based on his promise to do so after the Mallick affair. My guess is that to date it has been zero to none. So then the CBC Ombudsman needs to be contacted en masse until the promised change occurs.

This could be connected with a petition to the Conservative Party demanding that such changes to the CBC be made and the Hate Speech Provisions of the HRCs be scrapped. Once they do so, those of us pledging donations to their party will carry forth as promised. Until then, not a cent.

To me this sounds like minimal time & energy from each supporter for maximum gain. Clearly we need a larger, more effective way to dramatically change Canadian public opinion. Put another way, for the first time in at least 40 years Canadians will be presented with a balanced set of views and can then make up their own minds. Much like I've been able to do with some Canadians, albeit one person at a time.

P.S. I wonder if Ezra Levant, Mark Steyn, and Jonathan Kay would be willing to spread the word? Goodness knows that North America will need more balanced views than ever before once the Extreme Leftists in an Obamanation implement the Unfairness Doctrine and likely effect a number of other things to kill free speech that they disagree with.

Mark Steyn on an Obamanation: Now What?

In his latest brilliant article, Mark Steyn shares his fears of what the American people may be willingly walking into. Here's a short snippet:

"People of the world," Sen. Obama declared sonorously at his self-worship service in Germany, "look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one."

No, sorry. History proved no such thing. In the Cold War, the world did not stand as one. One half of Europe was a prison, and in the other half far too many people – the Barack Obamas of the day – were happy to go along with that division in perpetuity.

Wonder where all the Obama donations came from?

Mark Steyn shares a few ideas:

As readers may recall, a couple of days ago it became clear that the Obama website had intentionally disabled all the basic credit-card-processing security checks and thereby enabled multiple contributions from donors with fake names. The excuse offered in the New York Times story was that, ah, yes, the Obama gang may appear to accept contributions from "Mr Fake Donor" of "23 Fraudulent Lane", but all those phony baloney contributions are picked up by their rigorous offline checking procedures. As many Obama supporters wrote to point out, simply because you get a message saying "Thank you for contributing to the Obama landslide, Mr S Hussein of 47 Spider-Hole Gardens (basement flat), Tikrit!" is no reason to believe any real money is actually leaving real accounts.

The gentleman who started the ball rolling made four donations under the names "John Galt", "Saddam Hussein", "Osama bin Laden", and "William Ayers", all using the same credit card number. He wrote this morning to say that all four donations have been charged to his card and the money has now left his account. Again, it's worth pointing out: in order to enable the most basic card fraud of all - multiple names using a single credit card number - the Obama campaign had to manually disable all the default security checks provided by their merchant processor.

The reader adds:

Last night on Sheppard Smith’s 3pm-ET show this issue was brought up briefly and they cited the Obama campaign falsely claiming that this sort of thing happens at the McCain site and that they catch these errors later in the processing. Well, it took three days to process my donations and they all skated through their rigorous screening.

And it doesn't happen at the McCain site. This reader tried donating under "John Galt" and "Saddam Hussein" to the McCain campaign and they rejected it.

This should be Journalism 101. I'm not the guy who made Obama's fundraising a story. The media did that when they ran hundreds of puff pieces marveling at his record-breaking cash haul, and in particular the gazillions of small donors. Isn't the fact that his website has chosen to disable basic fraud protection procedures at the very least a legitimate addendum to those stories?

Oh, sorry, I was waiting for the chirping crickets. But evidently Mr C Cricket is over at Obama Central charging 20 bucks to his MasterChirp.

10/25 12:58 PM

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Is the media investigating these highly illegal actions? Of course not. They're too busy probing into Joe the Plumber's tax records and personal life (through whatever means necessary).

The Devolution of Amerika

Dennis Prager shares his thoughts. An interesting listen!

Times Square, 1969

Captured from an old episode of Hawaii 5-O.

A Few Questions for Moderate Jewish Democrats (and Everyone on the Radical Left)

Note: This is the second version of this posting. I have updated it with more information to provide clarity but clearly I will not succumb to the censorship demands of some fellow bloggers. Please carefully read what I've written before accusing me of saying things which I've not said or even intended. For starters, please note that nowhere do I talk about any Democrat Party leaders, for that's not what this post is at all about.

Secondly, my own views on abortion are not the same as those of Fundamentalist Christians, but a big part of me admires their moral certainty of the sanctity of life. I'm just more open to giving pregnant women more flexibility to choose; with that said though, none of us should have any illusions that every abortion is ending a life.

Finally, you might be interested to know that while researching this article I removed this filth from the Wikipedia entry on Nazi concentration camps: "985,000 Jews died, shocking isn't it, just think how lucky we are!" So please be very careful about throwing charges of racial or religious prejudice against me.

As a primer, I invite you to watch this and this, eloquently spoken by the brilliant Jewish American talkshow host, Dennis Prager, who I deeply respect.

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In the years leading up to Nazi Germany's mass murder of millions of Jewish people throughout Europe, their propaganda ministry paved the way by dehumanizing Jews through countless articles and cartoons. This continued throughout the war. Here are a few examples:

The Mobilization of the People: The cartoon shows a photograph of a Jew captioned "Satan". Streicher regularly used the old religious argument that the Jews were in league with the Devil. This issue appeared as the last German troops in Stalingrad surrendered.

The Decent Jew: The cartoon shows a Jew politely asking for room on the bench, after which he shoves the previous inhabitant off. The poem notes that Jews behave the same way in other situations.

The Polyp: A Jew has his tentacles around England, Russia, the United States, and China.

Behind the Curtains: A Jewish puppeteer is looking nervously at his remaining puppets: Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. On the floor are broken former puppets, including Neville Chamberlain.


More examples can be found here and here and here. The psychology behind this campaign is simple to understand. If you want to do harm to someone or want others to do harm to them then if you can first get people thinking that these others are less than human and/or less deserving of respect then it becomes a lot easier.

In the language of tribes, it's always easier to disrespect "them" than "us".

For those not familiar with what happened to an estimated 6 Million Jews in World War 2 please click here and here. It was an absolutely appalling chapter in human history. Perhaps I take it more personally because half of my ancestry comes from Germany. For example, just the other day I immediately and vociferously chastised an acquaintance of mine, to his face, for even suggesting that what occurred back then was overblown by "Jewish Propaganda Groups". When I then asked him about 9/11 victims, he admitted that he wondered about the rumor that no Jews were killed that day. I sent him this link and this one, suggesting with the latter that for starters he look for last names beginning with "Gol" and "Ros".

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In modern day American culture three popular comedians receiving constant adulation from the Left are Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, and Bill Maher. Stewart, whose real last name is "Leibowitz", grew up in a Jewish family, as did Silverman. Maher grew up in a mixed Christian-Jewish household. Here are some examples of their work:

Note: Because of copyright restrictions, videos of Jon Stewart are difficult to come by. If you happen to find one that is applicable, please do let me know.







On a regular basis all of these comedians comedically attack Fundamentalist Christians in general and more recently, Sarah Palin in particular. In fact, Marr has based a large part of his career on mocking and condemning Christians. Given the great popularity of their careers, one can only conclude that many on the Left think such humor is extremely funny.

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Here are a few questions for Jewish Democrats:

1. What about the religious oriented humor of Stewart, Silverman, and Maher do you find the most funny?
   
   
2. What precisely about Fundamentalist Christians do you think many on the Left dislike or even loathe? Is it their literal belief in the Old Testament or their staunch belief that any abortion is a mortal sin?
   
   
3. Among other types of fetuses, Fundamentalist Christians believe that terminating the life of a Jewish fetus is a sin. If a comedian were to use Stewart, Silverman, and Maher as role models but instead just focus on belittling those who want to stop Jewish abortions, would you find this equally as funny?
   
   
4. Though no one is directly connecting these comedians to the German Nazi regime, clearly there is a similarity in the voracity of the humor back then and now; different times, different subjects, but a similar end effect. Understanding clearly how the German Nazis belittled and dehumanized your ancestors, how do you reconcile your appreciation for humor that mocks and belittles Fundamentalist Christians?

Illegal Immigrants a Problem in Canada!

Sent from an American friend:

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada
has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols
to stop the illegal immigration. The possibility of a McCain/Palin
election is prompting the exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear
they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, and agree with Bill O'Reilly.

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of
sociology professors, animal rights activists and Unitarians crossing
their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and
there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba
farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. "The
producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. He asked me if I could spare
a latte and some free-range chicken." In an effort to stop the illegal
aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled
them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across
the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got
through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk."

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals
near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive
them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves. "A lot
of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario
border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking
water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often
wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors
have been circulating about the McCain-Palin administration establishing
re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to shoot wolves
from airplanes, deny evolution, and act out drills preparing them for
the Rapture.

In recent days, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of
crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on
bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a
half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian
immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed
senior-citizen passengers on Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney hits to
prove they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the
accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about
their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are
creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan
Sarandon movies. "I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian
economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many
Art history and English majors does one country need?"

What The U.S. Election May Come Down To

I heard an interesting series of discussions on the radio this morning. Through all the fog of political spin, a few things seem to be coming clear:

1. The two campaigns are a lot closer than the Obama landslide polls indicate.
2. More than a few people being polled are deliberately lying.
3. The general mood amongst the Left seems to be that an Obama presidency and a majority in the House of Representatives and Senate is the best thing for America. Hey, they hate Bush and Palin and to a certain extent, McCain, so there's little doubt that a massive wipe-out of the Republican Party this election cycle would give them all more than a few tingles up their legs.

Should this absolute victory for the Democrats occur, the Left seems to ardently believe that:

• America will for a long time be viewed as a kinder, gentler, smarter country.
• Barack Obama will solve many of the problems facing the world today, both internationally and domestically.
• Previously hostile nations like Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and others will now patch up all their differences with America - an international kumbaya, if you will.

It's a nice thought and nobody wishes for this more than me but it seems quite far-fetched.

These days I'm reading Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, by Tony Judt. I'm at a section right now where, in great detail, he focuses in on how Joseph Stalin, the dictator of the USSR systematically exploited weaknesses of all of his neighbors and took them over, one by one. In most cases, any individuals who spoke out against this were summarily imprisoned or shot.

One of the few countries he was scared to go after was Yugolslavia. Why? Because it had an equally ruthless leader name Josip Broz Tito. Though the two dictators were linked idealogically, they both wanted power for themselves. In the end, nothing else mattered than control.

Great lessons before, during, and after World War 2 have applicability today but those on the Left seem to think that we've evolved beyond needing to pay attention to such historical events. If they're right, wunderbar. If they're wrong, God help us.

I'm convinced what this election will come down to is how many Americans will enter the voting booth believing that Obama is the path to a new age for America (and the world) vs. how many will enter believing that mankind will always be consumed with hatred, jealousy, and fear.

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Corollary: Should the Democrats get the supermajority they're seeking, who do you feel Barack Obama's greatest nemeses will be and why?

ObamaMedia Prediction

Can anyone deny this plausible scenario:

So, Sarah Palin's advisors decide that it is time for her to meet a bunch of serious world leaders. They head to Europe, where, first up, she has an appointment with the Pope. The Pope and some of his Cardinals invite her for a boat ride on the Tiber. As they are sitting in the gondola talking, a wind starts up and blows the Pope's hat into the water. Palin looks around and realizes that no one is going to do anything about it, so she calmy rises, takes off her her high heels, and steps off the side of the boat. Instead of diving into the water, however, she walks across it, to the hat, picks it up and walks back across the water to the boat. She climbs in, hands the Pope his hat and continues discussing whatever it was they had been talking about. The Cardinals are open mouthed in astonishment at what they have just seen.

The news media, in nearby boats are busy discussing among themselves how to report it. Headlines the next day at the New York Times, The Washington Post and the networks all blare: New Revelation: Sarah Palin Can't Swim.

Conservative Fun House: Episode 19

Dennis Miller on the O'Reilly Factor

Hatin' Palin

Here's an important article to pass onto all those you know who H-A-T-E Sarah Palin. I know plenty of them and am embarrassed for each & every one of them.


Charles Krauthammer, besides being a gifted writer, feels that these haters are actually experiencing a phenomenon of self-loathing:

What's remarkable about the reaction to Palin is not only the unfavorable. It's the loathing, the absolute hatred that you hear, especially from intellectuals, feminists, sort of east coast, west coast, pointy headed [elites]. ... In Palin's case, I think what adds to it is her decision at her age with four other children to have a down syndrome child. This, too, as Joseph Epstein wrote, in feminist circles if abortion is not about this, what's it about?

And they look at her as sort of a back room — a backwater hick, who, for religious reasons, went ahead and had a child that they would never have.

Underneath it, I think, deep underneath it, I think it's a self-loathing on the part of these feminists, knowing that what she did is virtuous and a generous act that they would have never have undertaken. And her having undertaken it is an affront to them, a silent rebuke.

Has an Obamanation Race War Begun?

I'm going to wait for awhile to see how this story unfolds but it is very disturbing to say the least. More here and here.

Incidentally, should this story prove to be precisely as the victim described it, the Obama press corps should be called off of Joe the Plumber and descend upon Sandra Bernhard, asking her if she now better understands the consequences of advocating violence against women.

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Update: It appears that the story is false. You can read more about it here. Michelle Malkin's suspicions were right all along.

I'm glad that I took the cautious approach I did. My question for Sarah Bernhard still stands though.

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Update: It appears that Ashley Todd will be charged for making a false crime report, though her past history of mental illness may prompt authorities to submit her to a psychiatric evaluation. If she is able to stand trial then she should be charged.

More Fall Colours

Captured in Vancouver's Shaughnessy neighbourhood this afternoon.

One Election Down, Next Election Soon Up

3 ridings in B.C. will be having a by election on October 29th. Mine is one of them.
Here are the candidates:

MacDiarmid, Margaret BC Liberal Party
McGinn, Jenn New Democratic Party of B.C.
Hanni, Wilf BC Conservative Party
Emery, Jodie BC Marijuana Party
Sterk, Jane Green Party of BC

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I saw Mrs. Emery handing out pamphlets the other day. An attractive woman to be sure. She's the child bride of well known drug addict, Marc Emery. Sorry, but I don't vote for drug addicts or those who encourage the lifestyle.

Ms. Sterk is the new leader of the Green Party. She doesn't live in this riding or anywhere nearby. She has absolutely NO BUSINESS running here. In fact, on Sean Leslie's show on CKNW on the weekend she said that she's only here to drum up more attention for herself.

I've never voted for a party who, if they were a person, would never get a passing grade in Economics 101 so I won't be voting for the NDP.

Part of me wants to send a message to Gordon Campbell to stop being so aloof and be more interested in the day to day concerns of British Columbians but I fear that such strategic voting, if done en masse, will give Carole James powerful talking points. I don't wish to destroy my province for another decade under her rule so I'm somewhat begrudingly forced into voting Liberal.

Dennis Miller on Appreciating Where You Are in Life

View more Miller wisdom here.

Dumbest News Story Ever

Reporter Bruce Cheadle clearly must have had nothing better to do when he penned this ridiculous story entitled "Liberals won't bring down Harper on throne speech". Though there is a photo of Justin Trudeau in the story. Perhaps Cheadle has a man crush on him?!

I Am Joe Too!

Chocolate Dessert

Some friends visting from Calgary took me out for dinner. Here's the dessert that one of them ordered.

Fall Colours in the Afternoon

On a sunny day, it really is quite amazing around here in the Fall. Here are a few shots looking south on Granville Street toward 16th Avenue.

Free Speech in Amerika: About to be Curtailed

Here is evidence of one of my worst fears about to come to fruition:
Will this also apply to PBS radio, and all television channels that are broadcast over the airwaves too? Here's more on this very disturbing possibility.

The Obama Press Corps are Hard at Work!

Want some more proof that the mainstream media are corrupt and completely in the tank for Barack Obama? Read this. One has to wonder if the daily assignments of reporters are coming directly from the Obama Campaign. Far fetched? Something tells me not.

One of the supposedly random "hockey moms" mentioned in the story is a Wanda Routier of Hewitt, Wisconsin. Not exactly a common name. A curious reporter would wonder if this is the same Wanda Routier who wrote this document. Throughout it the League of Women Voters is frequently mentioned. A quick search reveals this Oct 20, 2008 news release from them which chastises anyone who dares to criticize ACORN. Here's one prominent quote:

“This election is too important for anyone to feel they must stand on the sidelines because harbingers of doom who have a vested interest in attacking our election system continue to barrage voters with daily doses of fear about our electoral process. Intimidation tactics such as those that have been used recently in an effort to discredit the third party voter registration efforts of ACORN have no place in the American political process.”

Really? So the League of Women Voters feels that ACORN is beyond reproach but anyone, including the FBI, who is concerned about ACORN's unethical and allegedly illegal actions are the ones "attacking our election system"?!? A greater example of hypocrisy you will never find.

Joe the Plumber's personal records were made public by the media within 24 hours. Do you think the same will be done of Wanda Routier? One has to ask why she in particular was interviewed for the aforementioned story. How did the reporter(s) get her name? Perhaps from a tip from the Obama Campaign?

2008: The End of Journalistic Integrity

Mr. Christy Clark is Depressed

Mark Marissen (aka Christy Clark's husband) is a long time Liberal Party operative. Some people refer to him as a political genius. I beg to differ. If stacking nomination races with thousands of last minute sign-ups from one ethnic group - individuals who don't know a thing about the details of the candidate - is genius then so be it. I consider such actions to be a thug like attempt to thwart democracy.

As Miro Cernetig elaborates, Mr. Christy Clark is now depressed. It's so sad.

Blogging is Cheaper than Therapy

Kate McMillan, the founder of Small Dead Animals, one of the most successful political blogs in Canada, once said that the reason she started blogging was to stop throwing objects at the radio and TV when she heard something extremely stupid or biased (I'm paraphrasing).

Her blog is now so successful that she has guest bloggers as well. One of them just wrote this piece. His opening sentence reads as follows:

Sometimes I get asked why I blog. If anyone else can think of a more productive way to get this stuff off my chest, please let me know. As Sean says, it's cheaper than therapy.

In this particular case, he's commenting on a Paris Hilton like princess named Jessica Leader who is currently wearing a beret that says, "Globe and Mail War Correspondent". You've got to read her latest missive to understand just how absolutely pathetic she is. This is what passes for Canadian journalism these days?

Another blogger has a similar take.

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If you'd like to read & see some REAL reporting from Afghanistan then visit the website of Michael Yon.

Currency Comparison

If the American economy is doing so bad and the Canadian economy is so stable then how would an economist explain this:




Note that against both the Canadian Dollar and against the Euro, the American Dollar is climbing at a significant rate. I find this very interesting but have heard no compelling evidence to explain it.

Conservative Fun House: Episode 18

Topics discussed: Colin Powell's endorsement, the abdication of the media's responsibility to properly vet all candidates, Joe Biden's prediction of a coming crisis for Obama, the hatefulness of liberal Internet commenters and bloggers, the UnFairness Doctrine, and the controversy with the Little Big Planet PS3 video game.

The MSM Winning the Election for Obama, One Lie at a Time

Watch this:


Then read this and this. And all the little Palin-hating, Obama-lovin' liberal sheep out there take it all in as if it were manna from heaven.

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2008: The Year that Journalism Officially Died in America.

1933: 75 years ago, much the same thing happened in Nazi Germany though back then the press didn't go along with it willingly. They had to be shot.

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Update: The transcript of the interview has been published here. After reading it, I sent CNN the following e-mail:

Now that Byron York has called out Drew Griffin for inventing a quotation falsely attributed to National Review, what precisely will occur?

1. Will Mr. Griffin be fired?
2. Will Mr. Griffin and/or CNN apologize to both Sarah Palin and National Review?
3. Will Mr. Griffin be required to take a journalistic ethics course?
4. Absolutely nothing.

If a poll were conducted, what percentage of American voters do you suspect would pick #4?

Fact or Fiction?

"The only people who don't predominately vote along racial lines are white people of European origin."

U.S. Talk Show Host, Michael Savage
October 21, 2008

Metal Chickens

Nothing more to be said. Metal chickens kind of speak for themselves, don't they?!

The VW Thing

Aka the Volkswagen 181, this jeep-like vehicle came into Canada and the U.S. in the early 1970's. I was quite familiar with them because my Dad so Volkswagens for a time and I got to ride in a few. I saw one today on Granville Street in Vancouver and captured these photos:




Here are some more images of this unique vehicle:


If you're interested to buy one, click here.

Joke from a Young Braniac

Q: Why is a math book so sad?

A: Because it has so many problems.

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Bonus marks if you can identify where I heard this!

The Comprehensive Case Against Barack Obama

This is a length piece but well worth the read (and watch). One has to wonder how many Americans are open to listening?

US Intelligence: Iran will be able to build first nuclear bomb by February 2009

Perhaps this is what Joe Biden was recently referring to? God help the people of Israel if this is what transpires. Who in their right mind believes that Barack Obama will be able to stand up to the Iranian leaders ... no matter how many times he says that "Nuclear weapons in Iran are unacceptable"?

Dangerous, dangerous times.

Loving, Peaceful Obamanation Followers

Here's an example of some Sarah Palin protesters standing directly in front of her motorcade, potentially risking her life and others as well. Stalin's term, "useful idiots" directly comes to mind.

Obama's Big Vote Buy

Amy Alkon just published a biting article, asking why so many Americans are so eager to give Barack Obama much more of their money.

Here's the comment I left:

Much like a parent doesn't want their child to learn about touching a stove by actually getting burned, those of us outside the U.S. who have not had our minds numbed by the Socialist Kool-Aid, are hoping against hope that Americans don't embark on Obama's Great Socialist Experiment. But this suggests that you are.

And Michael Medved has a detailed article on why the changes made in an Obamanation will be permanent and devastating.

I have never felt that McCain is the optimal choice but it truly is shocking to me how so many Americans have been brain washed by the socialist rhetoric espoused by Obama and his many protective pals in the MSM.

Let's talk 2 years from now and see if many still feel Obama is the transformative Messiah figure that so many currently espouse him to be.

Permanent Bachelorhood

This interesting article was recently published in the UK. It focuses on the idea that perhaps remaining permanently single is a better option for some men, and I would suggest some women too.

Let me state unequivocally that finding "The One", that perfect person for you, marrying, and having children is still very much the ideal in my mind. But marrying the wrong person is not the second best option IMHO. It's more like the 3rd or even 4th best option.

In my time, I've just seen too many dysfunctional relationships where one or often both people belittle and disrespect the other on a regular basis. They might not ever leave each other out of fear of being alone or the financial repercussions but you'll never dissuade me from the inherent truth of this statement:

"I'd rather be single and relatively happy than in an unhappy relationship with the wrong person. There is no greater feeling of loneliness than being in that predicament."

Prescient Steyn

The powers at be in Canuckistan have already toyed with the idea of banning Mark Steyn's writing throughout the frozen tundra of North America. Now in an Obamanation some extension of the Unfairness Doctrine may very well attempt the same.

Shut off from all traditional revenue sources I would recommend he borrow Johnny Carson's old Carnac the Magnificent hat and start a new gig as a fortune teller in a traveling circus.

Today, Steyn republished the first article he ever wrote for the National Post on October 29, 1998. To say it predicted the future would be the understatement of this new millennium. Here's one key paragraph:

I’ll bet those B.C. students protesting against Suharto would approve of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission’s ruling that Hizzoner was guilty of discrimination. But the trouble with letting the state restrict free expression in the interests of nice cuddly causes like gay liberation is that you make it a lot easier for them to restrict free expression in the interests of non-nice causes like Suharto. In Canada, we’ve let the state go too far in policing dissent. Our official niceness has led, inexorably, to official intolerance – or to put it in culinary terms: If you cook up something that bland, it’s bound to get covered in pepper.

Location of the next Liberal Convention

Stephane Dion resigned today, effective as soon as his party selects a new leader.

This evening I heard something very interesting about this upcoming leadership convention. Apparently it's slated to be out here in Vancouver next May. But the Liberal party is broke, to the tune of $6 Million. And with most of their support in Toronto, it makes absolutely no financial sense to fly everyone out to the Left Coast and stay in those expensive Vancouver hotel rooms.

So stay tuned for a switch of venues to The Big Smoke to be announced not too far into the new year ... likely on a Friday afternoon just before a Monday holiday!

How times have changed, eh? For decades we were told that the Liberals were the Natural Governing Party of the People of Canada. In fact, they were the natural favour getting party of about 200 wealthy Canadians. Period.

Murdered For Being A Christian

Gayle Williams, a 34 year old British woman in Afghanistan, was murdered yesterday.

You can read the entire tragic story here.

Melanie Philips on the Presidential Race

A very interesting article by Melanie Philips came out of the UK last week. This paragraph sums it up:

You have to pinch yourself – a Marxisant radical who all his life has been mentored by, sat at the feet of, worshipped with, befriended, endorsed the philosophy of, funded and been in turn funded, politically promoted and supported by a nexus comprising black power anti-white racists, Jew-haters, revolutionary Marxists, unrepentant former terrorists and Chicago mobsters, is on the verge of becoming President of the United States. And apparently it’s considered impolite to say so.

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Remember that reports about UFOs have now been made public in the UK? Might there be a connection between alien sightings and hypnotized American voters?!? :-)

Who Pays The Bill in America

Kind of throw a wrench into how Obama is going to cut taxes for 95% of Americans. But on this and many other things I'm convinced most people are going to be very disappointed when reality hits home by mid 2009 in an Obamanation.

The Corrupt Canadian "Human Rights" Commission Is Back At It

Taking a break for the federal election, so as not to embarrass themselves and help out Harper too much, the CHRC is back it, playing their stupid games with Ezra Levant. How much time & money will this latest round cost him? And most Canadians are blissfully unaware of all this.

Watch out Americans, the same will likely be headed your way in an Obamanation. When it does, do you think the righteous liberals will speak out against it? I do doubt it.

UFOs in the UK

The English have long been said to have the best sense of humour on earth but I checked the calendar and it's not April 1st so I assume this is legit:



Isn't it interesting how Britain has a government agency set up to investigate something interesting whilst Canada has a number of agencies set up to suppress free speech.

Sarah Palin vs. Joe Biden

Intelligence vs. B.S.

Interesting read!

Sometimes Even On A Rainy Day . . .

There are hidden surprises . . .

Trip Photos: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

During my recent trip to the U.S. Midwest we got to go up to Milwaukee for a few hours. I didn't capture nearly enough images but here are a few that I think you'll enjoy.

The Milwaukee Art Museum is an amazing structure designed by the famous architect, Santiago Calatrava.



I got lucky with this silhouette of Abraham Lincoln. The light was just right and I think it turned out perfectly.
The Pfister Hotel is a well restored Victorian masterpiece, originally opened in 1893. If you get a chance, go inside the lobby and look up at the magnificent ceiling.


This is a view inside the Karl Rausch restaurant in downtown Milwaukee. Great food and service both!

Note: This constitutes the end of the photos from my recent trip.