A 40-something Western Canadian who still thinks he's 24. Dreamer, thinker, photographer, traveler, entrepreneur, software developer. Adores women immensely but is still working hard at trying to understand them! :-)
This is my personal blog and primarily focuses on my photography & videography.
This morning I came across this posting by Amy Alkon concerning Reverend Wright's latest outburst.
Isn't it interesting how during the 2008 Presidential election campaign, if anyone "dared" bring up the peculiarity of Barack Obama spending 20 years of his life in Reverend Wright's church, they were immediately labeled as "racists" and insensitive to Black issues in America.
How terribly convenient, eh?! Dare question Obama's close association with his hate mongering pastor and the entire discussion is immediately swept under the rug under the auspices of RACISM.
Now the latest chapter in Wright's demented life story has been written. It's absolutely no different from the chapters before yet there's no mea culpa from the Left, is there?!
In the comments section of the aforementioned story on Alkon's site was a comment by a woman named Lynne, referring to this editorial. It concerns the recent shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC and the reaction to it.
To recap ... an absolutely demented old man enters the museum with a rifle and kills another human being. And the immediate response of the Left? Blame the "right-wingers"! Blame Rush Limbaugh! Blame Sean Hannity! Yet, never in my life have I EVER heard conservative talk show hosts utter a derogatory word about Jews. Not once. Yet on the Rabid Left blogs (HuffPo, DailyKos, CBC News, etc.) criticism and blame of the Jews is a regular staple in the diet needed to feed their craven sick hearts. It doesn't matter what the topic, the Jews are always blamed by a legion of hateful Leftists. Always!
If "Denial" could be bottled, these folks would be billionaires!
Turns out that the commenter Lynne, had parallel thoughts, which I just read after I wrote this.
Later in the day, following the news from the Gaza Strip, the following occurred to me:
Americans have fired rockets into outer space, which traveled hundreds of millions of miles to Mars, deployed robots onto the planet's surface and are now exploring vast stretches of the Martian landscape.
On the other hand, Palestinians have elected a Hamas government which thrives on firing rockets a few dozen miles away, solely to kills Jews.
Throughout many of the large cities in the West we have tens of thousands of screaming people telling us that America is bad & evil and Hamas is good & righteous.
Can someone please wake me when seriousness returns to society?!
My title is deliberately provocative. However, it is an unequivocal fact that in Canada most of those speaking out publicly in favour of Israel and against Hamas are so-called "right-wingers". And the vast majority of those people are not Jewish.
A prominent Canadian Christian blogger named Kathy Shaidle has written about this strange phenomenon here and here. And Ezra Levant, a Canadian Jewish blogger, has posted this. Shaidle is interviewed on Rob Breakenridge's show here (at 09:15).
Both bloggers ask a very important question: Why aren't there more Jewish people protesting against Hamas and defending Israel?
Putting my pollster hat on, I've thought of 5 possible answers:
I've been thinking a lot more about the various groups attending the pro-Hamas rallies. For those who aren't aware, this includes some gays and even some Jews. If you were a psychologist and your boss said, "I need you to come up with a solid explanation of why those who would be immediately oppressed if Fundamentalist Islam seized power would possibly rally in support of the same right now", what would your explanation be?
These days I'm reading an amazing book by Tony Judt about Europe after WW2. I'm currently in the section focused on the 1950's. It was clear that while the USSR was oppressing millions of people, some very horribly, many in the West refused to criticize them; some even publicly showed support to the USSR and against the USA. Note that this especially included many in Western Europe, who just around a decade before had only escaped the clutches of Adolf Hitler because of America. Talk about a short memory!
Were all of these people mentally ill? That's an easy way to sum things up but probably not accurate. Judt concludes that they were "anti anti-communist".
So in their minds, most of these folks went to sleep each night, comfortable that they were not pro-oppression. They were of course, in deep denial about what was going on behind the Iron Curtain. But absolutely no different than those today who will first & foremost criticize America & Israel yet be highly reticent to criticize Radical Islam, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, North Korea, Russia, China, Cuba, or any number of African dictators.
Though in the end equation, to any of us with even a mildly right-leaning bent, refusing to criticize totalitarian regimes appears to be exactly the same thing as lending them support; or at least giving them a free pass to do whatever they want.
Looking at the psychology of all this . . .
The Left is generally more emotional, more moved by the immediate circumstances, and rarely looks at the long term view and/or long term repercussions. Words like hypocrisy, dishonour, and self-responsibility have little meaning to those on the Left.
The Right tends to focus on the bigger picture, longer term view. Morality and Right & Wrong have more meaning with the Right, but even more so in the macro than the micro.
Note: Before anyone points out to me about corrupt conservative politicians, religious leaders, business executives, etc. let me state unequivocally that these individuals are phony, greedy poseurs. They are actually the worst of the lot, pretending to be one thing but something else entirely when the rubber hits the road.
A perfect example of this Left-Right difference is the situation of whenever a Canadian soldier kills a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan. In no way, shape, or form can Canada be accused of being an imperialist power. So why did that Canadian soldier pull the trigger on his gun, which killed the Taliban man? The Right understands that a mother's child has just died but focuses on the bigger picture, namely that the Taliban is a horrific regime that will bring nothing but oppression and immense cruelty back onto the innocent people of Afghanistan should they be allowed to return to power. The Left, on the other hand, can pretty much only focus in on the individual death and suspects that an injustice has occurred. For them, thinking beyond the immediacy of that death just doesn't occur.
Members of the media are almost always on the Left. From a psychological perspective, I don't precisely know why this is. It might be because the nature of their work has them bombarded with event after event after event. So they tend to focus most of their attention on the immediate rather than the bigger picture. Historically I wonder if there was more of a balance between Left and Right journalists, unlike the reported 98% to 2% polls say it is now. So professionally, it's very unwise for a new member of the media to espouse anything but Leftist views.
What is so dangerous about the media being so inclined is that their power to shape public opinion is enormous. And like with any good marketing campaign, be it to sell the latest widget or fashion accessory or be it to dehumanize Jews to the level of pigs & dogs, they do alter public opinion more readily than we'd all like to admit. Of course, they take no responsibility for this, citing the old canard that "they're just reporting the news". Sigh.
One saving grace is that the mainstream media is very quickly going broke. I will regret the day if there are no more formal news reporting agencies but hopefully they will remain, albeit with much more balance ... and dare I say it, professionalism. In the early part of this millennium that P-word is sadly lacking across the journalistic spectrum. It has gotten so bad that we now have prominent TV news channels faking deaths.
Read it slowly. Read it carefully. But read it all. And then join with me and worry. For the excessive tolerance of our "progressive" politicians is so clearly leading to a time when no tolerance will be permitted whatsoever.
With apologies to Martin Niemöller, let me provide a modern version of his famous poem:
First they came for the Jews. I remained silent, for I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Christians. I remained silent, for I was not a Christian.
When they came for the conservatives, I remained silent, for I was not a conservative.
When they came for the atheists, I remained silent, for I was no longer an atheist.
Then when they came for me, I expected someone to speak out, But there was no one left to defend me.
On the CAIR website there is not yet any condemnation of what this woman said. Do you think that will change anytime soon?
I fully support this woman's right to free speech. In fact, permitting free speech draws such cockroaches out from the dark corners where they hide. But the fact that no major Muslim organizations will condemn her publicly speaks volumes.
Watch this video and you will see precisely what Israel is up against. They're doomed if they don't fight back and damned [by many] if they do.
To those condemning Israel for fighting back to stop the rocket barrages I ask, "What would you do if you were in their shoes?" If your only response is "talk with Hamas" then please know that "Cop-Out" is your middle name.
It has gotten so bad in the Liberal blogosphere that several prominent Canadian Liberal bloggers have realized that damage is now occurring to the Liberal Party brand. They are in full damage control, posting items such as these (click on the images to read) :
Make no mistake, I do feel sorry for the likes of fellows like Jason Cherniak and Jeff Jedras. But unfortunately they belong to a party that has more than a few Radical Left thugs within, some of whom will not be satisfied until Israel no longer exists. Do you realize how incredibly sick this is? It is pretty much on the same wavelength of the mentality of the Germans during World War 2.
The Conservatives once had a problem with Fundamentalist Christians "ruling the roost", so to speak. But Harper, to his credit, has greatly moderated the party. So will the Liberals, though if the volume of anti-Jewish comments is any barometer, then they have a LONG way to go. Fortunately for these spewers of hate, no conservative will give legitimacy to the Kangaroos Courts aka the "Human Rights" Commissions. The fact is, one Quebec blogger did, purely as a test, and discovered that hatred towards Jews and Christians is perfectly fine to the "progressive" thinkers behind the thrones of the HRCs.
Is this the Modern Canada that Pierre Trudeau had in mind?
To the Church of Liberalism that is. Laura Rosen Cohen offers great insight on the absolute silence of 3 major Canadian Jewish organizations.
I've long observed that, like a mind altering virus, Liberalism prevents Jews from deeply supporting Israel and Christians from deeply supporting Christianity. Self-preservation of one's own family and friends is simply incompatible with the tenets of the Left.
Ms. Rosen Cohen's editorial seems to have had a little effect on these organizations:
Mark Steyn reports on the continuing devolution of the mainstream media. When journalists strive to offend no one, they end up insulting most everyone.
Yesterday an event occurred which is a major slap in the face to all Jewish people. With a big smile on my face I decided to send out the following e-mail:
Dear Mr. Farber:
I just checked your website and saw that you have not yet learned about the horrible, horrible thing said by a Canadian Member of Parliament yesterday. Here it is:
Big Loser: Derek Lee. CBC was desperate to fill air time as they waited for Stephen Harper to finish his chat with Michaelle Jean, so they made the mistake of interviewing Lee, who promptly compared Harper's request to suspend Parliament to the burning of the German Reichstag by the Nazis in 1933. Yeah Derek, they're exactly alike: a party of murderous thugs burning Parliament to the ground is just like the Prime Minister driving to Rideau Hall to request a temporary halt in proceedings while he prepares a budget. How astute of you to spot the similarities.
Mr. Farber, as a prominent Jewish leader in our country, I think you must agree that it is absolutely outrageous for any Canadian to compare the government in our country with the one in Nazi Germany that did such horrific things to your ancestors. But for a Member of Parliament to say such things is beyond the pale! I am not familiar with Derek Lee but am confident that you will demand a public apology from him. Also, he was being interviewed by Don Newman at the time. Mr. Newman didn't feel any need to object to the comment either. Is this also not a slap in the face to all Jewish people to allow such comments to go unchallenged? I have found the CBC Ombudsman's contact info for you: http://www.cbc.ca/ombudsman/page/contact.html
Finally, I know you're a strong supporter of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, so I'm thinking you may very well consider launching a complaint with them against both Mr. Lee and Mr. Newman.
Predictions
Chance of him responding: 5%
Chance of him publicly complaining about Lee or Newman: 0%
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.
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".
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.
Here are a few questions for Jewish Democrats:
What about the religious oriented humor of Stewart, Silverman, and Maher do you find the most funny?
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?
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?
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?
I just watched a fascinating documentary entitled The Rape of Europa. It focuses on how the Nazis during World War 2 plundered art work from all the countries they conquered throughout Europe. There was a particular focus on Jewish families, from whom much was stolen.
From the film I learned several things which I had previously not known:
During his teen years Adolf Hitler was an aspiring artist in Austria. He was rejected from entering the prestigious Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and some say that this inflamed his hatred toward Jews, as many artists of the time admitted into this school were Jewish.
The American military had a special group of 200 Monument Men, whose sole purpose was to rescue and preserve paintings, sculptures, and architecture.
I have been to Pisa, Italy but had no idea that the main attraction used to be the Camposanto, a monumental cemetery, and not the leaning tower. But the Camposanto was so badly damaged during WW2 that it lost all of its world renowned frescoes.
Hitler had long planned to build an enormous museum in his honour in Linz, Austria, the town that he referred to as his hometown, even though it really wasn't. This museum was slated to be by far the largest in the world.
If you get a chance, do watch this film. It's fascinating.
I'm a relative newcomer to Dennis Prager but the more I listen to him, the more I see the great wisdom of this man. Here are some audio clips from his show:
"Pelalusa" is a glorious Spanish-sounding word that means ... well ... absolutely nothing! The word doesn't actually exist. But it sure sounds like it means something!!
While living in Mexico City in 1996/97 I would often ask my friends the meaning of this word and that. One day I asked what "pelalusa" meant, for it just 'sounded' like a word that would mean something en Español. But alas, it does not.
Am I hoping they'll make me a fortune? Hardly! Am I deliberately trying to annoy my readers? Never!
I've launched a new website called Pelalusa.com. Eventually it'll become a fully fledged social networking site but for now it's just a fun travel site, showcasing my journeys and photography. I hope you enjoy it and I always welcome suggestions to improve it.
This new site will be advertising sponsored. What's different about it though is that 50% of the profits (eventually increasing towards 100%) will be donated to philanthropic efforts such as BC Digital Divide. It'll be a global effort, with a particular focus on technology and education.
So I decided to also allow the ads on here too. Please know that I have no control over their content. If some ad does catch your interest, at least you know where the money will be going.
Day & Night
Favourite Quotes
When I was around 12 years old I wrote the following: "Too many get caught up in the noise of everyday life to hear the symphony of what life is really all about."
"The bigger the government grows, the smaller the individual becomes." -- Dennis Prager
"When you take away a person's need to provide for themselves, you take away their humanity." -- Damon Rexroad
"Life is a gift, not an obligation. So make the very best of every single day you're given!" - Donovan Campbell
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money to spend." -- Margaret Thatcher
"You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream-the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits." -- Ronald Reagan
Archive.org
If you'd like to see an amazing site that is full of old commercials, radio programs, and a host of other fascinating memorabilia then click here.
The Cluetrain Manifesto
The Internet is causing an amazing transition to occur about how individuals interact with the companies that they buy from and work for. Most companies are still in denial about even the presence of this change, much to their own peril.
Shown here are the 95 Theses' of the Cluetrain Manifesto:
This manifesto is free and available online. You can read it here.
I've collected together a number of my best flower photos. Each of them has more than sufficient resolution for printing, even as an enlargement. You can download a 46MB Zip file containing many photos by clicking on this image:
