Phoenix is on Mars!

At approximately 4:53pm PDT on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 the NASA explorer "Phoenix" landed on Mars. Let's hope that all goes well! I think this is AMAZING!!!

Sicker Than Sick

Just when you think the unelected Burmese dictators couldn't get any more disgusting, out comes a report that they're expecting $11 Billion in aid, with little to no transparency about how the money is distributed. On a BBC report, I heard that the junta has apparently submitted reports about how many chickens and others animals have been killed by the cyclone - each associated with a dollar figure of course. The people of Burma desperately need help and the tyrants need to be removed. Sadly, I don't think either will happen.

Rails & Ties

I just finished watching a touching, beautiful movie called Rails & Ties. The title is a pun, but you'll have to watch the movie to understand why. Directed by Clint Eastwood's daughter, Alison, it weaves an interesting story of a railroad engineer and his wife, who is dying from cancer, and a young boy whose mother is also dying from cancer. The lives of these two pairs come together in a very unexpected way. Highly recommended!

Wikipedia Article: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage

The Wikipedia entry for the Stanley Theatre was completely rewritten. The author has used many of my photos of it for the article. I love helping out to improve this amazing website whenever I can!

David Berner's UK Trip

And so it begins ... Mr. Berner has embarked a journey around assorted parts of the UK. He's graciously keeping us back home well informed about his trip here. Though I completely understand the technology of the Internet, I still can't get over how amazing it is that someone can be communicating in real-time from the other side of our large planet. The Internet and cel phones have certainly changed travel forever and not necessarily in an entirely positive way for those doing the traveling. But absolutely great for those of us not on the trip.

Charles Krauthammer on Obamanation

You can read Krauthammer's article here. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Letter to Jennifer Rubin

Jennifer,

I learned of you and your blog from Hugh Hewitt's interview of you. The few entries I've read so far are most interesting!

I don't know if most of the commenters on here are Jewish Americans, but I'm not. I'm a Recovering Catholic in Vancouver, BC on Canada's Left Coast. But I enjoy learning about what others from around the world are thinking.

More than perhaps anyone on here realizes, your country's election has captured the attention of many Canucks. I'm no exception. Up until about mid-February I was enamoured with Obama's message of Positive Change. Then strange things started surfacing from him and from those around him. Since I've never drank any politician's Kool-Aid, I'm able to clearly analyze what's actually being said and change my opinion of the politician if need be. The more he has kept talking, out of at least 3 sides of his mouth, the more I've realized how scary he would be, not just for America, but for the West in General. Not at all because he's Black, but because of his extreme socialist views. I've seen how socialism has hurt Canada, France, and Britain. We're now on the mend, Sarkozy is trying to take France in that direction, and Britain may be moving the pendulum in the other direction soon.

On New Year's Eve last year I wrote a little something about my hopes & dreams for my nation in 2008. But I clearly shouldn't have limited its scope! Now that I see the Obamanation message coming clearly into focus, I realize that what he really stands for is directly against most of my core principles.

Worst of all is the Identity Politics that his campaign is playing. Not only are they pitting different ethnic & religious groups against one another, but they're using the new age PC trick of calling anyone who disagrees with them a Racist. And their millions of supporters are repeating the charge verbatim. I find this absolutely repugnant.

There's a bright guy on You Tube named Tom who recently posted a video called Sushi Politics. He makes an interesting, though flawed case, that people who eat sushi on a regular basis support Obama whereas those who don't aren't as enlightened. To him I asked a simple question:

Might it be possible that Obama's "base" consists of 3 primary groups:

1. African-Americans.
2. People who never equated the need for work as a necessary requirement to get what they desire.
3. Liberal educated people who detest Bush and think Obama would be a "refreshing change".

Is there anyone else who really supports him?

To his credit, Tom did respond to my question but didn't really answer it. In the coming months I will watch the polls and see if a 4th or 5th group emerges. Somehow I don't think so.

I'm most saddened that Obama has turned out to be another Jesse Jackson like victim-laden politician. African-Americans deserve much more. If he's not a snake oil salesman, then he's the close cousin of one.

Barack Obama Pens an Advice Column

This is just too funny!

Evening Walk

Nutty Mommy

Some time back a female friend of mind got me reading Amy Alkon. In case you haven't heard of her, she's like a cool, hip version of Dear Abby. This week she shares an incredible series of e-mails shared between her and a welfare mom. Make sure you're sitting down, with no sharp objects around, and read this.

An Antidote to the Obama Kool-Aid

Instructions:

1. Read this once.
2. If you still think Obama would be a swell President then repeat #1.

The Audacity of Disagreeing with Another

Recently I was engaged in an interesting online political discussion. Here's the gist of what I said:

The fear of being political incorrect too often seeps into people's comments these days. I fully understand why, though am saddened anytime anyone feels the need to first preface any comments they think might be controversial. I did it myself constantly in my 20's and even now need to check myself anytime I start walking down that path again.

This reminded of Godwin's Law, something I first learned of from a female friend of mine from Philadelphia. Her take on it is that anytime someone calls another person a "Nazi" in a heated Internet discussion that the person using the phrase automatically and immediately loses the argument.

I think this "law" needs to be expanded for anyone who labels another as a "Racist" or "Sexist". For if one can't disagree or even detest someone who happens to be of another race or sex then we are truly at a sad state in our collective history.

P.S. I'm doubly amused when some people have called me a racist sexist white male simply because I disagree with them on a political issue. To each of these folks I always ask the same simple question: "If Condoleezza Rice were running in this election as the Republican Presidential Candidate, would you vote for her?" Their response is always the same: Absolute silence at first and then a long, twisted diatribe about why that's "different". It often ends in them calling her a Nazi. :-(

Though I don't like his frequent use of the F & N words, Chris Rock has some interesting things to say on this subject. Why do I doubt that anyone would ever call him a racist or a sexist?

Don Rickles at his best

Warning: A few F-bombs are dropped by Miller in the first video:

The UN: Leave Your Principles at the Door

Rwanda. Bosnia. Zimbabwe. East Timor. Darfur. Tibet. Burma. These are but a few in the long list of abysmal failures of the UN. Yet do you see the legions of Bush-haters counting up the bodies and human rights violations in these places? Nope. It's much easier to pick on the American government for actually trying to make a positive difference in the world.

Now the talking heads at the Dis-United Nations Convening Everyday (DUNCE) have once again raised their liberal flag and declared that Israel and Iran are no better or no worse than each other. Moral equivalency at all cost - just gotta love it!

Jonathan Kay provides an excellent summary of the completely useless institution that the United Nations has become.

I.T. Hiring

Here's an example of the hiring experience in the I.T. Industry these days. And you think it's difficult to find good people in your business?!? :-)

Child Pornography: Inside the Liberal Mind

In a 7 - 2 decision, the Supreme Court of the U.S. has just upheld a federal law that punishes people who peddle or seek child pornography. The case, entitled The United States vs. Williams, focused in on a case involving one Michael Williams who signed into a public Internet chat room in 2004 and offered up photographs of men molesting his 4-year old daughter.

He provided a hyperlink that led to seven photos of actual children, aged approx. 5 to 15, engaging in sexually explicit conduct and displaying their genitals. When Williams' home was eventually searched (with a valid search warrant), two hard drives were found containing at least 22 images of real children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, some of it sadomasochistic.

People like Williams are absolutely sick and repugnant and offer absolutely nothing positive to society. All they do is cause harm and to the most helpless in our society no less.

Thank goodness the U.S. Supreme Court decided as it did. But I got to wondering who on earth would possibly dissent against this verdict. No big surprise to find out that the "2" were Justices Souter and Ginsburg, the most liberal judges on that court. The opening paragraph of their argument begins as follows: "Dealing in obscenity is penalized without violating the First Amendment, but as a general matter pornography lacks the harm to justify prohibiting it."

I tried reading the rest of it but for the most part it's just a bunch of moral equivalency gobbledygook. Beyond the realization that "child porn hurts children", what more does one need to know?! But to the liberal mind, everyone is a victim and so the child pornographer is on the same level of victimhood as the children whose lives will be scarred forever. What a sick joke. What audacity liberals have to now try to rebrand themselves as "progressives".

If Barack Obama gets elected president, look for more judges like Souter and Ginsburg to be appointed. Don't take my word for it. Obama said it himself here.

Habitat for Humanity: A Few Questions

Randy Forrester is a 36 year-old lighting fabricator who earns $42,000 per year. He and his family are moving into a 3-bedroom townhouse in Burnaby valued at $325,000. Yet he only has to pay $200,000. Why? Because he got involved with Habitat for Humanity, and donated 500 hours of his time toward the building of his home.

Hmmm, if we divide $125,000 by 500, that works out to $250 per hour. Is Mr. Forrester able to bill out at that rate in the free market? I doubt it.

One can't fault Forrester for simply signing up to a program that is offered to him but why on earth is Habitat for Humanity receiving any public funds?!? Those funds are coming from your taxes and mine. They're also coming from the taxes of people who are making a lot less than $42,000 per year.

I'm convinced that the average person in society wants to help out those who are truly challenged. But is it any wonder that people get cynical when stories like this come to light?

Summer FINALLY Arrives in Vancouver!

It was absolutely balmy here today and Vancouverites were out en masse to finally enjoy some summer weather. Here are some images captured today.

"Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick"

Back at the turn of the last century that famous phrase was often used by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to describe his philosophy of American foreign policy. In this letter, he gives full credit of its origins to Africa.

Fast forward to 2008. As the November U.S. Presidential Election draws near I predict that a growing number of Americans will start asking themselves whether Barack Obama understands the second half of that phrase or whether his left-leaning views of the world demand him to lay that proverbial stick down and keep on speaking softly no matter what occurs around him.

Only time will tell but God help us all if he is elected President and chooses to ignore that sage bit of African wisdom.

Mark Steyn weighs in on the general subject here.

Charles Krauthammer: Israel at 60

Washington Post columnist (and a Canadian doctor), Charles Krauthammer, offers a beautiful article about Israel here.

P.S. I didn't actual seek permission from the ultra-left wing Canadian Postal Union before writing this. Undoubtedly they'd disapprove. I hope my mail keeps on coming. Though if they want to hold back on the endless junk mail I'd be fine with that!