Designated Driver of North America

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52868692011-11-25T13:00:40.927-05:00Designated Driver of North AmericaDESIGNATED DRIVER OF NORTH AMERICA - A semi-personal/semi-political blog, a Canadian view on the world. As Canadian comedian John Rogers says, "Canada is the Designated Driver of North America. The U.S. runs around excitedly blowing things up, while we follow behind with the car keys, shaking our heads." Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.comBlogger1411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-46293717469624235992007-02-26T18:41:00.001-05:002007-02-26T18:41:39.532-05:00Just checking...

Checking to see if this blog works okay on the "New Blogger," before I switch all my blogs to WordPress.

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1161276863162614442006-10-19T12:50:00.000-04:002006-10-19T13:02:24.600-04:00

Garth Turner, I'm proud of you.You didn't back down, but kept telling the truth, as much and as often as you could.Because you (unlike your quote/unquote "conservative" associates) actually believe in democracy. You believe in open government. You believe that members of parliament are "we the people's" EMPLOYEES, not our rulers.Because THAT is what this has been about, from the very beginning.

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1160062101842100742006-10-05T11:24:00.000-04:002006-10-05T11:29:17.660-04:00

These are my peopleWhen I heard about the shootings of the Amish schoolgirls, I knew they were in Pennsylvania, but it was only yesterday that I realized that the community is located in Lancaster County. I was already shocked by the shootings, but hearing the name "Lancaster County" just stabbed me right to the core.I know that name very well, even though I've never been there. My own Mennonite

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1135955316729581702005-12-30T09:35:00.000-05:002005-12-30T10:12:01.256-05:00

As partial fulfillment of my promise to publish the British "al-Jazeera Memo" and other documents that the anti-democracy Blair government is trying to quash so their people won't know what illegal, unethical, and immoral skulduggery they've been up to (and have been supporting when the Americans do it), I publish the following materials. They are taken from the Blairwatch blog, and from the blog

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1134508779681586152005-12-13T16:04:00.000-05:002005-12-13T16:31:58.776-05:00

Damn. And I thought Paul Cellucci was an un-diplomatic, un-ambassadorial busybody trying to interfere in Canadian affairs and trying to make us bend the knee and meekly obey his tantrum-throwing masters in Washington.But his replacement, David Wilkins, looks to be unbelievably worse. And boy, that's saying something.In the Globe and Mail today, the article U.S. ambassador takes aim at Martin

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1134067034052396932005-12-08T13:33:00.000-05:002005-12-08T13:39:40.446-05:00

On the campaign trail, Prime Minister Paul Martin announced in Toronto today that his government would ban handguns in Canada, and institute some other measures as well, in response to the rise in gun crime. (I know there's been a terrible rise in Toronto in the past year; according to some of the news reports about Martin's announcement, the increase has occurred in other Canadian cities as well

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1133992633546397422005-12-07T16:46:00.000-05:002005-12-07T16:57:13.556-05:00

I love this so much. Look at this entry on the Conservative Voice website. That site is urging its readers to boycott stores like Target and Federated Department Stores (and there've been boycotts against, of all stores, Wal-Mart as well).And why is it doing this? Why are right wing Christians [sic] so eager to boycott stores this holiday season? Because these stores are being inclusive in their

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1133976559660323892005-12-07T12:26:00.000-05:002005-12-07T12:29:19.673-05:00

A couple of stories have come out in the last weeks that indicate, yet again, how tyrannical and outright oppressive the right wing (and especially the Religious Right) have no become, in the United States.Remember those principles of democracy, when it comes to matters of opinion and belief? Those principles which state that everyone is entitled to their opinion, everyone is entitled to dissent

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1133968702528779132005-12-07T10:15:00.000-05:002005-12-07T12:32:07.640-05:00

Peter MacKay's word is as reliable as everLast night, on the CBC news satire program, "This Hour Has 22 Minutes," there was a funny little clip where the interview character played by Gavin Crawford talked to Conservative [sic] MP Peter MacKay about the ongoing Canadian federal election. MacKay remarked that this was the first time in history that a Canadian government had been judged and

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1133803670214944772005-12-05T12:13:00.000-05:002005-12-05T12:27:50.226-05:00

PUBLISH THE AL JAZEERA MEMO!For several days, now, one of the things making the political world buzz has been the revelation that George W. Bush wanted to bomb al Jazeera, the media organization, for publishing information that the Bush crowd didn't want the rest of the world to know. And that British Prime Minister Tony Blair talked him out of it.Bush has claimed that he was simply joking when

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1128103798767686732005-09-30T13:56:00.000-04:002005-09-30T14:12:42.796-04:00

Compassionate Conservatives on Display - Part 5These are the "compassionate conservatives" in North America. Remember them well.From Media Matters for America comes the report of former U.S. Education Minister Bill Bennett's(**) assumptions about where crime in the U.S. apparently comes from:Addressing a caller's suggestion that the "lost revenue from the people who have been aborted in the last

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1126642953302298142005-09-13T16:18:00.000-04:002005-09-30T14:11:44.186-04:00

Compassionate Conservatives on Display - Part 4These are the "compassionate conservatives" in North America. Remember them well.From the Lufkin Daily News and Cynthia Hall Clements, more kind words from Radical Clerical Pat Robertson:On the September 1 edition of "The 700 Club," Robertson argued, "Out of this tragedy, the focus of America is going to be on these [hurricane] victims, and inflamed

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1126383825571380572005-09-10T16:21:00.000-04:002005-09-10T16:24:59.983-04:00

Compassionate Conservatives on Display - Part 3These are the "compassionate conservatives" in North America. Remember them well.At the bottom of this page, the American Progress Action Fund reports this overheard remark by Rep. Richard Baker (R-LA) of Baton Rouge, to lobbyists:"We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."These are the compassionate

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1126124450709350782005-09-07T16:18:00.000-04:002005-09-07T16:20:50.710-04:00

Compassionate Conservatives on Display - Part 2These are the "compassionate conservatives" in North America. Remember them well.Barbara Bush's comments about the plight of the New Orleans evacuees:Barbara Bush said: "Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to Houston."Then she added: "What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1126124061149544692005-09-07T16:10:00.000-04:002005-09-07T16:14:21.156-04:00

Compassionate Conservatives on Display - Part 1These are the "compassionate conservatives" in North America. Remember them well.From this siteWhat Hurricane Katrina exposed was the psychological consequences of the welfare state. What we consider "normal" behavior in an emergency is behavior that is normal for people who have values and take the responsibility to pursue and protect them. People

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1125078880457361992005-08-26T13:54:00.000-04:002005-08-26T13:54:40.506-04:00Pan glowing

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1124829670864899982005-08-23T16:37:00.000-04:002005-08-23T16:44:50.426-04:00

Pat Robertson and Osama bin Laden: Brothers in the SpiritHe's such a lovely man, that Pat Robertson. And he's done it again: he's expressed all the Christian, Christ-like compassion and love that is in him.As this Seattle Post-Intelligencer article (and, according to Google, about 300 other articles!) says,Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson has suggested that American agents assassinate

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1124493488106784812005-08-19T19:18:00.000-04:002005-08-19T19:18:08.110-04:00Pan the slob

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Pan the slob, originally uploaded by PhylG. FRIDAY CAT BLOGGINGPan, on the other hand, has been ready for the weekend for days!

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1124493276479771522005-08-19T19:14:00.000-04:002005-08-19T19:16:10.400-04:00Peaches curious

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Peaches curious, originally uploaded by PhylG. FRIDAY CAT BLOGGINGPeaches apparently can't believe the weekend has arrived.Have a very good weekend!

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1124475440482925662005-08-19T14:12:00.000-04:002005-08-19T16:05:29.486-04:00

Cindy Sheehan has been camping out near George W. Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch because she is grieving for her son. She wants answers as to why Bush and his crowd lied (this is now an established fact) to take the United States into the aggression against Iraq, in which her son, Casey, died.Cindy Sheehan is there for love of her son. For grief. For family values. Everyone who has joined her there

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1123889404336050742005-08-12T19:30:00.000-04:002005-08-12T19:30:04.340-04:00Pan lounging before his morning coffee

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Pan lounging before his morning coffee, originally uploaded by PhylG. FRIDAY CAT BLOGGINGIt's been a hectic week, and I am looking forward to SLEEPING this weekend! And cooler weather! So have a happy weekend, everyone!

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1123286460388401122005-08-05T20:01:00.000-04:002005-08-05T20:01:00.393-04:00FRIDAY CAT BLOGGING

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1123095933481489982005-08-03T15:03:00.000-04:002005-08-03T15:05:33.493-04:00

Flight 358It's been described as a miracle. An Air France flight comes to a violent halt in a ravine, 200 metres past the end of a runway, its tail on fire. All 309 people on board get out safely. There are no serious injuries.For me, it always comes back to Denny Fitch. He was a United Airlines pilot who was a passenger on UA Flight 232 in July, 1989, when the plane lost all hydraulic function,

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1122675343262078522005-07-29T18:15:00.000-04:002005-07-29T18:17:33.093-04:00What?

FRIDAY CAT BLOGGING.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } What?, originally uploaded by PhylG. Pan looking innocent as he's caught sitting on the new computer desk.Everyone in Canada, have a great long weekend (if you get one)! And all the rest of you, well,

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1122503871001193422005-07-27T18:31:00.000-04:002005-07-27T18:37:51.006-04:00

Well, it's going to be acknowledged officially, what we've suspected for some time.Alberta conservative politics is a religion. And its priest is the Alberta government.As this CBC news item says:Alberta's justice minister says he may invoke the notwithstanding clause under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to protect officials in his province from having to marry same-sex couples.Justice

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1121898551328985292005-07-20T18:25:00.000-04:002005-07-20T18:36:30.573-04:00

* * * * *From Macleans magazine: Same-sex marriage bill gets royal assent, becomes law across countryOTTAWA (CP) - Same-sex supporters are rejoicing as the final piece falls into place making gay marriage the law of the land.Bill C-38, the controversial legislation legalizing gay and lesbian weddings, has been given royal assent, and is now law. Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1121888052874982992005-07-20T15:33:00.000-04:002005-07-20T15:47:50.906-04:00

Argument Number Five against same-sex marriage:Same-sex marriage could change society drasticallyThe argument here is that equal marriage will change society too much and will be too disruptive. The argument sounds plausible at first, implying that this change should be made gradually, slowly adding rights and freedoms until complete equality is finally reached.Except that, oddly, most advocates

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1121804861645150202005-07-19T16:26:00.000-04:002005-07-20T15:47:30.206-04:00

Argument Number Four against same-sex marriage:Use a different word than "Marriage" for these relationshipsThis argument usually goes like this: "If you really must allow legal status to these relationships, fine. But at least use a different term for them, like "Civil Union" or "Domestic Partnership." Because traditionally, the word "Marriage" has always referred to a one man/one woman

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1121792971316386012005-07-19T13:04:00.000-04:002005-07-20T15:49:07.650-04:00

Now that a few things are out of the way, including Harry Potter , I can return to analyzing the various reasons people give for trying to deny gays and lesbians the citizenship right of marriage. So here we go with Argument Number Three:Men and women are "different." A true marriage is a union of complements and differences.What "differences" are meant, exactly, by this argument?Usually, the

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1121731219076280262005-07-18T19:43:00.000-04:002005-07-18T20:00:19.083-04:00

More on the Catholic church attempting to censure (and censor) any Catholic MP supporting equal marriage. Rick Barnes, who writes several blogs from Kelowna B.C. (Queer Thoughts, Queer Spectrum, Politics in BC, Gay Okanagan, and Big Box Costs - prolific fellow!), recently blogged about Father John Lemire refusing NDP MP Charles Angus communion because he supported equal marriage.Lemire has now

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1121471973931755922005-07-15T19:59:00.000-04:002005-07-15T19:59:33.936-04:00Oddly cool

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Oddly cool, originally uploaded by PhylG. CAT BLOGGING 2What the heck. I just couldn't resist, since Peaches has such an...odd way of cooling off.

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1121471323240484492005-07-15T19:48:00.000-04:002005-07-15T19:48:43.290-04:00It ain't the heat, it's the humidity

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } It ain't the heat, it's the humidity, originally uploaded by PhylG. FRIDAY CAT BLOGGINGThis was Pan this morning, shall we say, conserving energy until some day (maybe?) it cools down just a tad!I hope everyone has a great

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1121298326631641262005-07-13T19:30:00.000-04:002005-07-13T19:45:26.640-04:00

In the "unbelievably desperate" category, today we have this. It hardly even needs any commentary, it's so outlandish and unbelievable:Queen Begged To Halt Canadian Gay Marriage(Ottawa) An evangelical Christian group is begging Queen Elizabeth to intercede and stop Canada's same-sex marriage bill from becoming law.David Mainse, a televangelist who has opposed LGBT civil rights for nearly forty

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1120952170139096292005-07-09T19:22:00.000-04:002005-07-09T20:08:24.646-04:00

Oh, lovely. Let's return to the Middle Ages, shall we?Catholic MP denied Communion for gay marriage stanceOttawa, Jul. 08 (LifesiteNews.com/CWN) - TIMMINS, July 6, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Newspapers and radio shows in Canada are rife with the "shocking" news that a Catholic politician has been denied Communion after voting in favor of the federal same-sex marriage legislation. Charles Angus, a

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1120866380742554792005-07-08T19:46:00.000-04:002005-07-08T19:47:53.646-04:00Lounging boy

FRIDAY CATBLOGGINGLounging boy Originally uploaded by PhylG.Pan's turn again this week. He's sitting on top of a tall bookcase, from which he regularly vulches, surveying the world below. Here, he's not vulching, but lounging instead like the little sultan he is.Have a good weekend!Back in the upcoming week, I hope, to continue demolishing the arguments against same-sex marriage.

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1120074418549231542005-06-29T15:45:00.000-04:002007-03-03T14:10:55.258-05:00

Argument number two why gays and lesbians supposedly shouldn't marry:Same-sex marriages harm the "sanctity" of marriageThis is one of the arguments clearly based on religious belief, and it holds the least power of all in a democratic society.First of all, this one instantly annuls every heterosexual marriage on the planet in which one or both of the partners is an atheist. None of their

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1120074288306570532005-06-29T15:38:00.000-04:002007-03-03T13:58:53.197-05:00

So. We've done it. Apart from getting Senate approval and Royal assent (which is pretty much a formality but will take another two or three weeks), equal marriage is now legal all across Canada. Isn't it wonderful to be Canadian today? I'm so happy for all my gay and lesbian friends. They are now complete Canadian citizens. Who could be upset by that?Well, there are some people, who still think

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1119984869524055412005-06-28T14:50:00.000-04:002005-06-28T14:54:29.526-04:00

On the other hand...Given the wild and woolly nature of Canadian politics since early May, I guess we sort of had to expect that the wildness would last right up until the Very Last Day.I don't think I'll be able to relax, today, till the vote is done and it's all over. You just never know what else might happen at the last minute.Some day we'll look back and say, "Remember those insane two

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1119983836124789522005-06-28T14:33:00.000-04:002005-06-28T14:50:28.683-04:00

Man. The bigots are absolutely leaping out of the woodwork now, as the success of equal marriage and full citizenship rights in Canada for gays and lesbians gets closer and closer. (See Comuzzi quits cabinet over same-sex bill)Minister of State Joe Comuzzi, a vocal opponent of his government's same-sex marriage bill, resigned from the Liberal cabinet early Tuesday afternoon to free himself to

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1119911025949280422005-06-27T18:11:00.000-04:002005-06-27T18:25:49.326-04:00

Ye. gods.I think I should start a new blog, called The Hypocrisy of Stephen Harper, except that it would keep me so busy all day long that I'd never get anything else done.Look what he's saying now, as reported by this CBC article: Deal with Bloc taints marriage bill's legitimacy: Harper.Conservative Leader Stephen Harper raised hackles in the House of Commons Monday after saying Canadians won't

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1119898845452836212005-06-27T14:57:00.000-04:002005-06-27T15:07:22.503-04:00

Yegods.And I mean that quite literally.What was it Stephen Harper said last week, about the Liberals being willing to do deals with anybody in order to stay in power? There were all sorts of words thrown around by him, by Peter "Mr. Integrity" McKay, and other Conservatives [sic] ñ words like "socialists," "separatists," "diabolical," oh, all sorts of nasty stuff. Criticizing the Liberals for the

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1119643635312907502005-06-24T16:07:00.000-04:002005-06-24T16:09:35.140-04:00

Friday Cat-Blogging Peaches peaceful Originally uploaded by PhylG. Lovely Peaches wishes everyone a very enjoyable weekend.

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1119629587684711552005-06-24T12:12:00.000-04:002005-06-24T12:20:18.076-04:00

Pot, meet kettle.As the Toronto Star reports today, (Liberal gamble passes budget), the Liberals pulled a rabbit out of the hat last night, inducing a snap vote on the country's budget, which finally, finally passed. The nation of Canada at last has some financial stability for the next year! (It's about time.)The Bloc Quebecois supported the budget this time, in return for a promise that the

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1119552776965850932005-06-23T14:46:00.000-04:002005-06-23T14:52:56.970-04:00

In the "What took you so long??" category...For the past month, through all the wild and woolly roller coaster rides in parliament, one thought has hung in the back of my mind: "Why, oh why, did Rick Mercer's Monday Report end its season before all THIS??"Can you imagine what Mercer would have made of Belinda Stronach's defection? The budget deal? The budget confidence vote? The Conservatives [

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1119463015934755312005-06-22T13:55:00.000-04:002005-06-22T13:56:55.940-04:00

I hope the parliamentarians have to stay in parliament until they pass both the federal budget and the equal marriage bill. Make them stay, even if it takes till 2020! All the delaying tactics, done only as power plays (especially on the part of the Conservatives [sic]) are sickening and juvenile and are holding the entire country hostage.I don't care that the C.R.A.P. wants "more chance for

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1118950854535838952005-06-16T15:40:00.000-04:002005-06-16T15:44:03.176-04:00

In the "I Knew It All Along" Category...The Conservatives [sic] "offered" to give the final budget bill an easy passage through parliament IF the Liberals delay their attempts to pass the equal marriage bill until the autumn. As the Globe and Mail reported today, The Conservatives are offering to drop plans to obstruct the vote on the $4.6-billion budget deal the Liberals negotiated with the NDP

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1118433447254661652005-06-10T15:57:00.000-04:002005-06-10T15:58:32.566-04:00Friday Catblogging

Pretty face Originally uploaded by PhylG. FRIDAY CATBLOGGINGThis is Pan, being astonishingly mellow. He's a little feral cat, about 4 years old, who came to live with me when he was about 4 months old. It took him a full year even to let me touch him. Now I can pet him occasionally, at specific times (mostly when I'm lying in bed or sitting in the bathroom, and obviously can't suddenly

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1118158256240177452005-06-07T11:30:00.000-04:002005-06-07T11:34:24.910-04:00

Pat O'Brien is obsessed with GENITALS.Oh, he comes across as being all about the "sanctity of marriage" and "protecting marriage and the family" ñ but when you analyze all the arguments and do away with the specious ones, it all boils down, in the end, to nothing but GENITALS.Actually, if his interview on CBC's "The House" last year, sometime in late September or early October, was any indication

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1117730461515921002005-06-02T12:40:00.000-04:002005-06-02T12:41:01.523-04:00

On CBC's "The Current" this morning, there were two guests talking about the Gurmant Grewal affair, where Grewal taped conversations between himself, Ujjal Dosanjh and TimMurphy, Prime Minister Martin's chief of staff. The gist of the conversations, according to Grewal, was that the Liberals were offering him something along the lines of an Ambassadorship, and his wife Nina a Senate seat, if

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1117717795753424252005-06-02T09:08:00.000-04:002005-06-02T09:10:17.456-04:00

Today's front page of the National Post? All about the plans to make same-sex marriage legal in Canada before parliament goes on its summer break.Today's front page of the Globe and Mail? Meher Arar being sent by the Americans to be tortured in Syria, when Canada would not agree to the Americans' request that Arar be returned to Canada and sent to jail even though Canada had absolutely no reason

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1116520461341087062005-05-19T12:30:00.000-04:002005-05-19T12:35:45.500-04:00

You know, the federal political situation in Canada right now is hysterical. Youíve just gotta love it, even while youíre gnashing your teeth and tearing your hair out.A new development (or two!) every day. First, we had the early rumblings on Tuesday (stemming from remarks made last Friday) that the Newfoundland & Labrador Conservative MPs (Loyola Hearn and Norm Doyle) were being pressured by

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1116448728601121312005-05-18T16:15:00.000-04:002005-05-18T16:39:08.166-04:00

Yegods. They're just obscene. If they made this sort of comment about black people, they'd be forced to resign. But because Belinda Stronach is female, it is perfectly okay to target her and use her gender against her.I mentioned Bob Runciman's sexist attack yesterday, and John Tory's refusal to be responsible and act like he lives in the twenty-first century and reprimand his minister.Today we

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1116377263087081942005-05-17T19:47:00.000-04:002005-05-17T20:47:43.096-04:00

Yes, I've kind of been absent for a while, again. It's not that I haven't wanted to blog -- it's more that there's been so much to blog about, and all of it exceedingly depressing. One can get kind of paralyzed.But today there is an interesting development in Canada that I have to comment on, which is that Conservative member of of parliament, Belinda Stronach, has crossed the floor to the

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1109960542644152432005-03-04T13:22:00.000-05:002005-03-04T18:56:00.836-05:00

This is kind of a "Well, Duh!" moment for Canadian beef producers. I know I should not use such horrific generalizatoin, but just from anecdotal experience (all my relatives in southern Alberta, for example, and other things I knew when I was of the same political persuasion), I suspect that the majority of beef producers in Canada are conservative types, from the right-wing side of the political

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1109364026121872572005-02-25T15:39:00.000-05:002005-02-25T15:40:59.433-05:00

Paul Cellucci bares his teeth and shows his stripesSo. Paul Cellucci, outgoing (not soon enough!) American ambassador to Canada, tells us through gritted teeth that the United States will fire missiles over Canadian air space when they feel like it, whether we like it or not.He also grumpily says that he ìcanít understandî why Canadians wouldnít want to sign on to the missile defense [sic] system

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1108751098740287922005-02-18T13:23:00.000-05:002005-02-18T13:29:46.916-05:00

Stephen Harper once again demonstrates what a paragon of Logical Thinking he is.UmÖStephen? Excuse me?Youíre right, you know. It was very wrong, for a previous Liberal government to say, ìNone is too manyî while trying to deny Jews safe harbour when they were fleeing from Hitler. It was also very wrong for a previous Liberal government to intern Japanese Canadians during war-time, with damaging

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1108750649035985062005-02-18T13:15:00.000-05:002005-02-18T13:28:14.763-05:00

Yankee Go Home?Itís getting pretty annoying.First, we have Paul Cellucci, American Ambassador to Canada, nagging and lecturing us for four solid, interminable, teeth-gritting years, trying to tell us how to run our country. He, like his bosses in Washington, happily made hay out of the 9/11 tragedy, using it as an excuse to pressure our government and business people and any other audience he

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1106845599111156912005-01-27T13:03:00.000-05:002005-01-27T12:11:30.130-05:00

Ariel Sharonís recent remarks on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz have illustrated one of the most tragic, and perhaps most insurmountable, psychological tragedies of the twentieth century and beyond. On the sixtieth anniversary commemorating Soviet troopsí liberation of the camp, Sharon has given voice to the driving force behind everything he does, and behind most policies the

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1106438647895357082005-01-22T18:52:00.000-05:002005-01-22T19:47:28.873-05:00Stephen Harper and Logic: two ships passing in the night

Hoo boy, the illogic is flying fast and furiously now, and Conservative [sic] leader Stephen Harper is wallowing in it. Here's the setup, from today's Globe and Mail commentary: If same-sex marriage is permitted, then what? Federal Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is the latest to paint the inclusion of gay couples in the civil institution of marriage as an invitation to further amendments. He

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1102628980869928452004-12-09T16:46:00.000-05:002004-12-09T16:49:40.870-05:00A Great Day to be a Canadian!

The Supreme Court of Canada has done a wonderful thing today. They have said that allowing same-sex marriage in Canada is constitutional, and that the federal government does have the authority to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. It has also agreed that no religious organization can or will be forced by the state either to marry same-sex couples or open their buildings to a same-sex

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1100706155564618622004-11-17T10:42:00.000-05:002004-11-17T20:58:10.830-05:00Thank you, George W. Bush and all his twelve-year-old cronies in the White House and behind the scen

Thank you, George W. Bush and all his twelve-year-old cronies in the White House and behind the scenes of his administration. In arguing a doctrine of "pre-emption" early in his first term - pre-emptive strikes anywhere in the world, any time, against whomever America rilly rilly doesn't like - in order to "protect American interests" (and to hell with anybody else in the world), the Bush

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1100208491350255662004-11-11T16:28:00.000-05:002004-11-17T20:57:26.210-05:00One down, one to go?

One down, one to go? Naturally, it's more complicated than that. But my first thought upon hearing this morning of the death of Yasser Arafat was exactly that: "One leader down, one leader to go," thinking of Israeli leader Ariel Sharon. As I say, it's vastly more complicated than that, because there are groups like Hamas waiting to have greater influence among the Palestinians, and a whole

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1099964342032894652004-11-08T20:33:00.000-05:002004-11-08T20:39:02.033-05:00Agenda for the Future

And so. After the election last week (for which there is good and mounting evidence that it, like 2000, was stolen, but that will be other posts), I went into a frenzy of thinking. There's just nothing like a good shot of adrenaline and rage to get the brain racing on a Wednesday morning, let me tell you. What I was thinking about was a strategy, so that we can somehow balance the right-wing

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1099357011471694932004-11-01T19:00:00.000-05:002004-11-01T20:04:29.243-05:00

Last Thursday, on the Literate Pervions blog, Chris found a silver lining even to the thought that Bush might win tomorrow's election. The horrific acts of the Bush crowd have accomplished the rousing and uniting of the vast diversity of Progressives in a way they had not previously been united and energized. (Somehow I think this wasn't what Bush meant when he talked about being a uniter!) And

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1098750128316980312004-10-25T19:30:00.000-04:002004-10-25T20:40:52.956-04:00

I've heard that both Bush and Kerry are really emphasizing "faith" in their most recent campaigning, trying to sway voters who think it's important that their President be a man (or woman!?) of faith. I went looking for articles today, and found several. Like this one from the Christian Post, "Presidential Candidates Emphasize Religion in Battle for Swing States." It mentions Bush's meeting with

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1098130411070183702004-10-18T16:10:00.000-04:002004-10-18T16:29:13.916-04:00

Sorry, I canít help it. First you get Canadian internet pharmacies, where Americans are turning more and more to buy prescription drugs that are affordable, rather than paying the exorbitant, extortionist prices theyíre forced to pay in the United States. Then you get some American states actually passing laws allowing these Canadian internet pharmacies to function legally for citizens of those

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1097699868974280382004-10-13T16:35:00.000-04:002004-10-13T16:37:48.973-04:00

I just noticed something today. Have you noticed it? The way the people who shriek, "Youíll never solve the health care and education problems just by throwing more money at them!" are generally the very same people who shriek, "Throw more money at the military! Throw more money at the military!" Granted, the exact reverse is true as well: the people who donít want to expand military spending

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1097626953744903192004-10-12T19:22:00.000-04:002004-10-12T20:26:52.540-04:00

Ayn Rand Got it Right, but Got it Wrong Part two: Ayn Rand Got it Wrong Ayn Rand claimed that it was political leftists who were anti-intellectual and behaved as I described in my last entry. It was they who invented a world based on what they wanted to be true, not on what was true, and devised all sorts of means to keep themselves from being confronted by the real world. Meanwhile the

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1097621648008365652004-10-12T18:51:00.000-04:002004-10-12T20:28:34.006-04:00

Ayn Rand Got it Right, but Got it Wrong Part one: Ayn Rand Got it Right This will irritate many people, but I'm often amused at how often Ayn Rand got it right, even while being very wrong. First, I want to give a summary of some of her most important teachings (having to leave out many things, but the following are important for reasons that will be clear in the subsequent blog entry). These

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1080779918465177192004-03-31T19:38:00.000-05:002004-03-31T19:42:10.640-05:00

Yesterday was the Toronto subway's 50th birthday, and the three levels of government helped the city "celebrate" by announcing joint funding of one billion dollars over the next five years. It doesn't cover everything that's needed, unfortunately (it's about one sixth of what would really be needed in that time period just to help repair the disintegration that's happened in the last decade, not

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1080077233883289412004-03-23T16:27:00.000-05:002004-03-23T16:30:35.653-05:00

Israel obeys the implicit orders of Hamas again. Do you think, despite the loss of a very important symbol, that Hamas isnít positively drooling with glee at Israelís assassination of Ahmed Yassin? What on earth could serve them better for recruitment of new suicide bombers and leaders and members, for breaking Israelís tenuously friendly ties with countries like Egypt and Jordan, for uniting

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1079310300011637092004-03-14T19:25:00.000-05:002004-03-14T19:28:09.936-05:00

So there was supposed to be a peace conference between Israel and Palestine on Tuesday. So there's a double suicide bombing today. And Israel cancels. Again. Every time there's about to be a step of progress made toward peace between Israel and Palestine, the bombers step in. And Israel obediently cuts off progress every single time. It's hard to believe Israel hasn't noticed how Pavlovian

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1078875739304066562004-03-09T18:42:00.000-05:002004-03-09T18:45:22.340-05:00

Religion & The State: Part One I've been musing lately on religion and the state, and I expect my musings to be ongoing as I try to work out what I think of it all. I've had several things to inspire me. First, there is the constant work of the Religious Right in the U.S. to try to establish a theocracy down there, in violation of their Constitution. Starting with "faith based"

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1078014437458928212004-02-28T19:27:00.000-05:002004-02-28T19:30:07.530-05:00

There are several disturbing things about the recently-revived story about spying at the U.N. I'm taking a few from today's Globe and Mail article, Spying at UN brings no shame. First, of course, the fact that spying goes on, period. In theory, the United Nations is supposed to be an organization where individual nations put some of their self-interest aside and work for the good of all nations,

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1077831508464015742004-02-26T16:38:00.000-05:002004-02-26T16:43:25.403-05:00

Arenít Bush and his crowd cute when itís Everybody Elseís Fault But Theirs? No, actually. Here we go again. In this article, they are Blaming Canada yet again. But when you read the article carefully, among other more valid things, theyíre blaming us for the oddest thing: BEING A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME TO HAVE A BETTER LIFE. First, itís presented as a legitimate concern: The U.S. State

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1077575840707473712004-02-23T17:37:00.000-05:002004-02-23T17:40:03.936-05:00

Iíve been rather amused lately at the developments in Quebec over maternity benefits, day care, and other social programs that Jean Charestís newish government is starting to chop and cut. Not amused at the chopping and cutting, but at the surprise and horror being expressed by the people of Quebec. There are some moments I feel like yelling, ìWell, what did you expect from a right-wing

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1076627574356585292004-02-12T18:12:00.000-05:002004-02-12T18:15:23.390-05:00

Meanwhile, on the other side of the American country, there was far less open-heartedness today and yesterday. Faced with the State Supreme Court ruling that the Massachusetts Constitution requires that gay people be granted equal citizenship rights with their heterosexual counterparts -- including marriage -- what is the Massachusetts response? Why, let's bloody AMEND THE CONSTITUTION so that

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1076626696088831532004-02-12T17:58:00.000-05:002004-02-12T18:01:55.153-05:00

Wonderful news! San Francisco Officials Marry Gay Couples SAN FRANCISCO - In an open challenge to California law, city authorities officiated at at least eight same-sex weddings Thursday and issued about a dozen more marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The act of civil disobedience was coordinated by Mayor Gavin Newsom and top officials in the city considered the capital of gay

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1075578295553078192004-01-31T14:44:00.000-05:002004-01-31T14:50:05.763-05:00

Yesterday the Canadian Supreme Court judged that Section 43 of the Criminal Code should not be struck down, but should be upheld with certain qualifications. Section 43 reads as follows: Every schoolteacher, parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child, as the case may be, who is under his care, if the force does not

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1074879816507672922004-01-23T12:43:00.000-05:002004-01-23T12:48:20.090-05:00

Friday Musings ñ Part One I know this is probably a bit biased, since I voted for him ñ but so far, I am a big fan of Torontoís new Mayor, David Miller. He was elected last November on a wave of concern that the city was controlled far too much by corporate interests, at the expense of community interests and quality of life issues. He made several promises which he has diligently been working

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1074284966309708632004-01-16T15:29:00.000-05:002004-01-16T15:31:19.233-05:00

Friday Musings ñ Part Four And none of what Iíve mentioned so far has even touched the international stuff, where Paul Martin appeared to get a big concession from George W. Bush, to the effect that the Americans will ìconsultî with the Canadian government whenever they want to deport a Canadian citizen somewhere. Oh yes, big concession. Considering that there is ALREADY AN EXISTING LEGAL

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1074284750014918232004-01-16T15:25:00.000-05:002004-01-16T15:30:50.483-05:00

Friday Musings ñ Part Three So what about the people who have announced their intention to run for leader of the new Conservative party? Arenít they significant? Well, thereís Stephen Harper. No surprise at all. And yesterday, Tony Clement, former sitting member in the Ontario (Progressive!) Conservative government. And now we have Belinda Stronach, CEO and President of Magna, an auto-parts

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1074284517556927092004-01-16T15:21:00.000-05:002004-01-16T15:26:56.640-05:00

Friday Musings ñ Part Two So. The ìship-jumpers.î We already had currently-sitting Progressive Conservative bigwigs like Joe Clark saying they would absolutely not join the new Conservative party, since it was far too right-wing for them and had abandoned the social values they considered ìprogressive,î even if conservative. John Herron, a PC-member from New Brunswick will sit, like Clark, as

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-107428431221507712004-01-16T15:18:00.000-05:002004-01-16T15:20:25.280-05:00

Friday Musings ñ Part One I kept intending, the last few days, to do a blog every day, and indeed I started an entry almost every day. Yet before I finished, there was always another fun little tidbit of information on the Canadian political scene that popped up, and the earlier blog entry got overwhelmed by a new one. For example, all the Big Conservative Names announcing their intentions

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1073581609010949022004-01-08T12:06:00.000-05:002004-01-08T12:09:10.140-05:00

Prime Minister Paul Martin has now said he will not meet with Meher Arar, the Canadian citizen who was diverted by the Americans to Syria, where he was tortured for a year (Iím still looking for the link, but CBC Radio news reported this morning that Mr. Martin has turned down a request by Mr. Arar for a personal meeting; Martin has also dismissed the idea of a public inquiry). In earlier

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1071156735445583852003-12-11T10:32:00.000-05:002003-12-11T10:33:20.623-05:00

Letís get this straight. The Alliance party members, who thought nothing of voting TWICE to destroy the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ñ voting once as Alliance members and then swamping the PCís with memberships so they could vote a second time ñ are now crossing the floor to become sitting Progressive Conservative party members in parliament. Even though they just destroyed that

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1070563484007478282003-12-04T13:44:00.000-05:002003-12-04T13:45:42.093-05:00

So Paul Cellucci flips the finger to Canada again. His answer to our outrage that the U.S. is sending Canadian citizens to Syria (to be tortured) and Afghanistan (just because) ñ despite the fact that these people have Canadian passports and are Canadian citizens and by law are entitled to specify that they want to be sent to Canada? (And did so specify, by the way.) ìWeíll keep doing it

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1069979426668905342003-11-27T19:30:00.000-05:002003-11-27T19:32:43.153-05:00

Here's a wriggling little gem that scuttled out from under the right-wing rock in Canada today. I print the entire article merely since I'm not sure how long the Toronto Star keeps them around, and I want to commemorate it permanently: MP's anti-gay comments fuel united-right concerns: Former family issues critic called for homosexuality to be banned OTTAWA - An anti-gay rant by a Canadian

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1067544958269040682003-10-30T15:15:00.000-05:002003-12-11T10:38:00.670-05:00

So why my relatively long silence lately? Several reasons ñ one of them being that there is so much News that it often becomes a little overwhelming, trying to sift through and pick one thing to blog about. Iíve got a whole lot of opinions on a whole lot of issues, after all! And a full-time job so that I canít spend all the livelong day blogging ñ much as I would love to! But I thought I could

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1066316728150638762003-10-16T11:05:00.000-04:002003-10-16T11:05:51.226-04:00

Thank you CalPundit Thank you Jim Hightower, October 14 & 15.

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1066237801266944552003-10-15T13:10:00.000-04:002003-10-15T13:12:17.170-04:00

SO WHERE ARE THE AMERICAN POLITICAL BLOGGERS ON THE LOSS OF VOTING POWER IN THEIR COUNTRY?? At least the rest of the world is taking notice. In two (count em) articles in the Independent in the U.K. yesterday, the crisis connected to American voting machines was addressed with the urgency it deserves: In All the Presidentís votes? Andrew Gumbel describes how the flaws and outright suspicious

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1065199035461607182003-10-03T12:37:00.000-04:002003-10-03T12:37:15.120-04:00

In the "You Stupid, Stupid, Stupid People" category: Israel Unveils Plans for 600 New Settler Homes (Yahoo story; may not be there very long) JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel unveiled plans on Thursday to build more than 600 new homes in Jewish settlements, drawing fresh Palestinian condemnation a day after Israel approved an expansion of its barrier in the West Bank. The government published

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1064424277656081432003-09-24T13:21:00.000-04:002003-09-24T13:24:48.270-04:00

Just to prove that self-centered, short-sighted, money-grubbing greed isnít only found in the U.S.: Music biz drills into dentists for royalties The group that collects royalties for songwriters is taking aim at an unusual source: dentists. It's not just dentists, but chiropractors and opticians -- any kind of office space that plays CDs. SOCAN is the Canadian copyright collective for the

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1063303280442352592003-09-11T13:38:00.000-04:002003-09-11T14:01:20.336-04:00

More news on the Ariel-Sharon-and-Hamas-deserve-each-other dance of let's-take-turns mutual destruction. Check out this lovely little article on the CBC news website. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cut short his visit to India and arrived in Israel Thursday to convene a security cabinet. The cabinet will decide Israel's response to the Hamas bombings that killed 15 people on Tuesday. Israeli

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1063051816578628382003-09-08T16:10:00.000-04:002003-09-08T16:10:28.516-04:00

And furthermoreÖ Further to my last blog entry, the U.S. has even more clever ideas about who is supposed to clean up after them, after theyíve invaded and essentially instilled chaos in two countries in the last two years. First Rumsfeld goes to Afghanistan and says this, on Sunday: "The security in Afghanistan is the responsibility of the Afghan people," he said. "The presence of foreign

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1063044750131587962003-09-08T14:12:00.000-04:002003-09-08T14:15:45.410-04:00

Letís get this straight. George W. Bush and his pals have decided that itís the ìresponsibilityî of the U.N. and the rest of the world to get the U.S. out of the quagmire it eagerly and bloody-mindedly threw itself into in Afghanistan and most especially in Iraq. They make the horrific mess, weíre supposed to clean it up. While they remain the boss of the infernal operation, no less! So, um,

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1062893502708124252003-09-06T20:11:00.000-04:002003-09-06T20:11:42.706-04:00

An article in The Guardian, in Britain, from yesterday. Written by Michael Meacher, who was a cabinet minister in the current Blair government until June of this year. This is someone who knows. Read this: We now know that a blueprint for the creation of a global Pax Americana was drawn up for Dick Cheney (now vice-president), Donald Rumsfeld (defence secretary), Paul Wolfowitz (Rumsfeld's deputy

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1062193465752742212003-08-29T17:44:00.000-04:002003-08-29T17:44:25.606-04:00

You know, I was kind of sorry when I heard that Fox News had decided not to appeal, and dropped their lawsuit against Al Franken, who had used the phrase "Fair and Balanced" in the title of his latest book (Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right). I really wanted Fox to keep going on this. Because then there would have been a whole lotta discussion about

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1061564451128649522003-08-22T11:00:00.000-04:002003-08-22T11:00:50.930-04:00

Okay, so we got through ìBlackout 2003î and most of us did pretty well. Weíre kind of patting ourselves on the back, proud of our hardihood and good citizenship and how many of us helped each other get through that tricky 24-48 hours. But by golly weíre not going to let it happen again, and the investigations are already underway. But just suppose for a minute. Suppose that it lasted longer than

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5286869.post-1060890631405407762003-08-14T15:50:00.000-04:002003-08-14T15:55:32.543-04:00

When the U.S. aggression against Iraq began, I went around Toronto remarking that if the Americans were willing to go to such lengths as inventing a war just to get their hands on the oil in Iraq, then we in Canada (especially western Canada) had better start looking over our shoulders. Because we have a lot of oil too, and by golly it's a lot closer to the American oil addict than Iraq's oil is.

Phylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847701912261320347noreply@blogger.com0