Category Archives: International

Steyn on Not So Great Britain

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This is the logical dead end of the Nanny State. When William Beveridge laid out his blueprint for the British welfare regime in 1942, his goal was the “abolition of want” to be accomplished by “co-operation between the State and the individual.” In attempting to insulate the citizenry from life’s vicissitudes, Sir William succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. As I write in my book: “Want has been all but abolished. Today, fewer and fewer Britons want to work, want to marry, want to raise children, want to lead a life of any purpose or dignity.”

Replace “Britons” with “People” and you have 80% of the planet fitting that description.

Big Government means small citizens: It corrodes the integrity of a people, catastrophically. Within living memory, the city in flames on our TV screens every night governed a fifth of the earth’s surface and a quarter of its population. When you’re imperialists on that scale, there are bound to be a few mishaps along the way. But nothing the British Empire did to its subject peoples has been as total and catastrophic as what a post-great Britain did to its own.

There are lessons for all of us there.

Occupy that. I’m going to start reading Steyn’s columns to my kids at bedtime. Forget the stupid fairy books they make me read to them now.

Racial Oxymoroning

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Racial profiling must be outlawed and Quebec schools, police departments and government agencies must lead by hiring more visible minorities, says a report by the Quebec Human Rights Commission.

So let me get this straight, until we do more hiring based on the color of the skin, we will never get rid of racial profiling?

Experts and politicians praised the report as a breakthrough for a problem that has bedevilled relations between law-enforcers and minorities.

They hailed the exhaustively researched, 131-page document as the first step toward eliminating a practice that by Montreal Police Chief Marc Parent’s own admission is a problem in his force.

At least they didn’t try and say politicians fit under experts.

But racial profiling is not limited to law enforcement, said the commission, which has received more than 200 complaints of racial profiling since 2005.

More than 200 complaints since 2005 would mean that there are more than 40 a year or almost one a week!!!! Note that these are just complaints, not proven.

Morton Weinfeld, a professor of sociology at McGill University who holds the chair in Canadian Ethnic Studies, said that while action on racial profiling is needed, it is only the tip of the iceberg.

“An even more profound problem is that of systemic racism in all dimensions of our society,” said Mr. Weinfeld, who pointed to immigration problems, cultural differences and poverty as examples of obstacles facing minority groups.

“If we eliminated racial profiling tomorrow, we would still have profound racial inequalities,” he said. “And tackling those problems will be much more difficult and much more costly than simply dealing with racial profiling.”

So lets solve the problem by ensuring that visible minorities are treated differently in hiring practices. There’s nothing like hiring quotas to make all things equal.

Hold on a second, did Mr. Winfeld just point out that cultural differences is an obstacle to racial equality? Obviously, Caucasians, or white skinned people, should all be required to adapt their cultures to include those of “visible minorities.”

Burkas mandatory for all girls? Should all boys carry kirpans to school for the sake of racial equality?

Actually, this report may be good news. It could get us kicked right out of the UN! Thanks alot Quebec Human Rights Commission!

Dave Barry’s Year in Review 2010

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If you haven’t had a chance to read any of Dave Barry’s books or columns before, you are missing out.

Elsewhere on the disaster scene, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull (literally, “many syllables”) volcano erupts, sending huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and forcing airlines throughout northern Europe to ground flights. Greece, although not directly affected, announces it will take six months off, just in case; France, as an added precaution, surrenders.

The UN can take that Seat and…

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Stephen Harper says Canada will stand against “anti-Israel rhetoric” at international organizations like the United Nations as long as he is prime minister — “whatever the cost.”

Ignatieff doesn’t get it.

The Opposition leader also levelled criticism at Harper for Canada’s failure to win a temporary seat on the UN Security Council, saying it was not a “moral victory” to lose out on a position from which Canada could have defended Israel on the international stage.

“If Canada wishes to defend Israel against Iran, as it should, it would have been nice to be on the UN Security Council,” Ignatieff said.

So Ignatieff is suggesting that Harper should not support Israel because we don’t get to be in a symbolic role at the UN with the other Israel haters? Or is he saying we should flip-flop between being a Israel supporter when we have a seat and a hater when we don’t?

Man wins right to be an idiot

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In his lawsuit, Ekas said that in July 2007, he flipped off a Clackamas County deputy while driving, and the deputy gave him tickets for illegal lane change and improper display of license plates. Ekas was acquitted on the citations. A month later, he gave the finger to another deputy, who detained him but wrote no tickets.

Ekas alleged he was being harassed.

I’m thinking his 911 calls may get screened.

The Incoherent President

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While many poked fun at former President George W. Bush for mispronouncing words and stumbling through sentences, observers note that he rarely had to backtrack on his answers because he employed a simple and direct messaging approach.

The approach was more than simple and direct. It was honest and from the heart.

The problem with Obama’s messaging is that it is illogical. The more you try and convince people of a policy that doesn’t make sense, the more you’ll be going back to the start to try again. It’s like listening to a 4 year old explain why they deserve dessert when they didn’t eat their dinner.

Congrats Speechwriter. This was Nice.

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“It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush’s support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security,” Obama said. “As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq’s future.”

It must have hurt Obama to say it and for the Kos kids to hear it but that was really well written and said.

Congrats to the US for leaving Iraq in much better shape as a civilization than you found it. I pray that you would do the same in Afghanistan. Oh and if you could do something about the crazy in Iran that would help too.