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September 4, 2009
We have some hits "No man but a blockhead," said Samuel Johnson, "ever wrote except for money," which puts the Canadian Spectator squarely in the camp of the blockheads -- or should that be "blogheads" -- if our off-the-cuff jottings, mispellings, bad Web links and all, can be considered writings. Happily, we have the company of around 50 million other bloggers, a fact which prompts the question: why do so many people write? Self-affirmation, perhaps, as Craig Murray suggests with a blog post entitled "Blogito ergo sum". Or perhaps, as George Orwell maintained in "Why I write", for more complex reasons including egotism, aestheticism, the search for truth, and the desire to exert political influence.
But H.L. Mencken may have been closer to the truth than anyone when he described a writer as someone who would run around in public waving their arms up and down if it was the only way they could attract attention.
On the arm-flap theory of writing, what bloggers really care about is "hits": blogging is a essentially time-consuming computer game conducted in public. One gets a few hits and then strives to reach the next level: a handful of hits today, a few dozen tomorrow, then hundreds, then thousand -- maybe.
Thus we are pleased to note that, following a near hiatus in postings for eighteen months during which we negotiated the disposal of a small business, we have, during the "difficult" northern-hemisphere spring and summer, doubled our hits from virtually none, to slightly more than none. We naturally wonder whether this increasing trend is sustainable, and if so, whether it will be more nearly linear or exponential. Given that maintaining this Web page has undoubtedly been one of the most unprofitable, or as Johnson might have said, most blockheaded, things we have ever done -- whether measured financially or in Web page hits, it would be appreciated if visitors will consider passing on our URL to friends who might find something of interest here.
Another fact revealed by our Webstats is that the majority of our visitors are in Canada. That this would be so, never occurred to us at the outset, our chosen name merely reflecting that we are Canadian by citizenship and, in politics, a mere spectator. That we have attracted some interest in Canada is heart warming; although with hindsight, it seems we might have chosen a more descriptive title. Canada has never been our focus, happy though we are to live here. Canada is, perforce, subject to the influence of the global hegemon next door. We are a tributary of Rome and to understand our fate we must often follow events abroad. Better names might have been "The dissolution of a civilization", or the "Death of the West," since that seems to be what we observe. But having started with the Canadian Spectator, we will stick with it and hope to make it a good name. The making of a homegrown terrorist: Or why the Toronto Star is another crap Canadian newspaper A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant. Like the Globe and Mail, The TO Star tells you nothing of the role of the Federal Government of Canada in the making of a "homegrown" terrorist. In particular, they fail to mention the payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the terror plot "mastermind", an RCMP-controlled provocateur, in the creation of this "homegrown" terrorist. Yes, Saad Khalid was a "homegrown terrorist" carefully cultivated by the Government of Canada to justify Canada's participation in America's fraudulent "war on (Islamic) terror." Unimportant Obama Admin official forced to deny 9/11 "Truthism" Van Jones, the Special Advisor for Green Jobs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is Number 46 of the petitioners from the so-called "Truther" movement which suggests that people in the administration of President George W. Bush "may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war." But now that Obama has adopted Bush's "They attacked us on 9/11" argument to justify the "war on terror" (aka, the war for oil), calling for congressional hearings and an investigation by the New York Attorney General into "evidence that suggests high-level government officials may have deliberately allowed the September 11th attacks to occur," is impermissable. America is mutating swiftly into a totalitarian state. Obama's decision to propagandize children provides further evidence of this revolutionary transformation. Pilger: Protest at "Lockerbie bomber"'s release -- "a babbling brook of bullshit" No one in authority has had the guts to state the truth about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 above the Scottish village of Lockerbie on 21 December 1988, in which 270 people were killed. The governments in England and Scotland in effect blackmailed Megrahi into dropping his appeal as a condition of his immediate release. Of course there were oil and arms deals under way with Libya; but had Megrahi proceeded with his appeal, some 600 pages of new and deliberately suppressed evidence would have set the seal on his innocence and given us more than a glimpse of how and why he was stitched up for the benefit of "strategic interests". The endgame came down to damage limitation," said the former CIA officer Robert Baer, who took part in the original investigation, "because the evidence amassed by [Megrahi's] appeal is explosive and extremely damning to the system of justice." See also, How the Globe & Mail keeps you misinformed Part II. William Blum: A Final Chapter in the PanAm 103 Bombing Case? "On the most exalted throne in the world sits nothing but a man's arse." — Montaigne If there’s anyone out there who is not already thoroughly cynical about those on the board of directors of the planet, the latest chapter in the saga of the bombing of PanAm 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland might just be enough to push them over the edge. NATO Bombs kill dozens of Afghan villagers The stench of burnt flesh hung over the banks of the Kunduz river in the early hours of Friday, the ground scattered with the body parts of villagers who just wanted something for free. Helping yourself to the spoils of hijacked military convoys is nothing new in Afghanistan and the payload of two fuel tankers destined for Nato-led forces seemed as good as any. But the overnight bonanza soon turned to horror when Nato jets launched an airstrike before 3am (22.30GMT), strafing the tankers and igniting an inferno that officials said killed between 50 and 90 people.
"Nobody was in one piece. Hands, legs and body parts were scattered everywhere. Those who were away from the fuel tanker were badly burnt," said 32-year-old Mohammad Daud, depicting a scene from hell. Oh good work NATO. Did the RCAF play a role, one wonders. Keep up the good work. When all the Afghans have been incinerated, we'll be able to sleep easy here at home in good 'ol freedom-loving Canada. New Motto for the NYT: All the news that fits our line we print: the rest we leave out Abdolhamid Rigi: U.S. Ordered terrorist attacks inside Iran Obummer: Bam's popularity collapses Michael Rivero: 9/11 And Anthrax: Framing Arabs Michael Rivero: Questions for Michael Moore Amazon Fights to Kill Google Books in U.S. Federal Court "[The Google Books deal] is unfair to authors, publishers, and others whose works would be the subject of a compulsory license for the life of the copyright in favor of Google and the newly created Book Rights Registry. [It] represents an unprecedented rewriting of copyright law through judicial action."
... prototype roads send energy upwards to small electric vehicles through touchless magnetic induction technology. No battery, no recharge delays, but with all the non-polluting efficiency of electric drive. Brilliant. And the cheap, light buggies illustrated -- limited to a top speed of around 30 kph, are precisely what are needed to make urban transportation affordable for everyone, less dangerous and much quieter. GM must already be plotting to buy up all the patents and deep-six them.
Bailout bank execs. receive over $three billion in bonuses Loyalty to friends is good, but in Obama's case, the cost of such loyalty to the public seems excessive.
War criminals Bush, Cheney and Blair to be arrested in accordance with law as they enter Canada in October -- Not The text of this item seems slightly garbled. But it conveys the right idea: give the bastards a rude welcome to Canada.
Former High-Ranking Intelligence Officer: Cheney Responsible for 9/11 They attacked us on 9/11, as Stevie Harper has made clear. So when Cheney goes fishing in BC next month (see above) that will be Canada's chance to nab the bastard. Won't Obama be glad to have reason to end the war in Afganistan. Haha. Newspaper coverage of Israel/Palestine Public understanding about the realities facing Palestinians is stymied by mainstream media coverage that ranges from biased, to deceptive, to outright fabrication. ... [A study of] BBC TV viewers, found that more people thought that Palestinians occupy Israel than the reverse; the more they watched TV, the more confused they tended to be. Jason Kenney and Margaret Wente, more Zionist than the Zionists National Rant Online -- Mark Steyn: Why the Stimulus Flopped ... under Obama nothing is certain but death panels and taxes, i.e., a vast enervating statism and the confiscation of the fruits of your labors required to pay for it. Canadian Human Rights Tribunal rules that Sec. 13 "Hate Law" is Unconstitutional Ann Pettifor is a member of a select club -- the seers who saw it all coming. Now the economist, who predicted the credit crunch as far back as 2003, believes that the worst is yet to come unless there is radical reform of the financial system. A real party pooper, trying to deny the bankers their right to loot and pillage.
Pfizer to pay $2.3bn in the largest healthcare fraud settlement in U.S. history A company run by psychopaths, presumably. Pfizer should appeal to other psychopaths looking for an investment opportunity.
Japan plans 1-gigawatt, space-based solar power station The proposed solar collector would have an area of 4 km2. It would require about 350 such units to power the United States or about 1,400 units to power the World. Sounds like a physical possibility. LAWRENCE M. KRAUSS: Going to Mars on a one-way ticket While the idea of sending astronauts aloft never to return is jarring upon first hearing, the rationale for one-way trips into space has both historical and practical roots. Colonists and pilgrims seldom set off for the New World with the expectation of a return trip. ... Eliminating the return journey cuts the travel risk by at least half, and the exposure to radiation during transit. But it would be necessary to send many supply ships to support the colonists until they are able to create a self-sustaining habitat. Overall, the cost would probably greatly exceed that of a return mission, although the result, the establishment of a permanent human colony on another planet, would be an achievement of vastly greater significance. The Scottish judges who found Megrahi guilty know he's innocent. They admit as much in their written final opinion. The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigated Megrahi's trial, knows it. They stated in 2007 that they had uncovered six separate grounds for believing the conviction may have been a miscarriage of justice, clearing the way for him to file a new appeal of his case. ... Russia Seeks Afghan War Role as NATO Deaths Climb President Dmitry Medvedev has said Russia is prepared to cooperate with the U.S. to bring order to Afghanistan, though officials have made clear that Russia won't commit troops.
Euthanasia: How the UK National Health Service puts you down We do this with our pets, and in our anti-humanistic society most pet owners seem to think that their pet has rights at least equal to those of a human. No wonder, then, that euthanasia (for people) has become near standard practice in Britain. Next the mentally ill, the paralyzed, the deaf, the blind? Depends: are they the children of God or useless eaters? Those who pride themselves on the rejection of irrational, anti-scientific superstitious beliefs, must think it is time for the humane disposal of human rubbish -- as did the Nazis. In a truly chilling essay on the Israeli-American plan to decapitate potential leaders of Iraqi nationalism, retired sociologist James Petras describes both the plan and its effect. U.S. to deploy more mercenaries to Afghanistan Support units will be replaced by up to 14,000 'trigger-pullers,' and noncombat posts will be contracted out, Defense officials say. Yeah, I should think they'll win a lot of hearts and minds with a bunch of psychopathic mercenary 'trigger-pullers'. NATO is in Afghanistan -- but Karzai forces can finish the job the U.S. has decided to withdraw its forces from the vast countryside where almost all the people live and all the guerillas thrive and concentrate them in their bunkers in vast fortresses in the few cities and surrounding areas for air bases. And now all the chatter is about building up the Karzai forces to bring law and order, peace and prosperity to all the people to win their hearts and minds. Breathes there a news person or political flak stupid enough to really believe that? No. They'll pretend and go along with the Media Lies, but they don't believe the Lies. ... Anglican priest against Israel as Jewish state Rev. Assaly served the Anglican Church in Israel and Palestine for three years. As vicar of Gaza, he founded an Anglican church there in 1996. Israel demolished it in 2002. "It was not an accident," he said. "They used laser-guided missiles." When asked why Israel would want to do that, he replied that "It is part of a campaign to frighten and negate Christians. Israel wants the image to be one of Jews versus Muslims." He saw that same process at work in pressures resulting in a decline in the Christian character of Bethlehem. He was asked to comment on a charge made by Bernie Farber, CEO of the Canadian Jewish Congress, in a letter to the Globe and Mail. According to Farber, "Criticism of Israel crosses into anti-Semitism when it calls into question the legitimacy of Israel's identity as a Jewish state." "Is Tutu an anti-Semite?" replied Assaly. Said Assaly, "Israel has a right to exist in peace and security, but not as a Jewish state. That added condition was Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's ploy to undermine what Obama is trying to achieve." Then he added, "Could we call Canada a white state or an English state?" Referring to the fact that Arabs, 20% of the Israeli population, carry ID cards indicating that they are not Jews, he asked, "Are they not full citizens?" Is it anti-semitic to defend Palestinian human rights? JESUS CHRIST" "HATE CRIMINAL?" HOW THE NATIONAL POST KEEPS YOU MISINFORMED Hate speech law unconstitutional: rights tribunal The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ruled that Section 13, Canada's much maligned human rights hate speech law, is an unconstitutional violation of the Charter right to free expression because of its penalty provisions. The decision released this morning by Tribunal chair Athanasios Hadjis appears to strip the Canadian Human Rights Commission of its controversial legal mandate to pursue hate on the Internet, which it has strenuously defended against complaints of censorship...
Today's shocking decision is a victory over Mr. Warman by Marc Lemire, webmaster of freeedomsite.org and a prominent figure in the Canadian far right, who was supported in his constitutional challenge of Section 13 by the legal team defended Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel. Shocking? Why shocking? Why is the National Post shocked by a ruling against an unconstitutional violation of the Charter right to free expression? Is it free expression they don't like or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms? What is shocking about this case is the conduct of the Canadian Human Rights Commission -- see next two items. But like the Globe & Mail, NaPo -- Canada's more laughable self-proclaimed "National Newspaper" -- keeps you misinformed by giving you only one side of every story. LEMIRE: 2,044 days under the Iron heel of the Canadian Human Rights Commission Peak Oil? BP Announces giant find Gordon Brown directly linked to release of man convicted as Lockerbie bomber Gordon Brown was accused of double dealing last night after an official document emerged claiming that Libya was told that he wanted the Lockerbie bomber to die a free man.
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2009
WHY THE U.S. ECONOMY WON'T COLLAPSE
HOW THE GLOBE & MAIL KEEPS YOU MISINFORMED
THE UNITED STATES: A PITIFUL HELPLESS GIANT
SEND REPRESENTATIVES TO PARLIAMENT, NOT PEOPLE IN NEED OF A JOB
GOOD RIDDANCE TO CORPORATE MEDIA RUBBISH
HATE SPEECH FROM THE MURDOCH MEDIA
HOW BERNANKE WILL TRASH THE DOLLAR WITHOUT ANYONE NOTICING
RECESSION IS OVER: BANK OF CANADA
ISRAEL STOKES RACE HATRED FOR ARABS
HOW AMERICA WILL GO TO WAR WITH IRAN
IN MEMORY OF EDWARD TEAGUE, aka, THE BLOGGER POSTMAN PATEL
ORWELL, OBAMA AND DEMOCRATIC AUTHORITARIANISM
WHY AMERICA WILL NOT ATTACK IRAN
WHEN ANTI-RACISM MEANS SELF-DESTRUCTION
2007
SPARE A THOUGHT FOR POOR GEORGE F. WILL AND THE CORPORATE MEDIA
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