Friday digest

- I never actually thought I'd ever say this, but I feel sorry for Bryan McCabe. The Kool-Aid drinking partisans of Leaf Nation, with their frothing-at-the-mouth demands for complete loyalty and absolute worship of all things blue and white, have been attacking McCabe for not running to sign a deal while the truth of the matter is that his wife has been dealing with some very severe health issues.

Buds fans, you guys need to chill out. Life is not always all about the crest.

Speaking of Toronto, Jeremy Roenick says he wants to play either there or in Ottawa. Say what you want about JR, but one thing is for sure: he hates losing. That's why I think the Sens should get him. There aren't enough guys in that locker room about whom you can say the same, and at the top of that list is a certain defenceman who they just gave $13M to by the name of Wade Redden.

- Starting tomorrow, Canadians are going to receive a 1% cut in the GST and those with kids under 6 are going to receive $100 a month for each child, taxable at the salary rate of parent who earns the lowest income rate of the two, while the government cancels previously scheduled income tax reductions that were introduced by the Liberals.

How generous. Like I used to hear when getting tips as a paper boy, "Try not to spend it all in one place".

Hopefully, if he wins a majority, Harper will quit with the Joe Clark imitation and govern like a real conservative.

- Two must-reads from the Wall St. Journal: In this book review, Robert Pollock corrects the dominant narrative concerning the war on terror, and Peggy Noonan describes the sad evolution (or is that devolution?) of the NYT.

- The experience of Hamas shows that there's more to democracy than just voting.

- Now like I said yesterday, I'm not a lawyer, but upon reflection, a few more things come to mind in the wake of yesterday's Gitmo ruling.

By saying that the White House overstepped its Constitutional boundaries by ordering military tribunals, the Supreme Court has basically forced W to go to Congress with a new scheme, which he certainly will. Until then, however, the legal limbo that the Court has put the Administration in would have al-Qaeda combatants receive the same legal rights and protections as US citizens would under regular public trials, or military court-martials in the case of soldiers. (I highly doubt anyone but the most kooky lefties would suggest that situation is a desirable one.)

What is scary to me, however, is this. Some analysts have said that the judges also stated that any trial where evidence is brought forward in secret without the suspect's knowledge is contrary to the Geneva Convention. This could have huge implications because a cornerstone of building a case against terrorists is the confidentiality of intel-gathering techniques. By exposing the way intel agencies obtain information through the course of a regular trial process, you would be basically inviting terrorists over for a beer to talk shop.

(From a Canadian perspective, our own Supreme Court is ruling on the legalities of our security certificate regime, which I'm discussed before on this blog. A central issue there is the secret nature of the evidence brought forward against the subject of a certificate which, in the end, leads to deportation.)

It is absolutely essential that confidentiality is retained by law enforcement authorities if terror networks are to be combatted effectively. I hope the Justices who ruled against the use of military tribunals at Gitmo believe the same.

By popular demand, my thoughts on the Gitmo decision

- In a case brought forward by Osama bin Laden's former bodyguard and driver, the American Supreme Court has ruled that non-state actor al-Qaeda is entitled to Geneva Convention protections. (I'm no lawyer, but for some reason, I don't think they they signed anywhere.) Moreover, the ruling implies that they are entitled to a court hearing with civilian jurors on (potentially) US soil. (What would happen if a terror suspect's case gets thrown out on a technicality? Would that mean they would be able to run loose?)

However, ACLU-types and rabid lefty partisans who take joy in every setback the White House is handed should not pop the champagne just yet. It seems that suspected terrorists will still be able to be held at Gitmo "for the duration of active hostilities", according to the Supreme Court.

Two things come to mind here: one, given that the Administration is going to create a bill to incorporate the Court's decision into its anti-terror toolbox, the Dems will be forced once again to play defence on the issue going into the November midterms.

Secondly, this is a slap in the face to all the moral relativists and those who would paint Western legal culture as no superior to others. It's clearly VASTLY superior because even the most powerful man in the world doesn't get to do whatever he want without being held accountable, unlike a few tinpot dictatorships I can think of.

Thursday digest

- In another desperate plea for attention, Cindy Sheehan is going on a hunger strike for the summer.

Money quote: "While others are celebrating July 4th with barbeques, we’ll be showing our patriotism by putting our bodies on the line to bring our troops home.”

Pack your bags, middle America, the far left is sending you on a guilt trip. How can you ignorantly chow down on hot dogs and potato chips this weekend when Cindy and friends aren't eating in the name of "peace"?

I have to wonder at what point this gets embarassing.

- On that note, after wishing for a return to the 60s where society experienced "the age of enlightenment led by religious figures who want to greet Americans with a moral, uplifting vision" (just don't take the brown acid, right, Doctor?), Howard Dean said the idea that raising the minimum wage would negatively impact unemployment is a bunch of "economist mumbo-jumbo".

I don't know about you, but if I owned a fast-food joint and the government made it more cost-prohibitive for me to hire a 14-year old with only babysitting experience, I'd be less likely to do so, thereby ensuring that 14-year old didn't develop the skills necessary to get a good start in the labour market.

We can always count on Dean regularly demonstrate why we should all be thankful that he didn't become the President of the United States.

(And who do you think he had in mind when he was referring to a "religious figure" with a "moral, uplifting vision"? I'm guessing Jerry Garcia, myself.)

- How do these people get into Canada in the first place?

From the Globe and Mail:

Wives of four of the central figures arrested last month were among the most active on the website, sharing, among other things, their passion for holy war, disgust at virtually every aspect of non-Muslim society and a hatred of Canada. The posts were made on personal blogs belonging to both Mr. Amara and Ms. Farooq, as well as a semi-private forum founded by Ms. Farooq where dozens of teens in the Meadowvale Secondary School area chatted. The vast majority of the posts were made over a period of about 20 months, mostly in 2004, and the majority of those were made by the group's female members.

Look at some of the quotes:

"All Muslim politicians are corrupt. There's no one out there willing to rule the country by the laws of Allah, rather they fight to rule the country by the laws of democracy".

"Look at these pathetic people ... They should all be sent to Saudi, where these sickos are executed or crushed by a wall, in public" (in reference to gay Muslims).

"May Allah crush these Jews, bring them down to their knees, humiliate them. May Allah make their women widows and their children orphans" (after Hamas' leader was killed by Israelis).

"Are you accepting a system that separates religion and state? Are you gonna give your pledge of allegiance to a party that puts secular laws above the laws of Allah? Are you gonna worship that which they worship? Are you going to throw away the most important thing that makes you a Muslim?" (in reference to how voting in Canadian elections is anti-Islam).

"This filthy country ... (W)e hate Canada".

I believe these quotes speak for themselves. Any Trudeaupians out there care to respond?

- The genius of Ariel Sharon: By pulling out of Gaza, he gave the Palestinians an opportunity to demonstrate that they could peacefully co-exist with Israel. Less than one year later, they've shown they can't by Hamas' kidnapping of an Israeli soldier. I believe this is what Sharon expected would eventually happen, and the minute that Palestinian leadership inevitably let their hatred get the better of them through the commission of an act of violence, Israel would bring the hammer down, as they're now doing. Hamas walked right into his trap and things are going completely in accordance with Sharon's script. However, I think that by the disproportionate response to the kidnapping, Ehud Olmert, the Israeli PM, may have overplayed his hand if he wanted to get world opinion squarely in his corner.

- Finally, all the catfighting on the set of The View further reinforces my suspicion that deep down, all women secretly hate each other. And at this time, I'd like to offer up the lyrics to Brad Paisley's "You Need A Man Around Here".

Wednesday digest

- The screw-you element of the Democratic party doesn't even try to hide its contempt for America's fighting men and women. Meanwhile, amputees back from Iraq want to go jogging with the President.

I'm just sayin'.

- The NYT continues to dig itself deeper into a hole.

First, they say that details about the terrorist financing scheme have already been in the public eye for four years and so they suggest that revealing its existence is no big deal. I would ask, then why even publish it, especially now? It couldn't be because it would help raise more suspicions regarding civil liberties six months after the wiretap story, would it? Nor could it be because it would help take the wind out of the sails of increasingly favourable public opinion on Iraq after the elimination of Zarqawi, I suppose?

Then, they say that the program is a political red herring for the Administration, but in the next breath suggest that its very existence is a sign of increasing centralization of power in the White House without acknowledging the fact that it was approved by Congress. So they downplay its importance but then raise suspicions about it? What is it that the NYT is reporting here, exactly? Something irrelevant and redundant with little political impact or a danger to the freedoms of Americans? I thought the job of the press was to report the news, not create it. Sounds like the NYT hasn't decided one way or the other on that one.

Methinks they doth protest too much. The more they try to rationalize their decision, the more their vendetta against the Bush White House comes into plain view.

- Anyways, here's some real news that we'd hear more about in the liberal mainstream media if the cue-giving NYT would get over their fascination with fully legal anti-terrorist programs.

- Greed is good.

- A shadow of her former hotness, indeed. Now that she's admitted that she's country, can we expect her to do an adaptation of "I Ain't As Good As I Once Was" with the word "hot" substituted for "good"?

(Dixie Chicks "fans", you won't get that one.)

Tuesday digest

- Iran's mullah's are pretty much dismissing efforts by the US to bring them to the table to discuss nuclear disarmament. I thought that even engaging them in the first place was a bad idea because it gave them credibility. Now more than ever, it's clear that the US should continue to put the squeeze on Iran while promoting pro-democracy, human rights and civil society movements from the inside. It's no time to back down.

- Condi also seems to have lost her nerve on Hamas. Why? For the last year, the ball has been in the Palestinians' court, and they repeatedly demonstrate that peace is the last thing on their minds. (I'll believe this when I see it. The language is probably so watered down to be meaningless.)

- Income inequality will always be a trade-off in a free society. Instead of trying to eliminate it wholesale, we should be trying to find the best way to manage it. Clearly, as the experience of Katrina shows, government isn't very good at getting the job done well.

- Another must-read from Dennis Prager.

Monday digest

Shame on the New York Times for putting headlines above national security.

What they did was publish details of a fully legal yet classified program designed to stop terror networks dead in their tracks by choking off their funding. This is akin to giving al-Qaeda a flashlight when the White House is trying to keep them in the dark. It's absolutely disgraceful that the Times would aid and abet the enemy like this.

Now, I know a lot of you rabid lefty partisans out there would say that the job of the press is to dig for scoops, not help the White House advance one public policy program over another, even if exposing that program could compromise national security. Well, ethical considerations are at play, just like how you guys always cite ethical considerations when you're demanding that the corporate community demonstrate some social responsibility, even if the job of business is to maximize profit. (I thought creating jobs was the epitome of being socially responsible, but anyways.)

It's also hypocritical of the Times to be slapping the White House on the wrist for allegedly leaking the name of Valerie Plame when they published not only this leak-dependent story but also the wiretap stuff before Christmas. A leak is a leak is a leak and if the Old Grey Lady had any integrity, she'd rise above playing politics with state secrets in a time of war.

I also expected better of the Wall St. Journal, which apparently reprinted the Times story.

- From the "stories you may have missed in the mainstream media" file, we have news that a Liberal MP has introduced a private members' bill to criminalize abortion after five months of pregnancy. Regardless of which side you come down on the issue, one can only imagine the wailing that we'd hear from CBC headquarters down on Sparks St. if a Tory backbencher did such a thing.

- And as if it's not obvious enough, why would you take seriously a linguist's opinions on geopolitics?

Gig Review: Allman Brothers Band, Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls, ON, June 23, 2006

The Allman Brothers Band - two drummers, a percussionist, two guitarists, a bass player, and Gregg Allman on keys - played an intimate show in front of 1,500 appreciative fans Friday night in the Falls. I went knowing that I would see a straight-up, quality performance, but I was blown away by the level of musicianship that I saw.

The stars on this night were guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. Improvising, jamming, giving each other cues to play off of and challenging the other guy to go one better, this is truly a players' band. All of the other musicians were really there to frame the work of Haynes and Trucks, and they did a good job at that, except for one of the drummers (Jaimoe) who was pretty much mailing in his performance over the entire two-hour-plus set.

As for familiar tunes, they opened and closed with "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and also threw in "Midnight Rider" mid-set, but this was no greatest hits show (which is what separates the Allmans from most of their "classic rock" contemporaries). Can't remember any other big ones off the top of my head, but from this casual fan's perspective, they are arguably as good as they've ever been on a creative level and the fact that they didn't rely too heavily on their back catalogue after being in the business for 35 plus years is significant. Substance without a hint of pretence (Gregg even descended into the audience after the encore to sign autographs), just a bunch of guys doing what they love to do and doing it oh so well.

Very, very good.

Overall rating: 9.5/10

P.S. Stayed at the brand-new Great Wolf Lodge courtesy of a buddy who works there, and the next day in front of me in the omelette line at the breakfast buffet was former NHL superstar Doug Gilmour.

I refused to acknowledge him.

LEAFS SUCK.

The Sparks St. Chicken and Rib Cook-Off

The hallmark of summer in the nation's capital is the annual Sparks St. Chicken and Rib Festival. I headed down there last night after work for some red meat served up on a styrofoam platter. In the interests of time, I ordered from a Fort Erie, Ontario operation that had a short line, wishing that I could have waited out the guys from Houston next door, but alas. Although the meal overall was very good, the meat was not warm enough and the sauce was downright cold. It was still great, though, and I hopped in a cab to zoom home to the strains of Kenny Chesney's "I Go Back".

Today, I did just that at lunch.

This time I ordered from a group that was supposedly from Kansas City. I say supposedly because they had the radio tuned to French folk songs. No matter. This rib and chicken combo was vastly superior last night's fare, and how often can you say that the second meal in a row eclipses the first? Not too often, and that's the sign of an excellent, excellent meal. What enhanced this one as well was the side of creamy coleslaw that I got this time around, and before all was said and done, it was off to Laura Secord for a scoop of bordeaux cherry in a sugar cone befor heading back to work.

What a treat.

On till Sunday.

Overall rating: 9.5/10

Thursday digest

- Anyone have any suggestions on side dishes that go well with crow?

- Get cheated on and having a hard time getting over it? Don't worry. The Canadian court system feels your pain and will ensure you're taken care of.

So much for the state having no place in the motel rooms of the nation. No doubt, all of the civil libertarians and their feminist friends who are always saying that the government has no right to comment on issues concerning morality are going to be up in arms about this one.

Right.

- A plea from Oz, asking us to really start telling it like it is.

- Last night on the National, the CBC's Peter Mansbridge referred to terrorism suspect and security certificate detainee Mohammed Harkat, who is now out on bail with strict conditions, as a "Canadian man". Correction: he is not Canadian. No one who is held on a security certificate holds Canadian citizenship, nor can they be by law.

- Shame on congressional Republicans for selling out their small-government principles. At least some in DC are calling for restraint.

- Why the decades-long eluctance to cut off funding to terror-sponsoring Gulf states by increasing energy self-sufficiency? Rule of thumb to those would would make life less profitabe for domestic oil producers: if you tax something, you get less of it; if you subsidize something, you get more of it. And with sales of SUVs still climbing, do we really want a significant percentage of our spending on gasoline to continually find its way into Saudi hands?

Book Review: "Do As I Say, Not As I Do: Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy" by Peter Schweizer (2005)

Hoover Institution fellow Peter Schweizer takes us through a delicious romp of Noam Chomsky's tax shelters, Michael Moore's stock holdings (while included Halliburton at the turn of the decade), and Gloria Steinem's eyebrow lifts. It's like a People magazine for conservatives who have long suspected that most of these champions of the working man are a bunch of phonies. If you've been paying attention (and all of this is in the public domain, as Schweizer's footnotes will attest), not much will be new to you, but a lot of the more gossipy bits are juicy (Al Franken is a mean person, Barbara Streisand hires people as cheaply as possible and Ralph Nader is a slave driver) and a hell of a lot of fun.

Bottom line is that when conservatives like Bill Bennett, Dr. Laura and the gang are exposed as hypocrites, the mainstream press is all over them, but these lefties have been let off the hook for far too long.

Pick it up for a quick read and poke fun along with Schweizer at those who want us to do as they say, not as they do.

Overall rating: 9/10

Album Review: "Senor Smoke" by Electric Six (2006)

Coming on the heels of 2003's "Fire", which contained the absolutely uproarious "Gay Bar" (click on the link for some high comedy), "Senor Smoke" continues the guitar-fuelled disco attack ... and lead singer Dick Valentine can actually sing. With titles like "Devil Nights", "Vibrator" and "Jimmy Carter", Hammerheads will find much to like here. You even get a cover of Queen's "Radio Ga-Ga". And if the chorus to "Dance Epidemic" doesn't stay in your head all day, I'm sorry but I can only conclude that you just don't enjoy livin'.

Not as good as "Fire", but no novelty act here.

"The Jacksons reunited and they're going out on tour!"

Overall rating: 7.75/10

Book Review: "The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East" by Barry Rubin (2005)

This book by Council on Foreign Relations fellow Barry Rubin is an exhaustive and scholarly look at the struggles faced by moderates in the Middle East as they wrestle with their attempt to provide a third option between the status quo of corrupt dictatorships and the path to paradise that is promised by radical Islamists. He takes a look at the struggles of reformers to establish a free press, women's rights, a fair shake for Israel, and come to terms with the Iraq war, all within the history of pan-Arabic nationalism that makes independent thinking in the region next to impossible.

Dense and not for the layperson, what Rubin demonstrates over and over again is just how facile the "no blood for oil" and "Bush lied, thousands died" line of protest is. Middle Eastern politics is extremely intricate, paradoxical and complex. We need books like this to help us interpret what is without question the penultimate question facing human kind right now: is Islam compatible with liberal, capitalist democracy or not?

Rubin's prose is readable yet the weighty treatment he gives the subject matter is extremely dense, so much so that I will probably have to read this one again to comprehend all of what he brings to the page. For those who want to explore these issues, I'd recommend Noah Feldman's "After Jihad" to start with, and leave Rubin alone until much further down the road.

A serious work for serious people who want to get beyond mere rhetoric and find out for themselves what is really at stake.

Overall rating: 8/10

Wednesday digest

- Cindy Sheehan, good friend of Howard Dean and John Kerry, has taken her act to Vienna. Here are some pictures, courtesy of Yahoo! News, which demonstrate that thanks to Cindy, 12-year old Austrian girls will never be part of the Republican base. (I'm sure Karl Rove is losing sleep over that one.)



- What's this?

- Sheila Copps talks taxes and says that without a high tax burden, we'd have a bad education system and dirtier water, among other things.

I have three questions:

Have you ever heard of any public servant, including teachers, getting canned for poor performance? Yes or no?

Keeping that in mind, were the Koebel brothers, public servants who were charged with ensuring the cleanliness of Walkerton's water, alcoholics who had been falsifying records back to the early 1980s, right under the nose of their political masters of all party stripes? Yes or no?

Finally, have you ever heard of anyone having to wait less than 6 months for a knee or hip replacement, yes or no?

The honest answers to the above question are no, yes, and no.

Even if you're on the big government side of the political divide, you cannot possibly argue that we get good value for the taxes we pay. And that's what should be unacceptable to all of us. It's time to start looking at how much better we can be than settling for mediocrity all the time.

- Finally, Andrew Coyne says hockey rules. I gotta give it up for baseball, but yes, hockey does rule.

Tuesday digest II

- What's with James Loney?

The guy is alleging that the Catholic men's organization Knights of Columbus (of which I happen to be a member) is shutting down a youth leadership camp because he worked there in the past.

The Knights say this is a bogus claim and that Loney's homosexuality (which apparently to Loney is the main reason why the camp at which he no longer works has been put on hiatus) has nothing to do with their decision to suspend operations for this year.

He says: "I feel very sad that this act of discrimination against me as a gay person is really impacting the whole Catholic community of Ontario".

Loney said he and his supporters agonized over whether or not to go public with his allegations.

"It was a decision we made after a great deal of thought and prayer, and some agony,'' he said.

"We are doing this because we care about the church, we care about young people and we care about the kind of church they are coming into.''

I have a few things that I would say to Loney if he were listening.

First, no one really cares that you are gay - including the Knights of Columbus - except you and the terrorists who would have chopped your head off had they found out when you were in Iraq this spring. It is supremely self-centred to suggest that the fate of an entire non-profit organization rests on who you and you alone do and do not find attractive.

Second, there are many other Christian organizations that go beyond tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality, but in fact, celebrate it, according to their interpretation of Christ's teachings. Why can't Loney quietly leave an organization that he feels no longer at home in and go join one that he thinks better represents his personal belief system?

I'm also pretty sure that most Catholic youth today are aware of the Church's teachings on morality and are perfectly capable of deciding for themselves what to think about it.

The gay lobby is always saying that all they want is respect. What Loney is doing goes far beyond demanding respect. What Loney is doing is asking that one group within society (the Church) change in order to suit him, which is the equivalent of trying to impose one's point of view on another. Isn't that exactly what the gay lobby says that the forces of conservative religion do far too often when it comes to matters of personal morality? In the name of diversity, tolerance, and inclusivity, Loney should accept the fact that there may be some sectors within society that may have different values than he does. That's the beauty of living in a free country , the antics surrounding Margaret Somerville's honorary degree from Ryerson notwithstanding.

I would also say to Loney that if he really wants an example of persecution of homosexuals, he should stop defending terrorists in his spare time and look at how gay people are treated in Islamic countries rather than engaging in the oh-so-tired-and-predictable routine of bashing the Catholic Church, the institution which was just fine for him to be a part of as a youth counsellor for many years before he found fame and fortune as a far-left poster boy.

(And although it's admittedly presumptive of me to suggest such a thing, with the annual Gay Pride parade right around the corner, I think that's what's driving Loney's claim more than anything else.)

I stand by my prediction that he will run as a star candidate for the NDP in the next federal election.

- Newt as President? I wonder if he carries too much baggage from his personal life to win the GOP primary.

- Ever wonder why the Left is more worried about global warming than the Right? It pretty much boils down to this: critical thinking and a sense of proportion.

Tuesday digest

- The next time you hear someone arguing that the US and their allies are responsible for all the world's ills, be sure to remind that person that Palestinian youth seem to prefer Israeli captivity to West Bank freedom.

- Members of the diversity lobby aside, it's time to make it clear that there's no women's section in Canada.

- A look at the state of free speech in the Middle East.

- It's long past time we start reducing our dependence on imported oil.

- I don't understand why everyone is on the India bandwagon. Even if they double their GDP per capita, they'll still be worth less than $7,000 per head. They still have a hell of a long way to go.

- And let this be a lesson to all of you: don't let your six-year old ride the ferris wheel alone.

The Whalers win the Cup

There was a time when I would have bet against that ever happening, in my lifetime or anyone else's, for that matter.

Congratulations to Rod Brind'Amour, Dougie Weight, Glen Wesley, Ray Whitney, Eric Staal, Cory Stillman, Mark Recchi and Cam Ward, who led the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise to an exciting seventh-game finish over sentimental favourites the Oil of Edmonton for their first championship in team history.

Edmonton, you took all of Canada on a ride this spring. Can we make it three Finals in a row next year? Here's hoping.

Monday digest

- In just the latest example of lies coming from this Administration, Governor Bush, along with his minions in the mainstream media, are propogating the myth of North Korea's nuclear capability. The reason they're doing this is in order to rally support for increased military spending to benefit not only the Administration's political fortunes but also Dick Cheney's stock portfolio, which contains an inordinate amount of defense holdings. This is all BS, too, and is simply being trotted out to justify the continuing imperialist war of aggression in Afghanistan.

(I'm just saving you lefties the trouble of having to roll out your usual arguments.)

- Speaking of lefties, anti-American fundamentalist Noam Chomsky insinuates that Iran can't really be blamed for wanting to nuke Israel off the face of the earth because they are provoked by "the very credible US and Israeli threats that virtually urge Iran to develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent". Oh, if only Iran was left out of the axis of evil, perhaps they wouldn't be forced to use such provocative language, right, Noam? (At least Chomsky admits that Saddam Hussein gassed the Kurds, the realization of which must have been as difficult for him as it was when the proof was revealed about Stalin-era forced labour camps in Russia.)

- And back to reality with this article, one day late, on Father's Day.

Sunday digest

- Looks like Michael Ignatieff is the only liberal with any guts these days. (I always thought he was too intelligent to be concerning himself with big-L Liberal politics anyways.)

- Walk softly and carry a big stick: a look back at Ronald Reagan's guiding principles on foreign policy.

- Both parties now have their own version of Kenneth Starr, with one minor difference: Bill Clinton, not Karl Rove, lied while under oath.

Album Review: Tool - "10,000 Days" (2006)

I bought this album about three weeks ago and am only getting around to reviewing it now. That should tell you something about how much I'm enjoying it, which is to say, not much. The first track, "Vicarious", is amazing, but from there, it's all downhill. Pointlessly heavy at times and without enough structure to keep me interested on top of far too much anger, these guys sure can play, but to what end?

Zeppelin and Rush were able to pull off seven-minute-plus tracks that have stood the test of time, but Tool is not in their league because they try to do too much. All the packaging and technical prowess can't substitute for the one thing that's lacking here, and that's this - good songs.

A lot of sizzle but the $12.95er (scroll down to the bottom of the linked page), this is not.

Overall rating: 4.5/10

Album Review: Little Big Town - "The Road to Here" (2005)

Upon first glance, this band could be dismissed as Abba with a banjo but those who do so would be missing out. Little Big Town are an updated version of the Mamas and the Papas, but a little more Arizona than California. Just listen to the first single "Boondocks" and tell me that they're not going places. With an opening slot for Keith Urban this summer, they're well on their way. If you enjoy lush harmonies and songs about the heartland, this is for you. Perfect for a campfire at the cottage.

Overall rating: 8/10

Album Review: Three Days Grace "One-X" (2006)

I've seen this band live twice, once opening for Nickelback and another time opening for Velvet Revolver. Just like their stage performance, their first disc was intense and impressive, so I picked this one up this week after hearing first single "Animal I Have Become" (which caused to start involuntarily playing air guitar while driving).

I was a little worried upon listening to the whole disc because the second track, "Pain" can only be deemed as filler, and that's a sign of trouble for any band. I thought, "great, here's more tortured hollering from disaffected twenty-somethings - like I haven't heard enough of that" but I knew from experience that this band is capable of more and they don't disappoint with this effort. Lots of potential hits here and what they lack in technical musicianship, they make up for with their songwriting. Check 'em out live if you can and if you like what you see, you'll enjoy this disc.

Overall rating: 7.75/10

Album Review: Rock Kills Kid - "Are You Nervous?" (2006)

I took a chance on this disc after hearing first track "Paralyzed" last week on "This Week in Baseball" when they did a montage of amazing defensive plays to it. After a couple of dowloads later, I decided to pick the entire album up, thinking that any band that has a lead-off track with the same title as a Kiss tune has to have something going for it. And while they're not incredible, they're not too bad.

Melody-wise, this band is in the vein of the 80s revivalist acts like the Killers. The best analogy I can think of is a cross between the Northern Pikes and Duran Duran. Production-wise, this album is mixed by Mike Shipley and has the fingerprints of a professional all over it. Multiple guitars and sprinklings of synth all over the place with lots of hi-hats moving things along.

This isn't the best disc I've purchased all summer, and I'm not sure if I'll be going back to it in a year's time, but it's fresh and that counts for something these days.

Overall rating: 7/10

Saturday digest

- Every thinking person with an opinion on the war in Iraq owes it to themselves to read this.

- The latest from Dixie Chick Natalie Maines:

"The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism" ... "Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country… I don't see why people care about patriotism."

There have been many times that I've shaken my head at my own country (Canada), but to mock the Commander-in-Chief during war time while on foreign shores like Maines did - a war, by the way, that was overwhelmingly endorsed by both parties represented in Congress? You can't expect Nashville to support you you when you pull stunts like that. There are far more constructive ways to express dissent without damaging your career at the same time. More analysis here.

- The forces of tolerance, inclusion and diversity have struck again. How long till they descend on Ottawa City Hall to demand that the city cough up 50K to bail out the Gay Pride festival? I'm sure we can count on the usual intimidation tactics on the part of the politically correct because obviously if you're not in favour of having taxpayers subsidize a mismanaged gay-themed enterprise, you're a knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing homophobe. More seriously, what's wrong with asking Ottawa's sizable and affluent gay community be expected to cough up some private money to bail out their own festival?

- Speaking of diversity, the National Post has been running a series all week examining the unintended consequences of multiculturalism. I haven't read all of it, but some of the articles can be found here, here, here, and here. I think George Jonas is overly conspiratorial in his offering here, as Cabinet documents from the late 70's that have since been released show that even PET himself knew that multiculturalism was bound to ghettoize and divide, but with the spectre of Levesque looming large in Quebec, perhaps he didn't know what else to do. In any case, when the obligations to and customs of your host country take a government-funded, establishment-supported back seat to the values of the society you left behind, it's clear that asking the tough questions about those "old" values are that much harder to ask, and so those who are unwilling to be full participants in the new society - and may have violent intentions towards it - are much less obvious. As we've seen in Toronto, this can have inter-generational impacts as well. It's important that we take a clear-headed look at this instead of primarily concerning ourselves with the (non-existent) anti-Muslim backlash.

- Finally, happy Father's Day.

Friday digest

- What's this all about?

- Krauthammer points out that the Palestinians have a vested interest in not achieving statehood. I agree. What could they, the rest of the Arab world, and the UN use to bash Israel with if they did get what they (supposedly) wanted?

- If you're hoping for the coalition to lose in Iraq, all cannot be well in your world. Here's why.

- Happy Tax Freedom Day. Meanwhile, over on the hard anti-capitalist Left, dumpster diving has become the latest way to make a political point.

I don't make this stuff up.

- A list of the best and worst film sequels ever, here. Sadly, "Toxic Avenger Part II", perhaps the only film that could make both categories, doesn't show up in either.

- Finally, readers from Ottawa will be happy to learn that the Bytown Tavern is about to re-open after falling on hard times due to the smoking bylaw. This is great news. The Bytown was a place where you were guaranteed to have a good time and was a regular stop on the Thursday/Friday/Saturday night pub crawl circuit. Even if legendary karaoke host Raunchy Johnny C is no longer with us, and God rest his soul, countless scores of suburbanites like me will once again have a reason to frequent Elgin Street.

DVD Review: Rush "Replay" (2006)

What you get here are three DVDs and a live album spanning Rush's output during the decade of the 1980s, all for around $30. The package also includes three mini-souvenir books from each trek represented here - "Exit ... Stage Left" from the Montreal Forum in 1981, "Grace Under Pressure" from Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens in 1984, and "A Show of Hands" from an arena in Birmingham, England in 1988. (The live album is a reproduction of the "Grace Under Pressure" show.) In terms of packaging, this is most impressive DVD package I've bought since the Ric Flair 3-disc set of a couple of years back, and for fans, this is just awesome.

First, the "Exit ... Stage Left" show. The sound is a hell of a lot better than the CD release. Also, some of the more wanky moments like "Xanadu" are a lot more impressive on this DVD than it is on the "A Farewell to Kings" album version. You also get little voiceovers from the band members introducing each tune, which are pretty cool. Check out the rockin' "In the End", in my view probably the most under-rated tune from any Canadian band ever.

The next show, from the "Grace Under Pressure" era, is head and shoulders above the first DVD in terms of production values. One can really tell that Rush broke big worldwide after Moving Pictures and the amount of money they put into things like effects, staging and wardrobe on subsequent tours like this one is evidence of that. Although some fans think that Rush's decline began around this time, I disagree. Any band with the sheer amount of output of Rush is going to shift and evolve creatively over time, and here, they are doing just that.

Finally, "A Show of Hands". This is when Rush was heavy into their keyboard phase but unfortunately, two of the greatest tunes of that era, "Subdivisions" and "Time Stand Still" are not included here. That sucks. Other than that, Geddy is singing here rather than wailing like he did in the 70s and live, the weighty subject matter of Neil Peart's lyrics from the "Power Windows" and "Hold Your Fire" albums are accentuated by their treatment in the concert setting. Subsequent albums like "Presto" and "Counterparts" become even more fascinating when you consider what came before them. (I didn't mention "Roll the Bones" because it's not very good, in my view.)

Rush is one of those bands that either you get or you don't. Their chops as musicians are unparalleled and like Geddy says on the "Exit ... Stage Left" DVD, you have to position your technical abilities within the framework of a song or no one will feel it. That, to me, is what separates Rush from bands like ELP and Yes because they can pull off a riff like Sabbath and then bob and weave around that riff without ever losing its feel. I also think that this is going to be one of those things where every time I watch it, I'll notice something new and different each time.

A great purchase for those who appreciate honest yet challenging musicianship.

Overall rating: 9.5/10

Thursday digest

- Looks like the man who was almost VP less than six years ago, Joe Lieberman, is being drummed out of the Democrats because he's not strident enough.

Party of inclusion, indeed.

- Speaking of Lieberman, various Canadian statists gathered in Mont Tremblant yesterday to hear Al Gore interfere in another country's politics. I have to ask, what's the point?

- After hitting the information jackpot, it's clearly not time to quit Iraq. (A bit of unconventional wisdom on that subject, here.)

- I love this: "We would have preferred to hit a U.S. frigate, but no problem because they are all infidels", even those who teach social justice and cultural studies. It is also disappointing to still see some equivocation:

"These ideas don't represent Muslims," said Walid Chaaban, imam of the Salah Dine mosque in Montreal.

"We stand against these people who would commit acts of terrorism against Canadians."

But Sheik Ali Sbeiti, imam at the Muslim Community Centre of Montreal, also cautioned that Canada has to realize that its foreign policies, including its commitment of troops in Afghanistan, have repercussions at home.

"Canada is shifting its policy to become more pro-American on international issues," he said in an interview. "This creates a kind of tension."

"Canada is involved in Afghanistan, and not as peacekeepers. Muslims would feel that Canada is in a country whose soldiers are fighting fellow Muslims.

"Every time Canada takes action in the international field, you have to consider that is has 800,000 Muslims in Canada watching."

How is Canadian society supposed to know who speaks for Muslims when we hear "yeah, but"-type comments like this one?

- This whole Caledonia mess is pissing me off. It should have been dealt with at the outset of the lawlessness. Why does political correctness always trump equality under the law when it comes to violent Aboriginal protests? The cops should have went in there weeks ago, cleaned it up and then sat down at the table with representatives who are moderate and reasoned in their approach.

Wednesday digest

- Another story about the excesses of the multiculturalist mentality: An Ottawa man accused of raping and beating his kids was declared not guilty yesterday (although his kids will remain in the care of the Children's Aid Society - what does that tell you?). Comments from the man's lawyer included the following:

Ndema-Moussa called the investigation "shoddy" and said the authorities had no sensitivity to immigrants, who may have a different frame of reference when it comes to what is acceptable punishment for children.

Read the story for yourself here. However, you know there's a possibility that this line of argument is about to be reined in when even someone from the CBC observes that "maybe multiculturalism is just a nice idea for people who haven't been bombed yet."

Or abused, for that matter.

- Make that two White House staffers who haven't been found guilty of leaks, despite the hopes and dreams of the mainstream media (see t-shirt below). With the capture of Zarqawi and the President's bold trip to Baghdad on top of the Rove exoneration, Bush-haters have had a pretty bad time lately. In the meantime, they can still keep hoping for another Vietnam in Iraq.

- If this is true, it seems that "Profane" Pierre Poilievre has taken his act to the floor of the House of Commons.

My comments from the other day stand.

Concert Review: George Strait, Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, ON, June 13, 2006

Texas troubador George Strait came to Ottawa last night for the first time in over 20 years to almost 14,000 fans who treated him like country music royalty. Playing in the round, George and his band played for 90 minutes delivering hit after hit after hit with a few tracks from his solid new album "Somewhere Down in Texas" sprinkled in for good measure. Oh yeah, he also played "Fulsome Prison Blues" in his encore, probably to satisfy all the poseurs (but if you are at a Strait show, the chances of you being a poseur is probably minimal). The guy is a total pro at what he does and sounds exactly the same live as he does on CD.

I have to say, though, from my third row vantage point, the staging was absolutely ass. For 50% of the show, I couldn't even see the other side of the stage because it was absolutely cluttered with who knows what. I was also too close to see the large video screens above the stage without kinking my neck. This is all not to mention the 6-foot-3 oaf in front on me who felt the need to stand there with his thumbs in his pockets for the entire show. I mean come on, this isn't a frickin' Judas Priest concert and I don't see you making any devil horn signs, so sit the F down.

Thankfully, the aforementioned oaf didn't show up till about halfway through middle act Tracy Lawrence, who I had hardly heard of, probably because he is a little too traditional country for Country Music Television ... more Merle Haggard than Keith Urban. Lots of fiddles, steel guitars and twang, which was in marked contrast to first performer Miranda Lambert, who took the stage to the strains of Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". She was very good, but whether or not she'll be able to transcend her novelty status remains to be seen. At least she writes her own stuff, which is more than can be said for the American Idol crowd. I also have to mention that live, she is more on the cute side than the sexpot side, which is not what you'd think after seeing the video for "Kerosene".

Overall rating: 7.25/10

Tuesday digest

- The New Jersey Devils have hired Claude Julien as their new head coach. I've always like Julien and I think he'll keep the Devils in the playoffs, but I'm not sure his coaching style is suited to the new NHL.

- On the occasion of National Public Service Week, I think it's only right that civil servants in Canada follow the lead of their brethren in the UK. Good times.

- Is there anything worse than a yappy dental hygienist? How can we possibly be expected to acknowledge their astute observations concerning the weather, your flossing technique, or any of the other drivel on offer when you're sitting in the chair? You have a mirror in my mouth, for God's sake!

Monday digest II

- The list of cities which have now outright cancelled their Dixie Chicks concerts, or at least postponed the onsale dates:

Milwaukee.
Kansas City.
St. Louis.
Indianapolis.
Fresno.
Los Angeles.
Oklahoma City.
Memphis.
Jacksonville.

I almost pity the poor girls. But that's what happens when you take your cues from the Kos crowd and others who a) really had no use for you until you started mouthing off, and b) still don't have any time for your music.

- I wondered if radical Islamists would consider Zarqawi a martyr considering he died at the hands of US bombers rather than by blowing himself up and taking some innocent civilians with him. Sadly, this answers my question.

- Canadians who value the truth 1, sloppy CBC left-wing historical revisionists 0. Then again, this is the taxpayer-funded network that is showing Bowling for Columbine long after Michael Moore said you don't have to be completely accurate when you're making a political point, so what should we have expected?

Monday digest

- A Calgary Muslim professor has made some remarks on political correctness that are pretty much right on the money. Good thing he has brown skin because if he was white, he'd probably be fired. Heck, our Immigration Minister can't even explain why people who come from countries which use a different alphabet than the English-speaking world does may find it harder to learn the language without being called a racist.

What a joke.

- This week, the Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments on the constitutionality of security certificates. Keep the following in mind when you hear the media do their usual half-baked analysis of this very important issue.

Security certificates are only applicable to refugees and permanent residents currently living in Canada - in other words, non-citizens who are deemed inadmissible to Canada because they pose a threat to national security. They have been around since the late 70s as a tool for the government to safeguard Canadians from those who would do us harm, and have only been used sparingly since. In fact, in an earlier hearing in the early 90s, the Supreme Court ruled that they were totally in keeping with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but because we're Canada, opponents of security certificates are getting another kick at the can.

Security certificates have nothing to do with the Anti-Terrorism Act. As far as "secret hearings" go, information against those held up on security certificates is given to the judge hearing the case by the government in private because if it were public, it would reveal the way our authorities go about collecting information against terrorists, thereby allowing terrorists to plan accordingly when they are considering launching their next attack.

When a certificate is upheld by the courts, the subject of the certificate is to be deported to their country of origin. However, the men who are currently held on certificates are claiming that they'd be at risk of torture if they were sent home. That's why calling it "indefinite detention" is dishonest. They are free to go to any country they want, but of course, they won't, and Canada can't boot them home because we don't send people to countries where they are at risk of torture, which has obviously become a defense for terror suspects post-Arar.

Before getting sucked in by all this talk of human rights from James Loney and friends, take the time to make the decision for yourself concerning the morality of how Canada treats non-citizens suspected of carrying out terrorist attacks.

Sunday digest

- Silence this weekend during a convention of left-wing bloggers in Las Vegas at the mention of al-Zarqawi's death, while Jerry Springer and Randi Rhodes of Air America can't bring themselves to applaud the progress made in Iraq this past week. No, Zarqawi's death will not solve all of the coalition's problems, but is it too much to ask for Democrat supporters to just once acknowledge a hopeful development, or at the very least, do a better job of hiding their desire to see American-led forces fail?

- On CTV's Question Period today, three MPs - Tory Jason Kenney, Liberal Wajid Khan and NDPer Peggy Nash - discussed next steps in the wake of the Toronto arrests of last weekend. I have to say, I really find it hard to take the NDP seriously. The only comments their panellist had to offer centred around the possibility of racism, which she seemed to be convinced was an inevitability (see here).

If the only thing the NDP can offer on this most crucial of public policy debates is insinuating that Canadian society is full of anti-Muslim reactionaries, perhaps they ought to just butt out and leave it to those who have given this issue a little bit of serious thought rather than just regurging their usual talking points, which, by the way, sound like they were written by someone who just got laid off from the local alternative weekly.

- Carleton University in Ottawa (my alma mater) is coming under fire for awarding an honourary degree to Jewish community leader Rabbi Reuven Bulka their concovation ceremonies this week, reason being he is an advisor to a controversial US group which believes that homosexuality can be "cured".

I am of two minds on this issue. First, I think that anyone who thinks that homosexuality can be "cured" needs to give their head a shake. I also wouldn't like to be a gay person who would be receiving my degree from a guy who thinks I have some kind of disease. At the same time, however, I don't like the idea of stripping an otherwise stand-up guy like the Rabbi of recognition because of his views on sexual politics. That smacks of bringing in the thought police.

I think instead of calling for his honourary degree to be stripped from him and trying to prevent him from speaking, those who are uncomfortable with Bulka's position should respectfully try and show him the wrong-headedness of his views. After all, isn't the competition of ideas supposed to be what a university education is all about, not to mention the values of understanding, tolerance and the celebration of diverse perspectives, which we hear so much about from those who would seemingly bar Bulka from taking the podium?

Book Review: "Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild" by Michelle Malkin (2005)

The main argument in this short look at the state of left-of-centre commentary in the US following 9/11 is that the Democratic party has been taken over by raving lunatics.

Examples include Daily Kos blogger Markos Moulitsas (who said "screw them" when referring to the four American contractors that were burnt to a crisp and hung from a bridge in Fallujah by Zarqawi sympathizers), numerous congressmen and congresswomen who, like Dem icons Howard Dean and Madeleine Albright, suggested that there was a possibility that the President knew of the impending WTC attacks before they happened due to a Saudi tip-off, and finally, the types who usually show up every time there's a so-called "peace" march with signs with slogans like "Bush=Hitler", "Arm the Homeless" and "Smash the Jewish State" (see here for pictures from two rallies San Francisco, held in March of this year).

Malkin also publishes a litany of hate-filled venom sent her way by so-called adherents to the liberal values of tolerance, diversity and respect which include some absolutely disgusting instances of racism and sexism.

No doubt there are some nutters in both parties, but the point Malkin makes is that the fringe is far more powerful in the Democratic party, and when Democratic leaders don't speak out against these individuals, it makes one wonder just how far off the mark these "extremists" really are from reflecting mainstream opinion from within their own ranks.

Don't expect any intellectual breakdown or analysis with "Unhinged". However, right-wingers looking for some ammo (and if you've been paying attention, there's not a lot new), or lefties who don't mind having someone hold up the mirror, will appreciate it.

Overall rating: 7/10

Saturday digest

- Exhibit A in the category of "reasons to think twice before voting for anyone under the age of 30": 26-year-old Nepean-Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre (right), who used language that is quite unparliamentary in a House committee this week. Close observers of Poilievre know that wherever he is to be found, decorum is usually not.

Grow up, Poilievre, and despite your clear lack of life experience, try being a bit of a role model for a change.

- It looks like the Mounties made sure that no one would be unduly offended before proceeding with last weekend's terror arrests, but if anyone thinks that being nice is going to cause would-be suicide bombers to change their minds about us, perhaps they should think again, despite the hopes and dreams of the Angry Left. It's also encouraging to see calls for accountability from within the Muslim community without qualifying it by trotting out the usual excuses of Israel or "the climate of fear".

- Following the death of Zarqawi, the usual suspects were naturally looking hard for a cloud in the silver lining. These guys have so much invested in the failures of the coalition in Iraq that they can't even acknowledge the demise of a key al-Qaeda lieutenant without using the old "ya, but" qualifier. Is it any wonder that "we support the troops but they're not doing their (illegal) job all that well, are they?" message comes off as totally unpatriotic?

- Babs is going on the road to promote action to combat climate change. No word if Al Gore has been tapped for the opening slot, but no doubt we can expect Ms. Streisand to forsake the comfortable, yet shamefully polluting mode of air travel while on the road, and rather, use a Smart car as she travels from city to city all in the name of saving the Earth.

- Finally, on the subject of gas, have you seen the commercials for that new product for combatting flatulence that are just like Listerine's Pocket Strips? This girl should have taken some before her recent Canadian Idol audition.

Film Review: "The Break-Up" (2006)

Everyone knows about this movie starring Vinnie Vaughn and Jenny Aniston as a shacked-up Chicago couple whose relationship is withering on the vine. They eventually break up but continue living together for a couple of weeks until their condo is sold, and the flick captures the post-split power struggle that goes on between them until they mercifully - finally - go their separate ways.

Despite what you may be thinking, this is not a "chick flick" but is more about what happens when you don't work at it. Vaughn's character is a lazy, out of shape, X-box addicted ham n' egger who refuses to move beyond extended adolescence, while Aniston's Brooke naturally tries her hand at petty games and one-upmanship to try and prove her point.

Although the critics savaged this film, I thought there were a lot of good lines, especially during the fight scenes. For example, when Vaughn threatens to round up some fellas to take out Aniston's brother, he threatens her by saying "I'm talking about a bunch of Pollocks with no goddamn future". More than a few choice laugh-out-loud moments like that save this film from the usual battle-of-the-sexes dreck.

The supporting cast includes the irritating Joey Lauren Adams and the fat, balding and even-more-of-a-dink-than-Vaughn Jon Favreau. However, this film is all Vaughn and Aniston and they don't disappoint. Don't listen to the critics and at least pick it up when it comes out on DVD. (Oh, and did I mention you get to see Jenny's bum?)

And as someone once said to me, "In a relationship, you can be 100% right or you can be 100% happy but never both at the same time."

Overall rating: 8/10

Thursday digest

- By now, everyone has heard that al-Qaeda in Iraq leader and Baghdad Chainsaw Massacre star Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed. No doubt common man and Democrat convention guest of honour Michael “Iraqi insurgents are the Minutemen” is crying in his Perrier at the news. (Personally, I'm still waiting to see if he’ll get out of bed before the weekend is over, which I'd say isn’t very likely considering he stayed under the covers for three days following W’s re-election in ’04.)

Sadly, fresh out of the gates this morning with a comment was beheading victim Nicholas Berg's dad, who takes us through Moral Relativism 101. Although he doesn't have one of his own on offer, he's certainly paved the way for some far-left hero to hatch the first conspiracy theory about this. I can see it coming: Bush knew he was going to lose the gay marriage vote in the Senate this week so he rigged the arrests in Toronto and the killing of al-Zarqawi to distract attention away from his political failures. What's even more preposterous are the numbers of those who actually believe that such a far-fetched plot could actually be hatched.

- Haroon Siddiqui of the Toronto Star seems reluctant to admit that there might actually be something to the Toronto arrests, while discredited former Ontario NDP premier and Liberal leadership candidate Bob Rae wants to capitulate to terrorists and pull the troops out of Afghanistan.

Once a downtown socialist, always a downtown socialist, it seems.

- Quebec is looking at allowing private health insurance for some publicly-funded procedures. You will hear nary a peep from the opposition parties about this in comparison with the screaming and wailing that comes whenever Alberta tries their hand at innovation.

- Finally, it looks like the Oil are in tough after last night's 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the 'Canes. Although I was cheering for Edmonton all the way, it will be good to see Dougie Weight get a ring. Guys like Brind'Amour, Hedican and Wesley deserve one too. Carolina coach Peter Laviolette's old team, the New York Islanders, made a good move today in hiring Teddy Nolan as their new head coach. Interesting to note also that Pat LaFontaine will be the team's special advisor, a guy who I think was arguably the best player to never win the Cup over the last twenty years. There may be some that would have said Dougie Weight also deserves consideration for that title, but by the middle of next week, I think he'll be out of the running.

Wednesday digest II

- Although I don't agree with him all the time, I think that Tarek Fatah is a pretty courageous guy. Here's a must-read from today's Toronto Star.

- Ann Coulter is not a serious person and anyone who takes her seriously doesn't deserve to be taken seriously themselves.

- Looks like the Dixie Chicks aren't as popular as they thought they were. Although Toronto has added a second date, (and is anyone surprised given high-and-mighty anti-Americanism is the state religion in Canada's largest city?), Memphis has been outright cancelled and shows in Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and Houston (America's 4th largest city and also the largest in the Chicks' home state) are also in jeopardy.

Can't say I didn't see this coming.

I would also be willing to bet my house that if you asked the people who bought Chicks' tickets in Toronto to name 5 tunes by the band, approximately 2 out 3 of their so-called fans would offer "Goodbye Earl", "that Mudslide song, is that what it's called?" and be unable to name even a single other.

Dixie Chicks, you have become the latest liberal fad. Like I've said before, see you on a co-headlining tour of 2,000 seaters with the Indigo Girls sometime in 2010 and at the Air America radio network re-launch in 2011. Even Hillary won't be seen with you on the '08 campaign.

- Speaking of Democrat party icons, George Stroumboulopoulos, Humber College radio broadcasting grad and thirty-something imitator of squeegee kid fashion sense, landed himself an interview with former VP Al Gore who is out promoting his film titled "An Inconvenient Truth". Unfortunately, no, it's not about the inconvenient truth that Al did not in fact invent the Internet, but rather, about what Al told George could lead to "potentially the end of human civilization". (Isn't that what another environmentalist zealot, 60s-era overpopulation "expert" Paul Ehrlich, said would happen by 1985? I still remember hearing about Tipper trying to ban Cyndi Lauper tunes well into '86, so I guess that didn't really pan out, but I digress.)

Anyways, Al is warning us about global warming. As he said to George, "Let's say you were walking on a beach, and a bottle washed up with a message inside. You open it, and it says, 'This is a matter of life or death. You absolutely have to deliver this message'. You'd do whatever you could to deliver that message, right?"

(I can't speak for Stroumboulopoulos, who seemed to agree with Al, but if that happened to me, I'd probably just throw the bottle back in the water. Then again, perhaps I'm just an unsophisticated bumpkin like the guy that Al couldn't beat in '00.)

Then George asked him if he thought that there was enough being done about the environment during the Clinton years, and Al said "no, I went to Kyoto and participated in the talks that led to the treaty but what really disappointed me is that I couldn't even get one single Senator to vote for it".

I'd say that speaks to how much of a non-player you were during the 90s more than anything else, Al.

Seems there's more than just one inconvenient truth where Al Gore is concerned.

Wednesday digest

- Great articles here and here which poke some rather large holes in media-driven conventional wisdom.

- This article asks if it's too much to ask the media to show a little restraint in their rush to judgment over Haditha. A fair question, given that we know jihadists like bin Laden count on certain US commentators, who shall remain nameless, for material.

A more practical look at Haditha, here.

- Here's a recent discussion featuring Princeton scholar Bernard Lewis, the West's foremost expert on Islam. It's long, but you'll learn something by reading it, I guarantee.

- Finally, the gig is up.

Olivia Newton-John's ex-boyfriend has been caught faking his own death.

You're the one that I want?

Uh, not really.

Tuesday digest II

- Muslim Canadian Congress leader Tarek Fatah is confusing the usual journalistic antics with racism, while more frighteningly, Scarborough imam Aly Hindy said that the ringleader of the group of suspects was able to carry on with his incitements to hatred and violence within the community, and unmolested by the authorities, "(s)imply because there was no terrorist activities".

How can he be in such denial of the obvious?

Of course, he also says that "there is nothing wrong with multiculturalism" in this online discussion hosted by the Globe and Mail. I think there's a fair bit wrong with multiculturalism, actually, when some people want to kill others in the name of their own cultural supremacy. Thankfully, there are individuals like Hussein Hamdani, also part of the online discussion linked to above, who are trying to moderate the excesses of Islamic leaders like Hindy. Unfortunately, Hamdani will probably never have as much influence on his community as Hindy does now for reasons which I've outlined in other posts.

Of course, this problem of displacement, alienation and injustice would all just disappear if only Palestinians had their own homeland. Right?

Right.

- Iran is expressing some optimism that there may be a breakthrough in talks aimed at curbing plutonium development in that country. Why? Because the US has said they'll give the mullahcracy nuclear technology (!) if they change course. Now I'm no rocket scientist, but I would think that offering nuke know-how to a country who you want to prevent from getting the bomb doesn't make a lot of sense. And what happened to the White House which refused to negotiate with terrorists? It would be a lot better to look for an opening on the ground rather than sit across the table from Ahmedinejad.

- Looks like W's attempt at a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage is about to fail.

I'm against gay marriage for a couple of reasons. First, it cannot possibly be procreative in either spirit or practical reality, and so will never be a substitute for the traditional familty structure. Secondly, if society said that two moms or two dads are as good as a mom and a dad, we would be negating the importance of motherhood and fatherhood in the raising of kids. Sure, families take a number of forms these days, but for the government to legally endorse an "anything will do" approach is a dishonest form of moral relativist equivalency to which we should not aspire. Deep down, we all know that a stable environment with two parents of the opposite gender is the best framework for kids to be socialized so that they have the best possible chance at attaining success and developing a healthy sense of self-esteem.

All that said, I find Krauthammer's analysis fascinating. Clearly, he's more a democrat than he is a social conservative, something I don't think Dennis Prager could say about himself.

As to how to deal with this issue, in Canada, I think it's pretty much settled even though our PM has said that he's going to bring it to Parliament once again this fall in a free vote. There is a chance that the House may vote to overturn C-38, but I don't think that the Liberal-dominated Senate would allow it to pass. This will be a true test of Canadians' democratic impulses, given that the Liberal cabinet that passed C-38 was whipped. There's an argument to be made (with some merit, in my view) that "rights" should override the mob, even though I seem to have more trust in our elected representatives than does the average Court Party supporter down at the faculty lounge at your local university. I think our PM just wishes this issue would go away, but he's snookered because so many Tory activists are looking to be rid of C-38.

For conservatives, the gay marriage issue poses a tough challenge intellectually. Does being a libertarian mean that you can't care about the sanctity of the opposite sex, two-parent family? And does being a social conservative mean that you don't care about the democratic right of the populace to express themselves? For me, unabashed libertarianism can too easily be used as a justification for liscentiousness and self-indulgence, while so-cons are far too absolute.

- Staying close to home, first, ad exec Jean Brault was found guilty of fraud and now the same thing has happened to disgraced former public servant Chuick Guité in the wake of the sponsorship scandal.

I'd like to know when political operatives from the Liberal Party in Quebec are going to have to face criminal charges.

- Returning south of the border, fun article here on the 10 Dems that Republicans should fear the most in '08. However, they'll probably screw it up by choking on their own obsession with liberalism.

- Finally, Hitchens tries to change the channel on Haditha. Not a good enough explanation for me, personally, although it's always fun to bash those who are hoping beyond hope for America to pull another Vietnam and pull out, head hung low and tail between its legs.

Tuesday digest

(This issue continues to deserve its own treatment. More later.)

Canada's largest newspaper has said the following in an editorial today:

Clearly, there are simple truths arising from the weekend events, most notably that all 17 of the people arrested are Muslims. Our important efforts at cultural understanding cannot disguise that fact.

Around the world, Muslim extremists have launched numerous terror acts. Many invoke Islam as a justification for their violence. And they have often hit Western targets on the grounds that our society and our way of life are an affront to Islam as they perceive it. In England, a few radical Islamic religious leaders have even openly called for acts of violence.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressed this issue when he said Canada is a target for such extremists "because of who we are and how we live, our society, our diversity and our values. Values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law; the values that make Canada great; values that Canadians cherish; values that citizens like you are willing to defend."

Canadians of all ethnic and religious backgrounds are justifiably proud of the civil society we have created in this country. And Canada has benefitted greatly from having welcomed immigrants from around the globe.

But there are fundamental values expressed in our Charter of Rights that are not negotiable, that represent who we are as a society. As Harper rightly said yesterday in the House of Commons, "terrorists and the people they represent stand for nothing but hatred."

In the coming days, Canadians must strive to avoid a possible backlash to the arrests. To do that, the onus will be on all of us. But the key will be the Muslim community itself. Individuals must accept responsibility for developments and alienation in parts of the diverse Muslim community.

To prevent a backlash on a scale that has occurred in parts of Europe, parents and friends, and community and educational and religious leaders within the Muslim community — as well as the greater Canadian society — must be ready to challenge the extremists in their midst.

If we are to move forward as a nation against terror attacks, all Canadians — Muslim and non-Muslim — must realize we are in this together.

Thing is, I'm not quite sure just how "diverse" the Muslim community is. The ringleader of the group was a community leader who was in charge of prayers at the local mosque. In fact, he alleged that Canadian soldiers were raping Muslim women in Afghanistan at this mosque. Sure, the local MP spoke out against him, but did anyone else? What was an extremist like him doing in a position of leadership anyways?

Then we have Dr. Elmasry of the Canadian Islamic Congress who is on record stating that all Israelis over 18 are a legitimate target for Palestinian terrorists. His organization, which boasts Khadr family friend and Scarborough imam Aly Hindy of "homegrown baloney" fame as a past president, is advocating a government-funded study in between finding excuses for Muslims to not participate fully in mainstream Canadian society:

... (p)ost 9/11, Canada has created an extremely challenging environment for Canadian Muslims and increased the urgency of accelerating their smart integration movement. Imported extremist religious and political ideologies from their countries of origin are still dominant in some Canadian communities and are hindering smart integration. The result, in some cases, has been division, fragmentation, increased isolation and, in a few instances, destructive fanaticism.

In response to these challenges, many post-9/11 Canadian Muslims are trying to break away from such ideologies because they are simply not an appropriate or constructive fit for the time and place in which we live. Because the civil liberties of Canadian Muslims are eroding, they feel that they cannot afford to follow the road of either assimilation or isolation.

How about instead of spending more taxpayers' dollars on social research, we start making the case for the West a little more aggressively instead of looking for explanations which fit nicely into the Trudeaupian multicultural framework so that we can keep pat ourselves on the back a little more amid platitudes about how we are going to be even more "tolerant"?

I'm afraid the reality of the situation is a little closer to this:

A Canadian Muslim friend who lives in Ontario told me recently that he has been unwelcome in his local mosque since the September 11 attacks on Washington and New York. His fellow Muslims have blackballed him because he made public statements critical of the hijackers and of al Qaida and the Palestinians and supportive of the US and Israel. He informed me that while in absolute numbers, mosque attendance in Canada has dropped since Sept. 11, those who continue to attend are fervent in their devotion to jihad against the Western world.

That is, the Muslims who have been forced from the organized Canadian Muslim community are those who believe in Muslim integration in the West while those who remain within that community are radical separatists who cannot abide their pro-Western Muslim brethren.

My friend and his fellow pro-Western Muslims are doubly ostracized. Not only are they rejected by their fellow Muslims who decry their denunciations of jihad, they are also rejected by the intellectual and cultural elites in their countries who insist on apologizing for jihadists in the name of multiculturalism and anti-racism.

I am of the view that even if most Muslims may be uncomfortable with violence, at the same time, they'll tell you that they can understand what may lead someone to embrace violence as an option because they share the same grievances (Israel, anti-terrorism legislation, etc.).

They are also are encouraged by the Canadian establishment to not assimilate but to retain the culture, traditions, and belief systems of the places that they emigrated from. This means that a person like the ringleader of the group, who was seen tearing down election signs and angrily saying that Muslims shouldn't participate in Canadian elections because they are illegitimate according to the faith's beliefs, can more easily attain a position of influence where he can radicalize and recruit impressionable young men to his cause.

Ask yourself how welcome a Muslim like Irshad Manji would be at your local mosque. She's the only Muslim since 9/11 who has talked about the need for Muslims to take some responsibility for the excesses of modern Islam without excuses, and look at how she's been ostracized by the leadership of the "religion of peace".

It's time that we make it clear once and for all that multiculturalism has limits. People who come to Canada should be told that if they can't accept the values of equality of the sexes, acceptance of differences, and most importantly, free discussion and debate (which involves pointed and potentially offensive criticism like the kind Manji offers) rather than violence as a way to resolve issues, then they don't belong here. If you are willing to live within those parameters, we're happy to have you, but if not, perhaps you ought to think about settling somewhere else. And if you're already here and can't abide by those parameters, you will be held accountable.

That's the kind of message we need to send loud and clear right now.