Thursday digest

- John McCain: Unscrupulous maverick, shameless self-promoter, and above all else, a complete and total arsehole.

- Whoever said beggars can't be choosers (my mom, repeatedly) obviously never met dumpster diner James Brooks, who would rather pick through trash than eat the generous offerings of the Salvation Army. Naturally, it goes without saying that today's loony left-wing play of the day goes to the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority for spending taxpayers' dollars on a pamphlet showing the more discriminating among the homeless crowd how to obtain quality leftovers by hanging out near the trash can. So, a few questions.

First, is this what government is for?

Second, in terms of sanitation, hygieine and public health, is it really in the best interests of the poor to recommend they risk sickness and disease by eating from garbage bins, especially when the comparably pristine surroundings of the average downtown soup kitchen are a much better option?

And finally, these individuals are obviously both literate, resourceful and capable of judgment. Why are they unable to provide for themselves in the first place?

- Right on schedule after the New York Court of Appeals struck down gay marriage by a 4-2 decision, Democrat chief "Howlin'" Howard Dean says that anyone who thinks children are best raised by a mom and dad is bigoted, then turns around and says that "rancor and diviseness ... too often surrounds this issue".

Pot, meet kettle.

A suggestion: If Dean is so concerned about divisiveness, he should quit with the name calling whenever someone disagrees with his point of view and stop to think that perhaps some people out there aren't the ignorant knuckle-draggers he thinks they are, but in fact, they may have well-thought out reasons for thinking that a situation where children are raised by two parents of the same sex is not as good as the male-female unit.

- VDH asks why everybody hates Israel. I have my own theory. They are a minority that is also unapologetically capitalistic, modern, democratic, and self-confident. Conventional wisdom would say that doesn't, can't, and in fact, shouldn't exist. The fact that it does is a regular slap in the face to the worldview of many.