Book Review: "Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement" by Brian Doherty (2007)

This is an exhaustive look (620 pages of text, not including notes) at the history of the libertarian movement in America, revolving around five key figures: Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Ayn Rand, and Murray Rothbard. For most people who have some sense of the major philosophical forces shaping Western society, the general definition of libertarianism is one where the governments espouse public policy choices that are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. In other words, pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-euthanasia, in favour of the legalization of drugs, porn and prostitution, and anti-gun control, combined with a tough, unapologetic brand of fiscal policy that favours low taxes and limited spending. However, those who are active in the movement have much loftier goals, which made me reconsider whether I should put even one foot in this camp. On the third page of "Radicals for Capitalism", the gauntlet is thrown down:

"Its eventual goals include the abolition of all drug laws (not just those against currently illegal narcotics and hallucinogens, but an end to prescription laws and the Food and Drug Administration as well), the abolition of the income tax, the abolition of all private sexual relations (from marriage to prostitution and everything in between), and end to public ownership and regulation of the airwaves, an end to overseas military bases and all warmaking not in direct defense of the homeland, an end to the welfare state, and an end to any legal restrictions whatsoever on speech and expression."

Now I'm no authoritarian, and I'll put my fiscal conservative bona fides up against anybody, but obviously we're not just talking about live and let live here. Libertarianism, taken to its furthest extension, veers from your run-of-the-mill tax cutting crowd all the way towards those who want to abolish the US Departments of Energy and Education to others who are pretty much outright anarchists.

This is obviously ridiculous. Not only is it totally impractical, there is no stewardship or morality within pure libertarianism. On issues from pre-emptive war to self-governance, you pretty much only have to take care of yourself and your own backyard while hedonistically sticking your dick wherever you want. Meanwhile, anyone who raises an eyebrow is considered some sort of authoritarian busybody who wants to run your life. This allows for a vacant, easily justified form of animalistic urge to pretty much act as the guiding principle for life, one which isn't part of my own value system.

But I digress.

Doherty shows that Rand is pretty much Animal Farm personified, and other interesting characters like Barry Goldwater, Leonard Read, Frederic Bastiat, Rose Wilder Lane, Charles Murray, and Timothy Leary (who knew?) make appearances along the way. (In the case of Rand, one has to wonder if her legions of fans knew how much of an outright megalomaniac she was if they'd adore her as much as they do.) Nevertheless, for one who often has a hard time defining himself on the right, this book was a huge eye-opener. It left me with the impression that once you scratch the surface, libertarians either are, or are in bed with, privacy freaks, isolationists/conspiracy theorists (see Paul, Ron, and his mirror reflection, Nader, Ralph) or atheistic, to-hell-with-authority types who gleefully lurch from orgasm to orgasm with no consideration for the potential consequences of their behaviour over the long term. And it doesn't just stop there ... did you know that mental illness is a myth, according to some?!? This is the type of misguided thinking that leads to deinstitutionalization, a truly disastrous piece of social policy.

Since this is supposed to be a book review and not some kind of rant, I'll now try to put away the soapbox and conclude by saying that the bottom line is this tedious read, painful at times but definitely challenging at others, left me questioning my own positions and proved once again that on the right, while we agree on the fundamentals, can offer up one hell of a vigorous debate that isn't going to end any time soon.

And after reading this, I sure as hell know where my limits are - right around the point when somebody muses about privatizing sidewalks.

Check out David Boaz' "Libertarianism" and "The Libertarian Reader", edited by Boaz, for a more accessible and mainstream treatment of this subject.

Overall rating: 3.5/10

Thursday digest

- Well, at least Teemu Selanne and Chris Pronger will get Stanley Cup rings. There's no way the Sens can win four out of the next five against the Ducks. I also have to say that last night's anthem was a vast improvement over Monday's "Star Mangled Banner" by cocaine wastecase Stephen Stills.

- Regardless of your political stripe or taste in films, you have to admire Arnold Schwarzenegger, currently in Canada for meetings. Here's a guy who took every bit of God-given talent he had, relentlessly cultivated it and developed it while constantly striving to improve himself, and as a result, has made a success of himself at pretty much everything he's tried.

That's the kind of person I admire.

- Yesterday, all of Canada's Opposition leaders along with union leadership held a joint rally on Parliament Hill to call for action from the Harper government to save Canada's beleaguered manufacturing sector. What exactly they want the government to do isn't totally clear. Are they calling for corporate welfare? Are they asking the government to push the Bank of Canada to print more money, driving down the value of the Canadian dollar so that militant unions within the auto sector can put off the necessary and eventual coming to grips with reality? Are they asking that NAFTA, an agreement which even former opponents have admitted was a great thing for Canada, be ripped up?

There will always be turmoil in every country's economy, every sector of the workforce has to face it from time to time, and there's really not a whole hell of a lot the government can do about it except for put off the inevitable.

- Here's an interesting take on the Jordan Manners shooting from Lorrie Goldstein. What he says is that a strategy for youth unemployment needs to be undertaken, and he's not talking about having the province pay kids to dig a hole and fill it up for $20 an hour while everyone pretends that they're actually contributing something valuable to either the economy or their own resumé. He suggests that kids need to be encouraged to find real jobs that will teach them the skills and attitudes necessary to succeed, such as punctuality, goal setting, and critical thinking so that the guns, drugs and gang culture is more an amusing novelty rather than a potential career path.

It's something worth thinking about, and this article makes a similar point, asking "(W)hat have we come to? We once taught our young people the virtues of hard work, saving, personal responsibility and accountability for one's actions, chastity before and fidelity and commitment in marriage, honesty, integrity and virtue - not to mention the Ten Commandments (especially the one about not coveting that which belongs to your neighbor). We now teach them entitlement, victimhood, class envy and rights to other people's money."

I couldn't agree more.

- Tolerance for me, but not for thee: a Montreal gay bar is being charged with discrimination for not allowing women customers. I said the other day that in principle, I think owners of private businesses should be able to do whatever they want with it, and I also have to question the choices of someone who wants to patronize such an establishment when they obviously aren't welcome (unless it's to make a political point).

As far as this goes, though, I would like to think that gay activists who truly believe in pluralism and acceptance of difference, not to mention logical consistency, should speak out against this bar's policy of barring women from entry. However, they didn't stand up for these values when Ryerson awarded internationally-renowned ethicist Margaret Somerville an honorary degree last summer, arguing that she shouldn't be recognized because she thinks that kids need a mom and a dad. They also pressured the state to force the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's organization, to rent a hall out to a lesbian couple for their wedding reception back in 2005.

Understanding, respect and affirmation of diversity? Not quite.

- This article makes a few worthwhile observations in light of Al Gore's new book. An excerpt:

Al Gore's new book, "The Assault on Reason," has definitively established one fact: Al Gore is still the sorest loser in American politics. Even liberal book reviewers are wincing at the tone of his jeremiad against the Bush administration. The book should have been titled, "They Should Have Elected Me, Instead: How Much Better America Would Fare With President Gore."

One reason for general public ignorance, he believes, is the celebrity-obsessed world of television news. Political junkies of every stripe -- left, right and center -- can nod their heads that the news isn't substantive enough, that it focuses too much on trivial stories like Britney Spears shaving her head. More voters can name Homer Simpson's cartoon kids than Supreme Court justices. Gore can get an Amen on that.

But Gore takes this argument one arrogant step further: When voters lose an argument (read: election), it is proof that the voters are ignorant and-or distracted. We went to war in Iraq because we were too distracted by Paris Hilton news. We're cooking the planet with global warming because ignorant people gave Bush the presidency and left poor Al Gore with an Oscar as a consolation prize. Gore thinks the right choices on Iraq and the environment were "glaringly obvious," but the voters weren't instructed well enough in the facts that prove him right.

It's a common liberal conceit: Liberalism is the very definition of sweet reason, so an attack on liberalism is an "assault on reason." Democracy is only truly democratic when the Democrats are in charge. Debates aren't truly informative unless the liberals win the argument. The same holds true for elections.

- Now this is some good stuff that every little guy should receive as part of their birthday gift this year.

- Doesn't Russia have things to worry about other than the US missile shield project?

- Former Ontario Premier Mike Harris is back in the news today as the Ipperwash inquiry wraps up. One lawyer who I saw interviewed, presumably part of the team advocating on behalf of the late Dudley George, insisted that because Harris uttered "I want the fucking Indians out the park" in September 1995, he is an obvious racist and all of his testimony before the inquiry should therefore be thrown out.

Following this charge, I'm trying to find out if there are moves afoot to establish the Department of First Nations Affairs and Northern Development in Ottawa.

So far I've been unsuccessful.

- Some common sense about the "high price" of gas, here.

Wednesday digest

- According to this article, the Cuban health care system has two tiers, one for foreigners and Castro's buddies, and a second for regular folks - food, bed sheets and soap not included.

I wonder if that's going to make it into "Sicko".

- Speaking of the inspirational Mr. Moore, about 40 people came out to see "Mine Your Own Business" at the Ottawa Public Library last night, which isn't a bad crowd considering we had very little media attention and it was a stunningly beautiful evening.

If all goes according to plan, the Free-Thinking Film Society is going to have its next event in September featuring "Indoctrinate U", a documentary about the narrowness of debate on North American university campuses as we continue to bring alternatives to the "alternative" to Ottawa moviegoers.

- Usually one of the more sensible councillors in Ottawa, Maria McRae has come up with a very stupid suggestion and that's sending the Senators the bill for the cost of increased policing downtown during the Stanley Cup final. How typically Canadian - always finding a way to penalize success. I'd guess that with the increased economic activity in the city of Ottawa because of the Sens' run, the city can afford to cover it. Plus, I don't recall the Senators being the ones who decided to shut down Elgin Street. Besides, why not take the cash from some money-losing festival and use that to pay for it? Lord knows we have plenty of those.

- Yesterday, Hillary Clinton equated the concept of the "ownership society" with an "on your own" society and argued for more "fairness" while suggesting that "we're all in this together".

You know what that means? More and bigger government dipping into your pocket, corresponding to how much a success you make of yourself in life based on the choices and sacrifices you make and the hard work you put into your endeavours. But, for the Democratic front-runner, it seems she's suggesting that you should only get to enjoy the fruits of your labour after the state arbitrarily decides how much it needs to take in the name of coercion, paternalism and redistribution.

It's important to be aware of code words like those Clinton used yesterday and read between the lines, as Thomas Sowell points out here and here.

Meanwhile, a little tutorial on one of the foundations of shared prosperity - free trade, from John Stossel.

- With the deafening silence coming from the "international community", is it any wonder that Hugo Chavez is closing yet another TV station that is critical of his dictatorial Marxist regime?

- The last of the neocons makes the case for bombing Iran, here.

- We're just a few short weeks away from road trip season. Unfortunately, one I'd really like to take but can't would bring me to Pryor, Oklahoma for Rockfest, a three-day festival including the likes of Ratt, Slaughter, Winger, Skid Row, Faster Pussycat, Great White and LA Guns. All you can eat and drink VIP packages with reserved seating are $275.

Now that is awesome.

- Speaking of my youth, the flagship store of Sam the Record Man in Toronto is about to close. I remember going to the one on King Street in Kitchener back in grade 9, buying tapes like "Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits" that were priced at about $5.99 in sweeping orange writing by some kind of weird pen that only seemed to be used in record stores. I also took buses that were run by Sam's from Kitchener to a couple of shows in Toronto, like the GNR/Metallica/Faith No More tour that hit Exhibition Stadium in September 1992 and the Van Halen/Alice in Chains show at the Skydome in November 1991. The main outlet on Yonge in TO was also a mandatory stop during trips to Toronto for Jays games, shady head shops in search of fake ID or other shows like Motley Crue and Tesla in 1990, KISS in 1992 at Maple Leaf Gardens and Def Leppard at the same venue one month later. This was around the same time that the Tragically Hip's "Fully Completely" album cover was plastered in a huge mural on the side of Sam's facing south, and it wasn't soon after that that the Kingston bar band exploded.

And to think kids today are already nostalgic for Napster.

Tuesday digest

- Mentally unbalanced see no evil, hear no evil "peace" activist Cindy Sheehan, pictured above with Marxist dictator Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, is pulling a Rosie O'Donnell and quitting. Among her reasons: America is descending into a "fascist, corporate wasteland" and the sacrifice implicit in her hunger strike last summer, the one which included smoothies and coffee with ice cream, when she "almost died", went unrecognized. (With that kind of ego, is it any wonder she chose Memorial Day, a day to remember those who have given their lives for freedom, to hold a pity party for herself? She has no limits when it comes to exploitation.) Sheehan is also offering up "Camp Casey" for sale, the Crawford, Texas protest site where she allegedly buried her uterus, apparently so she could be one with the earth for all eternity.

I hope this delusional woman gets the help she so obviously needs.

- The federal Liberal party is proposing a three-month freeze on foreign takeovers of Canadian companies. I suppose this means that they believe that pre-West Jet-era Air Canada is the business model to which all captains of industry in the Great White North should aspire.

- The province of Quebec, with North America's biggest public sector, highest rates of regulation, most punitive tax rates and most militant unions is lagging behind when it comes to economic growth and is projected to face steep decline over the medium to long term future. Clearly, statism has led to deep trouble, but this hasn't stopped Quebec's opposition parties from threatening Premier Jean Charest with defeat because of the reform-oriented budget that he introduced earlier this month.

- The bottom fifth of earners in America saw an 80% increase in income from 1991 to 2005, in no small part because of welfare reform.

- Final reminder that tonight is the Free Thinking Film Society's showing of "Mine Your Own Business", a documentary about the hidden costs of the environmentalist agenda, being held at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library at 7 PM. Cost is $6.00.

Monday digest

- Loony left play of the day today goes to union leader Buzz Hargrove who, in protesting losses to Ontario's manufacturing sector, has threatened to lead his Windsor membership out on strike as soon as he can.

In Hargrove's world, this will help protect their jobs - now that makes sense.

What a fool.

- A couple of 17-year olds who later attended a barbecue fundraiser to pay for Jordan Manners' funeral have been taken into custody in connection with the slaying of the 15-year old in a Toronto high school last week.

Forget about the root causes crowd - these thugs should be tried in adult court and made an example of.

- A Canadian academic who attended an Iranian conference in Tehran this past December which was widely seen as an exercise in Holocaust denial has labelled his detractors "Islamophobes". Naturally, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), that paragon of tolerance, virtue and free academic inquiry, has come to his defence, crying McCarthyism.

Contrast that with the following hypothetical. Let's say there was a Canadian academic attending a conference in, say, Washington where the bulk of the speakers were generally favourable to, say, the Patriot Act. Assume then that the participating academic was essentially drummed out of his faculty, marginalized and ostracized for presenting a paper at such an event.

Do you think for one second that the CAUT would come to his or her defence?

- An Australian pub owner is trying to bar heterosexuals from entry into his establishment because he wants it to be for gays only. Good for him. Although the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal would disagree with me, it's his property, so in principle, I think he should be allowed to do whatever he wants with it, run his business as he sees fit, and have to deal with any attendant loss of income that accompanies his decisions as an entrepreneur.

- I almost forgot to mention the latest developments in progressive, democratic Venezuela, where Hugo Chavez is wringing the last bit of life out of civil society by nationalizing a private TV station that isn't on board with his socialist agenda. Next time Bill Maher, the Kos crowd or whoever starts mouthing off about the White House quashing dissent, they should look to Caracas for examples of some real bullying - but they won't.

DVD Review: "Apocalypto" (2007)

Mel Gibson's latest foray into historical filmmaking describes the implosion of ancient Mexico's Mayan civilization. While the cinematography is second to none, the first two-thirds of this effort is bloated, indulgent and meaningless, however, things kick into overdrive in the final third, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

While it's not as violent as Gibson's other films, and there are some extremely implausible moments towards the high-octane finish, this one is definitely worth sticking with even if the bulk of it resembles a National Geographic magazine set to video - pretty, yet dull and uninspiring.

With English subtitles.

Ratings:

First two-thirds: 3/10
Last third: 8.25/10

Overall: 6.25/10

Saturday digest

- So Rosie O'Donnell has picked up her marbles and gone home after no one came to her defence after inferring that American troops were terrorists a couple of weeks back. Here's what she said back on May 17.

What's next for the Angry Left icon? I'm not sure, but I would suggest that there's an a opening here. With her "poor, fat, lesbian me" victim routine, she'd fit in quite nicely.

- Continuing the Liberal legacy of overtaxation, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conformatory federal government took in almost $14 billion dollars more than they needed to cover operating expenses last year. As I recall, there were no broad-based tax cuts in this spring's budget and only a token amount of debt repayment, so according to my admittedly amateurish math, that means the feds have basically stolen about $450 from every man, woman and child living in this country for no reason other than the simple fact that they can.

And on that note, here's the Neal Boortz graduation speech, just in time for spring convocation ceremonies that are about to take place all across the land.

- Pathetically, Quebec Premier Jean Charest played the race card in defending his budget this week. I suppose in la belle province, when your back is against the wall, your best course of action is to accuse your political opponent of being in bed with "les anglais".

- Thirty years ago this weekend, the first "Star Wars" movie was released. I wish I was born in 1960 - a summer full of KISS concerts, a brand-new baseball team in Toronto to cheer for, sneaking stubbies into the drive-in to see the Death Star explode while listening to Boston's debut album, Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" and "Hotel California" all summer long?

That's the stuff that dreams are made of for this guy.

- Finally, a friendly reminder that this Tuesday evening, May 29 at 7:00 PM, the Free-Thinking Film Society is going to be showing the hour-long documentary "Mine Your Own Business" in the auditorium at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

Cost is $6.00.

Friday digest

- Some time ago, Skeelo over at The Pursuit of Leisure posted a clip of a drunk Iron Sheik rambling incoherently about pretty much everyone he worked with back in the 80s. Now, much more intelligible but no less classic comes this footage of the Ultimate Warrior ripping into someone during a recent autograph signing in New Jersey. Here's a description:

"On May 6th 2007 during an autograph appearance in New Jersey on behalf of PSI (Pro Sports Investments) at the Football Spectacular, Washington Redskins LB Rocky McIntosh walked up to the Ultimate Warrior to get his autograph. Accompanying McIntosh was a puny, ignorant and unmannerly NFL agents assistant who works for the company who represents him. When this guy started shooting his mouth off to hurry up and get McIntosh's autograph signed, he found out he was shooting off to the wrong guy. Folks, this one is a classic!!"

The best part comes at about the 37-38 second mark when the guys in the background start cracking up.

- Three of the greatest art forms known to man - country music, heavy metal and 70s rock - came together recently at the VH1 Rock Honors show in Las Vegas for a chill-inducing display of excellence. See here.

- The following correspondence recently came my way from a family member of mine who cheers for a certain hockey team, and from whom I quite frankly expected more. He is referring to this article by Toronto Star sports writer Damien Cox:

The only reason why the Senators are even getting a sniff of the Cup is because they didnt have to go through Toronto in the playoffs to get there. Even if they go on to win, every one will know that they still haven't proved one thing...that they can't beat Toronto in the playoffs. Proven fact.

Cox is a turn coat and is jumping on the band wagon like every other Stanley Cup-starved Canadian. Makes me sick. Too bad that history will repeat itself by having the Stanley Cup parade through the sparse streets of an underappreciating southern U.S. city. Hopefully they get wise and plan the route around the horse track.

Go Ducks!

Leaf fans, this is why you are so loathed.

The passion that unites us all, indeed.

Thursday digest

- I mosied on down to the Sens Rally today held at Ottawa City Hall where a plethora of Bytown royalty was present, including Lucky Ron and the Garlic King, along with thousands upon thousands of office workers who came out to cheer on the Eastern Conference champions. I signed the banner that was provided to wish the Sens luck, writing "thanks for bringing the Cup finals to Ontario for the first time in 40 years" and thinking that this must be what it's like on Yonge Street after the Leafs win Game 1 or 3 or whatever of the first round of the playoffs.

- Speaking of town council, they have thankfully shelved the ridiculous idea to ban trans fats from the city's restaurants, and have also repealed the bylaw against playing road hockey in the nation's capital. Both laws met their demise despite the efforts of socialist councillor Alex Cullen.

Your tax dollars at work, folks.

- Within the ranks of the "artistes" at the recent Cannes film festival, we have a documentarist who decided to tell the harrowing tale of a man who died from a perforated colon after stress from George Bush's war on terror drove him to the barnyard in search of relief.

You have to read this for yourself. And I thought that Sean Penn blaming W. for not being able to quit smoking was ridiculous.

- Three candidates for the Democratic nomination are on tap to speak to the upcoming Daily Kos conference in Chicago. This is the website that led the drive to kick Joe Lieberman out of his party.

I hope Hillary Clinton knows well enough to be busy that weekend.

- Investor's Business Daily is running a 10-part series on the worst President in US history titled "Profiles in Incompetence". Here are parts one through three.

- Here's a handy-dandy guide to torture brought to you by ... the US Forces, Gitmo Station?

Try again.

Album Review: "Black Rain" by Ozzy Osbourne (2007)

The Prince of Darkness is still going strong at 58, unleashing his first album of new material in six years with "Black Rain". If you've heard some of the advance press for this release, you've heard that it's Ozzy's best album since "No More Tears" and that it's the first one he's ever recorded while completely sober.

While this record is going to satisfy fans who are looking for fresh metal, the first statement is definitely not true and the second is highly unlikely.

Anyways, Ozzy is defiant if not totally melodic with the first two tracks, the sludgy "Not Going Away" and current single "I Don't Wanna Stop", an unremarkable affair which is saved by the loyal Zakk Wylde's stunning fretwork, which he always seems to save for his work with Osbourne rather than his own group, Black Label Society. Next up is title track "Black Rain", which takes an updated look at the lyrical themes of Sabbath's "War Pigs" which is followed by the obligatory ballad "Lay Your World On Me", which, if I was less cynical, I'd guess he wrote after finding out about his wife Sharon getting cancer a few years ago, but I can't say for certain. Speaking of the divine Mrs. O, it's funny to hear Ozzy decrying the excesses of materialism in "The Almighty Dollar" considering who he's married to. The album is rounded out by toe-tapping tracks like "Civilize the Universe" and "Countdown's Begun", among others, which are solid if not overly strong.

Taken as a whole, it seems that bringing producer Kevin Churko on board along with keeping Wylde in the fold has helped prolong a career that probably should have been finished already. (And if you aren't sure who Churko is, you'll be thrilled to learn that he's not only got Ozzy but also Brad Johner, headliner of the 2006 Redneck Roadtrip, among others, on his C.V. Who knew?) All in all, this isn't a fantastic or even remarkable album, but it's Ozzy. If you like him, particularly his 2001 effort "Down to Earth" - and I do - you probably won't mind this. If you don't already, you won't. Keep your expectations in check, because this is an album that is probably more enjoyable for me by virtue of the fact that it's new, not because it's particularly notable.

Overall rating: 7/10

Wednesday digest

- The three levels of government in the National Capital Region are about to take a look at building more bridges to Quebec, and one of the considerations is going to be how to pay for the new construction. I have an idea - tolls. You use it, you pay for it. Seems only fair to me, and it works just fine when it comes to the Cumberland-Masson ferry.

- I'm pleased that the federal government is withdrawing its support for safe injection sites. Honest, upstanding citizens should not be expected to foot the bill for people who stick needles in their arms, and dirty ones at that. You could make the argument that in a no-fault public health care system, it's better for society overall to fund harm reduction techniques because the cost of treating this destructive behaviour is not based on the lifestyle choices of the individual engaging in it but on the income of his or her fellow taxpayers, but I still don't think it's government's role to be protecting fully functioning adults from the consequences of making obviously stupid decisions concerning their own well-being.

- Environment Minister John Baird is reportedly pleased that the UN has accepted Canada's reasons for not signing Kyoto. Maybe he thinks that this means those environmentally-minded voters who were considering supporting for the Green party, the NDP or Stephane Dion's Liberals are going to come around to the Conservatives.

Please.

- Is Jimmy Carter sure that W. is the worst President the United States has ever had?

- The not-exactly-politically-neutral Amnesty International has released its latest annual report on human rights violations, predictably laying disproportionate blame at the feet of usual punching bags the United States and Israel. No word if either uninflated soccer balls at Gitmo or Iranian/Syrian funding of Hezbollah get mentioned.

Book Reviews: "Somebody's Gotta Say It" by Neal Boortz (2007) and "Culture Warrior" by Bill O'Reilly (2006)

The fourth and final installment in my ongoing series of book reviews based on what I read when I was on vacation in St. Maarten a month ago continues tonight. (For previous editions, see here, here and here.)

First up is Atlanta talk radio host Neal Boortz. Usually, I stay away from books written by those types because often they come off sounding even more obnoxious than they do on the air, but I couldn't resist giving Boortz a try because he strikes me as a little more thoughtful than most. He's a libertarian who has about as much time for homophobes and those who claim the Earth is only 6,000 years old as he does a wheezy Ted Kennedy who gets on stage with the New England Patriots after every championship and proceeds to give speeches about the "greater good". Boortz also takes on the those who know the names of the two head football coaches at their state's two largest universities but neither one of their two Senators, those who don't know the difference between a "profit" and a "profit margin" and the sloppy thinking demonstrated by those who talk about "giving back" - i.e., millionaires donating hard-earned cash to trendy, fashionable causes = good, while millionaires spending money to make more money, and creating untold wealth in the process = bad.

In other words, Boortz is a regular guy who pretty much just wants to be left alone by the government, so much so that he advocates attaching the number of ballots one should be allowed to cast in elections to how much money they earn, with welfare recipients not being allowed to vote at all. He says,

"It's completely absurd that the votes of people who have squandered every educational opportunity they have, who have failed to develop a work ethic, who have spent their time downloading a litter of skateboarders they can't afford to raise, and who now depend on legalized plunder for their very existence, should count as much as the votes of people who work hard, who have agonized over their choices and made the right ones, who provide for their own family and plans for the future without having to dive into someone else's pocket ..."

He also argues,

"If you're an adult between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five who has been in the workplace for longer than six months, and you still can't manage to earn more than the minimum wage, you're a pathetic loser ... What's a better word for someone born into the most spectacular nation on earth, who somehow manages to completely ignore the educational and developmental opportunities it has to offer for years on end - and thus becomes yet another adult American without the skills necessary to earn a wage above the government-established minimum?"

Finally,

"There is no greater long-term threat to our continued prosperity, economic liberty, freedom and quality of life in the United States than that presented by teachers unions. And that includes Islamic terrorists."

Whoa. Now, tell me you don't want to read more from this guy. You gotta admit that anyone who has the guts to get out there and speak like this deserves a hearing, and for the most part, Boortz's arguments are pretty strong, even if his tongue is planted firmly in cheek for effect. Grab a copy and lend it to an apolitical friend who deep down, you just know is a friend of the small-government cause, but hasn't been shown the light yet. This might just do the trick, because hey, somebody's gotta say it, and regardless of one's own opinion, Boortz challenges you do examine your own positions on things and does it in a way that keeps you coming back for more. Be sure to check out his website at boortz.com.

Then, there's O'Reilly, a guy I tune into once in a while because, I'll admit it, I like the guy, even though I was reluctant to drop the cash on his book "Culture Warrior". While I like to think of myself as fairly old-school on a personal level, the society man in me leans more towards the mainstream individualist libertarian side of the right-wing tent rather than O'Reilly's more socially conservative orientation. Thing was, I was out of literature and it was the only thing in the airport that appealed to me at least somewhat. So, I went for it.

Although he's probably top five on the American Left's most wanted list, I consider O'Reilly to be more a traditional populist than anything else. Sure, he goes after those who declare war on Christmas, but he's also pro-amnesty for illegal immigrants and hates - HATES - the oil companies. Certainly not the behaviour of a shill for the Republicans, if you ask me.

In "Culture Warrior", O'Reilly expands on the fight between what he calls secular-progressives - those who hate any form of organized religion and will stop at nothing to progress to a "values-free" society - which is really a society with many values, like equality of result rather than equality of opportunity, self-esteem centred edukayshun, and one-world foreign policy, all causes near and dear to the S-P heart. For O'Reilly, the saddest part is that the American people aren't even paying attention as the mainstream media, George Soros, the entertainment industry and the legal establishment are slowly undermining their culture.

Have a look here at what O'Reilly calls the Ten Commandments of the S-Ps:

- Thou shalt not make any judgment regarding most private personal behaviour. Man/woman is the master/mistress of the universe and his/her gratification is paramount.
- Thou shalt not worship or acknowledge God in the public square, for such an exposition could be offensive to humankind.
- Thou shalt take from the rich and give to the poor. No private property is sacrosanct.
- Thou shalt circumvent mother and father in personal issues such as abortion and sex education in public schools.
- Thou shalt kill if necessary to promote individual rights in cases of abortion and euthanasia.
- Thou shalt be allowed to bear false witness against thy neighbour if that person stands against secular humanism.
- Thou shalt not wage preemptive war in any circumstance.
- Thou shalt not impede the free movement of any human being on Earth. All countries should be welcoming places without borders.
- Thou shalt not prohibit narcotics or impede personal gratification in this area.
- Thou shalt not limit the power of government in order to provide "prosperity" to all.

Could Rosie O'Donnell have said it any better? I don't think so. Now, let's turn to his advice for who he calls "traditional warriors":

- Keep your promises.
- Focus on other people, not yourself.
- See the world the way it is, not the way you want it to be.
- Understand and respect Judeo-Christian philosophy.
- Respect the nobility of America.
- Allow yourself to make fact-based judgments.
- Respect and defend private property.
- Develop mental toughness.
- Defend the weak and vulnerable.
- Engage the secular-progressive opposition in a straightforward and honest manner.

Although they're both more or less on the right, these two authors would find much to disagree with. For instance, last week on O'Reilly I caught Bob Barker being interviewed, and O'Reilly asked him if he thought that the country was in as good a shape today as it was when Barker was starting his career. The answer? "No". When was it the best? "Right after World War II". Interview over. Boortz would have probably good-naturedly laid into Barker for being a vegetarian rather than worry about the moral relativity of the new millenium versus the Truman years. However, where they come together is in their belief in limited government and their antipathy towards income redistribution via the state, and even though I found much on which to disagree with in these two books, on that very first principle, I'm in full accord with both Neal Boortz and Bill O'Reilly.

Overall ratings:

"Somebody's Gotta Say It": 9/10
"Culture Warrior": 7.5/10

Tuesday digest

- Here's another qualified individual from the scientific community who thinks that the man-made global warming argument is bogus.

- Windsor's school board has decided to offer Arabic "immersion" to students at a school where half the pupils' mother tongue is Arabic.

I would argue that the public school system is not the place for this kind of instruction, but rather, private homes and community centres, self-funded of course, are.

It seems like this issue is still evolving as the Ontario Ministry of Education has some concerns. I'll be watching it closely.

Meanwhile, a recent survey of American Muslims suggests that three-quarters of those questioned under the age of 30 believe that suicide bombing of civilians to defend Islam can never be justified.

As for the other quarter? "Often" (2%), "sometimes" (13%) and "rarely" (11%) would suicide bombing in the name of Islam be justified.

Even building in a margin of error of a generous 8% for the 30 and under crowd would put the "justifiable" figure between a range of 17 and 33%.

Yikes.

I hope that survey is flawed, but assuming it's indicative of at least some sentiment at some level, I think that if Western societies want to see that number decrease, I don't think state-sanctioned segregation is a good idea.

- The going rate for a John Edwards (D-NC) speech on poverty?

A cool 55 G's.

- Looking at France, George Will explains why it's so hard, yet so vital, to wean that culture off the government teat, here.

- I'm certainly no expert on the immigration bill that is generating so many headlines in the United States, but one thing is almost certain: this will divide American conservatives far beyond any other piece of legislation in recent history.

- Another issue I haven't commented on is the removal of Paul Wolfowitz from the World Bank, partially because I think it's pretty much either a non-story or character assasination - take your pick.

I really don't think he did anything wrong in removing his girlfriend from the Bank and recommending her for a post at the State Department, along with compensation for transferring, in order to avoid a potential conflict of interest. More likely is that his underlings, and official Washington, just tired of him and decided it was time to pile on. Myself? The more I think about it, I'm not even sure if he is (or was, considering his career is pretty much over) a true onservative, given his naive idealism concerning Iraq. That said, I still think that everyone should read this article by Bob Kerrey, former Democratic senator from Nebraska, concerning the way forward, the ramifications of which we are likely to feel long after Paul Wolfowitz the man fades from view.

Monday digest

- Even the most grumpy, curmudgeonly member of Leafs Nation out there can't read this story and not hope the Ottawa Senators win the Stanley Cup. Mrs. H even got a little teary-eyed reading it over wings tonight at the Conroy Pub, which, I must say, are arguably the best in town.

- The Toronto Star's film reviewer says Michael Moore's new "documentary" Sicko would be pretty good if Moore wasn't so full of shit.

- Why is "An Inconvenient Truth" being shown in gym class? More to the point, do you think that high school teachers are following Gore up with, oh, say, "The Great Global Warming Swindle" - in the interests of presenting both sides of an issue, of course?

- Jimmy Carter has officially lost all credibility as an elder statesman with his recent outburst. Breaking the long-held taboo of former Presidents criticizing the current occupant of the White House is nothing new for the man from Plains, but what's really classless is how he took Tony Blair to task by calling him "abominable, loyal, blind, and apparently, subservient". You'd think Carter of all people would appreciate allowing Blair a dignified ride into the sunset.

A very poor display.

- Zimbabwe's Marxist dictator Robert Mugabe is spending the equivalent of 2 million English pounds to build a museum dedicated to himself. This comes amid 80% unemployment, massive food shortages, and guilt trips by do-gooding Western one-worlders who all too often overlook corruption like this and lay blame for Africa's condition solely at the feet of the capitalist First World.

I'm not buying it.

Friday digest

- It turns out that another freelancing maverick at Environment Canada has decided to usurp the elected representatives of the Canadian people by leaking another document. The brass in that department really needs to crack down on these true believers and remind them that their job is to advise truthfully, yet more importantly, implement loyally - regardless of how strongly they believe in Kyoto. If they can't handle that, they ought to run for office themselves.

- Quebec's National Assembly this week unanimously passed a motion this week condemning the federal government's introduction of legislation in the House of Commons that would better reflect the principle of representation by population by increasing the number of seats held by the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and BC. For their part, the separatist Bloc Quebecois wants Quebec to be guaranteed 25% of the seats in the House in perpetuity, regardless of population fluctuation, resurrecting a key plank in (Uncle) Brian Mulroney's Charlottetown Accord.

Does anyone not expect Stephen Harper to cave in on this in some way?

- Last night, I was in a record store and heard a powerful remake of Heart's "Barracuda". When I asked who it was, the guy behind the counter said it was the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie, from the Shrek 3 soundtrack. I could hardly believe it. From the sounds of it, she's come a long way from the days of "Where Is the Love?" and "Let's Get Retarded".

Thursday digest

- Aspiring Liberal politician Justin Trudeau went in front of the MySpace/Facebook crowd yesterday in Windsor, Ontario, and told them to "question the system".

In between supposedly profound observations about "time" and "space", Trudeau also "suggested to the students the capitalist 'machine' that sustains modern existence may also become modern civilization's downfall."

How utterly pathetic.

If he had any guts, he'd have gone to the Toronto Board of Trade, the Montreal Economic Institute or some other similar outfit and made the same remarks rather than in front of a bunch of wide-eyed, camera-phone toting teenyboppers who get their current affairs programming and analysis from the likes of George Strombolopoulos.

Thinking Liberals have got to be embarassed by this.

- Al Gore has written a book called "The Assault on Reason".

I wonder if he discusses statements like the following from 1997 - "We will not submit this (Kyoto) for ratification until there's meaningful participation by key developing nations" - but I doubt he will, given that it came from his own mouth.

Meanwhile, here are a few more scientists who are doing a 180 on their previous analyses concerning the causes of global warming.

- Michael Moore is back and is doing the rounds to promote his new movie, Sicko. In this interview, he suggests that "every fact in my (sic) films is true". I'm still trying to find out how that Afghanistan pipeline is going, but in the meantime, I've identified two blatant errors in this interview alone along with some completely amateurish analysis.

First, he says that his ally Al Franken came up with the line that Republicans are the party that tell everyone that government doesn't work, and then get elected and prove that very point. Nonsense - it was the libertarian writer P.J. O'Rourke in his 1991 classic "Parliament of Whores".

Then, he says that the administrative costs of the Canadian health care system are at 1.7%. Anyone who lives in Canada knows that this is patently false, so much so that it's not even worth looking up the correct figure because Moore's assertion is so outlandish.

Finally, he says that Cubans live, on average, one month more than Americans do and implies that this is due to their superior health care system. If that's true, I'd suggest that perhaps the fact that hardly any of them are driving cars (thanks to Marxism) has something to do with it, since if you can't afford a vehicle, your teenage son or daughter won't get into a fatal car accident with it and bring down the average life expectancy of your country.

Rigour has never been Moore's strong suit.

- The mainstream media's favourite "conservative", Andrew Sullivan, is a big fan of Ron Paul, the Texas congressman who came extremely close to suggesting that the US had 9/11 coming the other night, and allowed Rudy to bat that one out of the park.

In my opinion, if Sullivan wasn't gay, HIV positive and singularly focused on silencing anyone who doesn't share his position on same-sex marriage, he wouldn't get nearly the attention he does.

Totally overrated.

- By all accounts, Iran could be a year away from joining the nuclear club, but after Iraq, we won't be able to do anything about it until Tel Aviv is levelled. Some say we needn't bother with the whole region, which is a perspective I disagree with, but is interesting nonetheless.

- A hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan is opening a women-only floor and accompanying lounge. This isn't anti-men, it's the free market in action - and I love it.

- It doesn't matter to me how trendy or designer this becomes ... I will never drink coffee brewed from a byproduct of something that came out of an animal's ass.

Wednesday digest

- That beacon of tolerance and pluralism, the publicly funded Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, is set to air a pilot which satirizes some of the foundations of the Catholic faith. I don't expect that they'd dare send up similar practices within other certain religions, but perhaps they're gambling that the Knights of Columbus probably won't bother to launch lethal riots in the streets over this.

- Speaking of the public airwaves, the Fairness Doctrine is about to be resurrected because lefties are angry that no one listened to Air America. What does this mean? Well, if you ask Al Franken, the government would be able to fine people for "lying" on the air - meaning, in other words, that since he doesn't like the score, he's going to try to change the rules to criminalize certain types of political expression beyond a given state-sanctioned level. This is an Stalin-esque assault on the principles of consumer choice and freedom of speech (not to mention thought) within the court of public opinion.

- A Guantanamo Bay detainee has revealed the torture methods used on him by his American captors. They include being forced to use unscented deodorant and given half-inflated basketballs to play with, not to mention the abscence of weightlifting machines and DVD players.

Amnesty International could not be reached for comment.

- Another reason to cheer Sarko's win in France: it pissed al-Qaeda off. Perhaps after the recent telegraphing by US Senate leader Harry Reid, they expected France to ask for forgiveness and/or wimp out, just as their leader has always predicted.

- Michael Medved convincingly demonstrates that there's no such thing as obscene profit.

- Here's a thoughtful article from Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe on why hate crimes legislation wades into contentious territory by making the motivation for certain violent criminal acts more important than the harmful effect of the act itself.

- I watched the Republican debate last night and here are my impressions. Outside of the gun control issue, Rudy is looking like the candidate of the libertarian wing of the party. I was very impressed by Romney as well as Huckabee (even though Huckabee has no chance). McCain is a dead man walking and the only hope in hell he has of ever being President is via a third-party candidacy with someone like Bloomberg, Hegel or Lieberman. The rest of them are also-rans, but I'm waiting to see what happens over the summer with Gingrich and Thompson (Fred, not Tommy) as none of the candidates have yet claimed the "man to beat" mantle which is largely going to depend on who GOP members see as Reagan's heir.

Tuesday digest

- Here's a well-written piece on how London became Londonistan, followed by a look at what Tony Blair's legacy will be from Anne Applebaum.

- As a Canadian conservative in the real rather than the partisan sense, I'll admit I'm pretty bitter, but I've got nothing on these guys.

- More on the over 3 in 5 Democrats recently polled who think it either certain or possible that President Bush knew about 9/11 in advance, here.

- Here's a Republican who tells his own party like it is.

- An Arizona college professor was recently fired for sending around George Washington's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation of 1789.

- Is future Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois any relation to former Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Daniel Marois?

- Maxim Magazine has really gone downhill since the late 1990's/early 2000's when it was laugh-out-loud funny, but they've hit a new low with this.

Book Reviews: "Anti-Diva" by Carole Pope (2001) and "Sex Money Kiss" by Gene Simmons (2003)

In this continuing series on books I read while on vacation recently, I've decided to put two musicians together who couldn't possibly be more different from each other except for one key element. One is an artist, the other, a businessman; one's biggest success was opening for David Bowie at Toronto's CNE Stadium on the Let's Dance tour, while the other hasn't been anything less than a special guest for well over thirty years; one is a raging heterosexualist, the other, a hedonistic rug-muncher; and one claims to never have been drunk or high, ever, while the other never met a mind-altering substance they didn't consume. Carole Pope and Gene Simmons are opposites in many ways, but absolutely identical in that they have both lived life on their own terms.

Pope was one half of the late 70s/early 80s Canadian duo known as Rough Trade. You won't hear their songs on classic rock radio now, and rarely on your local 80s/90s/whatever station, but for those who watched video channel MuchMusic in its early days will remember them along with the Parachute Club and the Spoons as bands from Toronto who were a little more interesting than other Can Con fare of the era like Corey Hart and Luba.

She details her childhood briefly before discussing how she left the mid-town Toronto suburb of Don Mills at 18 to live closer to the bohemian sections of downtown. Selling weed to make money, she also adds to her livelihood by obtaining a short-lived gig working on the Rocket Robin Hood series and writing songs. Before long, Pope, coming to terms with her lesbianism, starts gigging around the city with ex-lover Kevan while hanging around the Second City crew (which later morphed into SCTV) and having affairs with the likes of Andrea Martin, snorting pretty much anything that was put in front of her, and working with mega-producer Bob Ezrin of Alice Cooper and Pink Floyd fame. She begins running with the Saturday Night Live crowd, gets into a difficult relationship with English chanteuse Dusty Springfield, and starts "dividing her time" as they say between Toronto, New York and LA as her fame increases. You know it has to end somehow, and Pope's indulgence and that of those around her soon ends when her brother and many of her friends are diagnosed with AIDS, and her own fame begins to dwindle to the point where she is playing women-only fairs in the Michigan peninsula. At the time of writing, she's living in LA full time, and just looking back on it all.

Even if you weren't old enough to be there, and I wasn't, this read still makes you feel nostalgic.

And then there's Gene. "Sex Money Kiss" is more about his life philosophy than it is his life story (see "Kiss and Make Up" for that). Peppered with quotes like "The only thing wrong with marriage is that one of the two people getting married is a man. He will tend to stray. She will tend not to. She only makes one or two eggs; he makes billions of sperm. The defense rests, your honor. Next case." and "You may not like rich people, but when was the last time a poor person gave you a job?" This guy is a self-confident, individualistic optimist, and as we all know, it has served him well (despite his kids taking the piss out of him every Sunday night from 9-10 on A and E). His success is illustrated with anecdotes from childhood as an Jewish immigrant living in New York with a single mom through to KISS and the many other projects he has had on the go over the years to earn himself more cash.

"Sex Money Kiss" is a fun, easy read that will make you laugh AND kick you in the butt, and even if you're not a fan, you've got to at least respect the guy because he makes it all look so damn easy.

Now how is this blog going to make me some money?

Overall ratings:

Anti-Diva: 9/10
Sex Money Kiss: 8/10

Monday digest

- It seems that there's all kinds of money floating around for government babysitting programs here in the Great White North, but no one seems to know what it's been spent on.

- I posted a link the other day which suggested that political freedom matters less than economic freedom. This article would support that contention.

- Here's a fella who unconvincingly says that we need a bigger public sector because it's not fair that crooks can pay to upgrade their jail cells in Lotusland. His ridiculous and hyperbolic arguments do nothing to sway me from thinking that small government, focused on a few key responsibilities, is the most effective.

- A documentary slated to air on PBS that puts Islam under the microscope has been scuttled because it has offended politically correct sensibilities. They're piloting "Little Mosque on the Prairie" instead.

Just kidding about that last part.

- I haven't blogged about Iraq in some time, largely because there's so much nonsense written out there from both sides of the political spectrum, but this is a must-read from L. Paul Bremer.

- Zimbabwe has taken their place at the head of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.

And we're to take the UN seriously?

Saturday digest

- A bunch of dissaffected Conservative activists are meeting in Kingston this weekend to discuss their disappointment at this government's betrayal of first principles like smaller government and interprovincial fairness. Meanwhile, support for the Tories has dropped by 19 percent in British Columbia and 13 percent in Alberta - the heartland of the old Reform party.

I don't think that's a coincidence.

- How come Western feminists are so quiet on the issue of the treatment of women in Islamic countries?

- Actually, how come I haven't heard a thing from them on this, either? I imagine that it's as acceptable for a radio show to discuss the sexual assault of a Republican woman as it is for a Democratic President to avail himself of the services of a wide-eyed college-aged intern - quibbles about the male power structure aside, of course.

- A quick look around the world shows that countries which are politically unfree enjoy, on balance, higher rates of growth than those which are free. I think this is a combination of two factors; one, that often people don't vote based on sound economic analysis, but second, and more importantly, the countries which are unfree have had more room to improve because they are generally less developed.

- Do any of the civil servants reading this blog seriously think that their superannuated pension plans as currently constructed are going to be there for them when they retire? I don't.

CD Review: "Live at Hammersmith Odeon" by Black Sabbath (2007)

Here's a limited edition live set that has been released by Rhino Records which captures the best of a series of late 1982/early 1983 shows in London by the "Heaven and Hell" lineup of Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice. What strikes me most here is both the power and improvisation of Appice's stickwork, while Dio ably fills in for original lead singer Ozzy on tracks like "Iron Man" and "N.I.B", but I'm a bigger fan than most. It's worth searching this one out if you are as well, but if you're not, just stick with "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years" for the necessities.

Overall rating: 7/10

Friday digest II

- Perhaps I'm a knuckle-dragger, intolerant, or both, but there is an article in this week's issue of Maclean's which discusses how, after conducting an Internet search for a willing participant, a single gay man from Vancouver paid a married woman with two kids already from southern Ontario $20,000 to artificially inseminate herself with his sperm. After a C-section, twins entered into the world and he flew them home to raise them on his own as a single father.

I can hardly begin to describe how uncomfortable I am with this kind of thing. Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should.

- If there are any lefties out there who would like to explain to me how making common cause with suicide bombers can be considered "progressive", I'd like to hear it.

- Speaking of both Maclean's and progressive, I couldn't help but chuckle at a letter to the editor from NDP MP Irene Mathyssen, who also serves as the party's Status of Women critic. She suggests,

It was odd that Aaron Wherry's piece on the state of women in politics ('Endangered Species Alert', National, April 30) should begin with the question "Where are all the powerful women?" but not interview any of the MPs in the New Democratic Party caucus of which 41 percent are women - the highest percentage of any party in the House of Commons.

Powerful? NDP? Same sentence?

You're kidding, right?

- "Documentarist" Michael Moore is pissing and moaning because the US government is investigating his recent trip to Cuba, whining that it's politically motivated. Putting the silliness of the law prohibiting travel to the brutal dictatorship socialist paradise aside, wasn't Moore's trip - gasp - politically motivated itself?

Book Review: "At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA" by George Tenet with Bill Harlow (2007)

This book is so relevant to what's going on in the world today that I cannot possibly do it justice by way of a quick little review. I know that Tenet has been criticized from many quarters, having been accused of falsifying encounters with the likes of Richard Perle to buttress his thesis, passing the buck to the political wing of the White House for the Iraq mess, and sucking up to the Democrats. I haven't read a lot of those remarks because I didn't want my own impressions of this fascinating piece of work to be clouded by those of others, and given my own limitations as a writer and an analyst, I was reluctant to try my hand at grading this. I can only say that anyone who considers themself to be a serious observer of a) the conflict between radical Islam and the West, and b) the relationship between unelected officials and their political masters in liberal democracies, ought to read this book.

For myself, there are three major conclusions that I drew from reading this memoir:

1. Intelligence is an art, not a science.
2. For the people who are privileged to work in the security field, it is a vocation, not a job, and in hindsight, Tenet wanted to do better despite what most of his critics (who I think are basing their views more on the 60 Minutes interview than his actual writing) accuse him of.
3. Given what the Agency's information showed in 2002 and early 2003 concerning WMD in Iraq and al-Qaeda's stated goals of obtaining such tools of murder and mayhem, not going into Iraq would have been irresponsible even though the case against Saddam as viewed through the lens of WMD was far from airtight as we know now.

A serious, eye-opening and vital contribution. Regular readers of this blog will devour it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some op/eds to go read.

Overall rating: 10/10

Friday digest

- Following in the footsteps of the esteemed Ginger Spice, the UN has named Drew Barrymore as their "Ambassador Against Hunger". Seriously, could they have come up with anyone more ditzy and vapid than Barrymore (and remember, Paris Hilton is out of the running because she's going to be in the slammer)? The moment I see someone like, say, William Easterly appearing on "Inside the Actor's Studio" is the day I consider her to be a credible voice on international development issues.

- A lot of the press coverage surrounding the Government of Canada's attempt to get more people out to vote in Canada has focused on the fact that nearly 1 in 2 eligible voters in this country didn't bother to even show up to cast a ballot in the 2004 election. Things improved marginally in 2006, but even then, 1 in 3 couldn't be bothered despite the fact that the main issue of the day was the far and away the biggest scandal in Canadian history as perpetrated by federal Liberals in Quebec. How can one not afford to care about the laws we live under, or how much money is taken from your paycheque and what is done with it by the government? Even if you don't like the options, you can still at the very least spoil your ballot. What makes this even more galling is that there are still far too many people around the world who don't enjoy the privilege of the franchise, but here, a sizable portion of the population just takes it for granted.

Shameful.

- Rush Limbaugh is an asshole, plain and simple.

- The Achilles Heel of the Left has always been Israel. Here are the words of one diarist who has broken with the socialist American website Daily Kos because of the unholy alliance between the far Left and radical Islam.

- Tax cuts will allow the American deficit to be almost halved within one year. What's less encouraging is this.

- The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives demonstrates their complete ignorance of economic truth once again by suggesting that Canadians are paying too much for their gasoline. You know what? If I didn't want to pay a buck a litre for gas, I wouldn't. I'd take the bus. However, Mrs. H and I like to listen to the Team 1200 Sports Radio during the ride in to work in the morning so we're willing to cough it up for that convenience. It's not an issue of underhanded profiteering by the oil companies. It's an issue of consumers paying what they're willing to for the privilege of driving a car. Besides, if the prices were lower, wouldn't that encourage more gasoline consumption, which we are all repeatedly told is a major cause of global warming by the Centre's good pal David Suzuki?

Thursday digest

- A children's television show featuring a Mickey Mouse-like character who urges viewers to work towards worldwide Islamic domination, starting with the destruction of Israel and the West, has been pulled off of Hamas' TV channel.

Denis Coderre has yet to comment.

- The concept of parliamentary democracy has been undermined by an Environment Canada bureaucrat who decided to leak key details of draft climate-change legislation. This individual should have the book thrown at him. Civil servants are in place to advise fearlessly but more importantly, to implement loyally, not attempt to thwart the policy choices brought forward by the elected representatives of the Canadian public. However, the eco-imperialists and their friends in the public sector unions and the NDP seem not to have a problem with that very practice. Clearly, the values of political neutrality, professional conduct and ethical practices take a second place to ideological acceptability with this gang. I guess that means that if the NDP were ever in power (I know it's hard to imagine, but bear with me), they'd understand if market-oriented economists started leaking the details of proposed regulations concerning stocks, bonds, tax structures and the like to the Financial Post?

- Tony Blair announced his resignation this morning. There are others who are far more qualified to comment on his record than I am, but I'll just say that I think he's best Secretary of State I've ever seen.

DVD Review: "Little Children" (2007)

This engrossing flick about life in suburbia concerns the attraction between an out-of-work dad and a stay at home mom who are driven into each other's arms by a nagging wife and a porn-addicted husband, respectively. Nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay) this year, "Little Children"'s side plots also feature a sympathetic child molester and a jock-ish former cop looking for redemption. Although it was shut out, you ought to give this one a look, if only for the top-drawer performance of Jackie Earle Haley, who plays the pedophile. Where "American Beauty" took on many of the same themes with bombast and exaggeration, this satirical look at human weakness is brighter, subtle and and more realistic, even if there are a few loose ends left hanging when things finish.

Overall rating: 8/10