May 30 - Both Canada and the USA face national elections soon. The March 11 bombing attack in Madrid and the impact it had on the national elections there produced a lot of theorizing and speculation and Wednesday, US Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller (ref. 'Clear and present danger') went public with their concerns about the potential for a terrorist attack in the USA given the upcoming US elections.

The inclusion of two Canadians, including the notorious Jdey, forces the thought that Canada may well be the target. (There will be a national election here June 28.)

Shortly after Sept. 11, I asked Mark what he thought the public response would be in Canada if there was a terrorist attack here. He replied that people would complain about gas prices (he's a dyed-in-the-wool cynic.)

Well, Canadians are already complaining about gas prices, so I raised the question again last night, and he responded that Canadians are finally "getting" it and would correctly aim their outrage at the terrorists even though Old Media would use the attack as another plank in their anti-American campaign.

The one thing Westerners (civilisationally, not regionally!) still have had difficulty grasping is that al Qaeda doesn't care which party rules a country: their aim is to destablize and terrify, period. How do I know that? Because al Qaeda told us so.

We also have trouble accepting what al Qaeda says at face value, even though their track record indicates that are stating the unvarnished truth.

That's why appeasement is as fruitless now as it has always been, why US withdrawal from Saudi military bases and the ending of UN sanctions on Iraq (remember bin Laden's justification for jihad against the US?) resulted in an increase of armed confrontation in Saudi Arabia and their open alignment with the Ba'athists in Iraq even though it was Saddam's corruption of the U.N. Oil-For-Food program that caused the deaths of Iraqi babies.

There is an additional complication: the full-blown, outright anti-Americanism led by the Toronto Star and CBC is bound to cause a reaction from Americans. The outpouring of American solidarity with Spain - then an ally - after the March 11 may not be matched if Canada - not an ally - is hit. The fact that Canada's military and security forces are already over-extended and the unfortunate circumstance that an idiot (Anne McClellan) is in charge of Canadian security puts the ruling Liberal Party in a bit of a briar patch: if PM Martin choses to use Opposition leader Stephen Harper's support of the US effort in Iraq as a weapon during the electoral campaign, he further exacerbates relations between the US and Canada but if a terrorist attack happens up here and he calls upon the US to help Canada, more than a few Americans will say "Call France."

It saddens me, but I'll be one of them, or at least I'll be conflicted. Is a docile Canadian citizenry worth the lives of America's sons and daughters? Or are Canadians less docile than they themselves have been led to believe?

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, and it will be sadder this year than in years past. We've lost some outstanding men and women in Iraq and will lose more. We knew going in that the losses would deprive us of the kind of people that make our country strong and could only pray that their sacrifices would inspire others much as President Lincoln articulated in his Gettysburg Address: so "they not have died in vain."

It's hard to keep perspective up here in Toronto, and hard to remember that, despite it's pretensions, Toronto is not the Center of the Universe much less Canada.

But (and this may seem contradictory) there is a different Canadian that co-exists with that portrayed by the media. The hockey game last night is a case in point: Jerome Iginla scored a Gordie Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist, and a fight.

Is a country that cheers Canadians like Iginla truly passive? I don't think so. But then, it's not me that has to get it, it's Canadians themselves who could be on the brink of defining themselves in something in terms other than unlike Americans.

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May 30 - A real question mark has been raised about former Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark in this Greg Weston column Clark, McLellan: They had it made. Read the whole thing.

I don't know if it's true; certainly it would explain some of the odd behaviour by the old Progressive Conservative party leadership, but it's based on "unnamed sources" which leaves it short of total authenticity.

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May 23 - When you live in Ontario, aka the Center of the Universe, news from Canada tend to end at the borders of the GTA (although some information about the national government does trickle down from Ottawa, we hear or read little about the doings in Ottawa itself.)

As for the west, if it isn't sports-related it just isn't important, right? Uh huh.

I have to get off to work, and am still wading through Bill's latest essay (see below) but if you already got through it here's a bit more:

Terror in the Heartland? by Shafer Parker and some thoughts on the defeatism of Old Media, a David Warren essay, both from the Western Standard.

Belmont Club has Trivial Pursuit and The Wedding Party 2 and Winds of Change has Why is Israel in Gaza. I'm having Jenin horror stories flashbacks. Did you really believe disinformation was a unique Western practice?

I should mention Winds of Change more often because the group puts out an incredible amount of interesting, multi-linked information. There's a number of posts on the Sufism branch of Islam and are starting a regular Hatewatch briefing.

Warning: reading Winds of Change and following their many links can become a (good) habit.

On a lighter note, Rocket Jones has a neat story about the payload aboard an amateur rocket that achieved space.

I'm off work tomorrow for Victoria Day, but looking forward to the Angel marathon running on Space: The Imagination Station (they better show Hero and Lullaby. I'm just sayin' ...)

The big news is that Philly is O-U-T of the playoffs. Boo hoo. I've got family in Tampa, but too bad, cuz. Time for the Cup to come back North.

Go Calgary! and everyone have a good weekend with lots of fireworks and fun. Hopefully the clouds will lift from Toronto for tomorrow night's bash.

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1 ...and I used to say that "the only thing that unites Canada is our comon hatred for Toronto," but times change. Or what's that quote from the Matrix: "some things never change,... but some do." Don't take me too seriously, just a Montrealer yanking your chains... Phil

Posted by: Philippe at May 25, 2004 04:28 AM (ktBIr)

2 Take it from this Montrealer: ask the average person on the street around here how they feel about Toronto, and you'll realize times haven't changed all that much...

Posted by: segacs at May 25, 2004 03:04 PM (mPVW9)

3 Hello to Montreal! No offense taken - even those cities which were forced into amalgamation (and thus technically part of Toronto) hate Toronto. I've been thinking about starting my own blue ribbon campaign down here.

Posted by: Debbye at May 26, 2004 03:00 PM (ov/pG)

4 Hey Debbye, I like your site. ;-) I live in Toronto now but I lived in the states for 11 years of my life...raised in a conservative household and so happen to be attending the largest communist school in Canada (York 'Suck Ass' University..dont ask why) and when it comes to my site I hardly write on politics due to my readers...your site was refreshing...and a rarity among Canadian bloggers. In other news, I hope you enjoyed the Angel Marathon...heh I hope you don't mind me adding you to my links list. Cheers, Christie

Posted by: Christie at May 26, 2004 06:56 PM (GpP7H)

5 Hi Christie! I am totally awed by the tech savvy you display on your site. (I finally figured out what the "squirrel" is that powers my site, but am still trying to savvy the hamster.) I'll be adding you to the blogroll shortly.

Posted by: Debbye at May 31, 2004 03:08 AM (+SsmT)

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May 20 - There's an article by Ezra Levant in the Western Standard to which I'm late linking but no one should miss it: A riot, two firebombings and bin Laden graffiti--in friendly Alberta. That's right, in Alberta.

I wasted days before posting it because I was trying to summarize and isolate key quotes; it defied me, and that's a compliment. It just hangs together too well to pick and chose, and the context musn't be lost.

You might also check out this account of some gays who attempted to join a demonstration in support of the people of Palestine. The article saddened me.

Why don't women and gays recognize the danger aimed directly at them by extreme Islamicism? Probably because that kind of thing lies beyond our experiences in the West - the same kind of upside down reasoning that figures the abuses at Abu Ghraib are equal to the abuses of Saddam.

Here, a woman can get angry if a man opens the door for her. When that's the definition of oppression, how does one comprehend honour killings?

Or maybe it's all right-wing propaganda. Yeah! That's it! Right-wing racist propaganda! /sarcasm

Seeing is not necessarily believing, I guess.

Healing Iraq and Iraq the Model are full of excellent posts and provide a lot of common sense that media pundits should heed.

I have to go in to work tonight, so I'll leave you to read those.

And, sorry Sharks fans, but GO FLAMES!!.

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1 Well, now that the Sharks are out of it, I agree with you. Go Flames!

Posted by: Ted at May 21, 2004 08:27 AM (blNMI)

2 Glad to have you aboard, Ted!

Posted by: Debbye at May 22, 2004 02:46 AM (PELMg)

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May 20 - No, really, that's what the Ontario premier said in defence of the latest budget: It's for the sake of the kids.

"I know we are placing a burden on our families," McGuinty said yesterday. "I'm asking our families to think not only of themselves, but also of their children and the kind of health care system that we long to leave to the next generation." (Emphasis added)

Sheesh, is it too much to ask that they pretend to make an effort? Like maybe try to dress old garbage in a new package? Isn't that what we pay them for?

Damian Penny recently wrote me that Helen Lovejoy is responsible for that phrase:

"Oh, won't somebody please think of the children!!!"

So there you have it folks; the Ontario budget is an upcoming Simpson's episode.

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May 19 - It's just too depressing to post about the Ontario budget that was presented today. Cigarettes, beer and renewal of driver's licenses are going up, and in a really nasty move, we will be paying out of pocket for eye exams as well as chiropractors and physiotherapy (Liberals see a need for health premium.)

Jack's Newswatch has a Donato cartoon that pretty much sums up my mood. CTV seems to have a pretty comprehensive round-up of today's dismal budget.

We're going to a friend's surprise birthday party, so I'll be back later.

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May 19 - Court OKs 'gag law' or, as Damian Penny puts it, "But for the life of me, I simply cannot comprehend the idea that less speech from anyone other than a political party is essential to safeguard democracy ..."

Bob at Let It Bleed comments on a column on the subject by the Toronto Star's Carol Goar. Needless to say, he isn't gentle.

Welcome back, Bob!

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May 19 - Blog readers are probably aware of some shots exchanged between Toronto Star columnist Antonia Zerbisias and some noted bloggers, including Damian Penny, James Lileks and Kathy Shaidle.

Damian led off with his reponse and links to other responses in Welcome Toronto Star readers, Antoniapalooza! and More Zerb Reaction (including links to James Lilek's and Bob Tarantino's reponses.)

Today, the Star published Damian's response in their Letter's to the Editor with an edit; see Damian's The Missing Scare Quotes.

I hesitated to comment on this because on one level - a level that Zerbisias should be ashamed to occupy - the woman has a point: bloggers who support Operation Iraq Freedom are less happy than we could be. The deaths that have happened this spring have hurt us. How fortunate for Zerbisias that she can sidestep that to rejoice in our grief.

We started with optimism as the new Iraq Constitution was presented only to shock when over 178 Shi'ias were killed, 140 killed in the bombing attacks of the Ashura religious processionals in Iraq and 38 in Pakistan.

Iraqi and soldier bloggers have made news of terrorist attacks very personal for us. That is one of the joys of the blogosphere, but one of the drawbacks: someone you know may be among the wounded or dead.

Does she know that there were insurrections in parts of Iran following the rigged elections there? Or that International Women's Day Marches were attacked by security forces in Iran?

Crackdowns in Iran matter to people who know that Iranian bloggers are in constant danger of exposure and arrest. Zerb, of course, doesn't have that kind of worry gnawing at her.

How about the March 11 terrorist attack in Madrid? Not a real happy event. There were also attacks in Kosovo, Israel, the Hotel Lebanon in Baghdad was bombed killing over 20 people, and the Kurds in Syria had an uprising too that was harshly put down.

A wave of anti-Semitic acts swept the Toronto area beginning that month. That didn't make me happy either, nor did the fire-bombing of a Montreal school.

Canadian Andy Bradsell was killed, as was blogger Bob Zangas and the Men of Fallujah. Fallujah was brought under control with persistence and US military deaths. I felt gratitude and humility, but not joy.

The disgraceful conduct of some soldiers at the Abu Graib prison didn't make me happy nor did the murder of Nick Berg.

Maybe we aren't happy, Zerb, because we actually care about what we read. We care about the deaths of innocents. We don't have your capacity to rejoice when innocent people die because we see things differently: you want President Bush to be proven wrong, and we want to see the end of this scourge called terrorism.

You want President Bush to be proven wrong, and we want to see Iraq take its place as a free country that can confidently take its place in the world and be a beacon of hope for Arabs.

Most of all, our focus isn't about being right, it's about trying to get it right. But then history won't judge you at all, because you won't rate a mention.

I'm bringing all this up now because another member of the blogosphere has had a death in her family. Via Wizbang, Gennie of Dizzy Girl lost her nephew in Iraq. He was a Marine who was hit by shrapnel while handing out candy and frisbee to some Iraqi kids. Read that again, and realize that the kids were present.

He was a hero, and he exemplifies everything that is right about US soldiers and our mission in Iraq.

It's so hard to write about this. It's so hard to log onto a soldier's blog, or a blog from Iraq, or a blog from Iran, and note that he or she hasn't posted for a couple of days and not be afraid for them.

The war has a personal face for most of us, and it isn't fun or happy. But for some reason, we manage to keep posting. And we manage to do it with a lot more class, restraint and compassion that anything you churn out.

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May 18 - Devastating summary of the connection between UNSCAM, the Desmarais family and PM Paul Martin in the Canada Free Press Cover Story (short-life link) starting with these:

First came the shock that United Nations Secretary General Kofi AnnanÂ’s son, Kojo was connected to the ill-fated program. According to the New York Post On-Line edition, family members of former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali are officers of a Panamanian-registered company in which Benon Sevan, a UN assistant Secretary General, appointed to administer the oil-for-food program, had a connection.

The Post said it got its information about the Boutros-Ghali connection from Claude Hankes-Drielsma, a British businessman and advisor to the Iraqi governing council.

Just weeks ago, Boutros-Ghali was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada. Only nine foreigners have been so honoured, and even as the former UN Secretary General was receiving the award, some Canadian officials were calling it "strange" because the Rwandan genocide happened under his watch as UN Secretary General.

It was under Boutros-GhaliÂ’s direction that the UN 420-page Our Global Neighbourhood, which produced the blueprint for global governance, was published.

When Boutros-Ghali left the UN, he went on to head the Francophonie, the organization of French-speaking nations.

It gets worse.

Canadians are also said to have made oil deals with Saddam, and ties with the Canadian Company involved go all the way up to Prime Minister Paul MartinÂ’s office.

In the Canadian connection, itÂ’s a man called Paul Desmaris (sic). Desmaris is the largest shareholder and director of TotalFinaElf, the largest corporation in France, which held tens of billions of dollars in contracts with the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein.

Martin replaced Prime Minister Jean Chretien last December. ChretienÂ’s daughter, France is married to Andre Desmaris, son of Paul Desmaris.

Martin maintains powerful UN connections through AnnanÂ’s special UN advisor Maurice Strong. In fact, Strong, who also happens to be the architect of the Kyoto Protocol, hired Martin in the 1960s to work for Paul Desmaris Sr.

According to respected Financial Post columnist Diane Francis, "In 1974, Desmaris made Martin president of Canada Steamship Lines and then in 1981, he made him spectacularly rich by selling the company to him and a partner for $180 million. MartinÂ’s shipping company is estimated to be worth about $424 million, making him the 63rd richest person in Canada."

Shortly after his arrival in the Prime MinisterÂ’s office, Martin gave the company to his three sons.

But imagine these business connections happened in the USA. But of course you don't have to imagine, because we've been subjected to the phrases "Bush's oil buddies" and "Cheney and his former company Halliburton" relentlessly. Why do Canada's prime ministers get a free pass?

I just don't get Canadian politics or the media. Except for the occasional Diane Francis column in the Financial Post, and to echo a National Post column on this theme by Elizabeth Nickson last January (no permalinks to the original source) this is a story that seemingly generates no interest or outrage.

I'm sorry to say this, but this is perhaps the Great Divide between Americans and Canadians. I'm at a loss to explain it, and maybe I'm wrong, but I just can't imagine that these kinds of business relationships would be ignored by either the media or the electorate in the USA.

Americans are not always that well informed either. Here I am getting increasingly concerned about Bremer's obstruction of the IGC invesigation of UNSCAM, an investigation about which few Americans are even aware (unless they read the NY Post, Wall Street Journal or Washington Times. Or are FNC viewers.)

Roger Simon has an explanation for Bremer's obstruction - of sorts.

Via Instapundit, who has an ouch-worthy conclusion.

Friends of Saddam also linked to this item, and has a category for Canadian connections to UNSCAM.

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May 17 - M'kay, I suppose it is a free trade issue, but for pizza lovers its also a quality issue, as in Delissio tastes a lot better than McCain's. Pizza Pizza just got my business back. (Canada turns up heat on frozen pizza)

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May 15 - Jews relieved after firebombing arrests (and, I suspect, quite a number of non-Jews.)

MONTREAL'S JEWISH community expressed relief yesterday after police said they had arrested five people in the widely condemned firebombing at a school last month. Police picked up four men aged 18 to 20 and a woman in her early 30s but gave no details on their ethnic background.

Via Norman's Spectator, a Globe and Mail article here:

Radio-Canada reported that the four young men are of Middle Eastern origin.

"It's not over. We're expecting more arrests," said a Montreal police spokesman, Constable Ian Lafrenière. Montreal police had been under tremendous pressure to solve the case, which was broadly condemned by politicians and religious leaders of all stripes.

"The more people involved, the more troubling it is. With five people being arrested together, there was obviously some kind of organization," said Jeffrey Boro, president of the Canadian Jewish Congress in Quebec. Mr. Boro, a criminal lawyer, said the possibility of further arrests was even more worrisome. "Five is troubling. More than five becomes alarming."

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May 15 - Khalid Khawaja, who is self-described as a friend of Osama bin Laden's, says Canada deserves bombing because it is a friend of the USA and Canada was mean to the Khadrs (which is grimly ironic, given that many Canadians would say the government was far too helpful.) The article quotes Khawaja:

"Look at these Canadians. They have millions and millions of dollars to fight against Muslims, to send their troops, to send their weapons, and all of them put together, they have objections to giving treatment to this 14 year-old-boy who has been a victim of your terrorism."

Would he feel better if he knew that a chunk of the Defence budget went to purchase two Executive Jets for Chretien back when he was Prime Minister? No?

Bin Laden first publicly encouraged attacks against Canada in a statement broadcast on Nov. 12, 2002. In March, 2004, an al-Qaeda manual posted on the Internet ranked Canadians as the fifth most important targets.

But al-Qaeda and its ideological theorists have provided little explanation as to why. Canada did not send troops to Iraq, its foreign policy is not particularly pro-Israel and Ottawa has not been overly aggressive in fighting terror.

To be clear, I think that our willingness to ask Why? is one of the strengths of Western civilization, even though it does at times hamper our ability to respond adequately to what Ghost of a Flea once termed the morally insane.

A top Canadian terrorism expert said Mr. Khawaja's comments were typical of the way al-Qaeda followers view the world, as divided between two conflicting religious and cultural camps: Dar ul-Islam, the perfect Muslim world, and Dar ul-Harb, the immoral rest of the world.

"Canada, as a secular democratic society, is by definition assigned to Dar ul-Harb. From the perspective of al-Qaeda and associated Islamic militants, it is incumbent upon Muslims to wage a jihad, a holy war, against Dar ul-Harb in order to destroy its perceived evils and transform those societies into Dar ul-Islam," said Professor Martin Rudner.

"According to this doctrine, Canada is a religiously sanctioned target for terrorism, suicide bombing and political violence," said Prof. Rudner, Director of the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies at Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

A Canadian intelligence report written shortly after bin Laden first urged attacks against Canada said the country was singled out "in view of its support of the U.S." The more recent al-Qaeda manual explains only that Canada is a "Christian" country. (My emphasis)

So, Canadian Members of Parliament and an aide to then PM Chretien insulted our national leaders, poll after poll has indicated Canadians think we Americans are too arrogant, too patriotic and too religious, and that they hate our president and consider him too religious; in short, the pollsters have done verything possible to indicate that Canada is not a friend of the United States and is suspicious of Christianity, yet Canada is still on the short list as a terrorist target.

According to a translation of an article written by Abu Ayman al-Hilali, a senior al-Qaeda leader and ideologist, the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Germany, and Australia are "enemies" and attacks against their civilians are justified. Since Western governments are engaged in a war against Islam, he argued, the civilian voters who elect those governments cannot be considered non-combatants and are legitimate targets for terrorists.

Canadian pollsters and the media have managed to alienate Americans while failing to appease Islamofascists. Now that's nuanced politics, and, to paraphrase Lincoln, proves that you can alienate all of the people some of the time! (An older poll revealed that Canadians were confident that, if Canada was attacked, America would rush to defend her. So far as I know, no similar poll has ever been conducted in the USA.)

By the way, observant readers will note that the person interviewed bears the same last name as the Ottawa resident arrested on terrorism charges last March, Mohammed Momin Khawaja, but there is nothing to indicate there is any connection between the two men so please don't ask.

Sorry, I know I'm coming off as really cranky in this post, but it's only because I got even more cranky after reading this.

(Links from Ghost of a Flea's post Appeasement in the Western Standard blog.)

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May 11 - June, Andy's aunt, sent some pictures that I've posted at the bottom of the page here. One is of Andy and the family, and the other is a wonderful picture of Hunter.

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May 3 - The movement to have Grapes greatest Canadian (?) made today's Toronto Sun in a brief article by Brett Clarkson.

Of course, the question "Why?" is harder to put into words, but I think part of the reason is because Don Cherry unabashedly represents the Canadian "Everyman."

He's honest (to a fault), knows right from wrong, is loyal to friend and country, and goes to great lengths to teach youngsters not only hockey skills but good sportsmanship and decent behaviour on and off the ice.

He is a staunch friend to our soldiers, fireman and policeman.

He wears his heart on his sleeve (and on his hats, ties, and jackets.)

The webpage for nominations is here, and Meatriarchy has updates on the drive here and here.

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May 1 - Appears UNSCAM isn't going unnoticed by the Bush administration. Glad Jack's Newswatch caught these while I was putting out fires yesterday: 'Hang' U.N. Oil Ra$cals:

April 30, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - The State Department's No. 2 official said yesterday that those guilty of corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program "ought to hang."

What I didn't expect was for Canadian PM Paul Martin to distance himself from the U.N., especially so soon after Kofi Annan addressed Parliament to a warm and admiring audience, and the Davos conference where Martin said:

Annan will be the first secretary general of the UN to address Parliament in the organization's 59-year existence. He was invited to the capital before U.S. President George W. Bush, something that Martin said he did deliberately to show "that Canada has a very important role to play in the world."

And what about the U.N. University for Peace that is to be installed in Toronto?

Read this and this and see if you can figure it out.

Maybe Martin took flip-flop lessons from Sen. Kerry ...

May 3 - 13:47: Roger Simon and commenters have more on Martin's speech here.

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