Secrecy doesn't do anyone any good when it comes to borders. If we're going to have a more open border with the US, fine -- I support the idea, actually -- but let's have proper debates in Parliament and Congress. That the Cons are already crafting their media message on this one before an agreement is even initialed or properly debated, doesn't do anyone any good.
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
When Mr. Sexy meets -- Mr. Sexy
Nothing really on my mind, so let's have some fun for a change.
A few weeks back, Right Between the Ears (one of the most misunderstood but funniest shows on NPR) performed their latest twist on their Antonio Banderas gag -- this time, with Banderas meeting "The Most Interesting Man in the World" and a totally unexpected party crasher. This one had me howling, I hope it gives you a laugh too.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
A few weeks back, Right Between the Ears (one of the most misunderstood but funniest shows on NPR) performed their latest twist on their Antonio Banderas gag -- this time, with Banderas meeting "The Most Interesting Man in the World" and a totally unexpected party crasher. This one had me howling, I hope it gives you a laugh too.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Pope meant both men and women -- so he says
Follow-up on my last post. There was some confusion about Joe Ratzinger's remarks about condoms and AIDS and whether he meant that it only applied to male prostitutes. Today, a Vatican official clarified further, saying that the point of the comment was the partners having sex have due consideration for the health of each other. In other words, the new edict applies to both males and females.
Given that a majority of sexually active Catholics, at least in the developed world, do use contraceptives to begin with, it is as I said an important step forward. Again it is being stressed that sex outside of marriage is wrong; but if one does so it's better to be safe than sorry. Which is what many of us in the laity have been saying all along.
One does have to wonder ... could this put the kibosh on JP2's candidacy for sainthood (a saint, after all, is someone who never sinned in his or her human life)? Or is the current Pope asking for trouble coming his way? We all remember what happened to Albino Luciani (JP1) when he tried to clean up corruption at the Vatican Bank -- he was assassinated within one month of his election. God forbid it should happen now, of course, but with Sark becoming a democracy two years ago Vatican City is the last feudal state left in Europe -- and the powers that be that really run things, want to keep it that way.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Given that a majority of sexually active Catholics, at least in the developed world, do use contraceptives to begin with, it is as I said an important step forward. Again it is being stressed that sex outside of marriage is wrong; but if one does so it's better to be safe than sorry. Which is what many of us in the laity have been saying all along.
One does have to wonder ... could this put the kibosh on JP2's candidacy for sainthood (a saint, after all, is someone who never sinned in his or her human life)? Or is the current Pope asking for trouble coming his way? We all remember what happened to Albino Luciani (JP1) when he tried to clean up corruption at the Vatican Bank -- he was assassinated within one month of his election. God forbid it should happen now, of course, but with Sark becoming a democracy two years ago Vatican City is the last feudal state left in Europe -- and the powers that be that really run things, want to keep it that way.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Vatican caves in on condoms -- sort of
This one, I'm having a hard time figuring out.
It's no secret that Pope Paul VI (real name Giovanni Montini) wanted to face the reality, even in the 1960s, that Catholics were using contraceptives. He was prepared in fact to cave in and permit the practice. But he faced a backlash from his senior advisors, one of them the Bishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyła (who of course later became Pope John Paul II). In 1967, Montini's hand was forced and he issued the encyclical Humanae Vitae (actually ghostwritten by Wojtyła) which outright "banned" contraceptives -- not that Catholics, especially those outside the "10-40 window" were going to obey.
Just last year, the ex-"Rottweiler" of the Vatican, Joe Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) on a trip to Africa said that condoms only "worsened" the problem of AIDS, not improved it. But this past weekend, he had a sudden if only partial change of heart. Ratzinger said that it's actually okay for prostitutes to use condoms to help prevent the spread of AIDS and other blood-borne diseases. Using the kind of logic similar to that used by the rationalist St. Thomas Aquinas, he said it's the lesser of two evils.
Well, duh. No doubt some of the conservatives are going to try to rip this one apart, but at least someone's willing to chip the ice if not smash it all together. Abstinence-only simply doesn't cut it -- people are too prepared to give into temptation, and every journey begins with a first step. It's a welcome one, however tentative it may be.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
It's no secret that Pope Paul VI (real name Giovanni Montini) wanted to face the reality, even in the 1960s, that Catholics were using contraceptives. He was prepared in fact to cave in and permit the practice. But he faced a backlash from his senior advisors, one of them the Bishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyła (who of course later became Pope John Paul II). In 1967, Montini's hand was forced and he issued the encyclical Humanae Vitae (actually ghostwritten by Wojtyła) which outright "banned" contraceptives -- not that Catholics, especially those outside the "10-40 window" were going to obey.
Just last year, the ex-"Rottweiler" of the Vatican, Joe Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) on a trip to Africa said that condoms only "worsened" the problem of AIDS, not improved it. But this past weekend, he had a sudden if only partial change of heart. Ratzinger said that it's actually okay for prostitutes to use condoms to help prevent the spread of AIDS and other blood-borne diseases. Using the kind of logic similar to that used by the rationalist St. Thomas Aquinas, he said it's the lesser of two evils.
Well, duh. No doubt some of the conservatives are going to try to rip this one apart, but at least someone's willing to chip the ice if not smash it all together. Abstinence-only simply doesn't cut it -- people are too prepared to give into temptation, and every journey begins with a first step. It's a welcome one, however tentative it may be.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Feds don't get it on "street walking"
The feds are complaining that there will be "chaos" if a judge's order striking down key parts of the prostitution laws has its stayed lifted next week, as widely expected, and that Ontario will become a "haven" for criminal elements while there will be uncertainty over the law elsewhere.
Message to feds: The criminal element is already there. The women who fought to strike down the laws in question did so, so that the criminal element could be more effectively dealt with while making the sex trade safe(r) for those who walk the streets.
It seems to me that the government hasn't even listened or even read the briefs of the women who challenged the law. If they did, they would realize the women's case is structurally and legally sound. (It was quite a long time ago when a young woman challenged the law banning frontal nudity and I had a hard time accepting the idea, until I read an op-ed written by the woman herself -- Gwen Jacob -- I and realized she had a point.)
So Harper: Go after organized crime for once -- not the prostitutes. If your government claims to be tough on crime, then it's time to prove it.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Message to feds: The criminal element is already there. The women who fought to strike down the laws in question did so, so that the criminal element could be more effectively dealt with while making the sex trade safe(r) for those who walk the streets.
It seems to me that the government hasn't even listened or even read the briefs of the women who challenged the law. If they did, they would realize the women's case is structurally and legally sound. (It was quite a long time ago when a young woman challenged the law banning frontal nudity and I had a hard time accepting the idea, until I read an op-ed written by the woman herself -- Gwen Jacob -- I and realized she had a point.)
So Harper: Go after organized crime for once -- not the prostitutes. If your government claims to be tough on crime, then it's time to prove it.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Blankety Blank ™ extends the mission
Even two years ago when Parliament voted to send a date certain for the Afghanistan mission to end as 2011, my fellow "progs" and I agreed that He Who Must Not Be Named would find a way to extend the mission. We found out yesterday, yes he has. But where did he make the announcement? Not in Parliament as he should have. Nor at any of the hundreds of cenotaphs across this fair land of Canada. Nope. He made it at a war memorial -- in Seoul, South Korea.
I can't remember the last time a Canadian PM was not in Ottawa for Remembrance Day. In fact, traditionally, all the party leaders are together at the Cenotaph in the capital, one of the few times they stand together in solidarity.
This can't be decided by the executive alone contrary to what the PM thinks. This needs to be properly debated in the House and a proper vote taken. I think we have more than done our duty and sacrifice -- by the time next year rolls around we will have spent more time there than in both of the World Wars of the last century combined. We can't go on and on like this. Remember that it was 1945, after Hiroshima, that Truman sent "advisors" to help maintain a so-called ceasefire in Vietnam and that nightmare lasted another thirty years.
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I can't remember the last time a Canadian PM was not in Ottawa for Remembrance Day. In fact, traditionally, all the party leaders are together at the Cenotaph in the capital, one of the few times they stand together in solidarity.
This can't be decided by the executive alone contrary to what the PM thinks. This needs to be properly debated in the House and a proper vote taken. I think we have more than done our duty and sacrifice -- by the time next year rolls around we will have spent more time there than in both of the World Wars of the last century combined. We can't go on and on like this. Remember that it was 1945, after Hiroshima, that Truman sent "advisors" to help maintain a so-called ceasefire in Vietnam and that nightmare lasted another thirty years.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Anti-Semitism and Harper
For whatever reason -- whether it's his personal ideology or his religious beliefs -- Stephen Harper has confused legitimate criticism of Israel's policies with anti-Semitism. The latter, of course, is something we should be constantly vigilant against; God's Chosen People have a specific place in the world and in history.
But to suggest that to be against how the State of Israel treats Arabs not just in the occupied territories, but even within the internationally recognized boundaries (those who are are considered Israeli citizens, and they regard themselves as an indigenous people) to be anti-Semitic is trying to make black and white out of a very complicated situation.
It's not even clear if Harper supports a two-state solution (with free access to all holy sites on both sides of the border) as most countries officially do, or if he would go the route of the currently and rightly banned Kahane Chai - Kach and support the expulsion of all Arabs from Israel and the occupied lands. Or is it a middle ground -- give Palestinians their country but have Israel remain in control of the airspace and the sub-surface (which would effectively make Palestine a vassal state with Israel the suzerain power over it).
As far as his claim that Canada's former stance as an "honest broker" made us weak, actually it did not. We have long recognized Israel's right to exist -- since December 1948, about seven months after the British mandate ended. We have long recognized Israel as an ally and in fact we even have a free trade agreement with the country.
But we have also played a major role in trying to keep a relative peace between Israel and its neighbours. Remember that it was Canada that helped to negotiate a ceasefire over the Suez Canal crisis which involved Israel. As well, owing to the fact that the status of Jerusalem hasn't been settled in the eyes of the world community, we from the beginning (1953 to be exact) have had our embassy in Tel Aviv.
Moreover, Canadians are actually quite divided over where they stand on the conflict -- roughly a third each are for Israel, for the Palestinians, or just plain don't care.
Being an "honest broker" means that while we make our allegiances clear, we are also willing to be a mediator between belligerent powers -- even if it's just "shuttle diplomacy" (running back and forth between neighbouring rooms because the two parties refuse to meet face to face). Just because we were strongly on the side of France and West Germany and the United Kingdom during the Cold War didn't prevent us from reaching out to people behind the Iron Curtain; if anything relations with most of the client states in the Warsaw Pact were actually rather cordial, owing to the large ex-patriate communities here. And we along with most of our NATO partners have had a long standing relationship with Cuba, much to the annoyance of the United States.
Canada will probably never be a superpower, unless there turns out to be even more oil and diamonds in "them thar hills" than currently proven. But we can act responsibly in the eyes of the world and attempt to be more open-minded about world affairs. Realpolitik is not weakness. Being pragmatic actually demonstrates more hidden strength than just wielding the sword or sabre. Perhaps Mr. Harper needs to remember outside of the UN Headquarters in New York City there is a monument where man "beats his swords into ploughshares and his spears into pruning hooks." The statue specifically mentions the source, Isaiah 2:4. The country that donated the statue? The former Soviet Union.
Support Israel, I always will. Seeking justice for the Palestinians -- provided they completely renounce violence once and for all -- I will also. But carpet bombing an entire people to Kingdom Come, that is something I cannot support. To have peace, you must sometimes wage war; but it must be measured and attack specific targets, not destroy entire infrastructures or force bombed out people on rations.
If he had just realized this simple fact, Canada might be in on the Security Council, the world's enforcement body ... and not sitting on the outside while the European Union now has four seats (five when Bosnia ends its term late next year) and effective control of the body.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
But to suggest that to be against how the State of Israel treats Arabs not just in the occupied territories, but even within the internationally recognized boundaries (those who are are considered Israeli citizens, and they regard themselves as an indigenous people) to be anti-Semitic is trying to make black and white out of a very complicated situation.
It's not even clear if Harper supports a two-state solution (with free access to all holy sites on both sides of the border) as most countries officially do, or if he would go the route of the currently and rightly banned Kahane Chai - Kach and support the expulsion of all Arabs from Israel and the occupied lands. Or is it a middle ground -- give Palestinians their country but have Israel remain in control of the airspace and the sub-surface (which would effectively make Palestine a vassal state with Israel the suzerain power over it).
As far as his claim that Canada's former stance as an "honest broker" made us weak, actually it did not. We have long recognized Israel's right to exist -- since December 1948, about seven months after the British mandate ended. We have long recognized Israel as an ally and in fact we even have a free trade agreement with the country.
But we have also played a major role in trying to keep a relative peace between Israel and its neighbours. Remember that it was Canada that helped to negotiate a ceasefire over the Suez Canal crisis which involved Israel. As well, owing to the fact that the status of Jerusalem hasn't been settled in the eyes of the world community, we from the beginning (1953 to be exact) have had our embassy in Tel Aviv.
Moreover, Canadians are actually quite divided over where they stand on the conflict -- roughly a third each are for Israel, for the Palestinians, or just plain don't care.
Being an "honest broker" means that while we make our allegiances clear, we are also willing to be a mediator between belligerent powers -- even if it's just "shuttle diplomacy" (running back and forth between neighbouring rooms because the two parties refuse to meet face to face). Just because we were strongly on the side of France and West Germany and the United Kingdom during the Cold War didn't prevent us from reaching out to people behind the Iron Curtain; if anything relations with most of the client states in the Warsaw Pact were actually rather cordial, owing to the large ex-patriate communities here. And we along with most of our NATO partners have had a long standing relationship with Cuba, much to the annoyance of the United States.
Canada will probably never be a superpower, unless there turns out to be even more oil and diamonds in "them thar hills" than currently proven. But we can act responsibly in the eyes of the world and attempt to be more open-minded about world affairs. Realpolitik is not weakness. Being pragmatic actually demonstrates more hidden strength than just wielding the sword or sabre. Perhaps Mr. Harper needs to remember outside of the UN Headquarters in New York City there is a monument where man "beats his swords into ploughshares and his spears into pruning hooks." The statue specifically mentions the source, Isaiah 2:4. The country that donated the statue? The former Soviet Union.
Support Israel, I always will. Seeking justice for the Palestinians -- provided they completely renounce violence once and for all -- I will also. But carpet bombing an entire people to Kingdom Come, that is something I cannot support. To have peace, you must sometimes wage war; but it must be measured and attack specific targets, not destroy entire infrastructures or force bombed out people on rations.
If he had just realized this simple fact, Canada might be in on the Security Council, the world's enforcement body ... and not sitting on the outside while the European Union now has four seats (five when Bosnia ends its term late next year) and effective control of the body.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Prentice, Olbermann
This week's sudden resignation of Jim Prentice is shocking because he somehow managed to negotiate a new job with the CIBC bank while apparently avoiding conflict of interest guidelines. How? But more ominously his departure means that there are only a handful of progressives left in the governing party -- maybe two or three in each of the House and the Senate. The Conservative Party as it now stands is nowhere near some of the extremist parties we see in Europe -- think National Front in France, for instance -- but it's definitely now almost a carbon copy of the US Republicans minus the Cons' support for health care.
Meanwhile, listening to the BBC World Service last night, I was equally stunned to hear that NBC has suspended Keith Olbermann after it was learned he contributed to the campaigns of three Democrats in this week's election, contrary to network rules. I don't exactly respect him that much anymore -- he's as bombastic as Bill O'Reilly at Fox -- but when was the last time someone at FNC was suspended for contributing to the Republican Party? Exactly.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Meanwhile, listening to the BBC World Service last night, I was equally stunned to hear that NBC has suspended Keith Olbermann after it was learned he contributed to the campaigns of three Democrats in this week's election, contrary to network rules. I don't exactly respect him that much anymore -- he's as bombastic as Bill O'Reilly at Fox -- but when was the last time someone at FNC was suspended for contributing to the Republican Party? Exactly.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
At least Moonbeam is back
Despite the losses the Democrats suffered in yesterday's mid-terms, there's at least one bright spot: Jerry Brown, aka "Governor Moonbeam," is back 28 years after his last stint as the Governor of California. I kind of feel bad for Meg Wittman, the founder of eBay -- hers is a genuine American success story. But the fact remains she ran on Arnold Schwarzenegger's record, and it was not all roses and candy.
Will Hollywood welcome back The Terminator with open arms? Is the media ready for another run with a Kennedy? And will Linda Ronstadt be inspired to write another song about her one-time boyfriend?
Stay tuned.
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Will Hollywood welcome back The Terminator with open arms? Is the media ready for another run with a Kennedy? And will Linda Ronstadt be inspired to write another song about her one-time boyfriend?
Stay tuned.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The FIVE billion dollar boondoggle
No party in Canada, except for those who have never been elected, can get away with this one; and it's a disgrace. Every building needs to be renovated sooner or later, even legislatures, but this one has gotten out of hand.
The Parliament of Canada, three Gothic Revival buildings on Wellington Street in Ottawa (actually it's four if you count the Confederation Building -- where most MPs have their offices -- next to the West Block ) have stood for many decades. The West and East Blocks date prior to Confederation (when Parliament Hill was originally intended to be the capital for only what we now call Ontario and Québec), the Centre Block dates to the 1920s as a fire destroyed the original (except the Library) during World War I.
About twenty years ago a massive rebuild program was begun to restore the buildings and bring them up to current federal safety and environmental standards. Original cost and time line: $65 million and about ten years. Present estimate: Five billion dollars ... with twenty years gone and still counting. Even more incredible, they still haven't gotten to the Senate and House of Commons, which will be in temporary quarters (the courtyards, covered of course, of the East and West Blocks respectively -- which will begin next year, we hope).
And this week we learned that the West Block renos have gone through three sets of stonemasons, and the job is still not done.
Jesus Christ, folks! When Romania overthrew Nicolae Ceauşescu in 1989, one of the legacies he left behind was a colossal presidential palace, far larger than any executive building ever built anywhere on the planet -- even larger than Versailles. The people took matters into their own hands and turned into their Parliament, the largest in floor yardage of its kind in the entire European Union if not the planet, and for way way less. And while the job is still technically not completed yet, they have plenty of room to spare; in fact every MP and Senator there has the kind of office space reserved only for the four party leaders here in Canada.
This is truly unbelievable. Even the Auditor General says she can't figure out how things got out of control with no checks or balances; neither could her predecessor in the office who warned this was coming a decade ago.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
The Parliament of Canada, three Gothic Revival buildings on Wellington Street in Ottawa (actually it's four if you count the Confederation Building -- where most MPs have their offices -- next to the West Block ) have stood for many decades. The West and East Blocks date prior to Confederation (when Parliament Hill was originally intended to be the capital for only what we now call Ontario and Québec), the Centre Block dates to the 1920s as a fire destroyed the original (except the Library) during World War I.
About twenty years ago a massive rebuild program was begun to restore the buildings and bring them up to current federal safety and environmental standards. Original cost and time line: $65 million and about ten years. Present estimate: Five billion dollars ... with twenty years gone and still counting. Even more incredible, they still haven't gotten to the Senate and House of Commons, which will be in temporary quarters (the courtyards, covered of course, of the East and West Blocks respectively -- which will begin next year, we hope).
And this week we learned that the West Block renos have gone through three sets of stonemasons, and the job is still not done.
Jesus Christ, folks! When Romania overthrew Nicolae Ceauşescu in 1989, one of the legacies he left behind was a colossal presidential palace, far larger than any executive building ever built anywhere on the planet -- even larger than Versailles. The people took matters into their own hands and turned into their Parliament, the largest in floor yardage of its kind in the entire European Union if not the planet, and for way way less. And while the job is still technically not completed yet, they have plenty of room to spare; in fact every MP and Senator there has the kind of office space reserved only for the four party leaders here in Canada.
This is truly unbelievable. Even the Auditor General says she can't figure out how things got out of control with no checks or balances; neither could her predecessor in the office who warned this was coming a decade ago.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Local voting day in Ontario
I was delayed a few minutes yesterday on the way to church because, of all things, a police-escorted military parade. Pipes, drums, everything. Naturally, I saluted ... my guess these are mostly reserve troops but many of them have been for a fact been deployed to Afghanistan.
Maybe it was just a coincidence but it was just a day before today's local elections in Ontario. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of offices -- in some counties people vote for a mayor, a deputy mayor, a city councillor, a county superintendent / regional chair, a regional councillor, and a school board trustee. And it's still first past the post rather than a preferential ballot like I think it should be.
But it's local government that affects us the most directly. Public transit, public works, police, emergency services, parks and recreation. It's also the one that gets the lowest turnout -- maybe because there are too many choices or because everyone runs as independents rather than as a party slate candidate as in the States or the UK.
But if you love your freedom, vote. You can even register on election day. Just call city hall to find out where to vote. As long as you can prove you have a place where you're picking up a cheque for anything, you can vote.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Maybe it was just a coincidence but it was just a day before today's local elections in Ontario. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of offices -- in some counties people vote for a mayor, a deputy mayor, a city councillor, a county superintendent / regional chair, a regional councillor, and a school board trustee. And it's still first past the post rather than a preferential ballot like I think it should be.
But it's local government that affects us the most directly. Public transit, public works, police, emergency services, parks and recreation. It's also the one that gets the lowest turnout -- maybe because there are too many choices or because everyone runs as independents rather than as a party slate candidate as in the States or the UK.
But if you love your freedom, vote. You can even register on election day. Just call city hall to find out where to vote. As long as you can prove you have a place where you're picking up a cheque for anything, you can vote.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Pension for serial killer / rapist?
I really haven't had much to think about the last few days ... too busy at work, I guess.
But the revelations about the depraved life of Col. Russell Williams, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of murder one, two of aggravated sexual assault and 84 other charges under the Criminal Code and the National Defence Act, are simply mind-boggling. I thought Paul Bernardo was a sicko, but this guy who was on the public payroll takes the cake. And the worst part -- he's still entitled to his military pension even if he is designated as a dangerous offender and gets life without parole (he's already facing a minimum of 25 to life). $60k per year, indexed for life -- plus he gets CPP / RRQ and perhaps Old Age Security when he turns 65?
This is insane. Put the guy in Supermax -- and no pension, period. Anyone who brings that kind of disgrace upon the vast majority of men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our country shouldn't be entitled to entitlements. The only thing I give him credit for is he pleaded guilty and spared all of us an unnecessary trial that would have turned our stomachs inside out -- as the Bernardo trial did 15 years ago.
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But the revelations about the depraved life of Col. Russell Williams, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of murder one, two of aggravated sexual assault and 84 other charges under the Criminal Code and the National Defence Act, are simply mind-boggling. I thought Paul Bernardo was a sicko, but this guy who was on the public payroll takes the cake. And the worst part -- he's still entitled to his military pension even if he is designated as a dangerous offender and gets life without parole (he's already facing a minimum of 25 to life). $60k per year, indexed for life -- plus he gets CPP / RRQ and perhaps Old Age Security when he turns 65?
This is insane. Put the guy in Supermax -- and no pension, period. Anyone who brings that kind of disgrace upon the vast majority of men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our country shouldn't be entitled to entitlements. The only thing I give him credit for is he pleaded guilty and spared all of us an unnecessary trial that would have turned our stomachs inside out -- as the Bernardo trial did 15 years ago.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
"Eyes on the floor! Eyes down on God's fabulous parquet floor!"
It's hard not to laugh at this one, but this seems to be one of those times when the law of positive attraction really wasn't compatible with religion. The Crystal Cathedral of the Reformed Church in America, better known to Sunday morning devotees as the "Hour of Power," has filed for Chapter 11. Apparently the church owes about $43 million, including a $34 million plus mortgage.
While the current pastor, the Rev. Sheila Schuller Coleman, has vowed the congregation will overcome and fight back, it may finally offer an explanation as to why her brother Robert Schuller Jr. was fired so quickly after he was named their father's successor -- because he realized the church's finances were in such a mess he couldn't cope (not to mention Junior's approach to his sermons was actually much more Biblically based and sound than his father's -- which didn't sit well with the Health and Wealth crowd).
Touchy feely religion has never really appealed to me ... nor does the high flying lifestyle of many televangelists. Remember a few years back Schuller Sr. got lucky to get off after an incident of air rage. But the whole thing seems to prove that there really is no business like show business, especially in religion.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
While the current pastor, the Rev. Sheila Schuller Coleman, has vowed the congregation will overcome and fight back, it may finally offer an explanation as to why her brother Robert Schuller Jr. was fired so quickly after he was named their father's successor -- because he realized the church's finances were in such a mess he couldn't cope (not to mention Junior's approach to his sermons was actually much more Biblically based and sound than his father's -- which didn't sit well with the Health and Wealth crowd).
Touchy feely religion has never really appealed to me ... nor does the high flying lifestyle of many televangelists. Remember a few years back Schuller Sr. got lucky to get off after an incident of air rage. But the whole thing seems to prove that there really is no business like show business, especially in religion.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Canada drops ball on Security Council bid
It actually happened. Canada lost its bid to be on the UN Security Council for the first time -- ever. We've had six previous stints over the last six decades. But not this coming one.
The United Nations conveniently divides the non-permanent seats on a geographic basis to ensure a global perspective to balance the original five nuclear powers which also happen to have vetoes. For example, one seat always goes to an Arab League member to ensure the interests of the whole bloc and not just the individual country is represented.
The Western Europe and "Others" group (Others being the Caribbean, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) get two of the non-permanent seats for a two year term. Traditionally, a non-European country is one of the two chosen to ensure the European Union doesn't have effective control of the UN's enforcement body. A ⅔ vote of the General Assembly is required to grab one of the seats. Yesterday, after being in last place after the first ballot but with no hope of catching up to Portugal (Germany was on the verge of winning the other seat anyway) Canada conceded -- and then PM Harper promptly blamed Michael Ignatieff for ensuring there wasn't a "united" front from Parliament.
Excuse me?
Just months after winning a minority government, Harper openly supported the carpet bombing of Lebanon. He's ripped up virtually every environmental agreement we've signed. He's cut foreign aid to Africa substantially while boosting it to Latin America (mostly to, again, corrupt government - à la the US). And last year, on the opening day of the annual General Assembly, he skips the session to open up Manhattan's first Tim Hortons ™. And he thinks bottles of maple syrup will make up for all of that?
Keep in mind that at the start of the Oslo Round of the Middle East peace talks, Canada (under Mulroney, a Progressive Conservative) offered to deal with the strand that is coping with the most contentious issue of all -- housing and the right of return for Palestinians to Israel proper. This was continued under Campbell, Chrétien and Martin, but thanks to Harper we've had that taken away from us and with just cause. We are no longer seen as a fair arbiter when it comes to that part of the world -- supporting Israel while insisting on justice for the dispossessed Palestinians (Muslims and Christians).
At present, no country I am aware of has their embassy to Israel in Jerusalem simply because the final status has not been determined. In fact, if one was born in Jerusalem, a Canadian passport will only denote the city, not Israel. But the religious groups that Harper panders to have repeatedly demanded that Canada move its embassy in Tel Aviv back to Jerusalem. If not Harper, then perhaps someone with an even greater ideological bent than he will make that move. Then whatever is left of Canada's supposed fair mindedness will be shattered forever. Oh, and with that, any hopes of a free trade agreement with the EU also goes out the window.
As for dumping Africa off his foreign policy priorities -- well, imagine if Harper had been Prime Minister instead of Mulroney some twenty-five years ago. I'm not saying that Lying Brian was the only person responsible for the freeing of Nelson Mandela, but his standing up to Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and the evil policy of "constructive engagement" was a major turning point -- many countries followed our example and imposed crushing sanctions on South Africa that forced it to reform. Harper might have just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Why should we support a convicted terrorist?" Apartheid might have lingered a lot longer -- perhaps forever.
And it was Mulroney that pushed Reagan towards a toughened Clean Water Act in the States that benefited cross-boundary waters.
And oh yes -- the current spat over landing rights for the airlines from Abu Dhabi and Dubai which has cost us our air force base in the United Arab Emirates. Something which has managed to divide the Harper caucus over something, perhaps for the first time since he took power.
Oh for those days -- pragmatism over ideology.
Harper has only himself to blame that Canada is the world's laughing stock, instead of a beacon of hope and reason. And all of this, under a minority Parliament.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
The United Nations conveniently divides the non-permanent seats on a geographic basis to ensure a global perspective to balance the original five nuclear powers which also happen to have vetoes. For example, one seat always goes to an Arab League member to ensure the interests of the whole bloc and not just the individual country is represented.
The Western Europe and "Others" group (Others being the Caribbean, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) get two of the non-permanent seats for a two year term. Traditionally, a non-European country is one of the two chosen to ensure the European Union doesn't have effective control of the UN's enforcement body. A ⅔ vote of the General Assembly is required to grab one of the seats. Yesterday, after being in last place after the first ballot but with no hope of catching up to Portugal (Germany was on the verge of winning the other seat anyway) Canada conceded -- and then PM Harper promptly blamed Michael Ignatieff for ensuring there wasn't a "united" front from Parliament.
Excuse me?
Just months after winning a minority government, Harper openly supported the carpet bombing of Lebanon. He's ripped up virtually every environmental agreement we've signed. He's cut foreign aid to Africa substantially while boosting it to Latin America (mostly to, again, corrupt government - à la the US). And last year, on the opening day of the annual General Assembly, he skips the session to open up Manhattan's first Tim Hortons ™. And he thinks bottles of maple syrup will make up for all of that?
Keep in mind that at the start of the Oslo Round of the Middle East peace talks, Canada (under Mulroney, a Progressive Conservative) offered to deal with the strand that is coping with the most contentious issue of all -- housing and the right of return for Palestinians to Israel proper. This was continued under Campbell, Chrétien and Martin, but thanks to Harper we've had that taken away from us and with just cause. We are no longer seen as a fair arbiter when it comes to that part of the world -- supporting Israel while insisting on justice for the dispossessed Palestinians (Muslims and Christians).
At present, no country I am aware of has their embassy to Israel in Jerusalem simply because the final status has not been determined. In fact, if one was born in Jerusalem, a Canadian passport will only denote the city, not Israel. But the religious groups that Harper panders to have repeatedly demanded that Canada move its embassy in Tel Aviv back to Jerusalem. If not Harper, then perhaps someone with an even greater ideological bent than he will make that move. Then whatever is left of Canada's supposed fair mindedness will be shattered forever. Oh, and with that, any hopes of a free trade agreement with the EU also goes out the window.
As for dumping Africa off his foreign policy priorities -- well, imagine if Harper had been Prime Minister instead of Mulroney some twenty-five years ago. I'm not saying that Lying Brian was the only person responsible for the freeing of Nelson Mandela, but his standing up to Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher and the evil policy of "constructive engagement" was a major turning point -- many countries followed our example and imposed crushing sanctions on South Africa that forced it to reform. Harper might have just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Why should we support a convicted terrorist?" Apartheid might have lingered a lot longer -- perhaps forever.
And it was Mulroney that pushed Reagan towards a toughened Clean Water Act in the States that benefited cross-boundary waters.
And oh yes -- the current spat over landing rights for the airlines from Abu Dhabi and Dubai which has cost us our air force base in the United Arab Emirates. Something which has managed to divide the Harper caucus over something, perhaps for the first time since he took power.
Oh for those days -- pragmatism over ideology.
Harper has only himself to blame that Canada is the world's laughing stock, instead of a beacon of hope and reason. And all of this, under a minority Parliament.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
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