The Royal Unionist

Hurricane Irene Hoax: Tomorrow's Weather Forecast Wrong, But Not Future Climate Predictions?

2011-08-29T23:59:00.012-04:00

A satellite image of Hurricane Irene headed to the North American East Coast. Also featured is Al Gore's head spinning out of control from trying to spin to the public how every weather event is due to man-made climate change.

Despite all the dire warnings from experts that Hurricane Irene would cause horrific damage to the East Coast of North America, it turned out that the forecasts for the strength of winds and the amount of rain were greatly overestimated. The big talk in New York City is that Mayor Bloomberg went too far in shutting down the subway and other services in preparation for the storm. And yet prior to Irene hitting the East Coast both FEMA and media were reporting that Irene would be far stronger and bring far more catastrophic consequences. So the question that must be asked: The experts couldn't properly forecast Irene's effect on New York City's weather the next day, but we're expected to believe their predictions for future climate patterns?

Al Gore's climate-change scientists say in a report that we need to reduce our carbon emissions to avoid an alien invasion of planet earth, but then economist Paul Krugman says an alien invasion would be good to stimulate the economy as was done with the build-up to WWII. So American liberals seem deeply divided on whether an alien invasion would be good for mankind or not. Which of these two liberal academics will President Obama listen to?

And as expected, proponents of the theory of anthropological global warming or climate change were quick to blame Hurricane Irene on the effects of mankind's emission of greenhouse gases. Some are already explaining away the embarrassing inaccuracy of these Irene predictions, saying that predicting weather is far more difficult than predicting climate. Well, if it's so difficult then how come these said climate experts are comfortable claiming that hurricanes like Irene are a direct cause of man-made climate change? So again, they can't accurately predict tomorrow's weather in New York City but they can definitively link this weather to long-term climate change patterns?

Today's news on the theory of anthropological global warming or man-made climate change became even stranger than what didn't happen with Hurricane Irene this past weekend. A report was released today, whose authors included reputed experts such as NASA scientists, that warned that man's greenhouse emissions could lead to an alien invasion from outer space. The report says that the aliens may seek to destroy mankind to protect other civilizations in the universe from our destructive, CO2-emitting ways. On the bright side US economist Paul Krugman, citing the economic build-up during WWII, recently suggested that an alien invasion would lead to economic recovery!

Also in the news today was yet another bizarre outburst from the self-proclaimed climate change prophet himself, Al Gore Jr. Ever since Climategate exposed that the East Anglia models being used to as evidence to support man-made climate change were deliberately manipulated, the Prophet Al no longer even tries to use scientific facts to argue in favour of his theory. This time Gore likened climate change skeptics to past racists in the US South like Bull Connor! In the Prophet Al's liberal mind a racist is not a Darwinist thinker who believes that groups of Homosapiens are at genetically different levels of evolutionary development, but a Tea Party conservative who's crazy enough to believe in the free market over central government planning!

SOURCES:

Figures. Libs Already Blaming Climate Change For Hurricane Irene - HUMAN EVENTS

Aliens may destroy humanity to protect other civilisations, say scientists

Al Gore Likens Global Warming Doubters to Racists

Krugman calls for space aliens to fix U.S. economy

New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key Pays Tribute to Fallen Hero, Kiwi SAS Soldier Corporal Doug Grant

2011-08-27T03:39:00.003-04:00

Key Notes: Remembering Corporal Doug Grant

During one of his regular addresses to New Zealanders updating them on the affairs of the country Prime Minister John Key gives a heartfelt tribute to the recently fallen hero, New Zealand Special Air Services Member Doug Grant. This highly elite unit, modeled after the UK's Special Air Services, is part of New Zealand's contribution to the US-led War in Afghanistan. The word 'hero' is often tossed around casually in today's media, but Corporal Doug Grant died in the heroic act of attempting to rescue hostages from the British Council offices in Kabul, Afghanistan. The portrait of Queen Elizabeth behind the Right Honourable John Key is a fitting backdrop from which to pay tribute to a soldier who sacrificed his life 'For Queen and Country'.

Some might remember seeing New Zealand Prime Minister Key from his attendance
at the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton last April.

Below is a transcript of the remarks in his video from the PM's 'Key Notes' newsletter:

"Yesterday I went to the private SAS memorial service for Corporal Doug Grant.

Corporal Grant, who was 41 years old, was killed in Afghanistan last Friday. He was shot while trying to rescue hostages from the British Council offices in Kabul, and died on the way to hospital.

His death is a stark reminder of the dangers our Defence Force personnel face while serving in Afghanistan.

My thoughts are with Corporal Grant's wife, Tina, his two young children, and his whole family. On Monday I'll be attending the Defence Force funeral at Linton Army Camp."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Corporal Douglas Grant who paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

May God rest your soul and may He keep watch over your widow and family!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SOURCES:

Key Notes: Remembering Corporal Doug Grant

Corporal Grant begins final journey

Who Will Rule Post-Gaddafi Libya? The Muslim Brotherhood and the 'Arab Spring'

2011-08-24T11:22:00.006-04:00

Dave Reaboi, Communications Director at the Center for Security Policy, appeared on Michael Savage's radio program on Thursday, May 26, 2011 to discuss the change in the Muslim Brotherhood's phased plan in the context of the so-called 'Arab Spring' in Egypt.

The Western media has been clueless at best and negligent at worst in its coverage of the so-called 'Arab Spring'. There are credible warnings from American and Israeli intelligence analysts that Islamic groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda such as the Muslim Brotherhood are involved in these uprisings. Worse yet, often being the best organized members of the opposition to Arab nationalist dictators, they may successfully fill the power vacuum once these dictators are toppled. This is precisely what happened when the Shah of Persia was toppled in the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Islamic fundamentalists led by Ayatollah Khomeini seized power . Now that Libya's Muammar Gaddafi has been overthrown, it is uncertain how much influence hardline Islamist groups connected with the Brotherhood may have in post-Gaddafi Libya.

In Egypt the consequences of toppling dictator Hosni Mubarak are less well known since the Egyptian military is strong and disciplined enough to stop radical Islamist groups from seizing power immediately. Nonetheless, even in Egypt the recent attacks on Israel from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula by radical Islamic groups show the deteriorating security situation there. In Libya, which has no stabilizing military institution like Turkey or Egypt, Islamic terror groups like the Muslim Brotherhood or Al-Qaeda might be able to seize power far more quickly. Consider the following sobering facts:

- Western media outlets and governments, including then US President Jimmy Carter, mistakenly believed that the Iranian revolution would lead to a democratic state instead of a Islamic one.

- Many security analysts warned in vain that topping Saddam Hussein would allow hard-line Shiite Muslims allied with Iran's Ayatollahs to gain more political power.

- The security situation in Egypt's Sinai has been rapidly deteriorating as Al-Qaeda affiliated groups close to the Bedouin recently launched a terrorist attack across the border in Israel.

- Since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and the uprising against Gaffafi in Libya, a large number of Libyan arms have been smuggled into the hands of terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

- Libyan Islamists reportedly killed one of the two leading rebels fighting Muammar Gaddafi, a secularist named General Abdel Fattah Younes.

- The strongest opposition to Bashir Assad in Syria has been the city of Hama, the city where Assad's father brutally cracked down on an uprising by Syria's Muslim Brotherhood.

SOURCES:

George Jonas: Could Libya’s next rulers be worse than Gaddafi?

Islamists blamed for killing General Abdel Fattah Younes as Libya's rebels face up to enemy within

Israel Under Fire: The Growing Threat From Sinai

Looted Libyan arms flooding into Gaza

After U.S. War in Iraq, Iran Gains Political Influence - TIME

St. Bernard of Clairvaux: His Experience of God's Love Proved the Pen Mightier than the Sword

2011-08-20T23:50:00.006-04:00

Died August 20th 1153 at the age of 62.

Canonized January 18, 1174, Rome by Pope Alexander III

Patron of Burgundy, beekeepers, candlemakers, Knights Templar

Honoured in the Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran Churches

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Before the reformers of the Protestant Reformation were reformers like St. Bernard. Saints who reformed the Church from within while preserving the unity of the body of Christ. Many today might forget that even as early as the twelfth century the prospects for the Church, the bride of Christ in the world, looked grim. The Church in that time faced spiritual decline, possible schism from heresy, and the threat of militant Islam. But even more mightily than Charlemagne's sword centuries earlier, St. Bernard's pen moved in defense of Christendom. The mellifluous voice from Clairvaux Abbey attacked moral decadence, heretics and schismatics, and the military threat from Islam. Bernard's devotion to Christ, St. Mary, and all the Angels and Saints led him to experience the love of God in a way that impressed bishops, kings and commoners alike.

The more sophisticated but spiritually decadent theologians and academics of his time, like Peter Abelard, were no matched for his simple but pure devotion to the teachings of the Gospel. Anti-popes like Anacletus II and Christian heretics like the Cathars alike could not temper the zeal with which he defended the Orthodox Faith. And meditating upon the feats of the Maccabees and the just war teachings of St. Augustine, he seamlessly fused the seemingly contradictory professions of monk and warrior into a new knighthood. If there's anything we should remember today in remembering St. Bernard it is that man may try to rationalize God in his mind in vain, but it is opening one's heart to God's word that is the key to loving and understanding God. And that it is therefore evangelization and living a holy life, and not ecumenism and merely being scholarly, that is the key to the unity of the church.

At the end of his life Saint Bernard confessed to being conflicted by his desire to serve Christ in this world and have his soul reunited with God. Reciting one of the many verses from Sacred Scripture which he knew by heart, he repeated Saint Paul's words in Philippians 1:23 . “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far".

Now let us pray to God and take to heart the words and exoteric experience of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux:

Rejoice Jerusalem, and recognize now the time in which you are visited! Be glad and give praise together, wastes of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has ransomed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all peoples. O virgin of Israel, you were fallen and there was none to raise you up. Arise now and shake off the dust, O virgin, captive daughter of Sion. Arise, I say, and stand on high. See the happiness which comes to you from your God. You will no longer be referred to as the forsaken one, nor your land any more termed a wilderness; for the Lord takes his delight in you, and your land shall be peopled. Raise your eyes, look about you and see; all these are gathered together and come to you. Here is the help sent to you from the Holy One! Through them is already fulfilled the ancient promise, “I will make you the pride of the ages, a joy from generation to generation. You will suck the milk of the nations and be nourished at the breasts of their sovereignty.” And again, “As a mother consoles her children, so will I console you, and in Jerusalem you will be comforted.”

SOURCES:

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Wikipedia)

St. Bernard of Clairvaux: On Loving God

St. Bernard of Clairvaux: In Praise of the New Knighthood

Prince Charles and Camilla Cut Holiday Short to Visit Youth in Communities Where Rioting Broke Out

2011-08-18T23:44:00.003-04:00

(Getty Images: Steve Parsons/WPA/Pool)

Showing concern for the state of youth in his country, Prince Charles and Camilla ended their holiday in Scotland to visit youth Tottenham in the areas where the UK riots recently broke out. The Prince of Wales already contributes significant amounts of money through The Prince's Trust help underprivileged youth. Clarence House recently announced that the amount of money to this charity would be doubled. What was notable of the coverage of his tour through these neighbourhoods was how the poor in these neighbourhoods felt at ease speaking with the Prince, and opened up to him about their concerns about the lawlessness and the government's response.

This stood in stark contrast to the elected politicians like Prime Minister David Cameron who, perhaps in part to address public anger, were obliged to take a hard line against the youth. The Prince in contrast was able to leave the criminal prosecutions to the British Prime Minister's Office and address issues on how to improve programs that will allow youths to escape the gang culture and improve their lives. Many living in these neighbourhoods remarked to reporters how much they appreciated the unexpected visit by the Prince and his wife. They expressed their appreciation for the compassion shown by the couple saying they 'would not have expected them to care.'

SOURCES:

Prince Charles' sympathy for the gang boys

Prince Charles: Joining gangs is a cry for help

Prince Charles, Camilla visit riot hotspots

Princes Trust to invest in city after riots

Royal Roundup: Prince Charles and Camilla Visit Riot Neighborhoods

Campaign to Restore the Royal Designation to Canada's Navy and Air Force a Success!

2011-08-16T19:46:00.001-04:00

On July 4th one of the Canadian Air Force's Sea King helicopter is piloted by Prince William as his wife and a crowd in Prince Edward Island looks on during the 2011 Royal Tour. Today, a little over a month after their visit, Canada's government announces the reinstatement the royal designation to the Canadian Air Force and Navy.

On the hundredth anniversary of Canada's Navy accepting the royal designation from King George V on August 16th 1911, the Restore the Honour! Veterans' Campaign to Reinstate the Royal Designation to Canada's Navy and Air Force came to a successful conclusion. In making the announcement today Canada's Minister of National Defence said the government was correcting a 'historical wrong' that was committed, when these royal honours were dropped with the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces in 1968. While most Quebec separatists in the federal opposition NDP were insulted by the move, most Canadian veterans applauded the restoration of the names as long overdue.

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence made the following comments in his televised statement earlier today

“Restoring these historic identities is an important way of reconnecting today’s men and women in uniform with the proud history and traditions they carry with them as members of the Canadian Forces...A country forgets its past at its own peril. From Vimy Ridge to the Battle of the Atlantic and from Korea to the defence of Europe during the Cold War, the proud legacy of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force will once again serve as a timeless link between our veterans and serving soldiers, sailors and air personnel.”

Photograph byTed Harris, Historical poster

The Conservative Government of PM Harper deserves credit for this historic day. A special thanks should be given to former Liberal Senator Bill Rompkey, Veteran Cliff Chadderton, as well as Michael J. Smith and those who campaigned and put up the royalsalute.ca web site who worked tirelessly on petitioning the government to restore the royal honour to the Canadian Armed Forces. Even though the campaign has met success, please consider signing the petition. Without question this is a great day for this dominion and her rightful heritage with the Crown and as a part of the Commonwealth. God Save the Queen, Long May She Reign!

Here are some more of the jubilant reactions to today's announcement:

"It is quite an emotional issue for our members,” says Patricia Varga, the Dominion President of The Royal Canadian Legion. “We recognize the importance of tradition and our enduring links to the Royal Crown. From a personal perspective, I have served in the Royal Canadian Navy as did my father, so this issue is very close to my heart”. READ MORE

"How I wish my father could still have been alive, to hear the wonderful news of this restoration; and so many other veterans who spent their last decades watching the bureaucratic takedown of their battle standards. How glad I am for the soldiers now serving, and especially for the sailors and airmen, who may rejoice. David Warren, Ottawa Citizen Columnist READ MORE

"From a monarchist perspective it is always good to see the visibility of the crown restored…for me, it underlines the fact that the military is non-partisan and that the Queen is the commander-in-chief of the military." Robert Finch, Chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada

Restore the Honour! Veteran's campaign to restore the royal designation to Canada's Navy and Air Force

Support the Campaign: http://www.royalsalute.ca

Sign the Petition: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/restore-the-royal-designation-to-the-canadian-navy-and-canadian-air-force/signatures.html

Watch the Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsFI1HVD22A

Follow the Blog: http://rcn-rcaf.blogspot.com/

SOURCES:

DND News Release:Canada Restores Historic Identities of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force

MacKay restores 'royal' to navy, air force names

Canada to put 'Royal' back in its Navy, Air Force

Royal name change for military corrects historical ‘mistake,’ MacKay says

Book Recommendation: The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997

2011-08-13T21:10:00.001-04:00

One of the best reads on the
decline of the British Empire.

Review from Booklist:

"The title, taken from Gibbon’s immortal work on imperial Rome, was chosen since British imperialists consciously compared their empire to the Roman imperium. Despite the title, this is no dreary tale of imperial decay and collapse. Instead, Brendon, a fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge, has written a colorful and often brilliant examination of the imperial experience from the American Revolution to the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. He combines the genres of narrative history, travelogue, and biographical sketch to capture the richness, majesty, squalor, and injustice that created and maintained a vast edifice that has left an indelible imprint on the contemporary world. The narrative ranges across imperial settings in a successful effort to illustrate how both ordinary and extraordinary people lived, thrived, and often suffered under the British flag. Of course, decline and ultimate fall is part of the story. As a liberal empire based (in spirit if not always in practice) on the ideals of political liberty and even equality, it was an empire that contained the seeds of its own destruction, as citizens from America to India took those ideals to heart. The breadth, diversity, greatness, and failures of the British Empire have rarely been portrayed as well. --Jay Freeman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition."

SOURCES:

Yahoo Groups: The British Empire

Amazon.ca: The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997

Booklistonline.com: The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997

London's Boroughs Are Burning Down, Burning Down, Burning Down

2011-08-09T23:57:00.006-04:00


Fire rages through a building in Tottenham, north London early Sunday Aug. 7, 2011, as trouble flared after members of the community took to the streets to protest over the alleged police shooting which killed a local man last Thursday. (/AP Photo) SOURCE

The fourth night since the first riots erupted in Tottenham in North London, and the riots only seem to be growing in number. The plight of Britain's underprivileged youth, heightened by divisions of race and social class, has been written about extensively in light of these massive riots which have now spread to other cities in the United Kingdom. No doubt the United Kingdom suffers from both a permanent underclass and high youth unemployment, whose members know they have little or no chance of upward social mobility.

Still, a little historical perspective will show that London has suffered catastrophic events before from Norwegians and Vikings plundering the city, to the Black Death, to the Bombing of London in World War Two. In fact, one theory is that popular nursery rhyme London Bridge Is Falling Down originated with the destruction of the bridge by Olaf II of Norway around 1010. Perhaps it's time for the rhyme to updated again to commemorate the latest London riots:

London's boroughs are burning down,
burning down, burning down.
London's boroughs are breaking down,
My fair lady.

Put them out with water spray,
Water spray, water spray,
Put them out with hose and spray,
My fair lady.

SOURCES:

London riots bring back memories of disenfranchised British youth

UK Police Arrest Over 200 as London Riots Continue

Downgraded US Credit Rating and Turmoil in Europe Show EU and North American Union Won't Work

2011-08-07T00:03:00.004-04:00

The headlines today were dominated by news that Standard and Poor's downgraded the United States Department of Treasury debt from the top 'AAA' rating to 'AA+'. This is the first time the United States has been downgraded since 1917 which includes the period of the Great Depression. Meanwhile, it looks as though the European Union faces either disintegration or extreme hardship as it looks like only a short matter of time before Italy and Spain default on paying their bondholders. In fact, the situation in Europe is more dire since the debt crisis their is driven completely by severe economic difficulties rather than political gridlock. Wasn't it only a decade ago that analysts were saying it would be inevitable that Canada would be gobbled up by a North American Union? Weren't some of those same experts also saying that the future prosperity of the United Kingdom depended on closer integration with the European Union? One wonders if they will admit that massive public debt has led to this crisis or, like US President Barack Obama, instead blame the debt crisis on the Japan Tsunami and Arab Spring? Or maybe even blame it on Climate Change as some statists have already?

SOURCES:

S&P Strips U.S. of Top Credit Rating

Euro dream threatens to become nightmare

EU faces crisis of legitimacy, warns former Europe minister

Obama Blames Arab Springs And Tsunami In Japan For Slower Growth

Climate change poses economic threat

Left-Wing Pundits Call Tea Party Terrorists, Exploit Norway Shootings to Undermine War on Terrorism

2011-08-04T17:41:00.008-04:00

One of the world's foremost experts on terrorism explains how a left-wing propaganda machine tries to attribute mainstream Christian and conservative ideas to a psychopath's self-designed doctrine written to justify his megalomaniacal mission.

I ask you first the read the previous posting on this blog for some background.

Not long after bona fide Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik murdered seventy-seven people in the 2011 Norway attacks, an exasperated US Vice President Joe Biden is reported to have referred to the Tea Party movement as 'terrorists'. There's no question that the US Vice President made those remarks in a highly-charged emotional atmosphere on Capitol Hill, when the White House was frustrated at how slow the talks to raise the debt-ceiling were going in large part to the Tea Party Caucus in the US Congress.

To their credit the White House press corps was quick to call the aforementioned comments 'inappropriate' as soon as they were reported and apologized. The very fact that the Tea Party had worked and continues to work to elect members of Congress disqualifies them for using violence achieve political ends. Nonetheless, is this really the first time that left-wing politicians and their media pundits have made outlandish claims about the threat of terrorism from Christians and conservatives?

The answer, unfortunately, must be 'no'. You might recall a few years back that at the same time the left-wing US administration of President Obama was working shutting down Guantanamo Bay arguing the threat of Islamic terrorism was overblown, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was defending a report emphasizing the threat of terrorism from military veterans recruited by "Christian fundamentalist" and "conservative, right-wing" groups. As with Biden's comments, the White House eventually apologized to veterans.

So members the left-wing have been exploiting every terrorist attack from the Oklahoma City bombing to the Norway attacks by accusing the words of Christians and conservatives for inciting 'right-wing extremism'. The latest mantra from the left-wing is that Islamophobia from politicians like Dutch politician Geert Wilders is also to blame for these shootings. Other culprits responsible for brainwashing Breivik include the British "far-right" which presumably includes anyone who doesn't support the EU and multiculturalism.

Irshad Manji, another so-called
'right-wing extremist'.

As columnist Mark Steyn said yesterday on The Source with Ezra Levant, almost anyone whose ideology doesn't conform to political correctness is automatically labelled as 'right-wing'. As an example Steyn includes Islamic feminist Irshad Manji who, like Breivik, is also described by the usual suspects as 'right-wing'. So right-wing parties in Norway are being blamed, the Tea Party and Sarah Palin are being blamed, and conservative media personalities are being blamed for not confessing that Breivik was inspired by their writings.

The truth is that Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was an atheist who criticized both left-wing liberals and right-wing conservatives of destroying America. Even a cursory glance at Anders Breivik's manifesto reveals someone who is a non-practicing, cultural Christian who quotes in his manifesto as much from left-wing writers like Canadian Naomi Klein as he does right-wing ones like American Robert Spencer.

Remember John Allen Muhammad who was the perpetrator of the Beltway sniper attacks or the recent Fort Hood shooting? No, I am sure you don't. And the reason is that the left-wing media is trying to create a narrative which is that Caucasian, Christian and conservative men who watch Fox News Channel are just as likely to commit acts of terrorism as are Arab Muslim men who watch Al-Jazeera. This is portrayed humoursly in the movie An American Carol:

We conservatives understand is that those ultimately responsible for terrorist acts of violence are the terrorists themselves who carried out those attacks. The reason the left-wing is dangerous is they seek to politicize the apolitical by blaming any possible part of society except the actual perpetrator for acts of terrorism. If it can't be explained by poverty, racism, sexism, or another unjust discrimination then it must be because of the 'right-wing'. How else to explain their insistence that Fox News or the Tea Party is somehow more responsible for the Norway attacks than Anders Breivik himself?

SOURCES:

Claim Biden Called Tea Party 'Terrorists' Stirs Furor

Napolitano defends report on right-wing extremist groups

Wilders accuses left of demonising him over Norway shootings (update)

Evidence grows of Norwegian mass murderer Breivik’s ties to British far-right

Norway's right-wing on defensive after attacks

Meet the Right-Wing Hatemongers Who Inspired the Norway Killer

Right-wing spin compounds Norway tragedy

Chrome Now 2nd Most Used Web Browser in Britain, Study Shows this Blog's Readers Have Higher IQ

2011-08-02T15:17:00.006-04:00

Chrome Logo

It has been widely reported that Chrome has moved ahead of Firefox as the most used web browser in Britain. This should not comes as a surprise since Google's Chrome web browser has been rated by many as being as fast or faster than Mozilla's Firefox. It's also not surprising that Microsoft's Internet Explorer is still number one since it is tied with Microsoft's operating systems which remain the most used of their kind for PC operating systems. Meanwhile, a new study reported by the BBC indicates that Internet Explorer users have a lower IQ than those who use other web browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, Camino and Opera. What does that mean? That means that, unsurprisingly, that the average reader of this blog has an above average IQ. Here are the numbers from Google analytics of the above-average intelligence of this blog's readers:

Pageviews by Browsers
Firefox (50%)
Internet Explorer (16%)
Chrome (12%)
Opera (10%)
Safari (5%)
Mobile (3%)
Mobile Safari (<1%)

SOURCES:

Google Chrome Becomes Britain’s Second Most Popular Browser as Firefox Slips to Third

Internet Explorer users have lower IQ says study

Congratulations to Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall!

2011-07-31T22:52:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, and to rugby star Mike Tindall on their recent marriage! This is the second wedding this year for the Royal family and that the Queen has attended. All the best to the happy couple in their life together!

Here are some pictures of the wedding from the Guardian newspaper.

SOURCE:

Zara Phillips and English rugby star tie the knot

Remember the Humorous Superbowl 'Green Police' Ad? Don't Laugh, Australia Now Has Carbon Cops

2011-07-28T23:37:00.012-04:00

2010 Super Bowl Car Ad - The Green Police

It sounds like some sort of joke that a right-wing shock jock in the US might make about left-wing claims of anthropological global warming. But if anyone doubts the adage that 'reality is stranger than fiction' they need look no further than to the headlines in Australia. Yes, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is bringing in new legislation that would create 'carbon cops'. Relating to an earlier post explaining the link between leftist socialism and nationalist authoritarianism, is there any better example of this than the Orwellian-sounding 'Clean Energy Regulator' in the Australian Labor Party's carbon tax bill?

This comes as new date from NASA reported today shows that the climate data from the IPCC has been false and alarmist. Another story reports that as part of the Labour government's plan to battle so-called 'man-made global warming', they are also looking into the possibility of hiring 'camel killers'. It's not yet known if these 'camel killers' would also have all the power of 'carbon cops'. The authority of these inspectors under the legislation would include the power to:

Enter the premises of any company and demand copies of any information.
Obtain information from company employees even if it incriminates them.
Have the courts punish attempts to subvert the carbon scheme by up to 10 years in jail or fines of $1.1 million for corporations.

Early signs in Prime Minister Gillard's own electorate indicate that there could be a backlash from Australian voters against her own carbon tax legislation.

The verdict - what the voters in the Prime Minister's backyard say. Source: Sunday Herald Sun

Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition and Australian Liberal Party and The Nationals' Coalition, Tony Abbott, wasted no time coming out swinging against the carbon tax legislation. Abbott spoke to the Nine's Today Show, saying “I mean this is a draconian new police force chasing an invisible, odourless, weightless, tasteless substance...Not only is the carbon tax going to be with you every time you turn on the TV or open the fridge or get into bed with the electric blanket on, there's now going to be a carbon cop...The carbon cop could hit you with 10 years in jail and million dollar plus fines.”

**Special mention to anyone who comments on this post explaining why Al Gore and his environmentalist friends quietly replaced the phrase 'global warming' with 'climate change' instead.**

SOURCES:

Global Warming Scam

New NASA Data Blow Gaping Hole In Global Warming Alarmism

Australia May Pay Camel Killers in an Effort to Combat…Climate Change?

Australia Now Has Carbon Cops

Voters in Julia Gillard's electorate revolt after her carbon tax

Tony Abbott says 'draconian' carbon cop force will chase 'invisible' substance

At Least in the Anglosphere, Darwinian Nationalism is Neither Christian Nor Conservative

2011-07-26T23:45:00.009-04:00

Even a cursory read through the 1,500 page manifesto of the perpetrator of the attacks in Norway shows that he was certainly no 'Christian' nor a 'right-wing, conservative'. At least not according to how those words are understood in the Anglosphere. In Norway one is registered a Christian at birth until you formally notify the government that you have chosen another religious faith. In the Anglosphere, we would typically only consider someone a Christian who practices their faith on a weekly basis by attending church, praying and so forth. As it is, the perpetrator has said in no uncertain terms that he considers his beliefs to be 'Darwinian', not 'Christian'. The shooters admits supporting Christianity only insofar as it is the culture of Europe to be protected from islamization.

The same also goes for the media assertion that he is a 'right-wing conservative'. Now it is common in Europe for nationalism to be identified with conservatism. But have you ever wondered why nationalism in the Anglosphere is typically associated with left-wing or liberal, left-wing republicans and unionism with right-wing, conservative monarchists? That's because nationalists from at least the time of the French Revolution onward believe in man-made political equality guaranteed by the laws of the nation state. Whereas unionists from at least the time of the British Empire onward believe in God-given economic prosperity through the sovereignty of a personal union.

Despite the often incoherent ramblings of the Norway shooter, it is clear that he identifies himself both as a Darwinist and a Nationalist. So although he idealized a white Christendom, his politics would embrace a form of ethnic and romantic nationalism more akin to national socialism than cultural conservatism. It has been intellectual dishonesty and/or laziness by left-wing academics, media outlets, and governments that they have described socialist and totalitarian philosophies such as national socialism and fascism as 'right-wing'.

So it should be no surprise then that these usual suspects, even in the English-speaking world, are so quick to label this Darwinian nationalist a 'conservative' and 'Christian'. For a correct understanding of Darwinist and nationalist ideology, read anything by Erik Maria Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, The Mises Institute, or from the Austrian School.

SOURCES:

Intellectual Conservative's Review of Leftism Revisited

2083: A European Declaration of Independence

Why Nazism Was Socialism and Why Socialism Is Totalitarian

Race and Racism in Europe - The French Revolution And The Nation

The Norway Massacre: Born of Ideology or Belief?

Terrorist proclaimed himself 'Darwinian,' not 'Christian'

Social Darwinism: Science and Myth in Anglo-American Social Thought

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Vatican Plans Outreach to Fill Europe's Empty Pews, But is a Lack of Evangelisation the Real Problem?

2011-07-24T14:39:00.007-04:00

Photo by Jim McGuire

The Vatican has recently come out and announced a 'War Against European Secularisation' that is to take place during the six-week period of Lent in 2012. The initiative will be centred around workshops to take place in many of Europe's cathedrals in major cities such as Barcelona, Budapest, Brussels, Dublin, Cologne, Lisbon, Liverpool, Paris, Turin, Vienna and Warsaw. Without giving specifics, the Vatican said that these will focus on 'ordinary pastoral care activities'.This is an encouraging development in a continent where the church pews more and more are noticeably empty on Sundays.

The real question is whether or not a lack of evangelisation is the most fundamental problem for the declining number of Europeans attending church. Based on the rapid decline of 'liberal Christian' churches in the United States, and the growth of churches with a 'conservative theology' the answer must be 'no'. If the Catholic Church really wants to be taken seriously again, she must first take herself seriously by confronting her own members who take a secularized, liberal, 'let's accommodate the world' approach to matters of faith.

SOURCES:

Vatican: Church declares war on European 'secularisation'

Liberal Christianity goes into meltdown

Victims of Phone Hacking Deserve Justice, But the Narrow Focus on Murdoch is Really about Payback

2011-07-21T22:34:00.016-04:00

The last edition of the News of the World newspaper. Reuters photo

News Corp's tabloids do not have clean hands. The victims of the phone hacking scandal deserve justice. That being said, much of the criticism being leveled at Rupert Murdoch is blatant hypocrisy. The truth is that every Briton knows that Fleet Street is filled with tabloid papers engaging in yellow journalism. If anyone thinks that News Corp's now defunct News of the World was the only British tabloid engaging in these scandalous practices, they either don't know much about the tabloid industry in the United Kingdom or are lying to themselves.

The fact is that if British politicians, many of whom as political candidates found it convenient to praise Murdoch when they were looking for endorsements from his papers, are actually serious about cleaning up the tabloid industry in the United Kingdom they would expand the probe far beyond News Corp. But so far they are not and this shows that, at least for the government and the media in the UK, this has far more to do with payback against Murdoch than justice for the victims of phone hacking.

After all, these politicians in the United Kingdom have long lived in fear from the power of Murdoch's News Corp Empire which controls about forty percent of the UK market. And these rival media companies in the United Kingdom have long been trounced in viewers and readership by Murdoch wherever he has challenged them. And how quickly we forget that the British public that is now so outraged about the murdered girl having her phone hacked, is the same public whose voracious appetite for reading News of the World and other tabloid trash has made this unethical journalism very profitable.

Democrats in the US loath Rupert Murdoch for launching

Fox News which they see as having been instrumental in the

rise of the tea party movement in the US. It has climbed to

the number one cable news network in that country.

The payback has gotten so bad that members of the Democrat Party in the US are now pushing the FBI investigation into the practices of News Corp's far more considerable holdings in the US. Incredibly, these Democrat lawmakers openly admit their motivation is not evidence that 9/11 victims had their cell phones hacked, but that they hope to destroy Murdoch as payback for his "GOP-friendly" Fox News Channel. So the hypocritical politicians, rival media companies, and unwashed masses are really trying to make themselves look good by pretending this is about justice for the victims of phone hacking.

The truth is that for most of those wagging their fingers at Murdoch this is far more about payback against him for his enormous political influence, ever increasing shares in the English-speaking media market, and the intoxicating lie that one media baron alone is responsible for the yellow journalism plaguing the United Kingdom. Murdoch's company should and will pay for what their employees did. But the incestuous relationship between the United Kingdom's political, media, and working classes that has corrupted British society reveals not one, but many unclean hands.

SOURCES:

Other views: Murdoch's 'righteous' critics

Tabloid Shock! Outrage!

Fury at Murdoch reflects pent-up anger of intimidated politicians

News of the World hits U.K. news stands for last time following phone-hacking scandal

US Starts Investigation on Whether 9/11 Victims' Phones Were Hacked

L.A.’s Stars Shone Brightly on their Celebrity, But in Canada’s Red Glow Will and Kate are Family

2011-07-19T23:26:00.012-04:00

The Beatles' Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles

“We haven't seen a love-in like that since the first visit of the Beatles.” - PM Stephen Harper joking about the crowd’s reaction to the couple's Canada Day appearance on Parliament Hill

For anyone who has joined the crowds to catch a glimpse of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, more affectionately known as Will and Kate, there is no question that this couple received a rock-star welcome everywhere they appeared publicly on their Royal Tour of Canada. Any couple that has hundreds of media reporters from around the world following them rightly deserve to be called celebrities. Afterward when they flew to Los Angeles, the city of the world’s most famous celebrities, and no doubt the media attention on their celebrity intensified even more than it had previously on their tour. And yet, for most Canadians it’s probably not sights and sounds of the three-hundred thousand strong crowds gathered around Parliament Hill cheering them on like its ‘the first visit of the Beatles’ all over again that will be most remembered.

No, it’s those personal moments with the Royals not always captured by the flashes of the cameras or the ears of news reporters. It’s those stories of encounters with the Royals that are most remembered. The small anecdotes that are recalled and passed down from parents to children, grandparents to grandchildren. Indeed, the power of celebrity should not be understated as it stays in the minds of people even into old age. And when many think back to their childhoods, they often do think of the celebrities they admired like music performers or other television stars. Why else would so many people have been deeply moved upon hearing the death of a celebrity like John Lennon? And yet for most people, even of that generation, these sights and sounds of celebrities from childhood are not the ones that will be most remembered.

No, it’s those intimate moments alone with siblings, parents, and grandparents that have the strongest impression on most people’s minds. As memorable as the Beatles’ Ed Sullivan appearance was, could it compare to the memory of your dad taking you fishing for the first time? Or the memory of your mum taking you by the hand on your first day of school? Although we live in a media-driven world in what some even refer to as the age of celebrity, it seems that these quieter, face-to-face moments with kin continue to make the most lasting impression on us. Is it little wonder then that when celebrities themselves are asked ‘Who did you admire most growing up?’, that the question is often quickly followed-up with ‘excluding your parents of course.’ It’s because there’s something more indelible on the human heart than celebrity, and that is family.

Prince William reminds the crowd of his mother, Princess Diana, as he
blushes at the attention from the crowds in Ottawa on Dominion Day.

Kate looks on at her husband.

So you might be wondering at this point what all of this has to do with the Royal couple. The answer is that it has everything to do with them! A mere few weeks ago Canadian republicans, those modern-day roundheads who want to abolish the monarchy, were pointing to the weak celebrity of the Prince of Wales as evidence that the Crown in Canada is irrelevant. After nine days of Canadians basking in the glow of Will’s beet-red face, even the staunchest republican concedes that he and Kate have brought a celebrity status to the realm of the red maple leaf. Having seen the throngs of crowds come out to greet the Duke and his new bride, it’s now impossible for them to deny their celebrity status. However, what they cannot or refuse to hear about those personal relationships they are making with Canadians on their walkabouts.

To be sure, Canada’s future King and Queen are world celebrities as the bright lights of Los Angeles have shown. No doubt even republicans and disinterested passerbyers will continue to acknowledge them as such. But this isn’t why

Canada

loves Will and Kate. No, it’s because for the Royals we in Canada are a part of their family. Like John Lennon in his day, would today’s biggest music celebrity Lady Gaga appeal to such a vast cross-section of Canadians young and old, men and women, Anglophone and Francophone, and from so many national backgrounds? And even if so, it’s unlikely Gaga’s celebrity would afford her personal connections Canadian veterans and school children alike. Canada’s love-in with Will and Kate is a celebration of family traditions over celebrity cults, and creating lasting memories between members of that family.

SOURCES:

Royal newlyweds to fly helicopters, race dragon boats on Canadian tour

Will and Kate’s royal tour revives the family brand

Prince William, Kate hobnob with L.A. stars

Les bleus sont là: A Song of the Royal and Catholic Army of the Vendée

2011-07-17T03:45:00.006-04:00

After learning more about the French Revolution from Bastille Day it becomes clear that the unsung heroes of the counter-revolutionary Royal and Catholic Army of the Vendée. In fact, some believe that if Napoleon didn't have to dispatch ten thousand soldiers to put down a rebellion in that region that the Battle of Waterloo might never have been won and the murderous onslaught of the French Revolutionaries would never have been halted.

It is unfortunate that the French Fifth Republic has not learned the lessons of Revolution, and insists on embracing the Arab Spring without reservation. Revolution, instead of more freedom, brings about anarchy and even greater bloodshed. After all, French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised his countrymen that the 2011 Military Intervention in Libya would be over by Bastille Day and two days afterwards it still rages on.

The song of these brave martyrs refers to the soldiers of the Revolutionary Army of France as 'the blues' because of their blue coats.Here is a translation into English of the song sung by the unsung heroes of the Vendée whose sacrifice every freedom-loving Anglophone would do well to remember:

The Blues are There

The blues are there, the cannon roars,

Say, guys, do you fear?

We fear that the world

is to offend our Lord.

Your body will be thrown into the oven,

doomed to disgrace your name.

We have an honor in the world

is the honor of our Lord.

The Blues at home in the round,

drink the blood of your heart.

We hope that the world

is the heart of our Lord.

C'mon guys, the cannon roars,

Go guys we're winners.

We have only glory in the world,

is the victory of the Lord.

France expects issuing it,

and which seeks to give his faith.

We have a hope to live,

is the return of our King.

Come on guys, for our land,

These our ancestors for our faith.

Let the old war cry:

God lives, France and the King!

SOURCES:
Bleus sont là
War in the Vendée

Bastille Day: A Day of Infamy That Should Set Off Alarms Bells Over the Arab Spring

2011-07-14T23:08:00.000-04:00


The Storming of Bastille in July 1789, marking the end of the French Revolution.

Today the Fifth Republic of France celebrates Bastille Day. There should be lessons learned from the storming of the Bastille and the subsequent Reign of Terror it unleashed in France when looking at the so-called Arab Spring that is currently unfolding before the eyes of the world. At the time the French Revolution was unfolding, many contemporary thinkers in the Age of Enlightenment looked at the revolution sweeping France in as a positive development toward human development and a free society. One such thinker was even one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Thomas Jefferson.

The most prominent opponent to the French Revolutionaries was Edmund Burke, the Father of Conservatism in the Anglosphere, who warned other countries of the danger with which the idea of freedom can easily lapse into the reality of barbarism in his Reflections on the Revolution in France. An article written by Professor Joseph Loconte entitled, Burke's Warning, succinctly lays out the case that Edmund Burke was warning against revolutions with a euphoric embrace of freedom without the sombre understanding of the Fall of Man. Here is an excerpt:

Like the revolution unfolding on the streets of Cairo, the French version was steeped in the language of "justice", "freedom", and "the rights of man". As in Egypt, an ageing and despotic monarch was toppled by a popular rebellion in which the military chose not to intervene. Among the French revolutionaries were the Jacobins, ideological zealots whose radicalism was not fully appreciated. Like Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, they were a minority party but they were better organised and disciplined than their competitors.

SOURCE:

Burke's Warning

What Would a Taliban Victory in Afghanistan Mean for the Future of NATO?

2011-07-12T22:50:00.000-04:00

It's already being debated amongst the talking heads and experts alike if the Taliban will win by virtue of simply waiting out the US-led NATO forces who are already pulling out in large numbers this summer. If this is so, could NATO's stature in the world weaken? And what new military alliances in the world might become more relevant in the future? The previous US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, already warned of a two-tiered NATO with some countries doing the heavy lifting and others not contributing much.

It's interesting to note that in Afghanistan all the current and former Commonwealth countries with substantial military forces include the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia all contributed to the hard fighting in the south of Afghanistan. On the other hand, many of the EU members of NATO stayed in the safety of the north knowing that the public in those countries have little appetite for casualties.

SOURCE:

BBC Debate: 'Has The Taliban Won In Afghanistan?'

Gates: NATO a Two-Tiered Alliance with a Dim, Dismal Future

Go to Official 2011 Royal Tour Web Site and Send Greetings to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

2011-07-08T17:42:00.002-04:00

Official Photo of the 2011 Royal Tour

To Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,

Thank you so much for choosing Canada for your first official overseas tour as newlyweds. The bond and kinship between your family and Canadians has a long ancestral connection, through both the Windsors and the Middletons, and has been strengthened even more by your recent visit. You have both embraced Canadians with genuine affection, and Canadians have affectionately embraced you both.

I know Canadians are already eager with anticipation for you to fulfill your promise to tour Canada again so that you may see more of our fair dominion and your fellow countrymen. May your visit here bring you fond memories as you enjoy many years of happiness together. Like many Canadians, my family and I will keep you both in our thoughts and prayers.

Warmest Wishes,

Graham J. Sproule

Ottawa, Ontario

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2011 Royal Tour web site has this page for people to send their wishes to Will and Kate. Please note the 'Greeting Guidelines' listed below before sending your own personal message to the couple.

Is a Younger Generation Behind the Resurgence of Support for the Canadian Monarchy ?

2011-07-06T21:44:00.001-04:00


Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, greets young Canadians.

While polls by some newspapers like the Toronto Star say 'no' when compared to the even higher support amongst older Canadians, a recent article published by the CBC suggests so. At least if you look at the age group that is currently the fastest-growing group in the Monarchist League of Canada. Whatever the latest shifts in demographic support show, it has long been established by research that older Canadians and younger Canadians are the strongest supporters of the Canadian Monarchy. The least amount of support has long been from the Baby Boomer Generation.

SOURCES:

Younger Canadians royally indifferent to tour, poll shows

Monarchist League getting younger, more dynamic, say members

Kate expectations: Duchess of Cambridge charms young Canadians

Loss of Colonies Led Indirectly to a Reinvigorated British Empire, So Happy July Fourth!

2011-07-04T22:32:00.000-04:00

An American loyalist is tarred and
feathered by American rebels.

For those of us who value the unity and stability that the person of the monarchy provides to the remaining territories of the British Empire, the Fourth of July is obviously not a day of great celebration. However, it is important to remember that in at least some ways Great Britain's loss of the thirteen colonies led to a reinvigorated empire.

First of all, it is uncertain whether British North America would have been consolidated into the modern realm of constitutional monarchy known as Canada had it not been for the loyalists who fled the American Revolution. Although the French Canadian settlers who predominantly made up the population of Canada at the time of the Revolution were content living under the British Crown after the Quebec Act, it is doubtful that they would have been willing to take up arms to defend the Crown in North America alone without being buttressed from the influx of the American loyalists who settled in the Maritimes and Upper Canada.

Second of all, many historians believe that losing the colonies freed up tremendous British financial and military resources from the North American continent that could then be directed toward fighting the French Revolution. While the importance of this is easily forgotten now, at the time the French Revolutionaries were successfully expanding their egalitarian ideas throughout all of Europe culturally, diplomatically, and militarily. By the time of the Emperor Napoleon much of Europe had been conquered in the Napoleonic Wars, and to contemporaries of the period it seemed only a matter of time before Great Britain would fall as well.

Third of all, the loss of the American colonies led to the Royal Navy turning away from expanding the Empire westward to the Americas which became difficult because of American policies like the Monroe Doctrine. Britain's worst convicts could no longer be exiled to American colonies like Georgia so instead a new penal colony was established in a far off continent that would one day become Australia. Also, British Companies like the East India Company looked eastward to the orient to places like Indian and China in expand into new markets.

Fourth of all, you will notice that even the intellectual father of conservatism in the Anglosphere, that great tory and royalist Edmund Burke, was curiously sympathetic to the American Revolutionaries. Burke sympathized to such an extent with the American colonies' grievances against the government of King George III that he made the following speech on 19 April 1774 in favour of a parliamentary motion to repeal the tea tax:

Again and again, revert to your old principles—seek peace and ensue it; leave America, if she has taxable matter in her, to tax herself. I am not here going into the distinctions of rights, nor attempting to mark their boundaries. I do not enter into these metaphysical distinctions; I hate the very sound of them. Leave the Americans as they anciently stood, and these distinctions, born of our unhappy contest, will die along with it.... Be content to bind America by laws of trade; you have always done it.... Do not burthen them with taxes.... But if intemperately, unwisely, fatally, you sophisticate and poison the very source of government by urging subtle deductions, and consequences odious to those you govern, from the unlimited and illimitable nature of supreme sovereignty, you will teach them by these means to call that sovereignty itself in question.... If that sovereignty and their freedom cannot be reconciled, which will they take? They will cast your sovereignty in your face. No body of men will be argued into slavery. Sir, let the gentlemen on the other side...tell me, what one character of liberty the Americans have, and what one brand of slavery they are free from, if they are bound in their property and industry by all the restraints you can imagine on commerce, and at the same time are made pack-horses of every tax you choose to impose, without the least share in granting them. When they bear the burthens of unlimited monopoly, will you bring them to bear the burthens of unlimited revenue too? The Englishman in America will feel that this is slavery; that it is legal slavery, will be no compensation either to his feelings or to his understandings. (Source)

For although they do not appreciate the role that the king plays in the great English tradition of limited government dating back at least as far as the Magna Carta, there should be little doubt that the American Revolution was in some ways a counter-revolution. It was in fact a fight against the tyranny of absolutism sweeping revolutionary Europe at the time that threatened the of the ancient liberties of Englishman as Burke so eloquently stated. The American example would eventually lead to more responsible government in others parts of the Anglosphere. So notwithstanding their stubborn refusal to recognise their lawful sovereign, for these reasons and many others we should raise our glasses and wish our estranged American cousins a very Happy July Fourth!

World's Most Famous Newlyweds Make International Headlines, Attend Dominion Day Celebrations

2011-07-02T10:53:00.000-04:00

Prince William's Speech During Dominion Day

Celebrations on Parliament Hill

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, more popularly known as Will and Kate, joined crowds number about three hundred thousand for Parliament's Hill's annual July 1st Dominion Day celebrations on the second day of their royal tour of Canada. More than the Governor General David Johnston, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, or any of the popular musical bands that were performing for the day's festivities, they received the kind of loud welcome usually received by rock stars. Despite the joyous tone of the celebrations, the message of the day's celebrations was sombre and payed tribute to the sacrifices made by members of Her Majesty's Canadian Armed Forces. The occasion was appropriate as Canada's Mission in Kandahar winds down, considering the importance of Prince William's own family to the Canadian military, and the tradition in Ottawa of honouring the troops with Red Fridays. The Royal fever and the summer heat combined to create a memorable celebration of Canadian pride that has no doubt left Ottawa with one collective hangover!

Happy Dominion Day! God Save the Queen!

SOURCES:

Canada Day Overshadowed by Royal Visit - ABC News (US)

Royal Tour: Kate Middleton and Prince William win over crowds in Ottawa on Canadian visit - The Telegraph (UK)

O Canada! Royals help celebrate Day - The New Zealand Herald

Duke and Duchess wow Canada - The Sydney Morning Herald

Celebrate Canada Day in Canada's Capital Region

Troops mark last Canada Day in Kandahar

Red Fridays Foundation of Canada

So what is the Protocol for Meeting Royalty?

2011-06-29T23:22:00.001-04:00

William and Kate walk through Victoria Barracks in Windsor, west of London, on June 25, to attend a medal parade for the 1st Battalion Irish Guards Regiment. (Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images)

So what protocol should you follow should you meet the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall during their Royal tour of Canada? The overwhelming answer from aides to the Royal Family is 'just be normal' and 'relax'. There are very few guidelines for ordinary citizens who meet members of the Royal Family on the street, but there are traditional forms of greeting that you may want to observe:

A man may perform a small neck bow and a woman may perform a small curtsy
Wait for a Royal to offer their hand first before shaking it and don't shake too hard or long
Address the member as 'Your Royal Highness' or 'Sir' or 'Ma'am' thereafter
Exception is the Queen who should be addressed as 'Your Majesty' followed by 'Ma'am'
Wait for the Royals to approach you and be brief and polite when addressing them

SOURCE:

Royal visit protocol: Bear hugs are out

Demonic Republican Groups in Quebec Seek to Emulate the Vancouver Riots During Royal Visit

2011-06-27T15:25:00.001-04:00

Reign of Terror Following Vancouver Riots Following

the French Revolution Canucks' Stanley Cup Loss

"The Reseau de Resistance de Quebecois (Quebec Resistance Network, or RRQ), a radical separatist group which wants to form a breakaway French-speaking state, has vowed to make the visit “as disagreeable as possible”. Previous royal visits to French-speaking provinces have been marred by violent demonstrations, and the Duke and Duchess have been briefed by royal aides on the possibility of ugly scenes." - Source, Daily Telegraph

So it sounds as though the same kind of left-wing, anarchist groups that brought us the Vancouver riots are once again hellbent demonstrating their preference for anarchy over monarchy. If they aren't busy enough protesting against the church, global capitalism, the United States, Israel, than it seems causing trouble for newlywed Royals will suffice for the time being. You have to wonder if American author Anne Coulter isn't onto something when in her new book, Demonic, she traces the spirit of violent anarchy against God's natural order from the French Revolution down to the petty acts of vandalism by Canucks fans in Vancouver. Let's pray that Montreal riot police in save Canada from another national embarrassment!

SOURCE:

Republican groups vow to disrupt Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's tour of Canada

Vancouver Riots: a National Embarrassment

Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America - Amazon.ca

Prison Fails to Contain the Exceptional Aspirations of Our Land’s Most Illustrious Living Son

2011-06-25T21:24:00.001-04:00

Upon recently hearing the news that British Lord Conrad Black has been re-sentenced to thirteen months more in US prison after all but two to the charges he was convicted on have been dropped, I have decided to re-post this piece I wrote several years ago. The article is as a true today as it was when I wrote it.

Prison Fails to Contain the Exceptional Aspirations of Our Land’s Most Illustrious Living Son

Graham J. Sproule

[Posted on the Facebook Group 'Canadian Conservatives' on November 23rd 2008]

"My son, seek thee out a kingdom equal to thyself; Macedonia has not room for thee." - Plutarch, The Parallel Lives, The Life of Alexander

His fellow inmates content themselves with the daily regimen prescribed for prison life, but Canadian-born Baron Black of Crossharbour has resolved that his current life in prison will be as extraordinary as the life he has always led. And while most of his fellow inmates don’t think far beyond when they will eat for their next meal, he considers his time by using his talents for writing and teaching history. Even back in his grade school while most of his peers were content to follow the established guidelines, Lord Black the student was exceptional for crossing these boundaries with the sheer breadth and scope of his aspirations. Later in life he would cast some light on his intransigence in stating that "The destructive fixation of the envious English-Canadian mind requires that the highest, happiest most agile flyers be laid low. [It is] a sadistic desire corroded by soul-destroying envy, to intimidate all those who might aspire to anything the slightest exceptional."

Having been thus set above his peers so early in life, he firmly resolved that no man impede the illustrious stature to be afforded him by destiny. This resolution proved to be prophetic when he found his path to peerage in the British House of Lords obstructed by a man who also happened to be the Prime Minister of Canada. The Prime Minister’ bitter refusal made the country with the second largest land mass in the world a prison for Lord Black. So like a great Macedonian before him, he left across the sea one day to forge a greater empire for himself. Lord Black would later recall that "[Leaving Canada has been] my gesture against the condition Irving Layton described 35 years ago as the Canadian political and intellectual communities' tendency to regard ‘cowardice as wisdom, philistinism as Olympian serenity and the spitefulness of the weak as moral indignation. Surely we, or as I must now say, with some regret, you, can do better than this."

How Lord Black fell from grace as chief executive officer of Hollinger Inc, the world’s third largest media empire in its day, to prisoner at home in Florida Federal Correction Complex within the span of four years has all the makings of a Shakespearean drama. Once deriding media journalists as “ignorant, lazy, opinionated, intellectually dishonest, and inadequately supervised”, it is little wonder that the recent news that he’s filed for clemency from President Bush has elicited a profligacy of outrage by media punditry across both sides of the Atlantic. And not unlike an old feudal baron from whom his title derives, Lord Black prefers to expand his estate by relying on his own wits rather than any pretense or augmentation of good will. Contemptuous of modern public relations gimmicks like corporate governance, he nonetheless concedes a prison of his own making, stating: "I have no doubt that mothers in America use my name to frighten their children into finishing their vegetables."

Hearing the recent statements from his former company, now renamed The Sun-Times Media Group, one can detect the apparent surprise from the baron’s foes that he has not acquiesced to the confines of his imprisonment. Their surprise betrays their profound ignorance of a man for whom the numerical strength of his adversaries is surpassed only by his extraordinary life accomplishments. As it has been all his life, his exceptional aspirations have only been illuminated and not darkened by imprisonment. Indeed, if the envy of the world cannot contain these aspirations of Lord Black, there is absolutely no reason to believe that our land will contain anything more than the coffin of her most illustrious living son. As he has said, "It will startle and disappoint an entire burgeoning industry of pundits, eulogists and curio-vendors, but I'm far from dead….When everyone is finished dancing on my grave, they may be disconcerted to find I am not in it."

>>>UPDATE<<< FE2X5Q9AUY9D

Read this excellent article by my favourite columnist, David Warren: Guilty of Being Conrad Black

Retiring Australian Senator Minchin Says Defeating the Republican Model was Greatest Achievement

2011-06-23T23:14:00.000-04:00

Australian Senator Nick Minchin, who once was the Australia's Finance Minister in the Government of Prime Minister John Howard, retires and now admits his victories and defeats in public life. Amongst them, he says without hesitation that his greatest achievement was defeating the republican model in the Australian republic referendum in 1999.

The Senator's past efforts to reveal the scam behind the pseudo-science of anthropological global warming should also be highlighted. These efforts are no less admirable than his efforts in the referendum considering that many countries of the industrialized world, which include many members of the Commonwealth, seem hellbent on destroying their own prosperity based on false science as was show by the scandal of Climategate.

All members of the Commonwealth and admirers of the Queen and should salute this unabashed monarchist who is without question one of the Commonwealth of Australia's most distinguished sons and one of her greatest defenders. We thank him for his many years of tireless service on behalf the Crown in Australia and wish him well with his retirement from public service.

SOURCES:

Exit Minchin, unabashed monarchist to the end

Climategate

Summer Solstice Marks Prince William's 29th Birthday, Release of Itinerary for 2011 Royal Tour

2011-06-21T19:49:00.001-04:00

2011 Summer Solstice at Stonehenge
The Druids practiced religious festivals here before both
Christianity and the Monarchy were firmly established in England

Today, the 2011 summer solstice was not only the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, but marked some significant dates for royal watchers. It is Prince William's 29th birthday and a detailed itinerary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Royal Canadian Tour was also officially released by Clarence House and Rideau Hall. This will be their first state visit abroad as a newly married couple.

So how did the Duke of Cambridge spend his birthday? He spent it like many of his subject do by having go into work! William was on full duty today in Wales where he works as a helicopter search and rescue pilot. It's unclear if Kate was able to celebrate his birthday as she is reportedly in London preparing for their visit to Canada. It's also reported that they are cutting the staff they will bring with them on this trip by half to save taxpayer money.

While the first day of summer felt warm and like summer in parts of Canada, other parts of the country were cold and did not. Hopefully, there is warm summer weather for their visit to Canada. But if not the public shouldn't be worried, as they are going to visit famously sunny Los Angeles afterwards! The complete itinerary for the 2011 Royal Tour of Canada may be found on the Official Government of Canada web site here.

SOURCES:

Prince William celebrates his 29th birthday (at work)

Itinerary for 2011 Royal Tour

Happy Loyalist Day Ontario!

2011-06-19T18:26:00.000-04:00

Coat of Arms and Motto of Ontario

"Loyal she began, loyal she remains."

Today marks United Empire Loyalist Day in Ontario, Canada when the 'The Constitutional Act' created the province of Upper Canada June 19th 200 years ago to this day. The United Empire Loyalists were English colonists who sought refuge in Canada after the 18th-century American Revolution led to the the separation of the thirteen colonies from the British Crown. Alongside their French and Indian allies, these Loyalist settlers successfully defended their new homeland from American invasions. Without their loyalty and military service to the Crown, the twin pillars of constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy would not have established both the Province of Ontario and the Dominion of Canada.

SOURCES:

United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada

The Significance of June 19th Loyalist Day

Is Euroscepticism Growing?

2011-06-15T13:51:00.000-04:00

According to at least one news story by The Epoch Times, the short answer would appear to be yes. The flow of refugees from North Africa due to NATO's Mission in Libya to oust Colonel Ghaddafi is putting considerable strain on the EU these days. Still, euroscepticism remains by far the highest among those in the United Kingdom. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Italy and France have had to shelter most of the 25,000 migrants from North Africa since last January, and as a result, they want the European Commission to review the borderless status created by Schengen and possibly even reimpose internal border controls.

William Dartmouth, MEP from the U.K. Independence Party (UKIP) calls the Schengen Agreement “unworkable” in 21st century and the proposal to review it “inevitable.”

“All these Tunisians who arrived at Lampedusa [Italy] had absolute rights to go to Paris or Amsterdam, which makes no sense,” said Dartmouth.

SOURCE:

Euroscepticism Puts United Europe to the Test

Australia's Celebrates the Queen's Birthday

2011-06-13T23:43:00.000-04:00

As occurs every second Monday of June, Australia celebrates the Queen's Official Birthday. The day has been celebrated since 1788 and every year Australian's honoured for their distinguished service to their country by releasing the Queen's honours list. This year over two hundred Australians were honoured.

SOURCES:

Queen's Honour List

Happy Ninetieth Birthday Prince Philip‏!

2011-06-10T14:02:00.000-04:00

The consort to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II turns ninety today! She has called her husband "quite simply my strength and stay". Leading the tribute in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister David Cameron heaped praise on the Duke of Edinburgh, remarking "He has a down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach that the British people, I believe, find endearing."

For more on the Prince's life, visit

Prince Philip's 90th birthday: A life of service to Queen and country

Today Marks the 67th Anniversary of D-Day

2011-06-06T20:13:00.000-04:00

The Normandy landings on D-Day were largest amphibious assault in military history was launched sixty-seven years ago on this date. It led to the beginning of the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II. At the time, however, the outcome of this great expedition was far from certain. Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower sent the following message to all members of this invasion force: "You are about to embark upon the great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months." He had another statement ready to be read in case the invasion failed. Along with the Americans, the French Resistance, Poles, Norwegians, and Dutch, the United Kingdom led soldiers from throughout the Commonwealth in this assault including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Thousands of Allied soldiers lost their lives in this military operation.

SOURCE:

D-Day and Normandy remembered

An Alternative to the European Union and the North American Union?

2011-06-04T19:42:00.000-04:00

A leaked cable from the US State Department was recently released by Wikileaks outlining a report from the US Embassy in Ottawa outlining an incremental approach to creating a 'North American Union'. It's easy to dismiss this report as just speculation on the part of American diplomats carried away by the benefits to US security and the economy of such integration. Presumably this report suggested an incremental approach to avoid outcry from both Canadians and Americans at the prospect of each country's sovereignty being eroded. It should also be remembered that this report happened after 9/11 when some in the US Government had concerns about terrorists using Canada as a launching pad to attack the United States.

Nonetheless, the effects of globalization seem to be pushing more countries into larger, supra-national regional states like the European Union as a way to secure greater influence and sovereignty in the world. However, the Greek financial crisis has proven that membership in the European Union has proven to be a net liability for the United Kingdom. Is the trend of globalization toward larger supra-national states something that will continue? If so, is it time for the United Kingdom, Canada, and other Commonwealth countries to consider an alternative to regional supra-national states like the European Union and the North American Union?

At least one group, The United Commonwealth Society, has come up with some proposals to strengthen the Commonwealth of Nations. Here is phase one of their proposal:

"Our goal is the creation of a close economic, cultural and political confederation of members of the Commonwealth of Nations for now known as ‘the Commonwealth Federation’.

Under phase one of this plan, The Commonwealth Federation (or Union) would be composed of a core consisting of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and these countries' overseas territories and associated states, known by the acronym CANZUK (see footnote for list of these countries and territories).

These states would each send representatives to a small federal council with responsibility for limited matters such as trade and defense. Each constituent state would retain its sovereignty."

The United Commonwealth Society

Source:

Leaked cable lays out North American 'integration' strategy

Royal Remarks "a great dishonour", Showed "a lack of class"

2011-06-01T21:15:00.000-04:00

Quebec MNA Amir Khadir protesting outside a store that sells Israeli-made shoes

Quebec MNA Amir Khadir, a naturalized citizen of Canada from Iran, referred to the newly married royal couple as "parasites" ahead of their royal tour through Quebec later this month. This drew a fast and furious rebuke by the Government of Quebec which said Khadir's remarks were "a great dishonour" and showed "a lack of class." Other Quebec and Canadian politicians have called for him to apologize for his comments. So far the MNA and co-leader of the Quebec Solidaire party, a socialist party that wants Quebec to separate from the rest of Canada, has remained unrepentant over his comments. Media pundits in Canada have pointed out that the outspoken Khadir has not been on record even once criticizing the human rights record of his country of origin. He has, however, been a loud critic of Israel and once took part in a rally where all the demonstrators threw their shoes at poster of former US President George W. Bush.

SOURCE:

Amir Khadir "a great dishonour" says Quebec government over royal couple remarks

Official Web Site of the 2011 Royal Tour to Canada of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Launched

2011-05-30T17:17:00.001-04:00

2011 Royal Tour - Government of Canada Web Site

“Canadians hold The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in very high esteem and look forward to welcoming them as they embark on their first official Royal Tour as newlyweds,” said the Prime Minister.“The couple’s decision to visit Canada first is a testament to our country’s close relationship with the Crown and Royal Family, and an opportunity for all Canadians to take pride in our traditions, history, and institutions.”

FROM OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA - 30th May 2011 - Ottawa,Ontario

Happy Royal Oak Day!

2011-05-29T05:41:00.000-04:00

Royal Oak Prayer

The following two prayers were appointed in place of the First Collect at Morning Prayer to commemorate the Restoration of Charles II. .

O Almighty God, who art a strong tower of defence unto thy servants against the face of their enemies; We yield thee praise and thanksgiving for the wonderful deliverance of these Kingdoms from THE GREAT REBELLION, and all the Miseries and Oppressions consequent thereupon, under which they had so long groaned. We acknowledge it thy goodness, that we were not utterly delivered over as a prey unto them; beseeching thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us, that all the world may know that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Lord God of our salvation, who hast been exceedingly gracious unto this land, and by thy miraculous providence didst deliver us out of our miserable confusions; by restoring to us, and to his own just and undoubted Rights, our then most gracious Sovereign Lord, King Charles the Second, notwithstanding all the power and malice of his enemies; and, by placing him on the Throne of these Kingdoms, didst restore also unto us the publick and free profession of thy true Religion and Worship, together with our former Peace and Prosperity, to the great comfort and joy of our hearts: We are here now before thee, with all due thankfulness, to acknowledge thine unspeakable goodness herein, as upon this day shewed unto us, and to offer unto thee our sacrifice of praise for the same; humbly beseeching thee to accept this our unfeigned, though unworthy oblation of ourselves ; vowing all holy obedience in thought, word, and work, unto thy Divine Majesty; and promising all loyal and dutiful Allegiance to thine Anointed Servant now set over us, and to his Heirs after him; whom we beseech thee to bless with all increase of grace, honour and happiness, in this world, and to crown him with immortality and glory in the world to come, for Jesus Christ his sake our only Lord and Saviour. Amen.

SOURCE:

Royal Oak Prayer

Royalty Magazine - Saw this in the Store Today

2011-05-28T16:59:00.000-04:00

So I saw this magazine, Royalty Monthly, in the store today while waiting in the check-out line at the grocery store. I have never heard of this magazine, but I wonder how many magazines are out there devoted to covering the world's royalty.

US President Barack Obama Flubs Toast to the Queen

2011-05-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

It's a little bewildering that President Obama wasn't better briefed on the protocol for a Royal toast. I didn't think the Queen snubbed him though, I thought she tried her best to be polite while maintaining protocol. For those interested, I've posted a link to a site which describes the proper procedure for toasting the Queen.

Toasting the Queen

Happy Birthday to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada! Happy Victoria Day !

2011-05-23T11:55:00.000-04:00

Victoria Day

Message from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, on the Occasion of Victoria Day

May 22, 2011

OTTAWA— Victoria Day is always cause for celebration in Canada, and perhaps this year more than most.

Once again, we have the opportunity to express our affection for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as we mark her official birthday in Canada. While Her Majesty’s actual date of birth is in April, Canadians have long celebrated her birthday on the May long weekend in honour of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who was born on May 24, 1819.

This occasion also allows us to honour the continuity of our links to the Royal Family, so recently renewed with the wedding of Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We are looking forward to their visit to Canada this summer, and to another joyous occasion to come—Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, in 2012.

During her reign of six decades as Queen of Canada, Her Majesty has served our country with great dignity and dedication. In homage to Her Majesty’s achievement and as a symbol of our appreciation, the new Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal will honour deserving Canadians who have contributed so much to this nation, and who have helped to define our ideal of service. The Queen has dedicated her life to encouraging excellence among Canadians, and this medal is an opportunity to recognize outstanding service to Canada and to see how we are brought together through action.

As we celebrate the return of spring on this May long weekend, let us take a moment to wish Her Majesty a very a happy birthday, and to reflect on the pride and joy we feel to live in this blessed land.

David Johnston

-30-

Media information:
Marie-Pierre Bélanger
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-998-9166
marie-pierre.belanger@gg.ca

Source:

The Governor General of Canada > Victoria Day

Number of Iranian Nukes Prevented Since Obama's Nuclear Security Summit So Far: 0

2010-04-19T05:14:00.000-04:00

China's President Jintao at the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit

Please check back periodically as we mark the progress of President Obama's 'Hope and Change' agenda in eliminating Iranian nuclear weapons.

SOURCE:

Mark Steyn: Obama's nuke summit dangerously delusional

Netanyahu cancels trip to Obama's nuclear summit

Vatican's Secretary of State is Right, Pedophilia Related to Homosexuality and Not Celibacy

2010-04-19T03:06:00.000-04:00

Vatican Secretary of State Tarcsio Bertone

It's no accident that media outlets chose Easter to renew their criticism that Pope Benedict failed to do enough to stop pedophile priests when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. Now a firestorm of criticism has erupted from the usual suspects denouncing the Vatican's number two official, Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, for saying that pedophilia is linked to homosexuality and not celibacy. Some might remember a post on this site about how political correctness kills. Well, this is a story about political correctness gone amuck as well. For a number of years there has been a substantial and increasing body of evidence linking homosexuality and pedophilia. However, there is no such evidence linking celibacy with pedophilia which is why priests caught abusing children have been closet homosexuals or have strong homosexual tendencies. How many more children have to be abused and have their lives destroyed by homosexuals lurking in society because political correctness is used to cover the truth?

SOURCES:

Vatican's Number Two Official: Homosexuality is the Cause of the Sex Abuse Crisis

Report Shows Link Between Homosexuality and Child Abuse

Opposition Presses Government on 'Credibility Gap' in Responses to Snowdy and Colvin

2010-04-16T03:33:00.000-04:00

Above: Private Investigator Derrick Snowdy

Below: Foreign Service Officer Richard Colvin

The Opposition parties have taken a new angle in questioning the Conservative Government of Canada. They are asking why the Government was so quick to take Private Investigator Derrick Snowdy's allegations against MP Helena Guergis so serioussly, when they were equally quick in dismissing Foreign Service Officer Richard Colvin's allegations about Afghan detainee torture as hearsay. After all, Colvin was promoted by being sent to Canada's Embassy in Washington D.C., whereas Snowdy has a questionable background with recent revelations that he is 13 million dollars in debt. Although this comparison is a stretch, it demonstrates that the Opposition is hammering the Conservatives on the issue of accountability that vaulted them to power in 2006. The Conservatives are increasingly responding by pointing out that their Accountability Act has made the federal government more transparent to Canadians.

SOURCE:

As the spin turns, on the Guergis allegations

Karzai is Crazy Alright, Crazy Like a Fox

2010-04-14T03:43:00.000-04:00

The National Post republished an outstanding article written by Fred Kaplan for Slate.com about Afghan President Hamid Karzai‘s recent musings that he would ”join the Taliban” if Western powers didn‘t stop pressuring him to accelerate the pace of reforms in his government. Many Western pundits have wrongly assumed that Karzai has lost his mind by biting the hand that feeds him. Kaplan is right in pointing out that Western leaders need him as much as he needs them and that many were wrong to assume that Karzai was anything like your typical, enlightented Western leader who reveres democracy.

In reality, Karzai and his warlord allies in cabinet are little different than the Taliban in terms of committing brutal acts that we in the West would consider to be war crimes. After all, Karzai comes from the same war-like culture that the Taliban do. Kaplan further points out that Karzai is therefore concerned not with sending Afghan girls to school, but with the survival of his presidency at any cost. So how to explain his increasingly Pro-Taliban comments which have provoked a backlash amongst his NATO sponsors who keep him in power right now? That answer is simple. It is because after 2011, unlike NATO, it is certain the Taliban will still be in Afghanistan.

As was written previously in an article on this blog, President Obama announced defeat in Afghanistan last year at West Point Military Academy.

SOURCES:

President Obama Announces July 2011 as Date for Defeat in Afghanistan

Has Karzai gone crazy?

Guergis-Gate Hits the Media, Jaffer‘s Guilty-Looking Business Partner Responds

2010-04-14T02:38:00.000-04:00

Patrick Glemaud, former Conservative Party Candidate in Ottawa Vanier and currently Rahim Jaffer's business partner at Green Power Generation Corp.

In the video linked below Jane Taber questions Patrick Glemaud about Jaffer's business dealings based on information that was sent to the Prime Minister's Office by a private investigator. Whatever the information was it contained allegations so serious that the Prime Minister promptly called in the RCMP and kicked MP Guergis out of the Conservative Party's Parliamentary Caucus. There hasn't been such a guilty look on a face on Canadian televsion responding to questions about a criminal investigation since Alfonso Gagliano was asked questions about the Quebec sponsorship scandal.

CTV VIDEO: Private investigator source of Guergis allegations

Vimy Ridge Day Ceremony on April 9, 2010 in Ottawa Honours Legacy of WWI Veterans

2010-04-10T11:56:00.000-04:00

A Vimy Ridge Day ceremony in Ottawa yesterday honoured the end of an era of as the last of Canada's last World War I Veterans died last February. Before he died, John Babcock refused a state funeral but his name was acknowledged at yesterday's event nonetheless. In attendance with approximately 3000 onlookers were Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General Michaëlle Jean. It was ninety-three years ago to the day that Canadian soldiers from four divisions launched an assault that lasted four days near Arras, France. By capturing Vimy Ridge, they had succeeded where the British and French armies had failed. It was at Vimy Ridge that day that the provinces of British North America came forged a common Canadian idenity and earned the Dominion of Canada an important place on the world stage.

>>UPDATE<< As the e-mail below indicates, the campaign to permanently fly the Canadian Red Ensign at the War Museum and the National War Monument has met its first benchmark of success! Let's keep up the campaign going so that the flag will be raised on permanently flown at these locations during the next Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11th.

From: HawnL@parl.gc.ca
To: XXXXXXXX
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 14:16:51 -0400
Subject: RE: Canadian Red Ensign Campaign - Facebook Fan Page

Dear XXXXXXXX,

I have spoken to officials in Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs and they have indicated to me that the Red Ensign will be flown tomorrow during the ceremony tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s ceremony, taking place on Vimy Ridge Day, will be a memorial service to honour all of Canada’s Service Men and Women from the First World War.

Thank you for writing.

If there is any way our office can be of assistance to you in the future please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Jordan R. Fraser

Parliamentary Assistant

Office of Laurie Hawn, MP

Edmonton Centre

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Tel: 613-992-4524

Cell: 613-668-4345

Fax: 613-943-0044

SOURCES:

Passing the torch of remembrance

End of an Era - Veterans Affairs Canada

Campaign Web Site Launched: Fly the Canadian Red Ensign to Honour Over Two Million Veterans

2010-04-08T02:46:00.000-04:00

FW: Petition to Fly the Canadian Red Ensign
to Honour Over Two Million Veterans‏
From: canadianconservatives@googlegroups.com
on behalf of g.j.sproule@hotmail.com
Sent: April 8, 2010 3:52:26 AM
To: canadianconservatives@googlegroups.com

The Canadian Red Ensign was our national flag from the early days of Confederation until it was replaced in 1965 by the present flag. No vote was taken, and the citizens of Canada were not asked. The new flag was simply forced through Parliament by the government of the day as part of their plan to "modernise" Canada, and was hoisted up the flagpole as our beautiful Canadian Red Ensign was lowered and retired into oblivion.

Regardless as to what people might or might not think of our present national flag, the fact remains that the Canadian Red Ensign was the flag under which this nation was built, and under which we fought two world wars. It was also the flag that every Canadian born before 1965 had flying over them when they came into this world. It was our flag, and it is an intrinsic and important part of our great Canadian heritage.

The Canadian Red Ensign should be recognised as our nation's historical flag, and ought to be flown alongside the present flag at our historical monuments and institutions, and proudly displayed as the symbol of our nation's history.

This is a petition to have our historical national flag to be flown at the National War Memorial and at the War Museum in Ottawa. Perhaps, once we can have the Canadian Red Ensign flying proudly side by side the Maple Leaf at these important places, the historical flag of Canada will be brought again into the national consciousness as a living part of our Canadian heritage.

Please click on the link below, and simply tick where it indicates "send to all" and send this online petition to our Prime Minister and other members of Parliament and public officials.

http://www.flytheredensign.com/

Pope Delivers Easter Message to Pilgrims in Rainy Rome, Prays for Countries of the World

2010-04-05T15:19:00.001-04:00

SOURCE:

Tens of Thousands of Pilgrims Join Easter Mass at Vatican

Happy Good Friday! Today We Remember Christ's Death for Mankind's Salvation

2010-04-03T03:06:00.000-04:00

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish, which once was bright as morn!

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

SOURCE:

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded - Wikipedia

'Green Police' Super Bowl Commercial

2010-04-01T04:34:00.000-04:00

An ad that was run during the 2010 Superbowl. It is funny and sobering at the same time as you realise from watching this commercial that Western civilization may not be far away from have forces like the green police criminalizing human behaviour not considered to be 'eco-friendly'.

SOURCE:

2010 Super Bowl Ads & Commercials

Liberal Party's 'Big Thinkers' Conference' in Montreal Deserves a Little Thoughtful Credit

2010-03-29T22:17:00.001-04:00

The Liberal Party of Canada and its leader, Michael Ignatieff, held its Canada at 150 Conference this past weekend in Montreal. Dubbed the Liberal Party's 'Big Thinkers' Conference', it featured some well-known Canadians as keynote speakers. These 'big thinkers' included prominent names such Bill Robson of the C.D Howe Institute, Janice Stein of the Munk Centre for International Studies, the former Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge, and others. Most of these speakers are known to Liberal Party members or have close connections to the Liberal Party. However, there were some non-Liberal speakers such as Derek Burney, a former Ambassador to the United States and advisor to Brian Mulroney, who also addressed the Conference. The Conservative Party dubbed the conference as the 'Big Spenders Conference', continuing their caricature of Ignatieff as being out-of-touch with ordinary Canadians and surrounded by fellow pointy-headed elitists.

Interestingly enough, the Liberals didn't so much come out of the weekend's conference talking about policy ideas, but instead emphasized its open and democratic nature in contrast with the 'command-and-control style' of Harper's Conservative Government. Whatever the ultimate significance of this conference, there were three arguments that were brought up by its speakers that are worth repeating. First, that the present Conservative Government has failed to live up to its own promise of a new era of openness to the Canadian public and accountability to Parliament. Two, that the Conservative Government has no credible plan for reigning in the ballooning federal deficit which future generations of Canadians will be saddled with. And three, that the Conservative Government has no serious plan in place to deal with the shortage of young workers who will have to pay pay the increasing tax burden to support aging baby boomers. While it's too early to say whether or not this conference will turn out to be a success for the Liberal Party, there were certainly some valid points raised by its speakers.

SOURCES:

Canada at 150: Rising to the challenge

Debt, fear of recrimination mar Liberal conference

Liberal "Spenders Conference" Ends...with More Proposals to Raise Taxes

David Suzuki: "Dick Cheney and I Are Like That"

2010-03-27T02:43:00.001-04:00

It is funny to see environmental activist David Suzuki exclaim that he and former Vice President Dick Cheney are "tight" when it comes to tackling important issues.

Watch this video

SOURCE:

David Suzuki lashes out

Prime Minister's Office Lashes Out at Fraser Institute Study on Stimulus Spending

2010-03-27T02:12:00.000-04:00

After the Fraser Institute came out with a report on Tuesday saying that the stimulus spending failed to significantly fuel the economic recovery. In response the Prime Minister's Office and Finance Minister spoke out strongly against the describing it with words like "wrong", "shabby", and "ideological". Yesterday, both Prime Minister Harper and Finance Minister Flaherty insisted that the stimulus spending was responsible for the economic recovery of the Canadian economy in the second half of 2009. However, the Fraser Institute report uses Statistics Canada numbers to show that the recovery was brought about by oil industry investment and the growth of exports. The report was authored by Fraser Institute fellows Niels Veldhuis, Amela Karabegovic, and Charles Lammam.

SOURCES:

Did Government Stimulus Fuel Economic Growth in Canada? An Analysis of Statistics Canada Data

Impact of $47B stimulus minimal: Fraser Institute

PM, Fraser Institute ramp up stimulus spat

The Controversy Surrounding the Coulter Controversy at the University of Ottawa

2010-03-25T02:09:00.000-04:00

Controversy follows American conservative author and political commentator Ann Coulter where she goes and she thrives on it. Fellow conservative and friend Ezra Levant announced to a crowd at the University of Ottawa that her scheduled appearance was cancelled due to violent threats made by protestors outside Marion Hall. Later, reports from the Ottawa Police and organizers seemed to indicate that the event was cancelled because the room did not have nearly enough capacity for all those who were lined up to attend. So there you have it. Anne Coulter's appearance at the University of Ottawa was already controversial for her statements made about Canadians and other groups. So now it seems that there is controversy on top of the controversy of her appearing at the University of Ottawa! Judging from the numerous headlines about the event being cancelled, Ann is again using the controversy to her advantage!

SOURCES:

Ann Coulter's Adventures in Ottawa: So, what happened last night?

Ann Coulter Speech Shut Down in Canada

Red Rain Energy Drink is the Cheapest Energy Drink Around

2010-03-25T01:37:00.000-04:00

I found a one litre bottle at the store for $2.99 Canadian. You can't beat that price when it comes to energy drinks and it has the same ingredients as Red Bull Energy Drink.

SOURCE:

red | rain Energy Drink

Bart Stupak and Democrats Betray Their Country: The American Experiment Has Failed

2010-03-22T02:37:00.000-04:00

Should anyone be surprised that Bart Stupak and his 'pro-life coalition' sold out? So called 'pro-life Democrats' are Democrats first, and pro-life second. Any honest Canadian could tell an American that universal health care is an entitlement that is bankrupting our country. Let's hope Americans enjoy socialism under comrade Obama.

Opposition Strikes Back on 10-Percenters, Prorogation Powers, and Detainee Documents

2010-03-19T15:04:00.001-04:00

Scarborough-Rouge River MP Derek Lee

Since the Government's Speech from the Throne, it appears as though it has been the Opposition that is now driving parliament's agenda. First, the Liberal, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois parties that make up the Opposition successfully passed a motion banning the obnoxious taxpayer-subsidized mail outs known as 'ten-percenters.' After initially fighting the motion, the Conservative Government finally succumbed to pressure from the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation and agreed to end the practice yesterday. Second, the Opposition passed a non-binding motion that would place restrictions on how a Prime Minister may use the powers of prorogation. Although legal experts say that the Governor General would not be bound by this motion, it sets a precedent which no future Governor General could ignore. Lastly, the Opposition led by MP Derek Lee, a recognized expert and prolific writer on parliamentary procedure, have began as motion to censure cabinet ministers for their refusal to hand over Afghan detainee documents. If the Speaker of the House rules that parliamentary privileges have been breached, this process could in theory result in Members of Parliament being in 'contempt in parliament' and forcibly expelled from the House of Commons by the sergeant-at-arms and even imprisoned.

SOURCES:

Conservatives flip-flop on mail-outs

House Votes To Limit Prorogation Powers

Opposition threatens contempt motion over Afghan torture documents

Derek Lee, M.P.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and May God Bless You!

2010-03-17T07:20:00.001-04:00

There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle,
'Twas St. Patrick himself, sure, that sets it;
And the sun of his labor with pleasure did smile,
And with dew from his eye often wet it.
It grows through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland,
And they call it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland.

SOURCE:

Irish Blessings and Sayings for St. Patrick's Day

UN Experts Want Polars Classified as an Endangered Species for Political Reasons

2010-03-13T16:01:00.001-05:00

A UN bureaucrat no one has ever heard of.
So even after Climategate the United Nations insists on putting politics ahead of scientific research. As I wrote in this article, all the substantial evidence on the ground by Canada's Inuit people suggest there is an overpopulation of polar bears in the arctic. But since polar bears have become a symbol of global warming, the attendees of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora want to classify the animal as an endangered species. Yet more evidence of how morally bankrupt the United Nations has become.

SOURCE:

Tuna, tuskers, tigers headline wildlife trade meet

Happy 75th Birthday Bank of Canada!

2010-03-12T02:38:00.000-05:00

SOURCES:

Bank of Canada

Bank of Canada turns 75

Tories Embarrassed Yet Again by Former Conservative MP and Bad Boy Rahim Jaffer

2010-03-10T01:50:00.001-05:00

After leading the Conservatives to an embarrasing defeat in the riding of Edmonton-Strathcona to MP Linda Duncan, Rahim Jaffer has once again managed to embarrass the party. A string of embarrasing episodes from reports of recreational drug use from his shotgun nuptials with MP Helena Guergis, to being charged by the Ontario Provincial Police with drunk driving and cocaine possession have now led to the former MP pleading guilty to reckless driving and paying a small $500 fine. As if this wasn't bad enough for the party, his wife Helena had to apologize for throwing a tantrum at an airport security checkpoint in Charlottetown. Citing her comments making derogatory comments to airport staff and calling the province of Prince Edward Island a 'hellhole", Members of the Opposition are now calling for her resignation as Minister for the Status of Women.

Although getting two serious charges dropped and a light fine levied was good for Jaffer, it has his old colleagues in the Conservative Caucus sitting red-faced today in the House of Commons. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson was visably irate after Liberal MP Anita Neville rose in the floor of the Commons, stating: “Members of this government are always quick to comment on any court judgment that doesn’t align with their get-tough-on-crime rhetoric...They always say, ‘You do the crime. You do the time.’ What then is this government’s comment on the dangerous driver in possession of illicit drugs who gets off with no record and a $500 slap on the wrist?” No stranger to handling embarrasing scandals, Jaffer displayed a cooler head than his former colleagues in commenting on the light penatly than his colleagues saying he took "full responsibility for his actions."

SOURCE:

Tories bristle when asked to explain Rahim Jaffer's 'slap on the wrist'

Tantrum shows Guergis isn’t ready for high profile

E-mail Campaign Letter: Fly the Red Ensign to Honour Over Two Million Veterans‏

2010-03-10T00:54:00.001-05:00

FW: Fly the Red Ensign to Honour Over Two Million Veterans‏‏
From: XXXXXX
Sent: March 7, 2010 2:22:05 PM
To: valens.eric@gmail.com

>>>PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING. SEND IT AROUND FOR CANADA. WE HAVE UNTIL APRIL 9th, ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY IN 1917 WHEN CANADIANS TOOK VIMY RIDGE IN FRANCE<<<>

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If you have a facebook account, sign the petition at:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=325452053039

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Please forward this e-mail to friends, and/or e-mail or phone Members of Parliament, veterans organization leaders, and media commentators urging them to honour our Canadian Veterans by flying the flag that the vast majority of them fought under.

Below is a list of all the e-mails that you can carbon copy:

BlackJ@parl.gc.ca, KenneJ@parl.gc.ca, HawnL@parl.gc.ca, BrownG@parl.gc.ca

Below is a list of e-mails that you can blind carbon copy:

anavets@storm.ca, j.tobio@sympatico.ca, mchargs@xcelco.on.ca, chairman@cobwfa.ca, jgranatstein@rogers.com, lgreen@cfra.com, andrew.coyne@macleans.rogers.com, cbletters@gmail.com

Members of Parliament:

Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Veterans Affairs
Phone Number:613-947-2745
E-mail: BlackJ@parl.gc.ca

Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Immigration
Phone Number: 613-992-2235
E-mail: KenneJ@parl.gc.ca

MP Laurie Hawn
Phone Number: 613-992-4524
E-mail: HawnL@parl.gc.ca

MP Gordon Brown
Phone Number:613-992-8756
E-mail:BrownG@parl.gc.ca

Veterans Organization Leaders:

Gordon Marsh, Dominion President, Anavets
Phone Number: 613-744-0222
E-mail: anavets@storm.ca

Al Tobio, Ontario President, Korean Veterans Association of Canada
Phone Number: 613-622-0784
E-mail: j.tobio@sympatico.ca

Kevin McHarg, Director, Hero To Hero Team Canada
Phone Number:519-464-2644
E-mail: mchargs@xcelco.on.ca

Glenn Kerr, Chairman, Western Front Association - Central Ontario
E-mail: chairman@cobwfa.ca

Media Commentators:

Jack Granatstein, Military Historian, Globe & Mail Columnist
E-mail: jgranatstein@rogers.com

Andrew Coyne, Journalist, National Editor of Maclean's
E-mail: andrew.coyne@macleans.rogers.com

Lowell Green, Author, CFRA Broadcaster
E-mail: lgreen@cfra.com

Conrad Black, Publish and Businessman, National Post Columnist
E-mail: cbletters@gmail.com
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Below is the original letter urging the government to fly the Red Ensign in honour of our veterans:

The Canadian Red Ensign

2,000,000 Served 111,000 Died

We are at the end of an era. The World War Veterans from Canada's Armed Forces, are becoming very few in number. The Canadian Red Ensign is the flag they volunteered and served under. It symbolized the Canada they were fighting for. A lot has changed since then. Soon all we will have left is their memory. The one thing above all that will always represent them and their efforts, is our first national flag. The last flag of all those that died for us.

At Victory Square, the main war memorial in downtown Vancouver, Canada's old battle standards fly proudly from the face of the monument-every day, all year round. The Union Jack and the Canadian Red Ensign on the left, the Royal Canadian Navy White Ensign and the Royal Canadian Air Force Blue Ensign on the right, with the new Maple Leaf flag in the centre.

Although these old service ensigns were disposed of by our government in Ottawa, they will always have a place of honour in our history. They should never be forgotten. Without them, all perspective is lost. They are important symbols of our heritage, representing our wartime sacrifices and the evolution of Canadian culture. For years many Canadians requested that the Red Ensign be flown at Vimy Ridge with the Union Jack in memory of and out of respect for all those it was created, just as it was on the day it was opened.

All the flags at Victory Square should be proudly flying at the newly created tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa and the war museum. Every day, all year round. Anything less is a misrepresentation of our past. These requests are not too much to expect. It can not hurt anyone to keep asking and it will only help if we keep them flying.

Lest we forget,

Bill Bishop

Vancouver, BC

Flanagan's Reaction to the 2010 Federal Budget "Lord Make Me Chaste, But Not Yet."

2010-03-07T12:29:00.000-05:00

St. Augustine of Hippo

At first the 2010 federal budget sounds fiscally conservative as it seems to emphasize spending cuts and paying down the deficit. However, upon reviewing the budget more closely you come to realize that it continues stimulus spending for this year doesn't call for cuts until the 2011 federal budget. Although the spending freeze is welcome, this means that in a Conservative minority government situation another federal election could derail the government's plan to implement spending cuts in next year's budget. On CBC's Power and Politics with Evan Solomon, Tom Flanagan had a clever response saying that the more he looked at the budget he was reminded by the prayer of St. Augustine: Lord make me chaste, but not yet.

SOURCES:

Power & Politics with Evan Solomon - March 4, 2010

Canada's National Debt Clock: The Canadian Taxpayers' Federation

Speech from the Throne Containing Poison Pill Causes Regurgitation in Canadians

2010-03-04T08:41:00.001-05:00

"This is recalibration? It looks more like regurgitation to me..."
- Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's reaction to the Throne Speech

Although the Liberal leader used the word to mean that the Tory Government is recycling old policies, the reaction of most Canadians upon hearing yesterday's Throne Speech was one of suddenly feeling the need to regurgitate their food. Although most conservatives would be happy that overall the Throne speech by Governor General Michaelle Jean emphasized the need for deep cuts in spending, it was shocking that the speech contained the poison pill that are these eighteen words; 'Our Government will also ask Parliament to examine the original gender-neutral English wording of the national anthem.' Considering how divisive the Great Canadian Flag Debate was, you have to wonder if this is serious policy on the part of Prime Minister Stephen Harper or a diversionary tactic as some have suggested. Besides the out-of-control deficit spending, it looks like there is at least one other reason emerging for a Canadian Tea Party Movement. Considering the reaction of Canadians to the proposal to change the lyrics of 'O Canada', this budget does look far more like regurgitation and not recalibration.

SOURCES:

Full text: Speech from the Throne, Mar. 3, 2010

23 pages hyping same direction

Throwing the anthem under the bu

Tom Brokaw Explains Canada To Americans

2010-03-03T01:53:00.000-05:00

In One Golden Moment Sid the Kid Meets Destiny, Becomes One of Canada's Hockey Legends

2010-03-01T02:01:00.001-05:00

Sidney Crosby ensured that the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Men's Hockey Gold Medal Gamebetween Team Canada and Team USA will be remembered forever by Canadians. In a moment that will be remembered alongside the 1972 Summit Series goal by Paul Henderson and the 1987 Canada cup goal scored by Mario Lemieux, the 22-year old superstar instantly became a hockey legend by scoring the winning goal in overtime against Team USA. 'The Golden Goal' both instantly transformed the world's best hockey superstar into a hockey legend and reclaimed Canada's birthright to produce the greatest hockey players in the world. As Crosby said in a post-game interview, "I dreamed of this moment...Every kid dreams of that opportunity. It could have been anybody else. It could have been anybody in that room." But despite Crosby's typical Canadian humility, Team Canada General Manager and former NHL superstar Steve Yzerman discounted the notion that any of Team Canada's players could have made that historic goal, saying:

“He’s got a little bit of destiny to him...It’s another monumental moment in his career. He’s a special, special guy. Like Gretzky.”

SOURCES:

Team Canada: Gold Medal Moment - Men's Hockey

Crosby makes leap from superstar to legend

Crosby embraces role of national hockey hero

Canada's Strong Statement Condemning the President of Iran’s Anti-Israel Comments

2010-02-27T02:40:00.000-05:00

The following statement was released on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada website earlier today:

Canada Condemns Iranian President’s Anti-Israel Comments

(No. 85 – February 26, 2010 – 6:15 p.m. ET) The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement regarding the latest anti-Israel comments made by Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

“Canada strongly condemns the anti-Israel comments made by Iran’s President on February 25, 2010. His repeated threats against Israel and the Jewish people are deplorable and are outside the bounds of acceptable behaviour for the leader of a member of the United Nations. His noxious views also undermine efforts for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

“Such comments add to the concerns of the international community over the threat Iran poses to international peace and security. Canada will continue to denounce all those who deny the existence of Israel and who threaten the Jewish people. We will continue to speak out against such unacceptable and threatening language.

“The Government of Canada also remains deeply concerned over the Iranian regime’s continued stifling of democracy, its blatant disregard of basic human rights, its failure to meet its nuclear obligations, and its irresponsible behaviour, which threatens regional and global stability.”

- 30 -

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Catherine Loubier
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851

Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874

SOURCE:

Canada Condemns Iranian President’s Anti-Israel Comments

Campaign to Fly the Red Ensign Permanently Outside the Canadian War Museum Underway

2010-02-27T02:09:00.000-05:00

Canadian Vimy Memorial in France

The recent death of the last known Canadian World War I Veteran, John Babcock, has prompted Veteran Affairs Canada to look into ways both to honour both his service and an entire era of Canadian veterans. A private family funeral service for John Babcock will be held tommorow in Spokane, Washington where he has lived most of his life. A spokesman for the department has said that an "end of era" service is being planned and the Royal Canadian Legion confirmed its involvement. Meanwhile, Bill Danby of Kingston, Ontario and Bill Bishop of Maple Ridge, B.C. have begun a campaign to fly the Canadian Red Ensign permanently outside the Canadian War Museum as a tribute to Babcock and Canadian veterans. They argue that it is absurd that there is no presence at the museum of the flag that veterans of both World Wars and the Korean War fought under. In 2007, Babcock and other veterans successfully lobbied the prime minister to fly the Red Ensign at the Canadian Vimy War Memorial in France.

SOURCE:

Great War vet’s widow to receive Parliament Hill flag

Wikipedia: Canadian Red Ensign

Ovechkin vs Crosby Rivalry Fizzles Out as Team Canada Redeem Themselves Against Russia

2010-02-25T02:45:00.001-05:00

Hockey greats Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby

You have to watch the game between Team Canada and Team Russia in to fully appreciate how well Canada played against the Russians in the men's hockey semi-finals of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics . What was surprising was not just how the Canadian team dominated Russia in all aspects of the game, but how empty all the media hype turned out to be on the rivalry between hockey superstars Alexander Ovechkin of Russian and Sidney Crosby of Canada. "Alexander the Great" and "Sid the Kid" are widely considered to be the world's two greatest hockey players at this time, but neither put up any points in this game.

Canada's 7-3 triumph over the top-rated Russian hockey team was a surprise with many, including Ovechkin himself, crediting the stunning victory to the ferocious onslaught with which the Canucks came out in the first five minutes of the game. Whatever doubts Canadians had about winning gold in men's Olympic hockey after Team Canada's 3-5 loss to the U.S.A. last Sunday, were banished by their outstanding performance against Team Russia. It's more likely that there could be an exciting Team Canada rematch against Team U.S.A. for the gold medal. Whatever the tournament's outcome, Team Canada has redeemed their country's reputation for producing many of the best players of 'Canada's sport' in the world.

SOURCES:

Canada blows out Russia 7-3; Crosby, Ovechkin not a factor

CTVOlympic's Channel: Hockey Update: Canada vs. Russia

MP Bernier Causes Waves in the Canadian Media with Comments on Climate Change

2010-02-25T02:37:00.001-05:00

What is certain is that it would be irresponsible to spend billions of dollars and to impose unnecessarily stringent regulations to solve a problem whose gravity we still are not certain about. The alarmism that has often characterized this debate is no longer appropriate. Canada is wise to be cautious. - MP Maxime Bernier, Greenhouse gases: Caution is the right stance for Canada

Maxime Bernier, MP for Beauce, writes an opinion letter that is causing waves across the country's media. In it he reveals the importance of being a climate change skeptic in light of the numerous errors that are now being reported in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC's scientific results. The climate change alarmists and their socialist allies, many of whom were probably the same folks who told us that Y2K was going to bring catastrophe to the world, are so upset at Bernier for questioning the orthodoxy of climate change that they're now deriding him as Canada's Sarah Palin.

Meanwhile, Environment Minister Jim Prentice demonstrates on the CBC's Power and Politics why many of the Conservative Party faithful are tuning Bernier in, and tuning the Harper government out. My guess is that if the timing of the news on his opinion letter hadn't coincided with the Canada vs Russia men's Olympic hockey game, that there would be even more media fury at Bernier for being a so-called 'climate change denier'. Could the Beauce MP become a serious contender for the leader of the Conservative Party in the next leadership race? If he keeps speaking to the conservative base of the party like he has been of late, then it's looking more and more that he will be.

SOURCES:

Greenhouse gases: Caution is the right stance for Canada

Canada's Sarah Palin emerges

Environment Minister Jim Prentice discusses Washington climate-change conference and MP Maxime Bernier's skeptical remarks

Canada Concedes 'Own the Podium' a Failure, But Canucks Care More for Gold in Men's Hockey

2010-02-23T02:42:00.000-05:00

Canadians officials announced today that the 'own the podium' strategy has failed thanks to the Yanks and Canadians collectively shrug. Is anyone really surprised that most Canadians care far more about getting a gold in men's hockey than owning the podium? The loss of Team Canada to Team USA last Sunday still hurts far more for Canadians than this latest bit of news. Despite the best efforts of the Canadian Olympic Committee Officials, Canadians are still modest when it comes to every sport except hockey!

SOURCE:

Own The Podium dream is over; Canadian officials say Americans have too many medals to catch up

A Weekend Review of Recent Events that Have Shaped Canadian Politics

2010-02-21T02:49:00.000-05:00

Recent Event Number One: The largest Catholic publication in Canada, The Catholic Register, condemns Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff for wanting the federal government to fund abortions in the world's poorest countries.

It looks like the the Liberal Party strategy of trying to divide Conservative Party supporters over the abortion issue may have backfired. That is to say that it seems to have further alienated Canadian Catholics from the Liberal Party more than it has divided the Conservatives.

Recent Event Number Two: The government in the Netherlands falls over whether their country's military mission in Afghanistan should be extended to 2011 as the American government has requested of its NATO Allies.

While it's highly unlikely that the same thing could happen in Canada since the two largest parties here agree that 2011 should mark the end of Canada's military mission in Afghanistan, there remains a good possibility that the Canadian government could fall based on its handling of the Afghan detainee issue.

Recent Event Number Three: The Prime Minister's Office has become embroiled in a public dispute between Conservative MP Peter Goldring and Conservative MPs Shelly Glover and Rod Bruinooge over the legacy of none other than Louis Riel.

In response to NDP MP Pat Martin's motion to commemorate Metis leader Louis Riel as a national hero, MP Peter Goldring sent out a letter to his constituents in which he stated that Riel was a 'villain' who fought 'against the Fathers of Confederation'. MP Goldring is right, but the PMO is more concerned about winning votes in Manitoba.

SOURCES:

Catholic Register takes on Ignatieff

Dutch government falls over Afghan troop mission

MPs battle over newsletter labeling Riel a 'villain'

An Era Comes to an End with the Death of Canada's Last Veteran from World War I

2010-02-21T02:47:00.000-05:00

John Babcock, the last Canadian Veteran of WWI

"Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." - American General Douglas MacArthur

An era comes to an end with the death of John Babcock, Canada's last surviving veteran from the World War I. He was 109 years of age when he died in Spokane, Washington where he has lived for more than eighty years. More importantly, an entire era of Canadian history has died with him. Canadian soldiers played an important role in both world wars, but it was world war one that Canadian soldiers proved they were the best shock troops in the entire British Empire. Of all the forces in the British Empire, it was the tough Canadian farm boys who spearheaded the Allied assault into Belgium and the Netherlands which they did with lightning speed in events which are now immortalized as 'Canada's Hundred Days'. Many of them, like John Babcock himself, were gripped by patriotic fervour lied about their age so they could fight in Europe.

And like so many of Canadian soldiers, John Babcock was born and raised on a Canadian farm where hard physical labour and the ability to shoot a gun was necessary for survival. Growing up in a cold and inhospitable land, it was said that these hardy Canadian farm boys were often tougher fighters and better shooters than the professional soldiers of Britain, Germany and other countries. And it should be remember that it was the bravery of Canadian soldiers at Vimy Ridge and other battles of WWI that brought Canada out of Great Britain's shadow and onto the world stage. Despite the current debate on how to best honour Babcock, who has come to symbolize an entire generation of Canadians and Veterans who lived through the World War I era, the most important way is for Canadians to never forget his sacrifice.

SOURCES:

Jack Babcock, Canada’s Last World War I Veteran, Dies at 109

Military history of Canada during the First World War

Canada Squeaks by Switzerland in Men's Olympic Hockey, Is Team Canada in Trouble?

2010-02-19T02:05:00.001-05:00

Most Canadians are not terribly concerned with Canadian athletes winning gold at the Winter Olympics, with the one exception of the men's hockey team. Hockey is Canada's sport and we expect to dominate in international hockey competitions. So many Canadians are undoubtedly concerned that Team Switzerland held Canada to a 2-2 tie and only lost in the final shootout. Although the Swiss team beat the Canadian men's hockey team the last Winter Olympics in Turin, Switzerland is a middle power in international hockey. Which begs the question, if the Swiss gave the Canadian team this much trouble do they have a shot at gold against the stronger Russian, American and Swedish men's Olympichockey teams?

SOURCE:

Canada narrowly avoids shocking defeat

Ice Hockey Schedule and Results: Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

Ignatieff Finally Puts Forth a Liberal Platform to Challenge Harper's Conservatives

2010-02-17T02:30:00.000-05:00

The National Post editorial yesterday rightly congratulated Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff on putting forward a substantial policy document in an open letter to Prime Minister Harper. Last fall Ignatieff was widely criticized for telling Prime Minister Harper that 'your time is up' before first defining for Canadians what the Liberal Party's policies would be as an alternative. It appears as though Ignatieff has learned from last fall that Canadians reject rabid partisanship and want to see political parties get to work in areas of mutual interest for the benefit of Canadians.

Although Ignatieff begins the letter by capitalizing on the Conservative Government's unpopularity due to prorogation, the overall tone of the letter is largely one of bipartisan cooperation. It seems as though whether or not bipartisanship works or not, Canadians do not trust political leaders who attack every single action or proposal made by a rival party for political gain. The National Post editor is right in that whatever you think of the the merits of policies Ignatieff proposes, he deserves credit for at least producing an agenda that could serve as a substantial Liberal platform in the next session of parliament that begins in March.

SOURCES:

Michael Ignatieff produces an agenda

Leader of the Opposition's Open Letter to Prime Minister Harper

Cynical Olympic Politics and the Death of Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili

2010-02-14T10:32:00.000-05:00

A sullen Georgian Olympic teams wears black arm bands in the opening ceremonies to honour their fallen comrade.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics began with the sudden death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili which has been viewed on video so many times has shocked the world. There has been a huge outpouring of sympathy from people around the world for Nodar, his peers, his family and the country of Georgia. Less than two years after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which was overshadowed by the stain of human rights abuses by the Chinese government, tragedy has once again struck the Georgian Olympic team. It was during the Beijing Games that the Russian Army invaded Georgia over two disputed regions. Then, like now, the Georgian Olympic team was faced with tragedy but decided to stay in the games rather than go home.

The truth was that Russia had cynically decided to time its invasion of Georgia with the Beijing Olympics, having calculated that much of the world would be too preoccupied watching the games to take much notice. Ever since the sports competitions in the Colosseum in Rome, athletic games have been cynically used by political leaders to distract their citizens from foreign or domestic political problems. The video of such a promising young athlete being brutally hurled to his death entirely due to human errors makes anyone watching feel queasy. So how much more queasy should we feel knowing that the entire spectacle of the Olympics are often used to distract citizens from human rights abuses entirely due to human deliberations?

Could Prime Minister Harper be the latest political leader to play this cynical game with the Afghan detainee abuse inquiry?

SOURCES:

OLYMPIC WATCH: Human Rights in China and Beijing 2008

Olympics: Georgia stays at Winter Games to honour luger killed in crash

Political gamesmanship at Winter Olympics a perilous undertaking

Maxime Bernier is the New Knight in Shining Armour for Conservatism in Canada

2010-02-13T02:37:00.000-05:00

A speech delivered in Calgary entitled "My vision of conservatism" by Maxime Bernier, Member of Parliament for Beauce, has suddenly become all the talk of conservatives in Canada. With the Harper Government all but abandoning fiscal conservatism in favour of stimulus spending, is it little wonder that MP Bernier was passed over for a portfolio in the recent cabinet shuffle? It's truly refreshing for conservatives to hear a Conservative MP actually speak like a real conservative, rather than hear one mouth the usual platitudes and PMO talking points about the 'extraordinary economic times' we live in. What's really extraordinary is that anyone could still believe in Keynesian economics despite all the historical evidence pointing to U.S. Presidents Franklin Roosevelt's 'New Deal' and Lyndon Johnson's 'Great Society' as abysmal failures. Not to mention how U.S. President Barack Obama's last stimulus package has turned out to be a colossal failure. Good on Maxime for standing up to this Keynesian nonsense and speaking the truth!

SOURCE:

Maxime Bernier's Blog: Press review: my Calgary speech

Canadian Taxpayers Federation Takes Aim at Harper with Spoof of a Californian Political Ad

2010-02-10T06:03:00.000-05:00

In a blog posting by the Saskatchewan Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Lee Harding, a Californian political ad that has gone viral is spoofed to great effect. The add accuses Prime Minister Harper of being an FCINO or "Fiscal Conservative in Name Only".

SOURCE:

Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Canada's National Debt Clock: CTF

Jack Layton Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer

2010-02-08T01:36:00.000-05:00

Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada

Wishing the NDP leader a speedy recovery! God be with you Jack!

SOURCE:

Jack Layton suffering from prostate cancer

Law Professor and Retired Military Colonel Say Government Makes 'a Mockery of Parliament'

2010-02-05T10:22:00.000-05:00

The last MP to be censured by Parliament was Louis Riel. He was later hanged for treason.

Further capitalizing on the Tory Government's mistake of proroguing parliament, the opposition formed an ad-hoc committee to keep the issue of the Afghan detainee issue alive. Many Canadians, including former Harper advisor Tom Flanagan, believe that parliament was prorogued in order to shut down the Afghan detainee issue. As Don Martin explained in his piece Tories resort to damage control in the National Post today, there is little evidence that the Tory government prorogued parliament to recalibrate or form any new agenda.

Meanwhile, the Opposition party MPs forming the ad-hoc committee heard from University of Ottawa Professor Errol Mendes and Retired Military Colonel Michel Drapeau. These two legal experts urged members of the committee to hold the government accountable and uphold the democratic principle of the supremacy of parliament. These experts did not mince their words urging the Opposition members to "leave no stone unturned" and that the Government's refusal to hand over documents was "unconstitutional" and "makes a mockery of Parliament".

The Tories have responded by sending out flyers this week that accuse the Opposition of smearing the reputation of Canadian soldiers. Denying the Opposition is calling the conduct of Canadian soldiers into question, Liberal MP Bob Rae responded by calling the flyers "poisonous". Mendes and other legal experts have urged Members of Parliament to use a drastic and seldom invoked parliamentary power of censure to pry the documents from the government. The last MP to be censured by Canada's parliament was MP Louis Riel for his role in the Red River Rebellion.

SOURCES:

Tories resort to damage control

Tories Send Out Flyers on Afghan Detainee Issue

Afghanistan documents fight makes a 'mockery' of Parliament: legal experts

Tories making 'mockery' of Parliament by withholding Afghan documents: legal expert

Another Canadian Politician Supporting State-Run Healthcare Heads South for Medical Treatment

2010-02-03T15:22:00.001-05:00

So Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams is heading south to the United States for heart surgery at a private health institution. Following Belinda Stronach and Jean Chretien, Danny Williams is the latest in a line of Canadian politicians who support the state-run monopoly in health care except when it comes to their own health care. This reminds me of politicians who also support a state-run monopoly on primary education but send their own children to private schools. When are Canadian socialists going to realize that individuals should be allowed to make their own choices on health care and education instead of being forced into the cookie-cutter model of the nanny state?

SOURCE:

Lorne Gunter: What's good for Danny Williams ...

Blogger Predicts Tories Will Lose the Next Federal Election

2010-02-02T00:14:00.000-05:00

Last Federal Election Results

An interesting article on the right-wing blog Celestial Junk that is sure to stir debate amongst conservatives.

The Royal Unionist

Hurricane Irene Hoax: Tomorrow's Weather Forecast Wrong, But Not Future Climate Predictions?

New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key Pays Tribute to Fallen Hero, Kiwi SAS Soldier Corporal Doug Grant

Who Will Rule Post-Gaddafi Libya? The Muslim Brotherhood and the 'Arab Spring'

St. Bernard of Clairvaux: His Experience of God's Love Proved the Pen Mightier than the Sword

Prince Charles and Camilla Cut Holiday Short to Visit Youth in Communities Where Rioting Broke Out

Campaign to Restore the Royal Designation to Canada's Navy and Air Force a Success!

Book Recommendation: The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997

London's Boroughs Are Burning Down, Burning Down, Burning Down

Downgraded US Credit Rating and Turmoil in Europe Show EU and North American Union Won't Work

Left-Wing Pundits Call Tea Party Terrorists, Exploit Norway Shootings to Undermine War on Terrorism

Chrome Now 2nd Most Used Web Browser in Britain, Study Shows this Blog's Readers Have Higher IQ

Congratulations to Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall!

Remember the Humorous Superbowl 'Green Police' Ad? Don't Laugh, Australia Now Has Carbon Cops

At Least in the Anglosphere, Darwinian Nationalism is Neither Christian Nor Conservative

Vatican Plans Outreach to Fill Europe's Empty Pews, But is a Lack of Evangelisation the Real Problem?

Victims of Phone Hacking Deserve Justice, But the Narrow Focus on Murdoch is Really about Payback

L.A.’s Stars Shone Brightly on their Celebrity, But in Canada’s Red Glow Will and Kate are Family

The Beatles' Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles

Les bleus sont là: A Song of the Royal and Catholic Army of the Vendée

Bastille Day: A Day of Infamy That Should Set Off Alarms Bells Over the Arab Spring

What Would a Taliban Victory in Afghanistan Mean for the Future of NATO?

Go to Official 2011 Royal Tour Web Site and Send Greetings to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Is a Younger Generation Behind the Resurgence of Support for the Canadian Monarchy ?

Loss of Colonies Led Indirectly to a Reinvigorated British Empire, So Happy July Fourth!

World's Most Famous Newlyweds Make International Headlines, Attend Dominion Day Celebrations

So what is the Protocol for Meeting Royalty?

Demonic Republican Groups in Quebec Seek to Emulate the Vancouver Riots During Royal Visit

Prison Fails to Contain the Exceptional Aspirations of Our Land’s Most Illustrious Living Son

Retiring Australian Senator Minchin Says Defeating the Republican Model was Greatest Achievement

Summer Solstice Marks Prince William's 29th Birthday, Release of Itinerary for 2011 Royal Tour

Happy Loyalist Day Ontario!

SOURCES:

United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada

The Significance of June 19th Loyalist Day

Is Euroscepticism Growing?

Australia's Celebrates the Queen's Birthday

Happy Ninetieth Birthday Prince Philip‏!

Today Marks the 67th Anniversary of D-Day

An Alternative to the European Union and the North American Union?

Read more on the facebook page:

The United Commonwealth Society

Source:

Leaked cable lays out North American 'integration' strategy

Royal Remarks "a great dishonour", Showed "a lack of class"

Official Web Site of the 2011 Royal Tour to Canada of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Launched

FROM OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA - 30th May 2011 - Ottawa,Ontario

Happy Royal Oak Day!

Royalty Magazine - Saw this in the Store Today

US President Barack Obama Flubs Toast to the Queen

Toasting the Queen

Happy Birthday to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada! Happy Victoria Day !

Number of Iranian Nukes Prevented Since Obama's Nuclear Security Summit So Far: 0

Vatican's Secretary of State is Right, Pedophilia Related to Homosexuality and Not Celibacy

Opposition Presses Government on 'Credibility Gap' in Responses to Snowdy and Colvin

Karzai is Crazy Alright, Crazy Like a Fox

Guergis-Gate Hits the Media, Jaffer‘s Guilty-Looking Business Partner Responds

Vimy Ridge Day Ceremony on April 9, 2010 in Ottawa Honours Legacy of WWI Veterans

Campaign Web Site Launched: Fly the Canadian Red Ensign to Honour Over Two Million Veterans

Pope Delivers Easter Message to Pilgrims in Rainy Rome, Prays for Countries of the World

Happy Good Friday! Today We Remember Christ's Death for Mankind's Salvation

'Green Police' Super Bowl Commercial

Liberal Party's 'Big Thinkers' Conference' in Montreal Deserves a Little Thoughtful Credit

David Suzuki: "Dick Cheney and I Are Like That"

Prime Minister's Office Lashes Out at Fraser Institute Study on Stimulus Spending

The Controversy Surrounding the Coulter Controversy at the University of Ottawa

Red Rain Energy Drink is the Cheapest Energy Drink Around

Bart Stupak and Democrats Betray Their Country: The American Experiment Has Failed

Opposition Strikes Back on 10-Percenters, Prorogation Powers, and Detainee Documents

Happy St. Patrick's Day and May God Bless You!

UN Experts Want Polars Classified as an Endangered Species for Political Reasons

Happy 75th Birthday Bank of Canada!

Tories Embarrassed Yet Again by Former Conservative MP and Bad Boy Rahim Jaffer

E-mail Campaign Letter: Fly the Red Ensign to Honour Over Two Million Veterans‏

Flanagan's Reaction to the 2010 Federal Budget "Lord Make Me Chaste, But Not Yet."

Speech from the Throne Containing Poison Pill Causes Regurgitation in Canadians

Tom Brokaw Explains Canada To Americans

In One Golden Moment Sid the Kid Meets Destiny, Becomes One of Canada's Hockey Legends

Canada's Strong Statement Condemning the President of Iran’s Anti-Israel Comments

Campaign to Fly the Red Ensign Permanently Outside the Canadian War Museum Underway