Signs of Our Times

Do you watch Mad Men? Sure you don't. It's a well-written drama with complex characters and intriguing plots based in an environment where illusion meets disappointment. It's a great little show, really.

Anyway, while surfing around, I came across these comments on the second season finale. They concern not only the characters on the program but the posters themselves:

Babies are tragedies when they're unwanted. They aren't blessings, they're
burdens. A baby is actually kind of icky, without the love to make it a
"miracle." They drool constantly, they wallow in their own waste, you have to
change their diapers and they wet the bed...people would not keep a pet that
required as much care or that was as gross as a human infant. And when every
time you look at your child you're looking at the reason you're not a model
doing the NY-London-Paris circuit, you're going to hate that child. Especially
if that child is also the reason you're stuck in a marriage with a guy you
pretty much think is a pig.

But if God is so all-powerful, why doesn't he just fix the damn
road?

Because he enjoys watching people slide into the ditch? Because it's boring
out there in immortal omniscience land, and watching people slide into the ditch
is about the only fun he has? Dunno.

Though probably not as upsetting as being dead. Or having no choice
over your own future. Abortion comes with terrible side effects for most women,
regardless how they feel about it at the time. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, even
guilt, to name a few (I've been and have worked with abortion survivors for
years). Betty didn't go through with it - only thought about it - which strikes
me as completely normal for her situation. She'll be better off in the long run,
and the child will certainly be better off, even if the family completely
disintegrates. At least s/he will have an opportunity to make his/her own
choices, and Betty (considering her character) will be spared decades of
suffering.

That second comment strikes me as a very large generalization about both
the outcomes of abortion and Betty. I've had an abortion before and I've known
other women who had an abortion before and most of us haven't suffered greatly
for it. I think that how women deal with the aftermath of having an abortion
really hinges on how they view abortion beforehand. If they view it as a woman's
choice, they're likely to make peace with themselves afterward. But if they're
in an environment where they're considered evil/terrible/selfish for not having
a child, of course they'll suffer more. (And on that note, I have to admit I
admire Betty for being in that second environment and still deciding that she's
going to press for an abortion, and even try and induce one by herself if
necessary. There's a lot of talk about her being a passive person on other
boards but she really has a set of clangers that could ring like steel.)

In any case, I hardly ever think about my abortion now unless it comes up
and when it does, I'm glad I had the choice to get a safe, legal, easily
available abortion that Betty and a lot of other women (Peggy, anyone?) didn't
have. My life would have been a lot harder right now if I had had a child as a
teenager, just as Betty's life will likely be a lot more anxious now that she's
having a child with a husband who's proven that he's more than capable of
abandoning her and her children without any warning. Children, especially
infants, are a real strain on a marriage.

These comments- at least to me- serve as a stark reminder of the selfishness, impracticality, materialism, hopelessness and complete lack of feeling for God or man that runs in the fabric of the Western world. Those who have the guts to counter the posters who air their dirty laundry on a public board get drowned out by the transparent need for someone to accept an act the roots of which are trapped in selfishness. Why any of this was brought up, I don't know. I thought people were just talking about a TV show, not their personal lives and why they are train wrecks.

Just my thoughts.

Reunification?

A well-known yet often undiscussed fact of North Korean life is how political prisoners are treated. North Korean defectors talk about the abuses they suffered while in prison camps- executions, beatings, torture. There are things too horrible to even discuss. Nevertheless, these things are facts of life for North Koreans and will most likely remain so until some things are resolved.

One- South Korea must decide if it truly wants to be reunited with North Korea. My questions to South Koreans about this matter were always ambiguous. The older generations want a united Korea and that is the default answer to any questions about reunification. However, would a reunited Korea happen? Since the end of the Second World War and the Korean War, North and South Korea have been divided militarily and perhaps culturally and socially. Would a blended Korea even be possible?

Secondly, how can China and Russia be removed from the equation? China and Russia aided North Korea during the war and stand as impediments to reunification now. Any conflict on the Korean Peninsula would be between China and the US. I've never believed the US has ever been bad for either Korea as the US has never sent unarmed men in waves toward their own deaths, nor have they withheld vital support to a country it really has no vested interest in supporting. Russia and China, on the other hand, have aided Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in maintaining their grip on North Korea. The consequences for the people have been dire, to say the least.

Thirdly, would the rest of world assist North Korea in its adjustment to the free world, in whatever state it is in? Such a proposition is costly, never mind awkward.

I cannot answer any of these questions now. The crisis on the Korean Peninsula has been ongoing and it is doubtful it will change in the next year.

The Ayers Connection

I cannot stress how utterly mind-numbing it is for Barack Obama to align himself with a man whose horrifying vision it is murder those who don't believe in some radical philosophy.

William Ayers was a terrorist, is a communist and supports Obama. Obama will use Ayers- and anyone else he sees fit- to get ahead. How on earth could the American electorate support this:

I asked, “well what is going to happen to those people we can’t reeducate,
that are diehard capitalists?” and the reply was that they’d have to be
eliminated.

And when I pursued this further, they estimated they would have to
eliminate 25 million people in these reeducation centers.

And when I say “eliminate,” I mean “kill.”

Twenty-five million people.

I want you to imagine sitting in a room with 25 people, most of which
have graduate degrees, from Columbia and other well-known educational centers,
and hear them figuring out the logistics for the elimination of 25 million
people.

And they were dead serious.

Why can't people see that this is a huge problem?

A Blatant Attempt at Sympathy

Should we pull out of Afghanistan?

Fine- we'll leave, and in so doing, we'll abandon this puppy and others soldiers have been good enough to befriend.

Are we monsters?

Repeating Myself

I know I keep saying these things but they bear repeating.

This site here has some well-known and very valid reasons for not voting for Obama. Everything ranging from abortion, infanticide to taxes and foreign policy is listed there. After seeing and reviewing that material, there can be no good reason why anyone would elect that man.

I will re-print here a simple explanation on how socialist tax policies (like the ones Obama and the NDP espouse) work or don't work:

Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.The fifth would pay $1.The sixth would pay $3.The seventh would pay $7. The eighth would pay $12.The ninth would pay $18.The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!''Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too.

It's unfair that he got ten times more than I got' 'That's true!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!''Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!' The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.Professor of Economics University of Georgia

Sarah Palin, the oft-attacked yet visually stunning vice-presidential candidate, still makes the rounds trying to convince voters not to make any tragic mistakes like voting for Obama. Governor Palin's stint on the desperately unfunny Saturday Night Live scored huge ratings yet Tina Fey, who bears quite the resemblance to her, wouldn't even look Governor Palin in the eye. That must say alot about someone who would still put on a happy face even though the people around her can't articulate what they don't like about her. No, I don't mean Tina Fey. I meant Palin. The misogyny and outright meanness comes from the same people who don't have a problem with sharia law and- let's be honest- probably don't care for children. Were I a voter in the American election, I wouldn't want these people to speak for me.

Why We Can't Leave Redux

The Taliban provide the greatest reasons why we should not pull out of Afghanistan until its time. No, their fighting prowess is not superior. It is their complete lack of humanity. The murder of an aid worker whose mission to help the Afghan disabled is solid proof of that. We are not dealing with people we can reason with and bargaining should be out of the question.

Remains of the Day

It really has been a news-rich day.

The American Heart Association declares that the Bee-Gees' disco hit, "Stayin' Alive", could really help you stay alive (I am not making this up). The association calls for chest compressions to be given at a rate of 100 per minute in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The song, "Stayin' Alive", has 103 beats per minute. Catchy and life-saving.

al-Qaeda has not been affected by the economic meltdown, analysts say. They rely on other means to move their state-sponsored funds. And we were worried. One note: the zakat, the Muslim system of charity, has not helped bridge the gap between rich and poor. Again, Obama and terrorism are wrong.

The Chinese dairy industry is eager to regain the public's trust. They can do it by not selling milk ever again.

Christians in Iraq do not need blankets. They need to live without fear. As long as there is Islamofascism, no religious minority will be safe. We cannot bat our eyes and gloss over the problem. If Iraq wishes to partake in the community at large, and not the willing bigots in the Middle East which would condone such violence, it has to prove there is great social change.

North Korea is almost predictable in its relations with South Korea. It has again threatened to freeze ties with its neighbour. I don't know what else South Korea can offer North Korea. One should hardly expect the soft-sell "Sunshine Policy" to continue as it will only prolong the conflict. Kim Jong-Il, in whatever state he is in, is a bully and a tyrant. Kidnapping Japanese and Korean citizens, arresting people in the middle of the night, mass starvation and murder cannot continue forever.

In conclusion, spread the joy by high-fiving your friends.

Joe the Plumber

Currently the hottest ticket in this election isn't Obama, McCain or Palin but Joe the Plumber, a member of the working class who takes issue with Obama's tax plan.

Joe Wurzelbacher raises an important issue- the taxation of success. While Mr. Wurzelbacher does not disagree with being taxed, he does have a problem with being over-taxed because he is successful at his job. Small businesses and families are eaten alive because of socialist notions that success equals "unfair distribution of wealth". Why distribute what one has worked so hard for? Would it not be better to encourage people to make it on their own, create jobs and/or build up their communities and take care of themselves and their families instead of taxing them to death, running them out of business thereby creating joblessness, despair, mass migration out of once-successful cities and towns and making them dependant on the state?

Joe earned that money. It's his. Let him keep it. We don't take birthday presents and re-distribute them. Entitlement should be earned, not given out because of some romantic notion of "sharing".

Obama's Extremist Stances

Though this has been reported before, this article outlines Obama's promises for abortion and unethical stem cell research should he ever be elected. This should give any voter compelling reasons not to vote for him.

Unfounded Claims Will Haunt Obama

During last night's debate, Obama claimed he was attacked not only in ads run by McCain but even maligned and threatened at GOP rallies. He claimed that at a Palin rally someone shouted: "Kill him!" However, this is not true. See the portion of video here as well.

This man will lie, cheat and steal to get ahead. What a man to lead the American people!

McCain vs. Obama: the Semi-Finals

I have to offer some quick thoughts on the last presidential debate. Obama was rattled by McCain who appeared stronger than before. McCain was quick to call Obama on his unworkable tax plans, his partiality to judges with certain agendas and his comfort with infanticide. Obama at one point tried to paint himself as the victim of some unfair characterisations but I think any voter paying attention would see that as a childish move on his part (RE: Palin, Sarah; RE: Obama, liar). Whether this turns the tide, we shall see.

Reflection Upon the Election

The Conservatives won with a stronger minority than before, even ending up with seats they had never had before. The Green Party has no place to sit and Jack Layton still sits in office (shame on all of you who voted for him. Shame.)

That's it, really. Confidence in the Liberals is at an ebb not seen in recent memory and Canada won't go as far left as the NDP or the Green Party would like.

Thanksgiving

Summer ends now; now, barbarous in beauty, the stooks arise

Around; up above, what wind-walks! what lovely behaviour

Of silk-sack clouds! has wilder, wilful-wavier

Meal-drift moulded ever and melted across skies?

I walk, I lift up, I lift up heart, eyes,

Down all that glory in the heavens to glean our Saviour;

And, éyes, heárt, what looks, what lips yet gave you a

Rapturous love’s greeting of realer, of rounder replies?

And the azurous hung hills are his world-wielding shoulder

Majestic -- as a stallion stalwart, very-violet-sweet!

--These things, these things were here and but the beholder

Wanting; which two when they once meet,

The heart rears wings bold and bolder

And hurls for him, O half hurls earth for him off under his feet.

"Hurrahing In the Harvest", Gerard Manley Hopkins

Mark Steyn "Acquitted"

Mark Steyn has been found not guilty of inciting hate speech.

Though this is a great vindication of Mr. Steyn and the right to free expression, the ruling lays bare some rather disturbing things. There is no absolute right to free speech (RE: the Canadian Human Rights Act, section 13, 1) meaning what some appointed judge thinks is "hurtful" can land someone in serious legal difficulty. Furthermore, any party may come up with a frivolous claim. Even if the party loses, the accused must pay for all legal costs. The process to defend oneself is both legally, financially and emotionally exhausting. Anyone can attempt to stop free speech and expression. Anyone can be above criticism and the Crown will see it to it that it stays that way.

Nevertheless, it is a relief to one chapter of this nonsense over.

Further Down the Rabbit-Hole

Stephen Harper proves once again that he is a coward. He will not have a referendum on abortion, will not protect pregnant crime victims and has now agreed to fund objectionable movies at the Canadian taxpayers' expense. What. A coward.

Speaking of cowards, Governor-General Michelle Jean will give abortion quack Henry Morgentaler the Order of Canada. I use "abortion quack" deliberately because I don't feel Morgentaler deserves to be recognised as one who labours to save lives but rather snuffs them out.

The removal of North Korea from the Axis of Evil is premature as it is wrong. North Korea, since the invasion of its neighbour to the south, has never done anything to merit good will. North Korean spies have kidnapped both Japanese and South Korean nationals, committed acts of assassination and terrorism and have repeatedly made hostile gestures ranging from threats to missile launches and reviving its nuclear program. It's bad enough that South Korea has made little headway in dealing with its wayward cousin but for the United States to make the error of trusting North Korea would only further the already tense situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Was anyone aware that the press has largely ignored Obama's terrorist ties and that he has benefited from Freddie Mac? Oh, that's not really news and no one cares as voting for the afore-mentioned candidate is akin to jumping in front of a speeding bus. However, some CEOs believe Obama would be "disastrous".

Israel tries to help an Iranian boy. Iran still wants Israel eliminated.

Despite attacks by Hindu nationalists, India may get its first female saint.

Russia calling Ukraine a "criminal" is quite rich. Putin met with his counterpart, Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and accused Ukraine of supplying weapons to Georgia (before or after Russia attacked Georgia is unclear). Russia, in this instance, is in its usual victim mode. Someone else must be to blame for its aggression towards a former satellite. It would be quite pathetic if the West did not largely ignore Russia's contempt for human life or freedom.

In these closing days of the election (both Canadian and American), we are faced with difficult choices. There are no good choices in Canada given the candidates. In the US, one can either vote for a veteran whose embattled running mate should win alone on the "Looks Stunning In Evening Wear" ticket, or a liar.

I believe the options are clear.

You can vote for this one. You can vote for this one. But you cannot vote for anyone else.

Just my thoughts.

There Is No Face Like a Happy Face

Lawyers for families afflicted by the Chinese milk scandal have been urged to drop cases.

But...but...I thought the government cared!

For the Last Time....

If anyone is of voting age and actually cares whether or not they can travel to another country or trade with the US, understand this:


Obama is not your candidate.


Yes, the idea of voting for Obama sounds radical but really it's just a recipe for disaster.


Cases in point:


Obama voted against keeping pornography away from churches and schools and against Internet filters in schools. He certainly used his voting privileges well in these instances.


While speaking at a Planned Parenthood meeting (the same Planned Parenthood that will not report child abuse to the authorities), he advocated sex education for kindergarten students.


Obama went where even Hillary Clinton would not go. He voted for partial-birth abortions and against keeping babies who survived abortions alive. The man voted for infanticide. It doesn't get any more monstrous than that.

Obama served on a board with American terrorist, William Ayers. Obama denies this but it is true. One of Ayers' crimes can be read about here.

Obama has openly admitted to wanting to meet with dictators like Ahmadinijad without any pre-conditions. This legitmises the dictatorship and crumbles any possibility of furthering human rights.

His insistence on creating public healthcare and "spreading the wealth" comes at a time when Americans are holding on to their wallets for dear life. Where will Obama get the money for these "promises"? Through taxation, the bane of any voter.

He has promised to withdraw troops from Iraq and perhaps, if his promises about being tough on Pakistan and Afghanistan are to be believed, place them in another hot zone. Not being a military tactician, I would say that this can only be unsettling for America's enemies who may think they've beaten the great American giant. Isn't emboldening enemies counter-productive?

He has made gaffes about Americans' inability to converse with the world. Perhaps he has miscounted the number of English speakers on the globe.

Canadians can't even vote in the American election but there is very good reason why notions of voting for Obama shouldn't even be entertained. Canada enjoys good economic relations with the US. Granted, we have been terrible neighbours, we are still profitable to them. Now- imagine a traditionally-protectionist Democratic president who raises tariffs, adds tighter trade restrictions and re-structures previous trade agreements. Let's not forget boundaries and fishing rights. The "who is to blame about NAFTA" fiasco earlier in the campaign made Canada look like a villain. Is that the kind of trading partner we need?

If anything, Obama is good at inflating himself. "Change", "hope" and all those other by-words cannot mask that when the time comes, if elected, he will stab us in the back.

Election-Mania!

Well- not really.

While straddling between the much-anticipated vice-presidential debates and the English-language debates here in Canada, I can conclude one thing- nothing is what one expected.

The vice-presidential debates went off better than the presidential debates did, in my opinion. While it was expected Governor Palin would be a train wreck, she was (as I predicted) very well-spoken. She was able to hold her own with Senator Biden, a politician with over thirty years experience. However, his experience did not sway my feelings of him raising taxes and making things miserable for the average American should he ever - God forbid- get elected.

While in Canada, we saw the five major parties quarrel over who would best stick it to the tax-payer. However one may feel about Stephen Harper, he runs the country as an economist, thereby watching every penny instead of frittering it away. Elizabeth May eviscerated whatever good mood was in the room by declaring she would run every aspect of Canadians' lives and by attacking Harper at every turn. If my dad is right- and he sometimes is- she will split the Green Party/NDP vote. Jack Layton, with his champagne-socialist demeanor, did not allay my fears of moving jobs to China and raising taxes. Gilles Duceppe, a man incapable of happiness, struck a particularly iresome note when he said- and I quote- "Canadian and Quebec troops". He doesn't see Quebec as a part of Canada, yet he is allowed to have his own party whose mandate it is to separate Canada. It was Stephen Dion who came off as the nicest but this nice guy will finish last.