A Post, For It Is Thursday

So much to say.....


In order to work overseas, I needed a Canadian passport. Whatever trouble I had to go through to get it, I did so in order to work and travel.


So why are there different standards for those who live on or near the Canadian Shield?

The Iroquois nation should not be allowed to travel abroad on their own passports if other nations, such as the Québécois, do not have their own passports, the Bloc Québécois’ Indian affairs critic said Wednesday.

“We must all have a valid passport from a recognized country, not a nation. If that was not the case, there would be a Basque passport, a Québécois passport, a Scottish passport, a Corsican passport,” said Bloc MP Marc Lemay. “Last I heard Quebec was still part of Canada and, even if we are very, very sovereigntist, we still need a Canadian passport to travel.”

Mr. Lemay was responding to issues of nationality that have come to light as a 47-person delegation of Iroquois have been stuck for several days in New York because they were travelling to an athletic competition in Britain on passports of the Iroquois Confederacy. The group, whose members live on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, refuse passports from either country as a matter of principle.

Perhaps I am unclear about what a principle is. Is it that freeloaders who live in First World Western countries reject the nation-state they should feel damn glad to live in? Maybe.


Who nearly wiped out the Huron (or Wendat, as is their preferred name)? Oh yes! The Iroquois.

Moving on....


What the hell? It's sad when hockey takes precedence over bravery.


Shut up, Ignatieff:

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff called for the resignation of the head of Canada’s spy agency Thursday, saying claims Richard Fadden made last month about several politicians in British Columbia acting as spies for China have damaged Canada’s reputation.


“What would I do as the prime minister of Canada when I have the visit of the president of another country and my director of intelligence chooses the eve of his arrival, to make unsubstantiated set of allegations about members of our national community?” he said during a stop at the Chinese Cultural Centre east of Toronto.
“I would ask for his resignation.”


Canadian Security Intelligence Service director Richard Fadden has stood by his comments, but has refused to name the politicians.
“So the question is, why is Mr. Harper remaining silent on this? Why is he letting this go on?” Mr. Ignatieff charged. “This is damaging our relations with China but it is also damaging our relationship among citizens. We think it is unacceptable.”

Goad someone else with your mud-slinging and unsubstantiated blather (see this). I think they fixed your bus.


Maybe this judge took a page from Ignatieff's total fabrication book and smoked something peculiar with it:

The Federal Court has overturned a government decision to reject a prospective immigrant who had eavesdropped on NATO bases for the Soviets during the Cold War.

It doesn't stop there:

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Wednesday he would like to create a federally funded program to allow young Canadians to work overseas and gain international experience.

“I don’t want Canadians to think the only good Canadian is someone who’s never left these shores,” Mr. Ignatieff said.

Like he is one to talk, the visitor.



Tourism isn't a human right. If people want to travel, they can pay for it. Just lower the taxes on travel and gasoline. Aren't we supposed to live in a "multicultural mosaic"? Why leave the country when you can get an education by walking down the street to your nearest store or restaurant? Besides, quite a few Canadians have never even left their province and if they have, it's to either the US or some Third World hellhole. I'd encourage people to go to Alberta before going to Cuba. Scratch that. NEVER go to Cuba. Visit Alberta. They have pie.


And now Stan Roger's "Northwest Passage".


A letter to be answered:

Autonomy, liberty, justice are the founding principles of democracy, and I wholeheartedly subscribe to them. As such, I was dismayed to hear of that French politicians have voted to ban face-covering veils. To add to my shock, many Canadian politicians are petitioning for this same ban to come to this country.


Banning face veils only takes away the freedom of women. It is not for the French or Canadian public, the judicial system or the government to determine whether Muslim women should be mandated by their faith to wear the face veil; it is for each Muslim woman to decide for herself.


Forcing a woman to reveal part of her body will not "liberate" her. Indeed, it is the same as forcing her to be covered. The pretext of "rescuing" women is paternalistic, and frankly, quite offensive. As Canadians, we should be committed to supporting the personal freedoms of all women. In the name of "gender equality," the French government is marginalizing only one group: Muslim women. Ironically, this legislation actually perpetuates gender inequality, and effectively sanctions discrimination against Muslim women.


Muslim Canadian women, such as myself, are integral and productive members of society who possess diverse capabilities and faculties. The Islamic teaching of modesty allows us a comfortable atmosphere where we can further these strengths and skills. This legislation, however, does not bode well for the integration and participation of women, and will inevitably lead to further gender inequality.

Aqsa Parvez is my withering counter-argument to that letter. She opted not to wear those horrid coverings which, in my opinion, are more about snubbing Canadian culture and customs than they are about religion or individuality. Now she is dead.


When thirty-three year old rape cases go very wrong:

The Swiss government asked the U.S. Justice Department to release sealed transcripts in the Roman Polanski case just days before a Los Angeles judge was told that the Swiss did not request that information, according to a letter from Swiss officials that points to apparent miscommunication in the case.
The officials said that the denial of access to the information was the key factor in the refusal to extradite the film maker to the U.S., according to the letter to the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland.
A district attorney's spokeswoman said their office was never notified of the Swiss request and did not know that the Justice Department had turned it down.

Let this be a lesson: only famous people can get away with forcible confinement, intoxication and sexual assault of a minor. If Roman Polanski was- let's say, a janitor- he'd be in prison right now.

Another lesson: only the Chinese-backed North Koreans can get away with murder.


A note to the Chinese and the North Koreans: Kim Jong-Il is fat, on his last legs and is backed by the Chinese government which considers not only all Koreans but their own citizens as dirty socks. You're better off without the lot of them. Seriously.


Cool.


Even cooler.