Saint Patrick's Day Week: The Clovering

Saint Patrick at the party.

Uh-oh.



However....


And....

Perhaps more successfully than any other people of the world, the Japanese have evolved a social system capable of ensuring order and good behavior. The vast reservoir of social strength brought Japan through the devastation of World War II, compared to which even the massive problems currently afflicting it, are relatively small. Japan has sustained a major blow, but its robust social order will endure, and ultimately thrive.

Read the whole thing.



If female mutilation and honour killings are not barbaric, then what are they?

An updated government information pamphlet for newcomers to Canada, “Discover Canada,” warns against such “barbaric” practices as honour killings, forced marriages and other immoral or criminal practices. Federal Liberal Immigration critic Justin Trudeau yesterday made it known that he is “uncomfortable” with the word “barbaric.” “You could say it’s absolutely unacceptable as a phrase,” says Trudeau, adding that the word could have the effect of making newcomers “defensive.”

Reaction from the blogosphere, as well as from Conservatives, to Trudeau’s reflexive political correctness was swift and uncompromising. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney responded that the language in Discover Canada is deliberate and accurate. “There’s nothing more brutal than killing a woman because of some perceived slight to family honour,” Mr. Kenney observed.


Taken aback by the kerfuffle, Mr. Trudeau backtracked. In an email to The Globe and Mail, he wrote: “Perhaps I got tangled in semantic weeds in my comments, particularly in view of the Conservatives’ cynicism on these issues. I want to make clear that I think the acts described are heinous, barbaric acts that are totally unacceptable in our society.”

I’m puzzled by Trudeau’s logic. Both Justin Trudeau and the Conservatives believe that honour killings are “barbaric.” But according to Mr. Trudeau, the Conservatives’ views on immigration are “cynical.” Therefore, actually identifying honour-motivated crimes as “barbaric” in an official document is unacceptable to people like Liberals, who are not cynical about immigration, and who are therefore made uncomfortable by accurate adjectives pointing to unpleasant realities.

This Trudeau is a disaster just like his dear, old dad.


Why one would have to explain things like killing is wrong is still a mystery to me.



The sharks are eating each other. By that I mean the couple accused of elder abuse want separate lawyers and a bail review:

The Scarborough couple accused of keeping an elderly woman in a barely heated garage for months this winter have hired separate counsel and could end up blaming each other for the charges, according to one of their lawyers.

Kwong Yan, 43, and his wife, Qi Tan, 28, appeared via video link Tuesday in a Toronto courtroom.

The two face charges of failure to provide the necessities of life and criminal negligence causing bodily harm after Mr. Yan’s 68-year-old mother was found this month suffering from pneumonia and frostbite in the garage.


Ms. Tan’s lawyer, Haiyun Wang, said Ms. Tan and her husband decided to have their own lawyers in the case because of a possible conflict of interest when the matter goes to trial.

Unbelievable.


If Christopher Pauchay and Caledonia have taught us anything, it's that aboriginals can get away with crime:

Sentencing of a Winnipeg woman who admitted smashing a baby's head on a sidewalk has been adjourned pending a report into her background, including her native ancestry, which could be used by her lawyers to argue for a more lenient penalty.

Nikita Solange Eaglestick, 22, has admitted snatching a stranger's baby and causing the girl's injury in 2009.

Eaglestick was set to begin her trial Monday but instead struck a deal with justice officials. She pleaded guilty to abduction, assault causing bodily harm and failing to comply with a court order to abstain from intoxicants stemming from the attack in Winnipeg's north end.

In exchange, the Crown agreed to drop a more serious charge of attempted murder.
The background report, which could be used to argue for lenciency, is based on a previous Supreme Court ruling.

Forget about the kid who was nearly beaten to death. Forget about the greater interests of justice. Hell, forget about treating every single person the same.


Why elevate the aboriginal person to the status of a human being with flaws and perfections when one can easily excuse their behaviour as one might shake his or her head at a puppy who gnaws on shoes?

"...Like all savages they are liars, and certainly would not scruple at the utterance of any falsehood which might, in their opinion, shield them from the vengeance of the white man."

There, that's better. Continue perpetuating the myth of the "noble savage". Why be progressive and treat them the same as anyone else who would batter a child? Why be progressive and afford aboriginal children the same protections as other children?


No. That's asking too much. It's just easier to carry on with soft-serve racism, especially at the expense of justice for all.


Someone needs to be air-lifted to a reservation:

A beautiful house and a new car or truck are considered by many Canadians to be basic necessities. Unfortunately, First Nation people have been relegated to the worst areas of their territories and denied a rightful share of their own resources as well as the royalties. Band councils instituted by governments are but mirror images of those imperialistic institutions and do not reflect traditional First Nation leadership roles, where the respect of the people was earned by selfless acts of service and sacrifice.

Monetarily inflated bureaucracies spawned these puppet-government band councils. When it comes to accusations of serfdom, let's connect the dots properly. We need to set a proper example for our First Nations. Only then can we expect First Nation leaders to be accountable to their own people.

So the reason why aboriginal chiefs stole from and exploited their own people is because "the white man" didn't offer a better example.


Okay.


Because he's Mark Steyn:

On Friday night, twelve-year old Tamar Fogel came home to find both her parents, Ruth and Udi Fogel, two brothers Yoav (11) and Elad (four), and her three-month old sister Hadas murdered in their beds. They had had their throats cut and been stabbed through the heart.

That’s not shocking: There is no shortage of young Muslim men who would enjoy slitting the throat of a three-month old baby, and then head home dreaming of the town square or soccer tournament to be named in their honor.

Back in Gaza, the citizenry celebrated the news by cheering and passing out sweets.

That’s not shocking, either: In the broader Palestinian death cult, there are untold legions who, while disinclined to murder Jews themselves, are content to revel in the glorious victory of others.

And out in the wider world there was a marked reluctance to cover the story.

What is everyone waiting for? We can't wait to give the Palestinians a state of their own. Surely we can comment on the murder of a family.


While no one was looking, the UN introduced a no-fly zone over Libya resolution. Russia, of course, has "misgivings". There should be some punitive measure every time Russia defends its customers allies to the impediment of the rest of the thinking, feeling world.



And now, penguins can fly, have heart, and freaky gloves.