Another pro-life terrorist has murdered an abortion provider. When will the pro-life groups that wind these nutcases up and then let them loose on the population be declared terrorist organizations?
2. The Terrorists Win. Tiller was one of just three doctors in the entire US who performed late-term abortions. Now, there are just two. Which means that 36 years of anti-choice terrorism is now just two assassinations away from completely ending late-term abortion in America. Violence has won out — over the will of the people, over the courts, over the horrific logic of medical necessity. And whenever terrorists win, democracy has lost — and is lost.
Update II: Scott Roeder, a supporter of the terrorist anti-choice group Rescue America, has been detained in connection with the assassination.
Update III: Anti-choice terrorist supporters are cheering the assassination on Twitter.
“July 7, Kansas: Scott Roeder is sentenced to sixteen months in state prison for parole violations following a 1996 conviction for having bomb components in his car trunk. Roeder, a sovereign citizen and tax protester, violated his parole by not filing tax returns or providing his social security number to his employer.”
Update V: Canadian Cynic notes that the terrorists at Operation Rescue are busy scrubbing their site. I wonder why they’d do that after claiming they’re not in any way responsible for what happened.
Some are convinced he’s the Antichrist. Others have made jokes about watermelon and fried chicken, and sent emails containing racist slurs. And now a personal ad in a Pennsylvania newspaper has called for his assassination…
The ad in Thursday’s paper read: “May Obama follow in the steps of Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy!” All four presidents were assassinated in office.
Remember though, the left is worse because we sometimes swear.
Europe Leads The Way In The Fight Against Global Warming
While our Liberal and Conservative governments have dithered, the European Union is close to meeting its Kyoto target.
The European Union says emissions of greenhouse gases in the bloc’s 15 original member countries fell in 2007 for the third consecutive year…
The agency said Friday that the 15 countries — in the 27-member union — are now five percentage points below the Kyoto Protocol base year levels.
A Wee Blasphemer
You probably haven’t heard about Ireland’s plan to introduce blasphemy laws on account of the fact that no Muslims are involved so it wouldn’t pique the interest of the free screechers.
THE ORGANISATION for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has warned the Government that its plan to introduce a new blasphemy law risks flouting international standards on freedom of speech…
Last month Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern announced that he would propose a new crime of blasphemous libel in an amendment to the Defamation Bill.
The new section of the Bill will state: “A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €100,000.”
Venezuela’s GDP grew by 0.3% in the first quarter of this year, bringing the number of consecutive quarters of economic growth in Venezuela to 22, according to the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV).
The growth occurred primarily in the non-oil sector of Venezuela’s economy, which grew by 1.3% overall. The communications sector grew by 9.7%, community services by 4.6%, electricity and water by 3.7%, and transportation services by 1.1%.
By now you’ve probably heard that Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre used the phrase “tar baby” in the House of Commons during Question Period and was later asked by both Liberal MP Ralph Goodale and NDP MP Paul Dewar to retract his words because of its racist overtones.
Unlike some bloggers, I don’t think Poilievre was using the term in a racist context and since we can agree he isn’t exactly the sharpest pencil in the Conservative box I can accept that he was actually unaware of the phrase’s racist overtones. So a simple, oops, my bad, followed by an apology would have probably made this issue go away. But instead of doing that, the Conservative Party and its supporters have decided to dig in their heels and die atop “Tar Baby” Hill.
The PMO was quick to send out emails to reporters pointing out that other people have also used the phrase and their chief blog propagandist Stephen Taylor leapt on aboard. Party supporters then began arguing that the phrase “tar baby” isn’t even racist simply because its etymology wasn’t racist; an argument that’s as absurd as claiming that the phrase “spear chucker” isn’t racist because it simply refers to someone that throws spears.
Why they’ve chosen to make a stand on this issue is beyond me when even dull witted Republicans like John McCain and Mitt Romney knew better than to let themselves get entangled in B’rer Fox’s trap. So it’s very puzzling that the Conservatives would do this when there is no upside for winning this argument and the downside is a mile of pain; not for losing it, but simply for having it.
The federal deficit will soar to more than $50 billion this fiscal year, setting a dubious record far eclipsing the bad old deficit days of the early 1990s.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced Tuesday that the government’s shortfall will be more than $16 billion higher in 2009-2010 than he forecast in January’s budget.
From $13 billion surpluses to a $50+ billion deficit in three years must set a new record for fiscal incompetence.
You must have known with this bunch that it would happen eventually.
The federal government has quietly sold off several pieces of historic silver and china from Rideau Hall at bargain basement prices, Sun Media has learned.
Can you imagine how much howling the right whingers would be doing if a Liberal government did this.
The Harper government plans to block any chance of a spring election by using the parliamentary calendar to delay a possible non-confidence motion by the Liberals.
The Canadian Press has learned that government informed some of its rivals that it will push back the Liberals’ opportunity to table an opposition motion to June 17.
Such a move would leave opposition parties with two options: trigger a rare midsummer election, or keep the government alive until the fall.
Despite Prime Minister Paul Martin’s recent public pronouncements that he wants Parliament to work, he and his government are slapping the face of Parliament by pushing opposition days off until November, says Conservative Party Whip Rob Nicholson.
Your Vote Could Have Made A Difference Northern BC Dipper shows that the BC election was a lot closer than pundits realize.
The BC election was close – really close. Based on the preliminary numbers, the BC New Democrats lost by only 3,932 votes.
Considering just how close this election was I think BC NDP leader Carole James deserves another shot at it.
How Are Privatized Alcohol Sales Working Out For You Not so good.
Alberta, in a mere 12 months, has gone from having the cheapest beer in Canada to the most expensive suds in the country, by a long shot.
Right whingers have long promoted the myth that the privatization and competition always translate into cheaper goods and services. Clearly that’s not the case.
The Tar Sands Are An Abomination In The Eyes Of The Lord
Religion seems to have a purpose after all.
Alberta’s oilsands developments are coming under the scrutiny of church leaders from across the country.
Officials with Kairos, a multi-denominational social justice group, are heading to Fort McMurray to see the impact of development first-hand.
Comments Off :
Robert McClelland :
May 20, '09 :
-Blahg Bits
Let’s not pretend that much of the condemnation of Tamils in Canada for protesting the plight of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka isn’t racist.
Any journalist who’s been around knows what’s going on and we have an obligation to speak up…
Since then, all hell has broken loose on talk radio and media websites seeking public reaction — much of it utterly racist.
Every experienced media commentator knows what’s going on. To simply keep mindlessly repeating that the only topics worth discussing are that shutting down the Gardiner was irresponsible, the Tamil Tigers are terrorists and if Canadian Tamils don’t like it here, they should go back where they come from, is racism.
Venezuela’s gross domestic product probably didn’t contract in the first quarter of the year despite the backlash from the collapse in the price of oil, the bloodline of the country’s economy.
President Hugo Chavez sidestepped an economic decline in the first three months of the year by tapping government funds to prop up spending and “soften the impact of the crisis,” said Maikel Bello, an analyst with research group Ecoanalitica.
The Caracas-based firm forecasts a 1.07% GDP expansion for the first three months of the year.
Other analysts predict GDP expansions that range from 1% to 7%.
I write to draw your attention to a situation I just encountered with Shaw Direct (the satellite TV provider formerly known as Star Choice). Returning from a short business trip my daughter advised me that there was a “message” from Shaw and I could read it on the TV.
The message advised me that in response to complaints (unnumbered and unspecified) about some disparaging comments about Canada’s military folks made by a Fox News show personality Shaw had decided that those persons subscribing to Fox News would have until May 18 to affirm their desire to continue their subscription to that Channel or else it
would be shut off.
These drooling tards are responsible for making everyone over-react to any criticism of the troops so it’s only fitting that their beloved Fox News should pay the price.
Be sure to thank Jim Shaw for making your day. AskJim@shawdirect.ca
Telephone number: 1.866.782.7932
Fax: 1.800.872.8219
Snail mail:
Your Feedback
Shaw Satellite G.P.
Suite 100, 2400 32 Ave NE
Calgary, AB
T2E 9A7
Here’s a collection of global warming news items from this past week that hasn’t generated very much interest in the blogosphere.
Wind Power Lies Debunked
The Toronto Star had an excellent article that tackles some of the many lies conservatives are fabricating about wind power. In particular, the article takes on the lie about the alleged high cost; it’s comparable to that of nuclear power. The article also addresses the reliability issue.
One thing that caught me by surprise when I read it was the amount of power already being generated by wind power.
In the first three weeks of April, wind farms in Ontario generated 180,787 megawatt-hours of electricity – the equivalent of a 356-megawatt coal plant running at 100 per cent, but without the emissions. During that period, wind generation in Ontario produced nearly as much electricity as the province’s fleet of coal plants.
Clearly wind power is much more effective than the right would have you believe.
Conservative Global Warming Plan Really Is Just Hot Air No surprise here and I doubt you’ll be surprised either.
The federal government has overstated greenhouse gas reductions expected as a result of its climate change plans and is failing to count the actual reductions to see if they match with predictions, according to a report tabled in Parliament.
“Without a system to count real emission reductions that result from its measures, the government will not be able to inform Parliament whether the measures are working,” Scott Vaughan, commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, said Tuesday in the text of a prepared statement.
The Quebec government has tabled legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set up a carbon trading market across North America.
Provincial Environment Minister Line Beauchamp introduced the bill Tuesday in the national assembly, Quebec’s provincial legislature.
Bill 42 is designed to allow Quebec to participate in the Western Climate Initiative, a carbon trade agreement between four Canadian provinces and seven U.S. states.
Cap and trade was designed, tested and proven here in the United States, as a program within the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The success of this program led The Economist magazine to crown it “probably the greatest green success story of the past decade.” (July 6, 2002)…
The market-based approach enshrined in the U.S. Acid Rain program has demonstrated that environmental protections need not compete with economic well-being.
With these provinces and states getting the ball rolling it will be much easier to prod the others to fall in line.
Comments Off :
Robert McClelland :
May 13, '09 :
-Environment
Over a thousand farmers headed home to their farms after a day-long protest which blocked both east and west bound 401 traffic, hoping the government got the message.
Kelly McParland didn’t accuse these highway blockaders of having “no sense of Canadian values”.
If anything, they likely guaranteed the police and the public have less tolerance than ever for a community that seems to have no sense of Canadian values, and no particular interest in the rights of anyone but themselves.
The Lanark Landowners Association stormed the international bridge at Johnstown Fri., Feb. 4, the latest salvo in its rolling Rural Revolution…
Meanwhile, other tractors blockaded Hwy. 401 here after rallying at both Angelo’s and the 730 truck stops at Johnstown and Cardinal respectively.
There was no response like this to that blockade from Kate McMillan.
Hey Sri Lanka, would you just hurry up and finish them off so traffic can get back to normal?
Farmers in Ontario are bringing the rural farming crisis into the big cities. On March 2 the CBC reported that thousands of farmers blocked traffic in downtown Toronto demanding more provincial aid.
Raphael Alexander didn’t demand that the police taser these traffic blocking farmers.
At this point I have no idea why tasers were not deployed. The police had an obligation to protect both the mob and the drivers on the Expressway from this invasion of protesters, and I have no doubt that if the police dropped a few in the front line, it would have sent a swift retreat.
Farmers stage protest on Ontario’s Highway 401
Some farmers occupied truck weigh scales on Highway 401 in Bowmanville, Oshawa and Mississauga. More than 300 people brought traffic to a crawl along a stretch of Highway 402 near Sarnia’s Blue Water Bridge border crossing.
Jonathan Strong wasn’t concerned about this law breaking and inconvenience.
Torontonians have had enough of the law breaking and inconvenience. This has been exacerbated by the lack of leadership from Mayor Miller, Premier McGuinty, and Chief Blair. Blair should resign for his inability or refusal to enforce the law. He put his own officers at risk by allowing them to be assaulted with no repercussions to the mob. The Tamil protesters were just that, a mob were flagrantly violating the law by entering the freeway.
It took the heart of eastern Ontario to launch a creative grassroots protest that plugged Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill with 380 tractors.
A week later dozens of farmers in tractors blocked the delivery entrance to three food distribution terminals in Ottawa’s east end over three days. Tractors later circled the roundabout at 24 Sussex Drive, home to Prime Minster Stephen Harper.
Publius didn’t have any concern for commuters after this incident.
Which begs the question, when exactly will the police intervene to allow for the free flow of traffic? The occupation on the Gardiner lasted only a few hours. Had it lasted into the Monday morning rush hour it would have crippled traffic in the downtown core.
Truck convoys to disrupt morning traffic on 401
A procession of truck drivers will make their way to Queen’s Park this morning, in protest of recent speed limiter legislation.
The truckers, travelling from Cambridge and Bowmanville in two convoys, are opposed to the law that came into effect Jan. 1, requiring trucks to have an electronic device restricting speeds to 105 km/h.
Kathy Shaidle didn’t tell these protestors to go back where they came from.
From our bulging ‘Go Back Where You Came From File’
Since the media tends to ignore or at least give short shrift to what’s going on in the world of the dippers, I thought I’d start a weekly roundup (or possibly a one time thing) of what the federal and provincial NDP is up to these days.
Federal
On Monday, MP Paul Dewar introduced a motion at the House of Commons Foreign Affairs and International Development committee calling for Abousfian Abdelrazik to give testimony before the committee. This was clearly a backdoor attempt to get the stranded Canadian citizen back into the country. The motion passed with the support of the Liberals and Bloc while the Conservatives abstainedran away. It was a clever move by the NDP but in the end, despite being the will of the people as expressed through their elected representatives, it will fail to achieve its intended outcome as the Conservatives once again display their contempt for our democracy by ignoring it.
Out in British Columbia, Bill Siksay became the latest federal NDP MP to endorse changing the province’s electoral system to STV.
British Columbia
The BC NDP headed into the final stretch of their election campaign this week with the polls showing them anywhere from 2 to 17 points behind the incumbent Liberals. While being behind in every poll might seem like bad news for the BC NDP, under our antiquated FPTP electoral system they still have a shot at winning a majority.
Saskatchewan
Unlike the federal Liberals, the Saskatchewan NDP are in the midst of a real leadership campaign. For what’s going on with that, including the Lingenfelter membership controversy, I’ll simply direct you to Accidental Deliberations who has been following the campaign since day one.
Manitoba’s NDP government refused a proposal to fully fund sex reassignment surgeries for trans people, Xtra.ca has learned. The policy would have brought the province in line with British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec by covering the costs of hormone therapy as well as procedures like chest reconstruction and clitoral release.
The proposal, brought forward by the province’s Ministry of Healthy Living, was created after consultation with queer community members. It was approved by top bureaucrats but rejected by NDP cabinet ministers at a Treasury Board meeting earlier this year.
Nova Scotia
The NDP teamed up with the Liberals to vote against the Conservative budget setting the stage for an election–that is the NDP’s to lose–on June 9th. The NDP came out swinging with a 10 year plan to help farmers expand their businesses and a plan to keep the province’s emergency rooms open.
I’m sorry, but there will be no free speech for you…
Caryl Churchill’s play was banned by the BBC–which also banned a plea from a coalition of charities for humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Meanwhile, here at home…
A US teenager has successfully won a lawsuit against a teacher who described creationism as “superstitious nonsense”…
Only one of Corbett’s opinions fell foul of the First Amendment – his “unequivocal belief that creationism is superstitious nonsense”. Judge Selna concluded that there was no legitimate secular purpose to the statement and it constituted “improper disapproval of religion in violation of the establishment clause”.
On May 8, the Koffler Centre for the Arts issued a press release announcing that they are “disassociating themselves” from an art exhibition by Toronto artist Reena Katz which is being installed at Kensington Market later this month. They are rejecting Katz not for the content of her work but because of her personal political beliefs, namely “Reena Katz’s public support for and association with Israel Apartheid Week.”
Next time try attacking Muslims if you want some free speech.
Here’s what I don’t understand about the outrage from conservatives over the Ruby Dhalla affair. Free market conservatives don’t support the minimum wage. They believe an employer should be able to pay an employee whatever they want and that if the employee doesn’t want to work for that wage they’re free to simply find a new job. Essentially what Dhalla has been accused of is doing what free market conservatives want to do. So why are they so outraged about it?
