Yikes

The illustrious Mr. Yoshida is at it again:

Someone Who Should Be Shot

“I hate Jeremy Hinzman. I want him dead. The “American??? deserter from the 82nd Airborne Division, presently attempting to convince a review board that he should be allowed to remain in Canada as a refugee, is scum of the worst sort. The world can only be made better by his inevitable exit to Hell.”

From what I know, Yoshida, to the suprise of his American detractors, lives in and posts out of Vancouver. Which makes me wonder how it is that his site hasn’t yet been shut down by Canadian authorities. Conservatives don’t need nuts like this running around.

What will happen in 2005?

You gotta love the folks at the Weekly Standard.

Their current poll-of-the-week (scroll to the bottom of the page) asks readers what they think the biggest story of 2005 will be. I voted for:

“France apologizes for obstructionism; expresses gratitude for twice being saved from German rule; joins coalition of willing in gesture of humble and eternal appreciation.”

More whipped cabinet ministers

Pat O’Brien, God bless his Irish soul, is now reporting that up to six whipped cabinet ministers have doubts about the upcoming vote on same-sex marriage.

Four more Cabinet ministers to struggle with same-sex bill

“Government backbencher Pat O’Brien, who is pushing for national referendum on same-sex marriage, says at least four other Cabinet ministers, along with Natural Resources Minister John Efford and junior Cabinet minister for Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario Joe Comuzzi, have serious reservations about supporting the upcoming same-sex marriage legislation and would vote against it if it were a truly free vote.”

The article also has a list of Liberal MPs who supported a three-year-old Alliance motion which re-affirmed the traditional definition of marriage.
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Pop Quiz on Same-Sex Ruling

Let us get a few things straight about the recent Supreme Court reference on same-sex marriage. First, the reference was significant in largely a juristictional sense. The court ruled that the federal government, not the provincial governments, had the power to decide whether or not to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. This was bad for Ralph Klein, but no one else.

Second, the court in no way ruled that denying same-sex couples marriage rights constituted a violation of their section 15 equality rights. In fact, the court refused to answer this question as it was asked. Does this mean that the court is indifferent to the question? Hardly; the court had a mountain of jurisprudence from lower courts (in BC and Ontario in particular) upon which it could have decided the question on the basis of precedent alone. Instead, the Supremes essentially snubbed their noses at multiple lower court rulings which found that denying them marriage rights infringed upon their Charter rights.
[Read more]

Contributions from Calgary

I am glad to see that Calgarians are contributing in a positive way to the national dialogue on a pan-Canadian identity, and also on Paul Martin’s tenure as prime minister. You have to watch until the end in order to see the more insightful moments:

Talking to Canadians: Calgary, Alberta

One of the more memorable quotes: “Who in the hell is Paul Martin? I thought Darryl Sutter was the prime minister.”

Memo to old people: GET A LIFE

Add this article to a recent Macleans cover story on the refusal of sixty-somethings’ unwillingness to go on permanent vacation in Florida, and it becomes painfully obvious that the noble idea of mandatory retirement is all but on the way out:

Majority of retirees don’t want to go: study

“Altogether, nearly 60 per cent of those surveyed who retired between 1992 and 2002 left earlier than they wanted…

The study shows that only about 40 per cent of participants retired willingly and without second thoughts.”

Apparently, only 40% of Canadian old people have discovered the joys of fishing, golfing, or spending time with the grandkids. The other 60% seriously need to get a life, in my humble 20-something opinion. Suffice it to say: In forty years, I will be quite strongly committed to eradicating any peskiness in my life which inhibits my ability to fish, most prominent being my job.