10 Non-Religious Arguments Against Same-Sex Marriage: Parts 1-2

Anthony Esolen at Mere Comments starts an argument. Quick summary:

The legalization of homosexual “marriages� would enshrine the sexual revolution in law.***

It would, in particular, enshrine in law the principle that sexual intercourse is a matter of personal fulfillment, with which the society has nothing to do.

Joe Knippenberg comments.

Harper Pride

This is awesome! Plonka links to the American blog LGF, where Americans are for the first time in over a decade expressing admiration for the spine exhibited by a Canadian prime minister. Just one comment:

How did Canada luck out like this? What a sane man. Bless him.

OK, one more, this one from a Canadian:

I have been going around feeling so all proud and chest puffed out happy at being a Canadian since Harper got in that I’m beginning to develop a permanent curvature in the spine.

You’re not the only one that’s proud, my friend, you’re not the only one.

And I’d like to see Jeff Goldstein’s reaction to this announcement by Harper (related).

Liberal MPP calls Israel ‘rogue’ state

Liberal MPP opens mouth, spews ignorance:

Ottawa-Orleans MPP Phil McNeely yesterday called Israel a “rogue state,” and said the federal government should apologize to Canadians for its support of the Jewish state’s “collective punishment” of the people in Gaza and Lebanon.

He then followed up with this,

Mr. McNeely waded into the volatile Middle East conflict with stinging criticism of everyone from former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to U.S. President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whom he called a puppet of the U.S. leader. He said it may be dangerous to speak out, but he feels so strongly about what is going on in the Middle East that he couldn’t remain silent.

“I believe the Harper government, which receives its foreign policy from David Frum direct from George Bush, should apologize to the Canadian people for their support of the collective punishment of people first in Gaza and now in Lebanon,” he said in an e-mail obtained by the Citizen. “As an elected member of Parliament I cannot believe that the democratically elected members of Hamas have been captured and imprisoned by this rogue state.”

Maybe he and Carolyn Bennett read the same Chomsky book…

I suggest everyone head on over to McNeely’s website and ask for his resignation.

Liberal Leaders Speak on the Middle East Crisis

Prominent Liberals have been jumping into the fray about the crisis in the Middle East and the evacuation of Canadians from Lebanon. Here are some select quotes that the MSM forgot to publish:

1. Ken Dryden: “If Israeli and Hezbollah leaders had been raised by professionals in state-run daycare centres, they would not exhibit the type of violent reactions that they do today.”

2. Joe Volpe: “I am pleased that we are patriating all those Lebanese Canadians. They usually have a lot of children who can meaningfully contribute to political campaigns.”

3. Scott Brison: “Israel has the right and the duty to protect its gay community, and the rest of the country too.”

4. Bob Rae: “Canada must send the Canadian soldiers who should not be helping people in Afghanistan to help people in Lebanon.”

5. Gerard Kennedy: “Canadian civilian casualties in Lebanon clearly show that Canada is the first international country in the world.”

6. Martha-Hall Findlay: “With my legal experience, I can bridge the gap between Israelis and Lebanese.”

7. Stephane Dion: “Our principal concern is that emanations from the many rocket explosions and airplane sorties during the conflict drive us further and further away from the commitment to clean air under the Kyoto Protocol.”

8. Carolyn Bennett: “If they had public healthcare and women like me running Hezbollah, all of this would probably not be happening at all.”

9. Maurizio Bevilacqua: “I urge all parties in the conflict not to panic and to stick by their principles.”

10. Hedy Fry: “I am not realy sure where Lebanon really is, but I am sure that there are crosses burning there as we speak.”

11. Michael Ignatieff: “The little Israeli Jews deserve as much protection from terror as the little Muslims.”

12. Lloyd Axworthy: “Hezbollah’s kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers rather than confronting the IDF head on shows that Hezbollah understands what soft power means, and they should be given credit for it.”

13. Belinda Stronach: “Lebanon needs to revive its Liberal Party more. The Lebanese government would work so much better if people voted more and if more people elected their cabinet.”

14. Paul Martin: “My ships have all come in, so I can’t send them out to help Canadians in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

15. Jean Chretien: “Ha war is ha war. What kind of war? It’s ha war. Ha war is ha war. If you ‘ave ha good war, people are shooting and people are dying, and you know it’s ha war. When you ‘ave ha good war, you know it.”

Crossposted from Civitatensis.ca

Tolerance for paedophilia anyone?

Given the way the political winds seem to blow in the Netherlands, this may not come as a surprise. The BBC is reporting that a paedophile political party will be allowed to start up and run candidates in Holland.

On the chances of success for such a party in any election, I have no comment. Whether or not this party should be allowed to exist, I have no comment. However, this does tie in with my comments to a post by H. Cameron back in June. There I was trying to point out that amoral thinking with respect to sexual conduct will eventually lead to increasing tolerance for paedophilia. Paedophilia is, quite defensibly, a “sexual orientation,” afterall.

To reiterate:

[Tolerance for paedophilia will be justified] along classic libertarian lines; well, if it’s consensual; and, well, you can’t really put a “numberâ€? on the age of sexual maturity, so if they aren’t being taken advantage of, it’s OK. …

Just as 40 years ago most would express outrage at abortion-on-demand and flagrant homosexuality there remains stern opposition to paedophilia. Eventually the liberal moral relativists in our midst will winnow it down as well on the grounds I’ve stated.

As the BBC reports:

… the Brotherly Love, Freedom and Diversity Party (PNVD) … was formed by three paedophiles in May, prompting outrage in Dutch society.

It seeks to lower the age of sexual consent from 16 to 12 and legalise child pornography and sex with animals. …

The PNVD – which has only three known members – says its aim is to break taboos and fight intolerance.

It says it wants paedophilia to be freely discussed, arguing that a ban just makes children curious.

They claim the subject has been a taboo since the 1996 Marc Dutroux child abuse scandal in Belgium.

They also want to break the “negative” stigma surrounding paedophilia by getting into parliament. …

A New National Motto

Every time an NDP interregnum wraps up here in Lotusland and that group of punch-drunk money-shovelling pig farmers is sent packing by the more sensible party (be it Socred or Liberal), the joke that goes around is that British Columbia has re-opened for business.

Seriously, I think we need a sign to hang at airports: Canada has re-opened for business.

All that’s wrong with Toronto

Check out this op-ed by Connie Woodcock on how Toronto has gone to the dogs. The problem:

The thought of spending a day in Toronto “enjoying” myself makes me tired. As for my daughter, it frightens her.

She refuses to walk along the street alone because she’s terrified of panhandlers and she’s barely comfortable even when I’m walking with her. And frankly, I’m nervous about squeegee people, who seem to be popping up all over the place again. Funny, I thought that was illegal now, but apparently not.

And then there’s the dirt, the garbage blowing in the streets, the weeds growing up between the cracks, the general air of neglect.

Let’s not even discuss the possibility of being caught in the crossfire of a passing gunfight because although the chances may be slight, they certainly exist and that’s not attractive either.

Her solution:

Maybe it’s time the zoo and the TTC and everyone else in the tourist business — hello city hall? — took a long, hard look at themselves and cut prices. And not just a little bit either.

And while they’re at it, they could clean the place up, deep-six the weed spray bylaw, get rid of the street people, stop ticketing out-of-province cars and make it a little more pleasant around here. Then the tourists will come.

It worked for New York City and it can work here.

Caledonia and the OPP: We’ll decide what’s illegal around here

Well, it’s day 1,000,000 (or so) of the illegal native occupation of disputed land in Caledonia and the OPP has yet to enforce an injunction and remove those protesters. This despite being called before the judge and being re-ordered to enforce the injunction.

So what we know is that the OPP refuses to listen to the courts and has, if we are to believe the OPP commissioner, received no direction from the government on how to proceed.

Getting back to our political science foundations: What’s it called when the coercive arm of the state refuses to be directed by the judicial or executive branches and instead does whatever the hell it wants?

Anyone from Latin America care to hazard a guess?

Albert Muckle: Expanded Discussion

There is a pretty interesting discussion taking place in the comments section of this post on killer Albert Muckle. Apparently these people are arriving via googling Muckle’s name.

Perks of the Civil Service – Paid Vacations in Ottawa!

One word comes to mind when describing the government program that will send “every new federal civil servant[s] from coast to coast to Ottawa on a two-day, all-expenses paid trip to give them a “big picture” understanding of how government works.“,

prod·i·gal·i·ty (prÃ…?d’Ä­-găl’Ä­-tÄ“) n., pl. -ties.

1. Extravagant wastefulness.
2. Profuse generosity.
3. Extreme abundance; lavishness.

Or perhaps,

bull·shit (bÊ? l’shÄ­t’) Vulgar Slang. n.

1. Foolish, deceitful, or boastful language.
2. Something worthless, deceptive, or insincere.
3. Insolent talk or behavior.

You take your pick…

Make sure to head on over and take a peek at the Orientation to the Public Service (OPS) at the “Canada School of Public Service” and marvel at Canada’s ingenius approach to bureaucratic indoctrination in the ways of entitlement. Your tax dollars at work!

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