tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52095592011-04-22T05:31:41.355+03:00Dumb Canuck - Honouring the heroine Laura Secord (not the chocolate)An <b>anti-blog</b>: That's what this is. I am <i>not</i> interested in today's news; on the contrary, what interests me is long term trends and that's what I post about.<br><i><b>God save our gracious Queen!<br> Long live our noble Queen!<br>God save the Queen!<br>Send her victorious,<br>Happy and glorious,<br>Long to reign over us,<br>God save the Queen.</b></i><p>I am a <i>thinking</i> protoconservative (not an American neo- or otherwise conservative).Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1103813741291329392004-12-23T16:53:00.000+02:002004-12-23T16:55:41.293+02:00The new slogan in Amerika:
Consume. Conform. Obey.
I guess it goes with:
Veni. Vidi. Vici.Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1096746226613779472004-10-02T22:32:00.000+03:002004-10-03T00:03:53.416+03:00Some AphorismsWhat appalls me most are people who are motivated by:
greed disguised as ideology (the so-called neo-conservatives), greed disguised as belief (the so-called Christian evangelists, who are not true Christians (followers of Christ). The latter confuse the power of praying with prayer.Tell me whether the meek inherit the Earth in George Bush's world.Also tell me whether Jesus had Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1093369853911703692004-08-24T20:49:00.000+03:002004-08-24T20:50:53.910+03:00The Cold War, Pearl Harbor and 9/11The cold war was a fraud - as Reagan proved. He was unwilling to perpetuate the farce started after WWII. Anyone who had ever visited the old Soviet Union knew that they were incapable of really challenging the USA.
You must realize that Roosevelt failed to end the depression - there in fact was no peaceful solution to the problems of the US economy. Since thenAdvancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1093178971341056412004-08-22T15:37:00.000+03:002004-08-22T15:50:23.176+03:00Here is my answer as to who is behind the chaos in Iraq:I feel that the ultimate enemy of the Arab people is the elite, as symbolized by the mullahs in Iran, the Saudi Royal Family and the Emirs in the Persian / Arab Gulf. They do not want the people to rule — even Arafat does not want the people in control.
The Bush family, long known as criminal at least since the thirties when they were in Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1086624616729556962004-06-07T19:08:00.000+03:002004-06-11T20:53:22.620+03:00The purpose of education is to ensure that smart people are distracted from making money by the "Siron Song" of ideas. New: "Siron Song" sic is meant to be a facetious comment on our educational system, which puts a premium on spelling and grammar. Non-native English-speakers know how quickly they are condemned when they make a mistake. (The alternative is to profusely apologize in advance.: YeahAdvancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1084892807213352652004-05-18T18:04:00.000+03:002004-05-18T18:06:47.213+03:00Torture - A Historical Perspective
While this note deals with torture and its historical uses, I must precede it by stating unequivocally that I find it to be immoral.
The purpose of torture in Ancient Times was to slowly inflict pain and suffering on an external or internal enemy resulting in a lingering death. The idea was to impose a living hell on the enemy and it was hoped scare away Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1083684783033853432004-05-04T18:33:00.000+03:002004-05-04T23:04:08.186+03:00The Reality of Things
You know, basically, the Right and the Left are correct…about each other. The Right is correct when they say that Government is essentially corruptible and inflexible. The mechanisms of government lead inevitably to influence-peddling and inflexible operations. Influence-peddling arises in two ways: first of all, in a so-called "free" country, political parties need Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1076253035036060812004-02-08T17:10:00.000+02:002004-02-08T17:12:58.310+02:00Re Bush and his Gang
On one level it comes down to sheer incompetence; on another, sheer arrogance. I am not convinced that Saddam Hussein was a danger to any country but Israel (and it looks like Israel knew that he was no danger to them).
What Bush has done is to show the world the danger of allowing the US to be the sole hyperpower. I think over time, the Chinese, the Indians and the Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1074114745293806992004-01-14T23:12:00.000+02:002004-01-14T23:16:00.860+02:00The Ultimate Target of the PNAC Agenda is…Canada
The reason I am opposed to the US occupation of Iraq has nothing to do with Iraq per se. In fact, you can make a bona fide case that the invasion of Iraq was a good and noble deed. I could even agree that cleaning up the Middle East and installing democratic regimes there is also a good deed. My opposition stems from the fact that in the PNAC Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1073229593841718382004-01-04T17:19:00.000+02:002004-01-07T16:10:17.310+02:00On Evil
Unfortunately, evil is a necessary element of the world since, without evil, moral choices would be meaningless. What people forget is that moral choices have two dimensions:
• The act of choice itself,
• The motivation behind the choice.
So even if the choice made is for the benefit of the good, if you have evil in your heart you have not advanced the cause of the good.
One of the Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1072795631985192652003-12-30T16:47:00.000+02:002004-01-04T17:23:45.030+02:00Iranian Earthquake Please donate for Iranian Earthquake relief.
Mercy Corps
Canadian Red Cross Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1070308665094764082003-12-01T21:57:00.000+02:002003-12-01T21:58:37.060+02:00Folk Migrations: The Historical Impact and Possible Impact of Today's MigrationsThe next topic I want to write about is population shifts or folk migrations, technically the term used is "Völkerwanderung". I think we are in the midst of a mass displacement of people and I want to discuss what previous population shifts have implied in terms of both the original population and the incoming one.As Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1069805566607969612003-11-26T02:12:00.000+02:002003-11-26T02:14:08.356+02:00Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1069426208122986232003-11-21T16:50:00.000+02:002003-11-21T18:18:47.793+02:00The Real Facts of Life: Money and The War
The economic cost of Gulf War I is estimated to be US$82 billion, of which the US paid US$18 billion (or 22%), Kuwait and Saudi Arabia paid over 60% of the costs. Now, contrast this to Gulf War II, costing over US$135 billion, of which the US is probably paying 90%. (A lot of the Coalition partners are being financed by the US.)
If you want to know why Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1069424263461243322003-11-21T16:17:00.000+02:002003-11-28T17:50:04.200+02:00 The Ideology of Patriotism
Americans have a dangerous Ideology of Patriotism. People living in Canada are never accused of being "un-Canadian", no one ever says "love it or leave it", and we don't go around looking for "gratitude" from the Rest of the World. We don't stick our flag on our cars or overpasses. We don't have ten million songs loving Canada. And guess what our government has to Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1067614440158515442003-10-31T17:34:00.000+02:002003-11-21T17:03:04.530+02:00Why the West doesn't want a modern IslamImagine an Arab [and other] Islamic world at the vanguard of civilization. Fully industrialized and modern. Guess what? If that were true, they would be using all the oil and natural gas themselves. The oil would be used to make plastics, artificial fibres and other advanced materials. They would be the centre of the PC chip and incandescent lightbulb Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1067528976933529622003-10-30T17:49:00.000+02:002003-12-01T21:25:15.530+02:009/11Re Afghanistan, it is known and admitted that the Taleban controlled that country and allowed Al-Qa'eda to set up training camps for terrorist activities in return for financial considerations. So if you want to question the logic of invading Afghanistan, you are forced to question whether Al-Qa'eda was responsible for 9/11. If the Bin Laden tapes are genuine (and I don't think anyone in the Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1066924381767156272003-10-23T18:53:00.000+03:002003-11-21T17:03:22.403+02:00The Dysfunctional US SocietyVoting Bush out is not enough: that is my point. If Americans don't realize that, then all that will happen is an incompetent Republican will be replaced by a Democrat who is competent enough to carry out the PNAC agenda.
Frankly, the US has been going down a road which is looking more and more like a dead end. One example is a justice system which has succeeded in Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1066316868554541202003-10-16T18:07:00.000+03:002003-11-21T17:03:31.466+02:00Iraq is a Side-ShowActually, the real problem is not Iraq and it's not even military. Iraq is the side-show. The real problem is economic and it's the US trade deficit. Right now, the US is trying to strong-arm China and Japan into floating their currencies. The dilemma is that whether Bush fails or succeeds, the US economy tanks. Why? Because the trade deficit is being financed today by the Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1066239411631450362003-10-15T20:36:00.000+03:002003-11-21T17:03:41.780+02:00Preparing the Defence Against the USMy very first post on this blog was:
Sunday, March 30, 2003
The Americans are awfully dangerous. No one will want to tangle with them right now. However, you can be sure that the other powers (the French, the Germans, the Chinese, the Russians, the Indians, and the British) have all taken note of this. By the way, everyone is talking about the UN, but the Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1065109099733404482003-10-02T18:38:00.000+03:002003-11-21T17:00:51.903+02:00Moral ConservatismI have been thinking that many of our problems suffer from taking a short-sighted "WIFM" ("What's in it for me?") approach rather than looking at a "What's in it for the common good?" approach. As a conservative, I find that we tend as humans to continually repeat the same mistakes and fail to become wiser. Have you ever wondered why the greatest English writer was born in the Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1063980546434381592003-09-19T17:09:00.000+03:002003-11-21T17:01:28.246+02:00What George Bush and his cohort have forgotten:Quod scis nihil prodest, quod nescis multem obest.
quod=what (ce que)
scis=thou knowest (tu sais)
nihil=nothing (rien)
prodest (from prosum)=is good for (est utile)
nescis=thou knowest not (tu ne sais pas)
multem= much, a lot (beaucoup)
obest (from obsum)= is not good for you (est nocif)
> Thus:
>
> (Ce que tu sais est inutile, ce queAdvancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1063979763870583312003-09-19T16:56:00.000+03:002003-11-21T17:03:54.840+02:00Against ConstitutionsSorry. No dice. Constitutions suck. Especially the US Constitution. Why? Because it diverts the discussion from what is really important: having a sound society. The example that comes to mind is Britain. No written constitution there but boy do you get the sense that it all works. Instance: you Americans get all hyper about separation of Church and State. Look at Britain: Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1062807802315558652003-09-18T20:09:00.000+03:002003-11-27T20:12:57.546+02:00The Sorrow of ChileFrom a Chilean newspaper, La Nación dated Thursday, September 18th, 2003:
The President of the Republic, Ricardo Lagos, together with his daughter, representing the First Lady, Luisa Durán, as well as his closest collaborators, listened attentively to the message that Monsignor Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz conveyed in his homily, in which he emphasized the necessary Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1062682738036855172003-09-04T16:38:00.000+03:002003-09-04T16:38:58.013+03:00American racism comes from their idea of the melting pot, which starts with the immigrants from India, Mexico, etc. all eating at McDonald's and no longer eating their own food. Ultimately, the idea is that they all become Christian right-wing evangelists and give up whatever religion they came to the US with. As well, as the language they first learned from their parents, so that they have no Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1060280300210538732003-08-07T21:18:00.000+03:002003-11-27T20:14:48.890+02:00Bring 'Em OnNow we know that the reason for the Iraq invasion was to liberate the people from a despotic, tyrannical dictator. Yeah, it had nothing to do with oil or weapons of mass destruction.
Well, what about doing the same in Cuba? Or in North Korea? Or in China?
Or does the US only invade countries that it knows it can beat up? Just the way bullies behave!Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1058622428216428162003-07-19T16:47:00.000+03:002003-11-27T20:36:23.546+02:00Some ThoughtsIt doesn't take much for American patriotism to turn into fascism. The people sheep-like follow Bush and his gang. The neo-conservative thinkers only are looking at "What's in it for me?". And the rest of the world looks on helplessly.The US has to fix the problem in Iraq essentially just with Britain and the other hangers-on. The reason you can't just walk out on it is very simple: Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1058399206980398182003-07-17T02:46:00.000+03:002003-11-27T20:17:34.170+02:00Financing and Human Resources for the US Empire (II)While the use of forced purchases of US Treasury Bonds by foreign Central Banks sufficed to finance the US deficits till now, they will not cover Bush's militaristic ambitions. Also, the problem is not just related to money, it also involves military forces.
So, this is how the US Empire will start:
Freedom-loving countries throughout the Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1058102985153607582003-07-13T16:29:00.000+03:002003-11-27T20:18:40.950+02:00Financing and Human Resources for the US Empire (I)I think the real question has always been: How is the US government going to pay for its imperial ambitions?
The possibilities are:
• Get foreigners to pay. (Hard to do if you are unwilling to work with other countries, but see below),
• Increase taxes (Ideologically unacceptable to Bush and his gang),
• Deficit financing:
- Bonds: Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1057779284591530292003-07-09T22:34:00.000+03:002003-11-27T20:32:04.326+02:00Bismarck started Medicare (Die Gehirnwäsche der Amerikanen)In case, you don't realize how brainwashed you are by the neoconservatives concerning Medicare and disability and old age pensions (social security, to Americans), I have a quote from my copy of Knaurs Lexikon (p. 838 - 1969 edition - with a translation from German):
Es folgten…mit besonderer Unterstützung Bismarcks das Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-1056728180270324392003-06-27T18:36:00.000+03:002003-11-27T20:40:26.590+02:00Aphorisms:(What the World thinks about the US.)What do you expect? They don't know any better: they are Americans.The Americans are arrogant and live in their own world. The problem is that they want everyone else to live in it, too. That's called globalization.The US is living proof that education doesn't matter. You can always buy the brains elsewhere.You can be illiterate and graduate from a Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-946149602003-05-20T06:43:00.000+03:002003-11-27T20:41:25.310+02:00The American Ideology The American ideology: A thought-provoking Arab article beyond the usual anti-Israel rhetoric Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-932687872003-04-26T02:42:00.000+03:002003-11-27T20:44:12.936+02:00The old Stalinist Soviet Constitution: An Example of a Useless Document vs. The Nonexistant British Constitution The basis for freedom and democracy is not some Constitution but a civil and sound society, look at this:
ARTICLE 122. Women in the U.S.S.R. are accorded equal rights with men in all spheres of economic, state, cultural, social and political life. The possibility of exercising these Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-924830182003-04-12T16:35:00.000+03:002003-11-28T21:16:01.936+02:00On Being a ProtoconservativeI am commenting as a protoconservative, who believes that it is the American system per se, with its idealism, its emphasis on a piece of paper (the US constitution) and patriotic indoctrination that is the cause of much of the world's problems today.
Disappointment in the USWhen the US became the hyperpower of the world due to its outspending the Soviets on the Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-920907372003-04-06T17:58:00.000+03:002003-11-28T21:12:22.733+02:00Margaret Atwood on the US Margaret Atwood comments on the USAdvancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-920855892003-04-06T14:57:00.000+03:002003-04-06T15:39:59.000+03:00The real problem for Bush and his gang is economic: Unlike the Romans when they invaded Egypt, there is no loot to bring back to the US Treasury - it's all going to go to friendly private companies. So how is he going to pay for all this? As well, he wants to cut taxes further. There is a disconnect between his military ambitions, his taxation policy and fiscal capabilities.Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-920851362003-04-06T14:37:00.000+03:002003-11-28T21:11:19.966+02:00Canada and the US: An Unequal PartnershipCanada's so-called partnership with the US is the best example of an unequal partnership. We already know what the "Pax americana" means. In brief, any deviation from the American way is not tolerated and subject to social, political or economic attack. Anyway, that's been Canada's experience: The few sectors of the economy not controlled by US companies Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-920211422003-04-05T06:46:00.000+03:002003-11-28T21:10:17.700+02:00Switzerland as a ModelThe model for governing multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-mentality states is the Confederation model, i.e., Switzerland. This is what we should be trying to implement in Afghanistan and Iraq.
One example of a multi-lingual and multi-mentality country is Belgium, which has tried the centalized state and is now rapidly decentralizing in order to survive. There is a Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-920146792003-04-05T03:57:00.000+03:002003-11-28T21:09:14.436+02:00Canada and Minorities: Not the Melting-PotRegarding African and Arab Canadians, and minorities in general, Canada is a multicultural society - not a melting pot. Many Canadians, especially Montrealers, speak three languages: their parents', English and French and when US companies try their patriotic ads and commercials on Canadians, substituting Canada for US, it just doesn't ring true.
There Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-919503712003-04-04T04:31:00.000+03:002003-11-28T21:08:13.090+02:00The Aggressive History of the USThe basic problem starts with the mythology of the American Revolution, the US Constitution and the US Civil War and worsened in the 20th century. Americans truly live in their own world and that comes from the indoctrination they receive from their environment and their schooling. If you had started every schoolday with pledging allegiance to your flag and singingAdvancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-916281222003-03-30T04:46:00.000+03:002003-11-28T21:07:34.996+02:00The Other Powers Are Watching the AmericansThe Americans are awfully dangerous. No one will want to tangle with them right now. However, you can be sure that the other powers (the French, the Germans, the Chinese, the Russians, the Indians, and the British) have all taken note of this. By the way, everyone is talking about the UN, but the US has made sure for years now that the UN is moriband by Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5209559.post-914486352003-03-27T03:38:00.000+02:002003-11-28T21:06:25.000+02:00Hussein: Franco or Hitler?The key question is: Is Saddam Hussein a Franco or a Hitler?Advancedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631525081528568722noreply@blogger.com