Bud Talkinghorn: "Victim", Somalia "Heart of Darkness", PJ O'Rourke "Peace Kills" -- & -- Brigitte Gabriel via CCD

Big tobacco sued -- Oh, goody! I finally get to be a victim

The announcement that the major tobacco companies are involved in a class action suit against them was inevitable. The cases in the United States were successful; that must have had the lawyers up here salivating. After all, it was the American lawyers who took home the lion's share of the multi-billion settlement. If there was any true justice the class action folk should have taken those bloody leeches to court to retrive some of that swag.

Is tobacco addictive? Yes, of course it is. Can we addicts kick the habit? I have done it, for a time, twice. Did the cure last? No, we addicts like our nicotine too much--although I, personally, have licked it for about four years altogether. Are we victims? NO, we are weaklings, who simply love nicotine. A relative, who not only smoked for 40 years, but smoked unfiltered cigarettes at that, quit cold turkey five years ago. Millions have done the same. Persistent smoking, in the face of the ghastly pictures on the cigarette covers, puts us in the hard core category. However, as Ben Franklin once wisely said, "Nine out of ten men dies a suicide." There is a distinct possibility that the money I would have saved not smoking would have gone to other mood elevators -- some that might have hastened my death even sooner. It is instructive to note that the waddling beachball teens, who pass my window every day, rarely have a cigarette dangling from their mouths. Perhaps that is because they are too busy stuffing said orifice with candy bars, chips, and some sugary liquid called a "slurpy". The evidence of their junk food gluttony is evidenced all over my lawn. Their fate will be early diabetes, fat-clogged arteries, and premature death.

A final question is necessary. Do I wish tobacco had never been introduced. Most certainly. The money and coughing I would have been spared are enormous. However it is a legal product that has made the various governments very rich. When the tobacco industry is driven out, or forced to make their product more expensive than heroin, the next target will be alcohol. Trust me on this one. It won't be legalized gambling because the government is the biggest pusher. [Is it possible that some very well-connected people have got in on the profits? Otherwise, why would governments not merely allow, but encourage, gambling? NJC] For all you anti-smoking lobbyists there will be a pyrrhic victory, as you have to stop by the ATM machine to finance your $63 bottle of scotch. Your government hates sin, but is addicted to the "sin taxes". You may also see a fast-tracking of legal marijuana legislation. Rocky Mountain High cannabis might appear at your local government drug store--next to that $63 scotch. Governments will then try to force out of business any "illegal" purveyors of the wisdom weed. The only illegality now will be private sources that under-cut the government price.

Prime Minister Paul Martin will rise in Parliament to talk about how the Charter rights of stoners have been cruelly oppressed, but as part of the "moral duty" of Liberals, it msut be regulated for safety purposes.

So if the class action lawsuits sweep into BC will I join in? No. I'm egotistical enough to never claim to be a "victim" of what I knew was dangerous. That would make about as much sense as suing BC because I got swept away in an avalanche while skiing in prohibited back country. God, will people not take any responsibilty for their own actions? What's next, suing the liquor/beer companies or Tim Horton's for my doughnut addiction?

© Bud Talkinghorn




Somalia is the true heart of darkness, but CBC's Carol Off thinks we should pour in more money

Somalia is so debased as a society that it is hard to even describe it. A continuum of zeroes best captures it. It has no government, no telephone system, no rule outside that of the war lords' guns. You remember Carol Off, who hosted CBC's Counterspin--a forum for every leftish opinion. That program had such low ratings that it finally had to be cancelled. But like Ralph Benmergai, there is no end to rehabilitaion. Even as Carol outlines in this CBC 'special' on the futility of Somalia's situation, we should nevertheless try again.

The massive famine relief mission by America and the UN in the early 90's ended miserably. The Marines' attempts to stop the looting of supplies was foiled by warlord Aidid's blatant looting right off the docks. Finally, the Marines attacked his headquarters in Mogadishu. The result was 27 U.S. dead, and an estimated 600 to 1200 Somalis killed. Surviving Marines claimed that the Somali gunmen forced their women and children out in front as human shields. Every foreigner left after that bloodbath. For over a decade there has been no civic improvement. Garbage collection, road maintenance, and any other governmental service has collapsed. The supposed government rules from exile in Kenya. Into this swamp, Braveheart Carol Off wants us to reinvest millions. Isn't that a classic CBC presentation? And considering the umbilical cord that joins the government and the CBC, don't think that millions in aid won't be poured down these sinkhole. And if that effort fails once again, Carol can always tell us it is entirely the fault of colonialism.

© Bud Talkinghorn--For those of you who wonder why I watch this CBC socialist agitprop, I have one answer. Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.

© Bud Talkinghorn




Conservatives gone wild--PJ O'Rourke makes funny

PJ O'Rourke's latest book, Peace Kills, is a stone hoot. At times satiric about the left's many foibles, at other times, dead on the money about the international problem areas. Perhaps though the most hilarious part is his turning a journalistic eye on a Washington, DC "peace" rally. Along with the ardent "War is bad, and poverty is terrible too" placard carriers, are the flotsam and jetsam that invariably wash up at such gigs. One such group was pro-vegan. Amongst their placards featuring veggies is one that shows a giant carrot labelled "Inteeligence". Another protestor has set up a petition table for the lowering of the drinking age. One loony is in favour of anarchosyndicalism -- a word O'Rourke says "has not probably been articulated since Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Another group is seen waving huge papier-mache symbols that look like giant baked potatoes. Their message is that "The naked are being oppressed by the clothed". PJ thought that he had misheard, but the woman repeated their particular angst-filled complaint. And so it went. The real anti-war crowd had to put up with this motley freak contingent because, from a distance, it appeared to swell their numbers on the six o'clock TV news. It was always a sad time however when the cameras zeroed in on the "Butt pirates against Bush" banner, instead of the "No blood for oil" placards. Doubly sad was when the anarchists tried to burn the American flag, but couldn't do it after four tries. As O'Rourke opines: "Maybe their children's anti-smoking sermons had retarded their fire-making abilities, or the airport securoty had confiscated all their lighters." That is but a teaser; read the book.

© Bud Talkinghorn




Recommended --"Brigitte Gabriel audio highlights" via CCD

Brigitte Gabriel discusses the following issues: via Alastair Gordon, canadiancoalition.org/forum, 2005/02/13

1. If Israel gave up the West Bank and Gaza, would there be peace in the Middle East? (BTW, that is the official Canadian position)

2. Palestinian leadership and their use of billions in Western aid.

3. Palestinian manipulation of the West.

4. Failure of the West to understand the Palestinian mentality and their mode of operation.

5. The Duke University hate fest.

6. Why is the Middle East important to Americans? Does the Rotary Club know they are targeted for death by Hamas?

Brigitte Gabriel audio highlights

Brigitte Gabriel on mainstream Jewish response to Palestinian incitement

Brigitte Gabriel's Video -- Interview excellent