"All human things are subject to decay" -&- Quick Tour

Dedicated to that political party, which has exchanged one rogue for another of questionable competence, and is now, it seems, casting about for an even less suitable candidate for the job that must be done.

John Dryden which leads to the whole poem MacFlecknoe

After the death of William D'Avenant, John Dryden became the first official Poet Laureate. However, following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 (when William and Mary succeeded to the throne) Dryden, who had become a Catholic, lost his position as Poet Laureate to his arch enemy Thomas Shadwell. Dryden satirised Shadwell in his poem MacFlecknoe - referring to him as the heir to the kingdom of poetic dullness.

All human things are subject to decay,
And when fate summons, monarchs must obey.
This Flecknoe found, who, like Augustus, young
Was called to empire, and had governed long;
In prose and verse, was owned, without dispute,
Through all the realms of Nonsense, absolute.
This aged prince, now flourishing in peace,
And blest with issue of a large increase,
Worn out with business, did at length debate
To settle the succession of the state;
And, pondering which of all his sons was fit
To reign, and wage immortal war with wit,
Cried: ‘’Tis resolved; for nature pleads, that he
Should only rule, who most resembles me.
Shadwell alone my perfect image bears,
Mature in dullness from his tender years:
Shadwell alone, of all my sons, is he
Who stands confirmed in full stupidity.
The rest to some faint meaning make pretence,
But Shadwell never deviates into sense.
Some beams of wit on other souls may fall,
Strike through, and make a lucid interval;
But Shadwell's genuine night admits no ray;
His rising fogs prevail upon the day. [. . . . ]

Ministers plotted to oust Chrétien if referendum was lost, CBC says Rheal Seguin, Sept. 9, 05

Quebec — Fearing defeat in the 1995 referendum on Quebec sovereignty, a group of federal ministers from English Canada openly pondered a putsch against former prime minister Jean Chrétien, a CBC documentary says.

[. . . . ] In an interview in the CBC documentary Breaking Point: Canada's Referendum, former fisheries minister Brian Tobin said the time had come to examine a previously unthinkable scenario: the breakup of Canada.

"We asked ourselves difficult questions such as: Could a prime minister from Quebec represent Canada in negotiations?" Mr. Tobin said. Could a team from Quebec negotiate on Canada's behalf if the province's left Canada? [. . . . ]

Angry GWN lists the ministers at the time and separates the list by whether from Quebec or not.



Jean Chretien: Was the target of a putsch Angry GWN, Sept. 9, 05 -- Trackback

Now consider the positions most immediately involved in potential negotiations with Quebec (essentially the key politcal and financial ministries, along with defence), as I see it: [graphic here] Now 57% of the core team is from Quebec. Tobin's concerns at the time were real. Ministers from English Canada could see that the critical decision making was focused on a group of ministers over half of whom were from Quebec.

Economic freedom, rule of law, institutions and customs Sept. 8, 05, Russ Kuykendall, the Burkean Canuck (http://burkeancanuck.blogspot.com/2005/09/economic-freedom-rule-of-law.html)

[. . . . ] I would extend the importance of these three -- rule of law, institutions, and custom/culture -- to what is necessary to constitutional, representative government . . . what we popularly describe as "democracy." When the customs and culture of constitutional, representative government diminish, it's tougher to find citizens and politicians who understand that a government or a politician or a public servant shouldn't get away with flouting long-standing customs of our form of government. Undermining the institutions of state -- like Parliament -- will tend to further undermine constitutional, rep. gov't and undermining social institutions (NB: NOT "state institutions") -- like marriage -- will tend to undermine our society. And, in the late stages, undermine the rule of law, and the basis for constitutional, representative gov't is lost. It's the rule of law that makes it constitutional, after all. [. . . . ]

Its about time that the media got tough with the Conservatives

I'm told that the PMO has had around thirty staff changes in the last year. . . .

On the other hand, the Conservatives just announced 5 or 6 changes in their staff, which of course proves that the wheels have fallen off that gas guzzling Conservative SUV. This is a major development that should concern every Canadian. In fact, I even go further than that.

Personally I'm in the camp that says that there has been way too much media attention focused on (alleged) Liberal wrongdoings. We KNOW of course that the Liberals can be trusted (As if they'd ever steer us wrong!). [. . . . ]

With tongue firmly in cheek . . .




Feds announce another registry delay -- Ottawa defers regulations for police, gun-makers

[. . . . ] "The government continues with this simultaneous face-saving, rear-end-covering exercise of trying to justify a very cumbersome, useless system."
MacKay, a former Crown prosecutor, insisted the government backed off because police forces would have ignored the registration demand. [. . . . ]

Oil for Food as Usual -- The U.N.'s worst critics couldn't invent what the Volcker report shows Wall Street Opinion Journal, Sept. 9, 05 -- or on CCD

[. . . . ] It's no coincidence, comrade, that France and Russia, as well as China (which did its own thriving business with Saddam) consistently downplayed the kickback allegations and pushed to have the sanctions regime eased. Only the U.S. and Britain made any effort to monitor Oil for Food for fraud, although even these efforts were lackluster until the Bush Administration came to office. We should also note the U.S. was itself guilty of looking the other way when it came to Iraq's oil smuggling through allies Jordan and Turkey.

So it was that the largest fraud ever recorded in history came about. . . . . in excess of $100 billion. From this, Saddam was able to derive $10.2 billion from illicit transactions. But the important point is that he was able to steer 10 times that sum toward his preferred clients in the service of his political aims.

[. . . . ] But the abiding fact is that it was the Western powers, not Saddam, who wanted Oil for Food at virtually any cost, because it offered the appearance of a meaningful policy in the absence of a real one, namely regime change. [. . . . ]

Charles Krauthammer: Assigning blame Townhall.com, Sept. 9, 05 via Little Green Footballs

WASHINGTON -- In less enlightened times, there was no catastrophe independent of human agency. When the plague or some other natural disaster struck, witches were burned, Jews were massacred and all felt better (except the witches and Jews).

A few centuries later, our progressive thinkers have progressed not an inch. [. . . . ]

Wretchard: Belmont Club


Wretchard: A Cycle of Cathay

Information Processing has a translation of Lee Kuan Yew's interview with Der Spiegel on the future role of China in the world.

[. . . . Wretchard comments: ] Although it is unstated, the concept underlying Lee Kuan Yew's outlook is that the confluence of the scientific revolution, maritime navigation and the industrialization which fueled the expansion of Europe into a dominant position across the globe, culminating in the grand empires of the 19th century, has passed. Now that those methods have been diffused, all the countries that opened their systems are potentially equal to the West. Under those equalized conditions, demography and culture will reassert itself; the giant and ancient civilizations of India and China will rise again to their 'rightful' places. [. . . . ]

If you scroll down, there are other items:

The Imperfect Storm 3

Here's a 2003 article from Civil Engineering Magazine on whether or how to protect New Orleans from floods. (Hat tip: Porkopolis) The summary says:

The Imperfect Storm 2

Mark Fischetti warned in a Scientific American article entitled Drowning New Orleans, published in 2001, that the pattern of land use development in Louisiana made a disaster inevitable.

Norman Spector: B.C. yacht in 1.5 tonne coke bust from Chad Skelton and Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun

A 28-year-old North Vancouver man whose boat was stopped off the coast of Martinique in the Caribbean with 1.5 tonnes of cocaine onboard was a "high roller" who was often vague about what he did for a living, according to a friend.

[. . . . ] The RCMP announced Thursday that Becher and another North Vancouver man, John Carter Hanson, 60, have been charged with cocaine smuggling by the French police after their 20-metre sailboat, Cantamar IV, was caught in international waters carrying $30 million worth of cocaine.

If you get away with it most of the time, and our ports suffer lack of security, why work?




Just What Canada Needs!

A student of terror: How a Windsor man was recruited by Hamas -- "he intends to return to Canada once he is released" from prison. Stewart Bell, National Post, Friday, September 09, 2005

For the past year, the National Post and Global Television have been investigating the cases of young Canadians caught up in the war on terror. Today, in the first of two parts, the story of Jamal Akkal of Ontario, who is serving time in Israel after pleading guilty to involvement in Hamas. [. . . . ]

Are Muslims in Canada involved in terrorism, Prime Minister? CCD

[. . . . ] Abu Osama and his Canadian friend talked about a plot to kill Jewish community members and visiting Israeli dignitaries, the Ottawa diplomat says. He claims Hamas wanted to expand its war against Israel to Jewish communities in the West, and as a Canadian citizen, Akkal was their man.

"Two scenarios were involved," Mr. Gendelman says. "One scenario was basically to booby-trap a car or a house -- the front door of a Jewish person here in Canada.

"The Jewish person was supposed to be identified by his clothing, whether he was wearing a yarmulke, an Orthodox dress and so forth. Another scenario that was discussed was to kill an Israeli VIP who would come to visit Canada or the U.S." [. . . . ]

FEMA head relieved of hurricane responsibilities

Mike Brown has been replaced by "Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen, chief of staff of the U.S. Coast Guard, who was overseeing New Orleans relief and rescue efforts"



Free Dominion links


The online voice of the National Citizens Coalition

Book: The Trouble with Democracy by William Gairdner Morefreedom.org



Foreign Affairs Canada Confirms Chinese Official Defected Jessica Yang, Epoch Times, Toronto

On August 1st, 2005, The Epoch Times reported on August the 1st, 2005, that according to sources, a staff member in the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa named Yang Jianhua fled the Embassy along with his wife and son.

On the War on Terror, Part I: The Unexamined Effect of the Hainan Island Outrage China e-Lobby, Sept. 9, 05

This is the first of three posts that were inspired by Sunday’s anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks. Tomorrow’s post will focus on occupied East Turkestan, which the Communists have used as their smokescreen to cover up their support of anti-American terrorists. The final post, on Sunday, will describe in detail those ties between Communist China and America’s enemies in the War on Terror. [. . . . ]

Search: Communist China was already helping Osama bin Laden launder money through its financial fronts around the world.

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