Islamic Extremism--Bring on the Dark Ages, NP: Supporting Sharia? Please, Mr. Terrorist, Don't Attack on the Weekend, Educational Standards

Bring on the Dark Ages

When I think of the wave of Islamic terrorism that has engulfed the entire world, I have to think back to our own past inter-religious episode. The West has lost the memory of The Thirty Year's War. That is unfortunate. Launched in the early 1600's, it pitted the Catholic south of Europe against the Protestant north. Some historians claim that, per capita, it equalled World War 11 in death and devastation. Or maybe, it appears as something else from our surreal past, something even more absurd. During the Middle Ages, there were outbreaks of ergot poisoning. This was caused by a certain hallucination-causing mould getting into the wheat. The results were an LSD-like stone everytime you broke bread. The frenzied villagers would get it into their heads that doing some spasmodic amble over to the neighbour's was in order. When the next village saw them coming--gibbering and doing some Satanic version of the hokey-pokey, they rose up and righteously slaughtered them. It was referred to by medieval historians as "the dancing mania". The current attack on the West, by people who want to re-establish the Middle Ages Caliphate--who live their lives based on suras that date back a millenium and a half--is equally bizarre. Their "dancing mania" takes the form of suicide attacks against their Christian / Jewish / Muslim neighbours.

For every advance in this war against the fundamentalists, there is a set-back. Recently, there was a sentence reduction given to the terrorists who blew up the bars in Bali. The West must take this as a sign that Indonesia is wavering in the battle. Ditto, Pakistan's refusal to prosecute "The Father of the Islamic Bomb", who gave away Pakistan's atomic secrets to countries like Iran and Libya. What should have been a straight forward case of treason, was heralded as a good thing by most Pakistanis. And that country, along with perfidious Saudi Arabia, are supposed to be considered allies. Perhaps the most horrific aspect of this illegal proliferation is the language used. The Arab countries talk about having their "Islamic Bomb". Think of what the optics would be if the West talked about their "Christian Bombs".

The oil card is what keeps some of these kingdoms on side. Massive economic aid to Egypt placates it. Until we can wean ourselves away from that oil dependency, we will continue to court our enemies. How many of our gas dollars has al-Qaeda pocketed? Also, until we accept that not only is the enemy external, but internal as well, we are not going to win this war. The Romans allowed the Ostrogoths and Vandals, with their barbaric creeds, into their territories. . . . which was the beginning of the end for their Roman civilization. The Dark Ages began shortly after.

We slept during the birth of al-Qaeda. A CNN journalist named Peter Bergon, had a conversation with Osama in 1995. Bin Laden openly issued a jihad against America. "America was irredeemably corrupt and immoral," he told Bergon. This, from a man who controlled thousands of terrorists he had helped train for terrorism, should have been air warning. The threat was ignored by the Clinton administration, even though the World Trade Center had been attacked in 1993. Bergon put it this way; "Imagine if Japan had openly declared in 1937 that they would attack America. Do you think Pearl Harbour would have happened?" That underestimation of al-Qaeda would prove tragic as the 90's decade progressed. And the new millenium would see its anti-Western attacks reach America, Spain and England.

Well, now it is time to wake up, Canada, and smell the cordite. This is going to be a long range conflict. We have to reappraise all the attitudes we previously held about who we let into this country. Multiculturalism must become a punctured sacred cow. As someone said, "We can't become a tablula rasa, that any group can write their twisted tenets on." We either stand for the best of what Canada represents, or we end up accepting creeds which wish our extinction. The garden gate must be barred against the serpents that seek entry.

© Bud Talkinghorn




Supporting Sharia--What is the editor of The National Post thinking?

On the editorial page (Fri. Sept. 9) there was an endorsement for sharia law as a civil law mechanism in Ontario. I don't usually herald Quebec's wisdom, but they got this puppy right. The editor tries to assure us that it wouldn't be any different than that used by Jews. The assumption is that sharia law courts would not be dangerous to the equality rights of all women in Canada. Anyway, he said that any gross violation of the woman's rights would be rectified by the Charter and the Ontario justice system. Unfortunately, the editor doesn't understand the family situation in the more fundamentalist households. . . . or even the cumbersome bureaucracy of the justice system.

As one Muslim female stated, "In my house, even my younger brother has twice as much say as I have." In a society as reclusive as some Muslim-Canadian ones, there is great pressure to keep the female members as powerless as possible. Invisible wouldn't hurt, it seems.

In too many cases it is a bunker mentality. Anyone can see that this is a religion founded on paternalistic ideas. I think many educated Muslims understand this, but don't dare openly state their beliefs. Therefore, even an adult university student is rarely allowed to have her own apartment, lest she bring shame to the family. In some cases girls are pressured into marrying older men back in the old country. Girls who are home schooled are even more disadvantaged. They have rarely seen the social norms and freedoms of their non-Muslim cohort so they are ignorant of any appeal they could make against a terrible judgement. The editor must remember, he is talking about a religion that allows an imam in Iran to hang a 16 year old girl from a crane . . . to the cheers of the town's menfolk. Her crime; Disrespecting a local imam's code of modesty.

If nothing else, the editor should have known about the poll of British-Muslims (which his paper published). That poll, taken after the London bombings, showed an intense disgust by the majority with the West and its corrupt infidel ways. That hatred is partly fueled by how uppity and immoral Western women are allowed to be. That disgust translates into quasi-seclusion for their womenfolk. Disobedience occasionally takes the form of "honour killings" They see the TV ads that denigrate men in every product. Uppity free women and wimpy men are a combined threat to the men's selfhood. . . . manhood. Therefore, they want, nay are now demanding, the introduction of a law that is loaded with the submission of women as a basic tenet.

Sorry, but not in my Canada.

© Bud Talkinghorn




Please, Mr. Terrorist, don't attack Canada on the weekend

The snafus of which this government is capable never cease to amaze me. When the Canadian Navy tried to access supplies needed for the Katrina disaster, they found that they couldn't. The reason? The Halifax storeroom would not release the supplies without authorization from Emergency Preparedness in Ottawa. Nobody answered the phone there. Voice mail told them that the department was closed for the holidays. Despite repeated calls, they never found anyone to authorize the removal. Sailors were then sent out trying to round up the supplies from private businesses--many owners had to be pressured into opening their stores. When soldiers invented the acronym "snafu", they must have been thinking of the current government.

© Bud Talkinghorn--Thank heavens that this didn't happen during a real disaster in Canada.




Weeping as I watch the educational standards creep ever lower.

The Ontario government's desire to lower standards in its schools is not surprising. This erosion of standards has been going on for decades. It started, I think, in the 60's when once-dismissable student behaviour suddenly received a mere rebuke from educators. The educational witch doctors began proclaiming that failure was too traumatizing for students. "Social promotion" became the norm. Students who never understood their grade six math found themselves in grade nine, facing algebra.

One story concerns an educator in a large Canadian city -- part of a matriculation marking committee. Stupifying rubbish in answer to the English essay questions was being given 18 marks out of 25. When a marker protested to one such easy marker, she said, "You believe in failing students, I believe in passing them." As though that wasn't enough, the head of the marking committee was re-evaluating upwards any answers that were given a failing mark. To round-off this travesty, teachers were allowed to mark their own students--a given no-no. Finally because the huge failure rate was booted up to a passing 50, that was almost the mean so they threw the marks onto a Bell curve chart. That allowed a student whose mark, for example, had been artifically jacked up to 50, to have a 73% on the final report card. The fight for standards was lost then.

Now Ontario wants to lower the standards in all subjects because the math is deemed too rigorous. Parents who wish their children to be kept behind so they can master that grade's material have to battle with the school boards to do so. The result is waves of students who are in away over their heads. And we wonder why student disruptions are growing more severe. While we hear about the third of students who drop out, nobody asks how many were bright bored ones. The mantra of most administrations is "the smart ones can get along without extra attention." What a wasteful approach that is. These are the students who will rise to the top. They just won't be as intelligent or informed as they could have been with enrichment courses guided by a caring teacher.

We are in a race with many countries to create a large talent pool. This is a time to forget feel-good policies and get back to cracking the books. The rot has reached into the universities, where professors must teach "bonehead remedial English" to undergrads. In the past, when I suggested to university instructor friends that the great unlearned were going to breech the gates of academe, they scoffed. They don't today. As a hammer to beat the profs into shape, the universities introduced the student evaluation of teachers. Woe betide the professor who didn't give enough A's or A-'s. "Sorry old boy, but not enough students signed up for your course. Farewell." The number of "bird courses" multiplied. That mentality, along with the doubling of university enrolments, has devalued the bachelor's degree. Society has to demand that our institutions turn out a quality product. Instead, we see governments cynically turning our schools into holding tanks for overwhelmed or indifferent students. It wouldn't do to have them show up in the unemployment statistics. Nothing freezes the blood of every politician more. On the other hand, they love to boast of the graduation rate climbing, even if done with smoke and mirrors. Don't let them get away with it.

© Bud Talkinghorn




Regarding Mike Weir's Canadian Open performance

Yes, it was disappointing to see him miss the cut, especially, after last year's stellar play. However, consider the infamous final round melt-down of Greg Norman in the Masters. Still, Nick Faldo had to shoot a 67 to win. The following year neither Norman nor Nick made the Masters' cutline. The gods of golf can be exceedingly cruel, to which anyone who plays the game can attest, through experience. I suspect that the pressure to win this tournament is an albatross around his neck--and mind. Besides, maybe Stephen Ames will be our great Canadian hope this year.

© Bud Talkinghorn

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