Nov. 28, 2006: Bud Talkinghorn -&- More

Lebanon--Cry the beloved country

Of the five Islamic countries of which I have some acquaintance, the only one that had an air of world-class sophistication was Lebanon. OK, a small section of Istanbul, but you suspected that the Crusaders and Ottoman Turks were still at it just outside the downtown or tourist drawing area. Rather than being stuck in some quasi-modern version of today's world, Beirut was, at the time, what the blend should be. There were the Christians, Druze, Sunnis and Shi'ites all contributing to a harmonious arrangement, or so it appeared. Of course, not long after this thought entered my mind, the place fell apart. The following years were pure bloodlust and carnage. As I always tell the kiddies, "Timing is everything. Don't ever assume that your future destination is always going to be there."

Then peace finally arrived and Lebanon was coming back. Tourism and important financial institutions forgave the past mayhem and returned to "The Pearl of the Middle East". Hariri was its prime architect; nevertheless, the troglodyte Syrians decided to destroy that progress. A prosperous neighbour, with a democratic base, was not the comparison they wanted. However, with their assassination of Hariri, they were forced to withdraw their occupation forces, through public outrage. Nevertheless, with their help, along with the Iranians and acquiescence from a war-weary non-Shi'ite citizenry, Hezbollah became the predominant military force in the country. When they provoked a war with the Israelis, the rest of Lebanon had to go along with it, out of fear and disapproval from the Arab world. The incredible devastation to the Lebanese infrastructure by Israeli retaliation has been rightly laid at the feet of Hezbollah. This proxy for Shi'ite fanaticism did not like that, so are threatening to overthrow the legitimate government. The killing of Gemayel was the opening shot. Hezbollah is a prime suspect, but cannot be openly named, out of a paralyzing fear of open warfare. There is an Islamic mindset that sees sectarian violence as a catalyst for some perverted vision of religious hegemony. Unfortunately, the sword of Islam now is backed up with thousands of rockets and, down the line, will be backed up by Iran's atomic weapons. Apocalypse hovers in the air.

Despite their ignominious retreat from Lebanon in the 1980's, America and the UN must protect the single functioning Arabic democracy in the area. Otherwise you will have the Iran's cousins that much closer to home. Events are telescoping so fast that decisions must be made with due haste. Unfortunately, the retrograde Arab bloc and their thug-state enablers in the UN will probably make sure that nothing will be done. They can't even be nudged into action when millions of Darfurians are being raped and murdered. The West cannot stand stiff and mute in the face of this brazen mugging of Lebanon's last hope for prosperity and freedom. I take this conflict between the progressives and the theocratic Hezbollah personally.

Syria, a secular, mainly Sunni country, is playing with fire to advance this faction. It may well come back to bite them. The thing about terrorist organizations is that they tend to be religiously rigid and quite fickle allies. If and when the Shi'ite crescent cames into being, Syria is going to find itself surrounded and a threatened. Junior Assad and his Alawite minority government are going to have a big target painted on them. Already Moqtada al-Sadr is throwing down the guantlet to the Iraqi President, Maliki. He is demanding a larger voice in drafting legislation. His militia is well-armed by Iran. To be honest, the current government cannot stem the sectarian massacres occurring on a daily basis. The Americans have given al-Sadr a reprieve, while focussing on the Sunni / jihadi insurrection. The old law of unintended consequences is bound to come into play soon. Just ask the Americans, who backed the wrong horse in Afghanistan. Nothing for the Marines to do now but fold up their tents and get out of Dodge in an orderly fashion. A humiliating defeat, yes; nevertheless it beats an even more devastating defeat, as with the scramble out of Vietnam.

© Bud Talkinghorn



Do you miss the Court Challenges Program?

One of the last recipients of aid from this program was an Acadian-French woman, who went to court because the officer who gave her a speeding ticket didn't speak French. The ticket was translated into both official languages--no problem there--and without doubt, the woman was reasonably bilingual. Her case was dismissed in N.B. as mischievous. She appealed, but that was shot down as well. Then, through the Court Challenges Program (only $131,000 of taxpayers' money later) she is going to have her case heard by the Supreme Court. Poor Justice Basterache, elected to the Court on his "Acadian rights" record, has not had a chance to advance the Acadian cause. Now with the help of sympathetic activist judges on the bench, the Acadian explusion of 250 years ago will be properly avenged. [Only until the next time, Bud.]

Why shouldn't every corner cop and horseman be fluently bilingual in New Brunswick? Maybe because two-thirds of the population there don't speak French, while the one-third francophone minority is often fluent or conversant with English. Simple math tells you that the police force is going to be almost entirely francophone. [But, Bud, the Horsemen have to be able to work in French at the local level somewhere, when they graduate from training; that was part of the reason for the local policing contract in Moncton (Palango's book)] Just as the top levels of the N.B. civil service have become ruled by francophones, so is everything. When a former opposition asked for a breakdown of the ministers and deputy ministers of each Liberal department, the government stonewalled the request. The following year, the local phone book stopped publishing the names of these people in the government section, it has been reported to me. [Too much would have been revealed.] The locals already knew there was an obscenely disproportionate number of francophones in almost every department, and definitely, at the top.

In a province where there are too few top level jobs with seniority, the handwriting on the wall was crystal clear. The great out-migration of anglophones has drained the province of needed talent. One New Brunswicker noted that half the young in the family have left the province for Ontario or the West. As this bilingual demand gains ground, not through need but through promotion of French, it already is creeping into the private sector. This exodus will become a flood. Bernie Lord's much touted campaign to lure New Brunswickers back met with a shrug and a "why bother?" response. The upper levels of the government and civil service for hiring new personnel? Make an educated guess.

Now we learn that Quebec's Charest wants to spend umpteen million dollars on promoting the French language all across Canada. Eventually, all Canadian anglophones may share New Brunswick's fate. Are you still wondering exactly who get those lucious Court Chalenges grants? Keep on wondering because that is a closely guarded secret. Privacy issues, you understand. That mean PM Harper has closed the Court Challenges Program down. Thank God.


© Bud Talkinghorn

But Bud, many Canadians instinctively knew who were intended to be able to use the Court Challenges funds ... the same gang the program was set up for by Pierre Trudeau, that is, those who wish to push their linguistic hegemony further and further. I do believe the worms are turning though, in their tolerance for exclusion of a majority. Of course, those who made agreements on which language they would promote ... if the former government would just wink and let more of them in ... will promote the language of the gang that were making the deals. Figure it out. You will be thrilled to know another charismatic one is waiting in the wings. The man who would be king -- son of the last Liberal King, re: Justin Trudeau

www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/
RTGAM.20061125.wxtrudeau25/BNStory/National/home

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Supervision failed , Alan Cairns, TorSun, Nov. 28, 06, via newsbeat1

www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA
/2006/11/28/2530654-sun.html

Failings in "supervision and supervisors" led to a corruption scandal that is plaguing Toronto Police, says an internal report.

The 2002 interim report on the Toronto Police internal affairs probe into alleged drug-squad corruption, dubbed Project IDA, gives an alarming snapshot of how the service became mired in a scandal that prompted one of the largest corruption probes in Canadian police history. [....]

Search: Among the revelations in the report: , whistleblowers

Worth reading.




Former N.L. cabinet minister implicated in spending scandal resigns from seat -- What happened to the other three?

cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/
2006/11/16/2378640-cp.html

.... Ed Byrne .... "Kilbride south of St. John's"

[....] Byrne resigned from his post as natural resources minister in June after the auditor general alleged he spent nearly $327,000 from his constituency allowance between 2002 and 2004 - more than 10 times the approved limit. [....]

Four people were involved with overspending; one resigned.

Related: Nov. 23, 2006: Various 1
frosthitstherhubarb.blogspot.com/
2006/11/nov-23-2006-various-1.html

Scroll to:

N.L. minister implicated in spending scandal breaks half-year silence -- This actually crosses party lines ... but you would have to read the whole article to know -- re: Tory Ed Byrne, former Liberal cabinet minister Jim Walsh, current Liberal Wally Andersen and New Democrat Randy Collins


Investors editorial on global warming, Kyoto, and CO2, via newsbeat1

www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=
1501&status=article&id=249522888726269

[....] When experts can't even predict a six-month storm season with any accuracy, there's no way they can accurately predict the global climate many decades from now.

[....] global warming theory...

[....] Supreme Court will hear arguments that carbon dioxide ...

... naturally occurring ... humans and animals emit ... a solvent by "green" dry cleaners.

The UN's Jew-Obsession -- or American Thinker article

newsbeat1.com/2006/11/uns-jew-obsession.html

www.americanthinker.com/printpage
/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/
2006/11/the_uns_jewobsession.html