Sunday, March 29, 2009

Iggy stokes Anti-Americanism

It appears that Iggy is looking to stoke some anti-American sentiment to bolster his fortunes, a typical Liberal move.

Ignatieff slammed Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his speaking engagements in the United States, particularly his upcoming appearance on Fox News. “He should be talking to Canadians.”


Now I wonder why Iggy would slam -- in particular -- Harper's appearance on Fox News? Oh, to try and capitalize on some anti-American feelings stoked by that piss poor attempt at "humour" on "Red Eye".

Of course Iggy also conveniently skips over Harper's interviews on Radio-Canada and CTV. An inconvenient truth indeed.

The Liberals and the MSM do feed off each other. Both report half-truths and outright falsehoods. And that is not counting outright conjecture reported as fact in that disgusting Canadian Press article from a day or two ago.

It's part of a strategy to limit Harper's Canadian interrogations -- where the questions tilt toward the specifics of Canada's troubled domestic economy -- in favour of foreign media who can be expected to compare this country favourably to its international partners.

You will see that there is no so called expert or even commentator associated with that section, it is merely the "reporter" providing commentary in a news section. Disgusting tabloid reporting. It is pure opinion and belongs in the opinion section of the site and not in the news section.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Screw You Fox News

Fox News' Red Eye decides to spend an entire segment mocking and bashing the CF. Their commentators are so ignorant they don't even know that Canada has had soldiers in Afghanistan for close 8 years now.



Of course they commentators and host are free to say anything they like, free to mock us, belittle people's names etc. They have freedom of speech. I suggest we talk back with our dollars. If you have a subscription to Fox News, cancel it. Send letters to their advertisers, wage a media war, protest or whatever. We don't need to accept this.

And people wonder why Fox News is mocked as being so stupid and uninformed.

Call Fox News and let them know you didn't appreciate this: 1-888-369-4762

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Should Helmets be Mandatory?

With the recent tragic death of Natasha Richardson in a ski accident, the debate on helmets once again comes to the forefront. Currently (in Ontario at least) helmets are mandatory for all children under the age of 18 when biking, scootering, rollerblading etc. It is not for skiing or snowboarding to the best of my knowledge.

The question is simple really, should helmets be mandatory for everyone regardless of age when they partake in sports and activities like:
  • skiing
  • snowboarding
  • biking
  • rollerblading
  • skateboarding
  • etc
Do helmets reduce the chance of injury or death when engaged in the activities listed above? You would think helmets could only improve their chances of not being injured.

The libertarian streak in me says hell no, you shouldn't mandate helmets. What's next. Mandate everyone gets their full servings of fruit and vegetables? And of course their exercise?

The fiscal conservative in me says, hey, why the hell should I pay the health care costs of some idiot who bashed their head doing a risky activity and not wearing a helmet. A helmet could have prevented the injury, or at least reduced its severity.

At the end of the day, I am going to vote for mandatory helmet laws. This position may not be popular with many readers of the Blogging Tories, but it is the most common sense. Unlike healthy eating or exercise, it will be much simpler to ensure skiers and their ilk wear helmets, you can't get on the lift without your helmet. You get spotted on the hill without your helmet your pass is canceled and off you go.

I, as a hardworking tax payer don't want to see my scarce tax dollars treating injuries that can be mitigated by wearing the proper safety equipment. If someone really wants to not wear a helmet, they can self-insure themselves in case of accident or injury.

Am I right or wrong? Tell me what you think.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Military Sex Offences Against Young People

This is a pretty damning report.

219 incidents were investigated, 156 charges were laid.

People outside the military made up the majority of victims at 34 per cent, while Canadian Forces members accounted for 19 per cent, cadets 17 per cent and young persons 30 per cent.

34% of the victims isn't a majority, unless they are counting the Cadets in this as well. Which would be correct, as Cadets are not part of the military. Something this news report has trouble differentiating.

Things to remember, there are 5000 CIC officers supervising and administering the Canadian Cadet Program, there are tens of thousands (I think maybe 50K?) of Cadets across the country. In Blackdown alone, close to 2000 Cadets go through summer training there. Cadets go through harassment and abuse prevention training every year, and when they go to summer camp.

All officers and adult supervisors must do everything in their power to prevent harassment and abuse. But, we must be realistic and remember that we can never prevent it all. All we can do is be vigilant, and take decisive action to stop and punish the perpetrators of these crimes.

Friday, March 6, 2009

EPIC FAIL

John Tory loses again.

Enough you pathetic loser, resign already!

Last election I had some respect for you, you went after a safe Liberal seat. This time around, you lost the PCs a seat. You lost a safe seat. You're a pathetic loser who didn't even think he had to live in the riding you were going to represent.

Resign already!