For the technophobes among us...

Be of good cheer. When the time comes, I'm sure the mutant superhuman clones will save us from the evil sentient robots. Things have a way of working out, you know?

Adieu.

Why We Fight

Our soldiers fight and bleed and die to transform a useless, shitty little country into, well, a useless, shitty little country.

If this is indeed Obama's message...

...he may be America's first conservative president since Reagan.

"University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato said the administration has left the public confused about what will happen to the banks and may be inadvertently sending a message that "the problem may be too big for government to solve.""
[*]

Hallelujah! I'm feeling hopey! Changey too.

Canadian Conservatism

Many have criticized the recent budget tabled by the Conservatives as being, well, not particularly conservative. Tasha Kheiriddin succinctly explains in today's National Post column the pitfalls of Flaherty's execrable document. I agree with her generally on the nature of government "stimulus". I agree that the budget could very well have been tabled by the Liberals.

So what? As Kheiriddin herself explains "conservatism is actually a reaction against ideological excess". One could argue that the November fiscal update represented ideological excess, while the budget represents a conservative approach in the Canadian context. You see, Canadians, as a general rule, love government. They want to be taken care of by government. They appreciate governmnet handouts. They are relatively sanguine about our high rates of taxation. The tentacles of ubiquitous government regulation sit lightly around their necks. In this context, what business does a politician have mucking about with free market economics, laissez-faire policies and other such radical intrusions into the peaceful socialist reverie that is Canada?

In my view, Harper is the quintessential conservative. He has changed nothing, upset nothing, introduced no radical new ideas. Kheiriddin notes: "Conservatism provides an approach to solving public policy problems based on experience, tradition and prudence." The enduring Canadian experience, of half a century's duration, has been of growing government, government intervention in the economy, and for much of that time, public spending on a deficit basis. Our traditions of long standing are those of wealth redistribution, social engineering and dependence on government. Prudence and a true conservative outlook would suggest that the best course is the one we are on. A little adjustment here and there. A slight tweak to our native brand of statism from time to time - nothing more, nothing less. Oh yes, Harper is a genuine conservative, and his party has tabled a conservative budget.

I do believe that makes me a radical.

If you can't laugh about catastrophic statist interventionism, what the hell can you laugh about?

I really have nothing cogent to say about this nonsense. I just felt it was important to share the following quote:

"“How can you spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives?” Boehner asked. “How does that stimulate the economy?”

Boehner said congressional Republicans are also concerned about the size of the package."

Hundreds of millions on contraceptives...Boehner...size of the package...

I'll stop now. You guys have been great. I'm here all week. Try the veal.

Archaeology Update

Significant archaeological find in Egypt - a female mummy thought to be a queen who died about 4.300 years ago. Preliminary indications are that she choked to death trying to pronounce her own name. Seriously. Try it.

Dhimminishing hope

Once mighty Holland inches closer to civil war. Geert Wilders is to be prosecuted for offending Muslims with his anti-Islam film of last year. Had the film been anti-Catholic, this would quite simply not be happening. Put your money down, ladies and gentlemen. What will the official language of the Netherlands be in 25 years? (No, you can't bet on Chinese. That's another post.)

Welcome, Dutch Jews! We have space.