Christopher Hitchens on Free Speech

Christopher Hitchens was the guest speaker after this debate at Hart House at the University of Toronto. He sums up a lot of what's in my head very concisely and precisely. I can't reiterate enough when he says something to the effect of not taking refuge with the consensus of the masses. We really need to curb our knee-jerk reactions.

A small note to Americans

You know, most of the time I hear Americans making a case for ending the Iraqi war, I hear them quote the number of dead American soldiers which I believe is 3244; an unfortunate number in deed. However, and this is just me, but I think one's case for ending the war in Iraq becomes stronger when one addresses the non-American casualties as well. I Hate to be the one to say this, but Americans are also doing the doing the killing there. According to iraqbodycount.org, between 60,187 and 66,050 civilians have died since the military invasion. Seems to me, a number almost eighteen times larger is eighteen times more likely to get your point across. I am not trying to diminish the loss of the Americans, but at the same time, I feel forgetting about the civilian losses does them a disservice. In short Bush is responsible for a lot more death than we give him credit for.

SheWee

So I came across this product the other day via a banner ad and I didn't know what to think. In a nutshell, SheWee is supposed to aid women in peeing on the go. It's ideal for women who walk, hike camp, golf, fish... you get the idea. SheWee is also great for hospital in-patients, disabled, pregnant & elderly women.

Aside from the medical applications, is this something a woman would buy, and if they did, would then admit to it? It just seems a little far fetched; especially after having read the instructions where you have the option of throwing it away or replacing it with your belongings in a resealable bag. Seems a better way to go would have been to have disposable bio-degradable sleeves. I don't know... perhaps I'm taking my stubby shelayle's portable urination mechanism for granted.

Ho-ly Shit!!!

I can't believe this guy. he's got MAD SKILLS!!! I didn't even think the voice box was capable of this. It sounds like he has three sets of larynges.

Does Freedom of speech include freedom to hate?

Freedom of Speech

This is the debate that preceded Christopher Hitchens' speech at Hart House, University of Toronto. The resolution: Be it resolved that freedom of speech includes the freedom to hate.

Source: onegoodmove.org

This debate took place November 15th, 2006. You can see the debate here in quicktime. The final speaker really does a solid job. Very eloquent and professional. Came across this at onegoodmove.org, one of my links of interest.

Regarding the last speaker's point where he states that the debates end when people use the words "I hate" because those words and rationale are mutually exclusive... I find that a little specious. Case in point:

• I hate bigotry because it claims that one set of people are superior to another set of people.
• I hate child predators because they prey on the weak and indefensible.
• I hate George W. Bush's policies because they are uninformed and detrimental to global society.

A thought occurred to me - Isn't freedom an absolute? The moment one begins to tack on provisos, it ceases to be a freedom. It would be the equivalent of telling someone they were free to go absolutely anywhere in a building except through the door marked "Do Not Enter". Well then, they're not free to go absolutely anywhere, are they? By allowing even a single condition to be added to a freedom aren't we setting a dangerous precedent for more conditions to be added?

Then another thought occurred to me. We already have set conditions to freedoms. Child Pornography is illegal. Okay stop! Don't get your knickers in a twist. I'm glad it is illegal. In my opinion it should be illegal. Now, due to the very sensitive nature of this can of worms I just opened I will tread lightly (almost another form of censorship).

Do not for one second think I am, in any way whatsoever, condoning child pornography. I am not! I abhor the very notion! But the fact it cannot be portrayed could be considered a form of censorship, could it not? Now I'm sure most, if not all of us, might agree that this is an acceptable level of censorship and it might very well be, however, once again, could this be a slippery slope to more "acceptable censorship"?

I hesitate to click the "publish" button. Okay here we go. I nervously await the barrage that is to come.

Kevin on Inside the Actors Studio

I dig impressions and I'm a fan of Mr. Spacey so posting this was an easy choice. James Lipton interviews a variety of personalities.

I'll bet my fiddle of gold against your soul

Came across this and thought it was worth a share. This guy's got skills.

New Widget Added

As the title implies, I've added a new widget to the right hand side. The Recent Comments is a handy little thing I noticed on Al's "This is me breathing" blog. Although I prefer Al's - it's a lot cleaner.

I like it because users can tell at a glance if any of their comments have been responded to, without having to scroll through all the posts they think they might have commented on. (Blech! Talk about unsound sentence structure)

The Magic Man

Tee Hee Hee

Four Years Later

Today is the fourth "anniversary" of the Iraqi War and there isn't much I can say about the Iraqi war that hasn't already been said. So, here are some numbers to make your stomach turn. Also, I have recently added a "widget" to TFTH on the right hand side that shows how much money isn't going toward schools, hospitals, seniors, health care and their own war veterans.

• The War Costs $1.9 Billion a week
• The War Costs $275 Million a day (That's every day people)
• 41 cents of every dollar earmarked for reconstruction goes to the Iraqi police and military
• 3 cents goes to "democracy building"

What they said it would cost:

• Sept 2002: "$100 - $200 Billion" (White House economic advisor Lawrence Lindsey (Fired three months later))
• October 2002: "The cost of one bullet" (White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer)
• February 2003: "Highly Uncertain" (Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz)
• March 2003: "We'll let you know" (George W. Bush)
• March 2003: "Not Knowable" (Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (Before asking congress for 62 billion two days later))

Source: Mother Jones

And the number that really makes you want to gag:

Number of Dead: 59,000 to 65, 000

Comments For Richard Jeni

I have no idea what's going on here. Every time I try to edit a post that involves a YouTube video, I get an error saying the "embed" tag is not closed - So I close it and for some reason the Comments link disappears. So I'm putting this post here in case you want to comment on the post below.

Side note: Is anyone else getting this problem on Blogger. If anyone can provide any advice, it will be much appreciated - Please & Thanks.

Richard Jeni - R.I.P.

Tragic end for Brooklyn comic - Comedian Richard Jeni dead at 49

Richard Jeni, the critically acclaimed, Brooklyn-born comedian and actor whose career began with a nervous five-minute act in a Sheepshead Bay club, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California on March 10. He was 49 years old.

Source: Canarsie Digest (Complete Article)

Thanks for all the laughs Richard. You will be missed. You were one funny guy.

Writers of Lost (Parody)

For fans of "Lost". It's funny... 'cause it's true. When will "Lost" start tying up loose ends that it began unravelling two years ago?

Am I stifling free speech?

So I was thinking about this whole Ann Coulter brouhaha with people boycotting media that give her a platform and it had a me questioning my principles. First, allow me to qualify myself. Very seldom do I agree with anything Ann Coulter has to say, but as Voltaire so aptly put it - "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

So my question is this - Is removing one's platform for opinion a form of hindering free speech? Or is just being able to say what you have to say enough? By my participation in the active boycott of media that syndicate her column am I, in effect, playing a part in controlling her right to exercise her right to free speech (even though, I am well within my right to exercise my right to protest)?

I'm confused.

Spiderman In LEGO!

This is just sheer genius. The time, effort and creativity that went in to this... Genius!

This one's for you Darrell, you crazy little Spiderman freak.

Ottawa Posturing on Environment.

Ottawa spends $155.9M to help oil industry go green

Ottawa will spend $155.9 million to make Alberta's oil and energy industry more environmentally friendly, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Thursday.

Most of the money will be spent studying ways to capture carbon dioxide emitted from the province's oilsands and store it underground, instead of releasing the polluting gas into the atmosphere.

A federal-provincial task force will be set up to study the technology, Harper said.

"Most exciting of all, if we can perfect this technology, we can use it not only to curb Canada's contribution to greenhouse gas production, but we could also export it around the world," Harper said, while making his announcement in Edmonton.

The money will also support a project in Edmonton designed to convert municipal waste into electricity. Efforts to design a coal-fired electricity plant that releases almost no emissions will also be funded.

Harper, flanked by Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach, reassured the oil industry that new technology will not harm business.

"All Canadians are looking for a balance between economic growth and environmental protection," Harper said. "Finding that balance is the fundamental challenge of our time."

Sierra Club Criticizes Funding

Some environmentalists were critical of Thursday's announcement. The Sierra Club said the government should be working to cut carbon dioxide emissions altogether, rather than encouraging a continued dependence on oil.

"Canadian and Albertan taxpayers should not be footing the bill for this industry to clean up its act," Lindsay Telfer, a Sierra Club director, said in a news release.

"If the government is serious about reducing emissions, it should eliminate all subsidies and develop a solid plan for putting absolute reduction targets on industry."

Harper's announcement came on the day the Alberta government introduced legislation requiring about 100 high-polluting companies to reduce their emissions output starting July 1.

Greenhouse gas emissions in Alberta have increased by 40 per cent since 1990, largely because of the oil industry.

Source: CBC

In addition the Sierra Club's objections I have a few of my own.

Darrell and I were spit balling (no comments from the peanut gallery, please) the other night about some of the things that both the provincial and federal governments can do to make Canada greener and set an example for the world. I remember a time when Canada was a trendsetter in the world. Today it seems, Canada is years, if not decades behind the leading countries.

• Why can't Canada mandate that any and all government buildings if not, the entire country refrain from using incandescent light bulbs?
• Why don't all government buildings & schools have comprehensive recycling programmes that are above and beyond the rest of the country? Shouldn't our elected and appointed officials be setting an example for the rest of the country?
• Why are government issued cars not fuel efficient or hybrids?
• Why are parking enforcement officers driving full size cars? All they really need is a smart car with a bike rack.
• Here in Toronto, Why do I only see garbage and newspaper receptacles at the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission)? Where's the recycling?
  
• Why don't gas stations have recycling facilities especially with all the products sold in plastic containers such as windshield wiper fluid, anti-freeze and oil to name a few. Also, on a road trip, most people empty their trash and recycling at gas stations. All those water bottles, pop cans and fast food wrappers end up in the trash, not the recycling.

Canada and it's residents need to step it up. Of all the nations in the world that recycle paper, Canada doesn't even crack the top ten. Why is that?

Thanks to Darrell for the brainstorming.

The Simpsons The

I was watching last week's episode of The Simpsons and I realised something. Enough! I've been watching the Simpsons since I came to Canada in 1993 and have been a loyal fan, but I have to say my loyalty is waning, and waning fast.

I was introduced to The Simpsons when they were peaking. I remember laughing out loud, I remember belly laughter. Last week, I barely cracked a smile.

It pains me to say it, but I just don't think the Simpsons' characters are cutting edge any more. It's very difficult to push the envelope and still remain true to the characters. Next to South Park, Family Guy and American Dad, The Simpsons just seem very dated, or dare I say it... tired.

I think NhiCAPS illustrated the point well with this post regarding the low calibre of guest voices.

On a related note, I'll more than likely be in the theatres this summer for The Simpsons Movie as it does, from the preview, look somewhat promising. In the same breath, I will say, in the back of my mind, I have a feeling that all the best parts of the film are highlighted in the trailer.

From my understanding, The Simpsons are signed on till the end of their nineteenth season, at which point I really do hope they call it a night.

Creation a la Family Guy

In keep with the theme - Peter Griffin tells us how it all began. From the episode "Untitled Griffin Family History" from Season four. Original Air Date: May 14 2006

Ann Coulter being dropped?

Coulter's "Macaca" spurs newspapers to drop columns

In the wake of right-wing pundit Ann Coulter's recent remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference about Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, at least three newspapers -- The Lancaster New Era (Pennsylvania), The Oakland Press (Michigan), and The Mountain Press (Sevierville, Tennessee) -- have decided to drop Coulter's nationally syndicated column from their opinion pages, according to an article on Editor & Publisher's website.

Source: Media Matters for America (Complete Article)

Finally some repercussions for Coultergeist. After everything she's said, it's high effing time! I don't really have any thoughts on the matter except - YEE HAA!!! After being dropped on her head as a child, being dropped from newspapers must being back some heart warming memories.

If you would like to get involved in curbing her platforms, please take part in the TAKE ACTION on the Human Rights Action Centre.

H/T Chapati Kid

Carl Sagan´s Cosmos

This was just too funny not to post. It's from Last week's episode entitled "Airport '07" Original Air Date: March 4, 2007

Do you like knock knock jokes?

Just watch...

OK Go - Do What You Want

Came across this puppy today, nothing like the treadmills, but still good.

Ann Coulter said what?

In light of of what Coultergeist (thanks Keith) had said about Edwards (the first quote below), I thought I ought to share some of her other pearls of wisdom.

I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word "faggot", so I — so kind of an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards.
o Speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, Washington, DC, March 2, 2007

I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo.
o Her column; December 21, 2005
o Governmental responsibility

Not all Muslims may be terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.
o Her syndicated column, September 28, 2001


These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis... These self-obsessed women seemed genuinely unaware that 9/11 was an attack on our nation and acted as if the terrorist attacks happened only to them... I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much.
o Excerpt which caused media controversy Godless: The Church of Liberalism

I don't know if [former U.S. President] Bill Clinton is gay. But [former U.S. Vice President] Al Gore - total fag.
o Media Matters; July 26, 2006

Six imams removed from a US Airways flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix are calling on Muslims to boycott the airline. If only we could get Muslims to boycott all airlines, we could dispense with airport security altogether.
o AnnCoulter.com; November 22, 2006

Bill Clinton "was a very good rapist"; "I'm getting a little fed up with hearing about, oh, civilian casualties"; "I think we ought to nuke North Korea right now just to give the rest of the world a warning.
o New York Observer, January 10, 2005


[Canadians] better hope the United States does not roll over one night and crush them. They are lucky we allow them to exist on the same continent.
o Fox News; Hannity & Colmes, November 30, 2004

There are a lot of bad Republicans; there are no good Democrats.
o Interview with Brian Lamb; August 11, 2002

The ethic of conservation is the explicit abnegation of man's dominion over the Earth. The lower species are here for our use. God said so: Go forth, be fruitful, multiply, and rape the planet — it's yours. That's our job: drilling, mining and stripping. Sweaters are the anti-Biblical view. Big gas-guzzling cars with phones and CD players and wet bars — that's the Biblical view.
o Oil Good; Democrats bad; October 12, 2000

They're [Democrats] always accusing us of repressing their speech. I say let's do it. Let's repress them. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of the First Amendment.
o University of Florida speech; October 20, 2005

I'd build a wall. In fact, I'd hire illegal immigrants to build the wall. And throw out the illegals who are here. [...] It's cheap labor.
o Fox News; The O'Reilly Factor; Transcript via Media Matters; April 14, 2006
o On illegal immigration

When we were fighting communism, OK, they had mass murderers and gulags, but they were white men and they were sane. Now we're up against absolutely insane savages.
o August 16, 2004
o War on Terror v. Cold War

We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.
o September 12, 2001

They're never very high in anyone's caste system, are they? Poor little Pakis.
o August 16, 2004
o referring to expatriate Pakistanis

"Press passes can't be that hard to come by if the White House allows that old Arab Helen Thomas to sit within yards of the president"
o (Version of her February 23, 2005 article, "REPUBLICANS, BLOGGERS AND GAYS,OH MY!" at her website

My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times building.
o New York Observer article; August 26, 2002

Of course I regret it. I should have added 'after everyone had left the building except the editors and the reporters.'
o rightwingnews.com; June 26, 2003
o On her (above) statement concerning Timothy McVeigh

[Learning difficulties are a cover for] rich parents with dumb kids...That's why 'Pinch' Sulzberger, the publisher of The New York Times, is alleged to have dyslexia - because he's retarded.
o The Independent; August 16, 2004

I think [women] should be armed but should not vote...women have no capacity to understand how money is earned. They have a lot of ideas on how to spend it...it's always more money on education, more money on child care, more money on day care.
o Comedy Central; Politically Incorrect; February 26, 2001

Canada has become trouble recently. It's always the worst Americans who go there. We could have taken them over so easy. But I only want the western part, with the ski areas, the cowboys, and the right wingers. They're the only good parts of Canada.

If Americans support abortion, let's vote. . . Just this past term, in Stenberg vs. Carhart, the court expanded the apocryphal abortion right to an all-new right to stick a fork in the head of a half-born baby.
o Her syndicated column, 12/28/2000

Source: WikiQuote (Complete set of quotes)

This is just a partial list of her inanity. Yes, there's actually more on Wikiquote. Go there... if you dare. I have a few of questions here:

First, why haven't the conservatives distanced and denounced her imbecilic rants of verbal diarrhoea? Are these obtuse vitriolic remarks really representative of the Republican Party?

Second, why do I keep seeing her on TV? Why do the media continue to give her a platform to dole out these kinds of disparaging comments?

Third, what the hell is wrong with this woman? How can she argue against abortion, when she's clearly a poster child for it?

Finally, I'm no doctor, but aren't only guys supposed to have Adam's Apples?

Iraq 101

All right, no more excuses, people. After four years in Iraq, it’s time to get serious. We’ve spent too long goofing off, waiting to be saved by the bell, praying that we won’t get asked a stumper like, “What’s the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?” Okay, even the head of the House intelligence committee doesn’t know that one. All the more reason to start boning up on what we—and our leaders—should have learned back before they signed us up for this crash course in Middle Eastern geopolitics. And while we’re at it, let’s do the math on what the war really costs in blood and dollars. It’s time for our own Iraq study group. Yes, there will be a test, and we can’t afford to fail.

Source: Mother Jones

Everything you wanted to know about the war in Iraq, but thought you'd look stupid if you asked. After all it's been four years. Go here to find out all about it. There's some very scary stuff in there. The sky rocketing costs of the war. The numbers of dead, injured and those subjected to violence before versus after the invasion speak for themselves. Jon Stewart is bang on when he calls it a "catastrofuck".

Eric Idle with his two cents

Eric Idle on the FCC, the EPA, Bush, Cheney, Condi and others. Nice one Mr. Idle.

Family Guy FCC song

In keeping with the theme

FCCFU.com

A Request for Keith Olbermann

One Way to Stop the Bad News at Walter Reed

Just days ago, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was lauded for his candor regarding the deplorable conditions at Water Reed Medical Center, saying he was “grateful to reporters for bringing this problem to our attention, but very disappointed we did not identify it ourselves."

Today we have this report from the front page of the Army Times which suggests the brass there have reacted differently...

DoD Cracks Down on Walter Reed Media Coverage

Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.

“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6 p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.

One would assume that this 'crackdown' on media coverage would accompany a real effort to improve the conditions at Walter Reed. But then, if not for the media coverage, one wouldn't have assumed the conditions at Walter Reed were in need of improvement in the first place.

Source: The Newshole (Complete Article and Comments)

After this story was covered on The Newshole (one of my links of interest) I posted a comment (the thirteenth one down) requesting that Keith Olbermann deliver one of his trademark poignant "Special Comments" addressing the reprehensible treatment of US servicemen and women. Hope it takes.

This was my comment:

"If anything deserves a "Special Comment" a la Olbermann, it has to be the deplorable treatment of the military. From sending them grossly ill-equipped to war zones abroad (despite billions of dollars going toward private contractors) to the horrid conditions in which they are subjected to recuperate. And now 7:00 AM inspections? I'm sure some of these war veterans are heavily medicated and these inspections impose and undue burden on the servicemen and women whose energies need to be focused on getting themselves better, not public relations.

Since, something else occurred to me - with the additional "surge" of 21,500 troops, not including another 25,000 support troops, (a number which seems to get swept under the proverbial rug), how do the powers that be plan on stretching their already thin resources? Are these the conditions the returning wounded have to look forward to? Worse conditions? Shame!

FOX with more quality programming

Fox debuted a new show, "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?", a couple of nights ago hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. In this show contestants try to answer questions from the first to the fifth grade in varying subjects. Contestants are also given three opportunities to cheat, sort of like life lines.

They can "copy" a fifth grader's answer. They can "peek" at a fifth grader's answer and choose whether or not to use that answer. Finally they have a "save", whereby if they get an answer wrong and the fifth grader gets it right, they can be saved.


Out of morbid curiosity, I downloaded the show. I won't comment as the show will speak for itself.

Contestant One graduated UCLA with a 3.0 GPA

Question one: (worth $1000)
Subject: First Grade Social Studies
Question: In what month do we observe Columbus Day?
Contestant's Answer: September
Fifth Grader Answer: October
Actual Answer: October
Contestant was "save"d

Question two: (worth $2000)
Subject: First Grade Animal Science
Question: Polar bears typically feed on Pengiuns - True or False?
Contestant's Answer: True
Fifth Grader Answer: False
Actual Answer: False
Contestant "Peek"ed and chose fifth grader's answer
It was then pointed out that polar bears and penguins reside at opposite ends of the globe.

Question three: (worth $5000)
Subject: Fourth Grade Math
Question: If a triangle has an area of 16 square inches and a base of 8 inches, how long is it's height?
Contestant's Answer: 1 inch
Fifth Grader Answer: 4 inches
Actual Answer: 4 inches
Contestant "copy"ed [sic]

Question four: (worth $10,000)
Subject: Fourth Grade History
Question: Who was the first US President to be impeached?
Contestant's Answer: Took the money and ran, but guessed John Quincy Adams
Fifth Grader Answer: Andrew Johnson
Actual Answer: Andrew Johnson

And what was his major at UCLA? US HISTORY!!!

The contestant walked away with $5,000 without getting a single question right!!!

At this point I deleted the file out of fear that it would make my computer stupid.

CNN LINKS BARACK OBAMA TO AXIS OF EVIL

With all crap going on this is what CNN decided to cover? Actually you know what, it's sort of reaffirming. They couldn't find anything wrong with his personal life or his policies, so this is what they had to resort to - Obama and Admadinejad dress the same, so they must have the same policies too.

Then a thought occurred to me, using the Socratic method of arguing:




Both Bush and Hitler are wearing dark suits, with white shirts and a tie. Based on their wardrobe, I didn't realise how similar their policies are.

H/T Darrell