On Wars Destined for Failure

It's pretty clear that the earth is warming. It's pretty clear that kids (and adults) are doing drugs and it's pretty clear that terror is increasing rather than decreasing.

So why do we fight the wars that are destined for failure?

The easy answer is that it wins votes for politicians who promise things that they cannot possibly deliver.

The hard answer is summed up nicely by Drew Curtis, founder of Fark.com in the first chapter of his book that's due it June.

Media Fearmongering

Media loves to extrapolate, especially regarding natural disasters. The general question of any fearmongering article is What Would Happen If Some Wildly Improbable Event Occurred? The general answer is; millions of people would die and civilization as we know it would collapse.

On the morning of the first space shuttle landing since the Columbia disaster I was sitting in the CNN studios in New York waiting to go on. I'd prepared a short three-minute rant on the space shuttle coverage, but I was bumped when the shuttle landing was delayed for twenty-four hours. CNN decided that it was probably not a good idea to have me on to deliver a humorous critique of media coverage of the space shuttle landing before they were done covering it. In retrospect that was probably a good idea, because media coverage of that first space shuttle landing in two years was embarrassing. If you ran a search on CNN.com for "space shuttle" around that time, literally every article was about the space shuttle blowing up.

Incidentally the ratings for that particular shuttle launch were the highest of any shuttle launch ever. Why? Because everyone tuned in to see if it would explode. Seriously. It was like watching NASCAR race highlights consist of just the wrecks. Incidentally, space shuttle mission coverage is still like this today.

Simply, a news agency cannot sell ad space if it bereft of stories. Until something interesting (or terrible) comes along, the media will hype weather, food and sex. This is because most idiots out there in Zombie Land have the mental capacity to talk about weather, food or sex.

I propose that create a ultimate food/sex scandal so that the plebs have something to talk other than the weather (NOT CLIMATE).

On Political Supporters

Occasionally I'll find something so fundamentally stupid that I must post it. And here it is:

Notable Reptilians:
George Bush Sr.,
George Bush Jr.,
Richard Cheney,
Al Gore,
Colin Powell,
Queen Elizabeth and all 4 sons including Prince Charles and Prince Andrew

President Bush's Cabinet:
Cabinet Positions & Cabinet Officials
Attorney General John Ashcroft -- High order Reptilian
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld -- High Order Reptilian
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson-High Order Reptilian
Interior Secretary Gale Norton -- Alien controlled
Secretary of State Colin Powell --Reptilian of the Highest Order
Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill -- Reptilian

President Bush's Advisors:
White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card
Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mitch Daniels -- Alien controlled
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice --Alien --other type

Senators of the 107th Congress
Akaka, Daniel (D - HI) Reptilian
Allen, George (R - VA) Reptilian
Bayh, Evan (D - IN) -- Alien/other type
Biden Jr, Joseph (D - DE) -- Reptilian
Bond, Christopher (R - MO) -- Reptilian
Boxer, Barbara (D - CA) -- Alien supported
Bunning, Jim (R - KY) -- Alien supported
Byrd, Robert (D - WV) -- Reptilian
Campbell, Ben Nighthorse (R - CO) Pleiadean (fallen to the other side)
Carper, Thomas (D - DE) -- Alien supported
Clinton, Hillary (D - NY) --Alien/other type
Conrad, Kent (D - ND) --Alien/other type
Crapo, Mike (R - ID) --- Alien supported
Daschle, Thomas (D - SD) --Reptilian
Dodd, Christopher (D - CT) -- Alien supported
Domenici, Pete (R - NM) --Reptilian
Dorgan, Byron (D - ND) -- Reptilian
Durbin, Richard (D - IL) --Alien supported
Feingold, Russell (D - WI) -- Alien/other type
Graham, Bob (D - FL) -- Reptilian
Gramm, Phil (R - TX) -- Reptilian of high office
Harkin, Tom (D - IA) -- Alien of high office
Hollings, Ernest (D - SC) -- Alien /other type
Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R - TX) -- Alien supported
Inouye, Daniel (D - HI) --Reptilian
Kennedy, Edward (D - MA) --Very high reptilian
Leahy, Patrick (D - VT) -- Reptilian
Lieberman, Joseph (D - CT) --Very high alien/other type
McCain, John (R - AZ) -- Alien hybrid
Nickles, Don (R - OK) --- Alien/other type
Reid, Harry (D - NV) -- Alien supported
Rockefeller IV, John (D - WV) --Reptilian of very high office/leadership
Santorum, Rick (R - PA) Alien/other type
Sarbanes, Paul (D - MD) Very high (nasty) alien type
Specter, Arlen (R - PA) __Very high reptilian
Thurmond, Strom (R - SC) Alien/other type
Warner, John (R - VA) Reptilian/Warrior Leader

House of Representatives:
Aderholt, Robert; Alabama, 4th (Reptilian and group leader of other aliens)
Armey, Richard; Texas, 26th (Alien/other breed)
Baird, Brian; Washington, 3rd (Alien/other type)
Baldwin, Tammy; Wisconsin, 2nd (Reptilian)
Barrett, Thomas; Wisconsin, 5th (Alien/other type)
Becerra, Xavier; California, 30th (Reptilian)
Bilirakis, Michael; Florida, 9th (Reptilian of High Office)
Blunt, Roy; Missouri, 7th Reptilian of High Office)
Bonior, David; Michigan, 10th (Very high Reptilian--Leader of sub-group)
Boucher, Rick; Virginia, 9th (Reptilian--high office)
Brown, Henry; South Carolina, 1st (Reptilian – very high order)
Callahan, Sonny; Alabama, 1st (Reptilian --other type)
Capito, Shelley; West Virginia, 2nd (Alien --other type)
Carson, Brad; Oklahoma, 2nd (Reptilian --very high officer)
Clayton, Eva; North Carolina,1st (Reptilian --very high order)
Condit, Gary; California, 18th (Levy died because she found out his secret--he's Reptilian --not such a high order (obviously))
Crenshaw, Ander; Florida, 4th (Reptilian --very high order)
Culberson, John; Texas, 7th (Extremely high order reptilian)
Davis, Susan; California, 49th (Reptilian)
DeFazio, Peter; Oregon, 4th (Reptilian--very high order)
DeLay, Tom; Texas, 22nd (A leader of the Reptilians here on planet Earth)
Doggett, Lloyd; Texas, 10th (Reptilian --very high order)
English, Phil; Pennsylvania, 21st (Reptilian commander)
Flake, Jeff; Arizona, 1st (Reptilian, leader of lesser order)
Fossella, Vito; New York, 13th (Alien --other type)
Gilchrest, Wayne; Maryland, 1st (Reptilian --very high order)
Goss, Porter; Florida, 14th (Reptilian/alien hybrid)
Green, Mark; Wisconsin, 8th (Alien --other type)
Gutierrez, Luis; Illinois, 4th (Reptilian --very high order)
Hansen, James; Utah, 1st (Reptilian leader)
Hefley, Joel; Colorado, 5th (Reptilian leader)
Hobson, David; Ohio, 7th (Alien--other type)
Houghton, Amo; New York, 31st (Reptilian --very high order)
Hyde, Henry; Illinois, 6th (Reptilian of the Supreme Command (er))
Jackson-Lee, Sheila; Texas, 18th (Reptilian --other type)
Jones, Walter; North Carolina, 3rd (Reptilian --High Command)
Kennedy, Patrick; Rhode Island, 1st (Alien influenced)
Kind, Ron; Wisconsin, 3rd (Reptilian --supreme command)
Langevin, James; Rhode Island, 2nd (Reptilian --First Order)
Lewis, John; Georgia, 5th (Reptilian)
Luther, Bill; Minnesota, 6th (Reptilian --Very High Order)
Markey, Edward; Massachusetts, 7th (Reptilian --Very High Order)
McHugh, John; New York, 24th (Reptilian --extremely High Order)
McNulty, Michael; New York, 21st (Reptilian --Very High Order)
Miller, George; California, 7th (Reptilian --Extremely High Order)
Nethercutt, George; Washington, 5th (Reptilian --Supreme Command)
Owens, Major; New York, 11th (Reptilian --Extremely High Order)
Pence, Mike; Indiana, 2nd (Reptilianj --Very High Order)
Platts, Todd; Pennsylvania, 19th (Reptilian --VEry High Order)
Rahall, Nick; West Virginia, 3rd (Reptilian)
Rangel, Charles; New York, 15th (Reptilian --Very High Order)
Rodriguez, Ciro; Texas, 28th (Reptilian)
Ryan, Paul; Wisconsin, 1st (Reptilian)
Serrano, Jose; New York, 16th (Reptilian --High Order)
Shimkus, John; Illinois, 20th (Alien --other type)
Slaughter, Louise; New York, 28th (Reptilian)
Stearns, Cliff; Florida, 6th (Reptilian --Very High Order)
Strickland, Ted; Ohio, 6th (Reptilian --Very High Order)
Thomas, William; California, 21st (Reptilian --High Order)
Walsh, James; New York, 25th (Reptilian --Very High Order)
Weller, Jerry; Illinois, 11th (Alien --other type)
Wilson, Heather; New Mexico, 1st (Reptilian)

On Mathematics:

Some interesting facts on mathematics: (from wikipedia)

0.9999999999999999999999999999999999999... = 1

Although you may contest this it is because you have a finite view of decimals rather than an infinite (correct) view.



-0 is a honest to goodness number

and,
The average Bacon Number from IMDB is 2.968 (ie. K Bacon is 0 degrees)
Thank goodness for the Oracle of Bacon and the University of Virginia.

On Patrick Moore

Patrick Moore is a hero. He created Greenpeace and then left when took up extremism. Go here to listen to his interview with Penn Jillette in Las Vegas.

The breakdown:
He regrets:
Being anti-nuclear energy when he should have been only anti nuclear testing.

Watermelons:
Green on the outside but pink through and through. Essentially his problem with Greenpeace is that they became a front for anticapitalists. Communists who lost the first war.

What happens when you're a radical who was correct:
By the time the Nuclear test bans were signed in the late 70s, most people agreed with Greenpeace. This made the movement slide to communism and Hollywood populism.

On Flea Markets

I just don't know what to say. I believe that maybe I'll check out the flea market because it's "just like a mini-mall."

On Convictions

Stephane Dion accused the Conservatives of lacking conviction today. Conviction, of course, is an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence. So when Stephane Dion accuses the Conservatives of lacking the convictions that he and his party have, I'm not so concern.

Belief without the need for proof is irrational. Like the Christian God, Aliens or the 9/11 Conspiracy, convictions require no fact only belief. I'm not saying any of these beliefs are right or wrong, just that they require no proof. Maybe you can see what I'm getting at:

Is it good that the Liberal Party has irrational intentions based on unshakable beliefs that are outside the realm of truth or fact?


An irrational intention of the Liberal Party is the Kyoto Accord. Put simply, the amount of Carbon Dioxide will not decrease, it will only be transfered. Kyoto would be for the environment what globalization was for the low wage economy. Globalization moved low wage factories from North America and Europe to Asia where it was cheaper to manufacture. Heavily polluting industries will move to wherever it is cheapest to pollute. By supporting the Kyoto accord you are supporting the environmental destruction of the developing world.

It's ironic that when we want to send jobs and money to the developing world trough free trade there are protests, and when we don't want to send our polluting heavy manufacture industry there are protests. Irrational I tell you.

Another group known for irrational beliefs are 8-year-olds, they also believe (like the Liberals) in Santa Clause and the Tooth Ferry.... getting something for nothing just because they are, not because they do.

PS Who is writing Dion's speeches? They deserve a congratulatory Letter from PMSH.
//I invite you to post your favourite Liberal convictions in the comments

On Soothsaying and the “News”:

It appears as though traditional news outlets are starting to follow the trend of blogging. By that I mean making up future news and bragging about it if it comes to fruition. Whether it was CBC and CTV pontificating that the Clean Air Plan was a failure before it was released, or the Globe and Post making cabinet predictions, or the BBC and the Stern Report, or the Toronto Star and poverty the mainstream media has lost sight of their purpose, to report the news.

News is information about recent events and happenings. News can be the presentation of information about recent events and happenings. It should be an embarrassment for legitimate news sources to print false news. It should be relegated to the opinion section or possibly the Trends section. Telling the story before it happens is called soothsaying.

I’ve decided to report on some “News” that hasn’t happened yet. This way if I’m right I can tell everyone that I was ahead of the game, if I am wrong I know that no one will be searching the archives of my site.

Here comes some “News”, and remember you heard it here first:
The Conservatives will win a Majority Government in a May election.
The Conservatives will win a Majority Government in a June election.
The Conservatives will win a Majority Government in a July election.
The Conservatives will win a Majority Government in 2007.
The Conservatives will win a Majority Government in 2008.
The Liberals will win a Majority Government in a May election.
The Liberals will win a Majority Government in a June election.
The Liberals will win a Majority Government in a July election.
The Liberals will win a Majority Government in 2007.
The Liberals will win a Majority Government in 2008.
The Conservatives will win a Minority Government in a May election.
The Conservatives will win a Minority Government in a June election.
The Conservatives will win a Minority Government in a July election.
The Conservatives will win a Minority Government in 2007.
The Conservatives will win a Minority Government in 2008.
The Liberals will win a Minority Government in a May election.
The Liberals will win a Minority Government in a June election.
The Liberals will win a Minority Government in a July election.
The Liberals will win a Minority Government in 2007.
The Liberals will win a Minority Government in 2008.

The NDP will win…. hahaha, even I wouldn’t tarnish my credibility like that.

On Paul Martin: "I regret knowing him as a person."

So, a former Liberal MP from Brampton has some choice words about Paul Martin.

CTV.ca is there:

At the time, a Martin spokeswoman said that Assadourian and Leung would not be paid for their advisory roles as long as they remained MPs. Whether they'd be paid after the election was to be "decided at that time."

Assadourian said that after the election, Martin's office wouldn't even return his phone calls, although he ostensibly remained a special adviser.

"For 15 months I was lied to," he said.

Asked if he regrets accepting Martin's job offer and giving up his seat, Assadourian said: "I regret knowing him as a person."

Martin eventually appointed Assadourian to the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Leung said she was never paid either but did provide verbal advice on "a free, informal basis." She accompanied Martin on a trade mission to China but paid her own travel and other expenses.

"Mine was sort of an honourary appointment. It was not a paid job," she said in an interview.

Assadourian said he didn't initially complain that his job turned out to be a sham because he hoped Martin would eventually honour his end of the bargain. He said he chose to speak out now in order to defend "my name and my integrity."

The Killer Whales are Invading!!!!!

Crack Reporting by Bob Weber, great headline by the Globe and Mail.

Killer whales invading Arctic

BOB WEBER

Canadian Press

New research suggests melting Arctic sea ice is drawing more killer whales into northern oceans, raising concerns among Inuit hunters about increasing competition for food.

Federal researcher Jeff Higdon has compiled a database of the number of times the sleek black-and-white predators have been spotted in the waters north of Newfoundland since the 1980s.

"There's been a massive increase," he said yesterday.

Two decades ago, hunters, scientists and other northern travellers usually reported about six killer whales a year in the waters of western Hudson Bay, he said. By 2000, the number of sightings in that one area had ballooned to more than 30 annually.

Dispatches from Tuktoyaktuk, North West Territories, Canada:

A Swift Advance:

At dawn on Friday, January 19, 2007, (a day that will live forever in infamy) the Orca war machine rolled into the quiet peaceful Baffin Sea, Beaufort Sea, and Hudson’s Bay. Unconfirmed reports by local Inuit peoples indicate complete control has been ceded to the Whales.

Tactics of the Pod:

The strategy for war was simple, swim really fast and bite what goes in the mouth. It seems to have worked as the Orca have already taken the coastal areas of the world.

International Observers and experts on Borealis-Orcinus relations unanimously agree that the Orca war machine is will soon overwhelm the arctic, and by 2050 land.

The attack was accomplished – A sweeping drive through the Berring Strait -

by months of careful planning and preparations, unity of command attributed to advanced bio-sonar technology, and the broad military vision of Fin.

Fin of the Georgia Strait:

Fin was born on the Fourth of June, 2001, but don’t let his age fool you. As his name suggests he resides somewhere in the Georgia Strait, and it is from there that he makes his plans for world conquest.

Fin has close relations with labour. His close and open relationship with Union Kingpin Trevor Linden raised some eyebrow during the recent NHL Lockout, as he is an employee of the Vancouver Canucks.

Most Orca do not have the ability to walk or live on land. Somehow Fin acquired these skills and is using them to prepare for the final battle, Whales Vs. Humans. Although friendly to human adults, Fin seems to dislike the human child. In the picture below it appears as if he’s shaking (to death?) a small child.

More on whales later…

Insert Obligatory Cheney Joke Here

Via Email:

A prominent Ukrainian parliamentarian and close ally of the Prime Minister, Viktor Yanukovych, has died of gunshot wounds suffered in a hunting incident.
Evhen Kushnaryov, a former governor of the eastern Kharkiv region, was shot while hunting with a group of friends. Reports say the shooting happened after the party spotted a wolf near their convoy, and got out to shoot at it. Ukrainian officials said Mr Yanukovych was expected to cut short a visit to Turkey after hearing of the incident. The prime minister learnt of Mr Kushnaryov's death during a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart, taking some minutes to compose himself. Mr Kushnaryov, in his mid-50s, was the deputy leader in parliament of Mr Yanukovych's Party of Regions, the largest parliamentary party. Police have not said who fired the fatal shot.

There has been no suggestion of any foul play

Yahoo?

Via Itar-Tass:

KIEV, January 17 (Itar-Tass) - Ukrainian lawmaker Yevgeny Kushnaryov, wounded in a hunting incident on Tuesday, has died, his colleague from the Party of Regions Anna German told reporters.

The fatal incident occurred when Kusharyov, one of the leaders of Party of Regions, was hunting wild boar with his friends in the Izyum district on Tuesday.

When the hunters were in a car they saw a wolf, and hastened to get out to shoot at it. A stray bullet hit Kusharyov. Under another version, he was wounded because of careless handling of firearm.

The lawmaker was rushed to a hospital of the town of Izyum, and underwent surgery, in which doctors amputated part of his intestines and a kidney.

Kushnaryov, one of the chief ideologists of the Party of Regions, was born in Kharkov on January 29, 1951.

His parents came to Ukraine from Russia. In 1973, he graduated from the Kharkov engineering and construction institute.

He was elected head of the Kharkov City Council at the first democratic election in 1990, and won the mayoral election in the city four years later.

In 1990, he gained a seat in the 1st Verkhovnaya Rada /parliament/, and took an active part in drawing the Constitution.

He was President Leonid Kuchma's chief of staff from December 1996 until November 1998.

Kuchnaryov returned to Kharkov in October 2000 as regional governor and was in office until December 2004.

After the "orange revolution," new authorities began political persecution of Kuchnaryov, accusing him of misuse of funds meant for building a subway in Kharkov, and separatism /in arranging a congress in Severodonetsk in 2004, which announced secession of Donbass and the Crime from Ukraine/.

He was detained by the Prosecutor General’s Office on August 17, 2005, but released on bail several days later.

In February 2006, the criminal case against him was closed because of "a lack of corpus delicti" in his actions.

In March 2006, Kushnaryov was elected to parliament on the party list of the Party of Regions led by Viktor Yanukovich.

Kate VS the CP

Kate (from SDA) is great:

Thank you for your e-mail to The Canadian Press regarding Tim Cook's coverage of Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's visit to Western Canada.

You're right. Tim Cook did not realize that Lonny McKague was the Liberal candidate in the federal riding of Souris/Moose Mountain last year. As you know, he did ask if McKague was a Liberal supporter, so CP was comfortable quoting him in that context. But more to your point: Had we known he had been a candidate, we would either have included that information in the story or perhaps chosen not to use his quotes at all. CP treasures its role as an objective news service. Feedback from readers like you helps us do our job better.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

All the best and, again, thanks for your interest.

Heather Boyd
Bureau Chief, Prairies Region
The Canadian Press
Canada's No. 1 Source for News

////////////////////////////

Dear Ms. McMillan,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding Michelle MacAfee's story earlier this week on Stephane Dion and the Wheat Board. You're right - Ms. MacAfee didn't realize that Daryl Knight had been a Liberal campaign manager in the last election. She did ask Mr. Knight if he was a Liberal supporter and he told her only that he had voted Liberal in the last "couple of elections." So she was aware of his political leanings and therefore CP was comfortable quoting him in that context. But more to your point: if we had known he was a campaign manager, we would have either included that information in the story or perhaps we might have chosen not to use his quotes at all. Ms. MacAfee attempted to reach Mr. Knight today to ask him why he didn't elaborate on his connections to the party, but she couldn't reach him. CP believes very strongly in its role as an objective news service. Feedback from readers like you helps us do our job better.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

All the best over the holidays and again, thanks for your interest,

Lorraine Turchansky
Prairies News Editor
Canadian Press and Broadcast News

I get the feeling we haven't seen the end of "Independent Farmers" from the CP.

ALARMING HEADLINE!!!

From CNN:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress on Thursday that failure to take action soon to deal with the budgetary strains posed by an aging U.S. population could lead to serious economic harm.

"Unfortunately, economic growth alone is unlikely to solve the nation's impending fiscal problems," Bernanke told the Senate Budget Committee.

We've enjoyed living affluently for a while, but if what Bernake says is true it we will be headed for a pretty severe downturn... especially in Canada if Rogriguez' Private Member's Bill Passes

End of Days

Snake Mountain, Thailand.
Manipulated by Blogger

Andrew Coyne-> I love you

AC on the politics of the environment:

But it is precisely because these are such big, complicated, important issues that they rarely prove decisive. Their significance being obvious to anyone from a mile off, the parties are careful not to stray too far from one another, but rather hug as close as they can to the centre. And because these issues are so intractable -- that’s what makes them issues: otherwise they’d have been solved by now -- the public is skeptical that any party has the answer. No one wins elections on health care, and I doubt the environment is any different.

That’s not to say the Tories could not lose an election over it: if a party is, or seems to be, completely out to lunch on the issue, it can simply disqualify itself from consideration. But the Tories will have correctly calculated that much of the public’s concern for the environment is essentially fraudulent. While there are true believers on both sides, the broad mass of the public wants Something Done about global warming, but wants Someone Else to pay for it. All that is required to satisfy these voters is to put on a reasonably convincing show of action, to flatter their consciences without disturbing their pocketbooks. As with gifts and remedial math tests, it’s the thought that counts.

Breaking the Speed Barrier

This is the only photo on my blog that I didn't take. I did edit it though. It was a picture of a F-15 Hornet breaking the speed barrier.

Erik's Waterfall II

Same picture as before, just in sepia.

My Cottage

Shadenfreuden - Shameful Joy

Although I'm happy that the Liberal Party wheels are falling off, I'm alarmed at the number of conservatives rejoicing these defections.

Just because they are no longer Liberals doesn't mean it's good that they are Conservatives.

Mark Persaud for example embraces the socially conservative religiously based side of the Conservative Party, that PM Stephen Harper has apparently embraced. The only problem is that I've been trying to recruit people by telling them (with the last 9 months events as proof) that the Conservative Party is not planning on governing in the direction of AntiSSM, AntiChoice, and government intervention into spiritual and personal choices.

The tide of the party could be changing and for the worse. We are losing small government conservatives and replacing them with social conservatives (aka fodder for the mainstream media firing squad). The Conservatives had very adequate reason for ejecting Garth Turner from caucus. He just represented a loss to the side of the party that I was hoping (and we all know) would get the Conservatives a majority government.


Also posted on the comments for Tous Ensemble @ StephenTaylor

Monkey in the Backyard

In Thailand there was a group of monkeys in my backyard.

Cisco, Apple, Cult of the Environment and Ramen Noodles

Ever wonder why Steve Jobs of Apple would make such a foolish mistake of calling the new Apple Cell the iPhone?

History:
Cisco owns the name iPhone. It released an iPhone in late December 2006. Apple wants to release it's phone under the name iPhone.

The twist:
Karen Kitterman - hot shot lawyer - represents, you guessed it: Both Cisco and Apple.
Check it out. Bottom of the page.

In green commentary: The Green Lobby Must Be Treated as a Religion

And in sad news: The inventor of Ramen Noodles is dead.

Check back as I will be posting more soon.