Ahab's Whale

(Last) Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-07-21T15:18:00.000-03:00

It should come as no surprise to the smattering of people who still check in here on the odd occasion that the political ramblings of this blog have withered and gone away. Perhaps it is the general summer malaise. Perhaps it is a sense that the purpose of Ahab's musings has finally run its course. Perhaps, as Benedick so memorably says in Much Ado, "I am so attired in wonder, I know not what to say."

All of which is to say that it is time to "Hang up the Hyatt" and go on a bit of a sabbatical, until the embers of the fire call out to hit the keyboard once more. Soon there will be busy months ahead as the "professional" career begins in earnest, and a level of seriousness begins to pull rank on the quixotic.

But, of course, we'll be back - later - and maybe even in a grand re-united effort of the old contributors as well. When those 2008 Candidate Profiles finally get completed, eh Coop? In the mean time, here's a closing quote and an apt philosophy, stolen graffiti art outside Strange Adventures comic shop on Sackville Street. Enjoy, and stay well until next time.

Gentlemen: A Toast! To Chivalry!

May Common Sense ne'er quell our love for high hearted adventurings, nor dull expediency prevent our doing brave, splendid, foolish deeds. May we ever serve romance as we ride errant to and fro about a sunlit world. If we be not always wise, God send that we at least be admirable.

To Chivalry!

- Prince Valiant, Knight of the Table Round, Court of the Good King Arthur

Geopolitical Craps

2006-07-19T13:18:00.000-03:00

A crude title to the post, perhaps, but there's certainly no Grand Strategy chess games being played in the Middle East these days. And with the latest developments, I wonder if the dice have been cast - outcome unknown - that will fundamentally reshape the region.

I fully appreciate the concerns over proportionate response, the killing of innocents, and unequivocal support of Israel regardless of their actions. Yet here are two intriguing articles by well-known American conservatives that take a short and long view, respectively, on future possibilities.

Krauthammer: Every important party in the region and in the world, except the radical Islamists in Tehran and their clients in Damascus, wants Hezbollah disarmed and removed from south Lebanon so that it is no longer able to destabilize the peace of both Lebanon and the broader Middle East... But only one country has the capacity to do the job. That is Israel, now recognized by the world as forced into this fight by Hezbollah's aggression. The road to a solution is therefore clear: Israel liberates south Lebanon and gives it back to the Lebanese.

Sullivan: The potential for a wider Sunni-Shiite war across the Muslim Middle East is also now a real one - like the religious wars in Europe in the seventeenth century, only with far more destructive potential. Some might advise the U.S. to strike a deal with the beleaguered Assad regime in Syria, or put its weight behind the now-very-nervous predominantly Sunni autocracies as a counter-weight to Iran. I'm not so sure. Decades of backing such autocrats helped create the Islamist wave. Picking another losing side looks like short-sighted masochism to me...

I guess what I'm saying is that a period of appalling warfare may now be
inevitable, and the only way for the region's tectonic plates to find a new and
more stable platform.

I just don't know if there is a role for the "honest broker" Lloyd Axworthy alludes to amidst this mess. By now we are well aware of the fanatics on one side of the table, as well as their respect for negotiations.

Sadly, there may not be anything that can be done before this powderkeg bursts wide open. If it does, all bets will truly be off.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-07-14T15:10:00.000-03:00

No matter what form the dragon may take, it is the mysterious passage past
him, or into his jaws, that stories of any depth will be concerned to tell.

- Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners

Fridays are for adventures. Go, then, and seek them out.

Right at the End...

2006-07-14T01:40:00.000-03:00

For those who may be dismayed (or dare we say, caught up, in Zizou's stupidity, er, excuse)... lest not forget what the majesty of a dramatic end of season moment sounds like. And that idiotic headbutt denied us all, worldwide, of his (perhaps, such magic) potential.

I like Materazzi all the more - the worse the insult, for the clarity. If only I were alive and an Arsenal fan in '89, when Michael Thomas burst through the midfield... Who were the fortunate sons, who were the fathers who were teaching them how the world worked, then. And at that most dramatic, failed so.

Right at the end. Perhaps the most dramatic finish? Oh magic becomes us.

Camouflage

2006-07-11T23:25:00.000-03:00

Sampling Martinis for a friend's birthday this evening - and as we sat on the downtown patio near the end, across our path ran the most inexplicable sight. A young dude - how else to describe him - ran up and down the street with a bunch of green shrubbery in his hand, pausing momentarily to hide behind it and look from right to left, before running on.

Clearly no one was in pursuit, and yet no attempt was made to engage his ample audience of Martini imbibers on the Bitter End or Argyle patios, all of whom were transfixed by the inexplicable performance. I suppose just another one of the optional activity ideas for ambitious, anonymous, exhibitionist drinkers.

It was a lovely thought, for its simplistic beauty and unbridled execution.

The Fire

2006-07-11T18:42:00.000-03:00

For a long while, I have pointed to a Beckett quote from Krapp's Last Tape as my favorite: "Perhaps my best years are gone. But I wouldn't want them back, not with the fire that's in me now." First seen so magically on that hostel wall in Kilkenney the day after St. Paddy's 2000...

So it is with some surprise that I find one to rival it in my imagination, referenced in the pages of a Robert Ludlum novel as I while away an uneventful Tuesday evening. Yet here it is:

A poet (Jean Cocteau) was once asked, 'If his house were on fire, what favorite object would he save?' And Cocteau said, 'I would save the fire. Without fire, nothing is possible.'

Truly, an excellent response.

Quote(s) of the (Fri)day

2006-07-07T11:24:00.000-03:00

And here we are back again. Was it but one week ago when we waited with anticipation outside the Reichstag for admission into the 10,000 seat Adidas stadium for Germany v. Argentina, and all England remained optimistic on the boys' chances? Two quotes today in honour of that truth:

"A traveler. I love his title.
A traveler is to be reverenced as such.
His profession is the best symbol of our life.
Going from -- toward; it is the history of every one of us."

- Henry David Thoreau

"A good traveler has the gift of surprise."

- W. Somerset Maugham

I love the title too, whether applied to those little 50 mL "bonus" attachments on the liquor bottles, or to myself in general. And what better gift is out there than surprise? Here's to a great Rum 'n Coke Friday - in a few hours I'll be sipping Harvey Wallbangers and basking in the Mush-a-Mush sunset. Ya gotta love it.

About Last Week

2006-07-07T10:33:00.000-03:00

Miscellaneous Musings, Images, and Observations on the Trip that Was:

(1) "We are shaped and fashioned by what we love." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. And how true thou art, good Sir. A pleasure to visit your home and see you fully in the spirit.

(2) "One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness; one only stumbles upon them by chance, in a lucky hour, at the world's end somewhere, and holds fast to the days..." said Willa Cather once. You wonder about the perpetual need to seek rejuvenation on the road. But it is hard to question what always works.

(3) When the capital is truly devoted to the cause, when the "Kaiser" Beckenbauer is deemed Chancellor for the month, when the Reichstag itself serves as a mere backdrop to the spectacle, you know you are in excellent hands. Torsten - the only man I will ever see drink 2 litres of beer in 65 spectacular seconds - was on edge right until the final Lehman save. He emailed me after the semi-final loss to say he was not "crying in the streets like some". Like so many, he just wanted it to last. And Germany will play on the second last day.

(4) "The physicist Richard Feynman used to make a joke about a posteriori conclusions - reasoning from known facts back to possible causes: 'You know, the most amazing thing happened to me tonight. I saw a car with the license plate ARW 357. Can you imagine? Of all the millions of license plates in the state, what was the chance I would see that particular one tonight? Amazing!' His point, of course, is that it is easy to make any banal situation seem extraordinary if you treat it as fateful." - as taken from Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything.

And yet, it is still difficult to doubt that magical power of coincidence to overwhelm. Who are all these beautiful people in the streets, in the rail stations, in the beer gardens? Where did they come from and why are they here?

(5) "You are crazy, James. Though I suppose people have been telling you that for a long time now..." So says my old friend from Glasgow, Renate.

Yes, dear friend. They have.

(6) Often overseas on the quixotic 10 day voyage, I found myself asking that ever-enigmatic question: just what the hell am I doing here?! Then you read the Times' Simon Barnes and his column on the day of England's last match:

"But what’s the point? In the end, it’s just 22 men trying to kick a bladder between a pair of sticks.
The point is that it is a story. It happens in front of us, and 20 million or more people in this country will watch and care. What happens at the World Cup will become a shared memory of triumph and disaster, agony and delight. It is the formulation of a living myth, a tale we will tell for years. We humans are a species of fabulists, and that is why sport is the most fabulous thing."

A species of fabulists indeed, at our best. I googled the phrase and Barnes seems to have coined it direct. Magnificent. As good a definition as why sport is so highly esteemed as you will ever see expressed in words. Or you could just look to those two Italia goals from Tuesday that sent them through.

(7)
... from Frankfurt International, you can go anywhere. Samarkanda not listed on the big board, but surely you could catch the train from Moskau. As you can see, Casablanca was the next gate over, departing at the same 14:40 hour. If they allowed you to exchange your ticket on the fly, I just might have tried it. To live, ay, is to dream. 'Twas such a wonderful World Cup.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-06-30T02:53:00.000-03:00

Officially Quarterfinal Game Day in Berlin now - the city has been on noticeable edge since I arrived up from Munchen on Tuesday. None more so than my old mate Torsten, who earns the quote of the week for his description of his feelings this evening as the Argentina encounter approaches:

"So nervous... I feel like you do if you must go to the dentist or something - you don't know how it will go, you are so worried that there might be something, might be pain, might be problems... Or maybe like waiting for a big exam. You cannot do anything more, so you want it to arrive, but are scared if something goes wrong and then all is over. If Argentina win, I will never eat a steak from that country again."

So outstanding. Even better is the Adidas Football World make-shift stadium of 10,000 set within a Beckham free kick of the Reichstag here where I hope to camp out this morning to secure last minute tickets so we can enjoy the agony and ecstacy en masse.

More stories and photos from Munich later, but the return pilgrimage was truly a magical one. And there is a sense that the next 2-3 days will be the memorable ones. To Frankfurt Saturday to watch England amidst the public fan site, and then to the stadium to hope for a minor miracle look at Zidane and Ronaldo in person. I keep upping the amount I am willing to spend in my mind, but we will have to let it unravel. And Dylan is playing in Gelsenkirchen on the 2nd if the scalpers don't put my money to use.

Truly an epic one awaits. Last night I dreamt of goals and jewels. Time to see what the gods hold in store, what slight touches and sublime maneuvers will be immortalized. Oh, for more days like today.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-06-23T13:51:00.000-03:00

Sitting in the windowless cubicle. Watching the clock. Tick, tock. About 12 hours until the anticipated landing in Frankfurt. Maybe 7 more until arrival at my favorite rail station in Munchen. So - likely less than 20 total 60 minute revolutions from now until the leading of a triumphal procession of 1 back into the Hofbrau House. The first time since Gartner and I left our man below and took off to Vienna, in search of Don Giovanni and that missed meeting with Grisele pre-Oktoberfest.

A celebratory and surreal mood this Friday, indeed. What will the next 10 days or so hold? For us? For England? Whatever the case, Nick Floyd of Three Floyds Brewing has it right:

"I love the smell of hops in the morning. It smells like victory."

And victory is what we seek. C'mon, England. See you on the other side.

Travel Reading List

2006-06-22T23:46:00.000-03:00

First weekend of the summer upon us, so off we go. Words packed for the road:

1. The Art of Pilgrimage, by Phil Cousineau
2. Charlie Johnson in the Flames, by Michael Ignatieff
3. The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff
4. The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, by James Hogg
5. How Soccer Explains the World, by Franklin Foer

And of course, Walt Whitman will be riding shotgun in the knapsack once again. He never tires of the road. Looking forward to donning my newly purchased England jersey for the flight and beyond. C'mon England - make this memorable.

Get Serious

2006-06-21T18:36:00.000-03:00

Does the NDP really want an election called over a confidence motion on Rona Ambrose's resignation? Are the Liberals really so desperate that they need to mount rhetorical attacks in the House against the 4th place party for its... wait for it... opportunism?

I succumbed on Friday and filled out the Liberal membership form, so as to vote in the leadership race. "Canada is a serious people," Ignatieff has taken to saying in his stump speech. You wouldn't guess it from the sheer madness and idiocy of the opposition political parties and their infantile spin doctors these days. The Liberals obviously have failed, remarkably, to adjust to not getting their way in government. The NDP has lost its mind and continues to bizarrely rejoice over each minute Parliamentary victories over - not the government - the Official Opposition.

Ridiculous, clownish antics for the parties on the left - these elected Parliamentarians are about as far from focusing on the serving the interests of the voters as ever before. It is time to get serious, take a step back, and not react to the news of every day as if Harper is about to destroy the idea of Canada. Oh, hasten December and the installment of a grown-up in the Opposition benches who can control the crowd. I don't fancy anyone's chances of shifting the current inside baseball debates from tactics to substance.

Hopefully the likes of an Ignatieff or a Dion can ultimately prove me wrong.

Flight of the Condor

2006-06-19T15:48:00.000-03:00

Hilariously, absurdly, ridiculously - we are a go for launch this Friday.

I suppose in retrospect maybe it was inevitable, that the call of this European World Cup would sound too loudly for me to resist. If it were not Condor Airlines that offered the steal of a ticket to Frankfurt from Halifax direct, stumbled across so innocently just 3 days ago, there would have been something else. With legendary Torsten Schadendorf ready and willing to host the celebrations in Berlin and a looming England v. Germany clash possible in the Round of 16 (dependent on tomorrow's games), the stage has been perfectly set. And everyone to a man told me to go for it when I raised the possibility in conversation over the weekend. What else to do but gulp, and hand the VISA over the counter quickly, to the hands of another and thus past the point of no return.

Magic. Yet there is, too, an attendant sadness that accompanies even the most joyous of such purchases. So many other magical, hypnotic cities that might otherwise be visited - those trips now indefinitely postponed by finite resources and the harsh chance of random occurrence. But no matter. The horizon remains long, with time aplenty for lost pilgrimages to be renewed and done well. In the mean time, we beat on, boats against...

Sunlight falls across the table from the window. INDY reaches for the drink. The bar of sunlight turns like the hand of a clock over the tabletop across the drinks.

We see INDY puzzled. Only for a moment.

INDY: "They're turning around. They're taking us back to Germany."

Heh. One more time it is.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-06-16T12:33:00.000-03:00

"For once I would be a writer, and not do someone else's work."

-Jack Kerouac

Could never find this gem erstwhile online, but remember it from somewhere and it is so perfect it has to be true. Hasten that day. In the meantime, ridiculous World Cup performances and the magic of random encounters make living not just bearable but easy. Cheers, Captain.

Tenorio Thursdays

2006-06-15T21:09:00.000-03:00

Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No." Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin' you better run"
Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done?"
God says, "Out on Highway 61."

For so long, Thursday nights have been those to be longed for. Ecuador Three, Costa Rica Nil. Tenorio. Delgado. Ohhhh. And then a frightfully fun game from England, leaving it until the end, and of course the player who has played the worst and blown the most chances becomes the hero. Do the Crouch.

But that Gerrard goal was football. I don' t understand those who aren't content to wait 90 minutes for such a possibility to develop.

Decked out in the Ecuador jersey - I am hoping that England matches up with Germany in the Round of 16. Destiny is a bitch to overcome. Do it, Inger-lund.

Victory is Life

2006-06-13T23:02:00.001-03:00

..say the Jem Hadar, of DS9 fame. But sometimes losing can simmer as sweet, with the right people. Not as good a result as the N.S. people deserve, perhaps, but one we can (and will) eminently live with. And there is something about celebrating all manner of events in such hilarious circumstances that is sublime.

Lady Astor once called Savannah, "the beautiful woman with the dirty face." Maybe losing for the right reasons is comparable. A compliment of the highest order. Some character beneath the magical surface.

How can we but remember to revel in such moments? Well done.

Election Day

2006-06-13T09:42:00.000-03:00

Blink, and you might have missed Nova Scotia's election campaign that ends today.

The tone for the campaign was set from the outset, when rookie Premier Rodney Macdonald's Conservatives decided to eschew the frugal approach of his predecessor and go bidding for votes with spending announcements aplenty. At a debate in my riding, second place leadership finisher Bill Black referred to the wealth of promises in the Tory platform as a "payoff" made possible by good Conservative government. Say one thing about Black, he can be exceedingly blunt. That - at least - is refreshing. But Nova Scotia should be wary of returning to the brokerage politics of the short term - and I see too much of that in an uncertain Rodney MacDonald.

I will be headed to the polls for his Liberal opponent, my neighbour and friend Devin Maxwell. Devin has fought a tough campaign against the odds, with little money and a leader largely seen as more a hindrance than a help.

The Liberal policies this time are solid. On one of the highest profile issues of the day, only the Liberal party has avoided the easy populist call to remove HST from home heating fuel - a policy that provides absolutely the wrong incentives in our drive for energy efficiency and conservation. When first conceived by the NDP, I have no doubt it was intended as a measure targeted at the poorest Nova Scotians. Yet it must be wondered whether such a broad-based tax cut is the best use of our finite resources for that relief.

Also, the Liberal plan to encourage University graduates to stay in Nova Scotia via tax credits is a strong one, and is to be contrasted with the NDP's pledge for a 10% tuition reduction that, presumably, subsidizes students from out of province at the expense of those here who leave. The Conservatives - increasingly fond of the summer election - have talked about providing such help before, with little result.

The campaign never caught the imagination of the public, probably because the three leaders just aren't all that impressive/provocative when it comes to campaigning. The debate, as Bruce Wark wrote in the Coast, was an hour-long repetition of the usual platitudes, and surely failed to change anyone's mind. Most disappointing (to me) was Dexter, who has the most experience yet failed to channel that into a campaign that might chart Nova Scotia in a new direction. He has also caught that federal NDP affliction of never uttering a sentence that doesn't include "today's families" or "working families". In his copycat, lead-from-across-the-aisle approach, Rodney Macdonald's obsession is the "Nova Scotia families" moniker. These have become almost infuriating refrains - who is supposed to be against families, anyway?

Francis MacKenzie, the Liberal leader, shied away from the legislature upon his election in favour of "building the party from the grassroots". The policy document is solid, but in an electorate generally satisfied with the direction of the government and economy, most people (and Nova Scotians in particular) will go with people and parties that are known and trusted. If there is a lesson for those casting ballots in the federal Liberal leadership race, it is to pick a candidate who not only has the ideas, but knows how to sell them persuasively to a majority of Canadians. And as the last N.S. minority government showed, ideas proposed by all parties are free for the taking.

Given the polls, the Liberals are destined for third place once again. Perhaps my ideal result would be an slight NDP minority where the Liberals have just enough to hold the balance. A thin Tory majority eeked out in the rural ridings is the outcome to bet on. These might seem like vastly different possibilities to those outside the province, but ironically, both the PC and the NDP have outdone each other this time pretending (ideologically) to be Liberal.

All these musings aside - it's time to get to the polls and see if the people (as opposed to the pundits) are proven right once again. Best of luck to Devin and all the other fine men and women whose names are on the ballot, and to the party workers who toil through the good times and bad to get their candidates elected. It is - for so many of them - a thankless effort.

More, please

2006-06-10T16:07:00.000-03:00

Dream result for England on Day 1 - a victory against Paraguay and then a Sweden/T&T draw to put them firmly top of the group. But it looked oh so painful. Typical Sven-Goran hand-wringing and holding on at the end against weaker opponent's. The fans began chanting Rooney's name 70 minutes in. What must it be like, to be a young kid hearing that?

Last night the celebrations were manic, as Ecuador managed a cracker of a victory, and I proved to be their favorite supporter in all of Halifax. A wonderful swirl through the Lower Deck. Ecuadorian.

Torsten Frings may have scored the most beautiful goal of the tournament in the very first game. Simon Barnes, unsurprisingly, has produced the definitive opening statement:

Victory would be nice, but what every one really wants is a ride. A journey. A story to live through. There is a strong feeling here that what matters is not the arriving but the travelling, the hitch-hiking from hope to hope until journey’s end, which is generally at the town Disappointment.

The Germans feel like this and so, too, do the English. It is not a matter of “please God let us win”, but “please, God, let the journey not end just yet”.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-06-09T13:01:00.000-03:00

Juliet, the dice were loaded from the start
And I bet and you exploded in my heart
And I forget the movie song
When you wanna realise it was just that the time was wrong, juliet ?

A magnificently extravagant and extraordinary day/night 1 as a 27 year old. The World Cup starts in one minute, I'm wearing a bright yellow Ecuador jersey found fortuitously by dad at some Salvation Army, surely in preparation for today. And the grand Stayner's draw for the trip to White Point is tonight. As Vonnegut often asks, "If this isn't great, what is?"

The world is wide and wonderful. And for the next month its eyes are on the bold players attempting so valiantly to kick a little ball into the back of a deceptively large net. Best of luck to them all. But C'mon ENGLAND. I should have spent the 30 pounds and bought that Rooney jersey underneath St. Paul's.

It is a fortunate life, when that is one of your main regrets.

The Devil Went Down to Georgia

2006-06-08T01:07:00.000-03:00

"C" is ....

for Cryptic.
for the Chelsea drug store.
for Crouch.
for Krapp (and Kwak).
for the County Claire (and Cliffs of Moher).
for Hugh's College.
for Cash's Rusty Cage.
for Cake (as well as Cream and Clapton).
for Cassady.

... And for Crayola. 27 shall be a fun year to draw. Happy Birthday, McMahon.

This, That, and the Other

2006-06-07T12:54:00.000-03:00

(1) I found this story (via Coyne) hilarious. By majority vote in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the Members of the House have called upon the Government to, among other things, recognize “…that the Premier's procrastination and failure to show leadership when it was most needed, allowed this situation to escalate into a public safety crisis”. The full text of the motion is here. The best part of the story is the Liberal neptness and subsequent explanation of their failure to get the vote recorded:

The vote was done by voice, with MPPs calling out "yay" or "nay." The "yays" were louder and not enough Liberals stood up quickly enough to force a recorded vote, which would have allowed more of their MPPs to rush to the Legislature to defeat the motion...

Liberal party whip Dave Levac, who is in charge of mustering MPPs for critical votes, said he was trying to get more Liberals to stand up to force a recorded vote but not enough heeded his hand signals.

How many would have been "enough"? Here's the relevant section of the Legislature Rules:

42(g) Debate on a motion shall be limited to one Sessional day. At 5:50 p.m. on that day, the Speaker shall interrupt the proceedings and shall put the question without debate. If a recorded vote is requested, the division bells shall be limited to 10 minutes.

The rules don't even specify - but under budget and time allocation motions, they do specify a recorded vote must be requested by 5 members... And they should have known in advance that this would occur at precisely 5:50PM. Oh, imagine the scene - the whip gesturing in vain to muster a meager 5 Liberal Members to stand up in time against a motion calling out the procrastination and failures of leadership of their own Premier.

Yet we continue to operate under the illusion that debate in Parliament somehow matters. I can only imagine how a gaffe like this would be ruthlessly mocked in Britain. Perhaps the whip would be so ashamed he would throw himself into the Thames. (I so love that expression!)

(2) As most know, the Nova Scotia election culminates in a vote next Tuesday. I will try and put up some thoughts on each of the three (four?) main parties over the next few days, with predictions, an indication on how I'll be casting my ballot, and a look at some of the innanities of the Elections Act. Incidentally, I happen to live in the same building where Premier MacDonald keeps a Halifax apartment. We bumped into him in the hallway last evening on my way out to "The Break Up". So hilariously (and wonderfully) communal, this province.

(3) Iamnotafraid.ca? Fine intentions, I suppose, but really - doesn't such a plan just unnecessarily flatters these would-be lunatic terrorists as to their own importance and sense of impact? Far from being "afraid" by the thought of such eejits roaming the streets, I find myself simply not bothered. Radwanski's musings on ignoring them altogether (June 5th) seems the more appropriate response.

Within reason, of course. And this is certainly not to minimize our reliance on the authorities' continuing good efforts on a job (so far) well done. Our government will always need to evaluate how it can best protect the citizens in the face of the depraved. But simply put, living in a society entails a certain assumption of risk. I much prefer Sinister Thoughts' contribution to this "not afraid" business, so far as slogans go. Take off indeed, hosers.

And cheers to your continued failures and stupidity.

Just Rewards

2006-06-05T18:25:00.000-03:00

For the third year in a row - 'twill be a celebratory Monte on June Five. From the anticipation of Calgary and beyond to the peaceful satisfaction of overlooking my favorite Weeping Willow near the end of the Oxford line... Now the Halifax rooftop after a year that absolutely zoomed.

Where will June 5, 2007 lead on?

The Actor's Revenge

2006-06-03T17:34:00.000-03:00

A Guardian Article from a Nestruck post:

"There too, someone's phone went off three times in less than 20 minutes. At the third occurrence, Suchet merely stopped speaking mid-sentence, allowing the phone to ring on and on while he stared into the middle distance with a look of infinite regret blended with disdain etched on his features. Time stood still. The phone continued to ring. Suchet's stare became even more sorrowful, even more resigned, even more disdainful. It was an electrifying interlude. Eventually the ringing stopped. A half smile, and he seamlessly continued from the very syllable he'd left off at. If I'd been the miscreant I would have thrown myself into the Thames after such an elegant shaming."

My Turquoise

2006-06-03T14:25:00.000-03:00

Is Act III, Scene i of the Merchant Shakespeare's best? Arguable. Although Twelfth Night's 2-iii is priceless as well. Not to be abed after midnight is to be up betimes. Nevertheless. The villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. And culminating with this brilliant slice:

TUBAL
One of them showed me a ring that he had of your
daughter for a monkey.

SHYLOCK
Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my
turquoise; I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor:
I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys.

a Plethora of Favorite Words

2006-05-31T17:55:00.000-03:00

(part 1 in a series)

Back in the pre-founding days of Ahab, I had toyed with the idea of a blog simply entitled "Words, Words, Words..." or the like. It was to be in keeping with Hamlet's reference to Polonius of the "slanders" of a "satirical rogue" in Act II, Scene ii and rooted in a simple love for the power and beauty of the written word.

In seeking out a topic on which to write during this latest bout of inactivity, I came across, quite randomly, a blogger's listing of her 10 favorite words that begin with 'p'. It would seem as intriguing and enjoyable a challenge as any to form such lists for each letter, and so arrive at 260 or so nominees from which to pick the absolute best.

Into the breach, then. To begin, let's start with "p" as well:

1. Pyramid - Giza is one of two personal pilgrimages that absolutely must be made (the Great Wall as the other). The only one of the Seven Ancient Wonders that remains. Passing through London in 2000, the Egyptian Tourism advertisements welcomed prospective visitors to the country's 7th Millenium. "Man fears Time, yet Time fears the Pyramids." Perfect.

2. Panjandrum - With much thanks to its inventor, Samuel Foote, of Worchester College: "So she went into the garden to cut a cabbage-leaf to make an apple-pie; and at the same time a great she-bear, coming up the street, pops its head into the shop. “What! No soap?” So he died, and she very imprudently married the barber; and there were present the Picninnies, and the Joblillies, and the Garyulies, and the grand Panjandrum himself, with the little round button at top, and they all fell to playing the game of catch as catch can till the gunpowder ran out at the heels of their boots."

3. Peculiar - Old Peculiar is perhaps (for my money) the only Halifax microbrew to really rival Rogue's Raspberry. Defined in one sense as "a privilege or property that is exclusively one's own" and in another as "beyond or deviating from the usual or expected". Excellent.

4. Palpable - Obvious. A classic word that's punchy, yet rolls from the tongue. "A hit! A very palpable hit!"

5. Patio - Summer has arrived, and there is no other place to be than basking in the sunshine with cool condensation running down the side of your (ever-replenishing) glass, ocean waves at your feet and dreams off on the horizon.

6. Possible - For politics is the so-called "art of the possible". Though everyone knows the famed Sherlock Holmes quote on eliminating the impossible to reveal improbable truths, perhaps more deserving of immorality is the Dirk Gently inversion because "we know very much about what is improbable, but very little about what is possible." It is an ever-expanding word.

7. Penchant - As in "a strong inclination for". Will always associate it with having a "penchant" for exploration, after hearing it associated in that context on an episode of Voyager. One must allow for the unexpected discovery.

8. Pseudonym - The only one I'll steal from our first blogger's original list. An oft-used ruse when on the razzle, we have played many roles - from Nigel to Steve - over the years. Looking forward to the next creation...

9. Penultimate - A word employed at an alarming (yet accurate) frequency by Czech friend Vaclav Potesil in conversation. The second last time, imbued as it is not with all the extra ceremony of things final, is so often the sweetest.

10. Paradox - The grandest 'p' word of them all. I'll let Jung and Kierkegaard take it away.

Carl Gustav: "...only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness of life. Non-ambiguity and non-contradiction are one-sided, and thus, not suited to express the incomprehensible."

Soren: "One should not think slightingly of the paradoxical, for the paradox is the source of the thinker's passion, and the thinker without a paradox is like a lover without a feeling: a paltry mediocrity... The supreme paradox of all thought is the attempt to discover something that thought cannot think."

Some time next week we'll take a crack at another letter. Oh, the suspense! And perhaps there will be fewer three-syllable victors.

England's New Starting XI

2006-05-30T16:41:00.000-03:00

Sven's lineup for the World Cup is revealed in today's friendly against Hungary - including the surprise inclusion of Liverpool's Jamie Carragher in the midfield holding role to release Gerrard, Cole, and Lampard.

Listening to the Radio Five commentary on the BBC through the first 25 minutes, sounds like the English pace is sluggish as they engage in "pretty ponderous buildups". No doubt they'll need some time to adjust to the formation. I like having Carragher in the mix - the boy's a true lion. But the heavy talent of the English needs to find a way to work together in attack.

More on the side, pre-match, from the Times and the Guardian.

Oh my. Here's hoping.

UPDATE, 90th minute - what sounds like a reasonable performance from the English, although no thanks to the novel formation. It was Beckham free kicks that set up the first two goals, and Peter Crouch may have answered his critics with a late strike. God love the anonymous BBC description:

83 mins: GOAL England 3-1 HungaryJoe Cole plays in Peter Crouch on the edge of the box and the Liverpool forward pivots before unleashing a right-footed shot low into the corner of the net. The goal is far superior to his dubious robotics-inspired celebration.

Looking forward to the post-game analysis. One more friendly against Jamaica before it begins next Saturday the 10th. World Cup excitement building to a fever pitch.

FURTHER UPDATE - despite the almost universal concern of the pundits that Michael Owen is poorly suited to the role as a lone striker, Eriksson seems to be indicating that he will be going forward with the 4-1-4-1. England's Robokop will serve as a substitute striker who can come on late and create a whole new threat with his height. More on this after the Jamaica friendly Saturday.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-05-26T09:33:00.000-03:00

Two beauties today, from random past roads traveled. 'Tis Friday. Enjoy Yourself:

(1) "I wanted to meet people who know the truth, get drunk, stand on mountain tops, go painting, sit in pubs listening to old men's stories, laugh at and fall in love with mad Irishwomen, sing on the western edge of the world, sing folksongs, cry in the rain, vomit in soft green fields, catch a moving statue and put it in my pocket."

-Tim Bradford, Is Shane Macgowan Still Alive

(2) "Today I decided not to think of you
But was betrayed by a lazy pub window
I saw a slim tree whose delicate red leaves
Rose and fell in the Thames breeze -
A mixed-up drinker at this time of year
I can taste the Yeats in my beer."

- Robert Gainsborough, "Maude Gonne Fishin' "

The Way to (or through) Amarillo

2006-05-24T17:01:00.000-03:00

Turns out it is none other than Steinbeck's "Mother Road" - Historic Route 66.

How could I not have realized this before today? In any event, 'twas lovely contemplating a classic road trip today from Halifax through to Boston to New York to Philly to Washington to Columbus to Indy to St Louis and on down the Main Street of America for the coast.

"Just beyond the city
There's an open plain
And it keeps me going
Through the wind and rain..."

oh Amarillo! Who knows - maybe we'll yet get there, some Texas Sunday morning, before 2006 is through. And find a sweet Marie who waits for us.

To live is to dream.

Poll Ridiculousness, Part XVI

2006-05-23T18:13:00.000-03:00

Lots of fuss over the latest poll showing surging support (40% is considered a surge? And we still can't agree on the need for Proportional Representation? -ed.) for Harper's Tories. As this fits in so harmoniously with the meme of the moment, the opposition parties must have cause for great alarm and the Conservatives for jubilation.

Well - here are the results of another poll from Ekos. The question: "if a federal election were held tomorrow, which party would you vote for?" The response:

Liberals - 40.2%
CPC - 26.5%
NDP - 18.7%
BQ - 11.0%
Green - 3.7%

Hold on a minute, can that be right?? Indeed it is. Admittedly, this particular survey was conducted on February 14th, 2005 - but that only furthers the main point.

Which is this: Here's a relatively recent snapshot of the populace's opinion a week before the release of a popular budget, a few months after an election and with another 11 to go until election 2006. Yet despite these levels of support, the Liberals ended up falling out of favour over the course of their time in government and - most obviously and importantly - during the campaign itself. The sponsorship revelations had something to do with this, of course. But so did other events (the CPC performance in the campaign, Income Trust, fall-out from the budget vote/Belinda crossing, etc...) Harper, written off as an ineffective leader with no hope or future by the talking heads in February 2005, scored a remarkable victory in January 2006.

That 2005 Ekos poll, as a predictor of future electoral outcomes, proved a complete red herring. Yet who could be surprised at this. The poll itself only puported to ask who voters would support if the election were held today. BUT THE ELECTION WASN'T HELD THAT DAY. Nor is our next federal election expected for some time.

Why this patently obvious point is consistently overlooked by every pundit who puts these polls forward as news escapes me. It is analogous to a sports commentator drawing conclusions as to the final outcome of an NBA playoff game at the end of the first quarter, or on the likelihood of an NHL team hoisting the Cup at the All-Star break. While the score and play up to this point is clearly relevant, it alone does not dictate the future.

But no matter. The same folks forecasting the inevitability of a Harper majority next Spring will no doubt act as if they knew all along that Harper was too "extreme" for Canada if one of the Liberal leadership contenders emerges above the fray and sparks them back to office. Or not. And we casual bystanders will merely look on in feigned amusement at it all.

The Week That Was

2006-05-21T01:32:00.000-03:00

Monotonous talk filled with platitudes. Hypocritically pious language. Yeah, I'd say Coyne's condemnation of Parliamentarians from all parties for this past week's "symphony of cant" is especially well deserved. An excellent column that concisely knocks all concerned for their puerile behaviour in reacting to Gwyn Morgan, Fraser's report on the Gun Registry, and the Afghanistan debate.

So it goes. Each outrage begets another. You reject my nominee, I reject your committee. You mislead Parliament, I act outside Parliament. You debase your vote, I ignore it. And each side justifies its behaviour with the age-old defense, beloved of statesmen and philosophers: They Started It. I don’t know what damage they’re doing to each other, but they’re sure making a mess of Parliament.

"They started it" might be good politics, but at what cost? As the Liberals look to select a new leader, perhaps the most significant question is whether any of the wouldbe candidates have thoughts on how to "end" it? South of the border, John McCain appears intent on rising above this type of bickering, with varying degrees of success. I wonder.

Oh, the Summertime is Comin'...

2006-05-19T13:00:00.000-03:00

... at least it must be, if I can manage to momentarily mistake a Thursday afternoon for Friday, which explains yesterday's quote popped up a day early. Wonderful. So let the Wild Mountain Thyme grow around the blooming heather. It's May 2-4 after all. And though a heartbreaking performance in the closing minutes of the Arsenal-Barca final, today brings news for celebration as Henry signs on through 2010. And T.F.I. Friday is already underway overseas at the Union. Have a good one.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-05-18T14:50:00.000-03:00

Nice Trudeau quote in the comments to the post below, and indeed the N.S. provincial election is fully underway. A few thoughts on that over the long weekend. Here’s another few words, anonymously spoken and though of a slightly more depressing note, unfortunately more apt than those of PET.

"No matter who you vote for, the Government gets in."

Heh. That and other amusing electoral observations in this kos diary. Perhaps it was naive to think that Harper wouldn't resort so quickly to such utterly political tactics, those so frustratingly perfected by the Boudrias and Valeris (to name but 2 House leaders) over the course of the past 13 years. Perhaps it is too much to hope that elected Governments, of whatever stripe, aren't more forthright and less imperious in their conduct of the nation's business.

Alas - at least it is humorous to observe from the sidelines the sudden, irony-rich role reversal among the partisan commentators on sides red and blue. How quickly deft maneuvers might be broadly dismissed as arrogance, (and vice versa, of course) where the shoe is on the other foot. But so the game is played these days. I find my own appetite for it all on the wane as the summer sun approaches...

The Vote

2006-05-17T23:19:00.000-03:00

...this House support the government's two year extension of Canada's diplomatic, development, civilian police and military personnel in Afghanistan and the provision of funding and equipment for this extension...

So there you have it, by a margin of 149 to 145. In the end, I'm fairly certain this mission would have been extended beyond February 2007 in the long run anyway. And that later decision, when taken, could have been a much more fully informed one. As it stands, the Canadian Parliament has endorsed a wholly undefined extension to a mission - with no clarity as to its future scope, cost, and trajectory. The headlines tomorrow will all say that "Canadians soldiers will remain in Afghanistan two years longer than previously planned", but of course, changing circumstances (inevitable as they are) could always be cited for a change of direction down the road.

I support Canada's continued involvement in Afghanistan, but I find it difficult to believe that this was either the proper time or the proper procedural mechanism to frame such a decision. What's more, the brazen attempts by the CPC and its Prime Minister to snidely imply that those who question this motion are somehow failing to support the troops. The fact that these cheapshots are taken when their own political motivations on this were clearly evident:

Many opposition MPs who opposed the extension said they believed the hurried attempt to win parliamentary backing was aimed at innoculating the Conservatives against attack if the Afghan mission goes awry...

But the opposition parties accused Harper of attempting to politicize a vitally important issue by springing a debate on the Commons with only 36 hours to prepare, and no opportunity for in-depth briefings.

It is frustrating and insulting to the extreme to be accused of not properly respecting the work done on the grounds by the Canadian Forces while attempting to debate the nature and desirability of future missions. The ugliness of such suggestions are the real affront.

On that final note - fare thee well, Nichola. We stand forever in admiration of your dedication and sacrifice in seeking a world more just and beautiful. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

It's Up for Grabs Now

2006-05-17T10:29:00.000-03:00

It is the day of the Champions League Final - and with the two best technical players in the world facing off, let's get right to the hyperbole. Simon Barnes:

"Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry on the same pitch, competing for the greatest prize in club football: it is a wonderful prospect, not just for the number of goals they might score, but also for the nature of the goals they might score. The setting of the Champions League final seems to demand from either — or even both — a masterpiece. We crave, we almost expect, a goal of such sublime perfection that we will talk about it for the rest of our lives.

And that is the thing that gives the expectation of this match its unique savour: the feeling that the presence of one might inspire the other to reach beyond even those lofty things he has already managed. It is like Bach v Mozart, each seeking to please the ear, Monet v Matisse, each seeking to please the eye. But in fact, it’s Ronaldinho v Henry, each seeking to beguile the footballing senses."

Bach v. Mozart - love it. The comparison to last year is inevitable, of course. The powerhouse European team with a litany of world class names versus an underdog English squad relying on its one incomparable superstar and a stingy defence. Substitute Barca for AC Milan and Arsenal for Liverpool - and we remember how brilliant last season's final turned out.

Arsenal, incredibly, have not conceded a goal in the Champions League since the 27th of September, and this is only the third time since the competition began in 1992 that two undefeated teams are to meet in the final. Should be an absolute cracker, especially if Arsenal somehow manage the first goal. Met an English guy named Matthew at the hostel in Maui who was trying desperately to book tickets online for the show - wonder if he makes it... Surely Hornby will be there.

All that's left is the anticipation until kick-off. Will Ronaldinho begin cementing his case as one of the greatest to ever play the game? Will Henry rise to the occasion and give the legion of Arsenal supporters moments of heroism a la Michael Thomas in 1989? Answers soon.

"A Big Surprise Anyway"

2006-05-14T19:46:00.000-03:00

Classic BBC moment, courtesy of Drudge. Apparently, some mystery cab driver was mistaken for the editor of a English technology website and pulled into a live interview on the impact of a legal ruling that ha just been handed down by the Royal Courts.

The video clip is here - the panicked reaction on the guy's face as he is introduced must be seen to be fully appreciated. Then our man gamely tries to answer his way through the interviewer's questions. Absolutely golden.

Stanzas to an Intoxicated Fly

2006-05-11T14:57:00.000-03:00

A buddy came across a coaster at the King Eddie Hotel in Toronto adorned with the following quotation:

"The rapturous, wild and ineffable pleasure of drinking at somebody else's expense."

Efforts to find the proper context for these fine words yielded little result, apart from identifying the source as a poem marvelously entitled "Stanzas to an Intoxicated Fly" contained in Henry Sambrooke Leigh's "Carols of Cockayne". Nowhere on the internet can you find the poem in its entirety, so had to send Zovi into the depths of the Bodleian library of Oxford to ultimately trace her down. Well worth it, and hereby repeated for all future Google surfers:

It's a singular fact that whenever I order
My goblet of Guinness or bumper of Bass,
Out of ten or a dozen that sport round the border
Some fly turns a somersault into my glass.
Oh! it's not that I grudge him the liquor he's tasted,
(supposing him partial to ale or stout),
But consider the time irretrievably wasted
In trying to fish the small wanderer out.

Ah! Believe me, fond fly, it's excessively sinful,
This habit which knocks even bluebottles up;
Just remember what Cassio, on getting a skinful,
Observ'd about "ev'ry inordinate cup!"
Reflect on that proverb, diminutive being,
Which tells us "Enough is as good as a feast;"
And, mark me, there's nothing more painful than seeing
An insect behaving so much like a beast.

Nay, in vain would you seek to escape while I'm talking,
And shake from your pinions the fast-clinging drops.
It is only too clear, from your efforts at walking,
That after your malt you intend to take hops.
Pray, where is your home? and oh! how shall you get there?
And what will your wife and family think?
Pray, how shall you venture to show the whole set there
That Paterfamilias is given to drink.

Oh, think of that moment when Conscience returning
Shall put the brief pleasures of Bacchus to flight;
When the tongue shall be parch'd and the brow shall be burning,
And most of to-morrow shall taste of to-night!
For the toast shall be dry and the tea shall be bitter,
And all through your breakfast this thought shall intrude;
That a little pale brandy and seltzer is fitter
For such an occasion than animal food.

I have known, silly fly, the delight beyond measure---
The blissful sensation, prolonged and intense---
The rapturous, wild, and ineffable pleasure,
Of drinking at somebody else's expense.
But I own--and it's not without pride that I own it---
Whenever some friend in his generous way
Bids me drink without paying, I simply postpone it,
And pay for my liquor the whole of next day.

Ah yes, sweet victory. Glasses will be raised tonight to the author's fine memory, and to our diligent library researcher for a job well done.

The Goose is Out

2006-05-08T10:09:00.000-03:00

Back.

Another amazingly successful trip - full of wonder and randomness and rejuvenating experience. Much time spent marvelling at the magnificence of the scenery, in conversation with fellow wanderers, and staring off into the horizon while pondering the past and future. So rarely is there opportunity to be truly alone with our own thoughts, opportunity to discover and bask in the profound freedom of tranquility, in the idea that all roads remain open.

One day, the governor, Lu-hsuan, asked Nan-ch'uan the following question: "A man once raised a goose in a bottle, watching it grow until he realized it had grown too large to pass through the bottle's neck. Since he did not want to kill the goose, or break the bottle, how would he get it out?"
Nan-ch'uan began quietly, "My esteemed governor," then he roared, "THE GOOSE IS OUT!"
It is said that Lu-hsuan was enlightened on the spot.

All told, an exceptionally worthwhile few days out on the Pacific. More notes to follow once life regains a sense of order.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-05-05T17:08:00.000-03:00

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

-Mary Oliver, Wild Geese

From an article in the inflight Aloha Airlines magazine. A magical few days, with two more left in paradise and then one more to complete the cross-globe journey home. The Pacific has been ever so lovely, my escapades on a moped around Oahu ridiculously epic, and the peace and quiet reflection offered by the landscapes a true tonic.

More upon return to reality. Until then happy Cinco de Rum and Coke Friday - it is only 10AM here, and I need to get going.

Channelling Captain Cook

2006-04-27T17:49:00.000-03:00

The bell finally tolls on the next grand travel escapade - and this one was surely worth the wait. Courtesy of my sister's job with Westjet, this weekend has me set sail for St. John's to celebrate the 80th birthday of my mother's mother on Friday and Saturday. Then it is to the airport bright and early Sunday morning for a 3 stop, 9000 km, 20-odd hour marathon extravaganza. Destination, you ask? None other than the middle of the Pacific ocean and the Hawaiian islands of Oahu (days 1-3) and Maui (days 4-6). Luck is often the residue of design, and just as often the residue of luck.

Fortunately when it comes to such trips, I seem in ample supply of both. In researching a bit of history before embarking on the voyage (the ideal procrastination ploy), I was ever so pleased to discover the far-flung connections between the George Street of my departure and the Waikiki of my arrival. None more inspiring than their shared linkage to legendary James Cook - the man who, as his legion of followers say, "saw the world first."

For it was the British Cook who sailed all those years in the grand tide of the Pacific, who first discovered the "Sandwich Isles" of Hawaii for the Europeans in 1778 (only to meet his ill-starred end there a year later). And it was Cook, as well, who had already become the first to circumnavigate and map Newfoundland in the 1763-1767. (He went oretty well directly from there to New Zealand, where he was the first round that isle too, the cheeky bastard.)

How he might marvel at the ease and speed with which we aeronauts do get about! To think such a journey can be done in but a day - with enough time out at the Vancouver layover to track down another Bad Boy Burger at the Flying Beaver. And for a discounted fare (the privileges of a sibling in the business) that surely doesn't even begin to cover the fuel costs attributable to me alone.

So off we go tomorrow - and armed with a stockade of words from the local library, whose "subject keyword" search yielded some fiction set in Hawaii such as Hotel Honolulu, Jack London's Tales of Hawaii, The Floating City, and even one called (wait for it) Aloha, Mr. Lucky. Indeed. In approaching an oasis of such strangeness, it will no doubt suit me well to have already begun fostering my own mythology on the place even before I set foot.

Enjoy the next while. With any luck, I will be half a world away in a few days, swimming again in the glorious Pacific. It is times like this - as a wise man once said over Guinness in a Temple Bar pub - I know I'm living my life right.

See you back again on the 8th.

Yes

2006-04-27T12:10:00.000-03:00

Tories offer plan to fix election dates. Excellent. Now here's an idea whose time is well overdue.

I would hope that our MPs can make this a truly non-partisan affair, and I would particularly like to see some of the Liberal leadership candidates come out unequivocally in favour.

But the article wouldn't be complete without a little trumped up righteousness from the NDP, far and away that party's (one I voted for in 2006, mind you) most nauseating quality:

NDP House Leader Libby Davies said her caucus agreed yesterday to support the proposed bill. Ms. Davies said the law would stop what she called the abuses of Mr. Chrétien. "He was toying with the idea and calling people to the polls when he didn't need to, when it suited the Liberals to do so, and I think people got quite upset with it and this would remove that element," she said.

Oh sure. Because when NDP Premiers Clark, Dosanjh, and Rae held off calling the election until the last hour of their constitutionally-allowed 5th year, they were acting out impartially out of the interests of the people. Or, for example, when Conservative Premiers in Nova Scotia trigger elections in the summer so as to avoid the student vote in key ridings, they are not doing it to suit their own fortunes at the expense of a properly run democratic system.

These people are politicians, so of course we expect them to take every advantage available to them under the structure. The problem lies not with certain players, but in the rules themselves. Change them to make the governments of the day more accountable and less subject to the whim of the moment, and let's move on. This is exactly the kind of initiative that I hoped might happen under Harper. He has, thus far, dropped the ball on floor-crossing, the Senate, appointment of Cabinet Committee Chairs, and the muzzling of his Cabinet. Let's hope he follows through here.

Weather or Not

2006-04-27T09:44:00.000-03:00

In line with the post below, MP Garth Turner identifies the underlying concern over the Conservative position on media recording of repatriation ceremonies at Canadian bases:

MP Garth Turner said the issue has been characterized by Harper and O'Connor as one of privacy, and most of his colleagues have accepted the explanation.

"Whether in fact that's a truthful position, in other words weather the media would infringe on privacy, is another matter," Turner said.

It is a Canadian Press piece, so I suppose I can't blame the Star for the glaring grammatical error in Turner's quote. Good for a morning smile though, and dreams on what the weather holds for the middle of the Pacific next week (more on the relevance of that in a few hours...)

Flags, Cameras, Soldiers

2006-04-27T01:11:00.000-03:00

There has probably been all too much ink spilled over the recent policies out of the PMO on the peace tower flag and media access to military bases during such tragic times. My position most of the week is aptly summarized in 4 sentences by Radwanski:

I support having Canadian troops in Afghanistan. I agree with my colleagues at the Post that each soldier's death, while tragic, cannot be treated as a national emergency if we're serious about our commitment there. But this is bad news. Opting not to lower the flag on the Peace Tower doesn't dishonour the fallen, but treating them like a dirty secret sure does.

As Liam noted yesterday, there is a cheapness and hypocrisy to some of the shrillest commentators on the flag issue. Still, Rick Mercer makes some difficult-to-refute points regarding who we chose to honour. Let's not run from these debates on what we are doing overseas, and let's not let rank partisanship (on either side) have us forget what we are arguing about.

Left Right Left

2006-04-23T18:14:00.000-03:00

Political Staples points to an Ivison piece on the much talked about "move to the left" contemplated by the Liberals in their leadership campaign. One excerpt:

So if a union on the left is a non-starter, does it make sense for the Liberal
party to drift in that direction? One Liberal strategist points out that the
party lost the election mainly because it hemorrhaged votes to the Tories,
rather than to the NDP. The numbers seem to bear this out -- the Conservative
vote rose by 6.7 percentage points to 36.3%, almost the same amount the Liberal
vote dropped. NDP support rose just 1.8 points. Of the 30 seats the Liberals
lost, only five were won by the NDP.

This will likely prove a much repeated refrain in the months ahead, but it's pretty much all bollocks. While the fact that more votes were lost to the Tories than the NDP is irrefutable, it is far from clear that the voters who switched away from the Liberals to the Tories did so because they are inherently more "Conservative".

I would posit that these voters were sick of (a) actual/preceived Liberal arrogance, (b) actual/perceived Liberal corruption, (c) the failure of the Liberal party to conceive of and articulate new policies, (d) the growing gap between Liberal rhetoric and results in areas like environmental policy. In short, the votes swung to the Tories more because it was the only legitimate "government in waiting" than out of a rigid ideological bent.

The Liberals need not look too closely at the shifting tide of political numbers. That's a mug's game, and likely the main reason that the poll-driven Martin PMO failed so spectacularly. Put forward reasoned, comprehensive policies that resonate with Canadians - leaving the "left" or "right" analysis for the journalists. This talk of planting the party firmly in the "center left" of the spectrum will mean little to the average voter who look at the concrete proposals put forth. Do it correctly and the you'll drag the so-called "middle" along with you.

Panache

2006-04-23T03:15:00.000-03:00

I hate reflecting too much on last year at times, on final days, like this. It is important - remember - that I had no (ie. little) money last year, and all that was spent was the bank's, who I did then and now do owe desperately. And yet.

It is slightly, simply sad, to think of Stratford-on-Avon, and the ease of last season's birthday for Shakespeare, as if it was a natural selection, regardless of what choice. Because it so was. I belonged at that sermon and I'll never forget the reverence for the cakes and ale.

"I painted a still life this morning, of a throat lozenge I'd seen on a copy of a tropic of cancer, the only thing that's funny is that I never thought I'd paint anything again. I think I might go visit Estelle. those Utah mountains are good for the soul. I'll bring my brushes and some Jack Daniel's and we can make up for lost time........."

Talking tonight - Saturday night - with a host of characters, about the import of today. All of whom have the head strength to know the world By His (its) Bootstraps, as much as that is the more fascinating of stories, and as much as it is too quickly sa(i)d that no (one) of them could.

It is a new world. Brave, as you might have wished for, Master Shakes, but scarce that you could have imagined. We love you still, and give the proper deference. And so panache. As milady so described at the Bitter End tonight, not just a sense of dash or verve, but (actually!) : "A bunch of feathers or a plume, especially on a helmet." A feather in your cap, so to speak, in the time of Louis Treize. "But I'll keep after it, and one day I'll get it all right." Indeed.

Happy St. George's, master Shakespeare. It's your holiday, after all, and you have always been my favorite. With Panache, as madame on the Liffey would say...

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-04-21T10:32:00.000-03:00

Another week, another quote:

"Anything is possible on a train: a great meal, a binge, a visit from card players, an intrigue, a good night's sleep, and strangers' monologues framed like Russian short stories. It was my intention to board every train that chugged into view from Victoria Station in London to Tokyo Central; to take the branch line to Simla, the spur through the Khyber Pass, and the chord line that links Indian Railways with those in Ceylon; the Mandalay Express, the Malaysian Golden Arrow, the locals in Vietnam, and the trains with bewitching names, the Orient Express, the North Star, the Trans-Siberian. I sought trains; I found passengers."

-Paul Theroux, The Great Railway Bazaar

One bright morning... Here's the song of my week as well - Chaiyya Chaiyya Bollywood Joint - chosen by Spike Lee to open and close his latest film, Inside Man, despite it having virtually nothing to do with the story. Yet it is not a stretch to say it is clearly the best aspect of an overly average work. Classically addictive. Walk in the shadow.

Miró

2006-04-20T14:30:00.000-03:00

I love when Google pays homage to artists (etc...) without disrupting its clean front page. Today calls attention to Joan Miró, whose birth of the world is above. His surrealism has been referred to as a "sandbox of the subconscious mind". He's less familiar to me than my favored Spanish titans, Gaudi and Dali, but a nice diversion for this Thursday afternoon, to think of his birth 113 years ago today. The world spins so quickly on.

I dare ya (?)

2006-04-19T21:19:00.000-03:00

These type of method, on the other hand, is a terrible ways to justify public policy.

Harper's muzzling of his own members is troubling enough, though in today's media context I can feign at least to understand his purpose. For those frustrated by the (frankly) anti-democratic animus of the Chretien/Martin concentrated PMO, and looked to Harper for some relief on this front, his first few months have been an ominous disappointment. I am too tired to dispense with the links - but the appointing the committee heads, Emerson and Fortier, the Cabinet quieting, the vote-for-daycare-or-else... I thought the point of a new administration under him was that we would get to argue the merits of new policy on their actual merits. Maybe this is no longer possible in a Parliamentary democracy? To claim it has been somehow sanctioned by the 6% of voters who flopped from 2004 to 2006 is insulting to a thinking person's intelligence.

The point that somehow "the tide of the electorate favours us this month so I dare you to cause an election" mentality is anything other than politically expedient. Maybe it is savvy politics. It is terribly distressing that it has so quickly become the paramount modus operandi in Ottawa. Maybe I was too naive to being with. This is, at root after all, the party that vowed to talk MP pension reform up until the day they qualified for it. Human nature is a bitch to fight. And who is to say I and we would be any better?

Oh, hypocricy, thou tyrant beast. You are just waiting with a Capirinha on Waikiki next week, aren't you? I can almost feel your Pacific...

My Voice is my Passport...

2006-04-19T21:11:00.000-03:00

This is smart, given the circumstances. It might be annoying to those who only ever visit the U.S. for the L.L> Bean store in Maine, but there is nothing too onerous about advising Canadians to pick up passports if they want to travel outside the country. The cost is reasonable, they last a few years, and incentive to see the wider world is good. Creating a mess of a new system of ID cards strikes me as the worst of all worlds. The larger concern over this whole deal is whether American tourists will take the time to comply with the new bureaucratic requirements to shop inside Canada. That's the larger concern, truth be told.

You need a passport (or a birth certificate and photo ID) to fly to the U.S. anyway, as I almost found out the hard way in February... why not make the requirement for drivers the same? It solves at a stroke the concerns over other, more intrusive methods. And God help us if the radicals down South decide a northern fence is needed to keep the Canadian bacon out as well...

"Dead Dreams in the Rain"

2006-04-18T19:13:00.000-03:00

Ah, how I love the writing of Times columnist Simon Barnes. Opens his latest column about the recent (and massive) gambling exploits of wunderkid Wayne Rooney with three lines from the Pogues, proceeds to mention the riotous pleasure that accompanied an ancient 60 quid victory of his in backing a horse named "Swing Alone" back in 1982, and drops in a bit of Shakespeare to finish up. Lovely bit of truth captured here:

Gambling supplies the crushing disappointment and soaring elation that lie at the heart of sport, and it can supply them (without telling which you will get) at any time you want. All you need is money. Preferably lots and lots of money, but any sum of money that you will miss will give you a buzz.

My kind of sporting columnist, as I (Federer as Van Gogh and Hamlet) have noted (Wuthering Heights and fan obsession). Classic, and one of the legacies of last year that lingers on courtesy of the world wide web. Pity I canna beam myself as easily over the wires to this. Next time, perchance.

Quote of the (Good Fri)day

2006-04-14T12:44:00.000-03:00

Happy long weekend to all, and a happy "El Ron and Coke" Friday as well. Home in Moncton, I'll be taking advantage of the Cuban imports that the parents brought back from their vacation to Varadero last week. Sweet.

On to the quote. Courtesy of my sister's work with Westjet, I could be heading 9,000 km out to Hawaii in about two weeks time. In researching some traveling inspiration for such a trip, I had no idea that Mark Twain was considered one of the first "tourists" to those islands. Perfect.

Here's Twain's description of his arrival by steam cruiser in 1866. Magic:

"ON a certain bright morning the Islands hove in sight, lying low on the lonely sea, and everybody climbed to the upper deck to look. After two thousand miles of watery solitude the vision was a welcome one. As we approached, the imposing promontory of Diamond Head rose up out of the ocean its rugged front softened by the hazy distance, and presently the details of the land began to make themselves manifest: first the line of beach; then the plumed coacoanut trees of the tropics; then cabins of the natives; then the white town of Honolulu, ..."
(Roughing It, Part 63-LXIII)

Enjoy your Easter. And don't eat too much chocolate.

The Political Meetup

2006-04-12T21:01:00.000-03:00

Cherniak has posted a few comments in recent days about his participation at "meetups" organized through the Dryden campaign:

This was a meeting of people that was organized by forwarded emails. Some of the attendees were there as Liberal Dryden supporters, some were Liberals interested in the event and some were non-members who wanted to join the party to support Dryden. I believe it is the sort of thing that the Dean campaign did to create momentum in his run for the Democratic leadership. The moderator mostly just asked questions and facilitated brainstorming; it was all about the campaign listening to people.

Given that these types of events are probably going to catch on in many of the leadership camps, let's clarify a bit the history of the political "meetup". It's essentially a simple way of harnessing technology to bring together people with the same interests. Imagine you are interested in something a little bit off the wall - at the time Dean's supporters started spiking dramatically, the most popular link on meetup.com was "witches", believe it or not - and want to meet others similarly minded. So if you were an avid Dean supporter in, say, Seattle almost a year before the primary, but were keenly (some might say obsessively) interested in participating, you would sign up on the site and use meetup as an incredibly simple way to get in touch with other people in your city who wanted to get involved as well. The power of numbers.

Wikipedia has an excellent summary of the phenomenon. But the key thing to recognize is that meetups, at their core, are not necessarily "organized" by the campaign or the candidate at all. They depend only on the enthusiasm of the grassroots (call them ordinary, politically aware citizens) wanting to contribute. Of course, campaigns would be stupid to ignore gatherings of their supporters, and it remains their responsibility to put this discovered energy and willingness to get involved to good use. As Dean said, "We fell into this by accident... I wish I could tell you we were smart enough to figure this out. But the community taught us. They seized the initiative through Meetup. They built our organization for us before we had an organization."

Why then and why Dean? Unfortunately, too many people only just began hearing of Dean at the beginning of 2004, just as he began to flame out. Few remember that he began his quixotic quest for the Presidency in November 2002 as an asterix candidate. His candidacy stood for an idea - that Democrats were tired of their leaders rolling over to the Republicans and wanted someone to stand up. That, in a nut shell, was why he garnered such a strong grassroots following. That and the fact that the presumed frontrunners (Kerry, Gephardt, Lieberman...) were viewed as tired and boring and woefully out of touch.

The campaign innovations, the role of the Internet in raising funds, blogforamerica... these were ways of connecting Democrats across the country who looked at the list of conventional candidates, deemed them unacceptable, and - in a real sense - helped invent another one. That Dean subsequently failed to stand up to the scrutiny when he got to the top of the heap doesn't take away from the campaign's amazing accomplishments in putting him in position. Ironically, it was the endorsement of Al Gore - the old school technique of garnering leadership race support, that started Dean's decline.

In stark contrast to the Democratic primary of 2004, however, this Liberal leadership race has a wealth of quality candidates. More importantly, almost all of whom are in complete agreement on the need for profound renewal within the party that starts at the membership level. The wide-open nature of the contest ensures that the grassroots will already play a huge part and that people other than the "professional" political operatives will get plenty of opportunities. So it is difficult for a Carolyn Bennett to inspire new members with the idea of further access and involvement, because all candidates are already doing this and, further, it doesn't appear that real policy differences are going to emerge.

The meetup concept would likely have been a much more useful way for Liberals dissatisfied with a Paul Martin type frontrunner, who seemed to have all the key players locked up. An exclusive team, in other words, that was more intent on crossing the finish line than putting forth new ideas on where the country should go. But that's yesterday's story. Meetups and their sort will have an impact only where the enthusiasm of the base outstrips the campaign's ability and understanding of how to meet the demand. This time, that doesn't look to be as large an issue. But maybe someone's out there that can prove me wrong.

Guernica

2006-04-11T01:49:00.000-03:00

As I said, and like I imagined, milady, I did indeed see the original with Torsten. Don't challenge my memory, even at Pizza Corner: (courtesy of wiki)

It is now in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, along with about two dozen preparatory works. The exact location was controversial in Spain, since Picasso's will stated that the painting should be displayed at the Prado Museum. However, as in the late twentieth century, the Prado moved all of its collections of art after the early 19th century to other nearby buildings in the city for reasons of space, the Reina Sofía, which houses the capital's national collection of 20th century art, seems the appropriate place for it. A special gallery was built at the Reina Sofía to display Picasso's masterpiece to best advantage.

Sadly, I did unconscionably miss the rest of the deserved Prado for some afternoon Estella Dram with Schadendorf (only Gongshow gets to slag me on that one) ... and in my defence, it was just that the sun looked so good on that solitary magic day in November '99. I have photos somewhere.

Yet a good choice by the lady Jill of earrings tonight, who claimed "Guernica"'s shrowding at the UN qualified as interesting. That I did not know. We roll on.

Though better was the girl who claimed, over my shoulder, that she fell in love with her boyfriend because he removed the cucumbers from his sandwiches. Truly, the stuff that dreams are made on.

'In Meal or in Malt'

2006-04-10T19:30:00.000-03:00

I love those magical little discoveries. I love how the ancient language of the law can truly bring a smile at the end of a long day. To wit, Drummond's Case (circa 1868), L.R. 4 Ch. 772, where Sir G.M. Giffard, L.J. said:

If a man contracts to take shares he must pay for them, to use a homely phrase 'in meal or in malt;' he must either pay in money or in money's worth. If he pays in one or the other, that will be satisfaction.

The Daycare Battle Ahead

2006-04-10T18:05:00.000-03:00

The Hill Times has an interview today with Minister Finley that clarifies the government's position a bit in the coming battle over daycare funding that is sure to dominate this session of Parliament.

A word of advice to the NDP, Liberals, and BQ as they attack the Conservative approach. The idea of "choice in childcare" resonates with Canadians, as the campaign aptly demonstrated. Yet the Tories have also shown signs of recognizing an equally persistent demand for some type of approach that focuses on the creation of spaces - spaces that Tories admit will not appear without some targetted help.

So some type of compromise may be possible. On that note, consider this brief Question and Answer 3/4 of the way through the article:

Will high-income families receive the $1,200 a month per child as well?
"This is a universal benefit that will be available to all parents of children under the age of six."

In a word: Why? Are the most wealthy Canadians really in need of an additional monthly cash handout for every child under 6? Is this really the most efficient use of resources, that the single mother struggling from pay cheque to pay cheque gets the same allowance from the government as Canadians at the very top of income tax brackets? Even Conservatives should bristle at such an absurd suggestion. Simply put, how does offering a subsidy to people who can already afford daycare if they so chose make any sense?

I know - Harper has this "stealth" plan to help out the middle class... the fact remains that the policy as is has flaws that could be better exploited by its opponents. Rather than attacks that the Tories are not offering enough money, why not attack its allocation. Who knows - maybe Harper can even be convinced to put an upper income cap on this allowance, thereby increasing the amount available for those in need of it and offering a small victory to the Liberal and NDP members campaigning to ensure that the access funds really are spent on daycare.

A compromise that features the better aspects of several party plans. That's how an ideal minority Parliament would function. I wonder if our Parliamentarians might yet come to find something along those lines before this is done.

Under the Microscope

2006-04-08T14:40:00.000-03:00

Apres the launch, le deluge.

Lots of critical scrutiny of Michael Ignatieff on the day after his announcement that he will indeed be a candidate. Jeffrey Simpson hits on his most apparent and difficult-to-rebut thesis - the man has been absent from the country and its core political debates for a long time (the Tiger has excerpted some key paragraphs here). This Star piece also has some comments about Ignatieff's "American identity" that have raised the eyebrows of Warren Kinsella et al. That, along with the glee shown by the NDP at the prospect of facing an Ignatieff-led party on the left, will be serious weaknesses to overcome in a brokered race.

Harper's keeness for a majority means one thing - whoever wins has no real margin of error. They will face the prospect of an imminent general election with pretty large stakes. Ignatieff is certainly impressive, but you wonder how long his inexperience (both in government and in the country) will cause delegates to pause before making him their second or third choice. But that's why the leadership campaign will be so critical, of course.

Ignatieff's presence does ensure that a vigorous, intellectual debate over the course of the Liberal Party and the country will be at the heart of the race. On that note, I should point out Ignatieff's new website. It's teeming with substance. A friend of mine in the Ignatieff campaign asked if I would contribute a piece on the "role of the federal government" as part of the launch of its policy forum, and you can read and debate that effort and others here. The commenting section can be a bit unwieldy, but I'm sure the kinks will be ironed out in time. Go have your say.

Zen's Cold Mountain

2006-04-07T20:44:00.000-03:00

24
When men see Han-shan
They all say he's crazy
And not much to look at -
Dressed in rags and hides.
They don't get what I say
And I don't talk their language.
All I can say to those I meet:
"Try and make it to Cold Mountain."
(tr. Gary Snyder)

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-04-07T09:06:00.000-03:00

From the ever-excellent Battlestar Gallactica:
Commander Adama: "Sometimes, you gotta roll the hard six."

A beautiful morning and I feel a lucky and beautiful weekend coming on. I wonder where it might lead us tonight. I am indeed a master of wondering.

On Stronach's Exit

2006-04-06T19:09:00.000-03:00

Belinda Stronach answers questions at her press conference today:

I think, for me, the way I can have the greatest impact on the renewal of the party is to not seek the leadership, to be free to express my views, to spark debate on different ideas, about what could bring forward a stronger and more inclusive, more open, transparent, and democratic Liberal party and I feel the best way to do that is to speak as a member.

Well, I always thought people chose to ENTER leadership contests in order to "express their views, to spark debate on different ideas"... especially in the most wide open leadership in a generation. You can be fairly certain that Ignatieff, Dion, Kennedy, Dryden, Brison, Rae and the rest will have no trouble speaking openly on democratic renewal. Then again, I have never understood why people continue to treat Stronach's candidacy with any credibility whatsoever. I doubt we'll have to hold our collective breath for any radical ideas issuing from her office in the months ahead. The next one will be her first.

I must admit, I did love the relief on Belinda's face, laughter, and clicking of cameras when - after just saying that her French was "mieux que voulle pense" - the reporter from Radio Canada said she would continue her follow-up in English. Priceless. Like the outburst of laughter at Paul Martin's Press Conference (when he insisted the primary reason behind her defection was not in winning the budget vote), for a moment an air of reality punctured everyone's willing suspension of disbelief that Belinda Stronach's pre-written spin should be accepted as embodying the truth.

Simpson's Implicit Message to Liberal Leadership Candidates

2006-04-06T00:02:00.000-03:00

Here's his closing paragraph from today's online chat:

The Harper government's policies are givens. What the country needs, however, is a focus on its productivity, on using less energy, on becoming smarter and fairer. These are the kinds of ambitions almost all other countries enjoying success and preparing for the future are debating and pursuing. None of these policies point Canada in that direction. Perhaps when the famous five are done, with whatever changes are negotiated in the minority Parliament, we can get around to catching up in our public discourse with the rest of the successful world.

Issues of economic innovation and improved productivity have long been on Simpson's mind. (note point #6) While Harper busies himself with his 5 priorities and a tightly-lipped cabinet, it will be interesting to hear how various candidates in the Liberal leadership race debate alternatives on these more crucial issues to the country, and what impact it may have inside the House.

On that note, here's your evening laugh. Thanks to the "insider edition" firewall, you only get the first sentence from this Globe article. Fortunately, it is probably enough to discount the conclusions of the entire piece:

Stephen Harper has offered a Speech from the Throne that, barring the truly unforeseen, will lead to the re-election of the Conservative government in 2007, because he understands what his critics do not understand: the hidden fears of the middle class.

So this speech from the throne will lead to Harper's re-election in 2007 "barring the truly unforeseen". Heh. Conventional wisdom is so funny, as it turns on a dime without the slightest sense of irony. My favorite part of the conclusion has got to be that "truly", though.

Haven't we learned that election campaigns (or *gasp* who the opposition elects as leader) might actually matter to voters?

Now that it's about to begin...

2006-04-05T23:19:00.000-03:00

I should say that at this moment I have pretty well narrowed my own support in the LPC leadership race (whatever that's worth -ed.) to a trio of candidates - Ignatieff, Dion, and Kennedy - all of whom impress and intrigue me in relatively equal measure. I need to watch the race unfold a bit before committing further, but my signing up for a new Liberal party membership looks to be a foregone conclusion.

Suffice it to say, though, that these are exactly the types of leaders I hoped would emerge in writing about Liberal Leadership Woes last April, citing a similar post of James Bow's. Wonderful to consider how competitive and interesting the field looks to be, even as so many of the imagined favourites have subsequently declined to offer. A robust contest, but only to be expected.

So let the debate begin.

UPDATE - note TDH Strategies (april 5th) has posted excellent arguments up in favour of Kennedy, though I am still waiting to see him in action on the main stage. His most difficult task will be to raise his profile across the country. As for the other two, I met Ignatieff when he was in Halifax and to say I came away extremely impressed at his grasp of the issues, passion for Canada, and ability to articulate his vision would be an understatement. Dion I respect immensely for his time at Intergovernmental Affairs and then as Environment Minister.

It's a damn fine short list.

Rae's Takes the First Step

2006-04-05T21:52:00.000-03:00

Talk about sour grapes… 16 years on, David Peterson is still smarting over his surprising electoral loss to Bob Rae:

Former Ontario premier David Peterson warned Wednesday that erstwhile NDP rival Bob Rae won't be welcome in the federal Liberal leadership race.

Peterson’s grudge is the more apparent, considering his comments on the other two “recent” Liberals, Brison and Stronach:

"It does absolutely (hurt) but it doesn't hurt them as much because the sense is
they've been sanitized at least by (running for the Liberals in) one election."

Well, let’s consider, shall we? Rae’s break with the NDP has been obvious for years (his membership in that party lapsed in 1998), and his moderate left-wing credentials are well known. The Liberals under both Chretien and Martin courted him for a federal run. Just because he has remained tokenly non-partisan does not change the fact that his natural ideological home is now within this party.

Contrast that with the two would-be Tory leaders, who ran directly for the federal Tories as candidates best positioned to remove the Liberal Party of Canada from power. In 2003 and 2004, respectively. Their new found zest for all things Liberal notwithstanding, it doesn't change the fact that they were touting fairly non-Liberal views, at least on economic and security matters, not so long ago.

Incidentally, I think all three of these candidates are fatally flawed candidates, at least this time around. But for Peterson to state publicly that Rae presents some type of special “dilemma” for party members? There’s a pretty simple solution available – just don’t support him!

Rae’s candidacy is actually the truly fascinating one of the race. The conspiracy theorist in me sees him lining up support on the left of the party, with considerable help from the Chretien wing - because which frontrunner will be desperately casting about to improve his standing from just those delegates after the opening ballots. Conveniently, Rae’s old roommate. Rae organizing delegates that can be subsequently delivered to Ignatieff on the convention floor will prove eminently more helpful than a simple endorsement in the early stages would...

After all, it’s never too early to look to the endgame.

UPDATE: Oh, and what he said, too.

The Wit and Wisdom of the English

2006-04-04T13:21:00.000-03:00

OK - here's a forward from a buddy who studied overseas with me in Scotland, who in turn had it sent from a friend in England. Its theme aside, the language is simply glorious.

My Spring starts on the day after St. Patrick's. My Summer.... well read on:

Ah, Tit Monday. It's not that far off now, that glorious day when, heading into work on the bus, or walking to the Tube, or sitting on the train, you find yourself suddenly chirpier than you have been in months. You find yourself smiling at strangers again. There is a mild involuntary tumescence in your trousers that comes and goes throughout the morning with the comforting regularity of a heartbeat. And then you get a text around lunchtime from a mate which says: "At last, Tit Monday!" And you instantly understand why you are so happy.
For Tit Monday is that special day in the year when, for the first time, the temperature rises above that magical point which causes girls getting dressed in the morning to decide to show a bit of skin. After months of dull colours and chunky knit, the world's birds suddenly dive into last summer's wardrobe (they've not had chance to buy this season's stuff) and chuck it on without a thought.
Your urban landscape is suddenly lightened with acres of naked arm and leg and, after many dark months of burrowing, breasts rising to the surface like moles at dusk. Big breasts in white work shirts straining at the buttons. Small breasts braless in vest tops, the nipples frotted by ribby fabrics. Breasts in summer dresses bouncing in the distance so that they catch your eye before you even notice there is someone wearing them. Breasts nudging out from the crowd at traffic islands, quivering to cross the road... And you know it is nearly summer. For previous generations, the arrival of spring was heralded by the sound of the first cuckoo. For us, it is Tit Monday.
Not that it always falls on a Monday. Like Easter, Tit Monday is amoveable feast. Last year it fell on a Friday. Friday 29 April, to be precise, when temperatures maxed out at 22.1C after nothing much above 16C all year. It last fell on a Monday in 2004, when temperatures leapt to 22C on 24 April. And then, of course, there is Tit Monday Night. You see, in early summer, temperatures drop off very dramatically when night falls (Tit Friday 2005 dropped away to a parky 11.8C). But the dollies are not prepared. Slightly stunned by the morning heat, they drag out the summer clothes but forget to bring a cardie (a mistake they will not make again until next year), so that when they're all standing outside All Bar One after work celebrating the arrival of spring, their barely covered nipples have no protection from the cold. It's like a Bring-and-Buy sale where everyone has brought hat pegs. It's like a prog-rock gig where, instead of lighters, everyone is holding up nipples.
So when will Tit Monday fall this year? Will you be the first to text your mates with the announcement? Do not shoot your bolt too early. There will be false starts. You will smell fresh cut grass and see a couple of early starters and feel compelled to declare Tit Monday. But your more level-headed friends will tell you to hold your horses, keep your powder dry, don't fire until you see the whites of their bra straps.
As the poet once said: One bold Northern slapper in a bikini doth not a summer make.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-03-31T13:30:00.000-04:00

The Junos are in town. Attended part of the free concert last night, but couldn't turn down a free $40 ticket to "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at the Neptune I happened to walk into on the way home for supper... A marvelous play, if not a wholly convincing performance throughout. (Too much time last year in London's West End has made me something of a critic, I guess). I particularly loved George's scathing lines to Nick near the end of Act 2:

"You take the trouble to construct a civilization . . . to . . . to build a society based on the principles of. . . of principle . . . you endeavour to make communicable sense out of natural order, morality out of the unnatural disorder of man's mind . . . you make government and art, and realize that they are, must be the same . . . you bring things to the saddest of all points . . . to the point where there is something to lose . . . then all at once, through all the music, through all the sensible sounds of men building, attempting, comes the Dies Irae. And what is it? What does the trumpet sound? Up yours.
I suppose there’s justice to it, after all the years . . . Up yours."

Is that, as the blogger asks, all there is, my friend?

Arrived at work today to discover an extra Juno ticket to a welcome reception honoring Bruce Cockburn with a humanitarian award, with Sloan and Ron Sexsmith also playing. Sure to mix well with the rum and coke. And then there's the NCAAs tomorrow night... I do wonder what will happen with those 11th seeded George Mason upstarts.

It Gives You Wings...

2006-03-28T19:46:00.000-04:00

...AND a false sense of sobriety?? Red Bull is just that good. Oh, for those Tiger Tiger pitchers.

Seriously though, do researchers really need to perform experiments to confirm this type of hypothesis:

Souza-Formigoni and her colleagues found that volunteers in both groups felt they had better motor coordination when drinking alcohol mixed with the energy drink than when they consumed alcohol alone.

Straw Men

2006-03-28T13:45:00.000-04:00

In light of Warren Kinsella's apparent misinterpretation of Michael Ignatieff's poor and indecisive but otherwise harmless essay on torture, I thought I'd demonstrate what taking things a little out of context can do. For example, Kinsella's recent comments on Iraq (March 23) offer a sunny outlook on Americans' thoughts on the war, that is if you read them the right way. Take a good look, you'll be reading them enough during the next election campaign.

'puny crowds gathered in cities around the globe to protest it'

'...Wartime boosterism is conspicuous'

'the victim of brutality at Abu Ghraib prison - the one seen in the infamous photograph, standing on a box, hooded and electrical wires dangling from his arms - merits front-page coverage'

'Further north, on Sunday morning in Atlanta, the Journal-Constitution fills page after page with exemplary stories about Iraq'

And, finally, the epitaph:

'There will be more stories to be written, up and down the Interstate'

That much, it seems, is true.

If you're too lazy to read the Ignatieff and Kinsella pieces, which really would be the only reason to take things this far out of context, let me give you a taste.

Leaving my feelings about Ignatieff out of this (put it to you this way, I won't be voting in any Liberal leadership race anytime soon, and I most CERTAINLY did not go to Harvard), allow me to define 'out of context': copying and pasting sentences and leaving out key words, which is what Kinsella has recklessly done. Is it a waffle? Almost certainly, but hey, we're talking about a Liberal leadership candidate here. Is it a death knell for Ignatieff's candidacy? Only if taken ridiculously out of context. To wit:

Kinsella quoting Ignatieff: "�torture is not served by collapsing the distinction between coercive interrogation and torture. Both may be repugnant, but repugnance does not make them into the same thing."

Ignatieff's essay: "Clear thinking about torture is not served by collapsing the distinction between coercive interrogation and torture. Both may be repugnant, but repugnance does not make them into the same thing. If coercion and torture are on a moral continuum, at what point on the continuum, to use Posner's words, does queasiness turn to revulsion?"

The difference: The big debate, as Ignatieff points out, is, can torture actually be defined, and if it can't, how do we deal with this as a society? I'd like to see Kinsella's indisputable definition of torture.

Another gem:

Kinsella quoting Ignatieff: "�necessity may require the commission of bad acts�"

Ignatieff: 'necessity may require the commission of bad acts, which necessity, nevertheless, cannot absolve of their morally problematic character'

Pretty clearly couched.

"An outright ban on torture and coercive interrogation leave a conscientious security officer with little choice but to disobey the ban."

Quote taken directly, but this is at the heart of the problem: if millions of lives can be saved through the torture of one man, would applying torture be wrong? And if such an action were punishable by law, should it be as punishable as torture in the absence of such a benefit to society? Ignatieff seems to think there should be at least some judicial punishment, and fair enough, but it should be up to the courts to decide.

The kicker:

Kinsella quoting Ignatieff: "I am willing to get my hands dirty."

Ignatieff: "I am willing to get my hands dirty, but unlike her, I have practical difficulty enumerating a list of coercive techniques that I would be willing to have a democratic society inflict in my name. I accept, for example, that a slap is not the same thing as a beating, but I still don't want interrogators to slap detainees because I cannot see how to prevent the occasional slap deteriorating into a regular practice of beating."

In other words, in a perfect world, the definition and practice of torture is easily delineated. In the real world, however, this is clearly not the case. Hence the (rather valid) debate over the limits of torture.

Sorry to see the usually excellent Kinsella fall down on this one. I would have thought Ignatieff was enough of a straw man that a replica would not have to be constructed out of his rubbish essay and summarily destroyed.

Kinsella on Ignatieff

2006-03-27T18:46:00.000-04:00

Kinsella links to an essay by Michael Ignatieff in the latest edition of Prospect Magazine, claiming that it contains the "corpse" of his "vaulting ambition".

In a word, I don't think so. Given the hyperbole behind Kinsella's claims ("not very often that one gets to witness a "leadership frontrunner" immolate his own candidacy so blithely, so recklessly"), I expected at least to find something controversial on the moral acceptability of torture. Hardly. In fact, the inneundo of Kinsella's post (March 27th) completly mischaracterizes Ignatieff's clearly set out position.

But don't take my word for it - go read 'em for yourself. I responded to Warren directly because - hey - he called for responses arguing where he went wrong. He got back to me immediately and will probably post it. Also, just because the blogosphere is so crazily immediate (who caught Atrios on the West Wing last night?), I forwarded the link to Andrew Sullivan who has been on the torture debate from the beginning. Even money says Sullivan posts his own thoughts within a few days.

None of this is to say that Ignatieff doesn't have plenty of hurdles to overcome in this race, of course. It just strikes me that the issue of torture is as important as it is complicated these days. We are much better served by a sophisticated discussion that engages the nuance beyond the "Torture is Bad" v. "Torture is Necessary" absolutionist positions.

UPDATE - Kinsella posted a few reactions... Here's the gist of what I sent, for what it's worth:

"You certainly have every right to say whatever you want about anyone and everything. But today's comments regarding Ignatieff on torture are simply bizarre.

I fully anticipated, from your post-mortem on his ambitions, to read an essay justifying some forms of torture. Yet the epitaph of the article isconclusively not "I am willing to get my hands dirty", but rather that "We cannot torture, in other words, because of who we are."

His argument is simply that as citizens we should notremain blind to the consequences of banning torture, or the unpopularity of such a stance.

It is hard to miss this point. Three quarters of the way through, he says the following: "So I end up supporting an absolute and unconditional ban on both torture and those forms of coercive interrogation that involve stress and duress, and I believe that enforcement of such a ban should be up to the military justice system plus the federal courts."

How much clearer do you want him to get?

You claim that you should not be criticized for takinghis words out of context, because they are - and I loved this - "his words". That's a simpleton's answer, not a lawyer's. You have completely mischaracterized his position, and done so with an almost gleeful intent. Surely as a political commentator you have a responsibility to do better."

"Defeat Concentrates the Mind"

2006-03-27T13:43:00.000-04:00

OH - How damn refreshing it is to hear this from a senior member of the Liberal party:

The man the Liberals have assigned to assemble their blueprint for party renewal says the defeated government's national daycare program was "a deathbed repentance," the gun registry was "an administrative disaster" and the response to the sponsorship scandal was "bizarre."
The blunt-talking Tom Axworthy, a former aide to Pierre Trudeau who teaches at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., also says the former government's Kyoto policy was not only difficult to understand, "it wasn't real anyway."
"On file after file, we haven't had bad ideas, but the implementation process has been abysmal," he [Tom Axworhty] said in an interview with CanWest News Service. "A press release is not a policy."

Absolutely right. That's been the complaints and concerns here pretty much since Ahab began. Regardless of how Harper's tenure as Prime Minister turns out, the turfing of the Liberals from the PMO in 2006 will prove exceedingly beneficial not only for the Liberal party, but for Canadian democracy as a whole.

Frankly, I am shocked and pleasantly surprised at the speed with which elements of the natural governing party is admitting the deficiencies and errors of Paul Martin's time at the head of the government. The magnitude of the paradigm shift in conventional wisdom circles - commentators who claimed Stephen Harper could never win now claiming just as certainly that he is sure to be around as PM for a minimum of 6 years, for example - is surely contributing to it.

How many, as recently as December 1, 2005, would have predicted that the subsequent events of a few months would bring us so completely to this point? And, more ridiculous, all because about 6.6% of those who turned out to vote (about 975,000 Canadians) were convinced to change their mind over the course of 18 months!? Amazing how the cumbersome mechanism that is our modern electoral democracy manages to get it about right. Against all the odds.

Dryden as Frontrunner?

2006-03-25T14:04:00.000-04:00

The unconventional nature of this Liberal leadership race makes handicapping it exceedingly difficult. Cherniak has recently vented about the media's coverage of the contenders, rightfully pointing out the inexplicable omission of one of his preferred candidates - Ken Dryden. This is all the more glaring because, as Adam Radwanksi points out in his recap of the King Edward event:

The more I look at all these guys, the more I have a sneaking suspicion Ken Dryden could easily emerge as the consensus choice at the convention. I’m not saying that’d be a good thing. Just that, as McGuinty proved a decade (!) ago, inoffensiveness is a huge asset when you get to the third or fourth ballot.

Beyond inoffensiveness, Dryden has a lot going for him from a not-too-hot/not-too-cold. Consider:

National political experience? Not so much as to have an extensive record, but some Cabinet experience and on an issue (Daycare) that will dominate Parliament in the months to come.

Liberal credentials? Not around long enough to be involved in the Chretien v. Martin feuding, but no doubts as to his bona fide credentials as a party member (not to mention being on record with a compelling vision of liberalism)

French language ability? Not fluently bilingual, but able to communicate (and instant credibility as a hero of Montreal hockey fans).

The main knock against him thus far is that he is boring/bland, not one to set the Thames on fire. Yet that is likely an easier hurdle to overcome than the insta-criticism that plagues the other main contenders who have one of those apparent weaknesses.

As everyone's potential second choice, Dryden will likely position himself in later ballots as the safer of the relative option, given that the other wannabe candidates all seem to be asking the party to take some measure of risk. For a party looking to emerge united from the convention, the argument will no doubt prove appealing.

Is it enough to make Dryden the frontrunner, albeit in the counter-intuitive sense that he may never lead until the final ballot? Makes sense to me.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-03-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

"Come, woo me, woo me; for now I am in holiday humor and like enough to consent."

- As You Like It (Rosalind at IV, i)

Is there a better quote to encapsulate the happy optimism of Rum and Coke Friday? Ah, master Shakespeare. I wish your work was being performed in this fair city - one more thing about England, you never have to look far to sit in on one of his plays. Holiday humor indeed. A wonderful day. Enjoy.

Diamond in the Rough

2006-03-23T17:37:00.000-04:00

Richard Diamond, the President of the Young Liberals, endorses Scott Brison with an unintentionally hilarious little argument:

Diamond said Brison's relatively short history with the Liberals should not be a deterrent. Brison was a Progressive Conservative MP until 2003.

"His vision is much more Liberal than many members of our own caucus," Diamond said.

"In the time that he has been a member, he had demonstrated the he is a true liberal. He believes in prosperity and that should be balanced with a social conscience and a progressive social agenda."

Belief in prosperity? Check. Balanced with a social conscience? Check. Progressive Social Agenda? Check. Put so broadly, who wouldn't claim to believe this. Isn't this just what Canada means to... everyone??

The willingness of lifelong Liberal party members to so swiftly jump on board the campaign bandwagons of those who so recently ran for the leadership of their natural opposition party startles and flabbergasts me. Just as with the Emerson defection - are loyalties to the positions espoused in a leadership race or national campaign really just so vapid?

Brison was a loyal member of the Progressive Conservative party for 25 years, so presumably he voted against Trudeau, for Mulroney (twice), and against Chretien (three times). In 2003, he advocated pretty Conservative principles in running for the leadership of that party - presumably because he wanted to defeat it. Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And if you really have some spunk, aim to lead them.

But has he undergone some enormous transformation, or was he just a Liberal in sheep's clothing all along? Or is the Liberal party just whatever you make it? There was Brison arguing on Counterspin - against David Orchard and Brian Peckford - in favour of the dire need for a merged Conservative party. On December 3, 2003. He votes for the entity on December 6th. Then - light years later - on December 10th, he crosses the floor and on the 12th joins team Martin as Parliamentary Secretary. Much to the heartbreak, mind you, of the legions of Progressive Conservatives who Scott convinced to vote in favour of the merger because it was necessary.

Honestly, it is too laugh. Belinda is arguably the funnier case. To hear her tell it, she was the mastermind behind the CPC merger. She runs for the leadership of the new party in 2004 despite zero experience outside her father's company. Not remotely qualified to be Prime Minister, said Coyne in what might have been the column of the year. Mike Harris, of all people, endorses her candidacy. Upon finishing second, she releases the following press release:

"I have said all along that we must win the next election," Stronach said. "The most important contribution we can make toward winning is to unite behind Stephen and to support him 100 per cent."
"This was an exciting leadership race and I applaud both Stephen and Tonyfor running excellent campaigns," said Stronach. "But now the race is over and all competitors must focus on our real opponent, the Liberals.

Again, had matters changed so profoundly within 14 months within the Liberal party of Paul Martin, or the Conservative party of Stephen Harper? Nah, Stronach's "convictions" just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I would love to see someone dig up her leadership campaign platform, or Scott Brison's for that matter - just to watch them professionally bob and weave around their old positions. The fact that neither Belinda nor Brison could hold a candle to Harper in the French debates makes the continued references to their candidacies for Liberal leader almost surreal.

So here we arrive back to Diamond's endorsement. His main reason for supporting Brison:

"He's always demonstrated that he's bright, capable and energetic, and I think he speaks to a generational change that is really need right now if we are to appeal to young voters," Diamond said.

You want to appeal to young voters? How about not consistently proving, time and again, that politicians will say anything that suits their fancy, that they will coast along the breeze of last night's opinion polls. At some point, doesn't the tent just get too big?

You want to appeal to young voters? Give them someone with the courage of their own convictions - who has the temerity to hold long-standing ideas about what the country needs and argue for them. Give them someone who would rather lose than compromise on positions of principle.

The Liberals have an opportunity to put forward a Dion, or an Ignatieff. Here's hoping they seize that chance.

The Decline And Fall Of Europe (Labour Laws Edition)

2006-03-19T05:54:00.000-04:00

Revolution is nothing new in France, but I have been left gobsmacked by the latest protests over new labour flexibility laws. Essentially, the proposed laws 'would allow businesses to fire young workers in the first two years on a job without giving a reason, removing them from protections that restrict layoffs of regular employees.' By 'young workers', they mean under 26 years of age.

Well, youth unemployment stands at 23% in France. And it stands to reason that one of the biggest reasons for this is that it's impossible to fire anybody once you've hired them. Let me get anecdotal for a second: I previously lived with three French youth for a year, all of whom were in London because they couldn't find work at home. One, with a masters' degree. regaled me with stories about how he tried to work in a paper hat factory, and they demanded three years' experience (!) and references an arms' length long. That's to work in a paper hat factory.

So good luck to these protesters, who seem to have no idea why they can't find work, but want damned well to be mollycoddled once they've gotten it.

I only bring this up in the spirit of St Patrick's Day, because Ireland, and not continental Europe, is showing the way. To wit, here's a classic quote from last year, by former French Minister of Industry Patrick Devedjian:

"The French social model is not a model, since no-one wants to imitate it, it is not social since it leads to record unemployment, and it is not French since it is based on class struggle and a refusal of reformism."

So here's to the Irish model prevailing. If for no other reason than it makes Guinness go down even more smoothly, as if that were possible. Here's hoping you had your fill on Friday, MacDuff, though I have little doubt.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

2006-03-17T07:36:00.000-04:00

"Then what day is it?" asked Owl.
"It's Today!" squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.

Under 24 Hours...

2006-03-16T10:40:00.000-04:00

The Final Countdown is officially on.

All the makings of a classic day here, as the Old Triangle's first musicians are set to take the stage at 8AM. How I look forward to the music, the easy conviviality of the atmosphere, the fleeting acquaintances, the toasts, the odes, the poetry of Kavanaugh and quotes of Behan - and how time seems to linger immaterial on such a day.

The first trip to Dublin in 2000 - up to which point I had barely sipped a Guinness - will always stand out as the most wondrous. Yet, as each subsequent year is a tribute to it, those memories never lose their lustre. Last year's classic return (a major motivator for the studies abroad, to be sure) was magical in its own right. 5 years had passed, as the poet wrote, and once again we heard and did behold... New faces, new stories... but felt that same satisfaction of not wanting to be anywhere else, of sensing (if only momentarily) that indeed you are living your own life right. The picture below, with the Palace's Beckett portrait watching over us, a solid 12 hours in, captures the sentiment of (let's face it) the smugness rather well:

Back after the weekend with stories and songs of the escapades. As I counselled last year at this time, "Sink back the Guinness, sing along to the chorus of Black Velvet Band, and buy the stranger beside you a pint." Amen to that. Happy Saint Patrick's.

And, so quickly, only Two...

2006-03-15T09:21:00.000-04:00

First seen on the wall of the Norseman over #41, 8:30PM on Sunday the 19th, 2000, with some folk just encountered on the banks of the Liffy after the fireworks:

“Who are fighting?” asked Alice.

“Why, the Lion and the Unicorn, of course,” said the White King.

“But what are they fighting for?”

“Well, they both want a Guinness,” said the King, “and there’s only one left. The worst of the joke is, that even that one belongs to me! Let’s run and see them.” And they trotted off, Alice repeating to herself, as she ran, the words of the song:

“ ‘The Lion and the Unicorn was full of thirsty men
From ten o’clock till two o’clock and six o’clock till ten.
Some had a sandwich, some had two:
But they all had a Guinness, which is Good for You.”

“Does – the one – that wins – get the Guinness?” she asked, as well as she could while they were running.

“Dear me, no!” said the King. “The one that’s had the Guinness wins.”

'The Show Must Go On'

2006-03-14T19:01:00.000-04:00

Clearly, the jackassery surrounding the Moussaoui trial in the US has reached fever pitch. For those who aren't following the case: Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called '20th hijacker' in the 9-11 attacks, is in the penalty phase of his trial, following his confession that he planned to fly an airplane into the White House on behalf of Al Qaeda. Confession in hand, the Justice Department, on behalf of the Bush administration, is seeking the death penalty. Despite what I would consider a tenuous case (I'm no lawyer myself, mind you), there had still been some anticipation that Moussaoui might yet see the firing squad. That was, until Monday, when the judge presiding over the trial rightly flipped her lid after discovering that a lawyer working for the prosecution had violated her orders not to prepare witnesses before making their testimony. This idiotic action came close to derailing the government's entire case for the death penalty, and although a mistrial has been avoided, the witnesses in question are not going to be able to testify. Basically, the prosecution is screwed.

Before we delve into the bizarreness of this latest twist, let's consider the importance of this trial. Moussaoui is the only person associated with the 9-11 attacks to have been charged in the United States. The government has thus far been foiled at nearly every turn trying to fight terrorism in the US legal system. Consider this: "Of the 120 terrorism cases recorded on Findlaw, the major information source for legal cases of note, the initial major charges leveled have resulted in only two actual terrorism convictions -- both in a single case, that of Richard Reid, the notorious shoe bomber. Of 18 actual charges of "terrorism" brought between September 2001 and October 2004, 15 are still pending and one was dismissed." That's right, one other 'terrorist' convicted as of last year. That's it. Yes, Moussaoui will go to jail for life, and fair enough, but the Bush administration's only shot at executing a real live, honest-to-goodness-pleaded-guilty al Qaeda cell member is going down the pooper, because of a moronic move by the prosecutorial team. This has to go down as a massive embarrassment. Recall that Moussaoui had represented himself for a good chunk of this trial, with no professional counsel, leading some to call him insane; the Feds still can't pin him down. Allah be praised, indeed. In fact, it occurs to me that bin Laden himself might have been spared the chair under these circumstances.

And now, behold the bizarreness (all quotes from the WaPo).

Brinkema, clearly exasperated by the new problems in the oft-delayed case, yesterday called Martin's conduct "the most egregious violation of the court's rules on witnesses" she had seen "in all the years I've been on the bench."...Even prosecutors were stunned by Martin's actions, calling them "reprehensible" in court papers and adding, "We frankly cannot fathom why she engaged in such conduct."

So who is this Carla Martin? Well, she apparently has worked her entire legal career at the Federal Aviation Administration, save for the last four years, where she has worked at the Transportation Security Administration. Since her actions defy explanation, and could land her in jail for contempt, I've been scratching my head as to why she would pull a stunt like this. One possibility is, she is an incompetent lawyer. Consider the following tidbits:

...Manno said he and Osmus asked to be assigned another lawyer about a week and a half before Martin sent them the e-mails at issue, because they felt Martin had a tendency to go off on tangents and was taking up a lot of their time.

...Duke University law professor Robert P. Mosteller said ethical restrictions against speaking with witnesses are drilled into every attorney. "Lawyers don't do things like this," he said. "The federal rule on witnesses is elegant in its simplicity, and it's usually not something people get wrong."

...Martin, the first to take the stand today, asked permission to address the court and was immediately cut off by an irritated Brinkema, who told her, "No, you're a witness."

Ridiculous stuff, indeed. But if you're looking for a more conspiratorial angle, consider this: astonishingly, she apparently also tried to coach the defense witnesses. So, what if she was not working on behalf of the prosecutors at all (remember, they were stunned by her actions), and instead 'was trying to prevent the Moussaoui witnesses from saying something that could result in a judgment against the Government and the airlines in the civil litigation'? That's TalkLeft's pet theory, and frankly, it's the only thing that makes any sense to me, aside from the incompetence angle. I mean, she clearly wasn't on the Justice Department's side...

...Further embarrassing the government, Martin's e-mails sharply criticized prosecutors' case, saying, among other things, that their opening statement "has created a credibility gap that the defense can drive a truck through."

...not that it matters to the judge:

Prosecutors sought to demonstrate that Ms. Martin was not part of the Justice Department team handling the Moussaoui case. But Judge Brinkema said that she was "an attorney for the United States and you all represent the United States. It's not the Justice Department against Mr. Moussaoui, it's the United States" that is trying to have him executed.

Nuts. But, as Moussaoui said himself yesterday, 'the show must go on.'

Three More Days...

2006-03-14T10:44:00.000-04:00

"My Goodness, Your Guinness"

2006-03-13T16:06:00.000-04:00

Just four more short practice days until the year's one Saint Patrick's Day. The clock ticks on.

Click on the image above for a (hopefully) readable version of the ancient postcard's text (once you get the picture, click on the bottom right arrow graphic to expand it further). The closing lines are worth retyping in full:

"Will you have the goodness to return my Guinness," he cried to Hatta.
"I can't have the Goodness if I return the Guinness," said Hatta. "My Goodness, your Guinness," he added politely.

Ah, politeness indeed.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-03-10T16:10:00.000-04:00

Friday already? What a quick seven days gone. Must be sure to savour the next few as we slowly tick-tock our way toward the grandest of Friday of 2006 next week. The last time St. Pat's was on a Friday was 2000, Gongshow and I eager youngters in Dublin. Where our mutual admiration for the black stuff first began. Can that really have been a full seven years ago?

Off to the first draw in awhile now, so wish us well. Will be wishing a hearty welcome back to Rum-and-Coke guru, Bill in Portland Maine, from afar. Already looking forward to next week's surely glorious posting.

Anyhow, waited most of the day for a quote to ring true, but none serendipidous appeared. Not enough sagacity. But it is Chuck Norris' 66th birthday today, so let's run one of those classics:

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

Ah, yes. For good things come to those who do. 7 more sleeps to go. Happy weekend to all.

UPDATE - Since the above barely qualifies as a quote, here's one further that just dropped into my lap. Marvelous Hemingway:

The age demanded that we sing
And cut away our tongue.

The age demanded that we flow
And hammered in the bung.

The age demanded that we dance
And jammed us into iron pants.

And in the end the age was handed
The sort of shit that it demanded.

More Mid-Week Miscellany

2006-03-09T00:09:00.000-04:00

Bad (relative) Ahab news: Interest in posting continues to wane.
Good (relative) Ahab news: Plenty of thoughts/experiences worth noting.

To the words/numbers (in the linkless/laziness tradition, find/remember the stories yourselves) -

1. Random appearances made at the NS Lib Con over the weekend. Apologies to any I might have met, shocked, embarrassed (including myself - obviously and sadly).

Two firm decisions reached: (a) Ahab now firmly in Ignatieff's camp - and he was so damn impressive I really owe this a greater explanation, but (b) any support proffered will be far removed from attempting to convince the general membership of his obvious worth. Because the tribalism of the upcoming battle is just not my bag.

Just let us say this - the smarter the state of the party, the more it trends toward the good Professor. The worse, the more Stronach captures. Surveying the scene, though, this commentator would probably peg Dryden as the current frontrunner. He falls a bit in the middle of the overall state of things, after all.

And on that note (not to belabour this) for once I agree wholeheartedly with Cherniak's latest. I am personally no fan of Brison, but the ridiculous uproar over the "income trust email" should be dispelled at its root. I doubt not that the guy had no idea of the substance of the announcement. This will fade - Brison will continue to draw the backing of Martin folks across the nation, and will be around (unfortunately in my mind, but there you go) until the end.

2. March 8 is not only my mother's birthday, but also International Women's Day. It is also the day in 2006 that Arsenal became the last English club standing in the Champions League. Pretty strangely fair. Here's hoping that Henry draws Benfica or Villareal - and not Juve or Barca. Highbury survives for a few more.

3. Shari has moved successfully down the street. But needs suggestions for a holiday. After casually mentioning Zihuatanejo of Shawshank, later in this evening bar conversation turned to the cheapness of Mexican inclusives due to the recently popularized crime. Could such a meeting be arranged for April? As unlikely as it would be fascinatingly fun.

4. Great on Crash for its Best Picture victory - a better, more entertaining film than Brokeback. Also great on the inimitable Stewart for a performance both underrated and underappreciated. The opening was admittedly weak, though, and only emphasizes the true perfection of Crystal's musical masterpieces... The mock ads were art in their own right, and a lovely indictment of the current state of American politics.

5. Hands up those who know who Ciro Rodriguez is. The model reason why American political blogs prove so extremely information and (hopefully) important. We can only hope that this year holds better fortune for the good volunteers and passionate Dean-democrats of grassroot mydd and dailykos. November remains an opportunity.

6. Sir Slade - I echo the entreaty: Stephen Colbert is the heir thou doth seek. And I loved how obviously enamoured our man Jon Stewart was with Neil Young tonight. He so should have been on my list of top 5 influential musicians...

7. Jack MacDuff flies out tomorrow for the opening ceremonies at the Brier in Regina to hang out with one of his heroes, driver, mentor, speaker, and great friend - the incomparably Canadian and 4-time World Curling champ Sam Richardson. A true legend, the only time I met him, he offered the legendary quote: "James, I'll just say that in a 5-4 game (dramatic pause) you wanna have five." Hopefully he'll stick around until the gold medalists arrive later in the week. Colour me biased, but I'd say that naming a street in St. John's after NFLD's first (and still only) Brier winning skip along with the rest of the Torino heroes wouldn't be completely out of order.

Just saying...

UPDATE - oh, and the Theodore - Aebischer trade is gold for the Canadians. McKenzie's line about him being "four years removed from being an NHL MVP" only typifies the guy's problems. I'm less keen on the Oilers move for Roloson, surely there are better goaltenders out there that Lowe doesn't need to deal only with old Wayne. But I suppose we'll see how the post-season unfolds. Smart money now has to be on Ottawa, and the sports fan sentiment with the Flames.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-03-03T14:55:00.000-04:00

Things have gone dark around these parts lately for no real reason other than an apathy for writing. Some weeks the news just seems to all blend together and loses its lustre of originality. Happily, one of the luxuries of whimsical commentary is that the breaks can be as long lasting as rejuvenation dictates.

In any event, this could prove an eventful evening. The Nova Scotia Liberals host their AGM at the Westin tonight, so plans to pop into the Hospitality Suites for (free) booze, smoked salmon, and political conversation govern the plans. Shall be the first occasion of mine to meet the likes of Ignatieff, Rae, and Dryden (among others) and size them up in person. Belinda will also be making an appearance - hilarious that I last bumped into her two years ago at the same venue, though then she was then stumping for the Conservative leadership. The more things change...

So - here's wishing us all a most serendipitous weekend. Appropriate, then, that the first written usage and origin of that favored word serve as this week's quote:

This discovery indeed is almost of that kind which I call serendipity, a very expressive word, which as I have nothing better to tell you, I shall endeavour to explain to you: you will understand it better by the derivation than by the definition. I once read a silly fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of: for instance, one of them discovered that a mule blind of the right eye had travelled the same road lately, because the grass was eaten only on the left side, where it was worse than on the right – now do you understand serendipity?
- Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann dated January 28, 1754

Though this initial definition of serendipity has been expanded to describe any fortunate discoveries made by accident, there is something to be said for Walpole's Sherlocksian notion - that proper serendipitious activity requires also the conscious application of intelligence to the scene. Something to keep in mind.

The Three Princes of Serendip. Accidental Sagacity. Ah, what a wonderful language - worty of the infinite possibilities of the imagination.

AP-uh-them

2006-02-26T13:37:00.000-04:00

Today's Word of the Day = apothegm. Pronunciation of this ancient and enigmatic letter combination above. On St. Patrick's Day, we shall speak in nothing but apothegms.

How Sweet It Is

2006-02-25T12:35:00.000-04:00

The Newfs are Golden. Party hard and Safe home, boys. A job extremely well done.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-02-24T08:52:00.000-04:00

Survival. Not quite up to the standards of the Scotch, but a valiant attempt nonetheless. Extraordinary antics, to be sure. Today is a new one, as the schools close at noon in Newfoundland. C'mon boys. One game. One more win.

After the game it is home to Moncton for a quiet weekend. Should be amusing - I'll leave you to stir over this until the return. It is a memorable tombstone of the early 17th Century from Glasgow Cathedral, about a hundred yards or so from Birkbeck where I lived back in that glorious exchange year - and recently returned to at the close of the most recent sojourn abroad.

Wise words these. This weekend is for mirth, fellow passengers. For Time doth fly.

1612
Doctor Peter Low
Founder of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons

STAY PASSENGER AND VIOW THIS STONE
FOR UNDER IT LYIS SUCH A ONE
WHO CURED MANY WHILL HE LIEVED

SO GRACIOUS HE NOE MAN GRIEVED
YEA WHEN HIS PHISICKS FORCE OFT FAILED
HIS PLEASANT PURPOSE THEN PREVAILED
FOR OF HIS GOD HE GOT THE GRACE
TO LIVE IN MIRTH AND DIE IN PEACE
HEAVIN HIS SOUL HIS CORPS THIS STONE

SIGH PASSENGER AND SOE BE GONE

Mardi Gras Meltdown Chilled Mochachino

2006-02-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

In the fine tradition of last October's wildly successful Scotch Night, the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission is outdoing itself again:

Trade in your apron for some stylish new threads, the mixing bowl for a cocktail shaker and the spice rack for a well stocked bar and join the NSLC at Halifax’s Casino Hotel Ballroom February 23rd for a Cocktail Event you won’t want to miss.

The atmosphere promises to be electric, with a number of Nova Scotia’s own master mixologists on hand to perform in a ‘spirited’ competition, to see who blends the best drink in the province. And you won’t have to rely on the judges’ scorecards for the results, as you will be able to sample an array of cocktails over the course of the evening.

Full menu of cocktail recipes for the evening here, including the above mentioned Mardi Meltdown (1 oz. Mozart Chocolate Liqueur, 1 oz. Dooley’s Toffee Liqueur, 1 oz. Whaler’s Vanilla Rum, ¼ cup of Chilled Coffee, ¼ cup Blend).

At $45 for the opportunity to sample them all over the course of 3 hours, the price is right. Here's a humble short list of 5 particular soon-to-be delights:

1. Lynchberg Lemonade
1 oz. Jack Daniel’s Whiskey, 1 oz. Triple Sec Liqueur, Sweet & Sour Mix, 4 oz. Sprite

2. The Crowning Glory
1 oz. Crown Royal Whisky, ½ oz. Smirnoff Citrus Twist Vodka, 1 oz. Peach Juice

3. Screech-Peach Metro
1½ oz. Newfoundland Screech, ¼ oz. Dr. McGillicuddy’s Peach Schnapps, 1½ oz. Cranberry Juice, ¾ Juice of one Lime, Splash of Club Soda, Garnish: Lime wedge

4. Master of the Games
1 oz. Jim Beam Whiskey, ½ oz. Bols Blue Curcao Liqueur, Lemon Lime Soda, Pineapple Juice

5. The Offer You Can't Refuse
1 oz. Amaretto Liqueur, 1 oz. Sambuca Liqueur, 1oz. Four Square Spiced Rum, a second 1 oz. Sambuca Liqueur

Enough with Senseless Polling

2006-02-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

File this one under most meaningless story of the year:

"[i]f an election were held tomorrow, the Conservative Party would likely be delivered a majority government," the pollsters said.

Gee, really? A leaderless Liberal party is slightly less popular than on election day? The Conservatives have gotten a statistically insignificant bump (within the margin of error) after a few weeks in the spotlight? This has to be the very definition of non-news. Who bloody cares? All this shows is that a very small few like to back winners and wish they had done so pre-vote. Like our pal Emerson. If anything, I'm surprised the gap isn't greater at this point.

Quite the interesting post-election hangover period - while we wait for Liberal leadership contenders to announce and for the Conservatives to try their hat at governing. Until then, let's dispense with the meaningless polling, eh?

That Was Quick

2006-02-22T00:04:00.000-04:00

From the wires:

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Tuesday it would consider reinstating a federal ban on what opponents call partial-birth abortion, pulling the contentious issue back to the high court on conservative Justice Samuel Alito's first day.

So just how much of an "open mind" does the newest US Supreme Court Justice have? Looks like it won't be that long before we find out.

Losing on Purpose

2006-02-21T18:44:00.000-04:00

You are the Swedish coach. You are guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals. Four years ago, your predecessor lost to Belarus in that game and was promptly fired.

If you lose the last group game against Slovakia, you are guaranteed to play Switzerland - a team that in this tournament managed only a tie against Italy and Germany. If you win the final game, you play either the $98 million superstars of Canada or the pre-tourney favored Czechs. A no brainer, then. Rest the boys and take the loss.

Except that common sensical musing on the propriety of throwing the game triggers a minor uproar:

International hockey's governing board closely monitored the Sweden-Slovakia Olympic men's game Tuesday after Swedish coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson suggested his team might be better off losing.

Put aside the ridiculousness of any such "monitoring" (what would be the sanction?) - commentators have repeatedly informed us not to worry about the Canadian performance thus far, that the tournament really only starts in the knockout stages. So what the hell is wrong with looking at who you match-up well against and trying to jockey your placing accordingly??

In my mind, the Swedish coach would have been remiss NOT to play for a loss. Which they secured. Hilariously, it was deemed a "proper effort" by the Finn sent to monitor:

"It is very important that you play hard because people do not understand if you lose on purpose," Kummola said after the first period, with Slovakia leading 1-0.

Sorry, but "people" understand your final placing, nothing more. The key game is the quarterfinal, since a loss there relegates you to no better than 5th and a victory assures that you will at least have a shot at bronze.

No one remembers (or otherwise cares about) Sweden's 5-2 victory over Canada in 2002. The real joke here is the format of the Olympic playdowns and too many meaningless games. If the tournament structure makes it advantageous to lose, why should we condemn those who only call attention to that logic and look to exploit it?

UPDATE - post Quarterfinal - Today's take: "Bengt-Ake Gustafsson was being refreshingly frank - and accurate." Exactly.

Partisan Political Process?

2006-02-18T14:53:00.000-04:00

An excerpt from the Gazette:

Toews has said he is counting on the maturity of parliamentarians to ensure the process doesn't become a partisan political circus, as it has in the United States.

Let's dispense with this bit of conventional wisdom, please. Just what about the recent confirmations of Roberts and Alito (or, for that matter, Ginsburg or Breyer) could rightfully be considered a circus? And when Bush attempted to nominate his own lawyer, Harriet Miers, it was the fact that the decision needed approval that resulted in a seriously unqualified nominee from getting appointed directly to the highest bench.

This is not to say that Canada should mirror the American approach. We should, however, stop with the smugness over our system that leaves such a decision solely in the hands of one individual. Kudos to Harper and Toewes for taking the initial steps down that road. Here's hoping they (or future governments) go further. Also kudos to the Conservatives for the practical decision of going with the Liberal shortlist. So much for "progressive" fears of a Harper government on that front.

Quote of the (Fri)day

2006-02-17T00:50:00.000-04:00

The merry hours of the end of another week are now upon us. Enjoy your Friday - proper posting to resume soon enough. In honour of time (too much) spent in wistful waiting that is yet redeemed by the heightened value of those vivid moments, here is "Sonnet", by John Masefield:

FLESH, I have knocked at many a dusty door,
Gone down full many a midnight lane,
Probed in old walls and felt along the floor,
Pressed in blind hope the lighted window-pane,
But useless all, though sometimes when the moon
Was full in heaven and the sea was full,
Along my body's alleys came a tune
Played in the tavern by the Beautiful.
Then for an instant I have felt at point
To find and seize her, whosoe'er she be,
Whether some saint whose glory doth anoint
Those whom she loves, or but a part of me,
Or something that the things not understood
Make for their uses out of flesh and blood.

Treasure that melodious tune. And 4 Fridays until the big one on the 17th. mm-hmm.

Always Say Yes

2006-02-14T23:29:00.000-04:00

An excellent few days past on the road. Of all the wondrous joys of travel, I dare say I love the way it so quickly shakes us clean from the tedium of daily routines - how mere dislocation so swiftly leads the mind down new and ever-curious paths.

In that spirit, here be some random facts, objects, and observations collected in the last 100 or so hours [with considerable help from The Know-it All and the Smithsonian]:

(1) The wisest, most humbling words of the English language: "This, too, shall pass."

(2) There is no substitute for experiencing historical sites with our own senses. Hanging out under the Lincoln memorial for an afternoon, I am forced to agree with Locke. As poetic as it sounds, the colour scarlet is just not the sound of a trumpet (#11). Mere words are no match for standing there.

(3) Added a classic souvenir to the collection at a Presidential memorabilia shop off Pennsylvania that hosted a superb collection of primary campaign buttons. Instead, I opted for the packet of 6 tickets that were “good for one drink” at the 1973 Inaugural Ball celebrating Nixon's re-election. Now I just need a time machine.

(4) Burt Rutan is a modern day magician that I really, really would like to meet. His SpaceshipOne and Voyager hang in the Smithsonian. We may all have a shot at visiting space one day thanks in large part to his genius. On a video monitor near his planes, Rutan evokes his hero and mentor, Wernher von Braun:

Someone once asked Braun [JFK, according to legend] what's the most difficult thing about going to the moon, and he says, "The will to do it." The engineering is just calculations, but the decision and the will and the courage to try to do it, that's the most difficult hurdle.

(5) Also seen at the Smithsonian? Truly the Milestones of Flight. All the original aircraft. The 1903 Wright Flyer. Lindbergh's 1927 Spirit of St. Louis. Yeager's Orange 1947 Bell X-1, affectionately titled (get this!) "Glamorous Glennis". The Armstrong/Aldrin/Collins 1969 Apollo 11 Command Module. Oh, the Right Stuff, indeed. Lindbergh's story in particular is one whose magnitude I never fully appreciated - all too many details of that glorious quest here.

(6) In 1842, John Tyler invited Dickens to the White House. The famed writer arrived, knocked on the door, and when no one answered, Dickens just let himself in. Needless to say, we did not gain access so easily. Did pick up an information card from one of the few protestors of the lazy Saturday. The latest in wild conspiracy theorists? Targetted electromagnetic radiation attacks. Check out newnationaltheater.com for the bizarre charges.

(7) I simply love the title of James Hogg's 1824 Gothic classic: "The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner". I also love books that are freely available on the Internet. More to quotes to come from this one, you can be sure.

(8) My favorite new writing style is the Boustrophedon. Might take awhile to learn to implement. Such an efficient idea, of course the Greeks thought of it long before I ever might have.

(9) Finally, the last word goes to Bond creator, Ian Fleming. “Never say no to adventures. Always say yes, otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.” Amen. The world is wide. Where will that next voyage lead?

Jin

2006-02-12T00:39:00.000-04:00

Because I am here. This is just for me.

Remember today. When you stood under the monument. And looked staight ahead at the reflecting pool. Then to the right, at the White House. Then behind, to the Roman Capitole. And in the rain. In the snow. Through the muddy waters, it was so glorious.

We meet up with Lincoln tomorrow. We have had the stereotypes already. The girl whose laptop at the bar we type on has a brother she worries of in Iraq. The girl who is of magic has been out of a job in favour of a co-worker who slept with the father of 12 congressman. We have a hotel on K-street.

We carry on. Inch. This post is for you. I know where you are, right now. pseudo-Bravo.

D.C., One Month Later

2006-02-09T23:24:00.000-04:00

Remember this? Oh, time - there is no avoiding your swift passage.

Indeed, the bell tolls for us. Off in a few hours for my first glimpse of Lincoln's Seat, the Monument, the Capitol, the House, and the pubology of Dupont Circle. Plus Sid the Kid v. Ovechkin on Saturday night. No, I don't need to be reminded how lucky I am.

Safe and magical weekend to all - back on the flip side with trip highlights and further commentary.

Has the Other Shoe Dropped?

2006-02-09T23:03:00.000-04:00

Is the pressure getting to Emerson? Sounds like it:

Emerson was scheduled to hold a teleconference with reporters late in the afternoon. Reporters waited on hold for half an hour before the operator informed them Emerson was "caught in traffic" and would have to reschedule the call at a later date.

Excellent. And now the democratically deficient Fortier has waded in pushing for Emerson's recall?? Unbelieveable:

Members of Parliament who bolt from their parties and cross the floor of the
House of Commons should have to quit and face their voters in a byelection, says
new Public Works Minister Michael Fortier.

Promising news. I will predict right now that there will be no new vote in Vancouver-Kingsway. If Emerson resigns, he's gone for good. But the chances of that have skyrocketed since the original announcement on Monday. Here's hoping it keeps up.

Sense and Sensitivity

2006-02-09T19:24:00.000-04:00

Kinsella directs us to this statement by the Canadian Jewish Congress re: the "cartoon controversy" as reflective of his views.

Fair enough. But honestly, what is freedom of expression in a free society if it doesn't inherently protect the right to publish material (cartoons!) that are "inexcusably provocative, insensitive and disrespectful of Muslim believers." Who defines what is inexcusable exactly? Where is that bright line between tastlessness, humour, and indignant offence? Who is to draw it? Does it mean forsaking Dante?

Look. I too "commend Canada’s Muslim community for the civility with which it has protested". The right to protest, peacefully, is equally enshrined in our society. Expected, even, against portrayals of your identity you find offensive and prejudicial.

But why does it follow that mere drawings can be used as an excuse to go off the deep end? Consider this contrast of Bruce Bawer's:

When artists bait Christians, the Christians (at most) wave signs and send out
press releases. When Danish Muslims saw the Muhammad cartoons, they went
ballistic.

In Kinsella's original post on this issue (scroll to Feb. 5th), he mentions a band named "Tit Fuck Me Jesus". He concedes some may find this offensive. Is he calling for the censoring of the name? It's unclear - but it strikes me that his answer is probably no. And the double standard of calling for "sensitivity" instead of "sense" in that case is revealing.

Freedom of expression means nothing unless it involves the tough cases - the provocative, the disrespectful. The wonder of an open society is that we can make it work.

Emerson v. the (other) Ethics Code

2006-02-09T19:17:00.000-04:00

A new press release to extend the "one-day" story further:

This morning, on CBC radio, David Emerson said that he raised a "tremendous" amount of money for the Liberal Party of Canada in BC.

"David Emerson must be confused. He did not personally raise any money for the Liberal Party," says Jamie Elmhirst, President of the Liberal Party of Canada (British Columbia). "It would be against the Ethics Code for him to do so."

Heh. It strikes me that now would be a particularly fun time to be President of the BC Liberals, or President of the Vancouver-Kingsway Liberal Riding Association. Carry on, folks.

In Egypt. In October.

2006-02-09T15:02:00.000-04:00

The absurdity grows:

So we now discover that the hideously offensive and blasphemous cartoons - so blasphemous that CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, won't publish them ... were reprinted last October. In Egypt. On the front frigging page. No one rioted. No editor at Al Fager was threatened. So it's official: the Egyptian state media is less deferential to Islamists than the New York Times.

Fascinating story unfolding. I'm still onside with the various opinions cited here.

Pursuing the Turncoat

2006-02-09T00:26:00.000-04:00

Forgive the few days of singular focus on David Emerson's defection here, but as mentioned below, this really has the potential making of a unique opportunity in Canadian politics. Consider this the last in a series.

Why? First, check out Tarantino and Coyne and Cosh for varied, thorough, and final debunking of the many supposed justifications for the move into cabinet. Also consider that while the appointment of Fortier, especially by this government, certainly reeks (and will probably provide greater fodder for the Liberals when the House sits) - it is not wholly unprecedented in this democracy.

The Emerson situation is that extra shade unprecedented. A turncoat after a mere two weeks (arguably after one night!). A public admission that absolutely no principles played a role in his decision - Emerson himself says that it amounted to simple electoral math. Simply put, he would sit with whoever formed government, regardless of his constituent's wishes, regardless of the party platform and promises he campaigned on, and regardless of his past statements against his opponents.

Truly, the man has shown nothing but contempt for the democratic process by which he secured election to the highest levels of our government. To those dismayed at the idea of their candidate voting with Harper on the key issues of the new Parliament - too bad. To those frustrated that he misappropriated donations intended to help elect a "Liberal" - suck it up, I raised my share of money for you anyway, he says.

And yet, he insists on remaining the sole judge of the propriety of his new found conversion, refusing to put his assertions that he is acting in the "people's best interests" to the test. Now, ironically, his big regret is that he got involved in public life two years ago. Heh. Funny that he never seemed to pick up on the fact that the voters might wish to keep tabs on you in between elections. I bet many of recent allies wish he hadn't bothered either.

As Tartcider pointed out, the real affront here is to the residents (essentially disenfranchised) of Vancouver-Kingsway. But there remains a wider principle at play. Emerson's arrogant and presumptive behavior calls out for a strong response, if only to serve as a cautionary tale for future opportunists who need to see consequences attach to such cynical behavior. If he gets away with this move relatively untouched, truly anyone can rely on any excuse to plop comfortably into cabinet, for whatever reason tickles the fancy.

SO - over to you, good residents and Liberals of greater Vancouver. Hold his feet to the fire, for as long as it takes. And to Conservatives dismayed at Harper's role in this debacle, bravo for adding your criticism to the mix as well. Keep this story simmering. Maybe you'll succeed in getting Ablonczy or Moore into the cabinet yet.

"Breathtaking in its Audacity"

2006-02-08T10:48:00.000-04:00

Poor Dave. Why won't people understand? He is just doing what is in the best interests of his constituents:

[Emerson] said Liberal attacks on him since his defection are "a sign of a sickness -- a deep sickness," and that he is "very happy" to be sending out letters of resignation.

"For them to somehow suggest I am shortchanging them -- it's breathtaking in its audacity," he seethed.

Assuming the man is as intelligent as all seem to proclaim, it is suprising that he just doesn't seem to understand why his bolting across the floor with such unprecedented speed has provoked outrage. Instead, those who criticize him, who attempt to hold him to account for selling out his volunteers, contributors, and supporters, are "sick".

Classy. If only he had the guts to put his reputation on the line.

Horsefeathers

2006-02-06T21:10:00.000-04:00

June 5th, 2004 - staggeringly ancient by Emerson standards (all the way back to last election!), but a lovely little insight into the Minister's political philosophy, and one to keep in mind when the former Liberal inevitably rises to vote for Flaherty's May budget [scroll down to the Frances Bula article from the Vancouver Sun]:

But David Emerson, the Liberal candidate for Vancouver Kingsway who has spent his career until now as a top-level business executive, said there are only two ways the Conservatives will be able to pay for those kinds of cuts, which would total $37.2 billion over five years.

"Either they're going to take us into a big Mulroney debt or they will be slashing social programs," said Emerson.

He said the Conservatives are relying on being able to pay for that lost revenue by reducing government expenses.

"I've heard right-wing governments say for years they were going to save money by reducing inefficiency," he said. "It's a bunch of horsefeathers. It doesn't happen. If you don't cut programs, you don't reduce expenses."
Emerson also said he's seen little sign that Canadians want that.

"There's no evidence that Canadians want or need tax cuts at the expense of cutting social programs."

Ah, yes. The focus on what Canadians - what the constituents want. That's Minister Emerson for you. Pity he didn't let the voters know of his change of heart before two Mondays ago.

Then again, that's one of the joys of "non-partisanship". Just flow with that breeze.

An Emerson Sporting Analogy

2006-02-06T20:59:00.000-04:00

January 18th - 5 days left in the campaign, 19 until Emerson joins the Conservative cabinet.

But he admitted there is little time left for the Liberals to pull out a victory.

"We're leaving it to the bottom of the ninth," said Mr. Emerson. "We're leaving it pretty late. We're playing catch-up ball right now. There's no doubt about that. The question is: are we behind and can't sort of close it in the last inning? Or have we peaked or saved peaking until exactly the right moment?"

Again, it is too bad he didn't add a subtle qualifer: "And if we don't peak at the right moment, I am not really worried anyway, because I bet the winning team will let me into their locker room so I can drink the champagne and hold the trophy. They'll want to lock me up for next season."