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Thank you for your kind (and unkind) letters from the Canada, America and Britain. Mark reads all the letters, but especially enjoys the vicious ones. Drop a line to Mark's Mailbox and if you're chosen to be the one and only Letter of the Week you'll join our roll of winners from four Continents and receive a copy of Mark Steyn From Head To Toe. It would help if you could indicate your city or town, or, at least, your state, province or country. Failing that, your continent or hemisphere would do.
Letter of the Week
LEAVE LEGISLATING TO CONGRESS
In the Supreme Court's recent Medellin v Texas ruling, the high court said that laws be made by Congress, not the president or the courts (see NRO article below). The source of much our education woes currently come from UN treaties that our presidents - both Republican and Democrat - are executing thru the executive branch via federal (and by extension, state) Departments of Education. This includes Dakar, No Child Left Behind, Standardized Testing,
and Marc Tucker¹s NCEE Foundation.
Has anyone thought of attacking the source of these transnational/executive treaties and edicts, using the recent Medellin v. Texas decision as a precedent?
Wendell Luebbe
Re: Unsustainable levels of overpopulationism
A WASTED EFFORT
Alison Bashford is worried because Alison Bashford has spent all her time being worried about unsustainable levels of population. That is her forte, OVERpopulation. Looking at population growth in the 3rd world is where she spends all her time doing research. She has NO TIME
to spend looking at population trends where nations are barely breaking even (the United States) or are in serious decline (most of Europe.) To do so, would de-legitimize everything that she has worked so hard to do (that is, motivate people to stop breeding.)
After you have spent much of your life's work focusing on defeating a problem that you believe is a serious problem, the last thing in the world you want to hear is that much (perhaps ALL that you have done) has been a wasted effort. That is just human nature, and in that sense, Alison is no different than the rest of us.
Paul Colburn
Arizona
WORTHLESS PREDICTIONS
Aside from the issues you dissect (masterfully as usual), how bizarre to claim that the population level is alarming because it's far higher than was predicted in the "early 20th-century." You mean I'm supposed to be alarmed because an estimate made in, like, 1901 or something has turned out to be too low?
If anything, this just goes to show that predictions of what will be a century hence (y'know, like global temperatures) tend to be worthless.
Matthew Tanner
Chicago, Illinois
GLOBAL FORECAST
Check out this link. It includes population increase/decrease formulas along with an explanation of factors that can "skew" the numbers; a few interesting examples; some prediction matrices; and a final global forecast (with high numbers WAY below what the fear-mongerers are pushing).
Haven't checked it against other sources but it jives with what I've read/learned on the subject.
Elizabeth Crum
THE END OF THE LINE
You're so right about the 'inverted family tree', which describes exactly my own situation: four grandparents, two children, one grandchild...and to finish, no great-grandchildren. We have not bred. Here endeth the line.
Amanda B.
EATING PEOPLE IS OK
Meanwhile Ted Turner is worrying, simultaneously it seems, about both overpopulation
and cannibalism, presumably at unsustainable levels.
Richard Ball
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Re: Obama’s pastor disaster
IRRESPONSIBLE MOUTHING OFF
In writing about the "ravings" of Mr. Obama's pastor, I wondered how much time you spent investigating his ministry. Did you base your comments on a few videoclips? Have you at any time spoken to any of the leaders of the United Church of Christ or members of this particular
congregation? If not, as I suspect, your comments are unfortunately typical of the irresponsible mouthing off that passes for punditry in today's world. What in the world justifies your assumption that the sound bites reproduced publicly are representative as opposed to exceptional?
Eric Schwartz
MARK REPLIES: Actually, I've spent many hours poring over the Reverend Wright's full sermons. And I am well familiar with the views of his colleagues in the UCC. The sound bites reproduced - "God damn America", the govt invented Aids to kill black people - would be contemptible even if isolated incidents. But they're not. They're entirely "representative" of a consistent racist, segregationist, anti-America shtick the Reverend Wright has been peddling at least since his meeting with Colonel Gaddafi in 1984. That's a quarter-century track record. You
could try looking it up.
FATHER KNOWS BEST?
I went to the UCLA library to follow up a lead on Barack Obama's father, a Harvard
trained economist. It turns out that Obama's father published a journal article in 1965 advocating:
-- 100% taxation
-- communal farms / the elimination of private farming
-- the nationalization of businesses owned by "Europeans" and "Asians".
-- "active" measures to bring about a classless society
I call this discovery the secret "Rosebud" of Barack Obama's _Dreams For My
Father_.
Details and a photo here.
Greg Ransom
A BUNCH OF STUFF
Yesterday, Sen. Obama shared his qualifications for a running mate: "I would like
somebody who knows about a bunch of stuff that I'm not as expert on."
I agree that Stuff is important, especially when there's a Bunch of it. That's why I
compiled the following list:
A Bunch of Stuff I Know That Obama Isn't As Expert On:
Adobe PhotoshopSouthwestern cuisine,The Paisley Pop scene of 1980s, LA Nuclear
Physics, How to replace a ceiling fan, Shaving brushes, AP Style, The negative economic effects of excessive taxation, Firefly/Serenity Trivia, Dispensationalism. I'll add more as I think of it. I encourage you to make your own lists -- Veep competition will be tight!
Jon Gabriel
Ex-urbanleague.com
Re: Whoremongers
ALL RHODES LEAD TO SUSPENSION
Nothing happened when Randi Rhodes advocated the assassination of President
Bush on-air. Yet, she was suspended, probably with pay, for using the F-word about
Hillary while performing off the air at a private venue.
Here¹s the audio of Rhodes assassination joke.
Here¹s a transcript missing the last few words, works for me.
Also, I¹m surprised that there hasn¹t been a parody of the 3 AM spot on
YouTube featuring Monica Lewinsky calling and asking to speak to Bill.
Marc
DERANGED EPITHETS
The Democrats are in a world of hurt of their own making.
There's only one thing that can save them this election...
Yes, it has come to this.
The only person who can save the Democratic Party is George W. Bush.
Jeff Dobbs
OLD NEWS
Why are you and others surprised by the Left's turning its hatred inward?
For years conservatives have pointed to the lack of principle, political
expediency and moral relativism of their arguments. There only unifying
theme is hatred of GW Bush. "What have you done for me lately?" is the key
concern and Hillary is apparently old news.
John Pyle
Wilmington, Delaware
THE LIBERAL COCOON
For what it is worth, I think the immediate resort to "whore" and unsupportable accusations of racism ("David Duke in drag") is just another symptom of the atrophy of liberal argument. Randi Rhodes calls Hillary a "whore" because she does not know any other way to talk about
people she disagrees with. I think this is another result of cocoon created by liberal
dominance of media and academic institutions. The liberal rhetorical arsenal has been
reduced to name calling. Worse, the list of names is fairly narrow: (1) racist/patriarcist;
(2) liar; (3) facsist; (4) anti-science climate denier; and (5) sexual deviance or
promiscuity.
One is entitled to be surprised only by the fact that Rhodes went with promiscuity rather
than liar. I suppose we could think of reasons for that.
Bryan A McBurney
Re: Meterologists puzzled by snowball in hell
TWO WHEELS ON MY BANDWAGON
The great irony here is that the Republicans (McCain, Schwartzenegger, et al)
look set to jump on the bandwagon just as it's about to veer off into a
ditch!
Steve in Flyover, California
BACKWARDS SCIENCE
The BBC got an important fact backwards this week. They were reporting on the
Svensmark hypothesis, which states that strong solar activity --> strong solar
wind --> less cosmic rays reach Earth --> less clouds --> warmer temperature, but
got it backwards.
“The Svensmark hypothesis has also been attacked in recent months by Mike
Lockwood from the UK's Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory. He showed that over the
last 20 years, solar activity has been rising, which should have led to a drop
in global temperatures if the theory was correct.”
But if solar activity is rising, the Svensmark hypothesis would predict a rise in
global temperatures over the last 20 years, exactly what was observed. Either the
BBC is reporting this wrong or Lockwood has provided evidence for the Svensmark
hypothesis.
I ran this by climate researcher Richard Lindzen at MIT who replied "I agree that
the BBC has matters backwards" but his view is that the solar effect and the
carbon dioxide effect are both dwarfed by other natural variations.
I sent an email to the reporter, who didn't reply. Clearly he has less time or
inclination to be troubled with the facts than a professor at MIT.
I'm pretty sure I have the Svensmark hypothesis stated correctly. Your former
newspaper the National Post stated much the same in a more roundabout fashion last
year:
However, there was a problem. Despite this clear and repeated correlation, the
measured variations in incoming solar energy were, on their own, not sufficient
to cause the climate changes we have observed in our proxies. In addition, even
though the sun is brighter now than at any time in the past 8,000 years, the
increase in direct solar input is not calculated to be sufficient to cause the
past century's modest warming on its own. There had to be an amplifier of some
sort for the sun to be a primary driver of climate change.
Indeed, that is precisely what has been discovered. In a series of
groundbreaking scientific papers starting in 2002, Veizer, Shaviv, Carslaw, and
most recently Svensmark et al., have collectively demonstrated that as the
output of the sun varies, and with it, our star's protective solar wind, varying
amounts of galactic cosmic rays from deep space are able to enter our solar
system and penetrate the Earth's atmosphere. These cosmic rays enhance cloud
formation which, overall, has a cooling effect on the planet.
And a compelling statement of the historical data was mentioned in the figure
legend on p. 36 of the Feb 1990 Scientific American (before the science on the
subject was stopped by declaring the carbon dioxide hypothesis to be the Truth):
The dearth of spots between 1645 and 1715, known as the Maunder minimum, appears
to coincide with an era of unusually cold weather.
I have never seen science so politicized since the Lysenko episode in the Soviet
Union.
Michael Segal MD PhD
PS. The BBC reporter got back to me saying:
"Thanks for your email. Yes, for a while we did have this part of the article
backwards. It was corrected when we were alerted to the error.
With apologies for any confusion,
The new version reads:
'The Svensmark hypothesis has also been attacked in recent months by Mike Lockwood
from the UK's Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory.
He showed that over the last 20 years, solar activity has been slowly declining,
which should have led to a drop in global temperatures if the theory was correct.'”
I thought that we were at a high for solar activity recently. Checking logic is
instant; checking a fact takes some inquiries.
COIN TOSSING
Over reliance on model-based risk management. Mark...does that mean that they've embraced the more precise alternatives of coin-flipping, dice-rolling, and pinning-the-tail-on-the-globe???
Sheesh.
Roger B.
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
SOME LIKE IT HOT
Climate change tops list of risks to insurers. But did you see this article?
"Lloyd’s of London warned yesterday that an absence last year of natural
disasters or man-made accidents was putting pressure on firms to reduce
premiums in 2008."
Heh. ..
Bruce F. Webster
Englewood, Colorado
HEDGE AGAINST NON-DISASTER
Have you been keeping up with the news about global climate change? Did you know that...
average global temperatures in 2008 are forecast to be lower than in previous years, thanks to the cooling effect of the ocean current in the Pacific, U.N. meteorologists say? The World Meteorological Organisation's secretary-general, Michel Jarraud, said it was likely that La Nina, an abnormal cooling of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, would continue into the
summer.
Ever suspect that SOMEONE or SOMETHING besides ourselves is tampering
with the climate? Ever worry that we might fail to meet our environmental disaster
deadlines?
We at ICE FUND INTERNATIONAL have created an investment vehicle designed to hedge against such worries. The fund would allow people to buy cooling credits (or, alternately, what we brand as our "cold cash" program) to offset the investment risks and environmental damage posed by carbon credits. If anything you do irresponsibly lowers your firm's contribution to maintaining the world's temperature at a comfortably warm level, alternative investments (say, in Al Gore's mansion, fax machines or travel itinerary) would offset that impact to make your investment planet cooling neutral. Investment counselors all advise diversifying your investment portfolio. Call ICE FUND INTERNATIONAL today to see if cooling credits are right for you!
Ezra Marsh
Baltimore
CLIMATE CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
Are you really in shock about the global temperature decrease? You knew it was just a scam to bash Bush. Now they're setting us up so that on January 20, 2009, as Obama opens his first speech as President, he can say, "Now that global warming is behind us, we can turn our attention to more pressing issues......"
J Barrett
GOVERNMENT TERMINOLOGY
Just a thought, but I wonder if perhaps the discussion of climate change shouldn't also be conducted using the same terminology found in any other big government topic. Thus, a "decrease" in temperature should really be used to refer not just to an actual lowering of
temperature, but also to an increase in temperature that is not as great as may have been initially forecast. May as well have maximum opacity and confusion in discussing a topic that very few understand anyway.
Ed Lilly
SCARY QUOTES
The BBC headline "Global temperatures 'to decrease' " may be the first time I've
ever seen scare quotes used for the opposite purpose!
David Schmitt
BLAME NINA
Let me get this straight. The earth has not warmed in the last ten years, but the main reason is La Nina, a phenomenon which lasts perhaps a year? Got it.
I think we should declare a National "We're all gonna die!" Week.
James Eckert
Re: Last call for Hillary
HILLARY WINS
Great piece again in OJ Reg. But if you were a bettin' man I'd show you a sawbuck that says Hillary wins. You ignore that trial in Chi at your peril, Mark.
Over the years Obama HAS to have made some enemies in Illinois...and Hillary has to have still a few straggler pals there. Bet she knows "something" we don't. ( We might yet learn WHY Obama was " moved" to make his famous speech against the invasion of Iraq...keeping in mind this was/is one VERY cautious "local politicial" ).
What if it's shown that Obama was doing the bidding of Rezko's Iraqi pal in London? Granted, I have no idea of what Rezko's pal thought about the Iraq invasion, but he IS suspected of having profited from the "oil for food" business.
A tenuous branch for me to cling to, but what's a lousy sawbuck?
Gonna be fun to watch unfold, and you'll never hear the end of it if I'm right. And if I'm wrong, you're too busy to notice. Win-win for me.
John Gross
Beloeil, Quebec
BARRAGE OF BOSNIAN
Gee Mark, Don't you think you're going a bit hard on Senator Clinton? Surely only someone who's stood up under the punishing barrage of juvenile Bosnian poetry can understand the demands to be levelled against the next 3 AM switchboard operator at the Whitehouse oh, and the decider- in- chief. You want someone answering that phone-call, "Present"?
Bob McGovern
Atlanta, Georgia
IT’S QUARTER TO THREE ….
Three o'clock in the morning has a very sentimental meaning for my generation. The song, "It's three o'clock in the morning, we've danced the whole night through" ended most proms and debutante balls in the 50's and 60's.
I can't imagine Hillary as a debutante or a prom date - so we can excuse her for not connecting with this lovely standard!
Jack Hughes
Chicago, Illinois
Re: Song of the Week
AN IMPERMANENT THING
I just read your "April Fooled Me" column, and am wondering again how anyone who loves Dorothy Fields as you do (and I do), has never mentioned the song of hers I love second-best after The Way You Look Tonight: April Snow from "Up in Central Park".
For the early spring's
An impermanent thing,
A delicate string to cling to;
And forget-me-nots won't grow
In an April Snow.
I've loved it from the first time I heard it on the radio in 1945 as a nine year-old in Dallas, TX., hunted it in vain for over 50 years until I came across the wonderful Barbara Cook recording
just a few years ago. Before that I'd taught (what I could remember of) it to all my children
and grandchildren and cannot remember anyone who was not touched by it. Two years
ago my son and a granddaughter dueted it for a grandson's private (Christian) high school graduation ceremony (it seemed like a good thought to leave with HS graduates), and a
good part of the audience was in tears.
Why do you think it was never really popular? It didn't make the movie, I've never seen it on a Romberg or Fields album. I guess the sentiment was already on its way to becoming obsolete
in 1945. What a shame.
I love your Song of the Week series. Love most everything you write. You and Ann Coulter keep me going.
HH
Re: Hey, why bother with a trial?
FREE SPEECH ABSOLUTISM
I saw a video of your CPAC speech, and at the end you responded to question about incitement to murder by saying that you felt it fell under the First Amendment. Your argument was that you felt the media should simply shine a spotlight on it when it happened, and that the negative publicity would take care of the rest. Agreed, but I was wondering how you feel about the far more personal death threats that you've no doubt received as a result of your writings. Are these also
constitutionally protected, or has some kind of line been crossed?
Quentin
Tampa, Florida
MARK REPLIES: I don't think I did say that, did I? If it's explicit incitement to murder,
I'm in favour of prosecuting on those grounds. If you're referring to the plaintiff in my
human rights cases in Canada, the ghastly old Jew-hater Mohamed Elmasry, I think
his line that all Israeli civilians are legitimate targets for murder by terrorists falls (just about) within the limits of a broad philosophical statement rather than explicit incitement -
and, given that Hamas et al are already killing as many as they can, it's not clear to
me that his support for their activities translates into any measurable increase. As I
said, this is getting near the limits, but as currently interpreted by the Canadian
Human Rights Commission you could certainly have brought a successful Section
13 prosecution against him. I wonder why the Canadian Jewish Congress, so eager
to chastise basement neo-Nazis running anti-Semitic websites, are so insouciant
about the Judeophobia of Canada's largest Muslim organization.
FUNDAMENTALLY FACISTIC
Huge fan (especially since I put that 50 pounds back on). My better half, in all
things non-political, had the radio set to NPR this morning. Before changing the
station, I heard a teaser for a piece on the MacLean's/Canadian Human Rights
Commission story, so I stuck around to hear it.
The general tone of the interview with Naseem Somebody wasn't awful, but the
interviewer immediately let her get away with the "mosquitoes" comment without
calling her on its being a quotation from an Islamist, not an attack by you. (Is it
giving him the benefit of the doubt or damning him to say he probably didn't even
know?)
A few minutes later he said the following, almost word-for-word: "For the moment,
let's agree that the article was inflammatory and fundamentally fascistic." Not
"Even if" or "For the sake of argument, let me accept your premise," but "Let's
agree"! Not only is this NPR dude ignorant about the meaning and history of
fascism--I'm half-way through Jonah's book--but he made this egregious assertion
with the casual certainty of a math teacher reciting the times tables. Oh, how I
hate it when people are hateful without sounding hateful!
He did talk about how the American commitment to the 1st Amendment made such a
complaint against the press sound strange to those of us south of the (Canadian)
border and, in that sense, he seemed to support MacLean's (and your) right to
publish what it wishes, irrespective of who might get insulted. A noble sentiment
(and more than I expected from NPR); but one that showed no appreciation of the U.S.
media's dismal response to the Danish cartoon crisis, the assault on the 1st
Amendment done by McCain-Feingold, and the nefarious political correctness and
self-censorship that's already prevalent.
Pardon my rambling. This was basically just a good excuse for me to say hello, keep
up the good work, and thank you so much. Not only are you fighting the good fight,
but you're doing it with great wit and wisdom.
Ron Weiner
HATE LITERATURE
The Canadian Coalition for Democracies has recently published an article titled
"The Dutch MP Geert Wilders, his film "Fitna", and the Canadian Response"
The article provides legal arguments to classify The Koran as a hate literature under Section 319.(1) of Canadian Hate Laws, and urges Canadian citizens to petition provincial Attorney Generals and Human Rights Commissions to classify The Koran as a hate literature. Please read the article and the letters exchanged with Mr. John Miller about the legal and ethical principles that Canadians should adopt to contain the assaults on our freedoms. By the way, the difficulties you faced yourself in dealing with Islamic radicalism and the courage you displayed were a source of inspiration, and I did refer to your painful encounters with The Human
Rights Commission in my articles and replies.
Sergei Bourachaga
INVADE CANADA
Fascinating to review this case and the history of the CHRC. When all is said and
done it appears that George W. Bush needn't have sent our army to the Persian Gulf
in search of people needing liberation and the restoration of their basic human
rights, he could have just invaded Canada. If that is the state of Canadian law I
can't see any way that the US could deny asylum to Mr Steyn or any other Canadian
who had the desire to seek it. They wouldn't refuse a North Korean.
Steve Olsen
Seattle, Washington
THE BURDEN OF PROOF
"Race Discrimination Commissioner Tom Calma wants the burden of proof in cases of racial discrimination to fall on the alleged offender, instead of the person making the complaint... Mr Calma said if people were forced to defend themselves, it might make them think twice before
offending."
One can only imagine the liberal howling if anyone suggested applying that logic to
all crimes, not just "racial hate crimes." If we take the "guilty until proven
innocent" approach, will that make murderers and robbers "think twice" before
committing murder and robbery?
James Perry
NOT SO FAST
I am not familiar with the Australian Race Discrimination Commission, but if
they are investigating discriminatory hiring practices and deciding civil
rather than criminal complaints, it may not be as simple a matter as you
make it out to be. One has no presumption of innocence in a civil case. In
most cases, the plaintiff has the burden of proof, but only to the degree of
more likely than not (51%). In some cases, the plaintiff only has a burden
of production, and then the burden falls to the defendant to rebut the
presumption created by the plaintiff's showing. The theory is that since
only money is at peril in a tort case, we can play a bit looser with the
presumptions. As burdensome as a civil judgment can be, no one will die or
go to prison if a mistake is made.
A good example of this from the common law of torts is the doctrine of res
ipsa loquitur ("the thing speaks for itself"). In the originating case of
Byrne v. Boadle in 1863, a barrel of flour fell from a second story window
and hit the plaintiff. Because a barrel does not ordinarily fall from a
window absent negligent conduct, the owner of the barrel had exclusive
control over it and the people handling it, and there was no other
reasonable explanation for the fall, all that the plaintiff had to show was
that a barrel fell and he was injured by it. These sorts of rules operate
to force defendants to reveal the information that is exclusively in their
control, or else bear the presumption that they have violated the
plaintiff's rights. By analogy, it is entirely plausible to say that if
someone in a protected class is fired and there is no clear reason for the
dismissal, then the court or agency should presume that the motive was
discriminatory unless the defendant can prove otherwise.
Daniel Weick
NOT A BUG
Mr Calma said Australia's laws made it difficult to prove there had been discrimination."
I believe the cliche from software engineering would apply here: "That's not a bug,
that's a feature".
Darryl Boyd
Elko, Nevada
SHIFTING THE ONUS OF PROOF
Human rights" bodies everywhere claim that in OTHER countries, the burden of
proof is on the defendant, who must prove himself innocent of discrimination.
They often cite U.S. law to that effect. (Stupid U.S. Senators who haven't practiced
law since the 1970s sometimes say the same thing).
That's generally NOT true in the U.S. Liberal judges argued it should be back in
the 1970s, but the U.S. Supreme Court rejected this standard for federal
discrimination cases in Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine (1981),
a U.S. Supreme Court ruling you can find here. See also Saint Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks (1993), which you can find here.
So the proper response to the following passage,
"A Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission analysis of other
countries, including the US, Britain and Canada, shows that in those
countries the onus of proof shifts to the person who has been accused of
discrimination once the complainant has established an initial case,"
might be, "liar, liar, pants on fire."
Hans Bader
Competitive Enterprise Institute
(I handled discrimination cases as a lawyer in various jobs from 1996-1999,
2000-2003, and 2004-2005, including a stint at the Office for Civil Rights
of the U.S. Department of Education).
GITMO’S TOO GOOD FOR YOU
"One of the striking features of my current troubles with Canada's "Human Rights"
Commissions is the way, in the name of ersatz "human rights", these pseudo-courts
trample on one of the bedrock human rights: the presumption of innocence."
Wow! Guilty until proven innocent? Sounds like good ol' Gitmo. I'd file your case
under the heading "Poetic Justice".
Bill Harpin
SPEAKING OUT
Things are worse than you suggest. A policeman who speaks up against forced
marriage faces a disciplinary hearing.
For the facts, see here and here. Comment article here.
Apparently a member/members of Bradford Council complained. See here for a
list of names of Bradford Councillors, and here are their political affiliations.
DC
THAT’S THE LAW, SO THERE
Your excellent Maclean's dissection of the HRC's free-for-all against individual
liberties and rights reminds me of the attitude of the California Coastal
Commission. Woe betide the property owner, business, or builder who runs into them.
They will absolutely hold anyone hostage to any number of willy-nilly demands in
the name of the public good, of which they are the sole arbiters. When a colleague
of my father asked one under which rule some onerous CCC ruling was made, one of
them in Santa Cruz, California admitted that they just make it up. At least the
admission had the benefit of being both simple and true.
Kirk W. Kelsen
Vallejo, California
CREEPILY FAMILIAR
Do you know anything about the Vermont Human Rights Commission? The linked article is something I would normally barely glance at, but - with my consciousness raised by your
recent scribblings - the closed hearing, the breezy confidence that the commission that
made the decision will "work with" the defendant to "to negotiate a settlement" and the simultaneous threat that a lawsuit "could be filed by the commission" all suddenly
sound creepily familiar to somebody who thought themselves safe on the right side
of the border.
Kevin Thornton
ZIONIST PROPAGANDA
In my obsessive daily thirst for updates on the ongoing struggle for free-speech, I
linked to a website in the Steynsuits section (I will try not to make any "Moores"
references), and came across this interesting article
In it, Rabi-ul-Awwal goes on about how you (Steyn and MacLean's) are spreading
Zionist propaganda:
The article full of Zionist propaganda lies included - “Muslims, including those in
Canada, pose a demographic, ideological and security threat to the West”.
Incredibly, he ends his diatribe by complaining that Canada's HRC is ignoring Muslim
complaints for Canada's largest minority.
Seems to me Mark, that if you can stall out your HRC proceeding, you can beat the
rap on a “they're not minorities any more” technicality.
AC
Ottawa, Ontario Re: You won’t remember this
SHINING MOVIE CAREER
She's never so bad that she can't get worse.
Mark, in reference to the upcoming Casablanca-less Madonna Casablanca remake, I’m
hoping it lives up to the quality of the other gems in her shining movie career.
Personally, I’m hoping she’ll call it “Don’t Cry For Me, Nasiriyah”, or maybe
“Desperately Seeking Muqtada”. I hope she finds him.
Charles McCrea
Valdosta, Georgia
CLEAVAGE-PACKED
Don’t forget Pamela Anderson’s remake of Casablanca, Barb Wire. In this
futuristic, cleavage-packed action movie, America was the Nazi country, Canada was
the good country everyone wanted to escape to, and the transit papers were special
computerized contact lenses that would get you past the retina scanners and onto the
plane.
Oh, and Pam played Bogie’s character.
Phil Walter
CASABLANCA AND HUTCH
Madonna wants to remake Casablanca, casting herself as Ilsa Lund?
Brings to mind 25 years ago, when one of the network television geniuses decided to
turn Casablanca into a weekly series starring David Soul (of Starsky & Hutch fame)
as Rick Blaine. I think it was about 2 weeks before the network finally heard the
derisive laughter and yanked it off the air . . .
JP
Milford, Connecticut
SHOT IN AFGHANISTAN
How about"Philadelphia" redone in Taliban Afghanistan. The courageous gay lawyer
with AIDS telling his story and trying to be treated fairly. Of course, this would be a short movie, unless they show ALL the gays being executed and not just a Tom Hanks sensitive lawyer type.
Oh crap, that might remind people that toppling the Taliban would credit Bush. Forget it. How about a remake of Lions for Lambs?
Michael Menz
Greeneville, Tennessee
Re: Sechs scandal
CAMO OR CAMIS?
As you've drawn the connection between Oswald Mosley and Roderick Spode,
you might also recall that the way that Spode was ultimately defanged was
through Jeeves' revelation that Spode was also the designer of women's lingerie.
Given the era in which Wodehouse wrote, is this morally comparable to Mosley's
preferences?
Kevin Peet
LET CRY EULALIE !
It's the only thing known to bring these British fascist bounders up short, you know.
Swanking about in black footer bags, like they do.
Paul
WAUGH TIME
Oh what times are these when passing ruffians can talk bawdy on "The Corner"
about Mitfords, Mosleys and Nazi S&M. Puts me in mind of this letter of
Evelyn Waugh's to Nancy Mitford regarding a recent novel of hers where he
comments on the characters: (awful language warning)
"What horrors they were! They should do much to dispel two current myths:
One, Spender born, that the arts flourish best in a liberal society.
Two, cinema born, that only beautiful people enjoy f**king."
I'm not sure how to parse the fascist implications of the snipe at the "liberal
society," but Waugh might have been dressed in an SS uniform when
discussing the cinema.
I used to be disgusted, now I'm just amused,
Mike McDonald
New Hartford, New York
THINKING WITH YOUR NUTS
So if I understand you correctly from this NFO post, you believe that
the best way to beat radical Islam is through military means alone? That
throwing more bullets, bombs, and American lives is how we will win this
struggle against radical Islam? This is really what you believe? If that
is so, you need to step back and look at the problem again. Radical
Islam does need to be defeated, but this type of thinking will only make
it worse, not better. You cannot kill an idea or a belief with bullets.
It has to be done with a better idea. There is a place for military
action (well, there will be when we have competent military leadership)
in this struggle, but it cannot be the main tool. And as long as we have
people like you and McCarthy thinking with your nuts instead of your
brains, radical Islam will retain the upper hand. You people don't help
the cause of defeating Islamic extremists. You hinder progress in the
struggle against it.
Tony Orr
MARK REPLIES: Sorry, you're the one missing the point. I'm the one who's
been saying for five years that we need to wage war against the
ideology, including in a bestselling book and innumerable newspaper columns
and speeches. For example, in my post I mentioned the talk I gave to the
Hudson Institute yesterday, which began:
'I wrote my book because I wanted to reframe how we thought about
the quote "war on terror", which is an insufficient and evasive
designation that has long since outlasted what usefulness it may
once have had. Nor is what we're up against primarily defined by
military action. We're good at that. If you make the mistake of
attracting the attention of the US military and its handful of real
allies, you'll lose. Our tanks our better, our ships our better, our
bombs are smarter and so are our soldiers. But, even in conventional
wars, that's not what it's about. The object of war is not to
destroy the enemy's tanks but to destroy his will. And the enemy
think that when it comes to will they have the advantage.
Strategists talk about "asymmetric warfare", but the real asymmetric
warfare we're facing is not in the Sunni Triangle or the Hindu Kush;
it's being waged over far more central terrain - which is to say
most of the "western world"...'
My criticism of McCain is that he gets the military dimension but
nothing else. And "Scholarships, not smart bombs" is merely the
politician's version of "Make love, not war" - a delusional bromide. The
reality is that for many Muslims the longer they're exposed to the west
the more they loath it, which is why third-generation European Muslims
are more radical than their parents and grandparents. Thirty-six per
cent of young Muslims in the United Kingdom think leaving Islam (for
Christianity or atheism) should be punishable by death. What are
"scholarships" going to do for that? Or how about this glimpse of young
Canadian Muslims from today's Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/article/350909 :
Excerpts from a conversation in a car during
"Operation Badr," recorded covertly by police:
*Person 3*: "What happens, what happens at the Parliament?"
*Person 1*: "We go and kill everybody."
*Person 3*: "And then what?"
*Informant*: "And then read about it ..."
*Person 1*: "We get victory."
They're not in Waziristan, they're in Toronto.
Maybe the only fellow thinking with his nuts instead of his brains is
the guy who reflexively jacks off an email without bothering to check
what the other fellow's written on the subject.
WESTERN LIBERAL EDUCATION
If I recall correctly from my Master's seminars of over 10 years ago:
Guess where Pol Pot and his upper echelon and other Asian enemies of
humanity were educated? France, Western Europe. The idea of ethnic
purity, original states of Man, etc. have a horrible track record of
being sent elsewhere in a viciously virulent form.
And thanks for your wonderful work, insight, and humor. You are a real
treasure.
Michael Babbitt SOUND SAUDIS
Right now there already are thousands of young Saudis in the United
States on Saudi-funded full scholarships. I've had the opportunity to
meet a number of these students and the ones I've met are actually the
epitome of what we want to encourage in Saudi - they hate the Wahabist
clerics and admire America for its many freedoms, which they gladly
partake in. I know there are worries about the risks of letting in
terrorists, but if we want to change the nature of Saudi society the
best way to do that is by influencing their brightest students. Let's
keep extremely close track of their visas and make sure they don't
sign up for flight classes, but not letting them in would be depriving
us of a valuable way to use our soft power in the war on terror.
A Corner Reader
THE GUNS OF SINGAPORE
You’re on the mark, except for one minor item. You are the victim of an urban
legend. Sorry to be a bore, but the guns at Singapore could traverse to bear
on the land side of the island. The problem was a lack of high explosive shells
(there was only one on the island for the 15" guns). Also, the long range flat
trajectory guns could not be lowered enough to bear on the area the Japanese
were attacking. The guns did not cause the fall of Singapore, it was the British
mindset that no army could penetrate on the landward side.
I do have a feeling you already know this.
A. C. Duesenberg
MARK REPLIES: I chose my words carefully. I didn't say "the British guns
at Singapore were pointing the wrong way"; I said:
“As Edwin Glover said of the British defenses at Singapores, the
guns are pointing the wrong way. “
And Mr Glover did, indeed, say that. He was the first to say it, and
he's where the "urban legend" originates. You can look it up. That's why
I didn't describe it as a statement of fact, but alluded to it as a
famous line and credited it to its rightful author. I know my imperial
history.
GONE TO EARTH
The dude who said:
"Between 8 and 9 tonight, I’ll be doing what I usually do at that time: I’ll be out
with my wife walking our two dogs 5km around our small town. "Tonight,
however, I’ll be looking at my neighbours’ windows to see which ones are
participating in Earth Hour."
would be very disappointed here. I would have participated, but I was too busy
cleaning my guns. Much better use of my time.
Chuck Bloomer
Prince William County, Virginia
ALL LIT UP
I had been working on my taxes all day in my little office with only one light on in
my entire house. Around 8:10PM, I had to Google something about a vender whose
name appeared on my wife expenses so that I could figure out whether it was a tax
deductible business expense like she claimed. Lo and behold that beautiful dark
screen appeared and I realized that I had forgotten about Earth Hour. I raced
through the house turned on every light we had, making sure that every outdoor light
was on. My only hope is that the small brained guy checking his neighbor's lights
waited till 8:!5 to determine whether I belonged in his/her little black book. My
wife who is New York City working on a story celebrated Earth Hour by splurging for
dinner with one of her friends at "21." Their dinner started at 8:00PM. Of course,
the fact that a dark screen Google consumes more energy makes it all the more
delicious.......
BTW most of my neighbors were completely indifferent to Earth Hour if the view
outside my office window is any guide.
WRD
SHORT-SIGHTED
Having turned on all the lights in the house in honour of Earth Hour, my wife and I
sat down to watch The Great Escape on TCM. Nearing escape time, the Donald
Pleasence character finds himself unable to see. He attributes this onset of
blindness to "Progressive Myopia". I thought to myself, doesn't a condition that
afficts half of western civilization deserve an event at least as large as Earth
Hour.
Don Henderson
Ottawa, Ontario
GUNS AND POSES
Incredible moonbat bias in BBC Heston obit:
"Although later identified with traditionally conservative causes, Charlton Heston was a vocal supporter of Martin Luther King and the 1960s Civil Rights movement."
Marc Deschenes
COMPLIMENTARY NUTS
I love your writing; illuminating and entertaining is tough to beat. Having said that, did you have to use the phrase "gun nuts" in your Corner post? Surely you could have found a non-pejorative descriptor for me?
Sam Ogie
MARK REPLIES: Who says it's pejorative? I've used the term for years and always positively.
EN FRANCAIS, NATURELLEMENT
Mark, has America Alone been translated into French? If so, where can I find it?
Mark Walter
Urbandale, Iowa
MARK REPLIES: Actually, the French edition of AA will be out shortly.
Stay tuned for more details.
BENEDICT ISN’T A BUNGLER
You have probably seen on Chiesa.com a fascinating (though overlong) report by
Sandro Magister on recent developments in Catholic-Muslim relations. Under the title
“For the Vatican, King Abdullah Matters More than 138 Muslim Scholars,” the full
English text of Magister’s report is here:
Summarizing, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has sent a letter to the Pope outlining
his plans to advance the Catholic-Muslim dialogue. Abdullah’s letter reads, in part:
“God willing, we will begin to organize meetings with our brothers who belong to the
monotheistic religions, among representatives of believers in the Qur’an, the
Gospel, and the Bible.”
The Vatican daily newspaper, “L’Osservatore Romano”, which carried a report on the
Saudi letter in its March 29 issue, calls its readers’ attention to the timing:
Abdullah made his statement on March 24, which for Christians was Easter Monday.
At the very moment when accusations were erupting against Benedict XVI for baptizing
Magdi Allam two days earlier, the king of Saudi Arabia chose to take no notice at
all of the Allam affair. Instead, he pressed ahead with his proposal for an
interreligious rapprochement.
If “believers in the Qur’an” means the Muslims and “believers in the Gospel” means
the Christians, who can the third group be that the king calls “believers in the
Bible”? Why yes, it can only be . . . the Jews !!! Quite an achievement for a Pope
who has allegedly committed blunder after blunder in his dealings with the Muslim
world.
Conclusion: Benedict isn’t, in fact, a bungler at all. Quite the opposite. He turns
out to have been, all along, a very wily old pope indeed, who seems to have
outsmarted the whole worldwide liberal media establishment.
In the meantime, I wish you a resounding victory in your battle with the Thought
Police.
Brian Gould
ANCIENT GREEK?
Some years ago I believe I read on your web site that you're pretty much
self-educated and that you had allegedly read every word Aristotle wrote.
Do I recall that correctly? If so, would be pleased to hear from you on a
reading plan for Aristotle. Drop me a note.
Would be even more pleased to read a column about that. Why was Aristotle
important to you?
Jim Soriano
PENNY FOR THE STEYN
I see from Mr Kinsella's website that you are to be burned in effigy at the next
concert of his punk rock band. I wonder who will make the effigy, as Guy Fawkes Day
is not celebrated in Toronto his children can have had little practice in making a
guy.
Jeannie L'Esperance
Ottawa
THE IRISH BELGIAN CANADIAN COMMUNITY OF ONE
Yep the first thing that popped into my mind when I first heard the name Steyn was a
Belgian Irishman with an English accent who lives in Canada and the United States.
Love your articles, keep up the great work.
Warren Z
Edmonton, Alberta CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
You’re a racist prick
Maneesh Saini
Chilliwack, British Columbia
mrmaneeshsaini@gmail.com
ON THE OTHER HAND…
Man, you’re just a racist psycho
RBATCEO@aol.com
LAND OF THE FREE
You argue that "lacking any meaningful equivalent to America's social
conservatives, values voters, small-government types, Second Amendment gun nuts
and other familiar figures of the US scene, Britain has become a land of economic
plenty with a welfarist sensibility".
The Brits do have an equivalent to social conservatives. We Yanks like to call
them new citizens of these United States.
Charles Hales
LAST WORD
I've listened to you for several years on talk radio and enjoyed you commentary but
thought you were older and more bookish. Then recently saw a video of you at CPAC,
I believe, and realized how wrong I was. When I saw you the first thing I thought was
you must have played rugby. I played and my boys are playing in high school and
college and we have played some very good Canadian teams at the Ohio Classic in
Columbus. So did you?
Jeff Rawlings
Avon, Ohio
MARK REPLIES: Yes, I did. I played second row for many years. No better life experience
for a chap than spending his formative years with his head between two other fellows'
buttocks.
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