A Mike Duffy Sighting

PEI is a small place. We were eating with friends once and the Premier of the province walked in. As I recall, we didn't even bother acknowledging him in our conversation. It's a small place and even prominent people are "locals" who are likely to drop in for a coffee.

Which brings me to Mike Duffy, PEI's newest Senator and one of the Harper Eighteen. We spotted Senator Duffy yesterday at the Charlottetown Hotel. We went over and congratulated him on his appointment and I gave him a complimentary copy of my Christian CD "Love Lifted Me" (www.firesong.ca).

He and his posse of close relatives could not have been more gracious.

A good pick by a good Prime Minister.

!!! Storm Surge Warning !!!

There's a storm surge warning in effect for all of Prince Edward Island -- the entire island !!!. I know this is all my fault -- we should have changed our bulbs to low-C02, and we didn't. Curse you, global warming!

This may be my LAST POST. If you don't hear from me, you'll know what happened. My final words. Agnostic Joe, there IS A GOD. (And no, his name is not Al Gore !!!)

The wind is howling. I think I see the waters rising.

This could be it.

Glug.

Glug.

STORM SURGE WARNING: Queens County Issued at 3:23 PM AST SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER 2008
WATER LEVELS UP TO 1 METRE ABOVE NORMAL ALONG WITH POUNDING SURF EXPECTED ON MONDAY. THIS IS A WARNING THAT ELEVATED COASTAL WATER LEVELS ARE EXPECTED IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM EAST OF NEW YORK AT FORECAST TIME IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY INTENSIFY THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT WHILE FOLLOWING A TRACK THAT WILL TAKE IT THROUGH THE GULF OF MAINE LATE THIS EVENING AND INTO THE GULF OF ST LAWRENCE ON MONDAY. SNOW WILL BEGIN LATER THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE UNTIL THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE FORECAST TO BE BETWEEN 20 AND 30 CENTIMETRES FOR THE ISLAND. ALSO STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS NEAR 100 KM/H ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. THESE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH SNOW WILL PRODUCE BLOWING SNOW GIVING REDUCED VISIBILITIES. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO END OVERNIGHT AND CHANGE BRIEFLY TO RAIN IN THE EAST AS WARMER AIR IS PUSHED IN WITH THIS SYSTEM BY DAWN MONDAY. THE WARM-UP WILL BE SHORT-LIVED AS COLD AIR RETURNS MONDAY MORNING. AS THE LOW MOVES OVER THE GULF OF ST LAWRENCE LATER MONDAY STORM SURGE CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR OVER THE COASTAL AREAS OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND (PARTICULARLY THE NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT SIDE) WITH HIGH WATER LEVELS AND POUNDING SURF CAUSING COASTAL EROSION.

Coastal Erosion? Yikes! We live NEAR THE COAST. Our house, our home, my CDs, my DVDs, all going, going...


http://tinyurl.com/9mu3s4

Gl...

Conspiracy Theories: Did Muntadhar al-Zaidi Act Alone??

As published in today's National Post Letters section...

The tapes of the George Bush shoe incident were clearly doctored. No one could get off two good throws in under three seconds. The evidence is overwhelming. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there was a second shoe-ter.

Intelligently Designed, or Lucky Pond Scum?

What the PM Should Do: Senate Full-Stack

PM Harper should appoint to the Senate every person who has been the victim of a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal case.

This would include Ezra Levant, Mark Steyn, Stephen Boissoin, Scott Brockie, and Chris Kempling for starters.

We would then have a Senate stacked with persons who understand the fragility of our fundamental rights and the oppressive tendencies of state-sponsored ideologues.

GM and a Street Called Dead: A Question For The CAW

The CAW spokesman is speaking on TV. He's the guy who says the unions have contributed nothing -- nothing -- to the problems of the Big Three - GM, Ford, Chrysler. I have a question for him:

Should financial bailouts be also offered to the non-union Canadian auto industries, e.g, Toyota, etc.? Are they not just as entitled to a bailout as the CAW unionized shops?

If not, why not?

Meanwhile, Mark Steyn weighs in:

"Detroit was the industrial powerhouse of the world fifty years ago. Now it’s a basket case. They did that to themselves. There’s no reason for Congress to collude in doing it to the rest of America."

GM and a Street Called Dead: Mexico Rising

We're Number Three!

According to today's Globe and Mail --

"Mexico has knocked Ontario off its perch as North America's pre-eminent auto-producing area.... Mexico's rise means that for the first time ever, Canada has declined to No. 3 behind the U.S., which leads, and Mexico."

First, the UAW/CAW wanted its workers to be paid unheard-of wages for working.

Then, they wanted to be paid for not-working (lay-offs, plant shut-downs, etc.).

Then, they wanted early retirement and inflation-guaranteed pensions.

The trajectory of their demands was that they wanted to be paid an infinite amount for doing infinitely little.

They enjoyed these excessive benefits for a generation. They should be grateful for them. But, as someone has said, "all good things must come to an end". And that time has come.

Why shouldn't impoverished Mexicans have their chance at a better life? Maybe, just maybe, instead of hating the company that feeds them, they will be grateful.

I wish the members of the UAW and the CAW, and the communities they live in, well. But, the writing's on the wall.

It's time to start preparing for a career outside of GM, Ford, and Chrysler. Brush up on your marketable skills. Put on your best game-face. And start looking.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Inimitable Mark Steyn

"In the year ahead, NRO will be your one-stop shop for a narrow doctrinaire tightly defined brand-new moderate centrist extremist fundamentalist neo-theo paleo-Palin transnational isolationist Beltway-elitist swamp-dwelling country-club oogedy-boogedy RINO-squish redneck girlyboy gun-nut big-tent wide-stance reform conservatism we believe can sweep the nation. And we’ll be hammering out this exciting new platform in real time, right here, around the clock."

There is only one Mark Steyn.

The Sloppy Logic Of Global Warming Alarmism

Is it sloppy thinking, sloppy reporting or sloppy science?

According to the latest article at livescience, Scientists have proved "beyond a doubt that global warming is real. Now they have to figure out just what to do about it."

No, they don't. If all they've done is prove that global warming is real, they have to next prove that a) mankind is the dominant cause of this warming, b) this warming is harmful to the planet on a net basis, and c) combating this warming is possible, feasible and desirable.

Anything else is just sloppy alarmism.

The article goes on to talk about a new treaty to control the emission of greenhouse gases, "which have grown by 70 percent since 1970."

No, they haven't. Another sloppy, misleading statement.

What's missing is the key qualifier "manmade" in front of "emission". And then this manmade portion, which has allegedly grown by 70%, should be shown for what it is -- a tiny sliver of the overall greenhouse gases produced by this gorgeous planet.

The article is at:

http://tinyurl.com/5qkcks

For a dissenting view, go here:

http://tinyurl.com/5laabm

h/t Drudgge

Islamophobia vs. Amishophobia

Militant and even supposedly moderate Muslims complain at every turn about "Islamophobia". It's a complaint that Canada's Human Rights Tribunals are very sympathetic towards -- Must Not Tolerate Islamophobia. Must Process Each Complaint Of Islamophobia.

Well, what about the Amish -- you know, those weird fundamentalist religious dudes in the strange black clothing who offered unqualified forgiveness to the crazed shooter who recently shot up their school and killed their kids.

Why is it that Canada is (supposedly) plagued with Islamophobia and not a peep about Amishophobia?

What could the difference possibly be?

Question of the Day: "Should buying winter tires be mandatory?"

Yahoo! Canada (not the Globe and Mail as I indicated earlier) is polling Canadians today. Here's the question:

"Should buying winter tires be mandatory?"

It's the wrong question for a bunch of reasons:

a) It says you must buy winter tires but says nothing about having to actually use them.

b) Winter tires may come with a resale car or be received as a gift (in Canada there is no higher expression of love) -- why should someone who already has some have to buy more?

c) Persons who plan on stealing their winter tires are all going to vote "no".

d) Persons who don't even have a car are going to be annoyed at the thought of having to go out and buy winter tires.

A better question would simply have been:

"Should winter tires be mandatory for drivers?", or,

"Should the use of winter tires on Canadian roads be mandatory?".

I voted "no". We have an All-Wheel-Drive Toyota Matrix with fresh All-Season Tiger Paws.

I figure I'm in good company. First, there was Tony the Tiger. Then, there was Esso/Exxon's "Put a Tiger in Your Tank" Tiger. And now, there's Tiger Paws. They’re Grreat! There's even a Uniroyal® Tiger --

"The Uniroyal tiger has been our well-known and well-loved mascot since 1964. Over the years, the Uniroyal tiger has come to symbolize the tradition, perseverance, and pride that have been a part of the Uniroyal® brand long before the tiger's first day on the job." Who knew?!

And that's the way the good-to-go Ball bounces.

GM and a Street Called Dead: The Way FORwarD?

Why should the broad interests of Canadian consumers and taxpayers be held hostage to the narrow self-interest of the UAW?

Check out the following video and hang on to the end.

http://info.detnews.com/video/index.cfm?id=1189

O .J. and Justice Delayed

Do you remember how captivated we all once were with the O.J. Simpson trial? I attended the trial, or, at least, the courthouse in L.A., but that's another story. This one's about the sovereignty and providence of God and justice delayed in the O.J. Simpson trial.

Providence has to do with things God arranges for mankind's provision, or providence.

Sovereignty has to do with God's ultimate reign over heaven and earth, in spite of man's active rebellion against God's rule. God is "above the heavens and earth", and does as He pleases. Because of God's sovereign rule in the midst of active rebellion, we are instructed to continuously pray, "thy will be done" -- God's will is, in effect, an intrusion into the normal course of sin and rebellion.

At the time of the O.J. Simpson trial, millions of people prayed that justice would be done. For many, these prayers continued after O.J.'s acquittal. O.J.'s conviction in the civil trial was a start. But still, justice was seen as subverted because O.J. was still free to golf and party (and search for the "real killers" of Nicole and Ron).

It now appears that God has, in his time, and in his way, answered those prayers.

O. J. has been convicted in a court of law and faces hard jail time. For a different offense, admittedly. But one that he committed and the end result is the same. The lawless one will end up (barring an overthrow on appeal) where he belongs -- in jail.

God sovereignly rules. Prayers are answered. Sometimes it takes longer than we would like, and sometimes He does it in a different way than we expect or have in mind. Sometimes God says "yes". Sometimes God says "wait". Sometimes God says "in my way, not yours". And sometimes God says "no". That's what makes him God and us not.

Sometimes our prayers are not answered in this life. In my readings through the New Testament lately, I have been struck by the phrase "the life to come" which contrasts this present life. This will never satisfy atheists of course, or those whose narrow and unimaginative epistemology causes them to view science as the sole arbiter of reality.

But it will satisfy those who, on the balance of the evidence along with the convicting help of the Holy Spirit, believe in God and Christ.

For those who escape justice in this life, rest assured all will receive it in the life to come. All will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and receive a fitting reward or punishment for the deeds done here on earth.

Atheists should welcome this news. Otherwise, theirs is a capricious and incoherent universe where justice is arbitrary and just as often denied. And indeed, where the very concept of justice is an absurdity.

And that's the way the justified by faith Ball bounces.

The West's Secret Weapon Against Islam

Those of us who view Islam as a threat to the West's ideological and physical sovereignty are continuously dismayed at the left's neutering of the intellectual weapons at our disposal. In the leftist's mind, there's no us-vs.-them involved in us er, versus Islam, it's all about accommodation and appeasement and the watering-down of our institutions and ideologies until they are Islamic-Muslim-fundamentalist-terrorist-friendly. (If there's any doubt about this, go to "The Journalism Doctor's" website.)

So, it was against this dreary backdrop that I was heartened to discover we still have a little-known secret weapon at our disposal.

According to today's National Post, fundamentalist-terrorist-extremist Muslims view April Fool's Day as a threat to fundamentalist-terrorist-extremist Islam. No, I'm not kidding. Christmas is no threat, Good Friday is no problem, and even Easter with its thunderous shout that "Jesus is Lord!" is not something to be worried about. The same cannot be said about April Fool's Day. Unless checked and abated, April Fool's Day could cause the whole Islamic experiment to crumble.

Now, I don't claim to understand the Islamic mind, but I'm willing to take this pronouncement at face-value. If April Fool's Day is a threat to Islam, then I'm all in favour of it.

Let's work to make next year's April Fool's Day bigger than ever. Before the Journalist Doctor finds out it is a sensitive cultural issue and demands that in the name of tolerance and accommodation we cease to wish someone a "Merry April Fool's Day!" and instead say, "Happy Inclusive Day!".

And that's the way the looking-forward-to-the-day-after-March-31st Ball bounces.

I kid you not.

Coalition Seeks Monopoly

Just over two months ago Liberal leader Stephane Dion said he would never form a coalition with Jack Lenin and the NDP because its economic policies are based on “Monopoly money.”

That was then; this is now. M. Dion now thinks that Jack Lenin is a fine chap and Monopoly money is at least on a par with Canadian Tire money and what could be more Canadian than that?!

Which gets me thinking. Just what are the dynamics behind the palace coup?

Here's my reading on it:

Jack and the NDP currently own Baltic Avenue, and are hoping for an upgrade to Marvin Gardens.

The Liberals are used to living rent-free at Park Place and hope to reclaim it shortly. They're ordering drapes and new carpets, because, as one said, "we're entitled to our entitlements".

The Greens hope to be awarded Electric Company just for hanging around. When they get it, they plan to do the responsible thing and shut it down.

Mr. Harper will be sent to jail, directly to jail, without passing "Go", and without collecting $200. Jack Lenin will expropriate all "Get Out of Jail Free" cards in the interest of the State and in the name of The People.

The Canadian taxpayer will play the role of Banker. The government is going to need to spend a lot of our money in order to save us.

And that's the way the Thim-Ball Bounces.

What Sayest Thou, Rex Murphy?

Rex Murphy, for our reader(s) south of the border, is the quintessential Canadian. He would never be mistaken for an American journalist or prognosticator; he just doesn't have the American "look". Yet, he is articulation squared. Canadians love Rex.

Rex writes for the CBC and the Globe and Mail.

Mainly, he writes for the hearts of Canadians.

So, at this time of national crisis, one asks, "What sayest thou, Rex Murphy?".

News Flash: PM Plans to Perogy Parliament

A thewaytheBallbounces exclusive:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper intends to perogy Parliament. That's right, in the great Western Canadian tradition, he will be serving up a hot, yummy dish of conciliatory Ukrainian perogies.

The Liberals, Bloq, Greens, and even Jack Lenin will find them irresistible!

And that's the way the perogied Ball bounces.

"Invest in Canada -- We're Bananas!"™

The Evolution of Canada in two easy darwinian steps:

Canada
Canana
Banana

"Invest in Canada -- We're Bananas!™"

"Invest in Canada - We're Bananas!"™

Canada is in upheaval due to the present PM's belt-tightening plan to remove a portion of the generous taxpayer subsidies granted Canada's political parties. The Liberals supported all kinds of Conservative initiatives in the past, troops in Afghanistan, budgets, etc., but ending their subsidy was a bridge too far. As the Liberals would say, "we're entitled to our entitlements".

Because of this outrage, the opposition parties are in revolt against the government. A coalition of also-rans, rejects, and separatists has been formed to save Canada. How Canadian!

As a result, Canada is the new Italy.

Or, as John Ivison put it, "the world's coldest banana republic". This should be good for foreign investor confidence. Canada's new motto: "Invest in Canada - we're bananas!"™.

What the opposition parties don't realize (except for the separatist Bloc Quebecois) is that when they thumb their nose at the duly elected present government they thumb their nose at the Canadian electorate, especially the West. The opposition are like sharks in a frenzy over the smell of blood. They have lost their senses. They are going to save Canada -- but taxpayers, not them, will be footing the bill. Their rage over lost subsidies made it perfectly clear that it is only our money, not theirs, they are willing to commit to Canada.

When the new Coalition is sworn in, rather than pledging their troth, they will be pledging their trough. And Quebec will likely be the biggest trough of them all.

How do you solve a problem like Canada?

Canada should re-align and form two nations, one, a socialist paradise led by Quebec, the other, a capitalist, self-reliant powerhouse led by Alberta. Individual provinces could re-align as they saw fit. I know which way I would go.

The Quebec-led nation could subsidize itself to its heart's content. Of course, the other provinces would all expect daddy Quebec to subsidize them. This would be a new role for Quebec, which likes to be on the receiving end of Canada's generosity. Quebec's unofficial state motto with regard to Canada's subsidizing role is "Let it Flow, Let it Flow, Let it Flow".

And that's the way the Alberta-bound Ball bounces.

PS -- for more (and better)...

http://tinyurl.com/6fzt8r