Stockwell Day: Get Naked With Me

In which Stock sings the praises those new security devices that take a picture of what lies under your clothing. In fact, he waxes positively enthusiastic:

You can choose this method to go through the security line or you can use the usual method of walking through the metal scanner and then being subject to the wand and a 'pat down'. Next, as graphic and revealing as the image of yourself is, it is only seen by an operator who is located in another room entirely and who will never see your face or know your name. After verification that there is nothing dangerous attached to your body the image is deleted forever.

I always got something dangerous attached to my body, Stock, like a miniature-Weapon O' Mass Destruction. How do I know pictures of it won't turn up on the Internet?

If the operator spots anything which looks suspicious on the image of your skin (drugs taped to the body, a thin strip of plastic explosives, small non-metallic items, etc.) she sends an electronic signal to the officer outside the room who is watching you stepping from the glass column.

She? She???

Oh, in case you're wondering if I have subjected myself to this new 'peek-a-boo' high tech equipment, the answer is 'yes'. After being scanned I got to go into the separate room where the operator reviews the images.

How long did it take her to stop laughing?

More HRC News

This story slipped under my radar-screen. It concerns a gay civil servant who filed a complaint in 2005 re alleged abuses that occured in 1985. The CHRC usually declines to hear cases filed after more than a year, but has the discretion to tdo so under particular circumstances. Here, Paul Richard argued that the CHRC "failed to consider the discretionary provisions of the time limit". Not a section 13 case, but interesting nevertheless. Hardly the kind of thing likely to help the CHRC streamline its case-load.

Note: the story is from "Xtra" magazine. For "hot gay chat", follow the links.

Comets Over Canada: Part II

Ever since Geophysicist Allen West and others put it forward last year, I've been interested in the theory that a comet or other ET object exploding somewhere over Canada might have been the event that ended the Clovis Culture, triggered the Younger Dryas, and brought about the demise of the Mammoths.

Evidence seems to be mounting in support of the theory, but the latest brick in the wall

Samples of diamonds, gold and silver that have been found in the [Ohio] region have been conclusively sourced through X-ray diffractometry in the lab of UC Professor of Geology Warren Huff back to the diamond fields region of Canada.

The only plausible scenario available now for explaining their presence this far south is the kind of cataclysmic explosive event described by West’s theory. "We believe this is the strongest evidence yet indicating a comet impact in that time period," says Tankersley.

...raised a few problems for me. I wrote:

I cannot get this to jibe with earlier articulations of the theory. Specifically, geophysicist Allen West has previously suggested that the impactor exploded before touching ground (a la the Tunguska Event), this to explain the absence of a crater. But how could diamonds originating in the Canadian diamond fields have turned up so far South if not as ejecta from a (still undiscovered) crater?

I fired off an e-mail re these concerns to some of the theory's architects, and yesterday Mr. West himself was kind enough to respond and address this point:

The hypothesis is fairly complex. We believe the impact was a collision with a cloud of debris, much like Comet LINEAR [see above left]. The smaller objects would have detonated in the atmosphere, much like Tunguska. Depending on the angle of entry, the largest objects could have impacted the 3-km-thick ice sheet, creating ice-walled craters that left no lasting imprint on bedrock.

There are multiple processes that could account for the diamonds: 1) some diamonds appear to have condensed inside burning biomass due to the heat and pressure of the impacts/airbursts; 2) diamonds are known form from shock impact upon terrestrial materials, such as coal, peat, carbonate rock, which would have been entrained as detritus in the ice sheet or would have been near the surface under the ice; 3) diamonds may have been formed by carbon vapor deposition (CVD) in the plasma of the fireball; 4) pre-existing kimberlite diamonds could have been ejected into the air along with other detritus entrained in the ice sheet; and 5) the impacts/airbursts most likely created immense meltwater surges both from above and below the ice and which would have carried pre-existing diamonds and other debris along with the meltwater.

Thank you Mr. West.

While I still had his ear, I asked Mr. West about my favorite part of the theory, where several of his co-workers had produced evidence that, at around the time of the onset of the Younger Dryas

mammoth[s] and other great beasts from the last ice age were blasted with material that came from space.

Eight tusks [...] all show signs of having being peppered with meteorite fragments.

In other words, when the comet crashed over Canada, its as though every mammoth in proximity to the event took a shotgun blast full of metal tiny pellets to the head!

Back in December, I put this part of the theory to the lads and lasses of the Dinosaur Mailing list. Gregory S. Paul gave it a thumbs down:

Some in this discussion still seem to imagine that sand sized blast debris can be imbedded in bone surfaces or skin at substantial range from an meteoritic explosion. Tiny particles can travel at high velocities if they are being carried along by air that is itself an equally fast moving part of the supersonic shock wave (shock waves are shock waves because they move faster than sound) produced by the explosion, which are limited to the region immediately surrounding the point source. Anything hit by high velocity microdebris in this zone will be so severely damaged by even more obvious shock and heat that the sand impact will be incidental. The supposedly impacted tusks and bones should be shattered and scorched. Any living animal will be killed outright, the debris will not be the killing agent. Once the micro-debris hits stable air it slowsdown to harmless terminal velocity in well under a kilometer. Even pebble sized objects will slow down to a 100 mph in a few kilometers. That is why being hit by a round musket ball or grape shot at long range was not lethal.

Dr. West was kind enough to respond to this as well:

Most discussions cite the usual explanation for impacts, which is true in most cases. However, that theory fails to explain the Carancas impact (http://www.universetoday.com/2008/03/18/peruvian-meteorite-may-rewrite-impact-theories/) or the particles in mammoth tusks. New research hints at a "tunneling" effect for some impactors, particularly fragmented ones. In those cases, the leading objects tunnel into the atmosphere and explode, apparently opening the way for trailing objects to reach ever closer to the surface. Some bunker-buster bombs work on the same principle. The first bomb opens a crater, the 2nd digs deeper, and subsequent ones even deeper.

In simulations, the initial explosions of a highly fragmented comet appear to be able to push aside the atmosphere and allow the particles from subsequent explosions to travel with almost no atmospheric friction. This is all theoretical but explains some seemingly inexplicable phenomena.

So there you have it!!!

Blogging Tories Will Help GreenShift Sue Liberal Party

Nevermind. Maybe more later. Bit of an explanation in comments.

Are The Blogging Tories Promoting Illegal Feces Bombs?

Bounced from the halls of FreeDominion, (Wild) Bill Whatcott has taken his peculiar brand of Conservative Activism to where but The Blogging Tories? Here's how he's protesting Morgentaler's being awarded The Order Of Canada:

I got an image of the Order of Canada, crapped on it, wrapped it up and mailed it to the Governor General to communicate my utter contempt of her office, her arrogance, her anti-Christian/ anti-life bigotry and the now corrupted and irrelevant Order of Canada in general.

...which, I am pretty sure, is illegal.

Interesting that the BTs, who brag of their connection with the Harper Tories, would tolerate this kind of thing.

Comets Over Canada

I have written here about the theory that the Younger Dryas, an 1,500 year long period of extreme cold that took place between about 13,000 and 11,500 years ago, was triggered by an "impact event" occurring somewhere over Canada. Well, more evidence in favor of this new theory has recently turned up:

Samples of diamonds, gold and silver that have been found in the region have been conclusively sourced through X-ray diffractometry in the lab of UC Professor of Geology Warren Huff back to the diamond fields region of Canada.

The only plausible scenario available now for explaining their presence this far south is the kind of cataclysmic explosive event described by West’s theory. "We believe this is the strongest evidence yet indicating a comet impact in that time period," says Tankersley.

Fascinating stuff. But I cannot get this to jibe with earlier articulations of the theory. Specifically, geophysicist Allen West has previously suggested that the impactor exploded before touching ground (a la the Tunguska Event), this to explain the absence of a crater. But how could diamonds originating in the Canadian diamond fields have turned up so far South if not as ejecta from a (still undiscovered) crater?

Your Daily Nazi: What Kind Of Person Believes That Painting A Kid With A Swastika

...and sending them off onto the hard streets of Winnipeg, where they may take a shit kicking from the other kids (among other things), is an acceptable way of expressing the parents political views and an acceptable means of passing the parents religious beliefs onto their children?

Deborah Gyapong, for one:

Christians especially have to take note of the dangers in this [taking the kids from their Nazi parents], as disgusting as white supremacists are. You see, there are many within the politically correct, secular fundamentalist crowd who think that religion--any religion, but especially the Christian religion---is hateful and therefore a form of child abuse if religious beliefs, particularly creationism or sexual morality views, are passed on to children. I could just imagine soon some social worker taking away children because they wore a crucifix around their neck and calling it an emblem of hate.

For Deborah (and Ezra, but my readers want me to stop writing about Ezra) its not really about the kid's rights. Its all about the parents.

Because you should be able to cover your kid in hate symbols, use them as a billboard for your far-right political message, and then send 'em out the door and expect things to turn out just A-Okay. Because you own your kid, and its okay to physically mark them in the course of religious indoctrination.

I suppose Deborah would fall into line behind any couple whose religious beliefs require that they douse their kid in gasoline and send them to play with matches.

What's Randy Hillier's Old Gang Of Rural Separatists Up To?

They're getting busted up in Horton Township for protesting the installation of a couple of septic tanks. Since he got elected to Queen's Park, Randy has been avoiding the kind of radical statements that got him into trouble in the past. But he's till meeting with his old Peeps. Note how often the name of OLA director and FreeD denizon Ed Kennedy keeps popping up (him of the florid, vague threats).

Big Blue Baby

For some reason, Suzanne is one of my faves from the other side of the fence. Congratulations Suzanne

Did He Bring Beer?

Kent Couch leaves his gas station in Bend, Ore., on Saturday, July 5, 2008, riding a lawn chair rigged with more than 150 giant party balloons in an attempt to fly to Idaho. He is equipped with a BB gun and a blowgun for popping balloons if he gets too high and three 15-gallon barrels of cherry Kool-Aid for ballast to release if he gets too low. (AP Photo/Jeff Barnard)"

If he did bring beer, I can't think of a better way to spend a July weekend.

Green Shift A Wash?

No horse-race numbers in Nik Nano's latest, but Canadians do trust the Libs a bit more with the Environmental file. In fact, they are slightly ahead on all three major issues covered: National Unity, Health-Care, and the Environment.

But, as Mr. Nanos points out here, The Green Shift hasn't moved the sticks much. More surprising is the opening the National Unity file presents:

"When the prime minister talks about autonomy and flexible federalism, it makes voters a little nervous ..."

And it must be hard for the NDP, to blo-vate so relentlessly and get so little out of it...

CHRC Drops Another One

Catholic Insight is off the hook for its alleged gay bashing. Deborah Gyapong has such details as are available. This case languished for a long time before the CHRC, and cost the magazine $20,000 to defend before being dropped. An argument for reimbursing successful respondents?

Mind you, CI gets about $12,000 a year in PAP subsidies. If they are going to publish offensive material, shouldn't they too be buying their own stamps?

The Politics Of Morgentaler

Another great piece by Dennis Gruending:

Mr. Harper’s comments regarding the Morgentaler appointment can be seen as political. He has promised that his government will not attempt new legislation regarding abortion, although there are three Private Members Bills at various stages that do deal with aspects related to abortion. Harper’s position will have disappointed many in his political universe. By questioning the Morgentaler award he sends a sympathetic signal to his socially conservative base but without having to do anything about it. His base may demand more.

Bet they don't get it. For example, yesterday Jason Kenney went direct to LifeSite with his concerns over the appointment:

Today Conservative MP Jason Kenney, a Minister in the Department of Canadian Heritage, spoke with LifeSiteNews.com about his reaction to the nomination. "I'm deeply disturbed by this nomination," he said. "It violates profoundly the spirit of the Order of Canada which is a symbol that is supposed to unite Canadians. Instead, the advisory council has chosen to divide Canadians."

Kenney added that "those members of the council who made this deliberately contentious choice were more interested in using the Order as a vehicle for their own political views on a contentious issue rather than as a unifying symbol of great achievements which is what the Order was created for."

Harper has distanced his Government from the decision saying, "I have to say this clearly: This is not a decision of the government of Canada."

Kenney concurred, noting further: "There is a provision in the Order which requires the Council to consider rescinding the Order from individuals who after their appointments end up with criminal records or reprimands from their professions. When the constitution of the order was crafted, they didn't even bother to make that apply to prospective nominees because it was at the time probably unthinkable that they would seriously consider a nomination for someone with such a background as this."

...but so far he has been too scared to voice them to any mainstream publications.

The Canadian Islamic Congress Really, Really Needs New Leadership

Mo For Mugabe. Oi Vay. I mean, sure there's a point to be made about the way the West condemns tyrants on a selective basis, but then you get stuff like

Mugabe decided to hold a reelection last month. But Tsvangirai pulled out and sought refuge in the Dutch Embassy which to some observers is a proof that he is a stooge of Western powers.

Yeah, or maybe he was afraid Mugabe supporters might force him to eat his own testicles.

Levant Alone

I half-missed this exchange when it occurred last week, but since it illustrates my general theme--that Ezra scrupulously avoids anything resembling facts when they impede the thrust of his "Human Rights Supporters Are All Corrupt/Unpatriotic/Criminal" narrative, I thought I would take a crack at it now.

On June 15th, the TO Star's Haroon Siddiqui published "Free Speech Cannot Be An Excuse For Hate", in which he, among other things, interviewed the CJC (Canadian Jewish Congress) executive director Bernie Farber. Part of the article reads as follows:

But freedom of speech is not absolute. "Except for the U.S., virtually every Western democracy has laws against hate," notes Bernie Farber of the Canadian Jewish Congress. "Our anti-hate laws are probably the most underused."

The Supreme Court has upheld those laws. Jewish, gay and other groups have long advocated their use. Few Canadians complained. But now that Muslims are, many are.

"That's really what it's about," Farber told me. "When non-Muslims were using it, nobody really cared.

"People need scapegoats. It used to be Jews. Now it's Muslims, to a great extent. Tomorrow, it may be Bahais or somebody else ...

"People should focus on the law, not on those using it. If the complaint is frivolous, the system will deal with it."

And that's it.

However, these lines must have sent Ezra into extended convulsions, because almost two weeks later he responded with "Bernie "Burny" Farber converts to Islam".

On the basis of this one brief interview, Ezra accuses Farber of "coming out in solidarity" with Mohamed Elmasry. He also seems to think that Farber is arguing that critics of Elmasry's complaint against Maclean's are all "Islamophobic".

These charges are clearly ridiculous, unless Farber intends that the epithet should apply to himself. He has several times criticized the Macleans/Mark Steyn complaint, going so far as to say on one occasion that

The commission's investigation of Steyn shows it has lost sight of the legislation's original purpose and the narrow fence it establishes against truly discriminatory speech.

As to the further content of Farber's remarks in the Star column, his statements seem to lie within the realm of the bleeding obvious. For example, Ezra has never even mentioned, let alone fulminated against, the Human Rights complaints charged to the Alberta PC Party by Ron Leech and Craig Chandler on the grounds that Chandler and Leech have been discriminated against for their Christian beliefs. And in fact this very morning he applauds a number of clearly frivolous complaints launched by White Nationalist Marc Lemire over the years.

But when a couple of Muslims attempt to access the same system, his head explodes... What does that tell you?

Ezra's other major contention, that Farber has "become subservient to radical Islam", is at least as ridiculous as the rest. It is founded on a number of stories re alleged Canada-based Hezbollah sleeper cells that Farber was asked to respond to. What he said was:

"They've known about this alleged threat for a while, they've investigated it, and they've told me categorically that while the chatter is out there, and it has been for a while, there is nothing to lead them to believe that there's anything imminent or that in fact the chatter is real..."

... which reads to me, and I think most reasonable people, like a leader of Canada's Jewish community calming the waters over the possibility of an allegedly "imminent" terror attack. To Ezra, however, this smacks of surrender.

If you're not 100% with Ezra, you're agin' him, it seems, and as such deserve no end of sleaze and slander.

Meet Michael Byers, or: Does The NDP Hate Toronto?

The New Democratic Party gets a "high profile" candidate. :

But another thing to remember is there is a lot of space between Toronto and the rest of the country and quite frankly, I hate to say this, Peter, but if there was a flash and a bang right now and Chantal and I were talking to two blank screens, it wouldn’t be the end of the world in the rest of Canada. It would be very unfortunate, we would be very worried, but it’s a simple fact that this is a big and diverse country.

You know, having lived in Vernon, Victoria, and Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary and Colwood, Winnipeg Manitoba, Stayner Ontario and Oromocto New Brunswick, and now finally settling in Toronto...

And after having a night in Hull, spent time in Regina, Ottawa, Yorkton, Theodore, Bancroft, Bobcaygeon, Harvey Lake, and Fredericton...After having survived the great St. John River flood of 1973, seeing the magnificent Magnetic Hill outside of Moncton, the somewhat less compelling Reversing Falls from a strip club in St. John, after being towed on a toboggan by snow-mobile across Lake Winnipeg, after hunting for Pachyrhinosaurus skulls in Drumheller, and watching the sun-rise from within the very jaws of Dino the Dinosaur (same place)...

After doing all these things, I cannot see how the "disappearance" of any of these places--with the possible exception of Colwood (where I went to Sr. Highschool)-- could not help but inflict a grievous wound on the Canadian nation.

And I wonder how Mr. Layton feels about picking up a candidate who is so sanguine about writing off 4,000,000 of his fellow Canadians.

Mr. Byers should apologize. Mr. Layton should demand it.

He offended No-One

This is the kind of guy we should be handing out The Order Of Canda to, not baby-killers who are, lets just say it, a wee bit swarthy looking:

T. Clayton Shields, C.M Stratford, Ontario
Member of the Order of Canada
For more than three decades of service as the wigmaster to the Stratford Festival of Canada, where he developed innovative techniques and mentored new generations of artists.

All hail the wigman.

h/t Bourrie.

Ezra Can't Read

As readers will know, Guy Earle is the Toronto-based comedian who has been charged with the legal offence of making un-funny jokes in Vancouver. The charges of un-funniness -- which the B.C. Human Rights Code calls 'discriminatory publication' -- came after Earle's rough response to some drunk, rude hecklers in a Vancouver night club last year. The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruled that there was enough substance to the charges that Earle must stand trial.

No, no, no. Discriminatory publication is section 7 of the B.C. Human Rights Code, the section Steyn was charged under. Earle is being charged under section 8, which covers "Discrimination in accommodation, service and facility". That's the section you might use to lay a charge against an agent of a restaurant/club for treating certain customers of said restaurant/club like crap based on their sexual orientation. It doesn't have much to do with free speech at all.

Honestly, Ezra links to the case documents, but apparently doesn't read them. Apparently doesn't expect his readers to either.

And it also looks like he's down to raising cash by flogging women's underwear from barenecessities. Whatever it takes to pay the legal bills, I suppose.

Remind Me Not To Get Sued

Connie Fournier of Free Dominion is asking for another $3,200 to cover legal expenses. This on top of the $3,000 they asked for in early May. Impressive fundraising numbers (they've also tossed $300 to Stephen "The Persecuted Pastor" Boisson), but it looks like the coffers are filling up a little slower this time.

You know my mother always wanted me to become a lawyer. Always, always listen to your mother.

Update: Thanks for the correction, Connie! And I'm always glad to help out with your fundraising.

Wingnut At One o'Clock?

Tomorrow around noon (12pm) on Parliament Hill the Governor General and the Prime Minister of Canada will address Canadians at the Canada Day Celebrations. They will be dropped off at the Centenial Flame (as is the protocol) and walk up the long walk way to the Peace Tower. During this walk they will shake the hands of dozens, maybe hundreds, of Canadians. If you are in Ottawa tomorrow, or can get there, YOUR HAND NEEDS TO BE ONE OF THE HANDS THE GOVERNOR GENERAL SHAKES, and, you need to politely ask her NOT to grant the Order of Canada to Henry Morgentaler.

WILL YOU ARRANGE YOUR SCHEDULE & BE THERE WITH US?

We are asking any of you who are in Ottawa, or can get here, to be at the Peace Tower by 9:30am (we are told the lawn will likely be full of people as early as 10-10:30 am). We want to line the FRONT of the ropes and be the ones that will have the highest chance of shaking her hand. We will also have signs that will (nicely) implore her not to give this award to Morgentaler.

HOW TO FIND US:

Look for the young people with Canada umbrella hats on (red and white).

"Nicely" is fine. That said, if anything goes wrong I hope the RCMP have been issued extra tasers.