Posts for Copenhagen - #2

You've got to admire the idea Ecuador is peddling at the climate conference in Copenhagen. The Ecuadorians are suggesting that "rich" countries pay it $3.5 billion to NOT drill its crude oil reserves, which unfortunately are located beneath parts of the Amazon rain forest. This "novel idea" (as the Wall Street Journal puts it) sounds like blackmail to me. If Ecuador is passionate about reducing greenhouse emissions, then it should simply not cut down the Amazon and drill for oil. What it certainly should not do is hold a hacksaw up against a tree and try to extort other countries for money. Where will that end? Do we pay Japan to stop whaling? Let's cough up billions and bribe Brazil from clear-cutting tacks of its forests too! And since the world is in such a giving mood, will Canada get a fat cheque if it scales back the oil-sands? I won't be holding my breath for that one. Countries should adopt environmental policies because they believe in the cause or want to increase their efficiency or cut oil imports or for myriad other reasons; they should not be looking to Copenhagen for a big, fat payday.

Posts for Copenhagen

The UN Conference on Climate Change began today with a "Cultural Opening Ceremony" which involved a 4 minute video featuring a young girl dreaming that climate change is going to:
1) change her lush playground into a desert
2) cause earthquakes to split the earth swallowing up her stuffed polar bear friend
3) create black swirling skies that shoot funnels of wind down from the heavens to devour her city
Quite alarming. But the actual conference won't be filled with such alarmist talk will it? If we want to lower carbon emissions, go ahead. But did I miss the evidence that if we do not start this month, we're hooped?

Fort Hood according to Mark Steyn

Since Mark Steyn will always say it better than most others could:
"Major Hasan was the first mass murderer in US histroy to give a powerpoint presentation outlining the rationale for the crime he was about to commit. And he gave the presentation to a roomful of fellow army psychiatrists and doctors. Some of whom, glanced queasily at their colleagues, but none of whom actually spoke up. And, when the question of whether then-Captain Hasan was, in fact, "psychotic," the policy committee at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center worried "how would it look if we kick out one of the few Muslim residents." This is your brain on political correctness. So instead he got promoted to major and shipped to Fort Hood."

"[there was much concern in the media] to 'get at the root causes of soldier stresses.' As in post-traumatic stress disorder. Operative word 'post': you get it after you've been in combat. Until Nov. 5, PTSD was something you got when you returned from battle overseas and manifested itself in sleeplessness, nightmares, or, in extreme circumstances, suicide. After Nov. 5, PTSD was apparently spread by shaking hands and manifested itself in gunning down large numbers of people while yelling 'Allahu akbar!' This is your brain on political correctness."

Bloodied, Bruised, and Live on CBC?

The new CBC News Network show "Power & Politics" made an embarrassing debut today when it covered the enviro-activists who disrupted Parliament today with their shouts and demands. I don't have a problem with the how covering the story, it was newsworthy, in so much that a bunch of provocateurs disrespected the central democratic institution in our country to get their eco-activism heard. Where CBC and host Evan Soloman went wrong is that they immediately brought a group of the protesters onto the show. This move suggests that the CBC misplaced its judgement when it switched studios over the weekend as giving these protesters a forum on live, national television only serves to encourage future activists to besiege Parliament to get their messages out. What's the consequence of breaking protocol and shouting at the House of Commons from the gallery? You get a live news segment. And in a flabbergasting display, CBC allowed one of the eco-activists to come on the show covered in cuts and blood, spouting off about his "mistreatment" at the hands of Parliament security. The CBC should have demanded the man wash up before appearing on the show. Allowing him to appear as he did is cheap sensationalism at its worst. Giving the protesters a forum to voice their concerns is bad enough, but to participate in such a stunt as to parade a bloodied and bruised protester onto live television to attack the government, the House, and security officials is appalling. If this is the "new" CBC, count me out.

Sri Lankan Boat People's Suspicious Timing

The Sri Lankan migrants that arrived illegally by boat in BC this past week have very suspicious timing. Why are they arriving now? Sri Lanka has only this year finally seen peace restored after a 26 year civil war between the Sri Lankan army and Tamil militants and terrorists. It would seem that with Sri Lanka in peace, there is no basis for cross-Pacific, human-smuggling-based, "refugee" claims.
The civil war started in 1983 with Tamils fighting against their own country out of nationalistic demands for a Tamil state. The Tamil Tigers, throughout this period, were brutal. This is the group that first invented the practice of suicide bombing. They've conscripted child soldiers to fight for them, they've fired on civilian populations, and they hid amongst civilian targets so they could claim "war crimes" against anyone who dare attack them. But this bloody war is now over. The Sri Lankan government pushed forward with a determination and brute force that while terrible and costly, resulted in the Tamil Tigers admitting defeat and peace being restored. Tamils are no longer caught in the middle of a civil war; Tamil civilians are being given welfare and support while Tamil militants are being rehabilitated. So why are these migrants here now?
They either preferred living under civil war, which is unlikely, or they were Tamil militants themselves or supporters of the terrorists. Either way, they are not needed in Canada. They broke our immigration laws and flouted our sovereignty. They may have also used human smugglers to get here. Allowing them to stay would reward such behaviour and encourage more human trafficking to occur.
News is now coming that at least one of them has laready been identified as a wanted terrorist.
(http://www.globaltvbc.com/world/Boat+refugee+wanted+terrorism/2132714/story.html)
The Canadian government already has a very lenient immigration system. We already allow hundreds of thousands of immigrants to settle in Canada each year legally. There is no argument for allowing illegal immigrants or migrants to successfully seek residency and citizenship. And these Tamil migrants are certainly no exception.