Another long absence, more Musings

More Stuff To think on, by Category.  Today's menu? Al Gore is Weird, shocking news such as water being wet at 11. General McChrystal is dismissed. Aqsa Parvez's killers go to jail.



Al Gore, Sexual Predator?

H/T The Other McCain:  This is just plain weird.  Al Gore, molesting a masseuse in a hotel room?  And if the woman's story is true, why did she continue the massage after the first attempt? Also, why was he not prosecuted immediately?  Not that I'm not predisposed to disliking Al Gore... Still, I hope this story is true, as it once again positions the National Enquirer as a more reliable news source than the New York Times.  If the Enquirer was right about Edwards and Gore, maybe they're right about Bat Boy!

General McChrystal gets the Kibosh

Not much to say on this one, except that I don't understand why a General in such a sensitive position would give an interview to the Rolling Stone at all, let alone one where he treats his civilian masters with contempt.  A case of Auto-Petard-Hoistsmanship? Time will tell.

The Parvez Murderers Plead Guilty

This one has been in Canadian media for a few days, with some truly disgusting commentary.  Go check out Mark Steyn and Ezra Levant for the nauseating double standard applied to Honour Killings in the west.  Quite frankly, life imprisonment does not do enough to deal with the backward and medieval attitudes of these hideous examples of 3rd world barbarism.  Should Messrs Parvez ever walk out of a Canadian prison, it should be directly into the arms of waiting RCMP officers who will escort them to the first Pakistan-bound mode of transport (preferably container ship).  Even Aqsa's mother should be deported; she apparently advocated that her menfolk merely break the wayward girl's legs, rather than strangling her. It's apparently a "more appropriate punishment" for the heinous crime of adapting to Canadian culture.

Being fortunate enough to live in Québec, I get to see some sensible attitudes towards immigrants coming from the oddest places.  Most Québecois are the height of liberal sensibility: tolerance, rights, government largesse, protection of minorities at the expense of all, etc.  However, being fiercely protective of their culture, and generally mildly xenophobic, the Nation-Within-A-United-Canada is the only constituency that recognizes the existential threat of unconditionally welcoming people from East-North-Barbaristan.  Before too long, you end up with a country that, like Somalia, has contiguity on a map, but is populated by people who insist on being from a particular tribe. "No, I'm not Ontarian! I'm Scarborough-Ontarian."  Furthermore, certain cultural norms take priority over ephemeral religious customs and supposed rights.  For instance, a Muslim woman from Pakistan insists that she cannot function in society without the Niqab, as it is the will of Allah.  Odd. Last time I checked, Nancy Ajram is also Muslim.  I thought that the will of Allah governed all, which would mean that Ms. Ajram wouldn't be able to go multi-platinum without the approval of He Whose Name Must Not Appear in Burger King Iced Cream Swirl.  So, I suspect what Ms. Niqab is trying to say is that she doesn't want to function in a society where her outmoded religious customs are unacceptable.  Frankly, if Catholics can live with Gay Pride Parades being funded by tax dollars, and Jehovah's Witnesses don't launch human rights complaints over blood-drives, then traditionalist Muslims can learn to live with the fact that a covered face indoors in July implies nefarious intent.  And before the feminists jump all over me, if she is in fact being forced to behave so by her menfolk, then there are any number of taxpayer-funded programs (especially in Québec) by which this woman could escape patriarchal oppression.


More to follow tomorrow, or even later today. This boy is on vacation! Wheeeee.