It's not... we're not...

And forgive me, Pastor Meikle... you're just nuts...

"It's everybody's responsibility," Audette Shephard, co-chairman of United Mothers Opposing Violence Every where said yesterday. "We are accountable -- whether you're pink, yellow, green or red."

"We've got to find a way to connect with that culture."

It's past time to flush all that airy-fairy politically correct nonsense down the toilet. It most assuredly doesn't "take a village" to figure out what's happening here.

And hey... "that culture"... in case you're forgetting... murders anybody that gets in its way.

I've got an idea... let's ask somebody who's got a firmer grip on reality...

"Young black men continue to kill and, for the most part, shoot young black men at an alarming rate," Toronto Police Staff-Insp. Brian Raybould said. "It's worse than disturbing."

"The beat goes on. Day after day, year after year, we keep having this happen."

Gear up, ladies... 'cos it's pay me now... or pay me later.

**********

UPDATED: SURPRISE!!! -- Grab another body bag

A man was shot and killed in the city’s east end last night.

The shooting occurred in a home on Parma Ct., near Victoria Park Ave. and Eglinton Ave. E., just before midnight on Friday, police say.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Third shooting death... in three days.

Not the Klan... not the cops... who could be responsible?

"Shootings are commonplace, they said, in this close-knit, but rough housing project; two years ago a man was killed a couple of streets away."

A close-knit OK Corral, huh?

It's a mystery.

*

"There's no other word for it..."

"It's a shakedown... as close to extortion as you can get."

He said native protesters have been scaring off developers by blocking construction sites, intimidating workers and referring developers to the HDI. He then quoted a number of fees a developer would have to pay to the HDI for his project to go ahead.

While waiting for a ruling on the injunction application, which could take weeks, Smitheman asked the judge to impose some interim measures to restore the "rule of law" and prevent protesters from interfering with or obstructing workers at construction sites.

*

I'm just a little surprised...

One of the locals didn't try to cut his head off...

A US marine in Iraq has been removed from duty following claims that he handed out coins inscribed with biblical verses in Arabic.

A report from McClatchy News Service carried a photo of a silver coin it said had been distributed in the Iraqi city.

Written in Arabic script on one side of the coin were the words: "Where will you spend eternity?"

On the other side, the news service said there was a Bible verse referring to Jesus: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16."

Yeah... fighting words.

**********

RELATED: CHRC trots out the O.J. Defense...

Let's go after the "real haters."

"A spokesman for the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) has refused to say whether Christian moral opposition to homosexual activity constitutes a 'hate crime'."

Of course, CTV has no such qualms.

"How dare he not show up?"

**********

LAST WORD: Well, he was just about due...

Welcome yet again, readers of Canadian Cynic... my biggest fan.

What I admire most about CC is... he's all about "the rules."

*

Canadian troops...

Spoil Jack Layton's big plans to surrender, er... negotiate... by going on a four day tear through Pashmul...

Code-named Operation Rawa Tander, Pashto for Rolling Thunder, the joint Canada and Afghan military mission was aimed at disrupting insurgent activity in one of Kandahar province's most dangerous areas, Pashmul.

The operation, which involved multiple platoons, started before day-break on Tuesday and, by 6:15 a.m., bullets were already ripping through Pashmul, a collection of small, ancient villages and farmland.

As the week progressed, the fighting intensified, with Friday being the most hard-fought for Canadian and Afghan forces.

It sounds like the "disrupting" part of the op went especially well.

During the lengthy operation, several dozen insurgents were killed or injured.

Only one Afghan soldier was hurt; he accidentally shot himself in the foot. No Canadians were injured.

*

Step II

Take Mr. 'Serial-killer-in training' and dump him in a cell and keep him so pumped fulla' thorazine you can use him for an anvil.

'Cos, mark my words... if you let this freak go... the next thing he tortures and kills, most assuredly... won't be a cat.

And I... truly... cannot even begin to get my head around this.

**********

RELATED: And what kind of sick society...

Collectively turns on itself like this... and more importantly... on its children.

-- PUTIS, Peru -- A team of forensic anthropologists working in this Andean ghost town uncovered Friday the remains of children shot and buried in a mass grave of victims of Peru's 1980-2000 internal war.

More than 100 bodies are feared buried at this remote hamlet in Ayacucho province, the largest known grave of its type in Peru, according to government prosecutors.

Nearly 70,000 people were either killed or went missing during that period, according to government figures.

*

One for the "good guys"

No doubt, Canada's grievance industry -- the race hustlers, the second-rate lawyers, everyone who makes a buck off the system -- will be at any inquiry in spades, arguing desperately, maybe even in tears, for the retention of their meal ticket.

And how about a hand for the Members of Parliament... who have shaken off the oily chains of political correctness... and spoken up already?

They are...

1. Dr. Keith Martin, LPC, Esquimalt – Juan de Fuca
2. Dan McTeague, LPC, Pickering - Scarborough East,
3. James Rajotte CPC, Edmonton Southwest
4. Lee Richardson, CPC, Calgary Center
5. Andrew Telegdi, LPC, Kitchener-Waterloo,
6. Kevin Sorenson, CPC, Crowfoot
7. Bruce Stanton, CPC, Simcoe North
8. Nina Grewal, CPC, Fleetwood-Port Kells
9. Paul Szabo, LPC, Mississauga South,
10. Jason Kenney, CPC, Calgary Southeast
11. John Cummins, CPC, Delta-Richmond East
12. Rick Dykstra, CPC, St. Catherines
13. Rob Nicholson, CPC, Niagara Falls
14. Rob Anders, CPC, Calgary West
15. Russ Hiebert, CPC, South Surrey - White Rock

*

With Revs like these...

Who needs enemies?

"She wasn't the only one crying," he said. "There was a whole lot of white people crying."

Another clergyman rains "friendly-fire" on the Obama juggernaut. Ol' Barack must be wondering what he did to piss off "the powers that be."

**********

RELATED: Celebrating Jason Cherniak

*

Freeze Scumbag!!!

Now put your hands in the air... and step away from the hedgehog.

*

"There's a rose... in a fisted glove..."

"And the eagle flies... with the dove..."

Officials in Yemen say a gunman who opened fire on worshippers at a mosque Friday killed at least eight people and wounded dozens of others.

Friday's mosque attack recalled a bomb attack earlier this month outside another mosque in a separate part of northern Yemen, Saada region, that killed 18 people and wounded 45 others.

"And if you can't see... any in-fi-dels, honey..."

"Bomb the one you're with."

A deal with Israel... you must be kidding.

These sociopaths can't even stop killing each other.

*

"I am not fundamentally malicious..."

Says biker babe... as she makes the rounds of media outlets pounding yet more nails into Bernier's political coffin.

Cheer up, Maxime... it could have been much worse...

Mr. Bernier is just the latest of Ms. Couillard's ex-boyfriends to suffer an unhappy fate, and he should perhaps be thankful that all he lost was a Cabinet post.

He could have been murdered, or ended up offing himself... like the last two lunkheads who got tangled up with this woman.

Ms. Couillard said she does not know whether she will be able to fall in love again.

Yeah, baby... we feel your pain.

The Toronto Star reported this week that Ms. Couillard had approached it seeking $50,000 in exchange for an exclusive interview.

What's that called... when you go out and peddle yourself... for money?

Hey, Max... maybe next time you can let the "big head" do the thinking.

**********

FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Mislaid Max"

**********

LAST WORD: In lieu of actual governance...

"Questions about Bernier's abrupt resignation continued for a fourth straight day in the Commons."

To be fair, there was a brief break from trying to peek inside Bernier's boxers... to attempt to spring a homegrown terrorist.

Your Liberal Party in action.

*

The inevitable destination...

Of Canada's candy-coated, oh-so-politically correct "Magical Mystery Tour"...

And when I said, 'It can't be any danger, what are you talking about,' the agent said, 'Well, it's what it represents.'"

The duel was on and Ms. Norys fired back, telling the agent, "That's censorship, not security."

I dunno, lady... I see that picture, I'm thinkin'... "What's Malibu Barbie gonna do now... if some other punkass doll tries to 'jack' her pink plastic car?"

**********

RELATED: And fuzzy-bunny McSlippery Ontario...

Is at the forefront of a similar, though reciprocal sort of madness...

-- TORONTO -- An MBA student accused of setting up an elaborate terrorism-support network has been awarded a $5,000 prize for his entrepreneurial acumen.

Two years ago, the arrest of the 26-year-old Canadian university student made headlines amid allegations he was known simply as “Waterloo Suresh” to Tamil Tiger figures overseas.

He's an entrepreneur, alright...

Students qualify for the financial awards by nominating themselves and then having their work reviewed by a university committee, he said, adding that the university picks its own award winners, and donors such as CIBC are not involved in the judging.

Only in Canada, you say?

Wait a minute... what do people who aren't on a university committee think?

Who can resist...

A good DNA story?

A 3,000-year-old clump of human hair found frozen in Greenland may have solved a scientific mystery: Where did all the ancient Eskimos come from?

And the hair yielded something extremely rare — the DNA of some of the earliest humans to live in the Arctic.

**********

RELATED: And then, of course, there's Egypt

Dr. Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, long refused to allow DNA testing on Egyptian mummies but accepted it recently on condition that it be done only by Egyptian experts.

He has never disclosed full results of the examinations, sometimes on grounds of national security.

Though Dr. Hawass has never explained the reasons for this, apparently there is concern that the tests could cast doubt on the Egyptian lineage of the mummies.

Which is as perfect a metaphor for the Arab Middle East as you'll likely ever encounter.

Good grief.

*

Does anybody know...

If... "Burning Witches: The case for - and against"... is gonna be on the program at Durban II?

Kenya police have arrested 86 people in connection with killing of 11 elderly people suspected of being witches.

Last week, eight women and three men were burned to death in the western Kisii district, where belief in witchcraft is widespread.

But see... it's not like they didn't have justification to jump into action...

Villagers told reporters that they had evidence that the victims were witches.

They say they found an exercise book at a local primary school that contained the minutes of a "witches' meeting" which detailed who was going to be bewitched next.

Hey, I know Canada is gonna take a pass on the Durban conference... but maybe we should send them that CSC manual on religious practices.

It sure couldn't hurt.

*

Out with the old...

In with the new...

"The American media produce a product of very poor quality," he lectured. "Its information is not reliable, it has too much chrome and glitz, its doors rattle, it breaks down almost immediately, and it's sold without warranty."

"It's flashy but it's basically junk."

*

Screw the two murdered kids...

We'll just go after the legally registered guns...

As Mayor David Miller fights to rid the city of both legal and illegal guns, police raided an east end home and seized dozens of firearms and some ammunition.

Peter Sedge, 56, of Toronto, has been arrested and charged with unsafe storage of a firearm.

That'll show those gangbangers.

**********

UPDATE: My mistake, three shootings...

But this one mostly fell off the media radar... 'cos the kid survived.

*

A glimmer of hope...

For the Canadian judicial system.

-- HAMILTON -- The Ontario government has been denied an appeal in its bid to block a potential class-action suit being filed in Caledonia.

Justice David Crane dismissed the Ontario government's application to kill the lawsuit in December and has now ruled the province cannot appeal his decision for his moral cowardice.

It's about time Premier McSlippery got called to account.

The suit alleges the county, police and province broke laws by allowing the closure of Argyle Street, the closure of the Highway 6 bypass, interruption of hydro in Caledonia, and by failing to enforce court injunctions.

Then again... if McGuinty loses... it's us, the Ontario taxpayer... who ends up payin' the freight.

Sigh... there's just no winnin' this thing, is there?

*

"Just hold up a blank sign..."

"It seems that that's all we're allowed to say about anyone and anything anymore."

*

No more "Junkie See, Junkie Do"

-- OTTAWA -- The Harper government will appeal a decision by the B.C. Supreme Court that saved North America's only sanctioned safe-injection site from closure at the end of June, Health Minister Tony Clement has confirmed.

Now, I'm sure that this decision to appeal is gonna set off all sorts of moaning and crying in the leftosphere about all those poor addicts... but what about the people who are really being impacted here...

The minister said Vancouver has the second highest rate of violent and property crimes of any major city in the United States or Canada. “Law-abiding Vancouverites are beginning to see that what has been presented as a ‘victimless crime' I the drug trade - is not victimless at all,” said Mr. Clement.

Put that in your syringe... and inject it.

**********

FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Welcome to B.C. -- Doing drugs = Good. Free Speech = Bad.

**********

RELATED: Speaking of "Stupid Judge Tricks"

-- TORONTO -- A judge who will decide if a jailhouse video interview with Paul Bernardo can be released to the public says he's worried about the killer's rights.

“Is it fair to have loops playing on TV saying, ‘Look at this psychopath trying to wiggle his way out of this'?"

Well, your honour... it's fairer than what he did to Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy.

Say Judge, while we're talkin' psychos... here's one for you...

-- HAMILTON -- A Hamilton man has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 6-week-old son. Police say 26-year-old Terry Legacy was arrested this morning without incident. Police say they got a 911 call on May 11 from the parents of Cohen Legacy, saying the infant was in medical distress.

The boy was taken to hospital, where he later died. An autopsy later ruled the boy's death was a homicide.

So, your honour... here's my question.

Was the previous assault on the other child... just deductible?

Legacy is also charged with aggravated assault stemming from serious injuries suffered last year by another child.

I don't get it.

*

They stood over his body...

Firing into it.

See, Your Blondeness... I'm just not sure your by-law thing is gonna get the job done.

A man was shot to death late last night in plain view of passersby outside a mall in the city’s east end. At about 11 p.m., a man was gunned down outside the Agincourt Mall near Birchmount Rd. and Sheppard Ave. E.

Although details were scarce last night, the body was reportedly found at the rear of the mall near a branch of the Toronto Public Library. Also, unconfirmed reports suggest a witness at the scene saw multiple suspects firing at the body after it hit the ground.

The victim was the city’s second murder yesterday, and Toronto’s 21st homicide of the year.

Looks like farmers, deer hunters... and yes Mr. Mayor... target shooters... are totally off the hook... YET AGAIN.

**********

UPDATE: Latest shooting victim id'd

Levis Taylor, 17, of Toronto, was pronounced dead at the scene on Bonis Ave., in the Sheppard Ave. E and Birchmount Ave. area, police said.

*

Imagine trying to explain...

The necessity for this type of ad campaign to your grandparents...

Jiggy Conekshunz
bare respect to da person
hu cum up wit dis idea...
at least dere tryin 2 make a diffence.
but afta lukin at dat video n dem soundclips
n jus hearing all da shit on da news all da time...
its dum bare stupid
were smarter den dat

bless

Note to Mayor Miller... you can melt down every gun ever made... and you're still not addressing the actual issue.

So, Super Dave... just grow a pair, already... and do the right thing.

**********

RELATED: Cool ads just might not be the answer

Four people have been charged with the murder of a teenager found dead in a park in West Yorkshire. They are also accused of robbing Amar Aslam, 17, whose body was discovered in Crow Nest Park in Dewsbury, on Sunday night.

Seven males, aged between 12 and 20, were held in connection with his death. Three have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

*

Or... and I'm just spitballin' here...

They could go out and get jobs... ya know, like everybody else in Ontario.

-- DESERONTO -- Court-imposed restrictions against local protesters could mean the local Day of Action may be more about inaction, according to one local Mohawk protester.

"That would probably be the call," he said. "All of our guys are up on charges and conditions and to go on an AFN call and go against those conditions and get us all thrown back in jail isn't something we really want to do."

Yeah, we get it... "Too many bail conditions, not enough Indians."

*

About as useful...

As an unloaded gun... but I just couldn't resist...

This insane montage of (nearly) every instance of "What?" from the LOST series started me thinking about this genre of video meme, where some obsessive-compulsive superfan collects every phrase/action/cliche from an episode (or entire series) of their favorite show/film/game into a single massive video montage.

For lack of a better name, let's call them supercuts.

*

Funny how it's the eco-freak types...

Who are rallying around that safe-injection site.

I mean.. being a junkie... how sustainable is that?

And it looks like the federal government is staking out that position.

“We don't consider it the best health outcome to keep people in a position where they continue to use the illicit drugs, to inject the illicit drugs.”

It's as simple as that.

*

Thanks to everyone...

Who has emailed to enquire about my posts not hitting the Blogging Tories aggregator these last few days. I have contacted Stephen Taylor and he got back to me this morning.

Apparently there is a glitch somewhere in the BT wiring... and Stephen is working to sort it out. You can still link to me directly here... or subscribe to the feed by clicking on the square orange button in the sidebar.

UPDATE: Spoke too soon... I guess I'm back.

*

A Public Service message...

For any Vancouverite... who isn't too busy spikin' a little smack... to speak up for free speech...

The Covenant Zone bloggers will be demonstrating in support of Mark Steyn and Maclean's magazine, and against the ludicrous operation of "human rights" law in this country, when Mark's hearing in front of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal kicks off, next Monday, June 2.

Nice to know there's a few sane people left in B.C.

**********

RELATED: And from the man himself...

Even if there were no battles in Iraq and Afghanistan, even if no one was flying planes into tall buildings in New York, even if no one were blowing up trains and buses and nightclubs in Madrid and London and Bali, even without all that, we would still be in danger of losing this thing – without a shot being fired.

*

There's a reason...

They call it dope.

*

"Mixed Review", huh?

So... what sort of grade would you get... if you didn't immolate your neighbours in broad daylight?

But, let's not use 'harsh words' to criticise those 'developing nations'... we wouldn't want to hurt anybody's feelings...

"And, once again the 2007 human rights report card for the continent is disappointing."

Yeah... "disappointing"... that's the word I was looking for.

Of course, Amnesty has no qualms about pointing fingers at the real culprit... the "so-called war on terror."

Good grief.

**********

RELATED: In other "politically correct" nonsense news...

Dipshit 'activist' unwilling to admit he was wrong.

"This is the first I have ever heard that police can park in a disabled spot during an emergency."

Oh yeah... one small explanatory note.

This dumbstick became an "activist" after amputating his own legs trying to hop a freight train to go to a rock concert.

*

From the H.o.M. mailbag...

Got an email from reader Rich this morning... regarding the disingenuous yappy lapdog tactics of the ever-loony leftosphere...

"MP wants Mulroney back before ethics committee".

Well, much like all the Bernier argle-bargle... no real surprise there. It was the next paragraph that really put things in perspective.

I ran across a site run by a guy called Big City Lib....part way down the first page next to a Komodo dragon picture is this... "My advice to the opposition parties? Follow the ways of the noble Komodo Dragon, which bites its prey once, and then may pursue it for days while it slowly weakens and bleeds to death."

"Patience, brothers and sisters, patience!"

Hmmm... Big City Lib... that sounds so familiar.

*

Well, Mr. Mayor...

That gun ban sleight-of-hand isn't working out quite like you planned... you ready to trot out Plan B?

An east-end school has been put into lockdown after an apparent shooting in front of the building.

A man, who appears to be in his 20s, was found suffering from several gunshot wounds near Blessed Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School on Sewells Rd., near Neilson Rd. and Sheppard Ave. E., around 10:40 a.m., Toronto Police Const. Wendy Drummond said.

The victim was rushed to Rouge Valley Centenary Hospital, with life-threatening injuries.

**********

UPDATE: Yup... he's dead.

The victim has been identified as 19 year-old Shammal Ramsey.

And guess what... target shooters at registered gun clubs had nothing... absolutely nothing... to do with it.

And most people aren't stupid... they get that.

I've got a crazy idea... how about we go after the sociopaths who are actually pointing the guns and pulling the triggers?

**********

RELATED: Even City Councillors are kicking back

Councillor Michael Thompson called Miller's actions "political junkfood."

"It's all cosmetic," Thompson said. "He's not willing to deal with the major issues; he deals with all things around gun violence which are very minor in nature."

Minor? How about not even on the table?

'Cos, I'm pretty sure... but please, correct me if I'm wrong... farmers, hunters and target shooters... are totally off the hook here... YET AGAIN.

**********

LAST WORD: Not your mom's Scarberia...

I walked the better part of a mile alone, every day, to grade one in Scarborough. I bet that doesn't happen much anymore these days...

"Stuff like this isn’t overly surprising," said Moe Patel, 18, a Pearson student who had left the school before the lockdown.

"You hear about stabbings every day, every other day," Patel said.

Theo Obeng, 43, and Agnes Ansah, 40, came to check on their 18 year-old son and 14 year-old daughter, who were locked down at Mother Teresa. They said they try to keep their children inside their home as much as possible.

"It’s a bad area," said Obeng.

*

I can see your confusion...

But no... it's not Steffi and Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition... this time...

"Parliament will not allow that such deceptions are made," Mr Larijani said. "If they continue along this path, the new parliament will intervene in the case and set a new line for co-operation with the IAEA."

The comments drew chants of "God is great" and "Death to America" from the audience of MPs.

You think these guys are scary now?

Try to imagine if they got their sweaty hands on an actual nuclear device.

Actually, that problem might take care of itself, too.

*

A couple thousand G-strings...

Show up on my doorstop, I know I'd be impressed...

Canadian women are being asked to send their panties to the Burmese Embassy in Ottawa to protest the actions of the country's military regime.

The call for the underwear is part of the Panties for Peace! campaign, launched by rights activists in Montreal.

Hey... it makes at least as much sense as the rest of that crazy leftbot shit.

*

Tonight's CTV Spy-thriller Moment

Just watched leftwing propagandist Bob Fife outdo himself speculating on whether Maxime Bernier... "SHARED ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS"... with ex-girlfriend Couillard.

Yeah, Bob... that's obviously what Bernier was interested in... her geo-political acumen.

Good grief.

**********

FROM THE COMMENTS:

Until I hear the self-centered hypocritical media asking for a cross the board investigation of ALL partners, I don't want to hear anymore about this guy's large breasted ex-girlfriend.

Because this is simply a witch hunt looking to rake muck on one specific political party, and the only thing it is missing is the Dark Ages.

*

Insite now a "health-care" service

So, apparently... being a junkie... is now protected under Saint Pierre's sacred "Charter of Rights."

-- VANCOUVER -- The B.C. Supreme Court says it would be unconstitutional for the federal government to shut down Vancouver's controversial safe-injection site.

Now that there's a precedent... I can't wait for designated "free-fire" zones for gun-totin' gangbangers.

Fortunately, not everybody's comin' off another hit on the judicial bong...

Federal lawyers argued before the court that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms doesn't protect the right of drug addicts to shoot up.

I'm afraid for my country.

**********

RELATED: And in perfectly timed, ironic counterpoint

Shocked Vancouver police have arrested and released a couple who allegedly offered to sell a seven-day-old baby girl on the Craigslist website for $10,000.

You won't see it in the online article... but the television report showed a cop talking about the parent's "drug issues."

**********

FROM THE COMMENTS:

Most of the science regarding the Insite program are based upon self reporting by drug users (reliable?).

This is of course not mentioned in the media.

Nor is the recent British Medical Journal study in 2006 that showed no reduction in drug use due to these sites.

**********

LAST WORD: Elizabeth thinks I'm "ranting incoherently"

Well, Lizzy... I'm just not sure I'd be wanna be so reliant on "The Wisdom of Whores."

I mean, do you think they ever really ever get that taste... never mind the potentially life-threatening infectious stuff... outta their mouths?

*

So, you know how the CBC...

Is always screaming about those secretive, controlling Conservatives... turns out they're not so forthcoming themselves...

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. is behind an unprecedented flood of complaints to Canada's information watchdog. The latest annual report from Information Commissioner Robert Marleau says his office received 536 complaints about the public broadcaster in 2007-2008, more than any other department or agency of government.

And more than 90 per cent of the CBC complaints that Mr. Marleau has finished investigating were found to be valid.

Most of those complaints were about delays in responding to requests under the Access to Information Act, which for a $5 fee allows ordinary Canadians to ask for government documents and files.

Gotta love the taxpayer-funded hypocrisy.

*

Paging David Miller

Looks like farmers, deer hunters and target shooters... are off the hook, yet again...

Raids carried out across York Region and Toronto this morning are connected to a shooting in East Gwillimbury last month, police have confirmed.

Chanh Duc (Hector) Ho, 21, of Toronto is charged with kidnapping, attempted murder while using a firearm, three counts of possession of an unregistered restricted firearm, possession of proceeds of crime, possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, possession for the purpose of trafficking cannabis, two counts of failing to comply with release conditions and failing to stop for police.

Funny how that works, huh?

**********

RELATED: A message for "His Blondeness"

He can work against lawful gun owners if he chooses but the millions of safe, legal, responsible people who happen to own firearms have a choice too.

But we can vote with our wallets.

*

Trust me... I'm from the government

I'm here to save you... and I won't raise your taxes either.

-- TORONTO -- A drunk driver who killed four people and was banned from driving for life managed to get his licence back in an apparent bureaucratic foul-up, the Ontario government said Tuesday.

He had been given a seven-year sentence and a lifetime driving ban in 1999 after pleading guilty to causing a crash while driving drunk in a stolen vehicle. Four people were killed in the crash and two others were injured.

Mr. Scott was released on parole in 2004 and promptly reapplied for, and was granted, a new driving permit.

So... a la Maxime Bernier... will Premier McSlippery's Minister of Transportation, or Minister of Corrections be tendering his resignation?

**********

FROM THE COMMENTS:

Now this is totally unconfirmed, but I heard his request for vanity plates reading "kild4adem" was promptly rejected by the ministry.

Good job guys.

**********

WELCOME READERS OF DUMBSTICK STOOGELEFT

Stooge takes exception to my crack about the over-hyped Bernier tempest.

Well, at least... this time... Stoogie's not trying to stir up sympathy for a rapist.

*

From the folks who brought you...

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion...

In 2003, northern Nigeria stopped immunizing its children against polio. Hard-line Nigerian clerics called for the boycott. They accused Western countries, led by the United States, of contaminating the polio vaccine to render Muslims infertile or infect them with the AIDS virus.

As a consequence, the polio virus spread from Nigeria and reinfected 23 polio-free countries around the world, including nations as far away as Indonesia and Yemen, causing nearly 1500 children to be paralyzed for life.

The capricious and unknowable "Will of Allah."

**********

RELATED: Meanwhile... back at the ranch

"I mean, sorry, he's an idiot."

"And he can't arrest me for saying that because, first of all, it's true, and, second of all, even if it's just my opinion, well, welcome to Canada, buddy."

"We allow freedom of speech."

*

Everybody stand back... I'm goin' in

Well, once again... it's "home repair day" here at the Halls.

Our current bathroom taps... which would not have looked out of place in the home of my distant childhood... will be replaced with a Star-Trekkish Delta faucet from the clearance table mountain at Home Depot.

The shutoffs to the sink appear to be gummed up with mineral deposits (previous owner cheaped out and didn't have a softener), so it'll be an H2O-free zone around here until I'm finished.

If past experience is any indication, I will have at least one equipment, or infrastructure related crisis before I'm through.

Unlike my youngest brother, who, in a display of insane fearlessness... once pulled the the rad and water pump out of his truck in the middle of his driveway in mid-February, I confess to a little trepidation every time I start to "fix" something around here.

Unless Mrs. Neo feels the need to acquire more colourful idiom from my less-civilised bachelor days, she will no doubt head for the hills... or maybe the local library.

Blogging may be light for the rest of the day.

**********

UPDATE: Okay, halfway there...

So, the old fixture, which, of course, had been welded to the underside of the sink by Oxidato, the god of rust... is finally off. Even the supply lines were calcified into their fittings... (note to self... never, ever cheap out on a water softener).

I am also, surprisingly, for once... for all my contorted wrenching on sharpish metal objects... not covered in blood.

There, of course, has to be at least one glitch.

I discover that I have no silicone to bed the faucet and drain ring, so I have to disassemble, CLR & scrub and reassemble the shutoffs... so that we can turn the water back on while the tap is out. An actual plumber would just torch them off and sweat on a new set... but I get a perverse sort of satisfaction out of salvaging stuff... and if you don't count the labour, I'm saving here too.

Once the fittings have been demineralised, I can see they're pristine... I doubt they've ever been turned to the stops. Now, just gotta go get some goop and put 'er back together.

*

"I'm from Warner Brothers..."

"I'm here to save you."

A TOP-SECRET DEAL being ironed out by G8 nations will give the Music and film industry a state-paid force of copyright cops with the same powers of customs officials.

When you arrive in the country the copyright police would be given the job of checking laptops, Ipods, phones and other personal devices for content that 'infringes' copyright laws.

And it doesn't stop there.

"It would be the death of blogging, digg, fark and all sorts of other sites that have sprung up over the years."

(h/t reader bob)

Hey, Joe... where are you?

"My real problem with Stephen Harper is I don't know where he really is... and that troubles me."

**********

FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Joe has spent his entire political career defining who he WASN'T: first, he wasn't PET. Then he wasn't Brian Mulroney. Finally, he wasn't Stockwell Day...."

"This is pathetic even for him."

*

Technical difficulties

Sorry, folks... for anybody who comes here via Blogging Tories... it appears as though my posts haven't made it to the BT aggregator since Sunday morning. I've just emailed Stephen Taylor.

I'm still crankin' 'em out... feel free to bookmark or link here directly.

Or just click on the orange button in the sidebar... to subscribe to the feed.

*

Everybody wants...

To save the whales... but nobody wants to help mom with the dishes.
That can't be right... Steffi tells us Canadians are willing to pay extra to save the planet.

Let's check again this morning.

**********

UPDATE: Maybe we tattoo a scarlet "C"...

On the foreheads of people who use too much energy...

Every adult should be forced to use a 'carbon ration card' when they pay for petrol, airline tickets or household energy, MPs say.

Anyone who exceeds their entitlement would have to buy top-up credits from individuals who haven't used up their allowance. The amount paid would be driven by market forces and the deal done through a specialist company.

(h/t reader rich)

**********

RELATED: In other news from the leftosphere...

-- OHSWEKEN -- Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant offered an olive branch to Six Nations yesterday with $1.6 million to launch a kidney dialysis treatment centre on the reserve.

Might as well cut out the middleman, huh?

And the community was quick to express their appreciation...

"ONTARIO DECLARES WAR ON SIX NATIONS."

*

Which begs the question...

What exactly... are these people worshipping?

"It's not a crime to ban underwear at work. If staff don't like it, they can get a job at a pro-underwear temple."

*

The fairy-tale world of David Miller

"And nobody can deny that that hobby directly results in people being shot and killed on the streets of our city. Those are the facts."

"And they're provable again and again and again."

Well actually, your blondeness... they're not.

Of Canada's two million licensed gun owners, 111, or 0.00555%, used their firearm to murder someone.

On the other hand, in 2005, 64% of accused murderers had a prior criminal record, including 6% for homicide.

So... when the gangbangers have another running gunbattle... Mayor Miller calls for more social workers... but now, he's gonna shut down target ranges?

Let's see... who would that affect?

Toronto shooting coach Patrick Haynes said Canadians who compete in international shooting competitions will be at a loss if the two gun clubs lose their city permits.

Mr. Haynes is coaching his fiancée, Avianna Chao, set to compete at two events at the Beijing Olympics.

He said she qualified for the Olympics after training at the Don Montgomery centre shooting range and now trains at the Union Station range.

**********

RELATED: Toronto "Red" Star asks...

Why can't evil target shooters... be more like this paragon of virtue?

Outlaw biker Francesco (Frank, Cisco) Lenti has been calm, polite and tidy in jail after being arrested for fatally shooting a Hells Angel, and his good behavior has rubbed off on other maximum security prisoners, Lenti's manslaughter trial heard today.

"He is basically a model inmate," Mike Grimson, deputy chief superintendent of the Eastern Ontario Correctional Centre in Lindsay, told Newmarket court today.

**********

LAST WORD: Once upon a taxpayer

Councillors, following an often heated debate, voted 31-5 Monday to spend an additional $2.6 million this year and $4.9 million in 2009 to get panhandlers into housing and social programs through the existing Streets to Homes program.

“They want some choice in their food and they want to deal with their addictions."

Of course they do... that's why they eat out of dumpsters and would cheerfully strangle granny for their next spike fulla' smack.

*

I guess the first couple hundred...

...are deductible, huh Georgie?

Health Minister George Smitherman says there is no need for an independent investigation into the deaths of hundreds of patients in Ontario hospitals from C. difficile bacteria.

The Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats insist a provincewide inquiry is needed into the deaths of 260 patients from C. difficile at seven Ontario hospitals.

"You've gotta have priorities!!!"... cries Gorgeous George.

And what's with all those whiny cardiac and cancer guys?

Patients scheduled for bypass surgery at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute had to wait an average of 70 days between January and March 2008, skyrocketing from the previous quarter's average wait of 44 days.

According to a report that will be presented Wednesday to the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), wait times for cardiac bypass and cancer surgeries continue to climb.

*

"A pitcher of warm spit"

"An Obama-Hillary ticket would be everybody's worst nightmare, beginning with the ritual photograph of the running mates and their spouses on stage on the final night at the national convention, where Jimmy Carter chased a reluctant and bemused Teddy Kennedy around the podium, begging like a puppy for his hand."

"The spectacle of Barack, Michelle, Hillary and Bill standing with arms upraised would frighten the millions, hardly the second occasion for Michelle Obama to feel pride in her country."

*

Wake up & smell the species

The fiberals just don't seem to understand... crime is all about, "pay me now, or pay me later."

One reason for the surge in violence is that Mr. Calderón and his public security minister, Genaro García Luna, have upset longstanding arrangements between the police and drug traffickers at every level of government, several experts on crime in Mexico said.

Think it couldn't happen here?

*

Yeah... life is so unfair, huh?

Michele Mandel wants to applaud his "courage and altruism"... I just wanna make sure he doesn't live in my neighbourhood.

-- "The stigma around mental illness is huge in itself. The stigma around killing your own child is amazing." --

You know, David... I'm not so sure that publicly celebrating your "victimhood"... is a very reassuring... or appropriate... sentiment either.

**********

RELATED: Oops... I just hate when that happens

*

I wonder which way this guy...

Would swing... on that confounded taser conundrum.

*

The Land of the Free

And the home of the brave.

**********

FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Speaking of Memorial day..."

*

Geekin' out

Images from the Mars Lander.

*

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

We get out to the garage and he's got shovels and rakes and coffee cans full of bouquets. And I said, 'What are we doing?'

And he goes, 'We're doing the graves.'

*

See, the part I don't understand...

Is how getting involved, or even sympathising with the Big Circle Boys can be perceived as the classier move...

The frustration on Toronto police Insp. Peter Yuen's face was unmistakable as he addressed the Chinese community two weeks after a hard-working father of two was killed by a stray bullet in east Chinatown.

Two weeks had gone by and police had not received a single tip, he told reporters at a news conference.

"We have yet to receive a single phone call from this community," he said. The January shooting remains unsolved to this day.

And before... yet again... we start into how our racist Canadian system discriminates against non-whites... let's examine that Asian "class" thing...

Karen Sun, the executive director of the Toronto chapter of the Chinese Canadian National Council, said for some parents, becoming a police officer is as prestigious a job as becoming a plumber.

"It's a class issue," she said. "Not that policing is bad but we want our children to have good professional jobs. Policing is seen more as being a lower status kind of job."

Of course, that's not the fallacious "hot-button argument" that's inevitably offered up first...

The police have a less than honourable reputation in China. The stereotype is that the profession tends to attract people who are uneducated and unmotivated to move past their working class stature.

Moreover, police officers are often seen as being corrupt, taking advantage of a stringent regime to exert excessive power over the people.

Hang on a second... if that's an accurate perception of the mindset within "the community"... wouldn't that logically throw suspicion on the motives of every Chinese recruit on the police force?

Whaddaya call that? Oh, c'mon... the word is right there on the tip of my tongue...

P.S. -- Any Chinese readers out there... who care to weigh in here?

*

Fly me to the moon

-- MONTREAL -- The new CBC/Radio-Canada president has asked the federal government to give the public broadcaster a $215-million boost and commit to a seven-year funding plan.

In his first public speech since being appointed CBC president in January, Hubert Lacroix asked the government to fork over $40 more per Canadian in annual funding -- the broadcaster currently receives $33 per Canadian.

Lacroix also asked for an exact dollar figure on how much the government will contribute to the CBC over the next seven years.

*

Another Toronto Star...

"Smell the Diversity" push-poll...... goes horribly wrong...
Time for Ali Hindy to rally the Internet troops.

**********

UPDATE: Well, he huffed and he puffed...

And 1500 votes later... an identical result.

By the zero hour...

Fournier will already have been breathing pure oxygen for two hours to help his body adapt. The balloon will then rise, taking more than two hours to reach its apex before he steps out to pierce the sky in temperatures plunging to minus 65 C and in pressures that, without a special suit, would quickly bring his blood to a boil.

He'll be tracked with global positioning trackers, radar, a helicopter and a Learjet. He expects to land within a 40-kilometre radius south of North Battleford.

If he lands unconscious, his team will have 15 minutes to get to him before his air runs out.

*

Now you see it...

Now you don't...

-- VANCOUVER -- Sweeping changes to Canada's home on the World Wide Web will put the country on the vanguard of Internet privacy.

It's long been standard for website registrars to publicly provide detailed contact information for individuals who own domain names under dot-ca and dot-com through an easy Internet search called a Whois (pronounced who-is).

But all that's about to change.

The Canada Internet Registration Authority says it will buck the trend by June 10, instituting new privacy policies that will protect private information from roaming eyes.

Bringing the Internet authority's policies in line with the law on June 10 will let potential whistleblowers – or those worried their political blog postings will lead to a home visit from a dissatisfied Internet user – breathe a little easier, Mr. Geist said.

*

Matthew's gonna go with...

The Johnny Maudlin defense...

"They claim I was too stoned to remember," Matthew said, adding his school is taking a "holier-than-thou" attitude.

So was he?

"I was, but they don't have it on camera so they can't prove it," he said.

Now, I was actually gonna make a crack about how proud his parents must be... but apparently, well... read on...

Matthew's mother, Delma Bruni, said Matthew wasn't doing anything wrong and he was on his own time anyway.

"Regardless of whether he was high, the school is stepping over the line here."

Well... I guess that explains a few things.

*

Apparently, they've ruled out...

Any sort of extra-terrestrial serial-killer...

Nycki Basra, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told the CBC they are working to trace where the foot came from, and said it could be a result of suicide, accident or foul play.

*

Answering that age-old question...

How close to brain dead can you be... and still manage to live and breathe?

-- BERLIN, Germany (AP) -- Police in southern Germany say they have removed a seven-month-old boy from his parents after they tried to sell him for one euro (US$1.57) over eBay.

Krumbach police spokesman Peter Hieber said baby Merlin has been put in care of youth services in the southwestern Allgaeu region and was doing well on Saturday.

On a brighter note... they didn't chuck him down a concrete staircase in the middle of winter and then run away.

*

If you're good with gay marriage...

How can you possibly criticise polygamy?

-- TORONTO -- It was easy. He simply found an imam willing to break a Canadian law, in exchange for upholding an Islamic one.

"Polygamy is happening in Toronto; it's not common, but it's happening," said Hindy, imam at Salahuddin Islamic Centre.

Hindy, hardly a stranger to controversy, is well known for his friendship with the family of Omar Khadr, the young Canadian detainee at Guantanamo Bay, and his outspoken views on the implementation of Islamic law.

See folks... if you're willing to toss out the thousands of years old definition of marriage as a union between "one man and one woman"... you can't, in good conscience, throw up barriers to other forms of matrimony.

In the past five years, Hindy said he has officiated or "blessed" more than 30 polygamous marriages; the most recent was two months ago. Even some imams in the GTA have second wives, he added.

**********

FROM THE COMMENTS:

"Does the government have any balls to deal with this issue and this imam in specific who has openly admitted to breaking the law and expressing his contempt of Canadian law?"

Uh... that's some sort of trick question, right?

A controversial Toronto imam warned Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan at a closed-door meeting to stop "terrorizing" Canadian Muslims."

"If you try to cross the line I can't guarantee what is going to happen."

"Our young people, we can't control."

**********

RELATED: In other urban crime news...

A man is in serious condition after being shot twice and left for dead in a field.

Police were originally notified of the shooting on Driftwood Ave. in the Jane St. and Finch Ave. area by Peel police, said Staff Sgt. Steve Tedford.

The victim, believed to be in his 20s, called his mother, who lives in Peel, after being shot. His mother reported the shooting to Peel Regional Police who in turn notified police in Toronto.

And he's not just the victim. Turns out this dickhead is wanted for a string of robberies.

Bright lights, big city.

*

No word yet...

On how many axes he bought this time.

-- MONTREAL -- A man who escaped from a mental hospital where he was confined after killing his daughter with an axe was arrested Friday as he shopped for camping supplies.

A Quebec Superior Court judge found him not criminally responsible for killing his nine-year-old daughter in 2001 during her first unsupervised visit with him. Mr. Masiak had recently separated from his wife.

The girl's skull had been crushed by repeated blows from a hatchet.

And that "escape" that the media is reporting?

A manhunt was started for Mr. Masiak on Thursday when he did not return to Pinel after being out on a day pass.

Oh Canada.

*

Clinton confirms speculation...

She would drown her own grandmother to get the Democratic nomination...

"I ain't quitting while there's still plenty of time for someone to pop a cap in this guy's ass."

Well, alright... I'm paraphrasing.

In an interview with the editorial board of the Argus-Leader, Clinton stated...

"My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right?"

"We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You know I just, I don’t understand it,” she said, dismissing the idea of abandoning the race."

Good, sweet jebus.

*

"Turn this crazy bird around"

"Should not have got on this flight tonight..."

The city of Brantford is asking that the Canadian Forces be put on notice in case of a potential riot by aboriginal protesters. That request is in a court document that goes before the Superior Court today asking for an injunction.

The injunction seeks to prevent aboriginal defendants from protesting at development sites around the city. The motion being filed by the city asks the judge to notify the attorney general that the services of the "Canadian Forces are required".

It goes on to say that tensions in the city are mounting due to "the defendants' unlawful activities" and a confrontation "or riot is inevitable and imminent."

The result of the McGuinty government's unwillingness to to uphold the "law of the land."

Pay me now... or pay me later.

*