It's Halloween. A time when the curtains that separate life and death are thrown open, allowing movement between the worlds. It is an easy transition, and one that Johnny took this morning at 10:30am, GMT. He was 80.

Johnny was a charming old fellow, always quick with a joke, smoking his pipe by the gas fireplace. He wasn't very mobile, and he was often tired, but he never turned a visitor away, instead entertaining them while Mary made the tea.

He was a decorated WWII soldier who kept his medals framed with a pride of accomplishment - not a pride in the regime that awarded him.

At 15, Johnny came home from his part-time job in a mill in southern Poland, to find his sisters hysterical, and his parents missing. Within three days the news came: His parents were being held in a military camp called Aushwitz, and they would be released as soon as Johnny and his older brother "volunteered" for the army. Needless to say they were in uniform in very short order. True to their word, the Germans released Johnny's parents, but it was too late to save his mother. She had contracted TB at Aushwitz, and would die within two months.

Johnny hated his situation, but made the best of it. He was the type of person who always strove to be the best, no matter what he was doing. He was a decorated member of the 7th German Airborne Division when his unit was captured by the Allies, and he was turned over to the Polish Armed Forces. He was moved to a base in Scotland, where he met Mary. They have been married since 1947. Mary was by his side this morning.

Johnny leaves behind Mary, his three daughters and two sons, and his 13 grandchildren - my husband among them. He also leaves behind 8 great-grandchildren. And a granddaughter-in-law who loved him very much, and will miss him terribly.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen; conservatives and moonbats. It's a beautiful morning here in Downtown Toronto. I would love to stay and chat a little longer, but I'm off to meet Rudy Giuliani. No really.

Catch ya later!

Do you ever have those nights where nothing seems real? You feel drunk before the first sip, and no matter how many glasses you have, nothing becomes any clearer or any foggier?

the dog is sick and the phone is ringing with bad news and the national film board of canada is playing one of those stupid shorts that make no sense but have an indian mask so it's all good even though my tax dollars paid for it (she couldn't have been serious!)and i want my money back and all the credits are bilingual and the pizza wasn't very good are we out of bourbon? it's all such a farce a trojan horse nothing is real tonight and we've all been fooled but as long as kevin bacon is making movies we'll be okay

The Loyalist reminds us that it's been 10 years since the pre-referendum Unity Rally. And no one cares.

I remember that day very clearly. I was 19 and living in Montreal. It was exactly one month since my father had died. I had gone to work at 6:30, as normal, had a huge fight with my manager, quit my job at 9, left, and drove up to the Laurentian Mountains to clear my head. I remember seeing bus after bus heading south, toward the city. The rally. Hmm. Good reason to stay up north all day, to avoid the snarl-ups it would cause.

A few weeks later I was in Charleston, SC. I was taking a tour of Drayton Hall, one of the last intact Antebellum homes on the Ashley River. There was a Canadian couple from Ottawa in my tour group. As we were all introducing ourselves to each other, I was asked where I was from. I replied Montreal. Their response:

"Oh, we were just there saving your asses a couple of weeks ago."

Really? "You didn't save my ass, ma'am. I voted yes. So next time just mind your own damn business."

At least that kept them away from me for the duration of the tour.

The Conservative Party of Canada's Task Force on Safe Streets and
Healthy Communities will hold a Town Hall meeting on Nov. 2 from 7-9
pm at the Lithuanian Hall at 1573 Bloor Street West. The meeting is
the latest stop on a cross-Canada tour. Chaired by MPP and federal
candidate for Whitby, Jim Flaherty, the task force's goal is to gain
a better understanding of the emerging crime issues facing our nation
and to provide meaningful solutions.

Parkdale High Park Conservative Party candidate Jurij Klufas will be
participating in the session, as will six other local
candidates. "The increase in gun violence in the city of Toronto has
residents concerned and frustrated" said Klufas. "This task force is
intended to hear from the public and local community leaders about
what can and should be done."

Presenters will speak on sentencing, policy and community responses,
and drug links to gun crime. Invitees include school officials,
front line law enforcement officers and community workers.

Yesterday I wrote about Suzette Boler, a woman who lost her job after seeing her National Guard husband off to war.

I have been trying to get in touch with Mrs. Boler to offer my support, and to hear firsthand how she is doing. Understandably, her line is mostly busy, and she is screening via her voicemail. I guess I would be, too.

Anyway, word on the street is that calls of support and offers of employment have been puring in for her.

"I never thought all this would have happened from such a little story," said Caledonia resident Suzette Boler, 40, fired from her receptionist job the day after her husband left for duty in New Jersey, then Iraq.

A story in Wednesday's Press prompted angry reactions from veterans and soldiers all the way to Iraq, in addition to offers of jobs and financial help from Florida to Ohio to Chicago. Boler was booked for an appearance on CNN today, on top of interviews with radio stations from Texas to Indianapolis.

Good for her. As for reaction to the company that fired her...

[Henry]Bledsoe [company founder-ed] said he comes from a family where military service and support of troops is a tradition. He noted that he served in the Air Force from 1970 to 1974, including hospital duty in Thailand.

"We are staunch American supporters," Bledsoe said.

Jerry Boler, who is training at Fort Dix, N.J., prior to leaving for Iraq, said this about her firing: "I didn't think it was very patriotic. I guess people have to deal with their own conscience."

John Buncak, 65, a retired Army major who was injured in a helicopter crash in Vietnam, learned of Boler's firing on an Internet news site. The Ohio resident said he tried in vain to get through the jammed switchboard at the company Thursday morning to vent his anger.

"It's ridiculous. It's unconscionable. I'm just upset. I want to express my displeasure with their management practice," Buncak said.

Tom Joseph, president of an Akron, Ohio, software firm, phoned Boler Thursday and offered to pay her lost wages until she finds another job. Boler earned $9 an hour, working three days a week in a job she had about 14 months.

"We've got to support our troops," Joseph said. "We have got to step and do everything we can."

The new G.G. consort is getting a little hysterical.

Quebec — Governor-General Michaëlle Jean's husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, lashed out at Quebec separatists yesterday, saying they promoted terror by calling him a "traitor" and a "renegade" after his wife's appointment last summer.

Them's may be fightin' words, but they're not death threats. I don't think that it's exactly "promoting terror" if they are just scaring you, Chicken Little.

During a live, 45-minute radio interview on Radio-Canada, Mr. Lafond didn't mince words. He called his separatist critics "terrorists" and said if he had been subjected to the same type of verbal "terror" in a country like Iran, he would have been killed.

In a way he is right. Some of those separatist critics may actually be terrorists. Not because they are scaring M. Lafond, but because those same people may have actually bombed others in the late 60's. Nevertheless, "verbal terror" doesn't actually kill you, no matter what country you are in. And comparing your own discomfort at having your old buddies mad at you to the plight of dissidents actually being arrested and tortured to death in Iran is a little egocentric.

"Faced with the situation, I said to myself – I saw myself back in Tehran, where I had been a few months earlier – I said: 'If you were there, you'd be dead.' That's called terror. And that terror, when it is expressed in words, it becomes extremely dangerous," Mr. Lafond said in his first extensive interview since his wife was designated Governor-General in August.

Again, no. Terror expressed in words isn't extremely dangerous; terror expressed in bombs is.

A woman who took an unpaid leave of absence from work to see her husband off to war has been fired after failing to show up for her part-time receptionist job the day following his departure.

"It was a shock," said Suzette Boler, a 40-year-old mother of three and grandmother of three. "I was hurt. I felt abandoned by people I thought cared for me. I sat down on the floor and cried for probably two hours."

(snip)

She said she had told her bosses that she would try to return on October 17 but if she could not, she would definitely be back October 18, she said.

But on the afternoon of October 17, she received a call from work telling her to come in the following day and get her things because she was being fired. Her pink slip said the reason was she failed to show up for work October 17, a Monday, she said.

All heart. Really. Way to support the troops and those left behind. In this day and age, when companies are striving to appear as leaders of their communities, what message do you think this sends?

What? You mean she can't have her cake and eat it to?

I don't know why, and I can't find any information on it, but there are cops all over the downtown Toronto core today. They are on the subway platforms, and standing at the subway entrances. They are walking the beat. They are driving around in their rescue vans. They are scaring the crap out of me! So for today, I have kept my comfortable walking shoes on. I have called my husband to tell him that I love him, and to remind him of our evacuation plan.

Jihad after-party at my place!

Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks - the lady at the front of the bus - passed away last night at the age of 92.

In December of 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery.

The incident sparked a young Martin Luther King Junior to organize a 381-day boycott of the bus system by black riders.

The boycott forced desegregated public transportation in Montgomery and fueled the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The women of The Cotillion celebrate Halloween!

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692
A Brief Introduction
The events which led to the Witch Trials actually occurred in what is now the town of Danvers, then a parish of Salem Town, known as Salem Village. Launching the hysteria was the bizarre, seemingly inexplicable behavior of two young girls; the daughter, Betty, and the niece, Abigail Williams, of the Salem Village minister, Reverend Samuel Parris.

In February, 1692, three accused women were examined by Magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne. Corwin's home, known as the Witch House, still stands at the corner of North and Essex Streets in Salem, providing guided tours and tales of the first witchcraft trials. John Hathorne, an ancestor of author Nathaniel Hawthorne, is buried in the Charter Street Old Burying Point.
By the time the hysteria had spent itself, 24 people had died. Nineteen were hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem Town, but some died in prison. Giles Corey at first pleaded not guilty to charges of witchcraft, but subsequently refused to stand trial. This refusal meant he could not be convicted legally. However, his examiners chose to subject him to interrogation by the placing of stone weights on his body. He survived this brutal torture for two days before dying. Critics blamed the Bush administration for such practices.

That's the story of the Salem Witch Trials that Arthur Miller popularized in The Crucible. It's the story of damage done by lies. Kinda like something Newsweek would do.

Thankfully, the Cotillion's star investigative reporter - Jane at Armies of Liberation - puts a little more thought into her reporting, and doesn't go shooting her mouth off without anything to back her up. This week she takes a break from trying to get assassinated by the Yemenis to bring us a story about the USS Cole.

Sondra K over at Knowledge is Power is warning you away. Beware, lest she hex you in her wrath!

Sadie at Fist Full of Fortnights is feeling equally wicked, complaining of useless emails. I'd watch out, for she the virus she sends your way may well be boils in uncomfortable places!

Dr. Sanity sings us a Washington sea chanty, invoking the spirit of Eliza Doolittle.

Denita TwoDragons at Who Tends the Fires is in the kitchen, cooking the autumn feast for the witches ball. Tree-hugging vegetarians celebrating the solstice need not enter her kitchen!

The American Princess discusses Harriet Miers' views of abortion - and more disturbingly - her love life.

Oddybobo at Bobo Blogger brings us a heartfelt glimpse into her trip to Korea to visit her ailing uncle.

Zendo Deb reminds us that class is not protection from domestic abuse. Over at The Wheelgun, she lays out some scary statistics about how wealth can't always guard you against evil.

The Grey Tie is vexed not only by illegal immigrants, but by the bleeding hearts who would aid them on their stealthy journey into America.

MaxedOutMama brings us sage advice regarding property investment and real estate. We should heed the wisdom of her words.

While witches may not ride broomsticks over your humble suburban bungalow, and werewolves may not raid your henhouse by the light of a silvery full moon, it does not mean that you should be complacent, believing there is no evil afoot. There is, and it is far more gruesome than you could imagine. Even Roman Polanski never saw this one coming: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (now why did that relationship make me think of Polanski??) are pregnant! Charmaine at Reasoned Audacity brings us the case for the return of shame.

There was a time that those who suffered mental illness and retardation were thought to be changelings, or possessed by evil spirits. Wikipedia has this to say:

In prehistoric times, mental illnesses were assumed to stem from magical beings that interfered with the mind. Individual tribes and groups of shamans had their own spells and rituals that they used to attempt to cure such mental illnesses. Often, such rituals took the form of exorcisms, in which the shaman would attempt to coax the evil spirit that was causing the disorder from the body. In some prehistoric societies, a primitive form of surgery was used to attempt to exercise the malignant spirits. Trepanation (also spelled trephination), the practice of drilling a hole through part of the skull without damaging the brain, was believed to allow the spirits trapped inside the skull to release. Skulls with trepanning holes dating back more than 10,000 years have been found in Neolithic Europe and South America. In fact, the presence of calluses on the surfaces of many skulls recovered showed that the operation had a surprisingly high recovery rate.

Not so today. Humanity would never allow for such atrocities. No sir. Today we just destroy the damaged goods while still in the womb. Raven of And Rightly So! brings us the story of Margaret - a child with Downs - and the mother who sees her as a human being.

Little Miss Atilla brings us some highlights from the Liberty Film Festival.

And since it's Halloween, check out Sisu for the obligatory cat picture, and read about the fairy princesses of the stage.

Have a wonderful and spookey Halloween, everyone. May it be charmed...

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.

--Pastor Martin Niemoller

Thanks to Mark Steyn, for making me laugh and for making me remember this poem, which stopped my laughing.

AWOL is the title of an article at the back of this month's GQ magazine. While the image of Cameron Diaz's breasts on the cover is enough to make you forgive the magazine nearly anything, I cannot forgive the picture on page 264 of the pudgy, slovenly coward in a red "Canada" sweater. This man is one of the border jumpers to skulk into Canada in order avoid the military duty they themselves volunteered to perform. The picture is of a coward by the name of Joshua Key. The article is about how the military "lies" to recruits, "lies" to soldiers, blah blah.

Really, I should just read these damn magazines while standing in the store, so that I don't wind up buying anything with questionable content.

Why am I so riled up? Well, lovely as she is (and lovely as her breasts are), I did not buy Cameron for myself. I spent the $4.95 on this month's GQ so that I could send it overseas to my sponsored soldiers in Iraq. Normally, if I was in a hurry, I would have just chucked it into an envelope, and shipped it off. But since I don't plan on posting it till Monday, I decided last night that I would flip through it. I'm glad I did. I would not have liked to send the magazine off with an article glorifying those who would not live up to their commitments to serve and protect their country.

Three people have died during a riot outside a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt, after a protest against a play accused of offending Islam.
Police used sticks and tear gas to hold back a crowd of some 5,000 protesters who marched on St George's church.

Dozens of people were injured in the crush. One man who died was trampled and had inhaled tear gas, police said.

On Wednesday, a Muslim man stabbed a nun in protest at the sale of a DVD of the play, staged at the church in 2003.

A violent gang rapist should have been given a lesser sentence partly because he was a "cultural time bomb" whose attacks were inevitable, as he had emigrated from a country with traditional views of women, his barrister has argued.

MSK, who, with his three Pakistani brothers, raped several girls at their Ashfield family home over six months in 2002, was affected by "cultural conditioning … in the context of intoxification", Stephen Odgers, SC, told the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal yesterday.

MSK, 26, MAK, 25 and MMK, 19, are appealing against the severity of their sentences after they were found guilty of nine counts of aggravated sexual assault in company - a crime carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment - against two girls, aged 16 and 17, in July 2002.

MSK and MMK were jailed for 22 years, with a non-parole period of 16½ years, and 13 years, respectively, and MAK for 16 years (12 years non-parole).

...

Mr Odgers said the new evidence showed that he had a disease, which, combined with alcohol and the cultural conditioning of "a society with very traditional views of women", was "clearly a factor in the commissioning of these offences".

"The applicant was a cultural time bomb," Mr Odgers said. "It was almost inevitable that something like this would happen. His culpability is lessened because of that combination."

Emphasis mine.

Hat tip: American Imperialist

Victor Davis Hanson reminds us why the Iraq war is one of the most successful and beneficial foreign actions the U.S. has taken, and how tragically it has been misrepresented by partisan polititians and the media.

The Western media was relatively quiet about the quite amazing news from the recent trifecta in Iraq: very little violence on election day, Sunni participation, and approval of the constitution. Those who forecasted that either the Sunnis would boycott, or that the constitution would be — and should be — rejected, stayed mum.

But how odd that in the face of threats, a higher percentage of Iraqis in this nascent democracy voted in a referendum than did we Americans during our most recent presidential election — we who have grown so weary of Iraq's experiment.

Read the whole thing.

Don't let a pair of titties tear us apart.

I'm not going to go into context, but damn, that's funny.

From the USO tour dates page:

Sergeant Major of the Army Hope and Freedom Tour 2005
featuring Bradshaw, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Al Franken, Craig Morgan, Souljahz, Keni Thomas and Mark Wills

Al Franken?? Why?

However, as I scrolled down the page, I was pleased to see that Henry Rollins is doing several dates. Now I like him even more.

The gals held a Cotillion yesterday. Looks like I'm fashionably late. Zendo Deb does the duties this week over at TFS Magnum (I love her use of Dali).

If you are not disturbed by how completely evil this is, the Chinese government is almost cute in it's total rejection of any kind of rational sense.

China Says Communist Rule Required for Democracy, Development

In a white paper titled the "Building of Political Democracy in China," the Chinese leadership says democratic reform has improved under the rule of the Communist Party, and says continued party rule is necessary to unite the country's people.

The report issued by China's cabinet describes the country as a "socialist political democracy" with "distinctive Chinese characteristics," guaranteed by the "people's democratic dictatorship" and under the leadership of the Communist Party.

In traditional Marxist jargon, communist countries are headed by a "dictatorship of the proletariat," and the proletariat, or working class, is represented by the Communist Party.

Wu Jianmin is President of China's Foreign Affairs University. He told foreign reporters in Beijing that China is striving for democracy, but not necessarily the same kind of democracy as found in Western countries, where the systems of government are based on direct elections.

You know, democracy, but without any of the messy democratic institutions.

This is the same country, by the way, that our Prime Minister loves and with whom he wants to increase trade relations, just to piss off the U.S. That's the way to establish Canada as a "moral middle power", Paul!

The mother of a Scottish soldier who was killed in Iraq is planning to camp outside Downing Street for 24 hours.

Where have I heard this before?

From the Thomas Moore Law Center in Ann Arbor, MI.

On Wednesday, October 19, 2005, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, California, will hear oral arguments in Eklund v. Byron Union School District. The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, represents several parents and children who challenged the Byron Union School District's practice of teaching twelve-year-old students "to become Muslims."

For three weeks, impressionable twelve-year-old students were, among other things, placed into Islamic city groups, took Islamic names, wore identification tags that displayed their new Islamic name and the Star and Crescent Moon, which is the symbol of Muslims, were handed materials that instructed them to "Remember Allah always so that you may prosper," completed the Islamic Five Pillars of Faith, including fasting, and memorized and recited the "Bismillah" or "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate," which students also wrote on banners that were hung on the classroom walls.

The merciful, the compassionate... don't get me started.

How come Islam is okay to teach to kids that are being discouraged from reciting the Pledge of Allegience with "under God" tagged on at the end? The ACLU is terrified of Christian zealotry in the United States, but they won't touch this with a ten foot pole. Why not? You can't have it both ways.

Pity, but the article doesn't indicate whether or not the girls were taught seperately for those three weeks, and if they were abused or taunted if their scarves didn't completely cover their hair.

I can well imagine how frustrating this must be for Christian parents, who have to hide their religious values in this day and age - no prayer in school, don't take your Bible to class, no "under God." Yet having a unionized public school teacher teach your kids about a religion where the murder of Americans is encouraged, where misogyny is a way of life - well, that's okay. After all, it's another culture!

That's the question the North American Patriot asks.

Amnesty International, and their cheerleaders at the UN, are consistent with their refrain in defense of international criminals, but what about my right to freedom from the danger that these criminals pose to society? Many of these criminals are charged with serious violent offenses ranging from armed assault, weapons and drug trafficking, murder, and even some human rights offenders guilty of mass murders and genocide, not to mention those who are participants in international child exploitation rings. Where is my freedom to refuse to share my community and health care dollars, with such people? Where is my freedom to protect my children from the risk of being victimized by them? These are criminals who are in this country illegally, and are facing deportation for crimes committed here and/or elsewhere. But I am forced to respect their rights to security of person, while my security and the security of my children, is placed at risk - to defend them from prosecution for their heinous actions.

Her excellent essay is well worth the read.

I usually try to stick to Canadian issues for my rants. It's my own way of countering the intellectual left-leaning elite in Toronto, who are obsessed with the U.S. and George Bush. I know a few otherwise intelligent, friendly people who can tell you nothing about our own government and national issues, but will rabidly trash GWB and all U.S. policies for hours. I really try to be the happy warrior, I really do, but these people are my everyday acquaintances, and sometimes it gets to me. So, I come here to Girl on The Right for a good rant. RG has been a heroine for indulging me.

Anyway, notwithstanding my Canadian content mission, I have to plug the latest Victor Davis Hanson article on NRO. I am trying to commit it to memory for the dinner party I am going to tonight. Not that I will try to debate the moonbats among my acquaintance. I think I will just repeat choice quotes of VDH to myself quietly, like a serenity prayer.

From Kevin at Counselling Kevin:

" If I ever get real rich, I hope I'm not real mean to poor people, like now."
---Mother Teresa, as told to Jack Handy

"I believe in making the world safe for our children, but not our children's children, because I don't think children should be having sex."
---Jerry Falwell, as told to Jack Handy

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you'll be a mile from them, and you'll have their shoes."
---Dr. Phil, as told to Jack Handy

"Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo, flying across in front of a beautiful sunset? And he's carrying a beautiful rose in his beak, and also he's carrying a very beautiful painting with his feet. And also, you're drunk."
---Dennis Hopper, as told to Jack Handy

There's tons more, including this one:

"We used to laugh at Grandpa when he'd head off and go fishing. But we wouldn't be laughing that evening when he'd come back with some whore he picked up in town."
---Bill Clinton, as told to Jack Handy

VANCOUVER -- A special justice-system task force has recommended that British Columbia become the first province in Canada to establish a "community court" that shifts the focus away from determining guilt or innocence, to instead place the emphasis on treating the illnesses and addictions of criminals.

"I think this is a revolutionary report," B.C. Attorney-General Wally Oppal said yesterday after the Justice Review Task Force released its findings. The task force spent more than a year studying the problem of street crime in Vancouver.

"You can't always be sending everybody to jail," Mr. Oppal said, as he endorsed the underlying theme of the report, which is that the justice system has to do a better job of striking at the root cause of crimes.

The report, put together by a group of lawyers, judges, police officers, health workers and social workers, says that society has to find a new way to deal with criminals whose actions are driven by substance addiction, mental-health problems or intense poverty.

Substance addiction? You mean from all the free heroin they're supplying at the safe shooting galleries? With all those government supplemented drugs, how can there still be any crime?

Why doesn't BC just get rid of their cops entirely, and save the taxpayers some money? Disband the courts - fewer judiciary salaries to pay. Tear up those outmoded books of law. What do we need them for, anyway? After all, if we just leave everyone on the honor system, with free smack, how can things go wrong?

The invaluable Politics Watch has posted a handy summary of all the ongoing and recent scandals to affect the Liberanos. Just in case you forgot what corrupt, lying, thieving scoundrels they are.

Jack Layton should be ashamed of himself, claiming that Canadians are "simply not interested" in an election. Of course this is just wishful thinking on Jack's part, he has no idea what Canadians want. He just hopes that by saying we don't want an election often enough to supportive media he can convince the Canadian public it's true. It's really Jack who doesn't want an election; it's been a long time since his party had so much clout.

If if is true that Canadians don't even want an opportunity to express their disgust (or support) with this scandal-ridden Liberal government then we may be the most apathetic, pathetic, pushover nation the world has ever seen, but I don't believe it. This is not a tiresome chore, it's our sacred franchise. This is our one little piece of democracy. We should be demanding a chance to exercise it.

Work and Pensions Secretary David Blunkett calls a spade a spade:

Some Labour MPs are unhappy at his plans to get many of the 2.7m people on incapacity benefit back into work.

But, he told BBC Radio: "If people... re-associate with the world of work, suddenly they come alive again."

"That will overcome depression and stress a lot more than people sitting at home watching daytime television."

Enough hours of Oprah and Tricia can make a person give up on life altogether, but a job can give them renewed enthusiasm.

"The system is crackers," he said, also calling the housing benefit system a "nightmare".

There were four times the number of people claiming incapacity benefit than were on invalidity benefit 30 years ago, said Mr Blunkett.

Yes, Mr. Blunkett, the system IS crackers. It's easier to stay on benefit, because then your rent is paid, your bills are paid, there's enough money left over for a bottle of Bucky, and you pay almost no tax. Why work? It isn't enough to encourage people to go back to work. Work has got to seem like the more profitable option.

Lower the benefits, raise the council house rents, and stop pandering to every junkie with a sick line from his rheumy-eyed doctor. Enough is enough. The working class would be more willing to carry the burden of the sick and infirm if they did not have to carry the burden of the lazy and sneaky.

I was walking through the underground PATH today at lunch, and passed a man who looked vaguely familiar. He was obviously French Canadian, and I thought he was J.P. from our Montreal office, in Toronto for the day. After all, he smiled and said hello as I walked past him.

And then... I saw it... THE HAIR.

This vaguely familiar Frenchman was Pierre Pettigrew, our mostly-useless (I'm being kind) Foreign Affairs Minister.

And then he was gone. I had missed my chance.

Just when you thought the UN had scraped the bottom of the pork barrel, they go a little lower.

They've murdered the Smurfs. (check out the graphic)

Out of an idyllic blue sky dotted with birds and butterflies come warplanes that carpet bomb the Smurfs' forest village, killing Smurfette, leaving Baby Smurf wailing in distress and sending Papa Smurf and the others bolting for cover.

The scene from a bizarre commercial featuring Belgium's lovable blue-skinned cartoon characters is so upsetting it can only be show after 9 p.m. to avoid scaring children. Yet it is part of a UNICEF ad campaign on Belgian television meant to highlight the plight of ex-child soldiers in Africa.

Empahsis mine.

In a math-callenged world where Bush=Hitler, apparently, the Smurfs=soldiers. Go figure. Perhaps if the UN were a little better at equations, they wouldn't have lost so much money over the years. And they wouldn't have to hold Smurfette for ransom.

Yup, the UN has certainly painted a big warm fuzzy on its latest UNICEF campaign. Warms the cockles, doesn't it?

It's nice to be back home, and the girls of The Cotillion always have something exciting going on to make you feel welcome.

This week, the Cotillion is hosted by fellow Canuck, Wonder Woman of North American Patriot. Go easy on her - it's her first time.

Where at least I know I'm free...



I am enamoured of Washington DC in a way that I have only ever been with Paris. In fact, I felt like I was cheating on Paris with its worst enemy, but it was love, and love cannot be denied! Washington is like porn for me: All that patriotism, packed into a city you can walk around in a day (unless your legs don't work, like mine).




I'm going to be his trophy wife someday.

We arrived at our motel in Alexandria (Oct 4th) with just enough time to shower and somewhat beautify ourselves before heading out for dinner with RTG and her faithful sidekick Jon, who is way hotter than I expected. Sorry girls - those pictures are classified. RTG was everything I expected her to be - smart, funny, slightly stoned. For all the drama in her life, she was a charming dinner companion, and someone I plan to keep in touch with in the future.

The Capitol

Wednesday (Oct 5th) morning was bright and hot. Mr. Right and I had booked a bus tour around DC, which kicked off at Union Station.

We didn't make very good use of our tour, which would have taken us out to places like the Jefferson Memorial and Arlington - places that are tough to get to by Metro. Instead, we didn't even make it off Capitol Hill for over two hours, and then spent the rest of the day near the White House.




As soon as the Schwarzenegger Bill passes... this will be my new home


They made us move from where I'm standing on the Ellipse. A motorcade pulled up in front of the House, and we had to move out of "shooting range" while the President got out of the car and into safety.


Official moonbats, camped out in front of Lafayette Park, across from the White House.


Mr. Right takes a break.

We bought a bit of swag - t-shirts and such - from street vendors in the area that afternoon. I got a t-shirt that identifies me as Air Force One Flight Crew. Then, exhausted and satisfied (I told you it was like porn!), we headed back to the motel to pick up the car and have dinner in Arlington.

Originally we were supposed to leave on Thursday morning, but then we had an invitation to tour the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank. It sounded interesting, so we decided to stay another day and night, and leave on Friday. The motel tried to be as accommodating as possible, although they were almost completely booked. They offered us a smoking room for Thursday night, and let us move our stuff in before it was cleaned, just so we could have the rest of the day. Chaos. By the time we got our stuff packed, the dog organized, and everything carted down to our nasty-looking new room (the original room was bright and tidy, the new one had mould growing under the air conditioner), I had to leave a message at the foundation cancelling my tour and apologizing profusely. we shrugged at the unpleasantness of the room - we wouldn't even see it except at bedtime, so what did it matter?

Off we went to the Lincoln Memorial,




then a walk along the refelcting Pool,


past the Korean War Memorial,



I love this picture!

all the way to the WWII Memorial.






No Place Like Home

Although my weak legs were crying out for rest, there was no way I was going to cut my last day short. The Museum of American History was next on the list. A friend of mine had begged me to go in and take a picture of the original Ruby Slippers.


And Kermit.


There were things in that museum that I would have loved to take pictures of, but was unable. The first was the flag that had been draped over the damaged west wall of the Pentagon on September 12, 2001. There were soot stains on it. While I wept in its presence, Mr. Right attempted to capture it digitally, but the light was too low, and the picture did not turn out. You can see it here.

The other one I regret not being able to save was also a flag - the flag. While I was still wiping my tears away, I stumbled into a room (No Flash Photography, Please) where Old Glory herself, the Star Spangled Banner, was on display. It took my breath away. Literally. I did not breathe for several moments as I stood there, staring at what could possibly be the most famous piece of silk in the world. That she has survived (though tattered) for all these years is a testament to America's love for her. Her unique resting place can be read about here.

The gift shop was a boon, and I stocked up on much starry/stripey stuff to send to my soldiers in their Thanksgiving packages next month. I also bought a red coffee thermos for myself that says Proud to be a Republican. I can't wait to take it into one of the many moonbat Starbucks' here in Toronto!

We The People,

Mr. Right wanted to go to the Air and Space Museum. I couldn't think of anything that would bore me more (except maybe reading the tax code), and my legs were killing me. So he went his way, and I went mine. At least where he went, he was allowed to take pictures.

Spirit of St. Louis

My way was to the National Archives, where I underwent a great deal of security in order to see three very famous pieces of parchment: The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and The Bill of Rights. I spoke to one of the female guards posted at the side of the Constitution. I remarked that although her job was rather cushy, I hoped they had taught her to shoot straight.

"Even if they wasn't paying me, I would shoot anyone who tried to touch this document."

Yup, that's about what I expected from a good American.

Bug & Bugs

At the end of a wonderful day, we took an evening drive to see all the monumnets lit up. Just before the sun set, we saw the Pentagon, which still has windows boarded up on one side. All around town we drove, despite the roadblocks around Capitol Hill (it was only the next morning that I found out the President had made a speech on the Hill). We met RTG for a final farewell, and headed back to the motel around 11:30. We were so tired, and desperate to get a good night's sleep before our long drive home the next morning. It was not meant to be. We found out that the dog was not the only Bug in the room. We had guests. The kind that once you have them, you can never be rid of! So we fled, weary, refund in hand, north, toward home. By 2am we could stand it no longer, and checked into a roadside hotel, with a big bed, a clean bathroom, and free breakfast. I do not even know what town we were in (I'll let you know when I get the credit card bill!), but I know that we had just crossed the Pennsylvania border. It was not the best ending to our fabulous trip, nor was the pouring rain for ten of our twelve driving hours on Friday, but at least we have fond memories of the rest.

God bless you America. We'll return to you soon.

Mr. Right and I have returned from our trip through Philadelphia and Washington. A wonderful time was had by both of us, and we met some wonderful people.

Lest We Forget



Last Sunday, the 2nd (Mr. Right's birthday), found us in Shanksville, PA, at the makeshift tribute to Flight 93. Nobody who wasn't on a list of family members was permitted to walk on the actual site, but there was a parking area on a hill that overlooked, which was turned into a visitor's center.



It's obvious why there shouldn't be a giant tribute to Islam put up here, but personally, I do not feel that any government memorial is necessary. There is a chaotic outpouring of love and admiration that has been put in place, by the people, for the people. Some tendered "arty" or "cultural" monument to the bravery of those passengers would spoil everything.


If you look very closely (sorry, no zoom lens), you will notice that off in the distance there is a speck close to the center of the image. That speck is the American flag, on the fence around the perimeter of the crash site.










Mr. Right and I left our own small tribute: the magnet from the back of our car. I would rather see that than a huge red crescent, wouldn't you?

City of Brotherly Love


Philadelphia is beautiful, and that's where we were on Monday, October 3rd (my birthday). That day, in addition to being a celebration of my 29 years on this planet, was the basis and the focus of my whole trip. I had been planning for some months to make the pilgrimage to the City of Brotherly Love to meet one of my readers, Zumkopf, before he leaves this incarnation. And so the two hours we spent having lunch with him at a wonderful restaurant in Rittenhouse Square was all I could ask for in a birthday present. And I know what I want for next year: I want him to still be with us. I know I'm not the only one.

I would like to say a special thanks to Monica at Salon Infiniti for saving me from a major hair disaster that morning. Under the circumstances, I really wanted to look my best. Unfortunately, I managed to forget my mousse, short circuit my hair dryer, and frizz beyond the border of ridiculous, all the way to pitiful. Being Monday, almost all the hair salons were closed. But this one place that catered to African American hair (if they couldn't straighten mine, no one could) was open, and shuffled their schedule to accommodate my panic. They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression - it was never so true as in the case of my lunch with Z. Salon Infiniti, I will remember you fondly (corner of 12th & Sansom, for those of you in the area).


Philly is the cradle of American civilization, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and where the infamously cracked (just like me) Liberty Bell still hangs.


I did not have the opportunity to see the Bell up close, since I had little Bug with me (they said he could enter if he was a utility dog - hardly - he's a chihuahua, and therefore useless), but Mr. Right went in to take pictures for me. I stood outside the glass walls, and looked in.




Betsy Ross's House

Rodin's The Thinker

A giant clothespin, against the backdrop of the Town Hall. It was kinda cool.

The city fountains were dyed pink, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The stairs from Rocky.

Philadelphia was also a city of shopping for us. I bought my new prescription glasses and contact lenses at a savings of over $300. And Mr. Right and I stocked up on books at Barnes & Noble. The difference in prices of books between the U.S and Canada is between $6-$12 per item. So we bought 15 books between us. More on that later.


Thought my Conservative Canadian readers would get a kick out of this.

So much for the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded for actual contribution to World Peace. Seems as though the committee has not come to utterly disregarding the work of global contributors to bestow its honors on pathetically toothless United Nations representatives, and their equally pathetic crusades (which, at the risk of sounding repetitive, produce expectedly pathetic results).

At best Muhamed El Baradei is being rewarded for doing what the United Nations does best, which is really nothing at al. Nothing in the Middle East, nothing in North Korea, and nothing in Iraq, saved for the occasional taking of credit for things other countries happen to accomplish.

And he gets rewarded with an unexpectedly high honor.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog and its head, Mohamed ElBaradei, won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their efforts to limit the spread of atomic weapons.

ElBaradei told CNN he was “overwhelmed.” He said it was “a shot in the arm” for his agency and would strengthen its resolve in dealing with major issues like North Korea and Iran.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee picked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and ElBaradei, an Egyptian, from a record field of 199 candidates.

Overwhelmed? He should be. After all, the IAEA, in the last decade, has been entirely useless, except for getting booted out of countries that understand full well how much power they have to enforce the "resolutions" that send them to other borders. It was the United States that "endeed" nuclear proliferation in North Korea (and we have yet to see that actually happen, and frankly all the stuff we want them to actually disable, they won't admit to having anyway). If it had been the IAEA, the more likely result would have been single-party discussions, an allowance to North Korea for nuclear creation and Uranium refining, with the promise of monthly visits by those Models of Effectiveness, UN Weapons Inspectors.

El Baradei issued a lot of press statments. And as a result, a bunch of third world dicators hold the world hostage to their accidental Dr. Evil impressions. I'm certain weapons inspectors would have been very effective in North Korea. If the starving villagers didn't eat them on their way to the power plants.

Basically, when third world leaders see the IAEA coming, they stop building for a second, cover the map with their hands, and claim they are really a bunch of greeting card salesmen, and the IAEA usually buy it. Its easier than working.

He told a news conference in Vienna, Austria, that the prize “sends a strong message” about the agency’s disarmament efforts and will strengthen his resolve to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Strenghten his resolve? To do what? Work?

My guess is that this underlines the UN idea that nuclear proliferation is best stopped by the sternly worded letter. As in, what the UN is currently doing in Iran.

The Middle East is about to explode, as an Iranian leader takes the initiative to become an Iranian dictator who will do whatever the hell he wants, Security Council resolution or not, because no matter what the Security Council resolves to do, they may as well be combining to decide on a lunch menu for all of the attention Iran is paying them right now.

But, El Baradei is getting the Peace Prize. But, then again, Arafat got it, too. ITs just too bad that its a cash award, otherwise we could steal it and sell it for scrap metal.

Or give it to Bono.

Okay, so I know Bono is a leftist pansy, but he's a leftist pansy with a good heart.

And I suppose that we should be glad it didn't go to another communist. That one was probably worse.

Or Kofi Annan. Or Barbara Streisand.

That's probably next year.

Oh, wait! That's reserved for Kim Jong Il.

It looks like the Canadian Parliament is taking a hint from the Iranian Nuclear Program--if you have a message, its best put into song.

Conservative MP Brian Pallister might want to stick to politics if his singing debut is anything to go by.

Pallister got the hook from the Speaker in the House of Commons on Monday as he sang a mocking melody about former Royal Canadian Mint president David Dingwall. Pallister began a member statement by singing Another Ding in the Wall, to the tune of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall.

In case anyone on this end of the frigid North hasn't been reading up on Canadian politics, David Dingwall is the former president of the Royal Canadian Mint (Cabinet Minister appointed by the former scandal-wrought Liberal government--as opposed to the current scandal-wrought Liberal government), who resigned after being caught doing what Kwame Kilpatrick makes part of his job description, stealing tons of money with unnecessary enterances on his expense account--things like lavish trips, golf club memberships, even the smaller things in life such as chewing gum (bet Kwame never thought of that!). And worse than that, he conveniently forgot to register that he lobbied the government shortly before working for the government. A practice that, over here, would get Tom DeLay indicted in a heartbeat.

Or get him an ambassadorship, but that's for another time and place.

But in the interest of party unity, instead of heading to O'Reilly and launching scurrilous-but-true barbs at the Big Cheese, they decided to make a public statment--one that incorporated Pink Floyd.

Why won't people in my government do this?

"You don't need no information, we're in charge of thought control," he warbled. "Fine wines with caviar in the backroom."

And he had the whole party behind him.

The rest of the Conservative caucus then joined in: "Hey Tories! Leave those Grits alone."

The last time the Republican party stood together to sing, I guarantee Lincoln was in office, the song was Happy Birthday, and it was immediately followed by carrot cake and Pin the Tail on Jefferson Davis. The last time the Democrats sang together, it was a funeral dirge for their party's platform.

But this, this, was apparently nothing new.

Ps have been allowed to sing their way through statements in the past but Milliken said it's up to him to decide what's appropriate in each circumstance and enough is enough.

Except that, when you decide to cut off someone with an inherently creative nature, they just keep it coming, whether you want them to or not.

"(Dingwall) got money for nothing, chicklets for free," the Manitoba MP complained of the former Liberal cabinet minister who expensed everything from golf to gum during his tenure at the Mint.

Okay, so to be truly honest, this story is serving merely to entertain me, but I think we need to take some action in this country and get a similar policy enacted. In fact, I believe we should amend the Constitution to reflect the changes. Every time they want to add pork to a bill, the proposal has to be entirely in song, and to the tune of one of the following songs:

Queen's "We are the Champions"

Aerosmith's "Dream On"

Christina Aguilera's "Come On Over, Baby"

and anything previously recorded by Barry Manilow.

No more fish-painted airplanes for Ted Stevens. Unless he earns it, of course.

Cross-posted at American Princess

Its not really a secret that, around here, when the government is really enthusiastic about you doing something, they launch a really great multimedia campaign involving, but not necessarily limited to, cute characters like Herman the FEMA for Kids Crab (motto, Education, Schools, Disasters and Games! Although with "The Crabs" being a waterborne communicable disease, Herman is strangely apropos), McGruff the Crime-fighting Dog or L. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and often including a memorable jingle, such as the one that discourages sex trafficking in Yugoslavia.

The result? A method of mind control that is not only effective, its kind of enjoyable.

Of course, what ties all of these campaigns together, outside of the middle-of-the-night, insomnia induced sing-a-longs, is the consensus that, when effective (we're still waiting on Herman), their powers are harnessed for good instead of for evil: they are used to protect children and small animals, and promote the kind of peace and harmony that is usually only evident in Marlo Thomas videos from the early 70s.

That is, when they are used by the American goverment.

When this kind of power falls into the wrong hands, the results are disasterous.

In recent days, Iran's airwaves have been buzzing with two new tunes apparently designed to rally public support for the clerical regime's increasingly tense stand-off with the West over its nuclear ambitions.

The first song is entitled "Oriental Sun, Nuclear Science", and sung to a backdrop of military-style marching music by Ali Tafreshi. The second similarly catchy tune is "Nuclear Know-How" by Reza Shirazi.

Both extol the wonders of a "great and powerful Iran" which has destroyed "the arrogance of the oppressors" and "defends its independence by using science".

Of course, this is evident of two things.

One, the slow Americanization of even the most stubborn of Middle Eastern nations.

Two, we have a lot to fear from Iran since they apparently thought that a top forty hit about whacking the snot out of the infidels in the Western World was going to somehow convince us that the Iranian nuclear program had nothing to hide, and should be allowed to proceed as normal, Security Council, European Union and American foreign policy be damned.

And then we question why unleashing Britney Spears on the world was somehow bad for America? Never mind the prostitot fashion craze, she's convincing the larger eastern powers that way to Condoleezza Rice is through our iPods.

Despite the heavyweight nationalist lyricism, Iran insists its nuclear programme it strictly peaceful. But the West in unconvinced, and the European Union and United States want Iran to abandon its works on the potentially dual use nuclear fuel cycle and are threatening UN Security Council action.

The songs, produced by Iran's state television and radio apparatus, have therefore been getting good airplay -- and are also accompanying TV clips of atomic facilities used to praise the "young engineers who have succeeded, without the help of foreigners, to develop the Iranian nuclear programme".

Once upon a time, we weren't so different from Iran. Caught in a nuclear arms race, it was all "Duck and Cover" and "Peace through Superior Firepower" and no "Make Love Not War" (the last one always puzzled me since it never seemed that one really prevented you from the other). It was all about national pride, and nuclear weapons, not because we needed them, but because their presence was essential to proving our worth on the world stage. We needed nukes because of the power they represented: the power to blow the world to bits. Nobody would bug us then, aside from the random Russian villian or British double agent, quickly dispatched by Roger Moore, martini in hand.

Iran is no different. Nuclear weapons are not really a strategic plus for Iran, since, being quite a ways from the United States, it'd be a few years before the missles got farther than the French Riviera, whom we'd defend with a swift retaliatory attack, turning their major cities to large pools of blue glass. But to have nuclear weapons means no one can touch you, since you could blow something of theirs up, too.

The comparison speaks volumes to the psychological necessity of ensuring that Iran does not get nuclear capability. For the majority of the twentieth century, the Arab world has toiled in the fifteenth century, kept in the dark by despotic leaders who avert the attention of their oppressed peoples away from the governments that steal their food and build palaces with their oil revenue, to the easy target of the West. Killing Americans, they tell them, will answer your problems. And the leaders keep the fervor alive by heaping praise and virgins on those who give their lives in the name of recapturing their honor. But they fight a cowards war. Great and prosperous societies have airplanes. Cowardly, decrepit societies have people with no job prospects (suicide bombers) who hijack those airplanes.

But if the same society were to have the weapons of war that the West does, and the capability to fight the war, or at least negotiate on their own terms? That turns the tables. All of a sudden, they aren't just a threat to America through the Iraqi insurgency, they are threat to America and its allies in a very real way.

They could produce the next Britney Spears.

Of course, I'm kidding.

They could produce the next Scooter Libby.

Ha! Not even close, but allow me to introduce myself, anyway.

I'm E.M. Zanotti ("Emily" to buddies, "nutjob conservative" to my enemies--and occasionally, a few friendlies) of the American Princess, and I'll be filling in for the lovely Girl on the Right for a few days while she traverses unfamiliar country south of the 49th, looking for Enlightenment and really good steak sandwiches (with luck, she'll at least find the latter).

I look forward to entertaining you for the next several days, but I must warn you, though I have lived only forty miles from the Canadian border my entire life, my experience with Canadian politics is limited to two phone calls to RightGirl, and a short fling with a Canadian who broke my heart, and my laptop computer (the latter was a lot more painful). So, hopefully, you won't think I'm so awful that you will question RightGirls judgment, turn liberal and never read her again.

No, I'm kidding. It will be good times, and as I promised RG, I won't dirty the Persian houseboy, but I can't make any promises about the rug. Especially with a Persian houseboy around.

I should sell tickets!

Tomorrow morning Mr. Right and I depart bright and early for our one-week pilgrimage through the cradle of America. We'll be spending a few nights each in Philadelphia and Washington DC.

The theme of the trip is HEROS. Our first stop is for lunch tomorrow in Shanksville, PA. Over the course of the week we'll see Arlington, the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol Bulding, and all the other tributes to America.

But those stops and sights are not the purpose of the trip. I will be doing something I never expected to do - meeting my readers. Not all of them, of course. There are many I will not have the opportunity to meet, although I would like to.

Specifically, I will be shaking the hand of a reader that over the months I have become friends with. Someone who I have added to my list of famous people I want to meet before I die. Or before they die. That is the true purpose of my trip south of the 49th. I guess I'm lucky in that I can turn to Mr. Right and say "Honey, can you drive me to Pennsylvania to meet a man I've been emailing?" and he just shrugs and arranges a rental car. He knows why.

I think that sad parts aside, it's going to be a wonderful experience to meet some of the people who have touched my life over the past year and half of Girl on the Right.

Due to a scheduling conflict, I will not be able to hook up with the charming and talented EM Zanotti of The American Princess. However, much to your benefit, that means she'll have the opportunity to house sit for me while I'm gone. In fact, you all might not want me to come back. I have handed EM the keys to Girl on the Right, with the express wish that she not shit on the Persian rug (or the Persian houseboy, Habib). You will actually see some decent blogging on this site for the first time in months (other than that which comes from Must Control Fist of Death).

So enjoy the week. And if you happen to be in Philly or DC and you see a girl wearing a pink hoodie that says Conservative Girls are Hot, come up and say hi.

I was at a Mary Kay debut this morning. For those of you who don't know what that means (and those of you rolling your eyes), it is when an Independant Beauty Consultant has generated enough money and has enough team members to be considered a Sales Director. It's a big deal within the Mary Kay community when this happens. Anyway, off I went this morning, pretty with my new haircut and pink jacket, to attend the promotion of a teammate of mine. Good for her!

Although English is not her first language, she delivered a wonderful speech nonetheless, and one part of it stuck with me.

We must stop being ashamed of our feminine origins, and start celebrating the fact that we are women, mothers, and we are beautiful.

Shmaltzy? Sure. But true. Women are not men. We are not the same. We serve different functions, different purposes. Our bodies have the babies, and our bodies can feed and nurture them. Our skin is soft. Our hair is shiny. We cannot lift the same heavy crates as men do, but we can carry the world on our shoulders. We cannot pee standing up. We can be equal, but we will always be different. That's what makes us special, and what used to make us prized among men.

Why do some women try so hard to become men, when it is men they seem to hate so much? I would rather don my pink jacket, and share beauty with the women around me. Save the heavy lifting to those with rougher hands.