Memoranda

All I can say to Bill Clinton is, Bill, if she can’t remember where she was at 11:00 pm because she’s tired, how is she going to be at 3:00 am? And why did you use the analogy when you were saying that Barack Obama should not benefit by claiming that he doesn’t take money from oil companies and said that that’s taking credit for not stealing cars?
In addition, during her debate, she let her side down by not questioning Mr. Obama on his lack of experience and his judgment and his associations. I think they ‘re legitimate things to wonder about. They’re not hard, substantive issues, but I think it’s a substantive issue to determine whether he’s a man who is fit in temperament and judgment and experience. It’s no indication of going for the jugular. Sometimes you have to.
This is about the presidency of the US, not who’s going to head up the Women’s League of Peoria, though I am sure the deliberations and agenda are very important to the League. Does it vote Republican?
John McCain flip flopped again. Instead of being fiscally strong like he was at the beginning of a week saying that reckless home owners should not be bailed out by the taxpayer, it’s become that home ownership is the number one priority, we have to help people out. Very sad.
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Then we have the crazed example of Michael Prentice going out for media approbation by blocking the sale of the Canadarm company. Nothing more than a media grab. At the same time, Risen says that he should get America to reduce it’s trade restrictions. Sure. We’re just shut down an American purchase of one of our companies and now we’re going to ask them to open up their trade. Do you think the American’s are complete morons?
National security and intelligence interests are not a good reason for not selling something like this to a US company. We have two security and intelligence agreements with the US. We have two major military alliances with it. The US is our best friend and ally. What do we care if this stuff is used for military purposes of their own? How can any Canadian have any question or concern about this stuff being used for military purposes?
That’s the sort of garbage the NDP peddles.
The US is our ally. We can trust them with our high security equipment. Maybe they’ll start to believe they can’t trust us. This is a 200 year old relationship. Mr. Prentice’s nose is so far up his… Well, so far you’d have to send the Esquimalt Search and Rescue team out to find it.
The federal finance minister was questioned as to how to regulate pension funds because some pipsqueak clerk was not able to research an analyze the fact that everyone knew the company he was about to dump people’s nest egg into was worth garbage. This clerk could not read a Standard and Poor’s bulletin. Now the federal government is thinking about how to regulate that while at the same time Minister Prentice is sending a letter to the buyer of the Canadarm company that will almost destroy a a $1.3 billion deal that the shareholders of the Canadian company might have enjoyed. The net benefit to Canada is that money would have come into the country from the sale.
I wonder how much money is spend on space by the federal government. It bet it’s not that much. And I bet it’s not $1.3 billion. But $160 million has been knocked of the value of the Canadarm company.
This meddling is at cross-interests to the Canadian interest. This is not what the Tories got elected to do. We have become the first government to block a foreign take-over since Parliament enacted the Investment Canada Law in 1985. A dubious distinction indeed. The closes this minister ever got to markets is when he buys groceries or gets his financial advisor’s statement.
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Memo to Dick Pound: The real thugs are not the protesters of the Olympic Torch. They are the ones who would arrange for the Olympics to be held in a country dominated by thugs.
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Memo to the Democrats: No candidate in the history of the US has won an election by calling for retreat, withdrawal or surrender in any war that as being fought. McLelland in 1864 is the last example. Every candidate since then has known it’s poison to do it. Nixon said he’s bring peace with honour in Viet Nam. Eisenhower said he’d go to Korea and promised to bring about peace. Madison won reelection in the middle of the War of 1812. Clinton and Obama are behind McCain in New York state and it’s nothing like 1992. Bill Clinton is a better candidate then either of his wife or Obama and there is no Ross Perot figure to bail out the Democrats. McCain is also a better candidate than Bush Sr. was.
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I never thought I’d ever hear this said about the Cold War that it had grand simplicities and old certainties. That’s not the Cold War I remember. That one was so difficult, complex and sophisticated that it would never be able to solve through the facile approaches of old and it would be an endless conflict that could not ever be resolved. These are the same people who are writing about the present conflicts. They never learn.
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Memo to Mr. Obama: Guns and religion when you’re bitter and angry? Sometimes you need to let off steam, such as a hobby or pass time. It’s no different than saying you have to take it out on the ninth tee. What about golf? Hunting quail? Mr. Obama has the bitter vote. Hurrah!
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Memo to Jim Flaherty: What about reducing the capital gains tax rate to that of the US? Right now, it’s at at a rate at least twice as high as the American one. Let’s bring it down to 15%. If they can, we can.
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I wonder if a white politician who had gone to a cocktail party and was on the board of directors with someone who had bombed a black church when he was a KKK member would be able to get off as lightly as Mr. Obama apparently did regarding his association with Mr. Ayers.
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I have a new rule of Reverse Government Intentions and Purposes. What the government does achieves exactly the opposite of what it intended. You could found a party around that motto. Perhaps it could call itself the Aggressive Libertarian Party.
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Wouldn’t it be nice if life could be like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and he ran into insurmountable difficulties and you could just phone a friend or have lifelines? How many would you get? Do you get an extra one if you get past the age of 40? Maybe one for wisdom? How do you earn that one?
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The whole Taser incident and situation shows you how insidious it is. This is the sort of weapon you get, knowing it is generally not lethal and, guess what, it means you’re going to use it more. Look at the subway police in Vancouver. They’ve used it ten times for people who had not paid their ticket. If you gave them a gun and they’re well trained and practiced and are qualified, they almost certainly won’t use it.
When you’re confronted with a person who hasn’t paid for his ticket, you’re not going to draw your weapon. The psychology is completely different. I think it’s a great tribute to the sanity of having a weapon like a gun. It not only deters crime but also deters the user. Everyone knows that weapon is very likely to cause death. No so with the Taser. It can, and it can cause injury, but you don’t know when. It’s therefore a far more dangerous instrument. It will cause more pain to more people for far less reason.
I have no problem with subway police having guns. Some of the worst crimes can occur on the subway and they attract some of the worse types of people. The New York subway is a perfect example. Constant patrolling by officers with lethal weapons was one of the reasons the subway there was cleaned up. But don’t let them get Tasers. We’ve seen the results and they’re very disturbing.
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Memo to those who think things aren’t better: it may become legal to buy an electric toaster in Cuba by 2010. Cubans can buy cellphones now, DVD players and things like that. They can also go into the tourist apartheid hotels. Toasters can’t be far behind. Goodness knows what threat electric toasters posed to the revolution.
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Top Ten reasons Mitt Romney quit the race:
1. Once his wife realized his wife he couldn’t win, his financing dried up.
2. He fell and broke his hair at a rally.
3. There was only room for two Christian candidates in the race.
4. He thought there were more Osmonds.
5. Their theory that as Utah went so went the country proved to be wrong.
6. He wanted to get out of his dark suit and tie and kick back and relax in a light suit and tie.
7. He decided to grow fat, get a beard and try to win the Nobel Peace Prize instead.
8. As a gun enthusiast, if he didn’t quite the race soon enough, he’d miss varmint season.
9. He was sick of all of those corkscrew plane landings under sniper fire.
And My Number 10: He was smart.