Segacs’s World I Know

Steve Brandon has a merciless deconstruction of an article in this week’s Link that glorifies homelessness:

Ah, this is why we’re not seeing the word “homeless”, because Olivier used the magic “l” word, “lifestyle”, which, if you’re a liberal, is a magic talisman against all criticism of the way one lives, unless combined with one of the evil “c” words, “capitalist”, “consumerist”, “Christian”, or “conservative”, in which case your lifestyle is an open target for derision. Olivier calls the way he lives a “lifestyle”, so we’re not allowed mentioning any of the negative aspects or possible consequences lest we be painted as close-minded and judgemental.

[ . . . ]

Yup, a whole article about a homeless guy talking about his “lifestyle” in only the most positive terms, not mentioning any drawbacks to living on the street or daring to suggest that this guy might not be playing with a full deck. That would be downright insensitive and judgemental and mendicantophobic. Hooray for “diversity and culture”, the subject of this week’s Link!

Embracing diversity and culture does not mean we have to condone lazy, parasitic, or just plain unbalanced behaviour… a fact long lost on student rags like the Link. Someone who belives it’s more noble to mooch off friends than to actually do an honest day’s work is not exactly a wonderful role model for a bunch of university students.

Canada has joined the United States and Australia in voting down a UN General Assembly motion that passes annually on the right of Palestinians to “mobilize”:

Canada joined the United States and five other countries yesterday in voting against a General Assembly resolution on the right of Palestinians to mobilize support for their cause.

The U.S., Australia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau have voted against the resolution – regarded as anti-Israel by the U.S. administration – every year when it comes up at the General Assembly. This time, Canada joined them in rejecting it.

The No votes did not stop the assembly from adopting the resolution, which voices support for a UN committee working to realize the right to self-determination of Palestinians, support the peace process and mobilize international support for the Palestinians.

What a shameful body the UN is, comprised of rogue states and other states too intimidated by the rogue states to do the right thing. The United Nations has repeatedly refused to condemn the death of innocent Israelis and has been a longstanding supporter of Palestinian terror tactics.

Canada has buried its head in the sand far too long on this issue. Having the courage to vote no instead of the cowardice to abstain says a lot.

Other than a few flakes, today was the first official snow of the season.

By mid-morning, it had mostly been washed away as the temperature rose enough to change the snow to pouring rain. Still, there was enough snow for me to break out the boots this morning and to cause me to have to quickly brush off the car in the afternoon.

I just wish that 90% of Montrealers wouldn’t forget how to drive every time it snows.

IDFDave has photos of the protesters idiotarians against Bush (via Damian Penny).

As I scrolled the online album of swastika posters, antisemitic and racist statements, and just plain idiocies, it occurred to me that anyone both reasonable and against Bush’s policies had two choices yesterday: To join forces with the wingnuts, or to stay home.

No wonder most of them stayed home.

The wingnuts do these protests a vast disservice. It’s one thing to be against Bush. Hell, I’m not exactly his #1 fan either. But it’s quite another to associate with people who wrap the American flag in swastikas and who hold signs depicting Sharon and Bush as monkeys. There are plenty of good arguments for protesting against the US’s foreign policies, but I really hope that most Canadians are still turned off by yesterday’s kind of displays.

According to this religion quiz, seems all those years I spent thinking I was Jewish were wrong. I shall join the ranks of Lisa Simpson because I believe I’m actually Buddhist:

You scored as Buddhist. Buddhist 80% Jewish 55% Anarchist 55% Christian 45% Cult 45% Catholic 30%

At least all those years of Hebrew school amounted to something…

(Via Paul Jané).

What if you held a protest and nobody came?

The first demonstration — of Palestinians and sympathisers of the Palestinian cause opposed to Washington’s support of Israel — attracted less than 40 demonstrators.

According to a quick head count by journalists, the protest attracted 39 demonstrators, 42 journalists and television crew members and three police officers.

A second, ostensibly larger, demonstration scheduled for the midst of the evening rush hour — was called by a group calling itself Students Against Bush.

Nobody turned up.

I’m sure Jaggi Singh will find a way of blaming the Zionists and the corporations for the massive failure of his protests.

Check out this headline in the Globe and Mail (from AP): Hamas calls halt to attacks on Israelis.

Big news, right?

Excuse me if my skepticism causes me to read a little further:

A senior Hamas leader indicated Monday that the extremist group is halting attacks on Israelis while the Palestinians prepare to choose a new leader (emphasis mine).

So this isn’t a cease-fire, it’s a temporary ploy for Hamas to jockey for political power in the leadership struggle among the Palestinians.

Ok, reading on:

He also said that Hamas would consider a formal ceasefire if Israel reciprocated. He said Israel must be prepared to release Palestinian prisoners, withdraw from occupied land and stop assassinations of militants.

“The truce should have a price,” he said. “There is no truce from one side. The truce should be two-way. But “a truce with continued Israeli aggression is not acceptable to us.” (All emphasis, again, is mine).

In case you haven’t read Hamas’s charter lately, “withdraw from occupied land” is Hamas-speak for all Jews out of Israel, since Hamas considers all of Israel “occupied land”. When they say end the occupation, they don’t mean Gaza, they mean Tel Aviv.

Ok, so we’re back on familiar ground here. So much for the halting of attacks and talks of truce.

But being a curious type, I decided to check out what the Israeli press has to say on the subject. This from Ha’aretz:

Senior Hamas leader Sheikh Hassan Yusef told Israel Radio that the militant Islamic organization is interested in joining a national unity government with the Palestinian leadership, and to that end would agree to a hudna (ceasefire) that would last 10 years.

So now it’s not a halting, it’s a “hudna”. I should think that the last “hudna” should have taught everyone a lesson. This article from last year should quell any lingering notions anyone might still have about Hamas’s sincerity:

Has Hamas seen the light? Has this determined band of killers finally grasped that its suicide bombings and jihad rhetoric make its goal of a Palestinian state ever less likely to be realized?

[ . . . ]

Has Hamas renounced all this — suicide bombing, martyrdom, jihad, extinguishing Israel, spreading Islam to the four corners of the globe? No, it hasn’t. Its three-month cease-fire isn’t even in any meaningful way a first step to doing so. Consequently it is still dead set against the old Arab nationalism on which the Palestinian Authority is now ostensibly based. The successor of this nationalism, if Hamas remains true to its Charter and has its way, will be its intransigent and bloody form of Islamic radicalism. Nothing indicates that this is no longer its goal.

That’s why the Hamas truce is not worth the paper it’s printed on.

And that’s why any new truce wouldn’t be, either.

But let the spin continue.

Update: Damian Penny has the story of how Canadian taxpayers are funding Hamas.

Actually, it was today, 57 years ago: November 29, 1947 was the UN partition vote on Palestine.

Arguably, the UN didn’t really do much that day. The notion that Israel was created by a UN resolution is insulting and demeaning to the people who worked for decades to ensue its creation. Israel was built by pioneers, farmers, politicians, and many many soldiers who paid for the land with far too much bloodshed.

But the resolution for partition did accomplish two important things (and I use the term “accomplish” loosely). First of all, it paved the way for a Jewish state that was recognized by what was – at the time – a body that the world hoped would have some international legitimacy. (High hopes, as it turns out). And secondly, it established a longstanding political policy in the region of Jewish acceptance and Arab rejectionism… and of world appeasement of the Arab rejectionism.

Since that day, Israel has struggled to survive in the face of constant attacks and attempts to destroy it. The United Nations has degenerated into a body dominated by thug states looking to divert attention from their gross abuses by pointing their fingers at Israel… again and again and again. But still, Israel stands proud, and the UN hides its head in the sand.

The blogburst hosted by Israpundit commemorates November 29th and all that has ensued since.

C’mon Julia, I know you’re a big Hollywood actress and all, but did you really have to be so cruel as to name your twins Hazel and Phinnaeus???

Hey, I guess it’s better than Apple or Clementine.