Segacs’s World I Know

The Marijuana Party may have only obtained 0.2% of the popular vote, but their platform has generated a real buzz. Now, the Martin government has pledged to decriminalize marijuana within this mandate:

Prime Minister Paul Martin pledged to reintroduce legislation this year to decriminalize the possession and use of small amounts of marijuana.

There had been rumours that, under pressure from the United States, the new Martin government would let the legislation fall.

Parliament failed to get the legislation through before it was dissolved prior to the June 28 election which saw Martin’s government reelected, but without a majority in Parliament.

Meeting with reporters after the first formal meeting of his new cabinet, Martin said “the legislation will be reintroduced this fall.”

I don’t smoke the stuff – never have, never will – but I support this legislation. There’s no reason why someone who smokes a cigarette can do so legally, but someone who’s caught smoking a joint will end up with a criminal record. Law enforcement resources should be dedicated to important crimes, not to chasing people with a little bit of weed.

In fact, I’d say this doesn’t go far enough. Decriminalization – replacing a criminal sentence with a fine for a regulatory infraction – won’t solve the crime involved from the supply end, nor will it help people who are legally allowed to smoke pot for medical reasons to have access to a standardized supply. The government out to simply legalize it and then tax the hell out of it, just like cigarettes. If people want to harm themselves or indulge from time to time, at least the money will go to fund the government, and not to line the pocket of some drug lord.

Sure, there are problems associated with legalization. So decriminalization is probably an important first step. And I’m not advocating drug use. But there are worse things in life than the occasional joint, and it’s time for the law to catch up with reality.

Martin announced a cabinet shuffle today.

Bill Graham as Minister of Defense. God help us.

Martin also appointed former separatists (Jean Lapierre), former Tories (Scott Brison), and former goalies (Ken Dryden). Would someone please explain Ken Dryden’s qualifications for a cabinet posting to me. Because I don’t think that a resume specifying his NHL save percentage is exactly relevant.

My overall reaction: YAWN.

Blogger’s new WYSIWYG editor gets a big thumbs-down from me.

After spending a half-hour trying to fix the messed-up formatting of the links in the last post, I’m starting to wonder why it is that nobody can leave a good thing well enough alone. The old Blogger was fine… why was it necessary to mess with it?

I may have been on vacation for two and a half weeks, but amazingly, the world didn’t stop chugging along in my absence. Here’s a bit of catch-up.

Firstly, a hearty MAZEL TOV to Allison on the birth of her new baby girl, Tamar! If she’s anything like her mom, we’ll be reading her byline in about 20 years or so.

Unfortunately, not all the news from Israel is that good. While I was in Israel, lots was happening there… and now that I’m home, time to catch up on it. The IJC ruled that the security fence is illegal – no surprises there. Meryl is essential reading, and Lynn has an increasingly popular view on the subject. Now that the UN General Assembly is preparing to do what it does best and issue yet another resolution against Israel, what can I really say on the subject other than it’s no worse than everyone expected. I used to wonder why Israel didn’t put more effort into winning the media war, but now I’m starting to come around to the view that none of that effort would make the slightest bit of difference. The world is determined to villainize Israel, and in the meantime the Israeli government should concentrate on defending its citizens. Especially if the fence helps prevent more incidents like this one. Whatever I could say on the subject, I know that, as usual, Imshin already said it better.

But, hey, the UN still acknowledges that Israel is the best place to live in the Mideast. Even despite all those GA resolutions.

It’s looking more and more like civil war in Gaza. But I have to agree with the Jerusalem Post commentary that this is not good news for Israel. Arafat is a murderer, a terrorist, and a corrupt leader who has inflicted most of the hurt he has caused on his own people. But he’s also incredibly attached to power, and extremely savvy at holding onto it. Speculation that he may be brought down is, I believe, no more than wishful thinking. Besides, anyone who could conceivably replace Arafat would probably only be worse. Chaos will just lead to more bloodshed, which is bad news all around.

The assassination of an Israeli judge is leading to shock and questions. Was it terrorism? Related to criminal or civil matters? Something else entirely? The police investigation will reveal more, and in the meantime, the papers are engaging in plenty of speculation.

The French seem to never tire of creating pointless headlines. Jacques Chirac has told Ariel Sharon that he is unwelcome in France, due to remarks Sharon made encouraging French Jews to make Aliyah to Israel to escape antisemitism. Way to go, Jacques, that’ll really convince people you’re committed to wiping out antisemitism, barring the Israeli Prime Minister and all. Right. To Mr. Sharon: I hear Eilat is much nicer than Paris this time of year anyway.

The violence in Iraq continues to claim more lives on a daily basis. Suicide bombings are becoming so common that they’re hardly even getting reactions anymore. Here’s a thought: maybe if the Americans built a fence…

On the home front, Paul hits the nail on the head on the CRTC decision to allow Al-Jazeera to broadcast, albeit with special restrictions. The CJC may see this as a good compromise. But I think it’s just further evidence that the CRTC needs to be dissolved. How is it okay, in a supposedly free society, for our government to decide that we’re allowed to watch Al-Jazeera but not HBO?

Canada has taken a small step away from our usual foreign policy of holding up a maple leaf and shouting “please like us”. We have chosen to express our displeasure with Iran in the Zahra Kazemi murder trial by… recalling our ambassador. Yeah, that’ll show those bastards. Burnside agrees. We should really take a few lessons from Israel on how to deal with threats from countries like Iran.

Those are some of the highlights and low points. Lots more happened, of course, but I’m through playing catch-up. Onwards and forwards.

…was amazing. I had a fabulous trip, and am anxiously awaiting the development of my photos.

The long flights weren’t exactly fun, especially since there seems to be some Murphy’s law of flying that says that the screeching child in the waiting lounge will inevitably end up sitting in my row. Air Canada scored another few points in the “we’re sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but we don’t give a shit about our customers” game. Can’t say I expected otherwise.

Israel itself was great, of course. I spent a week touring, visiting the beaches, the nightspots, Jerusalem and the Kotel, riding a camel in the desert, eating in a Bedouin tent, climbing Masada at sunrise, catching up on sleep at the Dead Sea, touring ancient ruins at Caesaria, eating Mickey D’s in Zichron Yaakov, dancing the hora in a wine cellar, shopping, and eating all the watermelon I could imagine. Mmmmm. Then I spent a week hanging out in Haifa, complete with clubs, pubs, shopping malls, and the beach.

I think I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

The fluency level of my Hebrew shot up thanks to two weeks of practice. But while I watched plenty of brainless TV, I didn’t so much as read a newspaper the entire time I was in Israel. Funny how here at home, I follow the news from the Mideast obsessively… but while there, I was more cut off from the real world than I’ve been in ages. I didn’t even hear about the tragic suicide bombing in Tel Aviv until I called home and was forced to reassure worried relatives that yes, I was fine. It’s kind of a relief to see how life goes on as usual there. People ride the buses, shop in the malls, go to clubs and cafes and restaurants. Aside from bag checks at most entrances, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. To anyone who is considering a trip to Israel but is wary because of the news headlines, I urge you to go. It’s fine. Really.

Once I get my photos back, I may post a few, if I get around to it. In the meantime, I’m playing catch-up, so bear with me if posting is slow for a while. It may be a couple of days until I get over the jetlag and finish unpacking and catching up on my life.

Back to regularly scheduled programming shortly.

Back.  Tired.  Had a great time.  Will write more when awake.

Well, folks, I’m off to spend a couple of weeks in beautiful Eretz Israel.

I won’t have much internet access while there, so posting will be either minimal or nonexistent. I do promise to make up for it when I get home, as I’m sure I will have lots to say, both about the trip and about all the things that happened while I was away.

In the meantime, if you’re bored, you can browse the archives or the newly-updated Hall of Fame. I also highly recommend all the excellent blogs that I’ve linked to on the left of this page.

I’ll be back on the 19th, so have a good one, and try to behave while I’m gone.

We live in a crazy country. Our political system is a curious cross between boring and chaotic. Excessive regionalization, a province that keeps threatening to separate, and a national identity that’s more about what we’re *not* than who we *are*… these are just some of the things that can drive even a heartfelt federalist nuts.

But then I stop and think about all the great things about this country. There are so many beautiful places, from the Rockies to the Prairies to two coasts. We’ve got world-class cities like my home of Montreal and (I’ll grudgingly admit) Toronto. The people are generally friendly, we’ve got mostly solid values, and a thriving democracy with plenty of room for free speech and dissenting opinions. Despite our problems, we have a mainly peaceful, prosperous country that I, for one, am extremely proud to call home.

So shout it loud and clear, folks: I AM CANADIAN!!!