Blog about politics (mideast and pro-Israel, Canadian and local Montreal), world events, and random thoughts.

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The World I Know is updated on a semi-regular basis by segacs.

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Comments are open and unmoderated, although obscene or abusive remarks may be deleted. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of segacs's world i know.

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11:08 AM
No excuses

That's my feeling about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners and the ensuing scandal. There are no excuses for this kind of behaviour. None. And it has to be openly dealt with and stopped, immediately.

I'm hearing all sorts of disturbing things. That there are "two sides". That it wasn't an official American government policy, while torturing innocent civilians was an official Iraqi government policy. That most of the countries condemning the United States do far worse in their own prisons, and are just using this as another propaganda tool. Etcetera.

All of that may be true. But it doesn't mitigate or excuse what happened, nor should it.

Excuses are unacceptable when they're offered up by the enemy. We refuse to accept the Palestinian finger-pointing at the IDF every time there's a terrorist attack, or the world's babbling about "root causes" for suicide bombings in Iraq or Al Qua'eda terrorist attacks. We want sincere apologies without excuses. And even though we won't get them, we keep demanding them.

So when the United States screws up, I don't want to hear any nonsense like "yes, but...". No buts. No excuses. Just outrage, apologies, and steps to fix it.

We have to hold ourselves to higher standards. Our "side" of the War on Terror must practice the ideals we preach. Otherwise, what the hell are we even doing?

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10:53 AM
Something tells me there's a metaphor here but I'm too lazy to try to explain it right now.

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3:18 PM
Funniest. Satire. Ever.

Ok, maybe not funniest ever. But pretty damn funny. I challenge you to read it without laughing.

Oh, scroll down on the page past the movie review first. (Via Tainted Glass.)

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11:15 AM
The Friends finale is tonight. So sad. I'll really miss that show.

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11:10 AM
Tuesday shocked a lot of people, myself included, when gas prices on the island of Montreal skyrocketed to 94.9 cents per litre.

We'd been warned that prices may hit the dollar mark for a while, but they seemed to be comfortably in the seventies and low eighties for quite some time. I remember that when I bought my car in 1998, my first tank of gas cost 47.9 cents per litre. That means the prices have nearly doubled in just 6 years!

Worst of all, there seems to be no apparant justification. After all, prices are much lower off the island, and even more so in Ontario. Crude oil prices haven't been that volatile, and besides, decreases in crude oil never seem to lead to simultaneous lowering of prices at the pump. There's just no way that the real cost of gas jumped more than ten cents literally in the course of a single afternoon!

Sure, a lot of it is due to taxes. And I do support gasoline taxes to subsidize public transit, to an extent. However, with all this extra tax that motorists are paying, where are the improvements to public transit? I'm still waiting to see any evidence of them. Aside from a giant hole in Laval where a metro is eventually supposed to go, the public transit system hasn't seen much of an overhaul... plus, the price of bus tickets keeps rising too. So where is all the money going? Certainly not to road repairs, as anyone who's fallen in a typical Montreal giant-sized pothole this month can attest to.

Turns out I'm not the only one who's fed up. Despite reports which seem to argue that price-fixing and collusion don't exist, most of us strongly suspect otherwise. CAA Quebec started an online petition, which like most online petitions will have no appreciable effect besides allowing people to vent. They're also urging people to limit consumption, which is a great idea in theory but not-so-convenient in practice. In the past, consumers tried boycotting certain gasoline companies, or mounting large-scale "gas-free days", but none of it has worked.

Seems we're all held hostage to gasoline prices, and there's nothing to do but suck it up and shell out the cash.

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10:48 AM
Liar Liar:

In a not-so-shocking twist, turns out Michael Moore made up the whole thing as a publicity stunt (via Damian Penny):

Dissecting the current dust-up, it seems clear that Disney never intended to distribute Moore's film. Maybe the Mousketeers are cowards, but at least they are consistent. And Moore is whining now only to hype the pre-Cannes buzz. Sources report that Miramax never planned to release the Moore film, that it was always slated to come out through Lions Gate.

Let's see, what's the appropriate reaction here? Ah yes: Liar, liar!

Incidentally, it's a lie that seems to have caught on. This morning on the radio, Terry DiMonte was decrying "censorship" and saying that he hoped it cost Dubya the election. Moore himself is planning to speak in Toronto today (probably in front of a crowd lapping up his anti-Americanisms like poetry). And I guess it's not all that shocking that he would try to sell the film on a publicity wave of controversy. But when the lies come from a so-called "documentarian", it sure says something about his credibility.

Update: Why does it not surprise me in the least that Janet Bagnall has been sucked in?

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11:20 PM
Moore film gets the axe:

Disney's Miramax Films is refusing to distrubute Michael Moore's new movie:

Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which criticizes President Bush's handling of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and connects the Bush family with Osama bin Laden's, won't be released through Miramax Films on orders from parent company Disney.

Disney chief executive Michael Eisner said Wednesday the company "did not want a film in the middle of the political process where we're such a nonpartisan company and our guests, that participate in all of our attractions, do not look for us to take sides."

Unfortunately, some other company probably will distribute the film, ensuring that it will see the light of day and not end up on the bottom of a trash heap where it clearly belongs. But, true to character, idiotarian-extraordinaire Moore never misses an opportunity to see a conspiracy theory:

Moore believes The Walt Disney Co. is worried the documentary would endanger tax breaks the company receives from Florida, where Bush's brother Jeb is governor and where Disney World is located.

"What tax break?" Florida Gov. Jeb Bush responded. "We don't give tax breaks, that I'm aware of, to Disney," Bush said. "I appreciate the fact that Disney creates thousands and thousands of jobs in our state."

I see... so our next Moore treat will be a film about how Mickey Mouse is really responsible for all war and conflict. Gotcha.

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4:09 PM
Attack ads: No thanks!

In today's Gazette, L. Ian Macdonald previews the Liberal attack ads on Stephen Harper and runs down why he thinks they're not only a bad idea, but poorly researched:

In suggesting Harper is proposing "U.S.-style health care," the Liberals are resorting to U.S.-style attack ads. For the Liberals, the great danger is that Harper might not turn out to be so dangerous. Harper must prove that he's no more dangerous than he looks, which is to say not dangerous at all.

The Liberal attack ads are intended to scare the daylights out of voters in the great Canadian middle who might be considering a vote for the Conservatives, or the Conservative-Alliance, as the Liberals style them as part of their scare tactics. Their problem is that Harper doesn't look, or sound, scary.

I'm not endorsing the Conservatives. I don't agree with their positions on a myriad of issues. But I also am disgusted by the apparent intentions of the Liberals to play dirty politics. Paul Martin would be well to remember that if you wrestle down in the mud, your clothes are bound to get dirty.

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11:29 AM
Sudan re-elected to the UNCHR:

The international media and the blogosphere are up in arms about the election of Sudan to the UN Human Rights Commission:

Sichan Siv, the U.S. delegate to the council, accused Sudan of having no right to sit on the rights commission because of ethnic cleansing in Darfur where government troops are accused of backing Arab militia which pillage black Africa villages, raping and killing. The Khartoum government denies it is involved in ethnic cleansing.

This isn't too surprising. The U.N. is a master of hypocrisy. After all, when Libya can chair the Human Rights commission, then it isn't too much of a leap to see how we end up with a commission whose primary purpose seems to be condemning Israel while whitewashing all the human rights abuses taking place around the world by its own members.

But it does strike me as ironic that, while the UNCHR re-elects Sudan, another UN body, the UNHCR (not to be confused) is frantically trying to help over a hundred thousand Sudanese refugees who've fled into Chad because of the ethnic cleansing that Sudan denies is taking place. And UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that large-scale ethnic cleansing could take place without quick intervention.

So, to the United Nations, I have to ask: which is it? Is Sudan worthy being part of a human rights watchdog, or are they the guys the watchdogs ought to be watching? The UN's schizophrenic behaviour shouldn't surprise me anymore. It really shouldn't.

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11:14 AM
I don't think the CSST will cover this work "accident":

Police officers recently foiled a suicide bombing attack in Israel, it was revealed on Monday. However, a highly unusual chain of events led to his apprehension.

It appears a leak in his bomb-belt caused phosphorus material to reach his skin causing such a severe burn that a hole was literally seen in the stomach of the would-be bomber.

I hope this gets extensive publicity. I'm willing to bet that some would-be terrorists who have no problem with the idea of blowing themselves to pieces might second-guess the whole thing if they hear about this. Backwards? Yes. Plausible? Very.

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11:02 AM
Construction delays... now security concerns... it seems the Athens Olympics are cursed:

Wednesday's pre-dawn explosions, preceded by an anonymous telephone warning, badly damaged the station in the densely populated Kalithea district near hotels to be used by Olympic officials during the August 13-29 Olympics.

The third bomb went off 30 minutes after the first two blasts while dozens of bomb experts were combing the cordoned-off area for forensic evidence.

No one has yet claimed responsibility, but police said initial evidence pointed to small local anarchist and leftist groups that regularly stage minor bomb attacks around Athens, sometimes in protest against the Olympics.

Even if the bombings were linked to international terror, you'll never see anyone admitting it. The last thing they want to cause is panic. And ss the summer gets nearer, it seems nothing will derail the games. Let's hope that despite the rocky road to get to Athens, the games themselves go smoothly.

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10:56 AM
Montreal loses an icon:

A touching tribute in today's Gazette to George Balcan, whose voice animanated the mornings of Anglophone Montreal on CJAD radio for over 30 years:

For many anglophones, allophones and even francophones, Balcan was Montreal's morning man. Breakfast was Balcan plus a cup of coffee.

Generations of Montrealers woke up to him - for excellent reason. He was part of all our families. He helped soothe by getting us through the rough spots. He helped celebrate our good fortune. He helped bring us up to speed on developments here and around the world. There was virtually no subject - culture, sports, economics, politics - that he wasn't able to converse about intelligently and sensitively.

Balcan passed away yesterday after losing his battle with cancer. He was 72.

CJAD itself has faltered recently, and despite trying to replace Balcan with high-profile announcers (for example, Terry DiMonte) after his retirement, the station has been on a downhill fall since Balcan's retirement. His was one of the most well-known and recognizable voices in the city. Now that voice has fallen silent, and the city won't be quite the same.

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10:53 AM
The murder of a child...

Any murder is wrong. To take the life of another human being for no legitimate purpose is sick and disgusting and never justifiable.

But when the murder victim is a child, it tugs on our heartstrings even more.

Meryl has angry words for the murderers of Meirav Hatuel, aged two, and her pregnant mother and three older sisters:

Meirav was two. She and Rebecca have something in common. They're both Jewish. Meirav lived in a town in the Gaza Strip with her three sisters. Rebecca lives here in central Virginia with her three brothers. Rebecca giggles a lot, and dances a lot. I'll bet that Meirav giggled and danced, too.

Meirav was two. She was killed by palestinian terrorists while strapped in her carseat in the back of her mother's car. Meirav's body was riddled with bullets. The terrorists shot Meirav, her nine-months-pregnant mother, and her three sisters at close range. Then they ran up to the car and shot each of them in the head — to make certain they were dead.

[ . . . ]

Meirav was two. PA radio hailed her murderers as "heroic martyrs."

Meirav was two. The palestinians celebrated throughout Gaza and the West Bank. Worse still, the murderers brought a video camera and recorded the deaths of the mother and children.

This is why I loathe them. This is why I don't believe they want peace. This is why I have slowly but surely lost any sympathy I once had for the palestinians.

Rebecca is two. She is Jewish. If she were living in Gaza or the West Bank, she would be considered a legitimate target by the palestinians.

Meirav was two.

This was no case of an "innocent bystander" getting in the way. This was not an accident. No, this was a cold-blooded, deliberate attempt to murder an innocent woman and her children. I'm with Meryl on this one.

Update: Israpundit posted the e-mail address for anyone who wishes to send condolences to David Hatuel on the loss of his wife and daughters:

Expressions of sympathy for David Hatuel of Katif, whose wife and daughters were murdered by Palestinians, can be sent to him via his neighbor, Irit Ben-Aryeh, whose email address is abirit @ zahav.net.il

Hebrew preferred, but English would still be very much appreciated.

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11:59 PM
What's blue and white and is off to the golf course?

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10:55 PM
Disengagement plan defeated:

Ariel Sharon's plan to unilaterally withdraw from Gaza was soundly defeated in today's referendum in Israel, with exit polls indicating 60% of votes against and only 39% for:

In an initial response to the resounding defeat of his disengagement plan in a Likud Party referendum on Sunday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that while he and the Israeli public were disappointed with the results, he would respect them.

[ . . . ]

"I know that much of the Israeli public supports my plan. I know that they feel, as I do, disappointment with the results of the referendum. We have difficult days before us where difficult decisions need to be made," Sharon said in a statement.

This could put Sharon's job in jeopardy, although initially he said he would not resign. In fact, he vowed tonight to continue pushing the plan. Still, few politicians recover from this kind of defeat, and what will happen in the days and weeks ahead remains to be seen.

Results and reactions are, of course, mixed, as they tend to be with any controversial result. I'm not an Israeli Likudnik, so my opinion really doesn't matter... but for the record, my reaction is more of a qualified disappointment. Disappointment that a plan that seemed like it might have a real chance of success will probably not have a chance to be put into place... but qualified because the terrorists will interpret any unilateral withdrawal as a sign of weakness.

What next? We'll have to watch and see, I suppose.

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10:44 PM
Speaking of birthdays, to the anonymous "Happy Reader" who sent me a book off my Amazon wish list, thank you very much to whoever you are!

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11:13 AM
Happy birthday to me!

Yes, I'm another year older today. And it seems like this past year flew by. Where does the time go?

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11:07 AM
Children with compassion:

This overshadows even Russell Crowe's gesture:

The kids come from Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Somalia, Turkey and China. They've experienced famine, war and death. They know hatred when they see it.

When students from the All Rights Committee (ARC) and the Student Parliament at the Islington Junior Middle School [in Toronto] heard about the firebombing of the United Talmud Torahs (UTT) library in Montreal earlier this month, they responded quickly and collected $440 and 250 books to help UTT rebuild.

[ . . . ]

When the UTT arson happened, "we wanted to show the Jewish people that we care and that we think it should stop," Sarah Gaikwad, 13, says.

The article says that every class in the school contributed something, as much as they could. These are the kids who are being taught the right values, and they should be applauded for their help.

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10:58 AM
In other Israeli news, seems Israel is having better luck at basketball than we Montrealers had at hockey this season, as the Maccabi Tel Aviv team claimed a decisive victory yesterday in the Euroleague final. (Via Allison).

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10:54 AM
Sending a message?

Today is the Israeli referendum on Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. Sadly, the occasion will be marked not just by ballots, but by violence, as terrorists coldly murdered a pregnant mother and her four daughters as she went to vote:

A pregnant mother and her four daughters were shot dead Sunday after two terrorists opened fire at Israeli cars traveling near the Kissufim Crossing at the entrance to the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip.

The dead were identified as Tali Hatuel, 34, eight months pregnant and her daughters Hila, 11, Hadar, 9, Roni, 7, Merav, 2 all from the settlement of Katif. Details of the funerals have yet to be finalized

Two soldiers and an Israeli civilian were also wounded in the attack and were evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheba.

The IDF said that both of the gunmen, who arrived at the area by car, were killed in an ensuing firefight.

The Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees claimed joint responsibility for the attack, saying it was to avenge the assassinations of Hamas leaders Sheikh Yassin and Rantisi.

The newspapers are all discussing the strategic implications, speculating that Sharon's plan will be defeated and that this latest attack will only help widen the margin of defeat. From the perspective of the Palestinian terrorists, they'd love to see the plan shot down and Sharon's government embarrassed, so their motivation isn't so hard to question.

But for an innocent woman and her children, none of that matters now. They were just the latest victims of disgusting terrorism... and though everyone seems to have a different idea on how to react to the terror, no vote or political plan can bring them back to life.

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