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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5:19 PM
And then there were eight...

There are some things in the world that you just take for granted. The sunrise. Gravity. There being nine planets in the solar system.

Well, not anymore. Pluto has been demoted and is no longer a planet, reducing our solar system from nine planets to eight.

And in tomorrow's headlines, Quebec will demand more funding from Ottawa to rewrite all the elementary school science textbooks.

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12:25 AM
Robert Fisk would be so proud

It's hard to say whether the family of Olaf Wiig, one of the journalists kidnapped by Palestinian terorrists in Gaza, is just saying whatever they think might secure his release, or if they're telling the truth. But this is the sort of thing that would have mystified me a few years ago but now just makes me roll my eyes:

"He is a person who would understand them and would want then to tell their story to the world. He is a man who understands the struggle for justice, and that peace depends upon justice," Wiig told local media.

Olaf Wiig objected to Israeli action in the Palestinian territories and probably understood the desperation of his unknown captors, Wiig said shortly after the August 14 abduction.

"He's the kind of person who understands the need for justice and would understand the kind of fear and trauma they're going through," he said.

I hope that Fiig and the other kidnapped journalist, Steve Centanni, are released and returned safely to their homes and families. But I also think that a Fiskie nomination might be in order.

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8:57 PM
Another pointless quiz

You scored as Hermione Granger. You're one intelligent witch, but you have a hard time believing it and require constant reassurance. You are a very supportive friend who would do anything and everything to help her friends out. Hermione Granger 85% Ron Weasley 65% Albus Dumbledore 60% Draco Malfoy 50% Ginny Weasley 50% Severus Snape 50% Remus Lupin 45% Sirius Black 45% Harry Potter 35% Lord Voldemort 25% Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...? created with QuizFarm.com

(Via Imshin, who's also a Hermione Granger).

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6:37 PM
No reasoning with Hezbollah (update)

Update on the stories below:

Stephen Harper backed Jason Kenney on his comparison of Hezbollah to the Nazis, claiming it was "fair":

"Like all comparisons, it's true in some ways, and not in others," he said, "but as near as I can tell, both Hezbollah and the Nazi party stand for the elimination of the Jewish nation. So I think that's pretty fundamental and, in that sense, I don't think it's unfair."

Though Kenney and Harper both have a point, they ought to realize that Nazi comparisons, even when justifiable, tend to obscure the original argument.

Meanwhile, one of the three MPs who originally called for Hezbollah's legitimization, Liberal Borys Wrzesnewskyj, has resigned as foreign affairs critic (hat tip: Puck):

All 10 leadership hopefuls condemned the remarks. Scott Brison and Carolyn Bennett said Wrzesnewskyj should no longer retain his post as a foreign affairs spokesman.

The Liberal party has been floundering lately, with no clear voices emerging in this conflict. Wrzesnewskyj's resignation, and the condemnation of his remarks by the leadership candidates, is the first hopeful sign in a while that perhaps the Liberals might find their moral compass that has been missing now for quite some time.

It seems to me that the problem is one of perception, and of which historical comparison is the most apt. Some, like Kenney and Harper, see Hezbollah as the new Nazi party, and view appeasement as dangerous and ultimately more destructive. Others, like Boris Wrzesnewskyj, Peggy Nash and Maria Mourani, see Hezbollah as the new IRA:

"You want to encourage the politicians of this military organization, you want to encourage the political wing, so that the centre of gravity shifts to them."

Wrzesnewskyj compared the situation in Lebanon to the decades of sectarian violence by the Irish Republican Army.

"If there wasn't a possibility for London to negotiate with Sinn Fein [the IRA's political party], we'd still have bombings in Northern Ireland," he said.

Certainly, Hezbollah (and Hamas, and other groups that employ a political/social/terrorist combination strategy) would like to encourage the IRA comparisons. But there's one key difference, that the Canadian MPs on their "fact-finding mission" seem to have missed: The IRA had, as its goal, the establishment of an independent Irish state. Say what you will about their methods - and I will condemn terrorism unequivocally - they did have a goal that could be pursued politically, and that would be legitimate if pursued politically. Hezbollah has no such goal. They aren't vying for statehood or independence of freedom. Their goal is the destruction of Israel. And no matter what means they choose to pursue this goal, it cannot be legitimatized.

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12:27 PM
No reasoning with Hezbollah

This editorial appeared in today's Gazette in response to the 3 Canadian MPs who called for the removal of Hezbollah from the list of terror organizations:

They appear to be typical of an alarming number of Canadians who think that compromise, which works so nicely in Canada, can work as well everywhere. But in Canada we don't have parties, factions or demographic groups dedicated to the utter destruction of other parties, factions, or demographic groups.

How do you compromise with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who says "there's no solution to the conflict in this region except with the disappearance of Israel." What does Nash imagine Nasrallah means when he says: "When the people of this temporary country (Israel) lose their confidence in their legendary army, the end of this entity will begin"?

Meanwhile, Jason Kenney reminds us that foot-in-mouth disease strikes all sides of this one:

Conservative government spokesman Jason Kenney compared Hezbollah to the German Nazi party Tuesday and said opposition Canadian MPs are providing political cover to the banned organization.

Oh, Mr. Kenney, didn't anyone ever teach you Godwin's law?

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1:04 AM
Elmo is evil

Here's why.

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