Yeah, so, I am here in Hiroshima. But I am only here as a reminder of the tragedy of war. War is hell. Hellish things happen. People die. We have to remember that. Oh yeah, nuclear weapons are evil. The threat of nuclear warfare is definitely horrendous.

Ok, I must admit. It was us that dropped the first….and second…nuclear bomb on another country. Yes, I know we still have these kinds of weapons. But we need to work together to get rid of these god-awful things. No, no, no, there is no way that we would be first. Should we lead the way? Sure. Why not? Let’s make a deal. For every one of ours we get rid of, you get rid of two? (Ok, for the sake of transparency, we probably will make a new one to replace it. Because, you know, it’s job creation and the economy is shit.)

One more thing, my attendance here, at this memorial, is not an apology. I’m sure some of have members of your family whose lives were cut short and I am sure that you probably won’t forget who did that. But that is what happens in war. Especially when you go against a nuclear nation. True, we were the first. But seriously, what did you expect? We are the the only super-power. Right, we weren’t a super-power then…… Well, what can I say? You picked the wrong side. So, you got what was coming to you. It just so happened to be nuclear weapons. And nuclear weapons solved the problem.

But they don’t solve anything now. That was a one time deal. Now they are deterrents. And we should get rid of all of them. What we need is unity. We need a world that loves each other. And nuclear weapons are basically the only thing keeping that from happening. Except that no one wants to get rid of theirs.

In summation: War sucks; Nuclear weapons suck; We will keep our weapons until everyone gets rid of theirs; Using nuclear weapons is evil; But we don’t apologize for using ours; Nuclear weapons don’t solve anything; Except for big big problems that we don’t have any other answer to; But we don’t need them anymore; But we will keep ours; Because it solves the problem of someone wanting to hurt us; But we are America and we don’t have anything to apologize for; Maybe wait 300 years or so;

Oh yeah, Obama is awesome.

A bullet, a bomb, a virus, a gas or just a thought, weapons are the denial of all other gods. They are the announcement that I am God. While I control my destiny, I also control yours.

As God I can build walls which prevent you from seeing, tasting, smelling and feeling the freedom that I enjoy as your deity. The walls are those of my zoo. I can see the animals. I can feed the animals. And the animals bring me a sense of joy and increase my sense of power and wonder. But when those animals fight back and attempt to scale or tear down the walls I must fight back. Because this land is mine and was promised to me. I am the messiah and this is my land. This is Israel.

Now consider the reality of the Monarchy. It is true that we don’t pay much for keeping her. It is true that we only pay for her expenses when she is conducting official business for Canada. But why would we need to pay for her if we have someone already representing her? If we are her country (when she is conducting official business for Canada) why wouldn’t she pay her own way? If she is ours, then why is she almost never home?

Are we sovereign? If so, why is the Head of State almost always out of state? (And, if that is the case, then can the Conservatives really criticize Ignatief?)

It is ignorant to think that the past is who we are. The past has made us who we are, but we are not our past. We can and have changed course many times. It is about time that we have differentiated ourselves from the UK and the US. We are not Americans is something many Canadians hold very dear. But we are also not Brits nor are we Britain’s.

Thank-you for the language and for the parliamentary system. I appreciate both of them. But at some point it is time for an adult to get rid of childish things. As sexy as the Queen may be, she is no motorcycle and she is as much of a waste of space in the Canadian system as a motorcycle that never gets riden.

Anyway, here are the youtube videos.

Part One

Part Two

Oh yeah, Tkachuk, if your preferences are recorded then when someone needs to know what you wanted they will look at the record not at what you thought you had communicated.

Harper also says that Ignatief will have to account for his time and words spoken about Canada. Why doesn’t harper have to do the same? What about the speeches he has given while the Reform was still kicking around? Harper’s modus operandi seems to be that he just wants people to look at Canada they way they look at the US.

We’ve just become increasingly irrelevant to a country [ the U.S.] that has a lot of priorities. (CBC Newsworld, July 11, 2003)

Criticizing someone for living outside of Canada for an extended period does not seem like a good way to increase relevance among other nations.

I, [name], do Solemnly swear (affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors according to law, forever. So help me God.

I have no loyalty to the Queen. What I do have is loyalty to those around me. I trust them. I rely on them. The laws which are passed, then upheld and then, possibly, contested in court are decided by people who were elected by myself and those around me. The Queen has no role whatsoever in my day-to-day life. The oath should represent the reality which Canadians live. As should our entire system.

I, [name], do Solemnly swear (affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to my friends and family, to Canadians living at home or abroad, to all those residing within Canada whether resident or alien.

Or something like that. Chew it up. Rip it apart. But come up with something better than the pithy and utterly ridiculous oath we have now.

Tiller, no matter what you think about his career or his perspective on life, was in a supposedly safe place. A sanctuary even. And someone else violated that sacred place.

The second thing confuses me greatly is the idea that killing someone ever solves anything. From the small scale (killing an abortion doctor) to the large scale (war).

I have my own perspective on abortion and it is my own. I do not wish to, at this time, discuss it. I only want to know how killing someone solves anything (putting aside whatever procedure or act was performed on an operating table).

(Decreased taxes) * (Economic Downturn) = Lower Revenue

And now, or so the main stream rumour mill is suggesting, there may be a call for further stimulus packages. (Keep in mind that Dear Leader keeps saying Canada can weather this better than many other countries.) Further stimulus packages? Really? How about another equation?

[(High Deficit) + (Lower Revenue)] – (Another Stimulus Package) = Even less money available for public services.

This is Rintrah

In other words, admission paints a picture humility, personal strength, and accountability. But showing what was done makes the acts far too real and tarnishes the image that Obama wants to paint. As such it is unacceptable considering that the paint is still wet.

Obama’s goal appears to fix the negative image people have of the US. But actual pictures of incidents which helped create that image, apparently, unnecessarily re-enforce the stereotype.

When will Harper realize that we are not electing a leader but a party, an ideology, a regional representative?