the blue revolution

Picked up the National Post today, and flipped over to the comments sections. There, I found Andrew Coyne's commentary on the new $100 bill.

The only problem is that this is a verbatim copy of a week-old blog entry on AndrewCoyne.com. Which I can get for free... ...as opposed to the Post (both online and paper versions).

Is this a sign of the rise of blogging, the decline of the National Post (and newspapers in general), or both? Actually, I would say that both trends have been so obvious for so long that this really doesn't ring any alarm bells, although it does signify crossing a certain threshold in both trends.

I do hope that the National Post do better than this. Although there is no arguing its decline since the Asper acquisition, it still serves as the methadone for my addiction to conservative literature: crappy but it'll satisfy the cravings. The Western Standard, after all, comes only once a month.

Long day (in a good way), so I'll leave you with just this.

Left: We'll fight for every inch of our soil! Return our compatriots!
Right: Release the heroes who defend the Diaoyus! Japan must openly apologize and repatriate [for past war crimes]!
Behind (obscured): Diaoyu Islands are Chinese territory!

The Japanese released the seven activists. Good news, but the fact that the Japs are still the ones with the Coast Guard ships hanging around is revolting.

Somehow, all this makes Canada and Denmark's squabbling over an ice-covered rock more relevant and ridiculous at the same time. Relevant, because it's easier to understand why people would squabble over rocks. Ridiculous, because last time I checked, the Danes (modern ones; I'm not counting Viking-Indian battles in Newfoundland) didn't perform biological warfare experiments on Canadians, nor did they engage in a six-week orgy of killing and rape, nor do they try to cover it all up and whitewash it to their next generation.

Too pissed to say much, except for this: damn Japs, get off our islands!

Chinese patriots rally for their nation, at Diao Yu Tai and in Beijing.

Damn PRC government, good for putting the thumb down on its own people and repressing dissent, but won't do shit except for wagging its finger when sovereign Chinese territory gets invaded and Chinese citizens gets abducted. Not that the ROC government is any better, steering clear away from asserting sovereignty 'cuz then it'd reinforce that they're actually part of China... ...these are sad times for the Chinese people.

The soles of my feet are firmly with you.

I don't read George Jonas as much now, mainly because he doesn't write as prolifically as other columnists, but he's a really intelligent, eloquent writer. This quote, from an article on the Roh impeachment in South Korea, is a theme that's been repeat ad nauseum, but he puts it so well:

Mr. Roh, 57, was elected by the under-35s of the one-time Hermit Kingdom's population. Most of the over-35s voted against him. Young Koreans resemble young people in other parts of the world in that they know little but think they know a lot. They're suckers for high-flowing cant about equality, peace or human rights, but can't tell the wheat from the chaff and fail to see the reality behind the slogans. Eventually young people learn from experience but the process takes a while and by then a new generation of young people arrives who know just as little and think they know just as much, so the cycle keeps repeating itself.

The question now becomes: what the hell went wrong with my upbringing and how come I never got sucked into the Leftist crap? Not that I'm complaining, mind you.

Conventional "wisdom":

"All of us understand Israel's need to defend itself and it is fully entitled to do that against the terrorism which affects it within international law. But it is not entitled to go in for this kind of unlawful killing and we therefore condemn it. It is unacceptable, it is unjustified and it is very unlikely to achieve its objectives."
-Jack Straw, UK Foreign Secretary

"The European Union has consistently condemned 'extra judicial killings'. In this particular case, the condemnation has to be even stronger. These type of actions do not contribute to dialogue and peace in the region. Neither will they bring less violence. The actions of today are bad news for the peace process. The discussion about a possible withdrawal from Gaza had just started. Today's action will not facilitate a positive outcome."
-Javier Solana, EU Council Secretary-General

"I must say, I do condemn the targeted assassination of Sheikh Yassin and the others who died with him. Such actions are not only contrary to international law, but they do not do anything to help the search for a peaceful solution. I appeal to all in the region to remain calm and avoid any further escalation in tensions."
-Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General

(Emphasis is mine)

Meanwhile, back in the real world:

Hamas has no plans to attack American targets, the group's new leader in Gaza said Wednesday, backing off earlier threats against Washington following Israel's assassination of its founder.
Hamas Chief Backs Off Threats Against U.S. (AP)

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said Wednesday that he opposed attacks on Israeli civilians, amid calls by militants to avenge the killing of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
Arafat Opposes Attacks on Israeli Civilians (Reuters)

The truth is that Israel killed one of the most prominent Palestinian terrorists and demonstrated that it will go after every level of the terrorist organizations that threaten its existence. Now the terrorists are scared shitless and don't know what to do. Here's a hint: stop sending children to blow up and kill innocent people, or you'll find yourself on the wrong side of a air-to-surface missile.

I think this would be a point that everyone can agree on, regardless of his views of the situation over there: why the heck did it take the IDF this long to kill Yassin? Not that they weren't trying, but still... ...three years? Man I was still in Gr. 12 when Palestinians started self-detonating. Seems like an eternity ago.

I just realized that I've returned to political blogging earlier than I expected, and I'm doing it without reading any of my usual blog fare (it's true: I haven't touched Instapundit and Andrew Sullivan for over 2.5 months!). Probably a good thing: regurgitating major blogosphere memes was pretty unoriginal anyways.

I didn't actually join the Liberty Rally, as I felt I preferred the flexibility of being able to move about and observe the Loony Left in its full glory, and it's not like I actually knew anyone there (that applies for 99.99% of the population of the GTA). Nonetheless, I enjoyed the experience, mostly because I've been suffering from withdrawal from active political events.

Points to make:

• Chickenhawks are so happy. I mean, everyone there that supported the war was happy. You can see it. And the vast majority of the antiwarists were so damn pissed. Man, for a bunch of potheads and advocates of sexual liberation, you wonder who are the ones with the panties tied in a knot.

• We're not afraid to root for victims of terrorism, despite them turning away from the war. By this, of course, I mean the Spanish flag.

• Some of the leftists were bitching that the police were protecting the pro-war rally. What in the world is that supposed to mean? That some people don't deserve police protection? I suppose there are places like that... ...such as Iraq one year ago. One person was asking where was the police protection for the antiwar rally. Right... ...twenty university students are gonna take on this massive crowd of angry pumped-up protestors. Shameless.

• One person shouted that it was "white power" behind the pro-war rally. Okay, so I'm a bit pale for Chinese, but white? Come on... ...and the Asian guy there was darker than me anyways.

And it was raining too. Which, along with political atmosphere, made it almost seem like I was back in Vancouver again. Ahh... ...how I miss home.

'Cuz I was watching Alias today, I thought I'd link to Jen Garner's new CIA ads.

Some photos from Toronto anti-antiwar rally:

Other pictures: liberty01.jpg, liberty02.jpg, liberty05.jpg, liberty06.jpg, liberty07.jpg

And some photos of the antiwar rally: antiwar01.jpg, antiwar02.jpg, antiwar03.jpg

Full-sized (1200 x 900) photos available upon request.