lifeonqueen: (Misc - The Bride by Rubberneck)
Monday, May 2nd, 2011 12:49 am
Random Thought of the Day: the older I get the pickier I get about who I want to watch simulating sex on my TV.

So, Osama Bin Laden is dead, huh? Couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy. That said, the scenes of Americans clapping and cheering in the streets are disquieting, reminding me of the Palestinian refugees cheering the news of the 9/11 attacks. Vengeance is a sharp knife and it cuts both ways.

Under "unclear about the concept" - Trump is reportedly upset that he was mocked at the White House Correspondents' Dinner... because no one is ever ridiculed at one of these events. The Huffington Post has video here.

I have a story to write that was due on the 21st of April - veterans of ficathons past will recall my stellar record of timeliness with these things. My excuse is my Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was absolutely, 100% dependent on finishing the entire run of Gilmore Girls because, let's face it, Lorelai Gilmore is the Sarah Connor of the light comedy-drama set.

Meanwhile, there is a federal election in Canada tomorrow. If you believe you are entitled to vote (Canadian citizen, 18+ years of age) but have not received a voter registration card, GO HERE for information about how you can register to vote at the polls tomorrow, Election Day.
lifeonqueen: (Canadiana - Not Nic by butterflyicons)
Saturday, February 12th, 2011 04:24 am
Best Egyptian Protest Signs.

I also have thoughts that it's too late to type up right now on how Mubarak used the Muslim Brotherhood as a bogeyman for Western governments while embracing the most dangerous thing about them - their Islamist rhetoric - to give popular legitimacy to his dictatorship within Egypt (the House of Saud does (did?) the same thing by funding the international Wahhabist movement).

UCSB prof Paul Amar argues persuasively in an essay reprinted on Al Jaz English that Mubarak had appropriated the moral-cultural conservatism of the Muslim Brotherhood while subsuming them into Egypt's financial elite:

Brothers were allowed to enter parliament as independent candidates and have been allowed to participate in the recent economic boom. The senior Brothers now own major cell phone companies and real estate developments - and have been absorbed into the NDP machine and upper-middle class establishment for years. Second, the government wholly appropriated the Brotherhood's moral discourse.

For the past ten or fifteen years Mubarak’s police-state has stirred moral panics and waved the banner of Islam, attacking single working women, homosexuals, devil-worshipping internet users, trash-recycling pig farmers, rent-control squatters - as well as Bahai, Christian and Shia minorities. In its morality crusades, the Mubarak government burned books, harassed women, and excommunicated college professors. Thus, we can say that Egypt has already experienced rule by an extremely narrow Islamist state – Mubarak's. Egyptians tried out that kind of regime. And they hated it.

In recent years, as described in the work of Saba Mahmood and Asef Bayat, people have grown disgusted by Mubarak's politicisation of Islam. Egyptians began to reclaim Islam as a project of personal self-governance, ethical piety, and social solidarity. This trend explicitly rejects the political orientation of Islam and explicitly separates itself both from Brotherhood activities and Mubarak's morality crusades.


Against this backdrop, the future role of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt looks quite different than presented in American media - more Roman Catholic Church in Communist Poland than Ayatollahs-in-waiting. It's hard to make any informed judgement as I have neither on-the-ground experience nor any Arabic but I think it does raise a question of whether the Muslim Brotherhood were not a driving force behind the protests (which seems to be a near universal conclusion among commentators) less because they were canny than because the protests were in-part a rejection of politicized Islam, much as the West once upheld the separation of church and state as a sine qua non of a liberal democracy.

I feel, but can't really articulate why, that the focus on MB is, not misplaced, but misfocused. What I do know is that 30 years of Mubarak's rule, including a near decade as a soldier in the "War of Terror," no more halted the rise of Islamism in Egypt than the blockade of Gaza has eliminated support for Hamas. Quite the opposite - by supporting dictators and the demonstrably illegal actions of our allies in the name of a specious "stability," we have, like the God of Exodus, succeeded only in hardening their hearts against us.

More on that later, perhaps....
lifeonqueen: (Misc - The BVM)
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 12:15 pm
I suppose it would be appropriate at this juncture for me to reflect on the death of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, offering my thoughts to the virtual world as a mourner baked meats to the funeral, but I find I have little to say that someone else won't have said already, said better and with greater sincerity.

I was raised to worship John F. Kennedy, as you did then if you were Irish Catholic of a certain class. At that time, Ted Kennedy was the Kennedy brother no one talked about, the stain of Chappaquiddick still fresh. In the years since, the biographies have become less hagiographic while public tolerance of bad behaviour both immoral and criminal has grown greater. If one wonders if Jack Kennedy with his infamous philandering could have become president in today's TMZ world, one may also wonder if Ted Kennedy couldn't have become president in spite of Chappaquiddick. Regardless, the transformation of Ted Kennedy from least of the Kennedy brothers to the respected Senior Senator from Massachussetts is one of the more interesting second acts in American public life, where such heel-face turns are widely held not to occur.

A glance at Kennedy's CV from the US Senate demonstrates an active politician with an equally active social conscience that is hard to square with the boy who was thrown out of Harvard for cheating or the man who wandered away from the accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne. Today there will be a rush to give disproportionate weight to both aspects of the Kennedy's life. For my part, I hope in equal measure that (to paraphrase [livejournal.com profile] cofax7) Mary Jo is there to kick Teddy's ass and that God judges him kindly.

Amen.
lifeonqueen: (Misc - Mourning)
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 12:47 am
Political murder is terrorism whether it occurs in Ireland, New York City or Wichita.

Justifying one act of terrorism rationalizes them all and dishonours the memory of all victims of terror everywhere.
lifeonqueen: (Misc - Mourning)
Friday, April 24th, 2009 02:41 pm
Trooper Karine Blais, 21, Les Méchins, Quebec. Killed when an IED expoded under her armoured vehicle, April 13, 2009. Trooper Blais, who worked in the local depanneur as a teen, entered the Canadian Forces out of high school to become a mechanic. She planned to open her own garage when she left the CF.

Major Michelle Mendes, 30, Wicklow, Ontario. Found dead in her quarters, April 23, 2009. Major Mendes had previously served in Afghanistan in 2006. The investigation into her death is ongoing.
lifeonqueen: (Misc - Stupid Rat Creatures by electricl)
Monday, January 5th, 2009 05:01 pm
An interesting opinion piece from the Independent about Somali Pirates. The comment section is full of the standard trollish bigots as seem to flock to newspaper websites the world over as the last places to tolerate their putrid drivel under the dubious banner of "free speech" (but I digress) and the essay is not sourced nearly as well as it should be (but it does largley jibe with reports from CBC radio and elsewhere). For all that, Johan Haari raises a good point, albeit almost by accident: there is a terrible hypocrisy on the part of Western nations prepared to leave nine million Somalis to starvation and violence but will send in a fleet of warships to protect oil tankers and passenger liners from the criminal enterprises that have arisen in Somalia's ruins.
lifeonqueen: (Canadiana - Canada)
Sunday, January 27th, 2008 02:20 am
If this is the travel advisory for Canada, I'd love to see the one for Detroit, MI.

Or London, for that matter.


Sheesh.
lifeonqueen: (Misc - stand up be counted)
Thursday, November 8th, 2007 10:43 am
Johnathan David Farley sticks it to the man.

Farley wrote and article in 2002 called "Why 'They' Hate America in 'Britain'" about the long-standing anti-Americanism among Britain's liberal classes. Might I submit, as a non-American and now a North American ex-pat myself, that authorizing shit like this while banging on about how Iraqis are thanking God for their freedom might have something to do with it.

Speaking of, every day it grows more and more apparent that George W. Bush and reality are no longer on speaking terms.

Maybe Janis said it best when she sang "freedom's just another word for nothing let to lose": the latest from Riverbend is not the kind of freedom I'd be thankful for.

Meanwhile, school shootings go global (it's official, there's now been a school shooting for each month I've been away from home).

In happier news, J. Lo and the Fug Girls can always be counted on to horrify and amuse in equal measure.

As I type this on my beloved Mac Powerbook, Salon has posted proof that buying Apple is cheaper than buying a PC, which is pretty much what I've been saying all along. The article mostly looks at resale value rather than what sold me on a Mac when I went looking for my first new computer all of my own - more bang for my buck in terms of audio/visual/Internet capacity and a robust operating system less susceptible to viruses and other nasty crap. Macs rule.

Eric Lindros may be one of the most bittersweet examples of athletic promise undercut by the business of pro sports but I'd have to say his career on the ice just doesn't merit the Hall of Fame.
lifeonqueen: (Farscape - Inappropriate)
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 04:39 pm
Ah, the privilege of age - to say out loud what other people only think.

Of course, sometimes, this comes back to bite you in the ass. Yes, I'm looking at you, Dr. Watson.

I was going to write out my thoughts on the whole thing, particularly those lining up to tsk and glower and tut at those who rescinded speaking invitations to Dr. Watson in the wake of his latest attack of verbal diarrhea but the Guardian has, once again, done it for me.

Although, I feel I must point out that had I edited his piece, I would have revised the last sentence of the third paragraph to say "people can talk rubbish in the street if they insist, but liberty does not require one to welcome them into their home" rather than "liberty requires no one to welcome them into their home." Sometimes a little poetry needs to be sacrificed for greater clarity.
lifeonqueen: (Misc - Stupid Rat Creatures by electricl)
Friday, September 14th, 2007 09:01 am
Look, I was against the idea from the start but, dude, seriously?

Just when I think Dubya's grasp on reality could not be more negligable, he creates whole new levels of delusional for himself to play in.
lifeonqueen: (Misc - So So Ashamed by buggs)
Wednesday, August 1st, 2007 10:31 pm
Daniel Radcliffe puts on a uniform, Katie goes *squee* and *melt* - my kinks and their unfortunately Oepdial - je pense qu'Electra est beacoup plus different - quality so very much on display here.

Meanwhile, my thoughts are with those who have friends and family in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. I hope everyone has tracked down their loved ones and God be with you tonight.
lifeonqueen: (Canadiana - Bleeding Hearts)
Thursday, May 24th, 2007 12:14 am
Here's a question for the masses - why isn't the government telling us how many Afghans Canadian Forces have captured and turned over to Afghan security forces?

Mr. Harper's government tells us that the number is a "state secret" - secret from whom?

The Taliban? The Afghanistanis? Presumably not, since - in theory, anyway - these men are prisoners of the Afghan national government.

Canadian voters?

eta: Andrew Coyne, you are a worthy opponent, sir. Misguided, alas, but brilliant and incisive. However, I think Chantal Herbert could probably take you - especially if you keep up with the false analogies.

Afghanistan is neither World War I nor World War II for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that our nation has not mobilized to fight in Afghanistan, our resources and our wealth has not been committed to fight in Afghanistan, and our government hasn't even the initimation of a suggestion of an idea of doing so - Mr. Harper is taking a page from Mr. Bush's playbook (who cribbed his notes from Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush Senior's actions in Kosovo and Gulf War I) and waging war on the cheap. Not in terms of dollars but in terms of lives.

I submit that no Canadian politician and certainly no Conservative government will ever make more than a token commitment to Afghanistan or any conflict where Canadian national interests, sovereignty and native citizenry are not directly threatened.

In World War I, one in eight Canadian men enlisted - One. In. Eight. When Canada had a population of less than 10 million. Today, Canada has a population of roughly 33 million and there are roughtly 2,500 Canadian Forces personnel deployed to Afghanistan.

2,500 soldiers tasked to do a job that would require at least a brigade, if not a division, to do properly (two to four times more soldiers than currnently deployed). 2.500 men and women assigned to a mission that has become the centerpiece of Mr. Harper's foreign policy. A mission to which he has personally committed himself - 2,500 from a nation of 33,000,000.

And that is only one of the ways in which Afghanistan in not World War I.
lifeonqueen: (Anglophilia - Asshole by Pgit)
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 02:05 pm
Turns out Prince Harry will not deploy to Iraq with his troop after all.

There are a number of things wrong with how this whole situation was handled from an operational standpoint. Regardless, I can't help feeling that this latest reversal is an insult to every serving British man and woman in Iraq - a clear indication that when it comes to Tony Blair's crusade, some lives are just more important than others.

And that's not even getting into the question of what this means for the monarchy.
lifeonqueen: (Misc - Go Army)
Friday, February 9th, 2007 02:49 pm
I'm more and more conflicted over Canada's military role in Afghanistan, less whether or not Canada should be involved than whether or not our tactics are making a difference. The cost in lives and money is worth it only if Canada is making a difference. Make no mistake - the Taliban are proponents of an ahistorical, monolithic and self-righteous Islamic sect that takes its justification from a literalistic interpretation of the Qu'ran so utterly devoid of context and perspective as to border on perversion. They systematically repress and oppress women and anyone who takes issue with their singular interpretation of Islam, which recokons - among other things - that paradise on earth was achieved in the 7th century. They are also, by large measure, Afghans - and for this reason, we need to find a better way to fight the resurgence of Talibanism than violence. Broad thinking is needed to address the problems that face Afghanistan, of which endemic, crushing poverty and scarcity of resources that afflict the largest part of the nation is only the most pressing. Poverty and lack of opportunity crush hope and breeds frustration. Pathological, dogmatic, violent movements like the Taliban feed on the frustrations and hopelessness of young men. Until some form of security and prosperity can be achieved in Afghanistan, no amount of military action will choke off the trickle of young man into the Taliban's fold. Unfortunately, it seems like Canada's gearing up for more of the same-old, same-old this spring, since the simplest thing that we could doom to improve security and prosperity in Afghanistan was to buy their poppies. In fact, the price of purchasing Afghanistan's poppy crop, which IIRC is worth $2 billion a year, is less than half of what Canada is spending on our battlegroup in Khandahar. Naturally, no one in government is seriously considering this options and NATO argues over whether or not to destroy this year's poppies while direly predicting the need for newer, bloodier offensives come spring, instead.


It was a story I read in the Toronto Star about one soldier's rehab that started all this spinning in my brain this morning: "his body shattered in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, Mike McTeague is winning the battle to heal." What particularly struck me was the response of his family and friends who responded to McTeague's wounds by creating the The Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warriors Fund to help support "all Canadian Forces members wounded on operations, at the outset of their healing process. The fund aims to improve the general morale and welfare of the soldiers and their families by working through first-line caregivers, medical staff, chaplains and assisting officers."

I plan to send them a cheque.


In far less serious news, King Leonidas is exhorting my paperwork to stand and fight him, if it dares. Hawgirl is standing behind him to the left, looking formidably nonchalant, her morning star resting against one thigh, while Nightwing stands in his disco suit just infront and to the left of her, grinning - he doesn't seem to appreciate the potential gravity of the situation. Or he thinks Leonidas is crazy.

Could go either way at this point.

*Cool for a certain value of coolness.
lifeonqueen: (Misc - Caravaggio)
Friday, January 19th, 2007 05:44 pm
I taught myself how to calculate weighted averages this afternoon so I could find out the average age of Canadian, American and British personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

FWIW, based on my calculations:

  • CDN: 29.8 years - most common rank: corporal (Afghanistan only)

  • US: 28.7 years (Afghanistan), 26.1 years (Iraq) - most common rank: sergeant/staff sergeant (Afghanistan), specialist (US Army)/lance corporal (USMC) (Iraq)

  • UK: 28.2 years (Afghanistan & Iraq) - most common rank: lance corporal (equivalent to CDN corporal/US sergeant)


  • Raw statistics courtesy of icausalties.org.