tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114141332011-12-14T19:05:37.913-08:00I set out to be a reformer, but only became the historian of decline. ~Ludwig von MisesHDnoreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124941417241436132005-08-24T20:40:00.000-07:002005-08-24T20:43:37.246-07:00

Tag:Politics

HDnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124510494085229952005-08-19T21:00:00.000-07:002005-08-19T21:01:34.090-07:00

HDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124505873238712822005-08-19T19:36:00.000-07:002005-08-19T19:46:39.090-07:00

Wait, what?! The MSM assured us that actresses (and actors) would be streaming across the border into Canada because Bush won re-election. Not only did that not happen, foreign actors are now becoming American citizens because of Bush. Remember, the media will never predict the future, but the Historian of Decline will. Feel free to re-read what I said during the afterglow of the Iraqi

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124419108159777022005-08-18T18:34:00.000-07:002005-08-18T22:07:30.893-07:00

Canadian doctors have discovered what the rest of the world has known for a long time: goods and services cannot be allocated properly by centralized agencies."The Canadian Medical Association is now backing a private, for-profit health system.Dr. John Slater of Comox, B.C. says: "I have stopped believing in Santa Claus and I have stopped believing the government will ever fix the monopoly

HDnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124352232707918052005-08-18T00:43:00.000-07:002005-08-18T01:06:53.396-07:00

Republicans are worried that the continual bad news from Iraq will harm their re-election chances in 2006.The New York Times reports:"Some said that the perception that the war was faltering was providing a rallying point for dispirited Democrats and could pose problems for Republicans in the Congressional elections next year.Republicans said a convergence of events - including the protests

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124338481936531372005-08-17T20:37:00.000-07:002005-08-18T00:39:49.040-07:00

Leadership is something, but it isn't everything. A leader can rally the populace to support a cause or firmly assuage their fears and keep them in a complacency. There are many leaders in every civilization, but only a few that achieve the ultimate power of control of the State. Then, having attained power, they find it difficult to relinquish it, for human nature cannot be undone.Leaders can

HDnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124265213609643472005-08-17T00:50:00.000-07:002005-08-17T01:03:45.796-07:00

Oh Hillary, what are we to think of you? You tempt us with your moderate image and honeyed words. Yet you tease us with your demure behaviour and coy statements regarding your presidential ambitions. Perhaps we can discover some small clue about your intentions by examining your childhood. Young Hillary deep in thought. Hillary as

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124259990116415322005-08-16T23:04:00.000-07:002005-08-17T00:14:56.870-07:00

It's the hair baby. No one said it was easy being a leader, and hair follicles are often the first to betray the strain of the politician's amoral lifestyle. The constant lying, the gritty struggle to survive, the sex-- it all takes a toll.Our politicos can pass laws about hair, but all the power in the world can't keep their hair follicles from arriving at a bitter pigment-devoid end. Here are

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124151130486039962005-08-15T17:03:00.000-07:002005-08-15T17:12:10.493-07:00

The government is carefully screening babies for potential terrorists, and refusing to let suspect babies board airlines. If even infants can become suspected terrorists for no good reason, we should all be afraid of Big Brother."Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at airports throughout the U.S. because their names are the same as or similar to those of possible terrorists on the

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124124903088471862005-08-15T09:40:00.000-07:002005-08-15T14:00:44.236-07:00

President Bush is trying very hard to become the only president to spend a fifth of his time in office at a ranch in Texas. He has no time to meet people who have lost children in Iraq due to his orders. While Cindy Sheehan continued her vigil Bush said, "I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life."It would be unfortunate if Bush had to come face to face

HDnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1124053905660437582005-08-14T13:57:00.000-07:002005-08-14T14:15:24.890-07:00

General George Casey, US ground commander in Iraq, foolishly briefed his troops on plans to withdraw up to 30 000 of them by next year. Keeping the troops informed of what the brass is thinking may have been the tradition for most of Casey's career, but he has to realize that things are different now.In Canada the political party that forms government inherits a military that toes the party line.

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1123956716064285932005-08-13T10:49:00.000-07:002005-08-17T21:22:49.956-07:00

Civil liberties in Britain were given support from an unlikely source, someone close to the centre of power. Tony Blair's wife, Cherie said this about the government's reaction to terror:"It is all too easy to respond in a way that undermines commitment to our most deeply held values and convictions and cheapens our right to call ourselves a civilized nation."Charles Krauthammer hit back with a

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1112930860699573782005-04-07T20:23:00.000-07:002005-04-07T20:30:28.126-07:00

Hole Drilled toBottom of Earth's Crust, Breakthrough to Mantle Loomsscreams the latest headline.Is it just me, or was this easier than getting to the bottom of the latest Canadian government scandal?

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1112911082434066612005-04-07T14:52:00.000-07:002005-04-07T14:58:02.436-07:00

This striking photograph, linked to by Drudgereport, shows a huge mass of sharks gathering off a beach in Florida while three swimmers splash in the warm waters, blissfully unaware of the danger they are in.

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1112718836859237452005-04-05T09:28:00.000-07:002005-04-05T09:36:33.863-07:00

The Toronto Star reprinted a few lines it reported back in 2002:"Some communications industry executives say their companies were given what amount to phantom contracts, where the work completed was only loosely linked to the tender and that the principal beneficiary was the ruling party.""It is basically how you pay for an election campaign without paying for an election campaign."Is someone

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1112646492656161452005-04-04T13:17:00.000-07:002005-04-04T21:53:46.753-07:00

Karol Wojtyla is gone, but he left behind some influential writings.Young Karol learned to resist tyranny in spirit as a youth in Nazi occupied Poland, and later as a priest in Communist Poland. It is not easy to live through such dark times and maintain one's beliefs. For his iron committment to his values and his attempts to develop them, John Paul has earned my respect.Why not peruse his

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1112645135189902332005-04-04T13:00:00.000-07:002005-04-04T13:14:16.113-07:00

The court ordered publication ban on the testimony of witnesses at the Gomery Commission raises the issue of free speech. While all people should have a right to a fair trial, information should not be hidden from the citizens of a country.It is an insult to the people of Canada to assume that if they are presented with information, they suddenly become incapable of fairly judging a fellow

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1111464891859472362005-03-21T19:35:00.000-08:002005-03-21T20:15:19.363-08:00

I have to weigh in on the controversy over the CBC host who told a conservative blogger to "leave Canada" if he did not like government decisions.Deliberative democracy is the idea that a political system is legitimate if it involves enough thought and discussion of the issues by the people, and representation of their views in government. The majority win, but there is a theory of justice so the

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1111030801720640742005-03-16T18:44:00.001-08:002005-03-16T19:47:41.336-08:00

In an earlier post I wrote about some so-called "family films" beating r-rated films at the ticket office. All day I was troubled with the nagging feeling that I had gotten something wrong. This special intuition is no doubt a by-product of being The Historian Of Decline; a mystical gift awarded to me.As I re-read the article more carefully, I realized my mistake. Look at the hit PG films that

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110970807281566162005-03-16T02:29:00.000-08:002005-03-16T03:00:07.286-08:00

The Iraqi parliament held their first meeting since the election, after the obligatory mortar assault. No one was hurt, though the sheen on the invasion that has been glimmering ever since the election was slightly scratched.The Historian Of Decline maintains that our warm fuzzy feelings toward democracy are not enough to bring peace and unity to Iraq, and so whatever we may feel after reading

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110967274631982172005-03-16T01:59:00.000-08:002005-03-16T02:01:14.633-08:00

Through the market naturally.Family Flicks Beat R-Rated Titles

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110949312690912612005-03-15T20:25:00.000-08:002005-03-15T21:04:47.783-08:00

Tony Blair has announced that abortion should be a matter of conscience for his MPs. The issue came to prominence after opposition leader Michael Howard announced that abortions should be limited after the 20th week of pregnancy. The Archbishop of Westminster jumped into the fray to support Howard. Does this situation sound familiar?Canadian opposition leader Stephen Harper tried to cut off

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110945504911341912005-03-15T19:31:00.000-08:002005-03-16T17:44:03.293-08:00

In the latest Simpsons's episode, the character Selma wanted to adopt a baby, but could not in America. So the family raced off to China hoping for an easier time, unaware that they would run into a bureaucracy that is 46 million strong.The Simpsons spent their entire trip jumping over bureaucratic hurdles. Selma tried to reason with them; "Madam, I too work for a cruel and faceless empire,the

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110928178105793612005-03-15T14:49:00.000-08:002005-03-15T15:09:38.106-08:00

Tories are in a tizzy over this photo of their leader, Stephen Harper. After nearly three years as opposition leader, his "tacking in the wind" has not gone unnoticed. No leader can be all things to all people, as Paul Martin found out the hard way. Harper has got to make some changes to survive the brutal image game that is national politics, but he could be doing worse.

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110881403730161742005-03-15T01:51:00.000-08:002005-03-15T16:44:49.620-08:00

800 000 people in Lebanon marched against Syria on Monday. This follows the 500 000 pro-Syria demonstrators last week. The Lebanese government wants it all to stop, likely feeling its power threatened by these demonstrators who naively believe they should get to influence their own destiny. Even Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the head of the Maronite Church is intervening, trying to prevent the

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110850957801318102005-03-14T17:26:00.000-08:002005-03-14T17:45:26.166-08:00

What happend in Thuringia on March 3, 1945?Eyewitnesses reported: "light so bright that for a second it was possible to read a newspaper, accompanied by a sudden blast of wind. The eyewitnesses, who were interviewed on the subject by the East German authorities in the early 1960s, also said they suffered nose-bleeds, headaches, and nausea for days afterwards. "One witness said he helped burn

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110849162175861092005-03-14T16:57:00.000-08:002005-03-14T17:12:42.176-08:00

Paul Cellucci is good at what he does. Remember how quickly he grasped Canadian fears over soveriegnty and announced that Canada must sign the missile defence treaty or its sovereignty would erode?Canadians were actually afraid that signing onto the treaty would jeapordize a measure of sovereignty, but Celluci quickly spun that to gain support, and a lot of media coverage.Now he's putting his

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110846062508643232005-03-14T16:19:00.000-08:002005-03-14T16:21:02.510-08:00

WHAT!!? Political parties are the same?Read Liberal, Tory, same old story

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110844407528949452005-03-14T15:45:00.000-08:002005-03-14T15:53:27.530-08:00

From occasional American satellite, Canada, comes a report slamming the War on Terror. George W. might consider it a violation of his "with us or against us" stance, but the facts must come out. TORONTO (CP) - The U.S.-led war on terrorism has made al-Qaida an even more dangerous organization, a senior Canadian intelligence official said Monday. The blunt assessment of the

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110837442024461652005-03-14T13:51:00.000-08:002005-03-14T13:57:22.026-08:00

Despite a budget of only $1.7 billion, the FDA has somehow managed to win a silver award in a health information competition! My hat is off to them for this great accomplishment. I would guess their budget is a lot larger than any of the competitions, but they didn't let that stop them from constructing the 2nd best health information site on the web. As their website cheers, "The FDA Web site

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110837024255297802005-03-14T13:35:00.000-08:002005-03-14T20:09:59.016-08:00

Tattoo ink may contain heavy metal! Yahoo reveals the shocking news: Tattoo ink manufacturing is not, I repeat NOT, overseen by the FDA. Thanks Yahoo News for offering the other alternative to FDA regulation; a voluntary association which could monitor the tattoo industry. Similar organizations already exist here and here. A lot of people don't stop to think about what they are putting in their

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110835222607540212005-03-14T12:45:00.000-08:002005-03-14T13:23:41.800-08:00

The Toronto Star has explained how immigration to Nova Scotia works. The Conservative government has arranged it so that an immigrant pays $130 500 and gets in. $30 000 goes to an immigration consultant who recruits the immigrant, and $100 000 goes to a private business! Then the immigrant gets to work for that business for six months and make $20 000 back.Now I'm sure the provincial

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110798059137569432005-03-14T02:47:00.000-08:002005-03-14T03:03:39.250-08:00

Canada's own blogger and journalist extraordinaire, Paul Wells, wrote an article about the tension between Ottawa and the provinces, and mentioned "three classic Liberal obsessions -- cities, immigration and federalism"Leave it to The Hammer to satirize these obsessions. Get it done with, just move to the city.The satirical farmer from The Hammer is sad commentary on our society. Are we still

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110797085280639882005-03-14T02:39:00.000-08:002005-03-14T02:45:35.120-08:00

The snow from the tip of Mount Kilimanjaro has melted away. Was it global warming or part of earth's natural climate cycle?My prediction: There will be snow on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro again one day.

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110776859051369942005-03-13T21:00:00.000-08:002005-03-13T21:07:39.053-08:00

It was not long ago that Canadians were told they must join the American missile defence shield, or relations between the two countries would be terribly damaged. Canada went with public opinion, as if it were a sovereign country and not a satellite, chose to stay out of the shield, and look what happened to relations:Canada Set To Participate In Full-Scale Counter-Terrorist Drill

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110774894041627592005-03-13T19:33:00.000-08:002005-03-14T20:11:10.360-08:00

Parliament's West Block is full of asbestos. Your humble historian of decline is not surprised however, having had the opportunity to work on government housing only to find asbestos in the walls. Thanks a lot for the advance warning, face masks, and protective suits. They prevented irrepairable damage to my lungs and....hack hack COUGH hack!As Health Canada tells us, "Asbestos poses health risks

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110770008778363102005-03-13T18:46:00.000-08:002005-03-13T19:20:13.320-08:00

"Secession." This word unites a disparrate elite, from 2896 people in the Chinese legislature, to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to the United States government. Secession strikes terror into the hearts of state officials because it carries the implication that people can, and would even want, to live their lives without them.The world could fragment into tiny independent jurisdictions, the

HDnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11414133.post-1110753115041316392005-03-13T14:26:00.000-08:002005-03-13T19:21:23.466-08:00

“I set out to be a reformer,” said Ludwig von Mises, “but only became the historian of decline.” It is hard to be a reformer. Marcus Cato tried by using his position in the Roman Senate to oppose the rise of Julius Caesar. For his trouble, his colleagues were spread across the empire, and then hunted down by Caesar. Cato considered his failure to reform the growing acceptance of corruption and

HDnoreply@blogger.com0