Time permitting Amir Khadir has promised to take part in the demonstration planned to protest the Royal visit next month by Prince William and Kate and of course, we'd expect no less.
For Khadir there's nothing like a good demonstration, to get his blood circulating. Ever since he was a little boy his father, a Communist organizer dragged him to one demonstration after another, fighting for the downtrodden proletariat, and like a Jehovah's Witness canvasser, after a while, it becomes second nature, an accustomed way of life.
And so while Christians are slaughtered in Egypt, while Syrian children are cut down by their own soldiers and while Colonel Qaddafi masterminds a slaughter of his own people, it's the Royals and a poor shoe seller on St. Denis Street in Montreal who are the targets of this very brave, self-righteous and honourable politician.
Mr. Khadir is renowned for his clever sloganeering and his repeated use of libelous untruths to further his message of peace, love and
communism socialism, where in his idyllic Shangri-la, the world is free from big business, bosses, rich people, pollution, Jews, Americans and of course-- the Queen of England.
"
PARASITES!" was the headline that made it's way across the ocean to the pages of the Daily Mail, where Mr. Khadir's reference to the Royals, didn't go over big. The paper quoted a Calgary reader of the National Post as saying "
As for Quebec, the less said the better with those constant leeches on the rest of Canada.' LINK
I'm not a great fan of the Royals but respect those who get a great deal of enjoyment out of the Monarchy. That being said, it behooves me to defend the Royals when Mr. Khadirs slanders them gratuitously.
The Royals may be a lot of things but parasites they are not.
In fact they work very hard at their job and pursue their duties with dedication and good grace. What exactly is their job? To bring joy to those who are interested and trust me, there are plenty of Canadians who are interested.
Visiting the ill, opening a new road or hospital, trouping the colours, touring disaster zones, giving out awards, hosting garden parties for thousands, shaking hands and waving are all part of the Royal duties that the Queen and her family do, day in and day out.
Does Mr. Khadir really believe William and Kate are coming to visit Yellowknife for a vacation that we are paying for?
Lady Diana, during her shortened life worked tirelessly on various charities and almost single-handed brought the issue of land-mines to world attention. It is a legacy that Kate has committed to continue.
As for costs, forget it, the Royals are a bargain beyond belief.
Half of Britain's tourism industry is based on the Royal Family. The Changing of the Guard, the Tower of London and even Buckingham Palace, which you can actually visit in the summer, are driving forces that keep visitors coming to London.
The Royal wedding of William and Kate, which did cost the state tens of millions of pounds in security (the Royal family paid for the actual wedding) was worth BILLIONS in new tourist dollars.
As for Canada, each of us contributes about a buck-fifty as our part of the Royal upkeep bill, not a heckuva lot of money and well worth it when one considers the pleasure some Canadians derive from the Royal Family.
Even if it is only 10% or 20% who do enjoy these Royal visits, the money is piddling. Consider all the other subsidies we provide for, the arts programs that few people partake, Telefilm Canada, CBC, Radio Canada, theatres and art gallery subsidies, billions and billions spent on culture that most of us don't want.
So Mr Khadir objects to the $1.50 each of us spends on the Royals, so much so that is is worth demonstrating over.
There are things most of us also object to, perhaps Canadians can organize a demonstration to voice our disapproval over the $200.00 each and every Canadian is forced to cough up to pay for Quebec's equalization payment. Yup, 200 bucks, not a $1.50!
Mr. Khadir may hate the Royals for many reasons, but when he calls them parasites he is out of bounds, because it is simply not true.
At any rate, I don't believe the opinion polls that say that few Canadians support the Monarchy because it's probably a little embarrassing to admit such a sugary attachment, akin to admitting that you enjoy fan magazines and that you secretly follow the lives of Brangelina, George Clooney and the ever-talented Kardashian clan.
If nobody was interested in the Royal family, why did a gazillion people watch the Royal wedding world-wide?
In Canada over 5 million people, over 38% of us, watched some or all of the Royal wedding!
Even separatists and militants watched the wedding because for many it was wonderful entertainment, pure and simple.
For many of us the Royal Family is a delicious real-life fantasy. Like a romance movie full of princes and princesses, costumes and palaces. Adult fantasy, just like Avatar the movie!
So Mr. Khadir, huff and puff all you want. Demonstrate your outrage and scorn with the other merry idiots who believe that the Royal Family is something worth demonstrating over. The Royals as enemies of Quebec is so passé, that most sovereignist organizations have given up protesting long ago.
In English we call people like you a- 'spoil-sport,' someone who takes joy ruining other people's pleasure.
In you are a separatist, the British royal family is as relevant to you as is the Swedish or Dutch Royal family. All the demonstration achieves is to ruin the fun of others, which I imagine, is precisely the goal.
For Amir Khadir, the RRQ and the SSJB knuckleheads, pissing in someone else's soup is an achievement they can be rightfully ashamed of.
Further reading:
"As for Canada, each of us contributes about a buck-fifty as our part of the Royal upkeep bill, not a heckuva lot of money and well worth it when one considers the pleasure some Canadians derive from the Royal Family."
ReplyDeleteDo Canadian taxes actually go to the Windsors, government instutions in the Queen's name (e.g. Governor-General), or just the costs that would go to state visits like this one?
I'm actually anti-monarchist because I don't believe anybody should be "special" due to the accident of birth; furthermore, I don't see Canada as the British backwater it used to be. We are a multicultural society that, with the exception of Quebec, seem to have found a way to live together with each culture free to express itself, in other words, we are a mosaic.
ReplyDeleteQuebec, like the Americans, aspires to be a melting pot. You come to America, you are an American. Duceppe, similarly stated in the English electoral debate that a Québécois is a Québécois is a Québécois. I left Quebec despite being born, raised and educated there because I felt like an étrangère in my own backyard.
The definition of «Québécois de veuille souche» are those who are white, Roman Catholic, French mother-tongued and several generations of those first three criteria born in Quebec.
I'm white and Jewish and second generation born in Quebec. On my father's side, I'm first generation. Does this make me a lesser Quebecker? I left Quebec because I felt it did. The idea of having to apply for a piece of paper for my children to attend English schools repulsed me, and still does. I equate it with black people living or sojourning the old U.S. south who had to carry papers to prove they were free individuals otherwise they were captured for slavery.
Anyway, I'm digressing. I think Canada should be a republic, free of the monarchy, but like the Editor, I think Amir Khadir went way over the top with that crack about parasites. He's obviously anti-British, anti-Semitic, anti-business and in short, a hateful pain in the ass. It seems certain Quebeckers find a way to put a bug in democracy, and are the best at it in North America, if not the whole world.
I resent we even pay $1.50 per capita to support the monarchy, so I have an idea. The Ontario tax return has a line on the return where taxpayers, IF THEY CHOOSE, can donate all or a portion of their refund towards an Ontario debt reduction fund. It's completely voluntary. I personally can't imagine many people contributing to this fund, but the option is there.
The Americans have something similar, but not exactly the same on their federal tax returns. They have a tick box on the return taxpayers can tick if they want to allocate $3 to a Presidential Election Campaign. Opting to do so does NOT affect one's refund or amount owing.
I think our tax return should give individuals the option to decide if they WANT to fund the monarchy or not for $1.00 without affecting one's tax refund or balance owing. Similarly, there should be a line on the tax return, similar to the Ontario option enabling taxpayers to voluntarily contribute any or all of their tax refund to supporting the monarchy, and another to create a fund to support federal elections. Political parties can draw from this fund depending on their performance in the prior general election.
As for the $200 per capita in Quebec Equalization payments, I have a solution for that, and loyal readers can easily imagine what THAT is!
The parasite is Amir Khadir himself, not the royal family. I am waiting for July 2, 2011 with a lot of joy in my heart. I will be there for the royal visit, wherever the royal couple will find itself. This visit is to honor Canadians, not an hypocrite immigrate who had the chance to live in peace in Canada. And now, the hypocrite is turning is back to us, and think he can ruin what's going to be a beautiful day for Canadians.
ReplyDeleteAmir Khadir can go to hell! Fuck Quebeckers!
@Mr Saugar
ReplyDelete«Québécois de veuille souche»
Cessez d'écrire «Québécois de veuille souche»
c'est "Québécois de vieilles souches"!
Amir Khadir does what is easy. Hating the royals(isreal, jews, big business) is an easy way to get people riled up and it keeps his name in the papers. We need real leaders here, people not afraid to make the real decisions that might not be popular with everyone, especially the seperatist media.
ReplyDelete"I am waiting for July 2, 2011 with a lot of joy in my heart."
ReplyDeleteDommage,j'aurais aimé y être mais nous seront en plein déménagement.
N'oubliez pas votre jupette a carreaux ! XD!
Our Queen received $3 million from canadian tax payers for her to visit in 2010. Prince Charles got $1.5 million for his visit the year before that. So what's another couple million bucks to rich elites when canada's debt is hovering close to $600 billion and families are having a tough time making ends meet?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDelete"families are having a tough time making ends meet"
Very true, but not because of the monarchy.
The conservatives have been devalueing our
currency to keep it even with the Americans'.
A stupid policy but it's all the rage today.
Our conservatives are like the US republicans,
steal from the middle class and future
generations to reward the top 2%.
DD
Haïti chérie dit: À Sunny: Vous pouvez la garder votre famille royale si vous voulez, par contre comme elle ne représente rien pour le Québec. Ne nous demandez pas de l'accueillir comme si s'était notre famille royale ! Et puis pour la fin de vos commentaires, cela se passe de commentaires...Pauvre type
ReplyDelete@Sunny delight
ReplyDeletePorterez-vous réellement le kilt pour recevoir vos luxueux et insignifiants clowns britanniques.Espérons que les vents diminueront d'intensité lors de leur majestueuse présence car nous pourrions apercevoir ce qui se cache sous votre jupette,c'est a dire vos bijoux royaux.
Une chance pour vous que le ridicule ne tue pas car la démographie britannique et canayenne en prendrait un coup.XD!!!
This is an ongoing and pathetic argument. The likes of Press 9, the SSJB, MMF, FI and other anti-Anglo individuals and establishments of the lunatic fringe have simply chosen to make everyone not of their ilk the scapegoats for their plight of the last quarter millennium.
ReplyDeleteNever mind despots like Duplessis and the Roman Catholic church for making that ilk a permanent underclass, or at least one that was for at least a couple of centuries up until about a half century ago.
Is it the fault of the minorities that the majority was led astray by corrupt and selfish influences and leadership? It was not the minorities who promoted «la revanche des berceaux» and that being the "small bread" of society was acceptable.
Newcomers to Quebec worked hard, took risks and were rewarded for those risks. Their lives didn't revolve around their houses of worship, but around work and providing amply for their families. Even Italian immigrants didn't adopt the Roman Catholic church in the same way the «P'tit Québécois» did. They had large families just like most did, but not children by the dozen!
Those wusses did what they could to duck out of fighting the World Wars (conscription), despite the fact THEIR mother country was occupied by the enemy the second time around, and many of the ilk of their bretheren sympathized with the enemy! Britain got bombed but good, but they held on and eventually won with the allied forces.
Enough revisionist history. It's now time to give these lazy, malcontent crybabies something to REALLY gripe about!
Anon 1:16 said: The conservatives have been devalueing our
ReplyDeletecurrency to keep it even with the Americans'.
A stupid policy but it's all the rage today.
Our conservatives are like the US republicans,
steal from the middle class and future
generations to reward the top 2%.
How do you figure that? Since early '09 the C$ has APPRECIATED about 33% vs the US$ and 17% vs the Euro. At this stage keeping the C$ from appreciating further helps protect export/manufacturing jobs, most of which fall into the bottom 98%.
As for Amir Khadir's comment about parasites, it's a little much coming from a MLA from what is the provincial equivalent of a tapeworm.
"Newcomers to Quebec worked hard, took risks and were rewarded for those risks."
ReplyDeletePeut-on qualifier cette affirmation de grossière généralité?Je crois que oui.
J'affirmerais plutôt ceci:
"Some newcomers to Quebec worked hard, took risks and were rewarded for those risks."
I'll bet that die-hard monarchists are grateful to Amir Khadir, because after he finishes ranting about everything else, he'll drive republicans (small "r", not capital "R") in the ROC to sing "God Save The Queen."
ReplyDeleteLook, I can understand why Britons have to pay taxes to uphold the monarchy. That's where Liz and her family actually live. I don't understand why Canadians have to do so as well, unless that tax pays for the Governor-General's salary and expenses.
"It's now time to give these lazy, malcontent crybabies something to REALLY gripe about!"
ReplyDeletePas votre retour parmi nous?
En passant,avez-vous quitté le Québec en 84,juste après vos études bon marché dans notre système d'éducation?Études que vous n'auriez probablement pas eu les moyens de vous offrir en ontario ou ailleurs dans les vastes plaines canayennes?
Quel malhonnête bouffeur de donuts.Comment trouvez-vous votre nouveau sobriquet Mr.Saugar?
Wow congrats for you Hate Page !
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of defamation against french speaking people on your site.
Where do u think this will take u ?
...to DD and highlighted by Diogenes: I see somebody watches Jesse Ventura's syndicated TV program Conspiracy Theory. I think Janos's show (Jesse Ventura is the alias for James Janos) is very sensationalist, but on the other hand I do agree in principal with what he says.
ReplyDeleteJanos has had some fascinating careers, is excellent at self-promotion and this has made him an excellent entrepreneur between his TV shows, appearances on various TV, radio and internet talk shows and his books. To a degree, pro wrestlers are entrepreneurial, at least the "superstars" are. Hulk Hogan was a V.P. of a small Florida bank, The Ultimate Warrier was a chiropractor, Nick Bocwinkle earned a degree in marketing, etc.
Janos did some other interesting things in his life as well. He was a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones, a Navy Seal (only the very best and strongest become Seals), and a state governor. I believe government lies to us a lot, and there are two fundamental things he has said I take to heart:
1) When the government says they're adopting security practices to protect us, watch out! This involves cameras on the street, touching our gonads in the airports, GPS's and satellite tracking that can see everywhere we go, and other things as well. Are they protecting us, or tracking us?
2) The media doesn't report the news anymore, they create it. When the top story is things like who won the hockey game last night, or when an NBA playoff final is STOPPED to report police chasing a famous accused felon in a white Ford Bronco, or when two female vocal artists French kiss on an awards show, oh, and of course Lindsay Lohan's latest felony, you have to wonder where the priorities in the news are.
Janos believes this whole setup is to help a small elite rule the world. "Green" taxes and fees are the latest scam. Who's taking in the money? Interestingly, Janos followed the money, and traced a big part of it to Canadian-born entrepreneur, Maurice Strong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Strong
While I have no sympathy to Amir Khadir, I agree with his opinion that the Royal Family are, indeed, parasites. The Editor may have a bunch of argument to why they are beneficial for the United Kingdom. But now let me flip the argument. What do they do to Canada to deserve our attention, our energy, our money?
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I stay true to my allegiance to the Queen as she is the personification of the country, no matter how unhappy I am with the situation. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, on the other hand, is as relevant to me as the the Lamborghini overtook my car on A-40.
The Royal family and monarchies in general are parasites. The French had it right!
ReplyDeletePress 9 --> Je suis vraiment étonné : je ne pensais pas que vous fussiez capable d'écrire en anglais. Conclusion : vous êtes en train de devenir anglophone, donc, de passer de la part de l'ennemie... Too bad. Un conseil : allez saluer les royals britanniques, peut-être comprendrez-vous la difference entre vie humaine (la nôtre) et vie végétale (la vôtre).
ReplyDeleteUn conseil : lorsque vous déménagez de votre habitation à loyer modique, s'il vous plaît, choisissez un pont ou un lieu très loin de part Ouest de Montréal...
WESTALLOPHONE++
Diogenes said...
ReplyDelete"How do you figure that? Since early '09 the C$ has APPRECIATED about 33% vs the US$ and 17% vs the Euro"
Don't compare one fiat paper to another, compare them to fixed assets (ie land, precious
metals) for the true measure of their purchasing
power.
Our dollar is down over 40% in the last 18 months priced in fixed (ie. they cant print more of) assets. The only reason it looks good is the US dollar is down over 55% for the same period.
Notice prices going up? The Canadian dollar is loosing about 2% a month (US 3%).
DD
@ Mr. Sauga
ReplyDeleteMaybe you felt less of a Quebecer because u never made the effort to understand and respect the culture of the majority here. French people used to be oppressed by the British invaders, we took more control over our institutions and you cannot stand it (for some reason).
You are just being manipulative and childish.
I dont like Khadir myself, cause i dont think he understand what diplomacy means. That said i do not think hes anti-semite because he dissaproves Israel tactics in their war against the Palestinians.
You should stop calling other people anti-semite because they oppose Israel policies.
The vast majority of comments made on Israel and the jewish people (seen on many mainstream websites) are much more respectful than what is written on french canadians and québécois on most anglo canadian websites.
Anglos should stop blaming bill 101 for everything that is wrong is this world. Its just ridiculous.
"...fussiez..."
ReplyDeleteCe temps de verbe a cessé d'être utilisé dès le début dernier siècle.De quelle époque êtes-vous?
Are you a ghost or what?
Btw,ma maison est immense...Je suis un s.d.f.
...to Anon @ 11:18PM: Who the hell R U? R U another Francophone, an Anglophone, Allophone? How long have you and your family been a part of the Quebec fabric?
ReplyDeleteMy maternal grandfather landed in Sherbrooke circa 1914, almost 100 years ago. He came with very little after the Russian Czar, the Cossacks, Pogroms and Bolsheviks either confiscated or ransacked his property. He met up with two brothers who eventually left the Townships and my grandfather settled further south in the Townships. In the interim, he had a wife and two children in tow when he arrived.
Eventually, he built business from little, starting as a rag picker and developed a junk yard (scrap metal), the fur, skin and rawhide trade (preserving and storing skins) and other means to support his eight children and wife. My eldest uncle was brought into the business, quitting school in grade 4, and he developed those businesses and also a lucrative plumbing supplies business.
My grandfather died at 44 when my mom was a little girl, and my 22 year old uncle inherited enterprises whose assets were pledged to the hilt in debt.
My late mother remembers him sobbing at the kitchen table stacked with the books and ledgers of the businesses wondering how he was going to support the family on that grey day in 1933, and any half wit should know what the economic conditions were in that year! Not a pretty outlook for businesses in that position!
Nevertheless, my uncle rolled up his sleeves, and with hard work and determination turned those indebted enterprises around and employed Francophones who were lucky to have those jobs, times being what they were. Sadly, the strain of that last 30 years of his life caused its premature end at the age of 52. He was the family legend. His last surviving sister, and aunt of mine, passed away last summer. She wrote her own eulogy years earlier, and most of what she wrote was about her legendary brother who predeceased her 47 years earlier, over half her lifetime ago.
On my father's side, both my grandparents worked in munition factories to support themselves, their five children and the war effort. Eventually my grandfather became a self-employed shoemaker, taking a job from nobody.
So between my two grandfathers, they were both self-employed and hired pur laine Québécois. They both came to Canada and became hard-working, dutiful citizens who contributed to the greater good of Quebec. For all they did FOR Quebec, for all they learned of Quebec, some pantywaist shmuck like you tries to hypothesize the good name given to me by my grandfathers?
The only things I have in common with the Brits are I am white and I speak English. Period. Full stop. Not a drop of British blood runs through my veins.
ReplyDeleteWhat did YOUR family do to better Quebec, you shmuck? What exactly do you mean by "Israel tactics in their war against the Palestinians"? First of all, you ignoramus, it's ISRAELI tactics, and second of all, what ARE Palestinians? Before the 1967 War, there was no such thing as a Palestinian!
If the other Arab countries are so pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli, what have THEY done to help the so-called Palestinians? What has oil-rich Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other affluent Arab states done to help the so-called Palestinians? Sweet f--k all, that's what!
When Arafat cried out to the world for money, and got it, how come there was ZERO improvement in the life of the average so-called Palestinian, yet Arafat (not a so-called Palestinian, but Egyptian-born and raised) and those nearest and dearest to him lived in mansions, drove Mercedes, BMWs and other top vehicles, traveled to the finest hotels, ate the best food meanwhile "his people" lived in squalor, often hungry and virtually penniless!
How come there is always factionalism within the so-called Palestinian territory, with Mahmood Abbas and Hamas now leading separate camps?
Why is it that a Jewish National Fund was established to help Jews settle in the region, having to buy land for cold, hard cash paid to Arabs who SOLD their land? Why is it Israel is a major leader in innovation in engineering, health sciences, information technology and just about everything else?
Why is it Israel has more scientists, engineers, medical doctors and other professionals on a per-capita basis than any other country on Earth? While Israel has oil, its stock is so minute that the Saudis, Iraqis and Emirates each spill more oil in a day than Israel produces in a year?
You have recently seen Arabic dictatorships falling over like dominoes, while those holding on are slaughtering the men, women and children of their countries, often while attending the funerals of those killed by those despotic butchers. Hard to believe the dictator of Syria is an Ophthalmologist, trained in Western Europe, an MD, yet despite his Hippocratic oath to comfort and heal the sick and wounded, he inflicts more wounds and death than he helps. He is a despot, a butcher, and let's face it, a bastard of a son of a bitch. So is Kadaffi in Libya.
Trust me, you half witted shmuck, these Arab despots have inflicted far more pain, poverty, bitterness and death upon their own than Israel can even DREAM of inflicting upon them.
ReplyDeleteIsrael hasn't the resources, manpower, finances and time to pick needless battles with their neighbours just for fun. The purpose of Israel's defense is to hold on to what they have and fight off those who fire shots at them, and even then it usually takes several shots at Israel before Israel will retaliate. Israel has no choice but to pick their battles, and pick them carefully with maximum efficiency.
You remarked "The vast majority of comments made on Israel and the jewish people (seen on many mainstream websites) are much more respectful than what is written on french canadians and québécois on most anglo canadian websites."
And this surprises you? Israel has proven what a resilient, dedicated nation it is, and is constantly improving its fortunes through hard work and everybody collectively pulling their weight.
Quebec gets the scorn it deserves because all Quebec does is bellyache and complain about how they can get the next thing for nothing or very little. This has resulted in Quebec becoming the sixth most indebted jurisdiction according to their own Department of Finance numbers, not suspect outsider information.
Finally, you remarked "Anglos should stop blaming bill 101 for everything that is wrong is this world. Its just ridiculous." Is it? Are you therefore saying over a quarter million Anglos who left Quebec since 1977 have it all wrong? If so, you're living in a dream world bigger than the Ideal Plane as described by Plato.
Mr. Sauga said...
ReplyDelete"I see somebody watches Jesse Ventura's syndicated TV program Conspiracy Theory"
Saw it once on the web. Interesting stuff. My
data is from elsewhere. For example:
http://strats4ever.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/silver-breaks-39-an-ounce-canadian-election-eh/
Have a look at the charts on that post.
DD
Mississauga,
ReplyDeleteFor me, I do not have any problem with people of Hebrew ethnicity. From Marc Trestman to Marlee Matlin to Ron Jeremy, they keep me entertained and happy in one way or the other. The only problem I have is probably Adam Sandler because he is so smug and not funny.
However, I do have problem when criticism against the State of Israel - its politics, its actions, its ideology - is deemed to be an expression of hate against the Jewish Race. I also feel that it is somewhat strange when a North American Jew has a very strong patriotic attachment to Israel while s/he was born and raised here.
To illustrate, I have many acquaintances of Indian or Chinese or Italian descent. With them, I do not see much of patriotic attachment to India, China or Italy like some of Jewish people have to Israel.
@11:18
ReplyDeleteKhadir IS an anti-Semite. I'm not one to defend Israel, but to shit all over Israel constantly, as does Khadir, and then not say a word about the oppression going on in every other country in the region suggests a certain amount of political and personal bias. He's family, as I understand it, comes from Iran. Where was he when the Revolutionary Guard was cutting down their own citizens for protesting? I'll tell you where, standing in front of a French Canadian owned shoe store because they sold shoes from a democratic country. What about Darfur, Libya, Yemen, Qatar...... Nothing from this brave freedom fighter? Why? Because it ain't the Jews causing problems.
As for bill 101, it doesn't cause every problem, it's just racist and serves to lessen the quality of people who live in Quebec by restricting a useful language the world over. You seem to write English pretty well, in this province that means you are either old (went to school before 101), rich (could afford to go to a school that really teaches English) or are Anglo/allophone.
I do agree that there are intolerant views posted on this website that I care not for, but I could show you a few websites in French that are just as nasty towards Anglophones and many in every language that have a word or 2 for Israel and Jews.
And get over the "British Ruling Class Syndrome." That shit happened hundreds of years ago. I ask this question in regular intervals. Should Jews hate all Germans for the Holocaust?
“these Arab despots have inflicted far more pain, poverty, bitterness and death upon”
ReplyDeleteMany of them backed by the US, like Mubarak in Egypt (and a friend of Israel), the troubled regimes in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, any secular despot in Turkey, the Islamic regime in Saudi Arabia, and at various points in the past Assad in Syria, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the Shah in Iran…And of course Israel, “an army with a state” and a US satellite in the middle east. The ally/enemy paradigm is fluid in that region and changes depending on whatever suits the interests of the US. Saddam was a case in point. Not everyone knows about Bush Senior moved to suppress a Washington Post piece on the Halabja atrocity in 1988, but 2 years later ordered the US media to widely publicize that event. What changed? Iraq invaded Kuwait. The geopolitical situation necessitated a 180 degree turn.
The realpolitik in that region is brutal as is every regime there, and I find exaltation and idolization of any player in that region naïveté at best, and an interest-driven cynicism at the worst.
The unconditional backing of Israel by the US might end one day too, either when the oil runs out so the region will be of no interest, or when alternative energy sources kick into use. So if I were Netanyahu (as crazed an individual as the rest of them), I would send IDF bombers to bomb the headquarters of any car manufacturer that dares producing electric vehicles.
"Maybe you felt less of a Quebecer because u never made the effort to understand and respect the culture of the majority here."
ReplyDeleteThe same could be said about you and about Canada. You have zero respest for the majority. It works both ways.
Re DD 11:02
ReplyDeleteI get it, there is no speculative element to the rise in precious metal prices and the value of my house in C$ has really gone up by 40% year over year. I should go buy my neighbours house, because the fool has his listed at just about what it was worth last year and for the last month no one else has bought it. The Bank of Canada should raise rates by about 15 percentage points to recover the depreciation lost in the past year. Does B of C Governor Mark Carney know you're available?
Hey, Rest of Canada...there are millions of federalists in Quebec so please, go easy when dissing Quebec. Many, if not most, are not separatists + we love Canada. Thanks, cheers.
ReplyDelete@Diogenes
ReplyDeleteHouses aren't a fixed asset (housing bubble). The land it sits on is.
The B of C can't raise rates for the same
reason the US Fed is stuck at PERMANENT 0%
interest. Raise rates and the debt payments
mushroom.
Much better to devalue the cuurency and pay
the debts with "cheaper" dollars. 'Course this
destroys the purchasing power of the middle
class but..
"The Canadian Dollar reached a new high today"
Typical presstitute headline.
DD
To Anon., June 2 at 11:18 PM:
ReplyDelete"French people used to be oppressed by the British invaders"
You should keep in mind that the French themselves were also invaders. They had only colonized Quebec for about 150 years before they were defeated by the British.
I would like to see how the Quebecois would react if the First Nations and Inuit in Quebec tried to ban French on their territories.
DD
ReplyDeleteI agree there's commodity inflation, but I don't see the price of developed or undeveloped land going up by 2% per month or anything close to it. I'm not saying it won't (I've told my wife that at some point we may be buying a farm on very short notice), but not presently. If there's no speculative element to precious metal prices, I don't think you'd see silver go from about $17.25 to $49 and the back to the mid $30s in the past year. The US Fed is trying to bring back housing prices effectively helping/rewarding the foolish while punishing the prudent (anybody with savings)
"Many, if not most, are not separatists + we love Canada."
ReplyDeleteNon mais quel lèche-cul.T'as pas honte?Portes-tu des "happy knees" au moins?
"we love Canada"
Qu'est-ce que tu fais au Québec mon winner?
@Diogenes
ReplyDeleteThe volativity of the silver market is due
to fluctuating currencies and manipluation of
the (paper - ETFs) silver market. Note while paper silver fell to the low 30s, the physical (on e-bay) never fell below $45 an ounce.
Housing prices (stocks and bonds) are temporarily inflated due to quantitative easing (money printing). When the QE stops, well you remember the game of musical chairs right?
DD
...to Troy: In response to what you wrote earlier, at 8:49AM: "...I do not see much of patriotic attachment to India, China or Italy like some of Jewish people have to Israel."
ReplyDeleteAllow me to explain. I don't have an extreme attachment to Israel. Canada (NOT Quebec) is MY country. I am 100% Canadian-born, raised and educated, 100% of my employment has been in Canada and it is my ONLY country of residence. Anywhere else I have gone is simply for visits.
My late mother, however, MSRIP, felt a VERY strong attachment to Israel. My last maternal aunt, who just passed away last year, told me, after my mother passed away many years ago, that my late mother seriously considered moving to Israel when Israel became a country. She just obtained her RN designation about a year or so before Isreal became a country.
She, and this aunt I refer to, both grew up in the 1930s and 40s, during WWII. My father and uncle, both future husbands of my mother and aunt respectively, were in the military for the duration of the war. It must have been a scary time because both my mother and aunt remember hearing about the bombings, destruction, and, having grown up in Small Town Quebec, knew ALL the men killed in action from their town. Later on, they increasingly learned of relatives killed in the Holocaust, 2/3 of the Jews of Europe.
Over time, the Jews of North America met new immigrants who left Europe seeking refuge. Many who paid a fortune for visas, especially in South America, travelled across the ocean only to have the countries that were supposed to take them in refused them entry, and they had to cross the ocean to go back to where they came from, like lambs to the slaughter.
In Canada, PM Mackenzie-King was no friend of the Jews (his anti-Semitic views were later revealed after his death), and there was an infamous Canadian book entitled None is too Many.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/None_Is_Too_Many:_Canada_and_the_Jews_of_Europe_1933-1948
Jewish immigration was very tightly controlled to assure a minimum number of Jews was admitted to Canada. All my grandparents, thankfully, immigrated long before the war broke out.
Finally, in 1948, three years after WWII ended and the horrors of the Holocaust were becoming increasingly known, Isreal was declared a sovereign state. Naturally, the day after that, the surrounding Arabic states declared war on a one-day-old country. There were four wars against Israel in the first quarter century of its existance.
Be that as it may, Israel represents a miniscule place of refuge for all the Jews of the world to settle if they wish to do so, or if a country persecutes and executes its Jews, unlike those despots of the 1930s and 40s, Israel gives world Jewry a safe place to go without having to return to the persecutors and executors. Israel is the only true homeland for the Jews. Every Jew is welcome, every Jew has a homeland, a sanctuary, and this unique bond you don't understand between the Jews and Israel is due to what those South American countries did all those years ago.
My late mother, MSRIP, conveyed that message very, very well, and between my ex spouse and myself, we are conveying that message to our child otherwise, he may end up detaching himself from Israel. Too many young Jews already have.
Like my mother before me, I hope I have somewhat conveyed the message to you.
...to reydora @ 11:53AM: You obviously never read a copy of (former MNA and Quebec High Commissioner to New York and London, UK) Reed Scowen's book, Time to Say Goodbye:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mcclelland.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780771079818&view=excerpt
Having been in the thick of the Federal and then Quebec government, he had incredible inside information to disclose in this concise, well-written publication. Go to Abe books and pick it up for a fraction of the cover price.
Scowen points out, in a heated discussion he had with a well-known business consultant and good friend of his, Marcel Côté, whom Scowen described as "...perhaps the most outspoken member of Quebec's business elite in his opposition to separation...and would object strenuously to being considerd a nationalist."
In the mid-90s, Côté wrote a publication that analyzed the costs of separation and described the alternative as "the recognition of [their] national identity, as a people, defined essentailly by a language, and a territory, Quebec." He goes on about "Quebeckers [French speakers, anyway] are the masters of their own political destinay and [they] can choose the structures that [they] desire. [Their] political voice is principally, and first of all, THE GOVERNMENT OF QUEBEC." And Marcel Côté fancied himself an uberfederalist? REALLY!
With all due respect, reydora, you can't suck and blow at the same time, and if Marcel Côté is the uberfederalist, I'm going to go to Rome when Benedict XVI passes away, and will shmooze with the cardinals until the white smoke blowing out of my ears confirms I'm the new pope. I always figured a good Jew should run the Vatican!
Cheers!
Anonymous from june 2, 11:02 here...
ReplyDeleteI dont have much to add on the discussion as this to me is cleary a hate site. Its a place where u guys can express your frustrations (unfortunately without any constructive outcome).
As a french canadian i am just saddened by the all the negative comments i see on mainstream anglo media websites in the last months. I dont think that those comments are motivated only because of the language law or the demands of Quebec in the federation. Its mostly ignorance and jealousy (some people feel small inside, thats the way it is..).
As for Sauga, since you left Quebec, i dont understand why you still post your hateful comments on this site. Instead of bitching about Quebec, and since it seem you to know quite a bit of stuff on the Middle East, maybe you can explain why the USA is sending billions of dollars of 'aid' to Israel every year and tell us what the American tax payer are getting back in exchange.
@Troy
ReplyDeleteso according to your logic, criticism against the the Province of Québec - its politics, its actions, its ideology - is deemed to be an expression of hate against the Québecois.
imagine all the hatred that exist from coast to coast...
Anonymous at 23:44,
ReplyDeleteSpot on! Quebec politicians actually think way. How many times do we see that? Criticism against the social welfare policy, for example, are taken as "Quebec bashing" or attack to the people of Quebec, or even more absurd, to the French-Canadians.
@ Anon., June 3 at 11:20 PM:
ReplyDelete"As for Sauga, since you left Quebec, i dont understand why you still post your hateful comments on this site."
I also am an Anglo who moved out of Quebec, but I follow this blog and post comments on it. I still have friends and relatives who live in Quebec, and I am not happy with the manner in which they are treated.
Quebec is still a Canadian province and the instability there has been dragging down the rest of the country for decades. My tax dollars support Quebec financially in the form of transfer payments, so why shouldn't I make comments about the place?
"...and I am not happy with the manner in which they are treated."
ReplyDeletePourrions-nous vous être utile afin de faciliter le déménagement de vos "proches" vers l'Ouest.
La création d'un fond spécial,par exemple,pour la migration des anglos malheureux.
Il y a des causes qui me touchent droit au coeur.
...to Anonymous from june 2, 11:02:
ReplyDeleteFirst of two parts:
Being a «Québécois de vieille souche», I'm not going to argue with you about my comments being hateful, because you have the simplistic view that anybody who criticizes Quebec is hateful. I don't think I'd call it hatred, but perhaps hard feelings because I felt betrayed by the Quebec majority.
I wrote a long response to someone else above yesterday morning. I had to break it down into three parts. May I suggest you read the first part (4:05AM yesterday morning) because it is there I describe how my my maternal grandfather started enterprises that my uncle took over at a very young age. The businesses were indebted to the limit, and he was scared to death, but he persevered, turned the businesses around, and between him and my grandfather, they employed YOUR people when jobs were EXTREMELY scarce.
My maternal grandfather came with very little, started businesses, created jobs for others and paid taxes in the small berg of the Eastern Townships where he, his wife an children settled. What he did was good and contributed to Quebec's greater good. They were NOT the alleged English evildoers you and those of your ilk vilify. They were upstanding, dutiful citizens who came with little and contributed so much to their community. My paternal grandparents also came to Montreal with limited resources. The only time they worked for someone else was in manufacturing apparatus for WWII. Hard work, minimal reward, but after the war, my grandfather went into business as a shoemaker this creating a job for himself. My father ENLISTED and served the entire duration of WWII. How many of your ilk SHIRKED going to war, a war where YOUR ANCESTRAL COUNTRY ended up occupied, and was liberated by the likes of MY father?
You're absolutely right about my bitching about Quebec because Quebec is still costing me money! I grew up through «La revolution tranquille» and witnessed the introduction of Bill 62 (not passed), Bill 63 (passed), Bill 22 (passed, and it was at that point I made up my mind to leave Quebec once I finished my education--I was in high school when it passed), Bill 1 (not passed for being too radical, but it was replaced by) and Bill 101 (passed, and I was pissed--uberpissed).
With the election of the PQ in 1976, all I heard from the Quebec government was fed bashing, fed bashing and more fed bashing. Any projects they came up with, the PQ government would declare they could only implement them "if Ottawa kicks in half the funding". How nice...Quebec comes up with its own plan, and the rest of us are supposed to pay for it. Thanks, but no thanks.
Second of two parts:
ReplyDeleteI would have considered these 50-50 deals fair if Quebec paid half for projects in the provinces (I see Quebec not as a province anymore, but a generic "political jurisdiction" that is just a tag-along for federal money, i.e., a leech.
Another passage that fits at this time from Reed Scowen's book is "...columnist Lysiane Gagnon [wrote] ...it is socially acceptable for a francophone Quebecker to be a federalist, but he will have to justify himself each time the subject comes up in a conversation with friends or family...What he must never say is (1) that the status quo is acceptable; (2) that he loves Canada."
Why in the world should someone of YOUR ilk have to justify their love for Canada, or ANY country for that matter, even the Quebec jurisdiction? There are anglophones and allophones who still love Quebec notwithstanding the language sensitivities. They're entitled to that. I cannot and would not take that away from them or even try. I confess I tried to do so when I was younger, but the maturing process (i.e., living life) is a very good teacher. It's a personal preference and no government could even legislate emotion if it tried!
Case in point: My big brother. He retired before age 60 after having worked 32 years in the parapublic sector. He now collects that lucrative RREGOP pension and his French was pretty strong. For him, things worked out just fine.
My point of view and his were and are very different, so to each his own.
@ Anonymous aka Press 9:
ReplyDelete"Pourrions-nous vous être utile afin de faciliter le déménagement de vos "proches" vers l'Ouest.
La création d'un fond spécial,par exemple,pour la migration des anglos malheureux."
I have a better idea. The transfer payments from the rest of Canada should only be given to Quebec on the condition that the money be used to move seppies like yourself to Anticosti Island or the Ungava Peninsula.
Mississauga,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the explanation. This is my last counterpoint to that matter.
The holocaust happened almost 3/4 centuries ago. Majority of Jews live in North America were born and raised here. And in this part of the world I think I can safely say that they, you, are protected. Therefore, I do feel uncomfortable to see the dual allegiance of the Jewish people toward the country they live in and toward Israel.
Hey, I am an immigrant myself. But since I raised my right hand and swore an allegiance to the Queen, I was Canadian. My home country is still there, I still care about it, but I do not think of it as "home" anymore.
The situation in Canada may not be so bad. What I see worse is in the United States where some of the politicians and lobbyist consider that the country needs to provide Israel with help, resources and considerations as if it is one of their States.
Having said that, salamu alaikum.
Thank you so much for falling into the "the Holocaust is over, so let's just forget it already" trap.
ReplyDeleteUhhhhh....nooooooooooo! History forgotten is history repeated. In fact, it already has...time after time after time. Did you forget the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia and Pol Pot's social engineering by mass genocide of whoever they perceived as their enemies?
Ratko Mladic, a.k.a. The Butcher of Bosnia who exterminated 8,000 male Muslims for no other reason than ethnic cleansing. He blatantly despised Muslims, so his "final solution" was to simply remove them off the face of the Earth.
Remember Rwanda in 1994 when the MINORITY, the Tutsis, were executed by the Hutus? Upwards of a million Tutsis were executed.
These are three major examples of ethnic cleansing since the second world war.
What about all those Holocaust denyers, like Ernst Zundel? It took 45 years to get rid of that garbage, and it's only because he was stupid enough to forget to renew his visa that expired while he was still in the U.S. on a "crusade". Thankfully that mere technicality, plus his never applying for citizenship, was enough to get him out of Canada forever, and as soon as the plane deporting him back to Germany landed, he was whisked away to jail for five years. Not enough, but better than nothing.
This Zundel clown was doing all this while there were plenty of concentration camp victims still alive. They're dying off in droves now, so what happens when there is nobody left with tattooed numbers on their arms and wrists to remind them everyday of what they endured, and the millions upon millions who perished.
The Holocaust can be repeated--EASILY! What's to say some despot won't be elected, or come to power by some kind of coup d'état?
Quebec found a way to rid itself of over a half million anglophones through a more genteel form of ethnic cleansing. Instead of the gun, they used the law to do it. Amir Khadir tried to do it with economic sanctions. Thankfully, his objective totally backfired in his face, but what's to say in other circumstances his plot may have worked?
Look at Montreal right now! The Editor of this blog discussed blatant and deliberate racial profiling against black people, and now there is extreme tension between that community and the police. Do you view that as a positive thing? Someday this may manifest into violence like the Rodney King incident in L.A.
Remember the arsen and sabotage in Val David, a summer homes community a couple of years ago. The summer homes of Jews were burned or plumbing tampered with, and one man interviewed on TV practically condoned the actions because he perceived the Jews as unfriendly. Gee, isn't that a good reason to destroy someone's property, just because they don't say "bonjour" often enough. Really!
Remember, Troy, that Germany was once a fine place for the Jews to live and conduct commerce. Some did very well until a hateful despot came in with his "final solution". It started with laws, then actions against the percieved enemies of the Nazis, and then finally mass extermination.
A forest fire can start with a spark, and a holocaust can start by legally electing a hateful despot. Never say never, because you just don't know where the next spark will manifest. History forgotten is history bound to be repeated.
MGuy, history cannot be forgotten, but it also cannot be exploited to one's advantage.
ReplyDeleteSee here: http://tinyurl.com/6hnqff8
Note that Israelis are not the only people to do this. Quebeckers, for example, have been milking their (rather selective and manipulated) history and their geopolitical situation to their advantage too, claiming "self-defense" when passing, over the years, increasingly restrictive anti-English legislation. In the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the "self-defense" argument was also used - after all, Saddam was a "threat" (like the English language is in Quebec) and had all these "weapons of mass destruction" (like the English language has the "power of attraction"), that he could have used anytime against the US.
Also, being so concerned with history not repeating itself, I suppose you'll march in the next available pro-Palestinian rally, especially in light of what happened yesterday.
Anon June 3 11:20PM: “As a french canadian i am just saddened by the all the negative comments i see on mainstream anglo media websites in the last months. I dont think that those comments are motivated only because of the language law or the demands of Quebec in the federation.”
ReplyDeleteI think that they’re motivated exactly by the two things you mention.
More specifically, I think Canadians are pissed at what I would call "The Language Industry" (to paraphrase Norman Finkelstein’s "The Holocaust Industry") – i.e. the milking of the language issue to extract favors, and Quebec’s blatant refusal to formulate clear and definable demands that would settle this issue forever, and its blatant refusal to either separate or "settle in" the federation (which suits Quebec's interests but hurts the rest of the country).
...to adski: What exactly is it Israel is "milking"? Too, how DARE you even THINK of comparing, let alone writing, that Israel somehow compares to Quebec.
ReplyDeleteWhat has Israel done wrong? I suppose it's OK to you if the Jews don't have a homeland and can be duped by countries that extort money for refuge and then refuse that refuge.
How does Quebec compare? Were Quebeckers ever seeking refuge from some other place only to be sent back to where they came from only to be exterminated?
Israel in part exists because the diaspora supports it. America supports Israel because it is the only stable democracy in the region and there is compatibility in their political views. It's a means to keep an eye on the surrounding Arab states by both nations.
Lookit, at one point America SUPPORTED Osama Bin Laden because America wanted to fight the Soviets more than anything Bin Laden could do AGAINST America...until a couple of decades later.
Israel has enemies that simply want to blow Israel into the sea, one written directly into its constitution.
Is there some constitution out there that aims to destroy Quebec? In over 450 years did Quebec fight four wars? I believe it was just one, in 1759. Were six million Québécois ever exterminated by a despot? Or two? Or more?
Like Hitler, a hateful little man who chose to pick on and exterminate the scapegoats he didn't like (not just Jews, but Gypsies, homosexuals and those who were mentally and physically challenged), somehow Quebec chose to make the English speakers THEIR scapegoats despite their real enemy being the Roman Catholic church coupled with despotic French speaking politicians, like Maurice Duplessis.
The Church with their «revenche des berceaux» and Duplessis' blatant pork barrel politics did far more to harm to francophones, keeping them ignorant and pregnant, than the "English establishment" ever could.
Too, Israel has more university educated professionals on Earth, on a per capita basis than any other country. Quebec is a blatant welfare state that leeches off the federal system wherever they could, and off their own government wherever the federal government says no.
Israel started off as sand dunes to become as strong as it is. It's backbreaking hard work of a collectivity that turned those dunes into an infrastructure, with world-class universities, world-class hospitals and leaders in many other industries. It's hard work and determination that makes Israel a nation that Quebec could never even THINK of aspiring to. It's a something-for-something society.
Quebec is a lost composite of crybabies who a whole half century of liberation through the Quiet revolution STILL can't get their s--t and brown gravy together. Quebec is always looking to get something for nothing from the federal system, and has worked its way into being the sixth most indebted jurisdicton on the planet. Quebec is a something-for-nothing society!
No, adski, no! Israel and Quebec have NOTHING in common--NOTHING! And don't you dare go there again!
"Is there some constitution out there that aims to destroy Quebec? "
ReplyDeleteThe English language aims to destroy Quebec. It's as good an excuse as any.
I'm not denying Israel the right to defend itself (but only in the strictest definition of "defense", NOT in the preemptive definition, i.e. you defend yourself when someone attacks you, not when you suspect or predict or invent that they MIGHT attack you). I am, however, denying Israel the right to commit human rights violations and the sacred cow status that Israel has secured for itself.
"Quebec is always looking to get something for nothing from the federal system"
There is a lot of people living in the United States that view Israel the same way as the RoC views Quebec. In fact, they use exactly the same terminology. A frequent remark is: "Why do we have to send money over to Israel? What do we get out of this?"
"Quebec is a blatant welfare state that leeches..."
ReplyDeleteMais on ne tire pas encore des obuts sur les hommes,femmes et enfants étrangers qui se présentent a nos "frontières".
...to adski: Based on your response, I imagine you're Québécois «pur laine».
ReplyDeleteI would like to understand how you perceive the English language "destroying" Quebec. Is somebody trying to kill you and the inhabitants of Quebec? I really don't think so!
The Canadian Constitution protects French, at least at the federal level, and New Brunswick has entrenched its being officially bilingual within the Constitution.
In Ontario, the provincial government several years ago addressed the Francophonie ensuring private contracts can be drawn up in French if both sides consent, and such documents are completely legal and binding. This was an intelliegent means to welcome more commerce to Ontario. Over the telephone and on line, all Ontario government services are available in French. In many areas, so are face-to-face services.
Yes, I remember the history of Lord Durham who attempted to assimilate French speakers to English, but it didn't succeed, and with the lightening-fast media we have today, any such attempts will be intercepted that fast.
I speak French on the job almost every day here in good old Mississauga, as do many of my colleagues. We're here to serve our clients in French from wherever they call, including calls right in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and just about anywhere else in between!
Is it possible English will overtake French by nature? Certainly! What is to say English one day won't become extinct? Because of modern technology, there may be some nonexistent language that will cause a composite of languages to converge and form a common language?
As Reed Scowen, the former MNA wrote in his book, English is probably the easiest language to speak and write very badly. Many bilingual people who I've met over the years (French mother-tongued), state English is easier than French.
If a society, like Quebec's, has a collective pride to maintain French even if English or another language infiltrates the world stage, French won't die off, or if so, then very, very slowly.
Since Israel is part of the conversation, look at Hebrew. It was only resurrected as a spoken language after laying dormant in the scriptures for over 2000 years. Modern Hebrew, as a spoken language, has differences from the scriptures because there are new objects that never existed 2000 years ago. Many of the modern words are taken from several Western Eurpean languages, including French! Autobus and café are two words that come to mind (my little bit of Hebrew learned is long forgotten, but for some words I cannot any longer put together in a sentace).
I don't see any group in particular out to obliterate French or any other language, save Latvians and a few other former Soviet Republics who want to get rid of Russian from their republics. Like in Quebec, it's out of vengeance for perceived past injustices.
Aside from that, I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree.
great read!
ReplyDeleteim from quebec and i especially liked the spoil-sport expression
ReplyDelete