Aidan MaconachyAidan MaconachyA non-partisan blog that discusses a wide variety of topics. These include politics, religion, secular issues, culture, news stories. The blog also features a regular cartoon strip . Articles
Never again?
2008-03-09 17:12:00 Tags: Mark Steyn, Nazi propaganda, bigotry, genocide" title="Atom feed">Site Feed
The Passover trip : and other Biblical hallucinations
2008-03-09 05:49:00 It's entirely possible that celebrating the Passover , may be a bit like celebrating progress along the yellow brick road toward the fabled Emerald City. The odds that the exodus was an historical event is highly unlikely according to archaeologists.In Egypt's northern Sinai Peninsula, archaeologists have uncovered remains that coincide with the timing of the alleged exodus, but there is no evidence to support the Passover story. When asked about possible evidence that might give credence to the story of the exodus, Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass wasn't encouraging ... "Really, it's a myth."A professor of cognitive psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Benny Shanon, has another thesis that casts a different light on the story of the wandering Israelites and the 'revelation' on Mount Sinai. Shanon believes that Moses, if there was such a person, made use of mind altering drugs.There is frequent mention in the Old Testament of preparations made from the bark of t... More About: Trip , Biblical
Obama aide Samantha Power resigns over Clinton comment
2008-03-09 05:20:00 Samantha Power who acted as foreign policy adviser on the Obama campaign has resigned. She's was recruited by Obama back in 2005. Power is a Harvard professor and a Pulitzer prize winner. She also writes a column for Time magazine.During an interview with an Edinburgh based paper, The Scotsman, she referred to Hillary Clinton as "a monster". She attempted to withdraw the remarks, but before speaking with The Scotsman she agreed that the interview would be "on record".Ms Power's remarks came on the heels of Clinton's wins in Ohio and Texas - wins that some have argued were in part a result of negative campaigning, including the use of ads that played on the public's fears about security.Samantha Power is a talented journalist and academic. Her comment isn't much worse than some of the remarks Clinton campaign people have directed at Obama. When Obama questioned Clinton's refusal to release her income taxes, Howard Wolfson compared him to Kenneth Starr, a much reviled figure amo... More About: Comment , Aide
Obama aide Samantha Power resigns after calling Hillary Clinton "a monster"
2008-03-08 05:45:00 An adviser to Barack Obama has resigned after calling Hillary Clinton "a monster."Samantha Power acted mainly as foreign policy adviser on the Obama campaign. She was recruited by Obama back in 2005. Power is a Harvard professor. She also writes a column for Time magazine.The remarks about Clinton were made during an interview with an Edinburgh based paper, The Scotsman. Power attempted to withdraw the remarks shortly after making them, but prior to speaking with the paper she agreed that the interview would be "on record".The paper quotes Power as saying:"We fucked up in Ohio. In Ohio, they are obsessed and Hillary is going to town on it, because she knows Ohio's the only place they can win,""She is a monster, too — that is off the record — she is stooping to anything ... You just look at her and think, 'ergh.' But if you are poor and she is telling you some story about how Obama is going to take your job away, maybe it will be more effective. The amount of deceit she has pu... More About: Monster
Stephen Harper : the Prime Minister who knows nothing
2008-03-07 09:44:00 Does Stephen Harper live in another dimension? This is not altogether a joking question, because we have a leader in Canada who seems to know next-to-nothing about what goes on in his inner circle.How can you be a leader and yet be so quixotically detached that you don't know your people are making decisions that could effectively damage the credibility of the government and perhaps even precipitate a crisis?Harper, the personification of the three monkeys, never says anything, hears anything or sees anything that might provide a clue to some of the murky goings on in his government. His sense of smell is off too. The stink has been making people across Canada reach for their aerosol cans.Despite audio tape evidence and the word of Chuck Cadman's wife and daughter, that suggests the late MP was bribed by the Tories prior to a Parliamentary vote in 2005, Harper claims he knew nothing about it. He even told Tom Zytaruk on tape that he "didn't know the details". This is a leader who... More About: Prime Minister , Minister
Mark Steyn spins reality with "America Alone"
2008-03-05 19:57:00 *Although this post references "America Alone", it isn't a straight review of Steyn's book, so much as a look at some of the themes in his work that attract negative attention - most recently from CIC and Human Rights in Canada. I've been surprised by the positive reviews Mark Steyn's book America Alone has received since it came out. The right wing applause is of course predictable, but I didn't expect Hitchens to let Steyn off quite so easily. His review while not exactly glowing, seemed to suggest that Steyn merits an A or at least a B+. Hitchens must be going a bit soft with advancing years.I dislike organized religion, but I don't dislike actual people who happen to be organized along religious lines unless they try to push their religion down my throat. The problem with Steyn's use of language is that even though he tries to set up a "we all get it" type understanding with his readers, quite a few times I not only didn't get it but found his presumption annoying.In his... More About: Reality , Spins
Operation Fertility ( Mark Steyn's worst nightmare)
2008-03-05 19:55:00 Tags: Islam, Europe, birth rate" title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Nightmare , Mark , Operation
Hillary wins : without winning
2008-03-05 17:59:00 Negative campaigning, smears, bloody-minded entitlement and ice cold ambition behind a hot smile is obviously a winning combo because Hillary "I-am-the-nominee" Clinton has clawed her way back into the fight. It helps when the media experiences what seems like collective remorse about claims of "unbalanced coverage". It also helps when you use fear as a weapon, as the Clinton campaign have been doing with some of the most fear oriented political ads that have hit the airwaves in some time.It wasn't the resounding triumph some are claiming, Obama won Vermont handily and Texas was neck-to-neck fight to the end. The wins don't put her much further ahead in real terms. Fact is Obama has won double the number of primary and caucus states as Clinton, and he's out in front in the popular vote. On the delegate end of things, he is also far ahead of his rival.A number of pundits have speculated that even if she wins all remaining 16 contests, she will still be short on the delegate count.... More About: Winning , Wins
Bill O'Reilly : Compares a Huffington Post comment with Goebbel's propagand
2008-03-03 17:36:00 Bill O'Reilly is always reliably himself. Always reliably smug, flash, complacent, accusing, cynical, smirking - depending on what piece of raw meat has been tossed into his cage on a given day.He creates the impression that he's nailing it all down when he talks, even though he may be using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut. He's fly when it comes to playing on popular fears and prejudices - knows what buttons to push to generate a reaction. None of this though has anything to do with being fair and balanced, it has to do with O'Reilly, his agenda and his ego. Calling his line of commentary "fair and balanced" is a joke.O'Reilly's approach to any given subject depends on the degree of prejudice it whips up in him. He thinks nothing of using the Nazi or KKK reference to smear opponents. Stretching a far-fetched comparison to the max isn't a problem for O'Reilly. It doesn't matter how idiotic the comparison is so long as it produces the required sensation value.The other day ... More About: Post , Bill O , Comment , Huffington Post , Bill
I love this guy!
2008-03-03 17:30:00 Tags: Bill O'Reilly, Fox, Joseph Goebbels" title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Love
Why Ireland should say no to the Lisbon treaty
2008-03-02 08:03:00 As Ireland prepares for a referendum on the Lisbon treaty in June of 2008, polling indicates that some 60% of the Irish are undecided. Opposition to this treaty doesn't imply opposition to Europe, so much as opposition to a Brussels elite and a mammoth European institution that is out-of-touch with realities on the ground.Unlike other member states which have ratified the treaty in their national parliaments, the Irish constitution requires a referendum on the type of amendments being proposed by the treaty of Lisbon.Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and his Fianna Fail party have their work cut out for them over the next few months. Ahern is an EU cheerleader, in part perhaps because his personal ambitions likely extend to a role on the larger European stage. He has issued rather high handed warnings to those who are keen to flex their democratic rights in the upcoming Irish referendum battle.In an effort to convince the public to go for ratification, the government plans to mail bilingual...
Harper infers that Chuck Cadman's widow is lying
2008-03-01 06:53:00 In 2005 when it looked as though Canadians would be heading to the polls the decision hinged on a confidence vote in Parliament. With the prospect of a tight vote and a lot at stake, the way independent MP, Chuck Cadman, chose to vote became a matter of crucial importance to the Conservatives.As it turned out, Cadman voted with the ruling minority Liberals, and this put an end to speculations about a summer election.It now appears the Conservatives attempted to bribe Cadman in an effort to get him on-side.Chuck Cadman had cancer at the time and subsequently died. His widow, Dona Cadman, the Conservative candidate for Surrey North in British Columbia, is adamant that the Tories attempted to bribe her husband. She says an insurance policy for a million dollars was offered by representatives of the federal Conservative party in an effort to buy Cadman's vote.Dona Cadman's claim is supported by her daughter, Jodi. In an interview with CBC, she said that her late father confided in her... More About: Lying , Harper
One small favor
2008-03-01 06:50:00 Tags: Chuck Cadman affair, Conservative Party" title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Small , Favor
Professor and Lady Black reporting
2008-02-29 18:02:00 Conrad Black is going to jail. Word is he hopes to cop an "elite" job teaching other inmates. Definitely beats mopping floors or doing the toilets.Black's request to stay out of jail pending the outcome of his appeal has been rejected. The US Seventh Court of Appeals has ruled that he has to report to prison by March 3 to begin his 6 1/2 year sentence for fraud and obstruction.The panel wrote : "Defendant Black must report to prison on or before March 3, as required by the district court's order."In a surprise twist, Black's co-defendants, Atkinson and Boultbee, have been allowed to remain free on bond while appealing their sentences.Black's request to remain free pending the outcome of his appeal, was a long shot at best. His long time friend, former lieutenant governor of Ontario, Henry Jackman, predicted a sticky end. I include some of Jackman's observations in a recent post that also discusses the New York Sun column in which Black called Kissinger and the late William F. B... More About: Lady
Surgeon in the US accused of hastening organ donor's death
2008-02-28 20:55:00 Every day roughly 18 people in the US die while sitting on a waiting list for an organ transplant. It's a waiting game for many in the states, in part because tight regulatory controls govern organ harvesting procedures. So it came as a surprise to learn that a surgeon in the US, Dr Hootan Roozrokh, has been accused of artificially hastening a patient's death in order to retrieve the organs.The circumstances that led to Roozrokh being charged, took place in San Luis Obispo, California, in 2006.A patient named Ruben Navarro, who suffered from a neurological disorder was admitted to an area hospital after suffering cardiac and respiratory arrest.Navarro was just about to turn 26. His mother, Rosa Navarro, had planned a birthday party to celebrate. Ruben was her only child.In the days following his admission, Navarro was judged to be near death. His mother was informed that her son was beyond help and that instructions had been given to remove his life support system. The mother agre... More About: Death , Organ
Barack Obama : Bridging the Divides
2008-02-28 04:06:00 As anyone who follows politics knows, you become accustomed to the endless fronting and smokescreens that seem to have become part and parcel of the political game in the modern era. The person is too often secondary to the look, the presentation, the hype. Given the hype surrounding the Obama campaign, I expected more of the same from the candidate, but unlike most political acts he possesses unaffected grace and a personal style that is entirely genuine.When you compare the speaking style of Hillary Clinton with Obama, it is like night and day. Clinton is heavily masked, all the way from her make-up, hairdo and outfits, to her rehearsed gestures and tone of voice. Her campaign is sometimes referred to as the "Clinton machine", and indeed she too has a machinelike quality to her delivery.Hillary speaks at a programmed pace, with calculated shifts of tone and emphasis. You feel that it isn't the woman herself speaking, so much as the-woman-she-believes-she-needs-to-proje ct. There i... More About: Barack Obama , Barack
Barack Obama : Unmasking the Soul
2008-02-27 20:10:00 As anyone who follows politics knows, you become accustomed to the endless fronting and smokescreens that seem to have become part and parcel of the political process in the modern era. The person is too often secondary to the look, the presentation, the hype. Given the hype surrounding the Obama camapign, I expected more of the same from the candidate, but unlike most political acts he possesses unaffected grace and a soulful quality that is entirely genuine.When you compare the speaking style of Hillary Clinton with Obama, it is like night and day. Clinton is heavily masked, all the way from her make-up, hairdo and outfits, to her rehearsed facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice. Her campaign is sometimes referred to as the "Clinton machine", and indeed she too has a machinelike quality to her delivery.Hillary speaks at a programmed pace, with calculated shifts of tone and emphasis. You feel that it isn't the woman herself speaking, so much as the-woman-she-believes-she-n... More About: Barack Obama , Soul , Barack
John McCain and George Bush : A Lot in Common
2008-02-27 00:51:00 The famous picture of the Bush -McCain hug is about as symbolic as it gets when it comes to visual synergy. The picture looks almost amorous. You would think McCain had foreplay on his mind.The appearance of bonding is true in more ways than one. The president and the senator have a good deal in common when it comes to their policy positions.No wonder independents are leery of McCain. When it comes to the Iraq war, the Bush/McCain positions are virtually indistinguishable. McCain backed the surge and claims he can see an American military presence in Iraq for 50 more years. He keeps trumpeting that "we're succeeding in Iraq" - a rosy assessment based on choreographed walkabout trips in Baghdad and what he is being fed by sources who share the same blinkered view as himself.Iraq is a society in flux, deeply scarred and divided. The progress McCain refers to doesn't flow from the will of the Iraqi people. Chaos is being held in check by implementing measures to get the Sunnis on-side... More About: George Bush , John , George , Common
Catholic cardinal in the UK seeks to impose ethics code on hospital
2008-02-25 23:01:00 Vatican enforcer, cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, has been throwing his weight around again in the UK.Not long ago he put partisan pressure on Catholic MP's in the UK to get them to vote no on the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill. O'Connor refuses to go along with positive options the bill offers, such as access by lesbian couples to fertility technology.More recently O'Connor has come under fire from the British Medical Association for pushing through a Catholic-friendly code of ethics at the St John and St Elizabeth hospital. O'Connor ordered the board to resign in a dispute over the advice being offered to patients on abortion and contraception.The statutory code of ethics provided by the General Medical Council in the UK is balanced and fair. It specifically states that doctors must not allow their beliefs to interfere with the care of patients. As spokesperson Vivienne Nathanson of the BMA has pointed out, the tactics of O'Connor at the hospital put medical perso... More About: Hospital , Ethics , Code , Cardinal
Hillary goes negative
2008-02-24 18:45:00 People who are losing tend to cry foul and shout louder. Hillary Clinton has been doing both in what appears to be a desperate last stand.Her campaign clearly believes that it's time to bring out the knives. Hillary stuck Obama with the Bush comparison, which is absurd. Bush is a scion of the 'House of Bush', and no agent of change that anyone recognizes as progress. The comparison wasn't really intended to hold up under scrutiny, it was delivered for effect, with the punchline ... "and the American people got shafted."She also got heated about what she claims is Obama's misrepresentation of her position on NAFTA and health care. Waving Obama campaign mailers that criticized her health plan, she said the tactics were "right out of Karl Rove's playbook."Hillary supported NAFTA, irrespective of the spin she puts on it. She is on record praising it. There is little in Obama's health care mailer that he hasn't been candid about in the course of the debates. Her shows of indignat... More About: Negative
Hillary's Rhode Island meltdown
2008-02-24 18:40:00 " title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Rhode Island , Island
Beth Morgan : Sex for planning permission in Wollongong
2008-02-24 07:47:00 A public inquiry into alleged corruption in Wollongong, a coastal city near Sydney, has been a big item in the Australian media lately.The story stars town planner, Beth Morgan , who had a thing for aging property developers. In order to get her approval for various projects, such as illegal high-rise buildings, the clients were encouraged to put out. Developers were pursued and in most cases bedded by alpha-planner Morgan.In addition to erotic attentions, the clients expressed appreciation for Ms Morgan in more tangible ways. She was showered with gifts. These included a vacation in China, a digital camera, perfume, cash and designer handbags.Embarrassing emails have also surfaced, containing steamy confessions. In an email to businessman, Frank Vellar, Morgan writes - "you have driven me insane with thoughts of you." Vellar offers a cryptic response - "I am not your normal guy. I am complicated. Ciao Franco."Another developer named Michael Kollaras is described as "a gorgeous Greek... More About: Planning , Permission
John McCain : Maverick with an image problem
2008-02-23 00:10:00 John McCain is a man who has made his reputation as a maverick and a reformer. When he appears on MSM and answers questions in that righteous sounding monotone of his, he manages to convince a lot of people. So it seems reasonable to ask why he has so many lobbyists. After all this is the same Senator who said: “Too often the special interest lobbyists with the fattest wallets and best access carry the day when issues of public policy are being decided.”Nice thought, but the new campaign manager McCain just hired, Rick Davis, is a big time lobbyist. Davis' former clients include shady Argentine politician Alberto Pierri and Nigerian dictator, General Sani Abacha. Davis was also in on the Reform Institute scandal. The institute was founded in order to push for cleaner elections and campaigns. It drew donations from industries seeking legislative favors. Donors included communications industry players who had been dealing with the Commerce Committee, which McCain chaired at the t... More About: John , Problem , Image , John McCain
John McCain : Maverick with an image problem
2008-02-22 08:22:00 John McCain has a talent when it comes to fronting his maverick image on MSM. When those chipmunk cheeks puff out and he draws himself up to answer questions in that righteous sounding monotone of his, it's hard to believe there could be any back doors, trap doors or even alleyways behind such an upstanding fellow.Could McCain's aura of righteousness possibly be overcompensation? Is he covering up a few glaring inconsistencies?For a man who presents himself as Captain Incorruptibility you have to wonder why he has so many lobbyists. This is the same Senator who said:“Too often the special interest lobbyists with the fattest wallets and best access carry the day when issues of public policy are being decided,”Nice thought, but the new campaign manager McCain just hired, Rick Davis, is a heavyweight lobbyist. Davis has many curious connections in his past that include shady Argentine politician Alberto Pierri and Nigerian dictator, General Sani Abacha. He was also in on the Refo... More About: John , Problem , Image , John McCain
Don't Fight It John
More articles from this author:2008-02-22 08:15:00 Tags: John McCain, Rick Davis, addiction" title="Atom feed">Site Feed More About: Fight 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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