* Western Standard: The Shotgun -- Kevin Steel deftly skewers Derida's deconstructionism
* Bud: Rahim Jaffer--A question period cocktale
* Bud: The CBC must be secretly funded by the American Democratic Party
* My Comment on CBC' US election coverage--Jack Layton's "face time"--Libs/NDP should be paying for the CBC
* Bud: CBC, a belated appreciation
Update: to Bud's CBC articles (scroll down)
This is related to Bud's CBC articles, yesterday, It's Not Apathy. It's Malpractice. Kate McMillan, Oct. 20, 04. This meshes with my comments on the CBC, as well.
The most comprehensive and well-researched anthology of all time comprises both the 50-volume “5-foot shelf of books” and the the 20-volume Shelf of Fiction. Together they cover every major literary figure, philosopher, religion, folklore and historical subject through the twentieth century.
Do look at the list. Thanks to the person who made me aware of this. Already, I am thinking of someone I know and . . . . . . . .
Western Standard: The Shotgun -- Kevin Steel deftly skewers Derida's deconstructionism
But what emerges as a central theme throughout this book is invincible loyalty, or frightful credulity, of many of the various charlatans' defenders. Chomsky, we learn, is the most cited writer on earth (according to one study). There is an Alger Hiss Professor of Social Studies at Bard College in New York. Rigoberta Menchu's thoroughly discredited autobiography is still assigned to undergraduates across the country as nonfiction. Men will go to their graves defending the indefensible.
[. . . . It] occurs to me that somewhere in all this we might find the real benefit of recently deceased Jacques Derrida's deconstructionism [RIP ]; namely, it might have tangled up a whole lot intellectuals just long enough when they might have otherwise inflicted or unleashed worse ideas upon the earth. Keep them busy in the kitchen taking apart the toaster and that way they don't have time to go out to the garage and build a bomb.
Indeed. This site is always worth checking. Its writers display intelligence.
Rahim Jaffer--A question period cocktale
Jaffer rose to question the Heritage Ministry's funding of a film on the "perfect penis'. From memory it went something like this:
Why would the government fund such a project? . . . Is it because the Prime Minister is so concerned about his own caucus, one that is appreciably smaller than Jean Chretien's?
And who said that there is no wit left in question period?
The CBC must be secretly funded by the American Democratic Party
Slowly but surely the CBC is ramping up its anti-Bush coverage. If it is not babbling on about Michael Moore and his film, then it is the ususual slanted news reporting and commentary. CBC has or is about to present one of its "unbiased" programs; we are to be treated to a full Bush-bashing documentary called "The World According to Bush". I think it just infuriates the nabobs at the Mother corp that the 'philistine' Republicans hold power down yonder. Kerry is probably too right-wing for Carol Off and her fellow travellers at CBC TV, but he is better than that 'cowboy fascist Bush. They have also championed the drive to get Americans up here to register for the Democrats; however the same drive is going on with the Republicans. That doesn't get mentioned though; it might remind Republicans to vote. I noticed that Dan Rather's smear campaign backfire didn't warrant much, if any, CBC commentary. As the American election grows closer, the CBC gets shriller. In an advertisement for one of their "documentaries" on "Stupidity" they moved from images of people smashing their noggins, etc., but also showed two brief images of George Bush. In Carol Off's report from Las Vegas, she inserted anti-Bush commentary from two comedians. The only Bush supporter interviewed was a hesitant cop. Is there any wonder that Off's "Counterpoint" program was cancelled. Obviously, she is too good a lefty foot soldier to be sacked outright. The CBC's coverage of this election is simply pathetic, when not bathetic.
My Comment on CBC' US election coverage--Jack Layton's "face time"--Libs/NDP should be paying for the CBC
Note: Watch for CBC to trot out every chance possible an old photograph of Stockwell Day on his watercraft. They practically never show the man in a favourable light -- for example, when he asks questions or comments in the House of Commons. I believe they are creating a hagiography around Pierre Trudeau; watch for his face everywhere -- the man who did the most to create some of the worst problems we have today.
CBC is so obvious, predictable, and genuinely unprofessional that it should be termed the Continually Biased Corporation. Why is the NDP not paying for Jack Layton's "face time" on the CBC which features the NDP's views so often and gives Jack Layton so much prime time coverage that it is obvious they are trying to get it to punch above its weight, politically. As a propaganda organ for the left, let the Liberals and the NDP pay for the CBC.
Please indulge me this observation. CBC's Sunday Morning this week actually dropped their standard capital "L" leftist stance and presented a semi-unbiased report. To begin with, the program actually had two people with opposing viewpoints for Michael Moores' film condemning Bush. The chap from some university completely demolished his opponent, a guy who ran an outreach youth center in Vancouver. His argument was that the film presented almost a cartoon character of Bush. His final line was the most effective: "If Kerry should win, he will face the same complex problem that Bush is now facing. This is no board game that one can say I won. The stakes are extremely high and any thing can throw off your estimates."
The program also presented an accurate picture of the Chechen revolt. The author of a book on it stated that it had originally started as a nationalist movement, but has since been co-opted by the Islamic fanatics. Also their terrorist acts--bombing subway trains, blowing up planes, and the ultimate nihilism, the killing of hundreds of innocent children in Beslan--was an act of total desperation. The majority of Chechens do not support these tactics nor do they support some Taliban style theocracy. Therefore, their cause is ultimately doomed. Now whether the Russians can capitalize on these attitudes is the real question. As an historical background to this conflict, it helps to remember that Stalin, immediately after the Great Patriotic War was won, condemned much of this area to exile in Siberia, on the rationale that they were not sufficiently patriotic during WW 11. The hardcore crowd left are Muslim
fundamentalists. It is time for a true hearts and mind operation. As with a Mugabe, there are no guarantees as to which way Putin will swing. Let's hope for the best.
