kimmy

Look, homeskillet, "equal" as used in legal discussions has nothing to do with everybody being equally good at everything. I can barely walk past a window without being at risk of getting a sunburn. If we defined "equal" by ability to withstand sunlight, I'd be one of the least equal people on earth. But luckily, that's of no relevance as far as the law is concerned. And, believe it or not, resistance to H1N1 and other diseases is not of relevance to the law either. If natives are more vulnerable to this disease (and considering the disproportionate effect H1N1 has had in native communities, that's certainly possible) then natives should be at higher priority for receiving the vaccine. -k

It sounds like the argument is that the people from "backwater" countries are being brought directly here. Doesn't that seem like a legitimate concern? If "backwater" beliefs are common in some countries, isn't it plausible that we might be bringing in people with "backwater" beliefs when we bring in immigrants from those countries? -k

yeah, guess what: she did exactly what an army of legal scholars and constitutional experts told her was the proper thing to do. The decision was made by law and precedent, not by the Governor General. I suppose it is nice that we have a single individual whose authority to have the final say on the matter is unquestioned. Were this a republic, that sort of pronouncement might come from a faceless group of judges or something. There might be dispute over whose authority it really is, while in our system that authority is clearly and undeniably invested in one person. --- There was once a CBC comedy mini-series based on the premise that an anti-monarchist Prime Minister appoints a washed-up former disco-queen to the office of Governor General in an effort to embarrass the office and put an end to the monarchy in Canada. Never saw it myself. -k

uh-huh The main ethnic groups in Iran are Persians (65 percent), Azerbaijani Turks (16 percent), Kurds (7 percent), Lurs (6 percent), Arabs (2 percent), Baluchis (2 percent), Turkmens (1 percent), Turkish tribal groups such as the Qashqai (1 percent), and non-Persian, non-Turkic groups such as Armenians, Assyrians, and Georgians (less than 1 percent). Source: your own link. -k

All this from an episode of "Lay and Order"? -k {is that Jenna Jameson's new cop show?}

Could be done by a clever chimp or a 2nd grader! Could be done by a Hooters Girl or a Cineplex usher! Come on, c, everybody knows she doesn't make any real decisions on her own. When it comes to exercising the real powers of her office, she would not dare to even fart until she's been informed of the proper legal course of action by constitutional experts. The 2nd grader, the Hooters Girl, and the Cineplex usher can all cover this one as well; it's probably over the chimpanzee's head, however. Sure, that's what the brochure says. But come awwwwn... -k

You mean, like, hood ornament type stuff? -k

Yeah, if her bill-signing arm were torn off by racist Calgarian tigers, our whole country would be plunged into chaos. -k

Her title is irrelevant. She's a hood ornament. It's a ceremonial function. Any exercise of her power will be done under the advisement of a battalion of constitutional lawyer. Does it matter to anybody if she calls herself the Head of State? The Acting Head of State? The Supreme Overlord? She's a hood ornament, and a much more pleasant one than previous hood ornaments who have occupied the post. -k

Danielle Smith would certainly be an interesting choice as leader. I wasn't aware that she was involved in politics at all... I remember her hosting a weekend news show, although I was not a regular viewer. She struck me as bright, articulate, and engaging, and her background probably gives her a lot of media savvy. I don't know if she has any credentials at all, but media savvy seems to be a real asset if you want to be premier of Alberta. -k

She incorrectly used the wrong BS title. It's an easy mistake to make. For example, at my evening job I sometimes accidentally refer to myself as an alcohol transfer engineer, even though I'm actually just an alcohol transfer logistics planner. The real alcohol transfer engineers always get mad at me when I do that. -k

Myata posted something important earlier that I think bears repeating: I don't like the *assumption* that our officials acted improperly. If it is proven to be so, then so be it. But a lot of the publicity regarding this case has taken it for granted that Canadian officials acted improperly. Editorials decrying the racism of Canada's institutions and the callous treatment of this poor victim have all taken for granted that she is simply a hapless victim and that Canada is at fault. Anna Maria Tremonti and the Toronto Star have been talking as if the government's fault was obvious on the face of it. Since the filing of the lawsuit, the consulate's side of the story has come out, and it bears listening to. It seems like a lot of people had forgotten that there are two sides to the story and I hope that our public service stands up for its reputation this time so that people will remember that in the future. -k

Point that shit at Naomi, not me, Sir. -k

Well, that's pretty interesting. It's plausible, I suppose: a group with a specific geographic origin and a tradition of being insular and not interbreeding with the general populace could plausibly have enough in common to correlate with members of a group that is, predominately, of a certain faith. If you ran a sample of my mom's blood through a genetic sequencing gizmo, and you could probably trace her to a group of eastern european religious kooks, and make a reasonable guess as to mom's religious leanings. (in mom's case, you'd be wrong, however.) But I notice this research is specific to Ashkenazi Jews, a group native to central Europe-- Poland, Germany, France-- these are the Jews that the well known stereotype is patterned after. Amajinabinabad sure ain't one of them. Run Makmood's blood sample through a genetic sequencing gizmo and it'll tell you exactly one thing: with a reasonable degree of probability, he's of Persian descent. But what it boils down to is this: the number of people who have joined, and left, the Jewish faith over the centuries makes any discussion of determining someone's Jewishness through DNA a complete non-starter. -k

The Muslim Canadian Congress contends that the burqa is not required by Islam and is not a religious practice, so not protected by the freedom of religion. The Muslim Canadian Congress is the group Tarek Fatah is associated with; he's a Muslim known for speaking out against Sharia law in Ontario, and against restrictive interpretations of Islam in general. Some Muslims pretty much hate the guy, and view him as a traitor... I recall one guy on Rabble saying that he and Irshad Manji are traitors who've figured out that the western press loves Muslims who beat down other Muslims. Tarek Fatah on one occasion made headlines when the RCMP investigated death-threats left on his answering machine by an angry conservative Muslim. Personally, I think the world needs more Muslims like Fatah and Manji, people who show that modern secular society and Islam aren't incompatible. I just mention all of this because there are a number of Muslim groups in Canada, and I'm not sure how "legit" any of them are when it comes to viewing their comments as representative of the Muslim community as a whole. Anyway, as much as I feel the burqa is ridiculous and retarded, I don't personally support a ban on it. I feel that someone should be free to walk around wearing a tent and a bag over her head, just as I feel that someone should be free to walk around wearing a chicken-suit if they so desire. -k

Dear god this is painful to read. Painful, or painfully funny, I'm not sure which. I'm most fascinated to hear how a DNA sample could confirm if Makmood is Jewish. Good grief, that's hilarious. Did the human genome project map a gene for Klezmer while I was at work, or something? The Guardian story with detailed information about Amajinabinabad's parents sounds pretty credible, far more so than some goofball theory based on a false interpretation of his former surname. And, does it matter? Even if his parents were Jewish, he's still going around denying the Holocaust and proclaiming Israel will be "wiped from the pages of history". Btw, yes, Islamic law and tradition does indeed provide some specific legal protection for Jews and Christians. "People of the Book". That still doesn't necessarily mean it would be much fun to be a Jew or Christian in a Muslim country. -k

I'm also very curious about the circumstances of what occurred. That somebody could be unable to answer some of these questions is entirely reasonable. That somebody could fail to answer all of them is just hard to credit. I am wondering about who the DNA was taken from and what it was compared to. Do we actually know that the person who provided the DNA sample was the same person who attempted to issue the passport? Hypothetically, a person tries to use her sister's passport, nobody buys it, she goes home and says "holy crap, that didn't work", and later when the authorities arrive the sister is there to say "I am who I said I am, and here is my DNA and fingerprints" etc. I read that when she was pressed for additional proof of her identity, she provided a bank card, a credit card, a Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum card, a Humber River Regional Health Card, a note from her employer, and a Toronto dry-cleaning receipt. Why carry a dry-cleaning receipt to Kenya? And, if she was a Humber College Student, why didn't she have her student ID? Ok, she probably wasn't planning on attending school in Kenya, but I bet she wasn't planning on visiting a Shopper's Drug Mart either. She had a note from her employer... perhaps indicating she anticipated trouble and brought extra proof of her identity? Ok, if that were the case, why not carry more photo ID? It sounds as if the only photo ID she had were her passport and her driver's license which both apparently just weren't believable. This is an excellent comment and I agree completely. Would love to know more about this, and we should find out more about it when it goes to court. I'll be a worthwhile exercise whichever the outcome. -k

I was reading a news article this morning and one of the ads on the page was, strangely enough, promoting the General Electric CF34 engine. I thought it was odd to see an ad for a product that, realistically, is not going to be on most people's shopping lists. The page invites you to click on signatures of people who work on the engine. GE seems to be promoting themselves as an employer and a provider of innovative technology. (perhaps they are also providing their MSNBC subsidiary with a few advertising bucks.) The CF34 is apparently a civilian-tune version of the engine that powers the A-10 Warthog, and is used on smaller passenger planes from Bombardier and Embraer. I have ridden on short flights to Calgary on both of these planes, and can confirm that it is a sweet ride. -k

You might well be justified in doing that. Am I 7cm shorter than my license says I am? Am I incapable of answering basic questions, like how long I've been married or where my kids were born? If I sign my name, does it look like the signature on my license? You might be completely justified in not believing the license really belongs to me. They caught someone using what appeared to be a passport that didn't belong to them; they took it away. I don't believe they had any power to charge her. I don't think Canadian consular officials have any legal authority to lay charges in Kenya; it would be quite odd if they did. According to this article, they did indeed ask Kenyan officials to charge her. -k

I meant to make mention of him in my original post. He was, truly, excellent, and Col. Hans Landa was to me an interesting character. In the riveting opening scene of the movie, Landa likens the Jews to rats. Not that they are vermin, but, as he explains, that they are no worse than other vermin. It is not rational, Landa explains to the farmer, to hate rats any more than rabbits or squirrels or other pests that might be equally destructive. Yet, people hate rats. Why? Landa shrugs. He doesn't really know. He seems to not bear Jews any ill will. Yet, he's made himself famous throughout France for hunting them down. He is zealous in his persecution of the Jews not for any personal conviction, but because he is ambitious and he sees his "Jew Hunter" fame as a means of advancing his career. He's not doing it out of hatred... he's doing it for personal gain. Does that make him less despicable? Or does it make him more despicable? Or does his motive matter at all? -k

Based on the information we have so far, it sounds like there is a strong case to be made that the officials who denied her passport were simply doing their job properly. In which case I don't think a settlement or compensation for this person would be appropriate. -k

Polls apparently indicate that women don't like Stephen Harper. And polls apparently indicate that women don't like Michael Ignatieff either. I am wondering: what politicians have women liked? Jack Layton? Stephane Dion? Did women like PMPM? Did women like Chretien? Day? May? I'm picking a Prime Minister, not somebody to go to coffee with. And I hope that other women feel the same. Women have swung toward the Conservatives over the past 6 months... so the conclusion is that Michael Ignatieff became less sexy? Maybe women have swung toward the Conservatives for the same reasons men have. Maybe the threat to force an election didn't play well. Maybe the commercials in the forest didn't go over well. Maybe they're just not hearing policies and positions they find appealing. I dunno, I feel a little insulted by articles like this. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm just weird... maybe other women voters really are looking for a Prime Minister they could go for coffee with and just can't picture themselves in a Second Cup chatting with Iggy by the fireplace. Who knows. But personally I don't believe women are as vapid as this sort of article suggests. And what is with those stupid pie-charts that have most of the pie gone? Are they supposed to represent a uterus or something? Look, assholes, just because the article is geared toward women doesn't mean you can print crap like that and expect people to swallow it. If you want a pie chart, print a full circle, including a center and a complete circumference so that people know how much pie is there. If you want a bar graph, print a frickin bar graph. You can't print a bar graph, bend it, mess the axis around, and pretend it's an acceptable graphic just because the women reading your stupid article are probably bad at math anyway. What crap. Women expect better, "Michael Valpy" and whoever your dumb-ass editor is. moss? marsupials? martians? -k

Muslim gangs have gone after Christians en masse in places like Nigeria and Algeria. If these Somalis just hunting down converts to Christianity, it's actually kind of tame by comparison. -k

Sure, they're out there. But if the typical girl on the street tries to get her body to look like the girl in those pictures, she's going to make herself sick and depressed. I don't wish to call the girl in the picture an anorexic or a freak, but her physique is at the very least a rarity. The concern is that holding up such unusual specimens as the ideal, the fashion industry gives people a warped idea of what women actually look like, and for young women, sets an unrealistic model to emulate. I'm not convinced they will, however. Honestly, does anybody find the girl in the picture attractive? By the way, I don't think men are immune to this sort of thing either. I have heard that a lot of young men who don't compete in athletics at all still spend an absurd amount of money on muscle-building supplements and even illegal steroids, trying to emulate the look of top athletes or movie tough-guys. -k

Ok, I watched the video and it's even more awesome than I imagined it might be. Aside from dishonestly referring to the reciprocity agreements with specific countries as "discrimination" against others, she also refers to South America, Africa, and the Caribbean as "countries". That was super and I'm really glad you convinced me to watch it. It's not a straw-man. It's directly comparable. - benefits only a small segment of the populace. - membership in that segment is defined by circumstances of birth, not behavior or merit. - it's to the detriment of everybody else. - it's an MP representing a small, vocal group as his constituency, when in fact most of his constituents would probably be strongly opposed to the notion being presented. -k