I guess I should have said this last time.

I feel that I must offer my deepest apologies for any confusion that I may have caused with my last post. In case anyone was under the impression that I am subconsciously chained to some outdated morality, let me assure you that I am not. What seems on the surface to be a glaring omission from "maiming two birds" was in no way due to an archaic concept of good & evil. Certainly we are beyond that (thanks Fred).

The omission I am speaking of is, of course, the genocide option. This is 2008 and the last time I looked we had already surmised that morality is subjective and varies from culture to culture. So why did I not include genocide as an alternative in my last post? Simply put, it is cost prohibitive.

Remember, Tibetan Buddhists believe in Samara (rebirth). That effectively means that the same souls could possibly have to be terminated over, and over, and over. As you can plainly see, the costs of such a program could be astronomical!

The omission, therefore, should not be viewed in light of some "western morality" but should be seen for what it is - simply a matter of fiscal responsibility. And that transcends culture.

Again, please accept my most sincere and heartfelt apologies for any confusion I may have caused.

It's like maiming two birds with one stone!

There was a blessed event in my extended family this week. A beautiful baby girl was born to my in-laws. We celebrated this event like most families - by spending money.

For the sake of convenience, we chose to shop at a large "big box" store that carries almost everything. And like almost every store these days many, if not most, of the goods were manufactured in China. Given the recent protests that occurred along the Olympic Torch routes in several cities around the world some might have mixed emotions about purchasing Chinese goods. I am not one of those.

The oppression of the Tibetan people by the Chinese is almost inevitable. If we have learned one thing from thousands of years of human history it is this - the strong will oppress the weak. We really didn't need Darwin to point out the concept of "survival of the fittest" (It has been pointed out by a friend of mine that "survival of the fittest", although used by Darwin, was actually an idea first presented in 1864 by Herbert Spencer in "Principles of Biology". I take this opportunity to suggest that Mr. Spencer get a better publicist.). It reveals itself in every page of every history book ever written. So the issue at hand is not whether or not China should be involved in Tibet. The real issue is how they should oppress them.

This is 2008 and I believe that unlike our ancestors we possess a civility that must be brought to bare in this conflict. The Tibetans should be oppressed (as I've already established) - but they should be oppressed well. Technology affords us the opportunity to see the people of Tibet subjugated humanely and effectively. High caliber bullets take the place of crude shot (or even worse, dull swords). There are also many crowd control tools like pepper spray and rubber bullets that are effective and non-lethal. Handcuffs that used to leave captives with chafed and bloody wrists now hardly leave a scratch. Technology and progress are truly wonderful things.

But there is a cost to this technological "properness". These things are not free. Technology costs real dollars. Research and development for new weapons would be all but impossible without a substantial monetary commitment. And that is where we the consumers are invaluable. By purchasing cheap Chinese goods we enable the Chinese to deal with the Tibetans in a manner befitting our technological abilities and social sensibilities.

So, to my new niece I say welcome to our world - with a gift to her & to Tibet.

The Answer for the Iraq War is "Operation: 50 Cent"

While American President George W. Bush announced several new initiatives for the troupes in Iraq, opposition to the war continues to be strong from the Democrats.

Bush's announcement today included shortening the troop combat tours to 12 months from the current 15 months, as well as supporting Gen. David Petraeus' plan of holding military personnel levels as they stand for the next 45 days. The President was quoted as saying, "I've told him he'll have all the time he needs."

On the other side of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "The president has taken us into a failed war. He's taken us deeply into debt. And ... that debt is taking us into recession."

Ms. Pelosi's view on the success of the Iraqi war is, of course, up for debate. It will remain subjective until/unless a definition of "success" is agreed upon. Somewhat more objective are her remarks regarding the cost of the war and the present economic difficulties facing the U.S. This journalist is not implying that the costs incurred as a result of the operations in Iraq are solely responsible for the economic downturn we are now facing. Such a suggestion would be blatantly erroneous. But there is little question that expenditures incurred during the length of the conflict (some conservative estimates believe that the total costs could reach $400 billion by the time it's over) have not helped to ease the economic crunch that we now find ourselves in.

But every cloud has a silver lining. And when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. I present to you a simple plan that could end the war and help the economy at the same time. I call this modest proposal "Operation: 50 Cent". The concept is as follows:

Go into the inner cities and gather their entire populations. This is where poor people live. Poor people cannot help us spend our way out of this economic slump. In fact, poor people require assistance from the government. Therefore, getting rid of the less affluent puts us ahead financially. Take these inner city dwellers and transplant them in Iraq. I have, of course, considered the fact that most of the armed forces are made up of such people. But those who could not join because of medical reasons, or for flunking out of basic training, or even those who didn't sign on for service - those people would get to show their true patriotic spirit by leaving the country.

The inner city is also home to an almost infinate number of nar-do-wells. Gangs will be given the biggest guns imaginable. Collateral damage will be encouraged. East Coast/ West Coast rivalries will be accentuated, as will all other animosities (Crips/Bloods etc.). We send Iraq the product of over two hundred years of the "Second Amendment". The insurgents won't know what hit them. Our streets become safer - and so would theirs.

I submit "Operation: 50 Cent" for public consideration. I ask for nothing in return. I'm just proud to do my part as a patriot, economist and social engineer. Let freedom ring.

mmm, yummy muffins.

In an effort to maintain my status as a blue collar "digger of ditches", I stopped to get a coffee today.

The woman ahead of me inquired about a muffin called "Banana Dream Muffin". She asked if it contained bran. The lady behind the counter informed her that it didn't. So, she decided to choose another type.

I noticed that all of the other muffins were referred to in a very straight forward manner, being called whatever they were - Blueberry, Chocolate Chip etc. I asked the lady behind the counter if the "Banana Dream Muffin" contained the dreams of starry eyed children crushed into a fine flour. She said "no". The female customer ahead of me had a look of horror on her face. I'm not sure why.

I have little idea how far technology has come in the baking industry, but it seems to me that adding the dreams of small children might be good for those who have become jaded as they've reached middle age. It would be like bran for the psyche.

Let Them Eat Rice Cakes!

The Olympic torch relay met a very unceremonious end as it traveled through Paris on Monday.

In what seems to be a rivalry for the ages, France refused to be outdone by the recent protests during the U.K. portion of the relay in London - not only by having a protest of their own, but by completely outshining the British protest.

It is unclear if the protesters were aware of an actual cause or if they were "just trying to get a light". Most seemed oblivious to the plight of the Tibetans and to the fact that they even existed. Not surprising when one factors in the complete lack of trade between France and Tibet. French wines are almost nonexistent in the Himalayas. The complete lack of aesthetic sense has left the fashion houses of Paris dumbfounded. And the Buddhist monks in the region are incredibly frugal when purchasing firearms.

Of course, those Parisians who were somewhat aware of the situation in the region met the issues in the true style of the Republic - with "liberty, equality, fraternity", suggesting that if things were unable to be resolved the Tibetans could be relocated to the suburbs of Paris. And just like the North Africans who reside there now, they could still not be French in several generations. Vive La France!

Multiculturalism is really, really nice.

This was on the “Google News Canada” page today – the first story listed.

"Interracial relationships rise 30 per cent in five years Globe and Mail - 5 hours ago. Ward and June Cleaver were the idyllic picture of marriage in the 1950s, then Vishva Ramlall and Stephanie Linton could be the face of relationships in the 21st century. Visible minorities colour our world - Mississauga News"


Thanks to John Stewart of the “Mississauga News” for helping me with the quick post. Yes John, visible minorities do colour our world. It is wonderful of them to do that for us.

P.S. I love their quaint accents and broken English too - very amusing.

P.P.S. Sometimes their food is a bit much though.

Altruism is dead.

Dateline: Orange County, FLA

Last Thursday an unnamed 11 year old female student was "tasered" after alleged altercations with a fellow student, several members of the faculty, and the school's resource officer.

The events began when the unnamed girl attempted to push another student into on coming traffic. The attempt being unsuccessful, the accosted student was able to tell a staff member about the incident. When teachers confronted the 11 year old she became physically aggressive; shoving furniture, yelling and spitting. The teachers, in turn, requested the aid of Officer Donna Hudepohl, the school's resource officer. When Officer Hudepohl reached the scene she was pushed and received a blow to the face. At that point Hudepohl discharged her taser and immobilized the student.

The unnamed student was taken to a local hospital for removal of the taser barbs. Officer Hudepohl was also admitted to the same hospital for treatment of a possible nasal fracture.

How senseless it all seems - the violence, the physical and emotional trauma. And let us not forget the disruption to the academic environment. And what about the monetary cost? There is the cost of the EMS visit, the accompanying hospital treatment as well as the cost of replacement barbs for the taser. There is also the legal costs including the cost of the court time itself.

All of this because of one selfish act. If only the student who had initially been pushed into traffic had thought a little about those around her and just "stayed pushed". If only this student had thought a little less about self-preservation and a little more about others. If only.