Peace on Earth

There Are Some Things That'll Never Go Away for Ignatieff

And yesterday's interview was just one of them that continues to wreak havoc for all eternity. Interestingly title, the book is called "Death of the Liberal Class". Ominous.

AMY GOODMAN: Chris Hedges, you were a longtime correspondent for the New York Times. For two decades you worked there. You were one of the premier war correspondents. You wrote the book War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning. You won the Pulitzer Prize about eight years ago. You talk in Death of the Liberal Class about your experience at the Times. Why don’t you go through it for us in detail and what you think it indicates?

CHRIS HEDGES: Well, I spent a lot of time in the book talking about those figures, like Sydney Schanberg and others, who were expelled from these liberal institutions—Richard Goldstone, who wrote the Goldstone Report on the 22-day Israeli assault on Gaza, would be another example—because there are clear parameters within these institutions that you don’t cross. The perfect example would be the buildup to the Iraq war. Here, the liberal, so-called self-identified liberal class—figures like David Remnick at The New Yorker; Bill Keller, who was a columnist at the New York Times, now the executive editor; George Packer; on and on, even people like Frank Rich, people forget—all backed the war. And they did it as sort of reluctant hawks. Probably the poster child for this was Michael Ignatieff of the Carr Center, at Harvard, for Human Rights, who’s now the head of the Liberal Party in Canada.AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, that reluctance makes them the most convincing.

CHRIS HEDGES: And it—yeah, of course it does, because it gives a kind of moral veneer to a crime. It’s heartfelt. "We don’t like war. We all opposed the Vietnam War." This is almost verbatim Ignatieff’s argument. And "But it’s something that has to be done. We have to face the hard, bitter truth of world politics and recognize that we are a force for good." Samantha Power does this, in essence, in her book on genocide. It’s the idea that the empire is sort of used to—it can abrogate for itself the right to use force to impose virtues. It’s an utter tautology and absurdity to those of us who have been at war. But it works. And the function of the liberal class and why it is traditionally tolerated by the power elite is because it disarms movements that should have stood up on the eve of the Iraq war and fought back.

Ignatieff's "In Kids" Still Dumber than Sticks...

...and are adolescent juvenile morons to boot. Seriously? Twitter? Dumb asses!

But Fonseca’s friends, who blame witless federal Liberal operatives for spilling the beans on Twitter late Wednesday, feel the former labour minister was unfairly treated.

The Small Hero Challenge...And I Challenge all of YOU!!!

My good friend Rob has started something. And I think it's the most positive non partisan, cross party idea I've heard in a long time. The Small Hero Challenge.

Here's what Rob has to say about it all:

A little follow up on my last post.

That "heroism" doesn't require that we put our lives on the line.

That small acts can make a difference.

Today I sponsored a 9 year old boy named Sankagdja in Burkina Faso, through the Christian Children's Fund.

I'm not a particularly ardent Christian, and go to church only two or three times per year, but I checked out the charity and it has done some great work abroad by helping children in need.

So - I've sort of done this before to some criticism, but I think it's still worthwhile - today I'm challenging all political bloggers and readers to do more than complain, to do some act for another and then blog on it and pass on the challenge to others - either of similar political stripe or not.

Donate to a charity, shovel your neighbor's walk, hold a door for an elderly person, whatever.. do some minor act of heroism, some positive act.

As bloggers, our bread and butter is complaining about the world around us so often - but, as the saying goes, "Better to light one candle, than to curse the darkness."

Some in the past have suggested that the most selfless charitable act is done anonymously.

Perhaps.

But I think in an age of growing cynicism, at a time where so many of us advertise our success by the stuff we own, it is worthwhile to identify yourself by some positive thing that you do for someone else.

Go ahead.

And let me know about it if you like.

So dear friends, I challenge you all to pick up on what Rob has started and pass the challenge on to others. Naturally, come back here and tell us what you've done for your small hero cheer.

Friday I'll be dropping off some cases of soup to my local Foodbank. For me charity starts here at home, and although Burlington has the elusive look of success, it still has its more-than-fair share of those in need.

Next week I'll be visiting my home town of Niagara to drop off some goods to their food bank. You can't forget where you came from.

Ode to Brett Favre

297!!!

What a warrior!

Dear Mastercard and Visa

Do you really think it's a good idea censoring a known computer hacker? Really? I'd call that a really bad business move on behalf of your clients. Priceless.

The Next Premier of British Columbia

December 8...The Day the Music Died

a date which will live in infamy

And so it was 69 years ago.

CITY-TV. Everywhere.

Perhaps one of the greatest losses that the people of Toronto will ever know in media life. Mark Dailey was a giant. I, for one, will miss the sound of his voice. The greatest of condolences to his wife and daughter and those who share in this loss at City.

History Reminder of the Day....L'ecole Polytechnique

May we never forget them.



Geneviève Bergeron (born 1968), civil engineering student

Hélène Colgan (born 1966), mechanical engineering student

Nathalie Croteau (born 1966), mechanical engineering student

Barbara Daigneault (born 1967), mechanical engineering student

Anne-Marie Edward (born 1968), chemical engineering student

Maud Haviernick (born 1960), materials engineering student

Maryse Laganière (born 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department

Maryse Leclair (born 1966), materials engineering student

Anne-Marie Lemay (born 1967), mechanical engineering student

Sonia Pelletier (born 1961), mechanical engineering student

Michèle Richard (born 1968), materials engineering student

Annie St-Arneault (born 1966), mechanical engineering student

Annie Turcotte (born 1969), materials engineering student

Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (born 1958), nursing student

History Reminder of the Day....Rosa Parks

December 1, 1955