Haydain Neale, 1970–2009
Transit City and Transit Cities
Peeve Patrol
Newsstand: November 23, 2009
The Making of a Medley
Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging on Friday, and video of the execution popped up on the internet by Sunday. The CBC link doesn't have the video, because they're a news organization, and as such not in the business of providing snuff films. If you want to see it, go to Fox or CNN, who both have it. No, no links. Torontoist is likewise not in the business of providing snuff films.
Canada's chief of defense staff says we're completely committed in Afghanistan and can't do anything elsewhere, like for example the Sudan. In response, Stephen Harper pointed out that a whole lot of houses have gotten painted in Afghanistan, and that's a very good thing.
New Year's celebrations mostly went off without a hitch - except in Thailand. There were two bombings in Bangkok late Sunday (Bangkok time - Toronto time this would have been early Sunday afternoon). Two dead, over thirty injured. No information yet as to who's responsible for the bombings. The early answer is "probably nobody nice." In local celebrations, no bombings, but Nathan Philips Square got an estimated 40,000 people for its annual New Year's party.
Some assholes stole a bronze statue of a Ukrainian poet from a park in Oakville, presumably for the value of the scrap metal. Dear assholes: Torontoist hopes somebody kicks you in the nuts repeatedly. With a spiky boot and everything. Seriously, there is crime and then there is just being a total waste of human flesh, you know?
To karmically counterbalance the statue-stealing dickheads, however, Muslim volunteers celebrating Eid Al-Adha gave away a whole lot of food yesterday at Queen and Sherbourne. So that's good.
And finally, an unnamed woman drove a car through the security fence of Stephen Harper's country home on Lake Mousseau. My early money is on a viciously pissed-off Garth Turner in drag!
Image via AP.
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Thanks for not posting the links to the execution. And the description of 'security barrier' for the Harrington Estate (which is on Lac Mousseau) is a bit extreme. It is pretty much a slightly heavier version of what you would find in front of a parking lot. A few pieces of white wood. Considering that in that area (of Gatineau) there are at least two incidents a year involving people driving into stores, houses (or bars) ON PURPOSE, it isn't really out of the ordinary. Sort of a local passtime...
I find it rather amusing that Torontoist's response to some morons stealing a statue in Oakville is more extreme than to news of a bombing in Thailand that killed and injured people.
Guess it really is all about location, location, location.
As an American (I'm sorry). I'm finding it quite disturbing/unusual/depressing (pick any) that the US media would show, an unmasked man, surrounded by men IN masks (no cowards there)being hanged on TV. I guess Dubyah got his "Old West" after all. How far are we now from fully public execcutions on Pay-per-View (we need to make a profit)? And I need not say how outraged THIS f**kin' country would be if George Bush were hanged publicly (if only), Chavez called him "Diablo" and Americans had a hissy-fit. I'm also curious how a nipple or F-Bomb incurs hundreds of thousands of dollars in FCC fines, but hanging a man is ok. I'm not a parent, but I would much rather explain a breast or a "naughty" word than masked men putting a noose around a guy's neck. WITHOUT an appeals process (we have guys who have been on death row for years. America is not the most advanced or civillized country in the world and we are now worse than the "enemy" we profess to fight. It was obvious propaganda and an attempt at "old-school justice" to boost Dubyah's ratings. I hope I don't go to my doctor and he suggests bloodletting or leeches for my sniffles. Cuz that is where this land of ignorance and superstition is heading. The Dark Ages...YEA!! I really, really, really need to move to your' city/country. Save Me!!! S.O.S
Also, re: Afghanistan.
I highly suggest the DVD, "Why We Fight".
As long as this war is profitable (and it is for some select corporations, ie. Haliburton)...this war will continue. Why not? If the money is rolling in, what are a few thousand lives? It's not not THEIR kids dying, losing limbs, commiting suicide or slitting their wives' throats in their sleep after a nightmare. I apologize and am saddened whenever I see Canada influenced by America, its like a good kid hanging around the school bully.
surrounded by men IN masks (no cowards there)
In fairness, executioners being masked is a tradition that goes back for almost as long as executions have been around. It's a job that's long been considered unpleasant and even unholy.
Fair. And true. But you helped my argument...if you need to wear a mask to do something, should it be televised nationally. A country that professes to be such a Christian nation and so ga-ga about Jesus (apparently he went Republican) to televise something so "unpleasant and unholy" on national tv. I'm an atheist, and I wouldn't do it. Maybe we'll see Mike Rowe be executioner for a day on the tv show "Dirty Jobs". "OK, now, ya put yer rope here, get `er good n tight, now...and ya' wanna make him swing jes a li'l bit, for effect."
We are no better than anyone else.
This country can no longer whine about videotaped beheadings.
I love when they say, "Now, we can't show you the rest..it's too graphic". Good Grief, why not, come on, let's go for it...let the people of this country really see a man being hanged until he dies. Let's really see what a bullet or shrapnel does to human tissue. For all these people who get such a hard on over shooting and blowing people up...let's see what it really looks like. Americans have this Spielberg/Playstation mentality of violence. If you get shot in the arm, you won't be an amputee, get infected or need rehab, just hold your hand over it real tight, it will be fine for the next scene when you have to fly a helicopter. Maybe if we saw the hospitals and body bags, someone would finally say enough. But, I'm not a parent, so if people still want to allow Dubyah to send their kids into a meat-grinder, STILL, who am I to say anything. Just don't tell me they're dying for my freedom. They're not.
"I find it rather amusing that Torontoist's response to some morons stealing a statue in Oakville is more extreme than to news of a bombing in Thailand that killed and injured people."
You're absolutely right. But why stop there? Only two people died. Hell, that's positively terrible by terrorist bombing standards. We probably still should be pissed off by the latest Iraqi suicide bombings, if we're talking about the scope of an incident being the measure by which we're horrified. But then, that's probably not enough either. Let's just call 9/11 the gold standard by which to measure terrorist attacks, and still be pissed off by that, ignoring everything since that isn't on such a grand scale. Oh shit, we can't do that, because we're all still pissed about Hiroshima. But then again, there was the Holocaust. And Stalin killed even more people than that, so maybe that's what we should be angry about. Cholera maybe? Bubonic plague? Noah's flood? Bah, screw it. I say we just get really, really angry about the dinosaurs being wiped out, and give those statue-stealing dudes the Nobel Peace Prize.