Jonathan Kay says Al Gore and Bono are “Cool”

Peter Foster says: "Jonathan Kay is an idiot"

Actually, that’s not exactly what Mr. Foster said - but it’s a close enough paraphrase.

In yesterday’s National Post Jonathan Kay wrote a mucho lamo column praising Al Gore for having "changed the world". In it he referred to "...conservatives ? obsessive critics who've wrapped themselves up in cranky, tiresome rebuttals."

Today Peter Foster delivered a great smackdown in his Post column entitled Egomaniacs aren't 'cool':

...to present Mr. Gore as a single-combat warrior ignores the many billions of propaganda dollars that governments and NGOs have spent promoting environmental apocalypse. Mr. Gore is not exactly swimming upstream.
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...the notion that we might congratulate individuals for shifting public opinion by doctoring facts, exploiting ignorance and demonizing opponents is hardly praiseworthy.
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...we might remember that [certain named] tyrants had one thing in common with Mr. Gore: They firmly believed they were agents of "the truth" and that apostasy was unacceptable; it had to be the result either of class-based self-interest or mental disorder.
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Of course, I'm probably just being cranky, but then the role of conservatives, unfortunately, is to stand in the way of grand Utopian schemes, however "popular" they may be.
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Nor does [tradational conservatism] involve climbing on bandwagons or giving in to family and social pressures to get with the "religious experience" and sink into the warm feeling that dangerously simplistic egomaniacs are "pretty darn cool."

Cool!

Praise for Canada from the U.S.A.

The crack young staff at THMQ is impressed with Stephen Harper's refusal to be a star f**ker at the G8 summit.

Scooter Libby and American ‘justice’

Today "Scooter" Libby was handed a sentence of two-and-a-half years for ‘lying’ about a ‘crime’ prosecutors couldn’t prove had been committed (‘outing’ CIA employee Valerie Plame) - a crime for which no one was ever charged. Seems a tad unjust.

However, there’s a remedy close at hand. As this NRO editorial concludes:

President Bush should pardon Libby, and do it now.

I have to agree. In general, though, Libby’s case does have a familiar ring to it:

- Martha Stewart convicted of lying to prosecutors in declaring her innocence of a crime (insider trading) for which she was never charged.

- Conrad Black now being pers-, er, prosecuted for a long list of ‘crimes’ for which there is, at best, dubious evidence.

The American justice system seems to be making a mockery of itself. Someone needs to take a closer look at how the special prosecutor does his job.

Global warming test

For an excellent summary of the facts, take this short Global Warming Test.

(via ICECAP via Jay Currie via SDA)

Lorne Gunter on lousy Tory polling numbers

You couldn’t ask for a much stronger supporter of conservatism than Lorne Gunter. Sadly, I have to agree with his analysis in this column today.

Many conservatives are willing to cut Canada’s ‘new’ government some slack in the current minority situation. But at this rate we’re in for a lot more minority government. And there’s not much slack left to cut.

Sensible words from NASA boss

This post by Bill at "A Dog Named Kyoto" deserves maximum exposure.

NASA chief Michael Griffin, in an NPR interview, made some refreshingly sensible remarks concerning climate change and NASA's role in climate research. Griffin's underling, NASA scientist and AGW alarmist, James Hansen is, predictably, not happy with his boss's comments. I think Hansen should either A) be fired or B) resign.

And don't miss Bill's link to the excellent E-WIRE press release covering support from scientists around the world for the NASA chief's "courageous" remarks. The University of Guelph's Ross McKitrick made an excellent point:

The fact that it took courage, however, points to the deeper problem that questioning the catastrophic propaganda we hear so much is now considered politically incorrect.

An assault on reason

In today’s National Post, Peter Foster applies his trademark sharp wit and logic to a review of Al Gore’s new book “The Assault on Reason”.

The title ... says it all. Illogicalities, non sequiturs, false analogies, fallacies, ad hominem ... arguments all tumble forth in profusion from its pages.

Apparently Gore is still fuming over his defeat in the 2000 election:

...but isn't piling on to George Bush a little like flogging a dead duck?

On Gore's bemoaning television as a “one-way” medium in the service of Bush’s evil agenda, Mr. Foster observes:

However, a newspaper seems pretty "one-way." As does -- come to think about it -- a book. Sure, you can scribble "BS!" in the margins, but you soon run out of lead with a book like this.

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...presumably, you would never find Al Gore getting on, say, Jon Stewart or David Letterman. And you'd never find the publishing subsidiary of a giant corporation (say, Penguin) from publishing a book by him. OK, well maybe the theory falls down there.

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...Gore's thesis of a massive threat to free speech is, well, crap...

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The most stunning -- and frightening -- aspect of Gore's bipolar book is that he constantly calls for more discussion and public input, but when it comes to his obsession, man-made climate change, he declares the debate closed.

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The suggestion that there can be no intellectually honest opposition to Mr. Gore's alarmism is disturbing, to say the least.

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But the fact is that Mr. Gore does not want a debate; he wants a chorus. He is a much bigger threat to freedom than George W. Bush ever was, or ever could ever be. [my bold]

Thank you Peter. That’s one more book I won’t waste my time reading.