Strange how WK can spew his disdain about another man's religion on television with props and not be held accountable for them while at the same time he thinks another man should be destroyed for spewing his disdain for another man's religion in public.
But that's the Liberal Part of Toronto's thinking. I will add that thanks to WK's public show of his disdain that I went to work as a volunteer for the Reform Party in that election to make sure that the likes of WK never hold power again.
Re: "He admits he can't find the Currie post, but that he saw it yesterday."
In Kinsella's defense, he does check an awful lot of public toilets during his work day. It must be hard to keep them sorted out.
Don't be too hard on him. This is a man who has former Prime Ministers as imaginary friends.
Imaginary posts are his stock and trade.
(I should send him a Napoleon hat.)
Re: "most Canadian right-leaning bloggers - including myself - took the view that Ahenakew was an antisemitic scumbag who should be stripped of his Order of Canada, but that he shouldn't be prosecuted by the state for his views."
Damian, one of the best comments I've heard on such an issue came from the great Bill "Spaceman" Lee ( [External Link]). During a radio interview on baseball and other topics, the subject of John Rocker and whether he should be suspended came up. Lee's excellent response was that Rocker was already serving a lifetime sentence - and his punishment was he would be John Rocker for the rest of his life. I feel the same way about Ahenakew.
BTW - in case anyone doesn't know John Rocker.
[External Link]
Well, I can see where you would be confused by anything Kinsella writes. Clunky doesn't begin to describe it.
His hypocrisy is almost incalculable. Crusade against the evil tobacco, but be a registered lobbyist for alcohol. Etc.
How the heck could Kinsella even pretend to himself that those blog citations constituted a defence of Ahanekew? The man really does have issues, doesn't he? Maybe we should chip in for some counselling. Anyway, the Ahanekew issue does demonstrate how this hate speech gig is really designed to allow the beautiful people to feel, well...beautiful...by going after a relatively harmless fringe that doesn't frequent Starbuck's while keeping their distance from more modern contemporary hatemongers whose speech has real, live, growing constituencies and could arguably have real, non-verbal consequences. Ahanekew's outburst was so bizarre and off-the-wall that nobody could ever remotely fear it represented anything but the ravings of an isolated nut. No one ever suggested Canadian aboriginal communities were prone to anti-Semitism or had any interest whatsoever in the issue. No one, aboriginal or otherwise, was going to defend Ahanekew. So, a bit like with Lemire, everybody could get their knickers in a knot, throw Ahanekew to the lions and feel virtuous.
But with real anti-Semitism on campus's and with Islamicist polemics and censorship, our human rights champions bite their tongues and respond by wanking on about root causes and worring about stirring pots. Damien, Warren's blog is a bit of a moving target, so don't feel bad. He posted last week something about his fears that the anti-Islamicist arguments of his enemies would "harden Muslim reactionaries". As politely as I could, I asked whether he worried that going after Lemire at the HRC would harden the reactionary arm of the extreme racist right. He wouldn't allow my comment but, unless I'm blind, his own comment seems to have disappeared. Instead of talking as if the HRCs were some kind of scary Gestapos tapping our wifis by the light of the full moon, maybe it's time to realize they have all the toughness and resilience of my dear old Great Aunt Bella. Yesterday's people.
And BTW, just where does a Minister of the Crown get off on boasting publically that he and his officals will "refuse" to meet or have any dealings with an individual Canadian beacuse of the opinions he holds?
You have to understand that Warren wouldn't have a reason to live if he couldn't make someone out there - preferably someone willing to hire him - believe that the woods are full of Nazi hordes, and that he's the only Indiana Jones in sight. The prodigious effort that this fiction requires is only now begining to show its strain.
Posted at 2008-04-02 14:52:50 [PermaLink]Well, Kinsella may have removed his harsh response, but he better remove my name and apologize for lying about me on his blog, with the intention to impugn my reputation.
If he doesn't, he will soon be in possession of a libel notice, then soon after, a statement of claim.
Not for nothing do I refer to him as "the liar Kinsella". Over at my own blog I have cited the material going back as far as 2003 where I condemned Ahenakew. Now Warren can't find the post where I suddenly changed my mind and started supporting him.
As I don't want Warren distracted from snapping pics in the boys washroom I'll fess up...I never made a post on Ahenakew. However, if we want to talk about imaginary posts: were I to post I would strongly suggest that the Saskatchewan Indian Nations have enough problems without adding this deranged anti-Semite to the mix.