Majorities Don't Whisper
Well, Kyle, apparently Ralph Klein heard what you had to say... but didn't care to listen. When asked to comment Friday about the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, King Ralph replied :
"I don't know what the percentage of the majority is, but the majority of people are opposed to same-sex marriage."
Riiiight. Next thing you know, Ralph will stand up and say: "Shhh. Can you hear that? That's the 'silent' majority of people who reject same-sex marriage. What? You can't hear that? You must be crazy, they're everywhere." Sorry Mr. Premier, your superhearing is, well, superficial. There is no silent majority -- just an obnoxiously loud minority.
This is just another variation of what Rick Salutin of the Globe and Mail (Dec. 3) refers to as the most offensive phrases in public life: "Mr. Speaker, Canadians know..." and "Mr. Speaker, Canadians are tired of hearing..."
It's a good thing that Canadians rarely listen to what politicians have to say, otherwise we might have to tell them the truth: we're tired of
them.
Hard time vs. game time, pt. ii
Some time has passed since I talked about video games in jail (click
here for a refresher). Time for reflection and introspection… and a round of James Bond 007 on Nintendo GameCube…
(45 minutes later)
Well, I’m back from a ‘healthy’ shoot ‘em up gaming session of the 007 variety. I thought that if I engaged myself in the issue, i.e. playing violent video games, I might have a better perspective on which to base my opinions.
Overall, I’ve gotta say, I feel pretty good. I killed about 104 enemies, made 2 stunning escapes, and went through thousands of rounds of ammunition. Not bad for a rookie. “James” would be proud.
I also learned many valuable lessons from my play time, including:
(1) If you’re ever in a jam, just blow things up.
(2) Bikini-clad women adore it when you kill ‘bad’ guys.
(3) Life is easy, just remember to save your game.
Definitely the type of things we should be advocating to those in our correctional system who, one hopes, will soon reintegrate into normal society. Right?
Not if you ask the Governor of Kansas. According to this article in the
Kansas City Star, he’s not so pleased that several correctional facilities in the U.S. not only allow, but also aid in the purchasing of violent video games for use by inmates.
Interestingly, such purchases – funded by the inmates but administered by the facility – were approved to provide inmates with peaceful recreation activities. Notes one Kansas corrections worker:
It has a good effect on helping us run the prison and make sure they're busy and not trying to work on ways to escape or harm others…That's kind of our bottom line — public safety.
That’s absolutely ridiculous. If inmates want to play FIFA Soccer in their spare time, I’m all for that. But there is no reason why inmates should be allowed to practice their skills in robbery, assault, or even murder while behind bars.
The fact that these actions are taking place in a cartoon world is irrelevant. May I remind everyone that the majority of soldiers in the U.S. Army fight countless virtual wars in simulation war games before they are sent away to participate in the real thing. Such would not be the case if the military wasn’t convinced that
virtual killing is adequate training for
actual killing.
If people are up in arms all the time about children being exposed to violence in video games, how is it that we don’t seem to be too concerned about violent games within our jails?
This isn’t a question about the rights of inmates. This is about the toleration of violence in an environment where violence must be condemned. It’s simply unacceptable.
Lay out the red carpet, Kyle has arrived
In light of Kyle's inaugural post (see below), I think I speak for Adam -- I must, because for all I know Adam has eloped along with his Compaq PC never to return again -- when I say, "Welcome, Mr. Lambert, to the crystal beaches of B2D."
May I also remind all 3 (thousand!) readers who peruse this online intellectual orgy that Kyle is much more than a friend and hockey player. He is a friend and hockey player
who can play both forward and defence. It goes without saying, then, that Kyle brings a certain 'global' perspective to the B2D kingdom.
I value this perspective and rest assured that such wisdom will grace our not-so-global village, if you will, for quite some time.
Welcome!
Nicaragua, our home and native land
Bush came, he saw, he...was kind of witty?
I'm not kidding. On his reception upon arriving in Ottawa on Tuesday: "I want to thank the Canadian people who came out to wave,
with all five fingers, for their hospitality". (Cue the laugh track -- i.e. the American press corps)
Cute, very cute. But how could he have known that some of us, Canadians, may not wish him a welcome stay? Hmmm... Maybe, just maybe, he saw it on CNN:
I think, you know, Canadians are nice people, it's a nice country, but it's a country in the grip of a national insecurity complex. Canada needs the United States for trade, for a lot of reasons. Without the U.S., Canada is essentially Honduras, but colder and much less interesting. And I think that that makes Canadians -- the dependence that Canada has on the United States makes Canadians understandably resentful.
That's Tucker Carlson talking on CNN's Crossfire last night, in case you were wondering. Discuss.
And for the record, yes, I resent these comments.
