Fallen Soldiers

Canadian soldiers who were killed overseas and whose bodies are now coming back to Canada deserve the respect of Canadians and our gratitude. The media, however, have turned being respectful into a sideshow about the media's right to broadcast the return on live t.v. for their own media purposes.

The media has never been barred by the government from attending funerals or burials based on the wishes of the soldiers' families. In this case the government has banned the media from only broadcasting or attending when the soliders' remains arrive in Canada. There's nothing wrong with that. No one in government is saying that the media shouldn't report their return. But the fact is that in a war, and in this case a mission to create a stable "post-war" Afghanistan, there are going to be casualties and there has to be some protocol established. The former government didn't follow any set protocol and acted differently on different occasions. This government has said that it wants to follow a protocol that bars the media from the return ceremony. This is something that most soldiers in fact agree with based on, you guessed it, media reports.

My own take is that the media wants to blow this whole scenario out of proportion. Why make it a big issue and try and turn it into a controversy? To discredit the government? Maybe it's a slow news week? I think it's because the media is generally unsupportive of the Canadian effort in Afghanistan and is displaying is antipathy for the current government. I'm not suggesting the media not report the facts. They should do that, however, there is a diffence between reporting the facts and creating an issue where one doesnt' exist. Or what's worse is framing the issue in terms that reflect their own biases and not the reality of, in this case, the soldiers who are actually serving overseas.

Whatever the issue of the day, whether it is gang violence, gun crime, abortion, etc... the MSM seems to want to steer debate towards its own desired outcome. That's a sad scenario when really we should be expressing empathy with the families of the slain soldiers and expressing our best wishes and thanks to their families for the sacrifice they've made on our behalf.

Happy Baisakhi

Baisakhi signifies the birth of the Khalsa. The Sikh order that ideally signifies the highest virtues of man. Guru Gobind Singhji the tenth master of the Sikhs rallied the weak and made them Spiritual and Physical warriors through the high ideals exemplified by the Khalsa. There will be Khalsa Day parades throughout Canada in various cities. Tens of thousands will gather in varoius locales to express their beliefs.

On the birthday of the Khalsa I think we should reflect on our roots and where we are today and where we expect to go in the future. We came from a time when just being a Sikh was enough to warrant a death sentence from the ruling government of the day in South Asia. This was pretty much the case several times in Sikh history. So much for the myth of South Asian religious tolerance/ acceptance. Even today religious politics in South Asia can get you killed or at the least discriminated against.

Today, Sikhs have the right to freely practice their faith in many countries. We shouldn't take this lightly or expect that this will always be the case. Sikhs need to regularly drink from the well of inspiration provided by the Gurus and provided by the 11th Master - Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji today. Most of us don't take the time often enough. Our shared history and the examples of Spiritual and Physical bravery need to be learned and understood in context of today's world. We are facing the threat of terrorism and hardline beliefs that don't allow any space for opposition or free worship of belief systems other than those espoused by the would-be tyrants.

We only need look at the Taliban regime that ruled Afghanistan to see a glimpse of the master plan of hardline fascists. IF we want to avoid this future we need to align ourselves with those who believe as we do. In a free society where all can worship according his/her own desire. Legitimate expressions of faith on the part of leaders in this country and many others are frequently alluded to as being dangerous. How many times do you have to read in the newsprint or see on t.v. that someone is "scared" of George Bush or Stephen Harper because one or the other happens to mention God. It's ridiculous and a red herring. The Taliban didn't just have their own belief system, they expected everyone else to abide by it as well. Often, people were killed for not believing the same as them (see all of the executions in Kabul's soccer stadium for offences against Islam often related to adultery or immorality). Sikhs don't believe in torturing or killing anyone for their belief system. Guru Ji advised us to respect the fact that people believe in different faiths.

At the end of the day he advised us to be strong in our own faith system. If someone lives life as a Sikh and projects the confidence which the Guru showed us in life, then others will naturally see the beauty of Sikhi in action and be drawn towards it. We should strive towards the ideal exemplified by the 10th Guru and taught to us by the 11th. Even if we can't live all of the Sikh ideals, we should at least be moving in the direction of being better Sikhs and ipso facto, better human beings for the benefit of all people.

And So It Begins...

The new session of Parliament is just gearing up and it promises to be interesting. Just how fast can the Conservatives deliver on their platform? The key is to get as much in as possible before the Libs, NDP and Bloc decide to pull the plug or the Conservatives decide they've done as much as they can and dissolve parliament on their own.

The following is what Conservative House Leader Rob Nicholson said to the CTV about the priorities of the Government:

He said it will focus on the five main priorities outlined by the Conservative party -- a GST cut, a child-care allowance, a new federal Accountability Act, a crackdown on crime and a health-care wait times guarantee.

Pretty simple. The sooner they get that done the better. They'll no doubt call an election as soon as they implement or pass these measures. IF the opposition thwarts their plans, they'll take it to the Canadian people and blame the opposition for forcing an election so soon after the last one. The last time no one wanted to take the heat for having an election. It will only be more difficult this time to do so for the opposition. Canadians will rightly feel the Libs, Bloc or NDP are only playing pure petty politics if they press the issue and bring the government down over something not seen to be "make or break" for the average Canadian.

Most people want to remove the GST (something the Libs promised, but never delivered and Sheila Copps had to resign over), help on child-care (money, plus corp. tax breaks for daycare spaces), real penalties for politicians who rip off Canadians (see the Liberal insiders in Quebec and Liberal party), tough on crime policies (esp. in Toronto due to the idiots shooting it up on the streets), and a health care wait time reduction (forced onto the national agenda by the Supremes).

Something I'd like to see get done asap is funding for the military in terms of new equipment. The troops in Afghanistan need better equipment and we also need some new naval power to patrol and exert our sovereignty over our northern waterways ie: the northwest passage.

Personally, I agree on one point with the opposition, the income tax cuts should stay (and increase) along with the GST cut. This will no doubt result in the Feds giving up tax revenue and force a reduction in services or, better yet, efficiency in the Public Sector delivery of services. Here's my vote for automating half the stuff the Feds do and reducing the size of the bureaucrat workforce and ministries to cover the revenue shortfall. I think they can do a more efficient job delivering the services we get at a lower cost. How about outsourcing all of the delivery or the back end processing to the private sector? Corporations do it, why not the Feds?

That however, is another topic for another day. Today is about the Throne speech and the start of a new parliament. I for one am looking forward to some needed reforms and the Conservatives keeping it simple and delivering on their five point plan.

Message from a Friend

I recently got an email from a friend who didn't like my post regarding taking a hardline with terrorists. She thought this kind of post would only lead to more hate. My response follows below, but before I post it here. I would like to say that I don't have anything against anyone of any particular religion unless that person is looking to in some way infringe on my freedom of religion or free speech. This includes hurting or killing my co-religionists or anyone who is not of the same faith as that person. This is the situation today and it applies to people who subscribe to the mindset of the terrorists currently in the news.

Here's my response to my friend.

"thanks for your honest opinion. I'm not promoting
hatred, but a response that those, who have only one of
two options (convert or be killed)
available to all, in their opinion, non-muslims, can understand.
No matter how much we
wish that everyone was peaceful
and respectful of everyone else, that is not
the
reality. There is evil in this world and it needs to
be confronted.
Guru Maharaj [Sikh Guru Gobind Singh Ji] didn't submit to the evil
of the Mughals and in particular,
Aurangzeb, and
neither should we. He didn't want to fight and kill
the
enemies of freedom loving Sikhs, but he was forced
to do so by them. They did
not understand any other
way. The evil we are confronting today after 9-11
is
the same that he confronted so many years ago.
Unless this evil is
elminated we will not survive. I
want a better world for myself and my
children and
their children and so on. This IS a life and death
struggle
for all who don't believe in Wahabbi Islam or
Salafi Islam. Osama and friends
don't care if you hate
them or not, they only know that they HATE you
and
want you either dead or converted to THEIR version of
Islam. No other
option is available. You decide which
way you would want to go. My way is to
talk about it
and bring it out in the open so that it can be dealt
with,
to do otherwise only invites even greater death
and destruction.
I won't
send you this kind of email in future, but
would hope you are interested in
dialogue.
best regards,"

And so there you have it. There is no hate involved here. I don't espouse the killing of people based on religion or treating them as second class or differently than anyone else. I think all of humanity should be free to practice their beliefs and to change them if they are so inclined. The world isn't going to be any safer if we don't talk about the issues. In some cases some people are not willing to reconcile. They really do mean it when they say either you convert or we will try and kill you. Take them seriously otherwise you may end up on the wrong side of the equation.

Criminal Protestors

I was just reading this about the protestors out in force harrassing Canadian seal hunters. Most people who don't know anything about the seal hunt would think think they are hunting baby seals. The cute ones with the white fur that look like some sort of plush furry toy you might give your child to play with. Well that's not the case, not any more. It hasn't been the case for a number of years.

The animal activists admit that rules are in place that don't allow baby seals to be killed. However, they also shriek that the hunters are doing so anyways. It would be a little difficult for the hunters to do so in secret, considering that they know they are being filmed and recorded by these same activists. Do you really think the footage wouldn't be all over the place if the activists were telling the truth about the seal hunt?

The people who go and protests these things aren't really about protecting the baby seals. The real agenda is to destroy the fur trade altogether. Enlisting celebrities to make statements and build support is just one of their tactics in getting attention. PETA and others make no bones about their agenda. They don't want animals to be used or killed for any reason by humans and are willing to break the law to stop it. This includes stopping medical research. It seems to me that these various groups are all about raising animals to a place equivalent with human beings, much like the "chicken lady" who I saw on a CBC documentary awhile back "Chickens are people too". From what I recall she couldn't be bothered to attend to her Dad as he was dying because her chickens "needed" her. She seemed totally unhinged and perhaps insane.

On what basis are Animal Rights activists opposed to people using animals. Are animals sentient beings? There's no proof. Humans are not herbivores for a reason. We are built to consume both plant and animal food sources. People who claim religious reasons for being vegetarian ought to ask themselves why would a God opposed to animals as food design humans to digest them. Sikh guru Nanak tells us that it's a useless arguement. No one is in a position to know the will of the Creator on this point. He says you are better off spending your time on more useful endevours than debate this point.

In any case the protestors not only put themselves in danger, but the hunters as well. Is it really worth risking your life out on the water to "protect" the seals. There are millions of seals with only 300,000 or so targeted for the hunt. This stat from an animal conservation group.

The protestors should protest within the framework of the law. If they insist on endangering themselves and the hunters, they should be arrested for their own good. Which is what happened.

Perhaps this is the way to combat Terrorists?

From the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4827660.stm) -
"Bangkok shrine attacker is killed

A Muslim man has been beaten to death in Thailand after attacking a Hindu shrine in the capital, Bangkok.

The man - who was reported to suffer from mental health problems - was set upon after smashing a statue of the Hindu deity Brahma.

Two men, reportedly cleaners at the shrine, have been charged with murder. "

Anybody who is willing to attack and destroy someone else's religious "shrine" is probably suffering "mental illness". The mental illness is called "Islamism". It's been infecting people for hundreds of years. Just like all of those Jihadis running around Asia and the Middle East, this nutcase actually cracked. The only question now is when all the armchair Jihadis sitting in the West, mulling over their plans, will activate their 'insanity" gene. The only people who can "turn" these clowns out are sane Muslims, who understand that not only do the Jihadis want to Dhimmify us, but they want to enforce their version of Islam on all Muslims. Not a pleasant thought if you are a thinking Muslim in the world today.

It's kind of funny (in a depressing sort of way) how in a country like Thailand where people are so friendly and pleasant that they would see the need to put the boots to this type of filth. Whereas, in France, you have people running around literally killing French Jews and vandalizing the graves, etc... of Christians, while the French are trying to figure out how to better understand the "reasons" for this behaviour. Better to put the boots to these criminals/ terrorists first and ask questions later. Otherwise, you'll end up like Theo Van Gogh in the Netherlands - in a body bag with your head nearly severed off and a note pinned to your chest with the Jihadi's knife of choice.

These people have no qualms in killing you, and your families, why should you have qualms about eliminating them before they get the chance? Don't believe me, that these people are completely depraved?

Check this out from the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4832740.stm) -
"Another suspect Waheed Mahmood worked for Morrisons Utility Services, a Transco contractor.

National Grid Transco runs the high voltage electricity network in England and Wales and Britain's high-pressure gas infrastructure.

Mr Mahmood was allegedly recorded saying the Madrid bombings were "absolutely beautiful", while brother Shujah said it would have been "fantissimo" if they had been staged during the holidays to target families.

Waheed Mahmood raised on one tape the issue of bombing the Bluewater shopping centre on a Saturday."

This from "regular" blokes in the English suburbs. Right. These people take advantage of the openess of Western society, and decide to payback by fighting for a universal Caliphate to homogenize Muslims and subjugate and Dhimmify the rest of us.

Time that they were given the boots they deserve.

France A Welfare Basket Case

In case you missed it, students, union members and ever left wing basket case (70% of France) is out on the streets protesting or rioting. Why? Because the government wants to make a small change to the "Iron Escargot Bowl" that is the French system of employment. Seems that it's too much to ask that anyone under 26 yrs of age in their first two years of employment can be let go by an employer.

The government over there tries to introduce a bit of flexibility into the employment system and the population goes berserk. These are the same people who a couple of summers ago saw thousands of seniors die because of a heat wave. They wouldn't have died had anyone cared enough about them to keep in touch. NO protests then. But try and reform the welfare state and it's enough to make the French riot!

What a basket case of a system. Here in Canada you can be let go, albeit your employer has to give you severance of some sort depending on your tenure and the circumstances under which you were let go. In France, your employer is basically stuck with you for life. To top it off, the employer has to give you all sorts of freebies and holidays. The regular employee over there has it better than any public sector unionist or auto worker here in Canada. Most Canadians would think that those people have it pretty kushie here, but they've got nothing on the average French worker.

It's no wonder France is going to hell in a hand basket. Race riots, employment riots, religious riots, agriculture riots, etc... you've got every kind of riot except riots related to freeing the population from oppressive taxation and the welfare state. Unless they hold the line and at least pass this small reform, they don't stand a chance.

Harper in Afghanistan

It's great to see the Prime Minister making a trip to Afghanistan to see the Canadian troops. It's not just any trip. It's his first trip outside Canada as P.M. What a great message to send to the troops, Canadians, our allies and to the enemies of Canada.

This P.M. is serious about our role in the world. Canada used to have the 4th largest military in the world and was willing to use it. Over the years the expansion of the welfare state and a false sense of security dulled the minds of Liberals and their ilk into thinking our military as a fighting force was passe. No more. Stephen Harper has let the world know that Canada is again serious.

I have no doubt that the left wing MSM in Canada won't give this event the significance in coverage that it deserves. It is a strategic shift from the decline that has been allowed to enter into our forces since the Trudeau years.

Now, all we need is some funding to get the troops the necessary military equipment and firepower to do some serious damage to the Taliban and their friends in Kandahar and other Pathan dominated regions of Afghanistan.

Singh On The World

Welcome, this is my first blog. I'm going to keep it short as this is a test. You'll find the views of a Canadian Sikh on world and Canada specific events.