The Canadian-American

Commentary on the state of affairs in North America by a Canadian-American.

My Photo
Name:
Location: Stafford Springs, Connecticut, United States

2006-06-30

Mutual-Link Blogroll

Today I'm announcing the establishment of a mutual-link blogroll. This is intended to encourage networking among bloggers and stimulate healthy debate. Since blogrolls (i.e. Blogging Tories) serve an identical purpose, fellow blogroll members will not be included. This is in the interest of maximizing the efficient use of screen space so I can deliver the most content to you, the reader.

This week, The Canadian-American welcomes Western World Politics. There you'll find discussions on "news, current affairs, the war on terror and developments in the culture war." Like The Canadian-American, it is "proudly pro-family, pro-American and pro-freedom."

Inclusion in this list does not constitute endorsement or agreement with the opinions expressed in linked blogs. However, you'll likely find their content thought-provoking and worthy of discussion. If you would like your blog to be included in this program, please leave a comment to this post giving its title and URL. I'll add a link to your blog ASAP and keep it there as long as you add a link to The Canadian-American within a day. While The Canadian-American is a traditional conservative blog, I will honor requests from thoughtful bloggers across the political spectrum (no moonbats from either wing, please ;) ). Thanks!

Celebrate Freedom in North America

As I have the family up for Canada and Independence Days, I likely won't be blogging over the weekend. Tomorrow, Canada marks 139 years of Confederation and on Tuesday, the United States turns 230. All North Americans should take this weekend to celebrate (responsibly please; DWI isn't cool) the freedoms we are blessed to enjoy.

While we're on the subject of freedom, I can't resist commenting on the publication of the New York Times story on the financial surveillance and tracking systems the U. S. Government are using as tools in prosecuting the War on Terror. Many on the right have decried the revelation of this information as tantamount to treason. For the record, I fully support monitoring enemy transactions in a constitutionally-sound manner. As terrorists need money to plan and execute their murderous deeds, it is simply a common sense thing to do. As a citizen and a stockholder in the U. S. Government, I expect the same to exercise such common sense in fighting the scourge of terrorism.

In this light, the response of the right is quite baffling. If the leadership of the terrorist networks do not have the wherewithal to suspect that their finances might be carefully examined, I would be highly suspicious of their competency in other matters. After 2001-09-11, these doubts are clearly unfounded. Therefore, if the terrorists understand their accounts are being watched, what national security threat is posed by letting the American people know that the government is doing what it should be doing anyway? While I clearly condemn the revelation of any specific methods (computer algorithms, detailed protocols, etc.), reporting the existence of the same does not meet the basic requirements for treason. As a taxpayer, I expect the government to focus its energies on real national security threats. At the same time, those whose sensibilities are offended can do what any traditional conservative worth their salt would: use the free-market to express their opinion and don't subscribe to or read the New York Times.

NOTE: U. S. and Canadian flags extracted from the U. S. Coast Guard's CANUSLANT Joint Response Team's website at http://www.uscg.mil/d1/staff/m/jrt/.

2006-06-20

22nd Birthday Post

Once again I've laid pretty low over the past two weeks, but I figured my 22nd birthday would be a good time to post again. It's a nice day in the mid-20s, as opposed to the soporific low-30s we had over the past weekend.

The Hartford-Carolina Whalercanes have won the Stanley Cup in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers. While Canadians may mourn the Cup's extended stay in the United States, I saw plenty of Whalercanes mouthing "O Canada" before the game last night. While I wish they would have achieved this level of success when they were in Hartford, they should still be congratulated for their achievement. Until I get my old home team back (doubtful), I'll still be rooting for the Boston Bruins (they play in New England's capital city) and the Montreal Canadiens (they play where my mum was born). I've been told this is akin to supporting both the Boston Red Sox (my home team) and the New York Yankees, but I have good reasons support both teams.

On a more sinister note, the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" could be planning to test a Taepodong-2 long range missile. Although previous versions have had ranges of up to 6.7 Mm (1 000 km = 1 Mm), Globalsecurity.org estimates the range of the latest version to be anywhere between 10 - 15 Mm. A range of 10 Mm places the majority of the North American Eastern Seaboard at risk of a nuclear strike, assuming that DPRK possesses such capability. The U. S. has raised the possibility of using its missile defense system (which has since been activated) to neutralize the potential threat of any DPRK launch. The system has a rather mixed record, but hopefully it will be sufficient to destroy any incoming DPRK missile. For obvious posture reasons, it is imperative that the first use of the missile defense system is successful. On the other hand, there is always the possibility that such talk on the part of the DPRK is bluster designed to exact needed concessions. In any case, the U. S. and her allies must prepare for any contingency while maintaining a cool, rational approach to dealing with the DPRK. Unfortunately, the current regime is not particularly known for its rational thinking, which complicates any diplomatic efforts to resolve this issue peacefully. Until such time, the low-level (but high-stakes) phase of the Korean War continues and we should be thankful for all those who are standing on guard on our behalf.

2006-06-03

Stand on Guard

This morning, the RCMP announced the arrest of 12 suspects in connection with planned terrorist activities in the GTA. They had apparently tried to acquire 3 t of ammonium nitrate. Assistant Commissioner Mike McDonell noted that only 1 t of the explosive had been used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people and was at the time the deadliest terrorist attack on U. S. soil.

While the guilt of these individuals must still be determined by the criminal justice system, these arrests should remind all North Americans why we are fighting in Afghanistan. Canada is not immune to terrorist strikes and must act intelligently to ensure that the threat thereof is minimized to the greatest extent possible. This means defeating existing terrorists, addressing the root causes of terrorism and being vigilant at home while not subjugating the civil liberties we enjoy that distinguish our Nations from the terrorists we are fighting. The Mounties "always get their man" and today they honorably upheld this proud tradition, for which all North Americans should be grateful.

2006-06-01

Down Time

As you can probably see, I haven't posted anything for over two weeks. I've been on break back home in Connecticut and haven't had much time for blogging. I was at a conference in NJ 05-22 - 05-23 and had several medical appointments since then. In the meantime, a lot has happened.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has introduced much-needed democratic reforms, including measures to fix elections every four years (except when a government is defeated) and limiting Senators' terms to eight years, down from a current maximum of 45. While these reforms are certainly not the comprehensive solution Canada needs, they are certainly a step in the right direction. With Prime Minister Harper flirting with a majority government, the Opposition would be well-served to support this legislation.

South of the border, President George W. Bush has nominated Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO Henry Paulson for Treasury Secretary. Interestingly, he is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors for The Nature Conservancy. While some have criticized this move as a potential conflict of interest, on the balance it is an encouraging sign from an administration which has not distinguished itself on the environmental protection file. The Nation needs more green capitalists like Paulson who understand that intelligent environmental stewardship is a, if not the, critical component of any sound economic maintenance strategy. Traditional conservatives can only hope that this indicates some move towards salvaging what remains of a potential Bush environmental legacy.

In other news, I've been selected to serve as an alternate juror in a civil case in my judicial district. Today's selection process was actually quite painless, and I was impressed by the professionalism and thoroughness of all involved. While I might post on my general experiences, you obviously won't get any details on the case here.