Raking the Leaves of Sun News Network

     I knew Sun News Network was in trouble and was in dire need of a buyer. It was suggested that former City TV  and now currently Vision owner Moses Znaimer was interested in buying SNN. This did not sit well with some of my fellow conservatives who thought he would model SNN into his own image which eventually would compromise their core mission and values. Actually, there was no suitable buyer and on the night of February 12th, I was given the shocking but not surprising news about Sun News Network. The next morning, I turned to the station and it was immediately off the air with a sign noting it's closure. 

     Since it's inception in 2011, I really enjoyed Sun News Network. I really could not care what the critics have to say. It just seems that they think the whole world must listen at their spoken "divinely  inspired" words (of course, I jest) and their word is law and cannot be refuted. So much for them respecting freedom of speech---as long it was exactly like their own. Sun News Network was refreshing, gave things another point of view and no, it was not Fox News of the North. Unlike Fox, I thought Sun News Network respected the life of the mind and was not anti-intellectual as Fox seems to be. One of their correspondents is a man called John Robson who had a PhD in history and is doing an independent project on the history of Britain's Magna Carta. I don't how some on the left of center could still honestly label Sun News anti-intellectual? Frankly, it is more an emotional assessment as opposed to a rational one.   Sun News represented what was the Blue Shift,  a growing number of Canadians who thought there was more to Canada than the late Pierre Trudeau's vision and desires of the country. This Blue Shift believed there was more to Canada's military than "peacekeeping", deficits and debt are important and are tired of the romantic but silly myth that deficits are not important and will take care of itself. The Blue Shift believed that it was high time to reevaluate Canada's concept of a Mosaic and wanted to question the Liberal multicultural dogma that Canada had "no culture of it's own"---while it is obvious that the province of Quebec has an identity and culture of their own (something that I respect actually). The Sun News Network articulated, reflected and respected the opinions of The Blue Shift.

     I could remember on social media dealing with some who were left of center who fierce critics of Sun News. I, for one, put a post on my site, a Sun News meme comparing then Liberal leadership candidates Marc Garneau and  Justin Trudeau (who eventually became leader) of who had the better experience of the job for leader of the party. I still believe that Garneau had the most experience but one wanted to make this assertion, that I was being "intentionally provocative" on my post. Again what is being "intentionally provocative" listing "facts" and  "evidence"  in comparing and contrasting  two men's experience? Also another thing I get is "to be balanced." Frankly, to me that is one persons code word of just telling me and others just "submit" to what the mainstream media has to say and don't question it. Sun News Network did this and it got under people's skin, of course. Another one from a relative told me that SNN was "neo-conservative propaganda". I don't think the  person cared to watch a single solitary show on SNN  and just wanted argue a point. The same person also had to express oneself about Sun News Network's demise of declaring, "Good Riddance!" Yeah, so much of being tolerant. The asymmetrical, selective and sometimes hypocritical worldview of the left of center sometimes knows absolutely no bounds. 

    To add insult to injury, when I gave my tribute to SNN on my social media site, one hard-line leftist had to ask this "appropriate" question, "...[A]re you on crack? the CBC has been neutered by the Cons, CTV has at least lately found some independence but was the network of the Cons trying to discredit Liberals and they provided numerous Cons Senators, Global isn't much better and every major newspaper chain except The Star is all Con all the time. There is no major chain that truly provides Canada with a progressive voice. Almost all traditional news sources have co-opted by the right. The Cons lie, there is no left wing media left in this Country except on line. 

    I can only reply to that one man's diatribe, "Whatever." He simply forfeited his right to be taken seriously by me. Sadly, others will sympathize with him without any logical thoughtful process. This is what you can be up against and sometimes it is very trying.

    I am glad for the friendships I made on social media from people who worked for and who were affiliated with Sun News News network in any way. They are very good people and  I am proud of them for their work and commitment and I hope all will keep in touch. Also I'm glad to hear that some of the Sun News Network alumni are keeping calm and marching on. Brian Lilley is having some daily podcasts. Ezra Lavant is starting the project called The Rebel. Michael Coren will appear on Hamilton, Ontario's CHCH and has two more writing gigs plus his remaining job with the Toronto Sun. A Sun News Network former intern has her own blog aptly called "Right For A Reason". There is another project coming called "The True North Report". I actually have these projects listed and linked to the right side of my blog called , Reviving The Phoenix From The Ashes of Sun News Network ( I have also linked Mr.Robson's project under it too). Be sure to check them out and get involved.

     What do I wish to see in the future? I wish to see more moderate and conservative news outlets, of course. I can only pray that some years down the road that these outlets will eventually become greater that Sun News Network ever was. In so doing that would be the ultimate tribute and proper honour  to the network that dared to give another point of view.

   I will give you little taste of projects to come from the ashes of SNN. First, here's a clip from Ezra's project The Rebel and second is Brian Lilley's podcast by clicking here . Enjoy.

2013: Conservatism will always be needed.

I know it is almost 3 weeks into the new year and I wish all, though belated, a happy 2013. Also it is the day before U.S. President Obama's swearing in as president for a second term (which is private ceremony), coupled with a public ceremony for  noon Monday.  It is known that I have marked political differences between the Obamas (sometimes albeit very fierce), I just want to make a non-partisan statement about Mrs. Obama's bangs: they look great! Makes her ever more beautiful! 

During 2013, it is also my hope that in the United States, there will be a "Conservative Spring", an uprising against the current form of  what conservatism which manifested in the belief of  "unfettered markets" and "religious fundamentalism". A sane conservative manifesto is still strongly needed in which it supports "free markets" as opposed to big business. Yes, a capitalism for THE PEOPLE is a message what is needed. One person by the name of Tim Bray (a Google employee) who claims he is not from the right on the political spectrum, has developed a "sane conservative manifesto". Here's what he had to say in his piece "What Conservatives Are For":

I’m no right-winger but I’ve long felt that a healthy society needs sane progressives and sane conservatives, and that many of America’s difficulties are related to an absence of the latter. So here’s a proposed Sane-conservative manifesto, written from outside.

1. Be Cautious · Anyone who’s dealt with the public sector, or even paid close attention to the news, knows that many government programs don’t work very well. Some just fritter away energy and money to no particular effect, others turn actively harmful. ¶

It’s not that those launching them are malicious or stupid; it’s that people are complicated and, in the societal aggregate, insanely complicated. They will try to game the system, and also will do astonishing things for reasons that could not have been predicted.

So it’s sensible to be predisposed against launching new programs, and to err on the side of caution, because we know for a fact that lots of times it’s not going to work.

Thus, we need conservatives.

2. Don’t Kill the Goose · Only for-profit businesses create wealth. ¶

Government’s role is to lay the foundations for a free-as-possible market, regulated enough to create a climate of low-friction trust and deter theft; then to get out of the way.

The optimal balance in the level of regulation is hard to find, but it’s important to have a voice in the conversation repeatedly asking a single question: Will this screw up wealth creation?

Thus, we need conservatives.

3. Don’t Waste Money · If you take a quantitative approach to public policy (and you should) the data frequently show poor correlation between expenditures and outcomes. The nations that spend the most on healthcare are not necessarily the healthiest. Similarly, the volume of education funding correlates only weakly with measured results, and (in particular) defense spending regularly fails to defend citizens. ¶

I think most agree that waste is bad, and wasting money is particularly bad. Thus, every policy discussion needs to have someone there pointing out that throwing money at the problem might not work, and maybe a cheaper alternative will.

Thus, we need conservatives.

Less Relevant · I observe that many who self-identify as conservative express surprising opinions about the regulation of sexual behavior, the role of religion in civic life, the desirability of starting wars, and the conservation of planetary resources. ¶

These don’t seem to cohere intellectually in the same way that items #1 through #3 above do. It seems very unlikely to me that conservatives can build a lasting majority in any well-educated well-developed country around this other stuff; but they might, if they stuck to #1 through #3.

Interesting ideas on Mr.Bray's part. The original piece of his article can be linked here with the various comments to his piece. May his articles and many others to come inspire a sorely needed revolution in conservativism.

IN MEMORIAM:

UNITED STATES GENERAL H. NORMAN SCHWARTZKOPF

1934-2012

Thank you sir for serving your country, your call to duty and to keep the preserve, protect and keep the peace of a free society. We cannot forget your remarkable service in the first Gulf War (Operation Dessert Storm) to send one of two messages to the tyrant that no longer is around, Saddam Hussein who invaded and attempted to control the state of Kuwait but was thwarted. Rest in peace, sir until that glorious day to be revised from The Author!

Olympic Babe of the Day: Jennifer Abel

This is Canadian Olympian, Jennifer Abel of Montreal, Quebec. On the 23rd of this month she will turn 21 and as of recent won a bronze medal with synchronized swimming partner Emilie Heymanns at the London 2012 Olympic Games! We of Canada, salute her of making us proud. Also we also want to celebrate the beauty of this young fit lady who definitely and positively is one sweet thick mama of a sistah! Upwards, onwards Jennifer!

A Word From A Sane Conservative Leader

A-freaking-men, Bruce!!!

Intelligent Quote of The Day

I think another thing a lot of conservatives don’t consider is that being poor is scary.

It’s scary when your car is running badly and you don’t have the money to get it fixed…and you also know if it breaks down, you’ll have no way to get to work and your boss will fire you if you don’t show up. It’s scary when you don’t even have a car to get to and from that desperately needed job, and have to rely on the whims of public transportation. It’s scary when you don’t get paid until next week but they’re going to turn your heat off tomorrow. It’s scary when you have an illness that keeps you in constant pain, and you don’t have the money to visit the doctor or afford pain medication. It’s scary to know that your paycheck might not be able to cover your next meal, or your children’s meals. That’s assuming you aren’t living on the streets, which is a whole other level of scary.

And when people are scared and trying to survive, hell yes they get selfish. They think about “me, me, me” because they know that no one else cares. No one is watching out for them. No one is going to rescue them if things get really bad.

They don’t want to get off food stamps, because even though subsisting on them is miserable, at least they know they have *some* food coming in, which is far better than the uncertainty of *not* having food. They blow money on liquor because they’re not sure they could face whatever pain or issue they have without it, and goodness knows they can’t afford to actually get the problem fixed. They don’t want to do job training because what if they fail? Or what if they manage to get a job and then get fired 3 months later because the economy is crap? Now they’re back on the streets with no assistance whatsoever. No, better to keep what little I have rather than risk losing it all, because society won’t give two shits if I fail and then I’ll have nothing.

People will fight tooth and nail to keep a sense of security, even if it is crappy security, but out of fear, not necessarily laziness or selfishness. Forever threatening to chuck someone in the deep end while making it clear you don’t really care if they drown and complaining that their parents should have taught them to swim is a really good way to ensure that people never want to leave the shallow end. Because, you know, FEAR OF DROWNING.

---Amaranth commenting  and rightfully condemning on the Confessions of A Former Conservative blog the incredible lack of empathy and sensitivity among the poor and disenfranchised of society among certain political conservatives.

A Sane Conservative vs. Right wing Illogic 101:Single Payer Health Care

Effing kudos to Mort Zuckerman!  A conservative (though there is dispute about that, he did support more Democrats than Republicans) who doesn't mind single payer health care in the United States. There were many conservatives outside the United States and elsewhere in the Anglosphere who made their peace with the concept. Here in Canada, former Premier of Ontario Mike Harris , who could have almost easily passed as a conservative Republican in the United States, had made peace with it. His political guru  in the United Kingdom, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher also made peace with the NHS but it seems that a conservative living in the U.S. who thinks the concept of having universal insurance in their own country is evil, socialism, the next step to communism but when the U.S. invaded Iraq, didn't it give it's citizens free health care? Yes it did! Read here. So the question is: why is it okay for Iraqis to be given free healthcare, courtesy the U.S.government (more directly the U.S. taxpayer) and a cardinal sin to give it's own citizens free health care? Not only that type of illogic baffles me, it enrages me because it also a form of strange but simple injustice. Oh yes, I discovered two recent articles from the internet The Conservative Case For Single Payer Health Care by Andrew Murphy on the blog Harry's Place and Single Payer Health Care Is A Conservative Policy from the blog Tim's Cogitorium. At least there are some people who tired of the partisan mantra and want to think outside the rigid, narrow, box. Also enjoy Mort Zuckerman' s support of the idea on Real Time with Bill Maher from HBO.