Fred Litwin writes at The Propagandist:

New Threats to Freedom

…I have a whole host of friends from whom I now rarely see. I used to go dinner parties and dinners but invites have long since dried up. You see I might say something in support of Israel, or I might say something about Iraq or Afghanistan. Some of these friends used to love to debate for hours on end in University, but no more. They like their dinner parties to be ‘pure’ – no real discussion and no real debate.

…The loony left really believe that Afghans object to the coalition fighting the Taliban, which is just not true. Unfortunately, lately in Canada (and elsewhere) there is also a chorus, from the right, who also object to the war in Afghanistan. Their reasons are many – oh, the terms of engagement aren’t quite right, or they object to the mention of sharia law in the Afghan constitution, or they believe that the war is unwinnable. Whatever. The last thing we need is a coalition of the loony left and the isolationist right [more on those odd bedpersons from Terry Glavin]…

It’s embarrassing to hear our politicians, day after day, embarrass themselves no end – government Ministers who cannot explain or defend government policy…

…this mediocrity affects politicians of all stripes. Michael Ignatieff is a very smart man, but you wouldn’t know it from his leadership of the Liberal party [for example]…

Two years ago, I went to question period in the House. I used to think that the earpiece you see everybody wearing is for translation. And, indeed it does provide translation.

But, even bilingual people need that earpiece. It’s major function is to allow you to hear what people are saying over the din of yelling and heckling.

And, as I sat there listening, it became apparent that the opposition mostly asks stupid political questions (“why should we believe you now when you lied in the past?”) and the government, the few times it is actually asked a real question, just turns it into a political answer (we’re doing more than you ever did in power). It was horribly embarrassing, and I will never go back…

Whole piece well worth the read, covers much wider territory.

Mark
Ottawa