Stephen, Stephen, He's Our Man! - Oct 29

Hey, did you know that al-Qaeda thinks Canadians (PM Harper in particular, see above) are 'fanatical adherents to Christianity'? Gosh, I go to church twice a week and I haven't met one yet! Not only are these guys stupid and oblivious, they apparently have no sense of humor as well. Just remember, that guy you see in the cowboy get-up is now our Prime Minister. How's that for laughs! Harper's no slouch either when it comes to calling the Liberals' bluff and saying to them to let him govern or dissolve the gov't. Which pretty much guarantees a federal election sometime in 2007.

Man, that feels good. Now on to more serious matters.

Trevor Berbick has been murdered in Kingston, Jamaica. This guy used to fight under the Canadian flag before he got into trouble with the law in Florida and was deported back to Jamaica. He fought Muhammed Ali in his last bout and beat him, only to be clobbered by a 20 year-old Mike Tyson eight months later.

According to General the Lord Guthrie, Britain's former CDS and who was trusted by Tony Blair, the current campaign in Afghanistan is 'cuckoo'. A strange choice of words but one that ought to be heeded. Basically, the British army is overstretched, a problem that I believe the Canadians are facing as well. The situation in Iraq is just as dreadful. Basically if we stay it's trouble but if we leave it will be double (apologies to the late Joe Strummer of The Clash). Americans see Iraq through the eyes of a heavily armed Humvee. What they do not see is the carnage that results when they leave and the irregular militias move in. Those in Iraq who support human rights or are viewed as American collaborators is to become a target of the militias. Take the example of Halima Ahmed Hussein al-Juburi for instance, a women's rights activist who was killed by 10 armed men. Ten armed men versus one unarmed woman! What cowards! I have nothing but utter contempt for these bullies.

Back home in the West, we are also failing in the WOT because we are not counteracting the Islamic propaganda drive on the internet. The enemy is recruiting left, right and centre and we have this attitude of 'Don't Worry, Be Happy!'. Why is this the case?

In Israeli news, PM Ehud Olmert, whilst giving a speech at Yad Vashem, is seen taking to task the international community's tepid response to Iran's nuclear ambitions. We have learned nothing from history. It's like World War II, Adolph Hitler, the Nazis and the Holocaust never happened. I know that the Israelis aren't spooked easily so when I hear such stories as them putting nuclear bunkers in their gardens I do get worried. Indeed, Boaz Ganor, founder of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism is saying that 2007 will be trouble for Israel, particularly on its northern border where a well-armed Hezbollah is still firmly ensconced in Lebanon.

Three more links to close out my post.

In Austin, Texas, David M. Walker, who is the Comptroller General of the GAO, is warning of debt troubles ahead. Financial shortages in Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security are forecasted to balloon if spending is not brought under control. Seems Bush's Republicans are spending money like a drunken sailor on shore leave. So much for the idea of fiscal conservatism!

Read also the heart-rending story of child labour in Africa. Listen, I'm really not trying to bum you out here. I do however feel a responsibility to let the truth be known. Contact your local MP and ask them what our fearless gov't is doing to prevent this tragedy. Don't sit on your hands!

Lastly, here's a story from al-BBCeera of embedded journalist David Loyn who is behind the lines with the Taleban. Talk about having nerves of steel! Not an assignment I would want, that's for sure.

Before I sign off, I want you to notice a new button on the sidebar to your right. It's an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeder. I'm hoping that this will enable the X-Def to reach out to the world wide web and generate hits while touching lives. I've given up on NewsGator and now I get all my news using the RSS feeds. If you haven't done so, please update your browser to IE 7 and take advantage of the whole RSS thingy. It's worth it.

Johnny Cash