statism watch

Peter Foster, National Post
December 16, 2008

Keynesianism has been found fatally wanting in both theory and practice, so why is it back?

Zombie Keynesianism, with its promise of 10,000-volt stimulus, continues to lurch around the political scene, while John Maynard Keynes’ acolytes struggle to gussy up his policy Frankenstein for another prime time appearance.

Chief among Lord Keynes’ public proponents are economist Joseph Stiglitz and his biographer, Robert (Lord) Skidelsky.

Prof. Stiglitz recently wrote in Vanity Fair of the importance of understanding the roots of the present crisis. “The battle for the past will determine the battle for the present,” he wrote, reflecting communications strategy from Nineteen Eighty-Four. “So it’s crucial to get the history straight.”

It is indeed crucial to understand the past, but rather than clarifying Keynesian history, both Messrs. Skidelsky and Stiglitz seem intent on shoving inconvenient truths down the memory hole, and engaging in rhetoric rather than objective analysis.There is an old economic joke: “Sure, it fails in practice but does it work in theory?” The approach of Messrs. Stiglitz and Skidelsky is to bury the evidence of practice, demonize straw-man opposition and not so much establish the theory as simply assert its moral credentials.

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Canwest News
December 16, 2008

Before he made his simulated parachute jump Tuesday, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, the chair of the steering committee for the world junior hockey championships, had breakfast with Team Canada.

Later, after the morning exercises, both Melnyk and Team Canada coach Pat Quinn addressed base personnel during lunch, thanking them for all the dangerous work they’re doing in Afghanistan. The Canadian team was at CFB Petawawa for team-building exercises organized by the military.

Quinn made a big promise: He vowed to bring the gold medal back to the base.

The team will practise in Petawawa Wednesday afternoon and then fly on a Canadian Forces C-17 to Orangeville, Ont., for the rest of its training camp.

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Incidentally, the legislative framework is already in place to let NORTHCOM ‘assist’ on Canadian soil. Expect some PR around that in the next year or two.

Steve Watson, Paul Watson, Infowars.net
December 16, 2008

“Purposeful domestic resistance” would require military to “rapidly determine the parameters defining the legitimate use of military force inside the United States.”

A recent report produced by the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Institute warns that the United States may experience massive civil unrest in the wake of a series of crises which it has termed “strategic shock.”

The report, titled Known Unknowns: Unconventional Strategic Shocks in Defense Strategy Development, also suggests that the military may have to be used to quell domestic disorder.

“Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security,” the report, authored by [Ret.] Lt. Col. Nathan Freir, reads.

“Deliberate employment of weapons of mass destruction or other catastrophic capabilities, unforeseen economic collapse, loss of functioning political and legal order, purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency, pervasive public health emergencies, and catastrophic natural and human disasters are all paths to disruptive domestic shock.” it continues.

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Seems we plebes are going to have to learn the hard way, again. Throughout history, it has been only the ‘free men’ (gentry, nobles) – the ruling class or their minions – that have been permitted to carry weapons. Serfs were disarmed, and prohibited from carrying a sword. The reasons should be clear, despite public relations stunts of this kind. Disarmament of the population is a necessary incremental step on the road to tyranny. The historical precedents are legion(s), whether the front-line service personnel know it or not: The Samurai. The English Gentry. The Redcoats. The Nazis. The Romans. Take your pick.

CBC News
December 16, 2008

Police swap for cameras hailed for ‘huge’ turnout

Shootings in the city are likely to go way up in the wake of a gun amnesty program just completed by the Toronto police.

Luckily, the shots will be of the safe, photographic variety, after the Pixels for Pistols program traded digital cameras for roughly 1,900 guns and 60,000 bullets.

The final tally for the program, which wrapped up two weeks ago, points to a resounding success.

“It’s huge,” Sgt. Chris Boddy, head of the program, said yesterday. “Last amnesty (in 2005) we only got 250 firearms and less than 20,000 rounds of ammunition.”

The only comparable haul was in 2000, when owners faced either complying with gun registry, surrendering their arms or risking hefty fines by keeping them. That year, police collected 1,700 guns.

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Meera Selva, Associated Press
December 16, 2008

LONDON — The British Broadcasting Corp. complained Tuesday that Chinese authorities were blocking access to its Chinese-language website.

The broadcaster said Chinese residents had been able to access BBCChinese.com in the runup to the Beijing Olympics but that it had now become more difficult to view the site.

“It has been a source of great regret that audiences in China are unable to access BBCChinese.com as the rest of the world can,” the BBC said. “We will endeavour to continue working with the Chinese authorities to improve access for our Chinese-speaking audiences in China.”

There was no Chinese comment about the BBC statement.

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