Free Republic

An oddity of the U.S. Congress agreeing on a formula to increase the debt ceiling last week is it caused the stock market to tumble. The relief that finally Democrats, (most) Republicans and President Barack Obama could agree on terms apparently didn’t impress the stock market which, when you think of it, is you and me and ordinary folk and pension funds, etc., who invest in future prosperity. Another oddity was when the supposed Aug. 2 deadline for the U.S. defaulting on the debt approached, stock markets around the world were not panicking. They sagged after the deal was made....

Minorities avoid the fight Peter Worthington Toronto Sun August 27, 2007 All I know about the Asian Pacific Post, a giveaway newspaper published fortnightly in Vancouver with a circulation of about 160,000, is from two editorials it ran this year. Started in 1993, the newspaper has won several awards for excellence, including a Jack Webster award as the best community newspaper, and although it is aimed at Canadians of Asian extraction, the editorials in question apply to every Canadian -- but are rarely reflected in the mainstream Canadian (or American) media. In mid-August, the Post asked: "Why are all the...

Five years later, a changed nationThe Toronto Sun By Peter Worthington September 11, 2006 In some ways, the 9/11 terror attack on the U.S. changed Canada more significantly than it did other countries, and certainly more significantly than most Canadians realize. True, we are emotionally as well as geographically close to Americans, but the events of that terrible day altered us in ways that might not have been anticipated. For starters, former prime minister Jean Chretien failed to comprehend the poignant impact of the attack on us. His initial public reaction was that there are no terrorist cells in Canada...

Forces rejuvenatedToronto Sun By Peter Worthington June 30, 2006 While it's hardly a spending spree, this week's federal announcements of purchases of planes, trucks and helicopters for the armed forces underline a radically changed attitude towards our military. In fairness, it began, sort of, under the last, unlamented Liberal government of Paul Martin. But the Conservative regime of Stephen Harper seems to actually believe in this new military direction. By dedicating the week to an announcement per day, each in a different city, of new military purchases, Harper is showing his commitment to changing how the military is perceived. The...

Darfur a Quagmire to Avoid Toronto Sun By Peter Worthington May 9, 2006 What should be done about Darfur, that tortured region of southern Sudan where genocide reigns? A peace accord (of sorts) mediated by outsiders and signed by the Khartoum government and the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) likely means nothing. It seems inevitable that Canada will become involved in whatever Darfur's immediate future is -- a future that has become increasingly murky since John Garang, the charismatic rebel leader of the SLA, died in a helicopter crash last August. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has repeatedly vowed (as have many...

Our new military reality Toronto Sun By Peter Worthington April 2, 2006 This week in the Globe and Mail, “defence specialist” Walter Dorn lamented that Canada’s military is “replacing the time-honoured concepts of (UN) peacekeeping” with a more belligerent “enemy-centred mentality.” The battle-death of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan this week seems to endorse this observation. With the withdrawal of our 190 troops on the Golan Heights (after over 30 years on the job) Canada now has only 50 or 60 soldiers on UN missions. With some 2,300 troops soon to be in Afghanistan, Prof. Dorn deplores this change of...

When it comes to fixing the military, why trust Martin?Toronto Sun By Peter Worthington December 19, 2005 Even before the first debate, when Stephen Harper promised to boost military spending if he's the next PM, Paul Martin responded that Harper was copying the Liberal plan. What bullroar! Martin had his chance to enhance the military, as have the Liberal governments for a dozen years. Martin's support for the military is rhetoric, not action. Judging from his record in Parliament, dating back to when he was first elected, he's shown neither empathy for nor interest in the military. His concern now...

Hostages' group on wrong sideToronto Sun By Peter Worthington December 9, 2005 It's possible to have sympathy for people whose actions you consider foolish, reckless and futile. So it is with those four members of the Christian Peacemakers Teams (CPT) in Iraq who've been taken hostage and whose captors have extended their execution date to Saturday. Originally, their captors, something calling itself the Swords of the Righteous Brigades, vowed to execute all four yesterday if Britain and the U.S. didn't free all Iraqi prisoners in their custody immediately. Clearly, this isn't going to happen. The fact that the kidnappers even...

System failed DannyToronto Sun By Peter Worthington December 7, 2005 The front page of Monday's Sun showed the tearful funeral of Danny Fatulahzadeh-Rabti, an innocent man who was shot to death. Charged with the murder is Jodie Wheatle -- who was arrested last month in Yorkdale mall for allegedly carrying a loaded .45 calibre pistol, a bullet up the spout. Two days later he was granted bail. How in hell does a guy toting a loaded .45 get bail? Is this how Mayor David Miller and his tame Police Chief Bill Blair fight gun crimes? Literally, everyone in authority says...

Rwanda crimes, Rwandan courts Canada shouldn't be deciding if a Hutu 'refugee' took part in 1994 African genocide By Peter Worthington Toronto Sun October 24, 2005 Why is Desire Munyaneza facing a crimes against humanity trial in Montreal, anyway? He should have been deported eight years ago when he entered Canada on a phony Cameroonian passport and, when caught, claimed refugee status. He's been fighting deportation ever since, and because he's got money, appeals drag on an on. Can't blame him, or any of the thousands of illegals hiding in Canada for our stupid policy of accepting everyone who claims...

A CANADIAN WHO APPRECIATES AMERICA  By Michelle Malkin   ·   January 04, 2005 11:08 AM Toronto Sun columnist Peter Worthington gives props to the U.S.: Thank goodness for the Americans. What would this world would be like without the U.S.? Especially in times of natural disasters like the Boxing Day tsunami that killed so many and shocked the world into unprecedented humanitarian generosity... Gotta quote the ending, too, because you won't read anything like it on the New York Times op-ed page: The supposed unpopularity of the U.S. is often propaganda and rhetoric, and not shared by the people of...