Orange Knickers, Gloss on Aluminium, Dean Melbourne 2009

On friday I delivered seven gloss pieces to IceTwice Gallery in Olney, Buckinghamshire. I was so nervous and to be honest I have put off going for a few weeks, those paintings just kept staring at me from the corner of the studio though. In the end it went really well and Kim at the gallery was enthusiastic and really supportive. It is great to be back in a position of having some gallery representation. It is worth saying that I was in danger of spending more than I could earn on books as IceTwice has the most amazing collection of books I have ever seen at a gallery.

It would be really interesting to hear how any of you other creatives feel about or cope with the awkward embarrassing delivery of work and talking about money!

The Gallery also has a blog her on wordpress. I’m also really pleased to say that my talented friend Rachel Marsden has started a blog called Rachel Marsden’s Words.

“These words will daydream and deliberate the start and development of my PhD studies at BIAD alongside the development of my artistic practice and general click-clack of the typewriter keys against a fresh piece of paper.”

I think that Rachel has a lot of good intelligent things to say and I think this make excellent reading.

Rachel Marsden has asked the question that I’ve only been thinking.

Why is everything associated with the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics centered around First Nations/Inuit/Native/Indian themes?  Or as she puts it,

Who is fighting to ensure that the immigrants of European descent are adequately represented at next year’s Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games?

Has anyone else noticed this?  The logo, the mascots, even the medals … all with native themes.  Does Canada have nothing else to offer culturally?  No other representations?  No other themes?  Nothing??

As you might guess, Rachel Marsden has received a lot of flack.  She was accused of being a racist but then she is white and is commenting on something involving non-whites so of course she’s called a racist.  I’m not surprised at all.

It’s the 2010 guilticulturalism Olympics!  I’m afraid to see the opening ceremony.  I’ll make my prediction now … drummers, round dance, hoop dance, lots of feathers.  Uh oh … how will the liberal guilt laden vegans of Vancouver reconcile the leather costumes of the native performers?

Once again, this find comes via Kathy Shaidle at Five Feet of Fury which should be on your daily read list.

I should probably do a poll, and add one of those nifty widgets here – but the Burkini-Bikini War which has roiled France has now expanded to England and Italy!

OK, I figured the Poll Thingie out – Ladies Only!

Rachel Marsden

Now, Rachel is a conservative commentator who is CEO of GrandCentralPolitical.com a job site for politicos – seen here leaving a Canadian Courtroom after being granted a “Conditional Discharge” for harassing a Vancouver radio talk show host…

Getting fired by Faux News, and selling her ex-boyfriends clothes in an auction…

Apparently believes this is fashionable evening wear -

Rachel Marsden fashion sense

Hmmmmm… Indeed.

OK – Just for review for those who missed the subtle differences between a Burkini and a Bikini -

Miss France - Chloe Mortaud in a Bikini

So – here’s the question, to the ladies…

Would you rather be seen at the beach in a bikini, or burkini…

Or caught dead dressed like Rachel Marsden?

Unidentified Model in a Burkini

Because she’s out to get a date.

Soldiers Returning Home To Fight The ‘War On Jerks‘
by Rachel Marsden
04/23/2009

This week marks the two year anniversary of Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declaring the Iraq war virtually hopeless. Coincidentally, so were my dating prospects. One of the best side effects of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that there are men worth dating again.

On the battlefield of love, I’m a decorated five-star general, navigating the endless minefield of jerks with the attitude of Patton and the skill of Napoleon (or, some might say, Rommel).

The skill of Napoleon? Who got his butt absolutely whipped at Waterloo, resulting in his exile and death on St. Helena? Or Rommel, who got routed in North Africa, then got stuck back in Germany only to get accused of a conspiracy? He was allowed to commit suicide, lucky him.

Soldiers know the meaning of commitment. Those who volunteer for service are obligated to sign a contract and stick to it. Chances are that if they managed to resist several years of, “I really don’t want to risk going out and getting my head blown off today, I think I’ll bail,” kind of thinking, they’ll probably be less tempted to cancel on a nice dinner out that doesn’t involve grenades and head shots.

Head shots? Anybody would bail on a dinner that would ‘involve’ bullets fired at their head, obviously. By your arguments, however, your heroic dates would be less likely to bail on a dinner that does involve ‘grenades and head shots’, right? They’re warriors who have chosen to march into those insane environments before.

It’s your traditional civilians that would be ‘less tempted to cancel on a nice dinner out that doesn’t involve grenades and head shots.’ No sweat–I’m there.

On and on…

Let’s see, the bailout of the banks has failed. The two bailouts of Detroit have both failed. The massive porkulus/spendulus package that was supposed to inject confidence in the economy has failed. How many more failures do we need to see before we realize that socialism is the worng way to go?

If not here in the U.S., then look at Europe. Rachel Marsden has an excellent column for Town Hall.

Here are some excerpts:

It didn’t work in Europe and it certainly won’t work here in the U.S.

More:

That is what socialists don’t understand. Socialism destroys the means of production which in turn destroys wealth. The big mistake that socialists make is that they think the main social goal of businesses is to create jobs. That is wrong. The main social goal of businesses is to turn a profit and from that profit new jobs will be created. That’s why higher taxes lead to higher unemployment. Taxes reduce the profit of a business.

Finally:

Gotta love that parting shot.

You can access the complete columnn on-line here:

Hang On To Your Wallets, Here Comes The EU!
Rachel Marsden
TownHall.com
March 5, 2009

Mere moments from now, Media Lizzy will head over to Fausta’s show at Heading Right Radio. On tap: Jazz Shaw, Siggy, Shane Burgess of Political Vindication, and Media Lizzy will join our fearless leader – continuing our discussion of the sexual revolution, and today’s sexual mores and standards. Hello, provocative!

Later today on HRR, Media Lizzy will host guest Rachel Marsden. Talk about GOP Girl Power. On tap: Obama, McCain, Rachel’s Grand Central Political site and some wicked analysis. Catch the Duo at 3PM Eastern / Noon Pacific!

And now… for a little mood music. (Forgive us, ML is in a happy place today!)

Bad news comes in 3s for Jimmy Wales, but it makes 1 great story for the 4th entry in the Book of Scum.

First, ex girlfriend and wannabe Republican pundit Rachel Marsden auctions his mustard stained clothing on EBay after Jimmy-Boy communicates the end of their relationship on Wiki’s website (it might have been an innovative dump but it’s still scummy and earns him a 3/10 Scum rating).  That story’s quickly followed by allegations that Mr. Wales misused funds donated to non-profit organization for luxurious indulgences ($600 dollar bottles of champagne and many other unaccounted for items–might he have been client #10 for Emperor’s Club VIP??? ) on his around the world trips to promote the Wiki cause.  Now come accusations that Mr. Wales encouraged and accepted a $5,000 donation from Jeff Merkley, a former computer scientist at Novel, in exchange for agreeing to remove unflattering elements from  Mr. Merkley’s Wiki profile and thereby corrupt the integrity of Wiki’s editing process (as if it had any integrity in the first place).

As these final two have yet to be fully substantiated, we base our Scum rating of 3/10 solely on Mr. Wale’s conduct towards  the unlovely Ms.  Marsden. But we also think he looks like an arrogant jackass in this photo. Nice beard bud!

Presente quella puntata in cui Samantha riempe le strade del vicinato di volantini con l’immagine di Richard l’Iscariota tra le scritte “Cheater!” e “Liar!!!”? La ragazza è andata un pochino oltre, sulle “strade del villaggio globale”, ma, immagino, che sia tolta non poche soddisfazioni.

There are ways to exit with grace out of a relationship and of course, there are ways to do it like a total asshole. Whichever that you are, either the dumper or the dumpee, it will create some sort of tension and a considerable stress to both parties. Look at how Rachel Marsden reacted when the Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales  rebutted her claim and issued a statement that they only met once and only had a brief relationship. I really dont know the details to their liasons but thats the price you have to pay when you are famous. Everyone wants to know and will wag about your sexual sexcapes or check your thrash.

Preserving one’s dignity when ending a relationship is hard to do when you do realise there was a time when there were true feelings involved between both of you. I have seen friends who were dumped in the most unceremonious ways that I sometimes think everybody should be a monk and never get involve in any relationships. Whatsoever. Among few top favourites on how to be a total asshole when you are the dumper are by using the following techniques:

Texting. Yeah, so you dont grow the pair yet to tell your partner that you are dumping her? “Sori bt i x thnk our rlthip s wking, so hv dcided we shd nt c echoter anymre. gudbye n tke cre.” How’s that?

Email. Why does email seems to be the easiest channel to break off from a relationship when all these time you both have spent like, thousands of dollars on phone bills talking about everything under the stars right down to the colours of curry stains on your shirt.

A Dear John/Jill letter. “Dear (insert name here), sorry but I dont think our relationship is working, so I have decided we should not see each other anymore”. See the recurring theme here?

Advertise it . Yeah, a totally classy move. Myspace bulletin, Friendster shoutouts, Facebook wall- all have used to a certain creative extend by dumpers to dump the partner, and letting their ten gadzillion friends know.

IM. When before this you both have spent like, thousands on the phone bills talking to each other. See another recurring theme??

And finally, the classiest of all dumping method..

By just disappearing from the other party’s life. Not picking and returning phone calls, emails, changing to new address, zip code, state, country, whatever and basically doing just that – exiting from the previous relationship.

 A recommended reading by John Gray is here. It offers some practical guide on how to move on with your life after a breakup.

Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden is selling clothing on eBay that she claims belong to her ex-boyfriend — Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.

“Hi, my name is Rachel and my [now ex] boyfriend, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, just broke up with me via an announcement on Wikipedia. It was such a classy move that I was inspired to do something equally classy myself, so I’m selling a couple of items of clothing he left behind, here in my NYC apartment, on eBay. Jimbo was supposed to come visit me in a couple of weeks and pick up some of his stuff, but obviously that won’t be happening now,” Marsden wrote.

I was curious to search what stuff Rachel is actually selling on ebay and I found this

In 2004, she was given a conditional discharge for harassing a Vancouver radio host following their breakup.

In 1996, while a student at Simon Fraser University, Marsden accused her swim coach of sexual harassment. The coach was fired, then rehired when SFU admitted its investigation was flawed.

Here is the link for the Article

I picked this up from anncoulter.com tonight. 

Rachel Marsden has always been such a great talent.  I always referred to her as Canada’s version of Ann Coulter and once she even was sweet enough to show up on a previous blog I had a couple years back to personally thank me for my kind words. 

Because of Marsden, I had not completely lost faith in Canada.  Because of Marsden, I got a great laugh whenever I saw her on Fox News.  Because of Marsden, I actually read a periodic column published by a Canadian publisher. 

That’s changed though.   The folks over at DailyKos got a look at Marsden’s latest column which stated:

I suppose that those who object to terror suspects getting water up the nose would say that, as a young competitive swimmer, I was also tortured. It was called “hypoxic training” — swimming underwater and holding our breath until we passed out. Our coaches didn’t call it torture, just an exercise in “mental toughness.” So think of it this way — terror suspects are getting some free mental toughness training courtesy of the U.S. government.

Daily Kos immediately put up a message on its website to write the editors of the Toronto Sun to pull a column that had been published and enjoyed by many individuals for quite some time.   That’s right, nutty leftwingers inspired the Sun to fire a columnist after two years.  I don’t suppose it has anything to do with the fact that the editor in chief is liberal, Lou Clancy, does it?

Well, Kos might be effective in Canada and Marsden is a massive Patriot who deserves citizenship of this country while we ship off about 10,000 Kos nuts to Canada.  Imagine how much better the country would be.

Liberals have gotten their heads so far up their own asses in their campaign to Bush-bash that they’ve actually talked themselves into believing that worrying about the torture of a terrorist – that would do a hell of a lot more harm to the liberal if the circumstance had reversed itself — is worth losing sleep over.  

This is no joke.  Liberals have gone beyond their normal annoying whining selves – they have become a general threat to human safety — in Canada that is.

And no matter how hard they try, they will never be able to silence Coulter, Malkin, Limbaugh, or Hannity.  Because this is America, and like it or not we’re not finished until we waterboard the last creep that thinks that slaughtering Americans is a mission demanded by Allah.

Welcome to America Rachel!  Your next stop is to write a book, because no matter how many times liberals try to get you fired, the real American people will treat you like the patriot you are — just ask Ann Coulter. 

Go to Rachel’s website to read her rebuttal and purchase a t-shirt to benefit the soldiers.

Also, check out LotusBlog that brought all of this to light here in the states. 

by matttbastard

Well, well — our old pal Rachel Marsden, the uncrowned Canadian queen of spittle-flecked right-wing self-parody, has apparently landed in marginal exile at WingNutDailyNorth–as perfect a proto-fascistic forum for her now-antiquated incoherent firebrand routine as anyone could hope for. Both Prole and JJ note that Marsden remains entirely unchastened by her recent unceremonious turfing from the Toronto Sun after a delightful column that extolled the virtues of torture was successfully met by a grassroots campaign of popular resistance. Her most recent screed (sorry, Rache, no linky luvvins from yours truly) replaces the initial reductive waterboarding metaphor (“CIA sponsored swim lesson“) with version 2.0 (“bobbing for apples” — wee!!11)

Puh-lease–Rache, you’re trying way too hard, now, trolling for (left-wing) outrage to help build up your ever-expanding conservative martyr complex.

Well, congrats — as far as this objectively pro-Bin Laden bastard is concerned, you’re now in the same league as Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, etc etc etc: so entirely out to lunch that offering a serious response to your hate-filled paranoid delusions would be pointless, even counterproductive. Why bother legitimizing arguments that are so fucking ridiculous (and telegraphed) they essentially refute themselves? In other words, DNFTT — especially one with an undeservedly elevated media profile (to say nothing of ego).

Have fun wallowing in the muck and mire with the rest of the rabid swine, Marsden; I have many, many far more important matters to attend to.

[edited slightly for clarity]

Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers

by matttbastard

Their latest Marsden update is absolutely delicious:

One respected op ed columnist tells TSF: “You may also want to note on Sun Family that Marsden actually alleges some sort of Liberal conspiracy headed by Lou Clancy as the reason for her firing. WOW – I was always taught to leave a job graciously.”

[...]

TSF also received these “anonymous” comments and we’ll leave it to our readers to judge their merit:

“Be real. This blog has never liked Marsden because she’s not a “day one-er” and shows up the old-timers. Warmington, Granatstein, Goldstein, Williamson, Jennings, Pyette, and everyone who has actually worked with her has always liked her and have nothing but good things to say about her.

And she didn’t get “thrown out” of Fox. She left a variety show to do politics with CNN and got escorted out, as did Paula Zahn and Kiran Chetry when they left Fox.

You’re making stuff up that doesn’t exist. And your seething jealousy and hatred are all too evident.”

(TSF: Jealousy and hatred? We have barely mentioned Rachel since we launched this blog. Toronto Sun readers repulsed by her flippant attitude about torture have said more about her in two days than we have in the past year. Good luck in her new ventures.)

And

“Marsden always lands on her feet, at CNN for example. Controversy sells, she’ll do just fine, as usual. You have to applaud those who stand by their principles, as she does.”

Well, TSF does applaud Toronto Sun management for standing by their principles, siding with readers and showing Marsden the door. They will most likely avoid Ann Coulter-style writing in the future.

A (capital ‘L’) ‘Liberal conspiracy’ spearheaded by her (now former) boss. Riiiight.

Also: TSF has a poll up on the main page asking readers how they’d like to fill the column space formerly occupied by Marsden. Go vote!

Finally, Dave @ The Galloping Beaver recommends sending emails to Sun editor-in-chief (and apparent co-conspirator) Lou Clancy thanking him for the swift, decisive response, and rejection of ‘Ann Coulter-style writing’ in the pages of the Sun.  Hats off to you, Lou!

Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers

by matttbastard

From Toronto Sun Family:

“Attention terrorists and Islamofascists: You can now read the Toronto Sun without having your delicate sensibilities offended, as my weekly column is no longer with Sun Media. I am currently exploring US syndication and other venues for the column. In the meantime, you can continue to read it here at RachelMarsden.com, every Monday. And yes (to respond to some of your queries), after more than 2 years of writing weekly for the Sun, I’ve been under a new Editor-in-Chief, Lou Clancy, since October 5th, who comes from Canada’s most liberal newspaper: The Toronto Star. My column about Islam was spiked on his first day at the job. Best of luck to any principled conservatives who remain.”

- Rachel Marsden, November 7/07

Her ass must have a thick layer of callous from doors hitting it so often. 

 (Nice  work, brethren.)

Update: pale @ ACR: ”The Man With No Point, who started all of this has a diary on the KOS rec list this morning, in celebration. he deserves it. Go give him some love.“

Big ups TMWNP for kickin’ off the campaign.  Without you none of this would have been possible.  Good show, old bean!

Update 2: h/t exposedmusic for passing along the good news.

Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers

guest post by Frank Frink

Rule #1, as prole expressed, is be polite. And respectful.

The individual advertisers did not directly place their ad on her page, and they would not necessarily be aware of any specific placements within the Toronto Sun web pages.

Make them aware, however, of the placement. Respectfully point out the optics.

Having been employed as both a media buyer and seller I can share this. Neither the advertiser nor the the media buying service they employ will be able to specifically request to have their ad removed from that specific page, not from any specific page. It doesn’t work like that.

The suggestion should be made to them that, if they disagree with the expressed viewpoint in then column and understand the harm of being associated with it no matter how peripherally, they contact Sun Media Corp. with their concern. Suggest that they make it known to Sun Media Corp. that they will remove all their advertising from Sun Media Corp. and Quebecor web and print properties unless a retraction is published in a highly visible manner; Marsden is fired; or both. And that they will direct their media buying service to withdraw their ads as soon as possible (some campaigns will have been contracted for a specific duration. They, the advertiser, may face certain contractual liabilities – Sun Media Corp. may make the counter-threat of suing them for breach of contract should they attempt to pull unilaterally. Be patient and understanding in that regard).

Sun Media Corp. and Quebecor properties include:
- Sun Media Corp. newspapers and web sites
- Osprey Media newspapers and web sites
- The canoe.ca network

Here’s a list of Sun Media Corp. and Osprey Media newspapers (with links to web sites where they apply) after the fold:

Osprey Media’s publications

Daily newspapers

• Barrie Examiner
• Belleville Intelligencer
• Brantford Expositor
• Chatham Daily News
• Cobourg Daily Star
• Cornwall Standard-Freeholder
• Kingston Whig-Standard
• Niagara Falls Review
• North Bay Nugget
• Orillia Packet & Times
• Owen Sound Sun Times
• Pembroke Daily Observer
• Peterborough Examiner
• Port Hope Evening Guide
• Sarnia Observer
• Sault Star
• St Catharines Standard
• Sudbury Star
• Timmins Daily Press
• Welland Tribune

Other newspapers

• Bancroft This Week
• Barrys Bay This Week
• Colborne Chronicle
• Collingwood Enterprise-Bulletin
• Community Press – Eastern Edition
• Community Press – Quinte Edition
• Community Press – Western Edition
• Dresden Leader
• Dunnville Chronicle
• Elliot Lake Standard
• Espanola Mid-North Monitor
• Fort Erie Times
• Gananoque Reporter
• Haliburton County Echo
• Innisfil Examiner
• InPort News
• Kingston This Week
• Kirkland Lake Northern News
• Lindsay Post
• Markdale Standard
• Midland Free Press
• Minden Times
• Napanee Guide
• Niagara Advance
• Niagara News – Thorold Edition
• Pelham News
• Pembroke / Petawawa News
• Petrolia Topic
• Picton County Weekly News
• Sault Ste. Marie This Week
• The Post
• Trenton Trentonian
• Wallaceburg News
• West Niagara News

Sun Media Corporation’s publications

• Le Journal de Montréal
• Le Journal de Québec
• The Ottawa Sun
• The Toronto Sun
• The London Free Press
• The Winnipeg Sun
• The Edmonton Sun
• The Calgary Sun

Free commuter dailies

• Journal 24 heures^TM, Montréal
• Journal 24 heures^TM, et 24 Hours^TM, Ottawa
• 24 Hours^TM, Toronto
• 24 Hours^TM, Calgary
• 24 Hours^TM, Edmonton
• 24 Hours^TM, Vancouver

Community dailies in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta

• The Recorder and Times – Brockville, Ontario
• Stratford Beacon Herald – Ontario
• The Daily Herald Tribune – Grande Prairie, Alberta
• St. Thomas Times-Journal – Ontario
• Fort McMurray Today – Alberta
• The Daily Miner and News – Kenora, Ontario
• The Daily Graphic – Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
• Simcoe Reformer – Ontario
• Woodstock Sentinel Review – Ontario Quebecor also owns and operates other leisure and entertainment properties – in broadcasting, magazines, music, video and books which you can read about here.Quebecor’s web-based properties such as canoe.ca, autonet.ca etc.. are listed here.

Part of the message to the advertiser is that YOU, the letter writer, are boycotting all these properties and publications as well as all of the advertisers services and products until such time as we have a satisfactory conclusion. also inform them that you have, or will be, contacting all of your e-mail and online correspondents in Canada and the United States with this information.

If you come across any information from any of the advertisers web sites regarding their ‘charitable and/or community endeavours, let the advertiser know that you will also be contacting their charitable and community service recipients with this information. very likely that charities etc.. would not want to have any sort association with support for torture.

Here’s an example of that sort of charitable work:
PJ’s Pet Centres is one of the advertisers noted. They list a charitable association on their home page which links here.

Every November, PJ’s conducts a National Fundraising Campaign. Over the past two years our valued customers and staff have raised over $100,000 for Dog Guides Canada.

This one pains me as an animal lover and pet owner (Dog Guides Canada is a very worthy cause), but let PJ’s know that you have, or will be, contacting Guide Dogs Canada that PJ’s $$$ is tainted by association.

Another example – Ontario Science Centre. They do a lot of business with school groups. I don’t think I need to state the obvious (i.e. T-Dot and Southern Ontario school boards will be notified of OSC’s association).

Yeah, it’s big and complicated but we have to play hardball here.

No doubt the auto manufacturers on the advertiser list – Chrysler, Mazda, Hyundai etc. make charitable donations and list their recipient charities. Please let us know who they are if you find them.

If anyone has other suggestions and points, please continue to add them in the comments [ at ACR].

Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers

by matttbastard

Prole makes a preemptive strike against the ‘free speech’ red herring:

Yes, Rachel Marsden has the right to say pretty much anything she wants, even that she thinks we should torture teh terrerists, even before we know if they’re really terrerists. They’re brown and live in the sand, so they must be. She can even agree with Republican Representative Chris Shays that the sexual torture and abuse of the not-prisoners at Abu Ghraib was not abuse, but a swingin’ sex party. You know, just like Mom and Dad used to go to. She can say those things. As far as I’m concerned, she can utter whatever sick, twisted words or ideas her depraved mind can come up with.

But.

She has no right – no entitlement – to make a living saying those things at the Toronto Sun or anywhere else.

Let’s let the Sun’s advertisers know who is endorsing their friendly neighborhood car dealership. Let’s remind them that it doesn’t look good to be associated with known convicted criminals. Especially ones who damage our national reputation by mocking international law and human rights, and put our troops in danger of reciprocal torture if they are captured. Let’s remind them that by advertising in a publication that not only continues to employ someone like Marsden, but supports her, their business is effectively condoning her screeds and validating her opinions.

Let’s let the market decide.

As consumers in a market-based economy, the way we spend our dollars is, in essence, our seal of approval. We are under no obligation to support business entities willing to underwrite someone who approves of torture. Unlike Ms Marsden, most of us don’t have the luxury–the privilege–of prominent column space in a high circulation daily newspaper to express our opinions; a lot of us feel Marsden has abused her privilege. By making these advertisers aware of our disapproval and encouraging others to do the same, we are using the only avenue we possess as consumers to make ourselves heard.

We are exercising our free speech, utilizing the tools at our disposal.

Update: Frank Frink and JJ both see daylight piercing the darkness. As Frank says:

Don’t loosen that vise grip on their cojones.

Keep blaring your horns and shaking your maracas.

Keep your fingers blazing on your keyboards or keypads.

Or, to use an old Acadien/Cajun expression from my childhood. ‘Lâche pas la patate’. (Ai-yiiiiiii!)

Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers

by matttbastard

This one goes out to everyone @ A Creative Revolution (special thanks to TheManWithNoPoint for kicking off the campaign, to pale, Prole, and Frank Frink for all their heavy lifting – I am but a mere cog in the machine); to JJ Hippie, Bruce @ Canuck Attitude, Dave @ The Galloping Beaver and anyone else whom I’ve neglected to acknowledge (be sure to big up yrselves in comments and I’ll update):

Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers

by matttbastard

Ok. I always knew the Toronto Sun wasn’t exactly the most progressive daily in the Great White North, but this goes above and beyond anything I’ve ever read within its garish tabloid pages (including some choice Michael Coren columns):

So now that we’ve established that the detainees in question aren’t even protected by the Geneva convention, and that they often have crucial information that can save lives, what about the idea of waterboarding as “torture”?

When asked about it during a recent CNN appearance, I suggested that “one man’s torture is another’s CIA-sponsored swim lesson.” In case anyone thought I was being facetious — I wasn’t.

Not sure what’s more offensive: the trite, almost gleeful apologia for torture, or the also-ran, reheated strudel tenor of the piece. Memo to Quebecor: the world only needs one Ann Coulter. Why give her less-talented brunette doppelgänger a dead tree forum to spew rote, third-rate right-wing rants?

That’s what blogs are for.

TheManWithNoPoint @ A Creative Revolution has put out the action call. Send your respectful correspondence to:

Editor:

torsun.editor@sunmedia.ca

Editorial page editor:

rob.granatstein@sunmedia.ca

[edit: Quebecor, Inc contact info:

Head Office
612 rue St-Jacques Street
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H3C 4M8
Tel.: (514) 954-0101
(800) 567-7070
Fax: (514) 954-9624]

Related: Frank Frink (in ACR comments) has more details on the ever so delightful Rachel Marsden. [edit expanded on the ACR main page by the one and only pale.] Seriously, she makes even Debbie Stussel Schlussel seem…well, ok, but not quite as…alright, they’re all equally fucked up, but…

Update: Via Think Progress, as noted above, Marsden first coined the waterboarding = ‘CIA-sponsored swim lesson’ one-liner last Wednesday on The Situation Room while defending controversial prospective Attorney General Michael Mukasey:

As TP observes, “Marsden’s analogy is reminiscent of Rush Limbaugh’s distasteful contention that Abu Ghraib was nothing more than guards “having a good time,” “blow[ing] some steam off.””

Update 2: You know, it’s one thing for a D-list Coulter wannabe to casually deny the fact that waterboarding is indeed torture, but quite another for a top State Department official to essentially do the same thing (albeit minus the pithy sound bite):

The top legal adviser within the US state department, who counsels the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, on international law, has declined to rule out the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding even if it were applied by foreign intelligence services on US citizens. John Bellinger refused to denounce the technique, which has been condemned by human rights groups as a form of torture, during a debate on the Bush administration’s stance on international law held by Guardian America, the Guardian’s US website. He said he would not include or exclude any technique without first considering whether it violated the convention on torture.

Said Bellinger:

One would have to apply the facts to the law, the law to the facts, to determine whether any technique, whatever it happened to be, would cause severe physical pain or suffering… .

…I’m not willing to include…or exclude [the possibility of water boarding being used on a United States national by foreign intelligence service], I mean, these are issues that our justice department as a matter of interpreting both the domestic law on torture and international law, has concluded that just don’t want to get involved in abstract discussions of applying the law to any set of facts.

Now, I don’t want to get all argumentum ad verecundiam on Marsden and Bellinger, but I’ll give the final word on the matter to Malcolm Nance:

As a former Master Instructor and Chief of Training at the US Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School (SERE) in San Diego, California I know the waterboard personally and intimately. SERE staff were required undergo the waterboard at its fullest. I was no exception. I have personally led, witnessed and supervised waterboarding of hundreds of people.

[...]

…Waterboarding is a torture technique. Period. There is no way to gloss over it or sugarcoat it. It has no justification outside of its limited role as a training demonstrator. Our service members have to learn that the will to survive requires them accept and understand that they may be subjected to torture, but that America is better than its enemies and it is one’s duty to trust in your nation and God, endure the hardships and return home with honor.

[...]

If you support the use of waterboarding on enemy captives, you support the use of that torture on any future American captives.

[...]

According to the President, this is not a torture, so future torturers in other countries now have an American legal basis to perform the acts. Every hostile intelligence agency and terrorist in the world will consider it a viable tool, which can be used with impunity. It has been turned into perfectly acceptable behavior for information finding.

A torture victim can be made to say anything by an evil nation that does not abide by humanity, morality, treaties or rule of law. Today we are on the verge of becoming that nation. Is it possible that September 11 hurt us so much that we have decided to gladly adopt the tools of KGB, the Khmer Rouge, the Nazi Gestapo, the North Vietnamese, the North Koreans and the Burmese Junta?

Update 3 11.06: Welcome Galloping Beaver readers! Here’s what we have thus far:

I’ve started compiling a list of advertisors whose ads have been served up to me directly on the Marsden column web page. Feel free to add on and pile on. Obviously these are being served up through the Canoe.ca network (Canoe.ca is another Quebec/Sun Media property), and done through media buying services not the advertisors directly but they should be made aware that they have been associated with the condoning of illegal torture.

Here’s what prole and I have found so far:

Second City www.secondcity.com

ebay – www.ebay.ca

www.summitford.ca

toronto film school – http://www.torontofilmschool.ca/

Sheraton Fallsview http://www.fallsview.com

www.classifiedextra.ca

PJ’s Pet Centres- www.pjspet.com

www.mazda.ca

www.lavalife.com

Sheridan College – www.sheridaninstitute.ca

thorncrest ford – http://thorncrestsherway.dealerconnection.com/?lang=en

East Court Ford – www.eastcourtfordlincoln.com

Ontario Science Centre http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/

Summit Ford 12 Carrier Drive, Rexdale, ON M9V 2C1 1-800-397-2017
http://www.summitford.com/en/index.spy

tdwaterhouse – http://www.tdwaterhouse.ca

Plaza Auto Group – http://www.plazaautogroup.com/

http://www.chrysler.ca

Please take heed of Prole’s sound advice:

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Mind your manners!

[edited om 11.05 to add original Marsden quote, correct some glaring errors and for overall clarity. I hate posting @ work.]

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