Harper's Flock of Admirers

No doubt due to his hawkish support of all things Israeli, Stephen Harper is set to receive a singular honour from his Jewish admirers:

The Jewish National Fund’s arm in Canada is raising money to build the “Stephen J. Harper Hula Valley Bird Sanctuary Visitor and Education Centre” in a nature park in a northern valley bordered by the Golan Heights to the east and the Naphtali Range of mountains to the west.

Always insightful, Star letter writers are chirping up with their opinions:

Re: Bird centre in Israel to be named after Harper, Sept. 18

The Star reported that the Jewish National Fund (JNF) “has helped the Jewish state acquire land, extend settlement, and rehabilitate the environment,” but it does not mention that the organization is very controversial, since it acquired much of this land from dispossessed Palestinians, has covered up demolished Palestinian villages with recreational parks and forests, and that it practices racial discrimination in the provision of land and housing by only leasing its land to Jews.

Most disturbing is JNF Canada’s project, Ayalon Canada Park, built over the ruins of two depopulated and destroyed Palestinian villages — Imwas and Yalu — as well as over the lands of the destroyed village of Beit Nuba.

Our politicians and banks should not be endorsing Palestinian dispossession. Independent Jewish Voices’ campaign to expose the JNF is a much-needed initiative for peace and justice.

Tyler Levitan, Campaigns Coordinator, Independent Jewish Voices—Canada, Ottawa


Reporting that an Israeli bird interpretive centre will be named after the Prime Minister, Tonda McCharles remarks that he is considered more hawk than dove when it comes to the Middle East.

If such a centre ever opens in our country, I suggest the ostrich — head buried in the sand — would be a more suitable Canadian symbol for Stephen Harper, who claims to know nothing of a deal hatched in his own office to pay off Mike Duffy’s improper Senate expenses.

Stephen Moore, Regina

Congratulations to the Jewish Community for recognizing Proroguing Minister Harper for what he really is — for the Birds — by arranging for such an honour to him in Israel.

In fact, considering the valued appropriateness of the dedication to Harper, I am offering my 50 cent contribution, when it happens, to build a statue of Harper in that location so the weary birds may rest their tired wings and deposit their appreciation as well. Congratulations, Mr. Harper, no one other than your American ally Barack Obama deserves a similar tribute.

In fact, since you are always willing to stand with your allies, regardless of the implicit dishonesty and fraud as there was in the case of Iraq, make an offer to Obama to have his statue built alongside yours — hand in hand. Dedicated allies!

Oh yes, if Obama agrees to have his statue thus erected, I will make a contribution of an additional 50 cents. How about the magnanimity of that, Mr. Proroguer?

Emanuel D. Samuel, North York

You can read more of their thoughts here.

Two Recommendations For Monday Morning

Since I have a bit of a busy day ahead, I will be brief and recommend two sources for some Monday morning edification. The first comes from a link provided by the redoubtable Dr. Dawg, who continues to go where angels and the mainstream media fear to tread.

The second, which I am taking the liberty of reproducing below, is yet another example of the wisdom of Toronto Star readers. In this case Bill Livingstone of Toronto punctures the myth of conservative fiscal prudence and sees a more sinister purpose served by Harper running the current deficit:

Every so often, we elect a conservative government. It seems we just can't tolerate a balanced budget or we just let our emotions over some silly scandal carry us away. In recent memory, no conservative government anywhere in the world has balanced a budget. It's their goal to create a deficit in order to have an excuse to cut social programs. For the Harper Conservatives, this is all working out to plan, with a little help from the recession of 2008 where the debt was increased by so-called Keynesian economics but did more to help GM and the banks than stimulate the economy. In truth, our banks didn't need help, at least not in the way someone starving on welfare needs help, but we gave them money anyway.

Anyway, now that we have a big deficit, we can cut OAS and EI. Without the deficit, people might be up in arms. With the deficit, even most seniors will still vote conservative in the next election while they give the government billions as they cash in their RRSPs. So far, all is going according to the conservative playbook. So what comes next? The conservatives are not forthcoming but history is quite clear on this. All the cutbacks and austerity will almost certainly lead to a depression. And history shows that conservatives always have the excuse that they didn't cut deeply enough or fast enough. That is rather a deception. The real reason is that, as history can surely reveal, even in a depression there are winners. Hint, follow the money.

Eventually, a democracy (if we still have one) will bring in a liberal government with real Keynesian policies that actually stimulate the economy and all will be well again. But then eventually, after a couple of good decades, when memory fades about why we regulate and why we really pay taxes, we will vote in another conservative government . . .

Bill Livingstone, Toronto