Onward Christian Soldiers: Battleground Canada

Onward Christian Soldiers

Battleground Canada

Well, welcome to the election of 2011 friends. That's right, here in Canada we now have an election on our hands. Oh, it is more than just an election of course. It is a political battle to the finish that is what it will be. The Stephen Harper Government has fallen and now it is time to get the soldiers into the battlefield and inflict the necessary mortal wounds upon the enemy.

The enemy friends is Stephen Harper and what he stands for. In my opinion, he does not represent mainstream Canada. His focus is limited to his vision of Canada and what he wants to achieve and those things I believe are not in the interest of our great nation. Stephen Harper wants to change our country and make it look more like the U.S. I don't think the majority of Canadians want that to happen. So, once they realize what the Stephen Harper agenda really is then I think they will all be on board to defeat the man who has just lost the confidence of the House of Commons.

Having lost the confidence of the parliament of Canada and forfeiting his right to govern means that it is every one's duty who believes in Canada to do the right thing. And, the right thing is to remove this man from the corridors of power before it is too late. So, that is why I have titled this blog entry " Onward Christian Soldiers ". I think there are in fact many God-believing citizens in our country. Christians are good people and can be responsible Canadians like all the rest. But, they are being led by a Christian man, namely Stephen Harper who, as I said would do Canada wrong. We need to let the Christians who vote for him know that. And, that is why I am bringing Jesus Christ on board to help out with the cause. Now, I am not a practicing Christian myself, but I think you can appreciate that politics does indeed make strange bedfellows and that is why Jesus and I are now friends. We just have a lot in common that is all.

 You will notice from previous blog entries that Jesus and I are friends on facebook. Well, I plan to be having a meeting with Jesus soon enough to find out what we can do to change the tide in Canada. Jesus is a great ally and friend to have on board in these troubled times. So, I hope that all of you Christians and right minded thinking Canadians join us in the battle to remove Stephen Harper from the political landscape once and for all. D - Day is May 2nd. so see you there at the battle of the century here in Canada.

The Canadian Perspective

The Canadian Perspective

by Carl Baydala

I have to tell you friends that things are OK by me in this part of the world. Canada is a very fortunate place in which to live. We have a very small population relative to our land size, we are a stable democracy and all of the people that I know are basically happy individuals and glad to be Canadians just like myself.

How does a country get to be so fortunate and how does it survive so happily when there is so much trouble in the world?  I mean, poverty and war occurs in so many parts of the world and in such frequency as well. In the last couple of years there has even been a financial meltdown and many people world wide are suffering as a consequence of that. Our neighbour to the south is experiencing terrible fiscal problems all around and many have lost their homes and their jobs. The middle classes are essentially being decimated, and the few assets they have left are quickly being depleted. Their financial and political power is evaporating in front of them, yet Canada survives basically intact.

What is so special about Canada?  Canada has a lot going for it of course otherwise it would been sucked into the vortex long ago. Why didn't Canada experience the same kinds of problems that the US did for example? We are both modern democracies with laissez faire capitalist systems are we not? Canada has a good supply of natural resources and good management and well trained workers.  And, ditto for the US. We are both advanced economies as they say. On the surface of things we both appear to be blessed. But, there are differences as I think you can appreciate. The main difference between Canada and the US I think is the political system itself and how it operates.

The US political system is highly driven by money. Politicians appear to be bought and sold like so many automobiles on a given day. This means of course that good policy that would have a positive effect on the whole nation might not naturally come about. Since money is the thing that drives things, it is the people with money itself that are favoured under that kind of system. That is why in the States the percentage of people who hold great wealth decreases daily. They have bought and paid for political results. Look at what the financial barons on Wall Street got away with - and continue to get away with.  The elites who control the economy and the politicians grow more powerful year by year. On the other hand, the so-called middle classes get poorer and poorer. And, this is certainly manifested in political events and decisions as well. Look at the recent events in Wisconsin, for example to see how even those with relatively more power than the truly down and out are finally being affected by politics and money. It is a virtual war in the US friends, a war in which those with power want ultimate control, at any cost and consequence whatsoever.

No such thing is occurring in Canada. And, just look how close with live to the States. You'd think that like in the Middle East when the revolutions started that it would have the same type of collateral effect, but not so here in Canada. You'd think that the middle classes would be under serious attack here in Canada and not just in the US.   Now, the current Conservative Regime in Canada is just a smaller version of the Republican Party in the US. ( Don't misundersand me here, I know that at the present time there is no real difference between Republicans and Democrats since they are both driven by money ) But, they do NOT  have the same kind of power as their counterparts in the US.  This is the basic difference between Canada and the US and that is what I am trying to point out to  you tonight. The Canadian mentality, at present, will not allow the Republican/capitalism gone wild mentality to take hold in this country, and that is in spite of the fact that the political party in power that we have  would act in the very same way as a Republican Party if they had the power to do so. I think the recent relevations about Conservative contempt of Parliament is testimony that they would like to subvert democracy, but the Canadian people will not let them. That is my hope at least.  But, they do not and that is why Canada is different than the US and that is why we are not experiencing the same kinds of problems as our brothers and sisters are south of the border.

Canada is structurally sound and we believe in the rule of law ( contrast this idea with what is happening or not happening in the US for example; think of the illegal invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, a proper investigation into 9/11, and ask yourself why no one on Wall Street has been indicted for financial fraud ) and that is why we survive relatively unscathed. Our resources are a huge plus as I am sure you can imagine. But, there is more to it than resources otherwise we would just be another Middle Eastern dictatorship now wouldn't we?  Of course, and that is the key to our staying on top of things. Power is a very important feature of society friends and it needs to be  distributed evenly otherwise you run the risk of ruining your nation. And, the power in our country friends comes from knowing the difference between right and wrong and sharing the wealth, as is humanly and politically possible, that is. At least we try and that is the point of the whole thing. The Stephen Harper government is a minority one for the very reasons that I have listed above. Thanks for reading.



The Carnival Business:1965 to 1995

The Carnival Business:

1965 to 1995

' The Elephant in the Room '

Above picture is Playland Amusement Park

Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Friends, I have to tell you that the ' Elephant in the Room ' for me is the carnival business. Here I am over five years into my blog and I have not detailed for you any serious information at all about the carnival business. This was my first job as a teenager, but it was to become much more than that because this is the business that carried me through my teenage years and forward into many of my adult years as well. This occupation would extend into over thirty years of my life in fact, but mostly it was concentrated in the sixties and the seventies and into the early 1980's as well.  It bought me my motorcycles and my cars and it paid for my university education and it kept me going while I tried to to get a full time job after completing university; it was always my insurance or backup job.  It provided me with a unique education in the business of life and laid the groundwork for my business background as well. After my initial employment at the Amusement Park I would travel a great deal throughout the western provinces of Canada, working with various carnival companies ' playing ' small towns and the large urban centers as well.

The picture above is Playland Amusement Park in Vancouver, B. C. This is what it looked like in 1965 and this is what it looks like today as well. The midway had partially burned down just about the time I started working there. Once restored and put back to life they called it ' The Million Dollar Midway '  I am not sure if that was meant to be a joke or not.  I started off  my working career as a ' ball boy '  in the ' One Ball ' concession. I did mention this detail of my life briefly in a previous post. I was a very energetic teenager and eager to perform in my job. I was physically very fit and quick at my new job. I was proud to be ' the fastest ball boy that Playland ever saw ' ( my interpretation ) and that is in spite of the fact that I was now quite a heavy smoker.  In the photo above the last concession or ' joint ' at the end of the midway was mine. ( After a couple of years as a ball boy I would graduate and become another ' agent ' or concessionaire and being in charge of the management and operation of an individual store. ) That is where I operated the ' slingshot ' joint. I worked in other locations on the midway, but this was to become my concession when Playland opened up in the Springtime. I worked here on the weekends while I was still attending school.

The carnival business was different back in those days, when I first entered the business, that is. It has matured as a business of course, but I was lucky I suppose because I experienced the real thing back in 1965; real carnival action, that is. That's right. At the very beginning of my career as a ball boy I was learning that people could be conned and they wouldn't even know that it was happening to them. Even a simple carnival concession such as the One Ball had a ' gaffe ' to it. People are throwing a soft ball trying to tip over three milk bottles. The configuration is that one bottle is sitting atop two on the bottom; the two bottles underneath are filled with lead and the one on top is much lighter and very easy to knock over; they are all painted the same white colour and appear to be identical.   Most people cannot tip these bottles over  unless they are a very good shot and are able to put some strength into their efforts. The point is of course that we could let people win when we wanted to. And, that was part of my job description as a ball boy. When the ' agent ' or concessionaire in charge of the joint wanted to let someone win so as to encourage him or her to spend more money,  he would simply yell out to me: " set em up. "  And, that would be my directive of course to place one of the heavier bottles on top so as to make the game much easier for the ' mark ' or ' mooch ' throwing the balls.  And, this was my introduction to the wonderful world of the carnival business as a young teenage boy.

Lots of the other games had gaffs too, and I worked in many of them. The whole idea of the carnival business was to gain the confidence of the customer. You were dealing with people and you wanted them to spend as much of their money as possible. I worked in the ' Hanky Panks ' or the stores that gave away plush toys and other smaller toys. But, later on  I would work in the ' PC ' or percentage joints as well. These are the gambling joints and they are a very big deal in Vancouver and all over Canada in fact. I remember looking forward to the summer fair or the PNE ( Pacific National Exhibition ) This was always the most exciting time in the business because this when most of the money came in. Anyhow, our amusement park was run by Americans and every year many Americans travelled up from the States  to work the Fair. I worked with many of these Americans and became their friends in fact. I learned a great deal by working with some of these individuals. They were very good concessionaires and they were very smooth operators indeed. This is not to say that our own Canadians were not excellent operators because many were just as good as anybody else. But, I remember one of the gambling operations that came up for the Fair. In particular, I remember the team that came up and operated the ' Pea Game '. This is a table game enclosed under canvas ( a stick joint ) and it is set up right on the midway across from the concessions themselves. There were a number of these joints situated in different parts of the park during the PNE. This is when I learned about the concept of ' shills ' or as we called them ' sticks '. During the early opening hours when things were slow each joint would have people who were pretending to play the game. They were called ' sticks ' because they stuck to the joint and they made out like real players. Nobody knew any different of course and once a ' tip ' or crowd  built up then the sticks could gradually quit playing the game. It was all fascinating to me of course and there were many other wonderful discoveries and insights just waiting to be uncovered....

....to be continued

photo of Playland Amusement Park

found in Wikimedia

Bachelor Philosopher Number Seven: Jesus Christ

Bachelor Philosopher Number Seven:

Jesus Christ

I don't think any writer would have the temerity to underestimate the importance of Jesus Christ to Western civilization, and particularly, its religious and consequent political development. But, there are the detractors of course and many of these originate from the center of the Abrahamic religions themselves, and that is to say, that certain elements of Judaism do not have much use for the man, Jesus Christ at all. The early Jews, believers in the Old Testament and its prophesies, did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, nor as the Son of God. He was more likely seen as an irritant and one who should be removed so as not to cause further harm and political unrest.  More on this aspect of Jesus Christ later on the presentation.

Both Christianity and Islam revere the philosopher known as Jesus Christ. I am taking the liberty here of identifying Jesus Christ as a philosopher, for what else could he be described as anything but a philosopher? He tried to portray his view of the world upon man; He was God's representative on earth and he died for our sins; through the acceptance of Jesus Christ one could get to Heaven and be with God. Followers of  Islam did not take nearly the generous views of Christ as the Christians did; they did not think of Him as God, nor did they believe in the crucifixion of Jesus. He was to be honored as an important prophet such as Mohammad and as another worldly human who could tell us what God was like and what He expected of us in terms of human behavior. Through believing in the prophets man could achieve his place in Heaven next to God or Allah.

The name Jesus means ' savior ' and  Christ means ' anointed. '   Jesus was a bachelor and a philosopher and that is why I am spending some time on Him here. He belongs on my blog and in my thoughts. As a bachelor philosopher you may appreciate that there might be similarities among us, such as was the case when I was discussing the bachelor philosophers Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche. The latter two philosophers had romantic problems ( Schopenhauer in particular ) which I can certainly relate to. And, as you might expect their experiences would somehow show up in their philosophies,  and in their attitudes toward women.

But, Jesus Christ and myself come together on altogether different terms. I would call it a political similarity. Not only was Jesus a rabbi ( teacher ), but he  was a rebel and he was working against the powers that be.  And, that has been my lot in life as well as you will have noted by reading my blog. Read this post here and you will see what I am talking about. And, this post here where my rebellion and independence shows up. Jesus was crucified for his behavior and I was fired. Both events happened on a Friday and by all accounts Jesus was roughly 34 years old as I was myself in the year 1983.  And, what got the job done was our beliefs and our attitudes. We were both fighting for something and we were against something. And, that is our common bond.

Now Jesus had a ministry and he had a following; he had disciples. I should be so lucky of course. But, the philosopher Jesus believed strongly in something and that was the salvation of mankind, through belief in Him and what He stood for. He could save mankind from sin if only they would believe in Him.  By His actions a world-wide religion would be created. His beliefs and ideas were that strong and that is why they have survived, whether they be in the Christian or the Islamic form.

 But, as I stated at the beginning, there are the detractors to Jesus and what he represents. Why are the Jews and the rabbis throughout history against Jesus Christ and what He represents? Was it not they in fact who were instrumental in the execution of Jesus? You can read and hear about the controversies and decide for yourself ( see videos below ) whether or  not it was Jesus's fellow Jews who did Him in, or something or someone else who was ultimately responsible for the deed. There is more involved of course than just the crucifixion itself. Jesus is rejected, I think, because He is a threat to Judaism. What is Judaism?  Judaism is an ego centric religion that lays its foundation on a relationship with a people and a God. That God and that people will share wealth and glory together; that is the essence of Judaism as I understand it. ( For a better understanding of Judaism and Christianity you might want to take the time and read Ludwig Feuerbach: The Essence of Christianity )

 Is it not some of these followers of Judaism who consider themselves to be Chosen at the expense of all others, including members of Christianity and Islam itself?  Doesn't Talmudic Judaism, and its  political expression, Zionism,  have its own agenda in fact, an agenda that cannot allow other members of the human race to be part of it?  How can one continue to benefit from a special relationship with God if everybody was to be considered ' Chosen '? Wouldn't that just cheapen the notion of ' chosenness '?  Of course it would and that is  why the rabbis continue to foster the separateness of the Jews; they need to protect their monotheistic turf as it were.   And, that is why they cannot accept Jesus Christ and His teachings, or anything like Jesus Christ.

Jews like to refer to non-Jews as Gentiles and in more modern times, even the derogatory term, Goyim. If you know what the term Goyim really means then you will begin to appreciate how some aspects of modern  Judaism operate in the real world. Quite simply put, Jews see themselves as different than us Gentiles. They feel a privileged and special relationship to their God; if they are in fact religious that is. For lest we forget that many Jews are in fact very atheistic, but that is not going to detract from their separateness in the Gentile world as you may appreciate. The rabbis are keenly aware of these features of Jewish culture and it is their job to continue to propagate this identity of the Jews. That is why on almost every occasion, be it a wedding or any opportunity for public dissemination you will hear the rabbis talking about the suffering of the Jews and how the Holocaust has affected them. This is the full time business of the modern rabbi and it all goes back to the crucifixion of Christ of course. As Rabbi Boteach states in the video below ' Jesus was one of our own '. ' How ironic ' he states.  And, indeed it is. Jesus is a great figure in history no matter what side of the political fence you are on. He is either your saviour, or one of your own who just didn't fit in with the crowd.

Jesus remains revered all throughout the globe; Christianity and Islam are alive and well, as is Judaism. All three religions stem from the same source, but have gone their different ways as we now know. It does not do us well to speak negatively of dead men and this certainly applies to Jesus Christ as well. He is a tremendous historical religious and political figure as you can now easily determine.  A great philosopher and a great teacher, and a martyr for all mankind as well; He paid the ultimate price; He gave His life so that we would all be able to experience the love of the God that He represented.  Jesus was on the right side of things and that is why no matter what religion or belief one adheres to, Jesus Christ is a man that must be respected at all costs.  Listen to the political debates below  and see for yourself how the modern Jew and the modern Christian thrash about and relay to us what their meaning of the crucifixion of Jesus is really all about....

    Rabbi Boteach - Who Killed Jesus?

" they nailed him to the rancid wood of racism and bigotry "

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Jesus Christ in Wikipedia 

above is the companion part of the debate. just what do you make of this interaction dear reader?

Here is an interesting related video for your consideration friends. It is part 1 of the God Delusion. Richards Dawkins is giving a speech at a Christian college in Virginia. The topic is Judaism and the Old Testament. At approximately 24:45 minutes into the presentation he is citing examples of how religion affects the lives of modern day Israeli children. Lest we forget of course, that Israel is a religious entity; it is a Zionist state and the religion of the children is Judaism. Listen closely to what the children believe and how the word Goyim forms part of their mindset .



Related Discussion


Jesus the Jew ( video )

Jesus and the Pharisees;

The.Man.from.Galilee

This is an interesting discussion friends. It is a chapter called " The Man from Galilee " contained in a book entitled " The Controversy of Zion " by Douglas Reed. Very interesting reading indeed.

added on February 7, 2011

Mark Glenn discusses Judaism, Zionism, Jesus Christ and many other lively
and related interesting topics. Audio file forms part of a series as found on
 Wing TV

2006-06-02 Mark Glenn Exposes the Jewish Agenda: M3U, RAM, MP3

Jesus in Islam ( from the Ugly Truth website )


picture of Jesus found in wikimedia commons

Some thoughts on the optimism of an older person....

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Some Thoughts on the Optimism
 of an  Older Person....
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by Carl Baydala

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Friends, I have to tell you that life is not getting any easier for me. I am getting older and I can feel it now. Life has been pretty good to me though, generally speaking, that is. I am still healthy and I can still do a good day's work at my job if required to do so. The basics are still intact and as you can see my mind still works just fine. However;

With old age comes the effect of time. Time, and its consequences, is just one of those incessant things that we cannot control. Time is that thing that keeps reminding us that one day everything must end. We do not know how it is going to end, but life gives us enough clues that it will in fact end one day. I am sure that most of you have friends who have died suddenly or became the victim of some horrible disease and the like. They died, but you continue to live. You are lucky that your number has not come up yet and you continue to enjoy what life doles out to you.  And, I am the same kind of  person as all of you out there. I am alive and I was blessed or allowed to live yet another day and to enjoy all that life has to offer.

Do  I have any complaints about my life so far?  Well, actually I do. I have made the same kinds of mistakes that many others have made along the way in this business of life. The biggest mistake that I made I suppose was not really appreciating that you cannot always get what you want. That is a huge life lesson friends so don't ever think otherwise. The problem of course is that we are all human and we don't always understand these kinds of things in the ways that we should. But, life has a way of teaching us hard and valuable lessons as I am sure most of you have discovered by now. Life gives us this lesson and we all deal with it in our ways of course. Depending on our personalities, this lesson is hard fought or accepted, or it is even rejected, depending on how strong our personalities and ambitions are.

But, we all get older and that is the point friends. We get closer to death every living day in our lives. We relish our victories and we remember them well. That is the stuff of memories of course. But, then there are the failures, or our failed dreams; things we wanted but never acquired. So, this becomes one of the central issues for the aged friends. That's right, life and old age makes philosophers out of all of us. That is one of the benefits of life and advanced years, if not the main benefit. Living gives you memories and experience. This is the kind of stuff that a philosopher needs to formulate his ideas with.

Some people are  fortunate and have lived very good lives indeed. We are not against these people and what they have accomplished. Of course not. That would be a negative sentiment and we get absolutely nowhere by condemning or criticizing these people. I am just suggesting to you friends, that most people had goals when they were young, and that is what made life valuable and meaningful for them; life was worth living in the context of pursuing individual goals. And, some of us achieved our youthful goals, while others did not.

All that I am saying friends is that old age is the time for reflection and an opportunity to get that philosophy together and to make an attempt to  figure the whole thing out within the context of your own personal experiences. If you are a bit of an outsider like myself, a non-main streamer if you will,  then you know that you have some extra opportunities to put a philosophy together. If you are like me in fact, then you did not experience anything approaching a normal life. So, we certainly have to take these kinds of things into account when we are tallying everything up and trying to make sense of it all. Now, fortunately for me of course,  I like thinking about stuff like this and I do in fact accept the challenge of making an account of myself at this stage in my life.

Does everybody worry about these kinds of things and feel compelled to say something about it; about their life histories, that is?  I mean, is it some kind of a responsibility, for example, to provide some kind of meaningful account of one's life and sell it to everybody else?  Well, actually the answer is no, and the reason is that not too many people would actually care about how you made out or what your individual problems were - and are.  They are too busy with their own problems or with their successes. That is kind of the reality of the situation friends. Life is an individual thing. If you are a living and breathing personality then you already know that. Everybody is just trying to get to the end of the line in one piece and they hope and pray that no unforeseen calamity will fall upon them and make their lives more miserable than it might be right now. If they are like me and begin to construct these elaborate philosophies for others to peruse then they will have to provide even more details of the things that have influenced them, especially if these are negative things of course. But, the point is dear friends, that not too many people will really be interested, except a handful of loved ones, you know, the people that really count anyway.  

Pretty dreary prose here tonight eh friends?  Actually, it was not meant to be at all. I am just getting older now and I know it; time for reflection and aging politics if you will.   And, don't forget: all of the people that I am interested in are getting older as well. My hope is that they will find time to reflect when that time arrives in their lives - and it will if they are normal thinking human beings like myself. I am an optimist friends and I believe in understanding. I am counting on my friends to grow older and when they do, to finally figure out just what kind of a person I am and what I wanted out of life. I don't think that is too much to ask for actually, and in fact, I don't really have to ask for it because I know that it is going to happen anyway. Old age will deliver the goods for me, and that is when I will be vindicated for everything that I have done and ever wanted, within reason of course. I will be vindicated via the process of understanding and acceptance. I am counting on philosophy to do the job that it was intended to do, and that is to bring understanding to all of those who never bothered or take time do such things.  I will win my consolation prize even if I am not here to accept it. Thanks for reading and have a great day friends.


Here is a great song friends. It is called ' Dark Horse ' by Amanda Marshall.  I am a courier you know and I listen to this kind of music all day long while driving about. I heard this Dark Horse song again last week and I thought to myself that I would like to place this song on my blog somehow.  It is about optimism is it not, and beating the odds or betting on a long shot or a ' dark horse ' in a horse race if you will.  That is my interpretation at any rate.  Well, the first thing I did was to incorporate this song into one of my Harness Racing entries. You can see that particular entry  right here  if you like. I thought it would be a nice touch for my friends who are visiting that site in the hope of getting  some of my tips on my harness racing picks.  Well, I like this song quite a bit and I hope that you guys do too.


Dark Horse - Amanda Marshall

The train of life....

The Train of Life

Some foreward looking philosophy for you. Forwarded to me by my friend who is constantly worried about my backward looking philosophy. Great link here to some very fine music by Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson. Don't forget the earphones or you will be missing out, big time....

Why Toyota Corollas are lucky for me....

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Why Toyota Corollas are lucky for me....

Friends,  the story I  am about to tell you tonight is sweet and creepy all at the same time. Sweet, because it involves my dream girl, and creepy because my dream girl thinks that a lot of the things I do are just plain creepy. But, that is her and forever shall she remain herself.  And, that is why we continue to  love her ( no matter what I say on these pages ); because she is who she is.

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 .....anyway, back in 1983 when  I was on top of the world so to speak, on top because  I had the great fortune to cross paths with this wonderful female that I am always talking about. And, part of the scenario was the fact that I was driving a 1982 Toyota Corolla  Hardtop SR5. Now, rest assured dear friends that this car was the most important thing in my life, until I came across this girl that is. I remember trading in my 1978 White Toyota Corolla Liftback for this new vehicle of mine.  I bargained very earnestly in those days let me assure you. I loved to bargain and hassle over purchasing new vehicles. In fact, when I finally got delivery of my new vehicle the salesman said: " you got a really good deal ".  Well, that may be so. Who is to say for sure right?  Anyhow, I got my dream car and I did some serious bargaining to get it.  After the paperwork was signed I remember that I had to wait a couple of weeks for delivery. I just couldn't wait, the excitement was too much. I recall driving into Richmond where I purchased the vehicle and just sitting by the railroad tracks watching the trains roll by to see if my new car was on its way to the dealership.  Anyhow friends, that is just the way I am when I really want something; I just can't wait; the anticipation is just so great for me....

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Shown below is what a Toyota Corolla Hardtop in 1982 looked like. Mine was silver and it was a 5 speed. I had to have a standard of course because automatics were for sissys...

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So, why is all this stuff important?  Because when I met my dream girl this was my car. The Toyota Corolla was the reason why I met my dream girl. Toyota Corollas are lucky in love that is all. Not only that, I remember driving my dream girl home in this car of mine and that is when I fell in love with her. Sweet....or creepy?  Well, you decide.

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Anyhow, let us move up to the present and not waste too much time because I am sure you guys are now fairly interested in what I have to say and just what does all of this stuff mean?...

  It means that I am driving once again, a Toyota Corolla, a brand new and up to date model of course.  And, you can rest assured that I did my best bargaining that I could with these sellers of Toyota Corollas...

So, let's cut to the chase here and relay the importance of all this car stuff. It involves my dream girl as you might expect. A chance meeting or exchange was about to occur....and that interaction could only take place if certain things were to make it happen. Like the alignment of the stars, things on earth had to be in perfect order as well. Part of the coordination would involve my car of course..  But, there is more than just the car here friends. A lot of things had to come together before the love gods would even think of becoming involved in the wonderful event that was to unfold. That's right, they saw the similarities between 1983 and the present, well, the present being December, 2010. I was back at the old house and I was starting to drink beer again, just like in 1983, and maybe even puffing on a cigarette or two to boot. In other words friends, all conditions were in place for the best Christmas that I would have in a long time. I did my part and the love gods did the rest. Confused?  Well, don't be. Out of the blue it came and a fluke if there ever was one. But, that is the method of luck and destiny friends and you can count on that. My dream girl and myself crossed paths if only for a fleeting moment. Such a treasure. But, this time the internet was involved, and it was very special indeed friends. But, I am convinced now friends that conditions were ripe for it to happen - and destiny could not fail to do its part.  And, the purchase of the Toyota Corolla I feel played no small part; it is of course a key ingredient here.   The only thing missing was luck, and she appeared just before Christmas - and I am forever glad that she did. So, you see friends, Toyota Corollas are the best friends that a guy could ever have.

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2010 Toyota Corolla Image Found Here

picture of1982 Corolla found here

The Philosophers are saying marry ugly....

The Philosophers are saying marry ugly....

Friends, you and I both know that there is no such thing as an ugly woman. All women are beautiful in their own way. In fact, all people are beautiful if you just take time to examine them.  Falling in love with a so-called ' beautiful ' or ' pretty ' woman though can sometimes make things problematic for those who fall in love with such a person.  If I, or anyone else  finds a woman desirable then quite possibly, others are going to come to the same conclusion about her.  We soon discover that we have a problem on our hands.  And, that is the fact that the woman in question is going to quickly realize that she is desirable once she notices that many others are clamoring to win her hand or otherwise spend some time with her. She most likely will become quite picky about her suitors.  So, that means competition friends and it also spells trouble for the potential losers in these kinds of situations as well as you might expect.  Now, you certainly cannot blame the woman for making her choices. She is deemed to be beautiful and she would be stupid to not capitalize on her favoured position. So, what we have to do here friends is to try and soften the blow to the failed suitors or the non-winners if you like.  We need to offer these poor souls some advice in these kinds of situations; i.e. trying to win a beautiful women in a sea of suitors, so to speak.   Now, whether they take that advice or not is simply a matter of how common-sensical they are. Some people will simply not listen to reason of course. There really is a way out of this kind of situation friends. You do have options for your emotional survival. There are beautiful girls, and well, there are the other girls too - the overlooked girls if you like.  Guys simply need to take a second look at so-called ' Ugly Women ', ugly being defined of course as not being so highly in demand as some of the other girls. Friends, please take this advice. You don't need to waste you time in these kinds of situations; i.e.  pursuing beautiful and unattainable woman. In many cases they are simply not worth the effort anyway.  Mostly, dealing with highly desirable women is just a recipe for pain and disappointment anyway; it is a colossal waste of time.   There are options friends and they look like very good options indeed if you take time to study a situation like this. Hit on and pursue that so-called ugly woman. And, don't forget: if you are successful in your endeavours you are still getting a woman- even if she is deemed to be ugly. But, rest assured that she will not be anything resembling ugly - she will become beautiful in fact and in every sense of the word.   This so-called ugly woman may not be your first choice, but she will be an all woman all the time. Count on it! And, she is going to be faithful and she is going to make you a very happy man indeed. So, marry her if she likes you and be done with the issue. Let the other guys deal with the pain, you don't need it.  .... But, there is more friends. Much more indeed. What if you are the successful suitor of the so-called beautiful woman and you do actually win her hand in marriage? Then what happens?  Well, most likely the beautiful woman will turn into a two-timer. Not guaranteed of course, but the potential is certainly there is it not?  And, why shouldn't the beautiful woman play the field so to speak?  She is beautiful and she needs to build and capitalize on that beauty. So, listen to what the philosophers are saying friends.  They are suggesting  that you don't have to necessarily marry a beautiful woman if you want to be happy. They are saying: marry that ugly woman if she comes your way and don't even think about it, just do it.
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 So, lessen your risk and marry ugly.
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 Looking at things in another way; the failed suitors are already the winners  because they will not have to deal with a potential unfaithful wife.  So, it is the winners who potentially turn out to be the losers, happily married to their unfaithful wife if you know what I mean - and the losers who potentially turn out to be the winners - because they get to marry an ' ugly ' but faithful companion. So, this is where losing actually becomes winning.   Isn't philosophy great friends?
 So, think about it. Philosophy is a really cool thing and, it is this basic if you want it to be:

Here is a sixties song which, hopefully, will explain everything for you;

1963

Jimmy Soul - If you wanna be happy


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The above offered as a public service by the author.
Other similar offerings include the following:
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How To Pick Up Women....
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Closing the book on the Karen Lenihan Project....

Closing the Book on

the Karen Lenihan Project....

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Friends, it is with  a great deal of sorrow that I must announce on this day, the end of the ' Karen Lenihan Project '.  I trust that you are all aware of my reasons for this necessary, and timely decision, and thanks to all of my friends and acquaintances who have expressed an interest in my life, and in my dreams.....

Bye for now....

photograph found in Wikimedia

Happy New Year 2011

Happy New Year



All the best for 2011 Friends

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Here's hoping that all of my friends and acquaintances make it to the next year in one piece, because that is what I am hoping for.

Friends, I believe in destiny, and because I believe in destiny I am forced to accept conditions as they are presented to me. Why even bother to fight destiny if you cannot control it? Greater powers than us humans control these things. The human psyche is soothed by knowing these kinds of things. Destiny delivers and destiny taketh away. If you read my most recent play here then you would accept these things as I have come to do.

 Have a great year and see you one year down the road, destiny willing, that is. Singing below friends is Skeeter Davis. In 1963 she had two top hits, and this is one of them;
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'Always an optimist'

The meaning of 2010...

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Friends, this City of ours keeps on surprising me. What a wonderful day it was here in Vancouver. Brilliant sunshine put a smile on everybody's face and that was in spite of the very cool air. The North Shore mountains looked fantastic with their new coat of fresh snow and everywhere I went I just knew that people were enjoying this day as much as I was.
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I started out the day buying gas at a Chevron gas station. Chevrons are the best because they are always neat and tidy and the bathrooms are well taken care of as well. They don't give you the bums rush either when you need to do a critical pit stop if you know what I mean.  On this bright and sunny day I got my truck washed in one of their automatic car washes. A female attendant gave me a voucher for a free car wash a couple of days ago and this was the day that I decided to take advantage of her unexpected gift to me.  When I got to the station she asked: " have you done it yet? ".  And, I said " no, but today will be the day. "  She smiled approvingly. And, that is how my day started out. Everything would be pretty and neat and I would feel wonderful all day long as I listened to my tunes and drove about in the December sunshine in my shiny and very clean white truck.

At about 5 PM I was approaching the downtown core area and what a show nature put on for us let me tell you. Words cannot describe the magic that  I saw in front of me, but words will have to suffice because I had no electronic gadgetry on hand to record the drama for you. You cannot beat nature friends when it wants to perform. I am driving into the downtown core via the Granville Street Bridge from the Southside area and the sun is setting and it is causing reflections on the highrises of the urban core. And, these majestic, glass laden pillars are now numerous indeed; they are welcoming you to the core; it is like a beckoning. The sky is darkened, but the buildings and their windows come alive all dressed up in their various shades of greens, blues and twinkling whites.  It is as if the buildings themselves were part of some sort of production; they played their part and they did it brilliantly. Need I say more?

Friends, we simply need to acknowledge that the end of this year is near. 2010 is rapidly coming to a close, only one more day of the year to experience and then it is all over but the shouting so to speak. 2010 was a tremendous year for me in terms of experience; there was meaning and revelations for me on numerous fronts.

We all lived through and loved the Olympics. I cannot even begin to describe for you the emotional joy and pride that us Vancouverites felt when the event was alive. I have never encountered such a thing in my life. It is amazing what thousands of people gathered together in common cause can do in terms of producing that do good human feeling. Never have I been so proud to be born in Vancouver.   It took the Olympics to bring it all into focus for me; I was living in the best damn spot in the world and this event proved that to me.   Check out this Olympics video in the streets of Vancouver:

Robson Street Video

On another front, 2010 also saw the death of a comrade courier. His name was Bill. If you want to read more about him then you can visit the part of my blog called Dear Courier Diary I need to ask Bill's forgiveness for what I am about to do here. Bill and I were friends, well maybe not really close friends, but darn good acquaintances anyway, and he knows about my dream girl since I talked about her just about every chance I could get. After Bill died I went to a small gathering honoring his death. These were his friends that were gathered here. Some of them loved him and others were his friends and work mates such as myself. Some memorabilia was assembled on a table in the building where the honoring took place. On display were the precious moments of Bill's last days as they were enjoyed by him and his loved one. Among the items that were assembled there was a photograph of him and his girlfriend and their most recent trip. Bill and his girlfriend had been to Juneau, Alaska and there was the picture sitting on the table right in front of me to prove it.  I was literally taken aback when I saw that photo. What did it mean -and why now?  Bill never told me that he went there and if he had he would never hear the end of my questions about his trip.... All the best in the Great Beyond Bill and sorry you missed the end of a magical year and today was very magical indeed.
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What is compassion?....

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What is compassion?....
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by Carl Baydala
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I want to talk about compassion and its relationship to love. What is love?  Love is a human emotion characterized by a state of well-being. Where does love come from? Love comes from loving something. Why do people love something or fall in love and just what is love? The state of being in love is a product of the complete acceptance of another human being; you love someone for what they are and the effect that they have upon you, simply by knowing them and being near to them; you willingly accept and emotionally desire and want to be with another human being because THEY MAKE YOU HAPPY. Your beloved can do no wrong because you have determined that his or her inherent qualities, be they psychological or physical or both, are capable of arousing a passion within you. You love out of self interest of course because that is the human way. This passion or desire is commonly known as love. Compassion enters the picture when someone in love is capable of recognizing how the state of love comes about; they become knowledgeable and sensitive to the needs of their partners. You know that you are in love, but you also know that your partner needs to be satisfied as well; your partner has needs and desires that need to be addressed; you become compassionate and an understanding lover when you become sensitive to these issues.  Knowing these things indicates a degree of compassion therefore.  Compassion then, is just another way of indicating understanding or allowing for the needs of others, be it with your lover or any anyone that you should encounter in your daily affairs. That is because being compassionate is a transferable skill, once acquired.  If you know true love and how to manage it properly then you should emit compassion in all of your relationships for that is the lesson of love.  But, the point dear friends is that we really never do get away completely from this business of fulfilling our own basic needs. Love is a great thing. And, recipricol love is even better. But, to achieve that desired emotional response from another human being one needs to show compassion. You have to give and you have to mean it and you have to do it honestly.  And, in giving you receive. I think things really are that simple.  
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amended ever so slightly on Sunday January 2, 2011 at approximately 6:31 AM

Merry Christmas Friends....

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Merry Christmas Friends....
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A Special Christmas Treat For You
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Friends, I want to take you back to 1967 just one more time. Take a look at me and some of my classmates from that time period. See link below.


My Classmates and my music in 1967

This post and the ones just below are my Christmas present friends and I hope you all like what you see - and HEAR.  And, for my friends from 1967, there is even a link to all of the grad pictures too.

But, it is the music friends. That is what it is all about if you ask me. What did the sixties do for us?  Why, it gave us the love songs - and the ability to keep on remembering them and what they mean. The system will not break us and we are resolute because of the love songs.  That is what the sixties means if you want my opinion on the matter.

YOUR LOVE KEEPS LIFTIN ME (HIGHER AND HIGHER)

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Jackie Wilson

1967
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Merry Christmas friends, and once again, thanks for checking in.

PS.  I hope you like my music...and don't forget the damn headphones

Lovey dovey Christmas Eve....

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Thank you to all of my friends and acquaintances!

I want to thank everybody who dropped in to my blog to check things out this year. That is a very big deal to me, so don't think I do not care, because I do.

I told you that I was going to get a little sentimental tonight and I hope I do not let anybody down. You know, I was going over my Dear Courier Diary entries from 2009 and I can tell you that I was a very busy little boy. I didn't know that I could say so much, and perhaps, not say anything at all. I really shocked myself when I started going over all of this stuff. There is tons of writing in there. Anyway, tonight's post is especially sentimental in value. It is about love of course and that is what I spend a lot of time on in these parts. I hope everybody understands and is able to accept this part of my personality. If you know me personally then of course you do.  It is the other guys that we have to convince now isn't it?  At any rate,  Carl Baydala is not going to change and what you see is what you get.

So, here is a song by The Vogues which they produced originally in 1968. Here is the video

PS. you really do need earphones to take full advantage of these videos

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Follow that dream....

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Friends, here is another song from Dear Courier Diary  and found here
It is an Elvis Presley song actually and it is called " Follow that Dream ".  So, again, you can see how I was feeling about things back in May, 2009.And, don't forget to put your earphones on or you are wasting your time with these videos. I have another older post lined up for tomorrow night as well. And, trust me, it is even more sentimental than this one. So, in the meantime, please enjoy this. It is Christmas time after all, so give me a break.

" Follow that Dream "
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Elvis Presley,
1962
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Vancouver, B.C. Webcams

Feeling good at Christmas time....

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Friends, I am feeling really great these days. Maybe it is the Christmas thing or maybe it is just thinking about old friends and the wonderful times that we had together.  Now, here is a guy singing an old Drifters ( 1962 ) song.  I think he is doing a fabulous job actually and I believe that many others would think that too. He makes me feel like a million bucks when I listen to his rendition of this song.  I uncovered this song from one of my old  2009 Dear Courier Diary entries. You can see what kind of a mood I was in back then by reading about it  here And here is the video: PS. these videos sound fantastic with headphones on, just to let you know.

The Drifters 1962

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Stay tuned and be proud to be cool....

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Understanding the Israeli Problem

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Solving the World's Problems Series

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World Problem Number Two:

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Understanding the

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Israeli Problem

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by Carl Baydala

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A continuing problem for the world is the Israeli problem. Israel and its relation with its neighbours in the Middle East commands a lot of our attention. And, the reason for this focus that we give to Israel and its problems lies in the fact that it has not made peace with its neighbours. The seemingly intractable problem of Israeli-Palestinian relations is a problem that has been with us for over sixty years. That means it must be a serious problem that deserves our attention.

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Israel presents itself as a western-style democracy operating in a land of, essentially, non-western like political entities. The Israeli State was born in violence and it continues to be embroiled in conflict with its neighbours. We only count the days and the years waiting for the next conflict to erupt. The country is essentially a creation of the British Zionists who decided that they wanted to establish a homeland for the Jews in the land of Palestine. They made a deal with the British Government during World War One that allowed the creation of the State many years later. The problem is of course that you cannot just decide to move somewhere and establish yourself without the consent of the original inhabitants. And, this is the root cause of the current problem; the original inhabitants of the region do not as a group support the idea of the Jewish state in their midst and this fact has been the cause of the numerous wars between Israel and its neighbours.

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Israel claims that it wants to make peace with its neighbours. But, is this true? By its actions over the last sixty years does it come across as an honest participant for peace and a long-lasting relationship with its surrounding counterparts? I don't think so. The many battles that it has fought with its neighbours has ended up netting Israel more land. This is a source of ongoing antagonism of course. The 1967 War in particular was very kind to Israel and it continues to occupy land that it took from its Arab neighbours. Israel has a lot of power in the region as a result of its war booty and for other reasons as well. Not only does it enjoy its land gains, but it has support from the Western powers in terms of military and psychological and political support. In the United Nations, for example, you will never see the United States doing something that would cause harm to Israel. So, Israel is well-endowed with many things that its neighbours do not enjoy. Israel is the dominant kid on the block and it is not shy about flogging its power and keeping its foes in line.

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This power that we are now commenting upon lies at the root of our understanding of the Israeli problem. Israel may in fact have too much power. It has become an arrogant state and one that is not afraid to engage in war no matter what the cost. Invasions of Lebanon and into other Palestinian enclaves are done when the time suits Israel. It seems not to care much about the effects of war and the death of innocent civilians. According to Israel, it is in the business of defending itself and that is the way that it explains its actions to the world.

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But, the time is coming close I think, when Israel is going to have to make a decision about its future. By its actions, it has shown the world that it is not much interested in peace as the rest of the world understands it. Gains from former conflicts do not want to be given up so easily and there is every reason to believe that Israel wants even more land. The destruction of Iraq, for example, is not an isolated incident. Israel gained from that invasion as it removed the thorn of Saddam Hussein from its side. Removing Saddam Hussein eliminated a threat to Israeli hegemony in the region. Israel does in fact want to be the dominant power in the region and I don't think any honest observer is going to think otherwise. You don't maintain the fourth largest military and harbour nuclear weapons for nothing. You must have a motive for doing so. And, I don't think you can keep falling back on the idea of self-defense for explanations for this arsenal. Furthermore, the continuing rhetoric against Iran is nothing more than trying to remove yet another obstacle to Israeli influence throughout the whole Middle East region.

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And, closer to home how does Israel treat the Palestinians? Very poorly as you can imagine. They are a segregated group and from all accounts have no future in the region with Israel as overlord; their movements are restricted and they are treated differently than Israelis. They are also the continued victims of settlement after settlement upon their lands. These are illegal activities on the part of the Israeli Regime. Consider also the recent intrusion into Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces. It was a case of over-kill to say the least. Many innocent civilians were killed just to prove a point. The point that Israel has an over abundance of power relative to its neighbours. We already know that so why to do you need to display the arrogance of power to prove such a point to the world? You might as well be shooting fish in a tank. It has the same kind of effect. The world is not impressed by such measures, but rather the contrary. It only allows the civilized world to question Israeli motives relative to its neighbours. The defense argument simply doesn't hold any water when you are dealing with such an imbalance of power. No matter what the concerns of Israel are re self-defence and the like, no state has the right to literally massacre a civilian population in such violent terms. Perhaps that is why the Goldstone Report was established and brought to light an account of the 2008-2009 War in Gaza and its effects on the civilian population. This Report concluded that there were war crimes committed by both sides, but it did come down harder on Israel, and for obvious reasons.

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So, the problem remains. Israel is the dominant power in the region and it has a lot going for it, and in spite of the recent bad press against it, the nation continues on as it always has. It has its allies and it has its military power, which we alluded to above. It still employs the old standbys of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust to try and shut down the debate when that debate is seen as detrimental to its interests. It is not shy about making political and economic mince meat of its enemies should circumstances justify such activity. But, using the Holocaust and anti-Semitism as weapons is becoming less effective by the day in trying to suppress the criticism of its enemies. You cannot keep on making the Palestinians pay for the war crimes of the Nazis in Europe. Yet, Israel still maintains strong support in the United States and in Britain for the vast majority of its actions. It has a strong lobbying group in the U.S. and its still receives billions of dollars in aid every year. It receives things that its neighbours do not and that is part of the problem of Israel. It is favoured whereas its neighbours are criticized, marginalized, and even invaded should the need arise.

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And, that must ultimately lead us back to the question as to why Israel is favoured over its neighbours. The U.S. and Britain are not obligated to support Israel, and on the surface, they don't seem to gain much from the support. That support only cost billions of dollars and the soldiers that must be sacrificed in the ongoing Middle East wars. So, why continue to support Israel if there is no logical reason to do so? I mean, it wouldn't take much effort to simply make deals with the Arab states and pay the going rate for their oil. If oil is your objective and reason for being in the Middle East, that is. The United States and Britain surely had no real reason to invade any Arab or Muslim nation before the 9/11 attack. But, it did use the event as justification for intrusion into the Middle East in a more dramatic fashion. The reasons given for the recent invasions are based on the idea that Osama Bin Laden was being harbored by the Afghan leadership and also as a means of combating the new threat of Islamic terrorism. These were marketed as wars of prevention and were supposed to act as a means of protecting the citizens of the United States. So, how does Israel fit in and why are we focused on this nation all of the time, and why does its name come up all of the time when we are discussing these most recent wars in the region?

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Well, I think posing the above question might help us to understand the Israeli problem, in hopefully, greater detail. As I stated earlier the state of Israel was made out of a bargain; a bargain between the Zionists and the British Government. This resulted in the famous Balfour Agreement of 1917. The U.S. entered World War One as part of that bargain and Germany was defeated as a result. Prior to that entry Germany was actually winning the war. So, the Zionists kept their part of the bargain by their efforts in bringing in the new blood of the U.S. into the war. The Zionist objective was to gain some land in Palestine as a result of that deal. And, eventually the State of Israel was born in 1948. But, it was not an easy birth as everybody now knows. There was much bloodshed and displacement of Arabs in the process. Throughout all of the violence, however, Israel steadily managed to assert itself and it did survive. As stated earlier, it was born in conflict and continues to live with this conflict; the conflict of being an uninvited guest into the region. The point of the whole thing though is that Israel is just a political creation and no more. The whole Zionist project is essentially a land grab on Arab lands and I don't think it is much more than that. You can think of it as a modern form of colonialism if you like. Religious considerations are not really meaningful either when you are setting up a country on foreign soil without the support of the indigenous population on a large scale. You can have all the alien support you want from fellow Zionists or even so-called Christian Zionists living in America. But, these are meaningless things if the locals do not support what you are trying to do; the locals are going to try and repel you. They are certainly not going to accept you with open, loving arms. So, Israel needs to assert itself and to justify its presence in the region. It asserts itself through periodic wars and with its ongoing propaganda, the thrust of which is to portray itself as victim in the region - victim of the Nazi Holocaust. Victimization is a fine strategy, but it doesn't work very well when the remedy involves the sacrifice of someone ( the Palestinians ) who had nothing whatsoever to do with the crime that caused that victimhood. I, personally do not think Israel is doing a very good job at all and it is failing in its message and is steadily losing whatever support it had for its colonial project. It has created too many enemies in the region and it continues to isolate peoples and even states by its continuous actions. People are turning away from the mainstream media and more people are becoming knowledgable about the Israeli problem.

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But, the Zionists and other backers of Israel have a lot of power and I think that is the essential problem here. So, we are essentially dealing with a power problem as I am trying to point out to you. Israel was a creation of Zionists and continues to be supported by those who support the idea of Zionism - and the very idea of Israel being dominant in the region. There is much support from places like the U.S. as we have already stated. And, in Britain as well. Leading the charge into the Middle East and the invasion of Iraq were the U.S. and Britain, both strong centers of Zionism and their financial power. So, there just might be a connection here and something that would ultimately lead us to a greater understanding of this Israeli problem and its origins. Israel continues to be supported by those forces outside of the region. And, maybe that is part of where its confidence comes from; it knows that it can rely on this support. Israeli prime ministers have even publicly stated that they ' control ' America and have the politicians on their side. Surely, that implies power. Israel, as we should now beging to realize, cannot accomplish anything as a small state operating independently. Its identity and its power are derived from outside sources as we have just stated. And, its enemies know these things. So, I believe this to be the real problem in the Middle East and in Israel in particular. Israel seems intransigent in its policy toward its neighbours and particularly the Palestinians. They do not have to treat the Palestinians fairly if they do not want to because nobody is going to make them do so. They have that much power. The nation continues to build settlements upon Palestinian lands knowing how this upsets the locals and makes them even more angry than they are now. And, this reveals in no uncertain terms the power of the nation of Israel. That it continues to treat the Palestinians with little or no regard is certainly telling. Even the current president of the United States has little influence in the matter. He has spoken out about the issue, but what has happened that would further peace in the region? But, shouldn't we be now asking ourselves the question: can Israel continue to conduct itself in its over-zealous manner knowing what the ultimate effect of its actions will be? The point of the whole thing, however, is that Israel does not care what others think. It might just be that arrogant - rather like the guy with the girlfriend who conducts her business knowing that her big boyfriend will rescue her if she gets into trouble. When Israel gets into trouble what does it do? Well not only does it count on its heavyweight friends for support, it employs the old tools that it always uses - the tools of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. Using these weapons only indicates the arrogance of the State as I have just described it and the world is becoming wiser every day and with each new conflict that involves the state and its neighbours.

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So, that in a nutshell friends is the problem with Israel. It has too much power in relation to its neighbours; this power being its huge military apparatus and the use of the United States military and armaments if need be. A small state with these kinds of resources have caused some to say that the State just might need an attitude adjustment and bring it down to earth. Professor Norman Finkelstein, for example, has termed Israel " A Crazy State " on account of its actions after its gains during the 1967 War. I am sure many of you are already aware of many of these ideas if you have taken time to study the issue.

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Does Israel have a right to exist? Well, that depends on who you talk to of course. There is much in its history that would indicate that it doesn't have much right at all to hold the status of nationhood the way it conducts its business vis a vis its neighbours. For example, it simply comes across as a state not interested in peace at all, and it appears to have expansionist aspirations. It certainly gains from the elimination of Saddam Hussein and the destruction of Iraq. Certainly many friends and supporters of the State would have encouraged that invasion in 2003. And, it openly calls for the invasion of Iran as well. And, settlements expansion is another glaring example of Israeli policy as you can imagine. Nobody can stop these settlements, or so it would seem. So, by might and rhetoric alone, Israel does a have a right to exist. All states have a right to exist if they can defend themselves from one and all and if there is no effective opposition to its goals. And, who is going to stop Israel from existing if it has such a vast military and the support billions of dollars annually from the likes of the United States? No state seems to want to stop Israel from pursuing its military ambitions and operations and there is no substantial criticism levelled against it when it does engage in hostilities. It engages in instantaneous propaganda and political warfare when it is challenged. The United States is a strong ally and continues to be. Israel has a right to exist and to defend itself because it has proven its ability to fight off its enemies in more ways than one. Surely, the State has a right to exist under these conditions.

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But, there is a much greater issue here friends. And, that is the notion of justice. We know that Israel is powerful and it has influential friends who will stand by and protect the nation if it is attacked. These friends will even stand by if Israel engages in obvious expansionism as well. Remember, it is not aggression according to Israel, it is defence. Well, defence or not that is not quite how the rest of the world views things when the power of Israel is unleashed upon its neighbours. The onus is on Israel to prove that it is a responsible state acting among a sea of non-equals - there is no other way around it - if Israel wants to be accepted by more of the world and confirm its right to exist and to be accepted as a legal political entity by all concerned. If Israel wants to succeed as a nation then it must take time out and examine what it is doing; in relation to its power and how it utilizes that power against its enemies. It needs to show the world that it can act as a responsible world citizen. And, there is no better way to do that than to treat those with lesser power as one's equals - even if it hurts and bruises your ego and puts a dent in one's ambitions. There is no other way to achieve peace in the region until Israel and its backers decide it is time for peace. It is that simple. And, that is the problem - and the challenge - for Israel as I see it.

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Related articles about Israel and its past and its future:

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The Ugly Truth Podcast October 24, 2010

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above added on October 26, 2010
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Here is an article about Zionism and its de-stabilizing effects in the Middle East Region. The article, in fact, is talking about a book entitled: Israeli Exceptionalism – The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism

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This is an interesting review and it highlights what Zionism is, namely, a form of 19th Century nationalism for the Jews of the world. The Jews never had a homeland to work with so they had to find and create one. Israel was the choice for the Zionists. So, once the territory was selected for the Jews all they had to do was to expel the Palestinians from their homeland. And, that was when all of the trouble started of course. Zionism is also a colonial project that is in perpetual motion in the Middle East Region. There are conflicts associated with the colonial project and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians is only one of the side effects of the Zionist expansion into the Middle East. War and continuing war is the other. For Israel and the Zionists to achieve their objectives they require the de-stablization of the Arab world and the support of the United States. In fact, they went out of their way to make that support happen. They wanted to prove to the U.S. that their were their best asset in the region. With Israeli help the U. S. could achieve its own goals in the region, namely securing the oil fields and keeping other competitors out of the Region. The Zionists are also interested in regional hegemony for themselves and that is why Israel is in constant conflict with its neighbours and it also explains things like why the invasion and destruction of Iraq had to happen at all.

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Here is the link to the article:

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Israeli Exceptionalism – The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism

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Above added on June 27, 2010

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Here is a fine article by Roger Tucker discussing the issue of the one state solution:

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The One State Solution Sounds Like a Good Idea, but …

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above added on June 18, 2010

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Zionism the Real Enemy of the Jews by Allan Hart. Zionism is identified here by Hart as " Jewish Nationalism ". Its theme is that the rest of the world is against the Jews and any future Holocaust must be confronted - the Jews are alone in the front and must be afraid.

Some of the topics are the 1948 and 1967 Wars and ideas about ' Greater Israel '. Also discussed is the attack on the USS Liberty and the Israeli rationale for the attack - they wanted to steal Syrian and Jordanian territory. Other topics include 9/11 and the elimination of Iraq and Iran as threats to the Jewish state. At the end of the interview Mr. Hart predicts the final ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by the Zionists, unlike Professor Mearsheimer, who thinks that Israel will include Palestinians. See article below.

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Above added on June 11, 2010.

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Audio File Here

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"The Future of Palestine: Righteous Jews vs. the New Afrikaners"By Professor John J. Mearsheimer

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In this article ( video and transcript ) Professor Mearsheimer discusses the future of Israel and its relationship with the Palestinians. He thinks that there will be no two state solution, but rather, a Greater Israel that will become an apartheid state. Israel, by its actions is simply not interested in the two state solution anyway. It will either have to vanquish the Palestinians, expel them or simply control them. He believes that apartheid is inevitable, but that eventually, this will lead to a democracy, with Palestinians forming part of the political mix. You can watch the video and follow the transcript simulaneously below:

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Video and transcript here

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You might also be interested in the views of Professor Norman Finkelstein as well. Here is an audio and transcript concerning Israel and the 1967 War. He mimicks the same themes as Professor Mearsheimer regarding the ambitions of the Israelis and how they would treat the Palestinians if they had a choice. Greater Israel is the aim. The point is we don't what it is going to look like, but we do know that the Palestinians remain the obstacle of Israeli ambitions in the region.

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Finkelstein on the 1967 War

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Updated on Tuesday May 4, 2010

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