Fun with frenchies...

I'm watching the Canadaian federal debate on TV. Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe just made a hilarious gaffe. Duceppe was commenting on having a free vote in the House regarding same sex marriages. He looked straight at the camera and declared that he didn't see the point in having a vote on a question that has already previously been answered. Maybe somebody should have told the sovereigntists that after 1995...

Protest the Protesters!

I was walking out of the engineering building yesterday and witnessed democracy literally crumbling before me. Bear with me.

I've now been a student at McMaster for six years, and it seems that as years go by, protesters of varying backgrounds have been increasingly clogging the arteries of my school. Various issues, whether it be the school's contract with Coke, or the banishment of vehicles on campus have been debated, argued, examined, protested, and finally voted on by the student body. I fully believe that everybody should have the right to fight for what they believe in, but eventually, the rights of the loudest minority is always going to win over the apathetic majority.

You're probably thinking that if that many people don't give a shit, then we shouldn't feel sorry for them when they lose out. I have always advocated the philosophy that if you don't vote in an election, then you don't have the right to complain about the government. But there's a certain point when things start getting ridiculous.

At McMaster, at any given point in time, there is at least one group attempting to push their agenda on the rest of the student body. Last month, there was a huge uproar about the school's exclusivity deal with Coca Cola, and how Coke was allegedly abusing their workers in South America. Protesters said that students should be given a choice on what beverages they could purchase on campus, and as such, the contract with Coke should not be renewed. Instead of the elected student union deciding on the issue, yet another referendum was held in which less than 12% of the undergraduate body voted. I can only assume that most of the students who did participate were either directly or indirectly involved with the protesting or were linked up with the McMaster Solar Car team who also somehow managed to slip their own agenda on the ballot. The remaining 88% of the undergrads? I can't imagine they even knew about the vote in the first place, and if they did, simply didn't care.

And you know what? I can't say I blame them. Assuming the contract with Coke is axed in the next two years, students will still buy Coke. And if they don't, they’ll buy Pepsi—another company that has a questionable human rights record. All of this fuss and all of this money spent on a referendum, and exactly nothing was accomplished (save for the organizers of the protest who can now add a new, glaring "perk" to their resume). This inefficiency underlies the need for a central government, and exposes the realities of a true democracy. If everybody can vote on every single issue, people will just stop caring. We have our own lives to worry about, and this is the exact reason why we pay government representatives to make decisions for us.

I'm sure all of this talk about "central government" and "protecting the interests of the majority" gives all of the left-wing hippies out there cause to celebrate. This brings me to the opposite side of the coin, which came to me when I walked out of John Hodgkin's Engineering Building (JHE) yesterday afternoon.

"The Plumbline" is an engineering-based satirical newspaper (and I use that word loosely—it’s more like a single-sided black and white photocopy) that has been around for decades, and is run by the McMaster Engineering Society. Most engineers love the publication. They love the fact that it's dirty, they love the fact that it's crude, and they love the fact that it's politically incorrect. These are also the reasons why the majority of non-engineers hate the publication. Queue the protesters.

When I walked out of JHE that day, there they were. Signs out, screaming at the top of their lungs, calling for the complete banishment of The Plumbline from campus. I would later find out that an engineering student is currently standing trial for sexual assault (although they conveniently embellished on the charges, calling the offence "rape").

Obviously, The Plumbline is to blame for the charges. It doesn't matter that the trial is ongoing. It doesn't matter that there is no logical way a satirical publication can be held responsible for the violent actions of an individual. It doesn't matter that The Plumbline is completely funded by engineers. It doesn't matter that in the last two years, the editors of The Plumbline have severely toned down the offensive content of the paper. It doesn't matter that the movement is basing its protests against snippets of the paper that were written years ago. It doesn't matter that The Plumbline is only available in the engineering lounge, and not promoted anywhere on campus. PUNISH THEM!

And while we're at it, we should shut down other offensive material on campus. The GLBT centre has gotta go—it’ll offend hard-lined Catholics. And Christian groups? Hey... you're going to offend some members of the Islamic population. Zionists? Hah! You're outta here. And my sincere apologies to the McMaster football team. I'm sorry to tell you that there is a large group of people on campus that don't believe in violent sports.

And so, low-and-behold, the yelling outside of JHE continues. The fact of the matter is, the actual content of The Plumbline is completely irrelevant. This is a matter of free speech. If you don't like The Plumbline, then don't read it. Respect the fact that we're ALL different. We all have different beliefs, different values, and different types of humour.

Something tells me I'm not going to like the results of the next referendum....

Vindication

http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2005Nov/bga20051125033471.htm

AHHH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA....

The best part of the article is Microsoft executives claiming that the xbox problems are "par for the course". What a world that company must live in....

Deathmobile

Karla Homolka drives a Caravan. Just thought you'd like to know.

Sqeaky Clean

Let us all take a moment to bathe in the tears of unfathomable sadness of Microsoft:

"Much to the surprise of journalists, Sony came out with a bang at their pre-E3 conference on Monday. What started off as a dull series of generic demos and videos quickly turned into a jaw-dropping demonstration of the PlayStation 3’s capabilities -- completely overshadowing Microsoft’s subsequent Xbox 360 press event."
-Gamepro

"In 2004, Sony's older PlayStation 2 led the U.S. console wars with 43 percent of the market, according to Jupiter Research. The original Xbox was a distant No. 2 with 19 percent, followed by Nintendo's GameCube at 14 percent. The remainder included handheld game systems."
-Matt Slagle, AP

Basically, Nintendo's GameCube almost beat out the Microsoft console, which has far superior (and considerably more expensive) architecture. It's refreshing to know that the younger generation of consumers hate Microsoft as much as I do. And it's only a matter of time until Gates finally reaps the "rewards" of Windows.

Don't forget: God hates you AND your music

For some reason, Christian groups have taken it upon themselves to start reviewing rock albums. Obviously, they hate everything, and hilarity results.

http://search.family.org/query.cfm?style=pluggedin&qt=nine%20inch%20nails

An exerpt from the review of Nine Inch Nail's, The Fragile: "This follow-up to 1994's The Downward Spiral (5 million copies sold) avoids angry songs about animalistic sex and suicide. For that we are truly grateful. Still, more than 100 minutes of self-destructiveness and pain make The Fragile only a mild improvement. Encourage teens to pray for Reznor instead of wallowing in his ear-splitting hopelessness."

Feel free to search for your favorite band on the website and marvel at the stupidity of "Christian groups".

Popes are for eating

I'll have a Pope Benedict, over-easy, with a side of bacon. Mmmmm... tastes like Jesus.

Another reason to hate Usher

This is exactly why asian people have no business listening to black music:

www.winonatong.com/video/goggleboy_caughtupsmall.wmv

No... wait a minute... Usher is whiter than I am, and that's saying a lot.

Speaking of excuses (not to study)...

It’s time for another exciting episode of MYTH BUSTERS, where we attempt to dispel popular urban myths. In tonight’s episode, we’ll look at everybody’s favorite vegetable, marijuana.

MYTH: Weed makes me want to express myself more creatively.
REALITY: No… you’re just a pothead.

MYTH: Weed allows me to better express my creative side.
REALITY: No… you’re just a pothead.

MYTH: Weed allows me to better appreciate music.
REALITY: No… you’re just a pothead.

MYTH: Weed allows me to get a better nights rest.
REALITY: No… you’re just a pothead.

MYTH: Weed allows me to better connect with the true and peaceful life-force of the earth.
REALITY: No… you’re just a pothead, and a retard.

MYTH: Weed turns me into a murderous rapist intent on having Patricia Arquette as my next victim.
REALITY: This is perfectly normal. Please continue smoking as you normally would.

Mmmmm... satirical

Right at this moment, thousands of people are angering God. Yes, that's right. These people are blatantly pissing directly up into the sky, and the strength of this piss is so strong, that it is hitting God directly in the eye. All right, maybe I'm being a tad facetious. Most people can't piss nearly that high. But by allowing two men or two women to get married, we're basically doing the exact same thing.

It says very clearly in the Bible that homosexuality is a sin, and as everybody knows, the contents of the Bible contain the precise words of God (as spoken in English to Penguin Publishing). Furthermore, and correct me if I'm wrong, but the close bond between church and state form the very basis of our democracy.

Even if we forget about religion, it is the responsibility of government to act in a way that upholds moral values for the good of our society. The traditional definition of marriage upholds a certain level of order to the way we live, and supports a sacred bond that transcends the shallow search for sex and money that is often associated with gay relationships.

Furthermore, the sacrament of marriage has been around for an eternity, and is something that will certainly last for an eternity to come. When a man and a woman commit to each other, they are professing their love to each other until the end of time. We do not therefore have the authority to change a sacred commitment that God Himself has designed never to end.



Some of the crazy left-wing hippies out there contend that love knows no bounds, and marriage should therefore follow suit. These people are obviously on drugs, and should be ignored and beaten if necessary. If love and marriage can indeed be extended to the same sex, why stop there? Soon enough, the government will start drafting laws that allow dogs to get married, and the madness will never end. Of course, I am once again being facetious. It should be obvious that a filthy animal doesn't nearly have the capacity of intelligence to commit to a marriage.

In conclusion, Jessica Simpson should be fed to a pack of wolves that have been meticulously trained to eat Revlon makeup.