Adieu

I have always liked little States.  Scotland will be small.  And angry.  And screwed.  But with a bit of gumption,  a tiny tax rate and a big free trade zone it might well work as a state.

But leave aside Scotland’s interests,  England would be much better off without the tragic of Scotland’s welfare anand governmental dependency.  Not to mention that solid block of Labour seats.

The last minute bribes are simply embarrassing.  It is time for Scotland to sink or swim on its own.

Vote Aye,  even if it puts you on the same side as the excretable Dame Westwood. Lead the way out of the EU. Figure out how to finance what you can afford.

Dr. Dawg bangs on

Xianthrippe – wrongly spelt and linked when I am a real keyboard describes the miscarriage of justice which is John “Dr. Dawg’s”  endless defamation suit against Connie and Mark Fournier.  I commented

Thank you again for covering this travesty.

Connie and Mark and Roger are  being put through an expensive wringer by a man who knows better. Unlike Warman,  Baglow is misguided rather than actively evil. As you report, he knows shame and is feeling it as this farce goes on. People who, normally,  he would respect are lined up with the Fourniers. Even if,  as unlikely as it is, he wins his win will simply skiffle the conversation of the internet. He will silence his critics and, eventually,  his critics will use his precedent to silence him.

How sad.  I was chatting to Connie a day ago and talked about a bar I used to go to where lefty academics fought tooth and nail with right millionaires.  It got hot. Insults were exchanged. People said things which, in the sober light of day,  they might have phrased differently.  No lawsuits. Brass rail rule.

Several years ago I offered my good offices to settle this silly dispute.  Connie and Mark were up for it.  John was not. Which has meant huge legal fees for both sides over a remark which would be a commonplace in any Legion or pub in the country. Which John knows. After all,  he repeated his so called defamation using his sock puppet Miss Mew.  Which he also knows.

If Baglow wins it is pretty much the end of free discussion on the net in Canada.  Which he also knows.

I know John well enough to know that that outcome is not what he wants or intends. We disagree about politics but we don’t about free speech.

He needs to drop this case now just on the off chance that he might win.

Not good News

Doctors have said there is no way to know whether ZMapp made a difference or the survivors recovered on their own, as about 45 percent of people infected in this outbreak have. 

Here’s the problem.  When Ebola was 90 fatal an outbreak would burn itself out quickly because victims would die before having much chance to infect others. 45 percent fatality means that victims have a much better chance to pass the disease on. So the burnout we previously counted on is gone. 

No panic but this could get mega death ugly. We forget the Modern epidemics which killed millions. Influenza was just one of them. 

Time for Fury

A second journalist, Steven Sotloff, has been beheaded by the medieval Islamists of IS.

There are many good reasons to eradicate IS and its enablers: genocide, ethnic and religious cleansing, rape as a tool of war, slavery – and the murder of one more person should not tip the balance. Rather, the balance should have been tipped long ago.

Pinprick airstrikes are not doing the job. Hellfire missles are too little, too late. It is time for serious air attack. Cluster munitions will make some impression. It is time for the Saudi airforce to start flying its 300 F-15s.

It is also time for there to be a single, short phone call from the American President to his allies saying that the US is going in and, if they would like to help they would be welcome.

Now, if the empty seat who occupies that office cannot bestir himself to defend the citizens of the Republic he serves the Constitution has provisions for that. Meanwhile, it is still important for Canada, Australia, the UK, Germany, France, Saudi, Jordan, Egypt, the UAE and Israel to begin the process of rolling back IS.