I am no pundit, but I think that Michel Ignatieff is in trouble unless he can sing Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” (or more appropriate to his political vision, AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” and do so with the exact same voice of Bon Scott, with an ear-grinding guitar solo to boot). Watch our current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper — really, this is his best public performance in any arena:
Any speculation about why he chose to sing this song?
Addendum:
One question that came to my mind when watching this was: What is it about a grand piano that brings the love out of fascists?* Perhaps it’s just Nero fiddling again while Rome burns. Harper sings that he needs somebody to love — which raises another question: Why not start with his fellow Canadian, Omar Khadr, abducted to Guantánamo as a teen and subjected to torture? Why has Canada been the only Western nation not to press the U.S. for the release of one of its nationals? Why continue to block his return, even when a Federal Court has mandated it?
Harper sings, and we all laugh. This just as we learn that Canadian troops have killed more unarmed Afghan civilians, in a war in which Canada does not belong, harming people who have never harmed Canada. “I need somebody to love” — then start by loving Afghans, and leave.
(* See pages 16-17 for further background.)
Stacie
4 October 2009
I don’t understand how leaders have so much free time for photo ops. Maybe he’s trying to prove that he’s sentimental and lonely? …It reminds me of an American Idol audition.
Maximilian Forte
4 October 2009
Well we also have Canadian Idol, but I am sure you’re right: he would probably prefer to be on American Idol.
ryan
5 October 2009
the piano photo that you link to is disturbing.
just today i was thinking, shit, the US has now been in afghanistan for right plues years and iraq for six plus years. meanwhile, nobody really seems to give a damn anymore. sorry, maybe the piano ironies brought out the cynicism.
Jen
5 October 2009
Lol ryan, the lobbyists “give a damn.” After reading your comment I switched on Fox News, not looking for anything particular but betting I would find something. I’m pretty convinced the channel has a strong influence on popular opinion. Retired Major General Timothy M. Haake was being interviewed about troop increases. He said we need to rally the country to support troop increases. He said the “enemy…is trying to break the will of the administration and the American people.” The “fiber of our political system is being tested.” I couldn’t find the clip online but found this one about Bin Laden back in 2008.
Why does he care? Wondering, I googled his name. Maybe it has something to do with his company Haake and Associates here.
Maximilian Forte
5 October 2009
Many thanks for this Jen, “noted and filed”.
ryan
6 October 2009
hey jen,
ya, you’re right. lobbyists and other folks certainly do have their vested interests. and there most definitely are plenty of people pushing for support of this war.
Stacie
6 October 2009
So what do you think the answer is? More protests? And if you don’t live in a central city like D.C. who are you going to direct your protest at? Ironically, even though Max’s sidebar is filled with videos from the protest in D.C., we see they got arrested for not having a “protest permit”? Hmm. And the very same day posting on our local community online forum read as follows:
by Protest???: “Where are all the war protesters? Oh, I get it, it’s still George Bush’s fault or a racist issue.”
by warped: “HYPOCRITES….Where Cindy Sheehan now. Where’s all the bleeding heart war protesters here in Pocahontas County that ran to D.C. every whip stitch. Practice what you preach, protesters.” (source, or if that link doesn’t work, here)
… As if that protest never happened … Strange.
Maximilian Forte
6 October 2009
Great points Stacie, and to add to that: one of the news sources yesterday stated (and I am not sure this is accurate), that Cindy Sheehan was never arrested when protesting Bush at his ranch, but was arrested when Obama is now in office, a man I suspect that some if not many of Sheehan’s supporters helped to bring to power. The lack of time keeps from checking when and where Sheehan was previously arrested, but I was quite sure until yesterday that she had been, multiple times.
ryan
7 October 2009
the answer is to get the hell out of afghanistan and iraq, for starters! but max already made that point, and it does not seem to be a high priority at present. another aspect is for people here in the usa not to become complacent about war. but i have no idea how to avoid that one. it’s scary and disheartening when war is just another segment on the regular nightly news. i’m oversimplifying, of course, but it’s amazing how things are just cruising right along despite the fact that we’re still involved in conflicts in the ME. since the election many of the discussion about why we went there in the first place have stopped. there has been, in some ways, a calm acceptance of what is happening.