RED ENSIGN STANDARD

The Red Ensign Brigade (REB) was much smaller when I had initially volunteered for this duty. I had also hoped to receive the assignment in the week before I went on vacation, allowing me a little more time to prepare something more visual.

It is typical for Brigade members to explain their vision of Canada, or what compels them about the Ensign. But I, unfortunately, have not had the time to do that.

I only returned from vacation on Sunday, and am still reviewing all of the blogroll from the past two weeks. With that, while I will prepare the text of the Standard, I have decided to outsource this preamble to a blogger who actually lives in Canada.

Take it away Warren:

The Red Ensign is a symbol of the wretched Canada that existed before Great Leader Trudeau and the Dear Leader Chretien had established the egalitarian peoples' constitutional monarchy that we have today. The Red Ensign is now being hailed as a symbol of pride by conservative nationalists, flag lovers, mouth-breathers and knuckle-draggers. You know, those kinds of guys - and they’'re mostly white, angry and aroused by Mark Steyn'’s web site - – get offended by all sorts of things. Someone, who may have once read one of the Red Ensign Blogs, once referred to me as a 'race mixer,' that suggests what circles some of them travel in. Have I mentioned yet that some of them are Albertans - who are all red-necked, mouth-breathers?

In my absence, I seem to have missed a legal threat against a fellow REB blogger. Warren Kinsella, former aide to ex-Prime Minister Jean Chretien, was upset by a few partisan attacks he had received from some Canadian bloggers. The Brigade well covered the incident, Ben has the best REB roundup.

Ben has also struck Warren from his blogroll. I will do the same. I had at times enjoyed Warren's blog - at one time even recommending it - but I do not care for those who use lawsuits to crush dissent. I've appended a brief REB roundup of the Kinsella affair at the bottom of the Standard, for those who want more info.

I choose to fly the flag on my blog because I disagree with people like Kinsella. For him, conservatism/libertarianism is not just a political ideology - one that can be respectfully argued for or against - it is a threat to a corrupt and decaying system, one which he was a beneficiary of.

I love Canada, but I worry about its future. Because I express my concerns, I am sometimes called un-Canadian.

I love multiculturalism and diversity. Homogeneity is boring. But I worry that political correctness, often carried out in the name of multiculturalism, is crushing the diversity of opinion that is required for a functional society.

I love America, although not blindly. Nevertheless, this also seems to be a crime against mainstream Canadian values.

I believe that advocates of Canada's favorite shibboleth, the health-care system, are promoting the indirect murder of citizens by preventing them from getting medical attention. It is not often immediately available from Canada's overcrowded system. Private-sector health care could take the pressure off a strained system ... but under the Canadian way it is better to have people die.

But perhaps my most major thought crime is that I've realized that Canadian beer, generally, sucks. There are much better offerings in the less regulated US and UK markets.

Oh, I also prefer rugby to hockey.

In spite of all of that, I am a Canadian. While the REB is not united - and is probably full of people who don't like rugby - it does share a view of a better Canada that I think is achievable.

I wish to see a land where the hospital waiting lists are shorter, taxes are lower and rugby is the national sport. The latter will probably never happen - but at the very least we could have a country where a deregulated television market would allow people to watch whatever they want.

With that, welcome to the Red Ensign Standard:

Amid a major household relocation, Ith of Absinthe & Cookies discovers one of the most offensive political messages I've recently had the displeasure of seeing. (UPDATE: The offending flyer is here)

Paul Jane - of All Agitprop, All the Time... - suggests that the Liberals have left our military in shipshape, provided the ship is from a Gilbert and Sullivan musical.

John of Castle Argghhh! Is all over the allegedly mutinious platoon and, decently enough, is willing to dedicate considerable space to a reader's opposing view.

Damian of Babbling Brooks briefly capitulates to the legal threats of the thin-skinned Chretienite shill, and then moves on to much better things.

A warm welcome to Andrew of the new REB blog Bound by Gravity. Although admittedly a bit to the left of the rest of the Brigade, he would still rather raise his own children than have the government do it:

I plan on raising a family one of these days, and I know that things will be tight once my fiancee and I have children, however I don't expect my countrymen to fund my endeavors. It will be our choice to have children. Why should anyone have to pay for my free choice? It's not like the government is holding a gun to my head and saying "make babies".

Huck at BumfOnline compares John Cherry favorably with John Howard. While I tend to favor intellectual policy wonks as political leaders,– should this Stephen Harper thing not work out I would indeed like to see Grapes pushed to accept a Conservative nomination. Huck also recounts an unfortunate incident of politics coming between friends and the possible aftermath.

At another new REB blog, Bob at Canadian Comment takes a piece out of Gwynne Dyer and his lame critique of SpaceShipOne pilot Brian Binnie. Dana, meanwhile, reviews the Guardian's choice of guest bloggers and finds Markos wanting.

Candepundit is on hiatus.

Alan, one of my favorite 'left-wing' blogs, is continuing his election pool and is even offering prizes. He also continues his beer reviews and rails against the statist instincts of rural Nova Scotia.

Flea continues the Winston Review, ponders if all of that Purple Rain has further eaten into the mind of the artist formerly currently known as Prince. He also makes an appeal to the American left.

Please, for the love of everything we hold dear, choose the course that takes us to those sunlit uplands Winston Churchill spoke of not so long ago. Pick up some economics, credit the sworn words of our enemies and value the humanity of women forced to live under the burka as much as the humanity of urban North American arts council claimants. There is a conversation to be had with the most strident of your domestic opponents.

Thomas, the Green Baron, has a problem with John Kerry's defense of Jean Betrand Artistide.

John of yet another new REB blog, hypothesis.ca, says Canada again has a true multi-party parliament and joins Alan in criticizing Nova Scotia's archaic restrictions on retail businesses.

Keith of a Minority of One slams Canada's efforts at e-government and ponders anti-Americanism and Bush hatred:

...it's not so much W, the man, that all those people hate, it's what he tells them that drives them almost out of their minds. Like Churchill told the willfully blind and deaf of the gathering storm, W gets in the faces of all the correctly-thinking people and tells them that all of their cherished ideals of Western guilt and multiculturalism and cultural relativism are wrong. And that they are not only wrong, but dangerously wrong. Those deals represent the very pillars of their world view. And they hate W because he tells them the horrible truth. I admire him because of it.

Jason Hayz of Musings notes despairingly of the CBC's love of draft dodgers and deserters but he praises one of the Canadian Broadcorping Castration's best assets, Newfie Rex Murphy.

The Canadian Slacker remains true to his name, posting three posts in two weeks - including ones on the friendliness of the US occupation of Iraq and an interesting discovery by the Princess Pats in Afghanistan.

Curt at North Western Winds offers a defense of Christianity (on which the saddest thing is that such a defense is needed). He also defines what his blog is meant to be . On a lighter note, he directs my attention to Fellowship 9/11.

Alan of Occam's Carbuncle reminded me that Locke, and not just Hobbes, can apply to foreign policy:

For by the fundamental law of nature, man being to be preserved as much as possible, when all cannot be preserved, the safety of the innocent is to be preferred; and one may destroy a man who makes war upon him, or has discovered an enmity to his being, for the same reason that he may kill a wolf or a lion; because they are not under the ties of the common law of reason, have no other rule but that of force and violence, and so may be treated as a beast of prey, those dangerous and noxious creatures that will be sure to destroy him whenever he falls into their power."

He also makes a plea for selecting Don Cherry as the greatest Canadian and questions why Canadians still vote for the Liberals.

On healthcare, Nicholas of Quotulatiousness is more than happy to put his money where his mouth is. He also reveals himself to be a fellow Serenity fanboy and details his clash with the elite SAS.

Ray, the Raging Kraut, has been suffering from bloggers block, however he still has time to offer a fine post suggesting that the Red Ensign Brigade's power is growing by leaps and bounds.

Paul of Ravishing Light offers a history lesson in how the American revolution freed the colonies. He suggests that Canada should beware of more of the EU's political correctness further crossing the pond.

Jay Random of the Shiny Happy Gulag has fallen on hard times. However, he still brings some hope that the theocracy in Iran is waning.

Stephen Taylor has had a quiet two weeks, but offers this thought from Stephen Harper:

A significant part of the problem is the steady stream of U.S.-bashing Liberal members have been indulging in so long. Standing up to the Americans is different than putting them down." -- Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Chris Taylor of Taylor & Co says the federal government should stay out of what is, constitutionally, the business of the provinces. Also offered is a sympathetic critique of striking public-sector workers.

Jay at Freeway to Serfdom blogs lightly due to a visiting parent, but still seeks suggestions on how to crash picket lines.

Kate at the Last Amazon mourns the condition of Canada's military but notes that we have lots to be proud of when it comes to “rock, paper, scissors.” Kate also reflects on the moment she abandoned hope in the idea that the Palestinians were ready for self governance.

The crew at the London Fog are doing a wonderful job of blogging the inanities of the home of my former grad school - London, Ontario. Lisa bemoans the growing encroachment of the anti-smoking campaigners and the worrying crusade against children's toys. She also reprints a great letter detailing the tax burden of Southern Ontario publicans.

At the Monger, our resident medic tells Andrew Sullivan why Mary Cheney's sexual preferences should not be a matter of US national politics. The good doctor also notes the real reason Christopher Reeves passed away.

Ben, the Tiger in Winter, also campaigns for Don Cherry, mourns Canada's loss of its high-status in the Anglosphere and reconsiders his position against the death penalty.

At Trudeaupia , Jaeger asks linemen to watch out for moose. He suggests that Prime Minister Martin has done a decent job of clearing out some of the Liberal Party's deadwood. He also defends Canada's purchase of refurbished submarines from the UK and warns that a review of the submarine program will not likely turn out well.

That's all for this edition of the Standard. A volunteer for the next edition is required.

RED ENSIGN STANDARD SUPPLEMENT ON KINSELLA

On the Kinsella affair there's plenty at Polspy and Ianism. As for the Red Ensign Brigade:

Alan weighed in on whether bloggers can copyright themselves while Jason noted that Kinsella's actions were not surprising :

"when one idolizes Lenin, one should be expected to use whatever government means are available to immediately crush dissent."

Jason also asked if Mr Kinsella would sue the Globe's Margaret Wente.

Curt quoted Currie , but also offered his own fair summation of Kinsella "The answer to the question, 'is Kinsella responsible for Lt. Saunders death', is no, he is not. The answer to the question,' should Canadians be able to ask that question' is, yes, they should."

Occam promised not to sue his readers. Nicholas registered his displeasure. Stephen Taylor wonders what material Kinsella's house is made of.

Chris Taylor suggested, "by throwing around multiple threats of lawsuits on essentially frivolous matters, Mr. Kinsella is doing more damage to his good name than any number of his critics could aspire to."

Mike of the London Fog suggested Kinsella was similar to Wormtongue (which, by extension, would mean Chretien was Saruman?) while Lisa offered support to Ian.

There's also more by Paul Jane, Andrew at Bound by Gravity, Huck and Flea.