Wednesday, March 25, 2009

News from the Old Country

Greg Gutfeld, the host of Fox's late-night show Red Eye, after apparently insulting damn near everyone in Canada with a "lighthearted, humorous and ridiculous" portrayal of the Canadian military, and in particular its activities in Afghanistan, felt compelled to issue an apology. Well, actually, it seems the apology only came after Canada's Minister of Defence contacted Fox and demanded one.

Here's a clip of the "offending" segment, and I encourage readers to try and get through 30 or 60 seconds before stopping...



If you're anything like me, you probably found that clip offensive too. Not, however, because it mocked Canadians and the Canadian military, but because it's about the lamest, most puerile, un-funny piece of shit you've likely seen in a while. Christ on a fucking stick, if all these clowns can offer up is lame stereotypes from 30 years ago, then they should be apologizing to Americans (whom one would assume are the intended audience). What's offensive is that these fifth-rate shitheads couldn't even haul their heads out of their own asses long enough to check a fucking newspaper to see if anything they said had any remote connection to the real world. [Hint to other would-be comedians: it's only funny if there's some chance, however remote, that what you're saying could be true. Simply making stuff up requires a subtlety and nuance that nobody at Fox is capable of. At this rate, I'd say that in about 10 years anything commonly recognized as "comedy" will be associated exclusively with "the Left."]

Personally, I'd have been quite happy if the Canadian government had just ignored this. Being offended by the content of this clip is like getting upset after seeing some monkeys whacking off in their cage at the zoo...

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According to this CBC story, Canadians are among the most optimistic people in the world about their financial future. Actually, I have no idea what this is about. Possibly this?

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Good grief. Was Canada's health care the problem in Natasha Richardson's death?
Assuming Richardson initially declined medical care here [in the U.S.--R] as well, once she did present to caregivers that she was suffering from a possible head trauma, she would've been immediately transported by air, weather permitting, and arrived in Denver in less than an hour. If this weren't possible, in both resorts she would've been seen within 15 minutes at a local facility with CT scanning and someone who could perform temporary drainage until transfer to a neurosurgeon was possible. If she were conscious at 4 p.m., she most likely would have been diagnosed and treated about that time, receiving care unavailable in the local Canadian hospital. She might still have died or suffered brain damage but her chances of surviving would have been much greater in the U.S.
Sigh... I most certainly mean no disrespect to Natasha Richardson in the following, but...

I've read nothing to make me believe that she didn't receive medical care at least as good as I (a Canadian citizen) would have received in similar circumstances. And I seriously question whether I, a hypothetical not-rich visitor to the United States would receive the kind of medical care described above. In fact I question whether most Americans would receive that kind of care, as theoretically possible as it may be.

In more general terms, I sure would like to live forever, but shit happens, and I'm not going to be the guy crying because I'm on the waiting list for a heart transplant or something. That, to my mind, is not what a "health care system" is about.

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Today's weather forecast for Halifax: partly cloudy, and a bit on the cool side at -3C.

3 comments:

  1. I could barely watch 30 secs, these guys are cretinous if they think this passes for satire.

    Natasha Richardson's death was a horribly tragic accident, but that's what it was - and to begin to compare health systems does not seem in the least bit helpful.

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  2. NMJ,
    In the first instance, I warned you, but thanks for trying!
    In the second, yes, I agree. I had to exercise a bit of self-control (what little I have) on that one. It seems a bit preposterous for someone in an objectively proven inferior system (Canadians live longer, are more healthy, etc.) to criticize another system. That article was an argument from "the rich," who seem to think there should be a heli-pad in every front yard and a CT scanner in every bedroom...

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  3. Americans trying very hard to maintain superior air.

    Possibly a bit late for that.

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