The travels of Justin

Vibrators for Iraq

Former Canadian foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy has published an open letter to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“Why not discuss these issues with Canadians who understand them, and seek out ways to better cooperate in areas where we agree — and agree to respect each other’s views when we disagree.

“Above all, ignore the Cassandras who deride the state of our relations because of one missile-defence decision. Accept that, as a friend on your border, we will offer a different, independent point of view. “

I may not agree with all of Mr. Axworthy’s personal views, but I fully agree with the his assessment of the danger in creating a widening division between two friendly nations. I truly believe that anti-Americanism, anti-Canadianism really stem from the inability of many people — especially intellectuals and politicians — to deal with opposing values, beliefs, and decisions. When respectful disagreement cannot be maintained, the tools of disrespect may soon follow; racism is just one of those tools.

Hat tip: Mike Kelly

Just before the Mac Mini was released, a few ‘unofficial’ news sites, run by bloggers — specifically PowerPage, Apple Insider and Think Secret — published information about the Mac Mini before its release date. Apple is famously secretive about its future product launches, and has sued these three blogging sites to find out how these individuals gained access to Apple trade secrets. The three bloggers have gone to court fighting for the right to protect their sources in the same manner a traditional journalist would; their argument has been denied:

“A California judge said in a preliminary ruling that bloggers should not have the same protection afforded to journalists under US law.” [BBC]

I bring this up today, because, while most people already realize the role of traditional journalism is changing because of citizen-based, independant journalism, the laws that are designed for the past are not 100% applicable anymore. While I’m not entirely sure where I stand on the issue, it is a topic worthy of discussion. Should an individual have special rights just because they run a website? Not necessarily. Should the individual be required to publish their writing on paper, TV, or magazine in order to be considered a legitimate journalist? Again, the answer is not clear. At some point soon we, as a society, will have to develop new criteria to determine what information is protected and why.

I’d love to hear you opinion, especially if you are a blogger or journalist (and I know there are a few journalism students reading my site). What do you think?

According to this story in the LA Times, “You Can Rule Out Spontaneity in the Debates“, President Bush’s handlers wanted the auditorium temperature to be 70, in order to make John Kerry break out in a sweat.

From Wired News (Furthermore Archive)

Come Monday, Americans will be able to buy semiautomatic assault rifles again as the 10-year ban on these weapons expires. Fears of raising the gun-control issue in an election year, along with intense lobbying by the National Rifle Association, pretty much killed any chance of extending the ban, even though President Bush and his challenger, John Kerry, have both said they favor an extension. Meanwhile, gun manufacturers are getting ready to cash in. Beretta USA will throw in a couple of free large-volume magazines with the purchase of certain guns, and Armalite is aggressively seeking orders for weapons banned since 1994.
— Tony Long