Will Brian Mulroney ever learn to keep his trap shut? The more his reputation falls in tatters, the more he wants to talk. You'd think he'd want to go hide. Judging from the comment threads following this story , it appears that Canadians of all political persuations are heartily sick of his blatherings.

There has been outrage across Canada after a video was shown on YouTube depicting some disgusting morons shooting ducks illegally, with rifles, from vehicles, shooting them over and over, jumping around laughing, having the time of their lives, leaving their kills to rot. As of today Aug. 10, I haven't been able to find that video; maybe it's been removed. In any case, three men have been arrested and will make a court appearance shortly, thanks to peope who recognized and reported them.

A number of animal rights groups have commented. One has said that it's no worse than the seal hunt. Other cruelties have been cited, such as the method of slaughtering cattle, the fattening of geese for their liver (foie gras), the slaughter of lambs which are every bit as cute as baby seals, etc., etc.

A few years ago I saw, on an Ontario farm, a frisky calf gamboling among the cattle, running around without a care, kicking its hind feet in the air, happy to be alive. I remember thinking, frolic while you may, little one, it will not always be this way. You may be cut up for veal soon, or you may grow up to have calves of your own, then be a milk producer tethered in a barn, and ultimately slaghtered. It's been called the ultimate slavery.

I eat meat with the full realization that it is a piece of a dead animal. We only eat things that were once alive, be it animal, fish, bird, vegetable, mushroom, nut or seed. Some American tribes would pay homage to an animal about to be killed and eaten, thanking it for the sacrifice. At least their shaman did. We should do likewise.

I am not a hunter, but I see nothing wrong with hunting for food - it's in the natural order of things. Hunting for sport is another matter, although the better of these "sportsmen" don't normally leave a wounded animal suffer, often tracking it for the kill, not like the yahoos mentioned above who are really the scum of the earth.

It is sad to see animals squeezed into dirty pens, injected with antibiotics to keep them healthy despite the filth, if that is what can be called healthy. If their fate is to be slaughtered, at least we should try to give them as good a life as possible, give them room, let them graze in the sunshine.
Perhaps that would be considered uneconomical in our distorted sense of values.

As to the seal hunt, it is no more cruel than other forms of hunting and the Europeans are being hypocritical and naive, although I have reservations about the hakapik. Seal hunting is essential to the Innu and to those on the east coast who eke out a marginal living.

Let us not be holier than thou.

Karlheinz Schreiber is in a German jail tonight and I feel sorry for the guy. Not that I approve of what he did by bringing European money to influence Canadian politics, namely to elect Brian Mulroney as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. (Mulroney deserves censure for that, which to my mind is close to treason.) Can you imagine the clamour if American money was used to elect one of our party leaders? And no doubt Schreiber dealt in unsavoury ways in both Canada and Germany, with the result that he will probably die in jail - the Germans don't appear to be forgiving. I hope the news media will continue to follow the case, as it will be interesting to see what twists and turns he will attempt and how many people he will try to implicate. Or will he simply give up?

It was good entertainment while it lasted, and he certainly presented a more appealing personality and drew more sympathy than Mulroney, who obfuscated at great tiresome length. He answered questions briefly and directly, even if he didn't volunteer more than he had to. It was a good act.

He was front and center in a world of bribes and fraud, and he taught us how business is conducted on an international scale.
Nonetheless, I wish he had been allowed to live out his life in Canada, but the law is the law and extradition treaties must be honoured. Pity.

It's been a month since my last scrawl, mostly because I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to write about. Canadian politics is in the summer doldrums and maybe that's a good thing. The Toronto Blue Jays are also in the doldrums after a promising start to the year - it's now "wait 'til next year" time. The suffering of the loyal fandom is lamentable to behold, not quite the end of the world, but close.

In Washington, things are starting to slip for Obama. His vision of bipartisanship is beginning to look naive. Did anyone really think the Republicans would cooperate on health care or anything else? They are only thinking of defeating Democrats in the next congressional elections and they will use any means, fair or foul. The welfare of the country is the least of their concerns. The flap over the arrest of the renowned African-American scholar Henry Gates for attempting to force his way into his own home after locking himself out has not worked out to Obama's benefit. He first angrily denounced the arrest as stupid, but later backed down and apologized, invited the professor and the arresting officer to the White House for a beer. Obama should have stuck to his guns, in my opinion, there are some cops who should be taken down a peg, and some professors need to be less abusive when their dignity is challenged. And what sort of a precedent does that set? Will other petty squabbles between prominent personalities result in a White House invitation? This may not be the beginning of the end for the President, but he's going to have to be a bit more circumspect and less naive.