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022 – Afghanistan: A sense of the place | Arthur Majoor

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Sep 132007

In the shadow of the sixth anniversary of 9/11, our discussion turns to Canada’s unexpected role in Afghanistan, a mission that defies the media’s narrow focus on combat. Joined by Sergeant Arthur Majoor, fresh from a six-month tour in Kandahar, the conversation reveals a landscape far removed from the alien desolation often portrayed. Mountains loom against a red desert, temperatures soar to the low 50s, yet adaptation becomes second nature amid air-conditioned bases and limited outdoor exertion.

The media’s obsession with battles obscures the true essence of our efforts: a seamless blend of security and reconstruction. Provincial Reconstruction Teams, bolstered by battle groups, enable projects that rebuild infrastructure without immediate Taliban sabotage. Afghanistan’s history unfolds as a tale of instability—from constitutional monarchy disrupted by 1970s droughts and factionalism, to Soviet invasion in 1979, Mujahideen resistance, civil wars, and Taliban tyranny that froze society under draconian rule. Ejected in 2001, the Taliban left a void now filled by ISAF’s multinational alliance of 38 nations, including Canada, committed through the UN-mandated Afghan Compact until 2011.

Progress manifests in small but profound ways: reclaiming irrigation ditches, building village schools and clinics, fostering community councils—including those for women—and training Afghan National Army battalions. Yet challenges persist, with 30 years of educational voids hindering skilled labor like engineers or mechanics. Canada’s $1.2 billion aid over a decade supports this, spurring local economies rather than flooding with foreign goods. Critics who demand withdrawal ignore the symbiotic tie between combat and development; pulling out prematurely risks undoing gains in a geopolitically volatile region bordering nuclear powers.

Humanitarianism aligns with our self-image as UN supporters and human rights advocates, countering Taliban ferocity against education and freedom. Villagers actively aid ISAF, exposing caches and informing on threats, proving local rejection of fear-based rule. As Canadians historically tackle immense challenges—from building the CPR to forging NATO—staying the course honors our values. In this pivotal endeavor, success demands persistence that hits just right.

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021 – Star Trek New Voyages / Fascism and frogs

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Sep 062007

In today’s episode of Just Right, the airwaves crackle with critiques of Canadian politics, drawing from Andrew Coyne’s blunt assessment in the National Post that our federal and provincial scenes embody sheer vacuity—Liberals peddling unattainable environmental targets and Conservatives abandoning policy altogether. Provincial elections in Ontario loom as tedious non-events, riddled with broken promises and regional squabbles, while energy debates expose the nonsense of conservation fantasies versus nuclear sense, as David Frum highlights the waste in deferring to ignorant fears.

The discussion shifts to the enduring allure of Star Trek, where amateur productions at newvoyages.com revive the original series with superior effects but amateur acting, featuring veterans like Walter Koenig. Beyond gadgets, Star Trek serves as a moral barometer, exploring philosophy through dramatic devices like the prime directive—echoing laissez-faire non-interference—and tackling racism, individual rights, and human nature in ways realism cannot.

Building on last week’s socialism segment, fascism emerges as the flip side, illustrated by the frog parable: gradual heat increases unnoticed until boiling, mirroring Ontario’s creeping state controls over private property, from smoking bans to rent controls and pay equity laws. These policies, though labeled liberal or conservative, embody fascist doctrine where control equals ownership, eroding freedoms without outright nationalization.

Finally, Victor Davis Hanson’s call to study war underscores its utilitarian role in ending tyrannies, while Ayn Rand pins wars on statism’s institutionalized violence, contrasting with capitalism’s historic peace from 1815 to 1914. As pressures mount in our mixed economy, recognizing these dynamics keeps perspectives just right.

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020 – Health care? / Hitler was a socialist

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Aug 302007

Machine that goes Bing!

Continuing our critique of Canada’s socialized health care system, we feature compelling insights from Dr. Tom Dorman, a physician who fled both the British and Canadian systems. Dorman rightly defines true insurance as voluntary asset protection against catastrophe—not the compulsory, taxpayer-funded scheme masquerading as “health insurance” today. Mandatory coverage, he argues, reduces patients to mere chattels, valued only until treatment becomes uneconomical, much like cattle on a farm.

The incoming CMA president, Brian Day, claims to inject “market principles” into the public system while insisting full privatization is impossible. This contradiction exposes a deeper flaw: genuine markets thrive on voluntary exchange, not coerced taxation. Day’s approach merely rearranges the deck chairs on a sinking collectivist ship.

Shifting to another form of taxpayer plunder, arts organizations lobby politicians for forced funding, equating their subsidies to health care entitlements. John Tory enthusiastically obliges, promising multi-year commitments and councils to “nourish” culture. Yet culture flourishes through voluntary support, not government coercion. The Freedom Party correctly condemns this as morally repugnant—theft disguised as benevolence.

Finally, we examine Nazism’s collectivist roots. Adolf Hitler’s regime built a popular welfare state financed by plundering Jews and conquered nations. The National Socialist German Workers’ Party delivered “benefits” through altruism and sacrifice for the collective—principles echoing modern statism. Hitler’s vaunted Aryan superiority rested not on intellect or strength, but on willingness to self-sacrifice for the community.

Recognizing collectivism’s destructive patterns in health care, arts funding, and historical tyranny offers the perspective that is just right.

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019 – How stupid people are wrecking politics

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Aug 232007

When did ignorance become a point of view?

Canada’s health care system faces intense scrutiny as private alternatives challenge the government monopoly. A groundbreaking private emergency facility in Vancouver operates efficiently, with no wait times, cheerful staff, and immediate treatment—for those willing to pay directly. Founded by Dr. Mark Godley, this center highlights the advantages of private motivation and flat management, free from bureaucratic hierarchies that plague the public system.

The Canadian Medical Association surprises many by advocating private insurance and contracting out services when public timelines fail. Yet politicians like John Tory muddy the waters, promising “private” clinics that still forbid direct payment, extending the public crisis rather than resolving it. True private care requires private payment—anything else remains government-controlled, no matter the label.

Michael Moore’s Sicko praised universal systems, but reality shows the opposite: restricted choices, artificial doctor shortages from past cost-cutting decisions, and infinite demand for “free” services. The internet draws fire for amplifying uninformed opinions, yet it merely reveals what public discourse has always been—often shallow and misguided.

Deeper still lies the issue of freedom itself. Canadians rarely demand liberty from taxes, regulations, or social engineering. As philosopher John Macmurray observes, people fear freedom more than they crave it, choosing security and frustrating their own potential. History proves that valuing freedom brings both freedom and security—while prioritizing security risks losing both.
In exploring these contradictions, from health care to politics, we find the balance just right.

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018 – Faith Vs. Reason In Politics | Paul McKeever

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Aug 162007

Paul McKeever, leader of the Freedom Party of Ontario, joins the discussion to explore a fundamental question facing Western society: should public policy rest on faith, consensus, or reason?
The West has long thrived by keeping religious belief separate from lawmaking. Historical figures like Jesus, with “render unto Caesar,” and Lord Acton drew clear lines between earthly governance and spiritual matters. Yet today, faith increasingly influences political decisions, from openly religious parties to policies inspired by unquestioned convictions rather than evidence.

Global warming illustrates this danger vividly. Graphs spanning millennia show temperature rises preceding CO2 increases by centuries, driven by natural solar and oceanic cycles—yet political narratives reverse this causality to push agendas. Environmentalism often adopts apocalyptic tones reminiscent of religious prophecy, while socialism echoes faith-based redistribution without regard for individual rights or reality.

In Ontario, proposals for faith-based school funding highlight the risk. Extending taxpayer dollars to religious education invites government oversight that could erode freedoms on both sides—either indoctrinating irrationality or watering down beliefs under state regulation. True separation demands private funding, leaving parents free to choose while keeping governance grounded in observable facts.

Consensus and appeals to authority fare no better, as they sideline independent thought. Superstitions, whether about crop planting or public policy, lead to fanaticism when elevated to conviction. Reason alone—logic applied to physical evidence—offers a reliable guide for human flourishing and freedom.

Only through reason do we navigate these challenges in a way that is just right.

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017 – Robots Rising: Sentient or Soulless?

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Aug 092007

Robbie the robot

Safety concerns already dominate discussions. Reports cite dozens of robot-related accidents in Britain alone, from crushings to molten aluminum spills. Japan’s guidelines demand sensors, soft materials, and emergency shut-offs, while experts debate liability when autonomous robots learn unpredictably. Isaac Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics sound logical—protect humans, obey orders, preserve self—but prove riddled with unintended consequences, as Asimov himself demonstrated in his stories.

Deeper questions arise about sentience and morality. Programming right and wrong into silicon minds challenges metaphysics: can machines ever possess true choice, or do they merely execute predetermined instructions? Ethics symposiums tackle unsettling issues, from robots strong enough to crush owners to the imminent arrival of sex robots.

Local politics mirrors these themes. Debates at London City Hall over industrial development reveal a socialist resistance to market-driven growth, even when projects involve high-tech robotics. Labels like “socialist cabal” spark outrage, yet the contrast remains clear: government control versus individual management, coercion versus voluntary exchange. Socialism relies on force to achieve its ends, while true management thrives only in freedom.

Philosophy underpins it all—metaphysics, epistemology, and morality guide whether technology serves good or evil. The choice belongs solely to creators and users.

Recognizing these polarities in technology and politics proves just right.

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016 – Global Warming: Ad Hominem Assault

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Aug 022007

Maximum Speed 100

On a sweltering August day in London, Ontario, the heat outside mirrors the heated debates that dominate public discourse. Letters to the editor reveal a disturbing trend: instead of engaging ideas, critics launch personal attacks. In the global warming controversy, skeptics face accusations of being industry shills or non-scientists, while proponents escape scrutiny altogether. Consensus gets mistaken for science, yet history shows that truth often emerges from lone voices challenging the majority.

Marijuana use in Canada draws similar irrational responses. Statistics highlight higher consumption here than in decriminalized nations, yet the real issue remains one of principle. Government lacks the moral authority to punish peaceful choices that harm no one else. Criminalization fails to deter, while freedom respects individual sovereignty.

Photo radar and speed limits expose another myth. Evidence from jurisdictions shows that automated enforcement slows traffic but increases rear-end collisions and fatalities. Higher, naturally observed speeds reduce congestion and time on the road, lowering accident risk. Germany’s Autobahn demonstrates that well-engineered highways with unrestricted sections achieve superior safety records.

Fears of World War III and debates over the monarchy remind listeners that freedom requires eternal vigilance. Personal liberty erodes gradually, often under the guise of noble causes. Defending it demands reason, not emotion or consensus—and that defense is just right.

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