Category: Journalism | Page 21

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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005 – Natural Resources Stewardship Project: Global warming myths | Tom Harris

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May 172007

As we reflect on our latest broadcast here at Just Right, we find ourselves once again challenging the prevailing narratives that dominate public discourse, from the so-called consensus on global warming to the insidious creep of racial quotas in municipal hiring. In our conversation, we welcomed Tom Harris from the Natural Resources Stewardship Project, whose insights underscored the complexity of climate science and the dangers of politicizing it. We delved into the notion that much of what passes for environmental urgency is not rooted in objective facts but in a self-referential system of alarmism, where dissenters are branded as deniers while evidence like solar activity influencing planetary temperatures—including the melting polar ice caps on Mars—goes unaddressed.

We also revisited our primer on the Left-Right political spectrum, emphasizing that true consistency demands accountability to principles, and we invite our listeners to hold us to that standard. Turning to local matters, we applauded City Councilor Paul Van Meerbergen for his stand against policies that prioritize skin color over merit in job applications, a practice we see as a backward step toward racism disguised as equity. Disappointingly, figures like Harold Usher dismissed these concerns, ignoring the inherent quotas that such initiatives imply. We addressed a follow-up from caller Marcel on pollution and the environment, affirming that no political faction favors environmental degradation; rather, solutions lie in technological advancement and a robust economy, not in fear-mongering.

Our discussion extended to critiques of Al Gore‘s An Inconvenient Truth, highlighting its flawed equation on technology and old ideas, and we explored how carbon dioxide—far from a pollutant—is essential to life, enhancing plant growth and oxygen production. Bans on technologies like incandescent bulbs or used oil disposal reveal a deeper agenda: government control over energy, paving the way for globalism and wealth redistribution under the guise of climate action. We proposed that conservatives convene unbiased hearings to air both sides of the debate, ensuring decisions are grounded in reason.
In wrapping up, we shared a fascinating tidbit on turtles exhibiting negligible senescence, a reminder that nature holds mysteries worth exploring. Ultimately, navigating these issues requires rejecting hysteria in favor of rational inquiry that is just right.

Note: Guest’s voice did not record on archive file, though was broadcast on-air. The silence on the audio file has been removed.

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001 – Left and Right: An Orientation

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Apr 192007

Here we are with the very first broadcast of Just Right. I’m Bob Metz, stepping up to the microphone after the retirement of Jim Chapman and the end of Left, Right, and Center. I make it clear right from the start: this isn’t about being right-wing, it’s about being just right – that philosophy of freedom, reason, individual rights, voluntary choice, and tolerance that stands in stark contrast to the left’s statism, force, collectivism, whim, and intolerance, whether it comes wrapped in conservative or liberal packaging.

I lay out the real meaning of left versus right, drawing from Plato and Aristotle all the way to today’s issues like abortion (neither ban nor subsidize), Sunday shopping (treat it like any other day), and pornography (freedom of speech, not bans from the religious right or the feminist left). All Canadian parties? They’re all on the left in my book.

Then I dive into that campus controversy over the Western Gazette‘s April Fool’s spoof – a satirical piece that had the usual suspects screaming for apologies, sensitivity training, ethics codes, and even removing editors by vote. I defend it as legitimate humor and free speech, exposing the intolerance behind calls to censor “offensive” content, the myth of a “rape culture” in the West, and the feminist agenda that confuses sexuality with sexism while demanding force and funding to silence dissent. Throw in some history on pornography laws, the Fraser Committee, and the real story behind Linda Lovelace. I Even touch on a few TV shows like Drive, Lost, and that brilliant Firefly.

In the end, defending freedom of speech, individual justice, and reason against the forces of censorship and collectivism is what being on the side of freedom is all about – and that’s Just Right.