Oh, Pierre, Comb Your Hair

And then the National Post quotes Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew on Hamas's chances in the upcoming run-off in Palestine: "[Hamas]'ve done well in a few municipal elections". Which is not unexpected, surely. My question is, if the vote goes to the strongest man in the room, do you call that democracy or intimidation? Or, applying that concept to Canada, if the vote goes to the richest man in the room, do you call that democracy or sponsorship scandal/Adscam/the Liberals? No, no, that's just an aside.

Bear in mind, Hamas is on both the Canadian and American lists (and British, French, Italian, Spanish, etcetera, etcetera) of groups banned for terrorist activities. In other words, the government of Canada does not recognize the institution calling itself Hamas. They're persona non grata, right? Give them the old silent treatment. Pierre's response?

We'll see the kind of role that develops. The [Hamas'] political arm has been developing for some time. We'll see where it leads us.

Oh, Pierre, comb your hair. Is it possible that Hamas is establishing a political arm to carry out its platform by means other than machine-guns, mines, child suicide-bombers, grenade-launchers, ambushes, mortars, plastic explosives and good old dynamite? Yes, it's possible. They're not leopards, after all. But who among us of decent sense really expects a political party to deviate from its founding charter? Especially a party that claims Mohammed as an exemplar founding member? If the Prophet is for Hamas, why should the party change? And surely, violence is expected to arrive after the political machinery has broken down, not before? Hamas sure switched the rules around on that. But what does the minister believe the newly-politicized Hamas is trying to accomplish? A chicken in every pot, or a grenade? When the Irish terrorists refused to give up their weapons and murdering ways, its political wing, Sinn Fein, was revealed to be little more than a front for milking other nations' bureaucracies. Few fools will deal with the Sinn Fein now. Pierre, don't sit down. Remember what you learned about good and evil in the schoolyard. You're in a place where you need to distinguish between the two opposites. Show us you can.

Reading: The Bad Beginning + Lemony Snicket
Listening: Inches + Les Savy Fav