The Incomparable Rex Murphy
What can I add that the title already doesn’t say?! My favorite commentator in the country and a national treasure. I last spoke to Rex when he was in town to promote his latest, immaculately written tome, which I heartily recommend to anyone looking for an exceptional read (I’ve promoted this book before, but recommend it again. I read it twice over the Christmas holidays, and it was well worth it both times). He was most complimentary for my vigilance on calling out the climate change hysterics in my, then, 24 Hours column. Alas, it cost me my job, but I am most thankful to be gone from a place where doomsterists do not have the courage to follow through on allowing the truth to be printed without encouraging cheap shots to be volleyed against a teammate. (Believe me, an apology would have sufficed, but this would have required some journalistic integrity on the part of two individuals)
But back to our friend…
Today, Rex regales us with the great question of: ”What happened to ‘Copenhagen’?”
It is so utterly remarkable that with the astounding revelations from the time ‘Climategate’ was revealed (and subsequently ignored by the drive-by, mainstream asses in the press) just prior to this embarrassment called ‘Copenhagen’ (a resulting and undeniable slight against an otherwise beautiful city) that a great silence has enveloped our orb. What’s happened the the high priest of alarmism? Vice-President Gore, where have you slithered to? Please come back! Will you? We forgive you (NOT!). Please come back and again lie about the emails of East Anglia being only two months old, just once more. Just once more so that the loons and enviroNazis will have something to spew venom about…
You will all remember something of a grand, if not brave prediction by yours truly about ‘Copenhagen’ and its then pending failure (a prediction widely dismissed by many a reporter in this town).
Well, Rex cuts through the fog for us, as only he can.
Here, you will read the definitive commentary on this. Marvel at Canada’s Wordsmith-In-Chief.
Enjoy.
I wondered why you “left”. I thought maybe you just asked for the money that you’re worth to a tawdry scandal sheet such as it was, though better by far than the other give-aways. I really don’t bother to pick it up anymore. Saw Rex’s piece in today’s NP and thought he pretty much capped the whole global warming controversy and its pulchritudinous paladin, Gory Al.
It’s okay Al, you can still claim to be the inspiration of Love Story and the Internet. We believe you Al, thousands don’t but we believe! Honest!
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Very good stuff Mr. Bennett! However, one small correction: I left 24hours, not the other way around. When I say that my positions on global warming cost me my job, it’s crystal clear from the trainwreck that ensued that they deeply regretted allowing me to write what I did about both James Hoggan, who lied openly on CKNW, and Vanilla Bill, who was rude and obstreperous. After two weeks of hammering away at both of them, 24hours editor allowed Tieleman to take a cheap shot at me in his column. And the title of the column was an outrage, considering the implication was that some media were being bought off to be global warming skeptics. Dean Broughton is a very fine person, a great father, and a very good editor, but he is also stubborn and extremely foolish to have allowed to happen what I CLEARLY told him I would not accept again. Tieleman had shot at me and former columnist Erin Airton (now Chutter) before and I was clear at the time that I would not accept being shot at by a colleague. Privately, Tieleman and I had had major dust ups over Insite and Afghanistan, but remained very good friends. When I saw the headline and was told that Dean allowed such cheapness to permeate the paper, I wrote a very nasty note to Tieleman (who had progressively become more jealous of my success…easily eclipsing his) and ended our friendship (I suppose forcefully telling someone to go sex themselves would do that) and a very terse note to Broughton (who was absolutely mindless in allowing one columnist to fire at another). No respectable paper would allow for such a thing. And the title of the Tieleman column was just outrageous. After two immediate mtngs with the publisher/GM, he asked me back and I agreed provided they printed a clarification in my space that Thursday. It was simple: No injury of my journalistic integrity was intended. They received much mail over it. Many of my readers (their readers!) were quite offended. Broughton, whose ego matches his ability to be stubborn, refused and that was it. Frankly, I quite like them still. But I understand that it was a MAJOR LEAGUE wake up call for them. They were taking me for granted for four years. I not only was their top columnist, but was extremely supportive of my colleagues and generous (to a fault). In the end, none of that mattered. Well, have a look at what they consider news now. They have some really good reporters in Dharm and Matt. And their top guy, Bob Mackin is doing the best Olympics coverage in the province. For that they should be congratulated. And it’s nice to see that my parting shots and criticisms have sunk in: Tieleman is now being forced to do some real work and has expanded his weekly column to over his usual 400 wd nonsensical regurgitation of NDP speaking notes, and they are getting SOME good writers to fill in my spot. But their marquee has faded and their numbers are flat. People can criticize me all they want. I knew my value and was not about to have anyone prostitute my writing. Frankly, I had three offers in the first week after I left them, but after taking a week or so to think, they weren’t the right fit. I’m waiting for some things to finalize now and I’ll be back on with a regular paper and there are some other very exciting prospects too. So rather than to leap, I decided to wait for Feb or Mar 2010. And…the popularity of this blog was TOTALLY unexpected. It keeps me busy beyond anything I could have imagined. Thx for your thoughts, Larry. Much appreciated.
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I can attest to your support of your colleagues, that you made to me in private emails, though I was afraid you were being a little too generous in some cases; that said don’t regret your giving them the credit of the doubt, it’s always best to err on the side of charity, and you mostly do. Vanilla Bill; too funny!
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One does what one can…
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The only thing the Copenhagen conference accomplished is to bolster the Danish economy at the expense of many taxpayers from all the countries that attended. And as Rex rightly states, the CO2 footprint created by the event probably exceeded Canada’s total output for a year.
The real problem facing the earth is overpopulation which is obviously a subject that no one seems to want to tackle. Mankind is on the path of eating its way out of existence.
Future conflicts between countries will not be about oil, but food and possibly clean drinking water. I doubt it will occur in my lifetime, but this seems to be the inevitable path we are on.
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A superb comment. I have been saying for YEARS that food and water are the most consistently in short supply in the most volatile places, not as a result of the conflict, but as a cause.
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There is plenty of food and water in the world to feed and quench every soul alive. Furthermore, there is the capability to produce enough for ten times the present population. The problem is getting it to the needy. It always kills me to see people in 3rd world wearing brand names that I just couldn’t afford here in Canada; o and everyone driving Mercedes everywhere, but my neighbourhood, Sometimes a little faith in God is what’s called for. What were we thinking here, more euthanasia, enforced birth control and abortion?
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Alex, did you notice the 7 enviro groups (Suzuki et al) who suggested last week that BC set aside 50% of our land base to suck up more CO2 so that BC can “do more” about climate change? Wonder how Gordo will respond to his allies at Suzuki, Forest Ethics, etc. His idiot minister John Yap (known incidentally by his colleagues as the” Yapster”) actually intimated in a CP article that the enviro idea is consistent with where the Province is heading. Lord help us.
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Yeah, I saw that, but since I’m still living the (pipe?) dream that, one day soon, Dianne or Carole will save this thing, and send idiots like Yap home…..
What I find incredible is that at some point, Gordon Campbell will HAVE to answer to the broad berth he has given himself on both native and environmental issues. He clings to both but has such contradictory policies (moreso on the environment) that you have to wonder what sane answer he could possibly offer. Oh, sorry, did I suggest the answer would be sane???
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Why oh why can’t the Conservatives get up and running so’s we can get rid of Campbell and his clowns. They’ve got two years to come up with something but time flies.
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Because if they do the vote will be split by them and the Liberals who are diehards that will never run under anything called CONSERVATIVE, and for as long as that stand-off lasts, the NDP will be govt.
Nice thought though…
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