There is nothing useful on this web site.
Even though the internet is the source of all truth, the only truth here is that everything else is a lie.
We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.
All art is quite useless.- Oscar Wilde
Stephen Harper was in New York to accept the World Statesman of the Year award from some obscure organization called the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, founded by an equally obscure New York City rabbi.
The award was presented by Henry Kissinger. Both Kissinger and former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien are previous recipients of the award, which goes to show how little this award has to do with any notions of integrity or principle.
From the CBC report
"Prime Minister Harper has played a very important role by developing his own views, having the courage to affirm them, even when they are not shared by all the consensuses that exist, and being proved correct by events," Kissinger said.
From the CTV report
During his acceptance speech, Harper also condemned the recent wave of anti-American violence worldwide...
but Harper said nothing about the anti-muslim video that sparked the violence. Freedom of speech, after all, is freedom to fabricate the truth, which must be protected to to keep Canada safe from its greatest threat -- rising Islamicism.
From the National Post
“I say these things not to counsel any particular action, not to wish any additional hardship on the long-suffering Iranian people and certainly not to advocate war, but rather so that we not shrink from recognizing evil in the world for what it is,” he said.
What is missing from the media coverage of this event are the reasons why Harper was awarded this prestigious honor.
Kissinger served up a few empty bromides. He probably had to be briefed before the dinner on just who this guy Harper was. Just read the notes, Henry, it'll be fine. Oy vey!
Here my top reasons why Stephen Harper has been awarded World Statesman of the Year.
The Harper's Government conducted a brilliant character assassination of one of its foreign diplomats after he suggested that Canadian forces were derelict in their duty by transferring prisoners to the Afghans "authorities"; knowing full well that those detainees might be tortured. Then Harper suspended parliament to avoid answering questions on the matter. Contempt of Parliament. Oh well. Shit happens.
Harper was instrumental in dropping support for UN recognition of Palestine from the final G8 Communiqué in 2011. The message generally confers a unanimous agreement in principle among members. Guess who "didn't go along just to get along"?Now, even though the United Nations General Assembly is meeting this week and Harper had been invited to address the assembly, he decided to pass on this opportunity.
As current World Statesman of the Year, he is a busy man.
He will be meeting with Israeli Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu for his latest briefing on supporting a preemptive war on Iran.
Later on, he will be meeting with with the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. No doubt, Harper will offering the same friendly diplomatic advice as Mitt Romney.
"If you would only change your culture, give the Israeli 
settlers the land they need (because they do a better job with it), then peace will have a chance.
Here, I offer you this -- an autographed CD of mine. I perform a John Lennon cover - Imagine. That's all we are saying, just give peace a chance. I hope you can draw the same inspiration from this as the millions of people in Canada who voted for me in the last election did (nudge, nudge, wink, wink say no more, know what I mean?)"
Of course, the last time Harper made a pitch to the UN, it did not go so well. This may have been factored into his priorities. I suspect he will not miss the sound of one-handed applause.
Now one might wonder why Harper, who is a Christian, would be so obsessed with Israel. After all, less than 2% of Canada's population is Jewish, and many of them are appalled by the behavior of Israel.
But as any World Statesman of the Year can tell you, some people are way more important than others. Get used to it.