End of an Era

As I sit here on Day 10 of the Great BC Adventure of 2007, I am faced with bad news that I knew would reach me no matter how great the holiday is.

First, Tony Blair has announced his resignation, effective June 27th. Blair has been a staple of global politics for the past decade, acting as a key ally of the United States and Canada on a number of issues, from terrorism to strengthening NATO to reeling in Slobodan Milosevic to presenting the case against Saddam Hussein. He has been at the tip of the sword when it comes to re-defining a number of key regimes in international relations, giving credence and legitimacy to concepts such as the responsibility to protect and acting on them. As liberal interventionists go, Blair boasts serious credentials that most neoconservatives can only aspire to. I will best remember this great British Prime Minister for his steadfast calm after 9/11 and standing firm by the United States as it sought to establish new rules for the War on Terror and Tyranny. Bob Woodward has a great quote from George W. Bush in his first book in the Bush at War series, as the President turned out to be awfully prophetic when he stated early on that within a few years, "only the Brits may be with us." So long as Tony Blair was at the helm, the United States had a staunch ally, friend, and supporter to boost the Washington-London special relationship.

The second bit of bad news is that a good friend in the blogosphere has all but packed it in as a result of receiving numerous death threats against herself and her children. Biting Beaver is a very strong feminist voice, the first feminist blog that Tasha and I read regularly and enjoyed for months. The extreme lengths to which the enemies of women went to silence her are despicable and hopefully they will be exposed and held accountable for such domestic terrorism.

On a last note, one far less negative, I've got five bucks each on the Sabres and the Ducks against my dad. Mostly this is here so that I remember it.