02.28.2014 01:36 PM

Why the National Post is so often loathsome

Check this out.  It’s only been a few hours, and the National Post have run an attack piece masquerading as a news story on…the Trudeau baby. I shit you not.

Quote:

It’s unclear why Trudeau chose the name Hadrian, however the Liberal leader is obviously no fan of history, since the Roman emperor most commonly associated with the name is surrounded by controversy.

Hadrian, who reigned from 117 to 138 A.D., is commonly called one of the five good emperors because of his economic stewardship of the empire and his lack of belligerence in launching wars on his neighbours.

A ruthless military leader, Hadrian realigned borders and quashed revolt, stabilizing a territory critically overstretched by his predecessor, Trajan.

But he is reviled among the Jewish community. During the Third Jewish War, Hadrian launched an almost genocidal war against the Jews, killing upwards of 500,000 and destroying almost 1,000 villages. The Talmud follows his name with the curse “Crush his bones.”

Arguably Rome’s most enigmatic emperor, he also built a legendary wall separating England and Scotland to keep the warlike Scots at bay.

Ruling an empire that comprised much of Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East, Hadrian was also one of the first emperors to openly display his homosexuality. His gay lover, Antinous, accompanied him on his trips round the empire and when he died young in a swimming accident, Hadrian named a city after him in Egypt.

Got that? We don’t like the Liberals, so we think it’s fair game to insinuate that a baby is a homicidal anti-Semite. Oh, and he’s gay.

We’re the National Post, after all, and we’re fucking jerks.

.

 

86 Comments

  1. Arnold Murphy says:

    Conservative Party, it’s not me, it is you. This sort of no-holds barred b.s. is atypical of the Far Right, the narratives they try to sell are becoming more and more unrealistic. Almost phobic in their approach to reality they embrace defining their chosen enemy. And as others have pointed out, they choose to define anyone who disagree’s with them as an enemy not an opponent. They don’t believe in fairness or accuracy, rather they engage with foolishness like this because it play’s to the lowest common denominator. Its a wonder that they prosper under this type of environment, but its really about them not us. They are the bully, and often people go along with bullying even if it is against an innocent child. The narrative as you say is deplorable, it is loathsome and contemptible. But, we can be sure that this sort of thing will not deter newspapers from trying to appease their biggest advertising clients with sensationalism and banality. It is in the end a media outlets credibility that suffers the most, I am sure that the Trudeau’s although offended, have bigger fish to fry. Keep your eyes on the ball, as all Canadians should, not the fakes or distractions that the media and the Conservatives seem to pride themselves upon.

    • Douglas says:

      Turning politics into a circus is also a form of voter suppression. If rational, reasonably-minded people tune out of the process, only the rabid fanatics remain to go to the polls. And survey after survey shows that political conservatives pretty much always have a larger base of rabid fanatics than do political progressives.

    • Swervin' Merv says:

      Unfortunately, both the joyous birth announcement and the NP’s distasteful slurs on the baby’s name will overshadow the excellent column of the NP’s own Andrew Coyne. He perceptively argues that the real and future conservative leadership is at the Manning conference while the less-than-conservative but consistently nasty Harperites are holed up in the PMO and cabinet offices:

      http://o.canada.com/conservative-party-of-canada/the-manning-networking-conference-is-a-gathering-of-the-conservative-party-in-exile/

      • You can expect to see many more opinion pieces trying to de-link the `Harper Government`from the Conservative Party. I always believed, from day 1 that branding the Government the Harper Government was part and parcel of succession planning at CPC headquarters. When things finally go sideways, they can all point their fingers at Harper and claim`twas HE that did the deed“They morph back into the Conservative Party and voila, consider the reset button pressed.

  2. Steven says:

    High – fives at CPC HQ, I’m sure.

  3. CW says:

    Completely agree. There may be many reasons for the choice of name (perhaps an ancestor on the mother’s side, a friend or loved one after whom the child is named, etc. And Hadrian was also the name of various prominent Catholic clergy in the past) To politicize the naming of an infant is deplorable.

    • david ray says:

      And had it been a girl? I can only imagine.

    • Domenico says:

      Just talked to Papa and he says he had no idea about Saint Dominic’s involvement in the inquisition when he named me. He claims he just “liked the name” if you can believe that! He also says it is 40 years too late to rename me Stephen. I am shocked and outraged!

  4. po'd says:

    And that’s the edited version. First effort included a tweet from John Ivison that speaks for itself.

    http://twitpic.com/dwxg80

  5. harvey bushell says:

    That’s a lot of uncalled for vitriol. Imagine what they’d be saying if they named him Pierre.

  6. vicernie says:

    Hadrian was also the name of at least 6 popes including the last English pope. http://madmonarchist.blogspot.ca/2012/04/papal-profile-pope-hadrian-vi.html

  7. Joe scott says:

    National Post tries to bully an infant before he is a day old. I suppose we can not be surprised. Big Julian Fantina former mall security guard caught bullying an 80 + year old WW11 vet a couple of weeks ago. There are a lot more examples from the CPC and their media departments like NP and Sun News.We need to put these animals in cages.

  8. Jeff says:

    There is also St. Hadrian, the martyr, who died in the Dioclesian persecution of the early 4th century. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07105a.htm NP is a disgrace. Maybe they should pick on someone their own size.

    • Ottlib says:

      A day old baby is their size. Going after someone who can actually defend themselves will just result in major embarrassment for the NP.

  9. Bruce A says:

    For crying out loud, I step out of the shower to find that the Apocalypse is already here!

    “The birth happens to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Pierre Trudeau’s famous walk in the snow.

    Trudeau’s late father took a long walk in the snow on Feb. 28, 1984, to contemplate his future; he announced his resignation as prime minister the next day”.

    Even more sinister is the fact that Justin was born on Christmas Day! Now wait for some NP reader to say that Julius Caesar are the child’s middle names.

    Oh, the irony.

  10. Douglas says:

    I thought that they were going to attack Justin for not showing up for work in the House or for being anti-women because the child was not a girl… but attacking the child with the 1-2 punch of anti-Semitism and homosexuality (what is it with conservatives and their obsession with “gay”?) confirms that I should NEVER underestimate just how low the Harper Hate Machine can limbo.

  11. Brian says:

    Seems it was originally written by John Ivison (no surprise there), who last we saw was sucking up to the CPC lauding Stephen Harper’s “stellar week”. After the severe backlash, it was anonymously credited to the “National Post Staff”.

    If I was a part of the National Post staff, I’d be offended, but then again I’d never be caught dead working for the National Post in the first place.

  12. sezme says:

    The only way they would have been happy is if Justin and Sophie had named their baby, Stephen Harper Trudeau. Seriously though, I haven’t been able to stomach reading the National Joke in years. With all the deep history in the article, you don’t think it was penned by Lord Hufflepuff himself do you?

  13. Ed Tanas says:

    Check out what John Ivison posted..tasteless jerk call CTV Question Period and any other shows he appears on to express your disgust

    I know a few that already did

    http://twitpic.com/dwxg80

  14. Ottawa Civil Servant says:

    As someone who is disgusted by the American Idol-ing of politics, the whole thing makes me puke.
    I am a complete political junkie, but I cannot for the life of me name the Harper children.

    And, thankfully, his wife is a non-presence, since she wasn’t elected to do anything.

    I wish the Trudeau child and family well; I wish them privacy; and I especially wish that everything Trudeau had more to do with politics than idolatry.

    Put your pregnant wife on stage for political reasons? Didn’t you think the name would become fair game?

    • Kaspar Juul says:

      I can only name Ben and that’s because he shares the name of a musician.

    • Kevin T. says:

      Why is a baby’s name fair game? It’s a BABY for fuck’s sake.
      Besides, don’t the Cons want to publicize Harper’s only good quality – Laureen.

    • Michael says:

      That is unmitigated horseshit “Ottawa Civil Servant”. It’s a BABY and a NAME. Anyone who picks on someone for their name is a puerile asshole, and anyone who picks on a baby is a morally bankrupt puerile asshole.

      I don’t know about you, but I am happy to include my family in my work and social activities, as many others are. Why should Justin Trudeau be any different? If including his family on stage when he wins the leadership, or sharing his joy when his child is born (as just about everyone else does!) makes him happy, he should be able to do it without a) being called out for “using” his family for political gain, or b) having his family subjected to vile smears.

    • smelter rat says:

      OCS, do you still beat your wife?

    • jen says:

      “Put your pregnant wife onstage” is a repulsive way to speak about this. She is a person. She is not an object and I suspect Sophie Gregoire is not “put” anywhere. You may not think she belongs on the stage, but that’s a different story,

      Also, the baby is a person. No one, on their first day of life, deserves an editorial like this. Hadrian Trudeau is not the property of his father any more than Sophie Gregoire is. He is not responsible for their choices.

      Justin’s and Sophie’s choices do not change what is “fair game” with regard to their children. Taking potshots at this child’s name is very small and low. Despite all the fun facts, the editorial was mostly just the character of the National Post in action.

    • Brian says:

      So you must be really mad about the documented Conservative strategy of “leveraging” Laureen Harper for political reason running up to 2015.

    • Lezra Irrelevant says:

      @ Ottawa Civil Servant

      “Put your pregnant wife on stage for political reasons?”
      ————–

      What in hell does her being pregnant have to do with politics or this unseemly NP smear?

      Are you serious?
      .

      • Marc-Andre Chiasson says:

        I’m a retired Federal “civil” servant. I wish Ottawa Civil Servant would change his nom-de-guerre as he is tarnishing the name and reputation of all federal public servants, retired or not. Shame.

  15. Ed Tanas says:

    Check out what John Ivison posted…….tasteless jerk call CTV Question Period and any other shows he appears on to express your disgust

    I know a few that already did

    http://twitpic.com/dwxg80

    good thing I took a screenshot cause Nat Post took his tweet down

    • Windsurfer says:

      I was expecting “Hadrian” Tulk to have commented by now.

      Must have caught even he, by surprise.

      On a personal note, I have never ever never ever never ever seen the name Hadrian used in modern parlance.

      Adrian, Evian, Adriana, Hecate, Moon Unit, Dweezel, yes……….. but no Hadrian.

  16. Kevin T. says:

    But for the NP and the Cons, it is merely a lateral move.

  17. Ed Jones says:

    At least Trudeau didn’t name him after that infamous Canadian dictator …

    …..Stephen Harper

  18. Ryan Spinney says:

    Honestly Justin problably named after someone he likes or something, I doubt Emperor Hadian was who he was thinking of.

    Still I find myself rolling my eyes at the idea that Justin’s baby is so news worthy in the first place, its worth a side note at best.

    Of course this is the same paper that put out a column asking Olivia Chow not to run, so that a non Ford rightwinger could win instead, and basically stated that a drug addled Mayor was better then her. I have increasingly no use for the MSM.

  19. MoS says:

    The only thing I find surprising is that JT and company apparently failed to foresee this coming. The Harper Cons have been relentless in trying to portray themselves as the true friends of Israel and the Libs as lefties courting the Palestinians. So, sure, name your son after a) an emperor/Caesar/Kaiser/king and b) one who crushed a Jewish revolt, butchered about 600,000 of them and drove the Jews from Judea for 2,000 years.

    And who imagined that the party of Harper, Poilievre, Baird, Oliver, Kenney at al wouldn’t have jumped at the chance to exploit the situation? The moment I saw “Hadrian” I gulped. It was obvious what was going to happen. When they were casting about for names, did nobody even do a Wiki search of ‘Hadrian’?

    • debs says:

      perhaps this was justin’s plan all along. Find a fancy name for his son and watch the cons go ballistic and the media help by airing the ridiculousness.

  20. Brammer says:

    “Jeopardy” in the not to distant future…

    Alex Trebek: Welcome back to jeopardy. Jim you are in the lead so we’ll start with you.

    Jim: I’ll take Canadian politics for $400 Alex.

    Alex: Okay Jim, here is your clue: A country divided and a bird sanctuary…

    (buzzer sounds)

    Jim: What is Stephen Harper’s legacy?

    Alex: Correct!

  21. Jack says:

    That rag can’t go broke fast enough. With people saying the internet is causing many papers to shut down, this piece makes me think that maybe it’s not only the internet that’s to blame.

    I cannot shame them enough for a truly despicable article on a day when this baby’s life should be celebrated by all. All baby’s births are just miraculous and to see one treated this way for clear political purposes defies words.

    Now, I wonder if anyone in the PMO provided the research. That wouldn’t surprise me either.

    Boycott the Post.

  22. Lezra Irrelevant says:

    @ Ottawa Civil Servant

    “Put your pregnant wife on stage for political reasons?”
    ————–

    What in hell does her being pregnant have to do with politics or this unseemly NP smear?
    .

  23. Ed Jones says:

    Congrats also to John Ivison on winning the 2014 Ezra Levant Award for the Slimiest Comment

  24. Ed Jones says:

    Congrats to Nat Post for outdoing ing Sun News

    and also to John Ivison on winning the 2014 Ezra Levant Award for the Slimiest Comment

  25. Craig says:

    If the National Post wants to talk about a Roman Emperor who was disliked by the Jews, there are far more deserving candidates. They could start with Titus – he destroyed Jerusalem and sacked the scared treasures.

  26. Brian says:

    So according to his Twitter feed, 8 hours ago, John Ivison writes “Fun facts: Emperor Hadrian built a wall to keep out the Scots and was a noted persecutor of the Jews.”

    5 hours after that (3 hours ago), John Ivison writes “No idea. Wire? I haven’t read it” in answer to Warren Kinsella’s query on who wrote the article.

    Anyone want to explain to me how that works? John Ivison promotes facts written in an article on the National Post that he hadn’t read yet? There’s weaselly, and then there’s weaselly…

    • po'd says:

      Has he written a piece on prostitution yet? If so, it would be interesting to see if he views himself superior.

      When I think of what these NP people have written, it makes me think of those who violated Rehtaeh Parsons. Out of control and without remorse.

      Further to that, personal lives are not a playground for people void of moral compass.

    • debs says:

      fake acct?

  27. Kelly says:

    LOL fucking Post Media lost $113 million in Q3 and $35 million in Q4 of last year ALONE. The fucker(s) who wrote this are all going to lose their jobs. It’s not even distributed in most of the country (eg in cities such as Winnipeg, where their head office used to be, for Pete’s sake.) Bunch of losers who aren’t even good at their jobs. Surviving on Canadian Periodical Fund subsidies. Free market sucks, doesn’t it?

  28. Lance says:

    Brutal. This is beyond politics. I may not like Trudeau as a leader, but I can appreciate that he is a family man and that family matters need to be completely off limits. Period.

  29. Philippe says:

    What a bunch of goddamn degenerates.

  30. ThankYouBasedPoliticsGod says:

    Ivison’s articles are the Arby’s of Canadian Political writing – it’s cheap and the stuff in it can barely be called meat. The man is screaming hyperboles out of one side and whispering sweet nothings to the Tories out of the other. I’d call him a joke but jokes have punchlines and are enjoyed by most people.

  31. Cameron Prymak says:

    Yes, it’s loathsome to the Left and a source of information to the Right.

    I am sure some of those on the Right think the same way of certain publications but this is a new low in journalism.

  32. e.a.f. says:

    the writer of the NP article must have been having a very slow work day to write such an article. If it weren’t so sad it would be funny. I’m sure the child will get a good laugh out of it later in life. Why any one e really cause for concern. Taking time to critizise the name of a new child, well its so petty and so funny. What does the writer think Trudeau is going to do? rename the child? It might have been much better if the writer had simply said congrats to the parents and siblings and left it at that. Obviously he didn’t learn as a child, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

    Congrats to the Trudeau family on their new addition. To the new addition, welcome to the world, enjoy!

  33. Geoffrey Laxton says:

    Pretty much in the category of Harpercons are Fucked in the Head fb group

  34. Elizabeth Wilson says:

    Research the name Hadrian.

    It means many things besides one a historical person bore, or many priests bore. I particularly liked this:

    ‘Hadrian
    The name Hadrian is a baby boy name.

    Swedish Meaning:
    The name Hadrian is a Swedish baby name. In Swedish the meaning of the name Hadrian is: Dark.

    English Meaning:
    The name Hadrian is an English baby name. In English the meaning of the name Hadrian is: A. Also, son of Adrian.

    Latin Meaning:
    The name Hadrian is a Latin baby name. In Latin the meaning of the name Hadrian is: From ‘Hadrianus’ meaning of Adria or ‘of the Adriatic. Also ‘dark,’ a. Famous bearer: Roman emperor Hadrian ordered the famous Hadrian’s wall be built across northern England.

    SoulUrge Number: 11

    People with this name have a deep inner desire to inspire others in a higher cause, and to share their own strongly held views on spiritual matters.

    Expression Number: 1

    People with this name tend to initiate events, to be leaders rather than followers, with powerful personalities. They tend to be focused on specific goals, experience a wealth of creative new ideas, and have the ability to implement these ideas with efficiency and determination. They tend to be courageous and sometimes aggressive. As unique, creative individuals, they tend to resent authority, and are sometimes stubborn, proud, and impatient.”

    Sounds to me that Hadrian Trudeau has #WinningWays to augment his father’s #SunnyWays. His gift for initiating events, such as his birth setting off the RightWingnutta, and his already powerful 1-day-old personality is driving certain people ‘nutty’.

    Rock on, Baby Hadrian Trudeau! All of Canada will watch you grow up. Just like we watch your sister & brother, watched your Daddy & his brothers. Watched your grandfather & grandmother.

    It’s a Canadian dynasty you are part of; nothing you can do about it but be a good Canadian man. Welcome to Canada. You’ll do nicely.

    from: http://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/name/hadrian

    • Swervin' Merv says:

      Thanks, Elizabeth, for at least counterbalancing the aspersions already cast on baby Hadrian’s name. Still, some may ask:

      IF WE CAN imagine that any member of the Jewish community might be OFFENDED by a name once associated with an anti-Semitic emperor,

      THEN SHOULD Trudeau again be asked to APOLOGIZE and, indeed, succumb to an implied option of renaming the baby with a new, better brand?

      • Elizabeth says:

        As soon as the new, better brand Pope apologizes for all those saints & priests named Hadrian, then maybe Justin & Sophie could consider it.

        Until then, it’s Hadrian Trudeau.

        • Swervin' Merv says:

          Well played. As an apostate Catholic, I welcome more Papal apologies.

          However, thanks to the link provided above by “vicernie,” it looks like we could take lessons from Pope Hadrian VI (1522-24) respecting matters of integrity, perhaps including our recent Senate controversies:

          “Pope Hadrian VI was to win more than a few enemies during this rather debased period of history for his simple holiness and moral integrity. This was a time when such qualities could just as often be a detriment as a benefit to a religious leader…. The all too frequent lapse into Church nepotism was immediately halted, Hadrian bluntly informing relatives who came seeking favors that, ‘he had not become pope in order to give away the property of the Church to his relatives’. When confronted with anger from the Italian clergy over his cuts in spending Hadrian VI replied, ‘The pope is supposed to adorn churches with prelates, not prelates with churches.'”

  35. IsaacN says:

    PM Hadrian Trudeau… sounds good to me, but maybe not for a very few orthodox Jews…. so let’s lighten up.

    Perhaps there is a Trudeau family historical reason for naming the baby boy “Hadrian”. Traditionally, the father names the baby, so Justin might apprise us of his, and his wife’s, decision just to defuse the controversy. That would be nice.

    Congrats to Justin for the fatherhood job. (Everybody congratulates mother but seem to overlook father’s contribution!) 😉

  36. Elizabeth Wilson says:

    IsaccN

    Dent? Arthur Dent? You’re a complete Asshole.

  37. stpnlll says:

    A baby is always innocent. But a Trudeau never is. And Justin brought the baby into the political fray, by tweeting about his birth from the same account from which he tweets attacks on the Conservatives.

  38. Tim Woodward says:

    Damnatio Memoriae

    Ah, the classic Trudeau trap: strive for controversy in everything, shock to maximize media attention – Cons certainly took the bait – subsequently, push minds into historical denial/revision under the suppressing fire of strident moral outrage. So, as per your ahistorical logic, naming one’s baby Hitler or Judas would be totally acceptable? The name IS universally reviled by Jews e.g.: “Roman legionaries wrapped Jewish infants in rolls of the Torah – the Jews’ sacred text – and burned them alive.” If a newspaper article never existed, would it alter the rest of history? Further, anti-gay fanatics like Scott Lively use homosexual tyrants like Hadrian to support their fanatical anti-gay “theories.” The gay community, like the Jewish, thanks you for the helpful PR.

    Sure, purge the Senators – friends, Romans, damnatio memoriae – seniority or generational service to the Liberal Party counts for nothing. History does not exist! Putin has invaded Ukraine – what’s the punch line now Justin? History does not exist! Send a nice f&ck-you to the Jews (fu Cotler!) – little covert anti-Semitism for the Muuslim vote. Well played. Just as Marg. broke under the strain of PET’s relentless propagandic demands, I fear JT will enforce a punishing workload on his family. History does not exist! Dare one suggest, the Roman Empire collapsed long ago. Roman Catholicism is in severe decline due to the sickest of sexual crimes. Italy is a mess of corruption. But…history does not exist! JT is not fated to be emperor. The Trudeau Cadre, the delusions intensify. Stay tuned.

  39. Derek Pearce says:

    I’ve skpped all the comments but just must note: did you see Corcoran’s column last week where he bemoaned shallowness in all political parties but went on to only attack the Libs? Comical actually. Also: good for the new baby for being born happy and healthy, but that’s a horrible shallow yuppy name, gag. Okay bad of me to attack a baby’s name but I think it reflects on the parents as wannabes re culture or something. Blech. I still prefer JT over SH, but on a personal level I’d tell my own best friend “don’t be so f-i g pretentious!”

  40. William says:

    Attacking a newborn, how classy.

  41. Jeff says:

    Further to my last post, historically it seems that Hadrian and Adrian are interchangeable names. So, anyone named Adrian…….

  42. Lorne says:

    What would be the nickname for “Hadrian”… Hade?… Dri?… Rian? Tough one, for the unfortunate child. What’s his second name?

  43. Votey McVoterson says:

    Some choices for middle names..

    Saddam, Che, Hugo, Benito, Barack, Manson, Attila.. ultimately I would just like to see Ivison’s head explode.

  44. .

    Laureen stopped posing with Harper in x-mas cards in 2007.

    Here’s all their cards pinned to one board.

    http://www.pinterest.com/nadinel007/harper-family-seasonal-holiday-cards-aka-christmas/
    #cndpoli

    .

  45. Ed Tanas says:

    Nat Post allows racial slurs against Trudeau & baby?

    http://twitpic.com/dx2mdx

    http://goo.gl/hRFp1t

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