I read today with some concern of the impending lawsuit
brought by Canada's most notorious media bully, Conrad Black, against a member of Parliament here.

It seems said member was hoaxed by a local satirical magazine and ended up issuing a press release calling Black's newspaper chain "corporate welfare bums." When he discovered that he'd been duped the MP apologized, but that wasn't good enough for Black et. al. Now they are suing the fellow for CDN$500 000. Said Black's lawyer, "There's a price to be paid for this sort of stupidity."

Some hoax. Does this sound like a mean-spirited nuisance lawsuit to you? Perhaps a huge corporation trying to harass a politician and political party with whom they do not agree? An out-of-control media tyrant who is used to getting his own way? It does? Well, be sure not to say so or I expect you will be the next to be sued by Mr. Black and his cabal under Canada's wacky libel laws.

The best approach would seem to be that taken by a wonderful Web site called BlackEnvy: accept that you are envious of Mr. Conrad and his lovely and talented wife Barbara Amiel, and spread the word of their "prodigious political potency."