will the real steve harper please step forward...

Dammit Janet! suggests we help steve show his true self.  Not a bad idea at all since he's demanding we give him a majority or face the apocalypse.

Despite a few journalists trying hard to get the public and media to really examine harper's actions and what they would mean should he have even less accountability if given a majority than he has now, people just don't seem to think the many, many violations of Parliament and procedure matter a whole lot.

steve manages to distance himself from the nastiness by using his rabid supporters as human shields, by serving up public servants and political aides as scapegoats, and by silencing through fear and intimidation tactics any who would speak truths he doesn't care for.

So who is steve harper?  We are very interested, steve.  Show us the real you.  The guy you want us to give so much power to.  Time to bare all. No grooming of crowds, no staged photo ops, no muzzling of the media.

In keeping with steve's anything but a majority is a fail theme

Stephen Harper's Conservatives must win 23 more seats in Ontario to achieve their coveted majority, a task that senior party insiders now admit is almost impossible, the Star has learned.

Here you go, stevie-pevie.  Don't charge the Kleenex to us taxpayers.

oh yeah...happy zombie day

been busy but this on Pharyngula reminded me I had been remiss:

Toronto cops consider anti-poverty movements a threat.

This is news?  Nice of Stun Media to remind us though.  Nice to point out how the cops considered taking advantage of a non-crime to embarrass an anti-poverty activist.

"To have arrested him and charged him would have served our egos a lot more. Layton was a thorn in the side of the police, siding with the anti-poverty movement in '96 or '97 ... Jack was anti-police," the ex-cop said.

"We looked at it and thought do we take advantage of this, or do we look at this like (he's) any other person, put it away and we hope this thing dies a slow death."

Too bad Stun Media didn't pursue that story of police so corrupt they consider anti-poverty movements anti-law and held informal (it appears) discussions on how to twist a non-crime into something that could harm an anti-poverty politician.  

You know, come up with the names of those corrupt cops, see who, if anyone, they may have harmed throughout their careers simply because they considered those people a thorn in their sides.

That would have been hard hitting news.

Here are a few real criminal and/or corruption in politics stories that some real journalists are covering.  I'm sure Stun Media will get around to them, right?   Some even have busty hookers.


Bruce Carson   and the Prime Minister of Canada.
Senators Finley, Gerstein, election charges.
Clement may have broken the law.
Soudas, the PM, and political interference.
International court could  probe Afghan detainees, torture

I'm cool with orange

A lot of my Lib friends are quite shaken.  Whole different story when speculation hits the realm of possibility, but they should stay true to their words of last week.  Anyone but harper.

NDP as a whole may not have federal experience running things, but they have some good, experienced people who can lead.  Libs will work with them.  And it will be funny as hell if stevo not only goes down as first PM to be ousted on contempt, but losing to the NDP federally...nice.

If NDP forms the official opposition, still no need to panic, my Liberal friends.  Gives the Libs a chance to work on their own party, get a new leader, face some hard truths and decide what they have to offer Canadians.

Layton will be faced with harper's budget and his unwillingness to work with others, so we will see if he will prop up the CONs like the Liberals did, just to avoid dissolving Parliament and bide his time, or if he'll meet with the Libs and go to the GG to examine options.

We'll get through it, we'll all learn something about the Libs and the NDP as they face different dynamics, and hopefully more of us can get past the gut partisanship that still drives the best of us at some fundamental level.

The Libs and NDP today aren't the ones our parents knew any more than the CONs are.  It's a different country, different issues, different priorities.  Time for change, and I don't mean changing parties.  Time for serious reform within the parties and in how we do politics.

Is this the evil steve needs protection from?

The super-duper magic spell of protection from evil isn't working so well.

A 500-page dossier of potentially damaging remarks by Stephen Harper has hit the election campaign.

But it wasn't put together by the Liberals or NDP — it was prepared by the Conservatives.

Like I said, stevo needs protection from his own appalling words and actions.

Just no time (or money) for real people with real issues

Chiefs representing First Nations from the Island Lake area of northern Manitoba held a news conference Thursday to lament Ottawa's response to immediate, short-term help while they discuss how to hook the communities up with running water and proper sewage in the long term.

"They agreed to help us with short-term solutions. Their solutions are slop pails and 45-gallon drums. That's not acceptable," said Chief Dino Flett, of the Garden Hill First Nation. "In some houses, 15 people have to use that slop pail. That's not safe. That's not healthy." 

And don't blame it on what the CONs call an unwanted and unnecessary election. Island Lake Chiefs met with INAC last December to address the problem.  They weren't asking for fancy washrooms, they simply wanted emergency measures taken, porta-potties with holding tanks.  Nothing as expensive as the  nearly $300,000 spent on a washroom in Baysville 30 kilometres from the G8 meeting site in Clement's riding.

Two sides of the same coin? Come on...

On the latest Lib ad - good style, clear, decent production qualifty, brief.

But, and it's a big point for me - dishonest at one point.  If you're going to use the phrase two sides of the same coin, then you had better make sure you stick to what is similar.

Killing good bills and propping up harper shows Layton to be opportunistic - fine.  It's one of the things that bugs me about Layton.  I don't believe he wouldn't sell out his party's values if he thought he'd lose some of his gains, or if he thought he could make more politically.  He's not Ed Broadbent or Thomas Mulclair.

However, it's ridiculous to attack the NDP over opportunism when the Libs dodged votes and even supported CON votes because the timing for an election didn't suit them.

The biggest fail in this ad, however is presenting two completely different policies as two sides of the same coin:  the CONs favour big business / the NDP will up our taxes.  I get what they are saying here, but it is poorly said.  Both will cost average Canadians a lot of money.  So say it that way, don't equate letting tax money go to big business with tax money going to social programs.



The Libs should attack the NDP.  Really, are they expected to sit back and do nothing when Layton keeps running in, biting at their heels every time he sees a chance?  But as they did  in the previous ad - questioning Layton's ability to explain how he would pay for all his promises - they should keep the ads honest.

Not trying to divide the left, here, but neither will I ignore the dishonesty. Attack bad policies, attack vague promises.  Just keep it honest.

Offical release from the Twilight Zone

Where reality isn't even a suggestion.

In his appeal for a majority mandate, Stephen Harper has a caution for voters: don’t give politicians absolute trust.  Harper — who has taken flack for restricting reporters’ questions on his campaign — said Sunday that Canadians must always be questioning their political leaders.


So someone did just that - questioned him:

But on the direct question of why voters — who have been cool to him in past elections — should trust him with a majority this time, Harper sidestepped the query and instead sought to put the focus on his government’s track record.

Ask questions, but don't expect answers.  Don't give polititicans absolute trust, but give harper absolute power through a majority without demanding he prove he can be trusted.

Got that?

this doesn't mean anything either...

...but that Ignatieff-Hamm thing got me thinking of this:

Justin Trudeau sort of looks like Lee Pace.

doesn't mean a thing...

but I just noticed this:

Ignatieff sort of looks like Jon Hamm.

Ok, moving on...

Protecting harper from himself?

Here’s your laugh for the day - 



A Burnaby, B.C., reverend on Sunday asked God to build a “wall of protection” around Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

 “I pray Lord that you raise up a wall of protection for Mr. Harper and Mrs. Harper and their family,” Tze told the congregation. “Protection from evil actions, protection from evil people, protection from evil intentions as well.”

Nation wide manhunt. Please help.

I use the word "man" loosely, here.  Men face the consequences of their actions.

Canadian Cynic needs help finding Patrick Ross.  Details here.

Just wondering...

How does a refusal to compromise while you have a minority government fit in with competent, or master strategists?

Other words come to mind - deluded, arrogant, autocratic, dictatorial...

Ignatieff tells the truth and is willing to work together but takes a bashing. stevie-pevie lies about the Constitution and Parliamentary procedure, refuses to compromise or work with the opposition, yet insists we should give him a majority.

In saying he won't compromise with the elected opposition - which represents 2/3 of ridings - he is saying he refuses to compromise with 2/3 of Canadian voters.

Why do so many Canadians still not see how crazy this is?  And how brutally contemptible harper is?

Hey! Wingnuts! You getting this?

Beloved Leader isn't so beloved, it seems.

Ignatieff gains some, pevie-stevie loses some, Layton leads.

That's a hell of a lot of negative personal attack ad money wasted.  Too bad some of it came from our tax dollars.

“I don’t accept that question,” - harper's mindboggling arrogance.

Asked Wednesday if he would be willing to tone down his agenda so that it was acceptable to other parties, Harper was defiant.  “I don’t accept that question,” he told reporters.

So harper whines about how the opposition parties won't work with a minority government - that in itself is absurd since they are part of Parliament and representing the will of the electorate is working with a minority government - but he himself says he won't work with the opposition if he ends up with a minority.

Hey, asshole, you have to accept that question and you have to answer it because it is being asked by the people, and regardless of what you may think, in Canada, it is the Government of Canada, the people's government.

harper expects 2/3 of voters to go against their reasoning and ignore how Parliament works.  He expects them to buy into his rants about how only a majority - his majority of course, can work.  He expects us to ignore how it is him and his party who constantly interfere with process and fail to govern the way the majority of Canadians want them to.

That is why he constantly loses House confidence.  He loses because he and his party can't govern properly.

But he wants us all to ignore that and give the massive failure even more power.

As Ignatieff said, he hasn't earned our trust.  If he gets in with another minority and does not have the confidence of the House, then the opposition is supposed to examine options.  It's their job.  It's the GG's job.  It should be the PM's job, but Mr. Petulant won't work with others.  He won't even accept the question.

The press should drive home the reality of how minorities should function and put a stop to harper's lies once and for all so that those of us who actually give a damn can make democracy work for us.

..."human dignity, created in the image and likeness of God" - jason kenney

uhuh...

Kenney also said they should think about the fact that democracy was inspired by Judaism.
"I hope you will all be true to our rights, our privileges, our liberties as Canadians, especially because democracy, in many ways, the whole democratic impulse, is a gift to the world of the Jewish insight about human dignity, created in the image and likeness of God. So I think this is a pretty important responsibility that we all share."

Genesis, 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Exodus, 11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

Exodus, 23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

Exodus, 21:7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.

Lamentations, 2:20 Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

Exodus, 22:24 And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

Genesis, 4:19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

  Genesis, 25:6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

Leviticus, 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 10:2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

Numbers,

21:34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.
21:35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.

 
 Deuteronomy, 2:33 And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. 2:34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain: 2:35 Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.