Acropolis Now..

The horror...  the horror..

Liberals...liberals have a face... and you must make a friend of liberals. Liberals and progressives are your friends. If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies! I remember when I was in Greece... seems a thousand centuries ago. We went into a village and hired some children to do some work for us. We left the camp after we had paid the children for their work, and this old man came running after us and he was crying. He couldn't see. We went back there, and they had come and hacked off every arm and taken their money because their money had to be given to everyone.

Not just those who worked for it.

There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms. And I remember... I... I... I cried, I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out; I didn't know what I wanted to do! And I want to remember it. I never want to forget it... I never want to forget.


And they took that money, and they spent it on government beaurocrats, and an Olympic venue that would be used just once.. spent it on the agrofylaki..

And then I realized... like I was shot... like I was shot with a diamond... a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought, my God... the genius of that! The genius! The will to do that! Perfect, genuine, complete, crystalline, pure. And then I realized they were stronger than we, because they could stand that these were not monsters, these were men... just stupid men. These men who had families, who had children,.. but they had the stupidity... the stupidity... to do that.

If we elected more of those men, the economy would crash very quickly.. and so it was. You have to have men who are stupid.. and who are willing to apply that stupidity to bring down the economy on top of everyone – including themselves. Without thought, without judgment..

Because it’s rational thinking that will defeat them.

New Sign on Entry to Vancouver

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in the neighborhood..   won't you be mine?

Note: If you expect less..  that's what you'll get.

Michael Ignatieff's plan.. free lunch! (No, not for YOU).

..well, not for the rubes, that is.

So...

Finally, instead of just complaining, Michel Ignatieff has announced a "plan".

Basically, he's going to intrude on constitutional authority of the Provinces, and create an added Federal welfare program to make sure lower income people get better food.

Seriously.

He and his Liberal friends want to spend $80 million in yet a new Government beaurocracy, creating a "Buy Local Fund" to tell Canadians that they should be eating peas and carrots instead of burgers and fries.

And then, they want to spend another $40 million to help give the peas and carrots to  250,000 "low income children".

Of course, we will need more beaurocrats to determine who is, and who isn't "low income" to assure the right kids are getting their peas and carrots.

And then we'll have to create appeal processes to assuree that there is due process given to those who are denied and want to challenge their denial of peas and carrots.

And we'll have to spend money on explaining and publicizing the process to Canadians - to assure that people know how to get their peas and carrots.

And after spending a big pile of money to assure indexed pension funds and benefits for all of the new government employees who will be doing this work.. well, what's left will go to the "children", apparently.

And for those of you who already know that peas and carrots are good for you, and are paying for your own peas and carrots - what's in this plan for you?

Simple.

You get to pay for it. (Of course Michael Ignatieff says it will be paid for by amorphous "corporate tax", which doesn't affect anyone but, well..  people running businesses, people employed by businesses, or people who use their own income to pay for stuff..  does that include YOU?)

Welcome to Canada - where "doing the right thing" makes you a rube.

At least according to Michael Ignatieff.

"Capitalism Isn’t Working For Workers".. Really?

So, the G8 conference has commenced in Halifax this week, and, no great suprise - Toni MacAfee, education and organization officer for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, was arrested already.. "for no reason."

I'm sure.

I find it interesting that these groups who protest haven't yet got the message.

We don't care.

No one in the voting public sees the protest and goes, "Now there is a sensible point."

Because they don't really make a point.  Theirs is not to create - but to destroy.  Their personal goals, for the most part, are anarchy and chaos - leading, presumeably, to fascism or Marxism.

They are just anti-government, anti-business, and - taking a page from the current opposition, are basically complaining about life, but doing little of anything to offer up a better plan.

Take Toni MacAfee for example - seeing as she is in the news anyway.

Front and centre on her Facebook page is a picture of the Cuban flag next to Che Guevera.

For those of you not completely familiar with Mr.Guevera, besides the striking picture that simpletons like to adorn their t-shirts with (and apparently their facebook pages), Mr.Guevera was a terrorist, who, along with good friends Fidel and Raul Castro, successfully over-threw the Cuban government, only to replace the prior despots with new and more cruel and vicious despots.

I recommend watching this documentary regarding Che Guevera.  Hardly a saint - more properly, accurately described by a former Cuban in the commentary:

I am Cuban and I know the hard reality of Che Guevara. He is not the hero that people assume him to be. He killed and tortured hundreds of Cuban citizens; he was thirsty for power and seized the opportunity to fulfill his sadistic tendencies while he was Castro’s right-hand man. Nobody in their right mind in Cuba supports Che Guevara, they just can’t admit it or show any can’t talk against him because he is the epitome of the Cuban Communist Revolution, and anyone who shows opposition is prosecuted by the Communist government. I know the history and felt its influences while I lived in Havana; I’m glad the rest of the world is being exposed to Guevara’s other face.

Toni is also, according to her facebook page, a big fan of Emma Goldman.

Who is Emma Goldman, you ask?

Well, Emma Goldman is a big fan of anarchist political philosophy, who engaged in domestic terrorism in the U.S. in 1892, planning an abortive assassination attempt upon Homestead Steel owner Henry Clay Frick, and, later, alleged to have induced Leon Czolgosz to assassinate President William McKinley.

So..  let me understand..  Toni MacAfee is a "fan" of murderers, torturers and anarchists..  but would hardly do anything at a G8 protest to cause her arrest.  Well, if she didn't do something, I suppose one would perhaps describe her as a lipstick anarchist.

Here's my favorite comment in the article on the arrest, however, the banner "Capitalism Isn't Working for Workers".

I'm sure it isn't perfect- but I'll tell you what is worse.  Communism and Socialism.

Consider these average salaries for Chinese workers:
Airline Pilot - $761/mo;
Engineer - $252/mo;
Computer Programer - $252/mo;
Registered Nurse - $187/mo;
Minter - $145/mo;
Bus Driver - $122/mo.

Now.. it is true that in China, the economy is on a different scale from North America - so, their salaries must be compared in terms of real purchasing power.  And that does make a change - for example, a bus driver in China IS ACTUALLY earning approximately $520.00 per month when purchase power is considered.

But Capitalism isnt' working.

And I'll tell you another thing.

The ability of people like Toni MacAfee and her idol, Emma Goldman to protest and be a general pain in the ass, would hardly be tolerated by her heart throb Che Guevera.  Instead of a brief stay in a comfortable Canadian jail for a few hours, she would have received a quick bullet to the back of her head - after being tortured for a few days to name the rest of her fellow protestors.

But, yeah, "Capitalism Isn't Working".

It may not be perfect - but it's the best bad system going.

A Cause to Unite All Canadians!

Our New National Motto

In this time of political division and polarization, Canadians are starved for something to unify them, something to erase the differences that separate us, from Sook to Corner Brook.  Finally, with the impending appointment of a new Governor General, we have just such a cause to unite us.

And that cause is this: 

Demand that our Prime Minister appoint William Shatner as our new Governor General.

Join the growing throngs on Facebook now supporting this cause - numbering 17,356 at the time of this blog post, and growing.

In supporting this cause, I can do not better than to quote the great man himself:

“I am not a Starfleet commander, or T.J. Hooker. I don't live on Starship NCC-170...[some audience members say 'one'], or own a phaser. And I don't know anybody named Bones, Sulu, or Spock. And no, I've never had green alien sex, though I'm sure it would be quite an evening.

[Pomp and Circumstance begins playing] I speak English and French, not Klingon! I drink Labatt's, not Romulan ale! And when someone says to me 'Live long and prosper', I seriously mean it when I say, 'Get a life'.

My doctor's name is not McCoy, it's Ginsberg. And tribbles were puppets, not real animals. PUPPETS!

And when I speak, I never, ever talk like every. Word. Is. Its. Own. Sentence. I live in California, but I was raised in Montreal. And yes, I've gone where no man has gone before, but I was in Mexico and her father gave me permission!

My name is William Shatner, and I am Canadian!”

 Truly time to support. The. Greatest. Canadian. Ever.

Remember the Wild Rose Alliance..

..didn't they used to be in the news every other day, with talk of throngs of PC MLAs crossing the floor.

I guess two COULD be a throng.

Ujjal Dosanjh.. The Liberal Who Got Mugged the Night Before

Something for the Human Rights Crowd to think about:

If you say "Jesus" is in the bear suit, the Pope will not
encourage Catholics to cut off your head.

Frank Rizzo, the former Mayor of Philadelphia, once said, "A Conservative is a Liberal who got mugged the night before."

Making his point pretty well, is Ujjal Dosanjh, a former Liberal cabinet minister and onetime B.C. premier.

In 1985, Mr. Dosanjh spoke out against religious intollerance and violene in the Sikh communities, more particularly, against extremists who advocated Khalistan independence from India - and who were later implicated in the Air India bombing of flight 182 where 329 people were murdered by those same Sikh extremists.

For speaking out against that violence, and for calling for moderation in the Sikh community, Ujjal Dosanjh was savagely beaten outside of his law office in February of 1985, suffering a broken hand and requiring 80 stitches in his head to close the wounds.

Flash forward a few years, to last week.

Still known for speaking out against religious intollerance and extremism in his own community, during a recent radio interview on a Punjabi station in Surrey, B.C. regarding a parade organized to celebrate the Vaisakhi festival, Inderjit Singh Bains is alleged to have made comments on a Punjabi-language radio station in Surrey about two well-known Sikh politicians in British Columbia known for rebuking radical Sikhis:

“Everybody’s invited except those who’ve been excluded,” Mr.Bains said on Sher-E-Punjab radio Thursday.That includes Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh and Liberal MLA Dave Hayer, he said.

Local politicians regularly make speeches at the parade, but Bains said Dosanjh and Hayer are “not invited on the stage.”“We’ve never invited them. If they come they should bring their own security.”

Nice.

Basically, the extremism continues, and community leaders get on the radio and say, "If people show up who don't think that blowing up planes and killing innoent people is acceptable, well, we'll kick their asses.

The response of NDP turned Liberal, now momentarily turned Conservative, Ujjal Dosanjh is interesting, informative, and completely correct, as reported in the Globe and Mail:

Mr. Dosanjh blamed what he described as Canada’s polite brand of multiculturalism for giving extremists the space to nurture old grudges brought from their homelands. At the same time, Canada has failed to instill its own values on new immigrants.


“I think what we are doing to this country is that this idea of multiculturalism has been completely distorted, turned on its head to essentially claim that anything anyone believes – no matter how ridiculous and outrageous it might be – is okay and acceptable in the name of diversity.

“Where we have gone wrong in this pursuit of multiculturalism is that there is no adherence to core values, the core Canadian values, which [are]: That you don’t threaten people who differ with you; you don’t go attack them personally; you don’t terrorize the populace.”

Mr. Dosanjh urged mainstream Canadians who aren’t part of these ethnic communities to step up and speak against extremism.

“I think Canadians need to engage in this cultural diversity debate,” he said. “And we actually have to say to each other: ‘Hey what you’re doing is wrong. What you’re doing here is right.’ We should stop being politically correct and have a debate.”

Gee..  sounds a lot like something I think I read by a guy named Mark Steyn:

"Once upon a time we knew what to do. A British district officer, coming upon a scene of suttee, was told by the locals that in Hindu culture it was the custom to cremate a widow on her husband's funeral pyre. He replied that in British culture it was the custom to hang chaps who did that sort of thing. There are many great things about India - curry, pyjamas, sitars, software engineers -- but suttee was not one of them. What a pity we're no longer capable of being 'judgmental' and 'discriminating'."

James Cameron.. please, just go back to making trashy, derivative pap.

James, just relax and let your mind go blank.

That shouldn't be too hard for you.

So.

James Cameron is now the environmental guru of the free world, most recently, being quoted in the Toronto Star criticizing the Alberta Oil Sands as a "dead end paradigm"

Though - give him credit, at the same time as he is pontificating about Alberta's economy and the general state of the world reliance upon oil (including, by the way, the United States of America and the millions of mullet-heads who paid cash to watch his vapid soap-opera, "Avatar"), he admits that, basically, he's talking shit, confirming that:

..he was only peripherally familiar with the tar sands controversy but would like to know more and would consider adding it to his growing list of eco-causes.

Really?

You know what, James, I might suggest you are "only peripherally familiar" with making quality, original movies.

Perhaps you should concentrate on your own craft - because while you may sell tickets to the great unwashed, your most recent effort was a pathetically derivative rip-off of "Dances With Wolves", which only succeeded financially because of:

a) The gimmick of 3D; and

b) Your shameful manipulation of both our pointless "white guilt" and "eco-guilt", which drives the masses of politically correct sheep to go "oooh" and "awww" at how nice it is that we can acknowledge our wrongs to the environment and to indigenous people in the same 162 minute sitting (which by the way, thank-you, I will never get back).

 Of course, in suggesting that "Avatar" is a moronic pile of pigeon doo, I have to acknowledge that I am only "peripherally familiar" with the art of making a movie, but, hey, if big-headed Hollywood hacks can have a soap-box, I guess so can I.

So.

My take on Avatar.

As indicated, it's basically "Dances With Wolves" with blue indigenous people and without the art and finesse of Kevin Costner.

Give him credit, however.. where other film makers are seeking to be original and create something artistic, James Cameron  - while much less talented and creative, is perhaps more Machiavellian. 

I'm thinking dear James sits himself down and asks, "What would bring in the rubes?"

I know - in this society of political correctness where we have whole industries based upon shaking our fingers at Tiger Woods, and telling ourselves how good we are by comparison - imagine an event where you can basically let everybody in society get a good dose of "feel good" about themselves by creating a movie that allows us to be part of the "good guys" who save the environment and who, AT THE SAME TIME, validate the criticism of our treatment of indigenous people and, cathartically, rescue them from their oppressors. 

Wait.

Make it 3D.  That adds another reason to see the movie - even if it's total crap - and beyond that, increases the identification the audience has with our fearless hero, and, in that way, allows them even greater opportunity to pat themselves on the back for being "good".

I'm sure Cameron looked at Costner's work with Dances With Wolves and said, "Sure, that might appeal to mainstream America - but, shit, it's not going to sell in Australia or Brazil.  I know - I'll make a sort of "generic" indigenous group that will represent ALL oppressed people - and that will expand my market beyond North America.  And to deal with the pesky reality of the different looks of American, Australian, South American - and all other aboriginal peoples - we'll just make them blue and ten feet tall to be an "Avatar" of all aboriginal people.

The fundamental problem?

Well. 

It's fake.

Not fake in the blue ten foot people sense - and not even fake in the shitty movie sense - but fake in the sense of giving us the illusion of being "good people" for identifying with the lead in the movie who helps the blue people.

See - here's the thing.  Costner's movie never ignored the reality that white people not only oppressed and effectively came very close to committing a complete genocide of the Native peoples in North America - but, at the end, while he helped them as best he could - he didn't "lead" them and couldn't save them.

We left Dances With Wolves feeling, well, still guilty.

Which is as it should have been.

Cameron's fecal effort pretends that the indigenous people could not have succeeded without their white savior.  And that, in some twisted logic, by the end, they were actually thankful to the great white leader who "sacrificed" his identity to become one of them.

So.

There's my two cents worth regarding "Avatar".

Of course, as I said, I'm only "peripherally familiar" with how to manipulate the public to put money in my jeans.

And - in that regard, there cannot perhaps be any argument but that James Cameron is the master.

The Liberal Pitch..

So.

The Ethics Commissioner has turned down another request for an investigation into the Guergis situation, essentially pointing out the obvious. There is no evidence to substantiate any investigation. And the NDP is starting to read the writing on the wall. As reported in the Globe and Mail today:

In what could be a case of waking up with a political hangover, the NDP tried Monday to grant former cabinet minister Helena Guergis and her husband, Rahim Jaffer, a reprieve from appearing at a parliamentary committee.

“Enough is enough,” said New Democratic Party MP Pat Martin in an interview. “There are more compelling issues facing the nation.” The RCMP, he said, should be allowed to investigate allegations surrounding the couple without interference from Parliament."

The Liberals? Well, not so much. They want to keep beating this horse, presumably because they have nothing else to offer Canadians, but continued complaining. More and more every day, the Liberal Party of Canada betrays itself as a "party about nothing". But who knows - when Michael Ignatieff fails in his bid to become "King of Canada", he could end up having a very successful sitcom.

IGNATIEFF: See, this should be a platform. This is the platform.


RAE: What?


IGNATIEFF: This. Just complaining.


RAE: (dismissing) Yeah, right.


IGNATIEFF: I'm really serious. I think that's a good idea.


RAE: Just complaining? Well what are we complaining about?


IGNATIEFF: About nothing.


RAE: No plan?


IGNATIEFF: No forget the plan.


RAE: You've got to have a plan.


IGNATIEFF: Who says you gotta have a plan? Remember when we were complaining about Afghan detainee transfers? That could be a platform.


RAE: And who is going to decide what to complain about? We need a head whiner.


IGNATIEFF: I could be the whiner.


RAE: You?


IGNATIEFF: Yeah. The head whiner could be me.


RAE: So, the plan, the platform, is that there is a head whiner, named Ignatieff?


IGNATIEFF: Yeah. There's something wrong with that? I'm whiner. People are always saying to me, "You know you have no plan, but you're quite a whiner."


RAE: And who else is going to whine?


IGNATIEFF: Findlay could be a whiner. Brison..


RAE: Now he's a whiner. (Pause) So everybody we know is a whiner in the party?


IGNATIEFF: Right.


RAE: And it's about nothing?


IGNATIEFF: Absolutely nothing.


RAE: So you're saying, we go to the electorate, and tell them we have this idea for a party about nothing.


IGNATIEFF: We go to the electorate.


RAE: "We"? Since when are you a policy writer?


IGNATIEFF: (Scoffs) Policy writer. We're talking about the Liberal party of Canada.


RAE: You want to go with me to the Canadian public with this?


IGNATIEFF: Yeah. I think we really got something here.


RAE: What do we got?


IGNATIEFF: A plan.


RAE: What plan?


IGNATIEFF: A plan for the Country.


RAE: I still don't know what the plan is.


IGNATIEFF: It's about nothing.


RAE: Right.


IGNATIEFF: The other parties are all planning something, we'll plan nothing.


RAE: So, we go to the electorate, we tell them we've got an idea for a plan to do nothing.


IGNATIEFF: Exactly.


RAE: They say, "What's your platform?" I say, "Nothing."


IGNATIEFF: There you go.


(A moment passes)


RAE: (Nodding) I think you may have something there.

Open for Business: I Have Ignatieff in my Back Pocket

Ok.

So I don't really.

But so what?

According to the Toronto Star and our opposition, it doesn't matter. Once Jaffer made his assertion and SOMEONE ELSE confirmed it online, immediately an inquiry was required.

So.

Not to in anyway interfere or downplay the current RCMP investigation (which, ironically, opposition parties are now suggesting was taking things TOO seriously), but regardless of my admission that I don't have inside access to the potential future Prime Minister, I am assuming all parties in opposition will require an immediate inquiry.

I expect my travel arrangements will be forthcoming with appropriate arrangements to pay my lawyer a la Richard Colvin to assist me in advising the committee what access I don't have to his emminence.



Any advice on good restaurants in Ottawa?!

Rahim Jaffer, Helena Guergis - We Get What We Pay For

Future Minister of Foreign Affairs

So.

I'm not some pinko Liberal.

I think Michael Ignatieff is the most disingenuous party leader we have seen in some time.

But I've got an admission to make.

I'm curious.

I'm curious about Rahim Jaffer and his buddies, and whether or not they obtained access to John Baird's "green money", after Baird has now admitted that his Parliamentary Secretary, Brian Jean had in fact met with Jaffer and his "Green Power" business partner.

I mean.

Aren't we Conservatives all about being "tough on crime"?

Wasn't it Rahim Jaffer who stood up on his pedestal and slammed oppostion MP's for being weak on their position regarding, *gasp*, marijuana.

Only to later be found himself in possession of cocain and assorting with greaseballs of the worst stripe.

How does that saying go about throwing rocks in a glass house?

The Jaffer/Guergis debacle opens up, I think, a larger question about politics in general.

Let's examine the evidence for a moment:

Rahim Jaffer graduates with a B.A. in Politics and Economicsa and immediately parlays that degree into..  operating a coffee shop in Edmonton.  Nothing wrong with that - but, well, not exacty what one might refer to as a job of stunning sophistication.

But - not a complete dummy, Rahim manages to get elected as MP in Edmonton-Stratchona at the tender age of 25.  One might opine that, for a party which seems to show disdain for affirmative action, they have no probem with taking advantage of the election of an inexperiences pretty boy whose greatest (and perhaps only) asset is the fact that he's not white.

Anyhoo..  shortly after his election, dear Rahim manages to capture the media eye when, being unable to attend a radio interview which had been scheduled - he instead sent an aid, Matthew Johnson, to impersonate him.  Of course he got caught.

Sooo.. then after betraying not only his stupidity, but his dishonesty, the good citizens of Edmonton-Strathcona showed their own complete lack of intelligence and judgment by, yes, voting him in again for a fourth term in 2006 (apparently the Greater Toronto Area doesn't hold a monopoly on vacuous voting patterns).

Well..  where to now?  Well, it was one thing for his fellow Stratchonians to show faith in this boob, but, the real shame was that our dear Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, showed similar absense of good sense, in then appointing Jaffer as Chair of the Conservative Caucus.

Fortunately, after being voted the "laziest MP" by the press corps, his constituents decided to give him the boot, and he lost his last election in 2007.

Were we through with this twit?

Nope.

See- if he couldn't get elected into government, he would marry into it, marrying Helena Guergis on October 15, 2010.

Well.  So much for HER good sense I suppose - certainly, our Prime Minister will take that into account in determining her fitness to assume any post of responsibility, right?

Nope.

In January of 2007, Helena as appointed Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and Secretary of State for Sport, and in 2008 she was appointed Minister of State (Status of Women).

Now - in fairness to our Prime Minister, while he may have been concerned over her good sense in marrying Jaffer, as they say, "love is blind", and he was, no doubt, won over by her extremely impressive resume of prior achievments, including obtaining training as a real estate agent, and, by golly, winning the Miss Huronia beauty pageant.

How could he not give her a position of authority in government?

And - in retrospect, who could have possibly foreseen the train wreck that came after.

Me.  For one.

Is anyone seriously considering that Helena and her simpleton husband had keys to the PM office?

Hardly.

But, unfortuantely, the Conservative party is typical of most political parties in Canada, federally and provincially - being a massive collection of modestly talented (I'm being generous) talent, who, most often, get involved in politics becasuse their bath and gift shops (Guergis) or coffee shops (Jaffer) don't offer them the personal benefits they see arising from government connections.

And as we, the public, cry about how, over and over, they dissappoint us - we continue to also scream and yell for reducing their salaries and pensions and so forth - assuring that the next batch of so-called "leaders" will also be drawn from a pool of modestly talented sorts who get involved in politics because, well, what else are they going to do?

Rahim Jaffer.

The real problem?

We get what we pay for.  We, as electors, get what we deserve.

I say, we start paying these people what we would expect to pay people to run the largest single business entity in the country.  We give them fat, generous pensions - so that there is a stampede of interest when nomination meetings arise and when elections are fought. 

I would prefer not to shop for my political representatives at Wal-Mart.

Liberalism.. and the Dying Swann

Society and politics evolve.  They change.  And, as happened to the dinosaurs, we learn to adapt to those changes, or we become extinct.

Witness the "Dying Swann" in Alberta politics.

Yesterday, Dave Taylor affirmed that in his opinion as one of only 9 Liberal MLA's in Alberta, theirs was a party where "nobody is leading, nobody is following, and nobody is getting out of the way."  Theirs was and is a party without a plan, and truly, without a soul.

Witness our local Liberal MLA, Bridget Pastoor.  One of the remaining 8, who is being coy about her future with the Liberal party as well.  This past year, she was already toying with suggestions of jumping ship, and now, she is courting an intention to run for mayor of Lethbridge.  One might question where her soul was to begin with, having been a good soldier Progressive Conservative when the party was significantly farther to the right under Peter Lougheed and her good friend Dick Johnson, to then suddenly veer to the Liberal party when the PC's moved closer to centre.

Curious.

My take?

Liberalism, at least as we have experienced it over the last century, is dying.

It is a dinosaur who's time has passed.

David Swann, like his federal brother, Michael Ignatieff, hasn't got the message yet.

They are the Sienfeld's of politics.  They represent parties about nothing.

They have been reduced to the roll of critics..  which is fine, but no one is going to pay to go see a movie produced by Roger Ebert or Gene Shalit.

When you have fallen overboard, and need someone to send a lifeline, it is not much comfort to watch Michael Ignatieff and David Swann criticize the course the captain is taking with the ship.  You want someone who has a plan  and who shows a willingess to impliment that plan - to throw you a line.

The great flaw of current liberalism is that it's not based in reality and it truly has no soul.  And, over time, the population is becoming wise to the slight of hand liberals utilize to gain support.  We've been told that if we just listened, blindly, to the intellectual elite, that everything would be better.  That if we supported our children's self-esteem, and shielded them from concepts like "competition" and "failure", that they would grow into healthier adults.  No spanking allowed, and never say, "no".

We've been told that there IS a free lunch, that taxes shouldn't be paid by "you", they should be paid by the "big businesses".

We've been told that if we just registered our guns, angry and emotionally injured people won't use them - trust us, and it will only cost a few billion dollars - which you don't really pay (see above).

And we watched our children struggle in adapting to the real world - and becoming more aliented from their neighbors and their families.

And we watched auto and manufacturing jobs evaporating into the air as the cost of wages and taxes made former power house employers of thousands and thousands start to shut their doors.

And we watched nothing happen as a result of gun registration, nothing other than health care and education dollars blowing away in the wind like so many leaves.

This is the legacy of the modern Canadian Liberal parties.

And turn on the television today.  Open the newspaper.  Flip up the screen on your laptop.  What are the Liberals offering us, right now?

Nothing.

Complaints.

Criticism.

"Oh, look at Helena Guergis and her bad husband."
"Look at the dead ducks."
"Look at how Afghani soldiers treated terrorists after we handed them over."

There is nothing wrong with criticism.  I myself wrote last week, that I have less use for a dirty Conservative than a dirty Liberal.. though there seems to be a plethora of the latter compared to the former.  But there is a place for opposition to question government, to challenge them to be better.

But, to survive as a party and as a concept - there has to be more.  There has to be some substance, some soul, to build upon.  And modern Liberalism has lost theirs - if they ever had it.

Witness the dying Swann.

Dave Taylor re Alberta Liberals: "Nobody is leading, nobody is following and nobody will get out of the way."

Well.

As I wrote before the last election in Alberta, reports of Ed Stelmach's demise were greatly exaggerated.

And, that quote is just as apt today.  Certainly, the party is having to roll up its sleeves and respond to the challenges of the current economy, however, what was rumoured to be a flood of MLA defections in fact turned out to be a trickle of a couple malcontents.

However - there is an Alberta political party leader in very hot water, and it does come as one of his MLA's has defected from the party.

As reported in the Calgary Herald, Calgary MLA Dave Taylor today announced his resignation from the Liberal Party of Alberta, deciding to now sit as an independant.

As reported in the Herald:

In resigning from the Alberta Liberal caucus today to sit as an independent, Calgary-Currie MLA Dave Taylor criticized David Swann’s Grit leadership and called on him to resign.

“The trouble with today’s Alberta’s Liberals is that nobody is leading, nobody is following and nobody will get out of the way,” Taylor said at a media conference in Calgary, adding he’s lost confidence in Swann’s ability to head the party.

“David Swann’s Alberta Liberals are not talking about the things that Albertans want to talk about, that they want their politicians to talk about.”

So, how about that?

The opposition of nine has become the opposition of eight.

I'm sure that Dave Taylor's exit will not, in the least, impact on the incredible job the Alberta Liberal opposition has done in contributing to the governance of this Province (note heavy, heavy sarcasm).

Personally, I don't know Dave Taylor, but off and on he has struck me as a person of integrity and commitment, and while I don't necessarily agree with his political philosophy, I wish him well as an independant.

And I wish to offer my condolences to Alberta Liberal supporters..  I realize in this time of grief, that words are so inadequate, however, perhaps these words from W.C. Fields will offer some comfort:

When we have lost everything, including hope, life becomes a disgrace, and death a duty.

The Liberal Raison D’Etre - Wasting Your Tax Dollars

If there was any doubt that the raison d'etre of the Liberal Party of Canada is to find inventive ways of wasting your tax dollars, Ruby Dhalla has erased it with her recent private member bill seeking to reduce from 10 years to 3 years the wait for new immigrants to be entitled to Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement..

Not content to simply pay parents, regardless of their income, NOT to look after their children under their Universal Child Care fiasco, the LPC is now endorsing a plan to assure that new immigrants do not have to wait 10 years before they can jump on the government dole.

Nice.

And while some may argue that this is a private members bill from the nanny-abuser, Ruby Dhalla, the fact is that the bill has now been seconded by Bob Rae (big suprise, I know, that Bob Rae would get on board with throwing a few million dollars away for no good reason), and so now the question is, will any MP's, including the Conservatives, have enough cajones to say "no" to the strong immigrant populations in the major metro areas who I'm sure would love to bring aging parents and grandparents into Canada on the taxpayer dime.

Now - in fairness, there are at last some Liberals who, themselves, question the wisdom of this bill, including Judy Sgro, the Official Opposition Critic for Seniors and Pensions, who has advised against the bill suggesting "it would prompt the expenditure of between $300 and $700 million”.

Oddly enuogh, however, the so-called "leader" of the Liberal party, Michael Ignatieff, is completely silent - as usual, trying to ride that narrow fence doing whatever is necessary to either attract votes, or, at minimum, saying nothing that would alienate any voter.

So.

Break down, make a call, send an email or letter to your MP saying, "Support this bill at your peril."

As Peter Worthington writes today in the Toronto Sun, if you don't, this bill is so stupid, it might just pass.

Stephen Harper - Time to Step Up

Now we find out about leadership.

In the wake of Helena Guergis resigning, and Stephen Harper referring her to both the ethics commissioner and the RCMP for investigation, we will find out what Stephen Harper is made of.  Is he just another typical Canadian politician, a la Jean Chretien, or is he made up sterner stuff?

There are more important things that winning elections and influencing polls - namely, standing up and doing the "right thing".  As I blogged on another site yesterday, I have no more use for a dirty Conservative than I do for a dirty Liberal.  In fact, I expect more.  A good part of the reason that the Conservatives are in power is in direct response to the shameful Liberal example in the Adscam fiasco - where we saw what leadership truly wasn't.

So - at this time, I would suggest that fellow Conservatives refrain from complaining about Michael Ignatieff's comments and the maintstream media, and instead, demand the same answers being sought by the opposition parties - namely, what, if anything, did she do, and who, if anyone esle, was involved.

Time will tell how this will play out for Mr. Harper - but his immediate and unequivocal action today is a good start.

PQ: They can't handle the truth.

Just another thought on this horse's ass, this demagogue, Gilles Duceppe.

Canada, at present, is just starting to turn the corner on a recession that has left businesses struggling, has left fathers and mothers without jobs - which impact, I am sure, is no less significant in the Province of Quebec than elsewhere in this country.

Yet - just as we receive news that Canada (not Quebec) is outpacing economic recovery of all G7 countries by a 3 to 1 margin, we see this buffoon taking his show on the road - almost begging the world not to invest in Canada, and certainly not to invest in Quebec.

Montreal, once a Canadian powerhouse, is now a shadow of its former self, to no small thanks to the asinine separatist policy of the Parti Quebecois.

And consider this:

According to the Conference Board of Canada, forecasted economic growth for the Provinces will be as follows for 2010:

British Columbia 3.7%

Ontario 3.5%

Alberta 2.5%

Saskatchewan 2.5%

Newfoundland and Labrador 2.4%

Quebec 2.2%

Manitoba 2%

Nova Scotia 1.9%

Prince Edward Island 1.9%

New Brunswick 1.7%

Canada 2.8%

While B.C. and Ontario in particular are expected to rebound strongly - Quebec, to no surprise, will grow at a pace below the national average. 

Probably a good time, Gilles, to create uncertainty in the business community regarding Quebec's future.

Way to go.

Oh.  And by the way...  while standing around like the corner bum with your hand out to the rest of Canada, if you're not going to roll up your sleaves and contribute your fair share - the least you could do is not piss on the effort of every other Province to do the hard work it takes to keep you and yours in poutine.

To paraphrase:

Mr. Duceppe, as you ramble around Canada telling the rest of us what you feel Quebec is entitled to, I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain the stupidity of the PQ to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the financial support the rest of Canada provides, and then questions the manner in which we provide it! I would rather you just said "Thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you get off your ass and start supporting yourself.  Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!

PQ: Their Hypocrisy is Staggering

So.

Gilles Duceppe is on his cross-country tour, explaining to Canada how, well, Quebec doesn't need or want to be in our club, but, gosh, they want to be our pals after they give us the grand "f*ck you".

As reported in the Toronto Sun, Duceppe believes that "the status quo will make Quebec grow politically and economically weaker in Canada and that will lead to a decline in the French language."

Really?

Well, I'm sure the net subsidy of $5 billion they receive from the rest of Canada is a major pain in the ass economically for them.

As well, as they pay less tax, per capita, than other Canadians (23% of tax while holding 25% of the population), I'm sure taking on their 25% of the national debt as their own responsibility (without those pesky net transfer payments) will also benefit their economy.

And let's not forget the aboriginal population in Quebec.  Certainly, as disingenuous as Gilles Duceppe and his cohorts are, they cannot suggest that 50% plus 1 entitles THEM to separate, but that aboriginal people, in particular, the Grand Council of the Crees, should not have that same right.  As polls show over 90% of aboriginal people would prefer to remain a part of Canada - it would appear that not only would Quebec lose significant economic benefits, but would lose part of its current territory as well.

As for more esoteric issues - such as their "cultural sovereignty", one can easily imagine the reaction of the rest of Canada to a decision to secede.  I, for one, could not imagine the necessity or the economic wisdom of continuing any program of bilingualism in the absence of Quebec.  Imagine, then, the increasing pressure placed upon Quebec to assert its culture without the assistance of Ottawa - particularly in being required to deal, one on one, with the economic juggernaut which is the United States of America.

Yes, Gilles, I'm sure continued participation in this club called, "Canada" is a terrible economic and social burden upon your Province.

The ultimate symbolic irony of these separatist punks?

Recall, after losing the 1995 referendum, how Jacques Parizeau betrayed the racist and bigoted agenda of the Parti Quebecois:

"It's true, it's true that we have been defeated, but basically by what? By money and ethnic votes, essentially."  

A year later, Parizeau was clearly unrepentant over his outrageous comments, stating in an interview, "I would never have thought we would have found ten or twelve polls in west-end Montreal [where many English-speaking Montrealers reside and where the overwhelming majority of Jewish Montreal residents are located] where there was zero Yes votes...a remarkable polarization." (Toronto Globe and Mail, November 5, 1996.)



Hmm.

Well, now that the fat pig Parizeau is, predictably, having health problems - where is he?  Well, in the centre of the hotbed of Quebec federalism, in that nest of vipers who, apparently, single-handedly destroyed his vision of an independent Quebec.

At Montreal's Jewish General Hospital.

Isn't that just too predictable?  I hate you, but please help me!

Hypocrisy is too soft a word for these PQ bastards.

Attention all passengers: Your Ship is in Good Hands

"Hey, Hillary.. you like apples?
How 'bout these apples?"

As reported in the Star today, Canada's economy is outpacing those of fellow members of the G7, showing 6.2% growth, compared to the average growth rate of 1.9%.

The Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation, or OECD, said Canada's economy likely grew 6.2 per cent in the first three months of 2010. The average for G7 nations is 1.9 per cent.

TORONTO STAR GRAPHIC

This translates into greater tax revenue.

This translates into job growth.

As reported, economists expect that the Canadian economy added about 28,000 jobs in March.

This is REAL.

This matters to Canadians.

This isn't a news story about Michael Ignatieff's lame effort at making himself relevant, and just making himself look desperate by dragging the "abortion" debate out of the closet, only to show that he can't even manage his own troops, let alone a country as diverse as Canada.

This isn't a news story about some staffer writing a letter to the editor supporting her boss, again, dredged up by some tragic hope that it will distract Canadians from the growing obvious - that the country is in good hands, and that the Liberal party has nothing new to offer.

This isn't a news story about how we should weep and wail for lying terrorists in Afghanistan, who MAY have been abused - not by our troops, but by those who we transferred them to.

This is a story giving us some good news about our Country, a story about the reality that matters to each and every one of us.

Though I'm sure, if Michael Ignatieff had his way, the economy would still be in the toilet, much like it is south of the border under the growing incompetence of Barak Obama.

The Liberal Shift Regarding Domestic Terrorism.

The Trunk Containing the Remains of Pierre Laporte.. 

do you smell bullshit?

Following up on the reports of the attacks on Carleton students Nick Bergamini and his Israeli roommate, Mark Klibanov, apparently for no reason other than because they were, to use the words of the alleged attackers, "Zionists and fucking Jews", the initial response of some Liberal supporters has been, to put it lightly, curious.

As in, non-existant.

The same people who were, and are, up in arms about what Mark Steyn or Ezra Levant write, are curiously silent on the physical assaults and machete attack on Bergamini and Klibanov.

Of course, there have been a couple exceptions.

From Big City Liberal Strikes Back,

"I Smell Bullshit

I do. If I am wrong--if, for instance, charges are laid--than Mr. Bergamini will get a patented BCLSB apology, and I will issue a patented BCLSB denunciation of the attackers. I haven't done one of those in a while. It'd be fun. Until then, I am smelling bullshit.

In response to my blog on the attack, Cherniak_WTF responds likewise:

I smell bullshit on this story - so let's see where this goes. Already the media have distorted this story (Ynet is reporting that they were attacked on campus)

It strikes me that, as Canadians - not as "Liberals"or "Conservatives" or whatever, but as Canadians, we have to stand unequivocally against violence as a tool of influence.  Particularly in the realm of issues of foreign discord - we cannot allow Canada to be a feeding ground for continuing violence and intimidation which has become the norm elsewhere in the world.

When we welcome citizens of other countries, whether they are Israeli or Palestinian, the message has to be, "This is a country where using violence as a means of influence is not tolerated."  When our own citizens are in discord, the message is the same.

As much as Pierre Elliot Trudeau is hardly an icon in Western Canada, when terrorism erupted on our soil during the FLQ crisis, his response was unequivocal and immediate.  When a typically small "l" liberal reporter seemed to take umbrage with the reaction of the Government to FLQ violence, and asked the Prime Minister at 6:00 into the following clip "how far would you go with that, how far would you extend that", Trudeau's response? 

"Just watch me."



This is leadership.  Love him or hate him, he understood that "tolerance" did not include tolerating violence against our citizens, what he refers to as "blackmale" to accomplish political ends.

How far the Liberals have strayed.

Flames Miss Playoffs - Ignatieff Blames Lack of Reproductive Choice

"Without a doubt, the failure of the Calgary Flames management to offer full reproductive choices to their players was the cause of the team failing to advance to the playoffs this season", said Ignatieff at a post-game press conference.

Michael Ignatieff warned Brent Sutter early in the season not to play “ideological games” with player performance, advising him that the team's commitment to success must extend to abortion programs.

“Let’s keep the ideology out of this and move forward,” said the Liberal leader.
Mr. Ignatieff says he supports Coach Sutter's philosphy of demanding greater effort and consistency from his key players,  but cautioned that the team cannot succeed unless the players “have a full range of contraceptive options and have control of their fertility.”

Surrounded by Liberal women MPs, Mr. Ignatieff noted that former U.S. President George W. Bush banned federal funding to the American Olympic  hockey team if it performed abortions or provided information about abortion as an option.

“We don’t want the Flames to go that way,” Mr. Ignatieff said. “We want to make sure the Flames have access to all the contraceptive methods available to control their fertility because we don’t want to have players losing games because of botched procedures, we don’t want to have players losing in misery.”

He says he wants to “lay down a marker” now for the Flames, acknowledging that he has no firm evidence that Brent Sutter is planning to go the Bush route.

When asked for his response to Ignatieff's suggestions, Brent Sutter shook his head and said, "What the f*** is he talking about?"

Providing the Abortion Option to Afghan Detainees

Published on Wednesday, Apr. 07, 2010 5:39AM EDT

In the most damning evidence against the Canadian military yet, documents uncovered by the Liberal Party have established, conclusively, that Afghan detainees were denied access to safe abortions while in custody of Canadian armed forces.

During a press conference early today, Liberal leader,Michael Ignatieff, disclosed the information to a throng of salivating Ottawa reporters.

Michael Ignatieff warned Stephen Harper today not to play “ideological games” with detainees health, suggesting that the welfare of detainees in Canadian care, "compels us to assure that such care should extend to abortion programs."

“Let’s keep the ideology out of this and move forward,” said the Liberal leader at a morning press conference.

Mr. Ignatieff says he acknoweldges that the evidence to date makes it clear that there is no evidence of mistreatment of detainees in Canadian care, but cautioned that detainees must “have a full range of contraceptive options and have control of their fertility.”

Surrounded by Liberal women MPs, Mr. Ignatieff noted that former U.S. President George W. Bush banned federal funding to international groups that performed abortions or provided information about abortion as an option.

“We don’t want us to go that way,” Mr. Ignatieff said. “We want to make sure that detainees have access to all the contraceptive methods available to control their fertility because we don’t want to have detainees dying because of botched procedures, we don’t want to have detainees dying in misery.”

He says he wants to “lay down a marker” now for the Conservatives, acknowledging that he has no firm evidence that Mr. Harper is planning to go the Bush route.

When asked for a comment, Stephen Harper's only reply was, " I can't believe they appointed this guy as leader."

Well, from *surprise*.. Carleton University Comes REAL Hate Crime

Attention:

Drunken, Obnoxious Lesbians at Comedy Shows;
Federal and Provincial Human Rights Commissions;

This is what a hate crime looks like, from today's National Post.

Note - the threats, the physical assault, the chasing, the swinging of machetes, accompanied by screams  in English and Arabic of "Zionist" and "fucking Jews".

This is what a hate crime looks like.

This is what passes for "politically correct" apparently at Carleton University.

And they are worried at University of Ottawa about Ann Coulter?

Isn't it ironic that here, in Alberta, WE are alleged to be the intollerant ones, where, truly, we're a bunch of amateurs in that department compared to, *gasp*, Ottawa.

Welcome to Ontario's "Brave New World".

Welcome to Ottawa, the birth place of the "new" fascism.

Well. At the risk of offending heroin addicts..

So.

Apparently heroin junkies and their families are offended with the mural on the wall of the Vancouver #2 Fire Department.

A picture of the grim reaper, next to a syringe, followed by the caption, "It's not the end of the world...  but we can see it from here".

Well, now it's coming down, according to the good folks at the Globe and Mail, titling their article, "Grim Mural No Laughing Matter".  Thanks to yet another group of heroin pushers... err...  do-gooders, who are worried this is discriminatory and offensive.

Really?

While paramedics in other areas get to spend their days helping people survive car accidents and many other injuries and illnesses that aren't their fault - more and more, these men and women get to spend their days wasting time doing scooping up trash, dead and dying heroin addicts littering  the downtown eastside.

And... quite clearly, at a certain point, the message is put up on their wall, that those in their neighborhood, have created a little piece of hell on earth.

Go ahead.

Take a drive down East Hastings and tell me I'm wrong.

But, in this time of "political correctness", we no longer describe things as they are; we just pretend they are something different.

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, a heroin addict is mostly just counting the days till it's their turn to get scooped up and put out in the trash.

Maybe the EMT's at #2 should just take photos in their neighborhood and put those up on the walls of their firehouse.

Sorry junkies.

I'm sorry "I" offended "YOU".

And Now For Something Completely Different..

Michael Ignatieff:  "Alright then, Harper..  we'll call it a draw."

Alright.

So, we've been listening to Michael Ignatieff and his new "plan" for Canada - buying more foreign abortions, whether developing countries want them or not..

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, as Michael Ignatieff is, using his words, having "a bad day at the office", busy playing silly bugger with George Stroumboulopoulos and the Canadian people, Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are busy moving our economy forward at a pace quicker than experts predicted - putting our U.S. neighbors and their "dream team" of Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton to shame. 

As reported in today's Financial Post:

From Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist, BMO Capital Markets: 

Canadian real GDP powered ahead by 0.6% in January, the fastest monthly rise in more than three years and compared with a consensus call of 0.5%. The Canadian recovery is becoming more fully entrenched and is showing surprising strength, with the goods-producing sector in full rebound mode. Importantly, the recovery looks to be broadening beyond the initial push in housing and consumer spending, as manufacturing has advanced for five straight months. With today’s result, first-quarter growth is now set to top Q4’s 5% growth rate.

From Eric Lascelles, chief economics and rates strategist, TD Securities:

From: Paul Ferley, assistant chief economist, Royal Bank of Canada

With this monthly figure in hand, we can begin to speculate about what the entirety of the first-quarter GDP may hold. As it currently stands, even flat figures for February and March translate into a gain of more than 4.5%, and the assumption of a Vancouver Olympic kick for February brings the possibility of an outcome in the 5-6% range. This is quite something, and adds fuel to the fire for the Bank of Canada. In turn, barring some major unexpected economic shock, it is hard to imagine the Bank of Canada raising rates any later than July, and it must be conceded that June is at least theoretically possible, especially given Governor Carney's most recent speech.

The increase exceeded expectations. We are getting indications that the strong growth that we finished 2009 at looks like it is continuing into early 2010 -- which is in contrast to the United States which had a strong fourth quarter number [5.6% annualized] but we are getting a sense that halved in the first quarter. That is not the case for Canada. The strength seems to be continuing. We have been talking about growth at 3.1% for 2010, but that was premised on first-quarter growth of 3.8%. But with this monthly increase, it is suggesting that the 5% [fourth-quarter] growth will continue into the first quarter of this year. If so, that would be pointing to growth this year closer to 3.5%.

From Derek Holt, vice-president of economics, Scotia Capital:

If the Canadian economy grows not one dime further over the rest of this quarter, then quarterly annualized growth would come in at 4.7% for 2010Q1. If the economy grew by 0.3% in each of February and March which would be at the low end of the range recorded in the past five months, then quarterly annualized growth would equal 6%. Regardless, it’s safe to say that growth is coming in much stronger than the Bank of Canada and Scotia Economics had forecast in January, and likely still stronger than recent expectations. The Bank of Canada's last January forecast had Q1 growth pegged at 3.5%.

Which, really, begs the question:

How can the markets get healthier without allowing them a full spectrum of reproductive choices?

Ignatieff with Stroumbolopolos, "Principles are for losers.."

As painful as you may find it, watch this video.

And then consider:

In response to why his party didn't support it's own motion to force to include "a broader range of programs" (abortion) in maternal health initiatives for developing countries, at 1:46, Ignatieff attempts to stake the moral high ground, suggesting that

"Remember something else about leadership.  This is a passionate moral issue for some Canadians, and I'm the kind of guy that respects differences of opinion..   and I just feel that I can't compel on a matter of conscience.  I can compel and crack the whip on lots of issues, but not on an issue touching on fundamental moral and even religious principle, so there we are."

Ok.  So far so good - while I think his effort is, from the outset, morally vaccuous and disingenuine, suggesting that to help poor women and children from starving and being malnourished, we HAVE TO provide them access to abortion... but, at least he acknoweldges the entitlement of, for example, Catholic members of his caucus not to support something that they, in their heart,believe to be sanctioning murder.  So, well, give him props for at least that.. if nothing else.

But wait.

Watch him at the end of the video, and don't jus listen to the words, watch his face.  It would make Machiavelli blush:

"We came a couple of votes short, George, and I made it very, very clear.  I never want to see that happen again."

Translated, for those who don't speak weasel.

"I know I said I respect the right of those few who DO have principles in my party to hold on to them, but, well, that was all bullshit.  What I really mean is principles don't matter a damn to me.  If I have to force my Catholic members to check their morals at the door of Parliament, well, that's exactly what I'll do."

In less than 4 minutes, Michael Ignatieff displays his inability to hold onto a principle for even that long.