Saturday, October 1, 2011

The Conservative's Sick Relationship With Big Oil

It's pretty much a given that our current federal Government fellatiates big business and the "1%" on a fairly regular basis.  Hell, our majority Government are nothing more than "bitches in suits" to Alberta Oil and the Tar Sands. And our Conservative government are pretty arrogant about it, believing that servicing the syphilitic members of the affluent is not only an honour and a privilege, but also  what's in the best interest of the country. They carry out their mission from the Godless with ruthless abandon, systematically severing the heads from all those who threaten their status with the corporate world. And they demand gilt embossed business cards in return for all the time they spend on their knees.

But let's say, for the sake of argument, that these Neo Cons truly believe in what they are doing, thinking that reshaping the country by burying our social values while giving free reign to the Corporatist minority is really good for the country. Let's just imagine for a moment that they really aren't reptilian aliens bent on world domination and enslaving the entire human population. It's a stretch I know, but bear with me here.

To say that these guys are capitalists with a capital "C" is pretty much a given. But I would go beyond that, calling them "Corporatists", meaning that they value the 1% over and above all other human beings, believing that these "movers and shakers" are superior beings, here to bestow their greatness upon all the land and that  reducing the population to nothing more than indentured servitude is in everybody's best interest. They believe that their brand of economics, based on the Calgary School, the Chicago School and the Fraser Institute is vastly superior to anything that has come before it. Never mind that their philosophies are nothing more than rehashed Classical or Neo economic Liberalism. They believe that a robust and completely unfettered Corporate class will make everything right in our land. That their unbridled success will in someway benefit all of us as well as our country and our society in general. The theory behind this being that the "invisible hand" of Capitalism will make things even out, make sure that the wealth somehow trickles down to us lowly surfs and that the laws of supply and demand will regulate the market place.

The problem is, the "invisible hand" doesn't exist. It is nothing more than a mythical creature, about as credible as the existence of Unicorns, or perhaps more appropriately, Minotaurs. The proof of which is in the ever widening gulf between the rich and the poor and the reality that 1% of our population holds over 35% of all the wealth in the world and that our financial institutions are able to hold on to literally, trillions of dollars and are refusing to share it. 

Where was the "invisible hand" when the housing bubble burst in the States? When large financial institutions got fat off of peddling false hopes to the population? Was there any omnipotent self-regulating deity around to tell the banks that what they were doing was killing the economy and bankrupting millions of poor working schmucks like you and I? Nope! They had an angle and they worked it to the max, at the expense of you and I, then received trillions of dollars in bail-out money from the American Government just so they could keep their doors open... and give bonuses to their execs, and to subsequently hoard it. They behaved like gluttonous spoiled kids in a candy store with no parent about to moderate their sugar intake. Nope, no self-regulating Capitalist Gods were present then. 

The heart and soul of Capitalism is Consumerism. In order for Capitalism to work, there needs to be a healthy population with money in their pockets  who are able to "consume". The advent of the labour movement and the subsequent rise of the middle class made for a very healthy Capitalist society in the mid 20th century. People had rights and freedoms as well as a chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage. Our way of life seemed vastly superior to the more oppressive communist regimes of the time and it ultimately buried communism on the world stage. In the end, the Berlin Wall fell and all seemed right with the world.

The most industrious of all industrialists, Henry Ford had a lot to do with that. Love him or hate him, Ford realized that if anyone was going to buy the millions of cars he was mass producing, he was going to have to pay his workers better. So he did. They in effect, became the consumers of what Ford was producing. And this arrangement seemed to work for everyone. And that model was replicated over and over again to the benefit of the workers and the industrialists alike.

But now, the Corporatists seem hell bent on exterminating the Labour movement and driving down wages because these wages are supposedly undercutting their profit margins. Like it's our fault that these guys can't be as rich as they want to be.  I wonder what Ford would have to say about an industrialist who blames the market place for their inability to succeed. But then, he once said that:"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business". Looking at our financial institutions today, very prophetic words I would say.

Like it or not, we the consumers, are the cattle that feed the Corporate giants. They are supposed to keep us fat and healthy so that they, in turn, can become  fatter and healthier. It's supposed to be a symbiotic relationship. Except the Corporatists, the ones who produce nothing, are behaving more like  cancerous organisms and are looking at killing off their entire heard of consumers in their gluttony.  In so doing, they are dooming their own fate, not to mention that of our country and the entire world.

And while we're on the subject of cancerous organisms, lets take a look at our Corporatist loving Conservative Government's slavish love affair with the Tar Sands. Our heads of state have told us repeatedly that they want Canada to be an energy super-power. And that of course, means scouring every last drop of oil from the Tar Sands, regardless of the impact on the environment. This crazed consumption of a natural resource that neglects the impact on the surrounding environment is much like how a cancerous organism reacts with it's host.

But besides the environmental catastrophe unfolding before our very eyes on a daily basis, lets look at the economic logistics of this. The Conservative's idea of becoming an energy super-power amounts to putting all of our eggs into a very leaky, oily basket. The entire world knows that fossil fuels are killing the environment and we need to find alternative energy resources. And the entire world is beginning to mobilize to that end. Hence, other countries who are investing for the future, are becoming world leaders in alternative sources of energy.  But besides that, fossil fuels are non renewable. That means that we can and will , run out some day. Many scientists already claim we are much closer to that day than we think, hence the panicked rush to look for oil in the arctic, despite the environmental impact and the titanic logistical undertaking involved.

But even before the last drop of crude is sucked from the soil, there will come a tipping point at which the demand will exceed the supply. We may already be there. Why else would we all be so willing to pay such outlandish prices for a tank of gas.  It has been determined that a global oil shortage will occur long before the mass implementation of new sources of energy to power our cars and heat our homes. Hence, economic melt-down because of the myopic vision of our world leaders and their love-fetish with oil.

So building a strong Canada for the future, based on Oil, is like investing heavily in building a buggy whip factory next to one of Henry Ford's factories. It is remarkably short sighted not to mention stupid from an economic stand point. And this from a Prime Minister who claims to be an economist. He should be asking for his money back from the University of Calgary.

Looking then at the Federal Government's sick relationship with the cancerous Corporatists and their destructive, shortsighted investment in the Tar Sands, they must either be high-priced concubines, or at best, simply have rocks in their heads.



Wednesday, August 3, 2011

A Background Into Harpernomics.

Milton Friedman
I was quite shocked to learn that Milton Freidman, noted Free-Market-Free-Booter and  God-Father of the "Chicago School" of Economics considered himself a "Liberal".

Friedman of course, was Augusto Pinochet's go-to guy in the 70s when the American backed dictator was brutally recreating Chilean society.

Friedman believed that the only purpose for Government was in the protection of the people. Literally meaning, the provision of a military and  police force. And as we know all too well, Pinochet made good use of his. The Government, according to Friedman, has no business regulating business which should be free of any and all constraints to operate in any manner that maximizes profits. All for the greater good of course. In addition, education and healthcare are essentially business opportunities best left to the private sector. Any Government involvement in these areas should be cursory if at all, as with charter schools in the U.S.

So when Friedman referred to himself as a "Liberal", he did not mean in the same sense as a 21st century social Liberal might. He was talking about being an "economic Liberal", meaning it should be open season everywhere in the world for business to do as it pleases.

Now I've always thought of Liberalism as being of the "Social" variety. Meaning it's adherents can range anywhere from the centre of the political spectrum to approaching the far left. To my 21st century understanding, Liberalism is progressive, democratic, big on equal rights and recognizes to varying degrees, the state's responsibility not just to protect it's citizens , but to look after the poor, elderly and marginalized as well. In addition, in the name of equality, every and all citizens have a right to appropriate health care and equal education.

Conversely, I understood "Conservatism" to mean that there is more of a commitment to capitalism and free-markets and a belief that a healthy environment for business meant a healthy economy, happy citizens and a healthy country. In addition, Conservatism recognizes religion, particularly Christianity in the formation of our social values and that "family" in the biblical sense, is the cornerstone of a strong society.

Then, there are areas in the middle of the "Political Centre"  where the modern concepts of Liberalism and Conservatism overlap. This is where you get "Red Tories" and "Blue Liberals" or more accurately, Liberal Conservatives and Conservative Liberals.

On closer examination it appears that the philosophy behind Liberalism, has been around since the 19th century. This earliest form however, is referred to as "Classical-Liberalism" and was the antithesis of Socialism. According to Wikipedia, the core beliefs of Classical-Liberalism are:

"... classical liberals made four assumptions about human nature: People were "egoistic, coldly calculating, essentially inert and atomistic". Being egoistic, people were motivated solely by pain and pleasure. Being calculating, they made decisions intended to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. If there were no opportunity to increase pleasure or reduce pain, they would become inert. Therefore, the only motivation for labor was either the possibility of great reward or fear of hunger. This belief led classical liberal politicians to pass the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, which limited the provision of social assistance. On the other hand, classical liberals believed that men of higher rank were motivated by ambition. Seeing society as atomistic, they believed that society was no more than the sum of its individual members. These views departed from earlier views of society as a family and, therefore, greater than the sum of its members". 

In addition, our friends at "The Wiki" add this rather chilling observation about Classical-Liberalism:

 
"Adopting Thomas Malthus's population theory, they saw poor urban conditions as inevitable, as they believed population growth would outstrip food production; and they considered that to be desirable, as starvation would help limit population growth. They opposed any income or wealth redistribution, which they believed would be dissipated by the lowest orders".

 Friedrich Hayek
It's no small wonder given the above description that both Milton Friedman and his mentor, Friedrich Hayek are both listed as Classical-Liberals. Though if I hadn't known better, I would have thought that the above description from Wikipedia more accurately described today's more radical right-wing Conservatives. Case in point, I would have assumed the doctrine of Classical-Liberalism sounds more like that of Stephen Harper and his Merry band of Neo-Cons.

 It's interesting to note that Tom Flanagan, A senior member of the "Calgary School" of Economics (a parallel of the Chicago School) is a Conservative, a Senior Fellow at the Conservative leaning Fraser Institute (That's right, the same Fraser institute that has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from the American Free-Booting, tea-sipping Koch brothers) and was a top adviser to our Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Yet Flanagan claims to be an adherent of the 
 Friedrich Hayek school of economic and political thought. Hayek of course, being a Classical-Liberal.

Tom Flanagan
Today's Classical-Liberals are more accurately referred to as Libertarians. There are varying degrees of Libertarians, all of whom advocate for limited Government, the most extreme of whom, would be anarchists who believe there should be no government what-so-ever.

So, what does all this blather actually mean? Well it means that people like Milton Friedman,  Friedrich Hayek, Tom Flanagan and  Stephen Harper, just to name a few, can accurately label themselves as not just Conservatives, or Neo-Conservatives or Ultra Right-Wing Conservatives, they can also lay claim to the monikers of Liberals, Classical-Liberals or Libertarians. All of which leaves me very, very confused.

Stephen Harper
So I think that the terms "Conservative" and "Liberal" are now entirely out-dated and inaccurate. Even the term "Capitalist" is inaccurate as  Capitalism can be embraced by either modern social-Liberals OR Progressive  Conservatives. But I think there are two phrases that more accurately sum up the two schools of thought that currently find themselves at war with each other.  One is: "Corporatism" which embraces all those notions of Free-Markets and no government, the rich get richer while the poor become cattle for the industrial elite.

The other phrase is a very old one. It's been demonized over the years, starting with the "Red Scare" of the late 40s. It's been drilled into our heads as being a description of evil itself. But today, this label is the antithesis of Corporatism. It is the only one that speaks to a social conscience. It is the only one that embraces equality, progressiveness, all-inclusiveness. It speaks to the rights and freedoms of every citizen in our country. That phrase is "Socialism".

It's time that label was seen in a new light. That it be stripped of the demonic aura that was cast upon it by the Corporatists of Post War America. Socialism is the only label and school of thought that now accurately expresses and encompasses the needs and rights of the average citizen.

We are trapped in a culture war ladies and gentlemen. Harper, Flanagan Friedman and the Corporatists have drawn up the battle lines and you and I are most definitely not on their side. The only way to fight for our rights, to fight for our freedom, to fight the Corporatists, is with Socialism. And yet the one political party in our country who can claim to have a social-democratic conscience, is looking at removing the word "Socialist" from it's mission statement.

So we have to either learn to embrace the concept of Socialism, to stop viewing it as the "Great Red Evil" or learn to embrace the Corporatist role for 99% of all citizens, you and I that is,  as mindless cattle or slave labor for the uber-rich elite.

Social Democracy

Monday, July 18, 2011

Let's Never Forget Who Stephen Harper Is


Let us never forget fellow Canadians, that "Little Stevie Harper" (pictured above) was a powerful influence upon the radical, western-centric, ideological lobby-group-come-political party along with the hyper-evangelical, free-market, anti government flake, Preston Manning. It was little Stevie "The Wonder-kin" Harper who coined the rather catchy 1988 Reform Campaign Slogan of: "The West Want's In". Into what was never adequately explained, but now it appears that "The West "Owns It".



Harper left the Reform Party in 1992 due to a disagreement with Manning, who was not radical enough for Harper's liking. So Stevie became head of the National Citizens Coalition, a Corporate Canada Lobby group who's name is misleading to say the least, and used their $50,000 in third-party print and media advertisement   to spring-board him back into the Reform Party and into Parliament.


Harper left Parliament in 1997 and in that year, made a speech to the Uber-conservative American Think-tank "Council For National Policy" in which he made the following statements:

-"Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it"

-"if you're like all Americans, you know almost nothing except for your own country. Which makes you probably knowledgeable about one more country than most Canadians", and

-"the NDP [New Democratic Party] is kind of proof that the Devil lives and interferes in the affairs of men."

Gee! Sounds like  Harper has a distinct lack of respect for Canadians and those principles and values that Canadians have come to embrace as defining our unique culture. 


In 2000, Stevie Harper encouraged Alberta to build a "firewall" around itself to protect it from a Canadian Government which he claimed :
"appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country". In 2002, Harper became the leader of the re-branded Reform Party who now referred to them selves as the "Canadian Alliance". They hoped the new euphemistic name would  gather more centre-right votes and credibility east of Alberta. They were wrong.

In 2003, Peter MacKay was elected the last leader of the floundering Progressive  Conservative Party.  He won leadership on the condition that he not negotiate an amalgamation with the Harper Reform/Alliance party. MacKay made this promise then promptly broke it after assuming the P.C. leadership. This Enabled Steve the Reformist to take control Of the Progressive Conservatives. He promptly dropped the "Progressive" moniker and by usurping the Conservative name, The Reform Party was finally able to gain the attention of voters outside of Alberta, not realizing that Harper was a Reformist in Conservative clothing. 


So never EVER forget fellow Canadians, Stevie Harper was, is and will always be a Reform Partyist. The Conservative Party of today, is simply the old Reform Party, re-branded once again.

And in case you've forgotten, Stephen The Reformist Harper believes in:

-Privatizing our health-care system which would result in a multi-tiered health-care system that would see those with the most money able to buy their way to the front of the line of the best health services while the rest of us would have to make do with understaffed, underfunded, feces infested health clinics.

-Privatizing our education system which, like the health system, would create a multi-tiered system with the rich able to purchase the best education and the rest of us making do with substandard materiel and curriculum. We would all be "just" educated enough to run the machines for Corporate Canada. Consider just how
inequitable our current private University system is.

- Union Busting Meaning that all the services listed above would be non unionized with no protection for employees or clients working for substandard wages while delivering the maximum profits to the private companies running them. This would be the same throughout industry. No unions means no employee protection, no minimum wages and few if any employee rights.

- Removal of all government regulations pertaining to Big Banks and Big Business Again, this would give Corporate Canada carte-blanch to do business as it sees fit at the expense of it's employees and each and every natural resource and asset Canada currently protects.

- Removal of all trade barriers which would give huge multi-national corporations free access to all of our assets and resources. It would be an open invitation to big business to come and rape our country and exploit our children.

- Harper Condemned our lack of support for the invasion of Iraq which in his mind, meant that Canada missed out in the wild and wooly privatization of Iraq, it's oil fields, it's  education, it's health care and it's security. So Stevie would have us perpetually at war. We are leaving Afghanistan in time for Libya. This allows Steve to drape himself in the Flag of Canadian Nationalism while being in on the ground floor of the whole-sale privatization of war ravaged countries.  THIS is why Harper wants to buy F-35 jets and increase spending on the military: Not for the defense of the arctic but for U.S./NATO led war profiteering. 


Yes fellow Canadians, this is our friend Stephen the Reformist. We elected him. His intentions are clear. We can either stop him, or allow him to turn us all into a herd of cattle who are being led blindly and passively to the slaughter, all for the consumption of Corporate Canada.


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Thoughts on Stephen Harper and the Israeli Apartheid

It's interesting to note that in the last half century, there have been only five Conservative Prime Ministers. Four of them have been of the Progressive variety. The fifth and current one, well...is Conservative in name only. The current Neo-Con party being nothing more than just another twisted  incarnation of the old Reform/Alliance Party who have used and bastardized the name "Conservative".

But two of those Progressive Prime Ministers, John Diefenbaker and Brian Mulroney were strong ant-apartheid advocates. In fact, it was Mr. Diefenbaker who was instrumental in having South Africa removed from the Commonwealth of Nations for it's refusal to abandon apartheid. These men took a strong stance against a sister nation and co-member of the Commonwealth because they believed it was doing something that was inherently wrong.

I don't believe that either of these Canadian Prime Ministers considered them selves to be the enemy of South Africa. Probably far from it.  Both Canada and South Africa share a democratic and legal tradition that stems from our former mother country of England. We are basically, siblings in the global community. Our societies may be quite distinct, but our values remain very similar. But this didn't stop either Mr. Diefenbaker or Mr. Mulroney, both of whom wore the Progressive label with pride,  from doing what they thought was the right thing.

Today, there is another kind of apartheid going on. This time in Israel. Long simmering hostilities have left the dominant Jewish people of that nation in control and they have gradually, over time, reduced their Palestinian brethren to second class status. They have been sequestered on small parcels of land in an already tiny country. And even these parcels of land are being infringed upon by the Israeli state to the point where Palestinians are now essentially imprisoned and impoverished in their own land.  

This is not a state of affairs that anyone deliberately set out to accomplish. This is a region that has a history of hostility dating back thousands of years. In modern times, the Israeli's- our friends and allies- have fought war after war in an effort to maintain their nation status. As a result, fear, paranoia and hatred have become realities of Israeli existence and it has eventually lead to the current situation with respect to the Palestinians. 

Yes, Israel since it's inception, has been considered a friend and an ally. We here in North America remain strongly connected to the "Holy Land" because of our religious traditions. That and the fact that Israel is a fellow democratic nation that has drawn it's citizenry from all over the world, including Canada. But our friends have crossed a line and have taken the notion of their right to exist to such an extreme as to have inflicted this horrible apartheid on their Palestinian citizens. Yet instead of chastising our friend and Global neighbor for their current state of affairs, our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, who in reality exists too far out into right field as to be considered a Conservative, has taken the stance that the State of Israel can do no wrong. His attitude seeming to be that: "you stick by your friends no matter what" - and more disturbingly,he  has conveyed the message that anyone who criticizes Israel is probably Anti-Semitic.  

This seems to be an "all-or-nothing" kind of behaviour from our Prime Minister. When it first came to light that Afghan detainees handed over to the local authorities by Canadian troops were being tortured, Mr. Harper blustered on in Parliament that any member of the opposition or the press who was concerned about this issue was more concerned about the well being of the enemy then of our men and women in uniform. These critics most certainly, were absolutely un-Canadian! All or nothing with Mr. Harper. Blind, unconditional support, no matter the cost.

The Prime Minister has stated proudly and categorically that his Government will take several unpopular stances regarding it's foreign policy and will not bow to every "petty dictator who has a vote at the U.N.". A disturbing thought this, that our state leader considers the U.N. to be riddled with petty dictators. This might be a case of sour grapes resulting from Harper's shame-faced inability to gain a seat at the Security Counsel last fall, a seat that was ours to lose. Or it could be a case of twisted convictions/ a psychiatric disorder that renders him incapable of perceiving right from wrong.

What ever the cause of Mr. Harper's "all-or-nothing" world view, it has led to such heinous situations as our government blocking Asbestos from being listed as a hazardous substance by the U.N. (there's that U.N. connection again) because we make boat-loads of cash from shipping it to developing nations. And it has earned Canada the label of "Rogue Nation" by the E.U. So I guess it makes sense then that our Rogue Government would unconditionally support another Rogue Government, Israel.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Oh What a Canada Day!!!

An Iconic Canadian song from some good ol Boys from my Home town of Hamilton Ontario.


Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Harper government says no need to consult with Supreme Court re: Senate Reform.

Harper government says no need for top court's advice on Senate reform


Because "Mr. Smarmy Grin" at left there controls his party with an iron fist, And his party controls both the Upper and Lower House absolutely, Little Stevie H, always the last guy picked for hockey as a kid, now considers himself to have the powers of a king. He considers himself above the law. He brushes aside the Charter of rights and freedoms as though it were an irritating fly and thumbs his nose at a supreme court that he considers too liberal for his liking. Hence, the man has an air of absolute power. And I predict his reign will end badly

Friday, June 3, 2011

Senate page fired for protest | Politics and the Nation


With out a doubt, this  21 year old young lady is one "gutsy kid".

That some one with such a prestigious job as  Parliamentary Page would throw their position away for the sake of their beliefs is indeed inspiring. Mind you, she only had two months left on her contract. I wonder how she would explain this on a resume? "Left position because of philosophical differences with employer"?

But what a well timed metaphorical "slap in the face" for dear old Mr. Harper, to have such a noteworthy protest right in the middle of the Governor General reading the throne speech  and right under his nose, just meters from where he was seated. I wonder how many chairs paid the price for this bit of chicanery? (Harper, as has been discovered, is prone to childish outbursts of anger that includes the kicking of chairs)

But leave us hope that this single act of bravery will lead to a ground swelling of public protest and civil disobedience that will not abate until October 19th, 2015. So take note all ye students and Canadians of good conscience: Public assembly is a right. Public protest is a right. But Civil disobedience is now a matter of necessity.

Monday, May 9, 2011

We Have to Stop Looking for Excuses and Start Looking for Reasons

Other counties have their natural disasters, hurricanes, earth quakes, volcanoes... We call ours federal elections. It's been a week since our man made natural disaster occurred. As of yet, things have not turned entirely into shit. But four years is a long time to mess with a countries internal organs and I have little faith in the surgeon.

Be that as it may. The Government of Harper won fair and square. To say that the outcome is illegitimate is, at the very least, an expression of sour grapes. Our "first past the post" method of electing our Members of Parliament (remember, we elect MPs, not PMs) has been in existence since day one (if you start counting time at 1867 that is) and has benefited parties on both the right and the left.

As popular as he was and with the majority governments he had, Pierre Trudeau never had more than 45% of the popular vote. But no one (well not many anyway) called his governments "illegitimate". So blaming the Con victory on a flawed process is...well...flawed. As well, claiming that the Cons won because of vote splitting on the left is also in error. Remember, all the other parties combined won fewer seats then the Cons, so it doesn't matter HOW people on the left voted, they just shuffled votes and seats among themselves.

Simply put, The Cons were just more able to elect more MPS than anyone else. Why? I'm still coming to grips with this, but the Cons were able to persuade more voters that they were the better party to lead them as we recover from the global recession. Meaning on a day to day, community by community basis, The Cons appealed to more voters as the ones to best look after their interests.

So was this then an indictment on all the other parties, including the notion of a coalition government? or is this simply a matter of the Cons being able to do a better job of marketing? They knew their base, they knew the audience they needed to capture and went after them full bore. Which ever way it is, it's up for the other parties to decide and to act accordingly.

But until that happens, we are stuck with an ultra right wing theocracy of a government because the majority of their MPs won their respective elections fair and square. Ok, maybe not so fair or not so square, but they won them anyway. So we need to stop looking at flawed systems and vote splitting and concentrating on what it was that made the Cons appealing to so many Canadians. Again, still coming to grips with this one. But until this can be identified, we will be doomed to perpetual Right wing dogma.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Canadians Should be Proud of Themselves

Ok Canada, now is our chance. 

In countries of the near and far east, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Iran, Yemen, Syria etc.  Citizens have been protesting, fighting and dying for the right to have free and democratic elections, for the right of every citizen to have a say in the running of their country. Just like Canadians have a say.

At the beginning of this election, I heard all the rhetoric, that this is an "unnecessary election", that Canadians "don't want an election right now".   Well guess what boys and squirrels, that was all a myth.

If that were the case, the NDP would not be virtually neck and neck with the Cons on the eve of the election, something NO ONE with the possible exception of Jack Layton saw coming. And no one saw the possible demise of the Bloc Quebecois who on this last day of the campaign, have the commitment of about 3% of voters in Quebec.   

If this election were unnecessary or unwanted, there would not have been such a huge surge in the Youth vote. Advanced polls would not have seen a 37% increase in voter turn out over 2008.  And women would not have to be fighting a fierce battle for their health and reproductive rights. Not to mention the rights and protection of their children.   

So Canadians for one reason or another, are taking this election VERY seriously. Including the right-wing extremest who are stooping to never before seen acts of intimidation and violence in order to silence any and all dissenting voices... including the media.

There is, in fact, a high level of engagement with the citizenry for this election. So anyone, (including myself in earlier posts) who use the example of events in the east as a method of shaming the Canadian electorate, are in serious error. Canadians do care about their country, and they care passionately. Canadians are engaged, and they do want to make a change for the betterment of their country, whatever that change may look like.

And for better or worse, once the dust settles on May 3rd, the direction our country will be going in will have been revealed. Probably not definitively, but the sign posts will have been clearly planted and the battle for our social conscience will have begun in earnest. And this will be a result/reflection of the level of engagement of Canadian citizens. 

So we should all be proud fellow Canadians. Our voices are being heard and our votes will determine our fate. We might not all be happy with the result. But we have dis-proven the myth once and for all that this is an unnecessary or unwanted election or that Canadians are apathetic. We are far from it. We are as informed or as involved as any county can be in the western world. We are approaching this election as though Canada were playing a gold medal hockey game. Enough said.


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

sona You Fascist, Come Stop Me From Voting, I DARE YOU!

Well there are a mere five days left till election day. There is still some major ground to be made up in order to show the cons their brand of theocracy isn't welcome here in Canada. 

Yes, there are definitely some important issues that bear close attention. Certainly more so than the issue I am venting my spleen about at the moment. But this one is particularly important to me as an individual citizen.  

The Fascist michael sona remains at large. Apparently, he is still active in the Guelph Con campaign and has orchestrated such base  and unethical gestures as planting Con propaganda vans near advanced polling stations (elections Canada didn't have the cajonies to call the acts "illegal"  because the propaganda was on "wheels").

So you've tried to intimidate  school girls to stop them from voting sona, I'd call you "mister" but the title requires you own a set of testicles, which you clearly, do not. You attempted to steal a legal Elections Canada ballot box , a crime which should have automatically resulted in your being sentenced to be somebody's bitch in Milhaven for a number of years.

You've tried to disrupt and suppress voting at legitimate advanced polling stations through the use of near sighted neanderthals as scrutineers. 
Oh, and apparently, you like to play with guns. Probably to make up for your own lack of reproductive equipment. But alas, I digress.

You're acts of attempted suppression and I dare say, sedition, are a personal affront to all freedom loving citizens of this country. Why citizens of Canada have not taken you to task for your criminal acts by now is beyond me. Probably, because they feel you are a waste of their time.  You are a very little man with some very little ideas.

But I'd like to see sona, just how active you intend to be on the day of the big show, election day.  Id love to see you try your petty antics on that day. I'd love sona, to see you try to snatch the ballot out of a freedom loving citizen's hands that day. I'd love if you tried to snatch the ballot out of MY hands sona. In fact you lily-livered limp-wristed sociopath, I DARE you to try to stop me from voting. I DARE you to try to steal the ballot box at my polling station. I DARE you to show up with your Con propaganda vans. Let's see you try to stop democracy in action come May 2nd. I'll be waiting.


Saturday, April 23, 2011

Hey Canada! Wake Up and Smell the Friggin Coffee!

We're into the home stretch here in Election 41 and the Cons polling numbers still hover somewhere between the 30 and 40% mark.

Doing the rough math, that represents about 12,000,000 Canukleheads. But of course, not all citizens are eligible voters as yet. So if roughly 50% of us eligible voters actually turn out to vote, that's between 5,000,000 and 6,000,000 Con supporters (rough estimate of course). Can there really be so many misinformed and/or misguided Canadians?

How can this many citizens of one the most open and free societies in the world be so ok with a regime that lies and misleads the electorate as a matter of standard operating procedure? Can so many good Canadians really accept that a leader and his party cheats, steals, misrepresents, cares nothing for the rights of ALL our citizenry and deems women as a visible minority to be controlled?

In the Canada that I know and love, ALL people have the same rights and are to be treated equally. Immigrants and their families are welcomed with open arms to join our society, to work for a better life and to contribute to our wonderful national tapestry. Families, their health and their daily struggles mean more than large corporations or the backward,  exclusive dogma of some antiquated   quasi-religion.

In the Canada most of us have come to embrace, ALL religions are acceptable so long as they inflict no harm nor hate. Everyone has a rightful place and women are full partners in the maintenance of our great society. And they have the right to say what happens to their bodies and to advocate for themselves and the well being of their children.

NONE of those things are on the Harper agenda. Maintaining power at any and all cost and reshaping Canada into some vile, loathsome, blighted farce are the only things that are. In fact, the only promise Harper intends to keep is the one where he said that we won't recognize Canada by the time he's done changing it. If that doesn't send shivers down our collective national spines,  I don't know what would.

Some say the reason so may Canuckleheads would vote conservative is because they want "certainty" or some semblance of "security" in their daily lives. Does a man who employs felons, fraudsters, thieves and sociopaths and regularly excuses their many and varied indiscretions inspire much in the way of "certainty" or "security"?

Does a party  that bullies and stoops to any sort of dirty trick, no matter how low or sordid then systematically sets out to destroy anyone who would dare blow the whistle on them inspire confidence as the party that represents the best interests of the country or it's citizens?

And let us not forget good citizens, this so called "Conservative" party, is Conservative in name only. They usurped the name with the help of the traitor Peter McKay. This group is really the westerncentric oil-patch lovin rednecks from Alberta that used to call themselves the Reform Party. The same one Harper was a co-founder of along with Preston Manning. The Same Reform Party that changed their name to the Alliance Party and was led by the that guy who believes the world is 6,000 years old and that men walked  with dinosaurs. You know the guy, the President of the Treasury Board, Stockwell Day?

I suppose that it doesn't help to inspire confidence in the "Coalition Alternative", as  trustworthy and in keeping with Canadian values as it would be when they are squabbling amongst themselves. But a truly democratic alternative that works in concert to retain and maintain our social safety net and to safeguard our charter rights still has to be the best and only choice for those of us who truly love our great country.

Remember fellow Canadians, what happened to the true Conservative party at the end of the Mulroney era? They were practically voted out of existence by a disenchanted electorate. And that government was absolutely immaculate compared to the collection of thugs and ideologues that currently carry the conservative name. So wake up and smell the coffee Canada, It's time these pretenders suffered the same fate.


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Face of Evil











So here you go folks, photographic evidence that the Fascist Michael Sona was in fact, in attendance at the U of G Special poll on April 13th. As yet, no pictures have come to light that show Sona actually trying to grab the ballot box, but there remains plenty of eye witnesses to his attempted crime.

Fortunately, the 700 Guelph votes still stand. But because of the actions of this petty Fascist henchman, special polls are now banned from the other Universities across the country that had vote mobs planned in order to facilitate student voting.

So my question remains, why is this man not in police custody as yet. Why has he not been arrested either by the authorities or by citizen's arrest for the federal crimes of attempting to steal a legitimate Elections Canada Ballot box and attempting to  obstruct a perfectly legal vote from occurring.  This blackguard has committed crimes not only against the students of Canada, but against all Canadian citizens by attempting to stifle the democratic rights of the U of G students to vote.  

Sona is a reflection of the Party that employs him. Notice how the Harper-Cons have not only NOT fired this raging-bully, they have protected him. Why? Because Stephen Harper cares even less about democracy and the student vote than Sona does.

So get out there and vote any way students, even if you can't do so on campus. Remember the party and the man who tried to stop you from exercising your democratic rights.  Vote the Government of Harper out of office and see that the Fascist Sona goes to jail for his attempts to stifle democracy and keep you from voting.                                                    



Saturday, April 16, 2011

Arrest the Fascist-Con Sona!

The man/child on the left is the Harper-Con Fascist Michael Sona. He is a Con operative, a party insider who at the behest of his over-lord, tried unsuccessfully to stop University of Guelph students from exercising their democratic right to vote.  He tried to intimidate students, tried to physically stop one particular female student from casting her ballot (what a man!) and attempted to steal a sanctioned Elections Canada ballot box.

Word from the Cons is that "no member" of the party actually laid hands on the box. This is of course, a matter of semantics. The attempt was made and had an Elections Canada official not intervened, Sona would have been successful in absconding with a legitimate and legal ballot box, property of the crown, a federal offense.

In essence, Sona and his over-lords are fearful of the student vote and attempted to stop the U of G students from exercising their democratic right and rendering the votes already cast as null and void. Had Sona been successful in stealing the box, you can bet it would have miraculously "disappeared" once it was determined the vote was legal.

And now it is alleged that either Sona or his over-lord were seen filming U of G students in line waiting to vote, yet another federal offense.

So good citizens of Guelph, seeing as the Harper Cons have made it easier for Canadians to make a citizens arrest, feel free to tackle, detain and hog-tie the fascist Michael Sona. His condition when turned over to police is entirely up to you. Let the Harper Cons know that Canadians will not stand for attempts at intimidation and suppression of their democratic right to vote. These are federal offenses, and it's time the Harper Cons started paying the price.

Friday, April 15, 2011

"Damn You Guergis, This Was Your Idea..."

Dear media, This story is, to the best of my knowledge, true. I have it from a reliable source who I shall refrain from naming. 


According to my source, who just happens to be a "Tory Insider", it is a well know fact that all Harper-Con Cabinet Ministers carry black-jacks. 


As the story goes, bands of these thuggish Cabinet Ministers roam the streets of Ottawa late at night, hopped up on Coca-Cola and Aspirin. They look for poor unsuspecting immigrant types to rob and beat senseless. Usually, the targets are old ladies as they are easier to over come and their purses are easy to snatch.

Curiously, when the stolen purses are recovered, no money is taken from them, just makeup.


One night however, a band of such rough and tough Cabinet Ministers came upon an elderly "Sikh" couple. The Neo-thugs swarmed the trembling couple, took out their black-jacks and began beating upon the helpless duo. 

Apparently, in a desperate, last ditch attempt to save his loving wife of 50 years, the old man drew his dull ceremonial Kirpan and brandished it in his bloodied quivering hand. 


Apparently, several of the Cabinet Ministers spontaneously soiled themselves and the gang fled in all directions. 


The old man later revealed to police that: "the air was suddenly filled with the smell of poop". And as the motley crew disappeared into the shadows, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Steven Harper was heard screaming:" Damn you Guergis, this was your idea you bitch"!


It is unknown if the culprits were ever located as the subsequent police report has been heavily redacted.


So as I said, I do believe to the best of my knowledge and in good faith, that this story is true. I have no reason to believe otherwise.


Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Harper Dictatorship!

Ok, so this is a hold over from the 2008 election obviously. But still remains very applicable. Especially considering all the crap the Government of Harper has inflicted on our democracy and rights SINCE 2008.

So get out there and vote on May 2nd. Don't let this become a reality. It's our Country, not his!


Friday, April 1, 2011

CONTEMPT, the One and Only Issue in this Election that Should Matter.

I guess in order to sell papers and attract viewers, the media feel they need to have a new story every day. The over-riding logic I guess is that if you keep harping on the same story, it's not news anymore. And we wonder why the electorate have such a short attention span. 


The Government of Harper fell because of it's absolute Contempt for Parliament. They lied, misled and withheld vital information from Parliament and produced a 200 page manual on how to stone-wall an opposition led Parliamentary Committee.  In essence, they said "screw you" to Parliament, the Democratic process and to you and I as citizens of this country who's voices can only be heard via our elected officials in Parliament.


This is the first time in the 144 year history of our country that the Government has been found in Contempt of Parliament. In fact, it's the first time in the history of ANY Parliamentary Democracy ANYWHERE that a ruling Government has been found in contempt.


So the complete and utter contempt with which the Government of Harper holds our Parliament and our country was a sustainable news story only as long as it took for this ham-handed, ideologically driven, undemocratic regime to finally be knocked off of it's pedestal. In this case, about two weeks. As soon as Harper was knocked off the top of the hill, other political topics became more newsworthy than the contempt issue.  


And to make matters worse, the contemptible Harper-Cons continue to dictate the the narrative in this election. First it was coalitions, then the economy, then it was a 1:1 debate that Stephen Harper first Challenged Michael Ignatieff to, then backed out of. And now the primary issue is why the campaigning Tories will only allow 5 questions per campaign stop. 


And all the while the contempt issue becomes more and more of a waning memory, thanks to the Conservatives controlling the media, though admittedly, as unwitting dupes.  


Never before has there been such an unethical, cheating, lying, undemocratic Government in our fair Domain. Some may point to the Sponsorship Scandal of the Chretien Liberals, as the Tories are prone to do. The Tories deflect at all costs. Admit to nothing, accept responsibility for nothing, account for nothing. But the Government of Harper on an ongoing basis makes the Sponsorship affair look like a  couple of minor league, rogue Liberal Insiders who got their fingers caught in the cookie jar..  


At one point, in the early days of this election, there was some question as to the legality of Stephen Harper being allowed to run for reelection due to his party being found in contempt. The logic here being that contempt of Parliament is a federal offense and as such, being accused of a Federal offense excludes Harper's eligibility for reelection.  


This question was never sufficiently answered. None of the other parties went near the topic and now it has become a non-issue, as the contempt issue has become due to the space of time that has elapsed between the fall of the Harper Regime and the last time it was to the forefront in the media.  


There is every reason to believe that one day, Harper may be considered to have been a criminal, if not for the Federal Offense of being in contempt of Parliament, then for the Federal Offense of withholding or breaching the Charter Rights of Canadian Citizens such as in the Omar Khadr affair, or perhaps the breaching of international law as in the matter of Afghan Detainees. Yet there is every reason to believe that he will form the next Government. Simply because he has succeeded in skillfully manipulating the media away from his own legal wranglings and on to other red-herring issues such as the TV debate. And the electorate, with it's minuscule attention span, will forget all about the issue of contempt come election day.And the criminal Harper will get off scott free once again.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

What if the Leafs won the Stanley cup by cheating?

So lets say for argument, that the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup this year. "Stop that giggling, this is just hypothetical". But just imagine, after all these years, the Leafs finally bring home the bacon. There would most certainly be dancing in the streets of Toronto and mayhem in hundreds of bars across the country.

But what if, after all the partying had ended, and the "after-glow" had worn off, you learn that the beloved (or be-hated, take your pick) Leafs had cheated? What if they had cooked the books, bent the rules, hell, SNAPPED the rules in two. Played the playoffs with ineligible players. So in effect, they won, but they didn't win fair and square?

Granted, this is Hockey we're talking about. Canada's national religion. And the Leafs are arguably the most recognizable team in the game. Their brand leading all other teams in buying power. So most fans I think would be inclined to "look the other way" regarding any indiscretion their Leafs had committed and accept the hardware and the victory. Much like how everyone looked the other way the year Brett Hull of the Dallas Stars kicked in the winning goal on Domenic Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres. Dallas got the cup despite overwhelming video evidence that the goal was illegal.

But this being Canada and Canadians with their over reaching sense of fair play would always have that little black spot in the pit of their stomach. It would nag like a persistent ulcer. The victory had finally been achieved, but it was tainted. You might go back to following the Leafs the following year, but not with the same zeal. Or you might choose not to follow them at all. Of course, there would always be the miscreants who believe that all's fair in love and hockey.

But in professional hockey, the cup is up for grabs every year so the bitter taste in the fans mouths will have dissipated by the time the playoffs roll around the following year. Not so with politics however. Political competitions, elections that is, are only fought every so often. Every five years in the case of a majority government, ever two or three in the case of a minority.

More and more evidence is coming to light about how the Conservative Government of Stephen Harper cheated in the previous election. They cooked the books with regard to campaign advertisement. They had candidates claiming for unearned rebates, at taxpayer's expense. The head of the RCMP, a Conservative supporter, single handedly won the election for the Tories by choosing the most opportune time to press home the case regarding the Liberals and the Income trust affair.

And in power, the Conservatives continue to lie, cheat and steal from taxpayers to fund their campaigns and cling to their very thin veil of credibility. They won the Stanley Cup of politics by cheating in 2006. And they've cheated ever since. So that little black spot in our stomachs, that one that resembles an ulcer, the one that is the result of our Canadian penchant for fair play, does not get exorcised with the passing of a year, or two, or even three. The cheaters who have debased our political system continue to retain bragging rights. They have the Cup and they aren't letting it go. At ANY cost.  

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Will the Real Bev Oda Please Stand Up!

Will the Real Bev Oda Please stand UP!





   

Oh come on now! I can't be the only one that's noticed the resemblance. And you should hear them talk!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Dear CRTC, This Story is True...

Dear CRTC, This story is, to the best of my knowledge, true. I have it from a reliable source who I shall refrain from naming. 


According to my source, who just happens to be a "Tory Insider", it is a well know fact that all Harper-Con Cabinet Ministers carry black-jacks. 


As the story goes, bands of these thuggish Cabinet Ministers roam the streets of Ottawa late at night, hopped up on Coca-Cola and Aspirin. They look for poor unsuspecting immigrant types to rob and beat senseless. Usually, the targets are old ladies as they are easier to over come and their purses are easy to snatch.

Curiously, when the stolen purses are recovered, no money is taken from them, just makeup.


One night however, a band of such rough and tough Cabinet Ministers came upon an elderly "Sikh" couple. The Neo-thugs swarmed the trembling couple, took out their black-jacks and began beating upon the helpless duo. 

Apparently, in a desperate, last ditch attempt to save his loving wife of 50 years, the old man drew his dull ceremonial Kirpan and brandished it in his bloodied quivering hand. 


Apparently, several of the Cabinet Ministers spontaneously soiled themselves and the gang fled in all directions. 


The old man later revealed to police that: "the air was suddenly filled with the smell of poop". And as the motley crew disappeared into the shadows, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Steven Harper was heard screaming:" Damn you Guergis, this was your idea you bitch"!


It is unknown if the culprits were ever located as the subsequent police report has been heavily redacted.


So as I said CRTC, as per your proposed new rule, I do believe that to the best of my knowledge and in good faith, that this story is true. I have no reason to believe otherwise.


Saturday, February 12, 2011

Welcome to "The"Killing Fields" of Canada


Last year, at a conference of the Manning Institute (founded by the leader of the old Reform Party), Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s former communications director,Kory Teneycke, told a student: “If you have a teacher or examples of teachers who are trying to jam lefty philosophy down your throat, please send me an email. . . I’d love to make them famous.”

Of course, Teneycke meant he'd love to smear these academics in the media and see their careers in ruins. He wants them permanently silenced.

Yes boys and Girls, this is the same Kory Teneycke who, with Stephen Harper, our Prime Minister, met with the powers that be behind Fox News, The Same Kory Teneycke who advocated for Licensing of Sun TV with the CRTC (the same Sun TV on who's behalf the PMO put pressure on the CRTC president to license), the same Kory Teneycke who left Sun TV because of "tampering" with an on-line petition to discredit an attempt by Avaaz to block licensing of Sun TV, the same Kory Teneycke who is now back with Sun TV (aka, Fox News North). The Same Sun TV that almost weekly submits intimidating freedom of information requests regarding the CBC and acts as the PMO's mouth piece. It's hard to know where the PMO ends and Sun TV begins.  

So are you following the thread thus far? Teneycke may not be the Prime Minister's director of communications anymore, but he is still a card carrying Neo-Con and is still Harper's "man" - the man who delivers Harper's message to the masses.
 
 
 And now Teachers, Professors and Scientsts aren't permitted to teach and talk about their research without fear of attacks from the Harper Government, either directly or indirectly. They've silenced the "whistle blowers" in the Bureaucracy, now he wants to silence the Universities too? And Sun TV continues to openly and blatantly attack the CBC and progressives. 

The CBC, the voice of Canada, Sun TV, the voice of Harper.

Can you think of other Regimes.... I mean governments who have tried to silence the Academics and the Public Media? I can and none of them were/are democratic.

Can you say "Cambodia (the killing fields)" ? Can you say "
Augusto Pinochet"? Can you say "Mussolini"? Heck, Can you say "Nazi Germany"? Good! Now can you say Stephen Harper? Can you say Kory Teneycke? How about the PMO? All have attacked the public media, all have attacked the academics, all systematically silenced all dissenting voices. Only in Canada, they just haven't killed them..... yet! 

But instead of mass graves, we have stacks of broken lives,  ruined careers,  cowed voices and intimidation. And the number of victims is piling up like cord-wood. Welcome to Canada's Killing Fields.