Halloween special - a Stevie Halloween

Here are some of my favourites:





Where in the world was Stevie?





Yosemite Steve

Halloween Blues

It sure doesn't feel like Halloween this year. My husband and I came home from his nephew's engagement brunch in Ottawa, only to find the neighbourhood looks like it alwasy does. No Halloween decor anywhere. Not even a jack o lantern. It was the same thing in Ottawa; not even the shop windows had much to offer in the way of Halloween decor.


There were no trick or treaters or any evidence that there have been. Not even anyone in costume going off to Halloween parties in town.

I remembered early childhood  living  my parents' first apartment in a group of buildings known as the Benny Farm in N.D.G. (for those who don't know, NDG is in the West End of Montreal).  Lots of families with kids living in the neighbourhood. All kinds of activities. All before the days of internet, video games and yes, even before the VCR and most folks had black & white TVs. We had to rely on our imaginations to have fun.  My fondest memories growing up were in that neighbourhood.


My old neighbourhood had ceased to exist some years back. All the old buildings were abandoned and later demolished for new buildings to be built. I'm happy that these new buildings are for lower income families; lord knows there's a shortage of subsidized housing here, but it's sad to know that reminders of the good times are no longer evident.

One such fond memory was Halloween in the area. Sometimes a haunted house would be set up in the basement of one of the buildings. We went trick or treating in large groups. We knew almost everyone who's bell we rang. We would carry pillow cases to collect the treats and little orange UNICEF boxes to collect change issued by our schools. Yes, Halloween in the Benny Farm provided more ambiance than Christmas or summer vacation in my opinion.

As years passed, no matter where I lived, I noticed fewer and fewer kids out trick or treating. It had become a safety issue. As such, the  Old Montreal Forum had set up a large Halloween party for the kids. The program was successful. They came in costume and would trick or treat around the place and there were other activities to keep them safe, but that too became defunct in recent years.

Another surprising thing is UNICEF had scrapped its'  Halloween box campaign. Not sure if this is the case elsewhere, but it no longer exists here, in Montreal. Maybe they too noticed that Halloween is no longer in vogue.


I guess it's hard to preserve fond memories of youth and evidence of it ever happened have all but disappeared, much like the Benny Farm and Halloween.


I did find an old Adams Family cartoon to at least keep some semblance of Halloween here.

Happy Halloween All!!

Stevie and GSK: Either Stand by your Product Or Shut Up!

In my posting about the H1N1 vaccination, I found out the disturbing thing about Glaxo Kline Smith and Stevie and his Harpercons: none of them wish to put out a no-fault compensation program should folks be injured by this untested vaccine.


I got lambasted for it by alot of folks. Been called greedy. No, I'm not greedy. Most of us need to work for a living. If we develop something debilitating such as Guillain Barre's Syndrome or anything just as bad or worse, how will we be able to support ourselves?


A friend of mine has written the insurance carrier and pay and benefits administrator at his job to ask if he would be eligible for salary disability insurance should he get injured by this vaccine. I hope he doesn't get fired for asking.


In the video below, Carolyn Bennett attempts to express her concerns for the effects of adjuvent or non-adjuvent vaccine on pregnant women. In true Harpercon fashion, instead of addressing her concerns (not to mention, the concerns of many others), they laugh and heckle at her. Great! Clearly, they have the attention span of six year olds. Of course, she has yet to receive an apology for Harpercon immaturity and incivility.



At Antonia Z.'s page, she demonstrates the irony of neo-con pro-lifers. 


Another irony, they go off in a huff when there are protestors around.  However, incivility on their part is perfectly acceptable, particularly when women speak.


Harpercons yelling, "You're the only one confused, Carolyn,"  


No Ass-holes!! The Canadian population at large is confused and scared. You attempt to scare all of us into submitting to be guinea pigs for this untested vaccine, when that fails, it's marketing by guilt: the ol' don't do it for yourself ; do it for someone you love; do it to be responsible. Either stand by your product or Shut up!!

Wingnut Vs Wingnut

Orly Taitz - Response to Bill O' Reilly's smears 
"It is time to protest FOX NEWS"



Well, Well, Two of America's biggest Neo-con factions are at war it would seem. It's Orly Taitz v Bill O Reilly. 




Who will win?

Moronic Media in Canada: Additional Snark

Oh, Ian Robinson of Calgary Sun; when you mentioned checkmate to having Elisabeth Hasselbeck, can you also take these three very 'hot' conservative chicks? Wendy Sullivan, Kathy Shaidle and Denyse O Leary with you? See if you can convince them to go to a gym before coming home to fetch your slippers and cook your steak. I would provide pictures, but then, I would look like a  Conservative dating service and I don't want to compete with C-Harmony. 


I believe one is married and the other two seem really hard up for a date these days.
"Because most of them have careers and work hard," (speaking of Right winged Libertarian women). Yes, Wendy, Kathy and Denyse all work hard at their careers. They're fund raisers... for donations on their blogs.


Checkmate, Dude!

Moronic Media In Canada

Canadian media honestly sinks lower and lower every day. We get the likes of L. Ian MacDonald of the Montreal Gazette who is  and always will be the cheerleader for Stevie and the Harpercons. Doesn't matter what they do, MacDonald finds a way to blame the Liberals or another party or other members Left of Centre.


You've already heard me ranting about CFRB's Ryan Doyle, who is racist, uses Sean Hannity to give himself validation, goes manic with joy when something bad happens to other folks, especially the left;  a radio announcer who if not for that pesky entity known as the CRTC, he would be the next Glenn Beck sucking up to the likes of Rush Limbaugh.  Like Limbeaugh and Beck, he needs to be seriously medicated.


Alot of other radio talk show hosts are not that much better than what garbage Doyle has to offer. 


Now, I'm used to Quebec being maligned in the media. Most journalists outside of Quebec just don't get it. Their reaction to the Supreme court decision displayed the wrong info. They didn't declare the law unconstitutional; just certain elements.  Naomi Lakritz from the Calgary Herald,  takes ignorance concerning Quebec politics and culture to whole new heights. She seems to  find a way to link Pauline Marois's huffing and puffing and the Quebec Liberals' political posturing over the Supreme Court decision concerning Bill 104, the language law and the Van Doos. Not only can she not link the two, but she so obviously has no clue about neither.   Naomi, buy some history books and learn something will you? We are not spoiled children, you, on the other hand write like a spoiled fifth grader.


Now from the Calgary Sun. Read it if you dare, I couldn't believe this rag's editor actually allowed this drivel by Ian Robinson to be published. With all the journalists out of work these days, this is the best The Calgary Sun has to offer?? How offensive!! That has got to be the most sexist article I ever read. He likes right-winged women better because they serve steak and wear heels?  Choke on your damned steak pal! Red meat kills! What's more, he has proven himself shallow portraying left winged women as hairy, plain women who are obsessed with organic food.  When he says: 


"The left has Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg.

We've got Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Checkmate." 

He tells me that he prefers to have an accessory hanging from his arm, like a bracelet rather than someone with actual brain cells capable of intelligible thought. 

Again, who allowed this drivel to be published? Is this the Ezra Levant machine encouraging this kind of free speech? That has got to be the most offensive Canadian publication I have ever seen. Sadly, something tells me, I'm going to see and hear a lot worse down the road. 

What is the Problem? It's a Public Option, Not a Communist Conspiracy

As a Canuck observing the health care debate state side, I've been really shaking my head with disappointment and confusion. Sometimes there's hope of a public option, sometimes something happens for them to all start running scared. Some come up with ideas to replace the public option, like subsidizing lower income families and then they worry about costs. Well, the public option would be alot cheaper. Our single-payer system is cheaper than the American mess of a health care system such as it is.

I read Dammit Janet's and The Galloping Beaver's posts last night about President Obama not only waffling on the public option, but actively discouraging the public option, according to an article at Huffington Post on Saturday. And for what? To please Senator Olympia Snowe? Funny, because she seems to be caring more about what her fellow Republicans are thinking about her and maybe even what Fox News says about her than whatever President Obama is concerned about.


I can't believe I'm going to use this phrase: in the words of Dr. Phil, this is the tail wagging the dog here. Obama is backing out of the public option to please a GOP senator, a senator who is a member of the minority, no less. As the folks in the video below indicate, it's time to show some leadership Mr. Obama, it's up to you to either convince Senator Olympia Snowe to pay more attention to the constituents in Maine who clearly favour a public option and less attention to her fellow GOPers and to Fox News, or just leave her out of the negotiations completely.


Perhaps you would be better served to convince your fellow Democrats like Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana who have doubts.


You are close to getting the 60 votes you need to override a filibuster. Don't back out now.

See, Mr. President? Listen to  your supporters and listen to the members of your party. Keep this campaign promise. Show some credibility. Show some leadership.


In today's New York Times, Senate majority leader, Harry Reid (D-Nevada) announced there will be a public option in the proposed health care bill, however it leaves room for states to opt out  should they so choose. 


“I’ve concluded, with the support of the White House, Senators Dodd and Baucus, that the best way to move forward is to include a public option with the opt-out provision for states,”


YEESSHH!! A step in the right direction, but still pandering to the GOP. Nevertheless, it is believed that this public option presented in this way should pass. According to yesterday's New York Times, John McCain ever so begrudgingly admitted this could fly:


“I think the Democrats have the votes, and in the House, Blue Dogs bark but never bite,” Mr. McCain said on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” using the nickname for conservative Democrats . “So I don’t think they have a problem over in the House side. In the Senate I think the Democrats are very aware that they don’t want a repeat of the Clinton failure in 1994. So I think it’s very likely they will get something through. But it’s not clear to me what it is.”


So, Mr. President, it looks like you could get your 60 votes for a public option. All you have to do his be a mensch and a leader and stand behind the public option. Never mind bi-partisanship, the GOP will never extend the same courtesy; they have made this plain. Even Olympia Snowe is not playing ball, in spite of the fact the state she represents favors a public option. Never mind the insurance companies, they will survive.  Do it because it's the right thing to do. Do it, because it was a campaign promise. Do it, because your mentor, the late Ted Kennedy wanted health care reform and no doubt would have wanted you to push the public option. Health care reform was something he strived for in his 40 year career.  He took time out of his treatments to endorse you: don't let him down. 


UPDATE: According to Huffington Post this afternoon, Harry Reid has announced that a public option of some kind will be in.


According to a CNN report, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has stated that President Obama is now behind a public option: 


"He supports the public option because it has the potential to play an essential role in holding insurance companies accountable through choice and competition," Gibbs said.


Keep going! Every other industrialized country has a government option and covers all of its' citizens; it's about time the United States does the same, once and for all.


Message to Ms. Snowe: Stop being so afraid! It's a public option, not some communist conspiracy. You say you want health care reform? Here's your chance to prove it. Listen more to your constituents and less to fellow GOPers.

Socialism According to Monty Python Quiz

I came across this Monty Python sketch.  I figured neo-cons sound dumber and dumber each day with their fears of Big Bad Socialism, I thought I would post this little quiz show.



See? Socialism can be fun! 

Santa Stevie- A Harpercon Christmas Card

I know, Halloween hasn't passed yet. However, since Stevie is spending on his Harpercon ridings, he sure is playing Santa Claus early for them. Plus, it did snow a few evenings ago here in Montreal. I guess it put me in the mood.


I used to design greeting cards for fun. I'm not quite sure why I stopped.  Well, I think I just made a come-back of sorts. 

Thanks, Pale of A Creative Revolution  for the checque design. Without it, I'm not sure if this concept would have worked!

To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate Against H1N1

I don't even believe in the regular seasonal flu shot. Why on earth would I take chances getting a vaccine, I'm not convinced was tested enough? The media certainly causes confusion and frankly doesn't help us in making an informed decision on whether or not we get this vaccine. Depending what you read, side-effects tend to range from minor ailments, like pain, fatigue and flu like symptoms to paralysis, anaphylactic shock and death. According to birdflupandemic.com, the H1N1 vaccine inserts in the packages warn about the serious nasty potential side-effects mentioned above.


Are fears of side effects a bigger concern than the H1N1 itself? One expert seems to think so. According to a July article from Canada.com, this expert is calling for a no fault compensation program for those who get injured from this vaccine. There is certainly a precedent.


In 1976, when a swine flu outbreak hit the Fort Dix Army base in New Jersey, an emergency vaccine came out. Manufacturers of this vaccine requested legal protection from vaccine related injury claims, so Congress enacted legislation allowing those injured by the vaccine to sue the Federal Government. Clearly evidence of pushing something too fast before pondering the consequences. 45 million Americans did get vaccinated and sure enough, higher cases of Guillain Barre Syndrome, a neurological disorder which causes temporary paralysis were reported. Thirty deaths related to that vaccine were also reported. 5000 sued the American Government and as a result, in the 1980s, they introduced no-fault compensations for all vaccines.


As of July, :"the Public Health Agency of Canada has no plans to compensate people who may be injured by an H1N1 vaccine." Only Quebec has a no-fault compensation program. According to my research there is no such compensation plan in place in the event of a life-altering injury due to this vaccine. GSK, the manufacturing company that produced the vaccine did have to circumvent the normal testing procedures  due to the perceived necessity to get it out in the shortest amount of time.


The very fact that some are squabbling over who will compensate and how will those injured from the vaccine is troubling indeed. There are definitely things the Canadian Government and the Pharmaceutical company doesn't want you to know. 


I never even got the regular flu shot. I don't believe in it. It never covers all strains. There are some studies that say it saves lives. This N.H.S. study in 2005 says otherwise; they say that it wasn't as effective in preventing flu related deaths amongst the elderly. 


Other reasons why I don't believe in it is for the same reason we shouldn't rely so heavily on anti-biotics and penicillin. Our immune systems become dependent, thus making us even more subject to infections and illness. 


The rest is anecdotal. My father told me a story years ago about a flu epidemic at the boarding school he taught at. As a result, there was a quarantine. The only ones who didn't get sick were my father and a  few staff members who opted to not be vaccinated.


I also know of a woman in her 80s who got sick anyway inspite of receiving the flu shot. One year, she decided not to listen to her doctor and didn't get vaccinated. She didn't get sick that year. Not even a cold.


It seems that anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu, have been over prescribed in the U.S. Also, side-effects in children taking Tamilflu tend to be of a psychiatric nature like hearing voices and hallucinations as this pediatrician from Utah describes in the following video. 




Research on the subject proves to be difficult. Every health report, pharmaceutical company study, government and media outlets give differing stories. No wonder folks are confused and scared.


Before making the decision whether or not to vaccinate, remember, there is no better cure than our own natural anti-bodies.  Big pharmaceutical makes billions every year due to folks getting sick. The very fact this vaccine was pushed out so quickly without all the necessary tests and protocols is proof of this. 


The following list is those who should not receive the regular flu shot. Perhaps this should be included for the H1N1 vaccine: 
* People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
* People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination in the past.
* People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine previously.
* Children less than 6 months of age. 


I will be doing what I always do to prevent flu and colds every winter. Take echinacea at the first sign of any symptom, lots of green tea and alter the times I take public transportation to work. 

The Spoof of See Sawah Run!!

"SARAH PALIN? SHE'S A DOPE! WRITE A BOOK? SHE CAN'T READ A BOOK!" DON IMUS (YOU ALL REMEMBER THAT RACIST SHOCK JOCK DON'T YOU?) FROM CROOKS & LIARS

Apparently there are some folks planning to write a spoof of see Sawah run book, Going Rogue. It's a goin' to be called, Going Rouge.


Here is how I envision the cover:

Also, since she probably only has the writing ability of a grade schooler, I wrote in an earlier posting how See Sawah Run's book would read. You can read it here. I do caution you though...after reading it, you may feel your IQ drop a few points! What do you expect? It was my Birthday the day I posted that.

Stevie's Misadventures with the Boob Tube

The following video is dated: it was done when Georgie was still running the show in the U.S. It was submitted to Youtube before the last federal election to warn us of what would surely have been had Stevie won a majority then.


I had an amusing time reading the Toronto Star article about how Ol' Stevie's  Harpercons' feigned shock over his revelation that he prefers to watch American news over Canadian news. Why so shocked, boys??


As soon as I first read the story, this video was the first thing that came to mind. I thought I would post it to my page.



Of course, much has changed since then. A Democrat is running the show and has pretty much made it clear to Ol' Stevie that while he acknowledges his existence, Obama was not going to be his buddy. No matter, I'm sure Ol' Stevie is tuned into the likes of Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity and cheering in front of the ol' boob tube everytime he hears those buffoons knock Obama and talk of him being gone before 2012. Yes, he's indeed counting down the days until a GOP rules the land again and all will be as right as rain again.


He wouldn't specify what American news channel he watches. Gee, let me see now, Hands up if you all believe it's Faux News?? With Glenn Beck and/or Sean Hannity no less?? I seriously doubt he would be tuned into the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC.


He does, however, claim to watch Canadian shows like CTV's Corner Gas, but let's not forget, he did have a cameo on that show, and CTV is a conservative channel. Certainly never thought he would tune into Little Mosque on the Prairie.


I always knew Stevie loved all things American Neo-Con. I have written about them in previous posts. Buckdog's posting from a few years ago is a fairly complete illustration of how Ol' Stevie not only disliked Canada but envied Georgie and Dickie's America. 


In spite of the fact that President Obama is in power and is trying to steer the U.S. somewhat toward the centre or centre-left,  nothing changes much for Stevie. Let him loose with a majority, and it will become Georgie & Dickie American mimicked.


Anyone notice that Ol' Stevie seems to be lost without his ol' buddy, Georgie?

Canada worse than former Soviet-Union?? Some seem to think so

Ok, bear with me here, I'm a new blogger as you all know. I'm sure most of you reading here must have heard of Kathy Shaidle at Five Feet of Fury.  Well, I just caught something completely and utterly preposterous at her page earlier today. So many posts in one day! Wow! Well, I guess she doesn't have a job and given her postings so obviously have none or very little thought to them, it wouldn't take much to zip through them. Since there is no hyper links for each of her postings: the title is: 

Canada now ranked less free than former fascist, Soviet nations

YEP, in the world according to Kathy, we are persecuted by the big bad Human Rights Commission. Does she even understand what they are? Or does she just regurgitate whatever her idol Ezra Levant or Mark Steyn say??

I've heard alot of neo-con arguments as to why section 13 of the CRHC must go and none of them strong enough, but this one, took the cake for me.

Poor Kathy and her idols and her .... her.... friends?? (don't know what to call them, really, the shrew sisterhood??). She hasn't a clue as to what life was really like in the former Soviet Union or the other former eastern block countries. Wonder if she ever met a defector?  I have, and they are extremely happy to be in Canada and no, they don't feel restricted.

The U.S.A. , a place most of these Neo-Cons idolize and I'm sure Kathy is of  no exception, restricts freedom of expression more so than Canada. They ban books! Books like Winnie the Pooh, To Kill a Mockingbird, the list is long and the reasons for banning them are ridiculous.

Ironically, Kathy doesn't enable comments on her page. Isn't that....impeding freedom of expression? Granted it's her blog, she can do whatever the hell she likes, but if she's going to preach the sanctity of absolute freedom of expression, shouldn't she welcome comments??

Other neo-con bloggers are the same way. I apparently can't comment on Denyse O Leary's page neither. Didn't try Girlontheright's comment board; something tells me I would be wasting the energy in my fingers to type it as it wouldn't show up.

I did comment once on a posting on Ezra Levant's site awhile ago regarding the victory for that neo-nazy homophobic thug, Marc Lemire. He allowed my comment, but his fans were relentless. One of them even threatened to sue me.

When the Globe and Mail published the story, most of the commentators were celebrating this. When I ranted and called them all white supremacists, I got accused of libel and my comment was deleted.

Another example of hypocrisy from Neo-Cons, I guess.  Freedom of expression is only applicable to them and not the looney left. Why are they so scared?

ChecqueGate, Iggy's Capitulation and other coincidences and No one Cares

There are indeed too many coincidences in the events of Canadian politics as of late.
Checque-gate has created quite the scandal and that doesn't seem to lower the Harpercon numbers. Funny, how neo-cons in Canada still love to go after the Liberals for their past transgressions. They write checques signed by Harpercon MPs for con ridings as if they were Santa Claus, bankrolled by every Canadian tax-payer. Pale from A Creative Revolution wrote a great piece on the subject. Below is what a Harpercon checque would look like designed by Pale of ACR. I must say, I got quite a chuckle from it.

Designed by Pale Cold of ACR

An analysis by the Globe and Mail shows that Harpercons spent 2.2 million in Stevie's playgrounds as opposed to 1.5 million $ in opposition ridings.  In Toronto, a normally liberal city with Harpercon popularity growing received 38% less than other Harpercon ridings in Ontario according to Toronto Star.  Ol' Stevie sure has a funny way of thanking Toronto for its' growing support. Still, I venture to guess that his numbers won't go down there. 


Even Gerry Nicholls, an old buddy of Stevie's is criticizing him: 


"When I worked with Stephen Harper at the National Citizens' Coalition, this kind of stuff used to drive him crazy when governments would use public money for partisan purposes."
(Gerry Nicholls, CBC National, October 19, 2009)


The Liberals go after the Harpercons about the checque with Harpercon logo submitted by Gerald Keddy and the partisan spending, something as lead of an opposition party should do.   However, enter L. Ian MacDonald of The Gazette to find a way to not only criticize this move but also chastising the Liberals for their past transgressions . Wow, of course, nobody in Harpercon land in the world according to L. Ian can do wrong and if they do, it will always pale in comparison with things like the sponsorship scandal. 


Funny how the N.D.P. and even the Bloc Quebecois aren't saying very much about this or much else these days. The N.D.P. is in the business of propping Harpercons these days, but how come Gilles Duceppe has not jumped all over this, given Quebec would get the shorter end of the stick given the poor numbers for Stevie?  Makes me as I'm sure other Quebecers wonder what Duceppe is thinking of.


Iggy has now, sort of,  capitulated. He won't prop the Harpercons anymore, but he will no longer try to trigger an election neither. He is now listening to his PR people and serving Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless at a mission and visiting pre-schoolers. All well and good, but it seems that ol' Stevie's lip-synching and playing a mechanical piano, butchering the Beatles and his playing cards at a well to do senior's residence in Calgary get far more attention.


Now that Iggy has softened his position somewhat, here comes a poison pill. Rob Nicholson announces a proposed bill that would get somewhat tougher on white collar crimes, such as manditory two year sentences for those convicted.  Tougher laws on white collar crime is something most Canadians want to see happen. Something the N.D.P. and the Liberals parties would get behind, despite the fact they didn't like the way Nicholson was "disrespecting paliament" and were "using victims of crime in this country for pure political reasons..."  Gilles Duceppe feels that it doesn't go far enough: he argued that the government could do more by cracking down on parole for white-collar criminals, and access to tax havens, than with two-year minimum sentences for million-dollar frauds. I agree with him. I also think the victims of white collar crime should be compensated the same way as if they were a victim of a violent crime, but I digress.


Hell, gotta say, Nicholson's got impecable  timing. Let's do our good deed before Checquegate and partisan spending scandals go further. Must be nice for Stevie to have guard dogs at Parliament Hill. Will this raise their numbers? Probably. After all, Stevie comes off as the savior in the blue sweater vest.


Whether or not this new bill; whether it passes (and it surely will) or not, this won't change much. It seems Canadians are hell-bent on continuing this Harpercon love fest.


With Iggy's putting on the brakes, watch how Canadians will use the double standard. Perhaps not now, but sometime in 2010, Stevie will find a way to call an election. Will Canadians get as mad at ol' Stevie as they got with Iggy when he threw the gauntlet down at the end of summer? I don't think so. In fact, I think they will embrace it. Finally their time to have a Harpercon majority. 


Like I have said many times before, I don't think Iggy is suitable as a leader and these publicity stunts he's been pulling are probably too little too late. Proof of that is Stevie's singing and card playing get more attention. My question is, if the Liberals somehow found a way to get rid of Iggy and the internal squabbling ceases, would it be enough to change Canadian voter's minds? Or is the Stevie love fest going to continue for the foreseeable future? 

Journalists May Have it Wrong About Quebec By-Election

I am speaking mainly of L. Ian MacDonald's opinion piece in National Post and Chantal Hebert's piece in the Toronto Star, regarding one Quebec riding up for grabs down river: Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup. In both of those pieces and in others, I'm sure, they presume the new 'star' candidate, Bernard Genereux will have support of Premier Jean Charest in the upcoming by-election. It is said that he has close ties to Charest's Liberals. I think they're assuming too quickly that Charest will back Genereux.

As someone who has spent time in that part of Quebec, the folks of Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Riviere-du-Loup, I can honestly say that, although  I believe in the end, the Bloc will remain there,  it could be close. I also never believed that provincial riding would go Liberal, neither. One never can tell how these elections can turn out with certainty.  It was the heartland of the short-lived Mario Dumont Action Democratique du Quebec, a sort-of reincarnation of Maurice Duplessis's old Union Nationale party. The A.D.Q. still exist but, without it's native son, Mario Dumont, Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Riviere du Loup won't be such an easy win for Genereux. 

These people are conservative for the most part, rural, and like so many rural regions in  Quebec, the Catholic Church still has some influence over their lives. However, these are unilingual French speaking people who are generally pro-separatist.

These journalists like MacDonald and Hebert are saying Genereux has close ties to the Charest Liberals. I'm wondering how close is it really?  Do they think it's enough to get Genereux through? I'm not so sure about that.

We must remember during last year's federal election, Charest was none too happy with Stevie and his Harpercons for cozying up to Dumont. That, along with the cuts to arts and culture Stevie announced just after calling the 2008 election were enough for Charest to campaign for the Bloc. It ended up costing dearly for Stevie and Harpercons in Quebec. Has Charest really changed his tune where it concerns Stevie?

Given Charest's loyalties to Brian Mulroney, and Stevie's absence from the anniversary party of Mulroney's 1984 win,  and the rift between Stevie and Mulroney over the Karlheinz Schreiber affair; Charest isn't likely to help Stevie. It has been suggested that ol' Stevie start playing nice with Charest if he expects to get anywhere in Quebec. That is all well and good, but it may not even be in Charest's political interests to start playing ball with Stevie. Depending on what you read, there has been speculation about this term as premier of Quebec may be his last. Although he said as recently as last August that he wants to stay on, being prime-minister of Canada with the Tories has always been an aspiration of his. He is still young enough for a political career change and if Stevie doesn't get a majority in the next Federal election, he will have to resign, thus, leaving the door open for Charest to run for Tory leadership. He is someone who could get a Tory majority in Canada.

One thing curious as of late, I have not found anything to suggest that Charest is campaigning for either Genereux or Nancy Gagnon, the Bloc candidate for this By-election. He appears to be staying out of it. I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing for either party. However, the fact that he's not campaigning for Genereux brings up the question: how close are Genereux's ties to the Charest Liberals, really? Have journalists like Hebert and MacDonald overestimated these close ties? I suppose Genereux might have gotten more support if he ran for the Bloc.

Charest may come out in support of one of the parties just before the by-election, although, that might not be too likely, as he has other problems of his own on the provincial front. He wants to lower Quebec's deficit as quickly as possible with measures like introducing service fees for some governement services, hike in Hydro fees, introducing tuition fees for  CEGEPs, something that will no doubt get a rise from the student population who tend to be separatist leaning. He also intends to raise the sales tax come January. I speculate that trying to sell these measures to Quebecers will make him too busy to worry about a by-election down river. 

One thing I must question about Gilles Duceppe though. Why waste a star like Daniel Paille in Hochelaga, one of the Bloc's safest seats? Hell, Duceppe can run a chimpanzee in Hochelaga and they would still win. Paille should perhaps be running in Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Riviere-du-Loup. Oh well, I wish Nancy Gagnon all the luck, because she will need it. 

While I'm not a separatist, I view the Bloc as 'my enemy's enemy is my friend', thus a Bloc win down river could well keep Stevie and Harpercons from making any gains here in Quebec. It's bad enough that they could take the B.C. and N.S. ridings. 

More Ironies of the Pro-life movement

I've gotta stop reading SUZY ALLCAPSLOCK's blogs. I know, I really should. Call it morbid curiosity, I guess. Here is her convaluded entry from this morning if anyone is as morbidly curious as I am.


Basically, she is, of course on the Sawah bandwagon saying the U.S. shouldn't reform health care. She says that leaving it to the free market would be patient centred. She says: "Instead of working contrary to the free market, let’s embrace the free market."


Embracing it? More like allowing it to run the country. She opens by giving offering a minor reason for the Global recession. That was how this recession got started. Ronald Reagan allowed Don Regan of Meryll Lynch to run his government; subsequent governments allowed Wall Street to continue governing, right up to Georgie, who was basically the useful idiot for Goldmann-Sachs. The recession was basically caused by the deregulation of the banking industry, allowing them and Wall Street to ride rough-shod all over the country. Unabashed Capitalist greed was the cause  as Michael Moore demonstrated in his last movie.


According to many of  SUZY ALLCAPSLOCK's postings, she claims to be a devout Catholic. Yet, another irony here, she advocates for greed which clearly go against the teachings of Jesus.  As those priests and that bishop in Michael Moore's last movie pointed out, capitalist greed  is immoral. Perhaps she and others are waiting for Andy Schlafly to rewrite the bible to suit their whims


Market-oriented, patient-centered is indeed an oxy-moron. 


Funny how this posting doesn't address the insurance company practises like denying for pre-existing conditions. Even denying for silly ones, like acne. It discriminates against women. Pregnancy, c-sections & being a victim of domestic violence are considered pre-existing conditions as I wrote about in a previous posting. It doesn't cover pre-natal care. Here in lies another irony of the Pro-lifers. How could she and others like her be staunch pro-lifers & yet advocate insurance practises not covering pre-natal care??? If you're advocating Pro-life, shouldn't Suzy and others like her be advocating for Health care reform? That pre-natal care be covered at 100%? I would love to see how the pro-lifers like Suzy justify this one.


I would like to further touch into this irony of Pro-lifers, like Suzy. She has pretty stated in a previous posting that not only attacked women who by mistake get drunk at party, but also stated that the whole pro-life cause must supercede the well-being of a child. I guess we shouldn't be surprised at any cold hearted or misinformed thing she (and of course, others like her)


The Pro-life movement so obviously supports the real death-panels known as the American Health Insurance industry, not the ones living in Sawah's imagination. We all know American Health insurance corporations cut people off the moment they ask for coverage as soon as they're hurt or sick. 
What is their problem with reform state-side? Health care for all should fit with the pro-life modus operendi, shouldn't it? 


Sadly, It doesn't. Just another irony of the pro-life movement. They advocate murder of actual human beings while they have their fetus fetishes. They advocate violence. Hell, on Twitter, I ran into a pro-lifer who goes by the handle, RightGirl who tweets that she's "against humanity". It does indeed summarize their movement and Suzy so shows their true colours.


The rest of the industrialized world covers all its' citizens. Health care is a right, not a commodity. Free markets & capitalism should never even be a factor in health care and in religion.


The real irony about the Pro-lifers is that those on the Pro-choice argument such as myself care more about the sanctity of life than they do.

Saturday Night Brain Drain Fun #7 - GOP Unhappy disfunctional Family; Lost without Georgie

It's been a few days since I posted anything here. I wish I could say I was doing something constructive, but, I'd be lying. In all honesty, I've been spending too much time on Twitter as of late. It's morbid curiosity; I often wonder if these twits realize how idiotic they sound.


I've also been having issues with blogger lately. I decided to give my page a make-over, because I really didn't like the other template. After I changed it, it wouldn't let me post anything new.


First, here's a goody from Crooks and Liars


The GOP, hell, Neo-Cons in general don't seem to be very happy people do they? To Neo-Cons, Bad news is Good news & vice-versa. They feed off the misfortune of others. Remember how deliriously happy they were when Chicago lost the Olympic bid?  Just like the Adams family, who liked all things gloomy like thunderstorms, dolls with missing heads and when the stock market would go down,  the GOP and other Neo-Cons like it when things go wrong in America & hate it when something actually goes well.


In the video below, Bill Maher points out how the Republicans over the past year seem arguably more ridiculous without Georgie than with Georgie. He also points out how stupid Neo-cons have been brainwashed.




When we look back, the irony here is although Georgie is long gone and The Republicans don't even have a majority in Congress or senate, but somehow,  in their efforts to remain legitimate, they must prove themselves more ridiculous. Like Stevie Harpo, they all seem to be lost without Georgie.


Oh, speaking of Georgie, his Daddy just crawled out of the wood work recently to call Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann "sick puppies", for poking fun at his boy...wow! Daddy still has to fight for his 60-something son.  Ok Daddy-O, go back to retirement now. 


Funny how none of them can stand up to the Limbeck machine or the Tea-baggers, given the tea-baggers are planning  to execute a hostile take-over of the GOP.

Happy Saturday Night!

Now We Get Why Tea-baggers are sooo Afraid of Health Care Reform

(Sigh!) If only that were true!

Picture Courtesy of internetweekly.org

In Canada, We're a Left-wing Fringe Group: In the U.S. we're a Pre-Existing Condition

Again, the left-winged fringe group gets the shaft in the U.S.  According to the criteria for many American Health insurance corporations, certain pregnancies, C-sections and being a victim of domestic violence can refuse are grounds for refusal.


Procedures such as mammograms, pap-smears, and pre-natal care are not even covered under most insurance policies. Yet, women pay 48% more for their preniums than men in the same age bracket; same circumstance, same insurance carrier. Imagine that, women pay more for less service.


The U.S. prides themselves on being a nation that believes in family values? Sorry, advocating the murder of Doctors from women's clinics and bombing abortion clinics don't make you family-friendly!



Here is a hit list of senators (All GOP) who voted against coverage for victims of domestic violence: 
Alexander, Burr, Ensign, Enzi, Frist, Gregg, Hatch, Isakson, Roberts 


According to their dumb rationale, "...covering a victim of domestic violence would be akin to covering “a smoker who doesn’t stop smoking.”


Yeah, whatever! 


How about a man who is a victim of a random mugging or a drive by shooting? Is that also a pre-existing condition?


Take a look at this!



Observe the neanderthal in the above video rationalizing not to have pre-natal care covered! Remind you of anyone, here in Canada?


Something Shona Holmes should have considered before opening her clap trap to the Tea-baggers & Faux News. This is the system she is advocating for here in Canada.  Another reason it's important to make sure we don't have that kind of nightmare of a lack of health care.


Since we're considered a left-winged fringe group in Canada, ol' Stevie would surely advocate for the very same backward and inhumane treatment for us. It will be up to us to do our damnest to make sure this never happens in Canada.


It may explain why GOP senator Olympia Snowe voted with the bill in the senate house committee. It may also explain why GOP senator Susan Collins, also from Maine, may also get on board the pro-health reform express. Ladies, you really should reconsider public option and don't cave into the myths Faux News is pumping, at the very least, think of the sisterhood who can benefit from this change: to have the basic human needs filled. Don't let the media play a part in the decision making or even the real neo-cons in your party.  But kudos to the both of you for not going along with the 'Limbeck' machine!


For those who are American reading this blog: there are petitions to sign for health care reform:
http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/domesticviolence
and a Twitter petition: http://act.ly/ok.

Iggy Not Only Needs to Take Risks: He Needs to Play the Hero

Well, it seems that Stevie and Iggy are listening to their advisors and image consultants by actually letting loose and getting more contact with the Canadian voters. Granted, their actions as of late are nothing more than photo-ops to make them seem more human.


Stevie lip synchs and plays a mechanical piano and jams with Yo Yo Ma and spent Sunday, the day before Thanksgiving playing cribbage with residents of a seniors' home in his riding of Calgary (where else would he be? Quebec??). Hell, Thanksgiving even made ol' Stevie say something charitable: 
"He suggested volunteering to serve meals, donating to a food bank or visiting with people who might otherwise spend the holiday alone." 


Yikes! Even Maclean's is also feeling charitable: I'm surprised they would even publish such a thing. Or maybe, they all got their hands on some ganja.


Iggy and his wife outdo ol' Stevie and go slumming at a soup kitchen in Ottawa. Like Stevie, his motives were probably not that altruistic neither.  Something to help him debunk the myths that he is too high on his pedestal; not in touch with ordinary Canadians. That said, I have to hand it him: ol' Stevie would never be caught dead on the wrong side of town. Iggy at least showed that he was not afraid to spend Thanksgiving with the downtrodden and disenfranchised. I honestly hope to see him having more community involvement.


However, if Iggy really wants to play the hero, there's a very easy way for him to do so. I have said this before in my posting, Harper: Time to Fess Up..... I urge you to read this posting if you  haven't already. It proves how much ol' Stevie hates our health care system and therefore won't stand up to the U.S. and help debunk some myths. There are also plenty of links to where those quotes came from. It also serves as a warning. Iggy can score big points if he comes up with a real plan to help improve our existing health care system and protect it from any further privatization.


Our universal health care system is at risk. Do not be fooled. Shona Holmes with the help of CCF, is trying to dismantle it; she has never made a secret of envying the U.S. health care system, neither has John Carpay, the executive director of CCF. He is also a former member of Reform; Stevie's old party.


There is a law suit before arbitrators at NAFTA brought forth in the summer of 2008. Alison of The Galloping Beaver wrote about the Melvin J Howard and Centurion v The Government of Canada last year. In short, Howard wanted to build a private for profit super hospital in B.C. in 2003. B.C. basically said no, due to (very weak) protections of our universal health care. Except, in recent years, more and more private for profit facilities are popping up across Canada and as Canada flirts with two-tiered health care, Howard claims that in preventing him from building his super hospital, we were infringing on Chapter 11 of NAFTA. Read The Galloping Beaver posting for more details.


The last three presidents, including the present one, of the Canadian Medical Association are fighting for privatized health care. They claim we can't do anything about our universal health care. What B.S.! They're viewing the aging baby boomer population as a potential cash cow.


I have only illustrated a few threats to our health care system. Of course, there are conservative nay-sayers who are going to use the health care scandals in Ontario to lobby for privatized health care.


As I mentioned in  Harper: Time to Fess Up...., one thing most Canadians, be they on the left, Center and yes, the right; agree on is the need to keep universal health care; that health care is something every human should have access to. A system which bases its' priorities on urgency and not socio-economic class or pre-existing condition like in the U.S.


All this to say that Iggy could score those big points if he fights for our health care; even speak up for it state side. Attempt to improve upon it without more private for profit services than there already are. 


More importantly, when debating ol' Stevie, corner him into admitting what he really thinks about our health care system. Remind him of his good ol' days of Reform, as Pres of National Citizens' Coalition and in Canadian Alliance Party.


C'mon Iggy, are you game?