Liberals Deja Vu: Will They Ever Learn?

I was just scanning the Blogging Tories to see if anyone recently posted anything about the 20th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre. They haven't. They're getting awfully predictable for the most part: most posting about their new favourite subject: Climate change, or as they like to call it: Climategate.  However, I came across something different at Unambiguously Ambidextrous. His posting not only caught my eye because it didn't discuss Climate change (climategate); but he discussed something that was questioned this morning on Question Period: Where is Iggy? No one is really hearing from him these days but Bob Rae is certainly making quite a bit of noise these days. Oh this is disconcerting: can anyone say: "Deja-Vu"?


I found the article that blogger refers to in the Toronto Star. Oh yes! This is Deja-Vu and it looks like Iggy is being pushed out the door and that he is pretty much alone in supporting the HST in Ontario and B.C.. Sound familiar? It should...it's exactly how the Liberals treated Stephane Dion. Dion had no support and then was kicked to the curb.


It's about time Iggy left. He pulled this shit with Dion; this would be Karma. Besides that and more importantly, he will never improve his numbers for the Liberals. He was never a suitable leader and certainly, not quite PM material.  


Stevie and Harpercon  scandals, like checquegate/logogate and torturegate: Unpopular measures like the HST and their blatant lack of interest in the environment as well as failures like the unrolling of the H1N1 vaccine should not only have sent their numbers plummeting, but should have raised the Liberals' numbers. While the NDP made some gains, they certainly weren't significant enough to lower Harpercon numbers to well below majority territory. 


Had the Liberals had a stronger, more suitable leader Harpercon numbers would most definitely have plummeted and the N.D.P. numbers would have remained more or less the same.


Angelo Persichilli, the author of the above mentioned Toronto Star article even predicts that we will be hearing about Iggy resigning before the year is out. Already, Iggy has been incognito as of late. However, it seems that yet again, the Liberals are going to select another former runner up of 2006, simply because he's there. Although, to hear some party members tell it, they seem to honestly believe Rae is the only one they can trust in that party. Oh boy, this is not going to turn out well for them; in fact, it would be suicide. No, they should take the time to find someone suitable; someone who can beat actually beat Stevie but actually get a majority; with or without the popularity of the Bloc Quebecois.


If Bob Rae were to lead, he wouldn't be able to win Quebec or Ontario outside of Toronto; two provinces that actually make governments. Steve has proven to be quite effective with the art of attack ads against Dion and Iggy. The ad against Rae would be something along the lines of "Don't let him do to Canada what he did to Ontario" and other ads to remind Canadians of Rae's baggage.


This would most certainly let Stevie loose with a majority.


I saw that Persichilli also hints at other potential leaders like David McGinty and Justin Trudeau. If Rae, McGinty and Trudeau would be our only choices to lead the party and potentially become prime minister, I would pick Trudeau, simply because he would be lesser of the evils; the only one who could potentially send Stevie packing. 


 I had reservations about Justin Trudeau leading the Liberals and I still do,  but I have to hand it to him: he did something most of us in Quebec never believed he would be able to do: unseat Vivienne Barbeau, the  popular Bloc MP in Papineau riding,  a riding made up of folks who either haven't a clue as to who his father was or those who still hate his father. My reservation is that he still hasn't passed enough tests and he still needs more political experience, but who knows? Maybe if the Liberals can unite and stand behind him, it might work. Unless he really screws up big time; worse than Iggy even, Trudeau would already be a step up.


Also, if we were to follow Liberal tradition,  they should pick someone who is French speaking from Quebec. Excluding Dion, this has proven to be a formula that worked for the Liberals in the past, like Louis St-Laurent,  PE Trudeau and Jean Chretien. Hell, it even worked for stint under the former Progressive Conservatives with Brian Mulroney. Say what you will about him and yes, he was not a great PM but he was the most successful Tory PM for Quebec. Even Liberal PM, LB Pearson could only garner minority governments.


I had read in the past various musings about Martin Cauchon potentially taking over.  Someone with more experience than Justin Trudeau. He was justice minister and was instrumental in putting forward legislation legalizing same-sex marriage; something that should appeal to progressives. However, I can see two potential roadblocks: that Denis Coderre temper tantrum awhile back and he doesn't hold a seat yet and wouldn't be able to do so until the next general election. 


Forget Denis Coderre, his temper tantrum proved he didn't put the interests of his party first.


I don't think the Liberals should shop for any outsiders at this time: no time for political experiments here. 


I only hope they do the right thing and there is competition to go up against Rae. 


Liberals, choose wisely this time: you can't afford another dud for a leader. Do this before Stevie and the Harpercons turn us into Bush era America.

Two Anniversaries Never to be Forgotten

Stevie Begged the GG to Close Up the Shop

It had been a year ago yesterday,  the governor general allowed Stevie to close up the shop.  Boy, was he afraid of the big bad coalition of 'socialists', separatists and the Liberals under Stephane Dion. An earlier indication of Stevie's running away when the going gets tough.


I wonder if anybody dared to wonder what we would be looking at had the Governor General said no to closing up the shop. Would we have still been governed by this coalition led by Stephane Dion? Would Iggy have been long since gone from the picture?


I realize that a lot of Canadians didn't like the idea of this coalition, but I tend to wonder if we weren't better off with them? 

Between Stevie running away from a crisis to be at some insipid event like Timmy's or gallivanting with the Royals to clearing a room at climate change talks to getting lambasted by Ban Ki Moon, secretary general of the United Nations and the Chinese Premier, he has got to be the most embarrassing Prime Minister Canada ever had.  

I dare say, it must be embarrassing telling someone who lives overseas that we're Canadian.


Twenty Years Tomorrow Marc Lepine Shot up the Polytechnique


Yes, twenty years ago tomorrow, on December 6, 1989 was when Marc Lepine went and shot up the Ecole Polytechnique, the engineering school of Universite de Montreal.


Here is an article written by three former Polytechnique students; two of whom were shooting victims of Marc Lepine that fateful day.


This anniversary should be a reminder as to why the Long Gun Registry should not be scrapped.   Marc Lepine used a ruger mini 14, one such gun that would be on the list of rifles and shotguns to need not be registered if this registry is scrapped. The police used the registry every day to do their work.


Here is the podcast where Daisy Kler of Rape Relief talks about where we're at today with regards to feminism, the attitudes toward feminism and violence.


Have we really moved forward? 


Certainly not with regards to gun control if the long gun registry is scrapped. We will be headed to a society where citizens will be walking the streets with guns just like in the U S or A. 


Some may argue that only law abiding citizens register their guns. True perhaps, but we've seen too often law abiding citizens turn violent, go crazy, become mentally ill or start living a life of crime.


We have to register our dogs with the city, but not guns which kill people?


One of the famous arguments in favour of scrapping the long gun registry is the costs. Harpercons and their groupies say it costs way to much to keep. Well, Heidi Rathjen, one of the survivors of the Polytechnique massacres, gun control activist and co-author of yesterday's  Rabble article  about the reflections of the 20th anniversary of the massacre disagrees: 


"Well, it's true that it cost a billion dollars over ten years to implement, but not the registry. The billion dollars applies to the possession permits, which is what gun owners need to own guns. They had to screen two million gun owners."


She also goes on to say that the registry actually costs Canadians nine cents per year to keep it going.  It is indeed a small price to pay to keep us safe.


Funny how the Harpercons talk of gettin' tough on crime, but they are willing to take away a crucial tool the police used everyday. I wonder how they can spin this one?

Online Petition to Demand Harpercons To Investigate Torturegate

I just found this over at Thwap's Schoolyard. Here is the link for the online petition for Inquiry into Torture. It would appear that a whopping 94% of Canadians believe the testimony of Richard Colvin. 


Just because Stevie is going to Copenhagen to pretend to be interested in climate change doesn't mean he shouldn't face the music over torturegate. Enough already! 


I think most Canadians are tired of looking more and more like a disgrace on the world stage.

Canada Will No Longer be One of the Cool Kids

A sad state of affairs, really. Canada used to be a player on the world stage, that is, until Stevie came on the scene, only to pull disappearing acts every time the going gets tough. 

It seems that folks, including world leaders run away from Stevie and his people or they want to shun them altogether.

Right now, the two major bones of contention for Stevie and the Harpercons would be climate change and the torturing of the Afghan prisoners. It seems the more Stevie and his Harpercons attempt to white wash either, the more pissed off folks get.

We already saw how Stevie and his merry band of thieves can clear a room of 77 developing nations  when they suggest replacing the Kyoto Protocol (ya know that socialist scheme to suck money from wealthy nations)  with some other insipid agreement. This was over a month ago in Bangkok. 

For awhile now, we had heard Stevie come up with any and every excuse to not partake in UN climate talks in Copenhagen.  Silly excuses for the most part like 'I won't until they do' type of things. Really! That does sound Romper Room-ish.  Gone are his real reasons for not wanting anything to do with climate change, like Kyoto being too, uh, waz that nasty 's' word for it again? He is not daring to say anything about really protecting old Fossil fuel types of enterprises and the tar sands of Alberta. Heaven knows he can't admit any of those truths. 

These days, it seems that Stevie doesn't want to own any of the crisis situations happening in Canada, nor any wrong-doings that occur anywhere around the world. Stevie and his merry band of thieves are still doing their damndest to cover up this latest scandal involving the torture of Afghan prisoners. Prisoners left with that same Afghan security force that was involved with child molestation and exploitation; another thing the Canadian military never wanted seeing the light of day.


The unfortunate truth is that Stevie is only going to Copenhagen because of torturegate. He not only wishes to avoid dealing with this latest scandal but he also hopes to deflect the corporatist media away from this latest nastiness toward something that looks nice and fuzzy.  Don't be fooled: he still doesn't give a rat's ass about the environment. He may use the excuse that since President Obama and the other cool kids on the world stage are going to be there, but had it not been for torturegate, I venture that he would not be there with the cool kids, no matter the peer pressure. What a great leader! One whose favorite game is Monkey see: Monkey Do.


Stevie never did and still doesn't care what the world thinks of him, with the exception of course, of Georgie. That was obvious when he fucked off U.N. week in favor of Bloomberg and Timmy's. He only cares about not getting caught breaking international laws.  Yes, Stevie has been lost without Georgie. Pres Obama is trying to move the U.S. in another direction: a direction Stevie doesn't like or believe in. He only cares about Obama when it comes to "buy American". 


Now, there are some folks who are calling for Canada to be suspended from the Commonwealth due to its' attitude on climate change. 


"Countries that fail to help [tackle global warming] should be suspended from membership, as are those that breach human rights." says Clare Short, former international development secretary.


Wait a minute: did she just mention ' breaching human rights'? Wow, Stevie, I believe this is a double whammy: I believe this also covers torturegate.


Think Stevie would care about being ousted from the Commonwealth? Perhaps. Especially if he can't join the U.S.  They're second choice. If Georgie were still running the show, I don't think Stevie would care about the Commonwealth kicking him to the curb. Right now, President Obama appears to have no interest in being Stevie's buddy.


Besides, the Royal Family do serve as a marvelous excuse to run away from responsibility.  


While he is going to Copenhagen and yes, apparently he just bribed pledged 10 billion dollars to help poor countries deal with the consequences of climate change. Still, he does not budge on reducing greenhouse gas emissions here in Canada. 


Here are some videos on the subject of Alberta tar sands and opposition party leaders' take on climate change.


Another thing I find puzzling: I read some of the posts of the Blogging Tories where they say climate change is a myth and a lie. One of them even beseached readers to write their MPs urging them to not do anything about climate change; that the scientists were bogus, basically. 


If Stevie really believed that, how come he just bobs and weaves around the issue instead of doing all he can to debunk the so-called lie? He knows that climate change is real. It's just that it ain't profitable and it is more challenging to change to greener technologies.

Whatever happened to the good ol' days when Canada was a proud player on the world stage? We used to be known as a nation that cared. A nation of peace keepers. Canada used to be compassionate. 


Now, we're a joke, thanks to Stevie and his merry band of thieves. We're becoming what the rest of the world had no taste for: Bush era America.


Stevie doesn't like Canada or Canadians. He is still hell bent on turning it into Bush Era America. This is why he wants his majority. 


The irony is that the wordly intellectual and unsuitable leader of the Liberal Party, Iggy had spoken of this in one of his ads awhile ago. Most scoffed at him either because they didn't believe him or they just didn't care. Maybe it requires somebody else to talk to Canadians about this and to call Stevie on it.


Unless some miracle happens, Canada is soon becoming the social outcast. I will no longer be one of the cool kids until we have an actual leader. Not one who plays 'Follow the Leader'. 


To quote Pale from A Creative Revolution:  


"Just fuck the hell off Steve, and take yer nasty little friends with you. Canada needs grown ups to run the show."


Here! Here! Amen to that!

When the Tough get going: Stevie Runs Away

There is a reason I left that little Stevie pic in that Carmen Sandiego theme on my sidebar. This just keeps on being a recurring theme with him. 


To summarize: when there are UN climate talks, he goes to have din din with Mayor Bloomberg. When Obama gives speeches at UN week; he comes home for Timmy's Donuts. 


Immediately following the leak of that video behind closed doors, he was incognito only to crawl out of his snake hole for 9/11 memorials a day or two later. 


The height of the H1N1 crisis; the bungling of pandemic plans and vaccination campaigns gone haywire, Stevie pulls another disappearing act yet again: he's on the east coast trotting off with the Royal Twits Charlie and Camilla, leaving the clearly unqualified Agluquack in charge.


He takes off for India for photo ops in for Bollywood reality TV to escape, yes, the tortured Afghan detainee scandal. He comes home briefly only to stifle testimony or other things to pretend the torture never happened or to actually attempt to justify breaking international law. He ain't stayin' long though.


Remember Copenhagen Climate change talks? That place he was never goin' to go?  Don't get too surprised: he still don't care about the environment. He still has no plans to do anything about climate change. No, it isn't about giving the illusion that Canada cares on the world stage. Bingo! Keep in mind, would he really go to Copenhagen, Barack Obama or no Barack Obama presence; whether or not any world leaders showed up,  if it weren't for that pesky Afghan detainee thing?


That scandal is about to get worse for him. When even the likes of the Rush Limbaugh of Astral Media Radio, Ryan Doyle start condemning Afghan detainee torture and start demanding answers on his radio show; you kind of get the feeling, this ain't a goin' away so fast. 






Yes, in my opinion, the above cartoon will best define the leadership of ol' Stevie. During any crisis or scandal or blunder from one of his flunky ministers, we shall all be asking: 'Where in the world is Stephen Harper?'


Between allowing torture to happen and not even attempting to respect the Kyoto accord, Stevie could become a fugitive.

In the end, perhaps the only place Stevie can go is  here:



Hopefully, before he flushes Canada into oblivion.

More Outrage and Lies: H1N1 Vaccination Market Scheme: FAIL!

Well, well, well, let the lies continue. Stevie continues his disappearing acts. This time, I believe he's the lead of Bollywood's version of "Dancing with the Stars"


Remember how Butler-Jones and Agluquack promised, even when fumbling on "Question Period" over two weeks ago, that there would be enough vaccine to cover every Canadian by Christmas? Well, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop on that one and now, it has. It appears there won't be enough to vaccinate all Canadians before the year is out.


Well, let the outrage and panic and paranoia begin. Rightfully so, given our government has screwed this crisis up royally. Nobody learned from the SARS crisis in 2003 on how to better prepare for pandemics. They went about it all wrong and there is incompetence at every level.


Bottom line. They took the cheapest way out; let's do a mass vaccination, never mind the testing protocols. To make sure it won't cost them down the road, GSK and Harpercons are not implementing a no fault compensation for those injured as a result of the vaccine. Typical Harpercons!


Why should we be surprised? As Rick Salutin from the Globe and Mail pointed out: Steve will never own this pandemic crisis; they never even owned health care; he has no empathy. No shit! After the way his Harpercons heckled Carolyn Bennett during Question Period while she was airing her concerns over vaccine safety for pregnant women--- the fact that he goes off gallivanting with Prince Charles and Camilla rather than show leadership during the first weeks of screw ups;  and now doing Bollywood instead of being here where a PM should be during a crisis, is this any surprise? In reality, he doesn't care. After all, Canada as it is, is nothing more than a "second tier socialistic country" in the world according to Stevie.


This crisis could have been handled much differently. 


By all means, develop a vaccine for H1N1; but take the necessary time to implement all testing procedures. Don't rush it out without knowing not only the potential short term side effects but also the potential  long term consequences. Most importantly, don't count on one supplier only. Hell, Craig Oliver pointed out the stupidity of that strategy when interviewing Agluquack at the beginning of the month. She even had the nerve to blame the Liberals for signing some exclusive deal. Well, Leona, I thought this was a crisis situation? Who's in charge, anyway? Certainly not the Liberals. 


She continued (and still does to this day) to blame everyone else but herself (remind you of anyone, a certain writer of fiction, also from the north?) and her master. Instead of skulking around and trying to spin her way out of this crisis, a good health minister should come up with contingency plans. 


A few examples of contingency plans would be: 

• Quarantine (Yah, I know, takes away freedoms, but it is a crisis or supposed to be anyway and if it is crisis, certain concessions must made). Find where the largest concentration of H1N1 cases and implement strict quarantine rules: comings and goings extremely limited. Unfortunately, one of  the  best ways to control a communicable disease is to contain it.
• I'm not sure about the rest of Canada, but in Quebec, we have a few designated flu clinics so as not to congest walk-in clinics and hospital ERs: only the most serious cases would go to the hospitals.
• A lot more money to our health care system to handle the crisis (not likely to happen: I wouldn't put this past Stevie to use this crisis to further his agenda of bringing the American Health care system here)
• (More on provincial or municipal levels) Cancel sporting events, concerts anywhere there is the public all crowded together. Those events are a breeding ground for germs. Once again, fall under expensive as special provisions would have to be made for employees at such events such as concessions stands, maintenance, etc. while out of work.
• They could have cancelled the Olympics
• Have employers stagger the hours of their employees so public transit won't be so crowded.

Now with this vaccine shortage, I'm wondering if everybody will stop and think? Not only Agluquack and Butler-Jones with contingency plans to combat the crisis, but Canadian citizens as a whole too. Before running off half baked and cut your neighbours off at the pass rushing to a vaccine line-up nearest you, there are some things to consider. 


Health care professionals can't agree on the benefits or risks of this vaccine. at the clinic where I received my intervention, about half the nurses admitted to not getting vaccinated because they weren't confidant in the testing of it.


A friend of mine who has heart trouble told me his cardiologist recommended that he not get the vaccine; the doctor wasn't sure how his heart would withstand the vaccine.


I have heard of certain doctors preaching the sanctity of the vaccine in the media but I happen to know of at least one such doctor who, in private, wasn't nearly as gung-ho about the vaccine when a friend of mine consulted with him.


The southern hemisphere already passed their winter flu season. Australia's H1N1  fatalities were relatively low compared to regular flu in that country annually. This was not due to mass immunization.  They didn't have the vaccine up until September.  What was their secret? Was there any secret? Or this crisis didn't nearly prove the tragedy some predicted? 


It hasn't been a month yet and 36 cases of alleged (in all fairness, they have to perform tests)  reactions to the vaccine. Butler-Jones says this is less than the reactions to regular flu shot, but Butler-Jones, the season is still early. I have funny feeling more will be coming and it will be a lot harder to get the truth. 


An example of a potential cover up from hospital officials is happening in Virginia. A 14 year old boy came down with Guillain Barre's Syndrome not even 24 hours after receiving his H1N1 vaccine. Yah, I know what they say, rare case. Probably won't happen again.  The CDC alleges that this boy's case is probably just coincidental. In the words of the blogger from Facing Autism in New Brunswick: 'yeah, sure'. Assuming that this was a coincidence, why are officials at the hospital where this young man is being treated are not being so forthcoming with the information? This boy's parents already gave their permission to release their son's info.


Some things to think about before you inject. Remember, we shouldn't submit to being guinea pigs for big Pharma or any government. Remember, big pharma only cares about its' profit margins and governments (particulary Harpercons) will take the cheapest way out of a crisis. Remember, you get what you pay for.


Also, be careful. Use common sense. We'll have to rely on ourselves here. 

• Stay away from crowded places as much as possible
• Eat and drink healthy
• Eat at home
• Don't leave home unless absolutely necessary, like work or errands

Another thing to remember is the first wave from last May. There was no vaccine and no sign of one coming out. The media had a much different mood as did public health officials. They underlined the deaths of H1N1 victims that occurred were in those with underlying conditions which compromised their immune systems. They gave usual advice: wash your hands, drink fluids and stay home if you're sick. Sure enough, that news died down as quickly. 


If they are really short of vaccine, I'm sure that Public health and the Media will take the same tone they did last May.


After this debacle, the Harpercons certainly won't learn any lessons, neither will any of the public health agencies. There won't even be regrets. They are just going to continue running away from the whole thing.


There is one way of putting this; if the Harpercons cared and they stood behind their vaccine; their logo would be stamped all over it, no doubt.

Downhill for Stevie and the Harpercons in Quebec without the A.D.Q.?

I can only hope? The party was on life support and now, Gilles Taillon, may well be the one to pull the plug once and for all after just 23 days leading the party. I ordinarily wouldn't give something like this a second thought, let alone write about  it. Taillon is undergoing treatments for prostate cancer and he didn't even have a seat in the National Assembly. Two of its' MNAs have resigned to sit as independents as of Friday. At last count, It no longer seems the A.D.Q. has enough seats in the National Assembly for official party status. Its' brain child has long since left politics, or has he?


Since Super Mario's departure from politics, we don't hear from him anymore, except for maybe his new career as a TV star. We hadn't seen him really crawling out of the wood work to even comment about Monday's bi-election in Montmagny-L'Islet-Kamouraska-Riviere du Loup, let alone to campaign for Genereux of the Harpercons. 


Yet, according to Taillon, the ghost of Super Mario is still very much around. Taillon blames him as well as other party members and the Harpercons for the internal fighting inside the A.D.Q. 


It was no secret that Mario Dumont was one of Steve's best buddies here in Quebec. Steve had a neo-con to help him make in-roads. According to the CBC, the party was funded largely in part by Conservative Senator, Leo Housakos up until last December, right at the time the ADQ was decimated and Mario ran away. Well, certainly explains that weird relationship between an on again/off again separatist and  Stevie doesn't it?


Gilles Taillon, on the other hand, wanted to break ties with the Harpercons. He basically no longer wanted any ties with any political party; provincial or federal. Ok, sounds ambitious, even admirable.


"I understand today from the public comments made by the former 'owners' of the party, Mario Dumont first among them, that my election as leader of the ADQ signified for these people, the end of an untouchable alliance,"


Untouchable Alliance? It was almost incestuous, if you ask me. Steve and Mario were so joined at the hip, it sent Premier Jean Charest, a former Tory MP and Federalist to campaign for the Bloc Quebecois during the last Federal election. There were, of course other reasons for Charest to have done that, but I digress.


Super Mario appeared yesterday on his TV show, V calling for MNA Gerard Deltell to be leader. Wow! Whatever happened to remaining out of the political arena, Mario? TV show not having hot ratings lately?


It would also seem that co-founder of the A.D.Q., Jean Allaire is also backing Deltell for leader. 


Trouble is, does Deltell even want it? 

"I take note of the fact that many people want a leader who has consensus, and I see that many people think that I am the man for the job," said Deltell.

"[There is] a lot of pressure. But you know, that is part of the job. You don't do politics for the fun of it — you do politics because you are involved."

At this time, Eric Caire, a former contender for A.D.Q. leadership who resigned on Friday to sit as an independent no longer has any interest to lead this party.

Next question, should we even care? Whether Deltell takes it or not certainly won't help his career. This political experiment of reviving Day's past of the Maurice Duplessis era is done.

I wonder if Stevie still cares? After all, he gained a seat in the lower St-Lawrence in Monday's bi-election without the A.D.Q. However, he probably wouldn't have without Genereux or that 242 M bribe last Friday.


The trouble with that is, Stevie can't realistically bribe all or even half of Quebec ridings. Where would the money come from, for starters?


Also, how many Native Quebecois 'stars' can Steve recruit for Quebec ridings?


Some suggest that Stevie try to make nice with Jean Charest, but it may not even be in Charest's own political interests to entertain the idea of making nice with Stevie. As mentioned in a previous post, Charest could well be eye-balling Stevie's job. Unlike Stevie, Charest could potentially lead the Tories to a majority with greater ease.


Taillon is also alleging financial irregularities within the party for several years now and has already notified the Surete de Quebec. That too, more than likely  would be a reason for Gerard Deltell to be on the fence regarding the party's leadership and for those like Eric Caire to no longer be interested.


Whatever the case, I venture to guess that the life support of the A.D.Q. has just had its' plug pulled. 


Perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part. Although, the A.D.Q. will never have enough clout to help Steve make further inroads in Quebec.


I also venture to guess that Super Mario may get an invite from Steve to the senate should his TV show flop.

Nicotine Deprived Blogging - Week in Review

I don't recommend it!  I haven't had a cigarette all day today, got through that without telling my husband because he would go all cheerleader on me and when I start smoking again (Yes, when; not if), it will be an argument I really don't want to have. Right now, I'm trying to keep my distance from the population at large, because everybody is just so damned annoying to me right now; besides, it's better flu prevention than sticking yourself with an untested vaccine. This leads to my reasoning for my cigarette withdrawal: cigarettes are an irritant for the lungs among other organs, so if I do get this or any other bug, I will be able to fight it off easier. That is how today worked anyway. Tomorrow is another day: I might well be lighting up as I'm going to be stuck being with people at some function. YIKES!! Socializing without the benefit of cigarettes, not recommended for me. I would call myself Anti-Social Socialist, but I think there's a blogger out there using that handle. Too bad, because that nick name suits me well.


Funny, I guess my last two entries have been more of a personal nature. I promise, I will try to stay away from that as much as possible and will go back to venting about Politics here in Canada and the U.S., and other current events. Right now, I don't have the patience to even read the news paper or a news site or sit through a news or political show on the boob tube. I don't have the patience to think of any witty commentary about the news in politics.




Week in Review


Gotta say though, I have known the senate serves absolutely no purpose ever since Steve appointed a functionally illiterate hockey coach, showing us that knowing how to read and write is not a requirement for this 'job'? After watching Mike Puffy Duffy on TV and his mouth on steroids going off attempting to defend ...spending 44k after 3 months?? A lot of folks would take two years to earn that while working blood hard. 


Imagine a world without the senate? Imagine how their salaries and expenditures could help say, improve our single payer health care system?? 


Once in awhile, the Globe and Mail does actually run something insteresting:
Yes, I have to thank one of my Facebook friends for actually posting this. Some opinion writer, from a Harpercon-friendly  paper no less, finally came out and explained exactly how Steve doesn't care about our health care system, given his 'second tiered' minister, Agluquack. 


Rick Salutin, the writer of this piece speaking not only of Steve's lack of commitment toward health care or the flu crisis, but also of the Harpercon "Get tough on Crime" thing. Tougher punishments and a measure eliminating gun control. Sound familiar? Anyone who thought I was crazy for saying Steve was more like an American than Iggy would be hard pressed to argue that now.


After writing that, I wonder if Salutin will get fired?? I hope not, we need more writers to write and publish such things in newspapers. However, like the G & M, he doesn't often write anything that interesting neither.


However, when I sometimes get hope for the Globe and Mail, I get disappointed all over again with drivel like this.  According to Erin Anderssen, we are embracing the more American style combative military. Gone are the days of peace loving for us it would seem in her world.


That is my commentary for this week in Canada in short order.  


Right now, I must go somewhere, preferably where there is no one. Writing without cigarette just isn't working for me right now. I don't even feel like me without the smokes. Yah, I know they're bad, but they were a part of who I am...was?? Not sure anymore.


I may not be blogging for awhile until this nicotine thing somehow resolves itself, even if it means I start smoking again.

Halloween special - a Stevie Halloween

Here are some of my favourites:





Where in the world was Stevie?





Yosemite Steve

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!!

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!

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?

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? 

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?