Conservative Blog of Canada

Did you hear the one about...

2007-02-04T22:23:00.000-08:00

The joke goes:
a parishioner asks the priest why he accepts the offering of a known crime figure who would have obtained the money illegally. The priest replies: " the devil has his way with money maybe it is time the Lord put it to good use".

On that same line of thinking I will be donating my SGI refund cheque to the Sask Party to help fight the next election.

(Reference to the NDP as the "devil" is purely coincidental and is in no way the opinion of this blogger.)

The facts are in

2007-02-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

This is proof positive that ~~Muslims~~ the Taliban are untrustworthy scum who cannot be trusted and must be eliminated by any means.

British forces are based in Helmand province but left Musa Qala in October after a peace agreement was signed between elders and the Helmand governor. According to the deal, security was turned over to local leaders, while NATO forces were prevented from entering the town.

Hmmm... sounds like a good deal to me.

You wanna go to the moon

2006-12-30T04:42:00.000-08:00

Canadian could live on moon by 2024.

Considering half of Canadians are moon bats that is not a bad plan. If Jack Layton whines from the moon does andybody know?

America the bad

2006-12-30T04:16:00.000-08:00

Saddam is no more. America is the "bad guy".

Saddam Hussein, the shotgun-waving dictator who ruled Iraq with a remorseless brutality for a quarter-century and was driven from power by a U.S.-led war that left his country in shambles, was taken to the gallows clutching a Qur'an and hanged Saturday.

Fact number one if you were a Shiite or not a machine gun toting ally of Saddam your Iraq was already in shambles. Issue number one, Saddam always claimed his regime was not about Islam, he was a secular leader, it was a huge mistake to allow him a Qu'ran to make him an Islamic martyr he is not.

Union negotiations: Saskatchewan style

2006-12-27T01:11:00.000-08:00

Don Zerr [head of labour relations with the Public Service Commission]:Hi Barry [Nowoselsky union negotiator] how are you today?

Barry: Fine Don. How are you?

Don: I brought the cigars, they're Cubans you know.

Barry: I brought the Sherry, all the way from France.

Don: So where were we? Oh yes. We were determining how many days to allow the strike before we "give in" [laughter] to your demands.

Barry: yes I believe the number was 24 days to balance the books.

Don: Right 24 days.

Barry: I'm sure they can handle the cold for that long.

Don: Did you catch Lorne [Calvert's] year end message? He was hinting at an election.

Barry: Yes I did and we will urge our members to vote for him again.

Don: That about wraps things up for today. Are you and your wife coming over for dinner tonight?

Barry: Yes. 6:00 and I'll bring the wine.

Don: I'll have my secretary notify you when our next "negotiation" session is [laughter]. I sure wish you would strike in the summer so we could do this on the golf course.

Barry: Don't worry. We will.

Those crazy Boarder's

2006-12-20T22:46:00.000-08:00

I took the opportunity to take in Minister Strahl and Minister Ambrose's biofuel press conference today. Because I arrived late I was at the back of the room with the 'Army jacket, plaid pants, woolen mittens, velcro shoes contingent (aka socialist CWB supporters). Everyone has the right to an opinion (even if the opinion is so very wrong) and even carry placards (Our Board Our Business). Standing there I wish I had my own placard: My Wheat My business. But to be rude and yell and scream out when the ministers were speaking is absolutely deplorable. One individual even had a grains shovel with Shovel Strahl's S__T (fill in the blank. Two letters and it rhymes with 'it') ~~written~~ scribbled on it. How do these people think they will get, or deserve, any respect when they are so blatantly disrespectful. Strahl and Ambrose did a very good job of ignoring their nonsense and replied to their questions with far more dignity than they deserved.

Votes, votes, and more votes

2006-12-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

A vote was held to elect new farmer directors to the CWB. The left rejoiced as so-called pro-CWB won in most districts. 'An obvious sign farmers want the status quo' says the federal NDP, Liberals, and Bloc (who represent a miniscule minority of Canadians in rural western Canada). We are to have a farmer plebiscite by barley (and possibly wheat) growers to determine if changes should be made. If history repeats itself, again the pro-CWB will win the vote. (Note to readers: small hobby farmers out-number large full-time farming operators.)

There is only one vote that ~~should be~~ is of any relevance. That was the vote to elect the current government. We elect a government to govern. I think it is absolutely absurb that a government must ask permision to make a decision which they believe is in the best interest of their constituents. I challenge anyone to show me any other industry that is legislated to abide by the wishes of the majority of all industry participants.

Every farmer should read the CWB Act and see how your rights are being trampled uopn.

The big fence theory

2006-12-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

As much as I support what Canada, USA, Great Britian, and Australia have been doing in the Middle East I am not sure if the war on ~~terror~~ Islam is winnable. Even if democracy is brought to Iraq and Afghanistan there is still Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc... As long as there is one muslim cleric teaching his followers they way of jihad there will be instability in the region. For years the western world has underestimated these fanatics. We thought we could win favour and influence from the likes of Osama bin laden and Sadam Hussein but all we did strengthen their hatred of the western world. Although a very simple task, they have convinced the "left" that they are the victims not the aggresors and they are only trying to live in peace in their own homeland. In Europe and Canada our schools teach us that war is bad and we have to accept and even abide by other people's cultures so we can live in peace and harmony. In the Middle East boys are taught the west is evil and is bent on destroying their society. The dictators live in decadent palaces while their subjects barely eek out a living. Of course the blame is placed on Americans. It would take exponentially more troops and a generation of occupation to reverse this rampant brainwashing.

This is where the big fence comes into play. Instead of spending billions on military engagement build and encampent a city (We will likely be charged with the rebuilding if and when the war is won). Develop an agriculture industry where the farmers produce goods in the open market, not poppies for their ~~leaders~~ warlords. You just have to see how grateful the people are when our troops give small gifts or even candy to the children to know how grateful they would be gave them honor and dignity.

The moments of our lives

2006-12-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

This moment brought to you by the ~~good folks~~ low life slime at the Liberal Party of Canada.

"Stephen, can I call you Steve, like George W.?"

No, but you will call me Prime Minster! Can I call you A__-hole?

CBC's winter line up

2006-12-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

From the possibility of having Paul Martin light. "I support the war on terror", "I mean I do not support our troops in Afghanistan", and "shouldn't someone be on trial for war crimes for what happened in Qana?". To NDP'ers with suits. To The Libranos:The next Generation.

Dion was recruited by former prime minister Jean Chrétien in 1996 and given the job of improving federalist fortunes in Quebec in the wake of the 1995 referendum.

Now wasn't trying to "improve federalist fortunes in Quebec" what got this government in trouble in the first place?
Returning this season are:

But most key players on the Rae campaign poured over to Dion, including Ralph Goodale, Lloyd Axworthy, Maurizio Bevilacqua, Hedy Fry, Eddie Goldenberg and Jim Munson.

With a special season premier appearance by Iggy. (By season's end Iggy may be back running the "Harvard" chapter of the Libranos.)

Watch as the Libranos bring in "Da Little guy" from Chawinigan try take out "Scary Steve". Steve is sure to have "people with guns in our streets" to protect his turf.

It's all about the money

2006-11-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

The question, is Quebec a distinct nation, is one that has stifled our country for the past 60 years. Prime Minister Harper's definition, Quebec is a nation within a sovereign Canada, is the most accurate depiction of our current reality. Pierre Trudeau set the groundwork for this nationhood to happen with the repatriation of the Constitution and "allowing" Quebec not to sign on (along with Bill C-20) and Jean Chretien along with Paul Martin enabled the process by throwing money to their every whim and bowing to their every demand. As far as the rights and responsibilities Quebec has within Canada they are indeed an independent nation within our borders.

The irony is that Quebec's sovereignty has never been about sovereignty. It has always been all about the money. Rene Levesque, the modern champion of an independent Quebec, was a visionary who saw two independent events as touchstones for Quebec's prosperity and place of influence within Canada. The Leduc oil discovery and Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis' unwillingness to nationalize Quebec's hydropwer. As a former Minister of Hydroelectric Resources and Public Works knew the relevance of these two events to the futures of their respective provincial economies and the subsequent shift in the balance of power in the country. Levesque and subsequent PQ leaders used Quebec's "identity" issues to rally support among the masses, and any gains around these issues are frosting on the cake.

Assuming sovereignists are rational people why would they want to leave a confederation that has contributed more to their well-being than they themselves have contributed.

What color is the sky in Jack's world?

2006-11-19T01:04:00.000-08:00

I am not sure of the color but it may not be clean but it is 'healthy".

an 80 per cent reduction in emissions below 1990 levels, by 2050

I think the sky may be purple with little fairies flittering about.

And a "just-transition fund" to help the automobile move from voluntary to mandatory targets.

Funny how the left always target the Alberta oilsands as the Kyoto killers but hand the money out automobile sector. Buzz must be on cloud nine with a twinle in his eyes.

To set interim targets at five year intervals between 2015 and 2050

I will give credit where credit is due, this is a reasonable request having targets. Otherwise we would end up in the situation where in 2045 we could realize we have not chance of meeting the targets.

One last thought Jack. You want ~~clean~~ healthy air. Nuclear power.

Eat fresh

2006-11-06T23:08:00.000-08:00

I never thought I would say this but: " Jared, where have you gone. I cannot see how these new Subway advertisements with Jon Lovitz would entice anyone to eat there.

Mandatory retirement

2006-11-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

It is a hot topic going around Saskatchewan today. The logic is that in response to a shortage of workers we should end mandatory retirement. A better response would to make madatory retirement at 55 rather than at the current 65 or eliminating it altogether. We need to increase our productivity not have it lowered. I'll explain. Mandatory retirement is the domain of unionized employment. In the real world (private business) mandatory retirement only exists for pension funds and to let go of unproductive workers without cause. Not only are we already penalized with unproductive union work shops, letting them work another five or ten years will also be expensive. More contributions to lucrative pension funds and adding one or more tiers to pay schedules will be a burden to business owners and, in the case of government unions, taxpayers.

The reality is that many workers that retire at 65 or earlier end up taking a job in the private sector. The ones that do not are probably not fit to hire.

One of the concerns is that young workers do not have the same work ethic of the previous generation. For the most part this is true. But, there are also many workers who have been in the same job for the past forty years that are just putting in time until they can start clooecting their pension.

In income we trust

2006-11-02T06:29:00.000-08:00

For the life of me I cannot understand why governments are against income trusts. Maybe I do not understand how they work. Correct me if I am wrong but the idea is that instead of taxing the corporation money is paid out to investors where it is taxed in their hands.

Let's look at the big picture. Where does the lion's share of tax revenue get spent. Disregarding Liberal corruption it goes to spending on individual Canadians. In a more perfect world there would be no Western Economic Diversification Fund, or Atlantic Opportunities Corporation or whatever means are used to dole out money to companies such as Bombardier. Tax revenue from corporations should be equal the amount of money needed to regulate and police the industries not to pay for healthcare and other social ills. Then, every individual should be taxed fairly, whether you make $8.50/hr flipping burgers at McDonalds or make $850,000 deciding which burgers to flip.

A good read

2006-11-01T05:13:00.000-08:00

Here is something everyone must read about the religion of peace.

Random quote:

Perhaps the most important precedent established by Muhammad, however, and one at the root of modern jihadist violence, is the demonization of Christians and Jews.

Okay, not very random, but very telling.

Be careful what you ask for

2006-11-01T02:52:00.000-08:00

The folks at the Confiscators of Wheat and Barley are pleased that the voter's list will now contain barley farmers previously not on the list.

Ken Ritter, chair of the Canadian Wheat Board, said that while the decision doesn't include wheat growers, it's a positive step.

A positive step for those favoring dual marketing. If Mr. Ritter did his homework he would realize it was barley growers who originally fought successfully to have a North American open market for barley. Barley growers, for the most part, produce for the feed market. These are the last people the CWB should want voting for delegate elections.

All I can say is keep up the good work Ken.

Tackling the big issues

2006-10-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

We have pedophiles walking our streets and radical Islamofascists trying to blow up innocent civilians. You would think this would merit some debate in parliament. Not when there are allegations that an honorable member's dog ran away from him to take up residence on the other side of the house. One might think that the liberal left do not want to talk about the real issues, like how over the better part of two decades in power their Canada has slid into an abyss of decadence and debauchery.

Put up or shut up

2006-10-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

I think it is time for people to start putting their "money where their mouth is". For environmental groups, left wing ~~nut~~ politicians, and even those in the media this will be no small feat. Here is my proposal for every dollar the oil and gas industry, auto industry etc... puts into reducing green house gases these groups put a matching dollar into a fund, call it the enviro-whacko fund. Then in 2050 when there is no change in our climate and Manhattan is still above sea level and Iceland still has ice this money, plus interest, goes to these so-called polluters. The only down fall I can see is the natural global climate cycle shifting to a cooling trend.

Shoot for the .... cutting room floor

2006-10-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

It is nice to see our tax dollars being used to for such lucrative uses. I do not know (or likely will ever know) how many tax payer dollars went into the productions of Bon Cop Bad Cop but apparantly the fact that its sales have outpaced Porky's is a watershed moment for the Canadian movie industry.

But some in the industry say the national results for "Bon Cop" outside Quebec are far from disappointing. In a market where Canadian films often fail to gross even a million dollars, the success of "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" stands out.

Does it not even dawn on these people that when you get money from government you should use it to generate more money. I would almost assume that we would be doling out at least one million dollars per film. Why are these people allowed waste my money and fill the big screen with trash?

Argh

Failing grade

2006-10-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

I have a great deal of faith in the Conservatives to develop a workable environmental program, but if this is part of the solution:

An unequivocal recommitment to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

it will warrant a failing grade.

All in the title

2006-10-10T06:32:00.000-07:00

I do not think Soldier's remains sent home is a fitting way to describe the casket of a soldier being returned to Canada for a burial. I am quite certain to his family and friends and most Canadians there is the "body" of a person not just "remains".

The great Canadian myth

2006-10-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

Of which there are many. Canadians are peacekeepers or Canadians are the most generous people on the planet. Just read any speech by former PM PM and you can find many more platitudious examples. The greatest myth goes beyond that and lies at the root of our parliamentary system. The House of Commons matters. Or to be more specific parlimentary sessions. Sure it makes for entertaining new clips as a member of the opposition derides a government member for everything him/her or their party has done since confederation followed by whoops and hollers and the "banging of the desk". With the inception of televising the "debates" this has turned into a showcase of political ideology. This is not where our collective legislative fates are determined. This fate is determined in committee meetings where interest groups get the ears of all parlimentarians and more civilized debate occurs. However, one must remeber that once the cameras are turned on the same parlimentarians are free to misrepresent anything they happen to say in the committee room, but for a brief time there is civility in our system.

Of course in the grander picture all of this is for naught. In Canada's democratically elected dictatorship the ruling party dominates the commitees also, ensuring their vision is the only one that matters.

Leadership

2006-09-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

After Prime Minister Harper addressed the UN the Liberal Party and likely the NDP also are complaining they do not know how money is being spent in Afghanistan. No big surprise. If they actually read his address they know the answer or better yet read their committee reports where there is likely some information.

Just for the fun of it I found a copy of Paul Martin's 2004 UN address and did a quick comparison.

Harper on reform:

The United Nations should accept nothing less. This organization must become more accountable and more effective. Management reform must continue, and at an accelerated pace.

The taxpayers of member nations, Canadians among them, make significant financial contributions to this organization. They have the right to expect stronger, more independent oversight mechanisms, more robust accountability for how funds are spent, and human resources practices that are based on merit.

Martin on reform:

Others quite properly will talk to you about structural reform.

What I want to talk to you about today, are reforms designed to put our common humanity at the center of the UNÂs agenda.
...
Darfur is a human tragedy of immense proportions. We welcome the Security CouncilÂs support for expanded African Union engagement there, though we think the international response should be more robust. The African Union has agreed to lead this effort. Canada is offering $20 million to assist, and we call on others to join in. It is good that the international community is finally moving, but it has taken far too long.

I will take substance over style any day. Note that Harper calls for accountability on how money is spent while Martin would acknowledge there is a problem and answers it by throwing in more money. That pretty much sums up the Liberal philosophy. "Gotta problem? Here is more money. Problem solved".

Harper:

In the Middle East, Canada has joined the international community in the reconstruction of Lebanon. But will UNIFIL ensure security on Israel's northern border and lead to progress in the Middle East Peace Process?

Martin:

We must not let debates about definitions become obstacles to action. We should not have to go through such painful debates to figure out how to respond to humanitarian catastrophe. We need clear principles that will allow the international community to intervene much faster in situations like Darfur.

Note the emphasis. Harper shows his government is one of actions. Martin, again acknowledges the problem but does not have the solutions.

Harper summary:

When these goals have been achieved, Canada has always been with you through the war against fascism, the Cold War, dozens of UN-sponsored peacekeeping missions, and more recent multinational military engagements in the Balkans and the Persian Gulf.

Martin summary:

In another context, for instance, Canada has proposed a special meeting where leaders from 20 or so countries in the developed and developing world would get together to discuss our collective challenges and responsibilities. This could very well include providing a major boost to UN reform efforts.

No doubt Martin's solution would be to increase funding for the UN. Need I say more.

If I were to read these addresses not knowing the orators I would assume one is the leader of a country that is decisive and respected among the international community and the other is the leader of a daycare (government funded no doubt) telling five year old how to conduct themselves.

The religion of peace.... yeah right

2006-09-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

When christians are persecuted we quietly mumble amongst ourselves or write terse blog entries. When the pope recites a 100 year old peom critical of muslims he apologizes and they [Muslims] go on rampages and kill people.

Despite the statement, protests and violence persisted across the Muslim world, with churches set ablaze in the West Bank and a hardline Iranian cleric saying the Pope was united with President George W. Bush to "repeat the Crusades."
An Italian nun also was gunned down in a Somali hospital where she worked, and the Vatican expressed concern that the attack was related to the outrage over the Pope's remarks.

How peaceful. But of course this is just a minority of muslims. Again, when a group or person takes the words of the Bible in vain to control his group of followers, christians will usually point out the fact he is misinterpreting the Bible. This majority of muslims does nothing. I know nothing about the Koran but I believe if my God (supposedly the same god who spoke to Mohamed) would be very clear if he spoke to a prophet and told him to go out and kill everyone that does not follow him particularly when he told the prophets in the Bible to live and guide their flock.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:30-32

Send in the heavy artillery

2006-09-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Unless the rules have changed without me knowing we have a volunteer armed forces here in Canada, a Canada which still includes Quebec. Not since Don Cherry pontificated that since some Quebec born hockey players wore masks they were all wimps has a group of Quebecois been so insulted as they were by the upper crust of academia. Above all, this is the poorest of poor excuses not to send a regime of tanks into Afghanistan.

A Montreal political scientist said if there are casualties from Quebec, Stephen Harper and his Conservatives could end up paying a heavy price in political support in a province already deeply opposed to the war.

Yes, most of Montreal is opposed to the war but I am sure these Quebec soldiers are more than ready to do their part.

"When the bodies go back to Joliette, Lac-St-Jean or wherever these people come from, in Quebec you'll see the regional media covering it more deeply...

If that is not insulting enough they already are counting the caskets draped in the white and blue "fluer de leis".

There is truth to this statement but these sentiments are true across the whole of Canada. One just has to look roster of our armed forces to see Quebecers from the newly enlisted right up to the highest ranks to see many in Quebec have a long history of support for our military. Too bad the academics and the peaceniks do not realizie this.

Them rascally tigers

2006-08-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

No doubt this will be cause for the left to call for and end to their terrorist status. And we can likely blame the Americans for entrapment as well, for good measure.

Canada'a legal troubles

2006-08-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Whenever a heinous crime occurs such as the most recent child abduction by a well known pedophile there are calls for changes in how justice is delivered in this country. No doubt the next time a youth perpetrates a vicious crime there will be calls for changes to young offenders legislation. There is no question in my mind, as in most Canadians, that changes need to be made to sentencing and prison terms. However this is not where the problem stems. The root of the problem lies in the "presumption of innocence". In fact there should no presumption at all. Why is it that judges or jurors can not go into court with no presumptions? Irregardless of this edict judges and jurors will quickly make a presumption of guilt or innocence. In such cases as the Whitmore child abduction I would go as far as proposing a "presumption of guilt" to which his counsel must prove otherwise. A known pedophile, with prior convictions, abducts two children and holds them hostage in an abandoned building. Should one assume he there showing them magic tricks? No one will, or should, have to assume he is innocent it should be the duty of his lawyer to prove otherwise.

Of course repeat offenders and career criminals are much different than first time offenders. But even so, in a democratic just society one can expect that diligence is taken in gathering evidence before the accused is even brought before a judge. If this is not the case then it is no longer the "criminals" that we should fear.

Anti-American Broadcasting Corp

2006-08-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the times I should change my blog name to the Anti-American Blog of Canada. CBC was showing their true colors last night with their usual anti-American rantings. In a segement of the condition of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro Allison Smith refered to him as a "charismatic revolutionary" and in the next sentence she refered to the, democratically elected, US president George Bush as his [Castro's] "arch enemy".

If over one billion of our tax dollars were not flushed down the CBC toilet and some people did not take their slanted opinions and one-sided observations as actual credible news this would be humorous. But it is not.

Aiding or abetting?

2006-07-31T04:08:00.000-07:00

According to the Red Cross they have seven fundamental principles:

Humanity: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavors, in its international and national capacity, to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.
Impartiality: It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavors to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.
Neutrality: In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Movement may not take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.
Independence: The Movement is independent. The National Societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with the principles of the Movement.
Voluntary service: It is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.
Unity: There can be only one Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in any one country. It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.
Universality: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in which all Societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other, is worldwide

Yet according to their news release:

Humanitarian assistance in Lebanon, provided through the Movement, will include food, water, medical assistance such as first-aid, shelter and psychosocial assistance to the affected population...

(emphasis mine)

The fact that they are just providing aid to Lebanon, not Israel as well, goes against every one of the seven principles. I for one will not donate money to the Red Cross because of this now or possibly ever. If you Google 'humanitarian aid israel' you will get links to stories on the humanitarian aid going to Lebanon not links to any any aid to Israeli citizens affected by Hezbollah bombing.

Put that apple down and walk away

2006-07-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

Stop eating fruit and vegertables or you may die. That is if you believe the eco-quacks. It has always been the mantra that any pesticide residue is bad. This tactic must be waning because now the concern is:

"We are concerned about the health effects of low levels of many different chemicals in a person's body," said Sarah Winterton of the group Environmental Defence.

I do not disagree but if they want any credibility they should sponsor a government study to determine the effects. Any independant study would not have any credulance.

"Pesticides are among the most widely used chemicals in the world, and also among the most dangerous to human health," according to the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

"They are a leading cause of poisonings here in Canada and have been estimated to account for thousands of deaths each year globally."

How Canadian are you?

2006-07-21T02:43:00.000-07:00

Reports of the number of "Canadians" who are "visiting" Lebanon and now need to be evacuated range from 40,000 to 50,000. By most indications the majority of these people are ex-pat Lebanese. According to Statistics Canada data, 24,146 Lebanese immigrated to Canada between 1995 and 2004. One would assume most Lebanese immigration occured after 1975 when civil war broke out. If you extrapolate this number over 30 years and multiply by 2.5 (factor in birthrate) and you would expect the Lebanese-Canadian population to be 181,095. Let's assume I am wrong and there are 250,000 Lebanese-Canadian "citizens". According to the numbers currently in Lebanon 20% of this population is currently on "vacation" in their homeland. That number sounds a bit suspicious to me.

Like Paul Martin and his CSL ships flying flags of other countries many of these Lebanese are "Canadians-of-convenience", who fled the country when the going got tough and then returned after the civil war. They still maintain their Canadian citizenship for special occasions such as again fleeing from danger.

POTD

2006-07-19T05:07:00.000-07:00

I took this picture in an airport bookstore. Personally I find Tom Clancy novels somewhat more realistic.

Escape Lebanon

2006-07-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

Stephen Harper announced plans to evacuate Canadian citizens from Lebanon. My question is why? Anyone wanting to get on the boat should have to answer two skill testing questions.

1. Have you watched the news or read a newspaper in the last five years?

2. Did you willingly go to a war torn region of the world?

If you answer yes to either question then sorry pal, find your own way home.

Environmental ammunition

2006-07-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Or should I say Environmental cap-gun quackery. The notion that:

A number of geologists say glacial melting due to climate change will unleash pent-up pressures in the Earth's crust, causing extreme geological events such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.

is a very simplistic assertion and I believe unrealistic.

University of Alberta geologist Patrick Wu compares the effect to that of a thumb pressed on a soccer ball - when the pressure of the thumb is removed, the ball springs back to its original shape.
"What happens is the weight of this thick ice puts a lot of stress on the earth," says Wu. "The weight sort of suppresses the earthquakes but when you melt the ice the earthquakes get triggered."

When a quake happens under water it can cause a tsunami. Wu said melting of the Antarctic ice is already causing earthquakes and underground landslides although they get little attention. He predicted climate warming will bring "lots of earthquakes."

This theory involves a very big assumption that the current shape of the earth is not its original shape. I may be wrong but when the ice melts it turns into water which will still exert pressure on the sea floor. If Mr. Wu's assertions are true, theoretically the exact opposite effect could occur. The pressure put on the earth's crust at the poles (by the ice caps) could be causing fissions in the earth's crust at equatorial regions causing earthquakes and therefore tsunami's.

Maybe if we allow for some melting of the ice caps we will equalize the the pressure across the whole earth crust and eliminate earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanos.

For now I will go with the theory that how the earth is, is how it was created and we will always have floods, earthquakes, global warming and ice-ages, no matter what the scientists pontificate.

CBC: A hint of truth wrapped in a lie

2006-06-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

For the second or third time this year I watched The National and was treated with the same shoddy journalism I have come to expect from the CBC. It started with a story on the bombing of Al-Zarqawi. There was very little of the jubilation of this event reported but what what really got me angry was the closing statement by the ~~reporter~~ propagandist. She ended her statement with this comment. "George Bush's 'so-called' war on terrorism is being becoming increasingly less popular". Of course no mention was made that the poll that bears this out was taken prior to such a significant victory for the Iraqi's. Apparently the use of the 'T' word can only be used if
is qualified with a negative connotation to George Bush.

This was just a teaser however to the immense bias of the CBC. What really got me riled was the report on the truths about Kyoto. Of course this in refernce to the "lies" the Conservative government is telling to defend their position against Kyoto.

Lie #1 The Great Lie
Canada can meet its Kyoto obligations. As Rosa Ambrose pointed out it would take the equivalent of shutting every household down for times to meet our commitments. It was pointed out how the timing of the boom in the oil and gas industry coincided with our emmisions increasing. In an effort to demonize SUV owners they contradict themselves by going on to say
vehicle traffic is what is driving up the emmisions not because of our vast area but because commuters from cities to the subburbs. Of course it would be no big deal to just buy the credits from 'developing nations' (like China and Russia) to meet our goals. What's the problem it is just nine or ten billion dollars (I know where the first billion could come from (bye bye CBC)). Of course they alluded to the huge profits in the oilfield to ante up these billions, seeing how they are emitting and fueling the SUV's. What they do not mention is the fact that the previous government gave an excemption to the Ontario auto industry from having to reduce their emmisions.

Lie #2 If Britian can do it we can too

Britian has met their target and wants to increase their reductions further therefore Canada can at least meet their targets. The reality was that Britian had no targets to meet from the onset. The emmisions standards were set for levels Britian was producing prior to eliminating coal fired energy production. This was the same for Russia. Only three countries in the original Kyoto talks would have had to make reductions in their emmisions, The United States, Australia, and Canada. We were the only one to sign on.

Lie #3 The biggest lie

Of course I am referring to "man-made" global warming. There is not enough valid data to determine what is causing the climate to change and there is a greater likelihood this is a natural phenomenom. So should we do nothing? No anything we can do to conserve enegry is a good thing, but bringing our economy to a halt is not the answer.

Lie #4 Kyoto is about global warming

I know I am straying off the topic of CBC lies but people must realize the facts. Kyoto is all about a redistribution of money from western countries, to be more correct, North America, to developing countries and their thugs and dictators.

I am positive there were more half truths, misconceptions, and lies but I think you can get the picture.

CBC: Operation Conservative alienation

2006-05-19T03:41:00.000-07:00

For those ouf you who did not catch ~~Irrational~~ National last night they had a segment on what it means to be conservative and how Stephen Harper is trying to mold Canadians into his vision. I will give a brief summary of the message from the Mother Corp. If you are on the "left" or normally vote for the natural governing Liberal Party the Conservatives are war-mongering American wannabes. They made a point of playing the clip twice of Harper addressing the troupes in Afghanistan where he made the comment that Canadians do not "cut and run". I give CBC some credit as they stopped short of saying there would soldiers with guns in Canadian cities. If you are a conservative (small 'c') the Conservatives are too centrist. They went as far as consulting with the NDP on what to put in the throne speech. They used language to describe the Conservatives that conservatives dread about liberals. "Paternalistic" and "social engineering". According to CBC it is Liberals who cut taxes and reduce the deficit. The $500 credit for enrolling children in sporting activites is considered social engineering to the end of having physically fit children. For shame. The fact this is voluntary apparently is not a point worth discussing. I guess the assumption is (as is typical with true paternalistic socialists and liberals) that if government has a program it has to be good and we all must participate. All good parents will now take little Sally out of modern art classes and have her join the wrestling team and poor little Serge will have to trade his classical violin in for a pair of CCM skates and a hockey stick.

So who are us conservatives to vote for now that the Conservatives have "sold us out"?

Things I look forward to

2006-04-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

- The number of conservatives in the House of Commons exceeding the number of liberals and socialists.

-Buying health insurance.

-Music awards with no Rap or Hip Hop category.

-The Bill of Rights being replaced with the "Bill of Responsibilities"

-Islam being seen for what it really is.

-Criminals in jails not walking around our city streets.

-University students learning skills not being indoctrinated.

-All able bodied people having a job.

-Jean Chretien in jail not walking around our city streets.

-Seing politicians discuss the affairs of the nation with civility.

-Watching Ryan Smyth skate around Rexall Center hoisting the Stanley Cup above his head.

Timmie' s raspberry explosion

2006-04-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

Not to belittle the matter, but where else than in Canada would a suicide bomber's act occur in a donut shop. I was almost expecting a line in the report "Police were immediately on hand to secure the site".

Schools of thought

2006-04-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

There is journalism and then there is The Star.

The topic is the same, the content not. The [Halifax] Chronicle Herald picked up this story by Jim Brown of the Canadian Press on the realities of the new session of parliament. No slinging mud at any party just a concise statement on the issues of this parliamentary session backed up by the stands of the three main political parties. True reporting of the facts, true journalism. Then there is The Star's version bashing the Conservative child care plan at every turn trying to show how every sensible Canadian is against the Conservative's plan and of course on the national issue of parliament Toronto mayor David Miller has to be quoted on the issue of gas tax transfers to ~~large Canadian cities~~ Toronto.

Maybe Harper's handling of the media is working. If there was a "news scoop" from a government politician who would get it Sean Gordon and Bruce Campion-Smith or Jim Brown?

Much ado about nothing

2006-04-01T22:05:00.000-08:00

The Star's fear mongering about lost tourism to ~~Toronto~~ centre of the universe is all about America bashing. In Canada it costs around $80 and a day of bureaucratic wrangling, once every five years, and according to the article $100 in the USA to get a passport or passport-like document (aka photo ID) . Wow, how inconvenient. Why should the daily border hoppers put up with such inconvenience just to , I don't know, prevent a few terrorists from wandering around North America.

Population doom

2006-03-31T15:09:00.000-08:00

The incredible shrinking province(pdf) is on the move. We have not had two consecutive quarters of population growth since July of 1998. The government does not care. Many people do not care. One comment by a resident in an 'on the street interview' was "thats ok now we have less people for social spending programs". That could not be further from the truth. You just have to look at who is moving out. According to government statistics most of the outmigration is from people from 15 - 39 years old. These are young people going away (mostly to Alberta) for high paying jobs. These are the people who would be paying a high proportion of taxes for these social programs and not require support from the same programs. In 2004-05 there was a net in-migration of people 50+ years old. Almost twice as many people in this age category moved in as oppposed to moved out (2762 in and 1443 out) . All this is occuring with a province with natural resources arguably the most abundant in the country and despite a socialist government a booming economy.

Our youth are leaving, apart from aboriginals (who for the most part do not pay taxes) we are not sustaining our population, and people are moving back to Saskatchewan for their twilight years. This spells doom for those taxpayers who chose to stay here.

And the point is?

2006-03-31T02:39:00.000-08:00

U.S. deserter Joshua Key tells the immigration board a tale of attrocities the U.S.forces "alledgedly" commited in Iraq.

A "trigger-happy" U.S. army squad leader shot the foot off an unarmed Iraqi man and soldiers kicked a severed head around like a soccer ball...

If true these are terrible incidents that should be investigated.

Key, the father of four young children, told the hearing he joined the army for steady pay and medical coverage for his family. He said he initially went to Iraq as a willing participant because he believed U.S. intelligence claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
But Key became disillusioned with the war during his service and decided to abandon his contract with the army during a two-week leave from Iraq in November 2003.

Disillusioned with the war or not willing to make the sacrifice for his steady pay and medical coverage for his family?

Irregardless of seeing these alledged attrocities, his post traumatic stress disorder, and being made an example of to other potential deserters what does any of this have to do with becoming a refugee? My understanding of our immigration system is refugee status is granted if the person will not be deported if he faces imminent harm such as the death penalty. My understanding of the American military court is even less but I am not aware of a death sentence being a penalty for desertion. Why he is even allowed to make these claims when the US military cannot defend themselves is beyond me. And since when has our immigration board become a forum to judge other countries foreign policies.

No doubt the next on the immigration board's docket will be Raja Ghulam Mustafa who will face immenint harm for not killing thousands of infidels.

Counterpoint

2006-03-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

If the Sheaf can have their fun so can I. You may not be able to read the captions very well so I will put the text below:

Frame one (Danish cartoon drawing on desk)
Druggy Liberal Arts student: "Oh my Allah!! You can't print that."
Socialist Sloth: " You're right. Their terrorist cells will burn down our state funded university."

Frame two (Capiltalist Piglet cartoon on desk)
Druggy Liberal Arts student: "Oh. That's much better."
Socialist Sloth: "Yeah. If Christians are offended they have to forgive us."

I was considering calling it Socialist Swine but I did not want to infringe on their copyrights (ha ha) and pigs are too noble to be socialists.

Any university students offended by the cartoon in the Sheaf; Capitalist Piglet in general; or any university newspaper feel free to copy this and post them around campus. Leave your e-mail in my comments and I will send a better copy.

Charisma

2006-03-09T04:20:00.000-08:00

If I had a dime for every time I heard that Stephen Harper had no "Charisma" I would not be rich but I could buy a whole lot of 10 cent candies. It has always angered my why so much weight was put on someone's charisma. Chretien could be seen as somewhat charismatic but his succesor Martin was not. I beleive that is why Jean could win elections and Martin failed. I see this as a very dangerous trend. Rightwingsparkle had an interesting post, A History of Conscience, that illuminated this danger for me. In her comments, the blog's author replied to a commenter with this:

Interestingly I just turned on the history channel and watched a history of how they recruited Nazi soldiers. They talked about how charasmatic Hitler was, such a good speaker. He promised all kinds of wonderful things. People chose to ignore the things that bothered them by focusing on the great things that were coming their way.

The Liberal leaders are nowhere on the level of evil that Hitler was but you could easily transform that comment to this:

They talked about how charasmatic Chretien was, such a good speaker. He promised all kinds of wonderful things. People chose to ignore the things that bothered them by focusing on the great things that were coming their way.

That very accurately sums up (apart from being a good speaker) Canadian politics over the past decade. I do not fear ~~peace-loving~~ war-fearing Canada taking the same path as Nazi Germany, but when more stock is placed on a leader's charisma than his convictions you open yourself up to bad governement. A government that can steal your money and more importantly your freedom with no retribution.

Change from within

2006-03-06T23:20:00.000-08:00

I am appalled as much as anyone with the cartoon that appeared in the Sheaf. As it is already floating around the internet I will not post it here. Listening to John Gormley and many callers to his show regarding what should be done about this situation there were several remedies produced. They included shutting down the paper, firing all the Sheaf staff, boycotting the advertisers, and filing a human rights complaint. I do not care if people get fired or the paper gets shut down because there will always be lunatic lefties around to start another paper. The boycott is a great idea as is the human rights complaint. Unfortunately the human rights commission is comprised of left wing apologists so I see that being a dead end road. Unless you get a massive boycott there will be negative impact on anyone but the small local advertisers. In the liberal utopia of the U of S there is enough people who would go out of their way to support these advertisers to counteract a boycott.

I have a better plan. Effect a change from within the university. This spring the U of S will be holding Senate elections. There are 13 positions open for voting.

Senators are responsible for making bylaws respecting the discipline of students for any reason other than academic dishonesty; appoint examiners for, and making bylaws respecting, the conduct of examinations for professional societies; provide for the granting of honorary degrees; recommend to the Board and Council proposals received respecting the establishment or disestablishment of any college, school, department or institute or any affiliation or federation of the University with another educational institution in terms of relevance to the Province; and recommending to the Board or Council any matters or things that the Senate considers necessary to promote the interests of the University.

(emphasis mine)

I imagine the current senate collective is a hodgepodge of liberal elitists and left wing loonies.
Anyone tired of this event and the current state of the university programs, here is your chance to help effect some change. Becoming a senator may be the only way you can influence what is happening at the university.

Lies my media told me

2006-03-06T22:36:00.000-08:00

According to Peter Mansbridge American troupes are in both Afghanistan and Iraq as a result of the attack of America on September 11. Was this a simple slip or a calculated editorial? To be honest I do not know why the CBC wants to lump Iraq in with Afghanistan when they have made so much hay blaming Bush for having no proof of Iraq's WMD. A third feasible conclusion could be that CBC ~~journalists~~ newsguys really do not have a clue.

Pick your poison, no matter how you slice it Peter lied.

Question Period watch and male Olympians

2006-02-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

It may be "stretching it" but I so see a link. This may become a regular feature, particularly if ~~Gloria Steinem~~ Rosemary Thompson takes on hosting duties. When she ~~interviewed~~ grilled Stockwell Day over dismantling the gun registry I thought this is normal; someone from the MSM trying to discredit a conservative (Note the small 'c'). She even asked Mr. Day directly if he owned a firearm, as if that would have any significance. But with Rosemary's comments regarding the Canadian Olympics performance I knew there was more at play. "It was great to see Canadian women perform so well at the Olympics; then there was the $78 million [combined payroll of men's hockey team] disaster". "My defining moment of the Olympic games was seeing Clara and Cindy, both women, up on a pedastel receiving medals". Could it be that Rosemary is a feminist? She went on to correctly note that most of Canadian medals were won by female athletes.

The reason for this, is Canada is likely the most femininized country in the world. Although the feminist movement started in the USA it has a greater hold in the more liberal Canada. How many times have you heard the rally cry "There are not enough women politicians" or "why are there so few women CEO's?". When I was contemplating writing this post a Body Break commercial came on television extoling the virtues of girls taking martial arts courses, which I am fine with, but it was as thought they would be exploited by men if they did not have this training. We are at the point where it is heretical for a man to voice any oppinion on anything in a woman's domain from child bearing to child rearing. Here is the role of the new man in today's Canada. He will donate his DNA to a woman if and only if she choses to have a child. If she does not want to have a child or changes her mind and no longer wants a child then it is her right alone to make the decision to abort the ~~fetus~~ human being. His role is then to provide for his family while the mother decides what is right and what is wrong for that child's welfare. He can not be overly vigorous in providing for his family as this will limit the opportunity of women in the workforce who chose not to raise children. When his child does something wrong he must shoulder the blame because "he was not there for him/her" as he/she was growing up.

So what does this have to do with men winning Olympic medals? Typically men get into sports to show their physical superiority over other males in hope to attract a better mate. To the evolutionist this is called dominance, a result of survival of the fittest. To the modern woman this is not attractive but just a display of man's dominance over woman. So why bother bettering yourself if the outcome does not have the desired effect or may have a negative impact.

Around my hot stove

2006-02-24T05:09:00.000-08:00

Like any good political blogger I have conspiracy theories. This theory has nothing to do with Stephen Harper or any Liberal hope~~ful~~less leadership candidate, it is a theory on our Canadian hockey team. Before I get into my theory I want to give my sense of their performance. Regardless if we had the right players there or not, the talent we did have should have performed much better than they did. They didn't (or were not set up to) play as a complete unit. Don't blame Gretzky and don't put too much blame on the players either. I think the coaching staff, particularly Pat Quinn, is to blame for the poor performance. Quinn tried to institute a Toronto Mapleleaf system which by NHL standards is sub-par and really showed that on the large Olympic ice system. There whole "short shift" system cost them many scoring chances. I agree with Don Cherry on the effectiveness of timley used "dump-ins" but when Canada did this nine times out of ten they used that opportunity for line changes, leaving the opposition to pick up the puck and skate out of their zone. You just have to look at the success of the World Junior program with coach Sutter and what he has done in Calgaryto see who should be coaching. But unless a Sutter, any Sutter, is coaching in Toronto in 2010 that will never happen.

Now that I got that off my chest I can get into my theory. I do not believe this team was picked by Gretzky, it was picked by Hockey Canada officials whoever they may be. This was a build up team preparing for Vancouver 2010. It had a mix of veterans who will be around in 2010 and young players that should be reaching there peak by 2010. Plus you throw in some token veterans because this is their last chance at glory. The Crosby's, Staal's and Spezza's were left off because they are proven young talent and will be make a difference next time around without this experience while the young talent that played this year will benefit more from the experience.

I am not going as far to say Hockey Canada did not want to win gold but what would look better for them in 2010, Canada winning its third straight Olympic medal (possibly gold) or following a poor perfromance in Torino with a gold medal performance at home? You decide.

Blogger Tag

2006-02-22T22:51:00.000-08:00

1. What time did you start this questionaire?

9:35 pm

2. If you could have any occupation you wanted (different than your current occupation) what would it be?

Head chef at my own restaurant.

3. Jack Layton is to democracy as the Homer Simpson is to ___________ .

Nobel prizes, bolemia, the list goes on and on

4. What is your least favorite accomplishment?

Winning a prize for shortest drive in a fun golf tournament. (On a mulligan no less).

5. If you had to send a well known Canadian to our consulate in an islamofascist regime with information sensitive to our national security who would you send?

Donald S Cherry. Probably the most patriotic Canadian today. If caught he would not give anything up.

6. What was the first vehicle you owned?

1985 blue Chevy pickup with a 305 and four barrel carbs.

7. Who should carry Canada's flag at the Olympic closing ceremonies?

Duff Gibson because of this quote:
"The bottom line was I wanted to represent Canada and I figured this was the best way to do it."
and who can argue with having someone named Duff carrying our flag.
Very honorable mention goes to Chandra Crawford for that great smile and her singing of our national anthem at the awards ceremony.

8. What is the greatest line in cinema or television?

Movie: You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?
(Dirty Harry)
TV: With God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly. Mr. Carlson WKRP in Cincinnati

9. How long did you take to answer question #3?

13.754 seconds.

10. Whose has the coolest name spelled backwards and best exemplifies what he does?

Joe Sakic (kic as) need I say more.

11. What time did you finish this questionaire?

10:45 pm

I tagged Gay and Right, Conservative Beacon, and Trainload of Fools.

Boss... the plane

2006-02-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

"Hey stop. That's my plane. That's a Bombardier." Thousands of Canadians support Bombardier.

On the other hand, millions of Canadians are tired of supporting Bombardier.

And the winner is...

2006-02-22T07:25:00.000-08:00

Chandra Crawford

From out of nowhere came this 22 year old Canadian to win gold in the women's nordic sprint. In a field with Claudia Kuentzel and our own Beckie Scott, you would expect Chandra to at best take the bronze medal. Much was made by the announcer of Beckie Scott's poor choice of lanes to start the race and how Chandra had the better lane. I would not be surpised if in Beckie's Olympic swan song she chose this lane to give an advantage to Crawford to help her get to the podium. I also believe that Beckie also thought she could make it to the podium as well, even with her lane choice. In the end Scott may have been out of gas after competing in more events than most other Olympic competitors. Regardless, Chandra deserves full credit for the gold medal. She was loose the entire competition and took it to all her rivals. That smile on her face as she crossed the winners line should be an inspiration to all aspiring Canadian Olympians. With Sara Renner and now Chandra Crawford getting Olympic medals our future in nordic skiing is looking brighter and brighter.

The pot calling the kettle black

2006-02-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

The ex-prime minister is slamming Emerson and Tory Leader Stephen Harper for largely ducking the media and the public.
So Paul, how often were you around to face questions about the Gomery Inquiry? Not just in in the public with the media but in parliament. Your attendance was abysmal on any occasion when questions would be asked about your role in the scandal or in fact any issue where your government would look bad. And there were alot of issues.

Frank talk

2006-02-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

I turned on the television this morning to see an interview on Canada AM between Seamus, a member of a Islam council in Canada regarding the Western Standard reprinting the Mohammed cartoons. This was followed by a rebutal from Ezra Levant. T o make a point, Ezra called the other guest an idiot at least five time and refered to him as chairman Mao. At one point Seamus sat there speechless for at least six seconds, not knowing what to ask next.

I know Ezra has extra security and I think he will need it.

My new focus

2006-02-10T14:08:00.000-08:00

The emphasis of this blog has been exposing to criticism the left oriented media in Canada and putting my spin on the lies and corruption of the Liberal Party with the end goal being the election of the Conservative Party. I will still strive to counteract the media and their biases. Now that we have a Conservative government I will press them to be conservative. I just purchased a copy of Rescuing Canada's Right, and had I not just returned from three days of meetings in two provinces I would have read more than the Forward and Introduction. One line really struck me as being pertinent. "Conservatism can survive a lack of leaders but it cannot survive a lack of conservatism". In my limited knowledge of actual political policies of former Tories I know conservatism has been lacking. I think more than any group it was the Reform Party that reflected some semblance of conservatism through proposing smaller government.

Without reading any further, I believe a conservative revolution must start soon. I will be difficult to make any substantial progess on the context of a minority government but the seeds can be sown. Two key areas the government can focus on are fiscal responsibility and loosening the grasp of statism in the government bureaucracy. It is not up to the government it is all our responsibility. We must continue to take the media to task for their role defaming conservatives and possibly having some of our most adept bloggers go mainstream. We have the Western Standard magazine but we need to balance out CBC and CTV television news.

It is a daunting task but not impossible. If a Conservative government can be trusted to guide our statist government it could also be to institute conservative changes as well. But all Canadians must hear and see this before it will happen.

Signs of the times

2006-02-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

From the Careers Section of the Regional Optimist (North Battleford).

Daycare Supervisor
Eagle Hills Daycare
Red Pheasant
(Indian Reserve)

Qualifications:

First Aid and CPR
Safe Food Handlers
Two year Diploma Program in Early Childhood Development Program
Or Five years experience working in a Child Care Setting

Skills:

Management Experience
Computer Literate
Ability to speak Cree

Criminal Record must must accompany resume

(emphasis mine)

My question is if I have no criminal record could I still apply?

Low expectations

2006-02-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

Has 12 years of Liberal rule lowered our expectations for our government? According to these poll results I would suggest that is the case:

Seventeen per cent said Harper should be honest, ethical and have integrity, which is perhaps a reflection on the sponsorship scandal and the Gomery report, Griffiths said.

Fourteen per cent said he should keep his word on election promises, 12 per cent said he should work for Canada and stick up for the little guy, and eight per cent said he should avoid mistakes and make intelligent decisions.

Another eight per cent said he should resign or hand power over and seven per cent said he should "show moderation and not lean too far right."

I wonder if Harper will have a 76% approval rating if he governs without following his election promises or if this will increase to 93% his redneck starts to show under his mock turtleneck sweater?

I protest

2006-02-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

Ok everyone put what you are doing aside. There was a recent incident which needs all our attention. 100's of seal pups are dead. These are just early estimations and the number could rise. So join me with me we must protest. I ask everyone to go to their local weather station and protest .... ummmm.... the weather.

Incompetence or greed?

2006-02-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

You may think a story about a government ~~loaning~~ giving $15 M to an insolvent company should be entitled 'Government Incompetence' but the root of this problem go back even further. The problems in the Meadow Lake mill are directly linked to the problems in the Weyerhauser plant in Prince Albert. Having a market for byproducts used in the pulp and paper industry is vital for the Meadow Lake mill's survival. It was not long ago that Weyhauser (P.A.) had a plan to cogenerate electricity in their plant with the ability to sell excess power back into the grid. One could assume this would have strengthened the viability of the operation and may as well have been an option for the Meadow Lake facility. Would this have been a silver bullet that saved both operations? Likely not, but it would likely extended both plant's lifespan, which may get them through to a possible turnaround in the industry. Having such technology would at least make these facilites more saleable to future investers.

With a government dependant on revenues from crown corporation electrical utilites such innovations do not occur. My assumption would be that they do not want to open the floodgates of cogeneration, which could be used in these facilities as well as oilfields and likely other applications. So the NDP government's fiasco of spending $800 M in the Meadow Lake mill is a definitive sign of imcompetence with a touch of greed thrown in for good measure.

Dance with the one that brought you

2006-01-29T14:45:00.000-08:00

For 12 years western Canada has been ignored. Paul Martin did not even play lip service to his claim he would end western alienation. In fact the Liberals looked for ways to hold the west down and criticized any comment from Ralph Klein without a thought. When Danny Williams wanted oil revenue removed from equalization calculations it was as simple as taking down the Canadian flag and he had the attention of the Liberal government and a deal soon followed. When Lorne Calvert made a similar case for Saskatchewan oil revenues he was turned down flatly. If you did not vote for Liberals you did not their ear.

So with what is possibly the dawning of a new era of Canadian politics maybe this formula should stay intact. So when David Miller, Sam Sullivan, or Gerald Tremblay come calling for another handout for the only three Canadian cities of any relevance Harper should send them to Martin or Chretien. Maybe they have some money stashed away in Cayman Island bank accounts to satisfy them until the Liberals regain power.

Cabinet carpentry

2006-01-26T05:31:00.000-08:00

The task at hand for Stephen Harper is to build a cabinet. He will not have the luxury of tape measures, table saws, or finishing sanders his task will require balancing sex, race, and location. In the great Canadian tradition Harper must base his decision on inclusivity. We have to have someone from the west (but not too many from Alberta); there has to be ethnic minorities represented; we cannot forget Quebec (they should have the finance minister because we all know how fiscally responsible Quebec is); we need to have lots of woman cabinet ministers; the fisheries minister must be from the Atlantic region (or is it B.C.'s turn); and do not forget Toronto, if we do not have a Toronto cabinet minister the whole world will grind to a halt. What is that word I want to describe this? Right. Stupid. Right now I think Harper is glad he is not a "damn" American.

What ever happened to the concept of hiring the best person for the job? I imagine there are good candidates from all the groups or classes but if five of the top prospects for various cabinet posts happen to live in Alberta then we should have five cabinet ministers from Alberta.

Give me a hammer and nails, I have better things to do.

And the vilification begin

2006-01-24T22:24:00.000-08:00

Oh My gosh he said GOD. Alright, lets burn him at the stake.

I did not realize it but I have something in common with Rick Salutin at the Globe and Mail. Neither of us has to check facts when we write a story or in Ricks case a fable.

The Bush war on terror has expanded the amount and range of terror it claims to be fighting, for the same reason: It refuses to deal with incubating causes and, in the process, becomes a cause itself.

Take Iraq. Due entirely to the U.S. invasion in the name of defeating terror, Iraq has turned into the main global spawning ground for fundamentalist terror. Zealots drawn there are now returning to Afghanistan with new techniques -- suicide attacks, remote-control roadside bombs -- developed in Iraq.

Terrorism has not expanded, it has been put into the public eye. Just look back at the major terrorist attacks prior to 9/11 now look at what major attacks that have occured since. Two incidents, none on American soil or directed at America. The incubating cause is Islamic extremists, nothing more and nothing less and until people wake up and realize this there will be no end to this recent string of terrorism. Come on get serious do you actually believe if there was no current war in Iraq new terrorist techniques would not be created. That logic is so flawed it is not even funny. What do you think was happening in the hills of Afghanistan before it was invaded, Tiddlywink training?

Let's take a look what has occured in Afghanistan and Iraq since American troupes have been there. Some 14 year old have been killed or injured, some who were caught in the crossfire which is unfortunate but most because they were carrying assault rifles and shooting at American soldiers. All these children now have the right to go to school which was note true previously. Afghanistan has held a democratic election. Iraq has had an election to adopt a constitution and a general election. All without any major incident. Women are now allowed to walk around in public with their faces uncoverd if they so chose and they voted in these elections, a first for this region. Them damn American we should all hate them!

And all this because George Bush and now Stephen Harper asked for God's blessing on their respective countries.

New way to get out the vote

2006-01-24T18:16:00.000-08:00

The NDP wanted you to "lend them your vote". The Conservatives wanted you to "Stand up for Canada". No fancy slogan for the Liberals, just this:

- some reserves had over 100% turnout
- there was campaign literature in the polling stations, and polling booths
- Liberal threats to aboriginal voters that they would not recieve cheques

(courtesy of kate)

Plus reservation band chiefs paying band members to vote. If the Conservatives can be accused of being "republican-friendly", the Liberals could have taken their election strategy from ~~an episode of the Simpsons~~ the Democrats. (In case you are wondering they were not paying to vote Conservative.)

All that is missing is dead people voting.

A blow to conservatism

2006-01-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

Not to be a gloomy Gus but this was a very shallow victory. I do not blame the Conservative strategists or candidates at all, they ran a great campaign. But why would arguably the world's most corrupt democratically elected government of the last century be rewarded with almost one third of the seats in an election. Actually strike arguably and replace it with definitely.

As the numbers were coming in my hope was that the CPC numbers would be larger than the Liberal and NDP numbers combined. I still think it is possible that the Liberals and NDP will approach the GG and ask to form a coalition government. However with the development of Martin stepping down as leader this posibility is reduced.

There is a brightspot in the results of the BQ. They lost ground, along with the Liberals, to the CPC. This is definitely a blow to soverignty and to Duceppe as leader. The BQ may have less leverage against Harper than had he gained 50% of the popular vote as they had expected.

The CPC was virtually stagnant on the east coast; made gains in Ontario; made significant gains in Quebec; held the prairies; and lost big on the west coast. If you compare where they are now to where they were in the days before the Reform Party their biggest gain is in the prairie provinces which comes mostly at the expense of the NDP, yet this is one of the NDP's strongest showings yet. So how are we any better off?

I do not see this as the conservative revolution I have been hoping for. It is very difficult to see how this government will play out given the distribution of seats. If Harper and the Conservatives can make this parliament work without sliding further to the left and follow it up with a majority government next time around then we can start talking about a revolution.

MSM election coverage

2006-01-23T22:30:00.000-08:00

I can see the headlines across Canada tomorrow.

conservatives win election, Liberals still have over 1oo seats and NDP almost double their seats

Why the H E double hockey sticks have do we to see every re-elected NDP and Liberal candidate being interviewed?

Addenedum: Something I forgot to comment on.

When the CBC panel were discussing the CPC victory the question came up about possible cabinet ministers. When Stockwell Day's name was mentioned here was Mamsbridge's reply:
"Don't ask me about him. I won't go there to" followed by a hearty laugh with all the other panelists laughing as well.

Mansbridge you are an arrogant SOB, and I hope that arrogance is parlayed into funding cuts to the CBC.

Odds and sods

2006-01-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

Just a few election eve snippets.
Shhhhhh.... everyone be very quiet. If you listen closely you can hear the whirrrrrrrr of paper shredders all across Ottawa. I thought Martin went over the deep end with his "done as disco" comment, but apparently not. Paul is actually a real cool hipster. He comes complete with groupies. If I had only known he was so cool I would not have wasted all this time smearing him over the last five weeks. I am sure Bono has taught him everything he knows and someone taught him to play guitar as well.

Kate hit the nail on the head here:

It's bad enough when political leaders lose their sense of dignity and maturity. Now, in the waning hours, we must suffer one final intelligence-insulting spectacle courtesy of a Canadian press gallery suddenly caught up in a frenzy over... wait for it ... Stephen Harper's secret agenda on abortion and his sinister association with pro-life, pro-traditional marriage "western social conservatives."

I lost the story but I read somewhere that Martin made a comment that people like Peter McKay will have no say in a party dominated by Harper's western braintrust. Me thinks word has come down from Powe Corp to take it easy on McKay.

Good night and good voting.

Decisions, decisions

2006-01-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

Yes folks, in 47 hours I can vote. And, as I have from day one, I know who I will vote for. But there are still many undecided voters, which in Rob Granatstein's opinion ~~Tories are at 38.5%, the Grits have 29% and the NDP 19%~~ makes the election, "too close to call".

The Grits and Tories have flip-flopped since the election was called.

Not even true according to the biased SES polls. Yes the Conservatives have had a few moderate declines and Liberals have had a few minor upswings but the CPC trend has always been upward and the Liberals has been flat to down. Not since the second or third day have the Liberal numbers overshadowed the Conservatives. Wishful thinking Rob.

But what do I know? I am a simple blogger from the west no less. It is Paul Martin who has his finger on the pulse of the nation, certainly he should know better. Who knows better than Paul how these extremist right-wing fanatics are bent on destroying the liberal utopia he have constructed.

So yes there are decisions to be made. Do you want a return to corruption with a leader who will contradict himself if it means he will get support in a different region or at a different time. Do you want the balance of power in the hands of a man whose policies will heap even more taxes on the average working Canadian even when he goes around the country professing he is working for the interests of working (read unionized) Canadians. Or do you someone to clean up the mess of the last decade, give all Canadians (not just noisy special intereset groups) the rights they deserves, and give Canadians more choice in how they spend their hard earned money. These are the questions you must ask as you go into that polling booth on Monday.

The answer is pretty simple if you ask me.

Personal views

2006-01-19T23:14:00.000-08:00

It was sickening how the good Liberal mouthpiece, Mansbridge badgered Harper, asking him his personal view on abortion several times. I challenge Mansbridge to ask Martin his personal view on same sex marriage. I guarantee he will not answer the question.

What a difference a year makes

2006-01-19T04:02:00.000-08:00

Do we have an enlightened media? Had the story of Harper calling the judiciary, civil service and senate, "Liberal -dominated" there would have been a sustained cry of hidden agenda's not a follow up article by The Star giving a somewhat balanced portrayal of Harper's comments.

So with a new era of government on the horizon will we have a new era of journalism as well? One can only hope.

Jack is not playing fair everybody

2006-01-17T23:05:00.000-08:00

"He's [Jack Layton] attacked Liberals, not Conservatives. In fact, he's all but ignored Stephen Harper."

In a democratic country.

In a multi-party state.

In Canada.

Paul Martin said this.

I am not making this up.

Poor Sports update

2006-01-14T05:07:00.000-08:00

I sent an e-mail to the USA Hockey website in response to the World Juniors in Vancouver. Here was there response:

We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts in regard to the treatment of our team by some fans in the recently completed World Junior Championship. We've received a large volume of e-mail, letters and telephone calls from Canadian residents with comments similar to yours.

Sincere Regards,

Dave Fischer
Director of Media & Public Relations
USA Hockey, Inc.

A big thank-you to everyone who joined me in this campaign.

Really, it could happen

2006-01-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

I commented in the past that the Conservatives were doomed even if they won a minority government. This is due to the fact they are the only right wing party and had nowhere to go for support. All that might be changing. They may have support from where they least expect it. Not the NDP but from the Liberals, particularly the Martinite Liberals. If the Conservatives form a minority government they will have a couple of things going for them. The Liberals are now damaged goods. Their backroom infighting between the Chretienites and Martinites is moving out into the open and at the first opportunity there will be a review of Martin as leader and likely a bitter fight for control of the party which could keep them occupied for as much as a year. The Conservatives can keep the heat on by investigating all their secrets in the cloakrooms of parliament. In a bid for power both factions of the Liberal party may supply fuel for this fire. The best case scenario for the Liberals is they could be ready for an election in two years. But to select a new leader and prepare him for leadership (as clearly Martin was not) all the while fending off investigations of their corruption will likely take much longer. To top if off they are likely broke. I can see them supporting the Conservatives until they get back on a solid footing. The second thing going for them is the appetite for a third election in five years will not be there. I know that was said about this election but this election was called to bring down a corrupt government, not simply to change a government for the sake of change. Big difference.

If the Conservatives keep their hands clean, focus on truly cleaning up government, strengthening the economy through tax reform, and work towards making Canada a safer place to live people will go from be scared to vote for him to scared to vote against him.

Get them while you can

2006-01-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Any business in the market for either computer hard drives or paper shredders expect a shortage of supplies between now and Jan 23. If you cannot find a shredder and are in dire straits just go down to any Liberal Party office or Liberal friendly advertising firm and throw your documents in the pile marked "Urgent". You cannot miss them they will be the biggest piles you can see.

Half time analysis

2006-01-09T20:00:00.001-08:00

As far as who is winning and who is losing I would say is actually pretty even, although I suspect Martin may have a little more knowledge of the questions than do the rest. His response to Harper taking him to task of CSL using flags of convenience was way to rehearsed for the usual bumbling Martin, and actually a pretty decent response. When Martin was bragging about the open access Gomery had to investigate Adscam this was a perfect opportunity to bring up Earnscliffe. Why oh why did you not call him to task on that Stephen?

Is it just me or does Martin get more "discretion" in getting to make extra rebuttals
I am not sure if I will even watch the second half as all these socialist ranting's are getting my blood pressure up. If not, I am sure to get a good synopsis from CBC.

Update: I caved. I watched the remainder of the debate. The second half was a definte Harper victory.

One last plank

2006-01-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

Once again Kate stole my thunder. Okay bad comparison, if Kate has thunder I have a jolt from AAA battery (not even a Duracel). There will be a tipping point soon and I think the Conservatives could form a majority. On the other hand it could all unravel on them as well.

You can already see a shift from the Liberals trying to debate or counteract CPC policy to attacking them on the grounds that they will put Canada in a deficit. I hope the Conservatives do point out that even the figures the Liberals use for a Conservative deficit are far below the pre-election spending promises that Martin proposed. The watershed moment may come in the debate. Unless the NDP turn their attention to the Conservatives Martin will be too busy fighting off all three parties to inflict much damage. Martin will have three or four points to try sink Harper. I can almost guarantee one of the main points will be the environment and Kyoto. I think Harper is up to weathering any storm Martin can put forth.

What will put Harper over the top is one more plank in a near flawless campaign platform. The only flaw came with the promise to eliminate waiting lists. Every other promise Harper made he has backed up, but not this one and so far he has not been challenged. What the Conservative platform is missing is a call for smaller government. I think this will sway alot of soft Liberal support (with the exception of Quebec and maybe the Maritimes). The Liberals have not always been a party of big government. This may also attract Canadians who typically do not vote to exercise their right this time around. One of the reasons many people do not vote is they have the attitude "why vote government's don't listen anyway". Maybe they will take a chance on a government that wants people take on responsibilities the government has been slowly eroding from them. I believe there will be a slight rise in voter turnout this election. Alot of this rise will be due to the corruption of the Liberals therefore they will not gain much by the rise.

If you believe the polls Harper is looking more attractive as a Prime Minister so he may be the beneficiary of new voters.

In Canada expect less

2006-01-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

I read this story once, and a second time and I still cannot see find where Harper said he was expecting to form a majority government.
Jack Layton still maintains he can form government. This sounds like he expects he can upset the Liberal government:

Layton said people have seen what the NDP can do in a minority Parliament, which he insisted makes the party a likely choice for many Canadians seeking change in Ottawa.

Seventeen months ago many of these same journalists were warning of the downfalls of a miniority government. Now with the potential of a Conservative forming a majority this would be a bad thing.
And so what if Harper is predicting a majority government. Do we not want a leader to strive for the best for his fellow Canadians? Or are we expected to accept the same mediocrity we have had for the past 12 years.

The best response is no response

2006-01-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

Breaking News: Metis support Liberals.

The council sent questionnaires to all the parties, asking for their positions on various issues. Only the Liberals and the NDP responded, and Métis leaders like the Liberal responses better, Chartier said.

"We don't have any great expectations of meaningful progress with a Conservative government who in their policy doesn't even mention the Métis and didn't take the time to answer our letters, although we gave them a second deadline," he said.

Good on the Conservatives. A copy of their ~~questions~~ demands can be found here (pdf).

The new CBC

2006-01-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

Maybe my blog has had an impact. Maybe because of me a whole new era of unbiased state funded broadcasting is on the horizon. Probably not.
Just to show I am not a poor sport I will give them permission to use my logo.

He adds that the overriding – and encouraging – message was that Canadians want high quality information, more original journalism and more in-depth investigative coverage.

All I can say is good luck with that.

“What Canadians are telling us is go the reverse of dumbing down.”

If the reverse of 'dumbing down' is wising up then I am behind CBC 100%. From where I stand you a long hard road to climb. Good luck.

A flaw in the system

2006-01-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

This story from Kate at SDA highlights another flaw in our Public Accounts.

Additional grants from other ministries are likely but, since the published Public Accounts only records grants of over $100,000, this is almost impossible to track.

$100,000 is a hefty baseline figure. We all know how the government can get around full disclosure to their pet project advocacy groups such as Status for Women, by making multiple "donations" under the $100,000 limit. So how many, such advocacy groups does the government fund? I know the number is too large but could they not have an account for each group so as they could keep a running total for reporting purposes? Right. The Liberals are not big on reporting expenditures.

Maybe when it comes time for me to report my income tax this coming year I will use these forms as a template. If they are good enough for the Status of Women's book keeping they should be good enough for mine as well considering it is their goal to be equal to men.

Tag i'm it

2006-01-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Kinny's comments I have been tagged with listing five weird things about myself. My first thought is how can I narrow down the list to only five.
Here goes:
1. I live in Saskatchewan and have never ever contimplated voting for the NDP
2. I am pushing forty and have never been married
3. As opposed to Paul I am left-handed and do everything right
4. I like watching chick flicks
5. I do not curl and I cannot skate backwards. (Trust me, in Saskatchewan theses are oddities.)

I will tag the following:
The Great Recluse

The Great Pumpkin

Brandon non the lesser

The hero of Hespeler

The Crabby Castor canadensis

Liberal integrity

2006-01-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

Paul Martin defends the integrity of his staff.

"I [Paul Martin] can tell you that they all swore an oath, and I can tell you without equivocation that every single one of them has remained faithful to that oath, without exception."

So what is this oath they are swearing to and did Mike Klander pledge any such oath?

Liberal oath: I swear to denigrate any Canadian who has the audacity not to support the Liberal Party of Canada. I will uphold the values of Lord Martin and I pledge to crush any opposition to his moral righteousness with all the fervor I can muster. I will cover up any misdeeds until such time the MSM no longer pursues them. I will do all this and more until I breathe my last breath on earth and I receive my just reward in the great liberal utopia (or the senate whichever comes first).

Poor Sports

2006-01-06T06:17:00.000-08:00

Yay team! Congratulations to the golden Canadian Junior team.
To the "fans" who "jeered" on the American team, get real, get lost, get a life. These are not politicians or capitalistic icons, these are young men playing a game for their country, some of which contribute to the success of your local junior teams. Cheering for a team is normal but cheering against a team, particularly when the game has no effect on team Canada, is downright viscious.

I challenge real hockey fans to go to the USA hockey website and submit an apology, as I did.

In the news

2006-01-03T23:58:00.000-08:00

Why is this story more newsworthy than this story?
Both are tragic and unnecessary. But why is the life of a single visible minority in a large urban centre worthy of national media coverage when the life of twin sisters in a smaller urban centre?

Media bias: partial plagirism

2006-01-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

The CBC gives us a list of Canadian political scandals, meant to demonize Conservatives.
When talking of Conservative scandals they use very negative connotations (emphasized)

This 1873 corruption scandal brought down the Conservative government...
The guilty parties...
This 1985 fiasco brought down...

When telling of Liberal misdeeds they either sugar coat the offense:

Who would have thought a little pepper would be so harmful to one's political health?

or in the case of Shawinigate they start by justifying Chretien's actions and in the sponsorship scandal they first justify the actions as a means of keeping Quebec in confederation.

Now take at the text from the lists and now look at the text from The History Channel. They are very similar.

History Channel:

Broken on September 17, 1985 by the CBC program the fifth estate, Tunagate, as it became known...

CBC:

This 1985 fiasco brought down Brian Mulroney's minister of fisheries and oceans and robbed a New Brunswick town of its main employer. The story broke on CBC's The Fifth Estate on Sept. 17, 1985...

Which is more negative? I do not know who copied whose story or if they have a sharing arrangement (judging by their website they do not), but CBC has a definite bias against Conservatives. It is also interesting to note that CBC omitted three very prominent scandals of the Liberal Party governments:

Beauharnois Power Company Scandal
[...]
In 1931, the Liberal government, under the leadership of King, accepted over $1 million in bribes from the Beauharnois Power Company in exchange for the right to dam the Beauharnois River for electricity.

The Chretien APEC/pepper spray incident and of course the gun registry overspending scandal. Of course the CBC does not want to mention anything negative about guns considering Martin's new improved side arm policies.

Government advertising

2006-01-03T03:57:00.000-08:00

Not being a techno-wiz I may be off base here so could someone explain this for me. When I leave a comment on Cherniak on Politics why is data acquired from Parliament Hill's official homepage? Is this more government "advertising"?

Playing in the mud

2005-12-29T04:22:00.000-08:00

I read this comment in Waking up on Planet X and had to share it with everyone.

This should explain a few reasons why the Libranos are still ahead in the polls. Craig Oliver, take note:

"Why I will vote Liberal"

"Because I believe in the extent to which the Official Languages Act is carried out and enforced; that every public servant even in the most remote part of B.C. should be fluent in the French language, but that government business in Quebec should be in unilingual French.

Because I believe that only lawyers from the province of Quebec are qualified to be prime minister of Canada.

Because I believe that the federal government should be completely controlled by the province of Quebec.

Because I believe that all criminals are just poor misunderstood victims of society and can all be easily rehabilitated in a very short period of time; and that only they have "rights"; not the victims of their crimes.

Because I believe that hardened criminals like Karla Homolka should be pampered by living in a "cottage" with her own key and be allowed to have pyjama parties and go out on shopping trips; and that killers in prison "resorts" on the Pacific coast should eat filet mignon, have barbecues, go whale watching and have their own golf course, while our senior citizens have to eat left over Kraft Dinner.

Because I believe that mass murderers under that age of 18 should be protected by the Young Offenders Act and the rest of us law-abiding citizens do not have the right to know who they are.

Because I believe in bringing hundreds of thousands of unskilled people into Canada from third world countries every year so we can support them on welfare and so that they will vote Liberal; and that this number should be increased every year.

Because I believe that it is fair that the province of Quebec is the sole province allowed to be in charge of its immigration policy; that they receive 5 times the amount of federal immigration money than does Ontario, even though Ontario has to teach those people how to speak English whereas Quebec only allows immigrants to enter who already know the French language.

Because I believe that we do not have a right to own land in Canada, as it is under Liberal law.

Because I believe it is only fair that Liberals steal as much tax money as they can from us; through every conceivable means from the HRDC boondoggle to the 2 billion dollar gun registry that does not work.

Because I believe that if my family is the victim of a home invasion I should not have the right to protect them in our own home.

Because I believe in huge government bureaucracy and extremely high taxes, as I believe that the government knows how to spend my money better than I do.

Because I believe in having essentially no military because everyone loves us and we will never be called upon to protect our country.

Because Jack Layton is not a lawyer from Quebec so he is not qualified to be prime minister; besides, he smiles too much.

Because Stephen Harper is not a lawyer from Quebec and he and the Conservative Party of Canada have a hidden agenda and they are very scary people.

Because I believe that we should alienate our neighbours to the South because all Americans are morons and know nothing about Canada; and that we should continue to align ourselves more closely with our true friends, France, China and Russia.

Because I believe everything that the Liberal controlled media tells me, especially the CBC.

Because I believe that no one should ever be held responsible or accountable for their own actions in today's society. It is always someone else's fault.

Because I believe that we should not expect newcomers to our country to accept or adapt to our culture and traditions and customs; and that we should not wish each other "Merry Christmas" in case it might be offensive to some.

Because I have the IQ of a doorknob and am easily sucked in by Liberal scare tactics and propaganda; and am easily bought off with my own tax money. "

There now. Clear as mud?
D-man

Could not have said it better myself. Every Conservative candidate or supporter should have this as speaking notes.

Securtiy woes

2005-12-26T01:42:00.000-08:00

Auditor General Sheila Fraser found in March 2004 that watch-lists used to screen visa applicants, refugee claimants and travellers seeking to enter Canada were in disarray because of inaccuracies and shoddy updating.

Problems such as who should be in charge of the information, and file sharing capabilities of departmental computer systems are part of the problem. To further complicate matters the Liberal Party has to cross reference the watch list names with their contributor's list to determine how much value they are to ~~the Liberal Party~~ Canada.

Christmas Gifts

2005-12-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

I ran across this quotation in a Christmas flyer:

Christmas Gift Suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To all, charity.
To a customer , service.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect
-Oren Arnold

My Christmas suggestions:

To the Conservatives, hope.
To the Liberals, humility.
To the NDP, tolerance.
To the Bloc, Quebec.
To the electorate, wisdom.
To the faithful few who read this blog, a blessed Christmas and a very blue New Year

A year in review

2005-12-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a copy of an e-mail I sent to both CBC and CTV. I do not imagine it will get any support.

It is customary that CBC, along with CTV, interview the Prime Minister at the years end. Although Paul Martin is PM technically he is not a sitting PM. Giving him the opportunity this year would be providing him an unencumbered one hour election campaign. I urge you to change your format for this year. I would suggest you interview each of the four main candidates individually and ask them two questions each and give them 10 minutes to respond. Question one would be: If elected PM how would Canada be different in four years? Question two: How would you unify all Canadians under one flag?

Quote of the day: cyborg Paul

2005-12-21T03:06:00.000-08:00

Paul must have found the old still behind the barn to come up with this:
"He [Harper] just should be embarrassed," Mr. Martin told a group of farmers in the community of Harrow. "The fact is that fighting the separatists and fighting for national unity is part of my DNA."
Yes I think it is definitely time to disect Paul and find out just what he is made makes him tick. My guess is a little low on gray matter and heavy of fluff.

NDP supporters are from Mars and Liberal supporters are from Venus

2005-12-21T00:23:00.000-08:00

If not, how else can you explain the Voices: from the right in The Star:

I start my comment by limiting what I mean by "Smart" to mean a leader who I believe has a balanced view of the issues, unencumbered and not confused by personal political aspirations. By far then, I say PM Paul Martin has the right stuff to take us forward without setting us back. "Candidate Harper", the memory of Canadian voters may not be as short or dull as you seem to think. Your extremist views scare me.
Justin Ngan, Toronto, Dec. 19

Paul Martin has balanced views and no personal political aspirations! This is definitely a recent Venutian immigrant talking. Paul Martin is all about power. He has been right from day one when he wrangled the leadership away from Jean Chretien. He appears to have balanced views to appeal to cater to this thirst for power by telling everyone, particularly those in Toronto, what they want to hear to get elected. Just one time I would lie to here one of these Liberal apologist list Harper's extreme views. I would gladly debate them with true facts not Liberal talking points or media propaganda.

I believe the most intelligent leader is Jack Layton. Educationally speaking, he is the only federal leader with a Ph.D. Stephen Harper does have a Masters degree in economics, but I can't tell if that has led him to realize or not that the economics of his child care plan do not make sense.
John Paul Gennaro, Ottawa, Dec. 19

In the real world a Ph.D. (or a Masters) do not amount to a hill of beans. Maybe giving a cheque to some parents is not the most efficient way but it is definitely for efficient than creating a whole new childcare bureaucracy where less than 70% of the dollars spent will go directly to childcare with the remaining 30% or more going to administration. This is definitely the musings of someone from the "Red" planet.

Canadian economy in a tailspin

2005-12-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

According to Paul Martin our robust economy must have taken a dramatic plunge.

December 13

Liberal Leader Paul Martin says he is not making new promises to help small business because the economy is soaring and he likes the status quo.

December 19

Martin promises to aid small businesses

So what has changed so much in six days that small business now needs tax incentives? Apart from Martin's popularity nothing.

Stephen Harper has a clear public record of being opposed to regional economic development, which he calls “corporate welfare.” In contrast, Liberals have a clear record of supporting local economies so communities become more sustainable, competitive and productive.

If by local economies you mean Liberal ridings where hotels and golf courses are built (subliminal message: Shawinigan) then communities are more sustainable and productive but definitely not competitive. The term corporate welfare rings very true. By assisting one business in the area you create a false economy where competition is stifled because of the economic advantage gained by the ~~friends of the Liberal Party~~ subsidized company.

"Small business is the economic engine of Canada and it falls to government to make sure that engine is primed and that it's running smoothly," Martin said.

This mentality is precisely why we must rid the country of the Liberals. Like the NDP, they think government should have a hand in every aspect of the economy. Substitute "small business" with "organized labour" and that could be the perfect by-line for Jack Layton.

Media bias: Moonlighting

2005-12-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

This morning's edition of Question Period with the most blatant example of media bias I have seen during the election. I am sure heads will roll at CBC for not thinking of this first.

Craig Oliver to Jack Layton:
We all know there will not be a NDP minority government. Why not make it your strategy to elect NDP MP's to be a watchdog for a Liberal government or to make sure the Conservatives do not stray too far to the right?
Hint Hint !!!

He reiterated the comment minutes later, emphasizing "make sure the Conservatives do not stray too far to the right". He did not appear to have a hangover so I assume this was a planned message.

Two faces have Paul Martin

2005-12-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

Just to add to If I was Stephen Harper in Conservative Life. Martin went on to say that the best way for Canadians to benefit was to "put the money in their hands" (may not be the actual quote). I was really hoping Harper would come back with the child care scenario where the last thing the Liberals want is to put the money in Canadian's collective hands.

Media bias: dredging up the past

2005-12-15T02:16:00.000-08:00

CBC
Old Harper speech resurfaces on debate day D

We already are aware that the CBC is the chief spin doctor for the Liberal Party so it comes as no suprise that they dredge up this speech from Harper's past and that this comes out prior to the first debate and when the CPC is gaining strength in the polls. I suggest CBC could go check their archives to a point further back in time and pull out a copy of Redbook I and Redbook II and highlight some of promises made and never kept by the Liberals. Not Martin's fault! Maybe go back to a time when he was "mad as hell" and was going to get to the bottom of the sponsorship scandal and ask him why his relationship with Earnscliff was never investigated. The fact Harper was a private citizen at the time should not be lost in the shuffle. Maybe we should check into a time when Paul Martin was not PMPM, but PMCEO of CSL and find out what the rationale was behind him sailing his ships under flags other than Canada's. Is it possible he wanted to evade our overly high taxes and more stringent environmental laws?

Corruption, lies, and political support

2005-12-08T04:18:00.000-08:00

Did Ralph leak the information? Ralph likely did not himself but from someone from his staff most likely did so. The information going around is circumstantial at best but with the number of allegations and the uncanny resemblance of the "supposed" leaked information and the actual text of the news release it would be hard not to draw a conclusion of the leak occurring. One question I have is to what degree is Ralph responsible for his senior management? In the end can Ralph say he is "mad as hell" at what he did and ~~hand~~ have another staffer hand him a Manila envelope on his way out the door?
Ferret, from Conservative Life wondered aloud how inspite of this scandal the Liberal's could gain support:

In other news - the newly merged RCMP/Liberal Party of Canada has reached 40% in the polls making the possibility of five more years of Liberal rule a distinct possibility.

It is not suprising to me, in fact this may have been a good selling point for Liberal supporters that their party is finally conducting "business as usual". CBC had a poll out (link no longer available) which had some interesting information in the raw data. When asked if their party of choice would/would not keep their promises, Liberal supporters were split 69%/30% respectively compared to Conservative supporters at 77%/21% respectively. When asked how important honesty and integrity is in politicians 70% of Liberal supporters said very important compared to 88% of Conservative supporters saying very important. In the GTA alone (Liberal sacred ground) only 69% thought honesty and integrity was very important. When asked if their party of choice would run an honest government 57% of Liberal supporters agreed compared to Conservative supporters where 74% thought their party would be honest.

Is it any wonder that as the scandals increase the support of the Liberal party moves along in synch?

Counting by tens

2005-12-05T23:30:00.000-08:00

Thousands , no tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest at the global warming summit in Montreal on Saturday. Suprisingly none of the protestors succumb to hypothermia.

No doubt some people would adamantly deny the need for mandatory worldwide action against climate change, even as freezing flood waters engulfed them.

Predictions of the top "scientist" at the Toronto Star have not been heeded by the US government.

The U.S. is the leading resister of Kyoto, the international agreement aimed at combating climate change. While George W. Bush focuses on fighting terrorism, he barely acknowledges the terrorism to be unleashed by nature, which truly does amount to a rebuff of America's gas-guzzling "way of life." But then it's harder to vilify nature, to rally crowds with: "You're either with us Â or with nature." reducing GHGemissionss faster than most Kyoto signatorties is not good enough for McQuaig and the tens of thousands of protesters.
The truth, of course, should speak for itself. But since many people prefer to hang on to misperceptions, I thought I would provide some information that may be news to millions of Canadians. Many people are surprised for instance, when I tell them that the U.S. has a better record on GHG emissions that many of the countries that ratified Kyoto and accepted reduction targets. While U.S. GHG emissions rose 13 percent between 1990 and 2002, there are a number of Kyoto countries that came in well above that, some with GHG emission increases as high as 40 percent. In the more recent period between 2000 and 2003, the U.S. actually registered a small reduction in overall GHG emissions of 0.8 percent. That doesn't seem like much, but it is a great result compared to a large number of Kyoto countries that registered increases of up to 22 percent during that period.

So what accounts for the U.S. performance? Well, President Bush announced in 2002 that the U.S. had set a goal of reducing GHG intensity (the amount of GHG emissions per unit of GDP) by 18 percent by 2012. That translates to annual reductions of about 1.95 percent. Quite simply, we have been exceeding our targets, cutting GHG intensity an average of 2.3 percent - and 2.6 percent in 2004.
So what has Canada done on the GHG reduction front? Annoyed us with the nasal intonations of Rick Mercer. Yes. Made any significant GHGemissionss. No.

Question Period Files

2005-12-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

I caught the tail end of CTV's Question Period and I found the Marc Garneau interview quite interesting. When Marc would not bite on the question "Do you have a side deal which will see you getting a cabinet post?" Jane Taber followed up with "What do you want to get out of this [election]?" His response was "I want to be able to best represent the Liberal Party." He does not want to best represent his constituents, or the country of Canada, but the Liberal Party. That pretty much sums of the culture of entitlement the Liberals have developed. There re-election should take presidence over the good of Canada. For this I hope Mr. Garneau ends up with egg on his face.

This was followed by Brian Tobin getting figuratively "beaten up" by the sly fox John Reynolds and the former provincial NDP leader. Never before have I seen a politician so ill prepared and get stomped on by the other guests, and never before have I seen Jane Taber allow the Conservatives to score so many points. This was followed up by the Hot and Not picks with Stephen Harper being the Hot pick and the Liberal Ignatieff being not Hot. I do see how this could backfire later on when in the campaign, with the media ganging up on Harper and Taber picking Harper as Not Hot and refering to how early on he was hot and now he is not.

Slow down, relax

2005-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

It is only day four of the campaign and the Conservatives have rolled out a cut in the GST, a reduction in hospital wait times, and now mandatory minimum sentences for drug related offenses. All good ideas and it is keeping the Conservatives in the headlines, but what will they have left on day 40? Meanwhile the Liberals and NDP have just handed us a few generalities and attacks of the CPC policies. This period before Christmas may indeed be a wash in the voters minds. When the tryptophan kicks in from the turkey dinner all these plans may be forgotten. Then the electioneering will begin in earnest and the mud will be flying. Harper will have to defend his hidden agenda's and if he has no new policy to promote he could be dead in the water.

One can only hope the CPC strategists know what they are doing this time around.

Harper's hidden agenda

2005-12-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

Yes Stephen Harper and the CPC do have a hidden agenda. Their agenda is hidden not by Stephen but by the MSM who chose not to report the Conservative agenda. The media would rather castigate the Conservatives and promote the Liberal agenda.
In fact it is quite easy find the Conservative's agenda, all you have to do is look beyond the headlines.

• Conservatives will help individuals, families and entrepreneurs get ahead by lowering taxes, rewarding hard work and making it easier to save.

• Conservatives will help our seniors preserve their hard won gains through fairer taxes, better service from bureaucrats and by opposing ‘death taxes’.

• Conservatives will improve the quality of life in communities by improving access to health care, offering choice in child care and tackling violent crime.

• Conservatives will fight waste, mismanagement and corruption in Ottawa by enacting and enforcing tough anti-corruption and accountability measures.

• Conservatives will stand up for Canada by defending our national interests in trade disputes, securing our borders and treating all provinces with respect.

It took me all of 30 seconds. Its funny the media researchers seem to have trouble finding it though. Could it be they are not actually looking for it?