Christian Conservative Christian "Independent"

I'm an evangelical Christian, member of the CPC, but presently & unjustly exiled to wander the political wilderness.
All opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Former Liberal MP Allan Rock responsible for cancelled Coulter event?

Well what do you know... looks like he's not quite as innocent as he initially made himself out to be.

From the Toronto Star, of all places...
In fact, the released documents show that it was Rock — not Houle — who asked that the email be sent. Rock even dictated some of the wording.

"Ann Coulter is a mean-spirited, small-minded, foul-mouthed poltroon," Rock wrote to Houle in a March 18 email. "She is 'the loud mouth that bespeaks the vacant mind'."

"She is an ill-informed and deeply offensive shill for a profoundly shallow and ignorant view of the world. She is a malignancy on the body politic. She is a disgrace to the broadcasting industry and a leading example of the dramatic decline in the quality of public discourse in recent times."
h/t to Strictly Right

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Parents going to sue their kids way into the NHL?

From the completely ridiculous file... two Toronto parents suing the GTHL because their two sons were cut from the team. 70 kids tried out for only 17 spots. They made the cut last year, didn't make it this year. Boo hoo. They must be New Democrats or something.

I'm thinking the parents are just ticked that their "pension" just got smaller.

Monday, June 28, 2010

UofG's OPIRG-Guelph members linked to G20 protest organizers

Well, I'm sure the students at the University of Guelph will be happy to hear that their money may have been used to help organize the destruction and chaos that ensued in Toronto this weekend, as several members of OPIRG Guelph have been arrested and charged in relation to the violence that occurred... and may have even had a hand in organizing it.
TORONTO – Multiple people with Guelph connections were among the hundreds arrested in connection with G20 protests.

Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) staffer Mandy Hiscocks, 36, (aka - Amanda Hiscocks) is to appear in court today for a bail hearing. She was arrested Friday and charged with conspiracy to commit indictable mischief. She was among 15 suspects police charged in connection with a crackdown of alleged ringleaders of violent G20 protesting.
Interesting point to consider... perhaps this would not have happened if the folks at OPIRG and Guelph's CSU hadn't conspired to rig the OPIRG elections last year?

It's time to follow the money folks... it's time to demand a full in depth audit of OPIRG Guelph's books, to ensure that no student money was misused to fund these criminal and terrorist acts. It's time to DEMAND that OPIRG Guelph be held accountable for their actions, and that steps are take to ensure that they actually reflect the views and opinions of the student body... instead of the extremist left-wing activist views that were on display this weekend.

If you're looking for answers, I have a good place for you to start... how about questioning one of the external advisors for OPIRG-Guelph, none other than the Guelph NDP's Past President Ravi Joshi? (just to establish his current NPD links, a list of the websites he supports are here)

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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Ignatieff looking to Clegg for advice on coalitions?

Here's a scary thought... maybe he's looking for advice on what it's like to form a working coalition with a Conservative?

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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Maybe Canada needs a face mask law?

In looking at the G20 protests in Toronto today, I've been doing some thinking, and I'm convinced that Canada needs to make it a Criminal Code offence to cover ones face in order to obscure one's identity.

I know this idea has been debated in the context of extremist Islam, where it's been proposed that Canada should ban the burka and any other religious face covering, as has been proposed in other nations. However, I don't think we need to go that far. Of course I firmly believe in religious rights, and think that Muslim women should be allowed the right to wear whatever they want, should they so choose... no matter how wrong I may believe they are in their faith.

However, I do agree that for the purposes of verifying their identitiy in the context of Government interaction, such as voting, getting a drivers license, etc., I believe that it should be mandatory to submit to a visual verification of their identity. Of course, there should be provisions made for this, such as ensuring that it's a woman doing the ID verification, along with privacy to do so, but these are reasonable compromises in my opinion.

Now, on to the other motivation for my proposal... that's right, you guessed it, to ensure that the illegal and criminal activities of protesters can be properly prosecuted. I think we should be making it as difficult as possible for people to be able to break our laws with impunity, simply because they've got a $1.00 piece of cloth in front of their faces. It would also cover the matter of protesters who have gas masks, which are worn for the express purpose of resisting the authority of our police services. Were we to make it illegal to obscure one's face for the purposes of avoiding identification, we can kill both birds with one single stone... the issues surrounding religious veils, AND around illegal protest tactics.

Such a law would easily survive a Charter challenge, as there is nothing within the Charter that guarentees the right to hide one's true identity. Such a law would not deny anyone's freedom of speech, nor their freedom of association, and therefore could not be struck down under those provisions of the Charter. Such a law would, however, give our police the tools they need to guarentee the rights of ALL OF US.

You see, the laws that were written to ensure our rights and freedoms have been blatantly abused by these protesters for too long now. In asserting their "rights", they have in fact denied many of us our own rights. With their blockades, their marches, their outlandish law-breaking tactics, they have many a time impeeded the rest of our rights, such as our own freedom of mobility, our ability to associate with those whom we choose to, and our right to say what we want to say... all in the name of their own "rights". Which, ironicly, is in many case the exact opposite of what they claim they're doing.

So to make a long story short, I think it's time that Canada considered a ban on tactics designed to obscure one's identity. It would serve as a deterance for some, knowing that they will be less likely to avoid the consequences of their actions. It would also ensure that the rights of the rest of us are protected, as those who choose to break the laws of our society will be properly prosecuted. For the vast majority of Candadians, I'd say about 99.9999% of us, such a law would be a WIN-WIN situation.

Plus it would be a thorn in the side of the extremist left... which then makes it a WIN-WIN-WIN situtation in my books.

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Friday, June 25, 2010

House Speaker & Liberal MP Peter Milliken WON'T RUN in next election

This is HUGE... add another one to the seat count for the Tories. We've been closing the gap with each election, so perhaps he simply saw the writing on the wall and decided to go out on his own timetable.
Commons Speaker Milliken won't run again
Friday, June 25, 2010 | 4:02 PM ET
CBC News

Peter Milliken, Speaker of the House of Commons longer than anyone else in parliamentary history, won't run for re-election, CBC News has learned.

Milliken was first elected in 1988 as a Liberal and has been the Commons Speaker since 2001.
Peter Milliken has been Speaker of the House of Commons since 2001.Peter Milliken has been Speaker of the House of Commons since 2001. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)

"He's made the decision that he's not going to run again in the next election, which could foreseeably be as far off as 2012," the CBC's Rosemary Barton reported.

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Liberals forced to "fix" the G8/G20 "Waste Clock"

Excuse me for a second... HA HA HA HA HA!!! You might recall the pretty clear programming error I pointed out about the Liberals G8/G20 "Waste Clock" the other day. Well guess what? They've now gone and spent the money to go get it fixed!

BEFORE: (On this one, hitting the "Reset" button both resets it and stops the clock)

AFTER: (Now, no more options!)

Hey guys, anything I can do to help depleat your war chest! Guess it could almost be a metaphore for the Liberal Party itself... "Liberals. Taking options away from the people."

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Thursday, June 24, 2010

"The Truth about Dalton McGuinty's HST"

From the Ontario PC Party...

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Kevin Rudd OUSTED as Australia's PM... new PM to attend G20 summit

It's done... Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been ousted by his own Deputy PM and Cabinet.

Deputy PM Julia Gillard has taken the reins as Australia's first female Prime Minister.

For a humourous take on the events down under, picture for a moment the conversation that Gillard and Michael Ignatieff might have, sharing their experiences in taking over their respective party leaderships. Of course, of our arrogant minded professor goes first, and tells the epic Russian tale of how he deposed Stephane Dion for the leadership of the Liberal Party. To which Gillard replies, "That's not a coup... now THIS is a coup!" (thank you Crocidile Dundee!)

Can't say I'm sad to see him tossed... after all, he's the guy that took out Howard. Who must be feeling a little bit of satisfaction right about now.


UPDATE: I think CTV is going to have to update their interactive G20 page...

UPDATE II: As per her response to a question at her incoming press conference, the new PM has stated that she will not be attending the G20 meetings, and that the new Deputy PM will attend in her stead as she spends time to establish her new Government.

Ottawa Earthquake... earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca website down

Oh the irony... the website for Canada's earthquake centre, likely located in Ottawa, is down after a 5.0 quake there.

Felt it all the way out in KW, on the 4th floor at work.  The place shook for about 12 seconds, my boss and I looked at each other, and both said "Earthquake?".  Couple other co-workers felt it, not most though.

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New Australian PM before G20 summit???

Only caught this due to a friend in Australia's Facebook status, but Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd could be ousted sometime today, as his Deputy PM and Cabinet have revolted, and forced a leadership review which is to take place a mere eight hours from now.

Some news sources there are stating that Rudd is almost assured to be ousted... western media sources have yet to report on this situation.

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
The Australian

UPDATE: CTV has now it, as does the BBC.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Stoping the Liberals G20 "Waste Clock"

Oops... the Liberals goofed on their "G8/G20 Waste Clock" on National Newswatch, by putting a "Reset" button on it... which effectively resets AND stops the clock. There... now there's no "waste" at all! It's all money well spent! If you see the clock on any website you're on, just remember to hit the "Reset" button!
You see, the Liberals are trying to tell Canadians that the Government is wasting money on the G8/G20 meetings. They posted a nice this nice pic on loads of websites, but they forgot one thing... they haven't told us what PRECISELY they'd cut if they were in charge.

Well, Mr. Ignatieff? What would you cut if you were in charge? Okay, $57,000 for the lake, that much we know... what else? Well? Why aren't you giving us a clear indication of WHERE you think the waste is?

In today's "anti-everything" protest climate, security is required... the nutbars on the left have already proven that fact loud and clear. Plus the fact that it would be a diplomatic black eye for Canada were, say, President Obama to be assassinated by terrorists here on Canadian soil, so we have to account for that.

So, my dear Liberals, what's it gonna be? What would you cut from the current security budget for the G8/G20? Cue the crickets...

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Iffy's new iconic photo... "Face Palm"

IT'S CAPTION CONTEST TIME!!!

Dion had his iconic "Shrug"... now Iffy has the "Face Palm". Credit to CP photographer Nathan Denette for snagging this one! (found with Andrew Coyne's article on the impending destruction of the Liberal Party)

Of course, I prefer my cropped version...

Okay boys and girls, IT'S CAPTION CONTEST TIME!!! Captions for either version of the photo are welcome. Winner gets their caption posted with the photo here on the blog on Thursday. You all know the rules for my blog... no "unParliamentary" language, such comments won't be approved.

NOW GET TO IT!

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Iggy LIES about his responsiblity for the HST

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff was caught lying to reporters this weekend in B.C., when he tried to imply that the Federal Liberals were not responsible for the looming HST.

From the Metro News Vancouver... "When asked, Ignatieff said the federal Liberals are not to blame for the looming harmonized sales tax."

Perhaps someone has forgotten about this...
The Government remains committed to working with provinces that still have RSTs to identify and evaluate potential areas where changes to the current framework for federal-provincial harmonization could facilitate provincial movement towards the creation of a fully modernized and efficient consumption tax system in Canada.
Where is that from, you may ask? Well, you see, it's from Page 262 of the 2009 Federal Budget... which Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff voted IN FAVOUR of on February 3, 2009. (You might recall that well publicized vote, it was the first major rebellion within the Liberal Party after he became Leader, where six of his Newfoundland MP's rebelled and voted against it)

So you can see quite clearly, Michael Ignatieff has either completely forgotten his own voting record, or he deliberately lied to reporters this weekend in BC in an effort to try and cover his own political hide.

Forgive me if I'm wrong Mr. Ignatieff, but I don't think that voters in B.C. are going to appreciate being lied to.

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Friday, June 18, 2010

Footy Footy Footy Footy... ENGLAND! ENGLAND!

A quick trip down memory lane to this video from the last World Cup, just in time for today's game! I'm out the door, off to watch the match... GO ENGLAND GO!!!

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Jean Claude van Bear?

Seriously, the bears name is "Claude"...


I had my doubts at first, but apparently it's not faked, as there are multiple videos of the same bear doing the same thing with different sticks at different times, all filmed by different people.

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Liberal MP John Cannis Hansard quote on rallies: "It was not a Canadian rally. It was an NDP rally"

As promised, here's the exact quote... check the 2:33:25 mark of the video to see it for yourself.
Mr. John Cannis (Scarborough Centre, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, during the period the member for Hamilton Centre referred to, I remember I went to a rally in Toronto, downtown at Yonge and Dundas. I really wanted to participate, not as a Liberal, a Conservative or New Democrat, but as a Canadian taxpayer and express my frustration. I was disappointed.

I was pleased with the people who showed up, young, old and everybody in between. However, as the rally moved on, it was hijacked by the NDP. It was not a Canadian rally. It was an NDP rally. I left because it was not a true expression of all Canadians, but more so politically motivated.

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

CAPP now against SunTVNews

It's kinda both funny and sad to watch the left foaming at the mouth over the announcement of SunTVNews. Check this pic I snagged from their Facebook group today...
 Make sure you submit your two cents on the issue... and tell the CRTC that "Freedom of the Press" is still important here in Canada, despite the left's fervent desire to maintain a Stalinistic-like control over it.

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Liberal MP: "The prorogation rallies were hijacked by the NDP"

Well, thanks to Liberal MP John Cannis (Scarborough Centre) for confirming today in the House what I'd said quite some time ago... that the "grassroots" anti-prorogation rallies were nothing more than a partisan SHAM.

His quote today, as relayed by a friend on the Hill:
"The prorogation rallies were hijacked by the NDP... the rallies DID NOT represent the will of Canadians."
(exact quote from Hansard to be posted when available)

And the media fell for it... hook, line, and sinker. One of the many reasons Canadians want a new media outlet like SunTVNews!

Looks like today's Opposition Day motion from the Liberals has gone and opened up a whole can of worms for themselves... that's the second Opposition Day in a row that's gone badly for them... I'm sure we all recall their pro-abortion motion fiasco?

Congrats guys... good job on reminding Canadians that you're not even close to being ready for prime time.

UPDATE: Exact quote from Hansard HERE.

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Vuvuzela Time!

I can't hear the difference, can you?
Link courtesy of Stephen Taylor, at least the first half of the link... take any website, and add a vuvuzela to it... click here to add one to this post!

UPDATE: Now HERE'S a redundant application for this thing...

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Calling all Guelph / KW Bloggers!

As some may have heard, well known Guelph blogger David Graham, aka "cdlu", aka programmer for Liblogs.ca and Guelphblogs.ca, is packing up and leaving town for good, heading up to the Ottawa area. So some of us would like to wish him well with a non-partisan send off!

If you're available, head on over to "The Wooly", The Woolwich Arrow pub in downtown Guelph, anytime after 5:30pm on Monday June 21st. Just drop in to wish him well, and bring a buck or two to chip in and buy him dinner!

This is a strictly NON-PARTISAN EVENT... while politics will surely come up, everything is "off the record"!!! This is just a friendly get together, and we'd like to make sure as many people feel free to drop in and wish him well.

Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

AdScam back in the news, no election this year

No way are Iffy's Liberals going to pull the plug now, with the RCMP bringing forward new allegations in relationship to well connected Liberals and the Sponsorship Scandal.

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Monday, June 14, 2010

Democratic Congressman in serious trouble

Physically assaulting a student on the sidewalk, without provocation? Not cool...


h/t Strictly Right

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Liberals launch negative attack ads... but can't afford to put them on TV!!!

File this one under the heading of "EPIC FAIL"... the Liberals yesterday launched a negative attack ad, targeting Prime Minister Harper for the spending on the G8/G20 summit... but the ads have hopelessly backfired on them.

First, the ads have opened them up to attacks for hypocrisy, as they once decried the Tories for using ads of this nature. Should the Tories respond with ads in kind, the Liberals won't have a leg to stand on.

Secondly, they ad is, well, pretty pathetic, if you ask me... it completely falls flat one pretty much every count. Don't forget, to see if an ad is going to be affective, you have to watch it ON MUTE. Television is a VISUAL medium, and the audio is supposed to simply augment what's being shown. Watching it without any sound, it's a completely nondescript ad until about the :12 second mark... prior to that, it's just a Muskoka chair on a lake. There's no hook, so folks on the couch will lose focus and either start talking to each other, or get up for a snack or washroom break. Then you won't necessarily clue in that it's about Harper AT ALL until about the :17 second mark... by which time most folks have already tuned out. Then, unless you're already familiar with the "fake lake" non-story, you won't even realize that it's a NEGATIVE ad about Harper until about the :22 second mark... so most of the hangers on who you didn't lose in the first :17 seconds will have tuned out as well. Then even the end hook falls flat... "an ego trip Canada can't afford". Good luck with that one guys. For an attack ad to be EFFECTIVE, you have to REINFORCE a concept that people have ALREADY FORMED ON THEIR OWN. The reason why our ads have been so effective is because people already thought that Dion was "Not a Leader", and that Iggy is "Just Visiting". It's things they've already heard via the media, or that they've formed on their own by watching the news. I don't think the concept that Mr. Harper is on an "ego trip" is going to catch on... in fact, if anything I think it only reminds Canadians that Harper is a much stronger leader than "Iffy"!!! (* see comparison note at bottom)

And finally, it has reminded everyone of the fact that the Liberal Party of Canada IS BROKE BEYOND BELIEF. Has ANYONE seen these ads on TV? I mean other than on CTV News, where I heard they were showing it over and over and over again. (maybe trying to make nice to the Liberals after getting on their bad side for airing the Dion tape) And on YouTube, where ANYONE can upload a video for FREE. (anyone spotted any spoofs of it out there yet?) But seriously, has ANYONE seen them anywhere else? They got a mention in today's papers, and they've bought ad space on National Newswatch, but are they airing ANYWHERE on national TV? Didn't think so... because we all know they're broke.

Once again, the Liberals have blown it... they took an issue they MIGHT have had some traction on, and have now turned it into a process story ABOUT THEMSELVES, and the current fiscal problems within their own Party.

Way to go guys! Thanks again!

* COMPARISON NOTE: For contrast of our ads with this pathetic Liberal ad, check one of our "Not a Leader" ads from 2008... by the THIRD SECOND, the message is CRYSTAL CLEAR, that "Stephane Dion is Not a Leader", thanks to "The Shrug". Even if a viewer tunes out at this point and leaves the room, they've already got the message LOUD AND CLEAR.

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Sunday, June 13, 2010

Why I LOVE the new Liberal G8/G20 ads

You might think that as a Tory, I'd hate the new ad, but you'd be wrong... because it's going to backfire on the Libs.

Why? Because I'm guessing that they're to broke to afford to actually put it on the air, so it will get one news cycle, and that's it. Yes, they'll get their one airing on the news, and then people will notice that they're not seeing it anywhere on the air... and then they'll start asking questions. And when those questions start being asked, everyone will discover the answer... that the Liberal Party of Canada is BROKE, and can only afford to post their ads on YouTube.

Let me know if any of you, my faithful readers, actually see it during prime time anywhere... but I'm guessing you won't. And even if you do, well that means they've spend a wad of cash that they simply can't afford to spend.

So for us, you see, it's another WIN.

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Saturday, June 12, 2010

Iffy to Harper: "Your time is up"

Yea yea, whatever dude... we've all heard that one before.

What ya gonna do... force an election over it?

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Friday, June 11, 2010

NP: "The Liberal Party must be destroyed"

The National Post's Jonathan Kay put out a GREAT blog post yesterday, advocating a position that I've been advocating for years... that the Liberal Party of Canada MUST DIE.

I've long said that for the sake of the nation, the Liberal Party must be destroyed. They are the single greatest roadblock to any real political discussion, debate, and dialogue in this great nation. Any time a real idea is brought forward by any other Party, they're always the first to spin it negatively for their own political gain. We can't even talk about a lot of issues here in Canada, because we know the Liberals will do everything in their power to paint us with the "Scary Conservative" mantra.

I've also advocated this position because I've noticed, over the years, the same thing as Mr. Kay... that when you ask a Liberal WHY they're a Liberal, you'll get some fluffy pie-in-the-sky answer, or a bogus "my family has always been Liberals" response, as opposed to any real statement on policy. Or something along the lines of "I vote Liberal to stop the Conservatives". I have ONLY EVER ONCE had a real policy discussion with one Liberal supporter (with a guy who's not even a Liberal member) on why he supports the Liberal Party of Canada. (that would be you, Mr. J.A... aka "Sir L") But most of the time, it's just some nonsensical, vague and useless answer... much like the Liberal Party itself, I suppose.

Anyway, fantastic piece of journalism... I highly recommend giving it a read.
The Liberal Party must be destroyed — for its own good
By Jonathan Kay - June 10, 2010 – 2:55 pm

Four and a half years ago, in the run-up to the 2006 federal election, then-Senator Jerry Grafstein wrote a letter to this newspaper declaring as follows: “The Grafstein family has voted in every federal election for the Liberal party in the last 75 years, and we intend to so again with renewed enthusiasm in this election.”

Think about that for a moment. At various times over the last 75 years, depending on who has been in charge, the Liberal Party has been the party of protectionism, of free trade, of war, of peace, of indulging Quebec, of confronting Quebec, of Bay Street, of the poor, of Washington, of anti-Americanism, of Trudeauvian socialism, of ruthless 1990s-era austerity. Yet throughout it all, the Grafstein clan has mechanically checked the box for the Liberal Party. The Liberals could run a monkey draped with a Liberal sash, apparently, and the Grafsteins would just keep ticking the box so long as the monkey endorsed monkey bilingualism and monkey equalization.

Grafstein is hardly alone. There are many others like him scattered around Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and points in between — veteran Liberal grandees who simply could never imagine voting for any other party. For these people, the Liberal Party isn’t a set of people and policies, it’s a cherished flag you salute.

This Liberal fetish for self-veneration has been around so long in this country that we have lost track of how weird it is. When justifying their party affiliation, Conservatives, NDP, Bloc Québécois and even Greens typically will recite a set of reasonably specific policy positions and values. The same is true, in the United States, of Democrats and Republicans. With Liberals, on the other hand, you tend to get empty clichés and historical references built around the tautology that the Liberals are great because they are the party of greatness.

The most common is the one about the Liberals being “the party of Laurier” — as if the party affiliation of someone who’s been dead for almost a century should have the slightest bearing on how anyone today should vote. It’s the equivalent of an American Republican describing the GOP as “the party of Taft,” or a Democrat declaring his fealty to the “Party of Wilson.”

The Liberals’ treacly love affair with themselves wasn’t a problem in the Trudeau era, when the country truly did hunger for the sort of large-scale national projects that played to the party’s grandiose sense of holy ordainment. Nor was it a problem in the 1990s, when the opposition had fractured into regional constituencies, and the Liberals could declare themselves a “natural governing party.” But now that the right has united, and the taste for Trudeuvia has evaporated, Liberal self-love has sabotaged the party in two major ways:

1. It has made Liberals existentially incompetent at the act of opposition, since the role itself is seen as an insult to the natural order of the universe. Toronto Star columnist Thomas Walkom (with whom I normally disagree) nailed this point when he recently wrote that “the Liberals don’t take the role of opposition seriously. Desperate for power, they are unwilling to do anything to spark an election until they are reasonably sure of winning it.”

2. Like a college football coach who believes he can plug any quarterback into a pre-existing offensive “system,” Liberals have come to believe that any stiff — even Stéphane Dion — can ride to victory on the strength of the Liberal brand. In this regard, the selection of Michael Ignatieff — a man who hadn’t lived in Canada since 1978, the era of the Bee Gees and Grease— was an act of stunning arrogance that would be unimaginable for any other major Western political party.

Many Liberals who want to dump Ignatieff speak of passing the torch to a new generation of young Liberals. The problem with this is that most young Liberals I know already have internalized their party’s trademark self-regard as God’s Chosen Party. It’s what drew these student-council types into the party in the first place, in fact: the promise of running the country without the hard work of proposing new ideas.

All of which brings me to the prospect of a Liberal-NDP merger. The move makes sense from a purely arithmetic perspective: One party is better than two. But more importantly, destroying the Liberal brand also would be a great strategy for saving the party’s grandees from their own self-destructive hubris. It doesn’t matter what you call the new entity — just make sure that, at the end of the day, something called the “Liberal party” no longer exists as a vessel for vapid self-hagiography.

Liberals should welcome their own party’s funeral. As things stand, many of the lifelong Liberals I know walk around in a state of unspoken shame because their party isn’t fulfilling the divine destiny of the “party of Laurier.” Surely it must be someone’s fault, they suppose — and so they cast about for internal enemies, attacking one another in a whirlwind of panic and bickering. Getting rid of the Liberal brand actually would be liberating for these people: They could finally reawaken to the idea of politics as an exchange of ideas, rather than a sentimental, backward-looking marketing exercise.

Surely, Laurier himself would approve.

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

CanWest's David Akin to join "Fox News North"?

Looks like "Fox News North" (we need a better more neutral nickname guys) has snagged their first media star... Parliamentary reporter David Akin announced his resignation from CanWest this morning, and will be joining the Sun Media group, the parent company for this new 24-hour news channel venture.

It's about time that there was another voice in the Canadian market... one that seeks to bring some balance back.

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HST Rebate - "SEND IT BACK TO HUDAK"!!!

As our "HST Rebate Cheques" (aka - buying your vote with your own money) will be arriving any day now, it's time to send a clear message to the McGuinty government... when you get your cheque,

SEND IT BACK TO HUDAK!!!

By sending all or even a portion of your rebate cheque back to Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC's, you can almost DOUBLE the value of Liberals HST bribe, AND make a contribution to the Liberal's defeat in 2011. For every $100 you send Back to Hudak, you get a $75 tax credit... bringing the total value of the initial $100 to $175, $100 to the Ontario PC's, and $75 back to you when you file your taxes next year.

Where else can you get a return like that on your investment? You can grow that money, AND make an investment in Ontario's future by helping to ensure the Liberals are defeated in 2011! While it's true you'll be out a grand total of $25, isn't $25 a worthwhile investment toward getting rid of the Liberals next year?

And don't forget, if enough of us do this, what a message it will send to the Liberals when Tim Hudak and the Ontario PC's report a MASSIVE spike in donations next quarter?

So, when you get your first cheque, there's only one thing you need to remember... SEND IT BACK TO HUDAK!!!

From the Ontario PC website:
Personal Tax Credit Information

Personal tax credit calculation: 75% of the first $372 plus 50% of the amount between $372 and $1240 plus 331/3% of the amount between $1240 and $2821.The maximum personal tax credit is $1240.

See following examples:


Corporate/Trade Union Tax Information

Corporations making political contributions can deduct up to a maximum of $16,800 from the Ontario portion of their taxable income in any fiscal period.

Note: The portion of donations over the central party limit will be distributed by the party to riding associations and/or registered candidates.

*Donations to special events are receipted less expenses.

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Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Liberal MP Frank Valeriote on Liberal/NDP merger


(clip from the UofG debate during the 2008 election)

Also came across this one, where he seeks to "clarify" his previous comment... but just reiterates his desire to see the Libs and NDP unite.


And just for fun, you might remember this one that was circulating during the previous Liberal/NDP coup attempt... with all his flip-flopping on this one, who knows WHERE he stands today...

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Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Warren Kinsella on the Liberal/NDP Coalition

Love him or hate him, Warren Kinsella is one of the better political minds here in Canada. And he proves it once again today, with a good analysis of Ignatieff's options regarding a possible coalition with the NDP.

Not too much you can argue with here, at least on his analysis of what would be best for the Liberal Party of Canada.

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The REAL "Fake Lake" numbers released... $57k

Once again, the media does it's best to make the Tories look bad... but when the REAL numbers come out, we see it's all just Liberal spin.

$57,000 as part of a major Canadian marketing strategy, designed to promote Canada to the rest of the world, is not the "big deal" that the media made it out to be yesterday. Besides, considering that tourism is one of our biggest industries, $57,000 is a deal. By promoting this iconic "Canadian landscape", we're bound to bring in a whole lot more that $57,000 in new tourism dollars... and I'm betting it will bring in more than the $1.9 million that the whole media centre is costing us.

Now that the light of reality has been shone on this whole thing, I take back my "Lake Mistake-a" crack from yesterday... it starting to look more like money well spent.

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Monday, June 07, 2010

Naming the G20 fake lake

Okay, I gotta admit, this looks bad... but I'm betting that it was a less expensive sounding idea when some underling who's helping to organize the conference suggested it. But of course, as with these things, now we get to wear it.

Maybe we can call it "Lake Mistake-a". (instead of Lake Muskoka)

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Harper: "Losers don't get to form coalitions"

Finally found the video for the Harper/Cameron press conference where he made that statement, thanks to CPAC. Skip to the 16:23 mark of the video.
"In the end, I think the verdict of public opinion was pretty clear... which is that losers don't get to form coalitions... winners are the ones who get to form governments"

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Sunday, June 06, 2010

Tory poll numbers about to surge

Iffy flip-flops again, now willing to lead a Lib-NDP coalition.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ignatieff-willing-to-lead-coalition-but-talk-of-merger-with-ndp-is-absurd/article1593791/

Sent from my Blackberry

Friday, June 04, 2010

Iffy caves to caucus, flip-flops on Immigration Reform bi-partisanship

And even the Globe & Mail can see it's a full blown caucus revolt...
Ignatieff backs off bipartisan immigration reform deal amid caucus revolt
Dissension brewing even as Bevilacqua continued to work with Tories on bill
Campbell Clark - Ottawa - From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Published on Friday, Jun. 04, 2010 8:40PM EDT

Liberal MPs have forced Michael Ignatieff to swallow his words and scuttle a brewing bipartisan deal on major refugee reforms, jeopardizing the bill and revealing the leader’s shaky hold on his caucus.

Until the last minute, Mr. Ignatieff didn’t see the danger zone in his own party: In the Liberal caucus, getting wires crossed over immigration issues leads to nasty shocks.

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Toyota gets a "Get out of Jail Free" card

Chrysler recalls 35,000 Dodge Calibers for "sticky gas pedals". And guess what... pedals were manufactured by CTS Corp. in Elkhart, Indiana... the same plant as defective Toyota parts. (though Chrysler execs stress to point out that they are a completely different design)

That's what you call a corporate "Get out of Jail Free" card. While some may say Toyota still bears some responsiblity for not coming forward with complaints sooner, it certainly helps their case, in that they can legitimately claim that the defective parts were ultimately not their issue.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

"Daniel in the lions den" - Lone high school student stands up to angry anti-Israel mob

Props to this high school kid for taking a stand against tyranny and oppression... the oppression of the masses, where the many are able to drown out the voices of reason by shouting louder. (in typical leftist fashion)

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Tuesday, June 01, 2010

"Humanitarian" supplies found aboard siezed ship

Gasmasks, bullet-proof vests, and night-vision goggles... yup, all just standard issue for the modern aid worker... and the search is not yet complete.
According to the defense officials, the IDF has identified about 50 passengers on the ship who could have terrorist connections with global jihad-affiliated groups.

During its searches of the Mavi Marmara on Tuesday, the military also discovered a cache of bulletproof vests and night-vision goggles, as well as gas masks. On Monday morning, at least nine foreign activists were killed during the navy’s takeover of the Mavi Marmara, which was trying to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The group of over 50 passengers with possible terror connections have refused to identify themselves and were not carrying passports. Many of them were carrying envelopes packed with thousands of dollars in cash.

The military is working to identify the passengers and is looking into the possibility that some of them have been involved in terror attacks. Some of them are apparently known Islamic extremists.

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CBCSports.ca to stream World Cup games online

WOO HOO!!! Finally getting (some) of our money's worth from the CBC.

Of course, this will likely mean a headache for me and my fellow techies in the local I.T. industry, as we're forced to monitor bandwidth and ensure staff aren't clogging the network at the office...
Soccer fans to get World Cup fix online for free
Toronto — The Canadian Press
Last updated on Tuesday, Jun. 01, 2010 2:54PM EDT

Soccer fanatics who will be away from a TV during World Cup action this summer can stream the games for free online.

CBCSports.ca will stream all the games live, as well as broadcasting them on TV.

Considering the tournament is being played in South Africa, time zone differences will be a factor for some fans, who might try to watch from work on their computers.

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Ind. Senator Pitfield resigns TONIGHT

Another Ontario seat will be open for Mr. Harper to fill as of midnight TONIGHT, as Independent (though appointed by Trudeau) Senator Michael Pitfield has announced his immediate retirement, though his term was not up for another two years.

He has cited declining health as the reason for his sudden departure. I certainly wish him a speedy recovery, as I would not wish ill towards anyone, regardless of their political stripe.

His retirement will now put us at 52, but giving us 51 votes as the Speaker does not vote. With one of the 49 Liberals in near permanent exile, the magic number for control comes down to 52... which means if ALL the other Senators vote against us, we're only down by TWO VOTES.

But it also means that come November 29 (Happy B-Day sis!), we'll be tied at 52 vs. 52. BUT, then just a week later on December 6, it swings to 53 vs. 51... SENATE MAJORITY.

So, who's it going to be folks? Any names come to mind?

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