Trashy's World

OK. Can someone explain to me why our southern neighbour takes lying to legislative authorities so much more seriously than we do up here in the GW North?

Really. Former pitcher Roger Clemens could be in for some hard jail time if found guilty of lying to Congress about his alleged steroid use. Americans apparently put value on saying things under oath to elected officials.

Not so here in Canada. Here, a Minister of the Crown can go before a Parliamentary Committee, be asked point blank about certain conversations, lie about what transpired, be shown irrefutably to have lied, and suffer not a single consequence for his actions. What gives? Are Parliamentarians granted some kind of immunity while before a Committee that allows them to say whatever they damn well please?

Disgusting.

So mixed martial “arts” are coming to Ontario – thanks to yet another reversal by the McGuinty government. This decision has been framed as a good-for-the-economy type of thing. Mayorlarry is looking forward to it!

What a bunch of b.s.

The Libs in Ontario are doing exactly what the Harperites have done in Ottawa- pander to the lowest common denominator in a pathetic attempt to buy votes.

These spectacles of sub-human testosterone spraying are a single step above Gladiator matches and should be censured everywhere. We don’t need our kids growing up thinking that acting out the fantasies of a Mad Max addict is appropriate behaviour in a civilized society.  I used to respect Dalton (he IS my MPP), but after this, and cowering to the religious right on the sex education changes AND fumbling, then backing off completely the perfectly fine Eco fees… well, the respect is gone. Poof!

Though I still hold a great deal of admiration for his brother David and hope that he one day takes the reins of the Federal Grit stagecoach.

The sacking of a couple of high level officials by the Reformatories shouldn’t surprise anyone.

OK – so the RCMP dude in charge of the Gun Registry wasn’t technically “sacked”, but he did suddenly need to go on language training right before delivering a report that praised rather than buried the value of the Gun Registry… not what the ReformCons want to hear…  whatta joke!

And now the Minister responsible for Veterans Affairs has pissed off a significant core of Con support…

Anyone that has read any of my posts before knows that I’m a major Peacenik, but J P Blackburn has dissed all vets by defending a compensation system that puts dollars and cents ahead of injured soldiers’ long term financial well-being.

While the treatment of Canada’s wounded should be improving with the climbing casualties from the decade-long deployment to Afghanistan, it has actually gotten worse in some respects.

Paul Franklin, who lost both legs in a January 2006 suicide bombing, was actually one of the lucky ones.

Back in Canada, he was offered a choice between the outgoing system for disability payments – $4,000 a month for the remainder of his life – or compensation under the new system, a $250,000 lump sum payment.

“I did the math real quick and $4,000 a month works out to $2 million if I live 40 more years,” he said. “It was a no-brainer.”

Michael Barnewell, 29, injured just 10 months later, never had Franklin’s easy choice.

“With a lump sum payment, the problem is that it’s not enough. You either try to use it now and then it’s gone so you don’t have it for the future, or you try to invest it for the future and what do you do now?” he said. “Under that old system, when you get those payments, you’re just taken care of. It’s just such security. It’s always there. It just comes.’’

But that security has been eroded by tight-fisted officials and a Conservative government that promised to honour the country’s soldiers and veterans but has left them feeling abandoned, Stogran said.

Stogran chose against an outright attack on his elected political masters, but did circulate a 2002 Canadian Alliance political pamphlet in which then-leader Stephen Harper promises to defend Canadian soldiers the way that they have defended the country.

Speaking in Mississauga, the prime minister sidestepped the strident criticism from Storgan in recent days and said the government is open to suggestions that could improve future programs.

But like other federal watchdogs who have either been fired or undermined by the government, the Tories may just bide their time until Stogran’s term expires in November and his pulpit evaporates.

Does this government have no shame? Even a Peacenik like me has heaps more respect for these guys than do the Harperites. There has been some attempt by the right to deflect the blame on to the public service staff and away from the politicians. But let me be clear – bureaucrats take their directions form the government of the day. And especially with the Soviet style of government practiced by the PMO, you can be damned sure that senior bureaucrats MUST do as told… and if they cannot do so, then resign with honour.

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I cannot believe THIS is just a coincidence!

I mean, what are the odds of something like this going down just at the time where there is increasing attention on the Cons’ sole source purchase of brand new fighter jets at a cost to the Canadian taxpayer of 23 gazillion dollars?

Pretty long, eh?

Cool! But I wonder if we need them...

I’m not saying that this is a made up news item or that somehow during the Gee-Ate or Gee-Score Stevo passed Dmitry a C-note to “make it happen”. But what I am saying is that these “close calls” are likely pretty commonplace – DND just isn’t in the habit of telling the public this. And they shouldn’t – for diplomatic reasons. Sure we should huff and puff at the bear when it happens, but through the appropriate channels so as to not piss them off in public. That is the way diplomacy works.

But leave it to The Robot to spin these things to his own advantage, right?

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Haven’t seen a picture of him in a while. Due to the cancer treatments, I think he has been laying low. Hopefully his re-emergence is an indication that things are going well.

But man, he has lost some weight… and he was not a hefty man to start with.

Keep at ‘er, Mr. Layton… might not always agree with you, but I hope to hell that you beat this thing!

And yeah – Harpy – listen up and meet with the guy! Maybe, just maybe, someone might have opinions on the latest issues that are better than yours!

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In case any of you forgot this when it was reported in May.

OTTAWA (NEWS1130) – The Harper government has been monitoring political messages online, and even correcting what it considers misinformation.

They spent 75K to track discussions about the seal hunt… one can only guess what they have spent monitoring the discussions about their latest shenanigans.

So for those of you who think that certain things a certain government department may choose to do are “intrusive”, please re-read this story, k?

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Banner on TORONTONAMO site.

Interesting to listen to the battle for the minds of Canadians being waged by, in one corner, the Harperites, Queen’s Parks and the T.O. cops… and in the other corner, the activist groups, community groups and individual Canucks.

At issue -- did the cops step over the line during the Gee-Score protests?

As with most of these issues, the truth likely lies somewhere in betwixt and between. While I am sure that, cops being cops, some did get too rough, covered their badges and name tags, and acted as agents provacateurs. No doubt. And there is video evidence of this.

I posted a vid of a little lady blowing bubbles in the direction of the line of cops where one guy about 56 times bigger than her was being a real asshole and harrumphing that she would be charged with assault if one of the bubbles landed on the big guy. Then the vid cuts to the bubble blower being loaded into a van.  Yeah, I know the what-happened-in-between was edited out, but my point was that some members of the security forces were getting way overboard and letting their power go to their already inflated heads.

As for the demonstrators? For sure some of them went waaaaay over the line too. There is no excuse for vandalism and violence. As a pacifist, I believe that protests need not be violent and more sympathy can be garnered for the “cause” if one demonstrates civility. I personally despise those who destroy for whatever the cause may be.

But - and again, there is video evidence -- the vast, VAST majority of the protesters were indeed civil. They didn’t throw things aside from epithets. They stayed within the rules. They acted civil. BUT, this god behaviour was not respected in several instances where the police broke up -- often violently -- groups that were clearly not doing anything wrong. They were exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly.

As The Clash said:

Know your rights
These are your rights
Wang
Know these rights
Number 3
You have the right to free
Speech as long as you’re not
Dumb enough to actually try it.

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And the sign said anybody caught trespassing would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and yelled at the house, Hey! what gives you the right
To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in
Signs – 5 Man Electrical Band

Almost complete are the conversions of two different Ontario communities into armed fortresses that would make even Kim Il Jong blush.

Huntsville and Toronto are very, very different types of communities – aside from the fact that many from the latter like to spend their summers in and around the former – the two are as different as night and day. Small town Ontario versus the Big Smoke. Urban versus rural. Natural environment versus built environment.

But over the next little while, these two communities have something very much in common. Something that up until recently, would have been unthinkable in the country.

They are full-fledged, razor wired, jack-booted police states.

I mean, what else can you call them?

Both are ringed with a 3 metre high fence that will be defended by fully armed and outfitted police officers recruited from the RCMP, OPP and the Metre Toronto boyz and girlz in blue. They have been specially trained in the use of anti-riot weapons like water cannons, sonic cannons, tasers, whips, batons, big guns, small guns, tear gas and effective noogy giving.

At first, the chattering was all about the threat of terrorism and hence the need for massive security.  Since terrorism is no longer a “threat”, we should not be too surprised that Day and the other Harperites are now characterizing all protesters as “anarchists and thugs”.  Thus the reason for this incredible and unprecedented armed presence on the streets of T.O. and in the bush around Huntsville. The ReformCons have to say something to warrant the ONE BEEL-LEE-ON dollars being spent on the establishment of the police state.

Sure, there will be some protesters in Toronto (there may be some in Huntsville too, but the main throng will be where they can garner the most media coverage) who are not there to exercise their democratic rights of free expression and assembly in a peaceful and meaningful way. There will be those who are there simply to cause trouble, mayhem and madness and to damage property.

But surely they can be identified fairly quickly and dealt with in an appropriate way? There are, like, thousands of cops and other security personnel, after all! They don’t do advance reconnaissance to identify individuals who may pose a threat? There isn’t a list somewhere?

I find that hard to believe.

Nope – the powers-that-be WANT disruption so they can point to it and say:

“We told you so! All of that money spent on fences, cops, cannons and razor wire was so WORTH it!”

The folks that I do feel sorry for are those in Huntsville and T.O. for whom this whole thing is a nightmare of epic proportions. I even feel sorry for the Bay Street lawyers!

Naw. That’s going too far.

I’ve been keeping an eye on the Torontoist - which is keeping a running tab on what the Gee-Score is ruining or making a mess of.

I’m sure everyone is thanking you, Stevo! From the tourism operators in Muskoka to the LCBO employees in downtown Toronto. Thanks a BILLION!

And all for a photo op…

Well, how is this for a photo op?

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Yeah, yeah… the Grits had their moments wasting money, but really… a BILLION ($1,000,000,000) dollars just to get a few votes?

A billion dollars might have been our national daycare program.

Or a whole shitload of medical equipment.

Or rapid transit between Calgary and Edmonton.

Or thousands of doctors and nurses.

Instead, Stevie gets to look all Prime Ministerial in front of some cameras.

How embarrassing for Canada.

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I’d build stuff to get me votes…

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G8 slush fund pays for new sidewalk in Parry Sound… but not to pay the costs of raising the fire hydrant… it’s gonna be tough this winter for that poor hydrant as it will be bashed repeatedly back the sidewalk snowplow!

Here are more pics of how our tax dollars are being spent in Cottage Country.

This is getting to be really embarassing for the ReformCons!

Notice how Harpy is staying out of it and letting “Fat” Tony Clement take the heat?

What a joke! Canada is becoming a laughingstock! And THAT is sad.

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Good piece in The Hill Times today about religion, government and why the Harperites don’t really care if those to the left of centre take offence to their stands on such things as abortion or gay rights.

Pandering to the core supporters  has always been the ReformCon way of maintaining solid financial legging in the party. By raising the spectre of abortion, the Cons knew that they would get some flak from the Left – but that group wouldn’t vote for them in any case. Worse case scenario – those voters would stay home and the Decepticons could continue to governeven though they may garner only 30% – 35% of the popular vote.

Former MP Garth Turner, who was kicked out of Mr. Harper’s caucus and then briefly sat as an Independent and then a Liberal, detailed what he said are the deep and extensive connections between the Harper Tories and the Christian right in his 2009 book Sheeple: Caucus Confidential in Stephen Harper’s Ottawa. He said Mr. Harper knows that in a multi-party system with increasingly low voter turnout, which hit its lowest point ever at 59 per cent in the last federal election, in 2008, all a party needs is around 30 per cent of the vote to win government.

“It’s about feeding them the red meat they want to mobilize the base,” he said. “That’s what Harper knows and that’s what he does. That’s exactly what Doug Finley has been accomplishing for the last five years. So I’m not surprised at this and I’m not surprised they would do things that are dumb and broad-based social moves such as cutting off gay funding, and this whole abortion debate. It’s very divisive but it’s done in order to make sure they’ve got that narrow constituency sewn up, and in a society where you’ve got four or five parties across the country looking for support he knows this is how to win power and keep it.”

In a related article, Harris MacLeod asks the question: To the divided left: don’t you feel silly?

Today Lawrence Martin eloquently lays out the absurdity of 70 per cent of the Canadian political landscape that believes in climate change, abortion, and same sex marriage being ruled by the 30 per cent who don’t.

Says Mr. Martin:

“In combination, the centre-left and left still have the bulk of the population on their side. In a culture war, they would likely clobber the right. But because of the divisions, there can be no such victory.”

So how bout it then.

Yeah, how bout it?

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