…or at least extreme nastiness…

No. It was evil.

And I don’t even believe in the absolutes of good and evil. My complete lack of belief in things spiritual prevents such thoughts.

But I cannot explain the following without thinking that evil may really and truly exist.

And it resides in Ottawa.

Out for a drive on the Rockcliffe Parkway yesterday with C and 2 of the subunits. We get to the roundabout outside Rideau Hall (if you’re from O-Town, you’ll know where I mean). And I was going a little quickly as I pulled up to a stop to allow a black Chevy Tahoe to go through. The SUV came to an almost complete stop and the two guys in the front gave us a really good look over… like our little Malibu was gonna ram them or something.

The back windows were blacked out and the two big guys in the front wore ear pieces and dark sunglasses. They carried on, and then I felt it.

A tingle up the spine. A feeling of foreboding… like I was in the presence of real evil… kind of how I would imagine Harry Potter feeling when running up against he-who-shall-not-be named. The truly weird thing is that at this moment, C turns to me and ask “did you just get a tingle up your spine? I bet that was Harper.”

I’m not making this up.

Sure enough, the Chev turns into 24 Sussex.

Spooky.

I think I’ll tell this tale next Hallowe’en…

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…it says so here…

This came home with my son the other day – part of his pre-school “portfolio”.

Good to see that the boy has been paying attention for the past couple of years!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…man, I love this country…
And the Harperites can’t ruin this part of it at least.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…environmental compliance-wise… comes news that the Cons are looking at turning another vital public sector function over to the private sector: search and rescue.

I really don’t get this one. Where’s the upside? They will piss off DND and the Coast Guard – which are two constituencies that the Harperites like to cow-tow to. They would be dismantling a Canadian institution – we are known globally to be one of the best at search and rescue. And they would be putting the safety of the public at risk, which would be odd given their focus on public safety through getting tough on unreported and imaginary crimes.

Oh wait! I.D.E.O.L.O.G.Y.

Why should the government pay to rescue some family whose boat broke down off the coast of The Rock? It’s their own damned fault! And they’re probably Liberals anyhow!

Thank you for calling Sam’s Search and Rescue – a Division of Walmart. I’m sorry that your boat is taking on water and that you and your family will surely die, but rescuing you at this time doesn’t represent a good ROI. If you would like to reach an operator, please push #.

This is dumb. Don’t even go there, Stevo!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

The Heritage robot, James Moore, has said that the CBC isn’t immune to Strategic and Operating Review cuts – and this has the Twittersphere et al squawking mightily.

While I do strongly support the MotherCorp, I don’t see any reason why it should be immune from the same review that my and all government Departments are going through right now. The Harperites are going to put everyone through mucho pain as they fight the deficit that they created on the back of the Public Service… just like Paul Martin did.

I do fear, however, that these cuts to the CBC will be the thin edge of the wedge. The Cons have no love for Canada’s public broadcaster and if they see a opportunity to slash and burn something that in their small minds is a socialist mouthpiece, they will do so.  Though, after Mansbridge’s lob-ball “interview” with Our Dear Leader during the last election, I have no idea why they still think the CBC is full of pinkos!

But still,  should the Corp be exempt from any cuts? No way.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

We have fairly suddenly become a nation of Hawks. War is good and it is necessary. Wave the flag mightily. Buy the best of the best for the troops.

Support the troops, dammit!

Our identity as brokers of peace and the keepers of peace is perhaps forever gone.

Behold the new Canadian militarism. It’s everywhere.

Hardly a week goes by without the government gushing about our troops, or bowing to a DND wish. It has become politically incorrect, practically unpatriotic, to question the military. Our government’s Afghanistan propaganda makes it sound like it was mission accomplished. And everyone is expected to be gung-ho on the war in Libya.

The government is moving ahead on the purchase of the zillion-dollar F-35 super jets which yet another study has just criticized, saying they’re unsuitable unless we’re trying to build a Pentagon-styled war machine. We now take a harder line in the Middle East than virtually any other country. We’re seldom heard on the disarmament front. We’ve lost our traditional honest broker standing at the United Nations.

The first thing on the itinerary of Prince William when he arrived was a visit to the tomb of the unknown soldier. Our smallish foreign aid output is increasingly tied to military adventures – war projects as opposed to long-term development. The military is for the first time starting to take part in our citizenship ceremonies. Our foreign policy is now, arguably for the first time, to the right of the United States.

For a country that has long prided itself on a reputation as a peacemaker, it’s a remarkable turn. Hawks of the western world? Who would have thunk it?

For some time now, the Harper government has appealed to Canadians’ sense of loyalty and patriotism in order to advance its own policies. Keep ‘em waving the flag, they say, and we can pretty much say or do whatever we want.

Lawrence Martin – in always excellent way – discusses how the military has been elevated to some type of super-institution in and of itself. Says Martin:

In the broader context, Harper’s glorification of the armed services appears to fit his goal of stirring a new Canadian patriotism. Canada Day was an example as crowds of unprecedented size, displaying hero worship for non-heroes, turned out to cheer on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. As Harper beamed, Prince William spoke in superlatives about the work of the Canadian forces in Afghanistan.

Appeal to the base instincts and the insane purchase of those lemon fighter jets will be overlooked. We have to protect the troops! Are you against the troops having the best equipment? They say. Or like the bumper stickers say (and it ain’t a good policy unless it can be described on a bumper sticker)

If you’re not behind the troops, feel free to stand in front of them…

The Harperites love these bumper stickers. And dyed-in-wool conservatives love the military and Harper is at their lead.

Understand that despite the fact I am a pacifist, I acknowledge the need for the military in some circumstances in today’s world. And indeed, many of those who serve in the military deserve the respect of Canadians – especially those who perished in that ridiculous quagmire called Afghanistan. But I am very much against the glorification of the military. For example, having a military presence at citizenship ceremonies is in my mind completely ludicrous! The subtle support of our troops that has been the tradition of we Canucks has been something I have always been proud of.

Not so subtle anymore.

Of course, this begs the question: what will Harper do to keep the military front and centre in people’s minds now that the combat mission is over? Let’s see… those damned Swedes have been a bit cheeky lately… c’mon, my military friends… whaddya think???

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…to the “anti-Conservative opinion elite”!!!

Woo-hoo! I am SO stoked!

We need a slogan! Ads! Buttons! T-shirts! Celebrity spokespersons!

The CPC is scared shitless, it seems, of those of us who DARE to express opinions that run counter to Con dogma. I fact, they are asking their mindless drones supporters to dig deep into their wallets to counter a “hailstorm” of negative attacks from the media, pundits and the “opinion elite.”

As one of these “opinion elitists”, I have taken it upon myself to set up a Facebook group to provide a forum through which we evil-doers can express our elitist, big-government, socialist, pinko opinions.

Please join!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

For a party whose members go all a-fluster whenever talk turns to security, wars and mega-prisons, they have a lot to learn about making their own website secure!

Hilarious!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Updated: Presser from Brigitte Marcelle:

“Harper’s agenda is disastrous for this country and for my generation,” Brigette Marcelle says. “We have to stop him from wasting billions on fighter jets, military bases, and corporate tax cuts while cutting social programs and destroying the climate. Most people in this country know what we need are green jobs, better medicare, and a healthy environment for future generations.”

“Contrary to Harper’s rhetoric, Conservative values are not in fact Canadian values. How could they be when 3 out of 4 eligible voters didn’t even give their support to the Conservatives? But we will only be able to stop Harper’s agenda if people of all ages and from all walks of life engage in creative actions and civil disobediance,” she says.

“This country needs a Canadian version of an Arab Spring, a flowering of popular movements that demonstrate that real power to change things lies not with Harper but in the hands of the people, when we act together in our streets, neighbourhoods and workplaces.”

-30-

Trashy agrees. And I don’t give a crap if it turns out that one union or movement or another put her up to it. It took guts and she says what many of we progressives believe. We will take back our country.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kid has guts.

Not a job anymore, but guts.

Hee-hee… way to steal Harper’s thunder…

Though I know I’m going to get some comments here or on Facebook haughtily declaring “How dare you condone such actions! She violated the trust of her employers!”

Big f***ing deal. w.e. It’s not like the Cons have shown any class in the Senate or the HoC!

And I say to them – if given the opportunity – I would have considered doing the same type of thing. That sign represents what I am going to my damnedest to accomplish over the next 4 years – stopping Harper.

Would love to hire someone like that.

Kudos, kid.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Great vid on why you should vote for anyone but Harper.

Watch this and think… think really hard if you are thinking of marking a “X” beside the Harper Party candidate in your riding.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario