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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Further to my post yesterday about the state of Harper’s health, it seems though I am not the only one who thinks that he may be spending more time lunging a windmills than he should be. Inventing his own reality of the day seems to be the direction that Steve and his henchmen have taken.

I mean, how else can you explain a number of recent decisions taken by the CPC government? A lot of them simply did not and do not make sense and have seemingly little value from a political vantage point. Harper et al have been masters at seeing and exploiting  political advantages. Even I admit this.

But suppose for a second that something is seriously wrong with the PM. I am NOT wishing this on the guy – as much as I cannot stand him or his policies, I would never wish illness on him. He is a fellow father after all. Yet, if he is ill and hiding it from all of his caucus, some of the back-benchers must be whispering amongst themselves by now about how the Boss just does not make bad judgments when it comes to strictly political decisions. It’s out of character and damn, he looks like shit. Is he OK?

Even if his inner sanctum is “in the know” about there being something amiss, they sure as hell aren’t going to say anything about it. These guys know that when the lead wolf in the pack is hurt, the rest of the alphas sense this and take advantage. Some of the alphas MacKay, Prentice, Flaherty want to be the lead wolf and would love to see an ill Harper try and run an election campaign this fall when he is not up to it and the party itself is tanking in the polls. After all, anything less than a majority would mean that the ol’ Dead eyes would be left to buzzards.

But the rest of the wolves should not get sick to the Vested One – even if he is sick, he is still dangerous.

Maybe I’m seeing things that aren’t there. But what if I’m correct?

This will bear watching.

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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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As the summer trudges along, the Iggy bus is making it’s stops in Ontario with reports of several dozens of well-wishers along the way.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff delivered a feisty election-style speech during a mainstreeting stop in Stratford Sunday.

He took aim at Prime Minister Stephen Harper over plans to change affirmative action programs in the public service sector and ridiculed the Conservative plan to do away with the long-form.

“I never thought in my political life in this country I’d have to defend knowledge, I’d have to defend information against a government that seems to want less of it, that prefers ignorance to knowledge,” Ignatieff said.

Righteously indignant sounds he. But the line “defend information against a government that seems to want less of it, that prefers ignorance to knowledge” does resonate with me. Unfortunately for M.I., I doubt if the Timmies crowd really gives a rat’s ass about knowledge. They prefer the Robot, who, in the words of someone I overheard on the bus last week “is at least doing something…”

Grrr… I hate that.

Meanwhile, back at the factory, the Chief Robot is nowhere to be seen – leaving his minions to to the dirty work for him. A bit cowardly, of course, but what does one expect from this guy anyway?

Any bets on how many times Clement says the words “jail-time”? I say 11. Any takers on the over/under?

The hearing today might be interesting as we may, just may get some of the truth out in the open. Especially the part about the experts not wanting anything to do with the ideologically-driven decision to shorten the form…

And here’s hoping the Grits pounce on this. But I’m not holding my breath.

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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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If someone had told me a month ago that the future of the Harpy government would hinge on something that had anything to do with the only government department in the news these days, I would have slowly backed away and not turned my back until very, very far away.

But what now? Will Harper take this to the mat in spite of all that is happening… the opposition by everyone and anyone, the poor optics during the summer months – typically a time when politicos are given a bit of a break by Canucks – all of this must be proving tiresome for the Robot and his Roboteers.

But will he back down? The RLG pointed out to me this morning that until old dead eyes states himself that we ain’t going back, that there still exists the possibility of a reversal. Twittering Tony might get the fall guy label and all would unravel as these things do. But once the emperor himself proclaims the issue dead, it is dead. And no number of fb groups or editorials will change it.

But you know, I can’t see Harper letting this go on much longer. His advisers must be counselling an abandonment of the issue. Pushing it further will only lose them votes and it wouldn’t be wise going into a fall election with such a prosaic cloud hanging over the ReformCon camp. How would they fight such a fight? The Libertarians and Albertans and the small town/minded are already solidly behind them, so what could they gain?

Let’s switch sides and consider the options that the Opposition have before them. On the one hand, it might be a good idea for Iggy to hitch his wagon to this and prepare to make this the election issue. It’s not such a bad idea as it would allow the Grits to, for the first time in a long time, spell out the policy agenda.

The other choice is for Iggy to continue his bus tour, shake the babies and kiss the hands (or is it the other way around?), smell the cheese and update his fb status now and then.  In other words, don’t take a position. Jack would normally be leading this charge, but I suspect that he is dealing with his prostate cancer and trying to let his body and mind heal for the summer… can’t blame him for that.

And Gilles? Well, what does he care? This is a Canadian issue!

So, Mr.  Ignatieff, it is up to you. Call a press conference today and announce that it is the Liberals’ intention to, immediately after the House reconvenes, introduce a Bill that would effectively reduce the government’s decision.  Undoubtedly, Harper would see this as a matter of confidence and the writ would be dropped. This would be an election that would show the schisms that exist between the educated and uneducated, the Starbucks crown and the Timmies gang, those of us who understand the importance of information and those who wonder what all of the fuss is about.

So my advice to Iggy, Jack and Gilles – make a big deal outta this! It’s a win-win for you guys!

And my advice to Stevo – though I am loathe to give it – tell Tony to make a statement that in light of all of the concerns raised about the government’s decision, we will go ahead as originally planned and will set up Task Force /Working Group / Collection of Experts Who Think Like Us to examine the issue in more detail.

That is their only way out of this mess. It isn’t just going to disappear.

Stephen Harper's "ideal" re: information management

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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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We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind
‘Cause your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance
Well they’re no friends of mine

HA! I love it when I’m right! Did I not just recently say that the Harperites were setting themselves up to drop the writ in late summer or early fall? Didn’t I ?

‘Shore ’nuff, one of the head CPC minions has thrown down the gauntlet over proposed amendments to C-9 -- the budget enabling and kitchen sink mega-omnibus Bill that is currently in the Senate. The huffing and puffing little Doozer was positively ebullient in daring the Grits to go to the polls.

“Let’s dance,” Conservative Senator Doug Finley said Thursday after Bill C-9, a mammoth 883-page piece of legislation, was chopped down by the Liberals and one Progressive Conservative at a meeting of the Senate finance committee.

“I think there’s more than enough issues here to run an election on, and I’m ready,” Mr. Finley said. “I’ve got buses, I’ve got planes, I’ve got a war room, I’ve got advertising already in the can. We are constantly at work on our policy and platform. I’ve got a tour two-thirds planned.”

Wow! I haven’t heard a Con being that enthusiastic about something since the Blogging Tories were as jittery as schoolgirls over the “illegal” attempt at a coalition between the Dippers and the Grits.

And who can blame the guy? Even the most cursory read of the latest EKOS poll (you know, those guys who were mega-biased against the DeceptiCons a way back a coupla months ago) tells a tale of Liberal woe. It supports my contention that the worse case scenario for Stevie would be a return to another minority Parliament with his willing unofficial coalition partner safely in tow.

Yup, we here in Ontario, and other provinces as well, are going to come down with a severe case of election-sign fever this fall as we head into municipal votes in October as well as a federal vote somewhere between Turkey Day and the end of November.

Of course, for a political junkie like me, this is pure paradise.

Friday miscellany

1. It’s hot, hot, hot here in Bytown!

So hot that there seem to be furious debates about what is appropriate to wear to work. Check out XUP’s take on this…

Of course, furious debates about just about anything are everyday activities here in Ottawa. Remember the big lawn chair debacle of 2007?

Me? Meh. My rule of thumb is that if it’s over 30, I will at the very least throw away the tie unless I have meetings with folks outside of my Department. If it’s over 35, I go naked.

Now THERE is an image to haunt your weekend.

You’re welcome.

2. Lindsay Lohan to be jailed 90 days for breach of probation? ROTFL!!!!!

3. The Huffington Post had a good piece the other day on how scentisits, desperate to get accurate measurements on the extent of the big spill in the Gulf, are being kept away from the area and are encountering roadblocks wherever they turn.

A group of independent scientists, frustrated and dumbfounded by the continued lack of the most basic data about the 77-day-old BP oil disaster, has put together a crash project intended to definitively measure how much oil has spilled and where and how it is spreading throughout the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

An all-star team of top oceanographers, chemists, engineers and other scientists could be ready to head out to the well site on two fully-equipped research vessels on about a week’s notice. But they need to get the go-ahead — and about $8.4 million — from BP or the federal government or both. And that does not appear imminent.

No matter who is in control, spin is the order of the day, eh?

And I’m glad Jacques Cousteau isn’t around to see this.

4. Looks like the quake did a bit more damage to the homestead than originally thought. Our patio door -- although admittedly old and in need of replacement -- won’t open or close very easily since the quake… it comes right off it’s runners.

Damned quake.

5.  Finally -- GO Spain!!!!!!

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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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