Monday,      
Monday!

Fauxie Stevie Harper

As we wait for developments in a new week that seems poised to be exciting for those who enjoy seeing the wrong-headed stumble, I will take a moment to catch up on some odds and ends. This week's menu offers almost too much to even pay attention to it all. Let's see: We have the ongoing YVR Murder Inquiry (like Ross at Pacific Gazette, I don't think Braidwood cuts it as a title). Lyin' Brian and the chubby German with bags of money return to center stage before a Parliamentary committee. Will gatekeeper Jason Kenney succeed in keeping the dangerous terrorist George Galloway out of Canada or will the Supreme Court defend our rights, after all, they let that little weasel war criminal into the country (well, Calgary anyway)?

Another week of BC Rail disclosures is impending and the Pickton trial is back in the news -I'm dying to see if StoneWally can keep his mouth shut about that. Actually since the Pig Farm murders are one of the few crimes in BC that doesn't seem to involve the BC liaR Party, he may decide it's not "before the courts." Of course that is assuming that Wally and Gordo are released from the Witness Protection Program that seems to have swallowed them both up.

Maybe one wouldn't be too starry-eyed to even expect to hear some kind of response from the Campbelloids about the (apparently renegade) judge who declared their cute little GAG LAW unconstitutional, either! Since a judgement has been rendered, I can only assume that "it's before the courts" would REALLY be inadequate as a response to this.

Faux has to Import Furrin' Wingnuts

In yet another gambit to avoid explaining anything to either Canadians or the Loyal Opposition, our own little Stevie is "Talkin' to Americans" ala Rick Mercer. It may seem a bit tacky to some Canadians that he would choose to honour with his presence (or lack of same) the one network that just last week went out of its way to insult the sacrifices of Canadian fighting men and women. It isn't like wing-nuts aren't welcome on all the other Sunday Morning talkin' head shows. Of course perhaps Faux Snooze may have really begged Stevie to appear, because its getting hard for them to actually like, you know, find leaders from anywhere that fit their bias and agenda.

It was a bit over the top though for Stevie to sit there and take credit for what is, up to now, Canada's apparent lack of damage from the current economic meltdown or as I prefer to say, payback to the Greed Monkeys. He tried to explain our 'better' position as the result of having a prime minister who was "conservative AND an economist." This is rich, when the only reason Canada still has the regulations that have softened the effect is that he hasn't been king long enough to remove them and make our country just as vulnerable to the robbers as the US. It's not like he hasn't made it perfectly clear that he would have removed them, IF he had the time and his coveted majority.

The Globe and Mail
& BC Rail

Those of us who follow the BC Rail trial have been pleasantly surprised lately by the extensive, multiple article, coverage of the
recent disclosures emanating from the Courthouse at Robson and Smyth and/or the Legislative Library in Victoria. However many of us have been dismayed by the almost instant closure of their comment threads attached to these articles. Since they have a link to report abuse, I used it to report their own closure of these comments and deletions of whole threads within hours (or less) of publication as abuse itself. An excerpt from my "abuse report" goes:

The comment I find offensive is your own comment below, that the comments are closed. Why is it that for the last few days since this case has been roused from its stupor that EVERY article about it has the comments closed and/or deleted (or made inaccessible) almost as soon as it is published online?

After only two or three days (no it wasn't hand delivered) I received this reply from websupport at the Globe and Mail:

RE: Abusive comment - B.C. Premier sticks to 'no-comment'‏

Our policy is to keep comments closed on certain articles. For example, Canadian law prohibits the publication -- whether by Globe journalists or commenters -- of evidence in crime cases, or of suggestions of guilt or innocence, when a case is still before the courts. We have also been forced to close comments on certain subjects where a small handful of our readers regularly hijack the discussion to put forth views that are vulgar, offensive, racist, or hateful. These include stories about the Middle East, terrorism and native Canadians.

So I guess that one can assume that it is a waste of time to even try to comment on issues that raise some folk's passions like "the Middle East, terrorism and native Canadians". However, I wonder what "evidence" they might be referring to in this case, I wasn't aware that a trial had begun about anything, just an ongoing obfuscation/delay process, and I'm one of the people paying attention. I also thought that anything said or introduced in open court (even when Wild Bill mumbles in an unintelligible manner) is PUBLIC information, unless covered by some kind of gag order. Also as far as suggesting guilt or innocence, I would assume that once criminal charges are laid, that in itself is at least a suggestion that someone is guilty of something - and of course there is also a presumption of innocence, until the actual court case comes to a resolution. Of course if your name is Gordon Campbell you probably prefer that nothing be mentioned about the Raid on the Ledge, the sale/lease/giveaway or the Railway built by W.A.C or anything, including the existence of, about people such as Pat Kinsella, Ken Dobell or Martyn Brown. Of course IANAL.

I must point out though that in spite of this little peeve (and I think I am still entitled to my own personal pique), the Globe and Mail and their competitor in the Center of the Universe, the Star have both given this incredibly important issue more AND better coverage than all the Canned Waste bird cage liners in British Columbia combined.