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ABNORMALITY!

Ms. Tundra Trailer Trash
Creeping out Sane Folks Everywhere!

2011 promises to be a fascinating year for political observers at every level municipal, provincial/state, national and international.

In British Columbia we have a virtual clown show of leadership contests and ongoing corruption being covered by a media full of idiots or tools who consistently refuse to actually address a relevant issue almost ever.

BC liaR's Club<

It's a wonder I have a TeeVee in my home that still works, it is a sign of self discipline that I haven't thrown shoes, mugs or anything at hand through them all when I watch the fawning coverage of the leadership races in the only parties that have a chance of forming the government in British Columbia. On the one hand there is the fawning attempt to treat those vying to take over the Campbell Crime Family as if they offered any real change and weren't all accessories to a ten year crime spree as is the (as RossK refers to it) the proMedia itself - both on paper and through the air or cable.

First, and currently considered the favorite is Christy Clark, who on the one hand is portrayed as an outsider, but in reality is the most soiled by the depredations of BC Rail and the assault on public education AND the most involved with the very players who participated most intimately in the theft of BC Rail. After all, it wasn't Kevin Falcon's wife or Mike DeJong's brother whose homes were also searched contemporaneously with the Raid on the Legislature. Except for the genitalia, Christy is the closest to a Gordon Campbell clone in the race, so if you liked Gordo, you'll love Cluck Cluck.

Then there is Mike DeJong, who allegedly graduated from law school. Then again, when I hear the following exchange (when an NW softball pitcher went rogue and actually tried to get an answer or two - Michael Smythe the other day), I wonder who actually sat for his bar exam:

Smythe: "I'm suggesting that there is an appearance that the trial was shut down because you guys were going to pay $6 million to these guys' lawyers."

De Jong: "OK, well then let's not talk about appearances, Mike, let's talk about what happened. And let's talk about a role played by an independent prosecutor, who by the way, I've never met, never spoken with, so you know I get why people were angry. An eight-year criminal investigation and trial that led to the criminal conviction of two people for the worst possible breeches of the public trust. No one should be happy about any of that."

Smythe: "Yeah, the worst possible breeches of the public trust and we give their lawyers six million bucks. They're set for life."

De Jong: "Pursuant to a policy Mike that was established in the 1990s."

Smythe: "Well hang on a minute, because the policy as far as I know said that you are indemnified for your lawyer unless you're guilty. I remember when Glen Clark had his house searched, and the government of the day said 'Hey we'll pay for Glen Clark's lawyer unless he's guilty, then we want the money back', right?

De Jong: "Right."

Smythe: "That's the policy. Here we have a situation where these guys plead guilty to these very serious crimes - corruption crimes - and their lawyers are set for life. They're laughing all the way to the bank."

De Jong: "Yes, and your point, Mike?"

The POINT is Mike, that in spite of your attempt to blame it on the policy and the policy on the NDP (jeepers, there's that deck in East Van), the POINT is AS Mr. Smythe already pointed out, THEY WERE FOUND GUILTY - I would think a person who could get into and through law school would be able to see that.

Then we have Kevvie "birdbrain" Falcon, BC's own latent brownshirt. Merit pay for teachers - wow! Merit pay for guys like Falcon would make more sense, we could have had government for free (as far as politician's salaries) for the last ten years with that kind of policy. It would make more sense to have contracts with your buddies with Rape of the River deals that obligated BC Hydro (us - for now) to pay them for their power a price related to what it is worth. Let's be clear here, at least electical power is something that CAN be measured - unlike education "results."

Actually George Abbott is the least offensive candidate from the liaR Mob. However, you know that thing with his head? I think it is a sign of his own discomfort with having to lie regularly to stay in cabinet and caucus. Or for those familiar with poker, it is Abbott's "tell." He truly seems like a person who means well, but obviously doesn't understand that if you run with crooks, you are one as well.

The Comic Relief Party

While the proMedia prefers as much a possible to ignore the (perhaps) Loyal (maybe) Opposition NDP, when they can't ignore them they never miss a chance to either make them look foolish, silly or hopeless. During the last election when Carole James attempted to go inspect Rape of the River project on the central coast, all we heard about was how windy it was (as if she controlled the weather) and the effect it had on her hair. Somehow the massive rip-off and environmental destruction that the project represented wasn't a relevant part of the story.

Harry Lali is apparently going to announce his candidacy later today and already he is being portrayed as kinda out there on the CBC Radio because he suggested that the whole deal with Glen Clark's deck smelled of a conspiracy. Well let's compare that small deck in East Van to say the BC Rail Trial. For one thing anyone with a TeeVee watched Glen Clark pace by his kitchen window and the two extras from a Sopranos shoot leaving a North Burnaby card club EVERY effing night, FOR MONTHS. Then when it got to court there actually was a trial that lasted 136 days, resulting in an aquittal - meanwhile Glen Clark was destroyed politically and combined with the showboating over the Fast Cats, so was the party. Meanwhile the proMedia has been trying as hard as possible to ignore the BC Rail Scam and when that doesn't work, convince everyone it doesn't matter anymore, if it ever did.

Even more disturbing is the destructive attitude and behaviour of those one would think share the professed values of the NDP and would prefer to have a government that wasn't a criminal organization in disguise, folks like the articulate but often stunned Norman Farrell, or the petulant former Carole Jame's Chief of Staff, Ian Reid or the shrieking David Shreck. Hell with guys like them on the other side, the BC liaRs don't have to even air their own attack ads.

Yesterday Norm Farrell continued his sniping campaign against all the sane folks who accepted the fact that Carole James HAD to go (as does MOE) by publishing a letter from an old school mate from Powell River attacking the first actual MLA to throw his hat in the ring for the leadership. An excerpt:

I find it disturbing that a Judas who has being an ineffectual MLA and considered a lightweight by the Party would now to think he can lead a Party that he tried to tear apart as a member of a pack of dissidents who disregarded all Party protocol and tradition.

Well, well, the Judas part refers to the fact that Mr. Simons was conspicous by his lack of fashion sense, ie. he doesn't wear yellow(belly) scarves. The part about being "an ineffectual MLA and considered a lightweight" is laughable. Ever since the days when Joy and Jenny were the opposition the NDP has been an entire caucus of ineffectual MLAs, tasked with passively watching an ongoing crime spree against the people of British Columbia with hardly an occassional peep, while being busy trying to court the same corporate elite that already own the BC Liberal Party and whomever winds up being their servant/so called leader. For the last seven years this has been a party where the "heavyweights" act like lightweights without even the speed of a good lightweight. Give me a break!

Elsewhere

As bizzare and fascinating as BC Politics is, even more so now than usual, things are just as bizzare seemingly everywhere.

To the south we have the new Weeper of the House, John Boehner ("Boner" to Dubya) taking the big gavel, which he will undoubtably need to beat down the TeaHadists whose election made it possible for him to take the gavel away from Fidel Castro's twin sister, separated at birth, little Nancy Pelosi. For an excellent discussion of Mr. Tears see Matt Taibbi's fine piece from the Rolling Stone - The Crying Shame of John Boehner - a sample paragraph:

When he wasn't busy protecting sex offenders, Boehner was gracing the hallowed grounds of the Capitol building with all the dignity and class of a boxing promoter, calling one legislative deal a "crap sandwich" and blasting an Obama tax compromise as "chicken crap" (an unfortunate choice of words, given that massive amounts of poultry waste have created an ecological disaster in his own district). Boehner is also an innovator in the loathsome new political phenomenon of men crying in public, co-owning mastery of the habit with screeching media dillweed Glenn Beck.

Then there's the intriguing game of trying to guess which European country will go broke next, when the combined immprisoned, unemployed and homeless (due partly to an upcoming foreclosure Tsunami) of the US will outnumber those with jobs and/or homes.

Of course Parliament fires itself up again at the end of the month and we can start a pool about when either prorogation or an election will occur. Of course we can set odds on whether the next war will be in the Korean penninsula, Pakistan or Iran or ?

So much to comment on and so little time!