An Unnecessary
Apology

Typically Too Polite Canadian - Bob Rae

In the midst of trying to breach the wall of denial from the very un-Canadian Stevie CONtemptuals in the House today, Bob Rae stood up to apologize for the fact that a member of the Liberal research team had admitted responsibility for the vikileaks30 affair. Obviously Bob Rae is too Canadian to deal with the KKKarl Rovian inspired CONtempt Party led by Spiteful Steve and his band of evil mental midgets. The only conceivable wrong doing that could be attributed to Adam Carroll (named as the research assistant by laughable CONblogger BCBlue) might be the use of government resources (i.e. computer network) to post the vikileaks to Twitter. However, if everyone who ever used their employers' network for non-employment related purposes was fired, unemployment would rocket to nearly 100%, except for employees with no computer access. Then when one considers the waste of time the antics, (the stomping, pounding of desks and insults, not to mention the refusal to answer honest questions) of the MPs themselves perform in the people's House, Mr. Carroll was an angel.

The fact is that Mr. Toews insulted every Canadian who has concerns about privacy issues by tacitly accusing them of being "with the child pornagraphers," and for someone to illustrate the point by publishing PUBLIC information about Mr. Toews hypocrisy was in my estimation completely appropriate. Bulldog Baird also apologized for accusing the NDP with absolutely no evidence, a claim which would have left him vulnerable to a libel suit if he dared utter it outside the play House. Therefore, that apology was entirely necessary, though it is certainly rare for the Reformatories to ever apologize for anything, no matter how CONtemptible. These are, after all the guys who won't even apologize for the lies they spread in Irwin Cotler's riding, claiming instead that free speech = the right to LIE!

According to the Montreal Gazette, Viki Toews hisself accepted the (unnecessary) apology but showed his lack of recalcitrance, or perhaps just his stupidity thusly:

Toews accepted the apology. However, he also noted that some Liberal MPs had been encouraging the public to participate in personal, online attacks on him, and he asked the Speaker to look into that issue separately.

Come on Viki, the Speaker can hardly manage to maintain discipline or accountability in the House. You guys are found to be in contempt of Parliament, but so what? Now you think your pet Speaker should start investigating regular Canadians who offend your overly inflated sense of yourself? Who let you out of Manitoba, actually who let you into Manitoba? Did you really go to law school, and you didn't cheat.....really?

Stevie Spiteful and his Cons should seriously consider immigrating to the USA and joining the Republican Party, stealing elections with dirty tricks is more accepted there.

Let's Have a
Fall Election

A Lecturing Lyin' Left-Wing BC LIEberal!

The creep above, is the main reason there may be an election this year, rather than waiting for the American style, Campbell enacted fixed election date next spring. In this picture he may be bragging to the crowd as he demonstrates just how big a lie he can deliver and sell. Then again he may be illustrating the size of his "biggest problem," which according to the self proclaimed greatest blogger in BC or maybe the universe, he can only see by removing his pants. More absurd than the previous suggestions above is the fact that lately it has become the new anti- BC LIEberal meme that they are too far to the left. That a government that has spent over a decade privatizing everything in sight, re-jigging the tax system to spare the rich and corporate elite the shame of paying taxes as much a possible and attacking the environment can be accused of being left wing socialist tree huggers is beyond laughable and into the realm of fantasy.

Yet amazingly Bob Plecas, a former Deputy Minister in various ministries and wannabe BC LIEberal cheerleader, who thinks that they just need to amputate their overgrown left wing, can apparently keep a straight face and say:

The Campbell legacy will not go away. While it was the perceived deceit over the harmonized sales tax that brought him down, he was rap-idly losing conservative support by moving the party to the left, supporting the carbon tax and first nations settlements.

John Cummins who was handled very gently in an extended Global feature last night, seems to think his fundie infested regressive group won't be splitting the right and thus allowing the godless commie NDP to sneak up the middle and install their chosen commissar in Victoria. NoSiree, Grandpa Daddio, Fisherman Farmer John seems to figure the NDP and Liberals will split the socialist leftard hordes and sneak into the big chair hisself. Ya see, dem damn Libs believe in some engagement with dem Injuns, cozy up with dem gays and lezzies, and then there is that left wing green gang carbon tax - the one that punishes people for staying warm, going to work and uses their money (and the money of schools and hospitals) to subsidize industry, really green ones like gas fracking, oil exploration and mineral development and processing - or regular BC working families, and institutions like schools, pay for using energy while the really big polluters are beneficiaries with "offsets" or promises to "try" and make less mess - hardly either progressive or "green." Yet according to Cummins the Libs are moving too far to the left, all while filling Christy's first string with HarperCons like Ken Boessenkool to promote Enbridge Pipeline and Susan MacIntyre to make sure Christy knows what Harper would want her to do, and tell her how to spin it so it doesn't scare British Columbians.

The unfortunate part is that the favoured resident of the Lower Vainland has options like mass transit as an option to going to work in his own truck. The logger, farmer, construction worker in the interior or north (beyond Hope) has no alternative than to be punished for not having options. Shutting off the heat in Ft. St, James would save some carbon tax, but could prove fatal, which at least spares one from paying much more in the way of taxes - unless of course dem commie lefties get in and impose the dreaded death tax, to go with their health care death panels. Apparently the brand new budget, just delivered, gives even more goodies to the Corporate pigs at the trough and their buddies in the land speculation and development game, while raising MSP premiums and actually cutting health and education once inflation is taken into account. Anyone masochistic enough, bored enough or looking for something to help with getting to sleep can examine the entire most likely highly fictional budget here (It was supposed to be posted here as soon as Birdman stood in the house or about 3:00pm - at 5:30 it still isn't there - must be that LIEberal transparency in action). Even admitting a 3 billion deficit for this fiscal year doesn't take into account all the hidden debt buried in the IPP scams, BC Ferries' funny accounting practices and regular raiding of ICBC and three P's ponzi schemes.

In 2009 the "budget" introduced by the sneer that walks like a man, Colon Hansen, was worthy of a Pulitzer for fiction and once the BC liaRs were re-elected, a maximum deficit of less than 500 million ballooned to anywhere from 2 to 3 Billion, again not counting the buried "invisible" debt involved with BC Hydro, BC Ferries et. al. Then of course the pre-election inconceivable HST was announced and implemented at the speed of light, yet apparently will still be with us until at least next year easy come, not so easy go. Of course Christy and the Birdman Falcon were able to find HST relief for their friends represented by Scab Labor King Phil Hochstein and those fat enough in the wallet to take advantage of a $42,500 tax break on a SECOND recreational home, shameful when so many British Columbians cannot afford to have even one shack.

If we are going to have Yankee style fixed elections, which I don't like in a Parliamentary system, it shouldn't happen in the Spring in the midst of the budget process. Proposing a fantasy budget as an election document and then ramming it through without debate to then drop the REAL budget after safely back with a "mandate," is just wrong. Winter can cause an election day when everyone is snowed in and summer elections are just cheating, as so many folks are off on holidays less interested in politics than any other time of year. But most folks are back to their routine in the autumn, which is why so many jurisdictions with fixed elections hold them in the fall when the kids are back in school and mom and pop are back at work, even if they are spoiled teachers with such loooooong vacations.

Christy Clark doesn't really have a mandate to destroy British Columbia for more than another year. Get the by-elections called, held and cry and then call an election for this fall - October or November 2012 and if you insist, that could be the new fixed election date.

Serendipity
Simpsons 500th

Tonight The Simpsons will air its 500th episode, (for tons of Simpsons' Stuff check out the Simpsons Archive). The only other prime-time scripted TeeVee shows that have approached this mark are Gunsmoke and Lassie. Since it is a special occasion perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that they will be having an especially polarising public figure as a guest character, playing himself - Julian Assange of Wikileaks. (from Alternet):

.....According to reports, Assange recorded his voiceovers from “a secret location” over the summer, although since he is currently on house arrest in a British mansion, it’s not hard to imagine that said location was the horse stable (or the panic room).

......for Assange to appear on a milestone episode is a perfect capper to a powerful stint as a political and cultural force. Renowned for having a distinct liberal bent, “The Simpsons” was probably the first animated cartoon with an explicit political perspective since Looney Tunes was running war propaganda storylines in the 1940s. But in 15 years, the show has never had a political figure as controversial as Assange guest as him or herself....../snip

.....the majority of explicitly political people ever to have appeared on the Simpsons have been news anchors, pundits, or news-anchor-pundit-comedians: Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Keith Olbermann, Charlie Rose, Larry King, Dan Rather and, arguably, your boy Rupert Murdoch. Of all these men, Olbermann and Murdoch, arch-rivals to the death, run a close race as to whose appearance was funniest and most wry. In the case of Olbermann, he appears in Marge’s nightmare, naming her “The Worst Person in the World” for TiVoing through commercials. But Murdoch wins by a hair: having been taken down numerous times over the years by Simpsons writers -- who can forget, “Fox News: not racist, but number one with racists!” He actually wrote his own line: “'I'm Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire tyrant, and this is my skybox.” You can cut the irony with a knife.

Back in VikiLeaks Land

That this episode would be scheduled to run on the Simpsons is serendipitous this Sunday after the week in which our own tempest in a TIVO boiled over after Viscious Vic Toews accused most Canadians of being with the Child Pornographers and Gangsters if we weren't into giving Vic's Storm Troopers warrantless access to our entire internet existence. Of course Mr. Toews claimed it wouldn't allow such intrusion without a warrant, or any oversight, UNTIL HE READ the damn bill (as apparently he hadn't bothered with such mundane a chore) before calling those who didn't like it creeps or criminals or both. The Sixth Estate succinctly explains the situation thus...

Well, That Explains It: Vic Toews Can’t Read

I suppose it doesn’t surprise me that the responsibilities of a Cabinet minister in the Harper Regime do not include reading your own bill before introducing it in Parliament.

In fairness to Vic, in between violating election laws and having children with mistresses, there probably isn’t much time left over to read draft bills. Presumably he took the law more seriously back when he was, you know, a lawyer.

I guess reading legislation isn't part of the job description for legislators in North America anymore. None of the Congress Critters in the US Congress read the USA Patriot Act voting on (overwhelmingly for it) and soon ISP's in the US were obligated to install essentially special routers to route data to the government to be perused and used by will or by whimsey by the alphabet soup of agencies that watches over an American flock of sheep kept in a chronic state of fear of terrorists, brown people, gays and anybody different or with a different point of view.

That the same Regressive Conservative government that finds the long gun registry and the long form census intrusive would think that only child pornographers would mind being under cyber-surveillance only illustrates the lack of critical thinking either taught in schools or used in government. We find ourselves in a "looking glass" world where so-called "libertarians" think liberty doesn't extend to women's bodies, but that corporations should be free to pollute and kill (environmental regulation being an attack on liberty and freedom). It has long been clear to me that ideology has no awareness or respect for either fact or reason. As a result the boys of blue who introduced enhanced dirty tricks learned from KKKarl Rove and imported from the loony bin to the south are now crying foul and trying to imply that something is improper, maybe even criminal and requiring investigation with the vikileaks30 twitter feed - that just posted information already in the public domain. The liberally biased Toronto Star, oops, well maybe not so liberally biased Toronto Sun sums it up nicely.

With more than 4,000 House addresses flowing through four IP servers on Parliament Hill, the agitator behind the now closed @vikileaks30 account can go about his or her business with impunity.

And let's be clear.

No laws were broken by subjecting thousands of followers to the sleazy details of the minister's messy divorce after 30 years of marriage and his child-bearing affair with another woman.

The only misdeed we can think of would be the use of a taxpayer-funded computer during working hours to deliver the same medicine to the minister his worrisome electronic surveillance bill could potentially deliver to Canadians. (In his farewell tweet, @vikileaks30 said he wasn't based in Ottawa).

Though Viscious Vic tries to claim Bill-30 is all about stopping child pornographers, currently there is no problem in getting access with a warrant to any helpful information. Indeed, one of the duller knives in the Regressive Con drawer, Dean (of dumb) del Mastro was on CTV's Question Period today undercutting his own case by stating that prosecutions for child pornography were up 36 percent last year, more resources for investigation would would be more effective at stopping more exploiters of children than stomping on all Canadians' right to privacy. Since this whole kersmozzle was not only covered by the social media and blogosphere but to a great extent created by it, Kevin Newman had to do a drive by smear on those who are putting his position as portal to the truth at risk. Referring to bloggers he patronizingly referred to "what passes for journalism among bloggers," high irony indeed Kev. He must have had a shot of novacaine before the show to actually say that on CTV, a prime example of a network that journalistic standards forgot, and keep a straight face.

As far as publishing so-called personal information about Vic, using only public information from court documents or previously published material being somehow a new low goes, that is absurd. I'm old enough to remember, before there was any social media, when Francis Fox was forced to resign from Trudeau's cabinet for forging the signature of his mistress' husband, so she could terminate their pregnancy. That would have been the saner version of the Cons jumping on that, the so-called Progressive version that was stabbed in the back by Peter MacKay so Reform could assume its current alias. Maybe that's a bad example, as it would seem most of the Regressive Conservative caucus would like to go back to the days when a man had to approve a woman making that choice. Remember too, that the Trudeau Liberals weren't a crew of Christian Talibaners constantly shoving family values down everyone's throat while choosing what ever life style they prefer on the down low (Hi Bulldog Baird)!

Apparently vikileaks30 has ridden off into the sunset with the Lone Ranger and Tonto, but unless the Cons are willing to be reasonable and consult with the non Cro-Magnon opposition, bigger things will be in store for Vic and the boys. According to the same article in the Sun....

Now that @vikileaks30 has retired his or her thumbs, life won't get any easier for Toews and his political handlers.

A new menace has emerged to dog the government and its cyber-crime bill, called the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act, as it moves to committee for an overhaul to protect Canadians against the invasion of privacy by police.

The hacker group Anonymous posted a YouTube video Saturday instructing Toews to scrap the bill and resign, or face the consequences.

More discussion about Vic and the amazing screw up in the attempt to implement Herr Harper's First Reich of Canada can be found at both the Galloping Beaver and DAMMIT JANET. Especially scary are some excerptshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif from the bill that some bloggers actually read, though apparently neither Vic Toews or Kevin Newman have, like......it doesn't even have to be the police who have access to your information.

Section 33
"The Minister may designate persons or classes of persons as inspectors for the purposes of the administration and enforcement of this Act."

or Section 34
(these inspectors - anyone Viscious Vic might select - Maxime Bernier perhaps who would take it to his chippy's pad and leave it laying about?) may "enter any place owned by, or under the control of, any telecommunications service provider in which the inspector has reasonable grounds to believe there is any document, information, transmission apparatus, telecommunications facility or any other thing to which this Act applies."

(and)...... may "examine any document, information or thing found in the place and open or cause to be opened any container or other thing." He or she may also "use, or cause to be used, any computer system in the place to search and examine any information contained in or available to the system."

The Prince of New York

The Cinderella story that is LIN-sanity rolled on today as the New York Knicks beat the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks and Jeremy Lin got 28 points, 14 assists and five steals.......

While on sports, a billionaire raised in Seattle who was broken hearted when the Sonics left town has offered to build an arena and bring an NBA team to town without public money and agree to not move the team for thirty years, after which the city would own the arena. Much smaller Portland supports an often competitive team with the Blazers. I had the pleasure of attending a Blazer-Sonic game before the Sonics left town.

If a group could be found to bring a sun-belt hockey team to town too, it would not only make the over-all deal more likely to succeed, but provide the 'Nucks with another automatic rivalry of Flames-Canuck intensity (tho the Hawks and Bruins may stay the most hated American based teams in Canuckville for quite awhile). Phoenix comes to mind, but lately it appears Quebec City has the inside track if the city of Glendale and the NHL decide to quit subsidizing the team nobody knows is there. Seems they might be able to build a NEW facility for about the same amount the Campbelloids spent on the leaky roof at BC Place. But hell, they pay the Admiral of the Washington Ferry Fleet a fraction of what the Libs are willing to pay an expert from out of town run a fleet of boats that sink and/or breakdown.

Throne Speech
2 SuperNOTceral BC

(not) Lieutenant Governor General Bill (not so)Good smiling because he is so happy his (waste of space) studio is all ready for today's (not)Throne Speech to be delivered by (not)Premieress Crusty the Clownessa Clarke! Be prepared for withering (not) critical reception from (not) Lt. GG Bill (not so)Good! The staff only has left the placement of the pillow for Christy's feet so Bill can massage and kiss them!

If you live beyond Hope (or even before it) you won't have to subject yourself to this because really you don't matter to Crusty anyways............because you won't be able to hear it anyway, even if you (shudder) wanted to torture yourself doing so!

"Severely" Con Mitt
& the Three Stooges

The 51st US State?

Since I last posted, the "inevitable" ReThug nominee, that creeps out two thirds of the RePukes, especially the conservative base, had a good week and then a bad spell. With the ability to out spend Newt by four or five to one on negative TeeVee ads in Florida, the Mitt had the country laughing with him at the idea of firing the executive who came to him to suggest a "moon colony." Of course the Newtster, trying to channel his inner JFK, went even farther than just establishing a colony, it would be a U.S. territory, but only until it could become a state. (ht/ Tom Degan's Rant)

"By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon. And it will be American....when we have 13,000 Americans living on the moon they can petition to become a state."

Newt Gingrich
25 January 2012

This is even richer when one learns that the man with more baggage than a Samsonite warehouse (Newt) has always been opposed to statehood for Puerto Rico, which is a lot closer than Alaska or Hawaii and has been a US territory/colony since 1898, being a war spoil from William Hearst's Spanish-American War.

Then the Mittster started what must be perhaps the most egregious attempt to pander to the Latino vote as successfully as he had previously showed how out of touch he is with the poor, unemployed and foreclosed upon by asserting that HE TOO had been worried during his "career" in vulture capitalism once or twice that he might get a pink slip (be fired/downsized/outsourced), by referring to his plutocratic self as the son of an immigrant from Mexico. This of course begs the question of why his dad - former CEO of American Motors, governor of Michigan and perennial ReThug candidate for POTUS - thought he could be preznit without a fake birth certificate. Even John McCain who was born "abroad," in Panama, WAS eligible because his parents were US citizens stationed there while John McLame's dad was serving in the Navy. But Mitt's great grandfather moved to Mexico (with his five wives) when polygamy became illegal in Utah as a condition of statehood for Utah.

Romney's father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, where Mormons fled in the 1800s to escape religious persecution and U.S. laws forbidding polygamy. He and his family did not return to the United States until 1912, more than two decades after the church issued "The Manifesto" banning polygamy....../snip

Romney has joked about polygamy, saying in various settings that to him, "marriage is between a man and a woman ... and a woman and a woman." But in serious moments he has called the practice "bizarre" and noted his church excommunicates those who engage in it..

Ironically, compared to other recent ReThug candidates for the Oval Office, the Mittster is a real piker, wife wise - say Newt, the Shameful John McPain, and Rudy Guiliani, though this trio never had multiple wives simultaneously, and Newt never made the next wife official until disposing of the existing "sick" one.

But then who cares about a candidate's "private" life, it's the policy, stupid. Not so fast, unless something nuclear happens to the economy or with foreign relations, the last week or so has seen an fresh outbreak of the so-called "culture wars." With Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum surprising most of the pundits with his strong three state sweep last Tuesday of Colorado, Michelle Bachmann's Minnesota and Missouri, not only has the Tea Baggers and crazies maybe found their man, but he may be the best situated to benefit from a revival of the shouting matches about contraception, abortion and same-sex marriage. So we could see a match-up where Democrats will have nowhere to go but Republican-lite Obama and between the dems and the <oxymhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giforon>sane GOPers</oxymoron> Rick Santorum, the Richie Cunningham of the Three Stooges.

My commenter from my last post will likely be happy that iconoclast Ron Paul did well in the most recent primary/caucus/straw poll event held a couple days ago in Maine. There in a state that sends some of the most moderate and/or independent representatives (think Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, two GOP Senators who voted against Newt's attempt to force Clinton out of the White House over Monica/lying etc.) Romney barely edged out Ron Paul who was a strong second only three percentage points behind him and as I understand may yet win that state due the fact the process there still isn't complete. New England is fertile ground for old school independent/libertarian folks like the good doctor from Texas, whose biggest sin in my eyes was siring Tea Bagger heart throb, Rand Paul, (named after the goddess [not living category] of the Tea Party - Ayn Rand) the new Senator from Kentucky. Knowing better than to waste time and resources where "social/culture issues" aren't top of mind Rick Santorum completely ignored Maine and still got almost half as many votes as Romney. So the actual score in Maine currently is Romney 39% - Not Romney (Ron, Rick, Newt) 58%. If the wing-nuts can get it straight and decide who is the REAL Not Romney, the Mitt could be done.


Meanwhile Back in Canada!

I can tell a lie THIS BIG......easy!
With Spiteful Stevie Harper in Canada licking the boots of the Communist dicktaters in China and Creepy Gordon Campbell ensconced in his regal digs in London, sharing neo-liberal ideas with Cameron and Company the air was somehow fresher in Canada for awhile. But then the Creep returned to deliver a speech at the Vancouver Board of Cronies Treason Trade and unfortunately Canada Immigration and Border Services allowed the traitorous Stevie Harper and his butt boys Baird and Oliver back into the country and the smell of rotting slime once again fills the air. I would write about these tragic events if I had more time and could figure out where to begin!