Guess who said it

I think we had a good initial meeting with the Prime Minister. When I’ve worked with him I’ve found the relationship to be constructive. We were able to get confirmation through Stephen Harper on the floodway project, which ultimately will save both the federal and provincial money by less disaster assistance. The Canadian Museum of Human Rights was languishing on the operating side. We were able to get an agreement there.

I guess the issues I disagree with the federal government on are the aboriginal issues. The jury’s still out on the Wheat Board.

But I’ve found the Prime Minister to be well-briefed and I’ve found him to be very intelligent. A yes means yes and a no means no, and you can get on with things. You don’t drift a lot when you meet with Prime Minister Harper; you get things done.

Who said it? A Conservative Preimier? A CPC member of some organization or lobby group? A Republican from the United States?

How about the recently re-elected NDP Priemier of Manitoba, Gary Doer?

h/t to Phantom Observer.


ps - don't forget to join the "I'm a REAL Young Conservative" Facebook group! And spread the word!

Warren has some good advice for the PMO

Yep, Warren has some advice for the Prime Minister... it's time to try and make nice (or at least nicer...) with the PPG. Don't forget, regardless of how much you hate the guy, he is one of the smartest political hacks in the country... and is consistantly proven right more often than proven wrong.

It's time to play nicer with them... like Sam Clements said, "You don't pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel" (or something to that effect). We've won a few key battles, but anything more is just going to hurt us come the next election. More accessability to the press likely couldn't hurt us any more than having the press permanently ticked off at us could.

I'm a REAL Young Conservative!

So, by now you've all see the new Young Liberal ads, mocking the stereotypical "young Conservative".

Most young Conservatives I know are FAR from that stereotype. The vast majority I've met at various events are regular mainstream people, not geeky dweebs... real people, just like you and me!

So, how do we respond and break the stereotype? Why, by creating a new Facebook group, "I'm a REAL Young Conservative"! They've got almost 900 members, and I'm sure we can beat that!

Join up, and spread the word.

Libs "scare mongering" again

Yup... they're grasping at any straws they can, and I've been waiting for this next round of scare-mongering tactics. They're trying to link us, once again, with George W. Bush.

Stay tuned for more... cause you know, when you can't run on your own shoddy record, all you can do is try and scare the electorate into voting for you.

Dion Gets Booed on YouTube

Despite what some Libloggers will try to tell you, Dion did NOT get booed just at the end of his speech yesterday... he got booed and heckled right through it!

And now, thanks to the power of YouTube, you can see it for yourself!

At one point, the poor guy looks like he's in over his head, trying to figure out what to do... almost like he's never seen such a hostile crowd before. Well, Mr. Dion, you're the Liberal leader now... GET USED TO HOSTILE PROTESTS, because it's not the last time you'll see it.

Dion heckled of stage by labour group

Yep, looks like labour groups agree... Stephane Dion is not a leader. (psssst... hey Party brass... start talking to Buzz, see if there's some ground where we can make nice... but not on childcare...

Dion heckled off stage
May 30, 2007


OTTAWA (CP) - Liberal Leader Stephane Dion has been heckled off the stage at a labour protest rally in Ottawa.

Dion was taunted by several thousand unionized workers as he spoke on Parliament Hill, and was eventually drowned out by chanting. There were loud boos from the crowd as he left the gathering, with many people complaining about the Liberal party's stand against anti-scab legislation.

Jake Lombardo of Hamilton, Ont., accused Dion of double-speak as he taunted the Liberal leader.

Lombardo blamed the Liberals for launching policies that he says are costing Canadians jobs.

The demonstration was organized to protest the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs, particularly in Ontario and Quebec.

Labour groups blame Ottawa for the job losses by allowing interest rates to rise and for negotiating trade deals that they say are killing high-paying jobs and sending work overseas.

(and for the record, that's the photo that was published with the article... it's a sweet one...)

h/t to Dust my Broom

No jail time for killers

This is DISGUSTING...

Two young Toronto men (Alexander Ryazanov and Wang-Piao Dumani Ross) will not serve any jail time in the January 2006 death of taxi driver Tahir Kahn, who was killed in a crash on Mount Pleasant Avenue.

The offenders were driving their Mercedes-Benz sedans down Mount Pleasant at speeds reaching 140 km/h on the city street where the posted limit is 60 km/h. The drivers were also weaving in and out of traffic.

Ryazanov collided with Khan's taxi as the cab driver was making a left turn near an intersection. The collision crushed the taxi against a pole, killing the 46-year-old immigrant from Pakistan.

Ryazanov and Ross pleaded guilty to one count each of dangerous driving in March.

The Crown was seeking a three-year prison term.

THIS is a prime example of "Judicial Activism" that I so often rail against. Who is the presiding judge in this case? How on earth did he or she get on the bench? (maybe we should do some digging on this one) These idiots killed a man by their reckless flouting of our laws... laws that exist to prevent just such an occurance. It is not a simple case of negligence... it was a series of deliberate acts that resulted in a man's death. Second degree murder at the very least... and the Crown let them get away with pleading guilty to "dangerous driving"?!?!?!?

I REALLY hope the crown appeals the sentence... even the three years the Crown was seeking is to short, in my opinion. I say lock'em up... they deserve some time behind bars.

Too many cars on the road

Does it bug you to see how many single occupant cars there are on the roads these days? Maybe I differ from some of my fellow BTer's, but I think we really need to change how we live... not so much for Kyoto, but for sanity's sake. You can't get anywhere in a decent time anymore! The roads are packed, the air is getting worse, the noise, the costs, it's out of control!

From my chair, I think we need to do three things...

1) Revamp our mass transit strategies, because they're not working. I don't ever use it because they're inefficient in how long it takes to get anywhere, and because they often don't get me where I want to go. Perhaps we need some smaller buses on more routes, using larger buses only when and where the numbers warrent... and we need more of them.

2) Carpooling. Same number of people on the road, fewer cars.

3) We need to get the message out to the auto-makers and get them to change the market. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... the first auto-maker to come out with a sub-$10,000, small (maybe even a 2-seater), reliable, safe, fuel-efficient car will get a huge market share. Two car families could have a van or SUV for the family, and a "mini" (for lack of a better catchphrase) for the daily commute. Cut the costs of owning a second car in in half. Re-invent the VW Beetle craze of the 60's, or the K-Car of the 70's-80's. The perfect car for the commuter, the student, the young professional, etc. Add to it a strong marketing aspect, and I'm sure it would be a winner. I think that had Toyota done this with the Yaris, it would be the number one car right now, and might just be enough to put them over the top for the world's biggest auto-maker. Then open new plants and build them right here in SW Ontario, and it's a win-win-win deal for everyone.

There, that one's off my chest. Stay tuned for my next eco-rant, prompted by my brother-in-law. (in a good way)

Creation Museum Opens... HOORAY!

Warren thought this was a riot... and took a shot at Stockwell on his blog today.

Bible-based creation museum has dinosaurs
Updated Mon. May. 28 2007 11:32 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff

A new theme park that features the Bible as a literal story, albeit one in which children cavort with dinosaurs, has opened in northern Kentucky.

"We wanted to show people there's no mystery with dinosaurs, we can explain them," said Ken Ham, founder of the Answers in Genesis Ministry.

I've been aware of the building of this museum for several years now, and watching the updates as it's slowly become a reality. There are some funny stories that go along with the building of it... like how they showed up at an auction for a bankrupt Baltimore museum, looking to get some fossils and such for the displays. I can't remember the details for sure, but it was that either no one else showed up, or those who were there had no interest in the fossils... so they picked them up for next to nothing! (stuff that's been valued in the millions of dollars)

Then there's the story of how the interference of local humanists, wanting to stop the project before it started... and how the Lord used these unbelievers to point Ken to a better piece of property right on the interstate, and spured on the construction of a much larger building! Here's how Ken put it...

“This is partly their legacy, too” Ham told hundreds of supporters. “When we first started to research property in 1996, they [the local humanists] caused all sorts of problems, and they stirred up trouble, and there were all sorts of things that went on.

“Anyway, as a result of all that, we lost that piece of property – it was 20 minutes off the freeway, and we were going to build a 30,000-square-foot building,” Ham said.

Instead, “The Lord directed us to this piece of property, right on a major freeway at a major interchange. And we decided to build a far bigger building (nearly 60,000 square feet), and a far bigger vision and a far bigger impact around the world – and I just want to thank, sincerely, the local secular humanist group.”

Well, the Bible has dozens of stories on how those who oppose Him or His people unwittingly end up furthering His purposes!

I'm actually looking forward to checking it out. And yes, for the record, I generally agree with and support the views of those who run the Creation Museum. Contrary to popular belief, there's lots of science to support the view of Creationism... it's just not the "officially scantioned truth" of those who select the textbooks.

We'll be praying for Ken Ham and this fantastic ministry.

(and my sincere thanks to Warren for bringing this whole thing up... I wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't posted on it!)

Liberal Senate to cause Constitutional Crisis?

This one seems to have been missed by most... is the Liberal Senate willing to cause a Constitutional crisis over Bill C-288? Both Bill C-288 and a Budget implementation bill are set to be voted on in the Senate this week... and pay close attention to what the Liberal Senate Leader Celine Hervieux-Payette said...

"Two important bills are now before the upper chamber for final sanction: the budget implementation bill and the opposition-backed C-288, a motion that seeks to entrench Canada’s support of the Kyoto Protocol on climate-change and its targets of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions by six per cent over 1990 levels.

Getting that budget bill passed is a priority for the minority Conservative government — a fact that Liberal Senate Leader Celine Hervieux-Payette planned to use to her advantage as a sort of you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours scenario.

She said she’s bound and determined to get that Kyoto bill passed, and will not stand for any obstructionism.

"We’ll see how kind they are. They have to put some water in their wine and I think we’ve got a pretty serious bargaining chip," said Hervieux-Payette. "I’m not giving anything if they don’t give anything."

The Kyoto bill will cause damage to the economy, said Government Senate Leader Marjory LeBreton, and tying it to the budget bill is "foolhardy."

"If the unelected and unaccountable Liberal majority in the Senate takes the unprecedented step of blocking a government budget bill — which contains many essential measures that in are in the interests of Canadians, such as eco-energy money for the provinces — they will have proven beyond a doubt that Liberal political entitlement has not abated and they have learned nothing," LeBreton said.

What do you think? Can the Liberal Senate hold up the Government's Budget without causing a Constitutional crisis? Is that not a case of the Liberal Senate voting no-confidence in the Government? Are they able to do that? Will the GG have to step in?

A day of contrasts

So, I wake up good and early this morning to go have breakfast with good old Minister Monte Solberg... and a few dozen of our mutual friends.

(a much better photo this time... last time he came by, I had some lady in the background wreaked the picture)

Anyway, contrast that to right now... where about 30 yards from my office door, stands my McGuinty Liberal MPP, whom I'm helping plot to unseat this coming October. And for further irony, one of the men I just had breakfast with is the man we want to unseat her... and I said just that to him mere hours ago.

It was kinda funny... she came by, was asking about our jobs, asking what sort of needs we have in our department. Of course, I respond with all the respect that someone in her position is due... regardless of their political stripe. However, all the while, I'm sitting there, answering her questions politely, and thinking to myself, "Lady, you have no idea who I am, or who I just had breakfast with... and how much I'm working in the background to unseat both you and your Federal counterpart."

Life's funny like that, I guess.

Gloria Galloway Watch VI

Another story by Gloria... this one, about the so-called "Tory Playbook". Although the subject matter makes the story decidedly negative towards the Tories, it's not to bad in terms of balance.

TODAY'S UPDATED GLORIA WATCH SCORES:
Negative - 6
Positive/Netural - 3 (+1)

But seriously, come on... it's not a manual on disrupting Parliament, it's a playbook on how to deal with an Opposition that seems to think it's the Government. Hey guys, news flash... if you don't like how we're doing things, it's your perogative to pull the House down and go to the polls.

Police pose as reporters to make arrest

Some people are giving the Vancouver Police Department grief for posing as reporters in order to make an arrest.

Here's why I think it was a good move on the VPD's part... the man they arrested was David Cunningham, spokesman for the Anti-Poverty Committee. They're a very disruptive group who want to stop the 2010 Olympic Games by any means necessary, saying that the money ought to be spent on social programs, rather than the Games. (think of Toronto's "Bread not Circuses") Now, I have no issue with their cause, but I have major problems with their tactics. Various groups have figured out that our legal system will allow them to get away with just about anything they want in order to get their message out... and regular people like you or I can't do a thing about it. (humm... maybe we need some new heavy-handed laws dealing with disruptive protesters? Just an idea...)

Anyway, the police want to arrest him for one of his stunts. He's nowhere to be found, and no one is talking. So, how do they flush him out? By appealing to this media hogs vanity... just set up an interview.

Classic!

And just so you realize the kind of person we're talking about here...

"Last week, Cunningham, a member of the Anti-Poverty Committee, organized a protest at offices of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympics .

During the protest, he told the crowd that the committee knew where the Olympic organizers lived and worked and would take their demonstration directly to them."

Protesting at the offices is one thing... threatening to harass people in their own homes is something else.

I say it was a good move on the part of the police department.

Happy Victoria Day

And as a British born subject of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, I'll add a hearty "God Save the Queen" to that!

Speaking of my British roots, being born in Manchester... Calgary born Owen Hargreaves has just been traded to my hometown team, Manchester United. Woo hoo! GO MAN U!

Spending my day today in a way that even P.E. Trudeau would have approved of... heading out in the canoe for a spin. It's a nice zero carbon activity to boot... should offset my enjoyment of tonight's fireworks!

Totally cool story about moving

100% true story here, this is how I spent my day today...

So a buddy of mine weeks ago had asked my wife and I, along with the rest of our church, to help them move this weekend. Yes, the long weekend, on the holiday Monday no less. You REALLY have to hear this story, it's a good one!

Sure I said, not a problem... 1) because he's a friend and a brother, and 2) because you have to hear about this guy's life... he works full time (often involving overtime), has a wife and two very young kids, while working his way through weekend teachers college in Buffalo. He leaves on Friday midday after working pretty much a full day, and gets back Saturday evening. He is constantly tired, and this coming holiday Monday is going to be his only chance to move. My giving up a holiday Monday is a really easy thing to do for him.

BUT GET THIS... last week, his wife finds out that the moving truck he's rented is valid from Saturday thru Monday... so what does this loving wife do for her husband? She arranges for everybody to show up on Saturday morning, and move everything while he's in Buffalo attending classes!!! In advance she arranges for him to come by their new place, instead of going straight home... while avoiding giving anything away.

What does he see upon his arrival at their new house? An empty truck, and a fully furnished, almost totally unpacked home... with all the beds set up, furniture arranged, pictures on the wall, and a house full of friends and family, with nothing left for him to do... except kick back and relax for the rest of the long weekend! My wife and another guy even cut the lawn!

Now how cool is that?

And yes... this is a 100% true account of my day today, just in case you're wondering. Man, my church family totally rocks!

Libs: "Let's raise the GST"

I actually agree with Jason Cherniak on this one... thinking about re-rasing the GST is a political death wish. But, hey guys, by all means, go for it! ;-)

It's really simple... by rasing the GST to pay for broad based income tax cuts, you are rasing taxes on the poorest of the poor, in an effort to lower taxes on the middle class by a few bucks per year. People who earn below a certian dollar figure per year don't pay income tax, period. BUT, they do pay GST... admittedly, not much, but they still pay it on a lot of things. So, by rasing it even one point back to where it was, you are effectively increasing their taxes, simply to pass on that money to people in a higher tax bracket than they are. Yea... THAT will go over well.

Let's put another way... Dion: "Monsieur Layton, we give a couple of seats for you in Toronto and Vancouver... we do not needed them anyway."

Garth Supported Cuts to Court Challenges Program

Humm... as his new party officially opposes his previous stand that the cutting of funding to the Court Challenges Program was a good thing, do you think Garth will proclaim a sudden change of heart from this statement?

"So, the irony this afternoon was palpable. Here we were listening to witnesses with their hands out, at the exact moment the Finance Minister and the Treasury Board boss were announcing a billion dollars in program spending cuts, wiping out money for everything from the court challenges program, to business subsidies, to money for women’s programs. Of course, it was the right thing for the government to. And so was dumping the current $13 billion surplus against the national debt. This is exactly what a majority of middle class Canadians and working families want. It’s what Tories are good at. We’re parsimonious sons of bitches, often called upon to save the country’s finances after long bouts of orgiastic Liberal spending."

Great stuff from the folks at CPC HQ... and I'm right in the middle of Warren's chapter on "Opposition Research".

Man, this whole "digital democracy" thing makes this stuff easy... like shooting fish in a barrel...

CPC Energy: Sweet intro page

Just decided to check and see if they've done anything new with the CPC Energy website... someone has put together a HILARIOUS Flash intro page that is SO TRUE!

Yep... if you really want to be a rebel in today's universities, your only real option is to do the radical thing... JOIN THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY!!!

I was surprised when I went to Carleton's Model Parliament. I figured it would be a 60%-70% vs. 40%-30% ratio of Liberal/NDP/Green to Conservative. I actually found that it was a solid 60% Conservative base. I've been hearing that Conservative clubs are seeing a resurgence these days, and that bodes well for the country. In fact, I've heard that one of the local universities is getting a student who is transferring from out east, and apparently this student is HIGHLY involved out there... will be a great addition to our local team too.

So, all you young people out there... break free from the group-think... question authority... JOIN THE CONSERVATIVES!

CPC Energy: Sweet intro page

Just decided to check and see if they've done anything new with the CPC Energy website... someone has put together a HILARIOUS Flash intro page that is SO TRUE!

Yep... if you really want to be a rebel in today's universities, your only real option is to do the radical thing... JOIN THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY!!!

I was surprised when I went to Carleton's Model Parliament. I figured it would be a 60%-70% vs. 40%-30% ratio of Liberal/NDP/Green to Conservative. I actually found that it was a solid 60% Conservative base. I've been hearing that Conservative clubs are seeing a resurgence these days, and that bodes well for the country. In fact, I've heard that one of the local universities is getting a student who is transferring from out east, and apparently this student is HIGHLY involved out there... will be a great addition to our local team too.

So, all you young people out there... break free from the group-think... question authority... JOIN THE CONSERVATIVES!

One Year of Stats

Well, yesterday was the one year mark from when I started taking stats on this Wii little blog... and I'll be the first to admit my surprise at how much traffic this little blog has generated.

I hit the 58,000 mark yesterday. Over the last year, I've aquired loads of regular readers, and over 3700 comments... and that's not including my replies, which total over 500.

Much of it has been fun, and it's surprising how much people actually read and respond to what I have to say. Often it's frustrating when people don't understand what I'm trying to say, but that's just like real life. I've been glad that some middle ground has been found on some issues, and I hope that there's lots more room for reasoned discussion and learning amongst all... epecially me.

I also hope to be a more clear and thoughtful in how I discuss the Christian perspective on political issues. It's more important to me that I clearly represent Christ's views, and hopefully bring people to see things the way Christ does, rather than converting people to view things how Mr. Harper does. My blog name has things in the correct order... Christ first, the CPC second. Now if I can just get my life to work in the same order...

Thanks once again to everyone who have made this blog what it is!

Tonight's Sens Game

A die hard Habs fan and fellow CPCer sent me an MSN today while I was razzing him about the swishing broom noises I was hearing... he replies with, "i'd rather join the liberals or slit my wrists than cheer for the sens" LOL!

Now, there are a couple of differing allusions you can take from this very profound statement... first of all, you can see how absolutely idiotic Habs fans really are... you'd prefer to join the Liberals over cheering for the Sens?

Secondly, you can see how repulsive the idea of joining the Liberal Party of Canada is... "Hummm, let's see, do I slit my wrists, or do I join the Liberals?"

Personally, I'd say "same diff"!

Anyway... GO SENS GO!

(full disclosure: my wife's family has this Leafs vs. Habs rivalry going... so I'm firmly on the "Anyone but the Habs" side... unless, of course, they're the last Canadian team standing)

Hamas... "Oops sorry guys"

Can you be considered a martyr when you get killed by your own people? From CNN:

Oops #1 - "Hamas gunmen fatally shot six bodyguards from the rival Fatah movement and mistakenly ambushed a jeep carrying their own fighters, killing five."

Oops #2 - "At midday Wednesday, policemen from the Fatah-allied Preventive Security organization arrested five Hamas men and were driving them through Gaza City when the vehicle was ambushed by Hamas fighters, Preventive Security officials told The Associated Press. Five of the Hamas men were killed, along with two Fatah men, they said."

That brings the Hamas total in the last 24 hours to 10 Hamas fighters. Oops.

However, further on in the CNN story, is a report of other Hamas actions in recent days that cause me to dislike Hamas even more, and hope that the West refuses to EVER deal with them:

"In Gaza City, Hamas gunmen set fire to an 11-story apartment building housing Fatah lawmaker Nema Sheik Ali, the wife of the head of Preventive Security. Witnesses said the gunmen broke into her fifth floor apartment and beat up her and two of her children before torching the building. The militants prevented people from evacuating the building as women and children screamed, pleading to be let out."

That's right... burning their own women and children alive. Brought to you by Hamas... terrorists to the core, who should never be negotiated with.

Let's hope this steels the resolve of the West to stand firm agains Hamas.

Jerry Falwell

Well, I wasn't going to comment on his passing, but my wife's reponse to his death made me change my mind.

She had the opportunity to meet him a few years back, when the ministry she was with went to Liberty U. Regardless of what you think of his views, he was a nice guy. His greatest desire was that people would come to know the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ... though some of his methods that he employed (ie, the "Moral Majority") did prove to be controversial.

Into the presence of his Lord he has now entered... see you there someday Jerry.

Breakfast with Monte

Any takers in the Kitchener/Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, or Wellington area?

The president of the Guelph EDA asked me to let people know that Minister Monte Solberg will be coming to Guelph on Wednesday May 23, at 7:30am. Here's the e-mail I got sent...

Join us for the Breakfast Barr[sic] at Golden Griddle Restaurant, 20 Woodlawn Road East on Wednesday May 23, 2007 at 7:30 AM. Our special guest speaker will be Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development.

Tickets are on sale now, just $20.

Order your tickets via the EDA website at www.GuelphCP.ca, or by emailing your reservation info to fundraising(at)YourCandidate(dot)ca

(I modified the e-mail address to help fight SPAM)

The spelling "mistake" on "Breakfast Barr" is intentional... the name of the CPC candidate for Guelph is Brent Barr. Sounds like it will be fun, I'm planning on being there. (hey boss, I'll be late for work)

I've met Monte a couple of times, and I was a huge fan of his blog back in the day. He's so totally down to earth... like much of the CPC Cabinet and Caucus. It was a blast meeting many of them at the CPC Training back in March... being among friends, most of them let their hair down a little bit. I think you'd be surprised at how hilarious some of them are! (and the unexpected ones are the funniest!)

So, contact the Guelph EDA if you're interested, and head on over there next Wednesday if you can spare the twenty bucks!

Gilles to go for PQ Leadership

Gilles Duceppe is gunning for, and will likely win, Andre Bosclair's old job.

Wow... there's barely been enough time to remove and wipe the blood off the knives that were sticking out of Andre's back...

What does this all mean? In the short term, there will be no Federal election. With the Bloc now sort-of leaderless, they will not bring down the House unless there's a slam-dunk reason too.

In the long term? I'm thinking the shades of the electoral map in Quebec will stay blue... but may perhaps turn a slightly darker shade...

Thursday Night Weirdness

Okay, so you live in a town of 100,000 people, and decide at the last minute to go see the new Spiderman movie.

We get about halfway through the movie, and my wife hears a familar laugh... so we turn around.

Who do we see sitting immediately behind us? Just my brother, his wife, and two good friends of ours. We just look at each other, start laughing and say, "Okay, how weird is that?" The movie is showing on two screens, with shows all through the week, and we end up sitting together and not even knowing it. We didn't see them come in during the previews, and they didn't see us when they arrived either. I even stood up right in front of them right after they got there to go out for a second.

So anyway, upon realizing who was sitting in front of him, my brother did what any self respecting little brother would do... he shoved his hand into my popcorn and took a fistful.

PM of Legoland

LOL! Is your child looking for the perfect leader for his Legoland country? Then drop on over to e-Bay, and you too can have your very own Lego Prime Minister Stephen Harper!

WARNING TO INTERESTED LIBERAL OF LEFTIST BUYERS: Sorry, this Legoland version of the greatest Prime Minister this nation has had in 40 years is not a voo-doo doll. Subjecting this Legoland version to flames, crushing him under your car, or drowning him in a body of water will not cause the real Prime Minister Stephen Harper to disappear. No, I'm very happy to say that the real thing is here to stay... for a LONG, LONG time... thank goodness

Dion: "No election over Kyoto"

That's basically what Mr. Dion said today on CBC's "The Current" this morning. Anna Maria asked him, point blank, "If the Conservative plan is so bad, are you prepared to pull the plug on this Government?" He hummed and hawed, and finally said, "Well, Canadians don't want an election right now".

That's it everyone... time to pack up the election machine. Show's over... everybody go home now.

So, it looks like Mr. Dion is just fine with what we're doing. The ball was in his court, and he took a pass. He has the power to stop us, and he has chosen not to. If Kyoto is the be-all-and-end-all that he says it is, he should be pulling the plug as soon as possible to prevent our Party from putting our plan in motion... because as he has he said himself, we have no time to lose. (funny, I seem to recall him saying as much himself... "My friends, we need to go back to power AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.")

Mr. Dion just lost any credibility he had on the Kyoto file. It has now been proven that he is simply playing this for crass partisan advantage, nothing more... and he's proven that he's unwilling to risk his position as Liberal leader in order to save Kyoto.

Env. Can. Employee Arrested

An Environment Canada employee who has been accused of leaking part of the Tories new Green Plan last month has been arrested.

Regardless of what side of the debate you're on, I think we can all agree that someone who is guilty of a "breach of trust" should be prosecuted. (although I'm sure we'll see some leftists and eco-facists accuse Mr. Harper of being secretive and repressive over this...)

Headline wrap up

Just a listing of the things I've been reading/thinking about. It's been a funny kind of day... I don't have much new to share because many of the MSM pundits have already said what I was thinking!

Such as the National Post's Don Martin... I said to my wife last night that we stand the most to gain from Bosclair's resignation.

And I said that we need to start coming forward with some legislation... this isn't a bad place to start. It will be fun watching the Liberals try and object to and stall this one. Are we finally going to be able to level the playing field? I doubt it... the Liberals will find some way around the new-new rules. But, one can always be an optimist and hope for a fair and level playing field, what with our country supposedly being a democratic system and all...

Garth had a rather good post yesterday... I agree, it looks like we won't be going to the polls for a little bit. (unless of course the Liberal backroomers get desperate enough to push Dion over the cliff themselves...)

And from the "news of the weird" file, a friend sent me this link, which references this Globe & Mail article on the "Canadian spy coins" alert put out by the US DoD last year.

The supposed nano-technology actually was a conventional protective coating the Royal Canadian Mint applied to prevent the poppy's red colour from rubbing off. The mint produced nearly 30 million such quarters in 2004 commemorating Canada's 117,000 war dead.

"Vision"

An article in today's Toronto Star asks a queston... "just what is Mr. Harper's vision for Canada?"

Having seen a bit more from the inside, and having read a whole lot about the man, I know he's got a great vision for Canada. The problem is that we haven't been too good of late at expressing it, and many people in Canada haven't had the chance to see it. Unfortunately, they've only seen the "we're better than the Liberals" card being played... and even that message seems to have been watered down of late.

In my opinion, we're holding to many cards to close to our chest. We've been trying to keep things under wraps, in order to use them as planks in the next election... however, that strategy may be starting to backfire. We're now starting to look like a bunch of people who have run out of things to do, now that we've gotten to the top, and started to put into place many of the things we said we would.

We need to put forward some of the next steps of our agenda. We need to show Canadians where we want to go, and how that will only make this country of ours stronger... and dispell the unfounded and ongoing Opposition scaremongering tactics, which may be helping them right now in the polls. It would be a win-win situation for us... one of three things will happen to each one. Either we'll get them implemented, or they'll be defeated, and we can take one of two routes with the defeated policies. If they're rock solid ideas, we can make the Opposition eat their words for having defeated them in the first place. If one or two ideas turned out to be duds that the public doesn't like, we can let them die, having taken them out for a test drive in the House. Looks like a win-win set up to me.

Truth be told, there's only one thing I'm frightened of right now, with the polls looking the way they are... that somehow, for some bizarre reason, Canadians might actually return the Liberals to power, and give the keys of 24 Sussex to Mr. Dion. It frightens me to think that Canada wouldn't recognize Mr. Harper for who he really is... and that Canada would lose the man who could quite possibly be the best Prime Minister we've had in the last 40 years.

And I'll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen.

We're hurting in Quebec

That's what it looks like in regards to our most recent drop in the polls... we've shown an eleven point drop in Quebec, and the Liberals have shown a nine point increase. This all translates into the current total numbers, where we're tied with the Liberals.

This poll was taken, of course, before our secret weapon for Quebec was deployed this past weekend...

UPDATE: Woo hoo! This is post #1000!

Did Stephane Dion vote in the French election?

Greg Staples would like to know.

And if Mr. Dion did not, the next question is why isn't he taking his civic duty more seriously?

And if he did vote, is his loyalty divided? And just who did he vote for? The right-wing candidate, or the socialist loser/runner-up?

LOL... not that I really care. Just thought it was a funny question.

Jack Layton wants to call an election

Well, read his letter for yourself, and then think about it... the Opposition forces the Government to bring forward a re-written bill that they can't live with.

What does that mean? Well... it would mean that the Opposition does not have confidence in the Government. Therefore, the House cannot stand. That would also fortunately mean that the rewritten Bill C-30 remains dead, because it dies on the Order Paper upon the fall of the House.

Jack Layton wants to play chicken... is Stephane Dion and Gilles Duceppe game?

If not, then I guess it just proves, categorically, 100% once and for all, that they don't really care about Kyoto... and to them, it's just a political ploy.

It's your call guys.

Random Thoughts on a Sunday

Well, horray for that... the "scary-right winger" Sarkozy won the French Presidency today.

To be honest, I know nothing about his policies or whatnot... I'm just glad he won. I'm glad that he won despite the relentless and vicious (and likely unfounded) attacks from the fearmongers on the left. And glad to see that once again, Europeans are continuing to express their lack of confidence in the proponents of the socialist systems that have controlled "the West" for the last 100 years.

However, it seems Canadians still want to continue to cling to the dead dream of a socialist state. Sigh. Trudeau is dead folks... get over it. And Dion is no Chavez... at least I don't think he is... well, let's at least I hope he's not.

As for the polling numbers, I agree with some other bloggers... we've tried to appeal too much to the mushy middle, and have gotten ourselves bogged down as a result. If we continue at this rate, we'll go from being the best option for Canada, to being the "least-bad" option for Canada. Honestly, if we keep on going the way we are, there's a real possibility of alienating some of our base... and sowing the same seeds that split the right last time. Let's not go there again, eh? (I didn't bother joining either Party until late 2003 because of the split)

Let's just stick to what we know, and do it well. The Canadian people will always follow real leadership when they see it, even if they don't fully agree with every single point. Set an agenda, get it rolling, stick to it, and then reap the rewards. If we try to govern any other way, we're done for.

Let's sell our Climate Change plan the way it is, and not try to sugar-coat it for people who 1) aren't going to believe us, and 2) won't vote for us anyway.

Let's govern as the fiscal Conservatives we are, shall we? Why haven't I been hearing much about the new Child Tax Credits? Working families look to save hundreds or thousands of dollars a year... why aren't we touting that loudly?

We're letting the Opposition set the agenda... we need to take it back! We need to keep on pointing out areas of reform that need to be implemented. Reforming government is one of our strengths... let's stick to it.

Enough for now. Maybe more later.

Warrant for Shawn Brant

Finally... this was little noticed by the media, but the OPP has issued a warrant for the arrest of native protester Shawn Brant... the man who has twice lead the group who illegally cut off the major rail link between Toronto and Montreal.

Shawn Brant has indicated to police that he intends to turn himself in.

Angus-Reid Poll on Economy vs. Environment

What do the results of this poll mean?

It means we have work to do on getting the truth out, that's what it means. The concept of the original Kyoto timelines costing thousands of jobs is not a hard one to grasp. I was thinking about it as I walked to work this morning... basically, here's my own personal speech/talking points...

"If this plan we're presenting had been brought forward ten years ago, we would not be in the position we are now. This is Canada's first truely comprehensive plan to curb emmission increases, and begin the process of reducing them. The Liberals did nothing for a decade... that's a fact. Now Canada has been left with this mess, and we're fixing it. But running the economy into the ground is not a viable option... and the only way to keep out Kyoto commitments is to do just that.

Destroying the Canadian economy is not an option this Government will consider... for all their years of inaction, it's the Liberal Party who should face unemployment, NOT the people of Canada."

Liberal Candidate Chak Busted?

Oops... according to Canada.com, "Chak was born in Toronto but his family moved to Edmonton when he was a baby. A graduate of the University of Alberta, he has four academic degrees. He recently finished a doctorate in political science at the University of Durham in England." (no info on his own website right now, for some reason)

On his website, the following quote is posted: ""If you believe in identity as something you add to, not subtract from. If you believe in making room for others, opening your arms as wide as possible and that kindness is not weakness. If you believe in protecting our environment, strengthening our healthcare, women’s rights and that violence is never the solution – then VOTE CHAK in the riding of Edmonton-Millwoods-Beaumont." - Farhan Chak, PhD

Note those distinguished letters... PhD. So Janke, (who for reasons I can't fathom hasn't been hired to do this sort of thing full time) did some digging...

From: ******************* <**************@durham.ac.uk>
Sent: Thu May 03 06:31:18 2007
Subject: Re: Farhan Mujahid Chak

Dear Sir,

I write in response to your email requesting confirmation of the above named persons study at the University of Durham.

I can confirm that he first started his studies from 1 October 2000 on a postgraduate(research) course leading to a PhD, however for the academic year 2006/07 he is not registered with the University in order to continue with this course.

He certainly has not had this degree conferred, because he has not submitted his thesis yet and his name has not appeared on a pass list.

Now, I will go on record right now saying that it may just be that his paper has been handed in, and he's discussed it with his profs, and knows a pass is impending... so we will have to wait and see what develops from this.

However, if Mr. Chak has been caught lying... Mr. Dion, the acedemic, has just had his hand forced, I think.

Another h/t to the ever vigilant (and vigilante, you could say) Janke.

Facebook Blocked in Ontario Government Offices

Queen's Park has blocked all access to Facebook from Government of Ontario computers..."The province has quietly banned bureaucrats, political staffers and most MPPs from accessing the popular Facebook website from government computers.

To the surprise of thousands of Ontario government employees as well as Liberal aides, MPPs, and cabinet ministers, the 21 million-member social networking tool is now off limits."

Well, to be honest, I'm considering partially blocking it here at work... let's just say I've caught a couple of people on it during business hours. It may also be a "risk mitigation" move, to help prevent a leak that was sure to occur, before it occured. (you know, "Loose lips sink ships" and all)

h/t to Warren (May 3, 2007 posting)

China: No Friend of Canada?

Interesting thoughts.

Caledonia Residents Fed Up

Some residents of Caledonia held their own protest of disruption today... slowing Toronto's QEW and Gardiner Expressways as their 85 vehicle convoy made it's way to Queen's Park.

They state that they are tired of the ongoing occupation, and want to see the Ontario Government speed up negotiations to end the dispute. They have also stated that they think Mr. McGunity is trying to dodge the bullet on this file, and want to ensure that they don't try to bury it with an impending provinical election this Fall.

The group, which is rallying on the front lawn [of Queen's Park], is urging the Ontario government to speed up negotiations until the year-long dispute is resolved.

Dan Roberts, who lives near the former housing development site being occupied by Six Nations protestors, says all sides should be in negotiation full time, not meeting once every two weeks as they are now.

"We get the feeling (politicians are) just not interested in discussing it and would like to bury it," he said Tuesday.

"With an election coming up, they don't want the Caledonia albatross hanging around their neck."

"Dion on Hot Seat"

Couple of items from various news sources today... and all of them don't look good for Mr. Dion.

The title of my post is shamelessly ripped from part of the title of Chantal Hébert's Toronto Star article, reviewing last week in the House, and commenting on the recent polls. Basicly, even though the Tories had a horrible week, Dion is still not ready to go to force an election. The article, however, also points out that Dion is in a bigger pickle because he's not ready... "Dion has made the environment his personal crusade. If he fails to try to bring the government to account on its climate change plan, he will be seen as a champion with clay feet in many quarters."

Another reason for Dion to have pause in forcing an election... CASH FLOW. We got it, and he don't. (and when the NDP is rasing more cash than you are, you should worry)

But Mr. Dion's woes don't end there. He was offered an opportunity in the House by Mr. Harper to distance himself from the comments this weekend of his co-deputy Leader, Elizabeth May, who compared Mr. Harper's plan to the pre-WWII British policy of appeasing the Nazis... which as we all know, directly contributed to the deaths of six million Jews. Dion, for some strange reason, didn't take Mr. Harper up on his offer. (though he did make a weak attempt at distancing himself outside of the House... maybe he didn't want it to go on record in Hansard?)

And speaking of God's Chosen People, B'nai Brith has now officially demanded that Mr. Dion deal with his new anti-Israel candidate in Edmonton, Farhan Chak:

In another recent case, Farhan Chak, the Liberal Party candidate running in the riding of Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont, accused the Israeli government of ‘murdering children, raping women, and torturing an entire populace’. This attempt to delegitimize the Jewish state and marginalize a segment of the voting public should not go unchallenged. We call on Liberal Party leader Stéphane Dion to follow the positive example set by Ms. May, and refuse to let this candidate represent the Liberal Party in his bid for political office.

Still no statement or action from Mr. Dion on this one. (h/t to Janke)

And as for the Afghan detainees issue that the Liberals keep hammering on, it looks like some of the blame is being redirected from the Tories to General Hillier himself... according to two anonymous sources in Foreign Affairs. We know how much the Liberals love anonymous government sources... they're not likely to appreciate these two though. It looks like a big part of the problem may have developed while they were still at the helm... and it just landed in the Tories lap. (granted, they did fumble the ball a bit on it last week)

It may be that the fiasco we saw last week is related to the fact that Foreign Affairs and the Defence Department are at odds on who should be running the show in Afghanistan. It seems that some people in Foreign Affairs are peeved that General Hillier has managed to embed so many people in key places in the Afghan Ministry... so much so that he has better access to information and key players than they do.

Could it be that some embarrasing info was leaked by FA people, in an attempt to embarrass the Military? As a result, it stands to reason that the breakdowns in communication that resulted in five or ten different answers last week be directly related to the spitting match currently being had by these two agencies. If that turns out to be the case, then some heads ought to roll... their childish antics proved to be very embarrassing to the Government, and the Conservatives ought to make things right by cleaning the house. It would also allow the Mr. O'Conner to return to the House and say "We've identified the problem... and as the Minister responsible, I have taken ownership of this issue, and have now dealt with the source of the problem."

There is also speculation that the Liberals knew way back in 2003 that there were allegations of torture... why didn't they solve the problem back then when they were in power?

All in all, it's starting to look like it's Mr. Dion's turn to have a bad week.

Does Dion support May's Nazi statement?

According to Ms. May, Prime Minister Harper, in his actions relating to the environment, has committed "a grievance worse than Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of the Nazis".

Wow. The Leader of the Green Party, (who is officially supported by the Liberal Party of Canada), said that Mr. Harper's actions are worse than the actions that resulted in the murder of six million Jews, and countless millions more around the globe. Not good, considering the Liberal Party has been trying to repair its relationship with the Jewish community.

True, that's not exactly what she said, but take her statement to it's logical conclusion... Neville Chamberlain was one of the men responsible for appeasing the Nazi's in 1938... which allowed them to continue their reign of terror... which ultimately resulted in the deaths of millions of people around the world, including six million Jews, through a sustained campaign of genocidal extermination.

So, I ask Ms. May... do you still think that the Mr. Harper's actions are worse than Mr. Chamberlain's?

And while we're at it, I ask you, Mr. Dion, since you're such a staunch supporter of Ms. May, what do you think of her statement?

The Liberals have one saving grace... sort of. London MP Glen Pearson, who invited Ms. May to speak to the congregation, was smart enough not to defend her comments...
"However, Mr. Pearson said yesterday that he was not comfortable with Ms. May's Nazis analogy and he believed it perhaps crossed the line for proper discourse in a church.

"Canadians need to get more serious about it, but the whole link to the Nazis over that went beyond the pale, for me. You have to be careful there. We have all messed up on the environment, right?" Mr. Pearson said.

"I just didn't think that analogy was probably the best one that could have been used."

For a more detailed breakdown of her statement, take a look at Janke's post.


(and to those who think I'm taking things to the extreme... what would the media be saying if this was a Tory candidate?)

Facebook: An Illuminati Plot?

LOL... so what do I do? Do I do nothing? Do I delete my account? Do I run away screaming and trembling in fear?

Someone has done some digging, and has put together a new consipiracy theroy that the monumentally popular Facebook is in reality a CIA/DoD/Illuminati front, developed for the sole purpose of collecting as much information on as many people as they possibly can, for use by the United States Government.

Is it true? Who knows... but do I really care? Watch me all you want, I have nothing to hide... that is, if there's any truth to the accusation.

h/t to LC