"Sorry I'm late boss"

Well, was late for work today... just a suggestion, but if you're over 70, and it's been twenty plus years since you drove stick... DON'T BORROW YOUR FRIEND'S CAR IF IT'S A STANDARD!

That made for an interesting excuse for being late today... "Sorry I'm late boss, but I had to help an older lady who was stranded in the middle lane of one of the busiest streets in town!" He just laughed... I guess that means he accepted my excused.

What funny excuses (true or otherwise) have you heard for being late?

A great one I heard from a friend of mine... kid in highschool shows up late for class, and the teacher asks him why he's late... kid responds without hesitation, "Sorry sir, but I had to save a bunch of Girl Guides from a burning cookie factory." Teacher, "Sit down." (normally he'd have to go get a note from the office, but the teacher let him off with that quick reply!)

Why I'm not supporting MMP this October

Just finished watching the video on MMP posted by Liberals 4 MMP, and I figured it was time to chime in with my two cents.

I've been giving it lots of thought, I think I've come up with my official postion on the MMP question this October... and I've decided that I can't support it. Why? I'll be honest... it's because I don't want to make the Liberals the defacto governing party here in Ontario.

Here are some of the major reasons why I can't support MMP:

1) It is my belief that the Liberals, the shrewd political operators that they are, would be able to maintain the middle, and form coalitions with whomever it is most expedient for them to be able to continue governing.

2) Based on the above, it would be very difficult for the Tories to win the majority needed to displace the defacto governing Liberals, which would thus plunge Ontario into a single-party-rule system, rather than the ebbs and flows we currently experience.

3) Under MMP, there would likely be the formation of a couple of other right leaning parties, which would only allow the Liberals to win more riding based seats... the Tories and the right leaning parties would end up getting mostly proportional seats, thus allowing the Liberals to still win a majority based on the seat distribution between local MPP's vs. proportional MPP's.

For the record, I actually support the ideals of MMP. I like the idea of getting more equal representation, and allowing for coalitions governments that better reflect the interests of the people. However, I know that the Liberal Party of Ontario, due its present form, would prevent Ontario from seeing any of the stated benefits of MMP.

Under MMP, the left and the centre-right would end up getting split up, as smaller parties would be able to actually get representation, needing only 3% of the vote to gain a proportional seat. It's my view that under this system, the Liberals would be better able to hold their coalitions together, and maintain a bigger Party than the other two current major parties, and thus be able to maintain power, becoming a defacto governing party.

Thus, it is my view that MMP is actually BAD for those on the left, right, or centre-right, as it would allow the centre-left Liberals to continually govern. True, it may give parties like the NDP more seats to start out, however, I firmly believe that it will hurt them in the long run, as their party will be unable to keep their various factions together, and we'll see a rise in support for other leftist groups like the Greens, the Communists, and the Marxist-Lenninists. (yes, there are two seperate groups) The centre-right would also get partially split up, with the Tories maintaining the centre, with the formation of at least one further right party, thus splitting their support. (I'm sure there would be a couple of other tiny right leaning regional or single issue parties formed, but they would just be blips on the radar that would come and go between various elections)

Therefore, it is my position that MMP would ultimately be a bad thing for Ontario, as it would in actuallity lead to LESS representation, thus defeating it's original stated (and noble) goals.

So, until the Liberal Party gets split up, I can't support MMP. It would give them to much of an advantage, and would result in making them nearly impossible to displace. (I mean, come on, seriously, think about it... why else do you think they support it?) ;-)

Feel free to chime in, pro or con... I'm not 100% firm in my choice, because as I said, I like the stated ideals of it, but I just can't see it working effectively here in Ontario.

Key Sections of the AG's Report on "Colle-gate"

BigCityLib has the best (and basically the only) post on this scandal over on the Libbloggers, so cudos to him. However, he has posted some comments from the report, seeking to exonourate his Party.

Not so fast... here are a couple of other sections that don't paint so rosy a picture:

Did Politics Play a Role? (page 13)

We also found that, within the last four years, 43 of approximately 140 recipient-organization board members and key staff we selected for review had made political donations totaling $23,326, of which $16,814 went to the Ontario Liberal Party or one of its constitutency associations.

The remaining $6,512 went to the other two major provincial parties. (in the interest of full disclosure, of course)

Iranian-Canadian Community Centre (pages 15-16)

The organization behind the Iranian-Canadian Community Centre was established only recently, having been incorporated in August 2005. In the 2005/06 fiscal year, it received a year-end grant of $200,000 to assist with the construction of a new community centre. We note as an aside that, since certain of the other grant programs administered by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration require an organization to have been operating for at least two years to be eligible for a grant, this organization would normally not have qualified for a grant under such programs. We also noted that there was no written request for the funding.

When the funds were received, they were invested 16 Special Review for the Premier of Ontario in a guaranteed investment certificate. We understand that the organization is currently working on acquiring the necessary land for the centre and has begun fundraising efforts for the project.

When it received the grant, the IranianCanadian Community Centre had several board members, two of whom resigned in March 2007: one to run as a Liberal candidate in the October 2007 provincial election and the other to become the President of the first individual’s constituency association.

Chinese Professionals Association of Canada

In February 2007, the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada submitted a request for funding to the Office of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to go toward the construction of a new career centre. In March 2007, it received a year-end grant of $250,000.

We noted that until April 2007, the President was the Treasurer of an Ontario Liberal constituency association. In addition, 10 of the Association’s board members were identified as having attended a fundraising event for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration on October 19, 2006. Also, one former board member, who resigned from the board on October 26, 2006, has been working in the Minister’s Office since September 2006.

Both in this case and in the case of the former board members at the Iranian-Canadian Community Centre who are now campaigning for the Liberal Party, we found no evidence that political ties were a contributing factor in the receipt of grants by these organizations. However, given the lack of an open and transparent process in the provision of the grant to the recipient, the existence of political ties could create the perception that those ties played a role in the grant decision.

The link to the full report is here.

According to what we see here, there did seem to be a couple of links, but things don't seem to be too out of order, right? There's a CAVET EMPTOR in all this... I will direct you to the report, where the AG states on page 13 that, "One question we asked was whether political donations made by individuals or organizations might have played a role in the receipt by certain organizations of a year-end grant. To help address that question, we asked the Office of the Chief Election Officer to provide us with a list of the donations that the 29 grant recipients we selected for review and/or selected directors and key staff members had made to any of the three major political parties in the previous four years."

Notice that KEY PHRASE... "the 29 grant recipients we selected for review". From my reading, that would suggest that only 29 of the 112 groups that recieved grants (81 in 2005/2006, and 31 in 2006/2007) were throughly reviewed to see what sort of ties, if any, they had with any of the provincial parties.

Well, on pages 24-27, there's a list of all the groups that recieved grants. I'm sure that with a little digging, a whole load of links could be established. (that being said, however, it will be tougher for us, as the AG had access to the names of all riding Board members for the last four years, while we have just the current ones we can find)

If the AG can find links to several grants when reviewing just 29 of them, you can be sure there will be other links. From what I see here, there were links discovered to somewhere between 14% and 21% of the 29 grants reviewed... therefore, if we extrapolate that figure to the total 112 grants, there are likely at least links in anywhere from 16 to 23 of the grants... if not more.

Happy digging.

The BEST "Colle-gate" line so far

Via the Globe & Mail...

"The flip thing to say is, as a colleague suggested, that Mr. McGuinty has finally lived up to his promise to phase out 'Colle' by 2007."

(from Murray Campbell)

That line was worthy of it's own post...

Fallout from Ontario "Colle-gate"

UPDATE: The BEST line so far... "The flip thing to say is, as a colleague suggested, that Mr. McGuinty has finally lived up to his promise to phase out 'Colle' by 2007." (from Murray Campbell, via the Globe & Mail)

I figured that this Ontario version of the Liberal "Sponsorship Scandal" would just get some passing media attention, and then just go away, like all the other negative stories about Premier McGuinty's Liberals... looks like I was way wrong on that one. Cudos to the MSM on this one.

CBC Toronto's "Metro Morning" actually did a call-in segment on their radio program this morning, and I was quite surprised at the response... there's actualy quite a bit of anger over this, based on the number of calls recieved.

Here's a quick overview of the stories from the various media sources...

Ont. citizenship minister quits in wake of auditor's report
(and in their "Related Links" section: Liberals quash request for 'Colle-gate' probe)

Minister takes the fall as Ontario A-G blasts multicultural grants

Minister resigns over 'slush fund'

Perhaps one of the most damaging headlines from the Toronto Star, of all places: Why did premier wait so long? (in reference to Mr. McGunity's firing of Minister Colle)

Auditor General's report finds flaws in provincial funding for cultural groups

Ont. Auditor General Report Says Grant Process 'Not Transparent'

How's this for bad optics? "In the coming weeks, you will hear a lot from opposition politicians about the cricket association that asked for $150,000 after it was invited to apply for funding and the next day received $1-million. It had so much money that it spent $20,000 to throw a celebratory dinner (at which Mr. McGuinty spoke) and then socked away $500,000 in five-year, investment certificates.

Parents of autistic children or those running bake sales to buy school textbooks will scratch their heads. And thanks to Mr. McGuinty's faulty political instincts, they won't have time to forget before they head to the polls."

Interesting thing though... seems the crickets are chirping on this one over at CTV. I spent a few minutes checking under each section they could have possibly filed the story under, and it didn't make it anywhere on their website this morning... now I wonder why that is... just wondering...

UPDATE: Jason, Jason, Jason... your hero Mr. McGuinty already tried the denial route, and look how well that turned out. This will not go away so long as the denials continue. (then again, nor will it go away should admissions be made... so I guess you should just carry on...)

Joanne commented here that the crickets are chirping over on the Libbloggers too... with the exception of Big City Lib... cudos to him for a pretty unbiased posting, covering both the "good news" and "bad news" aspects for the Ontario Liberal Party. One question that I do have though... the Auditor may have looked into donations made by the groups that got grants, but has anyone looked closely at the members of those groups who have ties to the Ontario Liberal Party? That's where I think the majority of the "links" are showing up.

Dalton to Torontonians: YOUR TAXES SHOULD GO UP

Ho! Ho! What do we have here? Some advice to Mayor David Miller from the Hon. Dalton McGuinty... "The people of Toronto should have their taxes raised"!

Don't believe me? Read it in black and white.

Do responsible thing: TAX, Premier scolds Toronto
Spurns City's Bid To Put Shortfall Back On Province
Kelly Patrick, National Post, with files from Melissa Leong
Published: Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Toronto city council should use its new taxing powers before coming cap-in-hand to the province for more money, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday.

In his first public comments since council decided to postpone a vote on two new taxes, Mr. McGuinty scolded councillors who backed the deferral, implying they had shirked their duties.

Wow, that's a new one for the Ontario Liberals... tax increases by proxy!

Well, it's not quite a broken promise, since he wouldn't actually be the one rasing their taxes... but it sure doesn't look to good coming from a man who said he would not raise taxes... "No, I really mean it this time around... honest!"

Mr. McGuinty, try telling that to the people of Toronto, who's taxes you've just said ought to be rasied. I think John Tory's chances in Don Mills just went up a whole bunch...

Beating on a dead horse

Some thoughts on Warren's "mea culpa" today... guys, there's no need to beat on a dead horse. The guy's eaten crow already, and this story is getting tons of MSM coverage... he has "become the story", much to his chagrin, to be sure. I think it would be best to just back off and leave him alone.

Let's be Conservatives about this... he's acknowledged that he goofed, he's getting raked over the media coals, etc. Trying to heap any more on just serves to make us look like the vengeful and negative meanies that Liberals always accuse us of being... let's not give them any fodder. (besides, the Dippers and some of the Libbloggers are doing a number on him too)

Of course, if he should ever again post negatively about Mr. Hiller in a misguided attempt to smear Mr. Tory... since I'm sure we've all archived the photo in question, you know what to do! ;-)

Various items

The Tories have fired back (perhaps a poor choice of words... oh well) at those who are calling for a complete ban on handguns... reminding Canadians that new legistlation calling for tougher sentences is being held up in the unelected Liberal Senate.

On that note, there is a well made point on Crux of the Matter... Canada does not have a gun control problem, we have a "criminal control" problem.

In other news, it seems the Tories have their candidate for Outremont... former diplomat Gilles Duguay. Nice move, politically... run a former diplomat against a Liberal who is being critized for his views on foreign relations, specifically Israel. With a strong NDP candidate in Thomas Mulcair, a former environment minister for the Quebec Liberals, the selection of a fellow professor could seriously blow up in Dion's face. Imagine... how on earth are they going to spin it if they lose BOTH Quebec by-elections, including Outremont that has long been regarded as a Liberal fortress?

It always warms my heart to see headlines like this... "Fundraisers fail to dent Liberal leadership debt". Hey, the more they have to spend on debt, the less they have to preach their lies about us in the next election!

Finally, to all the Warren haters, lay off the guy... yea, he made a bone-headed move with the Hiller photo, but we all make mistakes. (though I will say, it was nice to see his Hiller attack strategy blow up... "Yup, it blowed up REAL good" - Unknown quote)

Anyone got a motherboard for sale?

Looking for a socket 478 board with a PCI Express 16x slot that supports DDR2700. Just putting it out there.

Having a lazy Saturday for once... Murphy's law strikes once again, as my National Post didn't arrive today, the one day in eons when I have a chance to sit down and read it! Cleaning out my office today instead.

Been spending time continuing my re-evaluation of blogging. Half the time, I'm preaching to the choir, and the other half, I'm ticking off the people who weren't going to vote CPC anyway. Needless to say, still considering if I'm going to just give it up and use my energies elsewhere in the Party.

Have yourselves a great day... now get off the computer and go do something else! ;-)

NDP calling for Liberal blood in London EDA scandal

The NDP is going after the Liberals with a full court press on the emerging London Liberal financial scandal, and the subsequent attempt to cover it up. They're calling on Liberal leader Stephane Dion to immediately suspend his Director of Finance and Administration Paul Dewar, who was the interim Federal Liberal regional director responsible for Ontario at the time of the alleged cover-up attempt.

From the NDP press release:

"The local liberal president says it was 'ill advised.' I'd call it cause for a formal investigation," said Dewar. "You can't cover the loss, cook and close the books and not call the cops. Financial shenanigans make ordinary Canadians lose trust in our political system."

Dewar called on the Liberal leader to address the issue immediately.

"It is baffling why Mr. Dion hasn't dealt with this issue. He needs to learn the lessons of the sponsorship scandal. You can't simply turn a blind eye to serious allegations like this," said Dewar. "Mr. Pretlove needs to be suspended immediately, pending the outcome of the legal case against his former employee Ms. Powlak."

Janke strikes again with tonight's hat tip.

Liberal Irony for you

Wow, I'll bet the irony of this press release never even occured to them... "Conservatives Ignoring Struggling Manufacturing Sector: Dion".

Riiiiiight... now, remind me, who was is that wanted to implement Kyoto according to the original timelines? You know, the agreement that would scuttle our auto and manufacturing sectors in one fell swoop?

Let's see what Buzz has to say on the topic...

Buzz Hargrove, president of the Canadian Autoworkers Workers, does not expect any government to try to implement Kyoto according to current deadlines.

"It would be devastating for the whole community, anybody that signed on," he said. "It's not even a remote possibility. No prime minister in any one of the parties in the House of Commons is going to bring in any kind of regulation that says we have to do that. It would be suicidal for our economy.

"If somebody were to come out tomorrow and say you have to reach the objective that was laid out initially immediately you'd almost have to shut down every major industry in the country from oil and gas to the airlines to the auto industry and that just doesn't make sense."

Now, tell me again, who's ignoring the manufacturing sector? Will the Liberal leader finally admit that the original Kyoto timelines are a farce, and that they are impossible for Canada to meet?

Didn't think so.

Friend Steve Bourgeois Drowned in Belize

This is a post for friends who knew him... KLBC alumni Steve Bourgeois drowned in Belize last week, according to local reports. I was advised today through my church family, who got word from the family up north.

More details will be posted as I get them.

More discontent with Dion

This just got sent to me from someone in my EDA... it appears that Mr. Ray Heard has raised more concerns about Dion's leadership. Courtesy of Bourque:

Wednesday, July 18
Heard's Shot Across Dion's Bow

Bourque has received a copy of an email sent to a number of people by longtime top Liberal insider Ray Heard. In it, Heard blasts Liberal leader Stephane Dion's decision to "parachute an academic who was a journalist at Le Devoir into Outremont because he is a fellow francophone Quebecker".

According to the Toronto-based Heard, "this suggests Dion has one standard for Quebec and another one for Ontario ... because, in the spring, I urged Dion and Rae to see to it that Marva Wisdom, who happens to be an Afro-Canadian and a distinguished scholar, should be named by the Leader as the candidate in Guelph. After all, she was for three years Chair of the party's Policy Commission and chaired the Platform Committees in the last two elections. Our appeal was spurned, yet another guy in a suit won the nomination to succeed Brenda Chamberlain. That vote was conveniently held after many of Marva's supporters at Guelph University had gone home. This act of betrayal caused Charlie Coffey, a former RBC vice-chair and long-time Liberal, to say he wanted to tear up his membership card in disgust. Marva, who supported Ken Dryden in the leadership stakes, remains eminently qualified to get an uncontested nomination. But she is a beautiful, brainy black women from Ontario, not a white male from Quebec, so we can forget that."

Interesting... is he saying that the Liberals in Guelph picked the wrong candidate? Is he implying that the Liberals in Guelph have selected a sub-par candidate, when they could have selected a stellar one? Is he suggesting that people in the upper Liberal eshelons rigged the timing of the nomination so that Marva's supporters would have already left town?

Since Guelph is going to be one of the ridings to watch on election night, this new set of allegations against Dion become that much more serious. If there is any truth to these suggestions, that the Guelph Liberal nomination was rigged in one way or another against Marva, it could cause some serious strife within the rank and file of the Southwestern Ontario Liberals.

Especially since signs of strife have ALREADY begun to appear...

From the National Post: "Liberal resentment brews in Kennedy camp" (it's interesting how an old article sheds a whole new perspective on things as time goes on, and as more comes out)

There was one post from this Liblogger about the John Ivison article above, and some personal commentary related to it.

There were also several higher profile Libloggers who had supported Marva, but I can't find any word of reaction from them to her loss.

The National Post article raises a whole new set of questions... was the Liberal leadership race still in full swing in the Guelph nomination? Brenda Chamerlain supported Kennedy, and threw her weight behind Frank Valeriote, another Kennedy supporter... is Kennedy still working behind the scenes for his next run at the leadership?

The Liberal saga continues...

Explosion in Downtown New York

Global News in Toronto just broke into the news to say that newswires are reporting an explosion in downtown Manhattan. Reports of people running from the scene. Nothing on CNN yet.

Will post as details come in.

UPDATE: CNN has just posted a headline on it, appears to have just been a transformer. "BREAKING NEWS: Transformer explodes near Grand Central Station in New York, fire department officials say."

Fox News is the first to post details...

NEW YORK — BREAKING NEWS: Fire and emergency crews responded to the scene of a suspected manhole explosion under a building in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday at the height of the evening rush hour, officials said. It is not terrorism-related, the officials said.

Smoke and steam was seen billowing above the east side of Manhattan, and several blocks were evacuated. There were unconfirmed reports that police were evacuating nearby crowded Grand Central Station.

The explosion occurred at 43st Street and Lexington Avenue.

Phew.

Another CTV Poll gone wrong

Warren adds his two cents

Warren has commented on Canadian Cynic's outburst...

"July 18, 2007 – Wow. "F*** you and your grief." Just when you think the blogosphere can’t get any more hateful, someone comes along to surprise you. Amazing."

Thanks for the summary Warren... don't think I could have put it better myself.

Though I seldom agree with Canadian Cynic, and have been his target on more than one occasion, I must say that he's kept me on my toes, and has served to keep us more honest... and I have agreed with a couple of posts where he's called out those of us in the "wankersphere" (as he so affectionately refers to us) when we've said something dumb, or just plain not thought things through.

That being said... his post telling Wanda Watkins (mother of killed Canadian soldier Pte. Lane Watkins) where to go was, well, let's just say, the most disgusting post I think he's ever written.

Disagreeing with the mission is one thing... his comments to Mrs. Watkins were something else entirely.

Liberal Idiocy

This is some of the most idiotic, partisan garbage I've seen in a long time... and I see lots of it on a regular basis.

The Liberals have complained that Mr. Harper, in his internations dealings, has damaged Canada's reputation in the world, damaged our relations with China, etc. How's this for a partisan shot... “Mr. Harper should give precedence to principle, rather than his Reform Party ideology, in Canada’s international policy.”

Give me a break. THIS is one of the many reasons why I never again want to see the Liberal Party of Canada returned to power.

In regards to China, Mr. Harper has done what the Liberals refused to do... call China on the carpet for their human rights abuses. In regards to Columbia, their human rights issues are nowhere near as bad as China's... and they're in the middle of an armed conflict, with leftist forces trying to pull a Hugo Chaves on the nation... of COURSE there's going to be issues with militias on both sides.

As for the accusation of Mr. Harper's lack of "consistency", I'll give that one to the Liberals... he's NOT consistant with the Liberal policy of ignoring violations of leftists, while screaming and shouting bloody murder when someone on the right steps even a little bit out of line.

Hypocrites. I'm 100% behind Mr. Harper and his international dealings.

And once again, the Liberals show their utter lack of respect for anyone and anything that does not promote the Liberal brand... trying to resurect the "scary Reform/Conservative Alliance" label once again. Garbage. Total and utter garbage. Disgusting. It's things like this that make me sick of them, and make me want even more to ensure that they never again govern this great nation.

So much for Liberals being "principled".

The more things change...

...the more they stay the same.

What? A federal Ontario Liberal accused of stealing? What? An attempt by another senior federal Ontario Liberal to cover it up... on the condition the police were kept out of the matter?

Nah... it couldn't be true... we've been told that the Liberal Party of Canada has cleaned up their act, so this must be just a wild rumor put out by those nasty Blogging Tories.

On the bright side... it seems that some of them have indeed turned over a new leaf... it was the Liberal EDA executive that called in the cops, after rejecting the cover-up offer from David Pretlove, the interim executive director of the Ontario wing of the Liberal Party of Canada. (I'd say that his "interim" term just ended...)

W00T

How cool is this... my wife just beat "The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess" on the Wii.

Please... continue on with your lives now.

2008 DNC Convention

Thanks for the smile Strong Conservative

For those who read this who aren't on the Blogging Tories list, I've reposted this satirical schedule for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination Convention, written by "The Strong Conservative".

Enjoy!

2008 Democratic National Convention Schedule

7:00 p.m. Opening Flag Burning.

7:15 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance to the United Nations.

7:30 p.m. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

7:30 - 8 p.m. Nonreligious prayer and worship: \Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton

8:00 p.m. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

8:05 p.m. Ceremonial Tree Hugging.

8:15-8:30 p.m. Gay Wedding Barney Frank, officiating

8:30 p.m. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

9:00 p.m. Keynote Speech: "The Proper Etiquette for Surrender", French President Jacques Chirac.

9:20 p.m. Collection to benefit Osama Bin Laden Kidney Transplant Fund.

9:30 p.m. Unveiling of plan to free freedom fighters from Guantanamo, Sean Penn

9:40 p.m. Why I hate the Military A short talk by William Jefferson Clinton.

9:45 p.m. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

9:50 p.m. Dan Rather receives "Truth in Broadcasting" award presented by Michael Moore.

9:55 p.m. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

10:20 p.m. nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton for President by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

11:00 p.m. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

11:05 p.m. Al Gore reinvents the Internet.

11:15 p.m. "Our Troops are War Criminals" presented by John Kerry and Jack Murtha.

11:30 p.m. Coronation of Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

12:00 a.m. Ted Kennedy proposes a toast.

12:05 a.m. Bill asks Ted to drive Hillary home.

Wireless Security

Some of my readers will know that one thing that really bugs me is how many people have no clue when it comes to wireless security for their home internet connections. Here's a Forbes report saying exactly that... "One In Four WLANs Unsecured".

Was helping my friend set up a wireless router the other day... and the stats in the article were reversed! ONLY ONE IN FOUR WAS SECURE! I picked up another three routers within range, all of them unsecure, and was able to log into the administrative console of one of them in less than 10 seconds!

It's a problem that shouldn't exist, since all the router manufacturers need to do is re-write their setup routines so that the router is secured right out of the box. (maybe this is a policy proposal for new legislation I'll put forward during the next CPC policy round)

In the meantime, I'm finally getting around to registering my business... and then reselling my services to secure some of these routers!

Why I don't want to buy a domestic car

Because I want the dollars that I'm spending to actually go into the car... and I don't want to pay more for it than it's worth.

As I've been saying for a long time, the only way for the "Big Three" (now really the "Big One, Three and Four") to survive is with wage and benefit reductions, a streamlining of the workforce, and significant improvements to the QA process. (starting with the design teams... but they're not really Buzz's problem)

Of course, Buzz will never agree... and he'll be personally responsible for killing the auto industry in Ontario.

In the meantime, young people like me, who remember all the car trouble their parents had with North American vehicles, will keep on buying imports.

Let's just look at my vehicles so far... first one was a Hyundai, my second was a Saturn (when they were more independant), and my current one is a Volkswagon... and it's already been decided that my next will be a Toyota.

Are you sensing a pattern here Buzz? It's up to you to change it, because I likely won't buy North American until you make an effort to change the industry... the status quo that you are seeking to maintain is no longer acceptable.

h/t to SDA

Today's National Post

So, I sit down to read today's National Post... first time in weeks I've had the chance to do so on a Saturday. And what do I find?

FOURTEEN, count 'em, 14, stinking pages on Conrad Black!!! The first non-Black story I found was on page 17!!! Of course, there were two full page ads amongst the first 16 pages, one from Stella Atrios on their tainted prodcut, and one from the Toronto Auto Dealers Association on Mayor Miller's impending tax hikes... both of which were significantly more interesting that the coverage of Conrad Black, mind you.

My EDA President had a good line on the whole Conrad Black affair yesterday... "I mean really, how much is this going to affect our lives? It won't." Well, you got it wrong man, looks like it did affect my life... I was looking forward to actually reading the paper for once!

Pot Posession Laws Unconstitutional

It was only a matter of time... Judge rules Canada's pot possession laws unconstitutional.

Of course, leave it up to a liberal Toronto judge to pull an idiotic stunt like this. Interestingly enough, Toronto Judge Howard Borenstein was just named to the bench in August of last year... perhaps this is a case of a rookie judge trying to make a name for himself?

SIDEBAR: Now, for those who take issue with my calling him a "liberal" judge, I'd like to point out the Ontario Liberal Party's financial return submitted to Elections Ontario in 2006...

Name - Borenstein Howard
Deposit Date - 08/01/2006
Amount - $460.00

August, 2006? Wasn't that the same month he took his seat on the bench? Not a big donation, mind you... perhaps more like a "thank you"... then again, most people just write a note, or send a gift... but hey, whatever. (and for the record, this is his one and only political donation, to all parties, Provincial or Federal, from 2004-2007) Anyway, back to the main issue at hand...

My guess, my hope, is that Mr. Harper appeals this ruling. Now, here's my analysis of what's going to happen with this case, due to the current political climate in Ottawa...

I think the Liberal Party is going to turn this into a way to score some political points, instead of taking a principaled stand and supporting the government's appeal. They're going to try and spin this in such a way so as to make the Conservatives, once again, appear to be a regressive party, and that, of course, the Liberal Party is the cool party, where pot is just fine and dandy... trying to once again pander to the young voters under 30.

Of course, I hope I'm wrong... but I don't think I going to be.

Embryonic stem cells from unfertilized eggs?

According to the CBC, citing a Nature report, American and Russian researchers have found a way to create embryonic stem cells from unfertilized eggs.

This, if it can be replicated easily, is a MAJOR breakthrough... one that I could support. Having just posted some negative comments on a couple of Liblogs about embryonic stem cell research, it's nice to see something positive on this front.

Too bad our Canadian researchers weren't working on this avenue, instead of using the unborn to conduct their research, as one might use a lab rat or a fruit fly.

Once again, and for the record... it's NOT stem cell research I oppose, it's EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH... which involves the murder of the unborn.

Jack Layton needs some history lessons

I think Mr. Layton needs a refresher on his World War II history...

"Students of history will know that all major conflicts are resolved ultimately through peace-oriented discussions," Jack Layton smugly intoned at a media conference last week, with the bodies of six Canadians, who are heroes, not yet cold.

If I recall correctly (having aced my WWII unit in highschool) the Germans weren't too interested in negotiating until Allied troops had them at the end of the barrel of a gun, after having taken the entire city of Berlin... and, of course, after their madman leader Hitler had already offed himself.

Then again, I could be wrong. Then again, maybe not, as the author of the article continues...

"All major conflicts are resolved through peace-oriented discussions? That's funny. The invasion of Normandy was not a peace-oriented discussion. Nor were the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nor, for that matter, was the American arms-spending spree that bankrupted the Soviet Union and ended the Cold War. But never mind that. Jack Layton, the Great Peace Maker, has spoken."

Oh, hang on, I know what he's talking about! He must be referring to the November 11th Armistice with Germany (Compiègne) and the following Treaty of Versailles... but of course, we all know how those negotiations turned out about 21 years later...

Torontonians having some Miller regret?

CTV Poll indicates that people want a say on the new taxes... they want Miller to hold off until they can be debated at the ballot box in 2010. (where you KNOW they will be defeated)

Could turn into an issue with the upcoming provincial election.

Liblogers agree... Dion is Not a Leader

Well, at least one of them does...

"Dion told us he wanted to lead the Liberal Party. It's time he showed some sign of that. Harper and Layton have taken advantage of every opportunity to get before the cameras. Crass as that may be, in politics, out of sight is very much out of mind.

People here in the West are not responsive to Stephane Dion. His message isn't getting out. Harper ought to be an easy target but Dion isn't firing any shots. That's not leadership."

Entitlements - it's time for change

An absolutely fantastic article about Liberals and the entitlement culture, written by "Sandy" at "Crux-of-the-Matter"... "Time to change our “entitlement culture".

Well said Sandy! So many points are spot on, it's hard to pick a few favorite quotes...

"But, is that what Canadians really want? I would like to say no, but actions speak louder than words. Cynapse, at Cynics Unlimited, ran an excellent article the other day titled “The Victim-Beggar Complex.” He explains why all the usual suspects (activists and the media) cry foul everytime there is a conservative government in power. Why? Because, basically they are afraid their privileges will be taken away.

Which is why you hear conservatives being called every unpleasant name in the book: neo-con, right winger, intolerant, racist, bigot, homophobe. Think about it, what are you reading in newspapers and on the Internet? What are you hearing and seeing on television? Day after day the media is bombarding us with the rights and privileges that are being questioned or changed. As Cynapse implies, any change, or threat of change, in the status quo brings on the hysteria."


"Yet, when has a Liberal government ever done the right thing and made tough decisions that the population didn’t like? Apart from raising taxes (which the Ontario Liberals promised they wouldn’t do) I can’t think of a time in recent memory when tough decisions were made that would have affected those with the victim-beggar complex. No, they are too busy giving all the special interest groups exactly what they want, not necessarily want they need, just so they can stay in power."

Cool Historical Document

It's amazing what interesting pieces of historical documentation you can find in the Vatican archives. Here's one that is of great interest to me linked on their website... the excommunication letter to the radical German friar, Martin Luther.

Another one (Liberal MP) bites the dust

Don't think I could have written it better myself...

Dion loses a fifth Liberal MP
JANE TABER

From Thursday's Globe and Mail
July 12, 2007 at 2:25 AM EDT

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is losing another caucus member as rookie Saskatchewan MP Gary Merasty, who backed Michael Ignatieff for the leadership, is stepping down for a job in the private sector.

Some Grits consider him one of the top next-generation leaders in the party and one veteran Liberal called his departure a loss to the party and a reflection of Mr. Dion's leadership.

“There have been some big names go, which is unfortunate, but [it] speaks to the adage that MPs generally measure three things when an election looms. Getting elected, getting into government, getting into cabinet,” a veteran Liberal wrote in an e-mail.

“Dion has made the calculation easy.”

True, Mr. Dion has lost a fifth active MP, but that doesn't capture the true essence of the pickle he's in... this is THE SIXTEENTH LIBERAL MP that will not stand for re-election as a Dion Liberal.

The exodous continues...

UPDATE: A bunch of Liberal bloggers have chimed in on it. One critizies Jane Taber's use of an "anonymous veteran Liberal MP" as her source (welcome to the club buddy), another has some good observations on the event and the upcoming byelection in the riding, and the third is clearly not happy with losing one of their few western MP's.

Here we go again

A new "alternative" to the Provincial and Federal Conservative parties is springing up, intending to raise their profile by running candidates in the upcoming Ontario provincial election.

The main complaint of the "Ontario Alternative" is that both Mr. Harper and Mr. Tory aren't being "conservative" enough, and it's hard to tell the difference between them and the Liberals.

Guys, if we keep on doing this, we're going to get nowhere. We need to band together, and work on influencing change at the local level. We need to stick in there for the long haul, not jump ship every time something doesn't go our way.

IT Humor: "You're grounded"

Saw this in an IT magazine my boss handed me this morning... thought it was funny. Couldn't find a link, so here's the text of it...

At a recent software engineering management course, the participants were given an awkward question to answer.

"If you had just boarded an airliner and discovered that your team of programmers had been responsible for the flight control software, how many of you would disembark immediately?"

Among the ensuing forest of raised hands, only one man sat motionless. When asked what he would do, he replied that he would be quite content to stay onboard.

With his team's software, he said, the plane was unlikely to even taxi as far as the runway, let alone take off.

I dunno, maybe it's just a geek thing, but I found it quite funny...

David Onley... cool pick

Really good press all around for Mr. Harper's selection for Ontario's next Lieutenant-Governor, David Onley.

Met the guy a couple of times, once while he was on the beat for a story, and once at a Christian camp my family used to attend. He's a leading spokesman for the disabled, a cause that I've become more familiar with over the last couple of years since meeting Darin. (hey dude!) If you really stop and think about it, this province is still REALLY INACCESSABLE, though great strides have been taken in the last few years. Here's hoping he champions the cause of accessability more.

Funny, I've been saying the opposite for years

Pope says "Catholic Church is the only true Church"

h/t Warren

Still Alive

Yea, I'm still alive... thanks for caring!

Been busy, doing a whole wack of things. Doing some consulting after hours, setting up a new network for a customer.

Was also getting a sermon ready for last Sunday, focusing on Isaiah 65... looking at that section in the context of God's ownership over Creation, the Ancient and Future Nations of Israel, the Church, and eventually all mankind at the end of time. Neat stuff... puts all the politics into context, eh? Well, it does for me at least.

Like I said, kinda makes blogging on politics seem, well, somewhat less important.

This is why I support things like Iraq

Why I support continued fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sponsorship LIVES

The Liberals would like us to think that the Sponsonship Scandal is old news... RIGHT...

RCMP search house of sponsorship player Corriveau
Last Updated: Wednesday, July 4, 2007 | 11:01 AM ET
CBC News

RCMP investigators conducted a search Wednesday at the Montreal-area home of former Liberal organizer Jacques Corriveau, a witness at the inquiry into the federal sponsorship scandal.

Investigators entered Corriveau's house in the South Shore town of St-Bruno-de-Montarville looking for papers and digital data, said spokesman Cpl. Sylvain l'Heureux.

"They’re looking mainly at finding certain documents, computers and data," he told CBC News.

"It's a search conducted in the course of our investigation, but there are no arrests planned for today."

Corriveau was one of several Liberal insiders called to testify at the 2004-2005 Gomery Commission.

Michael Glatze comes "out"

For those who don't know who he is, Michael Glatze is a former editor of "Young Gay America". He's been a spokesperson for the young homosexual movement for years, even sharing the stage with Matthew Shepard's mother at the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He's appeared on PBS, has been quoted in TIME for an article on gay youth, and won the National Role Model Award from the Equality Forum.

Today, he relased an article that finally clears up why he walked away from the magazine... "In my experience, "coming out" from under the influence of the homosexual mindset was the most liberating, beautiful and astonishing thing I've ever experienced in my entire life."

Discuss.

Great way to start a week

It's always nice when you see some really good news to get your week started with a smile after a long weekend...