Having to watching Israeli news for updates

Cause you know you won't get the straight goods from any North American news outlet... especially the report (which I'm sure is to come) that weapons were in fact found on board.

Oh, did you hear that the IDF offered to deliver all the humanitarian aid on board the ships themselves if the folks on board would surrender? And how the only response that the Israeli Navy got back to their offer was cursing in Arabic and English? Funny how no one in our media outlets reported those little facts, eh?

Ayalon: Flotilla was 'an armada of hate and violence'

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said that the flotilla of ships "was an armada of hate and violence."

Speaking at a Jerusalem press conference on Monday morning. "It was a premeditated and outrageous provocation" and its organizers had ties to global Jihad, al Qaida and Hamas, said Ayalon.

"Their intent was violent, their methods were violent and their results were unfortunately violent," Ayalon said.

"Israel regrets the loss of life and did everything it could to avoid this outcome," Ayalon stressed, adding that Israel had offered to transport the humanitarian cargo on board the ship to Gaza.

"The organizers on the ship did not heed the calls of our forces this morning to peacefully follow them and bring a peaceful closure to this event," said Ayalon, iterating that the successful arrival of the flotilla in Gaza would have created "a corridor of arms smuggling."

Rae makes his move against Iffy, proposes new Liberal-NDP Accord

Bob Rae, former NDP MP, former NDP Premier of Ontario, now turned Liberal MP, has posted some thoughts musing about a new Federal Liberal-NDP coalition, on the 25th anniversary of his Ontario Liberal-NDP Accord, which toppled the Progressive Conservative Government of Frank Miller.

Bob Rae hints at Liberal-NDP accord
Globe & Mail - Ottawa Notebook
Thursday, May 27, 2010 12:54 PM
Bill Curry

Bob Rae says there’s no rule preventing the Liberals and the NDP from ganging up and toppling a newly elected Tory government: He’s done it before and now he’s hinting it may happen again.

In a brief memoir posted this week on his website, the former Ontario NDP leader and premier delivers a shot across the bow as he looks back 25 years to an agreement he negotiated with the Liberals at Queen’s Park.

Of course he doesn't come out say it, but the thought must be running around in the mind of many Liberals who are thinking about a coalition after the next election... "And who better to lead such a coalition than someone who's been in BOTH parties, and who brought down TWO Conservative governments in the 70's and 80's?"

That's right folks... Rae has just put another knife in Iffy's back.


P.S. - Anyone else get the impression that the media is trying to soften up the ground with Canadians on the idea of a coalition? I think it's worth worrying about, if the media is starting to again openly campaign on the idea on behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Charges against Michael Bryant DROPPED

I didn't post on the story when it broke, and I recall urging my fellow BTers to "wait and see". Sounded to me like it was pretty cut and dry when it happened... it sounded like the cyclist just lost it on Bryant, and his actions were defencive in nature.

The charges against former Liberal Attorney General Michal Bryant have now been dropped, on the advice of the special prosecutor appointed in this case, Vancouver lawyer Richard Peck. (in and effort to avoid any kind of conflict of interest)

Iffy hits "Magic 25%"... will Liberals pull the plug on the professor from Harvard?

I didn't think it was possible, but "Iffy" has gone and done what many thought was impossible... he's hit the "Magic 25%" in the polls... back firmly in sub-Dion territory, a full point below Dion's 2008 election result. (And the numbers are from EKOS, as we all know, a pro-Liberal pollster)

If you recall from earlier this week, the "Magic 25%" is apparently a number circulating amongst some Liberals... the magic number that could trigger another leadership revolt, and could spell the beginning of the end of Ignatieff's leadership.

Persichilli: Michael Ignatieff’s 25 per cent problem
By Angelo Persichilli - Political Columnist
May 16, 2010

Although many Liberals believe that Ignatieff will not lead them back to power, they aren’t planning to try to dump him before the next election. But there is a magic number circulating among Liberals these days: 25 per cent. If their party sinks to this number in the polls, then all bets are off.

Liberals are resigned to another defeat, as long as the Conservatives don’t win a majority government. But if their party sits at 25 per cent, there is a chance of Prime Minister Stephen Harper winning a majority, which would keep the Liberals out of government for at least another four years. This scares many of them because Liberals out of power are like fish out of water. If they perceive that Harper can get a majority, the Grits would like to get rid of Ignatieff, regroup around a new leader and go to the polls trying to defeat the Conservatives.

With all the negative stuff that's been thrown at the Tories in the last few weeks, I didn't think it was even possible. But Ignatieff has somehow managed to do it once again... to find a new depth for his party to sink to.

Pakistan blocks Facebook over "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day - May 20, 2010" group

In light of Pakistan's move to block Facebook access, may I suggest that you consider supporting this event in response.

NOTE: Just to be clear, I'm not a "fan" of the event, and likely won't participate myself... however, based on the efforts of some Islamic clerics to suppress free speech in Pakistan, I thought I'd offer my readers all the relevant information to do with as they please. More info on this viral event can be found on its own Wiki page.

Well that was quick... CBC clears itself of bias

Of course, we all knew the outcome was a foregone conclusion... but I thought they'd at least try to make a show of "going through the motions" by taking a bit longer to do their "review".

CBC clears pollster, criticizes 'paranoia-tinged' Tories
Jane Taber - Wednesday, May 19, 2010 8:33 AM

1. Culture-war report. Stephen Harper’s chief election strategist deliberately used the CBC complaints process and “paranoia-tinged” language to raise money for the Conservatives and to “overwhelm” and “intimidate” the office, the public broadcaster’s ombudsman says in a report that completely exonerates EKOS pollster Frank Graves.

In his seven-page report, released late yesterday, Vince Carlin examines the 800 notes received by his office concerning Mr. Graves, who many Conservatives charge is a Liberal partisan providing tainted polls to the CBC.

Official Liberal/NDP Coalition begins in Alberta

Despite how much they try and avoid talking about it, the reality is never far below the surface... if the can't beat us, they'll just join forces.

For now, it's just in Alberta. Not likely going to happen anytime soon in BC. But who knows what might happen nationally if Harper wins another minority after the next election?

On Iffy: "Russian Duke Craves Power in Canada"

From the Russian online tabloid site "Pravada Online", talking about the "Russian Duke" we all know as "IFFY"... not to be confused with the unrelated newspaper "Pravada".

It's a pretty inaccurate and badly written piece, one which I wouldn't put much stock in. It's clear that they're not exactly a "real" news organization anyway, more likely the Russian equivalent of "The National Enquirer"... I mean, how else can you explain this whacked out statement?

Most likely, this politician will be the next Canadian prime minister in 2012.(CC's COMMENT: BAAA HA! HA! HA! HA!!! YEA RIGHT!!!) One of the wonderful characteristics of Canadian politics is its predictability. Ignatieff’s role in overcoming of the internal political crisis and the system of the protection of the country against economic crisis he created will not be forgotten by his compatriots in the next two years.

CBC following Frank Graves advice, seeking to start a "culture war" for the Liberals?

It seems that the CBC has decided to follow EKOS pollster Frank Graves' advice, and has launched a disgusting anti-Charter attack on freedom of religion on behalf of their masters, the Liberal Party of Canada.

In an "in depth" report last night, the CBC went on the attack, attacking members of Parliament for the "thought crime" of being members of their local faith communities!

Funny... I thought we had a Liberal Prime Minister named Trudeau who fought to have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms that explicitly protected that right? Must be my mistake.

Here's the irony though... I can name a number of members of the Liberal Party of Canada who are also members of various Evangelical churches... I can think of Dan McTeague, Paul Szabo, and Frank Valeriote right off the top of my head.

And people wonder why there's a large "Shut Down the CBC" contingent within the Conservative Party of Canada... if they keep this garbage up, I might join myself...

CBC Fuels Faith War

Do you recall CBC's claim that it had nothing to do with the advice by CBC pollster Frank Graves, that the Liberal Party should incite a “culture war” to divide Canadians?

Funny, then, that the CBC is using its position as Canada's public broadcaster to foment religious division as the next step in its ongoing campaign against the Conservative Party.

Last night's dominant CBC story -- a full eight minutes in length -- featured an attack on the religious affiliation of some Government members and supporters. . Apparently the CBC thinks it newsworthy that some Conservative Ministers and MPs practise their faith. . Even more scandalous, some members of the Prime Minister's Office go to church!

Is it just coincidence that the CBC news coverage advances the strategy that pollster Frank Graves gave to the Liberal Party? . "I told them [Ignatieff’s Liberals] that they should invoke a culture war... securalism versus moralism," he bragged.

Seems to us that following the Frank Graves strategy was exactly what the CBC was doing last night.

CBC executives have yet to explain why.

Perhaps Canada's tax-funded broadcaster needs a lesson in freedom of religion.

Under the Charter of Rights, neither religious affiliation nor lack of religious affiliation is grounds to deny participation in the democratic life of the country.

Humour - Something crashed on my laptop

No blogging today, because something has crashed on my laptop...

Duceppe supports audit of MP expenses

Smart move by the Bloc leader... this will put extreme pressure on the other leaders to support the auditing of all MP's expenses.

With the current scandals going on in Quebec, it's a smart move by the separatist movement in general to have all their parties, both the Bloc and Parti Québécois, quickly supporting additional political accountability like this... which will allow them to beat both Provincial and Federal Liberals over the head with this issue for many months, if not years, to come.

If Mr. Harper and Jack Layton are smart, they'll quickly side with him... and leave Iffy twisting in the wind, with his more recent comments opposing this measure.

I must point out that it's a bit of a double edged sword for the Bloc, however, to be bringing this issue up right now. It's a political risk for them because it now presents a further opportunity for the Harper government to talk about campaign serious finance reform... specifically the elimination of political subsidies. Cause if they REALLY want to talk about wasteful political spending, I can't think of a better example.

Warren QUITS post in Liberal War Room

WOW... things are NOT COOL in Liberal land right now, if they've got die hard Liberals like Warren Kinsella quitting on them.

OLO bloodletting prompts Warren Kinsella to ditch Liberal war room
Jane Taber

Warren Kinsella has quit as head of the Liberal war room, complaining in part about the treatment of Michael Ignatieff’s former chief of staff, Ian Davey, and ex-communications director Jill Fairbrother.

Although he says he has moved on and is still a federal Liberal, Mr. Kinsella told The Globe in an email this month he “was unhappy about the way in which some people were dealt with.”

“For example, Ian and Jill and others are my friends, and they brought me in. I didn’t like how they were treated but they moved on, and so have I.”

More Liberal CBC connections EXPOSED

And the plot thickens... will the folks at the CBC just finally admit that they goofed BIG TIME on this one?

h/t to National Newswatch on this one.

On CBC/Pynenburg and her official Liberal ties...

Last week, we pointed out that CBC and Frank Graves (significant Liberal Party donor as well as someone who has been offering "Culture War" political advice to the Liberals) commissioned a poll for CBC based on a supposedly neutral "viewer-inspired" question.

However, the "viewer" in question was one Mary Pynenburg, former two-time federal Liberal Party candidate in British Columbia.

It has now come to our attention that Mrs. Pynenburg is the Vice-President of the National Women's Liberal Commission, and a proud member of Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper (CRUSH), a radical anti-Stephen Harper group.

She is also a major donor to the Liberal Party, having donated over $14,000 to the Liberals since 2004.

It is beyond the pale that CBC consistently engages in political information and analysis from a Liberal-backing pollster in response to a Liberal-inspired question with no disclosure and certainly no apologies afterwards.

It would almost be comical if CBC was not the recipient of over one billion dollars per year from Canadian taxpayers.

CBC's Heather Mallick calling for an Opposition coalition

I guess Heather Mallik's ignorance of Canada shows what happens when you spend to many years out of the country...

Hey Heather, Canadians pretty clearly rejected the very idea of a left-wing coalition back in December of 2008, back when the CPC was polling around, oh what was it, about 41%? Oh, right, you weren't here for that... my bad.

You've got to LOVE this left-wing drivil from her poisioned pen...

Canada has a Conservative minority government right now that does have a core belief. It's that Canadians deserve a good stomping, all of them. Conservatives can't stand people, particularly if they're female, or second-generation Canadian, or educated, or principled, or not from Alberta, which is the home of the hard-right belly-bulging middle-aged Tory male. Watch them at the G8, ostensibly fighting for women's health internationally while blocking abortions for raped Congolese.

Harper cannot get a real majority. If the centre-right Liberals and the centre-left New Democrats would form a coalition, Harper would be toast and we'd get started on what we need: national day care, TGV trains, an economic strategy, a green strategy, oh a strategy for anything, a plan is all we seek.

Instead we hang.

Sound familiar? Yep, that pretty much sounds like the "culture war" strategy that the CBC is employing on behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada... as recommended by Frank Graves. No wonder she's still working for the CBC.

UPDATE: Finally settled on my new name for her... "Hate'n Malice", cause that seems to be all that ever comes out of her mouth. Her mouth, and pretty much every mouthpiece of the Left, whenever they're talking about anyone who disagrees with their ideology.

BMO says Tory MP Shory is NOT being accused of fraud

Lawyers for the Bank of Montreal have clarified their position in their mortgage fraud case, indicating that the lawyers named in the suit, including Tory MP Devinder Shory, are NOT being accused of taking active part in the scheme. They are, however, simply accusing them of not doing their due diligence in dealing with these particular mortgages.

Munaf Mohamed told a hearing the bank accuses the lawyers of negligence, not fraud.

"We do not allege impropriety against any of the lawyers who are named in this action," he said in response to a question from Justice Adele Kent.

That's a BIG difference, my dear Members of the Opposition... so I assume we can look forward to your apologies in the House on Monday?

Liberal "Igg-plosion" Continues

And now joining the MSM pile on I mentioned earlier today, we have your normally pro-Liberal Jane Taber... "Ignatieff's 'abject ignorance' on lobbying draws fire".

Add to that the most recent set of polls, where both EKOS and Nanos note an upswing for the Tories, and a continuing slide for the Liberals... which, considering that the Conservatives had a pretty rotten month of April, ought to be causing plenty of worry amongst Liberals ranks.

You can almost picture him saying "Whaa haaappened???"

(that one's for you "kiddo")

It's been a full year since Iggy's coronation guys... and he's STILL polling in Dion territory. You've been swinging away at us, and we're still well ahead of you in the polls. Add to that the fact that the Canadian economy is well on it's way to recovery, and I'd say that you're quickly running out of options to take back power anytime soon.

Scratch that... getting back to power has been WAY off the table for you since 2005.

UPDATE: Spoke too soon... Nanos has released the full numbers, and it looks even BETTER for the Tories... 39.5%. With the current political situation, that would likely translate into a majority.

The MSM's "Iffy" pile on continues

Things are not looking good for Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff right now, as the MSM continues to sing a sour note on his leadership.

Don Martin yesterday, on recent Liberal missteps: "The list of brain dead activity in just the weeks since the party's Deep Thinkers conference has become the Red Book to self-annihilation."

Chantal Hébert, in yesterday's Star: "The perplexing Liberal approach to the issue of the governor general is only the latest in a string of questionable moves." and "A year after Ignatieff’s coronation, the party is more than ever without a road map."

And we have L. Ian MacDonald, in today's Montreal Gazette: "What was Iggy thinking? It's a question that has arisen all too frequently in the year since Michael Ignatieff has been confirmed as leader of the Liberal Party." His conclusion is no better, for Iggy: "Ignatieff is still new to this game, still learning on the job, but at a certain point it's fair to ask whether he gets it."

Anyone thinking what I'm thinking? I wonder if Bob Rae is looking for a way to get Iffy to pull the plug... not just on the Government, but on his own leadership.  Don't worry Iggy... it's enough to make anyone want to pull their hair out.

Idol's Simon Cowell votes "YES" to Conservative Leader David Cameron in UK Election

A GREAT endorsement to nab the night before the polls open... Simon Cowell of "American Idol" fame has given his rare "YES" vote to Conservative Leader David Cameron, and his infamous "NO" to both Labour's Gordon Brown and LibDems Nick Clegg.

U.K.'s Conservatives get a "yes" from Simon Cowell
Thu May 6, 2010 1:55am EDT
By Mimi Turner

LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - He's long been Britain's most influential pop mogul, reveling in the power to make or break careers. Now Simon Cowell has stepped into the political frame, giving opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron his ringing endorsement to be the next Prime Minister.

Cowell's comments -- in the Conservative-supporting Sun newspaper -- come as Britain's broadcasters move into top gear, outlining their high tech coverage of the election May 6 and through the night as the results come in on the least predictable British election in several decades.

In a front-page exclusive with the Sun -- the Rupert Murdoch-owned market-leading tabloid here -- Cowell waxed positive about Cameron, who faces Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his battle to woo the electorate when the ballot boxes open for business on Thursday morning.

"I have met David on two occasions. I liked him immediately ... I have always trusted my gut instinct -- and this was a guy who I thought would do the right things for this country," Cowell wrote. "I believe he is the prime minister Britain needs at this time. He has substance and the stomach to navigate us through difficult times."

He also saved some pretty choice words for LibDem leader Nick Clegg, which ought to take some of the wind out of their sails...

But he dismissed Nick Clegg, leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats, as "made for TV." Clegg's party saw its popularity surge after his strong performances in US-style televised debates.

"We are not talent show judges picking pretty-sounding contestants now. The future government of our country is so much more important than that," he wrote.

Iffy is "iffy" on auditing MP's books

On March 22nd, it was reported that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said to The Chronicle Herald that Parliamentary Auditor Sheila Fraser would be "absolutely welcome" to audit MP's expenses... but now it looks like he's not so keen on the idea anymore.

Great "flip floppin" catch by the Halifax's The Chronicle Herald.

NOTE: Original quote WAS here, but the Chronicle Herald has archived the story.

Lucky #13 - Guelph MP Frank Valeriote amongst "Most Absentee Liberal MP's"

Well what do you know... Guelph's Liberal MP Frank Valeriote is the Lucky #13 on the "Most Absent Liberal MP's" list. Guess he's just following in the footsteps of his mentor and predecessor, Brenda Chamberlain... who earned the distinction of being the second most absent MP in her final year in the House, beating only former Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Liberals Skipping Work

Did you know that there are people who count how often parliamentarians actually show up to vote?

In the case of the Liberal Party of Canada, that is quite a lot. This kind of absenteeism generally doesn't make headlines, except that it should when these same Liberal MPs were protesting in the streets of Canada for Parliament to be sitting just a few short months ago.

"Parliament is the sovereign" Ignatieff so solemnly declared.

Prorogation created an alleged grass roots fury that allegedly enraged our Nation. The Liberals quickly jumped on that bandwagon.

Since prorogation, Iggy has missed 29 votes! The Prime Minister, the busiest of all members who has to fly all over the world on a frequent basis missed 16 votes.

13 of the top 16 absentee MPs are from the Liberal Party. 25% of the Conservative caucus has not missed a vote this session, but the same can only be said of 2% of the Liberal caucus (Dryden and Milliken).

So who are those "Lucky 13" Liberals MPs who don't like showing up to cast a vote for their constituents? The following list is in order of the most truant Libs. Marlene Jennings had eye surgery. That is an adequate excuse.

Most Absent Liberal MPs

1. Michael Ignatieff
2. Marlene Jennings (due to eye surgery)
3. Ruby Dhalla
4. Jim Karygiannis
5. Pablo Rodriguez
6. John Cannis
7. Judy Sgro
8. Gerard Kennedy
9. Marc Garneau
10. Kirsty Duncan
11. Mario Silva
12. Stéphane Dion
13. Frank Valeriote

Guess the rookie MP must have gotten lost in the halls or something while the votes were being taken...

Uh oh... Obama took cash from BP

This one's going to hurt him with his lefty friends... Obama received over $77,000 from BP during his Senate and Presidential campaigns.

You know, THAT BP... the guys with the leaky oil rig.

In the interest of FULL DISCLOSURE, I should point out that Sen. John McCain has also received money from BP... but likely over a greater number of campaigns, and only about half of what Obama got, to the tune of $44,899.

"You think it's easy being Labour leader?"

Poor Gordon Brown, left all alone... at least his wife is sticking by his side...

From BBC's "Viewfinder" photo blog, amongst a series of "out of context" photos from the UK's 2010 General Election.

iPod - Praise and Worship Edition!

Praising the Lord in song? There's an app for that.

MSM catches on to Liberal's "Secret Donation" scandal

The Ottawa Sun is reporting on the latest Liberal fund raising scandal, where they were encouraging and advising their members on how they could donate funds to the Party "anonymously".

As reported here yesterday, Liberal Adam Smith sent out an e-mail to hundreds, potentially thousands of supporters, instructing them on how they can skirt around Elections Canada's donation reporting guidelines, without have their identity disclosed to Elections Canada, or to the Canadian public via the donation disclosure database.

The more things change, the more things stay the same. Liberals and "anonymous" donations... will they never learn?

Criminal defended by Liberals gets 8 years in prison

How SWEET this headline is... "Schreiber gets 8 years for tax evasion". That's right boys and girls... looks like the Liberals went to bat for yet another convicted criminal.

Here's a really interesting quote from the article... "It was notable that the accused sought refuge in red herrings and was consistently silent on the really decisive questions," Judge Rudolph Weigell of the Augsberg state court said in handing down the sentence.

Hummm, you don't say... "red herrings" and "consistently silent on the really decisive questions". Looks like the German courts didn't find him credible either. So one has to wonder, why did the Liberals take his word at face value? Yep, he played them LIKE A FIDDLE.

It's really nice to see the Liberals get what they deserve on this one, after they went to the wall to defend him, advocating the Government halt his extradition to face justice in Germany.

While Conservatives seek to "Stand up for Canadians", it turns out that the Liberals have once again made the decision to stand up for a CRIMINAL.

Phillies fan gets Tased

LOL... serves the kid right. Maybe this will provide enough of a disinsentive for crazed fans to run onto the field. Might prove useful for the upcoming World Cup too!

Liberals encouraging "secret" donations?

What's this? And the Liberals accuse US of trying to keep things secret. This little "PS" was enclosed at the end of a fund raising e-mail they recently sent out... ironically, immediately after they accuse US of being "deceitful".

Adam Smith
National Director, National Liberal Fund
Liberal Party of Canada

PS. Political donations under $200 annually are reported to Elections Canada anonymously.

To contact the Liberal Party of Canada, please reply to this email. Our mailing address: 81 Metcalfe street, suite 400 Ottawa ON K1P 6M8.

Excuse me? Advising their membership on how to "hide" their donations from Elections Canada? What's next, BROWN PAPER BAGS???

UPDATE: CBC's Kady O'Malley points out that the Liberal's Adam Smith may not be quite as clever as he thinks he is...

Iffy's spectacular EPIC FAIL on the GG issue

In an effort to stick it to PM Harper, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff tried to pressure Harper to renew Governor General Jean's term, which is set to expire in September. However, once again, his partisan efforts have blown up in his face.

Let's take a look at the media coverage on the issue today, shall we? I must say, I can't recall seeing such a uniform opinion from the MSM on ANY issue in recent memory... and none of it's good for the Professor from Harvard.

"Ignatieff whiffs again" - Greg Weston, Ottawa Sun
"Ignatieff politicizing the office of the Governor-General, critics say " - Steven Chase, Globe & Mail
"How not to take a stand" - Adam Radwanski, Globe & Mail
"We are not amused" - Robert Howard, The Hamilton Spectator
"A failed G-G gambit" - National Post
"The Governor General sweepstakes" - Andrew Cohen, Ottawa Citizen
"Michael Ignatieff tries to make Michaëlle Jean a partisan issue" - Globe & Mail Editorial
"Ignatieff abuses Harper's trust" - Don Martin, National Post

UPDATE: And more articles keep rolling in, thanks to eagle eyed readers from their local papers...

"Ignatieff’s mistake" - Kitchener/Waterloo's "The Record"

Tories fund raising outpaces Liberals 2.5 to 1

YIKES... $4,023,923.14 vs. $1,589,953.81 raised during the first quarter of 2010.

For the record, the Tories hauled in $1.17 MILLION dollars more than the rest of them COMBINED.

I guess it's no wonder that the likes of even rabid Conservative hater Ralph Goodale is whistling a happy tune about finding a solution to the Speaker's ruling.

PM jams with Bryan Adams

SWEETNESS... you won't see Iggy doing this anytime soon.

Sent from my Blackberry