Excited Delirium

I figured it out.  Canada has its own version of a very uncool, very unpopular Austin Powers.  In fact, I need to correct myself:  we have a version of Dr. Evil (I wish I was good at doing image mockups, but I think you get where I’m going with this).

Stephen Harper has found a time machine and has dropped the entire nation of Canada in the 1950s.

You don’t believe me?

• The Cold War is still going on.  The evil Ruskies are everywhere.  (Is our PM really trying to pick a fight with Russia?  Really?  Does he think we’re all that stupid?  Don’t answer … we are.)
• Everyone is white and Canada belongs to ‘Europeans’.
• McCarthyism is in full swing.  Fear and reprisal are everywhere.  No one can be trusted.  Arrests of ‘terrorists’ are constant, ongoing and ubiquitous.  We will fill jails with those that oppose us.
• Roads and the auto industry are the only things worth saving in this country, but it’s too bad those damn unions are gumming things up.
• There is no “Internet”.  It’s just print and TV and our friends in those media universes will help us ’shape’ our messages to Canadians (just like our friend Goebbels did in the 30s and 40s!)
• We fold the map of time and our political landscape follows Dief the Chief and no one else.  The Liberal domination from the 1960s onwards never happened.
• Women are supposed to be bare-foot and pregnant in the kitchen (or publicly humiliated when they act up a bit).
• GOD is the only religion, dammit.  Everything else is magic and witchcraft (and should be punishable by death, a la Sun editorials).

In the progressive world and for most others, we know this isn’t true, but Stevie and his 15-20% of Canada’s population as minions are stuck in the 50s.

What can we do to move forward?

How do we end Canada’s pain?

This story about how a woman was abused at Vancouver airport is revolting.

The security establishment that Stephen Harper has created is destroying the very fabric of respect and dignity in this country.

When “people” get away with this kind of barbaric treatment of regular citizens, what’s next?

Welcome to Stephen Harper’s Conada:  humiliating one person at a time to intimidate the rest of us.

Or … Dear Tony, Please Don’t Count Me In Your Numbers

There’s an insane level of noise happening with respect to the census and the Conservative plan to drop the mandatory aspect of the long-form.  There’s very little clarity.

As part of his defense, Tony Clement is suggesting that with the last census, several Canadians did not submit the long-form census on the grounds that they were concerned about their privacy.  This is only half true.

I am one of those Canadians, but allow me to explain myself.

I did not submit the long-form census because I was concerned about my privacy.  That’s a fabrication that’s being spread by the Conservatives because they don’t like statistics and the reality that they reveal (eg. lower crime rates or people dropping out of organized religion).

Unlike the Conservatives, I trust Statistics Canada with my personal information and also trust that it will be aggregated to show general trends and observations about our population, our needs as citizens and where investments should be made by our various levels of government, just to name a few ways in which we rely on this information.

That is a basic principle of statistics that I think Tony Clement and the rest of the Conservatives have failed miserably to understand:  statistics are about larger numbers, not individual details.  There are no privacy concerns if you trust the institution.

But let’s get to my personal choice to remain absent on the last census.  I refused to fill this document because the data is being stored and managed by a third-party called Lockheed-Martin.  Yes, that Lockheed-Martin.

In fact, in 2006, there was a substantial grassroots movement that tried to stop the Canadian government from outsourcing this critical data collection exercise to a company that manufactures weapons of mass destruction.  It was called CountMeOut and details can be found here.

What’s fascinating to me is that the Conservatives have successfully taken a public protest against the government and turned it into some kind of libertarian boogie monster pep rally that has all deep blue Conservatives getting their pitchforks blabbing about the ills of big government coming to take my family away.

What’s worse is that this campaign makes all protesters of the original long-form census hypocrites.

The point of all this: when Tony claims that thousands of Canadians are refusing to submit to the long-form census because they’re concerned about privacy, maybe he’d better check his stats.

Oh yeah … he doesn’t have any.  Or he soon won’t.

Welcome to Stephen Harper’s “Conada”, where lies are truth and truth is terror.

… losers?

The word ‘loser’ seems a little harsh, but when you run in an election and you’re rejected by the people of Canada, what’s an appropriate word to use?  Unwanted?  Destined for something bigger?

A BCer in Toronto has compiled a spectacular list of the appointment of Conservative candidates that failed to get elected in past elections.

It’s hard not to be cynical about what’s happening in Canada when you have someone in charge who made such a massive issue out of accountability, transparency and the end of patronage appointments and yet flips the bird at all three on a constant and near daily basis.

The corruption and hypocrisy is pretty much absolute now.

When will we get a break from this madness?

When will Stephen Harper finally run out of people that the people of Canada didn’t want to run our country … to run our country anyways?

This article reminded me of the conditions applied to Canadian Economic Action Plan programs:  no environmental review.

This will cost us all.

My hope is that sooner rather than later Canadians will have the ability to audit these programs, not just economically but also with respect to their impact on the environment.  And when we do, we’ll likely realize that Canada’s Economic (In)Action Plan will be much more costly than originally thought.

Stay tuned.

I watched the Agenda last night as Steve Paikin interviewed Marci McDonald and subsequently met with a panel to discuss religion and politics and two central points were missed:

1. Why we must separate politics and religion
2. Why Marci McDonald called her book ‘the Armageddon Factor’

In the discussion, there was Steve, Marci and the following politicians or ex-politicians:

• John McKay, Liberal MP for Scarborough – Guildwood
• Chris Stockwell, former Conservative Ontario MPP
• Cheri DiNovo, NDP MPP for Parkdale – High Park

All of them admitted to being members of some kind of Christian organized religion.  Of course, I think that was the plan with the Agenda organizers, but it creates the impression that faith-based politics are the only option in this country.  What of the atheists or Hindus or Muslims or Jews or other denominations?  Do they not matter when talking about ‘religion and politics’?

It also reinforces this seemingly lost notion that politicians really aren’t entitled to their own opinion.  The only opinion they should have should be based on the opinion and direction of their constituents.  Forgetting this exhibits the most profound level of hubris and it’s no wonder Canadians are pissed with ALL of the political parties right now.

Which addresses the first question:  why we must separate politics and religion.

Although the concept is older than the American revolution, Americans were the first to really pull away from religious influence by ’separating church and state’.  This was done because the church had become so corrupt in Europe and elsewhere that it became impossible to do anything proactive for the population at large without the church digging its claws into said actions.  Whether it was the tithe (where 10% of your income had to fund religion) or mandatory legislation that benefited Christian institutions (eg. no Sunday shopping), they couldn’t resist the temptation of influence and control.

This is at the core of the message being delivered by Marci McDonald (and others) when it comes to Canadian politics.

Imagine a world today in which the church would have influence over security issues?  What happens if you’re looking at good old porn and the church decides that you can’t and cuts off your internet?  Of course, that’s coming, isn’t it with the ACTA laws being discussed behind our backs, isn’t it?

And what happens if fundamentalists take over our daily lives and your position or philosophy is different from theirs?

Intolerance is the first of many unsavoury words that come to mind when religious fundamentalists are involved and it’s intolerance that CANNOT be the cornerstone of any legislative assembly, particularly when that assembly must be focused on balance, equality and liberty.

And what of the Armageddon Factor?

This is the second crucial question being raised in this discussion.

It has everything to do with environmental stewardship and greed.

• Why save your money when you can donate it to my cause (and so I can live in opulence and you continue in squalor)?
• Why sacrifice our outrageous level of gluttony in the western world so that the rest of the world can elevate itself to a hint beyond abject poverty?
• Why pretend that we should save our environment when the end of the world is nigh?

Nihilism is at the centre of the Armageddon Factor.  McDonald does her best to identify that many of the groups that hold substantial sway over our politicians and many of the politicians themselves are nihilists.

They see no future except one of death, doom and despair.

The end of the world is coming and there’s nothing we can or should do about it!

What’s even more frightening is that this level of fundamentalism could easily support a rise in tensions between countries like Israel, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan because these countries are at the centre of ‘The End Times’, a fictional idea foisted by a drug-induced prophet in Rhodes and monetized by the likes of Tim LeHaye (the author of the ‘Left Behind’ series).

And THAT is the core of why these people cannot be trusted, why religion must be separated from politics and why we cannot allow matters of faith to guide matters of respect.

The end of the world is not coming, your religion is myth and we MUST take control of our situation on this planet because we’re about to lose it.

The Stephen Harper Conservatives finally caved to the will of the people and allowed the opposition parties to have some level of access to documents related to the Afghan detainee issue.

More can be read here about this update.

Still at issue is how long the opposition will allow this regime to maintain its grip on power in Canada.  Will they read the documents and shrink away from this victory, guided only by polls and pundits as opposed to the will of the people of Canada?  Increasingly, Canadians would like to see an election held, if only to be given an opportunity to vote against these crooks (including the opposition parties who’s spinelessness needs to be addressed).

However, the odds are also pretty good that if Stephen Harper approves of the arrangement, there’s a loophole the size of Grand Canyon that will allow him to back out and be slippery as always.  Tragically, this decision will also give the Harper Cons another few months to pilfer the treasury, hand out money to the religious wingnut friends, appoint more lackies to the top tiers of Canadian policy institutions and trash Canada’s reputation on the international scene.

Please make it end and give us a party that cares!

To Finally Bring Down the Harper House of Cards?

The Helena Guergis affair is just the last of an incredibly loooooooooong line of scandals that keep flying in the face of our federal leaders.

And yet, somehow, they manage to weasel their way out of issues and back into talking about the insanity of ‘more crime bills’ or ‘economy economy economy’.

The list is far too long, but here’s a quick stab:

• Guergis
• Jaffer and his various ‘business interviews’ and promises to connect people with the PMO
• Lisa Raitt’s mishandling of the world’s limited isotopes
• Maxime Bernier’s ‘forgotten’ documents and the links with the mob
• Let’s not forget ‘Diamond’ Jim Flaherty’s surprise reversal on Income Trusts, literally dissolving billions in retirement assets for seniors and others overnight
• Thousands of political appointments to various public offices, poisoning the public well for decades
• Promises to reform the Senate while stacking it conveniently with inexperienced celebrities
• Fake cheques promoting the CPC using Canadian taxpayer dollars
• Endless 10-percenters as junk mail, costing Canadians tens of millions of dollars per year (mainly to pick childish fights with other leaders)
• The links with the mob of almost all infrastructure spending, particularly in Montreal
• Breaking one’s own law to have a forced election on a fixed date
• Massive investigations into spending irregularities with the last election
• The Chuck Cadman bribery scandal
• Maple Leaf deaths, potentially a result of attempts to deregulate the industry
• Voted repeatedly as the world’s worst environmental destroyer
• Issues related to people in Stephen Harper’s inner circle releasing details about Obama before the US election
• Crimes against humanity with the Afghan detainee issue
• Complete mismanagement of the country’s economy (largest deficit ever created in Canada – ever) and creation of a permanent structural fiscal deficit.

How many scandals constitute ‘enough’?

All it took was an inflated marketing scam with the Liberals to have them turfed.  I know … it was enough to show our disgust with the Liberals.

And yet how many more people have to die / get ripped off / be booted from Cabinet or just plain f*** up in order for Canadians to finally stand up and demand an election so we can dump these clowns?

Have we all lost our minds?  When people promise accountability and economic action and yet deliver the complete opposite, why are we not going to the polls?

Media Matters for America posted a rebuttal of sorts to the propaganda bombs being dropped in the Washington Post.

Expect to see similar BS come our way in order to defend the war crimes of the Harper Regime.

Dear Mr. Layton,

As you and other Canadian MPs return to Parliament, you will be faced with many tough choices.

However, I believe that there is no choice when it comes to dealing with Stephen Harper.  In fact, I beg that you do not.

Instead, please realize that small concessions and short-term gains do nothing for the long-term credibility of this once-great nation that has been eroded to apathy and exhaustion by the scheming and corrupt Conservatives.

The Conservative Party of Canada has created a level of embarrassment and shame for all Canadians.  Whether you look at environmental issues or the ongoing (and potential Constitutional) crisis related to the torture of Afghani detainees, it’s abundantly clear that these people care not for the future pride and dignity of all Canadians.  They only care about clutching the reins of power as long as they can and you’re an enabler.

Do your job and make us proud again:  NOW is the time for you and your peers to demand responsibility and accountability from the Harper regime.

Supporting this government is akin to turning your back on all Canadians that are craving leadership.

We yearn for someone to finally take a stand a say enough is enough.  No more deals.  No more promises.  No more concessions.

We desperately need someone who will stand up for the voices of all Canadians that believe in progressive attitudes.

We all stand at the precipice and you and a select few others have the option of pushing us into the abyss or throwing us a life-line.  Either way, we will not forget your actions.  The choices you and your fellow opposition MPs make today will spell success or failure for not only the NDP, but our country as a whole.  Which would you rather have?

I’ll vote for you when you when you help bring this government down.

Regards,

Liam.