Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)

From Media Matters: In the wake of President Barack Obama's call for the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy in favor of allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces, Media Matters for America reviews the myths and falsehoods conservative media figures have pushed in their efforts to prevent repeal.

Myths and falsehoods on Don't Ask, Don't Tell

BC Liberal drinking and driving AGAIN

Whoops, Liberal MLA in BC caught in Police road check for drinking and driving.

What does Daddy Campbell do now?

Jane Thornthwaite was elected MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour in the 2009.

Are you off to hell

Ok, I would be going to hell. I score at least a 12 and maybe more...

No wonder I am an athiest...



from Uberpix

Vancouver 2010 games assualted by media

The Vancouver Olympics are being shot at by world media...

how short are their memories...

In Bejing they had problems with air quality and uprooted thousands of people in order to build facilities. In Salt Lake City most of the gold was spent in buying votes to get the games. Bombs went off in Atlanta and in Italy in 2006, the transportation system was abysmal with a rail system coming into place a year after the Olympics finished.

And in Albertville a skier died in a demonstration sport.

There is lots that can go wrong in the Olympics. Its a massive undertaking.

Canada's Own the Podium but not Homes Program

Queerthoughts may well be onto something here. Tonya Harding was seen in a boxing match recently. Her opponent was some weak ass liberal whiner. Harding knows how to get the job done and may well have been the Architect behind the Own the Podium in Vancouver this year.

I have contacted Prime Minister Harper's office to confirm the alledged rumour that I have started here. I have yet to receive a return call denying that Tonya Harding was hired as a consultant to implement Canada's "Own the Podium" program.

A reliable source tells me that Canada was looking for a proven results oriented leader to lead the program. Harding would be just the sort that has good ties to those that play by their own rules, someone that Stephen Harper could get along with.

In other news Canada's conservative Finance Minister plans to clamp down on people buying homes, while doing nothing to stop Visa from charging more than 21% or Canadian Tire charging 28.9 % interest.

Childcare funding, another promise

Child care is bandied about every election. The Liberals promise it, like they have since 1993. The Conservatives under Harper say they know a better way and send parents $100 for every child.

The trouble is these parties make child care a carrot for voters. The carrot was held out there by Brian Mulroney back in 1989 and became a central part of the Jean Chretien Liberals infamous "Red Book". Each of the following four elections the Liberals promised a National Day care plan. Harper said he was going to give money to parents, thus ending the chance of a "real" child care program.

Paul Martin implemented part of a program, thanks to a budget the NDP helped him with.

Electoral politics took over again and Martin decided to call an election. Martin introduced a budget that the NDP told them they would not support. The budget called for 50 billion dollars of tax cuts for big business. The previous Martin budget was also to include the tax cut, but in turn for the NDP support, Martin delayed the plan to cut corporate taxes.

Martin was well aware his budget would be defeated. He was counting on it. Martin and the Liberals felt they had nothing to lose. If the NDP supported the budget, they could continue in power and their corporate tax cuts would go ahead. The National Child care plan could then be implemented albeit much slower in its implementation. If the Liberals lost a budget vote, Martin could count on the carrots, a national day care program, a new deal with first nations.

People didn't even sniff at Martin's carrots. The old tried and true enticements did not work. Martin lost and the Liberals have voted for every single Conservative budget (some by pretending they weren't even there) Harper has brought in. Budgets that have stopped funding of child care, that have cut taxes to large corporations, and reduced the ability of the federal government to provide services.

The next election will see the Liberal party promising child care again and the big one will be, no new taxes. The Conservatives will promise no new taxes and likely promise not to cut anything.

No party elected in Canada can promise we will get anywhere without new revenue, and tax revenue is likely the only place to get it.

HST Petition approved in BC

Elections BC announced today, that the application from former BC Premier Vander Zalm, to start a petition in opposition of the incoming sales tax, had been approved.

An initiative to end the harmonized sales tax (HST) will hit the streets April 6, 2010.

Voter in BC will get a chance to sign a petition against the HST beginning April 6, 2010. The petition must be completed in the next 90 days.

The BC petition, if it gets enough signatures will go to a province wide vote. It requires a simple majority to win. A win however does not compel the government to take the advice of the voters. Still, I like the idea of Gordon Campbell and the Liberal Party saying no. Just another darn good reason to send them packing!

Unfortunately for us here in Ontario, that vote won't happen here. Seems Mr. McGuinty knows what's best for all of us.

Glen Murray takes shot at Rae

"I’m not like Bob Rae," Murray said. "I cut taxes every year I was mayor." Liberal candidate in Toronto Centre. - Winnipeg Free Press

Yikes, not sure I would want to share an office with Murray if I were Bob Rae. But then Glen may not have to worry about that...

Libs can say "Smarten Up Dalton" safely

Here we are, on the eve of the Toronto Centre by-election. It has been a while since a provincial riding in Toronto held so much excitement.

The excitement is over the Liberal's appointed candidate for Toronto Centre, Glen Murray and the NDP's nominated candidate Cathy Crowe. No one ever expected the race to be so close. The Liberals have poured a ton of money and volunteers into the riding as they saw the race being much closer than they ever anticipated it could be.

Last time out the Liberals won the seat by 12,000 votes over the second place NDP. This time they did not figure on the NDP nomiating a candidate that was a Star in her own right. Cathy Crowe has been the voice for the homeless and the sick in Toronto Centre for over 20 years. She was one of the first nurses in the country to treat and care for gay men coming down with something called Grid. Later becoming known and HIV/AIDS.

Over the years she has gone after those in power, seeking safe affordable housing, accessible health care and tenents rights. All of this is no doubt why she is doing so well. She knows more people in Toronto Centre than anyone.

Murray has a wide and varied history as well, The former Mayor of Winnipeg left the NDP for a "sure" win as a Liberal Federal Candidate in Winnipeg in 2004. He lost.

Today he is a talking head for an organization that hasn't updated their website or posted their minutes or reports since he started for them. Murray is talented but proving to be more talking head than a doer. The talking however came to an end recently when he refused to take part in a televised debate on TVO. Murray's campaign sent a note to be read in his absense.

Hardly the stuff one would expect from a guy that hasn't walked by a mkicrophone in 20 years.

Aside from what I have stated about Murray above, Ontario needs a change and the people of Toronto Centre could be the ones to put one of the most dedicated public service persons in Ontario in the Legislature. Cathy will stand up for housing, cleaning up the streets and work to stop the HST.

For Liberals looking to slap Dalton this is a great opportunity to say "Smarten up". He will need to do a lot of that before the next election comes along. Failing that he could be facing the opposition benches for a long time. I bet he won't last election night in 2011 unless he does wisen up before then.

Baird was outed by Christian web site

A little more digging on the reporting of John Baird's gayness. I remembered an article on Lifesite that attacked the Harper government for not being "social conservative" enough.

Here are some comments deep into a report ...

"Harper rejected the candidacy of pro-marriage candidate John Pacheco during the Dec. 2005 Ottawa West nominations in order to protect the party’s star candidate, homosexual activist John Baird. Baird is a gay activist and staunch proponent of homosexual 'marriage'. In the provincial legislature Baird spoke in favour of a provincial gay marriage law striking the words "husband" and "wife" from all Ontario legislation. In the legislature Baird went so far as to heckle one of his own provincial Conservative colleagues who opposed the gay marriage law.

In 2003 Baird was asked by Stephen Harper to serve as co-chair for his leadership campaign. And in the federal election of 2004, John was again asked by Stephen Harper to serve as Ontario co-chair for the National Campaign." - Life Site June 27, 2006

Incidently, when I put the link to the story below on facebook, they ask you to type two words to be sure you are a person and not a machine. Here is a pic of those two words that came up for me... Do you think facebook is that intuitive?

Baird - queer as a three dollar bill?

OH no

Tell me its not so...

John Baird, the Stephen Harper Minister is gay... (tongue firmly placed in right cheek).

Toronto Centre Conservative candidate, Pamela Taylor lets it slip on CBC Radio's Toronto Morning show today.

Ms Taylor has officially outed one of her own. Bet she has fun putting that one back in the box.
It is common knowledge in the gay community but not that commonly known in the wider world.

see Xtra here

Voting discrimination in Toronto Centre

Access to voting....

Today most of us take it for granted. Check out this stat...

St. Jamestown has 8,866 voters and 3 polling stations. Three buildings on Bay Street have 910 voters, and 3 polling stations.

That shocked the heck out of me and reminded me of Ohio in the 2004 presidential election campaign and my work in BC years ago.

In the Ohio campaign large black and poor neighbourhoods had fewer voting locations and fewer voting machines than nearby predominantly white middle and upper class neighbourhoods. This meant that the poorer black people had to wait in line to vote four or five times longer than people in the wealthier white area.

In BC many years ago, voting in the remote Chilcotin country was at the house of a white person. This place was located in a white settlement of about 300 people. Also expected to vote at this place was the population 1100 at a Indian reserve 8 kilometers away.

The effect of this shoddy system is that those living in St. Jamestown are being faced with wait times to vote 4 or 5 times longer. Its likely these people have much less "disposable" time to wait. Its likely they will see a line and say "why bother". It is true that the people on Bay Street could say why bother too if they saw a line up, but they don't have to contemplate that as they won't have to line up to vote.

This is another example of systemic discrimination of the poor in Our Ontario. Or should I say "Your Ontario".

Rotary Pres says Cathy Crowe in Toronto Centre

I know those reading will say, of course this blog is supporting Cathy Crowe for MPP in Toronto Centre. Yes that is the bent here, yet I have to say, if ever Ontario needed someone specific at Queen's Park, it's Cathy. For that matter, why the heck didn't the Liberals try to recruit her? Surely she carries more cred than the local Liberal Candidate, Glen Murray, who is promising a key in the pocket of every resident to safe affordable housing.

I like Glen's promise, he needs to make it facing off against the one person in Toronto who has been doing that for years. And John Andras thinks so too!

"I have worked with Cathy for over 15 years. She is one of the most tireless workers, most clear-headed thinkers and most effective advocates. Equally at home speaking at a drop-in or at the Rotary Club, Cathy can bridge diverse interests and find common ground on seemingly intractable problems. I can think of no-one better to represent Toronto Centre at Queens' Park."- John Andras, Past President, Rotary Club Toronto