5.27.2010

Kenney tell any more lies

Don't you just love it when the Harper Conservatives get caught out like this...

It couldn't happen to a better dude than Jason Kenney.




h/t to Saskboy

US House Passes Repeal of DADT

U.S. House of Representatives votes to repeal DADT, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

The vote was 234 to repeal and 194 opposed.

All republicans voted against repealing DADT but five. They were joined by 25 Democrats

Oddly
22% of the USA opposes repealing #DADT and 98% of House GOP opposes it. Think someone is missing something?

Read more at
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a national, legal services and policy organization dedicated to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT).

Some quotes of a republican member of the house!

- Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN): "To say that sodomy should be repealed from the Code of Military Conduct is just wrong!"

Rep. Steve Buyer: "It is very clear that homosexuality is incompatible with military service."


Senate Armed Services Committee votes on DADT

THIS JUST IN FROM SLDN: WASHINGTON, D.C. – Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a national, legal services and policy organization dedicated to ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), released a statement today after the Senate Armed Services Committee voted in favor of the repeal amendment. The final vote was 16 to 12. The full House is expected to vote on the same amendment shortly.

Watch C-SPAN live here...

5.25.2010

HST sets off a storm in the heart of LibCon BC

Here I am in the heart of Gordon Campbell voting folks, Kelowna BC,  three of the whitest ridings in all of Canada, where over 40% of voters are over 55.  Being from Toronto these days, I haven't seen this many white people since I dared walk through parts of Rosedale.  BC Liberals consistently poll 55% plus on a election day and the NDP 30%. 

To top off all the white folks living here, you have churches everywhere, its full of Sunday Christians.  This is a city that still "Leaves it to Beaver or Bennett." and thinks Brian Mulroney was a socialist. 

I gave you some background so you might understand an absolutely bizarre situation.  These people have never once dared vote for the CCF or NDP since 1945.  I managed a campaign here and we got 32%.  That was a huge vote.  The socialists are at the gates!

The anti-HST petition has been extremely successful here.  So much so that almost 30% of registered voters have signed the petition.  8700 people in all.  The other two Kelowna ridings are virtually identical in support for the petition.  If Gordon Campbell loses here, he is losing everywhere and Liberals that won for the first time in the last election are sweating bullets.  Can you blame them.  They ran in the birthplace of Social Credit, the home of former BC Premiers (Daddy) WAC Bennett and (baby) Bill Bennett.  The toughest thing for them was winning the nomination, the rest was a cake walk to Victoria. 

The petition, the first of its kind in Canada, is proving to be a big equalizer. People are mad about being lied to in the election, "We're not planning to implement the HST" to the actual tax that will see more people paying more taxes.  Restuarants will see bills go up 7%.  Home renos up 7%.  In fact many things previously exempt will be taxed.

The Liberals have brought a storm of biblical proportions upon the land, this time Liberals will be the ones turned into pillars of salt. 

5.18.2010

My rant

Its crazy here in Canada. We have an ever growing Christian lobbying effort in Ottawa. People that won't stop until Canada no longer allows abortions, says to queers of all kinds, get back in the closet and be lucky we don't do what the Muslims do in Iran.
Stephen Harper thinks he is fooling us all. In fact the mainstream media are fooling us. They act like Mr. Harper won an election. Hell, 66% of Canadians voted for someone other than Mr. Harper's party. Of course the Liberals have conceded to almost everything Harper has put forward. No wonder folks have the idea that Harper is an absolute ruler. The Libs are propping him up.  If Mr. Harper wins a Majority, it because of a completely inept Liberal party.

Iggy couldn't come up with a policy if Canada depended on it.  I guess that was a given.  The Liberals missed the boat going with this academic.  He waits for the results to come in months after a decision is needed.  Witness his late conversion on the road to Damascus, "the Harper Government has to go at all costs"  all the while, hoping the Harper government would not fall.  He was about a year late in that conversion.  Now he is at it again.  Supporting Conservative budgets. 

The only hope for people opposed to Harper is to vote NDP.  Not a bad choice given they have wrung concessions out of Harper and before him, Martin.  In fact they are the only ones in Parliament committed to making the place work.  Harper has a narrow agenda to get through, Iggy is protecting his own publicly paid housing across the street from Harper. 

The media need to start asking the tough questions of Harper, Ignatieff and Layton.  Make them answer and when they side step it go after them.  I know that Layton will be okay.  He at least has policies to refer people too. 

Imagine that, maybe we could focus on what each party would do if they were elected. 

5.17.2010

Just what could the Campbell government do?

What will happen if the BC Liberals feel they are going in the tank next election?  Will big business and the other wealthy Libcon financiers suggest a big time fire sale.  Its no secret the big business in the province want to get rid of some nuisances as they see them to unfettered markets. 

Here are a few things that could come under review for possible sale/garage sale pricing.

ICBC - There is already competition for the lucrative non-basic coverage.  This is the most profitable piece to the vehicle insurance business.  What's to stop Campbell and company from selling shares in ICBC or an auction to the highest bidder in a contest to compete with ICBC.

BC Lottery Corp.  -  Ontario has looked at selling off its lottery business, why not BC?


BC Place stadium would be a nice asset to sell if the government swallows the debt portion of the place.


St.Paul's Hospital - The Libs and Providence Health Care have been trying to find a way to move the hospital from the West end of Vancouver for years so they can sell the property to developers. Too bad for those that live in the West end but wouldn't they prefer a bunch more million dollar condos on Burrard street to an old hospital?

BC Hydro - The private sector has been vexed for years, missing out in tens of millions in energy dollar profits because BC Hydro produces and transmits its power to consumers.

The Agriculture Land Commission, weakened after Bill Bennett came to power and then more so under Campbell, could be tweaked some more to allow more growing of condos and big box stores.

That's the short list.  There are many more opportunities for the Campbell Libcons.  Imagine the possibilities if they they think they are going to royally tossed from office next election.

Alabama Republicans OMG

Some things just scare the heck out of you. Like politicians that think they are John Wayne and its all a big movie set. They get to say whatever untruth it is they want, as long as they have a gun, horse and fast talking candidate. Dale Peterson is that kinda guy. He is running to get the Republican nomination for the Alabama Agriculture Commission.

I always wondered what it would be like in Alabama. If this guy is a reflection of folks there, this small town boy will be satisfied right here thank you!



Of course he is running against someone (Dorman Grace) who is trying to out conservative Peterson, though Grace's ad is a little easier to listen too. No guns unless its concealed...

Campbell's HST - Liberal nightmare

Oh my, its going to happen. BC has recall and initiative legislation. The only place in Canada to have it, yet the bar is very high. The people are going to force Premier Campbell to hold a province wide referendum or a vote in the legislature on the HST.

Premier Campbell has made this initiative an easy sell. Bill VanderZalm is leading an effort to force the government to rescind its plan to harmonize the GST with the PST. People don't like it and are fighting back.

Fight HST campaign organizers say they have signed up the minimum 10% of registered voters in 72 ridings. That leaves 13 to go before July 5th for their petition to succeed.

"Be proud of who you are."

Harry Potter says, "Be proud of who you are."

Daniel Radcliffe's PSA For LBGT Help Line Debuts 'If you're feeling helpless or hopeless, there's always a safe place to turn,' he says in the Trevor Project PSA.

The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

(HST- Savings) + (7.5% LCBO) = no savings

Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, who insists most companies will pass along any reduced costs from the HST to Ontarians, said it would be reckless to lower prices on beer, wine and spirits.  - The Spec.com


Reckless!  My god, if there was one way the Libs could have turned a few folks around to being at least "indifferent" it was the lower cost of beer and wine as a result of the HST coming to be.  The Ontario Government has ensured that its big business, The LCBO, will not pass savings onto you and me...


Now of course we can expect Ontario's other big businesses to pass along savings to the consumer.  

RIGHT! 

5.05.2010

BC Law didn't Fail to pay Heed

BC politics has become stranger than fiction over the last few years. It use to be Wacky, then his son Bill took over proving wacky can be mean as well.

Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals have taken things to new levels of deceit and utter disregard to democratic principles. The latest involves Kash Heed, Liberal star candidate in the 2009 election. Heed a former Vancouver Police Officer was named to cabinet as the Solicitor General. He resigned in April over an RCMP investigation into campaign illegalities done in Heed's name during the 2009 provincial election.

The whole story is here and here. It turns out the guy appointed by the government to investigate, works for a firm that has donated $17,000 to the BC Liberal Party over the last three years, including $1,000 to Mr. Heed himself. The Special prosecutor, Terrence Robertson knew this before he started yet still felt he could clear Heed of any wrong doing. Now perhaps Robertson was being honest here and did in fact find no evidence to implicate Mr. Heed. Then again, just what was he able to overlook and what was he unable to see.

Clearly this man should never have accepted the job. The BC Liberals and Gordon Campbell should have been aware of the connections between Mr. Robertson's firm and the BC Liberals financial successes. If they were aware of the financial largess from Mr. Robertson's firm, then it would appear they were asking, albeit indirectly, for someone that would be less harsh on Mr. Heed. Say it isn't so...

Now we here The Law Society of BC has announced it will investigate lawyer Terry Robertson. You can't make this up. As Red Rose would say "Pity, Only in BC you say."

I think I will start telling people here in Ontario, I am from Saskatchewan.