LPCers know how to raise funds

Its about optics and sometimes that may seem silly. Lets look at the recent arrival of the LPCers in Sudbury Ontario this week. They have arrived for the annual caucus retreat. Its a good thing for them to be in Sudbury.

First the Liberals arrive in town that has 3,200 people on strike against a foreign mining conglomerate that is making money and had arranged a sweet, top secret deal with the Federal government. The Liberals know there is a high profile strike happening yet seemed less than prepared.

The meeting of so many Liberals means a fundraiser is needed. Someone comes up with a $550 per person price tag. Now I know all about arranging these kinds of fundraisers . You have to do them and everyone does. The Liberals lobbed a soft one out there and the NDP have smacked it out of the park in this case.

See the Liberals should have seen it coming. They could have made tickets available for much less to some people. They would have taken the winds out of the sails before the NDP could launch their attack. Yet they are so desperate for money that they didn't even consider that idea.

Smaller cities and towns have a different view of big fundraisers. Most people in Sudbury could never afford $550 for a ticket. It looks like a gathering of the elite. I'm sure the Liberals didn't mean it that way, but what is really sad is that they didn't even see it coming.

The NDP jumped on it and quickly organized a dinner for $5.50 with all the proceeds going to the striking workers. Contrast the two and you can see how elitist the Liberals look in this case. It won't help their case in Northern Ontario having all those suits running around either. I hope they tone the dress for the event. No gowns please.

Now Jeff has posted a blog today going after the NDP for asking for money in a mail out. The specifics you can find on his blog. The NDP ask for money so they can keep the pressure on the Government to get our soldiers out of Afghanistan. Its no different than mailings I get from the Liberal Party of Canada asking me for money to fight Harper's mean spirited agenda of the day. Jeff is comparing Apples and Oranges.

He just doesn't get it. He's a smart dude but somehow he misses the little details. Seeing as the NDP is simple in his mind, how come the LPC is getting lots of press over their fundraiser. I hope for their sake they sell out. They can kiss Northern Ontario off next election as well, it likely went for spaghetti for $5.50.

I'm not opposed to a political party holding a big buck fundraiser at the right time and the right place.

I said stop okay?!

Professional Gay demonizer retires...

Bishop Martino in Scranton, Pennsylvania will be walking off to his church paid retirement after taking a few good shots at the queer folks and any effort to open a dialogue with those in the Catholic Church.

As is usual for these types of professional gay haters, The good Bishop couched his language around , love the sinner not the sin.


Earlier this year Misericordia University hosted prominant Gay rights activist, Keith Boykin as a speaker. Boykin wrote the book, "One More River to Cross: Black and Gay in America."

Bishop Martino has called on the school to dissolve the "Diversity Institute" that sponsored the event. Now The Bishop went further this February when he asked Misericordia to seriously consider discontinuing its Diversity Institute, which co-sponsored Mr. Boykin's appearance," noting that the Institute previously invited Boykin to serve for a week as a visiting scholar.

Now that's telling the University what for.

The good bishop can now go to his nice little retirement and have no one but little boys and men attend to his every need till his dying days.

There much more that I don't have time to look at but its clear he was pushed out the door as the Catholic Church tries to deal with its members supporting Obama, not like the good Bishop who actively campaigned against Obama.

Now, in a stunning turn that has taken even veteran church-watchers by surprise, Martino on Monday resigned his post under highly unusual circumstances -- citing the stress of the job and saying he could not continue in a post that should have been his for another dozen years, at least. - Politics Daily

.

Optics and wooden nickels

Now one of the things that the backroom boys in the Liberal party always told me, when I was a little kid (in their eyes) optics was everything and you need money to run a campaign. I learned well from them, even won a few elections operating on that premise.

Still as I got older and I am sure smarter, optics are not the only thing that counts but they can sure as heck give you a pain in the neck. Lets look at the current LPC effort in Sudbury. It was a pretty smart idea to hold the gathering of the clan in small city Canada.

The optics are great. Sudbury is hurting. Lets go there and show them and other Canadians in similar small towns that we're with them. Besides the money we spend (House of Commons) on rooms, meals, car rentals, escorts, golf, real nickel nickels and drinks, we will have a great time out of the direct glare of all those nasty national media types.

Then things started to go wrong. Sudbury workers are engaged in what looks to be a long strike against the town's largest employer, a Brazillion mining giant. You see several years ago the workers signed an agreement with the company that said we will take less now, but as the price of Nickel goes so do we. So when the price went up the workers got a share. As the price went down a little the workers got a little less.

That apparently is not good enough for the big Brazillion company. They want to extract more than nickel out of the ground, it looks like they want a little bit of the workers hide as well.

Still this isn't totally lost for the LPCers. They could do something for these workers right? Maybe talk to the company about being fair here. Maybe they could meet with the strikers and show their support. Walk the picket line or bring Timbits and coffee down and have little chin wag.

I am sure the local LPC candidate loves having the party there to show support and perhaps give them a boost in maybe, just maybe, unseating the NDP Member of Parliament.

It seems the optics have got out of hand, even in the area that they have control over. The local LPC nomination is spilling messy stuff all over the place. Accusations of the the party wanting someone over someone else and who knows if membership applications arrived early or late, it was just 90 or so potential members.

The situation in Sudbury doesn't look so great now. At least you will all be able to gather around a grand hall and have dinner and reassure each other you have the right stuff to govern. Its so silly voters that haven't recognised this yet. At $550 a plate its a sure bet that many of the people the LPCers want to vote for them won't be at the table. Heck it would take a person working at the grand hall serving up this feast for a king, over 50 hours to earn enough to attend. That sucks for him or her, right?

Then we have that wily NDP MP from the area that the LPCers would love to upset, he goes and hosts a dinner for $5.50. Every cent of that goes to the local strikers. Just how do you compete with that kind of logic. Doesn't he know you need money to win elections? He's giving it away for crying out loud. Heck Maria Minna said this to CBC in defense of the Liberals fundraiser ...

"saying it was planned long in advance. She insisted this week's gathering will benefit the local community and the country politically and economically."We're also going to be spending money, by the way," she told CBC News. "I think we're giving." - Maria Minna, Toronto Beaches Liberal MP

At least the LPC is good for something, Maria can afford a $550 dinner.

The LPC still haven't learned a thing since the good ole days. They would have been better off going to cottage country or trying out the York Hotel. At least they know how to talk to those people.

Now I post this because I think we deserve better than this and of course it shows the LPCers slipping up again. Maybe, just maybe some LPCer blogger or PR guy will do something.

One last piece of advice, don't take any wooden nickels, especially in Sudbury, oh that looks bad...


update: Iggy is meeting with local strikers today. Hope it went well, anybody here?

Update: 4pm Aug 31 - LPCer Jeff says on Twitter: Iggy calls on Vale Inco to come back to bargaining table

Update: 4:30pm Aug 31 It appears Jeff's view of event in Sudbury neglected to include Ignatieff's refusal to support the workers beyond calling for the company to come back to the table. CBC reported that Ignatieff met with Steelworkers for about 90 minutes. The Union was hoping Ignatieff would support their efforts to open the agreement between the Government of Canada and Vale Inco. Ignatieff said NO.

Nanaimo-Cowichan Conservatives

The Harper team has a winner, maybe?

John Koury has been selected to represent Nanaimo-Cowichan Conservatives in the next federal election. This guy use to work for Keith Martin, former reformer turned Liberal. He has run before and it was not too pretty when he did.

Koury had a major meltdown and was almost pulled as a candidate. Veteran politicians like Deborah Grey and Conservative MPs Gary Lunn and John Reynolds were called in to shut him up. (see publiceye for more).

Koury has allowed time to heal the wounds of the past. It seems to have worked as the Conservatives have elected him as their rep this time out. He will be up against a stalwart campaigner in Jean Crowder, NDP MP since 2004 in Nanaimo-Cowichan. Koury was recently elected to the North Cowichan municipal council.

LPCers addicted to Opposition

I know some of my LPCer (that's Liberal Party of Canada) friends won't like this. But sometimes tough love is called for...

A Decreasingly Brief, Updated History of Liberal Declarations that they Can't Go On Supporting the Harper Government's Every Whim

Now isn't that a nice way of putting it out there. The LPCer's are doing the same again. I suspect they have lost the will to govern, in that case get out of the way and the real opposition will do it.

Church silent on Health Care

In the "I'm not totally surprised category" the Catholic Church is missing in action on the health care front. I know the RC Church has strong opinions on us queer folks and abortion, but they also have a pretty good record in recent years in their own convoluted way, of trying to end poverty. Why not health care for people that can not afford it.

On paper, the church supports universal health care. On paper, the church supports a public option. On paper, the church says that ending poverty is a fundamental issue of our time. - Change.org

Take a look here at an article on Change.org. Its amazing the church remains as quiet and or so spend-thrift on a matter that would address their purported mission...

Hey wasn't Ted Kennedy just buried by the Catholic Church?

In the "Oh my, Gasp" section

The Illuminati pretend to make people into gods, but instead they become kitch- Heavens to Mergatroid, what the heck?? I am as if transfixed by the gaze of general xerxes or cornelius or bobo booboo bonoobo boy...


found on facebook today...

Harper strikes the RIGHT chords

So while others dither, Stephen Harper pounds the piano chords, releasing a whole different person.

I always knew he was an odd duck, just how scary, thats another matter.

Simon in Montreal says, "Don't say I didn't warn you...."

How do I get off this horse?

EI reform isn't coming anytime soon to workers exhausting their benefits. As unemployment continues to rise, banks make huge profits and the prospect of an election dimming, we can expect little help.

Ignatieff managed to avoid a spring election by having Harper agree to a panel of LPCers and Conservatives, discuss over the summer, possible changes to EI. They met over the summer and so far agreed to disagree. That's not a surprise really. Harper has been stating for months that such action when demanded by the NDP was not needed. Now Iggy is back peddling. How do I get off this horse?

Where are the roots to today's EI problems? Go back to 1994 and Paul Martin, then finance Minister in the Liberal government. He cut back the entitlements, building of Brian Mulroney's cut backs to make it even harder to qualify for EI. They expanded the number of regions and extended hours needed to qualify, cut weeks of benefit and unless your boss went belly up, you couldn't hope to get EI.

Today we see record numbers of people on EI. Those people will see their benefits run out in a few months. What then, there are few new jobs, heck more people than ever are losing jobs.

Back to Paul Martin. As finance minister he stole funds from EI to balance the governments budget. So while collecting ever larger amounts of premiums from employers and employees, they used the excess. They cut EI benefits to allow even more of the EI premiums money to go to balancing the general budget.

Now we have Harper who wants EI to cover the self employed. Not a bad idea, but one that is fraught with difficulties. It looks like his plan would see current workers subsidize the plan. It looks like workers in Canada are caught between a rock and a hard place, between Conservative and LPC boulders.

Why is it so hard to get either of these leaders to stand up for workers in this country? Why do they continue to block EI changes that would allow people more time to find work, to pay their mortgage and bills and get by. Just a couple of days ago the big banks announced that 16000 Canadian households are three or more months behind in payments. That's a record. Its still a small number but an ugly looking trend.

The prospect of a fall election looks dimmer. Harper managed to hide his nine appointed senators behind Gary Doer, Canada's new chief lobbyist in Washington. He is managing to look moderate in the media and the public.

Well then, imagine Stephen Harper with a majority. It won't be a pretty sight. The LPCers will have only themselves to blame. They will blame the NDP for failing to fall into line and support the so called centre left. There is nothing left about the LPC save CB in Toronto and soon there will be nothing.

How do I get off this horse? That's the question Iggy should have looked after before he forced Dion out. The LPC choose this horse and now I must admit, I am mildly amused watching them vote against still another non-confidence motion. Seems they prefer the opposition benches as they are, no need to spend money they don't have to run in an election that Harper just might win again.

Better talk to Jack and the NDP. He was supportive of working together a while ago. But remember, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Jack may want a little more than a token cabinet seat or two when you come calling again.

The Real Medicare in Canada

Just for my American readers, the real Canadian medicare program...






Ok, some Canadians should see this too..

Two Fathers

This video made me feel so good. Its been around for a couple of years but carries a message that remains relevant today, especially in the USA. With States continuing to ban gays from adopting children, to gay parents losing custody of their children time for action has never been more imperative.

In Florida, a 33 year old ban has gone to the Miami appeals court.

The three-judge panel will decide the fate of two half-brothers who say they want to be adopted by the foster father who's raised them since 2004. The foster father, Martin Gill of North Miami, can't adopt under state law because he's gay.

In peculiar fashion Florida manages to think it is okay for gays to be foster parents but not adoptive parents. Seems to me that children in the middle of a crisis (Usually why children end up in foster homes) can be adequately and safely placed in the care of gay foster parents, they have the skills and abilities to properly nurture children. They then should be seen as good perspective parents.

Now don't get me wrong, I didn't need this information to know gays can be good parents. And now it appears the courts in Florida see it that way. My question is why on earth has the government not repealed this unjust law. That of course is silly of me. The reason is that the Republicans have needed laws like this to keep their base vote together.

Watch the video, it melted my heart...




More here

Florida Ruling Indicates Bans on Gay Adoption Lack Logic and Relevance

and here

Senators roster grows by Eight

Harper is poised to announce eight new senators on Thursday. Harper will appoint Conservative national campaign chief Doug Finley, Don Plett, president of Conservative Party and loyal staffer Carolyn Stewart-Olsen. See can west.

The appointments were to be made today, however were held off as the PMO did not want to be accused of trying to bury the story on a big news day, Senator Ted Kennedy taking up the airspace.

I suspect the Conservatives had another worry in mind rather than that feeble excuse. They were concerned that The Prime Minister would be appointing eight unelected senators on the very day one of the greatest "elected" senators in the US died. It would have so ironic.

There is speculation Ontario's Bob Runciman, Quebec's Judith Siedman and Nova Scotia's Rodney MacDonald also will appointed. See Twitter.

Grand pappy of Liberal campaigns has a dream

Perhaps they are only having some fun...

...or the LPC (that's Liberal Party of Canada) is so desperate to convert NDP supporters to their cause they have to manufacture stuff they dream of happening... Mouseville has a good run at those pesky white cats here.

We all know some LPC bloggers don't mind making stuff up, leave it to the grand pappy of Liberal campaigns to dream this one up.

LPC blogger tells part of the story

This is produced by a LPC party blogger. Its bang on. Under Stephen Harper thousands of Canadians have seen the loss of the jobs and have had to resort to EI.

Watch the vid...



I can't disagree with the video in any way. That ad could be produced by the NDP or the BLOC. It wasn't though. It was a federal Liberal that did this. The ad is truthful, raising the issue of the need for jobs and EI during the wait to get a job.

This is where the Liberal spin comes in. Its what you don't see in the video thats troubling. In the spring, the Liberals (LPC) decided to support the Harper budget after they extracted an agreement from said Harper to study changes to EI. In the interim and even prior to the agreement to study this issue of EI reform, thousands of Canadians have exhausted their EI coverage. That is especially true here in Ontario. Thousands more will run out of EI in the near future.

While provincial Premiers and the NDP were demanding changes to EI, the LPC and Conservatives have dithered, choosing to study the problem that's eating at the roots of Canada's social safety net. By the time they're finished I am guessing the solution will be watered down or no agreement will be found.

No agreement in EI changes should trigger a vote of non confidence. Don't hold your breath on that one. The LPC has had 79 chances to vote non confidence in the Harper government. Ignatieff it is time for you to step it up a notch.

Just how dangerous is a Harper Government

There are many examples to choose from. Most think that having a minority government means that there is a counter weight called the opposition to keep a government in line. That has not been what has happened during the successive Harper minority governments.

Here are just a few short examples of how decisions can be made by any government including a minority one when you have a fractured opposition.

The House of Commons voted in the majority to support and NDP motion to allow US Armed Forces deserters sanctuary in Canada. The Harper government has simply ignored the motion passed by Parliament and forced the extradition of American deserters back to the USA.

Omar Ahmed Khadr remains prisoner in Gitmo, the only person from a western country (Canada) to remain in US custody. This despite a Supreme Court ruling telling the Harper Government to make efforts to re-patriot Khadr.

Several Canadians remain in US prisons after being convicted of crimes in that country. In most instances for the last 20 years the Canadian government has allowed them to serve their sentence in a Canadian prison, closer to family and community. Harper and his government has refused, even after the Americans have approved such transfers.

In the same vein, Canada has long held a position of being opposed to the death penalty. The death penalty was removed long ago in Canada, yet the Harper government has chosen not to intervene in the cases of several Canadians facing the death penalty in the US.

Funding for so called "progressive" health issues has been cut and or spent and the resulting work held up on the PM's desk. The federal government has refused to allow an HIV prevention campaign to be launched since 2007 because it is not the kind of campaign they would a approve of. They didn't say anything to the group developing the campaign, they kept the finished product from being used after spending 10's of thousands of dollars developing it.

If that is not enough, then lets look at water on First Nations in Canada. Its abysmal. At any one time there are 80 to 180 boil water advisories in First Nation communities in Canada. If that were happening in 'white' dominated communities all hell would break loose. When several deaths occurred in Walkerton Ontario due to e-coli in the water, the whole system of ensuring safe drinking water was overhauled as it should have been.

Next we have the H1N1 virus, known to most as the swine flu. This has been particularily harsh in First Nation communities due to overcrowded living conditions, unsafe drinking water and a lack of adequate health care.

Lastly though not all, we have the Children of Attawapiskat. They have been denied a new school after their old school was declared unfit.


Okay, can there be any other reason that the Harper government has done nothing for the Children of Attawapiskat than overt discrimination.

This is one of the old fights in this country. First Nations students are required to attend school just like all other children in Canada. Canadian children in general get very good education. Education is always considered a priority for provincial and federal governments.

Delivery of quality education is a priority for everyone except First Nation Students in Canada. At least that is the message being delivered by the Federal Minister of Indian Affairs, Chuck Strahl. In fact several Ministers in the last few years have promised a new school. Not one of those Ministers have delivered on a school to date.

Yet in 2007, then Minister of Indian Affairs, Jim Prentice announced the funding was there for the school. In December of 2007 in walks Chuck Strahl. He cancels the funding. The Harper Government says it will cost too much due to the rising cost of construction.

The government resorted to have civil servants respond to the issue. Listen to this employee of the Ministry of Indian Affairs try to defuse the bomb loaded by his boss, Chuck Strahl.


That was incredible. This Civil Servant is either scared for his job or between a rock and a hard place and thus has chosen to cast himself as a complete idiot to keep his job. He is a hired gun and it appears the civil service has decided to simply acquiesce.

There is little excuse for doing nothing. Yet when an MP, Charlie Angus sees that a school is needed it is portrayed by one government member as grand standing and as a sign that that member is choosing 'Indians' over white kids. The attack is that simple. See here.

I ask you to imagine a Canada with a Steven Harper majority. Is that the kind of Canada you want? In fact is a Steven Harper minority worth propping up for any reason? Look what he has managed to do while in office. Does he reflect your values?

I suspect most of you reading this will agree with me. Harper has to go and go soon. Now if the LPC will just stop being so self interested, ie waiting for just the right polling, and get out there like the NDP and stand for something. Together either in a coalition or in propping up a new government, they can undo a lot of whats wrong in Steven Harper's Canada!

Tornado 39 years ago in Sudbury

Tornado 39 years ago in Sudbury

As amazing has this might be, on August 20, 39 years ago a Tornado swept through Sudbury, Lively and Field Ontario, killing six people and injuring over 200 more. A total of 17 million dollars in damage was done.

Here is a link to the CBC Archive video of the aftermath. When you click on the link it will take you to the CBC archives and start playing.

We are Non-dispensational, except for Homos

We are Non-dispensational, except for Homos

They should be dispatched...

I'm not sure if I can actually post this material in Canada. I feel queasy about doing it. I decided you needed to hear this. If you are in the USA, this guy could be your neighbour. Especially if you are in Tempe AZ.


This family is growing up to hate others. This man is a Father, someone who is entrusted with nurturing, protecting and introducing these children to the world.

Baptist preacher Steven L. Anderson can be found here on the web. Ironically he is from Arizona, the same state that allows people to carry semi automatic rifles designed to kill people.

The audio below is very offensive, do not listen if you find extreme homophobia even mildly offends you.

You can find more of his deplorable speech here.


And if those sermons don't get you, look at the Doctrinal Statement.

H/T to Good as You ( not according to the good pastor you're not!)

note: i distorted the faces of these kids, though the pastor has them on full display on his website.

Harper's insidious contempt of democracy

Harper's insidious contempt of democracy

Over at blogging a dead horse Stephen Harper's insidious contempt of democracy is laid out plain as day. It's very rare you see a government try to pull these kinds of shenanigans so openly. Just how low can they go? Check it out.

"Friday’s post about Stephen Harper’s plan to appoint undemocratic “official liaisons to the federal government” as a way to supplant democratically elected NDP MPs has gotten loads of blog attention, but very little in the mainstream press outside of northern BC, where NDP MP Nathan Cullen has been targeted." - Attack of the Conservative Pod People, Part II

Now if there is an example for others as to how to be a good MP, Nathan Cullen would be on most people's list. The Harper Conservative Government has set a new low water mark with this.

Quoted in the Terrace Daily, Conservative MP Dick Harris says...

"I and other BC Conservative MPs will work closely with Sharon Smith as she represents constituents of her riding to the government members. It will be a bonus for people of Skeena-Bulkley Valley to have direct representation to the government on so many issues,” continued Harris..."

Sharon Smith is a Conservative candidate in the next election. running against you guessed it, Nathan Cullen.

Check out Attack of the Conservative Pod People, Part II and Barbara Yaffe's column in today's Vancouver Sun

Happy Birthday to Canada's ROZEMA

Happy Birthday to Canada's ROZEMA

Happy Birthday to Canadian film director PATRICIA ROZEMA. Patricia turns 51 today and one of Canada's best kept secrets.

She is not a secret in the Film industry but I hazard to guess that many Canadians don't know her. I am betting we know her work though.

In case you didn't know, Patricia plays on the all girls team! At Queerthoughts, we wish her a BIG Happy Day! Patricia lives with her equally talented partner, Canadian composer Lesley Barber and their two children.

Her films include I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987), White Room (1990), When Night is Falling (1995), the Jane Austen adapation Mansfield Park (1999) and the film version of Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time.



Her most recent work includes direction of the Kit Kittredge: An American Girl movie and her co-writing the lauded HBO film version of Grey Gardens (starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore) which was released earlier this year.

Why not pick up one of her flicks this weekend and make it a Girls Night in. That goes for all you "boys" too! I think I will be getting

BC headed to 3 billion plus deficit!

BC headed to 3 billion plus deficit!

Yeppers, you read that right. Colin Hansen, BC's Robber Minister went into an election knowing the Province's projected deficit of $495 million was way out to lunch, yet he repeatedly said that the number was good.

Seems the deficit number was good for one thing only, the re-election of Gordon Campbell and his team of con artists. We don't have all the numbers yet but it won't be long before we do. A new budget is coming down in a few weeks.

We know now that Hansen must have known the budget target was not going to be met because Welfare numbers were soaring. In fact welfare numbers were going so high, the public relations Bureau (read govt PR hacks) told Social Services it could not post welfare numbers until after the election. That's bad news on two fronts. First the province is paying out more money and second the province is not getting any tax revenue from the people it is paying welfare too.

Next we have The Robber Minister telling the media today that income tax revenue is down a billion and royalties and stumpage are down another billion give or take a couple 100 million. Add to that the 400 million spent on Forest fires and we easily have a 3 billion plus deficit.

Then there are the Olympic costs that we haven't seen yet. Surely they will come in way over budget. The Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre expansion has come in at double the original cost estimates. All I can say is that its a good thing these Liberals can mange money so well. Imagine what it would be like if they were worse at it than they tell us they are?

Now the fun stuff. It seems Robber Minister got a call from the big Robber Minister in Ottawa right after the election. The Ottawa Robber Minister had the BC Robber Minister over the barrel. See, Ottawa knew BC was in big financial doo-doo. So according to Gordon Campbell Ottawa said, "Hey BC, here is 1.5 billion buckaroos (that's what Harper calls dollars), bet you can use that right now." Harper was right of course and the deal was so easy, all BC had to do was sign onto a new tax.

You know most of the story after that. The HST is coming as a result of either a quick urgent decision that would not allow for public consultations and or the result of outright lying during the election. The BC Campbell Libcons in their effort to "Keep BC Strong" brought in a big new tax on the spur of the moment or they negotiated it for some time and felt voters didn't need to bother with it until after they voted.

BC, guess what?
You have been
Hoodwinked, Sucker-punched and Tattooed.

see also...

NO BC HST

Raphael Alexander: The dog ate my reason for introducing the HST

One Way We Can Say 'No!' to the HST

Ontario sleeps, BC Boils

Biggest Tax Shift in BC History: Why Did Campbell Do It?

HST opponents launch campaign to stop the tax

Critic says Tourism BC's closure a matter of control

CBC Archive - Funny Politician

CBC Archive - Funny Politician

The CBC has some great archives...

I plan to feature a few articles that they have. It is a pity that you can not embed many CBC archives. Perhaps this will change one day soon.

The first I have for you is Tommy Douglas. I know that surprises you all a great deal. I mean why would I pick him. Well just lucky I did because you will enjoy this audio clip that aired on CBC Radio on Feb. 11, 1976.

Tommy Douglas, Canadian funny-man

The first 15 to 30 minutes of Tommy Douglas' speeches are spent telling jokes. Sometimes they're elaborate anecdotes related to serious issues. Other times they're short and simple with a snappy punchline. Over the course of his long career, Douglas has become well-known as a master orator who can sway an indifferent crowd with his keen sense of humour and absolute passion. In this CBC Radio clip, Douglas delivers his best.

Can we have more FRANKness!

Can we have more FRANKness!

You go Barney!

Finally it has happened. I have been waiting for this, for Democrats to stand up and call out these town hell republicans on their nonsense.

"The economy is collapsing," one woman told Frank, suggesting that President Obama has chosen the wrong time to pursue health care reform.

When she compared the administration's policies to Germany under Hitler, Frank responded by asking her, "On what planet do you spend most of your time?"

Watch the whole clip, Frank does a good job!

h/t to Creative Revolution

go here if video does not work

Sometimes you can re-invent yourself

Sometimes you can re-invent yourself

Bill VanderZalm to the rescue... What? You're kidding right?

all I can add is Campbell LIBcons are really screwing up when this happens...

Boys will be boys

Boys will be boys

Only most ten year old boys know better than those commenting over at the CC Blog.

Canadian Cynic ran a short blog post going after a Con Blogger that had the gall to list the return to Canada of Suaad Hagi Mohamud as an accomplishment of the Harper government.

Then the Cons started to attack. Adscam was thrown out as if the Conservative wrong was mitigated by the Liberal (LPC) wrong. The post subject was lost and is now simply a forum for others to play "you're badder than we are..."

If people want to talk adscam or In and Out money post a blog and invite comments.

The point of the CC blog post seems to point to the lack of will on the part of the Canadian Government to quickly remedy a case of "mistaken" accusations made against a Canadian overseas.

The Minister could have stepped in. Mr. Harper could have stepped in. They chose to do nothing.

If you are a Conservative take your win at all costs attitude to your government and demand answers. That's the best hope you have for getting this behind you.

If you are with the LPC, write your post about The In and Out Election financing.

Suaad Hagi Mohamud deserves better than this.

Ontario sleeps, BC Boils

Ontario sleeps, BC Boils

Have Ontario folks simply accepted that the HST (GST and RST) is a done deal? Out in BC considerable effort is being made to do something to stop The BC Liberal government from moving ahead with the Harper Strangling Tax (HST).

In Ontario, the Progressive Conservatives said they will change it if elected. The NDP have rolled out a petition. Neither effort is gaining much headway. Its as if McGuinty knows we're a bunch of saps and even if we don't like it, what the heck are you going to do about it? Queens Park has decided!

Lots of things are going to cost more, yet the McGuintyGovernment can't or won't tell us how much and what will be costing more. They have released some info on increased costs, things like heating fuel, electricity, gasoline, tobacco, taxi fares, lawyers' fees, haircuts will be taxed at 13 per cent instead of five. Then there are funerals and maintenance work on condominiums not on the Ontario government released effects which will go up in price. Home renovations are going to be hit with the new tax as will almost anything defined as a service.

If you go to the PC sponsored petition site, they have listed things scheduled to cost more including, camp fees, propane, kids dance lessons, summer camps, coffee, magazines and fast food.

Now the NDP have a little more info on what will cost more under the planned HST. You can sign petition there to voice your disapproval of the unfair tax.

Why all the lack of motivation here in Ontario? The Progressive Conservatives have a Facebook group opposed to what they are calling the DST, Dalton Sales Tax. The group has only 532 members! Whats up with that?

The NDP Facebook group is doing better with some 1459 members. That's a far cry from the almost 100,000 members opposed to the HST in BC on Facebook.

Its a little disconcerting to see my new home province lacking any kind of fight to the coming of the Harper Strangling Tax. Maybe it's the fact that in BC you can recall a provincial MLA (MPP in Ontario). Maybe it is that in BC voters can put an initiative on a ballot.

Perhaps what is even more upsetting is that McGuinty and Campbell are being bought off by Harper. It certainly lends credence to the idea that any politician has a price and Harper is playing that game very well in two provinces he needs to win the next election.

To make matters even more muddy, NDP Premier of Manitoba Gary Doer is also looking at accepting the Harper government's bribe money.

The HST is a big tax shift. It will see government coffers grow and people paying more. David Schreck has a good article here on the issue at The Tyee.

I would put up the official Ontario government links to the change but they are a little hard to find. Try it yourself.

To follow the BC anti HST movement check in on Bill Tieleman's blog regularly.

Queer Thoughts dusty but back...

Queer Thoughts dusty but back...

I am back. I have been as my good friend Bruce over at Canuck Attitude, lacking inspiration to blog. I have a great new life that started here in Ontario in February 2006. It became apparent to me why so few people bother to keep up on issues of the day. Its because we were too busy living our lives.

There is so much out there that needs to be covered, talked about. Yet each of us has a limited intake of this stuff. I found my intake overwhelmed after I moved to Ontario. I met people that rocked my inner world. They challenged so much of what I believed and too my glee, they agree with me on so much, or perhaps I agree with them.

The long and short of it is that I discovered so much about myself in the last couple of years. Its has been an amazing journey.

Previously I met a wonderful man, Steven who became my partner. You if you have followed my blogging will know how important Steven became to me. My life crashed on June 9, 2002 when he succumbed to cancer as a result of AIDS. I buried myself in work. I worked too many hours a day. I shoved the pain into a corner. It became harder to keep pushing the pain undercover, the longer I ignored it, the bigger and harsher the pain became. Perhaps it was seeing Steven's name here, on the AIDS Memorial in Vancouver that pushed me to do something.

What can more harsh than seeing your partner's name/life commentated on a wall. Its rather final.

I turned to blogging. It was an outlet for me. I built up quite a following over the next few years. A following that was appreciative and active.

The problem was I was still lost. Meeting some very special people out here at the "Centre of the Universe" seems to have brought back my passion and I appear at this time to be ready to share it with you, readers of Queerthoughts.

So forgive me in my enthusiasm at this new beginning as I slip up a bit, here and there. Much has happened in the intervening years.

I know that many stories have been covered and if I say something that appears dated some smart alick blogger will say something like this in reference to my comment on Canadian Cynic

Rick Barnes said...

I expect that any day now, Mr. Harper will be trumpeting his governments support of Pride in Toronto

KEvron said...

huh. your pride week falls on the same week as juneteenth.

KEvron

9:00 PM

KEvron said...

got anything without an inch of dust on it, nut?

KEvron

9:01 PM

So expect a little dust as I get going again. Thanks to Bruce who has patiently listened to me for the last couple of years saying I would be blogging again, and a special mention that Lib dude who keeps going off on diatribes. His posting on the NDP convention irked me into blogging. Thanks Scott.

Canada is changing

Canada is changing

Good news for progressive folks...

A new poll shows youth will bring positive change in the years ahead, especially if they vote...

The teenagers of Metro Vancouver are a remarkably international and inter-cultural bunch. Metro Vancouver teens are by far the most likely in Canada to have inter-racial friendships. And the extensive foreign connections of B.C. teenagers affect their values -- how they see everything from war to homosexuality, global warming to God. According to ground-breaking new polling by Canadian sociologist Reginald Bibby, only 24 per cent of Metro Vancouver teenagers, or one in four, have parents born in Canada. Thirty-seven per cent of teens in Metro Vancouver were actually born outside the country, typically in Asia. - Vancouver Sun Douglas Todd

Just as gay marriage is gaining public support in the USA, Canada is seeing a growing change from the bottom up. Younger people are more likely to be supportive of the environment, human rights, gay marriage and being good worldly citizens.

DR. REGINALD W. BIBBY website

Harper and Raitt ISOlate Isotope solution

Harper and Raitt ISOlate Isotope solution

From Impolitical...

McMaster University offers for the umpteenth time to help produce isotopes

McMaster wants to be a part of the Canadian solution; it's willing and certainly able. Ramping up the McMaster Nuclear Reactor to produce moly-99 would utilize a facility with proven technology. It would require a modest investment and relatively little startup time. It would reassert Canada's position as a leader in nuclear research and nuclear medicine. And it would save lives and bring peace of mind to countless numbers of cancer and heart patients in Canada and around the world.

see Impolitical for much more and Conservative Ideology Led To Medical Isotope Mess In Canada at Buckdog.

Campbell and McGuinty

Campbell and McGuinty

Two premiers leading uninspiring governments decide to to take federal cash

Generally a cool thing to do, but not when it has this affect...

HST is bringing on recall talk in Canada's only Recall state.

Facebook anti HST site could lead to recall effort as they gather names

Only in BC, pity it can't happen in Ontario.

Campbell was told it would not be good

The Pot is trying to call the Kettle black.

The Pot is trying to call the Kettle black.

Its pertty funny if you think about it. The NDP kick someone out of convention because he offered to pay people to come to that convention. Now that maybe okay in the LPC Party, but most folks would call that vote buying. The NDP have means of helping those come to convention that can not afford too otherwise. That's because they believe all elected delegates should be able to attend.

Now we have Liberals all over the place screaming that the NDP is intolerant, doesn't support change to POT laws. How silly is that. For as long as I can remember, the NDP has supported changes to Canada's POT laws. Even the LPC talked about it. Heck, don't take my word, ask your neighbour which party is most "POT" friendly.

In the end as with every controversial position, the Liberals let the POT issue die on the order paper. Just as they let the Child Care plan die and the First Nations Kelowna Accord die.

In each instance the Paul Martin government could have introduced these changes. They would have had NDP support to do them. The LPC Party failed to bring these issues to a vote or into a budget. Instead, the LPC decided they needed some carrots to hold in front of voters so we could vote for them instead of the Conservatives.

Its did not work. Canadians have become wise to this old trick. For any LPC member or blogger to attack the NDP because they sent a POT activist that tried to buy votes packing is hypocritical.

To conclude... Dana Larson made a mistake. I support legalization of Pot. Larsen made it easy to send him packing. Larsen commented on a LPC Blog, A BCer in Toronto thus...

Dana said...

I am hardly "pleased as punch." I don't want to be the guy outside the convention with a sign, I wanted to be the guy inside lobbying for drug policy reform.

But I cannot stand down when I am falsely accused of bribing delegates and buying votes. I have been to a dozen NDP conventions and this one was the first time that our End Prohibition ad was rejected from the convention guide, and trying to book a table included 3 months of no replies before we finally got a table on the same day I was bounced as a delegate!

I love the NDP, and my fellow New Democrats generally seem to support my work. But clearly Brad Lavigne doesn't like pot smokers and has a hate-on for me personally.

Thanks for the coverage!

4:07 PM, August 14, 20

09

The Pot is calling the Kettle black because the Kettle is working up a good head of steam heading into the next election...

What would a BC Liberal do?

Its so blatant, even the mainstream media in BC had to point it out...

What would a convicted drunk Premier tell you before an election and do after the election?

h/t to Red Tory

NDP still the NDP

NDP still the NDP

and not so "Lily White," says LPC blogger...

Seven hours for debate. That's a fair amount of time at any major party convention. That is in addition to the time spent by the panels. At NDP conventions, it is the delegates that decide what priority is set to each item. Not the party brass.

Good guy Liberal blogger Scott Tribe wrote a blog titled "How undemocratic of the New Democratic Party delegates (or some of 'em). " specifically about the name change resolution.

Scott reasons that the name change issue was so big that the party faithful should have had an opportunity to debate it and when it did finally come to debate, the clock was run out by some pretty smart (undemocratic in Scott's terms) delegates opposed to a name change.

The name change was all big hype by the media and bloggers. I even supported the idea. That said, the delegates did not seem to think it needed such a high priority. When the ranking of resolutions was put to the floor, the delegates adopted the ranking. Any resolution can still be moved up on the the list if there is a will by the delegates to do so.

So the real story behind Scott's blog is made clear here in a reply from someone who said the story isn't so important...

Scott Tribe Reply:
August 17th, 2009 at 2:18 pm

@Paladiea, Actually.. its all over the papers (ie the Star saying this was all anti-climactic), but whatever.. I’m just pointing it out so the next time NDP bloggers try to be critical of Liberal leadership for some undemocratic slight (and they’ve had no bones about doing so before), they can be reminded they aren’t lilly-white when it comes to undemocratic practices in their own party.

I suppose its tough being a Liberal (LPC) these days. They have been working overtime to bring the NDP vote into their fold. It has proven to be a great failure. So while the NDP took positions on many issues of the day at their convention, the LPCs are still trying to figure out how to prevent an election as their party succumbs to the Conservatives in the latest polling. Muddying the "Lily White" NDP seems to be an ongoing growth strategy for some LPC supporters.

Back to Scott's blog, Devin Johnson, a NDP blogger wrote...

Devin Johnston Reply:
August 17th, 2009 at 3:51 pm

@Scott Tribe,

Where is the lack of democracy here? We didn’t get to the name change because the party delegates voted to prioritize other resolutions first. It is literally not possible in our party for the party leadership to prevent us from debating something that the membership is interested in debating: the prioritization list comes from the convention delegates themselves. When New Dems criticize the Libs for being undemocratic, it’s because the Liberal brass is actually making a unilateral decision without allowing the membership to dissent. When Liberals accuse New Democrats of being undemocratic, it’s because we were pressed for time at our convention. Incidentally, any policies that didn’t make it to the floor get forwarded on to our federal council for further discussion.

I think Devon did a good job here...

Im not sure what the bloggers will say when the NDP introduce a motion to eliminate small business tax. "NDP abandons workers," comes to mind.

Something to think about...

Something to think about...

This is a little gay film short, 10 minutes about not sweating the small stuff.

enjoy and share...



Set in a neighborhood laundromat, "Laundromat" is a Romantic drama-edy that follows a young gay couple, who after a chance encounter with an older man, realize that the little things mean nothing and everything when it comes to love. Director: Edward Gunawan