we're doing in our party is what really what needs to happen in the whole country

It hasn't been easy for Jack Layton lately. His job could have been a whole lot easier had he broke party tradition and ordered his MPs to vote to kill the gun registry. He would have had several mad MPs and those MPs would had many very upset constituents.

What was Jack Layton up to? This is what he said on Question Period (CTV) on Sunday.

"What we're doing in our party is what really what needs to happen in the whole country," Layton told CTV's Question Period on Sunday. "That is to build bridges between urban Canada and rural, northern and aboriginal Canada on an important issue."

Now that sounds like a leader. Someone that sees that sometimes you have to work things out. Its a lesson for the rest of Parliament. Once the vote is over, work can begin to revamp the gun registry to address many of the legitimate concerns of rural, northern and aboriginal Canadians.

Now we still have to get the vote. We have now 153 votes. That is as long as we get all 75 Liberals, and I am hoping Michael Ignatieff can get it done. Check out:

That didn't take long and

Hats off to Jack Layton ... and Buckdog

Gun Registry - NRA, NDP and Liberals

The effort to save the long-gun registry is getting tighter as four NDP MP's from the 12 who voted to end the registry have switched sides and support keeping the registry.  That means we likely need two more to defeat Bill C-391.  I expect that will happen.  The ball now falls squarely in the hands of the Liberals if the Bill fails because one or two of their members get gun shy on September 22 and forget to come into the commons to vote.  Keith Martin was asked today on Power and Politics if he thought every Liberal MP would show up for the vote.  He said he did not know if they would but that he would be there. 

Many of us, supporters of the NDP and the Gun Registry have been working tirelessly to get as many of those NDP votes as we can.  The results are there, we now have moved four MP's votes and we hope to move at least two more and maybe a third vote. 

With news that the NRA has been active in supporting the anti long-gun registry in Canada for years, I suspect getting the last few votes may well be easier.

 See cbc story on the NRA in Canada

Gay adoption in North Caroliona

I love it when queers get together and decide to have a family. Its wonderful and I just wish they would all last. But alas gay or queer families fall apart just like straight families. The case I am pointing to is in North Carolina. A State Senator and her partner, another woman, decided to have a baby and that baby was brought on by artificial insemination. They were blessed with a baby boy in 2002. In the following years the State Senator adopted the child and the local court in Durham NC allowed both the Mother and the State Senator to be equal parents.

"But Boseman and Jarrell split in May 2006, setting off a contentious custody fight and ultimately the case heard Wednesday by the Supreme Court. After the breakup, Boseman continued to spend time with Jacob and pay child support. Jarrell filed a motion in New Hanover County District Court to overturn the adoption. The New Hanover court denied the motion, and Jarrell appealed to the N.C. Court of Appeals, which ruled unanimously last Augus" Star News

In 2006 they split up. The boy is now 8 and both women have equal custody. Now the mother has tried in lower courts to squash the adoption. It hasn't happened. The case is now before the State Supreme Court and a decision is months away.

Now all I can think of is that they both agreed to be parents of this boy. He deserves to have access to both of them. He is 8 years old. It would appear that both parents love the boy, that both of them have been deemed qualified to be parents in two lower court decisions, despite the efforts of the woman that gva e birth to the child.

Marriages are apt to fall apart these days. Relationships of those you bring into the marriage ie a child, are likely well connected to both parents. Fighting to keep one parent away seems to be a waste of money, court time and a child's life.

see story at the Star News of Wilmington NC here

Dan Hampton calls the Dallas Cowboys 'Brokeback'.

Chicago Bears retired player Dan Hampton calls the Dallas Cowboys 'Brokeback'. "I think they are Clint Eastwood; they're more of the Brokeback variety if you know what I'm talking about."

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation was all over this and got results.

This on GLAAD's blog: "Hampton publicly apologized for the Katrina gaffe, but has not yet addressed the Brokeback comment. Pro Football Weekly publisher Hub Arkush told GLAAD that Hampton will be leading this weekend's show with an on-air apology for both statements. Arkush said "it shouldn't have happened" and assured GLAAD that similar incidents will not happen again."


Its becoming harder for pro athletes to get away with these remarks. And if he wants to see some examples of men that would put his macho men in their place I can introduce him to some of my buddies.


Now lets see the apology. Maybe a week with a gay hockey team will help him understand...

By the way, Don is the guy with his hand on the Doctor's shoulder...

here is the video of his comment

Some NDP MP's could use an email from you

The gun registry vote is coming up soon.  There remain at least ten New Democrats that look to be supporting the end of the registry.  It won't hurt if you could take some time to write them individually.  They are getting a lot of emails.  If you want yours to stand out, don't go off the deep end.  Send a short to the point email asking them to support the gun registry. 

I suggest you be polite.  These people are not the enemy, they want to do the right thing.  Help give them the reasons to support the registry.

The two members highlighted below have changed their plans and will now vote to support the gun registry.  You can write them and thank them for this change! 

• Allen, Malcolm – Welland – T: 905-788-2204 Ottawa: 613-995-0988
  Email: Allen.Ma@parl.gc.ca
• Angus, Charlie – Timmins – James Bay – T: 705-567-2747 Ottawa: 613-992-2919
  Email: AngusC@parl.gc.ca
• Ashton, Niki – Churchill – T: 866-785-0522 Ottawa: 613-992-3018
  Email: Ashton.N@parl.gc.ca
• Bevington, Dennis – Western Arctic – T: 867-873-6995 Ottawa: 613-992-4587
  Email: BevinD@parl.gc.ca
• Cullen, Nathan – Skeena – Bulkley Valley – T: (250) 877-4140 Ottawa: 613 993 6654
  Email: Cullen.N@parl.gc.ca
• Gravelle, Claude – Nickel Belt – T: 705-897-2222 Ottawa: 613-995-9107
  Email: Gravelle.C@parl.gc.ca
• Hughes, Carol – Algoma – Manitoulin – Kapuskasing – T: 705-848-8080 Ottawa: 613-996-5376
  Email: Hughes.C@parl.gc.ca
• Hyer, Bruce – Thunder Bay – Superior North – T: 807-345-1818 Ottawa: 613 996 4792
  Email: Hyer.B@parl.gc.ca
• Maloway, Jim – Elmwood – Transcona – T: 204-984-2499 Ottawa: 613-995-6339
  Email: Maloway.J@parl.gc.ca
• Rafferty, John – Thunder Bay – Rainy River – T: 807-623-6000 Ottawa: 613 992 3061
  Email: Rafferty.J@parl.gc.ca
• Stoffer, Peter – Sackville – Eastern Shore – T: 902-861-2311 Ottawa: 613-995-5822
  Email: StoffP@parl.gc.ca
• Thibeault, Glenn – Sudbury – T: 705-673-7107 Ottawa: 613-996-8962
  Email: Thibeault.G@parl.gc.ca

BC Lib's briefed on HST prior to election

The HST battle just got muddier in BC. The BC Liberals were briefed on the HST prior to the election in May 2009. The Gordon Campbell Liberal government has denied for the last 18 months that the HST was not even on their radar until after the election.

See more here on CBC.
and CTV

The BC Liberals decided to pre-empt a freedom of Information request today by releasing the info in a major damage control effort.

Link to HST documents, somewhat redacted! Are you surprised?

HST bomb set to go off at 4pm in BC

Watch BC Media after 4pm today.  BC newsbreaker Bill Tieleman says

"Devasting" BC government news about HST prompts major damage control - Finance Minister Colin Hansen calling media personally - embargoed till 7 p.m. est

Check out Bill's blog and or listen to BC media 

CKNW Radio

CBC Vancouver

The Audacity of Iggy and the Liberal Party of Canada

Over to you Mr. Spector...

"Still, if a Toronto Star report is accurate, you have to marvel at Mr. Ignatieff’s audacity in claiming that “the NDP will stand for ‘no darn principles’ if leader Jack Layton and the New Democrats fail to support the long-gun registry in a crucial vote this fall in Parliament.” Actually, the word “audacity” doesn’t quite capture it: Frankly, in light of the history of these two political parties, it’s ludicrous for any Liberal to claim advantage over the NDP when it comes to questions of principle. Whether you agree with those principles or not." Globe and Mail

Whatever happened to the national Childcare plan my dear Liberal friends?