Conservatives Exposed

A BCer in Toronto: (Video) Don Newman schools John Baird

John Baird has been a member of parilament for years, provincially and federally, and he exposes the fact that he does not know how parliament or our democratic system works. He also contradicts himself in statements about the Bloc (if the Bloc supports the opposition, then the opposition stance is evil and anti-Canadian, but if the Bloc supports the Conservatives, they are Canadian).

"Coalition government better for environment" - Sierra Club

World Report: "Coalition government better for environment, says Sierra Club," Greenpages.ca, December 3, 2008.

December 3, 2008 - A Liberal-New Democratic Party coalition government would be better for Canada's natural environment, says Sierra Club Canada.

14 steps to fascism - How does the Harper government stack up?

Blogging if necessary but not necessarily blogging: Interactive project on the fourteen steps to fascism, eh?

In 2003, Political Scientist identified fourteen characteristics of fascism. The Old American Century website put together a compendium of ways in which the Bush regime matched these points. I thought it would be interesting to see how well Steven HarProrogue (TM) is doing.

The characteristics are listed below. I will add in a few links that I think demonstrate his adherence to the fascism two step. Feel free to add yours in the comments and I will update this post with them periodically.

Peterborough Politics on the Editorial from the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal

Peterborough Politics: I Couldn't Agree More

The fact is that Canadians are suffering, and the Conservatives are looking out for their own cushy cabinet posts. I'm not surprised by the Chronicle-Journal stating that they have received more letters of support for the coalition than against it because Canadians are the kind of people that usually look to work together. And that's precisely what this coalition is about, putting aside differences and working together. But instead of lauding that, the Conservatives tried to turn the good characteristics of cooperating and working together into some kind of deep seeded, anti-Canadian character flaw.

Canada awarded 4 Fossil of the Day awards

Another crisis that Harper is promoting « Verbena-19

OTTAWA—Today, during international climate talks in Poznan, Poland, Canada was given an unprecedented four “Fossil of the Day” awards by the international community.

The awards are given to governments taking positions that stall or block the progress of climate negotiations. At the climate talks, the Canadian delegation has failed to take a constructive approach to negotiations – at the same time as the Harper government prorogued Parliament, shutting down debate until next year.

Tim Burton to make a Dark Shadows movie with Johnny Depp

Dark Shadows: Can Tim Burton Convert Over 1000 Hours of TV into One "Dark Shadows" Movie?


One of the weirdest soaps ever to hit the airwaves is Dark Shadows,
a late-1960s daily story that spent 6 months as a typical gothic
melodrama and then surprised viewers by abruptly introducing ghosts,
ancient gods, a sexy vamp named Barnabas (pictured), time travel, and
parallel universes. Dan Curtis' iconic series aired for 5 years on ABC,
racking up almost 1100 hours of television packed with monstery
goodness. And now Tim Burton is set to make a movie version of it, with
Johnny Depp as Barnabas. Can it really be done?

Dollhouse - meat or cake? Get on with it so we can see for ourselves

Dollhouse: Dollhouse A Show Of Two Halves

Dungeons and Dragons dance music

Music: It's . . . Dungeons & Dragons Dance Music?

Okay, this is funny.

Could it get any cheesier? How about getting David Hasselhoff to cover it and star in the video.

:)

New Farscape news!!!!

Splash Page » EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: ‘Farscape’ Creator Rockne O’Bannon Brings Series Back — As A Comic Book

 A four-part comic book, and a webisode mini-series will take up where the Peacekeeper Wars mini-series left off.

Test Tube Meat - more news

Checkout Line: Meet shmeat | Gristmill: The environmental news blog | Grist

Shmeat is grown from a cell culture (hence the in vitro or cultured
prefixes), not from a live animal. These harvested cells are taken from
an animal, such as a pig, and placed in a "nutrient-rich medium" that
mimics blood. Once the cells multiply they are attached to a spongy
scaffold or sheet (sheet + meat = shmeat) that has been soaked with
nutrients and stretched to increase cell size and protein content.

Repo Man sequel - Repo Chick

Repo Man Sequel Starts Filming Next Month | /Film

Alex Cox’s Repo Man sequel Repo Chick is finally going into production next month (January 2009). Production Weekly reports that David Lynch is producing the project.

Cox has previously said that the follow-up will “unfold against the
background of the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage crisis in the
US, where repossessions of homes, cars and other forms of property is
at a new high. ‘The repo business has expanded to everything from
boats, houses, aeroplanes, small nations…children”.

Is that job you found on-line too good to be true?

US National BBB.org: News Center

Look for Seven Red Flags when Searching for Jobs Online

Our democratic rights were taken away, and the corporate media approves

Getting it Right: WSWS: Canada’s “constitutional coup” and the corporate media

Whilst the editorial pages largely avoided commenting on the shutting down of parliament, the dailies did publish many copy-inches of reportage. The common refrain of this reportage was that the governor-general had called a "time out."

The "time out" metaphor has a very definite political significance. It is meant to lull the population to sleep, to foster the notion that little, if anything, of significance has taken place and everything will, in any event, soon go back to normal because parliament has merely been "suspended."

The truth is otherwise. The suspension of parliament and of MPs' right to defeat and replace the sitting government strikes at the most fundamental democratic principle—the right of the people to choose their own government.

If not overturned by a movement from below, Canada's constitution, through the power of precedent, will have been rewritten and the powers of the executive, of both the sitting government and of the governor-general, to ignore parliament and rule by decree will have been significantly increased.

As for the question of "suspension," this is precisely how democratic rights are taken away. Governments moving in an authoritarian direction don't generally outright abolish democratic rights; they "suspend" them, claiming that they need to be temporarily withdrawn so as to confront a purported crisis or emergency.

Working people must take heed: The corporate media's support for the constitutional coup engineered by the Conservatives and the governor-general attests to the fact there is no significant constituency within the ruling class committed to the defence of constitutional principles and democratic rights.

The business suits' love affair with Prime Minister Stephen Harper is beginning to wane

Is something actually sticking to the Teflon PM? « the regina mom

Since first being elected to the House of Commons in 1968, at a time of great national unity, I have never witnessed a Canadian prime minister consciously decide to disunite the nation. Until now.

Instead of following constitutional precedent and allowing a democratic
confidence vote to take place when it should, we have a power-hungry
man who will be recorded as the first prime minister in Canada’s
history to deliberately create a political crisis and set the fire of
national disunity. - Ed Broadbent

Marijuana could help our economy

Canadian Spades: Legalizing cannabis could end our recession

I could go into a long winded rant about the benefits of cannabis
regulation and how it could infuse billions of dollars into our sagging
economy, but I'm sick and tired of doing it, so I'll just point you here, and post a few key quotes from the article:

Bringing down the Harper government - for the good of Canada

Bringing down the Harper government… « Verbena-19

This poignant piece
written by Political Science professor James Laxer is in Straight
Goods, Saturday, Dec. 6th.  Laxer’s sage advice is intended for
Liberals and the NDP. But all Canadians, especially those who are
brainwashed by the Harper government into believing that the coalition
is bad for our country — and that Harper’s is the only ‘legitimate’
government — should also pay attention.

...

This is it guys.

If the opposition fails to defeat the government and install a new one, Harper will exercise complete control for the next couple of years. The opposition parties will be stuck with Flaherty’s budget at the end of January, which is virtually certain to fall short of what the country needs in terms of economic stimulus. Do they really want to place the fate of Canadians in the hands of a man whose first plan for coping with the economic crisis included selling the CN Tower?

...

Harper is a neo-conservative ideologue, obsessed with power and his own
sense of self importance. He is contemptuous of Canada and a stalwart member of neo-con right-wing groups, closely linked to their U.S. counterparts.
This group’s insidious agenda is not what most Canadians envision for
our country. Conservative Canadians who believe that Harper’s party
represents them and the country have been duped by his relentless
divisive propaganda aided and abetted by the cowed media and pundits.
If these Canadians remove their blinders, they will see the ‘real’
Stephen Harper and get a glimpse of what he has in store for us in the
coming year. They will see that Harper’s plans for the direction of our
country are far different from that of mainstream Canadians, regardless
of where we stand on the political spectrum.. It is imperative that
Canadians of all political persuasion unite for the good of our country.

Addictive Games

We Can't Stop Playing: Top 25 Addictive Games of All Time Gallery and Images - GameDaily

They forgot Diablo in its various incarnations.

Jack Layton Speaks on democracy and the coalition at the Ottawa rally.

The Z-Files: NDP must lead fight to restore democracy

Watch the video

Rick Mercer's Rant - video - If you're not outraged, you are not paying attention

1337hax0r.com » If you are not outraged, you aren’t paying attention

Democracy in Canada?

The View from Elsewhere: Canadians don't care for democracy

The idea that Canada is a democracy has finally been exposed as an illusion. This was done when Stephen Harper was granted a seven week holiday from accountability, which should give him enough time to grow a square mustache. That may seem harsh, but then again, the guy did shut down this country's government for no other reason than to cling to power, and so kindness is the last thing he deserves.

What amazes me is how many people, be they political experts or just ordinary citizens, are fully relieved that this assault has been committed against our supposed democracy. Their rationale ranges from a moronic idea that the government, like some horny teenager, needs time to cool off, to the blatantly wrong assertion that we must at all costs be delivered from the clutches of a coalition that is beholden to the evil separatists. In between is the equally wrong notion that Stephen Harper was elected Prime Minister, and so shall he remain, despite his lethal combination of arrogance and incompetence, not to mention the fact that we do not elect a Prime Minister; we elect Members of Parliament who then in turn choose a leader.

Stephen Harper's Dangerous War on Canada

Montreal Simon: Stephen Harper's Dangerous War on Canada

I have always believed that
Stephen Harper's crazy ideology will end up tearing this country apart.
And that's what he really wants so his Cons can RULE what is left of
Canada.

Canadians may find themselves nostalgic for what the Coalition wanted to do

Over the longer term, I wouldn't be surprised if the Canadian public found itself nostalgic for what the coalition wanted to do. They had some terrific ideas:

We'll protect good jobs by supporting key industry sectors. The auto sector will get credit guarantees and low-interest loans, tied to producing low-emission vehicles Canadians want. Forestry companies with good business plans and a viable future will qualify for credit guarantees.
We'll create jobs straight away. Ready-to-go infrastructure projects will be fast-tracked. Retrofitting homes and building affordable housing can begin right away. Then there are jobs in renewable energy and expanded public transit.
We'll invest in families through EI reform, skills training and help for older workers moving to retirement. And we'll help seniors through pension protection, reform to mandatory RRIF withdrawals and increased Old Age Security.
We'll work closely with the new Obama administration on fighting climate change with a cap-and-trade system. And we'll work for fairer trade to make sure there are healthy markets for Canadian goods.

Compare these to the Conservative brain trust, who wanted to abandon pay equity and break the civil service unions. What century are these guys living in? Even in Harper's speech last night, he seemed to think that indirect measures like "injecting liquidity into financial markets" and reducing taxes and "undertaking due diligence on any further requests for assistance from the auto industry" would be sufficient.
The sad fact is that the Conservatives just do not know what they are doing with the economy. Harper won't have the flexibility to just steal some of the coalition's ideas -- his usual ideological filter would label these ideas as just too "socialist" -- and he doesn't have any ideas of his own, just slogans and name-calling.
Sigh.

Bacon Mints!

Flickr Photo Download: bacon mints - wtf

Yay! More Bacon!

Harper and his Conservatives have lost the moral authority to govern

Danielle Takacs: Galloping Around the Golden Horseshoe: "When a government starts trying to cancel dissent or avoid dissent is when it's rapidly losing its moral authority to govern"

But we shouldn't give in to his strong arm tactics, the man has shown a complete lack of respect for the Parliament Canada elected and to let his get away with it all and come back stronger to laugh at the success of his gamesmanship later (which will happen if he passes a budget with very minimal concessions) is not in the best interests of this country and nor is it the best solution for this economic crisis that Canadians most want their Parliamentarians to deal with right now.

Canadians could have had a budget and response to the fiscal crisis before the end of this month. Harper instead wants them to wait two months when people need help NOW.

Canadians could have had a government that brought in common and economically sound policies 62% of Canadians voted for. It appears they won't get that before the New Year, but it is my hope they still will.

This is justice delayed, let it not be justice denied.

This is not how democracy works

1337hax0r.com » Harper does not have confidence of the house.

This is not how a democracy works; this is how a dictatorship works. This is how monarchs have historically enforced their will. In England, France, and throughout Europe, a common tactic to maintain power against a legislature which does not support the executive is to simply shut down said legislature. I had hoped the Canadian government would show its robustness and strength against this direct attack on our democracy. I had hoped that the office of the Governor General would perform the one check that it seems to have — Ensure the democratic will of the people and their duly elected representatives.

I hate to say this, but today, our democracy failed. A minority in our country, both parliamentary and democratic, has forcefully taken power from the democratically elected parliament and the will of 60%+ of the population.

Since Harper was opposed by a majority of the house, since Harper had lost the confidence of the house, he effectively locked the doors to the House of Commons, shutting down any parliamentary democratic dissent in order to maintain his power over the executive.

Think about that for a moment — Harper shut down the legislature of Canada so he can remain in power. He shut down our system because he lost the confidence of the house. Harper shut down our representative democracy in order to save his own ass. Harper has established the unitary executive in Canada. This time it’s official, since none of the opposing elected representatives will have any recourse against him due to the shut down of parliament.

I strongly encourage all non-Conservative MPs to continue meeting in a public parliament setting. If the House will not hear the will of the people, then the will of the people must meet somewhere else. We cannot have a majority of our elected representatives shut out simply because Harper wants to stay in power. It may sounds absurd, but it is vital that the legislature keeps on meeting regularly. It would be wise for the coalition and the Bloc (and any Conservative MPs who want to come) to set up a provisional parliament which will continue to meet regardless of the will of the PM who does not have the confidence of the house. This is especially important considering we are heading towards a recession and we need the legislature.

Canada's Coalition - The Guardian Gets It

Rolling Back the Tide of Extremism, One Post at a Time: Canada's Coalition - The Guardian Gets It

Canada is not turning into Italy, which tends to change governments as frequently as some people change underwear. And it is not a coup, as some of its critics are suggesting. Rather, it is a strategic parliamentary move, made by three parties who hold a majority of the seats in the lower house of parliament to unite for a common purpose in a time of crisis. Canada will survive it. And, it may be, however rare in our history, the best thing for the country.

The Conservatives may have won more seats this year, but
they still only won a minority. That's not much of a mandate, and
certainly not enough of a mandate to push through a radical agenda by
Canadian standards, which is what Harper was evidently looking to do.
Indeed, the Conservative's reality-denying economic plan does
not include a stimulus plan but does include such right-wing proposals
as revoking public sector workers' right to strike for one year and
banning pay equity complaints from going to the Canadian Human Rights
Commission.

Very cool animals!

Atom - ContentDetail

Rhetoric, mean-spirited words and jingoism a la Stephen Harper

Peterborough Politics: Parties Working Together Democratically A Threat To Democracy???

Parties Working Together Democratically A Threat To Democracy???

Yep, haven't we heard these talking points for the past week? Haven't we heard this same tripe being spewed from Stephen Harper's gab for all that time? Mr. Harper's speech tonight brought forth no new information, no offers to work with others and not even an admission of his own guilt in this situation. Nope, it's everyone else's fault, so say he. And abou

Harper hijacks our airwaves to fundraise for the Conservatives

Accidental Deliberations: So that's what it was for

Thirty-one minutes after a speech in which the prime minister had used
the word “separatists” more often than the word “economy”, people in
Halton on the Con list started getting urgent phone calls from Ottawa
asking for $500 donations, “to save Canada from the coalition.”

Harpo can't stop lying to Canadians

Impolitical: Everything you need to know about Stephen Harper...

In fact, every constitutional experts has said the coalition is legal and legitimate.
Yes, it is. There are the things he says and then there are the things
that experts say. He's flat out wrong. The coalition has the legitimacy
of every vote given on October 14th to the majority of members that
outnumber Conservative members.

In
a pre-taped rebuttal broadcast shortly after Harper's address, Dion
defended the notion of a proposed coalition government "as normal and
current practice in many parts of the world."

Moreover, the
Conservatives have lost the confidence of the majority of members of
the House of Commons, meaning "they have lost the right to govern,"
Dion said.

In our parliamentary democracy, that's the
way it works. Canadians need to suck it up and get used to coalitions
working together. We have had minority government since 2004 and what
we're seeing now is a progression out of the results Canadians have
consistently given in successive elections. Whining about the
government being defeated on a confidence vote is offensive to our
traditions. We haven't seen it in a while, but it certainly doesn't
mean it's "undemocratic."

Mr. Harper has sown the imminent
defeat of his government. He should act in the tradition of great
parliamentarians before him who have similarly faced the prospect of
defeat. Be a democrat and allow a vote. Be a leader and take your
result. Anything less and he's consigned to go down in history fighting
for his job by inflaming the nation and corrupting our democratic
traditions.