WARNING!This Blog Contains; Personal Opinion, Parody, Humour, Satire, Sarcasm, Criticism, Incredulity, Contempt, Indignation and/or Expletives. It also Contains a Huge Number of Rather Surprising Facts About the Oddly Dysfunctional Nature of Harper Land.
CHECK BACK OFTEN~ ALL POSTS are Updated As New Information Becomes Available.
Have we found the evidencethat will finally see us reach the tipping point that so many us have been waiting for? Many of us have waited a long time for such evidence, and as accusations that the Harper Government systematically bent or broke many of the rules during the May 2011 election swirl around the country, the Conservatives are crying foul. They say that "There is nothing to see here" or that they are the victims of a smear campaign. Well, one thing that happened today was a Huge Substantiation of the main thrust of the oppositions claims that Harper Broke the law in a Criminal way. They've been calling them Unsubstantiated smears for a while now. Day after day! But it turns out that we now have all the ammo we need to Finally wake Canadians.
Greg Perry Cartoonist ~ The Toronto Star
Trying? What Does That Mean?
How could they "try" to smear the Harper Government and fail to do so? The evidence that these no-longer Progressive Conservatives are all too willing to do anything to gain and keep power is everywhere. The evidence that they are incompetent on all files in all Departments is everywhere. The evidence that these ReformaCons are absolutely in lock-step with the Grand Old Party of America is everywhere. The evidence is all there for honest and intelligent Canadians to see.
Smearing it All Over the Canadian Consciousness
Should be a Cakewalk.
But it has not been. And the reason is simple: Canadians simply do not believe that anyone could be so dishonest, so deceitful, and so very guilty of such things as election fraud and still be the Government. Canadians, or so the story goes, would never be 'fooled by criminals into electing them'. Canadians are in fact quite mistaken in this assumption and it is all due to the fact that dishonesty, deceit, denial and obfuscation are so foreign to us and the very cornerstones of the Conservative Party of Canada. And those are not the ways of most of us, so we are reluctant to believe that they are really cheating us.
But, if the evidence that CBC's Terry Milewski released Thursday night, is what it appears to be, then that cheating and that election fraud is systemic and systematic and apparently they are very good at it!
Dean Del Mastro Conservative MP has used the phrase
THE EMERGING PATTERNTERRY MILEWSKI SPECIAL REPORT ON ELECTION 41
Seriously, is this just a smear campaign?
Personally, I have been Smearing the Conservatives Ever Since I First Noticed Stephen Harper. But None of it went Unsubstantiated.
I first started to spread this informationjust before Harper broke his own Fixed date Election law back in late August of 2008.I wrote this list right off the top of my head ~ it contains over 60 issues that pointed to their regressive ideology, and their dismal incompetence. That was almost four years ago. I had not, at the time come to realise the extent to which they were linked to American Right Wing 'Think' Tanks. But that is all public knowledge now.See next blog post.
Here's a comment from CBC.ca referencing that 2008 list!
The very first issue on that long but incomplete listis "In and Out" and it refers to their having cheated democracy during the 2006 federal Election by diverting Money from local campaigns to the Federal one. That was completely outside of the Elections Act and after over five years of saying over and over and over again that it was "an administrative dispute." The Conservatives paid a $52,000.oo fine and just last week dropped their appeal and are paying back $230,000.oo to Elections Canada.
Hell, they even scream "Smear" when anyone suggests that they are not above racial slurs.
In the Current round of the Harper Government's claims that they are being victimised and are the object of unsubstantiated smears, most Canadians now seem to understand that that is not the case. Does that mean that Canadians are actually getting to know Mr. Harper and his dysfunctional caucus? How I wish it did. Not until there is a full Public Inquiry into the RoboCon Affair that gets to the bottom of the tactics used and sheds much needed light on the elements of the Conservative Party that owe their campaign tactics to one of Americas leading right wing hacks, Karl Rove, and leave them and those tactics naked and known to be what they really are, will we have satisfied our curiosity. At that point I believe all those "smears" will have been substantiated. Most previous smears of this Government's name have been.
As far as giving any more information on him and his connection to the hard Right NeoCon Machine here, it is too easy to find out all about him at Wikipedia, to need to say much, but I can show a short clip that illustrates some of the vibe that surrounds him.
Have we been Smearing them when we have said that we worry about their take on Woman's Rights?
Was this video producer Smearing him or his Party? Or is it an indignant but Satirical Statement of Fact?
Environmental and other"Radical Groups"are trying to block trade and undermine Canada's economy, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said Monday.
Oliver's comments come one day before federal regulatory hearings begin on whether to approve Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline, to deliver crude from Alberta's oil sands to Kitimat, B.C., for shipment to Asia. ~ More than4,300 people have signed up to address the proposed pipelineover the next 18 months.
"Unfortunately, there areenvironmental and other radical groupsthat would seek to block this opportunity to diversify our trade," Oliver said in an open letter. "Their goal is to stop any major project no matter what the cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and economic growth. No forestry. No mining. No oil. No gas. No more hydro-electric dams."
Oliver says the groups "threaten to hijack our regulatory system to achieve their radical ideological agenda," stack the hearings with people to delay or kill "good projects," attract "jet-setting" celebrities and use funding from "foreign special interest groups."
Windsor Live @Twain ~ Here's something for ya to ponder as you work the blog.
"Why does the Harper Government feel it is OK to intervene in the affairs of other nations such as dictating economic policy and austerity measures that would affect millions of Europeans and bombing Libya to assassinate the head of state resulting in major civilian casualties in the thousands? Not to mention the additional economic sanctions against Syria and the economic sanctions against Iran to impose regime change.
PLUS his recent threat directed towards the US Administration that said the Harper Regime would gladly "sell" their tar sand oil to China if the US didn't want it..."
Twain @Windsor Live: ~ Well, Windsor Live, as a reasonable man who loves Canada, I'd have to say that he has a double standard, among other issues. He does dabble in everything and then cry like a whiny school-yard bully when someone not in Canada tries to influence our environmental outcomes.
As a Radical, I would add that: He Is Clearly Insane!
Here is the kind of
'Radical Thinking'
being Foisted upon Us by Radical Environmentalists!
In an open letter defending a controversial project, Canada's natural resources minister accuses a pipeline's opponents of colluding with 'radicals' and 'jet-setting celebrities'
"Canada (*meaning the Harper Government) let loose an extraordinary rant against opponents of a controversial project to pump tar sands crude to Pacific Coast ports on Monday, accusing campaigners of colluding with foreign "radicals" and "jet-setting celebrities" to hijack the government.
The diatribe, which came as an open letter from the natural resources minister Joe Oliver, caused a furore in Canada.
It was seen as a sign of the conservative government's frustration at growing opposition to its efforts to find global markets for its vast reserves of tar sands crude, a type of petroleum deposit found in large quantities in Canada.
Opponents of the project object to over-turning a decades-old moratorium on oil tanker traffic on the British Columbia coastline, running a pipeline through British Columbia's northern wilderness, and sending jobs out of the country".
And according to Joe Oliver, that is just not fair, even though we all know that they would be doing the same thing if they could get anyone as well respected as Robert Redford to take their side in the issue. And Again, I remind you that they as the government are supposed to be on our side, and they have obligations to us and not these huge corporations. And even then I will settle for their neutrality, which is my own pipe dream and is not on their agenda.
More From Those Pesky Radicals
David Suzuki ~ In response to Joe Oliver:
The Sierra Club vs. Ethical Oil
Alice Klein On the Real Foreign Money Behind the Gateway Pipeline "Has he gone too far this time? Prime Minister Stephen Harper has shown many times over that he has little regard for democracy. I mean, how did we learn to spell the word “prorogue”? The long record is too wearisome to recount, but the ominous new attack on opponents of the Northern Gateway pipeline has opened a front in his battle against civil society that makes you wonder. Now that we’re watching the 1 per cent more closely, will the times still be on Harper’s side? Thousands of citizens are in the queue to give deputations at the ........ "Read More:
Bob Rae Slams PM for Discrediting Critics
Intimidating opponents by calling them radicals, anti-Canadian, interferes with environmental process, he says:
"I think it is inappropriate for a minister or a prime minister to interfere and intervene and frankly to intimidate an environmental process as it would be to interfere or intervene in a court case," Rae told reporters at a news conference to announce that rookie Quebec MP Lise St-Denis has jumped from the New Democratic Party to the Liberals.
The Harper government, according to Rae, doesn't understand the limits of its authority and "does not understand the rule of law. It does not respect due process."
Rae also said environmental groups are effectively being threatened with loss of their organization's charitable status. The government has long maintained that it respects the NEB process and that the recent comments aren't directed at the NEB hearings. ~ Read More:
Kennedy Stewart, MP Burnaby-Douglas
“New Democrats believe there is a very different way forward for Canada. We believe all major energy projects should be subject to proper benefit/cost analysis. For example, the oil sands are one of our most precious resources. We should not rush to development just to ship unrefined crude oil to China when Canadians import over 200,000 barrels per day of oil from Europe and the Middle-East. Instead we should focus on our own energy security, making sure we maximize national revenues by refining the oil we need within our own borders. Perhaps more importantly, we believe government should use deeply participatory processes to build national plans for housing, transportation, employment, energy and other essential policy areas. These processes should be the antithesis of the top-down, back-room deals made by the Conservatives. They would also ensure we move forward together as a country and policy benefits the many rather than the few.”
"The Harper government is “sidestepping” the country’s most potent opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline by instead targeting a “boogeyman” in hopes of scaring up public support, says a First Nation chief who is part of a coalition that has pledged to stop the project at all cost.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver have both publicly claimed that American interests opposing the $5.5 billion pipeline project are trying to “hijack” the project in Canada by funding environmental groups in the country." ~ Read More: The Hearings ~ DAY ONE
This Unbelievably is also from Day One:
60 Environment Canada Scientists and other Researchers
Given their Notice
OTTAWA citizen — Environment Canada is sending notices to 60 scientists and other researchers
that their jobs are being declared surplus.
"Gary Corbett, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, confirmed his union was notified by the department that surplus notices would be going out this week. They are fallout from the department's announcement last August that it would be cutting or reassigning 776 people — which is about 10 per cent of the workforce.
But Corbett said the department is under "strict orders" not to reveal precisely what work these surplus scientists are doing. They broadly include engineers, scientists, biologists, climatologists, chemical analysts from across the country. They work in areas such as pollution, monitoring water quality, climate research.
"This exercise is all about money and a government obsessed with the bottom line," said Corbett: "While the government pays lip service to protecting the interests of all Canadians, it continues to target science-based departments, the front line, when it comes to protecting our environment and health of our citizens," he said. " Read more:
Your letter caught my attention. I respect you and like you a lot as a colleague in the House. Unfortunately, I think your role as Minister of Natural Resources has been hijacked by the PMO spin machine. The PMO is, in turn, hijacked by the foreign oil lobby. You are, as Minister of Natural Resources, in a decision-making, judge-like role. You should not have signed such a hyperbolic rant.
I have reproduced a short section of your letter. The idea that First Nations, conservation groups, and individuals opposed to the Northern Gateway pipeline are opposed to all forestry, mining, hydro-electric and gas is not supported by the facts. I am one of those opposed to the Northern Gateway pipeline. I do not oppose all development; neither does the Green Party; neither do environmental NGOS; neither do First Nations.
I oppose the Northern Gateway pipeline for a number of reasons, ....Read More
from the
And Now it is My Turn to Weigh in:
The Government clearly needs to realisethat it is their duty as the Government of this country to stay neutral during any environmental assessments. They seem to be on the verge of taking, by what seems a lot of force, in my opinion, control of the entire process and openly lobby for the Oil industry at the same time. It seem that if left up to them, Canada’s Natural resources are to be doled out to their friends as Soon as Possible. It is enough to make me question the motive behind this zealous pursuit of Petro Dollars. It is almost as if they realise that they need to sell the damned stuff before it is obsolete. That is after all, their plan for Asbestos.
Good Government takes it’s time and gets it right! Good government would not have all of its ministers lobbying so openly and arrogantly for this project. It is Not supposed to be a Government project. It is supposedly a private sector affair. The Government’s only interest here has to be our interest. It has to be getting this Right!
And it is no secret that I want No one to pipe oil across the Rockies, not now, not ever.
I have less hope that the Athabasca Tar Sands itself will stop being exploited. Although I do believe that it too can be stopped, but certainly not right away. I like the Liberals approach, in that conserving it by not simply extracting it all in a greedy frenzy is the pragmatic alternative. They want to spread its lifeline out and slow it down to a controllable level of development. They actually had a Department called the Ministry of the Environment that was concerned about such things. The NDP wants it (generally) shut down entirely. Although they have weighed in (farther down the page) and in this instance they are also on the progressive track.
I like the slow approach. With that in place, we will necessarily have no choice but to get out of the habit of using the stuff. As we develop new technologies and get them in place, we should soon need less of it, we could more easily see a time when we could stop it. We need to learn to profit along the way from the new developments instead of constantly fighting with our own citizens just to make a few men rich.
They insist that time is short, but anyone on the street can tell you that Slowing it down and prudent conservation requires NOT cutting another destructive path through the Rockies in order to fire up a lot of Chinese cars.
The Rockies are one of the youngest Mountain Ranges on the planet. They have a long way to fall. They never stop moving. Do these guys not watch The Nature of Things?
The Conservative plan is Clearly insane. There is never anything pragmatic about a rising fascist star like Stephen Harper. Why burn all the oil? Because he is a nutter.
