April Reign

Speak your mind even if your voice shakes

Politics

Plumbing the depths

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Sewer Rat
The Star has an excellent editorial today outlining just how low the Harper Government™ has sunk.

Apparently taking pitches from sewer rats, Canada’s New Government™[sic] has taken Canadian politics to a whole new low.

We know that the word democracy is not on this governments agenda, we know equality has been struck a death blow, apparently the truth is just another victim.

Another week, another string of cheap political attacks from Stephen Harper, who sounds less prime ministerial with every passing day.

After savaging Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion with attack ads that suggest he is a “traitor,” Harper continued this past week to play fast and loose with the facts, levelling baseless patronage charges against two Liberal Members of Parliament.

In debate over changes to the Immigration and Refugee Board, Harper accused MP Marlene Jennings of putting her spouse on the board and Lucienne Robillard, a former immigration minister, of appointing her ex-spouse. If true, these would be serious breaches of ethics.

But Robillard’s husband was appointed to the board in 1990 under a former Conservative prime minister, Brian Mulroney. And Jennings’ husband joined the board before she was even elected to Parliament.

Read the rest here

Third Planet Review

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the audio is off a bit but still well worth watching. You may laugh at the Macleans’ reference.

Third Planet Review hosted by hippielawyer Alan Graf, features a panel of activists from The Farm in Summertown, TN commenting on and analyzing the news giving you a completely different take than the corporate pundits. Panelists are Ina May Gaskin, midwife and author, Albert Bates, founder of the Eco-Village Training Center and author of a new book on surviving peak oil and Peter Schweitzer, executive director of Plenty International, otherwise known as the hippy peace corps

Nine Year Old Canadian in Jail

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Majid and his nine-year old son Kevin are Iranian immigrants currently being held at the Hutto detention center. They’ve been forcibly detained since their plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Puerto Rico as they made their way to Canada. Kevin says: “I want to be free. I want go to outside. I want to go home to Canada.”

Please see this post on Verbena19’s blog for more details and how to contact Peter Mackay to get action this situation.

Harper …Standing up for Canadian Bigots

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We all know that the Harper Government™ Stand up for Canada handbook is rather like how they name streets after the trees they killed to put the street there.

A new handbook is in order and I’ve got an image of the prototype here.

Feel free to post it and share it among your friends.

Harper Goverment Standing Up for Bigots

Globe & Mail the Fox News of Canada?

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The Globe seems to be hanging farther to the right as the weeks go on.

Perfect example this morning with two stories of two leaders written in two very distinctive ways.

Tories surge on Harper’s leadership

Canadians in overwhelming numbers say Stephen Harper is the most decisive federal leader with the clearest vision of where he wants to lead the country, according to a poll that suggests the Conservatives may now have the winning conditions needed for a spring election.

Leader tested by splits in caucus on issue

Political analyst Robin Sears, a chief of staff to former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae, said Mr. Dion has yet to make clear what his leadership style will be.

“There seems to be a pattern of staking out a hard position and then being forced to backtrack from it,” he said, listing Mr. Dion’s comments on Canada’s Afghanistan mission and his dual Canadian-French citizenship as examples. “Whether you’re a new leader or old, that ain’t a good idea.”

Interesting so in one camp they have managed to make hardline, stick to your guns leadership look inspiring and in the other insipid.

Makes you wonder if Bourque was underhanded or just honest.