Remember the Income Trust Scandal?

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UPDATE - 2 Nov 2006 - Dodge approves Flaherty moves

Despite anguished cries from Bill Graham & the Liberals, this was the right thing to do.

(Bloomberg) -- Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge said today a new tax on income trusts will create a "level playing field" that will help the country's businesses allocate capital more efficiently.

Then there's the Globe & Mail Financial columnist

The decision to allow income splitting for seniors with pensions, RRSPs and RRIFs is quite major. It may save thousands of dollars for couples where one spouse has significant pension income and the other spouse has little or no income. There's also the $1,000 increase in the age credit. Altogether, they mean a lightened tax load for seniors.

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This thing may come back to haunt the Liberals yet again.

Perhaps you've forgotten how someone in the Paul Martin cabinet leaked details of the impending Income Trust decision to their stockbroker buddies on Bay St., who then proceeded to make a shitpile of money from this insider scoop.

After the election, The Globe and Mail reported that CIBC had turned over to the RCMP an e-mail that Mr. Brison, then the public works minister, had sent to CIBC World Markets investment banker Dan Nowlan.

The e-mail, a response to Mr. Nowlan's complaint about Liberal income-trust policy, was sent a day before then finance minister Ralph Goodale announced a favourable tax regime for income trusts.

Well, it looks like somebody's had to chain this monster back up.

OTTAWA — Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has announced tough new rules designed to curb the growing corporate move toward income trusts.

“It is a trend that has caused me growing concern. If corporations don't pay their share of taxes, this tax burden will shift onto the shoulders of hardworking individuals and their families.”

And who was it that allowed this situation to get so out of hand in the first place?

That'd be the Liberal Party of Canada... who never miss a chance to howl about those scary Conservatives who march in lockstep with Corporate Canada.

It's too spooky to even think about.

Technorati Tags: Income Trust, Liberal Party, Jim Flaherty

Punkicide

The enemy of my enemy...

When I wrote last week about that timeless Palestinian tradition of making a bad situation much, much worse... both Fatah and the ruling faction Hamas, were on the brink of tearing each other's throats out.

Well, it looks like there's another player in the game.

Working on the theory that the smart money gets behind the least fanatical cutthroat, the U.S. is apparently betting on Mahmoud Abbas.

The Bush administration has undertaken efforts to arm and train the Presidential Guard of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in order to prepare it for a potential violent confrontation with Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip.

According to information received in Jerusalem, the American security coordinator in the territories, General Keith Dayton, appeared before representatives of the Quartet in London last week and presented them with a program for bolstering the Palestinian presidential guard.

I know there are probably people in Gaza who will just shrug their shoulders and think the situation can't get much worse.

Trouble is, in that part of the world, if you can actually articulate this thought... it probably can.

Technorati Tags: Gaza, Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority

This is your NDP... not mine, thank God

If you go to the NDP website, there's a big picture of the Parliament Buildings, with the slogan, "Bringing Civility Back to the Commons". That however, seems to be the only locale they're concerned about.

Here's a report from the London Fog on the sad state of democracy and more importantly, NDP civility, in that once fair city.


Relax folks, this isn't actually the return of the undead.

This must be what Jack Layton was babbling on about when he told Canadians there was a fourth rei... I mean, a third way.

That Union Thug who harassed and marginalized me at the late war protest -- physically denying my right to peacefully photograph a public event in a public place -- turns out to be Gil Warren, the Vice President of the NDP London-North-Centre riding association.

Read the original post here.

Seeing me photographing while wearing a poppy on my overcoat, he demanded to know whether I "support the war". At my polite, generally affirmative answer, this guy demanded my name, some ID, and to know who I was with: CSIS, or the Conservatives?

Seems somebody's been polishing up the ole'... dare I say it, "jackboots".

Let Jack Layton know you really like this kind of behaviour in a Dipper.

Mailing Address - Parliament Hill Office
Jack Layton, M.P.
Leader of the NDP
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
Canada
K1A 0A6

Phone Number
(613) 995-7224

Fax Number
(613) 995-4565


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UPDATE: Breaking News Broomside...

HEEEELP, run for your lives... it's the Big Bird flu

OTOH, blogwise, thank God for the NDP. I couldn't, in my worst mescaline nightmare, make half of this shit up... I swear.

In the statement of claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Sims indicates she "...did not kidnap beloved Sesame Street character Big Bird and threaten to kill him/her in response to the Functional Skills Assessment test."

Interesting to note, Big Bird could not be found for comment.

Come join the fun at The Broom.

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Technorati Tags: NDP, Gil Warren, London, Ontario

People actually get paid to write this slop?

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UPDATE: Libs to Taxpayers... You Lose

When asked about the costs of the occupation, Mr. Ramsay [David Ramsay, Mr. McGuinty’s Aboriginal Affairs Minister] declared, “It’ll cost what it costs.” That’s the kind of approach to fiscal responsibility that the McGuinty Liberals believe someone else should now pay for.

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There is another non-development in the political 'bag-o-barf', that is the seemingly endless crisis in Caledonia... this time regarding a statement from newly appointed OPP Commissioner, Julian Fantino.

What the mainstream media conveniently chooses to ignore is that Commissioner Fantino's mandate is to enforce the law of the land, not babysit the latest poster children of the lunatic left.

“It doesn't make sense to me that you would hold me accountable for resolving something that is way, way beyond any scope that I could have,” Mr. Fantino told reporters at OPP headquarters in Orillia, Ont.

“Our job is to preserve the peace, deal with offences, and bring those who transgress the laws of the land to justice.”

You sure wouldn't know that from the way the media is covering this thing. Outside of trying to make a mountain out of a liberal muckpile, I can't figure out where the spin is supposed to take us.

Are the papers trying to say that Fantino is incompetent?

Orillia, Ont. — Ontario's highest-ranking police officer said Monday that a contentious native occupation entering its ninth month is beyond his ability to resolve.

Perhaps the media needs to be reminded that the real story here is the fact that the provincial Liberals have pissed away tens of millions of Ontario taxpayer dollars over the last 10 months, to zero effect.

Among the more predictable actions the McGuinty government have so far undertaken, is the $300,000 contract awarded to an out of work Liberal politician to chair negotiations that have gone exactly nowhere to date.

Ontario taxpayers have already racked up more than $20 million by purchasing the disputed land, reimbursing local businesses and paying $1,300 a day to provincial negotiator Jane Stewart.

Let's remember that it's Commissioner Fantino's first day on the job. Perhaps he should get some time to find the photocopy machine and get acquainted with the staff, before he's branded a failure... or a political eunuch, like some provincial premier I could name.

SIDENOTE: Meanwhile, the Libs just yuk it up...

A joke.

That's what a senior member of Premier Dalton McGuinty's staff called a letter from MP Diane Finley pleading for help for Caledonia.

The executive director of the premier's office forwarded Finley's letter to Aaron Lazarus, director of issues management for Premier Dalton McGuinty, on May 19. Just after midnight, Lazarus responds: "What a joke!"

The exchange was obtained by The Spectator through a Freedom of Information request.

LAST WORD: What Fantino actually said

"Our role will be to preserve the peace and that's what we're going to stay focused on," Fantino said when asked how he plans to respond to the conflict.

"My hope will be that everyone will preserve the peace and be very mindful of making sure we don't break the laws of the land."

"I assure you, those who do will be dealt with."

Technorati Tags: Julian Fantino, Dalton McGuinty, Caledonia

The mystery of life

Humbled by the prose and taken by the premise, I'm ready to join the 'Church of Charles'.

I should preface this by saying that, as a 'staunchly former' Catholic, who had religion jacked up his ass a nickel at a time at a Catholic primary school, this piece by Charles Krauthammer resonated to the soul I may be closer to believing I possess.

How ridiculous to make evolution the enemy of God.

What could be more elegant, more simple, more brilliant, more economical, more creative, indeed more divine than a planet with millions of life forms, distinct and yet interactive, all ultimately derived from accumulated variations in a single double-stranded molecule, pliable and fecund enough to give us mollusks and mice, Newton and Einstein?

NOTEABLE: Speaking of Creation

Would you get naked for Shane Cooper?

The Adam and Eve Project seeks to discover who emerges when images of many people are averaged together.

With this as the goal, I am receiving images from volunteers who are interested in contributing to this exciting project.

Each participant contributes three images - one of the face, one of the front of the body, and one of the back of the body. These images are then blended with those of the other participants into single images. The result is a single face and body of each sex - a composite of all contributors.

While I think this is a really intriguing concept, Shane will have to get by without this particular flabby, pasty middle-aged carcass.

Technorati Tags: Roman Catholic, evolution, intelligent design

Aboriginals over-represented yet again

Do you know where your children are? For most people the answer isn't, "living with my own parents."

The numbers in aboriginal communities are pretty startling.

Esme Fuller-Thompson, an associate professor of social work at the University of Toronto, said 17 per cent of all caregiving grandparents are of First Nations origin. "This was easily more than five times the numbers you'd expect to find given the population," she said.

Today, however, Fuller-Thompson and other researchers are finding children are usually driven into their grandparents' homes when their parents succumb to substance abuse.

We're talking 1 in 5 kids here. Another sad reality that won't be resolved by confronting authority, or laying siege to any amount of land.

RELATED: Statistics Canada has another study...

Northern Canadians (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) are more than three times as likely to fall victim to violent crimes than the rest of the country, most often at the hands of people they know, a new report suggested Monday.

A previous Statscan report said that reports of spousal abuse was nearly double in the North, compared with the rest of Canada.

Northern residents, Statscan noted, tend to be younger on average than residents in the rest of Canada; they have higher proportions of lone-parent families and common-law families; they have higher rates of unemployment and they have higher proportions of Aboriginal residents, compared to the provinces.

Health care is a sacred trust

Dalton McGuinty wouldn't lie... I mean, he said so on tv.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty officially opened an "American-style," "two-tier," "private hospital" in Ottawa yesterday, the result of "secret deals".

Check out the real story... the spin.

The practical differences? None. Impact on patient care? None. Cost? The same. This is how stupid politicians are when dealing with health care these days. They care more about spin than reality, or even results. But at least we now know that it's best to have the private sector build new hospitals.

Technorati Tags: Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Dalton McGuinty, Liberal Party

A Tale of Two Cities

With apologies to Charles Dickens, let's take a look at two cities and see how they stack up... threatwise.

First, there is Uruzgan, a sleepy little burg outside of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Kabul — A roadside blast killed one NATO soldier and wounded eight other troops in Uruzgan, on Sunday. Three civilians were wounded. The nationalities of the slain and wounded soldiers were not disclosed by the alliance.

Meanwhile, NATO and Afghan troops battled a large group of insurgents who attacked a military base in southern Afghanistan, killing 55 suspected militants, the alliance said Sunday.

Although it is always sad when one of our guys is killed, you notice that NATO soldiers, in turn, dispatched 55 jihadis on the 'soul train' to nirvana.

Then, there is Edmonton, Alberta in multicultural, thoroughly urban Canada.

EDMONTON — Three people are dead and another is seriously injured after a nightclub shooting in Edmonton early Sunday morning.

A third man who was injured later died in hospital and a fourth person is in hospital in serious condition.

Now, on the very day that there were any number of marches protesting the war in Afghanistan, we continue to kick ass at the rate of 50 terrorists for every NATO casualty.

At the same time, we have 3 dead in one of Canada's largest cities while the Liberal and NDP opposition parties continue to stall the "get tough on crime" legislation that the Harper Conservatives are trying to pass in the House of Commons.

What the hell has happened to independent thought in this country? Let's get our priorities straight before we all drown in the muck of political correctness.

Technorati Tags: Afghanistan, Canadian Forces, political correctness

No Fare

It's too late, the war is already here.

UPDATE: Media claims "relatively calm" night in France.


Yeah, sure... maybe compared to the siege of Stalingrad.

Of course, France does have a longstanding and shameful history of raising the white flag to anyone who appears to be a threat. I can't think of anywhere else in the world, where you could have 300 cars torched by angry Muslim mobs in one night and still try to pass it off as a public nuisance.

Marauding youths torched two public buses, and in troubled neighborhoods around the country, youths set fire to a total of 277 vehicles, police said. On an average night in France, up to 100 cars are torched by bands of youths. In a statement, the Interior Ministry described the night as "relatively calm."

Maybe Taliban Jack can organise a neighbourhood watch to deal with the problem when it hits Canadian shores.

UPDATE: 29 Oct 2006 - Relatively calm, my french-fried ass

Three or four young people burst onto the bus and tossed in a bottle of flammable liquid before fleeing, police said, citing witnesses' accounts. A fire started, seriously injuring a 26-year-old woman who suffered second- and third-degree burns on her arms, legs and face.

The woman was breathing Sunday with help from a respirator, the Marseille hospital system said. Doctors were deeply worried about lung damage from smoke. Three other people also were treated for smoke inhalation, police said. The bus was destroyed, and bus service was suspended in Marseille.

Remember that old war movie they'd show occasionally on late night weekends, "Is Paris Burning?"

My gut says, it soon will be.

LAST WORD: It'll have to be someone else, I'm speechless

You run from police...You accidentally get electrocuted while hiding from police at an electrical substation...You get a monument built in your honor!

h/t Kathy S.

Technorati Tags: Religion of Peace, France, Islam

Religion of Peace wants you... dead

Apparently, Allah the beneficent, the all knowing, is pissed at Canada. In the most direct threat by Al-Qaeda to Canadians so far, the terrorists have said they're coming for us.

OTTAWA - An al-Qaeda strategist has warned Canada to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan or face terrorist attacks similar to 9/11, Madrid and the London transit bombings.

"They will either be forced to withdraw their forces or face an operation similar to New York, Madrid, London and their sisters, with the help of Allah."

Now, we clearly have two choices here... we can go with the Taliban Jack-off strategy, which favours turning tail and running away like frightened little children... or we can continue, despite taking casualties, to keep kicking Tali-butt.

To have Al-Qaeda step into the bully-pulpit and make threats against civilians here at home, just shows how effectively our soldiers are waging war in Afghanistan.

Now, I certainly can't speak for present day Canadians, but I think I know what the 3,598 men who died taking Vimy Ridge would say.

Say no to terrorism.

Technorati Tags: Afghanistan, Canadian Forces, Al-Qaeda

Lots of talk Georgie... where's the walk?

Liberal Health Minister George Smitherman, in the face of threatened Emergency Room closures because of overcrowding and a shortage of doctors, has announced more money for the failing health care system.

The reality is, you can announce 'til the cows come home', but if you're not actually doing something... it ain't gonna solve the problem.

Witness the city of Belleville, which has privately raised almost 2 million dollars for a desperately needed MRI machine.

Both QHC chairman Lloyd Churchill and chief of staff Dr. Barry Guppy have written to Health Minister George Smitherman in separate letters, urging approval for the MRI purchase.

But to date, no answer has been received, QHC board members heard at their monthly meeting Wednesday in Belleville. QHC first asked for approval to buy the MRI in January 2005.

The $1.8-million cost for the basic MRI, which provides three-dimensional scans and is a technological marvel that radiologists insist be in a hospital’s medical bag, has been raised in the community.

So... twenty months and 2 million privately raised dollars later, the McGuinty Liberals have yet to get back to the hospital board about this lifesaving piece of equipment.

The Chief of Staff, Dr. Barry Guppy has another concern.

Guppy said the hospital needs at least two radiologists to clear a backlog of people waiting for MRI or CT scans. Non-urgent cases have had to go to hospitals like Cobourg and Kingston to have the scans done.

As for George Smitherman's famous "announcements", the people of Belleville are just asking if he could simply answer the damn phone.

Technorati Tags: George Smitherman, Dalton McGuinty, Liberal Party

Liberals balk on gun crime

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UPDATE: Libs stall Accountability Act

OTTAWA -- The Conservative government has begun picking out planks for its re-election campaign as it faces the overhaul or outright stalling of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cornerstone ethics legislation by the Liberal-dominated Senate.

Treasury Board president John Baird attacked the "unelected" Liberal-dominated Senate for revamping the government's accountability bill.

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Jason Kenney, Parliamentary Secretary to Stephen Harper is making a plea for Parliament to cooperate in passing the Conservative's 'get-tough-on-crime' legislation.

“We would be delighted to pass all of those bills in this place forthwith and in the liberal-controlled Senate tonight,” Mr. Kenney said. “But we don't think the Liberals are serious about this... We want to act. We'll co-operate with any party to do it right here, right now.”

Apparently the Liberals just can't support the 'getting tough' part. Let's face it, if you're not prepared to crack down on thugs who use guns and violent, repeat sex offenders... who are you actually willing to go after?

Other parts of the Tory's justice reforms need more consideration, the Liberals said, including mandatory minimum sentencing for gun-related offences and the so-called three-strikes-you're-out legislation for violent and sexual offenders.

The Liberals spent over a billion dollars on the Farmer Bob Rifle Registry, knowing that it was an empty gesture that would provide opportunities for endless soundbites about 'fighting crime'. It also put hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in the hands of corporations and consultants.

Does that sound at all familiar?

Now that the Conservatives are actually proposing to crack down on the most brazen, violent offenders in society... the Liberals are running for cover.

So, the next time you read about a rape, or a murder, or someone killed with an illegal gun, remember that it's Bill Graham and the Libs who are losing sleep over the shooter's rights.

Just one more thing to keep in mind, come the next election.

LAST WORD: Why not use the Gun Registry?

There are always media quotes about police using the 'gun registry' 5,000 times a day. If that's true why is it useless here?

"Now the focus of the investigation is to determine the origin of the weapons seized and that will take some time," Palmer said.

"We need to know their background and whether they are registered or unregistered."

Palmer said it will take some time to trace the guns and police officials won't be commenting until they have more details.

Well, mostly because it's useless... period. As the Auditor General of Canada has stated previously, the Farmer Bob Rifle Registry is full of errors, dubious data and outright falsehoods.

In short, a waste of over a billion taxpayer dollars.

Technorati Tags: law-and-order, Liberal Party, Conservative Party

Mainly because of the meat

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UPDATE: 27 Oct 2006 - Now Hilali wants political "cleansing"

Asked today if he would step down, the cleric, who was welcoming worshippers to Friday prayers at the mosque, responded with a verbal assault on the US President, saying: "After we clean the world of the White House first".

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The G&M is covering the story of a senior Imam in Austrailia who has some revealing ideas about how Islam views women.

In short, women are meat. Oh yeah, if you don't package the meat properly, you can't really expect it not to be raped... uh, well, that is to say... spoiled.

Let's see how many Liberals stand up in the House of Commons to protest this absolutely unacceptable "unveiled threat" to women.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — One of Australia's senior-most Islamic clerics has triggered outrage after comments reported Thursday comparing women who don't wear a headscarf to “uncovered meat” who invite rape.

Mr. Hilali was quoted in the Australian newspaper as saying in the sermon: “If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside ... without cover, and the cats come to eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat's.”

“The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred,” he was quoted as saying, referring to the headdress worn by some Muslim women.

If you listen really hard, what you'll hear is the sound of Liberals and new Democrats saying bupkas. They're a little busy defending Canadian women against Peter MacKay.

UPDATE: Imam weighs in on Sydney Gang Rape Trials

This isn't a one-off gaffe, as the Sheik has now started to spin. If the meat gets 'tenderised', it's their own fault...

While not specifically referring to the attacks on four women, for which a group of young Lebanese men received long jail sentences, Sheik Hilali said there were women who "sway suggestively" and wore make up and immodest dress ... "and then you get a judge without mercy [rahma] and he gives you 65 years... but the problem all began with who?"

Sheik Hilali, the top cleric at Sydney's largest mosque, is considered the most senior Islamic leader by many Muslims in Australia and New Zealand.

SIDENOTE: Who is Sheik Hilali?

A man who doesn't learn from his mistakes, I'd say.

Four years after his arrival in Australia in 1982, the then Labor immigration minister Chris Hurford tried to deport him for allegedly inciting "hatred", but failed because of pressure from other Labor figures.

Sheik Hilali again avoided being expelled from the country in 1988 following comments he made about Jews being the "underlying cause of all wars".

Labor's then new immigration minister, Robert Ray, agreed not to deport him after the cleric insisted he was misquoted.

LAST WORD: No big deal, says Muslim Association

The Lebanese Muslim Association in Sydney says it will take no action against one of the nation's most senior Muslim clerics over his comments that scantily dressed women invite sexual violence.

Technorati Tags: Belinda Stronach, Liberal Party, religion of peace

Is this important to you?

Apparently the Liberals would rather chase after cheap political points, than do something that would benefit all law-abiding Canadians.

I guess the real test of approval on the Conservatives 'tough on crime' legislation will have to wait for an election call.

"Canadians elected this Parliament - not just the Conservative party. They expected all parties to be tough on crime," Harper said as he left the House of Commons on Wednesday.

He went on to promise that "we'll keep trying to bring forward some tough-on-crime legislation but at some point, if the opposition won't pass it, they'll have to answer to the Canadian people."

I'm not sure why the Liberals are so determined to throw their support behind the people who perpetrate crimes, rather than their innocent victims.

Say... wasn't it also the Liberal Party's Court Challenge Program that gave prisoners in federal prisons the right to vote?

I just don't get it.

Technorati Tags: law-and-order, Court Challenge Program, Conservative Party

"Less jail, more hugs", say Liberals

Here's an experiment.

The next time someone tells you that there is less street crime nowadays, ask them if they leave their doors unlocked overnight. Ask them if they have a security system for their home, or in their cars. Ask them if they let their kids wander around the neighbourhood, like I used to do when I was a kid.

Remember this moment, the next time you read about someone being victimised by thugs.

One of the Conservative government's key law-and-order initiatives has been dealt a critical blow by opposition parties, who have effectively gutted a bill that would have severely curtailed the use of house arrest and jailed about 5,500 more people annually.

And next time around, unless you feel that Belinda & "Puppygate" is the most important issue facing Parliament these days, give Stephen Harper a majority government, so we can toughen up the ridiculously "soft on crime" legislation we have in this country.

Because, if it happens to you or your family, you don't get to pause, rewind and re-record your lives.

Technorati Tags: law-and-order, Belinda Stronach, Conservative Party

Fed Libs, Dippers MIA on Caledonia

Dalton McGuinty's latest tactic on the Caledonia file has been to try bumping it up the food chain to the federal government in Ottawa.

Strangely, the siege and the huge monetary outlay thus far, seems to be a non-issue for Bill Graham and Taliban Jack.

While Caledonia is very much on the minds of the opposition parties at Queen's Park, it isn't in Ottawa. There are 65 Liberal and NDP MPs from Ontario, but not one has asked a Caledonia question since the House of Commons resumed sitting on Sept. 18.

"We have 10 questions we get to ask a day," explains Pat Breton, spokesperson for interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham. Echoes Brad Lavigne, spokesperson for NDP Leader Jack Layton: "There are many, many issues we just can't get to."

So let me get this straight... the opposition parties feel it's ok to waste all their House of Commons 'face time' trying to make political hay out of "Puppygate".

Despite hypocrisy like this...

'I would therefore like to table this document for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition this summer. It is a document called The South Beach Diet.'

Paul Martin, to Stephen Harper, June, 2005, in reference to Mr. Harper's weight.

Meanwhile Caledonia burns.

As my son would have said in his toddlerhood, "Thats makes tiny sense."

Technorati Tags: Caledonia, Dalton McGuinty, Liberal Party

Hamas just can't catch a break

They're coming for Hamas and it ain't gonna be pretty. Who's that you say... Israel, the CIA, Rambo... who?

Hey, wait a minute, that can't be right.

Fatah is preparing for a major showdown with Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the Muslim feast of Id al-Fitr, Palestinian sources said on Tuesday.

The sources said that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has instructed his loyalists in Fatah and the PA security forces to be prepared for a "major security operation" in the Gaza Strip in the coming days.

While it's true that the myriad Palestinian factions are typically, figuratively AND literally at each other's throats, it ain't just any Curly, Larry or Mohammed calling for the takedown...

Former PA security chief Muhammed Dahlan called on Abbas to use his constitutional powers to resolve the crisis with Hamas.

Accusing Hamas of carrying out systematic assassinations against Fatah operatives in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Dahlan also accused Hamas of violating a cease-fire agreement with Fatah that was reached under the auspices of Egypt.

"Hamas's actions are leading us to civil war," he cautioned. "We call on President Abbas to assume his responsibilities and take decisive measures to end the crisis."

The tensions have been ratcheted up a little by the untimely and unexpected deaths of a number of Fatah functionaries, which for the geopolitically challenged, is the Gaza Strip version of heckling an adversary.

I'm thinkin', it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of homicidal maniacs.

Technorati Tags: Hamas, Fatah, Gaza Strip

Dalton McGuinty believes in sharing

The pain, that is.

Not content to have piggybacked the costs associated with the Caledonia debacle on just citizens of Ontario, Dalton now wants every taxpayer in Canada to help pull the train.

TORONTO — Ottawa must pony up at least $25 million to cover the costs of an ongoing aboriginal occupation in Ontario, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday as he pressed the federal government to end what's being called the longest-running police operation in Canadian history.

The province's taxpayers shouldn't have to foot the bill for reimbursing local businesses, paying provincial negotiator Jane Stewart's $1,300-a-day salary and buying the land in question — a moribund housing development in Caledonia, Ont., south of Hamilton, Mr. McGuinty said.

Because that's the kind of guy he is.

Technorati Tags: Caledonia, Dalton McGuinty, Liberal Party

Iraq - the real deal

A letter from a Marine in Iraq. A must read.

Most Surreal Moment — Watching Marines arrive at my detention facility and unload a truck load of flex-cuffed midgets, 26 to be exact.

We had put the word out earlier in the day to the Marines in Fallujah that we were looking for Bad Guy X, who was described as a midget. Little did I know that Fallujah was home to a small community of midgets, who banded together for support since they were considered as social outcasts.

The Marines were anxious to get back to the midget colony to bring in the rest of the midget suspects, but I called off the search, figuring Bad Guy X was long gone on his short legs after seeing his companions rounded up by the giant infidels.

h/t Kate at SDA

Technorati Tags: Iraq, USMC, Dante's inferno

Keep an eye on Vancouver

For all those concerned about the possibility of a modern day pandemic in Canada, Andrew Nikiforuk suggests our west coast cities will be 'the canary in the coal mine'.

"The next pandemic, if it originates in Asia, will likely invade a West Coast port first, thanks to the volume of trade and traffic Vancouver or Seattle have with other Pacific Rim countries," said Nikiforuk, who won the 2002 Governor General's award for non-fiction for his book "Saboteurs."

Most of us are nowhere near prepared for a cataclysmic event that could disrupt the exquisitely co-ordinated, just-in-time supply chains that feed our utilities, factories and grocery stores.

Remember that, back in your grandparents' day, people usually kept a well-stocked larder, with home-canned vegetables, fruits, bags of flour and sugar and potted meat. Contrast that with our modern lifestyle, where keeping a very limited supply of consumables on hand will be one of the more significant factors working against us.

"Within a week of the invasion, people will have trouble buying food and medical supplies. The cemeteries will overfill and local meatpackers will store the dead in refrigerated trucks.

It isn't going to matter how much money you've got in your bank account if the food supply chain is disrupted. At that point in time, anybody with a hunting rifle and a box of shells will truly be 'the king of his castle'.

Consider also, what would happen if the electricity supply is compromised for any length of time? We saw what happened a few years ago, when we lost our power for only a couple of days. Even if you were prudent enough to have bought a standby generator at some point, unless you're a farmer, I'm guessing you don't have a 200 litre fuel storage tank sitting out behind the garage.

The essayist Ian Welsh thinks our new economic habits of living like hedonistic grasshoppers as opposed to Aesop's prudent ants will disastrously magnify the pandemic's impact. "Our society, as a whole, has no surge protection, no ability to take shocks. We have no excess beds, no excess equipment, no excess ability to produce vaccines or medicines, nothing.

It sure won't be pretty, as the inevitable breakdown of social controls in densely packed urban neighbourhoods spills out into the suburbs.

But hey... it could never happen in Canada, right? Right?

Technorati Tags: Avian flu, pandemic, Andrew Nikiforuk

Macleans Signature Liberal Leader Poses

The top Liberal leadership candidates seem to be developing their very own signature poses.

Michael Ignatieff has the hand-on-the-hip stance – very New York, very metrosexual. It says, “I am confident in both my sexuality and my ability to bomb a country if I had to”...

Technorati Tags: liberal posers, Liberal Party, Michael Ignatieff

The Deer Hunter

It isn't just a movie, as anyone in this neighbourhood can tell you. I woke up the other day to the dulcet tones of .30 calibre rifle fire, as one of the local 'deer-slayers' was tuning up his thunderstick down at the gravel pit.

Now I'm more of a recreational shooter than a hunter, but I know that oft-times, especially as the great stalker of beasts gets a little older, actually shooting stuff isn't even on the agenda.

Frosty has the goods...

Dedicated to all the wives and girlfriends who will soon be left alone while their men go off to the bush ... to snooze, play cards, drink with the boys and make up stories about the size of that rack.

Technorati Tags: deer hunting, reality show, politically incorrect

The next book on my reading list

Living out in the country doesn't necessarily mean you have to be isolated and uninformed.

The nearest small town to us, about 15 minutes away by car, has both a superb live theatre program and an excellent library. We were surprised not only by the selection of books available, but by the friendly and well-informed staff.

I recently asked if the library would be willing to order in a copy of Mark Steyn's "America Alone", and on my last visit, the librarian called me over to say the book was on its way. Given the events in France and the way Iraq and Afghanistan have been heating up, I have a feeling it will be a pretty popular book.

Felicitously, news aggregator and former diplomat Norman Spector, then pointed the way to a recent interview with the author of the book, the outspoken and always entertaining Mark Steyn.

I think you have to stand up and resist what I would call the phenomenon of creeping Shariah.

Because I think when you see things like, for example, England feeling that you can't fly the English flag because the Cross of St. George is offensive because of the Crusades--I mean every time you concede a little inch of ground like that, you are basically surrendering piecemeal.

And Muslim leaders--not just terrorists, but Muslim governments--draw the lesson from that, that the West is ideologically insecure. And not just Muslims, but all kinds of other fellows, from Chavez to Kim Jung-Il actually, see that too.

Does anyone remember reading about New York City deciding to crack down on littering a number of years ago? At first, it seems like such an inconsequential matter to focus on, but studies showed that as soon as that first piece of litter hit the turf, people felt free to toss anything and everything onto the ground in it's wake. Focusing attention on that initial offense, was the first step in reclaiming New York's reputation as a tourist, if you will, mecca.

Steyn, among other things, argues that even the tiny, senseless 'politically correct' gestures western society is making to any & all 'distinct societies' is the thin edge of the wedge that will inevitably undermine the civilised society we have built up in North America these last few hundreds of years.

Now, call me a Neanderthal, but I'm thinkin' it's about time, to stop and think about that.

Technorati Tags: America Alone, Mark Steyn, Islam

I only do it...

because it's fun to make them shriek.

Continuing our Canine Theme Week

The native contingent squatting on the former Douglas Creek subdivision near Caledonia have been calling for the Federal Government to get involved in negotiating the dispute.

It's very possible they will end up regretting that request. Unlike the pusillanimous McGuinty moonbats, the Conservatives apparently aren't planning to roll over and play dead.

CALEDONIA - Ottawa has told Six Nations it does not have legal title to a housing subdivision occupied by natives in Caledonia since February.

Six Nations officials are to return to a Nov. 3 meeting with evidence to prove the Argyle St. S. site was not surrendered in the 1840s. Doering said Ottawa has documents from 1844 indicating the Douglas Creek Estates land was surrendered and sold.

"If they don't convince us we're wrong, the federal government will stand by its position," he said.

It looks as though the Conservatives are going to be relying on that darned "law of the land", a concept that has eluded Mr. McGuinty from the start of this dispute.

As if using a tactic like jurisprudence isn't outrageous enough, the Feds are apparently prepared to, unlike ole' Dalton who even is paying the squatters utility bills, actually follow through on enforcement of a legal decision.

"The alternative to reconciliation is to use some type of force," Doering noted. "For my part, I'd rather negotiate than use some type of force."

Ok, clan-moms... over to you.

Technorati Tags: Six Nations, Caledonia, Conservative Party

How about we give them whistles instead?

Liberal MP Mark Holland is taking a break from being outraged about Belinda, to being uncomfortable with firearms.

"I'm not comfortable with the idea of border officers training other border officers on how to use weapons," Liberal MP Mark Holland said. "This may be a way to try to shortcut the process -- and we could be taking major risks in terms of safety by cutting those corners."

You're right Mark, I'm way more comfortable with Canadian Customs Officers running away like little children, every time there's a rumour about someone with a weapon approaching the Canadian border.

Hey, how about we gave our guys rape whistles? If there's trouble, maybe they could summon American officers from the other side of the border.

Safety break! Nobody works... nobody gets hurt.

Technorati Tags: Mark Holland, Liberal Party, politics of fear

CSI Ottawa

In an earlier post I made a joking reference to the Liberals bringing in some outside agency to analyze the "Loose Pooch Tapes".

Apparently though, the Liberals were serious.

While a poll was being released about the Tories' popularity with women, the Liberals were contracting an audio specialist to scan the question period tapes and confirm MacKay's canine comparison.

I'm just hoping Bill Graham and the rest of the, oh-so-suddenly, feminista Liberals aren't using my tax dollars to pay for this. Actually, knowing the loose Liberal ethics on paying for stuff out of their own pockets, they're probably trying to co-opt the Communications Security Establishment to do this on the down-low.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking Belinda should take a little time off from chasing the "Athlete of the Week" and use some of her fortune to get an acting coach...

She recoils at the suggestion that perhaps the disappointment is slightly forced, that she and her party are all too pleased to take advantage of a laughable embarrassment to MacKay and the Conservatives.

Good grief... if any of you sheeple actually think this compendium of fake outrage and candy-ass platitudes is as important as the Liberal Party of Canada does, by all means vote in the totally discredited ex-premier of Ontario to lead you down the muddy, socialist garden path.

I think I'll stick with the man and the party, who actually give a crap that things get done.

UPDATE: LPT officially upgraded to Silly Ass Farce

Taliban Jack takes a break from surrendering to the terrorists to weigh in on the "Loose Pooch Tapes"...

"His apology should go to all women members of parliament and members of the country because I'll tell you one thing, it's certainly going to discourage women from seeking public office and in that, he's done a great disservice," Mr. Layton said.

LAST WORD: Craig Oliver must've shat himself

What do you think of the latest MacKay Stronach dust-up?

Apologize. Sexist behaviour which must be addressed.
6311 votes (32 %)

Ignore it. Typical of workplace romance gone bad.
13123 votes (68 %)

Total Votes: 19434

Technorati Tags: Belinda Stronach, Liberal Party, politics of fear

Let's look at the bigger "News" picture

No wonder the Liberals are so desperate this week to make Belinda's "honour" front-page news. If I see any more carefully orchestrated outrage, I swear I'll puke.

Pick up a copy of the just released book, Nom de code: MaChouette for the latest scoop on the Liberal Sponsorship Scandal.

Three years before the political kickback arrangement behind the sponsorship scandal would become public at the Gomery inquiry, a friend of Jean Chrétien was bragging to aides of two cabinet ministers that the federal program was being used to assist the Liberals in Quebec, a new book reveals.

Defending Belinda sure beats having to explain stealing millions of dollars from the Canadian taxpayer.

During the sponsorship era, the well-connected Mr. Lafleur clinched more than $65-million in federal contracts and led a lavish lifestyle, wining, dining and entertaining high-ranking Liberals.

Honestly, these guys are lower than whaleshit.

UPDATE: He impugned her what?!?!

Asked if she felt the messy divorce allegations might compromise her role as head of the Liberal women's caucus, Stronach demurred. "No, I do not," she responded.

Asked if she was in a relationship with Domi, Stronach abruptly ended the media availability, only to appear later on CTV's Mike Duffy Live political show.

Let's ask Leanne Domi what she thinks of Ms. Stronach.

Technorati Tags: Belinda Stronach, Liberal Party, politics of fear

Ralphie reaches for the stars

Is there anything the Liberal Party will not stoop to... to avoid actually getting anything accomplished?

I've got an idea. Let's just pull out of Afghanistan because the Liberals have gone absolutely apeshit over Belinda's, and I use the word loosely, "honour".

“This is not trivial,” Mr. Goodale said. “The instincts that give rise to this insult are fundamentally inconsistent with the values that make us a respectful and decent people. After depicting a woman as his dog, how can the minister of foreign affairs pretend to promote women's rights in Afghanistan or anywhere else?”

But Mr. Kenney again stepped up to respond, saying the Afghanistan link was “a little bit absurd”.

If this is really your idea of something that is earth-shakingly important... then God help the planet.

QUESTION: How many women on the board at Magna Int'l?

If Belinda's such a powerful advocate for women and wasn't just Daddy's little "9 million dollar a year" girl at Magna International, how come there aren't any women on the Board of Directors?

I would suggest that the member opposite who had the opportunities, at one time being recognized as the most powerful businesswoman in Canada, did very little about it. Consequently, when we look at her board at Magna, there is no female representation on that board.

Technorati Tags: Belinda Stronach, Liberal Party, politics of fear

Well, that's certainly clear enough

Say what you will about Iranian President Madman Ahmadinejad, you sure can't accuse him of beatin' around the bush.

If we don't stop playin' footsie with the "Joos"... he's a comin' fer us.

"You (the Western powers) should know that any government that stands by the Zionist regime from now on will not see any result but the hatred of the people," he added. "The wrath of the region's people is boiling."

Mr Ahmadinejad, who has previously called for Israel to be "wiped from the map and described the Holocaust as a "myth," said his warning was an "ultimatum".

"You should not complain that we did not give a warning. We are saying this explicitly now."

Now, there's nothing new about this type of dyspeptic diatribe coming from the Muslim Middle East. The difference here is... this guy's hellbent on uncorking the nuclear genie.

What the Madman doesn't seem to realise is that he's amping up the only other faction in the neighbourhood that actually has the bomb AND the political will to use it.

For anybody who has been in a coma for a decade... that'd be Israel.

**********

UPDATE: Can you say "Osirak"?

People are gonna argue that Iran has distributed its nuclear facilities to prevent this sort of attack from disabling its nuclear program. There is a more optimistic than reality-based theory... that this strategy would render the Israelis powerless.

That, of course, is a fallacy. Israel will not stand by while Iran goes nuclear. It just isn't in the cards. If it means the whole region goes up in flames, they are ready and willing to fight.

To the death, if necessary... to another Masada.

Technorati Tags: Iraq, Israel, mutually assured destruction

Another reason to scrap the Senate

The Senate committee that blew big bucks on a weeks stay in a luxury hotel in Dubai after claiming that their trip into Afghanistan was cancelled, "at the last minute" has been caught in a lie.

Senator Colin Kenny, the committee chair, was told it was impossible to travel to Afghanistan before the four senators left Ottawa.

A document obtained by CTV News shows the military met with Kenny in his office on Sept. 2 -- one week before the senators reached Dubai.

It's far past time to shut down this luxurious Retirement Vacation Home for broken down political hacks and bagmen.

You'll recall that Liberal Senator Colin Kenny is the guy with personalised senate plates on his Jaguar, who wants to raise Senators office budgets from $135,000 to $200,000.

Technorati Tags: Senate, Liberal Party, fraud

So spank him and send him to his room

It looks like it's Sucky Baby Day in the House of Commons.

Sometimes it's hard to believe we pay these guys a salary at all. I'll tell ya, if I came to my dad with a pathetic story about someone calling me a name, he'd have taken off his belt and really given me something to feel badly about.

While the government was being peppered with questions about the new Clean Air Plan, Mr. Holland says a Liberal jokingly asked Mr. MacKay about the impact of pollution on humans and animals: "What about your dog?"

According to Mr. Holland, Mr. MacKay motioned toward Ms. Stronach's vacant seat and replied: "You already have her."

Liberal Mark Holland is leading the charge...

"And he owes Belinda an apology, he owes the House an apology, he owes women an apology."

Whatever McKay actually said, if anything, couldn't be nearly as offensive as the manufactured outrage these idiots puke up for the television cameras after they leave the Parliament buildings.

Again, it's another sad day in the "Land of Actually Accomplishing Anything."

**********

UPDATE: Dalton's brother has been...

... watching too much television. Stand by for CSI Ottawa.

That prompted Liberal MP David McGuinty to suggest that the recording should be sent away to a professional audio laboratory so the offending words could be separated from the background noise.

“For the sake of my wife, my two daughters and all women in this country, this is a transgression that's over the line,” Mr. McGuinty said after Question Period. “

For the sake of acting like a fully mature adult and not a yappy little, uh, well... dog - puhleeese, just shut yer freakin' piehole.

**********

LAST WORD: Well, two actually...

"It was a horrible, horrible awakening when I found it was nothing of the sort."

He said Parliamentary debate during question period is essentially a way for MPs to let off steam for the general public, but has no real constructive purpose in debating legislation.

Technorati Tags: Belinda Stronach, Liberal Party, Peter MacKay

Dalton caught with drawers down yet again

Are these guys just stupid, or is the sense of entitlement just that ingrained in Liberal brains?

OK, one more time. Slowly and clearly so every Liberal understands. Tax money is not the private piggy bank for Liberals and their supporters.

To...all...Liberals!...Tax...money...is...not...
yours...to...spend...as...you...wish!

Steve Janke has the details.

UPDATE: News starting to spread

The names of at least four staff members who work in Premier Dalton McGuinty's office or for Ontario cabinet ministers were listed as returning officers for the Liberal leadership contest.

The list was quickly removed from the Internet, but not before it was spotted by staffers in the office of the provincial Conservatives.

Opposition Leader John Tory said the workers should not list government e-mail addresses and government phone numbers as contacts for blatantly partisan work for the Liberal party, and dismissed claims the leadership work was all done after business hours or on weekends.

LAST WORD: 21 Oct 2006 - More Weasel Words

McGuinty said he wants to be paid back for the $20-million purchase cost of the disputed land, the $1.5-million compensation package provided to local businesses and extraordinary OPP costs.

Some observers estimate the cost of the Caledonia crisis at $100 million and counting.

Technorati Tags: sense of entitlement, Dalton McGuinty, Liberal Party

WSJ demolishes Iraq casualty claims

We're all familiar with the recent "study" that claimed over 600,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the Battle to unseat Saddam and his murderous regime.

Trouble is, it isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

From a researcher who was on the ground, in Iraq for 2 years.

After doing survey research in Iraq for nearly two years, I was surprised to read that a study by a group from Johns Hopkins University claims that 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war.

Survey results frequently have a margin of error of plus or minus 3% or 5%--not 1200%.

Seems the methodology is a tad suspect... even by whiny, nonsensical moonbat standards.

However, the key to the validity of cluster sampling is to use enough cluster points. In their 2006 report, "Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: a cross-sectional sample survey," the Johns Hopkins team says it used 47 cluster points for their sample of 1,849 interviews. This is astonishing: I wouldn't survey a junior high school, no less an entire country, using only 47 cluster points.

This study should be filed away in the same "crazy" basket, as the reports from the university lecturer who thinks Dick Cheney and the Mossad brought down the World Trade Center with cruise missiles.

Saw it first over at David Frum's blog.

UPDATE: More on faulty methodology

Researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London and Oxford University have found serious flaws in the survey of Iraqi deaths published last week in the Lancet.

Technorati Tags: Iraq, David Frum, statistics

Garth is simply Belinda Redux

It's a script reminiscent of the fortunately infrequent toddler tantrums we experienced, when my son hit the 'terrible twos'.

During the emissary meetings, Stronach is said to have announced -- unbidden -- that she had no intention to run for the party leadership.

She then set out to procure the best campaign money could buy, spending $3.95 million out of her own pocket to secure the best resources, strategists and field organizers in the business.

When she didn't win the leadership, and when Harper didn't immediately embrace her as one of his top advisers, Stronach stomped her feet and refused to play in his sandbox.

She went out of her way to undermine his leadership at every turn, speaking out to the press on issues like gay marriage and abortion and accusing Harper of being completely out of touch with mainstream Canadians.

"The real problem, hidden not far below the surface, was leadership," writes Plamondon. "In short, Stephen Harper was leader and she was not."

What Garth and Belinda both needed was, dare I say it... a good spanking.

Technorati Tags: Garth Turner, Belinda Stronach, Conservative Party

Brave Jihadis slaughter more children

In a follow-up story to a botched suicide bombing that killed and maimed Afghan civilians, comes a report of another 2 children being slaughtered by Allah's holy warriors.

Associated Press - 10.19.2006, 07:02 AM - A suicide bomber in southern Afghanistan killed two children and wounded several other people, including British soldiers Thursday, as the country's president called on NATO to use caution during military operations.

Also Thursday, a suicide bomber hurled himself in front of a police car in eastern Afghanistan, killing one policeman and wounding four others, a police official said.

These guys are all about the slaughter. Whatever message they're trying to send... nothing justifies killing children.

Technorati Tags: Afghanistan, Taliban, senseless slaughter

Canadian (Political) Idol

The other day I received an email from a fellow blogger, asking me what I thought about the Garth Turner situation. I replied as follows...

I only know what I see in the papers, but I think Garth is all about, well... Garth. He obviously feels his own needs, whether it's just ego, or a totally separate agenda, are more important than the party line.

Do I think he was unfairly booted out of caucus? Lemme put it this way... if he was an outlaw biker, he'd be lyin' in a shallow grave with a small hole behind his ear.

When I think of Garth Turner, I am reminded of the vastly over-rated, televised karaoke show, hosted by the Ivy-League educated son of a former Prime Minister. The show's particular claim to fame is it that it has totally locked in the teenage girl demographic on whatever night it is broadcast. Like Garth Turner, Ben Mulroney obviously felt that his talents would be wasted if he were not constantly in the limelight, and this vehicle has been his rocket to a very sharply defined sort of fame.

Garth Turner, on his website, is bragging up his own creation, MP TV. It features, to no one's surprise, well... Garth Turner being the star of his own TV show.

Mr. Turner has gone out of his way since shortly after the election, to irritate the Conservative Party dog, if you will, every chance he got. He was extremely critical of the David Emerson defection, yet is now shamelessly flirting with any and all political suitors, including the Green Party, whose Leader Elizabeth May is best known for appearing on the Rick Mercer Report to publicly compromise her principles by cutting down a tree with a chainsaw. If Garth goes Green, he gets to be the only Green Party member in Parliament.

Anyway, I think Garth has accomplished what has been his primary mission all along, which is... to focus as much public attention on Garth Turner, as is humanly possible.

And it's been a pretty sad day in the "Land of Actually Accomplishing Anything."

UPDATE: See Stephen Taylor for the Garth Challenge.

LAST WORD: Party Discipline

More than a decade ago, Jean Chrétien ejected maverick John Nunziata from his caucus after the MP from York South-Weston refused to vote for the 1995 budget over its failure to scrap the goods and services tax.

In an interview yesterday, Nunziata said Turner should look forward to feeling greater independence and having a larger platform, for a while.

But Nunziata maintains Chrétien was still a more ruthless leader than Harper is turning out to be.

Technorati Tags: Garth Turner, Conservative Party, politics

Liberals cracking down on Aboriginals

Had ya goin' there for a second, huh?

No, no... this isn't an end to the Caledonia standoff that has so far cost Ontario taxpayers over 50 million dollars.

The fact is, the Dalton Gang isn't even doing anything themselves. They're tossing this unspeakable crime up to the Feds.

TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government is asking Ottawa to investigate a series of cigarette billboards near the Six Nations aboriginal reserve that the province's health promotion minister believes are a violation of federal law.

The lighted signs and billboards, which line a highway leading to the southern Ontario reserve near the town of Caledonia, Ont., advertise native-made cigarettes for sale on the reserve.

That Dalton McGuinty sure is a stickler for law and order, huh?

If only they didn't offer this final insult to our intelligence...

"We hope the federal government takes its responsibility seriously and is very proactive in making sure the law is upheld."

Good Lord... they didn't just say that, did they?

Incredible.

Institutionalised Racism in Canada?

Or you could just as easily conclude that the present incarnation of a closed off aboriginal society just doesn't work.

Sapers pointed to statistics that show the total number of people incarcerated in federal institutions went down by 12 per cent between 1996 and 2004. But the number of native inmates increased 21 per cent in the same period.

The figures were even more dramatic for native women, whose numbers rose by a startling 74 per cent.

Just as troubling, said Sapers, is the fact that four in 10 natives behind bars are aged 25 or under, reflecting the frequency with which young aboriginals run afoul of the law.

Ah, screw it, let's just blame the wily white man.

Libranos: the final season

In a shady scheme that would have made Tony Soprano blush, the Liberals were apparently padding the Public Service with "phantom jobs" for Lib loyalists.

The Harper government wants to investigate how former Liberal ministerial aides landed jobs in the public service over the past decade.

A senior official confirmed yesterday that the Treasury Board and the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency are examining the issue following recent revelations that two former Liberal aides landed "phantom" jobs that gave them free rides into the public service after they lost their political jobs in the January election.

This was no 'one-off favour for a friend' deal. The Liberal rot that we all suspected is much worse than anyone could have imagined.

The commission found about 100 public servants joined ministers' offices and went back into the public service -- with no break in service -- over 11 years of the previous Liberal government.

The two cases at the centre of the commission's recent probe were bureaucrats who had taken leave without pay to work in ministers' offices as "exempt staff" -- which means they are exempt from the rules governing all bureaucrats under the Public Service Employment Act.

And no one is surprised to see "Alfie Gags" fingerprints all over the smoking gun. Is there any sleazy scam these guys weren't willing to pull?

The commission faced heavy criticism for failing to stop or raise flags about the abuse of the privilege when two of then- Public Works minister Alfonso Gagliano's ministerial aides were parachuted into key public service jobs to run the sponsorship program

Who's scary now folks?

Technorati Tags: phantom jobs, Liberal Party, fraud

Big Paulie, financial genius

It seems the Ghost of Liberals Past has managed to pick your pockets yet again... and no, I'm not talking about the Sponsorship Scandal.

The decision to allow Income Trusts, which someone in the Federal Liberal cabinet also leaked to a stockbroker buddy on the day before the decision was announced, will cost taxpayers bigtime.

OTTAWA — Income trusts will cost Ottawa and the provinces $1.1-billion in lost tax revenue annually once Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. convert to the corporate-tax-avoidance structure, a new study says.

The report by tax expert Jack Mintz shows that Canada's tax-leakage problem has doubled in two years — from $540-million annually in 2004 — despite efforts to solve it.

You may want to rethink the old canard about the Conservative Party being in bed with big business. It wasn't Stephen Harper handing more than a billion dollars over to these wheeler-dealers.

Technorati Tags: Income Trust, Liberal Party, Paul Martin

Robbing Peter & robbing Paul

**********
UPDATE SHOCKER: CANADIAN BAR ASSOC. WANTS MORE

It called on the federal government to not only increase funding, but also to ensure the program’s long-term financial stability.

CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association, Tel: (613) 237-2925, ext. 146
**********

The Harper Conservatives have announced their intent to stop pouring taxpayer dollars down the black hole that is the Court Challenge Program. Libs, Dippers and now the Canadian Bar Association are in a sort of frothing frenzy, attempting to portray this action as the Canadian equivalent of tearing up the Magna Carta.

So what's really happening here?

On a Liberal website, they trumpet the triumph of using taxpayer dollars to finance the decision that now allows Sikh students to wear kirpans to school. A kirpan is a knife that has some religious significance to devout Sikhs. You should note that this decision applies only to Sikhs. If your little Bobby is caught with the jackknife that Grampa gave him for his birthday, he's still going down the river.

I've just been waiting for the Rastafarians to use the argument that marijuana is their sacred religious artifact, and under this program, I can't see any way to reasonably refuse them the money to have their day in court.

And that way, my friend, lies madness.

Now, I’m no expert on political legislation, so I had to draw myself a simpler analogy.

I figured I could use my own experience, in this case my formative years, to try to better understand the situation. I tried to remember how the “law of the land”, or in this case, "the house"... used to work I was younger.

When I was a kid my father virtually ruled our lives. He had rules about eating, washing, bedtimes and going to church, as well as all the other mundane, day to day stuff. He didn’t just make rules up out of thin air, there was usually some sort of plan, vetted by his deputy leader, my mother, based on what they imagined was the common good.

You know the sort of thing I mean... staying fairly clean, neither impregnating nor being impregnated outside of holy matrimony, not being a serial killer. And dad, being the stern, unbending old sod that he was, enforced those rules variously with his belt, withholding allowances and what Steve McQueen would know as being sent to "the cooler".

Now after making up all these rules, there was a certain expectation on his part that we would toe the line. After dad came home from a brutal day at the anvil factory, he expected to have a shower, eat dinner without listening to too many stupid-ass arguments from his beloved family and maybe fall asleep watching the Leafs, with a half empty tumbler of Captain Morgan clutched in his fist.

What he for sure did not expect, was that my mother, who may or may not have felt dad was a bit of a hardass, would sneak money out of his wallet while he was in the shower, so me or my brothers could go grab a sixpack, or my sisters could buy makeup, or a subscription to teen magazines. Not that we didn't do stuff like that, there just wasn't any expectation that dumb ole dad would have to cough up for our expectations. And the system worked out pretty well as I remember. If we wanted to do something that cost money, we found ourselves part-time jobs. If we didn't like the house rules, we could always pony up for a seedy basement apartment somewhere else.

Now it may just be me, but it just doesn’t seem to make sense to obscenely overpay our elected members of Parliament, who take years to propose and pass the laws that keep society from tearing out each other's throats... which then face another level of approbation in the Nursing Home for Political Cronies & Bagmen (aka the Senate), and than hand out money to people who still aren’t happy with the situation, to challenge these very same laws.

If you have a beef with the law of the land and it's important enough to you, by all means raise some money with the help of like-minded individuals and go to court and challenge the law.

Just don't expect me to pay for it.

LAST WORD: Please contact your Member of Parliament and the Prime Minister to let them know you support this action.

Technorati Tags: Court Challenge Program, Conservative Party, political correctness

A new Sheriff in town

As expected, newly appointed OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino got right to it.

He said his first priority is to repair damaged morale the officers suffered under former honcho Gwen "Screw it, I'm Bailing" Boniface.

Fantino is the former Chief of the Toronto Police Force and he's had his run ins with the politically correct rope-a-dopers. Next on his list was the mess the Liberals have created in Caledonia.

"We certainly are very respectful of rights and entitlements of people but we also, I think, have to be very mindful and respectful that there is a rule of law, that anarchy can't prevail, and will do our utmost best to ensure that peace and tranquility prevail," Fantino said during a teleconference yesterday.

If Stephen Harper has any sense at all, he'll scoop this guy up after his contract expires and have him run federally.

Justice Minister Julian Fantino... that sounds good to me.

Technorati Tags: Six Nations, Caledonia, Julian Fantino