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Garth Turner: Raw and UncutRunesmith's Canadian Content

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 8:37pm MST by Jennifer Smith

Tags: Party Liberal [edit]

Today was the official launch of the Garth Turner Campaign here in Halton. Esther was positively giddy with delight at the crushing numbers of volunteers, board members and dignitaries who packed the new campaign office. Senator Betty Kennedy was there. Former Provincial Liberal candidate Gary Zemlak was there (sorry, Gary - nothing personal). The candidate's papers were signed, the signs were bagged, and team members were assigned to spread them out across the land.

Meanwhile, Garth handed me his camera and asked me to record the whole thing for posterity. Which was quite a trick given that I already had my own still camera and my camcorder to juggle - but hey, anything for the cause. I snapped a few shots, noticed the thing kept shutting down in between, checked the display and... the batteries were very nearly dead.

Sigh. Note to self: always bring spare batteries for the boss.

No worries, though. I took a few more still shots with my own camera and [gulp] handed my data card over to Garth so he could post them on his blog.

I'm gonna want that back, Garth.

In the meantime, here's some quick video of today's festivities:
Misspelled Signs at the RNCredjenny

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 8:23pm MST by Red Jenny

Tags: USA [edit]

Did anyone else notice the number of signs at the recent Republican convention that had words misspelled?

This one from English failblog:

Got any more?

Of course, speeeling correctly is elitist...
If Words Could KillPopped Culture

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 8:20pm MST by Jeremy Barker

Tags: Violence movie [edit]

Shut up or die, for your words may lead directly to your demise. That is the premise that lies at the heart of director Bruce McDonald's latest film Pontypool, about a small town that has been infected by a virus that is spread through language.

Set entirely inside an AM radio station located in the bowels of an old church, the evidence of a growing madness comes through radio reports and eyewitness accounts of townspeople speaking gibberish and tearing people limb from limb, as a washed-up shock jock and his producers try and make sense of it all. For what is often described as a zombie movie, there is little in the way of the gore, or the undead for that matter. The horror comes from the growing tension as events outside the station spiral out of control and begin closing in.

What is causing everyone to act so strangely? Is it words? Only English words? Or is it the meaning of the words and why here and why now? The answer is not provided, but not by oversight. The answer isn't available in the novel that it is based on either, Pontypool Changes Everything, and that's the way author Tony Burgess likes it.

I had the opportunity to interview Burgess nine years ago about the last book in his Bwedley trilogy, which explored the dark underbelly of small towns, where violence, fear and dark secrets blossom and thrive. "It's not necessary for everything to be explained," he said at the time, "as long as the emotion or the context is understood."

So is Pontypool about the power words have over us? That wielded in a skillful way can lead people to evil and violence? "There is a thing the metaphors mean, but that thing might be very personal to me, and may not necessarily contribute to the reading," he said of his ideas. Seems he hasn't changed either. "Working with Bruce (McDonald) has been great," Burgess told CanCult this month, "I write him these insane things that I think he’ll fire me over, but he just keeps putting them in the damn movie."

Here is McDonald (standing beside Burgess) at our screening this weekend. Sorry about the image quality, the camera doesn't do so hot without proper lighting.
Dropping the Writ; or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Become Apathetic.37 Days In Ottawa

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 8:07pm MST by Jason Liverpool

Tags: [edit]

A few days ago my girlfriend, a CSIS spook, had this come across her desk.

September 5, 2008
Ottawa, Ontario

Public event for Prime Minister Stephen Harper for Sunday, September 7th is:

Ottawa

8:05 a.m. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper will leave 24 Sussex en route to Rideau Hall to meet with Governor General Michaëlle Jean to ask her to dissolve the 39th Parliament for an election call October 14th, 2008.

24 Sussex
Ottawa, Ontario

* Open to Media *

And so it was: History in the making. The prime minister was going to walk across from his Official Residence to that of the last vestiges of our colonial heritage and Symbolically ask the Queen if he could dissolve the parliament and graciously allow us to choose our representatives.

I love a good election. I love politics. When I was asked if I wanted to get up at 7 am on Sunday to see an economist from Calgary walk across a street and symbolically talk to some lady, I said yes. I did this morning, I dragged my girlfriend out of bed just in time to miss the only bus that goes down Sussex.

We, being the intrepid lovers of democracy that made this country great, walked the 45 minutes in the quiet morning cold. We arrived at 8, just in time to see news crews - poking cameras between bars, Police - standing around, and protestors - protesting. One of them was an anarchist neighbour I'd had a beer with about a week ago. Interesting guy.

We stood around looking sheepish for a while, chatting with real protestors, joke protestors and the Young Liberals of Canada. We tried to take photos, but there really wasn't much going on. Then the gates opened at 24 sussex. We were surprised, we didn't know what to do. Luckily we weren't asked to do anything.

The PM's motorcade - Two SUV's and two Sedans, all black all with tinted windows - drove the forty feet from the PM's house to the the Governor General's. I couldn't even see the guy. How boring. The young Liberals, who said they had a spy on the inside (probably David Emerson, Wink Wink) had already prepared for this and had press releases telling of how they had purchased carbon offsets for him. The protestors, who really had no idea what to do and had not expected this, made some statements and scattered off. The joke protestors and I went to breakfast.

An Omen of the incredibly dull non-events to come? Only time will tell...
Catholic hierarchy uses social networking to reach out to youth-- this is more like it!BIG BLUE WAVE

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 8:00pm MST by SUZANNE

Tags: Church Catholic [edit]

I am a member of xt3.com a Catholic social networking site that is an outworth of this year's World Youth Day in Sydney.

Today, I got an email from XT3 which stated:

Cardinal George Pell sent you a new private message

Naturally, I was skeptical, but lo and behold, the good Cardinal (or his surrogate) really did send a message to all 30 000 members of this site.

The message leads, ultimately to this practical guide on being a Catholic witness in the world. (The document is in PDF and is 2.5MB long, FYI).

This is ingenius. If they could recruit say 3 million people-- not implausible-- they could really do some interesting thing. Imagine, for instance, that they recruit 1 million Americans. And the Vatican reminds them that Catholics are called to vote for the right to life.

A million votes in the balance could have an effect on the US Presidential Election.

I love it.

This has so many possibilities.

And it gets better.

I got another email from XT3 announcing that Pope Benedict will send a special message to all members on September 8th-- the Feast of the Birth of the Virgin Mary.

Getting a message from the pope-- way cool.

And yes, the Pope probably doesn't know anything about the Internet and it's probably some secretary doing all the work, but so what. It's still pretty neat.

So if you want your pope message, register on XT3.com and invite all your Catholic friends to do so.

Your Holiness, if you keep talking to people directly like that, you will get more people to join.

For more social conservative news check out BigBlueWave.ca
Many so manya peek inside the fishbowl

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 7:46pm MST by andrea

Tags: life Misc. [edit]

… happy birthday wishes to my best honey. xoxox, a Share This
Harper channels John CandyTattered Sleeve

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 7:43pm MST by Scott in Montreal

Tags: politics Cdn [edit]

I finally saw this sickening ad and was instantly reminded of:
Mayor Tommy Shanks (John Candy) is Melonville's "easygoing" (corrupt) mayor who is prone to sudden fits of rage and physical violence, yet gives regular fireside chats on SCTV while a stuffed dog sits motionless by his side. Throwing out one non-sequitur after another, Shanks manages to convey absolutely nothing of relevance during his broadcasts. Eventually, Shanks succumbs to mental illness and is institutionalized. While still in the institution, he runs for re-election with the campaign slogan "Get me outta here!" and wins by a landslide.
Too bad much searching on both youtube and google photos has not turned up anything else, but I trust true SCTV fans will know what I'm talking about here.

- 30 -
I Get MailUnambiguously Ambidextrous

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 7:25pm MST by Raphael Alexander

Tags: Lefties lunatic Internet crazy [edit]

My first blog related hate mail! I feel like I've finally made it, like Mary Tyler Moore. Dr.Frink Frank is an aggressive progressive [hey, I like that], who attacks me on instinct alone. I think he literally has a kind of pavlovian response to conservatives, in that he starts writing inanities as soon as he notices me on a left-of-centre blog. It's sad, in a way, that people become so obsessive with what is really little more than a sideshow, a distraction, a game. Blogging is fun for me, but it really doesn't warrant the kind of commentary Frank... well, I'll let you evaluate for yourselves:

From: "Docter Frinkster"
To: rphl_lxndr@yahoo.ca
Subject: You can run but you won't be able to hide

Unfortunately the Wordpress will not be allowing my last reply to you in that thread at Red Tory's.

Shame, because it thoroughly demolishes your faux sense of 'reasonableness', 'propriety' and 'civility'. Not to mention exposes your utter hypocrisy. It's actually much milder than my previous two replies.

As I did save it in anticipation that it would not be posted, I'll reproduce it here for you.

Be aware of two things (if you actually do read this and don't summarily delete upon receipt)
1) That reply has already been circulated among many blogging on the left side of the aisle. Not that they really needed any reminder that you are an utter, contemptible fraud.

and

2) I'll reproduce this comment where I see you posting your usual passive-aggresive 'who me?' comments on left-leaning blogs. I don't bluff, by the way.

Here it is...

Raph, clue phone is still ringing.

I'm not 'debating' you. There's never any 'debate' with you.

I'm mocking you.

If you care to attack my grasp on reality, try doing this.

Now, since you currently live in North Vancouver you have three Squamish
Band reserves within spitting distance. Pick one, any one. Then walk
into the community centre or council office and recite this,
in as loud a voice as you can muster, for them. Then also recite this.
Then come back here and tell us all about how those particular brown
people praised you for your deep, abiding, overly precious love for, and
understanding them. Not to mention how they appreciate, deeply and
profoundly, you make no notice of skin colour.

That pain you feel afterward? That's reality thoroughly kicking you in
your fraudulent, hypocritical, '5th generation Canadian' nutsack.

Heh. Fuck you three times, bay-by.

So, keep this in mind... don't tempt me.
Dr. Frink

There are sure a lot of crazy people on the internet. Be careful out there, kids.
We’re (Collectively Of Course) SorryStageleft:. Life on the left side

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 7:15pm MST by stageleft

Tags: Canada [edit]

I left town left early this morning to visit friends and help stack some winter fire wood totally forgetting that balbulican was also taking a break from the watch -- little did I know that Harper would take the opportunity created by my early morning forgetfulness to sneak out of his garage in a four car motorcade and make a mad dash almost 400 metres down the street to ask the GG to call an election.... if I had been here, on the watch, as I should have been, this would have been prevented - and I apologize to all Canadians for this.
Can pink elephants be that far behind?The Walrus Said

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 7:07pm MST by Janet

Tags: science bears polar [edit]

They're not changing the water as often at the Higashiyama zoo. Maybe they should make an exception for the polar bear pond.

The increased algae has entered the bears' hollow hairs and the result is green polar bears.

On the other hand, it makes for a great publicity stunt. I mean really, how many of you had heard of the Higashiyama zoo before?

And on a more serious note, how many realized that polar bears had hollow, transparent hairs? The hollowness is for insulation purposes, of course. And polar bears normally appear white because they reflect back the full spectrum of light, just like snow.

Walrus is pleased to present this infotainment moment as a free public service.

Technorati tags: Polar bears
Quote of the Day: Focus on the Puckbastard.logic

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 7:02pm MST by matttbastard

Tags: 2008 [edit]

by matttbastard

Is McCain’s VP choice bad? Sure. But we don’t need her to go to the penalty box in order to win the game. McCain threw the elbow, now the American public is going to referee the follow-up. Now that their attention is drawn to that corner of the rink, they’ll be watching to see what happens next. Frankly, most Americans don’t give a rat’s ass about Troopergate, or any of the other scandals surrounding McCain’s VP pick. Should they? Probably. But the fact is they don’t.

Now, do we spend our energy trying to make them care? When most of them are trying to pay mortgages, pay for college, or just simply eat a decent meal?

Or do we put our focus on the puck?

Let’s make sure that what happens next keeps our focus where it should be.

- AndrewMC, All Democrats Would Do Well to Read This (Or, “How 538 Nails It”)

h/t pale via IM

(Note to our Canadian readers: will begin our no-doubt obsessive Canadian election coverage later tomorrow. Be afraid.)

Recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers
MTV VMAsPopwatchCanada

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 6:49pm MST by Kerry

Tags: VMAs [edit]
Yeah... I missed the boat on liveblogging this bad boy. I think it's because I find Russell Brand so damn entertaining that I can't focus on typing. Here's what I have to say about the show so far:
- Brit did good.
- Some people won some awards, the most tragic of which was the Pussycat Dolls beating Chris Brown for best dancing in a video (dude... that must be a new award, right? OMG - this show really makes me talk like a 14 year old.)
- Lindsay Lohan is skinny.
- Lil Wayne has a nice butt, but it isn't big enough to hold up his pants. He should either get smaller pants or a belt that fits.
- If Leona Lewis and Michael Phelps had a baby together, what kind of lung capacity do you think that kid would have? Would its lungs even fit in its chest cavity?
- God got a shout out right away, but the troops didn't get anything til 9:50. Shame on you peeps.
- Lil Wayne apparently grabbed his crotch 31 times during his performance. Thank you for that fact MuchMusic.
- I'm unhip enough to admit that I have no idea who Paramore are. And, having heard them, I'm alright with that.
I'm going to bed after Pink performs. Love that new video. Love it. Oh! She broke a mirror! She used a sash/rope thingy in her last concert tour - it was very cool. I love how she actually sings live. Let me say this about that: if you ever get a chance to see her live, you should go. It's worth every penny. That was a seriously risky outfit, don't you think? Oh, I love her.
I'm off to bed. Later all!
Stephen, we hardly know you … and likely never will.Dawg's Blawg

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 6:46pm MST by Marie Ève

Tags: performance [edit]

On Sunday morning I watched as the current prime minister of Canada held a televised press conference in Québec city and wondered out loud: Who is this? Absent was the familiarly churlish, arrogant, sneering, hostile, contemptuous man that many Canadians knew from past scrums with reporters. So who, or what was this incarnation of Stephen Harper taking questions from the judiciously assembled media?

Soft-spoken, smiling, polite, charming and almost shy as he gazed away and back to the camera, this seemingly diffident version of Stephen Harper was a performance designed to disarm the eager, possibly aggressive probes from the press corps and to capture the hearts of women watching.

The Conservatives know, from polling results, that their leader has a “female” problem. The majority of Canadian women do not trust Harper to defend their rights. To redress this situation, a cleverly crafted persona was created: a gentle and even sweet Stephen.

This was the Harper on display Sunday morning.

I found his performance riveting. Like most Canadian women, I have experienced in the course of my lifetime at least one intimate relationship that was abusive and based on power imbalance. It matters little who that particular individual was: parent, teacher, friend, coach, lover, boss or spouse.

It is the habitual pattern of behaviour that is significant: an ingratiating phase followed by angry, authoritarian actions that are intended to control. Faced with the loss of a relationship (or control over someone) a bully has to resort to a display of tenderness (recriminations, tears, pleading, cajoling, and charm) to seduce the target of his attentions, to convince her that he deserves a second chance.

Since I’ve never let Stevie even get within view of first base with me, his display was intellectually fascinating but did not strike any of the emotional notes that it was meant to do.

As for the men who were watching, there was nothing in Harper’s demeanour that shrieked out ‘girly man’ or weakness. In fact, if any of the guys caught on to his little charade, they probably chuckled to themselves, in solidarity and self-recognition. It likely reminded them of the time their mom caught them downloading porn from the internet or the moment their wife accidentally opened the envelope with the $300 fine reminder for a speeding ticket and the subsequent grovelling they had to do to set things right.

Surely it’s no secret the CPC had extensive, in-depth surveys done to establish how to spin the announcement of an election that, based upon legislation presented and passed by their New™ government, should have been held in 2010. Focus groups results likely determined that the unfavourable ‘gender gap’ factor vis-à-vis their leader could best be overcome by getting Stephen to wear a different face.

And what a stunning performance piece that was. One does wonder what emotional trigger Harper accessed to provide such a convincing act. Raindrops on roses? Whiskers on kittens? Whoever coached him has a brilliant future in Hollywood.

However it should be interesting to see whether the polls conducted by the Cons immediately after Harper’s performance demonstrated that this display was successful in soothing the concerns of Canadian women. I found Stephen Harper’s act amusing yet ultimately, alarming.

Whatever is concealed inside that blue paper package tied up in string, remain wary and vigilant.
In Which Dead Robot Turns Chrimson With “Gwarsh!”Dead Robot » Dead Robot

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 6:35pm MST by Dead Robot

Tags: bloggers [edit]

Robert, who has been coming around this here blog for a couple months now, recently started up Canada Blog Friends, a review site of Northern webzines (ha! when was the last time you heard that? Webzines! hmmm…) that:

…is a celebration of life in Canada, as manifest in many different blogs, across many different genres from every part of the nation.

The coolest Canadian blogs are profiled here, and sometimes extra passionate posts are condensed in compelling story briefs and further digested in comments.

Well I got featured yesterday and I have to tell you, I’ve never had a stranger say such nice things about my blog/hobby who didn’t want money or sex. Go read the review. I rarely toot my own horn on here but the post is so well written I feel like a proud parent at a grade 2 musical and my child just nailed “I Don’t Know How To Love Him”.

Thanks Robert!
In Which Dead Robot Turns Chrimson With “Gwarsh!”Dead Robot » Dead Robot

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 6:35pm MST by Dead Robot

Tags: bloggers [edit]

Robert, who has been coming around this here blog for a couple months now, recently started up Canada Blog Friends, a review site of Northern webzines (ha! when was the last time you heard that? Webzines! hmmm…) that:

…is a celebration of life in Canada, as manifest in many different blogs, across many different genres from every part of the nation.

The coolest Canadian blogs are profiled here, and sometimes extra passionate posts are condensed in compelling story briefs and further digested in comments.

Well I got featured yesterday and I have to tell you, I’ve never had a stranger say such nice things about my blog/hobby who didn’t want money or sex. Go read the review. I rarely toot my own horn on here but the post is so well written I feel like a proud parent at a grade 2 musical and my child just nailed “I Don’t Know How To Love Him”.

Thanks Robert!
Election Campaign 2008 - Day One - 5 More Weeks!Pample the Moose

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 6:31pm MST by Matt

Tags: 2008 prediction Election [edit]

Sigh... As predicted, I won't be going to the polls to vote in the Guelph by-election tomorrow. Stephen Harper has decided that it was a swell idea to waste all the efforts of the candidates in my riding for the past several weeks, only to cancel the by-election the day before we were supposed to vote.

So instead, this endless campaign will continue for yet another 5 weeks - after what has been a good 31 months of "campaigning". Sadly, I think that the best that I can hope for out of this election is that the campaigning will just continue on indefinitely into the future. I still think the Liberals haven't a hope in hell of a majority, and that their hopes for a minority are pretty darned slim. The best I'm hoping for is that it is just a Conservative minority which emerges from the campaign, rather than a full-blown majority.

My early prediction - which I reserve the right to revise at will - is that there will be another Conservative minority, but only barely short of a majority government. I figure that the Conservatives will pick up at least another 10-15 seats in Ontario, Quebec and BC. Those seats will come at the expense of all three of the other parties. Expect a bit of Liberal-NDP shuffling, as local issues or strategic voting, particularly in some urban ridings, lead to seat switches between the two parties. I'm not yet ready to make a call on the chances of the Greens, although I am hoping (although not expecting) that Elizabeth May bumps off Peter McKay to make life interesting. That said, I'll expect a few strong second-place Green showings.

As for my own riding, the campaign has been dragging on interminably. I don't expect Guelph to be a bellwether this time, largely because the by-election campaign has gone on for so long, allowing local issues to get a lot of play over the past several weeks. My early guess is a Liberal win, with the Greens barely eking out second place over the other two in a very split vote. I think that the fact that we're now into a full-on election campaign will hurt the vote percentages of both the NDP and the Green here, as the two major parties duke it out.

Finally, the only pollster whose numbers I really trust is Nanos. Allan Gregg is a Conservative hack, and his Strategic Counsel is the polling firm I trust the least. The others range between those extremes.

That's all for now. I'll try to keep posting regularly, but right now I'm feeling so disenchanted with my options that I'm not looking forward to this campaign at all. If only we had some form of proportional representation, I wouldn't be feeling quite so pessimistic!
"Canadian PM employs loophole in potential power grab"The Progressive Right

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 6:12pm MST by Jim (Progressive Right)

Tags: Canada [edit]

CNN got it all wrong.
Canada's prime minister dissolved Parliament on Sunday and called an early election for next month in hopes of strengthening his Conservative minority government's hold on power.
We have fixed election dates in Canada so there won't be an election until October 2009 - because fixed election dates stop leaders from trying to manipulate the calendar.

That's a whole year away.

I only wish it were funny.

[H/T, A BCer in Toronto]
Questions From The BunkerStageleft:. Life on the left side

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 6:06pm MST by stageleft

Tags: Canada [edit]

There are a few folks not so very enthusiastic about our post regarding Stephane Dion and his campaign plane -- apparently it's ok because Dion is "carbon offsetting". Me, I'm not convinced.
Before you go thinking the RNC was a success…1337hax0r.com

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 6:02pm MST by dietcoupon

Tags: Uncategorized [edit]

McCain gets BARACKROLLED:

I hope they fail to fix that little problem McCain’s having with background colours before the general election.
What this place needs...Dawg's Blawg

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 5:24pm MST by Dr.Dawg

Tags: [edit]

...is a woman's touch. In the James Thurber sense, of course.

Welcome, please, my co-blogger for the duration of the election campaign: Marie Ève. Bilingual, witty, forthright and as feminist as they come, she knows her way around the Canadian political terrain, and takes no prisoners. Her touch is, in fact, somewhat subtler than that of the fencer in the illustration--but just as deadly.

Marie Ève has a bone to pick with so-con meddlers, authoritarian Con leaders, sexists, racists and pretenders of all stripes, shapes and sizes. She doesn't suffer fools gladly, but they suffer if they give her any back-chat. Or fore-chat, or side-chat, come to think of it. Or even if they just happen to get caught in the headlights of her gaze.

Move over, Sarah Palin--progressive women can kick ass too. Just watch her. I'm going to enjoy this.
Stephen Harper and the Palin FactorMontreal Simon

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 5:20pm MST by Simon

Tags: Harper Stephen [edit]

As I watched Stephen Harper and his porkers march off to the Governor General's house to declare an election.

And heard Great Pig Leader squeal that he expects it will just lead to another minority government.

"We believe it is going to be a tough election. We believe it will be a tight election. And, yes, we believe in all likelihood it will be a minority."

I really had to laugh. Why do you have such big teeth Granny? Why do RepubliCons always think people are fools? Why does this lying double talk sound so familiar?

And then I saw this disgusting quote:

"As you all know once you become a dad, that's pretty central to your character and your life. So, obviously, that's part of what we want to communicate to people."

Asked if he thought Mr. Dion — who has an adopted daughter — was a family man too, Mr. Harper said he would "presume he's a family man as well."

And it suddenly became so CLEAR.

Stephen Harper may be George Bush's foul little stooge...for polishing the Chimp's ass with his tongue...and disgracing his country abroad. But the person he reminds me of these days is Sarah "The Barracuda" Palin.

The Barracuda believes that being a hockey mum makes her a better leader. And so does Stephen "hockey dad" Harper. Vomit. Palin is a climate change denier and a whore for Big Oil. And so is Great Pig Leader. That's why he hates the carbon tax. That's why he killed Kyoto.

The redneck from Alaska claims to be for good economic governance. But she ran her little rube town into the ground with her reckless spending. Just like Staphen Harper has done to Canada with his vote-buying spree.

The Barracuda puts on a smiley face but treats her opponents like deadly enemies, and tries to destroy them. Just like Great Crazy Leader does. He hates culture. She tried to fire the town librarian...and her brother-in-law. He wants to destroy the Liberal Party.

And then of course there's the small matter that the Barracuda lies about everything. And so does Great Big Liar.

But the most disturbing point of similarity between Palin and Harper is that they both belong to fundamentalist churches that believe the world is about to end...and that's a GOOD thing. Believe too that gays are an abomination, a woman's place is in the home, and abortion is murder.

"I suspect many Canadians would be upset to learn about the conservative beliefs of the Christian and Missionary Alliance," Noll said. "They certainly are far less tolerant than, say, the United Church of Canada..."

I bet they would.

Remember this Canadian campaign is going to take place as the one in the U.S. enters it's last desperate weeks. And Sarah Palin is going to have to explain her extremist religious beliefs, and what kind of country she would turn America into if she ever became President. It's going to be the BIG STORY.

Great Pig Leader's government is crawling with SoCons. Dozens and dozens of his MPs are in favour of criminalizing abortion through the backdoor. His Director of Policy and Research is Darrel Reid, the former president of Focus on the Family.

So doesn't it make sense with so much at stake, to ask Stephen Harper some hard questions also?

Or pair him up with Sarah....

Or the power of the Hidden Agenda?

I don't know ....but Praise the Lord !!!!

Stevie and Sarah.

What MORE can we ask for?
It BeginsThe Lotusland Soapbox

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 4:42pm MST by BCT 2.0

Tags: Election federal 2008 [edit]

OTTAWA - Canada's federal leaders have fanned out across the country after the nation was plunged into its third general election in little more than four years Sunday.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper pulled the plug on his minority government to ask voters for a fresh mandate as Canadians face growing global economic turbulence, a move that opened the political floodgates for an Oct. 14 vote. Harper's political opponents say the campaign will be a referendum on his leadership and the direction he has taken the country since the Conservatives won power in 2006.
And here we go. Let the games begin.
UPDATE: For the record, my initial prediction.
CONSERVATIVE: 131
LIBERAL: 96
BLOC QUEBECOIS: 50
NDP: 30
INDEPENDENT: 1

This is a basic prediction, though. I'll have a more detailed one in a few weeks, once we really see the direction of this campaign.
Either way, I agree with Jarrett on this one. Harper may have angered those who voted for him on a single issue (in my case, for example, Bill C-61), but it's not enough to make them park their vote elsewhere for the most part. At the same time, those who have shown the outrage of Harper being some secretive ideologue are people who wouldn't even vote Conservative if hell froze over, so their input has no real effect.
In the end, though, it will be a minority, not a majority, because, while Harper has been a competent PM, he hasn't dazzled. That will keep him from the magic number of 155 seats.
That said, if a Conservative majority happens- and I don't think it will- I predict that would be the product of Layton and/or May running strong campaigns moreso than Harper, effectively splitting the left into three different camps that are much, much closer in numbers, and much more fractured than they've ever been. In other words, for it to happen, Harper would need what Chretien had in the 1990s.
It BeginsThe Lotusland Soapbox

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 4:42pm MST by BCT 2.0

Tags: Election federal 2008 [edit]

OTTAWA - Canada's federal leaders have fanned out across the country after the nation was plunged into its third general election in little more than four years Sunday.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper pulled the plug on his minority government to ask voters for a fresh mandate as Canadians face growing global economic turbulence, a move that opened the political floodgates for an Oct. 14 vote. Harper's political opponents say the campaign will be a referendum on his leadership and the direction he has taken the country since the Conservatives won power in 2006.
And here we go. Let the games begin.
Pro-life as the lesser of two evilsBIG BLUE WAVE

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 4:28pm MST by SUZANNE

Tags: ProLife [edit]

Uncle Sam's Cabin alerted me to an interesting blogpost on the abortion issue.

This requires a bit of background...

The Point of View of an Aspergian is an autism advocacy blog. Judging from the language, I'd say she is an advocate of what is known as "neurodiversity". The neurodiversity movement posits that if you're born on the autistic spectrum, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just different. Autistic behaviours do not need therapeutic attention.

As the mother of one daughter (possibly two) on the austistic spectrum, I strongly disagree with that stance.

POVA warns us that we are coming closer and closer to a prenatal test for autism. And she fears that when that day comes, it will be used to eliminate autistic babies through abortion-- and it won't even be 100% accurate.

We are faced with evil in our time. The specter of eugenics is raising its ugly head once more. The call is now for "Normalcy" a normal race. We all want normailty ?? right? It is the latest ploy to rid the world of its so called undesirables deemed by a few.

Though she is not opposed to abortion in general, the prospect of eliminating autism is a greater evil than restricting abortion:

When we compare that with denying a woman's right to choose, there is no comparison. Genocide is the greater evil. A whole group of people with the devalued genetic signatures will go into the night of history , if we allow this.

Her solution:

Our last stop gap measure until we as a community are more in a position to better advocate for ourselves is to support the lesser of two evils.We need to align and ally ourselves with the prolifers. They have a real shot at making abortion illegal thereby resulting in any and all prenatal test useless. So please join with me and support Mcain/Palin to stop a prenatal test by stopping abortion.

This is a new argument to me, to tell you the truth.

One commenter, Suzanne (not ALL-CAPS) writes:

As a (pro-choice) mother of boys with Autism and Downs, I understand your worry. I was surprised to be offered selective termination after the amniocentesis proved Trisomy21. I know the stat of 90% and that could be true. To me, it means that there aren't Curebie parents to Downies, because the ones who don't want them just don't have them. That will certainly happen to autistics if a prenatal test is developed, especially in a world where Autism is made out to be a thief of children's souls.

Another commenter says:

As a *modern* woman, I used to vote solely on the abortion issue alone (Supreme Court appointees). Now, as a mother, I cannot bring myself to support the Dem party.

I'm with you on McCain/Palin and switched my voter registration this week.

Socrates writes:

This is probably one of the toughest issues we face. One of the biggest suprises for me has been my transition from an absolutist pro-choicer, via an AS diagnosis, to an pro-lifer

For these people, the prospect of the elimination of their minority group is a greater evil than restricting a woman's so-called right to abortion.

I tend to agree, but then I think all individual human beings should have the right to life.

For more social conservative news check out BigBlueWave.ca
Pro-life as the lesser of two evilsBIG BLUE WAVE

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 4:28pm MST by SUZANNE

Tags: ProLife [edit]

Uncle Sam's Cabin alerted me to an interesting blogpost on the abortion issue.

This requires a bit of background...

The Point of View of an Aspergian is an autism advocacy blog. Judging from the language, I'd say she is an advocate of what is known as "neurodiversity". The neurodiversity movement posits that if you're born on the autistic spectrum, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just different. Autistic behaviours do not need therapeutic attention.

As the mother of one daughter (possibly two) on the austistic spectrum, I strongly disagree with that stance.

POVA warns us that we are coming closer and closer to a prenatal test for autism. And she fears that when that day comes, it will be used to eliminate autistic babies through abortion-- and it won't even be 100% accurate.

We are faced with evil in our time. The specter of eugenics is raising its ugly head once more. The call is now for "Normalcy" a normal race. We all want normailty ?? right? It is the latest ploy to rid the world of its so called undesirables deemed by a few.

Though she is not opposed to abortion in general, the prospect of eliminating autism is a greater evil than restricting abortion:

When we compare that with denying a woman's right to choose, there is no comparison. Genocide is the greater evil. A whole group of people with the devalued genetic signatures will go into the night of history , if we allow this.

Her solution:

Our last stop gap measure until we as a community are more in a position to better advocate for ourselves is to support the lesser of two evils.We need to align and ally ourselves with the prolifers. They have a real shot at making abortion illegal thereby resulting in any and all prenatal test useless. So please join with me and support Mcain/Palin to stop a prenatal test by stopping abortion.

This is a new argument to me, to tell you the truth.

One commenter, Suzanne (not ALL-CAPS) writes:

As a (pro-choice) mother of boys with Autism and Downs, I understand your worry. I was surprised to be offered selective termination after the amniocentesis proved Trisomy21. I know the stat of 90% and that could be true. To me, it means that there aren't Curebie parents to Downies, because the ones who don't want them just don't have them. That will certainly happen to autistics if a prenatal test is developed, especially in a world where Autism is made out to be a thief of children's souls.

Another commenter says:

As a *modern* woman, I used to vote solely on the abortion issue alone (Supreme Court appointees). Now, as a mother, I cannot bring myself to support the Dem party.

I'm with you on McCain/Palin and switched my voter registration this week.

Socrates writes:

This is probably one of the toughest issues we face. One of the biggest suprises for me has been my transition from an absolutist pro-choicer, via an AS diagnosis, to an pro-lifer

For these people, the prospect of the elimination of their minority group is a greater evil than restricting a woman's so-called right to abortion.

I tend to agree, but then I think all individual human beings should have the right to life.

For more social conservative news check out BigBlueWave.ca
“Beyond Stunning” Rider Comeback in WinnipegAbandoned Stuff by Saskboy

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 4:26pm MST by Saskboy

Tags: Saskatchewan [edit]

“Beyond stunning” is how Rod Pedersen described the Roughriders’ 34-31 comeback against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sunday afternoon. What a game! The Riders win the Banjo Bowl.

Riders are now 8-2.
“Beyond Stunning” Rider Comeback in WinnipegAbandoned Stuff by Saskboy

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 4:26pm MST by Saskboy

Tags: Saskatchewan [edit]

“Beyond stunning” is how Rod Pedersen described the Roughriders’ 34-31 comeback against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sunday afternoon. What a game! The Riders win the Banjo Bowl.

Riders are now 8-2.
Large-headed, yellow-fringed mutants!Gordo's Brain!

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 4:20pm MST by Gordo

Tags: Family [edit]

I showed you the soze of the sunflower in our backyard a couple of weeks ago. Given the amount of rain this summer, it’s 12-foot size isn’t really unheard of. THere are huge sunflowers all over the place and I’ve seen them this size before. This I haven’t seen. This gigantic thing not has grown almost [...]
Large-headed, yellow-fringed mutants!Gordo's Brain!

Posted: September 7th, 2008, 4:20pm MST by Gordo

Tags: Family [edit] </

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