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The Conservative culture of obscurantismDawg's Blawg

Posted: October 9th, 2008, 9:33am MST by Marie Ève

Tags: holes black [edit]

Though it's likely that few of the CPC faithful would be familiar with the term, it seems that obscurantism is woven deeply into that party's culture.

An article in yesterday's Le Devoir offers up evidence of many instances where the Conservatives' New Government has reigned in the release of information and willfully promoted a culture of obscurantism.

A brief look at the succinct entry for obscurantism in Wikipedia takes you from the familiar ("the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from becoming known") to the hermetic (Derrida, Lacan et al). Ever pragmatic, Le Devoir provides examples of the Conservatives practices of obscuring information from the public by making it unavailable. Two major scientific studies commissioned by the federal government, the first about global warming and its effect upon public health and the second, a rigorous analysis of the social costs of our current transportation systems, were released in the dead of summer.

The article also mentions that immediately after the Conservatives came to power in 2006, all information and links regarding the Kyoto accord were removed from the Environment Canada website. An allusion to the SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) tactic for silencing critics did not reference the Chuck Cadman affair, but I will.

"Though often associated with religious fundamentalism, obscurantism is a distinct strain of thought: Fundamentalism presupposes a sincere belief in religion, while obscurantism rests on the deliberate manipulation of faith by an enlightened few."

Which segues perfectly to a rather arcane species of obcurantists: Opus Dei members. Thanks to La Presse and its diligent reporters, a Con candidate in a riding south of Montréal has been outed as an adherent of that extremist orthodox sect within the Catholic Church.

Fortunately, black hole production is not yet available to the Cons' overactive web designer geeks otherwise there might be more major 'unsanctioned' obscurantism.

CPC kids - don't play with the anti-matter machine at Conservative Party Headquarters without adult supervision, okay?
Self-fulfilling prophecyMy Corner of the Universe

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 5:23pm MST by KRJM

Tags: related News [edit]

You know when people start talking about something and that something eventually comes true? That's called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Well, today the big bad word "recession" was thrown around a lot, so don't be surprised people if we have a self-fulfilling prophecy now:

The story on CTV and the story on CBC.

Not that I wasn't expecting this. Clients are now starting to talk about it quite a bit.

The important quote from all of this (from the CBC article):
"[We're] forecasting Canadian and U.S. recessions, plus 100 basis points of [Bank of Canada] and Fed cuts that could come at any time.
100 basis points in the bank rate is a full percentage point. If the bank rate drops, prime rate will go with it. Even if prime doesn't drop by 1%, it'll have to come down by some amount. I suspect that if their prediction is right, we should see prime rate around the 4% mark before Christmas.

I've been saying this for a long time now - if you have to refinance any debt, or renew your mortgage, go variable.

Perhaps this "prophecy" will actually help...
Canadian Economic Downturn Leads To Choice Of Best LeaderUnambiguously Ambidextrous

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 5:13pm MST by Raphael Alexander

Tags: Harper Stephen [edit]

The economy is taking a hard hit in the credit crunch, as the global meltdown from the U.S. economic woes continues. Aside from the various speculations and prognostications, Canada's largest banks have warned that economic growth in Canada is essentially over. They predict we're headed for something "worse than a recession", as banks will make it much more difficult to get loans, raise interest rates, and cut down on the riskier ventures of the past. A credit crunch means less stimulus growth, tighter restraints on spending, and less cash flow for the marketplace. Heavy drops in commodities are a sure sign things are going badly.

As the Globe and Mail explains, the markets are being mainly affected by fears of the $700-billion bailout of economic institutions in the U.S. "not being enough" to alleviate the credit crisis. As companies find it difficult to get loans to finance new enterprise, buy new equipment, and bid for new projects, we could really see a dent even here in Western Canada where the money has been free flowing. Worse than even credit fears, is fear itself. Fear is driving the market right now, as traders sell commodity stocks in panic that they will continue to slide, taking smaller losses now than huge ones later.

What this all translates to in Canada during an election campaign is an opportunity to attack Stephen Harper and the reigning Conservative government. All the party leaders have been hammering on the Conservative leader over fears of a downturn, with Jack Layton and Stephane Dion the most vociferous. Jack Layton made the ridiculous assertion that the government has done "nothing" during nearly three years in office, telling Canadians that Mr.Harper won't do anything to "save jobs". Stephane Dion has hit upon the comments made by Mr.Harper during the debate that Canada's economy was strong, and that he had confidence in the continued prosperity of our country.

While it's true that the Conservative Party has been late in addressing an economic plan for this election, and also true that Mr.Harper has downplayed the real dangers involved in a possible "worse than recession" economy, I did like the comments he made regarding the potential crisis:

"Look, we're not an island. We can't pretend, and we're not pretending, that we will escape effects of world developments."

It's disingenuous of the opposition leaders to attack the government on the residual effects of the American economy upon ours, particularly the irresponsible actions of the large financial institutions who created their own meltdown, and orchestrated their own fiscal insolvency. And as we go to the polls on October 14, we must decide who will be the best leader to take us through an economic downturn in a period of uncertainty. I don't believe the plans of the Liberals, NDP, or Green party are financially affordable. I believe Stephen Harper when he says we have to create fiscal restraint, maintain low taxes, and maintain whatever economic stimulus we have by keeping the cash flow in the hands of ordinary Canadians, and not collectivist socialist programs that will attempt to artificially stem the natural effects of a free market collapse.
My two year-old helped me vote tonightMy Corner of the Universe

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 5:04pm MST by KRJM

Tags: related News [edit]

I decided for the first time to vote in an advance poll tonight. Quite helpful, I think - I can avoid the "rush" for next week.

While my oldest stayed home and finished her homework with my wife, Rebecca - the two year-old - came with me. I asked her at one point: "Rebecca, I can vote for Red, Blue, Orange or Green. What colour should I vote for?"

"Red," she said. (She would have said whatever colour I said first.)

"Oh, I don't want to vote Red," I replied.

"You vote green, your shirt is green," she said.

"Perfect," I replied.

That's my daughter's advice: Your vote should be based on the colour of your shirt.

On a side note:

Dear Elections Canada,

Your organization provides a vital and very important service for Canadians. Given that vital importance, could you please ensure that the people you have working at the polling stations have more than two brain cells to rub together?

Thank you.

I'm telling you... it was almost painful watching these people look up names and cross them off. It seemed almost too much for them to handle.
The Sweet Sights and Sounds of VictoryMontreal Simon

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 5:00pm MST by Simon

Tags: bloggers Canadian [edit]

I don't have much time to blog but I feel like I'm FLYING tonight, so I just thought I'd take a few minutes to cheer on all progressive people. Not just the ones in Canada, but also those in the United States.

Because we are all fighting the same battle. The battle to drive the criminal neocons from power.The Battle for North America.

And after so many anxious days things are looking up at last.
In the U.S. the road to victory looks like this:

In Canada if you plug the latest Nanos numbers into the Hill and Knowlton election predictor this is what our road to victory looks like.

Cons 115
Libs 97
NDP 41
Bloc 55

Which means even if we don't do better, and I'm sure we can, the Cons would be left weaker than they were before, and if the Liberals and the NDP can form a coalition, we can defeat the government (with the support of the Bloc) and expel Stephen Harper's thugs from power.

So keep up the good work. Remember we're all in this together. We have our small differences but they are NOTHING compared to the foul Cons. And our beautiful Canada is depending on us.

Please don't take cheap shots at each other, just concentrate on hitting the Cons as hard as you can. Like Obama and our American friends are doing in the United States. As the debates in our country showed when we gang up on the monster we can make him BLEED.

Remember too we are BETTER than them. They are ugly diseased bullies, bigots and Canada haters who have RAPED our country and its values. Like the ugly Republicans have done to the U.S.

We are beautiful and we believe in building a more beautiful, just, tolerant, EXCITING Canada. A Canada for everyone. A Canada we can be proud of again.

OK I gotta run. I tried to think of a song or an artist who would say what I feel about my progressive brothers and sisters in Canada and the United States tonight.

But then I saw The Boss on TV singing for Obama.

And I said to myself he's OUR guy.

Because he's been fighting the power for a long time. He's still fighting them as hard as he can.

We ALL love him.

And because....as that sign in the crowd said....We're Alive Out Here.

And we're going to WIN !!!!!
Just Answer The Damn QuestionThe Commentator

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 4:37pm MST by noreply@blogger.com (The Commentator)

Tags: politics American [edit]
Gordo’s cooking schoolGordo's Brain!

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 4:37pm MST by Gordo

Tags: Food [edit]

I LOVE to cook. In fact, I do the vast majority of the cooking around here. Last Friday, I made a big pot of pasta sauce and I promised to share it with Lou, so here it is. I’m not really a measuring type of cook, so my recipes are more of a guideline for experimentation [...]
A Blogging Format ChangeUnambiguously Ambidextrous

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 4:21pm MST by Raphael Alexander

Tags: blahs Blogging [edit]

I've been writing here at Unambiguously Ambidextrous for 17 months now under the Conservative banner. In that time I've written articles ranging from personal to political, international to domestic, and everything in between. I've gained a large readership, largely thanks to Stephen Taylor and his Blogging Tories aggregate. I've appreciated the readers over the past year and a half, and the variety of opinion from commenters like Kingston, Scruffy Dan, Dave Hodson, Catelli, Joanne, Bruce Stewart, Mark Collins, southernontarioan and too many others too numerous to mention here. I also visit many blogs, listed mainly on my sidebar, and although I'm often too busy to comment there or read them all frequently, they each deserve a place on my sidebar because of the importance they serve to the Canadian political community. There's nothing I cherish more than the free exchange of ideas and opinions, and discussion between readers and between blogs is an integral part of this.

I have, however, come to the conclusion that too much of my time is wasted on divisive and partisan readers who have nothing better to do than "scold" me on my opinions and articles. And quite frankly, I'm sick to death of it.

In short, I'm disabling comments.

I've argued for a long time that a blog requires comments to be a "real blog". But I can't continue to run a "real blog" anymore. The feedback I get from some readers is just too negative, and detracts from my enjoyment of writing here. And what it really comes down to is my enjoyment of writing. Since this is an unpaid gig, it's only important that I enjoy myself here. Otherwise, I don't really see the point.

So, apologies to people who love reading and replying here. By all means, email me your comments in private and I would love to hear your feedback. But the vitriolic, partisan, anonymous, bickering garbage has to end. For my own sanity.

Thanks for your readership. It really does mean a lot to me, and I consider it an important part of what I love doing: writing.
Yves Veggie Cuisine Canada: Join the ‘Good Food Club’ for Special OffersDealcetera.com - Canadian Freebies, Deals, Coupons, Contests Canada

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 4:17pm MST by MindsEye

Tags: Coupons Canadian [edit]

Yves Veggie Cuisine has been making delicious meatless products since 1985. Whether you’re a strict vegetarian or just looking for healthy alternatives to include in your meal routine, Yves Veggie Cuisine has products to satisfy every taste and appetite!

Yves Veggie Cuisine is available across Canada in all grocery and health food stores. Look for us in the produce, deli or freezer section.

And now you can be apart of Yves ‘Good Food Club’! Sign up below to receive recipes, promotions, information and exciting news from Yves Veggie Cuisine.

Click here to sign up with Yves Veggie Cuisine.

Click here to check out Yves Veggie Cuisine’s website.
More bin Laden RevelationsAnother Point of View

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 4:00pm MST by Mentarch

Tags: Laden bin [edit]

How do you keep the Global War on Terror(TM) going? Mainly by making it appear (and/or ensuring) that your number one target keeps on eluding you:

Delta Force officer: US officials stopped plans to kill bin Laden

After September 11, 2001, a team of elite Delta Force commandos was sent into Afghanistan with an assignment to find and kill Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora -- but that mission failed.

The commander of the Delta Force team has now written a book which tells what he says is the true story of what went wrong. He appeared anonymously on CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday to summarize that story.

Bin Laden was known to be holed up at Tora Bora on a ridge with an elevation of 14,000 feet. The Delta Force team's initial plan was to come at him from the direction he'd least expect, climbing over the mountains at his back, but that plan wasn't approved by the higher-ups. Their second idea, to drop hundreds of landmines along the mountain passes to Pakistan to impede bin Laden's retreat and then bring in helicopters, was also turned down.

"How often does Delta come up with a tactical plan that's disapproved by higher headquarters?" CBS's Scott Pelley asked the commando leader.

"In my experience, in my five years at Delta, never before," he replied.

The only remaining option was a frontal assault by 50 US Delta Force members plus their Afghan guides -- and the Afghan warlord accompanying the commandos frankly told them, "I don't think you guys can handle it." A few million dollars from the CIA quickly secured his cooperation, but only to a degree.

The Delta Force leader told CBS that the Afghan fighters went home every night, abandoning whatever territory had been gained that day. "It was almost like it was an agreement, an understanding between the two forces fighting each other," he stated When the CIA did come up with an exact location on bin Laden, it was nighttime, and the Afghan support was nowhere to be found.

"It wasn't worth the risk at that particular moment to go up there and play cowboy," the leader told CBS. "It was better to be cautious, refit, go up there with the entire force the next day and play the battle out as we had planned." But when he attempted to move on bin Laden the next day, his Afghan allies balked, saying they had negotiated a cease fire with al Qaeda, and even drew their weapons on the Delta force team to prevent it from acting alone.

Shortly thereafter, intercepted radio communications showed that bin Laden was on the move. A cave which al Qaeda members had been seen entering was bombed for several hours, and it was thought that bin Laden had died there. But when US forces checked the cave six months later, bin Laden's body was not found. The Delta Force leader believes he received medical treatment in a local village and then got away safely into Pakistan.

(More here)
Wanna bet those tools at H.Q. were, ah, "leaned onto" by Bush Pentagon officials to scrap the plans Delta Force made to capture/kill bin Laden?

In any case, that explains that.

After all, Bush/Cheney et al. ever needed their (so useful) boogie man not just in order to stack the odds in their favor come election time by invoking him, but also to justify going into - and thereafter remain in - not just Afghanistan but of course Iraq as well.

Operation Enduring Propaganda, anyone?

And surprise, surprise: bin Laden's capture/death still remains a useful issue in the current U.S. elections ...

Coincidence or not?

You make da call ...

(Cross-posted at TWWL)
Baby-led weaningPostcards from the Mothership

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 3:36pm MST by DaniGirl

Tags: days Baby [edit]

A couple of weeks ago, on my post about baby food and the culture of fear, Marianne left a little comment about “baby-led weaning.” (Don’t you love Marianne’s comments? Her perspective as a teacher is awesome!) She suggested I google the term, so I did.

And I was enlightened!

After doing a lot of skimming on the subject, I’ve gleaned that baby-led weaning (or, baby-led solids) is an alternative way of getting your baby to eat solids by bypassing the spoonfed purees and soupy cereals stage. Instead, from as early as baby is able to hold up his (or her, but I’ll stick to the male gender because it’s all I know!) head and grasp something the shape and size of your finger, you provide baby with an array of finger foods and let him pick and choose whatever he wants.

The theory says that baby will first lick and then start to chew on and eat food when he’s biologically ready to do so. The benefit is that baby will learn to listen to his own hunger cues and regulate his intake accordingly. Babies are also (they say) less likely to become fussy because they are exposed to a wide variety of textures and flavours right from the beginning. And finally, they profess that baby will be happier eating at the same time as and the same food as the rest of the family.

I’m skeptical of the latter points above, but have nonetheless embraced a baby-led weaning for most of Lucas’s meals. In fact, I’d been leaning toward this anyway, without being aware of the theory. (Kind of how I stumbled into attachment parenting, too.) I posted before about how happy I was the day that Lucas was able to cram his own Cheerios into his gob, if only for the liberation it allowed me. Now, I find that the ideas encapsulated by baby-led weaning mesh rather nicely with my own new eating habits and ideals. I think a lot of this is strongly influenced, too, by the fact that as a family we are eating much more healthily that we were back when Tristan and Simon were babies. Baby-led weaning liberates me to eat my dinner while it’s relatively warm AND saves me preparing a completely separate meal for him. In other words, it’s better for me, and it’s ALWAYS about what’s best for me, right?

The result is that Lucas’s introduction to the world of solids has been considerably different than that of his brothers. For one, I waited a little longer. (Tristan and Simon were both on baby cereal at four months.) Second, I’m offering him foods that I would never have thought a baby of not-quite eight months old can eat — cucumber spears, potato chunks, kidney beans, raw apple slices, broccoli and cauliflower florets, diced ham and chicken and steak, even bits of spinach. And he eats it all, with gusto. There’s nothing that I’ve offered him so far that he’s refused. As a matter of fact, that’s where the baby-led weaning theory falls apart for us. His satiety cues seem to be broken, or maybe he’s still recovering from his early hunger issues, but he will eat and eat and eat until he’s eaten the cubic equivalent of his body weight and then go back for more!

I haven’t completely abandoned the spoonfeeding, though. For one thing, I think one of the great joys of life with a baby is watching that round little mouth in an O of expectation as baby waits for the next spoonful. Second, I’m rounding out his veggie intake with purees because he doesn’t have any teeth yet, and even steamed veggies are a little tough to masticate without them. And third, I still want him to have iron-fortified cereal every couple of days (although he eats tonnes of bread — it’s his favourite!) and we’ve just introduced those fromage frais minis that babies love so much.

But I wanted to say a public and thorough thank you to Marianne for opening my eyes to baby-led weaning, and to let y’all know about it, too. It’s a direction I was drifting on my own, but after a spin around the interwebs I found lots of stuff that’s helped me implement the majority of the theories of baby-led weaning.
Woohoo!!Far and Wide

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 3:10pm MST by Steve V

Tags: [edit]

The Conservatives already have a bad habit of introducing a measure, then months later re-introducing it as something new, but today's pathetic announcement is another manipulation. Harper is so desperate to look the concerned family guy, he actually touts something which, by my personal calculations, will benefit me 0.18 of a percent on my childcare costs. Actually, it wouldn't benefit me at all, because it's indexed to inflation, it's just the same impact, but why split hairs:
As the wobbly economy continues to dominate the campaign, Conservative leader Stephen Harper continued to make "modest" announcements of tax breaks for families.

Today, it was promising to adjust the popular monthly $100 childcare allowance to rise with inflation.

My childcare costs are approximately 12 grand a year, and I know I'm not alone. Today, Harper offered me an extra 30 bucks PER YEAR, about 22 bucks after taxes, because it's taxable for most of us. Hence, the 0.18% percent injection, which is actually insulting when you think about. I'd rather Harper announce nothing, than sit there with a bunch of kids and offer me the smallest of kernels and pump it like it's substantive.

Thank-you for the extra 0.18% sweater man, which is negated by inflation. You really do care. If I don't blog anymore today, it's because my wife and I are busy, figuring out how to divvy up the windfall.
Popsicle And Slush Flavor ConfusionThe Commentator

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 2:46pm MST by noreply@blogger.com (The Commentator)

Tags: Miscellaneous [edit]
Judy Collins, Someday SoonJohn Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 2:44pm MST by John Gushue

Tags: Videos Music [edit]

From 1969, Judy Collins makes an appearance on the Smothers Brothers show, singing the Ian Tyson tune.
Bad Dates With Stephen HarperDead Robot » Dead Robot

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 2:18pm MST by Dead Robot

Tags: bloggers [edit]

Trinity Square Video, over on YouTube has released all their faux-confessional videos of failed dates with the current Prime Minister.

Here’s the one my brother wrote (you know it’s Michael because he mentions Nyquil being the colour of Stephen’s eyes):
Jon asks 680 News if they're also rooting for a depressionQuotulatiousness

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 2:13pm MST by Nicholas

Tags: Media [edit]

Jon (my virtual landlord) sent the following query to 680 News: Just sent this to 680 News, the tossers: Hello — Just a quick question for you about your editorial position: your current headline notes that the TSX has seen...
Margaret Atwood's Shallow Political PhilosophyThe Commentator

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 1:51pm MST by noreply@blogger.com (The Commentator)

Tags: politics Canadian [edit]
No Depression?Tattered Sleeve

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 1:47pm MST by Scott in Montreal

Tags: hell to going economy World [edit]

Oh joy: The word “recession” wouldn’t describe the deep structural problems affecting everything from the U.S. housing sector to the Canadian oil industry, said Bank of Nova Scotia chief economist Warren Jestin.

“You have to invent a new word to describe what we’re in now,” he said after the banks presented their perspectives at the Economic Club today.
How about: Global Economic Shitstorm?

But please, no depression. (Apologies to Uncle Tupelo).

- 30 -
Papi and I went to an Irish pub on friday night...one tenacious baby mama

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 1:27pm MST by Dark Daughta

Tags: [edit]

Again we managed to find ourselves moving among the children of a holocaust, this time the descendants of the survivors of the potato famine. Since, according to The Slave Ship, Irish sailors frequently ended up being left behind in the caribbean by slave ships, there are things we, not walking with the white skin privilege they have, nonetheless have in common with them. An extreme love of the blunting effects of way too much alcohol. They have their pubs, barbados and probably every other island in the caribbean have their rum shops or whatever names the "trying to not be depressed and go insane and failing miserably" places are called on any of those islands. Papster had a guinness, of course. His drink of choice. I had a fruli. I'm really liking fruity tasting beer...it's the sugar. I'm addicted to the white. We weren't really safe there. We knew it. The only Black people in the place...except for man who greeted us at the door...drunken people can go either way...either they're overly friendly and have bad physical boundaries or they're beligerent and have bad physical boundaries. These people were friendly...which each other and had bad physical boundaries which basically involved them standing way too close to our table with their butts way too close. Thankfully nobody farted. :) There was a band playing rock standards most of which Papi and I new. So we banged our heads while drinking. It was okay. Don't know if we're gonna do it again, though.

if what you're reading here grips you, holds you, fascinates you, provokes you, emboldens you, pushes you, galvanizes you, discomfits you, tickles you, enrages you so much that you find yourself returning again and again...then link me.
if what you're reading here grips you, holds you, fascinates you, provokes you, emboldens you, pushes you, galvanizes you, discomfits you, tickles you, enrages you so much that you find yourself returning again and again...then link me.
When do we get some ice cream? (Which we’ll get on our fake moustaches.)The Skwib

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 1:24pm MST by Mark A. Rayner

Tags: art it is But [edit]

Some of you may not be aware that Canada is having an election too. Isn’t that cute?

The cool thing about Canadian elections is that they can happen practically anytime. Well, not any time, but when whenever the ruling party decides that it can win another election. Yep, you read that right. The people in power get to look at all the data — the polls, where we are in the hockey season, the relative curl and humidity of the beaver-shavings found in Ottawa — and decide, “yes, we can win an election, let’s DO IT!” (Even if you’ve promised that you won’t call an election for another year.)

But the really cool thing is that the election only lasts a few weeks. That’s right, loyal readers from the US, weeks. Not months. Not years. Weeks. And there’s more than two parties from which to choose. (I believe the rest of you native English speakers probably hail from a Commonwealth country, where the system is similar.)

Unfortunately, that is where the coolness ends, and the childishness begins, as so ably pointed out by Rick Mercer:

[www.youtube.com]

Thanks to Corey for finding this one. More childishness (the funny kind) at humor-blogs.com and alltop.
Share
When You Are Afflicted By Intellectual Sloth ...Another Point of View

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 1:15pm MST by Mentarch

Tags: URL [edit]

... this is what comes out of your mouth from your uniformed, ignorant mind:

Palin calls Afghanistan ‘our neighboring country’
Speaking at a San Francisco fundraiser on Sunday, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) “fumbled” while praising U.S. soldiers in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, referring to Afghanistan as a “neighboring country”:

“They are also building schools for the Afghan children so that there is hope and opportunity in our neighboring country of Afghanistan,” she told several hundred supporters at a fundraising event in San Francisco.

Afghanistan borders neither the United States nor Iraq. Asian geography appears equally difficult for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who has discussed an imaginary Iraq-Pakistan border.
Update: Yglegias presents a helpful map for Palin and McCain.
Words fail me ...

But I will say this: Q.E.D. once again. And again.

Incompetence, anyone?
"Stay The Course"Far and Wide

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 12:58pm MST by Steve V

Tags: [edit]

Just trying to help out the war room, putting the finishing touches on their platform (cough). A potential cover shot?:

A steady hand at the helm, keeping us on the proper path, maybe the iceberg will move...
Quote of the DayRunesmith's Canadian Content

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 12:26pm MST by Jennifer Smith

Tags: economics Conservative [edit]

"Trying to do a economic forecast in this kind of turmoil is a bit like trying to put a value on your house while the kitchen is on fire"

- Bank of Montreal economist Doug Porter
Cloth Grocery BagsSomena Media

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 12:25pm MST by Somena Woman

Tags: [edit]

I've just come back from the local grocery store - and I noticed that the store is selling these cloth grocery bags. I've seen these things from time to time when I have been standing in line at the check-out.

I think of these cloth bags as being just one more elaborate ritual to complement the other absurd Kabuki'esque theatre of the recycling movement. The people who have bought and use these cloth grocery bags always seem to me to have a sneering piousness: "I'm greener than thee".

I always get plastic bags. We use them to put the baby diapers in, and as liners for various trash bins in the house. I remember one time when (because we were running low on plastic bags) I asked the cashier at the store to double up our bags. The person behind me had all their organic produce ready to be packed into their cloth bags, and I swear I heard her tut-tutting me for using plastic.

I don't know why -- but the people who use these cloth bags just annoy me on principle. I am quite sure that using cloth bags is much less conveient than getting plastic one's at the till. I detect in these people a kind of contempt for those of us who enjoy the convenience. As if they are better people for using cloth bags and inconveniencing themselves.

I guess it kind of reminds me of the slow creeping build-up that precipitated all the anti-smoking laws that have been passed in recent years which makes it so bars and restaurants can't have smoking, even on outside patios.

I can feel it. It's going t happen. Sooner or later, some idiot is going to rally to make it illegal for stores to use plastic bags for groceries. Laws will be passed that force everybody into being inconvenienced by being forced to carry around spare cloth bags in our cars, in case we need to drop into the grocery store.

It's coming.
And it starts with this sneering condesencion towards those who use plastic baggies.
“Taliban Peter” MacKay Threatens People of Newfoundland and LabradorAbandoned Stuff by Saskboy

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 12:25pm MST by Saskboy

Tags: Election [edit]

Peter MacKay is a disgrace. He’s a mouthpiece in the Conservative Party that is attempting to advance anti-democratic ideas. How dare he threaten the people of Newfoundland and Labrador with no consideration from a Conservative government if they don’t elect Conservatives! Whichever party is elected into power must listen to the representatives of a region no matter the MP’s political affiliation.

Instead, MacKay is showing his Conservative anti-democratic stripes. Just as in B.C. where the Conservatives tried to appoint a “liaison to Parliament”, again they are saying they will ignore the democratically elected representatives of Canadians — if they aren’t Conservative MPs. This is out right blackmail from the former PC Party leader!

I think MacKay should stick to his knitting in Nova Scotia, and stop threatening the people of Newfoundland.

“”I’m the regional minister for Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island — you don’t want a mainlander representing you here [in] Newfoundland and Labrador,” MacKay said.
“You got to have a member sitting at the caucus table, in cabinet.”"

Or what, MacKay? Or what?! More intimidation perhaps?

I think Elizabeth May’s job to get elected in Central Nova, just got a bit easier today.

–
Nottawa noticed something amusing that I did too.
Did You Know…Dead Robot » Dead Robot

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 12:20pm MST by Dead Robot

Tags: Distractions [edit]

That snowflakes are Winter’s butterflies?

That every time a baby is born, so is a grandmother?

That this house may be a mess but it is blessed?

That you are welcome anytime as long as you’re nice?

That puppies lick tears faster than they can dry on a cheek?

That a sunbeam is the sky’s way of saying “Hello!”?

That the kitchen is where the family grows?

That a kitten is a heart’s love battery?

That my husband is always right… “right over there”?

That a pick nick still feels like home, but with less dishes?

That baking and a baby use the same ingredients: Love?

That I’m superfucking proud to be a wrinkled tart of a grandmother?

Okay that last one was wrong. I’m at work, recounting the shops we visited in Vermont and I suddenly realized a full week after, that I could write the stuff you see on faux-antique signs in Marshalls (HomeSense, to us Canadian folk).

So when you go into someone’s house and you see a sign that announces “This home is built with mortar, bricks and family” you read it here first.
Did You Know…Dead Robot » Dead Robot

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 12:20pm MST by Dead Robot

Tags: Distractions [edit]

That snowflakes are Winter’s butterflies?

That every time a baby is born, so is a grandmother?

That this house may be a mess but it is blessed?

That you are welcome anytime as long as you’re nice?

That puppies lick tears faster than they can dry on a cheek?

That a sunbeam is the sky’s way of saying “Hello!”?

That the kitchen is where the family grows?

That a kitten is a heart’s love battery?

That my husband is always right… “right over there”?

That a pick nick still feels like home, but with less dishes?

That baking and a baby use the same ingredients: Love?

That I’m superfucking proud to be a wrinkled tart of a grandmother?

Okay that last one was wrong. I’m at work, recounting the shops we visited in Vermont and I suddenly realized a full week after, that I could write the stuff you see on faux-antique signs in Marshalls (HomeSense, to us Canadian folk).

So when you go into someone’s house and you see a sign that announces “This home is built with mortar, bricks and family” you read it here first.
Afghanistan: Could It Be True? Peace On The Horizon?Another Point of View

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 12:00pm MST by Mentarch

Tags: URL [edit]

It is high time that the ludicrous war, that FUBAR, in Afghanistan ended by putting aside incompetence and finally acting competently in the matter:

Sources: Taliban split with al Qaeda, seek peace

Taliban leaders are holding Saudi-brokered talks with the Afghan government to end the country's bloody conflict -- and are severing their ties with al Qaeda, sources close to the historic discussions have told CNN.

The militia, which has been intensifying its attacks on the U.S.-led coalition that toppled it from power in 2001 for harboring Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, has been involved four days of talks hosted by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, says the source.

The talks -- the first of their kind aimed at resolving the lengthy conflict in Afghanistan -- mark a significant move by the Saudi leadership to take a direct role in Afghanistan, hosting delegates who have until recently been their enemies.

They also mark a sidestepping of key "war on terror" ally Pakistan, frequently accused of not doing enough to tackle militants sheltering on its territory, which has previously been a conduit for talks between the Saudis and Afghanistan.

(...) Details of the Taliban leader's split with al Qaeda have never been made public before, but the new claims confirm what another source with an intimate knowledge of the militia and Mullah Omar has told CNN in the past.

The current round of talks, said to have been taken two years of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations to come to f

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