I saw this heated commentary on CBC today...

Rick Mercer's rant was pretty good. His Liberal and Conservative ad parodies were fun too.

After watching Rick Mercer's rant, how do you think the man feels in his heart of hearts about the insult to the Canadian Forces, of which I'm willing to bet you a few are or have been his friends or family?

When Rick said, "I can guarantee you that who ever created that ad has never met anyone in the Canadian Forces, has never been around anyone in the Canadian Forces," did you find yourself thinking that the Prime Minister of Canada should understand the Canadian Forces?

Paul Martin said he approved the ad. Then he said he didn't, then he did again, etc. When Canadians have Forces in a combat area at Paul Martin's orders suffering casualties in Afghanistan (like they did 2-days ago), don't you think they have a right to a Prime Minister who makes an effort to be in touch with soldiers' needs and concerns - and doesn't profoundly insult them all?

On a positive note, here is a beautiful kitten .

Rogue poll or sign of things to come?

Conservatives take 18-point lead, poll shows

The Conservative Party has an 18-point lead over the Liberals in a new poll, giving them 42 per cent support nationally and possibly setting the stage for a major electoral shift.

Geez, wonder who Valeri is gonna sue over this one...

I have just finished a report at http://jyu5.blogspot.com. It's a bit long. But here is an intro:

At about 12:30PM on February 25, 2005, I ran into Scott Reid, Prime Minister Paul Martin’s official mouthpiece, at Royal Bank Parliament Hill branch in downtown Ottawa. I had just finished my banking and was about to leave. Mr. Reid was waiting in line in front of the ATMs facing inside of the building.

Mr. Reid must have seen and recognized me first. And his reaction I would never forget. He was in such a state of panic seeing me walking towards him that he reflexively reached his cell phone and put it beside his ear.

I hope he was not calling the White House for help.

......

Also, the answer to why Scott Reid likes to use the b-word, e.g., in the "beer and popcorn" rant.

Serious read only.

holy smokes batman...that poll is an eye opener!

Interesting thought. People born after the 80's have no real concept of what Canada is.

I know that sounds cruel but hey, the price we paid for decades of Liberal thinking.

Canada at one time I believe had the 4th largest navy, and a sizable army. The air force was leading in new designs, the Avro Arrow, the CF-100 Canuck and so on.

Our dollar was even worth more then the US greenback.

Henderson scores! -will draw blanks on kids now, unless their dad is a hockey nut.

Toronto was actually a clean and beautiful city, the envy of the rest of Canada, and not as arrogant either.

You were going fast at 70. Just you had little green stickers on the speedo gauge with KM/H over the MPH...

The RCMP did get their man and commanded a lot of respect, both from criminals and society.

Everything was in English and didn't have WARNING: "May contain stupidity" notes on them. Latest one I saw was on the wife's VO5 shampoo bottle "if shampoo gets in eyes, rinse with water". (how ya suppose to read that if you got soap in your eyes...ever think of that..nar nar)
Or the Snickers bar with "may contain nuts". Uh...

You could figure out fast if you were going the wrong way - you didn't see those stupid red circles with a diagonal stripe on them saying "Wrong Way".

People from Quebec were seen as equals and strong willed, not "have not" whiners.

Ministers in various top government positions didn't all have the Le, La, names. Some even had Smith for a last name.

Money didn't flow as easy, so you appreciated the stuff you bought, or at least the chance to get second hand stuff.

It took a week to get mail from Toronto to Vancouver, so you could think and do things in between as well as think of a decent reply.

Hockey Night in Canada had people who actually loved to play the game and not for the money.

Doctors earned more then hockey players.

The air was clean, and you could drink from taps.

*sigh*

cheers
tom

Hey, Chris, that wouldn't be you who had a letter in the Nat'l Post today (Jan 17), would it? Good letter.

...one more:

when you said "I do" - you did, for life.

Hi Meg, did they actually publish it? Which one? Coolness.

About not having medevac helicopters to evacuate troops and being reliant on the Americans - who always come - when necessary. It was grouped with a similar letter which said, "Who was there for us?", under the heading "When the chips are down, who are our friends?" I'll see if I can find it at the Post, but I think their letters are subscriber-only.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEE? ASK FOR A TRANSFER!

"All of this travel took place in one year."

Travel Relocation Expenses.. sure like to see this on MSN.. but apparently they have chosen not to air anything until after the election.. shame..

Conservative Life has a good blog on it...

http://www.conservativelife.com/blog/index.php/canada/2006/01/17/relocation_services_ii_dirty_details_rev

This is their video.

http://www.conservativelife.com/videos/relocationhi.wmv

Oooh, I was wrong, this one is free (for now):

Death in Afghanistan raises two key questions -
When the chips are down who are our friends?

National Post
Published: Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Regrettably, our soldiers in Afghanistan are reliant on the Americans because our troops don't have the equipment they need. As the Canadian American Strategic Review noted in October, 2005: "Canada is a rich country. Why are we the only nation that is sending its infantry into this combat zone with no transport helicopters to supply them? No helicopter to evacuate the wounded, or those who become trapped in a lethal situation?"

Contrast this with the Liberals' "soldiers in the street with guns in Canada" attack ad. Can it be true that when our Forces are deployed in what he has described as a combat area, Paul Martin had decided to insult them all and damage our relationship with our neighbour alongside whom we are fighting?

Fortunately, when the chips are down, the U.S. Blackhawk medevac helicopters still fly to our rescue.

Chris , Victoria.

Yes, that was me, Meg. (And that letter was heavily yet very well edited for brevity.)

For those following the fake email story...

I was surfing at ElectionBlog.ca tonight - where you can search Canadian blogs about the election - and I came across this from http://www.tallcotton.blogspot.com/:

a copy of an email from Doug Finley, Campaign Manager for the Conservatives said in an email...

"Radio CKNW in Vancouver has traced this e-mail to a server in St. Petersburg, Russia, and behind that to a Liberal-friendly source in Toronto.
"

That's it. No more details. I'm wondering how a radio station traced it to a Liberal friendly source in Toronto. Granted, Toronto is a Liberal friendly town, but we need more to go on then that.

I think we exhausted all possible online technological tricks to find the source of the email, and yes it was St. Petersburg, Russia. But how did these guys tie an IP address to a Liberal source in Canada.

And more to the point, how did a radio station do it. And why are the conservatives telling a mailing list about this instead of the RCMP? If they know the source shouldn't they have laid charges by now? Also, why would the conservatives take the word of the radio station instead of hiring their own guys to verify it?

Sounds like too much "I heard them say..." to me....

In a stunning surprise announcement, the Toronto Star has declared the Liberals to be their choice for the next government of Canada. In a very thoughtful and well-reasoned editorial, the Star concludes that the Liberal program is best for Canada.

Liberal program best for Canada

Remember, all factors were considered and laid out in their short thesis.... except for that little one about the current government's total corruption, involvement in organized crime, arrogance, and sense of entitlement.

I am sure that Conservatives will be shocked at this unanticipated event.

Learn Why the "Next-door Rec-home Land-flip"
Scandal Raises New Entitlement Concerns
Astute Political Observers, Show Your Ability
to Connect the Liberal Dots...

It's true. The Hamilton Spectator reveals that Government House Leader Liberal Tony Valeri bought the house next door to his for $225k in April, '05.

In '05 this house in question was assessed at $201k. Three months after buying it, Tony Valeri sold this house for $500k to "John Ng, son of Joe Ng, whose Hamilton-based engineering company has been a longtime supporter of the Liberals…"

Who Else Would Classify a $275k Profit
in 3-months a Great Investment?

Tony Valeri and Prime Minister Paul Martin claim this was done ethically "with proper filings, proper disclosure." However, consider this fact: Valeri classified this house as a recreational property!

Have You Ever Deserved a Nice Vacation?

When you made your vacation plans, how excited do you feel your family would be if you told them you're travelling to sunny adventurous… next door?

So why would he do that? Only Tony Valeri knows, but by classifying the property as "recreational property", it would be considered an "exempt asset" under section 10(1)(a) of the Conflict of Interest Code and therefore not subject to public declaration or divestment.

Did Government House Leader Tony Valeri suddenly realize that the recreation home he purchased was only 25 metres away and decide to unload it? How did he manage to unload it so quickly for $299k over the assessed value to a Liberal Party supporter?

Two Alleged Breaches of the Conflict of Interest
Code: Amazingly Convenient Late Disclosure

Also sect. 8 of the Conflict of Interest Code requires that all public office holders inform the Ethics Commissioner of "any material changes in his or her assets, liabilities and outside activities" within 30 days. In addition, s.14 has similar language: "Ministers of the Crown, ministers of state and parliamentary secretaries are required to publicly declare liabilities greater than or equal to $10,000 identifying their source and nature. "

For some strange reason, Tony Valeri only declared his original $225k mortgage [liability] on July 26th, '06… 3-months after buying his next-door rec-home and flipping it to Liberal supporter, John Ng for a tidy $299k gain.

Plenty here for the Canadian public and Conflict of Interest Commissioner Bernard Shapiro to chew on.

Sources:
January 13th Hamilton Spectator Article
Jason Kenney Letter to Ethics Commissioner

Remember: There may be an innocent explanation for all this; Tony Valeri can explain this to the Canadian people and I'll be the first one to be happy for him if there was no wrongdoing. I would like to learn how to make $275k in 3-months by selling my neighbour's house too.

* July 26th, '05

Foto Funnies: Special Apocalyptic Edition!

Fred On Intelligent Design

Ontario getting jacked $23 billion a year via Ponzi-Scheme Federalism despite imminent "have-not" status

When they start using "Dot Com Bubble-isms" to describe Canadian consumer spending patterns (e.g. "burn rate") it's time to wakey wakey:

"The survey found that the average Canadian's "burn rate," or how quickly discretionary money is spent, totals about $760 a month.

With the Canadian personal savings rate reported to be in negative territory, experts say that money could be invested, saved or used to reduce debt.

"It's truly time for Canadians to stop living beyond their means and make saving and investing mean something in their lives," states Rhonda Katz, a consultant to Mackenzie Investments."

Never cared much for that Aaron Brown chap at CNN but...c'mon...:

The vanishing anchorman
The number of male newscasters on TV has reached an all-time low. What's the story?

A heartbreaker, those who engage in push-button/cheque-cutting compassion take note:

"The Salvation Army in Canada says it has been the victim of major fraud.

The church and social services agency says the fraud was uncovered during a recent internal audit."

Check out Paul Martin's new campaign music video.

Tomax you are right on. Is it possible to get even some of that Canada back?
Re Joe Volpe -- it is Toronto to Buffalo -- could he not rent a car and drive (like say an ordinary person) or is he so full of himself that he does not drive any more.

It's a factotum... pooorole Carole, sour puss Carole,,,
http://www.nealenews.com/Miscellaneous2.htm?s_name=election2006

Call for probe into Tory blogs

ALLAN WOODS CANWEST NEWS SERVICE

QUEBEC – Elections Canada has been asked to investigate the Conservatives after allegations the party is overseeing a group that operates partisan on-line Web logs.
Canada’s election watchdog received a complaint yesterday from a disaffected party member who claims the Tories tried to sway political opinion in cyberspace in the leadup to, and during, the election by setting up the popular “Blogging Tories” website.

The site appears to be a coalition of like-minded individuals who have met in cyberspace to share their political opinions and express their frustrations with Paul Martin’s Liberals.
But a Victoria man, Eugene Parks, and Toronto Tory dissident Carole Jamieson allege the venture may be in contravention of the Elections Act and thirdparty financing laws. They say it may have “unduly influenced the election coverage and potentially the outcome of this campaign.”

Pearson/Trudeau's Red Rag not for them. Get ready for the bleating from the bleeding hearts. Down with the Liberal rag. >>>

Canadian Athletes Decline Flag Bearer Role
Josh Pringle
Wednesday, January 18, 2006 2:08 AM

Several Canadian athletes are declining to be nominated to carry the Canadian flag at the Olympic Games in Turin.

The Toronto Star reports skier Beckie Scott and speed skaters Clara Hughes and Cindy Klassen asked their respective associations not to be nominated.

The report says the athletes told their associations that their focus should be on athletic excellence and that position is too great a load.

Head of the Canadian Freestyle Skiing Association Peter Judge says "I hope Canadians understand this is about performance. It's about carrying the Canadian flag on a bigger playing field and not just the symbolic carrying of the flag in the opening ceremony." cfra.com

Good piece in, gasp, The Star (Bercuson really knows things military):

"Kandahar mission could last years: Public has yet to grasp extent and length of operation, Jan. 18,
DAVID BERCUSON"
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1137538221220

Excerpts:
...
'Beyond the shock of the military casualties and the death of one of Canada's top foreign affairs officials in the region, the public has yet to grasp the extent and length of commitment — possibly for a generation — of our military to the Afghanistan campaign...

Last May, Ottawa announced Canada would send a provincial reconstruction team to the Kandahar region in August 2005, with security initially provided by about 400 soldiers based at Kandahar airfield.

This mission — Task Force Afghanistan — would continue for at least 18 months and would eventually comprise the reconstruction team (about 250 diplomats, aid workers and RCMP), and some 1,750 Canadian soldiers.

No one outside government can say for certain why Canada chose the Kandahar region for its first official venture in nation building, but both Defence Minister Bill Graham and Chief of the Defence Staff Rick Hillier warned Canadians last spring that the mission would be a very dangerous one...

The war in Afghanistan — like that in Iraq — is a war of attrition. Terrorists, guerrillas, militants — whatever they are — win by wearing down the will of opponents, not by victory on a battlefield.

If the countries with forces in Afghanistan tire and withdraw, the Taliban will re-emerge...

Within a few months, almost a third of Canada's deployable ground forces troops will be in Afghanistan; within eight months, those troops will be back home recovering from the mission and another third will have taken their place, with yet another third getting ready to deploy. That will leave precious few troops for troubles anywhere else Canada's interests are threatened. Canada cannot possibly leave Afghanistan now, or even a year from now, but can this country stay there as long as it did in Bosnia (almost 10 years) or Cyprus (more than 30)?

Surely not without a much larger increase in our military than anyone now contemplates.

There was never any secret that the mission to Afghanistan was about to undergo a drastic change, or that Canada was about to mount a nation-building exercise of its own. It is only the deep apathy and disinterest that most Canadians feel towards both foreign affairs and the activities of their men and women in uniform that has laid the basis for the current state of shock over last Sunday's attack.'

Mark
Ottawa

Catch the Colbert Report last night? It's much better to laugh with the comedians than to have them laughing at you. Chretien always understood this (remember his visit to Harvey's with Rick Mercer? Lots of pepper...)

They're laughing at Martin, not with him.

And a good letter in the Star (!):
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1137538219644&call_pageid=968332189003&col=968350116895

"U.S. taking care of our wounded
Jan. 18, 2006. 01:00 AM

Decision 2006

Three Canadian soldiers have been seriously injured in a faraway country where they were trying to help a struggling, young democracy get to its feet. Meanwhile, back home in Canada, a hopelessly power-addicted prime minister approves of a political attack ad that denigrates those very soldiers who have their lives on the line.

And who's looking after our injured soldiers? The United States, that's who. They were airlifted by U.S. military helicopter to a nearby U.S. air base, from which they were flown to a U.S. military hospital in Germany. The U.S., of course, is the very country that Paul Martin and his Liberals have smeared for their own political advantage.

Is their anyone left in this country who would seriously consider voting for such a morally bankrupt party?

Andrew Burrowes,

St. Catharines, Ont."

Mark
Ottawa

"when you said "I do" - you did, for life."

- and taxes and what not were such that both partners didn't HAVE to work.

The Red Star came out against the Liberals... ?! - Definitely a sign of the apocalypse.

What's scaring me more than anything is the number of people who think this is in the bag. It isn't by a long shot, could you imagine another Liberal/NDP government - oohh the horror.

One thing before I go. Look in your dictionary and find the definition of 'troll'.

An imaginary being usually of small human form having majical powers.

So that makes me imaginary with a small human form, both of which I'm not and nobody here could possibly have information to the contrary. However, I'll take the majical powers thing as a compliment.

Just goes to show how narrow-minded and one-tracked you cons are.

God save us from a CPC Canada.

Is the Toronto Star suggesting that we should have 4 more consecutive Liberal governments? Beam me up Scotty.

I'm a troll; I used to live under the granville bridge.

I eat the occasional goat that crosses the bridge.

Mr. Andrew Burrowes, Chris from Victoria and Meg Q,

A Yankee thanks from Dave in Pennsylvania! :-)

Believe me, I grieve no less for those brave wounded Canadian soldiers than I do for our own casualties. As I'd posted on another thread, my thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.

As for our soldiers helping yours, that's what Allies do, eh? We stand shoulder-to-shoulder fighting for freedom over tyranny, as Americans and Canadians have done so bravely before.

And, as before, we-and the Afghans who hunger for a free country-shall prevail again.

Yankee Dave in Pennsylvania

(P.S. I have a long memory. I haven't forgotten, in 1979 some brave Canadian diplomats, risking their lives, hid seven American diplomats after the 1979 Iranian takeover of our Embassy, then got them out of the country. I wish I had a chance to thank them personally.

Again, that's what Allies do, eh? Standing shoulder-to-shoulder for freedom!)

WUPS, and also thanks to Mark Collins! :-)

Hey, Dave, I hear you - actually, I'm an American, married to a Canadian and living in Edmonton, Alberta (we're kind of a two-man Canadian-American friendship committee). I have nothing but the highest respect for the Canadian Forces, especially the Princess Pats who are located here in Edmonton - and in Kandahar. I'm just honored that Ramstein is useful to such courageous soldiers in their hour of need. Maybe with a Conservative gov't, the Forces will get the money and restructuring they need, and it might even become "cool" to join the Forces, sort of kind of in the way it is in the States.

Anyone seen these two sites on seat predictors?

http://democraticspace.com/blog/seat-projections/

http://predictor.hillandknowlton.ca/

BTW, who is West? >>>

West underestimates sexual fear among Islamists: Rushdie

Wed Jan 18, 9:17 AM ET

BERLIN (AFP) - British author Salman Rushdie said the West had failed to grasp the extent to which Islamic extremism was rooted in men's fear of women's sexuality. >>>>
http://www.rapp.org/url/?DI3ZKRL3
yahoooooooo.com

Re: "Next-door Rec-home Land-flip"

* correction - the actual gain would be $275k. $299k would be the amount of money over the '05 assessed value that house was sold at.

Ah yes.... I just wanna be there when those same Lieberal judges *snork* have to wack the bear mauling them with a stick.Soooo much easier to just grab your handg.... never mind. This is a reality when you work in the bush, no joke! you'll never be able to use a long-gun whilst being mauled.So far, I've been lucky. Perhaps if I was a poligamist, I could have my several wives thrash the bruin for me? No need for handguns in the cities.... but there is a need and use for them out here in the sticks.

Ron -- you are like a bad disease that antibiotics (sorry about the 5 syllable word -- sound it out, you will get it) just can't seem to kill. Just go away quietly, back to your little troll hole, and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. That being said, we all know you will be back, and I am guessing pretty easy to identify once you start logging in. Who wants to bet when the first person to ask "hey, are you Ron" to some other unsuspecting nit that makes some none sensical comment. Or something like "oh, he really pulled a Ron on that one" in response to Buzz Hargroves statements today. You will get your little bit of infamy yet. Long live THE MEMORY of Ron.