The Truth According to the CPC

If you had any doubt as to how the Conservative party operates, (well frankly you must have been living under a rock), this story certainly makes it crystal clear.

We know that truth has no place in that party, because Tom Flanagan has been gracious enough to that point out. Tell the truth and your career is over. Do something honestly that contravenes your party line or upsets your base? Your career will stagnate.

Gordon Langdon is simply the latest in a long list of people who have had their ambitions shot down by the duplicitous Conservative Party of Canada.

Landon was dumped Monday as the Conservative candidate for Markham-Unionville after publicly musing the GTA riding was being shut out of federal infrastructure funding because it is held by a Liberal.

I wouldn't call it musing exactly. The man was a regional councillor and had intimate knowledge of how the plan was being implemented.

No surprise though, because of course he was speaking the truth and shoring up what Gerrard Kennedy has been saying for months. Oddly enough, that story, the story of how money is being unevenly distributed, doesn't seem to be a story for the MSM. Can't quite figure out why. It may be due to a shortage of resources in bureaus these days, but still, you'd think that would be a story of interest to Canadians, wouldn't you?

So, as MP's Chong, Ablonczy, Lunn, Ambrose, Gallant, etc. have learned, so has Mr. Landon. Truth has no place in the party. In fact, maybe the CPC have done him a favour, for he leaves with his integrity and 'soul' intact.

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act

~~George Orwell~~

Really?

I cannot believe that this government is once again going to drag this woman through the wringer. Well, actually I can believe it, but I'm disgusted.

Now we are only hearing one side of the story at this point but:

In one interview with the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi, Mohamud indicated she was a student at Humber College and was studying fashion design. But in another interview, she denied it and said she was only thinking about going to school at Seneca College.

Having heard her testify, it is clear that she understands and speaks English, however, it was also clear that she sometimes misunderstands questions and given the stress she was under, that is hardly surprising.

That aside for a moment though, as an astute person on twitter pointed out, it should have been pretty clear that she was from Toronto by the mere mention of Humber and Seneca College.

The documents alleged she lacked knowledge about Toronto, where she had lived for 10 years. She couldn't name Lake Ontario, and even though she took public transit to work, she had trouble explaining the acronym TTC, the Toronto Transit Commission.

Um, maybe she had trouble with the meaning of the word acronym? Have you ever listened to talk radio? I guarantee half the adoring audience couldn't define it.

I'm not going to defend every point here. I'll allow Suaad and her lawyer to come out to speak to this, but it is beyond belief that after all she went through the government, Harper and Cannon, are actually taking this route.

To try to sully her name once again, is disgraceful.

Canadians don't want an election? This Canadian does and I'd wager that Suaad Mohamud does too.

Just Because...It's Saturday

Because I miss the season/sentiment and have missed her for a very long time. Not the best quality, but there goes time...




If you don't like Janis, close your eyes and listen to the guitar. 1968, folks, (I think).

All that is old is new again.

Conservatives Breach PublicTrust - Even CPC Candidate Says So

Press Release:

A comprehensive report by the Liberal opposition shows that major infrastructure stimulus programs intended to create jobs for the unemployed have been distorted into partisan vehicles to benefit Conservative Cabinet Ministers and Conservative MPs.

Pander de Jour

Oops, wrong shot...that's Harper's Starbucks photo op.

Ah, here we are. The official pander of the day. The Timmie's crowd.

Watching Harper supporters on the web, I can't help but notice just how chuffed they are by all the bizarre and frankly shameful moves that Harper has made this week. It occurred to me that he is simply preaching to, or comforting his base.

A reporter made a similar comment tonight and that made me think through my initial sense a little more.

If you look at what most sensible people are saying, not attending the Climate Conference was a major faux pas and one that clearly has pushed us to the back of the room, if not outside in the hall. But if you carry that sentiment through to it's logical conclusion, doesn't it just make the portion of his base that either denies climate change all together or sloughs it off as inconsequential, happy?

Then we have the snubbing of Pres. Obama's speech. It's no secret that a portion of his base spends all of their time hanging out with the Glenn Beck crowd, so... by not putting any significance, in perhaps one of the most significant speeches to be delivered at the UN, he makes that group smile?

Instead of staying for the important speech he goes to an announcement/photo-op at Tim Horton's? Just typing that feels ridiculous, but when you consider the content of Obama's speech and what it could mean for the direction of the UN going forward, snubbing it simply underlines Harper's known contempt for the institution, doesn't it? Again, feeding his simplistic base.

Following this line of thought, it has also occurred to me that it's a bizarre strategy to be putting stimulus money into riding's you already hold...unless of course you are concerned about losing them.

To me, if you were confident about your base, you'd be pouring money into riding's you'd like to hold. The whole, 'see how fantastic we really are' pandering. But no, that's not what they have been doing. Instead, he's saying, 'hey, I know I'm spending a ton, but see, having me in power means you aren't being ignored...I'm still your guy!'

If I conclude anything about all the odd behaviour, including the tape we saw at a rally, it's that in spite of all the bluster from party strategists and in spite of all prop's that some opinion media give Harper, the Conservative party is worried about and spending time firming up their base. Not because they are worried they will vote for another party of course, but that they won't vote at all. Only polling or reaction to grassroots dissent would seem to drive this, imo.

Interesting strategy, but I would suggest that the risk is high. Former Progressive Conservatives certainly won't be impressed and in that case, there is a good chance they will vote for another party and it sure as heck isn't the NDP.