It was an attempt to steal an election, and today one of Stephen Harper's Cons was sent to jail for that crime against democracy.
Former Conservative staffer Michael Sona has been sentenced to nine months in jail plus a year on probation for trying to keep some voters in Guelph, Ont., from casting ballots in the 2011 federal election.
But it wasn't much of a sentence, and the burning question remains:
What about the others?
For there were others, and it was a conspiracy.
NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus said it's appropriate that Sona will spend time in jail for the crime, and said this is the second court judgment about misleading robocalls "where questions have been raised as to who else has been involved."
"To believe that Mr. Sona was a lone wolf who orchestrated all this, it's not credible. I would invite Mr. Sona, as part of his rehabilitation, to tell us who else — who else — was involved."
Like another judge before him, the judge who sentenced Sona believes that he didn't act alone...
Hearn said in August that he is "fully satisfied" Sona at least aided or abetted those involved in what became known as the robocalls scandal, though he added he believes Sona had help from one or more people.
And since the conspirators used the Con database, until they are also exposed, arrested and punished, who can say it won't happen again?
But beyond this court case, and the question of who is the real Pierre Poutine, is the question of how much did Stephen Harper know?
For I can never forget the weird way he was acting on the day of the last election...
And even if Harper didn't know what was going on all over the country, which I find very hard to believe, there is the still question of his moral responsibility.
For he was the one who suckled those young Con fanatics...
Taught them to worship him like some kind of cult leader.
Like the kind of young fanatics who are running the PMO today...
And instilled in them the corrupt belief that winning is EVERYTHING.
And that the end justifies the means.
But then we may never know the answers because Harper has made sure that this scandal, and any other attempts to steal an election will never be properly investigated.
By gutting the powers of the Chief Returning Officer, and denying him the authority to compel witnesses to testify.
But that still leaves Harper to explain explain why the spectre of criminality follows him wherever he goes. Like the ghost of Christmas past...
Or his former adviser Bruce Carson.
A former senior adviser to Stephen Harper says the prime minister knew about criminal charges he'd faced, despite Harper's assertion that he would never have hired Bruce Carson had he known about "more recent things."
Whose latest trial on corruption charges will begin soon.
Or his former Parliamentary Secretary Dean Del Mastro.
Who will be sentenced soon.
Or his Senategate gang...
Whose responsibility, and his involvement in the attempted cover-up, remain to be determined.
And all this from a leader who came to power in the aftermath of the Adscam scandal, and who promised to clean up government.
What a laugh. What a TRAVESTY
And really I don't know what other conclusion any decent person in this country can reach than this one:
Our government will not be clean.
And our democracy will not be safe.
Until we've taken out the Cons with the garbage.
And The Great Corrupter is defeated...
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An unflattering portrait of Stephen Harper's raw ambitions
http://www.timescolonist.com/an-unflattering-portrait-of-stephen-harper-s-raw-ambitions-1.1588649
[snip]
It gets heart-rending when Harris treats you to the anguish of devout, young Christian Michael Sona. A Conservative loyalist, campaign worker and general nobody, Michael Sona is the only party member to be charged and convicted in the robocall election fraud.
Harris the journalist meticulously documents how widespread, intricate and untraceable was the robocall scheme.
So the reader is left convinced Sona is a sacrificial lamb, part of a Conservative coverup. After all, he was a 22-year-old intern who didn’t even have access to the necessary data files to mount the robocall scheme.
And Harris just never stops.
[snip]
It's so obvious that harper has merely imported anti-democratic ideas and tactics, incubated in the capitalist nut-house of right-wing America. he himself is pretty much an empty shell. A nothing. he has the cunning of one of the higher carnivores, but it's all for a vapid, selfish, deluded, hypocritical, destructive and self-destructive philosophy.
I hope Del Mastro gets jail as well. Any patriotic Judge would have to give him the maximum sentance.
This makes three elections in a row the CPC has had guilty convictions either directly against the party and/or its representatives when it comes to election corruption. First we have the in and out scandal which the CPC pled guilty about from the 2006 election, and its chief creator/operator moved to the Senate. Then we have former Harper Parliamentary Secretary Dean Del Mastro and his guilty conviction for his mispending in the 2008 elections, then we have Sona's conviction in the 2011 elections where both the Crown and Judge flat out say they do not accept he was a lone actor and that others are clearly involved despite the lack of charges to date. There is an old cliche/expression that I believe underscores just how corrupt the CPC and Harper is when it comes to respecting our election process and laws, once is accident, twice is coincidence, third time is enemy action. To the best of my knowledge this is also more election fraud convictions than either the Libs or NDP have ever had in their combined history, while the CPC is just coming on a decade old, birthed by Harper and led only by Harper. Kind of hard to say anyone else set the tone than Harper, or that everyone does it when this is the case now, hmmmmm?
Well Harper the Destroyer and Salter of the Scorched Earth is clearly an enemy of Canada and Canadians and this is clearly enemy action rooted in cultural contempt for the election process from Harper own down.
The judge did give Sona an opportunity to "come clean" by saying he didn't think Sona acted alone. The judge also sent the Cons a message. Unfortunatley Sona is not going to say anything. He is amongst the converted and will "die for the cause". I would suggest he was convinced by others it would never come to this. He even drove his car to court. Like how was that going to get home when he went into custody from court.
Young men like Sona are easily led, we have only to look at ISIS. That is not to say, the Cons are ISIS, but the same processes are used, in varying degrees.
We all know what happened. A young man goes to jail. We will see a repeat after the next election, although the Cons may have improved their teche dept. They may also set up somewhere in the U.S.A. to avoid criminal investigations. This trial will not stop the cons. there will always be more young and old cannon fodder. Now it may be young Sona doesn't like jail, the loss of income, and the lack of job opportunities and write a book. It would be best if he did that sooner than later. He ought to be smarter than Duffy who thinks he will get his day in court and ruin stevie's but this election will have come and go before Duffy every gets to trial. Duffy will not get the revenge he seeks nor will he get the book deal he needs.
No shit Thwap and he is fed by them as well...
I totally agree, Michael Sona did not have access to to even make the robocalls. I find it strange that that the person who was granted immunity worked in the store where they sell burner phones. We all know that could have been traced and the crown never bothered to follow that lead?? Does anyone ever think he doesn't know anything? Why would a 26 year go to jail, ruin his life and have a permanent record to coverup?
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