Monday, November 24, 2014

Stephen Harper, Stephen Lewis, and the Con Neanderthals



Somewhere in his grim bunker, or his dank closet, Stephen Harper must be celebrating madly.

I'm sure he can't quite believe his good fortune. Or the way the bony hand of fate has saved him from almost certain defeat.

But war has been good for Great Leader, and after trailing Justin Trudeau for a year and a half, he has finally caught him.  

A new Forum Research poll shows the federal Conservatives in a statistical tie with the Liberals in public support, meaning the Tories have closed a large gap that had Justin Trudeau’s party out in front after he was elected leader last year. 

The so-called “Trudeau effect’’ saw the Liberals leading the Conservatives in the polls by 10 points as recently as this spring, but a Forum survey of 1,500 voters conducted Wednesday and Thursday shows that lead has evaporated — 36 per cent now support the Liberals and 33 per cent back the Conservatives, a virtual tie given the sample size.

For although it is a Forum poll, other polls have shown his meteoric rise...



And the question is what will Harper do now? Find some excuse to call an early election, or quit while he's ahead?

Leaving me to wonder how so many Canadians could be so easily scared, or inflamed by war fever?

Harper has garnered a lot of media attention after the Conservative government vote in the House last month that paved the way for Canadian airstrikes in the Middle East to combat the ISIS terror threat.

That they could be so quickly stampeded into once again supporting a leader like this one?



After all the terrible things he has done to Canada, and the monstrous way he has behaved.

Stampeded by what Michael Harris calls the selective use of terror, or the Goering factor.

Politicians of all stripes have long known that external enemies, especially ones you are at war against, have a way of silencing internal critics. Here’s how the head of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Goering, put it when he stood trial at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity: 

“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger…it works the same in any country.”

And I have to admit that it's times like these that make me question everything I believe in...



Make me wonder what kind of country is this one where fear can replace hope so easily?

Or even wonder whether I have been wasting my time blogging every night for so long. Which is a scary thought, because it has taken a huge chunk out of my life, and it would be the death of hope.

So you can imagine how good it felt, in this pit of despair that is Harperland, to hear the voice of the old lion Stephen Lewis roaring in the darkness. 



The former Ontario NDP leader, United Nations ambassador and lifelong human rights advocate took aim at the “pre-paleolithic Neanderthals” in office and their role in the decline of Parliament, the suppression of dissent, the plight of First Nations, their blinkered climate-change policy and our plummeting world status.

When he surveys the political scene today, he says he runs the emotional gamut from “rage to rage.”

Calling the Cons Neanderthals, and telling us that we are right to be angry about what what they are doing to our Canada.

And in my mind at least, telling me that I was right to portray Harper like this...



“There is a radical ideological agenda gripping this country,” Lewis said, “but it’s not the environmentalists or the other targeted groups committed to the quest for social justice; it’s the political leadership.” We are channelling the years of Richard Nixon’s enemies list, Lewis says, adding the former U.S. president was driven by paranoia, Harper is driven by malevolence.

Or worse....



As a brutish, morally depraved leader out of another era, who is both evil and DANGEROUS.

But what cheers me the most is Stephen Lewis' dream:

“Somewhere in my soul,” Lewis says, “I cherish the possibility of a return to a vibrant democracy, where equality is the watchword, where people of different ideological conviction have respect for each other, where policy is debated rather than demeaned, where the great issues of the day are given thoughtful consideration, where Canada’s place on the world stage is seen as principled and laudatory, where human rights for all is the emblem of a decent civilized society.”

For it is also mine. 

And I know that when powerful voices like that one help spread it, and denounce the Cons like they should be denounced, it will awaken those who would sleepwalk to disaster, and that Stephen Harper's popularity will soon fade.

I also know that I haven't wasted my life beating this little drum night after night, for what will be in a couple of weeks nine years.

And that I am lucky to have readers like you who share that dream, and like me can't wait for the great day when the Con cult is finally defeated.

And most of all I know this even in this darkness: if we really want it.

If we really love our country. And fight for it harder than we ever have before.

Then the light will return, and we shall get it back...



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33 comments:

Anne Peterson said...

A lot of the problem is with the media. Harper does unacceptable things and the main stream media makes them sound like little tiny problems. I hear he calls up and ask for people to be fired or moved. I love Stephen Lewis and admire him greatly.

Anonymous said...

Keep banging the drum Simon. The trained seals that our the Con MLAs in my region have zero positive impact to the voters and citizens they supposedly represent. They bobble head agree with their leader and have become his accomplices.

I will do all I can locally to awaken those in my sphere to the Haper Cons evils. We have mountains of ruinous examples to showcase that changewill be for the better. I appreciate your ceaseless hard work, passion and humour (esp. Graphic).

Bill

Christine said...

Thanks to the media, many Canadians are scared that member of ISIS are going to break into their suburban homes late at night and behead them in their beds. I think a lot of the supposed support for the Con regime is due to a lack of faith in Justin Trudeau's leadership. The same people are listening to the right-wing pundits say things like, "Trudeau would give all the terrorists a hug instead," and they buy that, as ridiculous as it sounds.

You have definitely not been wasting your time. I love your blog!

Unknown said...

Canadians do not wrap themselves in the flag Simon. I still think that Canadians will vote Harper out in 2015. The fact that he has been giving Canadians the finger for years does not sit well with them. The MSM has given Harper a pass and have actually become his boot lickers. Your daily writing has become a refuge ,visited daily by intelligent, concerned Canadians. After 2015 ,won't it be wonderful to be writing about nation building or parliamentary reform, because Harper and his Cons will have been booted out? Unless he can create another terrorist attack,Harpers success at manipulating of the Canadian electorate is iffy. Maybe I'm naive, but polls are often wrong and I don't think the young much favour war. They do favour Trudeau though and I think that will make a difference in 2015. Thanks for all you write.

mizdarlin said...

Lewis has always been a great sane voice for Canada..but does it even matter? I am still stunned by the fact that no matter what they do, the Cons and ConLites seem able to get away with anything and the people carry on in their blinkered domesticity...I don't sere a voice or a movement or anything else anymore that can stop the juggernaut that is the crypto-fascist Con machine...
Long ago and far away I was an immigrant to this country, and frankly couldn't wait to lose my US citizenship and become a Canadian..I loved what this country represented....but these days, it's like living in a southern State full of haters and stupid shrunken gene pool yahoos who don't know their butts from a hole in the ground..and any voice of reason is drowned in the braying of the Right...

rumleyfips said...

It's worse than I thought Simon. Harper has now revealed hi short pants' There're liederhosen. At the UN, Canada was one of three countries that voted to in favour of using Nazi symbols politically and denying the holocaust.
This from an undergrubenfarter that babbles about the freedoms our military has fought for.

Anonymous said...

Hi Simon

You probably don't remember me but three years ago i wrote you to tell you about my bully problem. You wrote me a long e-mail that helped me so much.So pls don't stop blogging. This year me and my boy friend are going to vote for the first time. I know you'd love that .
Love you forever.

Jamie XXX

Grant G said...

One poll after a lot of Stephen Harper chest pumping by media, shootings, funerals, tax cuts etc etc etc..

Headline is deceptive...Liberals still leading and they haven`t put out a platform...Also..Federal NDP support has collapsed, those once NDP voters aren`t jumping ship to Harper..

Polls are for turkeys...inside the margin of error..+ or - 4%...Could still be....37% Libs...30% Cons

Unknown said...

And here we are...

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania (1759)"

http://www.freedomkeys.com/vigil.htm

Unknown said...

Talk about censorship...

Anne where did you hear that? I know a drunk out of her mind teen was found in his driveway after attending Ben Harper's grad party. It was reported widely by MSM:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=drunk+teen+found+at+prime+ministers+residence&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=np&source=hp&gfe_rd=cr&ei=Ep5zVN-AHObL8ge604DoCw

How come he could not silence that and why did the opposition not rub it in his face? But I noted the RCMP refuse to release info regarding the 'incident'..

Anonymous said...

Keep of strong heart Montreal Simon! Please know that you have my gratitude forever!

Ray Blessin said...

Keep on keepin' on Simon! I enjoy your thoughts every day!
From Kamloops.

e.a.f. said...

2 dead soldiers' funerals brings a lot of photo ops and Harper got it all done right. he is pleased, many Canadians feel oh so much better. then of course we found out about the 1.3 billion which wasn't spent on vets. so it would be interesting to know if the polls were done before or after that bit of news was released. if it was after well we are true and rightly screwed, find another country. if the polls were conducted before the release of information, there is still hope.

the MSM does not report, hence the need for bloggers.

we have not factored in what the Vets themselves will do now that we all know what harper and his cons didn't do to provide health care for vets. If the Vets organize and get the infro out, they may well turn this election to ABC. It is also incumbent upon the other political parties to get their act to gether, stop attacking each other and get campaigning against harper regarding the Vet 1,3B going back, First Nations groups need to work on ensuring the facts regarding 1200 murdered missing women, etc. each group needs to do their part. he can be defeated, but he can also defeat this country's democracy.

Anne Peterson said...

I see they are making use of their confusion technique with regards to the money for vets health. They used to use this regularly at first. In other words they would put out so many contradictory stores that people just went away shaking their heads, not knowing what to believe, and if you are not sure you cannot be as angry as you might be about events. People are not being fooled as easily anymore but they are still doing it.

That oily pompous O'Toole told one story and the minister told another, both not worrying about the perceived contradiction. Watch carefully.

Simon said...

hi Bill... my mum says I started beating a tiny drum when I was three years old, so it's probably too late to stop now. There are as you say too many trained seals in this country clapping their flippers, so we all have to make our feelings known. And you're right we have so much ammunition that we can use against the Cons, I'm still confident that when voting day arrives we will rout them, and evict that scurvy gang from power. Thank you for your encouragement, and for liking my silly little graphics. I'm the least talented member of a family of artists, so that means a lot to me. I'm feeling like Michelangelo tonight... ;)

Simon said...

hi Anne....yes, unfortunately our MSM has not acquitted itself well during the Harper years. Some of them are finally starting to see the light, but their bosses almost always endorse the Cons, so we can't count on them to support us when the election campaign officially begins. But as I tell people all the time, there are way more of us than there are of them, so I'm still confident if we all work hard we will defeat them eventually....

Simon said...

hi mogs....the MSM media did report on the incident at the time, but like they do all the time they never followed up, and most Canadians have probably forgotten what happened. I was extremely disturbed at the time, because binge drinking among teenagers is a major public health problem in Canada. And of course the hypocrisy of the Harper regime knows no bounds. But I've saved the story and will bring it up now and then to make sure what happened is not forgotten...

Simon said...

hi Christine....yes there is no doubt that thanks in large part to the media, Harper was able to scare a lot of Canadians. Fear is only human, but it can make people irrational, and a scared population can take society to a very bad place. We all need to be brave and not let any terrorists even think they can frighten us. For the day they think they can scare us, is the day they win. And thank you for your encouragement. I promised long ago that I would blog until the day the Cons are defeated, and I will. Plus a few more days after that to celebrate wildly...;)

Simon said...

hi Pamela...I used to believe that Canadians didn't wrap themselves in the flag, like Americans love to do. But that has been changing unfortunately. I saw a survey recently that suggested that Canadians are now the most nationalistic people on earth, if you can believe that. And while we do have a great country to celebrate, as well as a most beautiful flag, extreme nationalism when manipulated by a sinister regime can lead us to a very dark place. Still like you I'm counting on sanity prevailing, and that when the time comes the Cons will be routed. And yes won't that be a wonderful day when we don't have to fight for the survival of our country, and start rebuilding it again? Thank you for your encouragement, and good luck in the battle ahead...

Simon said...

hi mizdarlin....I know how you feel. Sometimes it is hard to believe that our beautiful Canada could have fallen on such hard times, and that the monstrous Stephen Harper could have corrupted it so much. And it certainly is easy to feel depressed and hopeless. But cling to that memory of a better Canada, don't let the bastards get you down, and remember that the harder the struggle, the sweeter the victory....

Simon said...

hi rumleyfips...yes I saw that, it is disgraceful especially since right-wing groups are a growing problem all over Europe, even in Britain. I only wish the Cons would stay away from the UN they hate so much, so they couldn't embarrass us further. Or betray the memory of all the truly great Canadians who helped create the UN. But we all know what we must do to correct the situation, and your image of Stephen Harper in lederhosen will keep me smiling for a long time... ;)

Simon said...

hi Jamie...I certainly haven't forgotten you, and I am very happy that I was able to help you and that things seem to have worked out well. I'm also happy to hear you are in love, and hearing that both of you are planning to vote, as all young people should, just about made my day. And no I don't intend to quit blogging, until those bully Cons are defeated. All the best, and don't forget to convince your friends that they must vote too... :)

Simon said...

hi Grant...I'm glad to see that like me, you too believe there could be a pony under all that manure. ;)
However, it cannot be denied that the war and the fear factor have given the Cons a big boost. The numbers can vary, but the trend is unmistakable. The good news is that war fever is usually transitory, and that when it recedes people should come to their senses. So I still believe that in the end the desire for change will prevail, and the Cons will be deposited in the garbage can of history where they rightfully belong...

Simon said...

hi mogs...yes, there couldn't be a better saying to remember in these dangerous times. A lot of Canadians do need to get a grip, and stop letting themselves be stampeded like sheep...

Simon said...

hi anon...don't worry I will, as we all must. I do wear my heart on my sleeve, so it's not hard to tell when I'm feeling a bit down. But it never lasts long, and I will never give up until our beautiful country is free and decent again. And thank you for your kind words....

Simon said...

hi Ray...keep on keepin' on, I love that expression. Thank you for your kind words, and as I said in my post, I am so lucky to have such amazing readers. We shall endure the hard times together, and celebrate together when our country is finally free...

Simon said...

hi e.a.f...yes, as I said in my post, I'm sure Harper can't quite believe his good fortune. But he better enjoy it while he can, because I'm sure it won't last. There are too many Canadians who hate what him and his ghastly regime have done to this country, and when the time comes they will let them know how they feel. We have more than we need to fight them, and if we stay strong and determined, we will end this nightmare...

Simon said...

hi Anne...yes I see they are up to their old tricks of sowing confusion, using mealy mouthed words, and recycling old money to make it look like it's new. Big Brother himself would have been impressed, or even envious. I'll try to deal with all of that in my next post....

Unknown said...

Simon my gay friend we are on the same page I am admittedly a hetro but that does make my choices any better than yours! Bless you and you are are a gentleman in the east fighting the same crap in the west that we are....

Enough said OK?

Kinder Morgan standoff where young adults get beat the fuck up???

Excuse me this is like Naxizim...

David said...

WTF? Canada votes against UN resolution condemning glorification of Nazism!
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/djclimenhaga/2014/11/wtf-canada-votes-against-un-resolution-condemning-glorification-

David said...

Power and Politics with Evan Solomon

Nov 24, 2014

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Shows/Power+%26+Politics+with+Evan+Solomon/ID/2614465270/

0:24:57 Why Con talk of help for vets *now*?

David said...

Sure, if the progressive vote isn't split. That's what bothers me. The "first past the post" voting system is less likely to give Canadians the government most people want as we have so many political parties that split the vote. That's what Harper is counting on again. In the Parliamentary system, the governments that most citizens like the best are MINORITY governments, which pass legislation that the MAJORITYof people actually like. So says political scientists.


Unknown said...

Me too Simon...