Monday, February 02, 2015

Stephen Harper and the Darkness of Disaster Democracy



Well I'm sure Stephen Harper must have had a tortured weekend, huddled with the monsters in the PMO, and arguing with the screaming voices in his head.

Trying to figure out how to scare Canadians with his Great Jihadi Menace, even more than he already has. So he can herd them into voting for him, and win another bloody majority.

But of course Harper himself is the greatest threat this country faces. His behaviour since his harrowing ordeal in that closet must make many question his sanity.

And as Michael Harris writes, he is leading us into the darkness of disaster democracy. 



Disaster democracy is Stephen Harper’s election year Hail Mary. Disaster democracy needs just three things; an atrocious event, a political leader sufficiently cynical not to let any catastrophe go to waste, and a public mindset willing to exchange liberties for the illusion of safety. 

The great benefit of disaster democracy is that draws away public attention from matters of the government’s record and redirects it to a more emotional plane. It’s weakness is its limited appeal; disaster democracy only works with frightened populations.

He is trying to whip up fear for crass political purposes, as only a fascist or a maniac would. 

And his Bill C-51 aimed at controlling the internet, threatens our battered democracy more than any terrorists or crazies could. 



Bill C-51 is poison for Canadian democracy. For one thing, it undermines the rule of law, suspending basic legal rights and increasing police powers in the shadows without the slightest evidence the changes will make anyone any safer.

And if that isn't bad enough, this is outrageous. 

Shortly after tabling its controversial new anti-terror legislation, the government says the creation of any additional oversight body for Canada’s security agencies is just “duplication” and “needless red tape.”

When asked why the government would not consider granting MPs more power to oversee security agencies, like the U.S. and U.K. have done, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety Roxanne James shut down the idea. “We are not interested in creating needless red tape,” said James during a panel discussion with opposition MPs on Question Period. 


Because with a government like the Con regime and its depraved leader, and parliamentary secretaries like Roxanne James, the former anti-gay activist...



And her hapless boss the slavish Harper stooge Steve Blaney...



Who never should have been the minister of ANYTHING.

We need all the parliamentary oversight we can get to avoid the mistakes others have made.

Harper is directing CSIS down the same road as rogue intelligence services in the United States and the U.K that have long been on a collision course with democracy. The Canadian government spies on all Canadians through the collection of metadata by the Communications Security Establishment, (CSE) and sends the RCMP to monitor every public demonstration in the land.

And protect us from the Cons, who would turn Canada into a sinister surveillance state.

For how can we trust Stephen Harper to NOT abuse those new powers he is giving himself?

When he was the guy who appointed Arthur Porter to oversee CSIS...



Seen here in handcuffs, and on his way to a Panamanian jail charged with massive fraud.

But of course Harper doesn't care about that, he has a massive tolerance for criminals. All he cares about is winning the next election so he can hack away at this country and its values until they lie lifeless.

And it won't be easy for the opposition to explain why Canadians should insist on proper safeguards, when so many are so frightened. And Harper will use their objections to portray Justin Trudeau and Tom Mulcair as weaklings.

And himself as a Great Strong Leader, which as we know couldn't be more absurd...



He is in fact a cowardly Little Weakling Leader shamelessly trying to scare Canadians into voting for him. 

But he is desperate and he is dangerous, and the opposition must confront him as strongly and as smartly as possible. For the very fate of our country is at stake.

Because he is leading us to a very bad place. He is out of control.

He is the worst and most evil Prime Minister this country has ever known.

And we will not be safe.

Until the day that monstrous maniac is defeated...



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18 comments:

Steve said...

Just like his crime bill, the terrorism bill seems to be fundementaly designed to make the problem worse. The goal in both cases is not to prevent but create.

Unknown said...

"...he has a massive tolerance for criminals..." Because Harper himself is the biggest criminal of all he leads the race and pack to raping pillaging and looting. Plus he does not even have the manners of a captain of a pirate ship that was a democratic sea going vessel. When I see Steve's self interest ads on TV paid for by it all us taxpayers it makes me heave therefore I keep my TV close to the toilet.

Anonymous said...

I would hope Bill C-51 is sent to the Supreme Court so they can give Harper another swat upside the head. He is out of control loony tunes grasping at straws to try and steal another election. The only fear I have is the anti muslim sentiment he's stirring up in the hopes that another whackjob goes on a killing spree. Then he can call a staged press conference where he rappels down a rope in military fatigues and tells us only he can protect us. We need protection for sure, from Herr Harper.

mizdarlin said...

Am I the only one who caught Junior Trudeau smarming for the media cameras and opining that he 'hoped' this new legislation would 'keep Canadians safe...' really? That was all he could come up with?
Sorry, Simon, it's hard to support anything like a coalition when this middle of the road idiot spouts inanities like that...
Only makes me think that if he were elected, he would keep this crass assault on our democratic rights intact...kinda like the GST, only worse...

Anonymous said...

Maybe Harper can send those shiney new patrol vessels to help in his false flag operation. Send all 5 ships, Stevie....or is it 6? No one really knows. So you've managed a plank in your northern policy that does nothing to benefit northerners AND given us ships that can't do the job. Well played, shithead...well played.

e.a.f. said...

If people who create terror are terrorist, then I nominate Stephen Harper for terrorist of the year.
Lets see, we have 1,200 Murdered/missing Canadian First Nation Women so that means some where between 400 to 600 murderers are walking around free. P.M. Stephen harper says, its not on his radar. That scares the shit out of me, I'd say that was fairly terrorising, so that makes Stephen harper a terrorist.

if I am a non profit charity in Canada and I don't agree with Stephen Harper he will audit my charity and we could loose our non profit status and be out of business. Having the entire weight of Canada Revnue aimed at you, is terrifying, so again, its the head of the government which does that who is the terrorist.

People who were disabled in the middle east wars have had their benefits and support removed, 9 closed Veteran Affairs offices and a billion cut out of the budget. if you're an Armed Forces member or Vet, that is pretty scary, its terrifying. So given Stephen Harper created this problem, you know he is the terrorist.

If you spouse or parent, friend or relative is an RCMP officer, they go to work each day with ineffective, out of date equipment. That's scary. Your loved one could be killed. That thought terrifies many and that is caused by Stephen Harper, so once again, he is the terrorist.

The Canadian national health act has not been re-signed by the Cons and the provinces. In 2017 about $38 Billion will no longer go to the provinces, so if you don't have money to pay for health care, its terrifying. You could wind up in the same situation as many Americans. Thoughts of not having cancer treatments, medication, surgery for your child. welcome to the terror of little or no health care, provide to you by one Stephen Harper, so that makes him a terrorist.

Stephen Harper signed "FREE" trade deals with all sort of countries, which will undermine small business and local governments. It will change how we survive economically. its already had an impact in B.C. for small wineries. We've got American wineries complaining. Now of course the premier of b.c. was the stupid one because when she made the changes to the booze act of B.C. she forgot to look at Canadian laws. For small local booze producers, the thought of loosing your business because of something the Cons did, its terrifying, so the winner for terrorist of the year, is once again Stephen harper.

When Stephen Harper came to office, the first thing he did was de fund national women's groups. Now they had no money and no way to help a lot of women in this country. He then eliminated the long gun registry. Now guns not only kill men, but they kill women and having guns around and spouses using them to kill wives, guess there is more than one terrorified woman in Canada, not to mention a few cops who weren't all that keen on Stephen Harper ending the long gun registry, SCARY, as in terrifying. So again, if you terrify someone, you are a terrorist.

What Stevie boy wants to do is use Muslims as the big boogie ban to terrify Canadians into giving up their democratic rights and that is terrifying for Muslims and ought to be for Canadians, so once again, who is terrorizing who? I nominate Stephen Harper.

The guy is not only scary in a political sense, but did you see the lipstick and awful lip liner in his 'debuee' on centre stage. O.K. it will be better when some comedy show does a parody on that.

Steve said...

John Baird is out, please take Jason, Tony, hell just take everyone with you.

David said...

Roxanne James is something else. Ever watch her on Power & Politics as she repeats ad nauseum the Con talking points?

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Politics/Power+%26+Politics/ID/2651624696/

David said...

What was left out of Harper's campaign speech in Richmond Hill last Friday. (Maybe he is saving this part for a future speech)

"It is the eco-terrorists who endanger our security and would take away our freedoms. It doesn't matter what the age of the person is, or whether they're in a garden, or planting a tree, or whether they're in a forest watching birds or somewhere else, when you are engaged in activities that explicitly promote or advocate clean air and clean rivers, lakes and streams, that is a serious criminal offence no matter who you are. We cannot tolerate this."

Simon said...

hi Steve...yes, this latest bill is nothing but a ploy to give the security services more powers, while doing almost nothing to tackle the problem of radicalization, and homegrown wannabe jihadis. It is simply shameless and it is what wannabe fascists do....

Simon said...

hi mogs...I don't think it's unfair to say that Stephen Harper always seems to surround himself with people of dubious morals. He seems to be strangely attracted to them, and he's their magnet...

Simon said...

hi anon...the bill will end up before the Supreme Court, but probably too late to matter. It is after all just part of the campaign to win the next election. And if we defeat the Cons we can tell the court to forget it, and scrap the bill ourselves...

Simon said...

hi mogs....yes it's unfortunate Trudeau had to use such weasel words. But if you notice Mulcair hasn't exactly bruised the bill either. And the reason is that unfortunately the bill has the support of most Canadians. So I'm not going to be too hard on them. For if we don't defeat the Cons all our objections will serve for nothing. It has to be all about defeating the Cons, even if principles have to be temporarily set aside. I wish it wasn't that way, but that is the reality we face...

Simon said...

hi Way Way Up...at this point I've given up trying to list all the things the Cons are doing wrong. And as far as the north is concerned all I can hope for is that the Cons do something to make sure that so many don't go to bed hungry. One can't expect anything from them, but that I demand...

Simon said...

hi e.a.f...as I told Way Way Up, I'm finding keeping up with the Con record is becoming almost impossible or like a Whack-a-Mole game. I just hope that the weight of all their crimes comes back to haunt them, and that most Canadians have had enough. I honestly can't wait for the next election, or know what I might do if we don't win. There has never been a government so rotten, and we really can't get rid of them soon enough...

Unknown said...

@David its coming to that eh? I remember Monsanto USA suing Percy Schmeiser of Saskatchewan, because a neighbors Monsanto's seeds drifted on to his property. Monsanto had some right wing nutcase trespass claiming to be a detective or something like that discover Monsanto's patented genetically engineered pumped up with the Monsanto poison Round-up seeds had sprouted and grown along with Percy's natural Canola. Percy had never purchased Monsanto seeds that was the crux of Monsanto's lawsuit. And Canadian courts upheld Monsanto USA. Unfrocking believable. Percy much to his credit beat Monsanto at their own game. A real good Canadian success story.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/25/percy-schmeiser-farmer-who-beat-monsanto.aspx

Anonymous said...

Simon, from what I have read of comments from articles on Bill C-51, the majority of Canadians don't approve of it. I think people are starting to wake up from their long sleep.

e.a.f. said...

Laila Yuile who writes a blog here in B.C. simply wrote a column and named it, 100 reasons the B.C. Lieberals need to go. Perhaps a similar list for the cons of Canada would work. Then for future reference, no one would forget and it could be used to send to friends and family when in doubt about the cons, which includes some of the conservative cons.