As the Great Polar Bear God of the Great White North knows, I did everything I could this weekend to try to escape the fake scandal.
I went over to the island and finished painting my friend's sailboat. I read a lot of stuff but nothing about Canadian politics. I hung out with some friends and watched soccer games on TV. I took long naps and dreamed of the day Spring finally looks and feels like Spring.
But it was no good.
Because when I finally did take a quick glance at the news there he was.
The monstrous Andrew Scheer aka Schmearmonger, looking like hell, announcing that Justin Trudeau is threatening to sue him.
And accusing Trudeau of being a bully.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on PM's threat of lawsuit re SNC-Lavalin comments:— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) April 7, 2019
"I believe this an attempt to stifle criticism of Justin Trudeau, that this is a bullying attempt to try to prevent me from doing my constitutional duty as leader of the Opposition..." #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/8QKANDIh0s
Can you believe that?
Schmearmonger calling Trudeau a bully? He just can't help himself. He must schmear Justin, and he can't stop lying.
I have to admit that at first I wasn't happy at this new twist in the Fake Scandal. One that could keep it going for weeks, even months, lay me low with boredom, and fill me with despair at the thought of living in a big land, so full of little people.
And then I thought no, Bruce Anderson is right.
Mr. Scheer sounds like "I should be able to say whatever I want about someone and if they avail themselves of the protection of Canada's libel laws, I'll call a press conference and accuse them of bullying" Standing by to be hollered at by a columnist but honestly people.— Bruce Anderson (@bruceanderson) April 7, 2019
Scheer's behaviour has been outrageous, so having a court decide how far his Schmearmongering can go can only be a good thing.
If Scheer thinks he can use the lawsuit to put Justin Trudeau on trial, as this former House of Commons procedural clerk points out, he's barking up the wrong tree.
And even if the case doesn't go to trial, the media will be forced to debate whether calling Justin Trudeau a corrupt crook is libellous or not. And since it clearly is, and even his sainted Jody has testified that no laws were broken...
That should knock Scheer off his high perch, and make him look like a grubby political thug.
And then I read what Michelle Rempel had to say in her latest Twitter diatribe...
And after I stopped wondering whether she had gone off the deep end, or was just drunk...
I thought that Rob Silver was also right.
— Rob Silver (@RobSilver) April 7, 2019Because if those ghastly un-Canadian Cons are allowed to call people whatever they want, we will end up living like cave men in a brutish place we don't recognize.
So this is how I summed up the situation on Twitter.
When Andrew Scheer spends every day of the year smearing a decent person like Justin Trudeau, and when threatened with legal action calls Trudeau a bully, he is beneath contempt and unfit to be the leader of any Canadian party. Period. #cdnpoli— ๐จ๐ฆ Simon ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ ๐๐ (@montrealsimon) April 7, 2019
Decency matters. My parents taught me that and they were right.
A line must be drawn...
Andrew Scheer and his hoggy Cons would have us living in a pool of their own excrement.
And enough is enough...
"Trughazi." I guess Canada's going to get its own Hillary trial after all. "He punched him in the face"? Uh, Michelle, Andy should consider himself lucky that he doesn't have to face Justin in a boxing ring, you know that, right? I'm sure Trudeau would love to get back to the business of running the country, but your obstructionist party and "truth-teller" stooges are getting in the way.
ReplyDeleteWhat a circus. The Cons really have gone full Republican. I'm glad Trudeau is fighting this crap. It's always been a Con-orchestrated dirty trick Schmear campaign from day 1. The planet is on fire and the world order is on the verge of collapse, but Andy Doody wants to keep playing pretend prosecutor in his own personal Matlock drama. Oh, go chug some warm milk and hit the hay already, Proud Boy -- er, old man.
I myself am a teetotaler and so was Lloyd Bridges, but I think he's got the best take on all of this. Looks like we all picked the wrong week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmW-ScmGRMA
I just want to tell Trudeau good luck, we're all counting on him.
Look at yourself. Defending a sitting prime minister's use of libel law to stifle criticism, well founded or not. Perhaps one day a Prime Minster Scheer will try using the exact same tactic to shut up one of his critics. You will have no grounds for complaint when that happens.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Andrew Scheer is a "grubby political thug", as you say. I would certainly hope that we can go on saying things like that without fear of legal retribution.
Be very careful what you wish for.
Calling someone a grubby political thug is far different from accusing them of breaking the law. Hey Brad, when did you stop beating your wife?
Delete"Look at yourself. Defending a sitting prime minister's use of libel law to stifle criticism, well founded or not."
DeleteLook at yourself, defending a lying POS. If Scheer wants to play make believe he better do it in the HOC where he can spew his bullshit with impunity. This is a long time coming and not only over SNC. Of course that wont matter to you because as you state it doesn't matter if it's well founded(lies) or not. Sad.
JD
Things that make you go hmmm... The Conservative party has already tried to stifle debate. Dion’s speech was not libellous, wonder how the courts will find Andy’s Sheerstupidity?
Deletehttps://www.ctvnews.ca/pm-files-libel-suit-dion-refuses-to-apologize-1.282511
This morning's news was cheering. Sheer's nonsense gained little traction. Pundits, pols and publicists aren't paying much attention to the bleater of the opposition. One could imagine that they can't envision a scenario where he or his reformatory inmates would or could tell the truth.
ReplyDeleteSad when a " big reveal " is hyped with a tease worthy of Gypsy Rose and the collective reaction is ' so what? '.
So... time to talk about issues and policies (and the Cons' lack thereof) rather than the 24/7 SNL/Laugh-In Trudeau derangement fest? Or, if the coverage is going to be a referendum on personal character, I'd REALLY like to start discussing Aryan Andy's MAGA militia as reported by Al-Jazeera. Which, I'm sure he thinks is some kind of radical Islamist propaganda outlet.
DeleteHi Jackie,
DeleteSpeaking of isses and policies, here we go:
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2019/04/08/federal-repair-fund-for-toronto-community-housing-is-reason-to-cheer.html
Wow. Rempel is long overdue for an intervention. She's making the Drunk Michelle Rempel parody account look sane and judicious in comparison.
ReplyDeleteDoes Real (unhinged) Rempel consider her former Dear Leader Harper a "sociopathic idiotic narcissist" for suing the Liberals for libel in 2008?
Anon 1:14, She can barely remember what happened last night let alone in 2008. Someone please get her into rehab.
DeleteJD
It could very well be that she's not writing the tweets because she's passed out. Perhaps Dementia Donald is her comms director.
DeleteHey, I'm just asking the questions. It would be irresponsible not to speculate.
It’s sad to see how much Rempel has gone down hill. All those weird tweets in just eight minutes suggests that she has an anger problem or a booze problem or both. She should seek help immediately before it’s too late.
DeleteCanadian libel laws tend to favor the plaintiff and it would appear that the statement the affair amounts to “corruption on top of corruption on top of corruption” would be considered libelous. Unfortunately another dimension of Canadian law allows for a "scorched earth" type of defense where everything presented true or false can be published which of course would result in a media frenzy. This is what the Smearmonger is counting on but although the bozo may be smirking now a strategic thinker would file the complaint and then wait until after the election to pursue it. Its possible to wait up to 2 years to actually sue and who knows perhaps the monger will be ousted as party leader with no deep pockets to defend him at that time. Surely one of his lawyers will tell the dunce that unless he is sure the future is absolutely written in stone he had better stick to the facts in anything he says outside parliament. But then again crash test dummies tend to accelerate into the wall.
ReplyDeleteRT
All of the other stuff aside, calling your opponent corrupt without evidence is simply not good manners nor good politics. But then Scheer isn't that good at politics and must resort to these types of tactics. There are other ways of saying you thing your opponents are less than truthful or honest, but out right calling them corrupt, demonstrates a lack of acquaintance with the English or French language.
ReplyDeleteHaving briefly reviewed Ms. Rempel's texts, I am left wondering, what has come over her? It reads like a teenager have some "issues".
e.a.f. The letter while pointing out the letter of the law had no cease and desist directive. It was definitely a behave, better, bozo letter but no threat of a lawsuit was expressed.
DeleteI’m sorry you weren’t able to get away from that never ending “scandal” but it definitely seems to be dying down. Scheer is trying to make it sound like Trudeau’s legal threat is going to keep that non story alive, but for the reasons you mention in your post I very much doubt it.
ReplyDeleteI can ‘t wait to see Saint Jody forced to deny Scheer’s libellous claims. If we’re lucky we’ll see two stooges be taken down with one stone. Don’t forget to buy your tickets soon, because they’re sure to sell out!!
ReplyDeleteCould this be partly why AS's smile is so creepy?
ReplyDeleteIn his case, the smile comes with his name. (in Translation: Shears and scissors. A cutter...)
I want to say he thinks he's Inspector Javert in an obsessive and ultimately self-destructive pursuit of Jean Valjean, but "Les Miserables" (whether the book or the musical) is way too high-brow for Andy to understand. No, he's more like the uptight commanding officer in Police Academy getting punked by Steve Guttenberg. Or Wiley Coyote getting overzealous in handling the ACME dynamite to catch the Road Runner only to have it blow up in his face. Or better yet, Barney Fife if he took over the Mayberry PD and hired Otis Rempel the town drunk to be his loyal deputy, in pursuit of Richard Pierre-James Kimble.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FdvXl5GAes
The Fugitive: "I'm innocent!"
Andy Blart, Bad Cop: "I don't care!"
Deputy Drunkard: "(hiccup!)"
LOL. You're too much!
DeleteI do think there is a line beyond which accusations become libel, but I don't think Scheer crossed it. Its all related to the job. Now if Scheer had just up and called Trudeau a pedophile or murder then yes, that would be libel. But corruption doesn't just mean breaking the law, it can mean moral corruption as well, which makes the term too subjective to be libel.
ReplyDeleteHi Simon,
ReplyDeleteWhat I said on another Blog the other day bears repeating here, in light of articles such as this one--I haven't read/probably will not read, unless I see good reports about it)--recommended to me today:
Justin Trudeau's Fall From Grace--The Atlantic
"HI CV,
I get recommended readings all the time on my tablet: whether I read depends entirely on where they come from. I bypass any headline links to the NP, the Toronto Sun, CTV; only read others with palatable headlines--If the headline already offends me I'm not going there, or here. (if that strategy ever fails me, it's because we know headlines can be deceiving)
I think it unwise for bloggers to link to such articles. Best to recap/paraphrase what they say with out offering the hit piece any more clicks. I recommend, rather, using the strategy "we read/listen and report so you don't have to."
While I do know what a "hit piece" is, I did a search on Wikipedia Dictionary for the phrase anyway. It came up with a link to a book called, aptly enough, Damage Control and a key quote from it in which the phrase comes up:
Delete[R]espectable media institutions do have their standards, but there is something insidious — and very human — at work in the preparation of a hit piece: the media's desire to believe in the evil of their targets."
Seems to sum up the Con media in Canada and the same fake-liberal M$M that took down Hillary Clinton too. Which includes the Atlantic and the NYT. They're cynical. Sadistic even. They want the good people to "fall from grace." They enjoy it. It confirms their worldview that most people suck and there are no heroes in a cruel and uncertain world. Schadenfreude. They're probably hard at work digging up dirt on Fred Rogers or Anne Frank.
In "light" of that, I found an accent pillow on Amazon that's now on my wish list. It's almost fate (and not an algorithm) that this came up in my recommendations. This is the quote printed on it. It 100% encapsulates everything that's happening to Justin Trudeau. Especially the part about friends and enemies.
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
Mother Theresa of Calcutta
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1139478-people-are-often-unreasonable-irrational-and-self-centered-forgive-them-anyway
Jackie, I much appreciate that you looked further for insight in the subject, and shared the wealth of your pursuit.
DeleteAnd, that's one wonderful pillow--talk! isn't it?
On a display shelf right above my desktop I have a message stone that reads:
"Wisdom begins in Wonder--Socrates"
Not a good day for the Connies with darling Goldy and the rest of the vomitorium disappearing into the Facebook ether. Scheer is still doing the double dare dance on SNC statements but what he actually said is slowly disappearing and none of his disciples are repeating it. Guess the realization that a two year window for filing a claim is a little longer than their retrospective vision can see into the future. A suit today would have been manna from heaven as MSN could repeat all of the lies and innuendo revealed at the trial with impunity but a law suit two years from now, who would care except for Scheer and his banker.
ReplyDeleteRT
Wonder what Faith and the other members will do when they realize Scheer is not there to defend their rights to "free speech"? Another fault line exposed. Let me count the ways this one could be exploited!
DeleteRT
Anti-Racist Canada has a feature on this.
Deletehttp://anti-racistcanada.blogspot.com/2019/04/faith-goldy-kevin-goudreau-and-hate.html
Gould, Hussen and Chagger among others who brought up Scheer's name in the same breath as the Nazi camgirl. Good. Now do Marshall. I hope they use clips from the "Duck Hunt" interview in attack ads and really hammer home exactly who Rebel is, because the M$M sure isn't going to bother informing the public of the real threat and the real scandal. Let's see if Andy now turns around and files a libel suit of his own, though unlike Trudeau's warning it'd be completely bogus because Andy is more like Canada's version of Devin Nunes. "How dare you use my own racist behaviors and racist affiliations to call me a racist!" Wait, wait, fair use is fair use and free speech is free speech, right Andy?
Rempel is Prairie Oyster Barbie. No class, limited social skills and not an ounce of self-reflection.
ReplyDeleteWhat does she think will happen if Scheer goes to court over this motion of libel? He'll have to provide evidence for alllllll his defamatory tweets, and when he can't he will have to apologize and do so publicly, on all platforms.Schmeagol should do the smart thing and boot Rempel from caucus and then publicly apologise to PMJT.
He's dumb as a post though, so he won't do that.
If this lawsuit threat has The Cons even half as rankled as the unhinged Rempel, then all indications are that it has paid off in spades. Anyone who wasted their precious weekend time to tune into Andy's ridiculous "Breaking News(wind) Alert" must be feeling a tad underwhelmed by it all. "Hi, I'm Andy and I'm being bullied by JT." Whoa! What? If anything, I hope the reporters who've been pushing the fake SNC scandal were the ones who hauled their asses out to cover this nonsense on a Sunday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteA bit off topic but I tuned to ctv news at 6:30 to cringe watch a bit of Andy's presser and was greeted by a repeat of QP with Evan Soloman interviewing Tony Clement of all people. Tony was explaining the "elaborate" plan to blackmail him as if he was the victim. Hilarious. If Tony had kept little Tony in his pants instead of dangling his junk on the internet there would be no victims, but there were. His wife and family and certainly not him. What a wanker.
It should be entertaining to watch the Cons portray themselves as the bullied ones. Oh the humanity! The best that can come of this is that they'll have to do some actual fact checking before they dump their next load of manure on us. It'll be like a ghostly apparition of JT standing over their shoulders as they concoct their future attack ads, wondering when and if the hammer will fall and knowing full well that the bulk of their attacks on JT are contrived, out of context bullshit meant to deceive with little, if any to believe.
JD
Simon, I'm so sorry---you may have failed to escape, but, evidently, the exiles can't bear the ennui.
ReplyDelete(Just so you know, I don't tweet, so Twitter has to come to me, so to speak)
So here I am, missing Heather Mallick, looking for her latest opinion piece--and what do I see? Her earlier tweet, of today, and the interesting attendant twitter thread it generated:
Heather sez: @HeatherMallick
Painful to watch. Philpott + JWR desperate to get their jobs back, want to make Liberal caucus vote on it, hate sitting on Independent naughty step with gropers, dodgy and dickpicing MP rejects. /via @globeandmail
Too bad so sad. Teacher put the mean girls in "Breakfast Club" detention for a reason. By vote of the whole class. Maybe he should dangle the demand of a public groveling apology before them as a condition of even CONSIDERING taking them back, eh? "Soory not soory"?
DeleteEnough of this Eighties-revival teenage breakup saga already. I can already picture Jane standing outside Rideau Cottage with a boombox playing Journey's* "Open Arms." Not Jody, though. She'll set the Mercedes on fire and fight Sophie in the Rideau Canal. Can you say "Dynasty"? I knew you could. Just call them "Heathers."
(*Besides the movie reference, it's actually a rather sweet anecdote from Justin's book, if you haven't read it yet. I think John Cusack and/or Cameron Crowe might owe him royalties for the idea.)
My apologies, if I briefly digress. I'm thinking aloud, on behalf of all avowed feminists, on who might/should/ought be the next President. Right now--eh, Jackie?--it's all about the Boys, (naturally, all white boys, leading, at that) esp the Bs, Bernie, Biden, Buttigieg--and they're all decent human beings--and only one woman so far is competitive; right in their midst. Kamala. "Karma's a bitch." :) say it out loud: Obama. Kamala.
ReplyDeleteTrump is the result of the RW backlash against the first black (male) President. heaven forbid!
President Harris could well be the blow back. The first Woman to be President--AND She's black.
Heck, Jeff Session testified she made him nervous--too nervous to answer her questions.
If poor Canada ends up having to suffer through an intestinal bout of a Scheer Stupidity minority-government clusterfuck (God I hope not, if ever there was a time for a miracle it'd be now), the silver-lining backlash to that might very well be a Prime Minister Freeland... and an Ambassador to the United States (or United Nations) Trudeau. The dynamic duo repairing the damage with a president who was also an alum of a high school in Montreal. (A "Joe Clark" is a Canadian metric measurement of what the Americans call a Scaramucci, right?)
DeleteHis Excellency, the Right Honorable Justin Trudeau. That has a nice sound to it. A lot better than... His Imperial Arrogance, the Wrong and Dishonorable (or Deplorable) Adolf von Dummkopf Scheer.
reddit moment
ReplyDeleteReddit is fundamentally a vast community of platforms where active individuals react most on anything they can think, ranging from politics, celebrity culture, technology, manga, films, literary as well as the most strange things happening in the world.