Don't worry. You can watch it all here in 45 seconds...
The irony?
By the standards of today's Teabagger Party, Ronald Reagan was a tax and spend communist.
When he was governor of California, Reagan “signed into law the largest tax increase in the history of any state” until that point in an effort to balance the budget (How would that sound to todays’ GOP candidates, all of whom indicated they would not raise taxes by a single dollar even if it were offset with $10 in spending cuts). Once president, Reagan raised taxes seven out of eight of his years in office—including four times in just two years.
The tragedy?
There are no greater teabaggers than Dumbo Harper and Jimbo Flaherty...
Because apart from their plans to kill government, come hell or high water, they're "flexible."
Sort of.
We showed we could respond effectively to a global downturn. Of course now debts and deficits are the problem. So that’s why our plan is right, to reduce the deficit, to reduce our debts because we don’t want to see the kind of problems we are seeing in Europe and elsewhere here.”
Nevertheless, with instability now in Europe, and difficulties in the U.S., Canada’s economy, he said, “could get sideswiped here and the government has to be ready for that.”
Or put it another way, they don't know what they're doing.
The horror?
Expect what's happening in Michigan to soon happen here.
Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday signed into law a stricter, four-year lifetime limit on cash welfare benefits, prompting advocates for the poor to warn that tens of thousands of residents will find themselves without cash assistance on Oct. 1.
Because can you imagine what The Great White North Detroit is going to look like after Dumbo and Jimbo have finished with it? So much for the economic miracle.
Not that I blame the government for hoodwinking Canadians. That’s politics.
The fault lies with the media. Even a quick look at basic numbers would have revealed that the Conservatives were telling a whopper. But far too many journalists didn’t bother to look at the numbers.
They were too busy applauding.
Good one Jimbo. Thanks IDIOTS.
Oh boy. It's a teabagger world people.
How could those incompetent, ideological, brutish Cons be running our economy in a time of Global Depression?
I knew when fascism came to America it would be wrapped in the Confederate flag, and carrying a cross AND a gun, like the Republican candidate for President Rick Perry.
But who knew it would look so sinister, and sound so ghastly...
On his live blog of last night's debate Andrew Sullivan wrote this:
9.48 pm. A spontaneous round of applause for executing people! And Perry shows no remorse, not even a tiny smidgen of reflection, especially when we know for certain that he signed the death warrant for an innocent man. Here's why I find it impossible to be a Republican: any crowd that instantly cheers the execution of 234 individuals is a crowd I want to flee, not join. This is the crowd that believes in torture and executions. Can you imagine the torture that Perry would authorize?
I submit to you that this moment is perhaps the most telling since George W. Bush left office; that the modern Republican party is not only intellectually bankrupt, but morally bankrupt as well. The conservative movement and the Fox News and talk radio media empire it has built up around itself is not only ethically decrepit but morally atrophid.
It takes balls to execute an innocent man alright. It takes something anyways. And it takes the same sort of thing to applaud.
USA! USA! USA!
But all I could think of is that Rick Perry could one day be the President of the United States.
You know this guy...
And how Rick Perry and Stephen Harper agree on just about EVERYTHING.
They are both tools of Big Oil, and against regulations and taxes. They both hate medicare and welfare, they both love guns and the death penalty, and they both say they only care about the judgement of their God.
So all I can conclude is that America is in terrible danger, but so are we.
Oh yeah...one more thing...don't count on the Canadian heroes from Alpha Flight to save us...
Because as you can see they have their own problems eh?
So far the series has showed how new Prime Minister Gary Cody and the members of his Unity Party have exploited the chaos of the current "Fear Itself" event to turn Canada into a draconian police state. Most of Alpha Flight have been declared outlaws. Now, to save their country, they must fight against it.
So we are going to have to save ourselves.
And the scariest part? Those comic book writers have a better idea of where we are going than the purring Con klowns in the MSM.
It's getting close to last call time people. Organize, unite, stop those cowboy fascists.
Well I see that ten years after 9/11, Great Crusader Leader has declared "Islamicism" the greatest threat to Canada....and Nigeria.
"When people think of Islamic terrorism, they think of Afghanistan, or maybe they think of someone in the Middle East, but the truth is that threat exists all over the world," he said, citing domestic terrorism in Nigeria.
And is using it as an excuse to turn Canada into a police state. And will no doubt use the same excuse to pass the bill that would allow the authorities to search computers without a warrant.
Gawd. I guess I'm going to have to watch the whole interview on the Mansbridge show on Thursday. Which means I'm going to have to buy a bottle of wine eh? Because I can't watch more than ten minutes of Harper without feeling the need to get drunk. And I do want to see if Mansbridge asks these questions :
(1) If the Islamicist threat is so great why did he so gleefully bomb the Gaddaffi mob, when they used to kill or jail Al Qaeda members? And they worked so closely with the CIA.
(2) Does he believe that by going around bombing Muslim countries he makes Canada a safer or a more dangerous place to live in? And what exactly is the point of The Great War on Terror if it DOESN'T make us safer?
(3) Does he understand any of the lessons of 9/11, or ever ask himself the burning question that so many seem to avoid? The one Robert Fisk asks here.
Why so, I ask myself, after 10 years of war, hundreds of thousands of innocent deaths, lies and hypocrisy and betrayal and sadistic torture by the Americans – our MI5 chaps just heard, understood, maybe looked, of course no touchy-touchy nonsense – and the Taliban? Have we managed to silence ourselves as well as the world with our own fears? Are we still not able to say those three sentences: The 19 murderers of 9/11 claimed they were Muslims. They came from a place called the Middle East. Is there a problem out there?
Because let's face it, until Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in peace and security, the terrorist threat will continue to be fuelled by that conflict. And the fear and the horror will go on and on and on.
But of course Mansbridge won't ask that question, and even if he did Stephen Harper wouldn't be able to answer. Because what's he going to say ?
Peter, I don't believe in the Peace Process, and I've done all I can to sabotage it, because my God tells me Greater Israel can't be divided if the Messiah is going to return. And even if I didn't believe that, and I do, my rabid religious base believes it, I need their dough. And if you don't believe me ask Dr Roy.
Or Lezra....
Great eh? Once we were known as genius peacemakers, and we could have helped bring Israelis and Palestinians together, pointed the way to the light, and ended that cursed conflict which has caused so much death and suffering all over the world.
But now, with the Harperites in power, and foreign policy replaced by Biblical prophecy, we can only sit in the dark and wonder who will hit us first?
The terrorists .... the police state...
Or the Steampunk Octopus ?
You know... I think I'm going to have to pick up TWO bottles of wine eh?
Because when you're living in Harper's Canada, where ignorance is strength, fear is a virtue, and Great Warrior Leader is a loose cannon AND a dictator in waiting.
Charles and David Koch are two American billionaires who have contributed more than any others to just about every right-wing cause in the United States. From promoting climate change denial to funding the Tea Party.
They go to extraordinary lengths to keep their shadowy activities secret. But now we finally have one on them on tape comparing the 2012 election as the "Mother of All Wars" and Barack Obama to Saddam Hussein.
CHARLES KOCH: Ya know, usually in a business if there's something unpleasant to do or some guilt that somebody has to take, it's not the CEO, it's some poor guy or girl that had nothin' to do with it. It doesn't work [like that] at Koch Industries. I think it's the principle of market based [inaud]. It's dirty work that needs to be done, they assign it to me. So. [laughter] There you have it. I don't know why I came up with this theory. I must have been crazy.
But we've been talking about --- we have Saddam Hussein, this is the Mother of All Wars we've got in the next 18 months. For the life or death of this country. So, I'm not going to do this to put any pressure on anyone here, mind you. This is not pressure. But if this makes your heart feel glad and you want to be more forthcoming, then so be it.
And in case you think that the so-called Kochtopus is an American problem, there is a Canadian Connection.
And that's why our Cons love them so much. Or do you think that what is happening there isn't happen here?
You know sometimes when I look at our side, I can't help feeling that some of us believe we're in a pillow fight. When in fact we're fighting for the very survival of our way of life. And you don't bring a pillow to a gun fight, as the old saying goes.
Just like you don't play into the hands of the Kochtopus by slamming unions.
Because if the Kochs had their way there would be no union rights. We'd be living in a right-wing jungle.
Mulcair may have his faults but being a brawler isn't one of them. And we need a leader, whoever he or she may be, who takes no prisoners.
Wakey wakey people. Smell the coffee...or the fish. This isn't a pillow fight it's an ideological WAR. The Kochs and the Cons are playing to win and so should we.
Unite the left, cut off the tentacles of the Kochtopus. Defeat the Cons and the right-wing conspiracy by whatever legal means necessary.
And of course, while you're doing it, don't forget to sing this song...
I've been a union supporter since I was seventeen, when I got a summer job at a mine in Northern Ontario.
Where it was explained to me by some of the toughest but nicest guys I've ever known, that if we didn't have unions we'd all be slaves. And I learned the true meaning of solidarity.
Later on I also learned that unions have been largely responsible for just about every progressive thing that ever happened in this country. And that's why the Cons and their Big Business masters hate them so much.
Because they want to turn back the clock, screw the poor, and condemn young Canadians to a life of servitude.
So when I heard that this year's Toronto Labour Day parade was dedicated to Jack Layton.
I decided to make this little video...
Special thanks to my friend Calum, who took over the shooting when I was suddenly called into work.
Where I made more money than usual, because I belong to a union eh? So they can't treat me like a slave.
It's too bad Jack couldn't be there in person, but his spirit definitely was.
Leanne Iskander is a 16-year-old lesbian who has led the fight to create a Gay-Straight Alliance club at her state-funded Catholic school in Ontario.
But last week the Toronto Catholic District School Board voted to put denominational rights before human rights. And now her principal is threatening her with disciplinary action.
Iskander, the founder of Catholic Students for GSAs (CS4GSA), and her parents were summoned for a meeting with St Joseph Catholic Secondary School principal Jeff Quenneville on Sept 1 to discuss her latest proposal for a GSA, Iskander says. The principal told her unequivocally that “an LGBT support group or GSA will never be permitted in any Catholic school because the bishops forbid them.”
And not just threatening Leanne. Also threatening her teachers:
A teacher at the school who asked to remain anonymous to protect his job says Quenneville had a clear message to staff about GSAs: “The principal said, ‘Our job is Catholicism first, curriculum second. The secular world may look at our beliefs and say we are bigots, but it is our beliefs and they are protected.’”
The teacher says Quenneville also made it clear that "if you didn't agree, then find another job."
You know, I think the board and principal are the ones who should be looking for other jobs. Because if the board thinks that religious rights trump human rights they're totally wrong. This is Canada not Iran.
If the principal thinks that tax payers should fund a school that puts Catholicism first, and the curriculum second, he's deluded. And yes he is a bigot, and dangerously ignorant.
I am writing to you from the emergency ward at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, where my son is recovering from an attempted suicide.
Every day he curses that he is gay because of the bullying and abuse he experiences.
There are many days that I have had to wipe eggs off of our windows and our home while some of the public shows its disapproval for my son. This is truly the ugly (side) of our society. My son is a loving boy and it is extremely sad that he is so often judged by his sexual orientation rather than the wonderful qualities of his character.
As for the bishops, those perfumed bigots are the last people to lecture anybody about morality.
Or be allowed to dictate the fate of children.
And as for their plans to ban the word "gay" and the gay rainbow symbol, those homophobes can just take a hike.
Oh boy. I think it's time to roll out the Gay Rainbow Machine of Mass Destruction Instruction...
So bigots everywhere can see that beautiful symbol of tolerance, even with their blinkers on.
Time also to support Leanne and all her friends who are struggling to make our schools kinder, gentler, better places for everyone. Support them, and send her a message of encouragement.
And of course, since I am what I am, and I've been battling bullies and bigots as long as I can remember. And always will.
I think it's a really EXCELLENT excuse to play this song again...
(1) What could match the grateful look of a faithful hound for taking him to his favourite place, the beach? Especially when it's 40 degrees on the humidex scale, and he knows how to keep cool.
But you don't dare swim in the lake after it rains, and you can't dig a hole, so you're DYING.
(2) Doggies don't do this to their friends...
Gawd. Where did that cat learn to do that I wonder?
(3) Cats are hopeless at blogging...
While my dog writes a LOT of my posts...
You may have noticed eh?
On the other hand...cats don't like to roll in stinky things.
Like a dead fish.
And so don't have to be punished like this very bad doggie had to be today...
While his unfortunate owner wondered whether he was going to vomit in the tub. Or could make it to the toilet.
So tonight ,at least in this house, cats are looking pretty good eh?
Although, as I've said before, I do have to say this:
One of the things that worries me the most about Stephen Harper is the way he loves to play soldier, or Great Warrior Leader. One day he's Stalin, the next day he's Harpo of Kandahar, and the next moment he's Napoleon.
“And history will record this: that it was the good work of Canada’s Armed Services – your work – working with our allies, that enabled the Libyan people to remove Gaddafi from power.
“Last week a NATO official told the world's press that Canada had indeed, and I quote, ‘punched above its weight’
“That’s what others say.
“This is what I say:
“Soldier for soldier, sailor for sailor, airman for airman, the Canadian Armed Forces are the best in the world.
“Congratulations, and on behalf of all of us, thank you and God bless all of you. God bless Canada.”
Jesus. Jesus. Gimme a break. I'm glad the degenerate tyrant was ousted, although that wasn't our mandate. And yes, I was cheering on the rebels all the way, because they're wildest bunch of freedom fighters I have ever seen.
But please.....raining bombs and missiles down on Gaddafi's forces was as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. So why is Harper puffing himself up like a blow fish, or a blimp? Trying to sound like Winston Churchill David Cameron. And making us look RIDICULOUS.
Gawd. Even tiny DENMARK beat us? We're right up down there with ITALY? And he's making it sound like WE won the war?
Yes, yes, I know it's a well known fact that those who were nerds when they were young, like Harper was, often have warrior fantasies. Who among us doesn't know at least one little Napoleon?
But who can explain why he is quoting the hunchback Lichtenberg?????
"A handful of soldiers is always better than a mouthful of arguments."
Whom was Lichtenberg describing when he wrote, “Whenever he composes a critical review, I have been told he gets an enormous erection”? And of whom, you find yourself wondering, could it be true today? Hmm?
Because I can't help feeling that something horribly similar is at work here. If you know what I mean eh? Judging by his triumphalist speech, and his obvious state of arousal, I can only conclude that Nerd Harper likes playing soldier because it...um.... excites him. Praise the Lord and pass the Viagra !!!!
And to make matters worse, if that's possible, we're ALL going to pay for it.
I mean does anybody think that having our little Napoleon wander around the world making belligerent statements, and threatening to go it alone, and attack any country he feels like... with our tiny army... is going to make our country safer or make us more enemies?
And how many BILLIONS is he planning to spend on this twisted fantasy? Even as our economy is contracting, and he's preparing to slash social services.
Oompah. Oompah. Oompah. Was there ever a Canadian Prime Minister so ridiculous and so DANGEROUS?
I must admit that I have never paid much attention to anything Angelo Persichilli has ever said or written. I thought The Great Angelo was just another Liberal who sounded like a Con. And they're a dime a dozen.
But now he's wearing Dimitri's hat, I think this is outrageous.
“Many are tired of the annoying lament from a province that keeps yelling at those who pay part of its bills and are concerned by the over-representation of francophones in our bureaucracy, our Parliament and our institutions,” Mr. Persichilli wrote about 18 months ago.
And this is PATHETIC.
“I will do whatever is in my capacity first to serve the government and eventually to serve the Canadian people – and I have the utmost respect for people living in Quebec, no doubt about it.”
Because how can you slag a people and then claim to respect them? And how can you put the interests of the Cons before the interests of Canadians and their country?
But then The Great Angelo is just a bit player in a bigger drama. For years I have warned that Stephen Harper's ultimate objective is to drive Quebec out of Canada. Because he knows that if the country's most left-leaning province leaves, the Cons will rule FOREVER.
And now you see the shape of things to come. The NDP are separatist traitors. Quebec is The Enemy. The mob in English Canada will cheer, and some Liberals will join them, because they think that's the way to win seats in Quebec. The idiots.
And nobody will care about how Quebecers will feel, being treated as outsiders or pariahs in the country they helped found. And we will all end up living in a country choking in its own bile, stinking of bigotry, and ripping itself apart.
Great eh?
Which is when I think of Jack Layton. And how the last thing he did may turn out to be his greatest gift to our country.
Reaching out and embracing the people of that province...
And inviting them to rejoin the great Canadian family after more than twenty years of alienation and bitterness.
And I remember how warmly they embraced him back, and how sorry they were when he died...
And then I think how his tragic death could affect the future of our big beautiful country, and I wonder what will happen to it, now that Jack isn't there to bridge the Great Divide. Or the Two Solitudes.
But not me. I can see the hate that will eventually consume this country. So although the tribute to Jack moved me beyond belief. The lightning scared me.
Oh sure. The Great Angelo is just a bit player, but you can see the shape of things to come.
And now not just absolutely fabulous, but also absolutely prescient.
Edina, the hard-boiled, label-hungry PR guru, and Patsy, her addiction-fuelled magazine editor sidekick, now look like prescient visions of the future. When they first emerged on screen they endeared through preposterousness. With their minute-long obsessions and faux-ethical bandwagons, the pair cascaded from one catastrophe to the next. Yet what was once recognisably absurd has become absurdly recognisable.
What started as a sly poke at ridiculous figures of fun has become a new aspirational model. Patsy's cries of "Bolly!" and "Lacroix!" in response to any impending crisis predated the late 90s snowballing of branding culture, from smart phones to handbags.
Patsy, Patsy dahling, where have you been?
But Patsy, I must ask you a favour. After you get the bee, please fire Bubble.
Saunders may choose to refrain from making any implicit reference to recent comments made by Jane Horrocks – the actress who brought to life Edina's ditzy assistant, Bubble – in a case of life imitating art. Horrocks claimed that she'd named her north London mansion Tesco Towers, after paying for it with the proceeds of the numerous advertising campaigns she'd fronted for the supermarket goliath, then bemoaned the fact that it was "full of chavs" (yobs).
And then get Eddie and her goody goody daughter roaring drunk, and make them sign a new contract
Because these days I REALLY need a good laugh dahling. And after all this time.
