Stephen Harper already using terrorism for political gain!

[gerryhatrick]

There he was bright and early on Saturday with a statement about the arrests...all qualified with the word "allegedly" of course.

Why is he doing that? Can't the RCMP or CSIS tell us the details?

And the last sentence was about how his "new government" will protect us.

And later the SAME DAY he was talking to CF recruits and AGAIN brought up terrorism! He told the recruits that Canada's "new government" was behind them 100%, and then went on to talk about how the terrorists hate us because of our "values".

Stephen Harper: Canada's a target because of "values" Print E-mail

Sunday, 04 June 2006

On the morning after suspected terror plotters were arrested in Toronto, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper assured Canadians that his "new government" will pursue efforts to ensure Canada's national security.

Later that day Mr. Harper was again talking about terrorism, giving his opinion about why Canada is now a target. "We are a target because of who we are and how we live, our society, our diversity and our values -- values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law. The values that make Canada great, values that Canadians cherish and values that citizens like you are willing to defend."

http://allpoliticsnow.com/content/view/23/1/

He has begun to emulate George Bush in the hope that he will have the same success making fear and security a wedge issue. Nobody will protect us except our "new government", right?

What a transparent manipulator. This type of work association "new government" is not good.

[August1991]

Gerry, what are you on to here? The government is four months old which still makes it a kitten not a cat, and Harper is the PM so I guess he should comment on a major RCMP/CSIS investigation.

When Harper gets dressed in the morning, I suppose you'd say he's doing it for political gain.

You are welcome to criticize Harper's policies but you would help your case if you did it with a bit more substance.

[Argus]

There he was bright and early on Saturday with a statement about the arrests...all qualified with the word "allegedly" of course.

Why is he doing that? Can't the RCMP or CSIS tell us the details?

Why is the mayor of Toronto and the premier of Ontario talking about it? Because they're supposed to. Because if they didn't they'd be inundated with demands for their statement, their opinion, their take on what happened.

And later the SAME DAY he was talking to CF recruits and AGAIN brought up terrorism! He told the recruits that Canada's "new government" was behind them 100%, and then went on to talk about how the terrorists hate us because of our "values".

Shocking. Who would expect, with several thousand Canadian infantry in Afghanistan, and an alleged Muslim terror cell just arrested in Toronto, that the PM, in a long-scheduled event for new military officers, would have talked about terrorism? I was expecting a discussion on the merits of whole wheat vs whole grain bread and the dangers of processed cheese. Boy, was I wrong!

[Wilber]

Why is he doing that? Can't the RCMP or CSIS tell us the details?

No they can't. The courts are for trials, not the media. The courts take a very dim view of the police doing it otherwise. CSIS doesn't give details to the public. They are supposed to be spooks not cops.

If these alleged acts can be shown to have happened, only a complete idiot would say we have nothing to fear and we had all better hope our government is doing everything it can to protect us.

[uOttawaMan]

I agree with Gerry, our PM should never talk about anything outside of strictly scripted statements in Parliament.

[killjoy]

"new government"

Yes. I'm sure if we can ram that phase hard enough we can make it sound like the famous "new world order" in the same way we can bang away until the square peg fits into the round hole....but it isn't.

It IS a new government. So what? And frankly whether it's immigration, health care, dealing with the US or anything else, as hard as it might be for you to accept that's precisely what enough Canadians to vote him in are concerned with. I’m not a ‘Harper’ man. Like a lot of Canadians I’ve wanted to vote conservative/PC for a long time, but until Harper came along, and the man isn’t a god or anything, but until he came along the various incarnations of the conservatives just didn’t seem to have the coordination or maturity to run the country. They couldn’t even form a decent alliance among themselves without turning on each other like a pack of roman senators. I voted Liberal til Harper came along. I don't think I'm alone in Canada in that regard by any means.

IOW, the Liberals have had their chance and probably will again. Until then you gotta deal with the fact that they lost, and they lost because not enough people voted for them.

.

[gerryhatrick]

Why is he doing that? Can't the RCMP or CSIS tell us the details?

No they can't. The courts are for trials, not the media. The courts take a very dim view of the police doing it otherwise. CSIS doesn't give details to the public. They are supposed to be spooks not cops.

Actually, they've done just that. Law enforcement has commented broadly on it. It is expected and they're free to say what they know can be said prior to the court date. Hopefully they've coached Harper on what he can and can't say without damaging any court proceedings.

I think the point that others are missing here is Harper is making political hay over this. Yes I admit, it's expected that he say something...but he's literally pounced on this and has spoken about it twice already.

He better watch his mouth or he'll become a topic in the court cases themselves.

Anyone want to take bets that he's out on the stump with this again this week?

[gerryhatrick]

It IS a new government. So what?

Exactly, so what? Why is there a campaign afoot by the Conservative party to place the word "new" in our face all the time?

Here Pavlov! Here boy!

[killjoy]

Why is there a campaign afoot by the Conservative party to place the word "new" in our face all the time?

There's always a campaign "afoot".

Gerry if you can't see how far you're reaching I can't help you. The Liberals have been in power, what? 12 years? If that's not new I don't know what is. The only one getting a Pavlovian response is you --- or is that just simply an over reaction?

It sounds like typical advertising speech if you ask me....in the same way one gas station will offer you a 'giant' free 2 litre bottle of Pepsi with every fill --- which is so much better than their competitors 'small puny insignificant' 2 litre bottle of pepsi given out with every fill. So what? Can we compare this with a few of Chretiens gems? Does political BS rhetoric only count when its not your party?

It's meaningless and the only meaning there is, is from the human brains constant need to form patterns --- even when they are insignificant.

As far as Harper being a 'Bush Ass-Kisser', well what can I say? If we juxtapose Harpers behaviour towards Bush against the previous regimes ‘strategy’ of calling him a moron on my tax dollar then yeah I suppose he's an ass kisser.

.

[Wilber]

Gerry. Your link is not news, it is a site with an extreme bias. Quoting Hitler for gods sake. Something better please.

[gerryhatrick]

Why is there a campaign afoot by the Conservative party to place the word "new" in our face all the time?

There's always a campaign "afoot".

There isn't always a concious repetiation of a particular phrase happening, is there?

As the article points out, he used the term "new government" twice in one day talking about terrorism.

And if you go look at the canada.gc.ca site what do you see? "CANADA'S NEW GOVERNMENT" appears twice.

Try googling it! I did.

It's pretty odd, but not if you consider the basics of political propaganda as the article presents in the form of Hitlers words.

I think Stephen needs to just be himself and stop listening to his paid hypnotists.

[Wilber]

It's pretty odd, but not if you consider the basics of political propaganda as the article presents in the form of Hitlers words.

I think Hitler made some good points regarding political propaganda. What I find reprehensible is the left continually associating Hitler with Harper or any other politician (right or left) in a democratic system.

[gerryhatrick]

I think Hitler made some good points regarding political propaganda. What I find reprehensible is the left continually associating Hitler with Harper or any other politician (right or left) in a democratic system.

I don't see the article associating Harper with Hitler. That's ridiculous.

[Wilber]

I think Hitler made some good points regarding political propaganda. What I find reprehensible is the left continually associating Hitler with Harper or any other politician (right or left) in a democratic system.

I don't see the article associating Harper with Hitler. That's ridiculous.

From the psychological conditioning through word repetition file:

Speaking to Canadian Forces recruits also on the day after the arrests Harper took another opportunity to point out the newness of his government: "...Canada's new government is behind you 100 per cent".

It has often been noted that Stephen Harper and his Conservative government have begun a campaign of pointing out that they represent a "new government". The term is used often when Mr. Harper speaks and appears not only on Conservative press releases highlighting initiatives by the "new government" but is also a permanent banner on the Government of Canada website (canada.gc.ca).

"Propaganda must be limited to a few simple themes and these must be represented again and again....

It is not the purpose of propaganda to create a series of alterations in sentiment with a view to pleasing these blase gentry. Its chief function is to convince the masses, whose slowness of understanding needs to be given time in order that they may absorb information; and only constant repetition will finally succeed in imprinting an idea on the memory of the crowd."

- Adolph Hitler

You must be joking.

[gerryhatrick]

You must be joking.

Not at all. It supplies a quote from Hitler about propaganda through repetition.

That's not associating Stephen Harper with Hitler, that's providing context for political propaganda the Conservatives are currently employing.

"new government" = propaganda. Surely you don't disagree.

[geoffrey]

Yes, I hate how they pound in a truth, like that they are a new government.

Seriously, if the biggest crap you can dig up is that the new government is calling itself a new government, then we are doing pretty good as a nation.

[Wilber]

You must be joking.

Not at all. It supplies a quote from Hitler about propaganda through repetition.

That's not associating Stephen Harper with Hitler, that's providing context for political propaganda the Conservatives are currently employing.

"new government" = propaganda. Surely you don't disagree.

And in your world "propaganda" = Hitler. Surely you don't disagree.

[killjoy]

Not at all. It supplies a quote from Hitler about propaganda through repetition.

That's not associating Stephen Harper with Hitler, that's providing context for political propaganda the Conservatives are currently employing.

"new government" = propaganda. Surely you don't disagree.

Sheer stupidity. I'm sorry but that's the way it is. Let me see if I have this straight:

It IS a new Government -(the truth)-, and this IS propaganda?

Harper IS NOT Hitler anymore than you or I am, yet equating him to Hitler -(unbelievably stupid hyperbole and obvious manipulation)- ISN'T propaganda? You think by adding the quote from Hitler they are NOT trying to draw an allusion?

Jesus. Is this where we’re at? We can’t even recognize propaganda when we spell it out for ourselves right in front of us?

Whatever.

Seriously gerry, I think I'm going to have to put you on the 'can't-take-seriously' list.

.

[gerryhatrick]

Seriously gerry, I think I'm going to have to put you on the 'can't-take-seriously' list.

You go ahead and do that

Certainly, it IS a new government. That is the truth.

However, when I hear the PM repeating the phrase several times (er...at every opportunity) and see his government using it at every opportunity I have to call a spade a spade.

In this case the spade is propaganda.

To what purpose? Who knows. I guess we'll find out when the next election rolls around.

[killjoy]

In this case the spade is propaganda.

Yeah and Harper is Hitler. Keep telling yerself that.

.

[Johnny Utah]

Using Hitler in anyway is scrapping the bottom of the barrel which is wrong as Millions of people died to defeat that Evil Bastard..

[gerryhatrick]

Using Hitler in anyway is scrapping the bottom of the barrel which is wrong as Millions of people died to defeat that Evil Bastard..

Indeed. Using the same tactics in controlling the masses should also be frowned upon.

[scribblet]

Using Hitler in anyway is scrapping the bottom of the barrel which is wrong as Millions of people died to defeat that Evil Bastard..

Indeed. Using the same tactics in controlling the masses should also be frowned upon.

You have to be joking if you actually believe that this is somehow a plot between Harper and all other agencies involved. This has been going on for two years, it started with the liberals, so how on earth could Harper have engineered it all. Talk about tinfoil hat time.

[Temagami Scourge]

Harper's a moron.

We are a target because we are in Afghanistan, and anyone with a hate on for the West will note that the Canadian Army is actively killing committed Islamiscists like the Taliban, and doing nothing for people like the young Khadr at Guantanamo.

It's not how we live or about jealousy with our society. We have decided to stand with the west, plain and simple.

I just wish a politician would lay aside the rhetoric and call a spade a spade.

what's next..."no...we aren't at war...."

[Rue]

I am by far someone who supports Harper but in this case I believe it is appropriate for the leader of the nation to speak out and say what he did on behalf of all Canadians including Muslim Canadians. As leader of the nation, he has a responsibility to speak directly to such issues and what else is he expected to say? It is absolute b.s. for a few of the Muslim leaders in Toronto to say he should shut up. That is pure b.s. He is the leader of this nation and he will speak up against terrorists whether they are Muslims or anything else. Its b.s. to say he can't say anything because it upsets Muslims who feel they might be associated with these terrorists. Nothing Harper said made disparaging comments about Muslims or suggested they are collectively responsible for these idiots who quote Islam. This knee jerk reaction that its racist to speak out against terrorism is pure b.s. These few Muslim leaders who criticized Harper are allowing terrorists when they get caught to hide behind their religion or ethnicity. That is b.s. In fact the Muslim community should applaud what Harper said and make it clear they stand by him-in that way they will counter the hatred against them that will blow back from this mess. I say to all Muslims, don't be afraid to criticize your fellow Muslims who do these things and don't be afraid when your PM speaks out against terrorists.