kimmy

hmm. If scrapping the registry was all it would have taken to make the Reform/Alliance/Conservative party vanish... the Liberals are colossal idiots for not doing it years ago. -k

While some will probably say this is kind of like busting Al Capone for tax evasion, this is nevertheless a welcome development. Canada Press: RCMP in taser death to be charged with perjury Yo, Kwesi. Wassup, homie? You going to court, Kwesi. Good luck with that lawsuit, Kwesi. If you win, you can use the money to buy smokes in prison. They like cops in prison, Kwesi. You better buy some lube too. Later, homie. -k

You're saying Mallick wrote an issues-based column and the criticism of her is unfair? Ok... so, which parts of Canada does Harper hate? Is that information contained on the Conservative website somewhere? In which parts of Canada is everyone in bed by 6:30? Should Harper try to institute a national initiative for later bedtimes? Is that what Mallick is saying? Is it time for a national dialogue on shaking your child's hand? Do you feel she's accurate in saying he has an awkward gait? I hadn't noticed. Perhaps a kinesiologist should study the issue? Does Harper's gait affect Canada's profile on the world stage? Is Laureen really "glum"? If so, what are the policy implications of that? To what does Mallick attribute this glumness? Do we need some sort of a national program to support bored political spouses? Mallick claims Harper is humorless. Could hiring a joke writer for the PMO solve this apparent problem? What are your thoughts on some of these pressing issues that Mallick raises? Can we really afford to have a Prime Minister who shook his son's hand in public? Can we afford to have a Prime Minister with an awkward gait? -k

This one I'm skeptical of. Albertans know that the biggest factor in creating 4 decades of uninterrupted Progressive Conservative provincial governments was Trudeau and Chretien and NEP and Meech Lake. Now the PQ has a Prime Minister with a majority government based entirely in English Canada, and no BQ in the House of Commons to steal their thunder as the real champions of le Quebecois. Now it's just the heroic PQ all alone standing up to the evil Anglo Conservatives. For Alberta politicians, this is the setup for a political windfall. It couldn't be any better. I'm sure Pauline Marois will be able to figure out how to make it work. Harper will be the PQ's Chretien. -k

It's not a matter of what I'm ok with. As Todd Bertuzzi would say, "It is what it is." To me, it shows that it's not about bias, it's about reporters trying to figure out an angle that's going to get them a scoop of some kind. Reporters trying to land a "gotcha" moment at the expense of some hapless rookie MP probably isn't the kind of journalism that protects and preserves our democracy, but it's apparently how some of them are paying their rent. And that logic might matter if you're looking for a reason why covering Reform newbs is more important than covering NDP newbs, but I really don't think the reporters are looking at it in that light. They just want a story. Putting that story in some great social context probably isn't really the first thing on their minds. -k

I watched on CBC, and didn't really have any complaints this year. I mean, I got the hunch that Peter Mansbridge sure wasn't exactly a happy guy, but I don't think there was anything in the coverage that really struck me as bias. Watching this year's election coverage made me think back to when I was still in highschool, watching election coverage on TV in Ottawa. They had a group of big-heads from Toronto, and another group of big-heads from Montreal, all sitting around talking about the Quebec results. Roger Gibbins was also on the panel, as Token Western Guy, but I think he was probably asleep or bored out of his mind or something. Mansbridge led the Toronto and Montreal big-heads in a discussion about the Quebec results. Then after a commercial break he says "The polls have closed in Western Canada, and to viewers who are just joining us, we have a Liberal majority government." And then they resumed talking about the Quebec Question, completely oblivious as Roger Gibbins napped and large swaths of the map behind them turned green. It was completely infuriating to watch. What a change from then to now. The one moment I thought was kind of weird on Monday was when Terry Milewski interviewed the Conservative strategist. The strategist hedged when Terry asked him about a majority, and Terry would not let it go. "Why aren't you willing to say you have a majority?" "It's still up in the air." "Well right now our board has 160 Conservatives. Why won't you call it a majority?" "Because all the votes aren't counted." "Ok, how about now?" "Not yet." "Are you sure?" "Nope." "Come on, say majority." "Nope." This went on for, like, an uncomfortably long time. What I don't get is, moments earlier Peter Mansbridge and Evan Solomon had gone into detail explaining on Solomon's magic etch-a-sketch why they weren't prepared to declare a majority government. The 160 Conservatives on the board included a number of ridings where the leads were less than 100 votes. So, like, why was Terry Mileski badgering the strategist to declare a majority? Maybe Milewski should have badgered Mansbridge and Solomon to declare a majority, or got them to explain to him what they'd just explained to the viewer. It was just a really weird segment. -k

That happened all the time to Reform and Canadian Alliance MPs when they were the new kids on the block. Why would the NDP be any different? "Our new MPs aren't speaking to the media until they've had media training and French lessons" might have a friendlier spin than "the muzzle", but it's still a muzzle, right? The difference is that in this case, there's an implied promise that they get to talk to the media, eventually. If you think the interest in the NDP newbs is different from how the media treated the Reform and Alliance MPs when they first got to Ottawa, I think you have a short memory. -k

I can understand that, and I think there's an argument to be made for releasing the pictures as well. If Guevara was seen in religious terms, it was a religion with him at the center, and proving that he was dead would have been a crushing blow to that "church" and its followers. Bin Laden, on the other hand, is viewed by some as a "hero of Islam" (didn't the Taliban use those exact words when the US demanded he be turned over prior to the invasion of Afghanistan?) When I was still living in Ottawa, I remember how outraged people (including myself) became when some dirtbag pissed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I would think that some people, maybe those already inclined to sympathy with Bin Laden and his cause-- might be similarly inflamed by photos of Bin Laden's mutilated corpse being circulated around the interweb. They're probably mad already... but why kick the hornet's nest? -k

In keeping with the proposal, I voted both yes and no. -k

I don't know... what do you think, Mulder? -k

What "points" does she make, other than the same shrieking panic we've been hearing from her type for years? "Now that he's got a majority, we're going to turn into the USA! You just wait! There's Evangelical Christians! He's Bush Lite! They're going to dismantle healthcare! They're going to criminalize abortions! It's going to happen! You just watch!" -k

In other words, your mind is made up already, regardless of how realistic the pictures look. Correct? -k

Sure, Jake Shields needed to make something happen. He was losing. He wasn't accomplishing anything. He didn't do anything the whole fight, aside from poke GSP in the eye. And you can't blame GSP for sticking with a gameplan that was working, especially when he was fighting with one eye. But it was still boring. Terrible fight. If you love GSP for his amazing arsenal of techniques, you were probably pretty disappointed... because he didn't show much. Jab and fade, with the occasional windmilling overhand right mixed in. whoosh. whoosh. Wow. How many airballs did he throw? And he fought the same way before the eye-poke for 2 rounds. And he fought Josh Koscheck the same way for 5 rounds in his last fight. And Chuck Liddell isn't an idiot. -k

Bin Laden (unlike Hitler or Guevara) is viewed by some as a champion of a religion. Offering indignities to his corpse might well be viewed as an indignity to the faith by those who are inclined to see him in that light. The Alex Joneses of the world won't accept that they killed him without pictures. Then again, the Alex Joneses of the world won't accept pictures as proof anyway. Let's say Obama gives in. "Ok, I see that some of you just aren't going to believe he's dead without proof. Ok, here's the pictures." The very first word you're going to hear from the Alex Joneses of the world? "Fake." Let's ask Ghost and Topaz. Are you two going to believe the US Government version of the story if they show you pictures? Like, both of you have said before that you think the US can create fakes of almost anything, right? So pictures would be useless as proof, yes? Ghost and Topaz... is there anything that Obama could do to convince you that the government version is the truth? I suspect that the answer is no, and I think it would be kind of silly to base a decision like this around trying to satisfy people who will never be satisfied. -k

That's true. However, I think Molly is referring to the people who signed the nomination papers, not the people who voted for her. However, even that sounds a little dodgy right now... The Star -k

Jack Layton is 61... age didn't seem to hurt him. I don't know what kind of qualities people expect in a leader, but I don't think it has much to do with age. -k

One thing to consider: the NDP breakthrough in Quebec makes it likely that they'll be able to attract a better calibre of candidate in the future. If some of the new NDP MPs turn out to be duds, the party might run more qualified candidates in their place next time around. While a sitting MP doesn't usually have to fight to be the nominated candidate in their riding, I don't think there's anything that says it's automatic. In 4 years, somebody else might say "I want to be the NDP candidate for Berthier-Maskinongé" and Ruth-Ellen may have to earn the nomination against somebody with some life experience and French language skills. Reform had some real "characters" in the early days (and some of those guys are still in Parliament...) but as the party gained influence and seats in Parliament, they also began to attract more experienced, more qualified, more capable people. The same will happen for the NDP in Quebec. They probably won't have to run bartenders or college kids in the next election... unless they're good candidates. -k

Thanks for the tip! I was unaware of the connection between Pirates and the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Perhaps there's potential to bring the Pastafarian Heritage Party into the coalition as well. Those be the words of a man wanting to take a long walk off a short plank, matey. -k

I wouldn't say the NDP support in Quebec was a "fad", exactly, but this is a very new thing for both the NDP and the Quebec voters. It's very much an experiment for both the party and the voters, and it is hardly guaranteed that it is going to be a lasting success. It will be very interesting to see how that goes over the next four years, and to see how being Quebec's defacto voice in Parliament changes the NDP. They've been handed a responsibility that they may not have been expecting. And it's going to be really interesting to hear Quebec advocated for by a national federalist party instead of the BQ. I long ago stopped listening to Duceppe's interpretation of what Quebec wants. I expect Jack Layton's interpretation of what Quebec wants to be a lot more compatible with the rest of the country. -k

While studying the election results and doing the sort of advanced, in-depth analysis I'm known for, I noticed an interesting bit of information. Canada's Pirate Party ran 10 candidates in this past election, and finished a very respectable 11th place among political parties! That total puts them just behind the Rhinoceros Party, and just ahead of the Communist Party of Canada. Interestingly, the Pirates gained more votes than the Communist Party despite running just half as many candidates. While they obviously have some work to do before they become a major political force in Canada, this has really tickled my sense of whimsy, and I hope that some day they are able to bring peg-legs, parrots, eye-patches, and pirate-talk to Parliament. It will liven things up considerably. I have been considering celebrating my cultural heritage by starting the Viking Party of Canada, and I would think that the Pirate Party would be natural allies in parliament who could join with me in promoting a pro-looting, pro-pillaging agenda. If there are any Pirate Party members on the forum, please contact me. -k {arrr!}

The other parties should refuse to touch this with a 10-foot pole. There's absolutely nothing to gain for any of them. For the Conservatives, it makes you look like you're trying to screw with the will of the voters. Adding 1 seat to your count doesn't help you. You already have your majority, and whether it's 6 seats or 7 seats you got badly beaten in Quebec. For the Liberals, it makes you look like you're trying to screw with the will of the voters, and adds to the reek of desperation surrounding your party. Adding 1 seat to your count doesn't help you. You're still a very distant 3rd. For the Bloc Quebecois, it makes you look like you're trying to screw with the will of the voters, and adds to the reek of desperation surrounding your party. Adding 1 seat to your count doesn't help you. You're still a very distant 4th and doesn't even get you to "official party" status. The best thing for all 3 of the other parties would be to sound magnanimous. "The will of the voters is clear. We hope that when the information has been verified, the representative the people chose will have her seat in Parliament." Trying to steal the seat on a technicality will make you look like a dirty lawyer. It'll cost you come next election. And if you're one of the NDP's opponents, think long game. This election, nothing can stop the Orange Wave in Quebec. But come next election, Miss Brosseau sounds like she could be a pretty beatable candidate. Let her keep the seat warm and take it next time. -k

So... I haven't watched the interview, but since it was Evan Solomon, I'm assuming it went something along the lines of... ES: "So, we have an American death squad invading a private residence and murdering an unarmed man in his own home. Is this really the kind of ally that Canada should support?" TM: "I think we would need to know more about the situ--" ES: "But we're talking about American stormtroopers murdering an elderly man with serious medical issues, then taking pictures of his corpse and are celebrating in the streets! Doesn't this make you question what kind of people the Americans really are?" TM: "I don't know that there were photographs--" ES: "Really? Do you believe murder is something to celebrate? We'll have to agree to disagree. We're out of time. Thanks for coming by." -k

Mallick is a piece of dog crap. I'm surprised he didn't blame Laureen's tears Monday night on spousal battery; I'm sure she was sorely tempted. This whole column basically sounds like it was copied from the Paul Martin Jr Campaign Strategy Guide, 2004 Edition. "Once they get a majority, they will tear off their moderate masks and start burning crosses in Prince George! As we speak!" The article really says more about Mallick, and her ilk, than about Harper. The Evangelist Christian right is now at the fringes. Surely nothing underlined that more than winning 45% of the vote in Ontario. What places are those, exactly? I haven't checked where the royal tour will be visiting, but I assume this comment another example of Mallick's sneering contempt for rural people. What places in Canada does Harper hate? -k

It remains unreleased. Sheila Fraser was adamant that she could not formally release the report until Parliament was back in session. Of the two unauthorized leaks of preliminary drafts, the more recent version softened the language considerably. Considering that even Fraser's digging into the sponsorship scandal couldn't directly topple the government, it seems unlikely that this would. -k

I would expect that even if [email protected] or #/TwitGirl can try and sneak one past Elections Canada, you'd think Canada's public broadcaster would play by the rules. And, as an organization with far wider viewership than @TwitGirl, their breach of the rules would have to be considered more serious as well. But the real question remains: why doesn't Elections Canada just smarten up? They could solve this problem themselves without threatening to prosecute people. -k