'Oops' moment for Dion's Green Party...

[ScottSA]

Green candidate stands by remarks praising 9/11

'Beautiful'

Katie Rook, National Post

Published: Friday, April 13, 2007

A federal Green party candidate in Vancouver-Kingsway is standing behind a controversial editorial he wrote more than four years ago in which he describes the falling of the World Trade Center twin towers as "beautiful."

The editorial, entitled, A Revolting Confession, was first published on Nov. 28, 2002 in an alternative newspaper, The Republic of East Vancouver, which Kevin Potvin founded.

"When I saw the first tower cascade down into that enormous plume of dust and paper, there was a little voice inside me that said, 'Yeah!' When the second tower came down the same way, that little voice said, 'Beautiful!' When the visage of the Pentagon appeared on the TV with a gaping and smoking hole in its side, that little voice had nearly taken me over, and I felt an urge to pump my fist in the air," Mr. Potvin wrote in the editorial.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/st...c4-67a170f45a3c

[Argus]

Green candidate stands by remarks praising 9/11

'Beautiful'

Katie Rook, National Post

Published: Friday, April 13, 2007

A federal Green party candidate in Vancouver-Kingsway is standing behind a controversial editorial he wrote more than four years ago in which he describes the falling of the World Trade Center twin towers as "beautiful."

The editorial, entitled, A Revolting Confession, was first published on Nov. 28, 2002 in an alternative newspaper, The Republic of East Vancouver, which Kevin Potvin founded.

"When I saw the first tower cascade down into that enormous plume of dust and paper, there was a little voice inside me that said, 'Yeah!' When the second tower came down the same way, that little voice said, 'Beautiful!' When the visage of the Pentagon appeared on the TV with a gaping and smoking hole in its side, that little voice had nearly taken me over, and I felt an urge to pump my fist in the air," Mr. Potvin wrote in the editorial.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/st...c4-67a170f45a3c

A lot of people are still skeptical the Greens are a serious party rather than a party of environmental extremists. This will certainly not persuade them otherwise. Greens. The party of Polynewbie and Jenny.

[Figleaf]

Why has ScottSA included a false reference to Dion in the title of this topic?

Falsehoods seem to be the prefered content for Conservatives to post around here.

It's not surprising ... integrity has never been a tory strong point.

[ScottSA]

A lot of people are still skeptical the Greens are a serious party rather than a party of environmental extremists. This will certainly not persuade them otherwise. Greens. The party of Polynewbie and Jenny.

The Greens have suddenly been pushed into the spotlight by Dion. Now they'll have to come out with more of a platform than mere platitudes like "equity" and "social justice". That bodes ill for their chances if they are anything like the other green parties around the world, because they all unabashedly Leninist.

What's even more interesting is that Dion has in effect allied himself with this very large skeleton-in-the-closet-waiting-to-happen. Presumably he did it to underscore his deep angst over the environment, but it's a bone stupid move with no real upside and a huge downside. Chretien would never have made such a blunder, and even Martin would probably avoid it. Dion is just beginning to catch the broadsides from this...how much ya wanna bet he'll suddenly find a pressing need to run a candidate there?

[madmax]

The title should be "opps moment for Mays Green Party". But don't let the facts get in the way of ScottSA Spin.

Regardless the article doesn't paint a good portrait of the candidate. Nobody I would vote for.

[Shakeyhands]

Dude.... the Greens are in the spotlight because of the CPC suddenly realizing that we can't wait for 50 years for companies to stop poisoning the earth in the name of profit....

Harper has made the enviroment an issue.

[B. Max]

The greens are a party of whac jobs and Dion would fit right in.

[ScottSA]

Dude.... the Greens are in the spotlight because of the CPC suddenly realizing that we can't wait for 50 years for companies to stop poisoning the earth in the name of profit....

Harper has made the enviroment an issue.

Ummmm, no. The Green Party are in the spotlight because Dion gave up his place in line to one of them. He gave up his place in line because he wants to bolster the one thing he has politically going for him...the "environment". He ran his entire leadership campaign on that single issue.

[M.Dancer]

Green candidate stands by remarks praising 9/11

'Beautiful'

Katie Rook, National Post

Published: Friday, April 13, 2007

A federal Green party candidate in Vancouver-Kingsway is standing behind a controversial editorial he wrote more than four years ago in which he describes the falling of the World Trade Center twin towers as "beautiful."

That's all fine and dandy, but what Canaidans want to know is, what is his position on user fees for recycling programmes?

[ScottSA]

Green candidate stands by remarks praising 9/11

'Beautiful'

Katie Rook, National Post

Published: Friday, April 13, 2007

A federal Green party candidate in Vancouver-Kingsway is standing behind a controversial editorial he wrote more than four years ago in which he describes the falling of the World Trade Center twin towers as "beautiful."

That's all fine and dandy, but what Canaidans want to know is, what is his position on user fees for recycling programmes?

Irrelevant. Each Canadian vill be given ze amount of money each to his needs and not a penny more. No paychecks, no user fees. Long live the masses!

[Canadian Blue]

As we all know one whack job candidate speaks for every single Green Party supporter. People with radical views will always join political parties, even mainstream ones. Its really nothing new, the same thing happened with the Reform Party.

[ScottSA]

As we all know one whack job candidate speaks for every single Green Party supporter. People with radical views will always join political parties, even mainstream ones. Its really nothing new, the same thing happened with the Reform Party.

Yes, and no doubt you took the same benevolent view of things when that happened. *snort*

[Canadian Blue]

No, I simply pointed out that to say all Green Party members are the same as one nutjob is ridiculous.

Imagine if all people thought all Conservatives have the same views as you, the Conservatives would be in single digit territory.

[Fat Freddie]

Why has ScottSA included a false reference to Dion in the title of this topic?

Falsehoods seem to be the prefered content for Conservatives to post around here.

It's not surprising ... integrity has never been a tory strong point.

I found it funny that I would see Dion on the news this morning at brunch as he talked about how he and the puppet for the Greens were agreeing to not run in each others regions. I would think this means you are incorrect in not relating Dion to the Green Party. It appears Dion and the Greens are now in bed and he's pumping them for every vote he can get by taking away from the NDP voting crowd.

[guyser]

. It appears Dion and the Greens are now in bed and he's pumping them for every vote he can get by taking away from the NDP voting crowd.

He should save himself the time and money. Dion cannot ever get elected in this country.Elation that they elected him followed by despair they elected him-turnaround about 12 hours.

Dion is a disaster. Even his own party ,according to the news last night is doing behind the scenes talks about how to get him out.

If Harper called an election today, IMO he would win a majority. Dion is embarassing . He would surely not get my vote.

Looks like a PC Ont and PC Fed. Considering whats out there, I will live with that.

[ScottSA]

No, I simply pointed out that to say all Green Party members are the same as one nutjob is ridiculous.

One doesn't have to "say" anything. I recall that the Reform Party and the CA were hounded from pillar to post over every slip of the tongue from 1993 to 2003. It's a shame for the Liberal Party that Dion didn't recall it before he in effect linked his party to the Greens with his "extraordinary measures" speech.

Now listen carefully while I aid your understanding of Canadian politics:

Dion has one issue he's stronger than the Cons on, and it's the environment. It will not turn out to be the issue he thinks it is, although he is attempting to whip up a bit of Goreish hysteria over it with this "collaboration" between the Libs and Greens. Hence his hysterical announcement that "We need exceptional solutions and that's the reason we're acting this way". This is a cynical manipulation of the voting public of course, but this is politics, so it's nothing that can be held against him.

But there's a fatal flaw to the programme that any seasoned leader would have seen a mile off and avoided: he has effectively linked his party to the Greens, and everything the Greens do from now on will reflect on the Liberals, until such time as Dion twigs on to the huge liability and blunders his way out of this collaboration. There are plenty of skeletons in the Greens closet, as with any neophyte party, including but not limited to their entire economic platform, which we've not yet seen, but which I'll bet dimes to dollars is just like the Leninist program the GP in the US embraces.

The Canadian GP has so far announced only the usual platitudes, and it apparently intends to fund the living shite out of everything in sight, but how it will do this is only hinted at with such things as "We can do this by shifting taxes away from jobs and employment, and onto pollution and non-sustainable products, thereby freeing up funding for social programs while encouraging new infrastructure." Now I have no idea what this is supposed to mean, but I'll hazard a guess it means many many less jobs everywhere except the hemp growing industry. It shows a lack of understanding of national economics rivalled only by the new democrats, who have traditionally imagined that government sponsored work programs are a panacea for everything in spite of having a total lack of value-added or wealth creation.

But what Dion has done is open a Pandoras box of unending scandal focused right on him. Dumb dumb move.

[Michael Bluth]

One doesn't have to "say" anything. I recall that the Reform Party and the CA were hounded from pillar to post over every slip of the tongue from 1993 to 2003. It's a shame for the Liberal Party that Dion didn't recall it before he in effect linked his party to the Greens with his "extraordinary measures" speech.

But what Dion has done is open a Pandoras box of unending scandal focused right on him. Dumb dumb move.

Well said on both counts.

The media love reporting on wingnut candidates. With the Conservatives enforcing discipline they'll look for somebody else. With the recently signed Dion-May axis of environmentalism, that automatically means that any Green nutbar will become a headache for the Liberals.

[Argus]

As we all know one whack job candidate speaks for every single Green Party supporter. People with radical views will always join political parties, even mainstream ones. Its really nothing new, the same thing happened with the Reform Party.

Indeed. And each and every time any member's views were exposed those views were attributed, in blanket fashion, to all members of the Reform Party as "another example of extremism". The NDP, Liberals and PCs were unanimous in saying that what one member believed all should be held responsible for.

Uh, not with their own members and candidates, of course, but only with Reform -> Alliance -> Conservative MPs.

[Figleaf]

As we all know one whack job candidate speaks for every single Green Party supporter. People with radical views will always join political parties, even mainstream ones. Its really nothing new, the same thing happened with the Reform Party.

Yes, and no doubt you took the same benevolent view of things when that happened. *snort*

The truth is that the Greens, as a fringe party with little infrastructure and many nominees acclaimed, probably attract certain types of left-extremists the same way the Reform/Alliance party attracted certain types of right-extremists. To a certain extent, this fact represents a truth about each of these parties, but only a partial truth, since Canadian parties really are very leader-focussed.

[Canadian Blue]

Now listen carefully while I aid your understanding of Canadian politics:

No thanks, thats akin to having David Irving teach me about the holocaust.

The Canadian GP has so far announced only the usual platitudes, and it apparently intends to fund the living shite out of everything in sight, but how it will do this is only hinted at with such things as "We can do this by shifting taxes away from jobs and employment, and onto pollution and non-sustainable products, thereby freeing up funding for social programs while encouraging new infrastructure." Now I have no idea what this is supposed to mean, but I'll hazard a guess it means many many less jobs everywhere except the hemp growing industry. It shows a lack of understanding of national economics rivalled only by the new democrats, who have traditionally imagined that government sponsored work programs are a panacea for everything in spite of having a total lack of value-added or wealth creation.

Its called spin, it sounds great and every party does it.

[ScottSA]

The truth is that the Greens, as a fringe party with little infrastructure and many nominees acclaimed, probably attract certain types of left-extremists the same way the Reform/Alliance party attracted certain types of right-extremists.

That is true of the Reform Party in 1988. By 1993 they had fairly well cleaned house and took 40 seats. The greens will never take 40 seats even if the country is submerged under 6' of former pole ice, simply because they are a single issue party. As such, they will never have a chance to clean house, because they have no chance of forming the government, and there will always be a struggle to run a respectable slate. After 1993 the Reform Party was taken seriously enough to attract quality candidates and a number of the new MPs from 93 had become seasoned veterans and quite good at the job. The GP won't have the luxury of being picky like the Reform Party, so there will always be loose cannons sliding around below decks threatening to hole the hull. Dion is an absolute idiot for lashing his party to the GP fireship.

And lest I pass by a chance to drive a taunt home, I suspect you weren't quite so forgiving of the Reform Party at the time. I rather suspect you labelled the entire party "extremist". Am I right?

[ScottSA]

The Canadian GP has so far announced only the usual platitudes, and it apparently intends to fund the living shite out of everything in sight, but how it will do this is only hinted at with such things as "We can do this by shifting taxes away from jobs and employment, and onto pollution and non-sustainable products, thereby freeing up funding for social programs while encouraging new infrastructure." Now I have no idea what this is supposed to mean, but I'll hazard a guess it means many many less jobs everywhere except the hemp growing industry. It shows a lack of understanding of national economics rivalled only by the new democrats, who have traditionally imagined that government sponsored work programs are a panacea for everything in spite of having a total lack of value-added or wealth creation.

Its called spin, it sounds great and every party does it.

No, it's called economic befuddlement, much like the political and apostrophiac befuddlement you're subject to.

[gc1765]

Greens. The party of Polynewbie and Jenny.

Actually, polynewbie is a global warming denier. Kind of makes you wonder doesn't it...

[Canadian Blue]

After 1993 the Reform Party was taken seriously enough to attract quality candidates and a number of the new MPs from 93 had become seasoned veterans and quite good at the job. The GP won't have the luxury of being picky like the Reform Party, so there will always be loose cannons sliding around below decks threatening to hole the hull. Dion is an absolute idiot for lashing his party to the GP fireship.

Not really, Harper and several MP's became disenchanted with the party because they believed it was becoming too socially conservative.

And lest I pass by a chance to drive a taunt home, I suspect you weren't quite so forgiving of the Reform Party at the time. I rather suspect you labelled the entire party "extremist". Am I right?

Not really, my grandfather was actually a Social Credit MLA, and most of my family were ardent Reform Party/Canadian Alliance supporters. In fact back when I was in high school I volunteered with the provincial PC's, and was on the BOD with the Canadian Alliance. However since then my views have changed somewhat.

No, it's called economic befuddlement, much like the political and apostrophiac befuddlement you're subject to.

Is that the best you can do, come back with your love affair with the proper use of the apostrophe. You and maybe one other person are the only one's who it seems to really annoy.

Ever look at any party platform, each one is loaded with wonderfully loaded rhetoric which is meant to create a happy image. In any case you have to cut the bullshit to figure out what they really are going to do.

As well I don't believe apostrophiac is a word...

[Canadian Blue]

QUOTE(Argus @ Apr 13 2007, 11:49 AM)

Greens. The party of Polynewbie and Jenny.

Actually, polynewbie is a global warming denier. Kind of makes you wonder doesn't it...

To Polynewbie global warming is an effort on the part of the banks to take over the world, on the right it seems that global warming is an effort to create a third world Marxist one world government.