Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

Chris Matthews gets fed up with a shouting right-wing talk show host, after he refuses to answer a question that underpins the basis for his support of Bush’s attack on Obama.

At the end of the clip, Kevin James retorts that people should watch a DOCU-DRAMA rather than take the word of Richard Clarke. Yeah, because a movie with actors trumps a non-fiction book any day, for people who can’t read (ie. Kevin James, perhaps?).

I admit, I was a little hazy on exactly what it was that Chamberlain did to appease Hitler in 1938. Here’s something that both Kevin, and perhaps you too should have a quick look at. It’s certainly nothing that Obama is in a position to do right now, and if he’s learned the lessons of history, he won’t repeat it as Bush’s parrots would have us believe.

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Hat Tip to Peter

I still need to get out and plant. Yesterday was so windy, I was afraid I’d lose all my topsoil if I disturbed it, but so far it’s nicer today. I should take my potatoes and throw ‘em in.

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UPDATE: I did throw the potatoes into the ground. And some peppers, radishes (I think), leeks, and sweet basil. We’ll see what comes up :-)

We all know how damaging video recordings from the 1990s are to current media or political figures, but when you’re a political media figure, it just makes your name more famous on the Internet’s Tubes. Watch Bill O’Idiot have a tantrum because he hasn’t heard the phrase, “play us out [of the show]” before.

The Leader Post is reminding campers who are headed to Provincial Parks, that alcohol is not welcome on the long weekend. The ban has been in effect since 2006, and has presumably decreased the noise and vandalism levels seen in the parks prior to the ban. It’s a shame that some drunken yahoos have to ruin it for the responsible drinkers.

Also, lifejackets for boaters, and seatbelts for drivers are being mentioned, because sadly many people across Canada die because they don’t take those simple precautions.

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Driving on the Ring Road this afternoon, I passed a speed trap that has been set up for southbound vehicles past Assiniboine Ave. I was going under the speed limit, but someone was pulled over. I was one of the few cars that slowed to the required 60km/h as I went by the police car with its flashing lights on.

While shopping through Superstore, I came across some real sunlight. It was nice, except I then noticed that it shone directly onto the stacks of DVD-R and CD-R discs. Recordable disks have to be kept out of direct sunlight, or they get damaged. I mentioned to the electronics staff that they were damaging their inventory, but I fully expect them to not move the discs. So, buyer, beware.

It’s a very nice day outside, I’m going to poke around in the garden a little, and hope the gusty wind has died down enough to not make a dust bowl while I plant.

Apparently their eyes don’t work too, because they didn’t see the RCMP raid Conservative Party Headquarters either.

Cadscam hit a snag Friday after the RCMP said that they couldn’t consider audio evidence of Harper admitting to a bribery plan, in criminal charges. Good thing the Internet provides the recording for anyone to listen to. It’s a crime to offer financial considerations to an MP in return for their vote. Good thing that the Criminal Code of Canada is still available on the Internet as well. Resourceful Canadians can put two and two together and get the right answer, even if the RCMP can’t take down a criminal with audio evidence.

The zombies have started to think they’ve won, and are crawling over Jeff’s comments thread. Harper hasn’t won, even though he’s done better than Nixon so far, at avoiding consequences of a damning audio tape.

Wells goes over the top, and I guess he did it on purpose, because look, I’m writing about his ridiculous comparison. To compare one of Canada’s leading environmentalists, and the leader of the Green Party to traditionally pro-establishment/NDP and environment-ambivalent Buzz Hargrove, is frankly absurd.

Channeling my inner-Wells, let me just say that Stephen Dion is Canada’s worst hybrid nightmare because it would never call an election, but if it did, it’d be sure to let other MPs vote about it while it leaves the room.

There’s also a whole schwack of commenters on Wells’ blog who seem to think it’s a good idea to exclude smaller political parties from televised debates. If televised time isn’t going to swing an election, why did the Conservatives try so hard to cheat an extra ~$1.2 worth of airtime out of the last election? Do the mainstream parties have buddies running defense at the head of the TV and media stations running the next televised debate? They’ll keep May out of the spotlight for those short hours, because they know it will strengthen the slide of voters away from the Conservatives, Liberals, and NDP.

UPDATE: May has responded, not really to this, but to the next smear, and that’s one where the Conservatives are vividly SMACKED down. If there were any justice, talk radio would be playing Nelson from the Simpsons saying HA HA after reading what Harper said about Canada, compared to what May just wrote. If the Cons are going to open that “pride in country” can of worms, they are going to get vermicomposted!

The drive by smear of my reputation attacked my love of country. It claimed I had said Canada had the worst government on earth. The Harper lackeys claimed this showed “shocking ignorance of the deplorable human rights situations faced by other people around the world.” I am quite well aware of shocking human rights situations. We held a press conference last week decrying the human rights abuses of the government of Colombia and urging that Canada not proceed with a new trade pact with Colombia. What I said at the Global Greens Congress in Sao Paulo (and anyone can see it on YouTube was part of a speech on climate change, setting out the response of governments around the world to the climate crisis:

“I am ashamed to admit that the Canadian government is now the worst in the world.”

[…]

What is galling about being attacked is that I believe Canadians are the most blessed people on earth, living in a beautiful and wealthy country, one that prizes community and shared well-being. I am fiercely loyal to Canada and regard receiving the honour of being an Officer of the Order of Canada as the greatest of all honours. (By the way, none of the other leaders have received the Order of Canada). Having received it, I stand on guard for Canada. So the gall of these nasty little minions in issuing a press release attacking my love of country began to raise my ire.

And then the irony hit me. Who do we know who went about attacking those very qualities that makes Canada such an incredibly generous and wonderful place to live?

These are quotes from Prime Minister Harper when he headed the National Citizens Coalition.

Here’s one from a letter he wrote to the National Post in 1997:

“Canada appears content to become a second tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second rate status.”

Or this one from 1997, which was part of a speech he delivered to the right wing Council for National Policy:

“Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term and very proud of it.”

And he made that statement in the United States. Hard not to see a real problem with love of country in those speeches.

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Hat tip to Mark, and also to Mike of RationalReasons.

Imagine having no one check on you, for almost 30 years. It’s hard to imagine that happening in an apartment building, but somehow, Europe pulled it off. Neighbours broke into the apartment of a dead woman, and they found her.. in bed.. dead. They were understandably startled. No word in the story if they’ll be charged with breaking and entering, if that’s even a crime in Croatia right now?

Unfortunately, there isn’t everything we should try just because Alberta does it first, and bigger.