Thanks

This has been an interesting 5 weeks and I have enjoyed writing this blog. Starting from scratch with the first post back on May 25th up to this point, I only drew about 200 readers although there were a fair number who returned multiple times.

Without linking to other sites, the number of visitors would have been negligible, though as election night approached it was interesting to see the amount of hits from search engines increase as those who had left things to the last minute looked for info.

The most number of hits came from The Tyee, a good online magazine based out of Vancouver that has made a committed effort to providing an alternative (but more slick than "alternative" tends to connote) news and entertainment site in the past year. Definitely worth checking out.

Blogs Canada was okay as well and I appreciate the link. The site owner operates it in his spare time and the popularity of the site likely makes it difficult for him to keep up. Unfortunately the link languished on the Blog directory, which beyond the first page or two really garners little attention. I was unable to get a screen-shot of this page on their Political Index, which would have resulted in more traffic for a limited-time blog such as this.

Speaking of Blogs Canada, I will be interested to see who won the election-seats prediction contest. I surprised myself with how close I was to the final results...

I have decided to keep posting on Canadian political topics though I may veer off into other areas as well. The problem is this blog address, which will shortly become irrelevant. Like those knobs who included something related to the turn-of-the-century (millenium, 2001 etc.) in their business name, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I will keep posting here for the time being as different aspects of the new minority government play out. At some later date I may create a new blog address with this site linked as an archive.

Any feedback is welcome.
- posted by Piston @ 7:57 am

 
Right-Wing Mob Eviscerated

They're still picking their steaming guts up off the floor.

Less in total support as a unified right than the combined total of the Alliance and the old Progressive Conservatives in the last election.

The spinning by the party begins as to what went wrong. "It's all because of the attack ads by the Liberals..." seems to be the first gambit by the Cons.

"Nothing to do with our labeling Paul Martin a kiddie fiddler, no correlation to the band of mouth-breathing fucking fools who spouted off on their true desires throughout the campaign countered by our claims that their words were meaningless, zero connection to the fact that Harper is a sullen, arrogant fool who doesn't know the first thing about media relations or running a campaign, not about the people we alienated in our gutless and treacherous merger of two parties while touting ourselves as shrewd operators. Nope. All attack ads..."

The right-wing wank-fest (on the discussion boards) over at Coyne's website now looks even more laughable in light of how reality played out.

Time for some revisionist columns by the hacks who, besides offering up insight, are always angling for connections and future employment.
- posted by Piston @ 3:13 am

 
Liberal Minority

The CBC has just projected a Liberal minority government.

The big story tonight is Ontario where there is nowhere near the gains many had predicted for the Conservatives.

The last 2 weeks of this campaign is the story that is going to resonate overall in terms of what led to tonight's result. Harper and the Conservatives showed themselves to be amateurs not ready for the mantle of governance, even as a minority.

Look for a contrite, deferential speech from Paul Martin.

From the Conservatives there will be rumblings about the extreme branch of their party that possibly cost them this election. As the intrigue of a minority plays out the Cons will likely hold a policy convention and may try to purge themselves of some of the lunatics.

In B.C. the Conservatives are showing an apparent decline from the past election and the NDP seems to be making inroads. I had written the NDP off early in this campaign but if this trend continues the Liberals and NDP together may have more than 155 seats.

Just heard that the NDP candidate has beaten Tony Valeri in Hamilton.

Other interesting ridings to play out. I will post further more detailed comments on the results later.
- posted by Piston @ 7:25 pm

 
The Prediction

My seats prediction is not based on any parsing of individual races but more on continuing polls with their estimated distribution of seats as well as the final week of the campaign.

I'm going with a total that favours the Liberals more than most other predictions for a few reasons most of which I have already detailed in earlier posts.

I believe the image of an arrogant, rigid Harper, a blundering campaign and a group of radicals that make up the Conservatives has taken hold with more people than before. The Randy White comments have not, as far as I can see, been taken into account in any of the final polls. It's easy to wave aside 1, 2, 3, hell even 7 such instances, but the number of off-message comments by long-time members have reached a level that can no longer be filed under the "it's got nothing to do with our views..." heading and be taken seriously by even complete morons.

Liberals: 132

Cons: 111

Bloc: 47

NDP: 17

Independent: 1

My views are definitely influenced by what I hope occurs.
- posted by Piston @ 8:00 am

 
Media Watch: Election Night

A theme I have returned to a few times is the similarity between this election and the 2000 farce in the US.

For the first time in a Canadian election, a wide swath of people will have a good idea regarding the results in eastern ridings before the polls in the west are closed.

Any erroneous reporting of tallies or horniness by various media outlets as they rush to be the first to announce the final result could alter the strategic voting by those in the west. Nothing wrong with strategic voting as long as it's based on sound information.

- posted by Piston @ 7:30 am

 
North Vancouver

I found this piece (scroll down to "White on the Warpath") on the race in North Vancouver interesting partly because I spent a number of years in that riding.

I always had a visceral dislike of the hutterite-bearded, self-aggrandizing, vile little bastard named Ted White for no other reason than the views he holds.

It would be fantastic, and I'm sure considered an upset, if White were defeated.

However, in fairness to White, on the single occasion that I contacted his office I was dealt with in a pleasant manner and my request was fulfilled immediately. I asked for a copy of the Charter of Rights and it was promptly sent out. Perhaps in light of the query regarding his accomplishments that seemed to have him so flummoxed, he could use that instance as an example...
- posted by Piston @ 7:13 am

 
Shit Rolls Downhill

Power relationships are interesting things especially when a group is involved. The word "power" can symbolize any amount of control over the operation of something that affects a group of people whether they are involved by choice or necessity. The power involved can be incredibly insignificant or can mean life or death. The major influence over that group is obviously the person or persons at the top. Shit rolls downhill.

The dominant personality traits of those individuals in control will be exaggerated, and those who are able to manipulate and have a desire to share in whatever privileges flow from the top will ingratiate themselves with whoever holds the reins. Flattery and constant validation of the ideas of the person in control is the easiest way to do this. Often the hangers-on and manipulators play significant roles and recognize that theirs is a more enviable position as they enjoy most of the spoils and the thrill of controlling others while being able to shirk accountability (if there is any). Often a dupe will be elevated to the top simply because of his or her malleability.

Many people, especially from western cultures, regularly rail against such suggestions. They are individualists who carve out their own existence and are not influenced by anyone or anything, leading a person to believe that we must all exist in a vacuum. When presented with discussions on accountability in society they become nearly apoplectic when assignment of blame focuses on various governments or dominant businesses they support. That those same governments may carry out policies that provably harms them is irrelevant as long as they are co-opted with the correct slogans. They are the ones whose worldviews can be summed up by any number of platitudes such as "everyone makes choices..."

But these various nationalisms do influence people and have the effect of castrating logic and allowing them to embrace any number of bizarre concepts, deferring to those at the top. They can luxuriate in their own deficiencies and incompetence and gain meaning from the mob they are part of, thrilling at the idea of being on the side of might. To a relative outsider the patently illogical statements they spew like mantras are ridiculous but to the fool on the inside they are a necessary means of retaining membership.

Any democratically elected government in power is undoubtedly a representation to a degree of prevailing sentiments but can also validate views that have been subordinated or were previously considered unacceptable. If these views are necessary for more people to accept their policies of course they will do all they can to make them seem more palatable. The true converts will accept the platitudes over real benefits for remarkable amounts of time. They will swallow the claim that their party favours less government intrusion while they simultaneously claw back rights and dictate morals. They will accept policies which are a brazen disadvantage to their economic class, even erroneously considering themselves to be in a higher bracket then they actually are.

In extreme cases of government incompetence the diehards will hang on in the face of all evidence. The sputtering confusion with which the brainwashed fools repeat the same mantras indicates their frustration that the pablum is not swallowed by others without question the way they gulp it down and beg for more. They believe that the logic is inherent in their statements and requires no further debate.

Hypocrisy, ignorance and hubris flows from the top like a river of steaming shit and a core of desperate sycophants validates the brazenly senseless tripe by lovingly lapping at the arses of those clowns in charge.
- posted by Piston @ 6:00 am

 
Cui Bono?

In a 5-week campaign, any number of unexpected happenings outside the control of the various parties can help to sway a person's vote. Following, in no particular order in terms of when they occurred, are news events that broke during the campaign and may have contributed in some way to the fortunes of the frontrunners.


Event: Ontario provincial budget.

Who benefits?: No doubt the Conservatives benefited from the anger of Ontario residents who were enraged at the McGuinty government's introduction of health premiums. The anger has been directed to a disproportional degree at Paul Martin and the Liberals. The single most influential event so far during this campaign.


Event: Reagan's death.

Who benefits?: Through a concerted effort the right-wing mob in the US have created the myth that Reagan was a larger-than-life president who changed the world for the good, despite the fact that under his watch there was rising crime in the US, a tripling of the US deficit and unprecedented meddling in countries throughout the world that helped to plant the seeds of terrorist rage against the yanks. A possible slight advantage for the Conservatives on this one as a similar ideology that they embrace was celebrated to a degree in the US media.


Event: D-Day celebrations in France attended by Paul Martin.

Who benefits?: Doesn't qualify as an unexpected event but still worthy of a mention. The Liberals received some good hits on this one. Taking time out from the campaign shows a caring side. Also, the demographic who would appreciate it most are seniors who are more likely to vote than anyone else, carrying each other to the polls if necessary.


Event: Trial, guilty plea and sentencing of the murderer of 10 year-old Holly Jones.

Who benefits?: The Liberals benefit by far as a result of the still inexplicable, shameless exploitation of this sad event by the Conservatives and their smear of Martin by suggesting that he supports child pornography. Ranks as the 2nd most influential event of the campaign and has dogged the Conservatives because of the stubborn refusal by Harper to admit they made a mistake and apologize.


Event: Ralph Klein says health-care initiatives to be announced 2 days after election and adds cryptic comment that they may violate some interpretations of the Health Act.

Who benefits?: The NDP and Liberals again with some increase in the polls after this one. I rank this one 3rd in terms of influence.


Event: Arrest of a man who turned himself in instead of going on a shooting spree that he had planned.

Who benefits?: Not many in the media attempted to draw any links to the election campaign on this one nor did the politicians despite the gun registry debate. I still haven't heard any convincing argument on why the registry should be scrapped beyond the hypersensitive bleating of hicks who claim the rest of us just don't understand. Despite the costs and bureaucratic blundering involved in getting the registry up and running I still believe most people support it. I think this brought the focus briefly onto gun violence and reminded many that we should do anything to avoid a gun culture like that in the US. I give a slight edge to the Liberals on this one.


Event: Bernard Landry suggests success by the Bloc in Quebec will bring another referendum closer to fruition.

Who benefits?: It often takes someone to state the obvious before there is a palpable sense of recognition and the apes in the cage turn and stare at each other in wonder. The Liberals benefit again on this one and it may even help them blunt the effect of what is still sure to be a strong showing by the Bloc.


Event: Michael Moore tells Canadians not to vote for the Conservatives.

Who benefits?: The number of people expelling air like they have sprung a leak and registering their contempt for some perceived interference on this one are proof that Moore's remarks do have some effect. Moore is an entertaining gadfly who plays loose with the truth but is a necessary...*ahem*...counterweight to the likes of right-wing lunatics in the US such as Limbaugh, Savage and Coulter. There is a sense of some growing backlash against Moore at the moment but he still puts emphasis on the criminal Bush and his thugs and reminds Canadians of the party leaders and the stance they took on the Iraq war. The benefit is to the NDP and the Liberals but likely only in motivating the already converted to get out and vote.


Event: Ralph Nader urges Canadians not to support the Conservatives.

Who benefits?: Even though it's easy to mock Nader because of the spoiler role he played in the 2000 US election and dismiss any effect his comments may have, it did rate coverage and will make some think about the effects of vote-splitting. Slight benefit to the Liberals.


Event: Bush is greeted by protesters while in Europe.

Who benefits?: Reminds people of the division Bush has sown in the world and the difference in the parties to their relations with the US. Again, slight benefit to the NDP and Liberals.


Event: Wild-fires in B.C.

Who benefits?: In times of crisis people look to government. However, the majority of people in B.C won't be directly affected by this and wouldn't likely stop and pause to consider the various party commitments to social programs and who would be more likely to assist in the aftermath of disasters. I can't foresee anyone being fool enough to insert politics into this one. A slight subconscious advantage to the Liberals.
- posted by Piston @ 7:49 am

 
The Arrogance

The final week of this campaign has been another negative one for Harper and the Conservatives. A personal arrogance and testiness from Harper has resonated. Starting on Monday June 21st, Harper took the day off, which comes across as strangely over-confident after the relatively poor showing for the Conservatives in the past 2 weeks and the narrow lead the Liberals have held in recent polls. Together with continued boasts that the Conservatives can form a majority and a refusal to give much access to the media, Harper's sullen, petulant public displays are going to cost him in such a tight race.

The freeze-out of the media is a bizarre move and the paucity of issues to cover in the waning days means this has become a story in itself. Like a desperate-for-attention Hollywood actor who courts media coverage until he can't control the story-line and then cries foul, the Conservative hissy-fit in limiting access is contributing to a public perception of Harper that is solidifying at just the wrong time for him. Worst of all for the Conservatives is that it lends credence to claims that they are being dishonest and running a stealth campaign.

The last major poll to be released before the election, from Ekos and the Toronto Star, show the Liberals headed for a minority government with an 8 seat advantage over the Conservatives. The resulting effect will probably be that enough voters will alter their votes to avoid just that. Also interesting to note that the polling was done before the Randy White comments were released.

I believe that the perception of Harper that has taken hold and the cumulative effect of high-profile Conservative MPs making comments that play into fears about their party capped with the release of Randy White's self-righteous tirade, means that a Conservative minority is now not likely. Many people are looking at Harper's performance in this campaign and wondering how much this arrogance would be exaggerated if he were Prime Minister.
- posted by Piston @ 4:24 am

 
Profiles in Self-Righteousness: Part 5

The Fat Asthmatic Kid Who Sought Revenge on the World

Stephen Harper is the leader of this Conservative band of bible-beating, sanctimonious rednecks who are rubbing their hands in delight at the thought of being able to ram their morals down your throats if they are elected.

A Christian fundamentalist and radical ideologue, Harper hopes to carry the Conservative Alliance to power under the cloak of relative anonymity and denial of his strongly held, divisive beliefs. A true bigot who for years has made his disdain and revulsion clear for anyone who does not hold the same set of beliefs as him or who has not followed the same path in life, he now hopes that these statements will be forgotten.

A person who is asking for the most powerful political office in the land can only be judged by his set of core beliefs which are evidenced in the words he has spoken. Here then are some of the pronouncements that characterize Harper's outlook on Canada and in what direction he would lead us; his ideas on judiciousness, fairness, inclusiveness and respect:

Regarding New Immigrants in Canada

"...west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from Eastern Canada, people who live in ghettos and who are not integrated into Western Canadian society."

Regarding Canadian Unity

This quote was taken from a letter that Harper signed his name to a mere 3 years ago. After being on the losing side in another federal election campaign, he petulantly demanded along with a group of like-minded hatemongers, that Alberta should separate from the rest of Canada. An unbalanced individual who suggests extremes when things don't go his way is a dangerous choice to lead this country.

"Albertans should, build firewalls around Alberta." (Harper's plan, written in a letter to the Premier of Alberta proposed that Alberta withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan and collect its own revenue from provincial income tax.)

Regarding the US Invasion of Iraq

"I endorse the war in Iraq and am speaking for the silent majority of Canadians..."

"There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein operates programs to produce weapons of mass destruction..."

Harper's deference to the US is evident not only in any reaction to issues that arise concerning Canada's relations to the yanks but also in the fact that many of his top advisers are yanks. Demonstrating also that he seems to view the biggest fuck-up of a president in US history as a role model, he emulates Bush with his disdain for the media and trenchant rigidity and refusal to admit when he has made a mistake.

While obviously more intelligent than Dubya, he possesses none of Bush's amiability that appeals to so many. The performance Harper has put on in this campaign in terms of his personal appearances and image is stunningly bad. A sullen elitist who won't lower himself to engage in the usual unscripted public appearances and shake hands with the average clod is the image that Harper has left as the campaign winds down.
- posted by Piston @ 1:53 am

 
Polar Bear Eyes

Polar bear eyes, goat eyes, devil eyes, Rosemary's baby eyes...seems to be a fair number of comments on Stephen Harper's eyes not least for the fact that they are not the most common variety and also somehow jibe with the enigma that he is, and the rabid characterizations of him by...*cough*...some.

Not even sure what colour eyes Layton and Martin have (though strangely Duceppe has eyes very similar to Harper...hmmmm). In keeping with their character and the ostensible bent represented by their respective parties...what...Layton would have big brown watery cow eyes with long lashes?...Martin with bleary, bloodshot, vacant grey eyes?

But getting to the crux of this post as highlighted by the clever play on words in the title...

As mentioned in a previous post regarding the similarities between this election and the 2000 presidential race in the US, one of the obvious trends developing in Canada is a growing polarization amongst the population on various social issues.

No doubt there are many blithely changing their vote from Liberal to Conservative simply to teach the Grits a lesson with no concern for the distinction in ideology and intent between the two parties.

But there are many Conservative supporters whose loyalty to various incarnations of the same essential core of MPs under different party names is just because of their openly stated social agenda. At the core of these ideas is the puritanical streak that is so inherently part of fundamentalist Christian beliefs that have taken hold in a large part of the population in the US and are becoming more prevalent in Canada.

The increasing polarization that in 20 years will result in a billboard with the advertisement proclaiming: "Have Your Ass Fucked in Style with Jizzwad Condoms", alongside a public service announcement providing a number you can phone to report your neighbour and have him executed for glancing at a kindergarten.
- posted by Piston @ 8:08 am

 
MediaBlog Watch: Inkless Wells

The relative dearth of mainstream media political coverage for those who can't get enough means that blogs are a welcome addition this time around. The day's columns in various newspapers can be devoured in an hour or so leaving room for the wide range of online insight from pros who top-up their paid input to the slew of tits like myself.

Paul Wells has provided some interesting and prescient comments on his "Inkless Wells" blog.

However, there is one theme that he constantly returns to and that for me lacks credence. In the wake of every comment by a Conservative in which he or she embraces a type of government their leader denies he will try to implement if elected, Wells points to a corresponding position held by a maverick Liberal. Wells always refers to Paul Martin's supposed hypocrisy for going after the Conservative remarks in light of the fact that there are also Liberals who share the same views.

The odd Liberal who strays from the party-line on hot-button social issues doesn't resonate for the obvious reason that the past 11 years (and earlier Liberal governments as well) have demonstrated that their views won't gain any real traction because of party policy. The Liberals don't have a leader who for the past 15 years has been talking about being receptive to just those kinds of ideas he now claims to eschew.

It's like the frustrated and flummoxed redneck who rails against a perceived mirror-image example of the type of PC climate that renders his prejudice unacceptable, failing to see that the power relationship context makes the two qualitatively different.
- posted by Piston @ 12:38 am

 
Automatons Involuntarily Dispensing Shit

"The essence of the conception of righteousness, therefore, is to afford an outlet for sadism by cloaking cruelty as justice."

---Bertrand Russell

The sad attempt to claim that repeated comments by long-time, high-ranking members of the Conservative-Alliance-Reform party do not represent the party's views can only be accepted by brainless ignoramuses or by those who support those sentiments and are willing to accept the lies in an attempt to gain power.

"What our MPs say over and over and over again…is not what they mean."

"The sum of the parts, i.e. our MPS and candidates, do not make up the whole."

"The party"...that ethereal, repeated mantra is...what then?

The mere whiff of the possibility of power has these Conservative wackos slavering at the thought of what they can do to other people if they form government. The sadistic pleasure that this imbues them with makes their stealth campaign impossible to pull off without continuing fuck-ups by these fools.

Like a burlap sack stuffed to the seams with shit, the pressure and overwhelming density of the fetid feces forcing the excrement to come oozing out of indiscernible holes, so too the ranks of the Conservatives cannot help but dispelling their sickening ideas from the rancid anuses they call their mouths.

The latest glimpse of their real beliefs comes courtesy of the smug, self-righteous, emasculated-looking Randy White. White gloats about how the notwithstanding clause will become a regular feature of a Conservative government in a documentary film entitled "Let No One Put Asunder" about the gay marriage debate.

The Conservatives don't like the fact that judges, who are appointed by democratically elected MPs, have recognized the Charter of Rights as a document that is about inclusiveness. Their whole value system is about rankism and a society in which equality is the goal will slowly erode the opportunities for them to judge others with the endorsement of the state.

See the comments White made in the film here.

If you're one of the proud Kool-Aid drinkers who has been fantasizing for years about wearing your ignorance as a badge of honour then embrace the Conservative scum and vote for them.

But if you're wavering, don't be so fucking stupid as to dismiss the warnings and accept some vague belief that Canadians are qualitatively different from others and nothing like the twisted 4 years of Bush's fuck-ups in the US could ever happen here.
- posted by Piston @ 10:06 pm

 
Profiles in Self-Righteousness: Part 4

Evangelical Airhead

This wacko's name is Stockwell Day. It's difficult to make any judgments on this fool beyond how accurately the usual simpering look on his vacuous face sums up his non-existent intellect.

Another fundamentalist bible-beater for the cause, this is the incompetent who was deemed best suited by the party members to lead the blinking sheep into the previous federal election campaign. The people who are attracted to this party and their judgment on such matters as to who would make a suitable leader should tell you how dangerously inappropriate these clods would be as the governing party in Canada. The farcical cock-ups that this clown offered up during his brief tenure as leader of the vengeance seeking, mouth-breathing half-wits was great entertainment but demonstrated that the only place for him to be given any power is in the backwater hole where he condemns other pieces of white-trash to hell as a fundamentalist preacher.

Among other bits of wisdom which make up this redneck's philosophy on life are:

• Earth is 6, 000 years old
  
  
• humans co-existed with dinosaurs
  
  
• AIDS is God's revenge on homosexuals (which he now denies having ever said)
  

Here are a few quotes from this clown regarding his unquestioning devotion to religion:

"As a Christian, I acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ over the whole universe,"

"I believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God and every word in it, cover to cover, is true."

Remember that this is the individual who the Conservative Alliance Reformers thought was best suited to be Prime Minister of Canada in the last federal election.

Also, Day is the Foreign Affairs critic for the Conservatives as chosen by Stephen Harper. This is what the fundamentalist Day had to say in a press release about the illegal US invasion of Iraq that was based on lies:

"Canadian Troops Must Join Allies in the Gulf. More Canadian troops should now head to region to help enforce U.N. resolution, disarm Saddam."

If the Conservatives were elected, this attention-seeking simpleton would have a major say regarding the deployment of Canadian troops around the world. More sickeningly, he would have a dangerously powerful position in which his blind and sycophantic respect for the US could manifest itself.
- posted by Piston @ 7:12 pm

 
Sounds Like Canada

A National Post writer just had his head taken off in a good, civil debate about gay marriage on the CBC radio show, Sounds Like Canada. His opponent, a writer named Jonathan Dryer repeatedly hammered home logical and solid arguments in favour of gay marriage while the NP dolt (can't even remember his name he was so ineffective) repeated a bland mantra about "we can't assume everything is a right..." Perhaps it would have been a good starting point but that's all he said...over...and over...and over again.

If it had been a showdown in a parking lot between rednecks and fairies, the NP hack would have gone home with a broom-handle lodged up his arsehole.
- posted by Piston @ 8:21 am

 
Profiles in Self-Righteousness: Part 3

Ignorance Personified

A daft clown, a caricature of a moron, a simplistic son-of-a-bitch who somehow managed to convince other inbred simpletons that he should support them in Ottawa, this incomprehensibly brainless fool is a farcical laughing-stock who nonetheless harbours the usual rigid, narrow-minded outlook on the world, believing that anyone who is different than him and his puritanical ilk are necessarily evil.

Like all of the Conservative representatives and members, Myron Thompson is afflicted with a simplistic black and white view of the world and owing to the fact that he believes the bible is the final word on everything and can be used to justify all his blunders and lies, he has a twisted outlook on all power relationships. His patriarchal, fire and brimstone belief in governance and punishing those who don't agree with him, like the rest of the Conservatives, makes his sycophantic adoration of the US predictable (the fact he is a transplanted yank also contributes to this).

His unquestioning acceptace of the US's decision to illegally attack a sovereign country based on lies and his subsequent labelling of the Liberals as "weak" and "unpatriotic" for their rightful decision to tell the yanks to go fuck themselves is just a sampling of how willing these fools will be to do the bidding of the imperialistic US.

The cowboy oaf and other Conservative Alliance shit-heels have not been too vocal as of late regarding their previous arse-tonguing support of the US's invasion of Iraq. The rhetoric and platitudes these opportunistic clowns were spewing in the months prior to the invasion indicate the way they thrill to the idea of being in charge of sending others to fight wars and in the process bringing to fruition their twisted, apocalyptic bible-induced wet dreams.
- posted by Piston @ 7:14 am

 
Blunder Boy

It's obvious that Stephen Harper considers himself to be a smooth talker competently versed in the art of spewing cryptic political-speak bullshit that suggests possible scandal involving others while giving him an out to deny slandering or going over the line.

Harper is articulate and intelligent but it is clear that he consistently pats himself on the back, and this perception of smugness and self-congratulation is becoming a liability in the campaign.

Harper has brought unwanted attention on himself for comments in a CBC-TV town-hall broadcast that up to this point had been billed as a good performance.

During that telecast Harper offered up this off-the-cuff response that had a hint of conspiracy about it:

Mr. Harper told the town-hall audience there had been mixed messages, "not just in the House of Commons, but to us privately, even, by — I'm probably not at liberty to say much here — by authorities in this country, that had suggested the deportation of Mr. Arar was appropriate. And then we found out later that may be not the case.

"I'd like to find out a lot more about what actually occurred. My suspicion is, quite frankly, that this was not a random act just by the United States. I do think they received some encouragement from authorities in this country and I'd like to know why."


Read the Globe and Mail article here.

Harper is the precocious child who is used to being praised by fawning parents who now finds himself in a wider setting with more scrutiny that he can't handle.

It will be interesting to see whether this develops into another opportunity for Canadians to see Harper's reaction under pressure. The child-porn accusation cock-up in which the damage has been magnified by Harper's refusal to apologize to Paul Martin was instructive.

A lawyer from the Arar inquiry has indicated Harper may be asked to testify in light of his comments in which he seemed to indicate that he has inside knowledge. Harper's initial response to the focus on his remarks was faux incredulity. If this story develops look for the usual Conservative dodge with the attempt to claim that someone is playing politics by raising Harper's comments.
- posted by Piston @ 9:33 pm

 
Conspiracy Inc.

"Have China send some brown bread to the iron hoof..."

The line went dead.

What is with these cloak and dagger fucking cunts and their 007 decoder-ring horseshit!! He could understand the need for a few layers between whoever was making the decision, some plausible deniability, but this sophomoric crap...

So what the hell game were they playing this time?

He looked down at the copy of Geriatric Sluts opened on his desk, the splay-legged hag and her toothless smile...the days of the top shelf were almost over...he must be the only cunt not jerking off in front of a computer terminal these days...

He stared at the walls of the empty office...there was something about luxuriating in complete and utter inaction in the middle of the afternoon...the muffled din of other sad cunts rushing about to make a living far off in the distance...the ticking of the fan contributing to his sullen trance...that fine intricate layer of black grime clinging to the slats of the fan...how did it hang on with the air blowing it outward like that, somehow reminding him of those streamers and the well-preserved corpses...Whatever happened to the Mexican cleaning lady he used to shag?

So what was the creep on the phone getting at?

It was that time again...a call always seemed to come in the dying days...when there was some doubt...the race was close...desperation...

It had that familiar sound...Cockney rhyming slang seemed to be a favourite lately...these clowns didn't realize any effect was castrated with that flat Canadian accent...

Shit...they really were desperate he thought as he filtered the words through potential rhyming patterns and came to the only possible conclusion...

"Right...the target in question has to be young, Caucasian, known in that particular community...but still a bit of a neophyte...it's got to resonate fast...almost instantly...but anyone can be in the wrong place at the wrong time...the logistics of how you pull it off means that person will be part of a large group of people whose day-to-day movements make them more prone to violence...a certain lifestyle...by lifestyle I mean someone who is a night person...night spots, clubs, bars...parks?...no...we've got to avoid the deviancy...this has to be random but targeted and more importantly seen to be targeted without any doubt in anyone's mind...we can't have the debate of what this was cloud the intended effect...

Why Caucasian? What I've seen over the years is that even the bleeding hearts cringe at some things they don't like to let on...plus we don't want any spillover...there's only one group of cunts that can be seen to own this tragedy and it does have to be tragic...

What to do to make sure the blood splatters can be connected by even the daftest cunt...and that the questions can be framed in the starkest way imaginable...

What I'm thinking...and don't get me wrong, I don't have nothing against no one...but there's a certain lonely bastard who haunts the streets of every city in the world and he has an eye for a certain lost, vulnerable type...a down and outer unfamiliar with the surroundings, new in town, likely to have his guard down and maybe strike up a friendship with someone he normally wouldn't...maybe even accept an invitation for a place to spend the night...but that sad old fool in his bleary and desperate yearnings forgets how easily he is sussed out by others...someone who is more down and out than even he suspects...desperate for the kind of sustenance the bastard doesn't worry about...a frenzy of violence or maybe even pilfered brazenly as the fool watches...unlikely to react or call anyone out of shame...

So what I'm thinking is we turn this formula around and make it look...

No...no...too involved...let's keep it simple...spray paint...red...even better, blue...FAGGOT...across his chest...face even...make sure it's final...if you really want to do it up right, avoid the histrionic type with the affected voice...proud to have admitted EXACTLY what he was y'understand...never know what video clips from his past they might be able to dredge up...

I don't know what you tell your thugs about these arrangements we have...just get it done..."

***************************************************************************************

There was an exaggerated sense of self-awareness about him when he said it, a surreal, weary yet shell-shocked look...what else could he say despite the fact that his utterance signalled the end...

"We have never opposed hate-crime laws!!!"
- posted by Piston @ 7:59 am

 
Profiles in Self-Righteousness: Part 2

Continuing up to the vote on June 28th will be a series of profiles of various Conservative MPs and candidates.

40 Year-Old Virgin Desperate to Screw Canadians

Another one of the christ-lovers who thinks his twisted set of morals highlights him as being superior to others, at the age of 40, Jason Kenney deems it necessary to let people know that he has never been attracted enough to women to actually *horror* "fornicate" with one.

First, if this bloated puritan thinks that this is something that will endear him to Canadians and convince them that he should be part of a governing party, then he is a fool. Most 16 year-old boys have been driven enough by the sexual instinct that defines human beings to take steps to actually sleep with a woman thus opening up the glorious world of adult life to them. That this frustrated oaf thinks his inability to seduce a woman is a virtue and makes him more worldly and somehow imbues him with extra wisdom to make decisions on behalf of Canadians, only shows how pathetically inane the thought processes of these uptight, judgmental lunatics are.

Secondly, why the hell does he believe it necessary to let us know his absurd personal habits regarding sex? Last time I checked, the shrill anti-homosexual rhetoric coming from the rigid, self-righteous, bible-thumping moronic scum who make up the base of supporters of these clods, they were continually raging against the fact that homosexuals supposedly find it necessary to share their personal sex habits with the world. If you can't make it with women just shut yer cakehole and go jerk off to your right-wing tracts and church pamphlets condemning others to hell.
- posted by Piston @ 3:36 am

 
A Slab of Bacon for the Kool-Aid Drinkers

The Conservatives have now demonstrated the most gutless, shameless example of demagoguery and exploitation seen in this or any other Canadian election campaign.

Not even 24 hours after the conviction and sentencing of a man who raped and butchered a 10 year-old girl the Conservatives shamelessly demonstrated their self-righteous, zero-sum world-view by accusing Paul Martin of being a supporter of child pornography.

This is yet another glimpse at the absolute and complete arrogance and divisive methods that a Conservative government would use if elected.

If you don’t support our ideas regarding how children should be protected...why then you support child pornography!

You don’t agree with our foreign policy objectives? The only explanation is that you are a traitor.

Sounds sickeningly similar to "you’re either with us or you’re against us..."

Using this same logic, Stephen Harper supports brutal rape-torture sessions at the end of the barrel of a gun, armed hold-ups and any other crimes committed with guns, as he wants to abolish the gun registry.

If a person were cynical they might assume that this is an example of the tired ploy that politicians use of publicly musing over a vicious rumour that has been applied to an opponent; discounting it while simultaneously giving it added life.

But these sex-obsessed moralizing puritans truly believe that their divine wisdom means that only they can weigh in on issues of crime and all others sinning heathens who don’t agree with them are as evil as the perpetrators of the crimes. The same fuckin’ fools who accept membership in the christ-lover’s club as evidence of upstanding purity. That they are the only amateurs who have had a rapist as an MP in recent years is a demonstration of their absurd vetting standards and makes their claims that only they could handle crime even more laughable.

Absurdities and ham-fisted blundering of this nature almost render any comment superfluous. In fact, as clownboy in the US has shown, the decision to choose blunt moronic statements as the standard discourse makes incredulity become a thing of the past in relatively short order. Unfortunately most clods cannot make the connection that blunt words are almost always matched by blunt actions.

While I have resisted going negative on this blog I feel that the prospect of a Conservative government and the refusal by most people to wake up in the face of ongoing horseshit like this means that the focus has to be shifted to the shortcomings of the Conservatives.

The number of years these amateurs have spent in the wilderness accompanied by rightful mockery and ridicule is commensurate with the self-righteous style of hate-filled vengeance they will seek to wreak on a country of moderate, peace-loving individuals. It is this moderation that they cannot stand, for the judgmental style of bigotry that they justify with their bible-thumping tirades against anyone who does not agree with them cannot deal with lack of control over other people's lives.

The most important thing to remember about these fools is that, almost to a person, they are self-righteous bible-beaters who believe that their twisted religion gives them the right to dictate to others.

What follows is the first in a series of profiles of MPs and candidates, past and present, who have been part of the Conservatives and/or any of the previous namesakes that this group of hatemongers have used as they attempted to gain power.

Hypocritical "Slab of Bacon"

This grade-A wacko, by the name of Deborah Grey, in many ways is the epitome of all that these scum stand for. A long time member of every incarnation of this racist mob, she is regularly held up in the ranks as someone to be celebrated by like-minded lowlifes. If this is the best they can do then they (and you if you vote for them) are in a world of shit.

A thick-through-the-shoulders, menopausal, androgynous-looking hag who is pissed at the world because the dried, used-up piece of leather between her legs no longer gives her any pleasure (likely never did), this bloated hypocrite has zero credibility and will be remembered for a single incident that highlights her as the lying vermin that she is.

No surprise, another christ-lover who thinks she is better than others and will live forever, this "slab of bacon" for years was a one-trick hippo, mocking the governing Liberal party for daring to accept the MP pension plan which was and still is rightfully available to all members of the House of Commons. In true white-trash fashion, this corpulent mound of flesh mocked and insulted the governing party for this innocuous act of accepting what they had earned by appealing to base, puerile emotions and using scatological references (the shithead!), displaying her clever wit by taking part in a stunt in which a truckload of pigs was unloaded near Parliament Hill as the priggish lard-ass and various accomplices attempted to paint the Liberals as greedy swine.

A few years later, the mother-in-law of all hypocritical liars, she waddled up to the trough herself and drove her well-fed, soiled face into the slops, slurping up the pension plan and even opting to be retroactively eligible for the years during which she had been hammering the Liberals! The smug, self-righteous look that all arrogant religious fanatics sport when they are caught in their duplicitous lies was smeared on the face of this pig-eyed sack of maggots as she repeated the EXACT REASONS FOR TAKING THE PENSION THAT THE LIBERALS HAD USED years earlier when they were faced with her cowardly attack! A true, undeniably worthless piece of human garbage.
- posted by Piston @ 5:08 pm

 
Comparing Apes and Mules

Someone once said that social trends take about 10 years to creep up from the US and infect the Canadian populace.

That pace may be quickening if this federal election as compared to the 2000 race in the US is any indication. There are numerous similarities between the two.

Like the US then, Canada is essentially at the end of one of the most prosperous periods in its history. The Canadian electorate is presented with a professional politician who has proved his competency over years and on the other hand, a still unknown, demonstrably radical conservative whose base of supporters is a group of ignorant fundamentalist Christians.

Like during the bizarro 2000 presidential campaign, Canadian voters do have reason to be angry at the incumbent, but in proportion to the supposed outrages, choosing an alternative that is the antithesis of what has resulted in so much prosperity leaves no other option but to assume the majority making the switch are fuckin' fools.

Strange how well trained ignoramuses can casually vomit up the bromide that torture is pedestrian and expected behaviour yet corruption in government that was after all uncovered, and that represents a miniscule fraction of total expenditures, is seen as reason to embrace vengeful scum-of-the-earth. I know these two things are unrelated but still...

Just as the opposing sides represented in the 2000 US cock-up were in a dead heat, the percentage split between the 2 main parties in the Canadian showdown is almost even. Also, votes for the NDP that otherwise would likely go to the Liberals could play a significant role in deciding the outcome just as Ralph Nader's Green party siphoned crucial votes away from the Democrats in the US.

The Conservatives in Canada have shown a particular shameless ability to do whatever necessary to position themselves for a win as did Bush and his murderous thugs. Also, Bush relied on political whores who long ago made a deal with themselves that exhuming their long-dead mothers and fucking their withered corpses was a price worthy of gaining and keeping power. So too Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are tonguing any shit-caked arsehole while taking various well-used and diseased political cocks for the supposed wisdom it provides them.

What about the thought process that is guiding most voters in this campaign as compared to the US? Why do the electorate seemingly want a change, albeit represented more as a polarization than a massive pendulum swing? Probably many legitimate reasons related to regional issues and other factors.

But also a good helping of a diffuse unnamed societal fear (OK fuck it, it's called "terrorism" as stoked up by the lunatic US government), unrealistic and mostly unquestioned black and white solutions offered up and that vague urge to "teach someone a lesson..." seems to be directing many fools. A nebulous feeling that something is not quite right, yet when pushed most would not be able to articulate logical reasons backed up by facts.

Within all the grousing and anger, the references to "so much" mismanagement and "ongoing scandal", few if any could point to real dollar figures as a percentage of the vast, incomprehensible amounts of funds that aren't wasted…all highlighted against one of the most prosperous times in Canadian history...

Maybe it goes much deeper than that...the only reason that anyone ever has any sense of well-being is that at the back of their minds exists the knowledge that something horrible could happen to them but hasn't as of yet. Sometimes the need arises to wade into the storm just to reinforce that reality...
- posted by Piston @ 8:22 am

 
Official Waiver of Ignorance

As a Canadian who will be voting in the upcoming federal election, I hereby waive my reliance on mind-numbing ignorance as a guiding principle in making my decision on whom to vote for.

Specifically, if after having voted for the Liberal party in the past I decide to vote Conservative this time around, I accept that history does not begin today. I fully understand that the members who make up the Conservative party have, for the past 15 years, been discussing, fantasizing, and raging about how they will drastically change the face of Canada if elected.

I give up the option of incredulity if, after taking power, the Conservatives reward the extreme-right, fundamentalist Christian core of supporters that make up the base of their party with any number of vengeful laws that seek to impose their values on the entire populace of Canada. I sacrifice the possibility of spewing forth objections that suddenly seem like the right thing to do when the divisive issues that have long ago been decided by Canadians are resurrected by a Conservative government.

I agree that I will not engage in any future bleating when a potential Conservative government eliminates social programs in order to reconcile the drastic tax and spending cuts (static spending over time is equivalent to cuts) that they now propose. I still retain the right to complain and rail against scandal, corruption and mismanagement by them, but to show shock or outrage against exactly what they have been talking about doing for the past 15 years is not acceptable. To violate this aspect of the agreement means that I will allow those who had warned me about the perils of a Conservative government to take me out behind the woodshed and repeatedly land looping overhand right-hooks on my empty melon until it is an unrecognizable pulpy mass.

I will immediately cease summing up my rationale for voting for the Conservatives with meaningless mantras. The mantra "they are all the same" cannot be uttered unless I take the time to explore the various positions taken by the parties involved and the candidates in my riding and come to the conclusion that there are no significant differences in their platforms. If I decide to vote for the Conservatives with the sole intention of "teaching the Liberals a lesson" I must still adhere to all previous tenets of this agreement. Other cop-outs such as "it's all so difficult to understand" are now also unacceptable responses to queries regarding my vote.

I accept that various demographic groups will be demonized, marginalized and stripped of their rights by the Conservatives in exactly the manner they have talked about doing for years. I also understand that any number of free-will options that I now take for granted may make me part of a new target group by bible-beaters who will consistently seek out new enemies as that is the only way they can continue to re-assert their sense of superiority.

I will not have a sudden burst of pride in the unique aspects that make this country great when a Conservative government makes the default option to responding to requests from the US government, "can you give us a few minutes while we smear our collective arse-hole with lubricant?" I will not exhibit surprise when a Conservative government responds like a well-trained lapdog to suggestions from the US that we should adopt their currency.

While it will be difficult, I vow to give up my literalist interpretation of the world around me. For example, while it is patently obvious to a moderately-trained chimp, I too will move beyond the similarity in name between the federal Liberals and the provincial B.C. Liberals. I will acknowledge that they are completely different, have a totally different set of governing principles and I will stop associating them with one another.

In short, while it will be a monumental effort, I will pull my head out of my ass and make an informed choice during this election campaign.
- posted by Piston @ 7:52 am

 
Party Leaders' Conference Laid Bare

The place is Richarde's, a strip joint on Ste. Catherines st. in Montreal's red light district. Three men sit down as a waiter approaches.

Waiter: And what will you have messieur?

Paul Martin: Chardonnay Royale du Cavillion, if you have it...

Waiter: Well messieur this is a strip club surely you...ahh but yes in fact I remember we do have a special stock of that in the cellar...it is 350 dollars per glass...is that OK?

Paul Martin: Put it on my expense account...no one ever questions it.

Waiter: And for you?

Jack Layton: I'll have the same as him...put it on his tab...oh and could you just put mine in a beer mug?

Waiter: And for you?

Stephen Harper: Give me a Shirley Temple...and a couple plates of fries...put some of that Putin on it...

Martin: That's poutine Stevie, poutine. Putin is the Russian president...I'll tell you two lads a couple things about Putin...he gets a couple of vodkas in him and he...

Layton: What is with you puritans Steve-o? You won't let an ounce of the nectar pass your lips except when you're performing your weekly faux cannibalistic rituals, but you plug yourselves up with all those fries...what happened to "the body is a temple"?

Harper: Hahaha! You believe that I believe that Jesus horseshit? It's easier to manipulate those gullible fools is all...I just don't like the taste of booze...now if you lightweights will excuse me for a moment...

*Harper takes a small envelope out of his inside jacket pocket, pours some white powder out of the envelope and onto the table and with a rollled-up fundamentalist Christian pamphlet he had been using as a prop at a speech earlier in the day, takes a healthy snort and then leans back with a glazed look in his eyes. He looks cross-eyed down at his own nose and the dusting of white powder around his nostrils reminds him of sugar on jelly doughnuts. He starts trying in vain to reach his tongue up to his nose in an attempt to lap at what in his instantly-addled state he thinks is sugar. Becoming frustrated he slumps back in his chair with a thousand-yard stare in his eyes.*

Martin: Well Jack, it looks like Stevie is in his own little world...it's just you and I...Let me tell you...oh oh ooh...look at her!

*music starts playing and a dancer struts onto the stage and starts disrobing*

Layton: I'm outraged...I won't put up with this...this goes against all the principles that we as Canadians hold dear...I will not allow a woman to be exploited like this!!

Martin: Sit down...sit down you histrionic fool...she makes more in a month than 90% of Canadians...she's not exploited by anyone, least of all the Liberal party of Canada...we strive to ensure that...

Layton: How do you know what she makes?

Martin: Why...I own the agency that she dances for...and regarding what you call "exploitation"...Let me tell you...she is not exploited...she goes to the same private clinic as I do...in fact *snigger* I put in a word and made sure she received a good price on those jugs...government inspected melons....aahhhhhh...

Layton: Ohhhhh!! Why, why!! How can you be so callous! *sobs*

Martin: Jack, Jack...what does it matter? She's living a good life...you take it too seriously...what does it matter..what does anything matter?...who wins...who's PM...we're all going to enjoy the good life...look...look at me! Stop sobbing...do you understand what I mean?

Layton: But...but...you are always the one being interviewed...your picture always appears on the front page...YOUR comments are always listened to...it's not fair...NOT FAIR...NOT FAIR!!! OHHHHH!

Martin: You're starting to lisp Jack...you're not one of those...

Layton: OHHHHHHHH!!!

Martin: Snap out of it! Come here Layton! *Martin head butts Layton* Bwahahahaaaa! Now there's a Shawinigan kiss for ya'...that's one good thing that JC taught me...

*Harper snaps out of his drug-induced reverie*

Harper: JC? Who? Where? Praise you Jesus...yes I will follow your words and they will guide me...oh Jesus, yes that voice in my head that I hear every day is surely you Jesus, Jesus...oh Jesus Keeerist...I'm gonna vomi...aaachhhh *Splurgggg*...yeccchhh!! What the hell are you talking about Martin? Whad'jya mention JC for...I thought there were some of those damn bible-beaters about...I become like an automaton when I start performing for those twisted wackos...although admittedly it's easier than providing facts and statistics...

Martin: Not that JC you tit! I'm talking about Jean!

*The word Jean seems to hit all of them like a ball-peen hammer between the eyes and they all sit down and go silent, looking at the now-naked dancer on the stage as she spreads her ass cheeks in front of them.*
- posted by Piston @ 9:50 am

 
Layton's Charred Political Corpse and Self-Righteousness Unleashed

The self-immolation of Jack Layton is almost complete. He has now decided to moderate his claim that Paul Martin is responsible for the deaths of homeless people to...all Canadians are responsible. I don't doubt that there is a sliver of truth to what he is saying but when the majority of people are completely disconnected from the day-to-day functioning of government and the world outside their narrow lives or at the very most can sum up their world-view with bromides such as "everyone has a choice..", this latest comment signals the end of any chance that the NDP could have made serious inroads in this election.

As I predicted earlier, the most recent polls now indicate that the increase in popularity the NDP had been enjoying as the election was called has now begun eroding with the realization that Layton is a loose cannon. This necessarily bodes well for the Liberals. With only a modicum of effort they should be able to exploit the NDP weakness and with further evidence about the stark difference between the Liberals and Conservatives many voters will now not have as much difficulty changing their vote from the New Democrats to the Grits.

Another theme that many others and myself were confident would play out in this campaign is now coming to fruition. The true feelings of top level Conservative MPs who hold critic's posts are being expressed by them with comments that are instantly pounced upon Stephen Harper as not being representative of the party.

So far:

• The Conservative language critic has said: if elected the Conservatives would like to dismantle bilingualism.



• The Conservative health critic has now said: if elected the Conservatives would like to make it mandatory for women considering abortion to undergo counseling.

The stunning arrogance inherent in the second statement is almost beyond comprehension. Canadians have decided this issue long ago but these fools are so desperate to find outlets in which they can lord their self-righteous sense of superiority over those who don't share their twisted values that they simply cannot restrain their glee that it could become a reality. This is more evidence that the Conservatives would, if elected, try to insinuate their religious values into every aspect of government.

In both these instances Harper has quickly responded that they are not speaking for the party. At best this is disingenuous at worst an outright lie. Both of the individuals were handpicked by Harper himself to be the critics of the corresponding government minister responsible for oversight of the laws they have said they would like to change.

So, if they don't represent the party's position for the critic's posts they hold then is Harper admitting that he is totally bereft of any judgement whatsoever when it comes to delegating responsibility?

Both of these glimpses at the vengeful soul of the Conservative party are in addition the comments made by foreign affairs critic Stockwell Day in the months leading up to, and after, the US invasion of Iraq in which he said that Canadian troops should be sent there to support the occupation. Again the same response by Harper when he was asked for a reaction to Day's words.

The unctuous, smug dismissal by Harper of these examples that demonstrate that a Conservative government would seek a drastically different course for Canada will explode in his face before long.
- posted by Piston @ 9:15 am