Major Canadian political party seeks leader, bilingual, able to take charge of faction-ridden caucus. Must have personality plus, strong and determined TV persona, and must have his own red tie...
Canadian readers may remember last year's federal election. (Was it only last year? ed.) The TV campaign -- the debates, the ads, the 24/7 analysis and punditry -- stick in my mind. We had five (5) parties contesting the election (being charitable to the Greens), led by four (4) strong personalities.
Who was the weakest link? Give you a hint...it wasn't the woman! Step forward, poor little put-upon Stéphane Dion. Yes, he of the red tie, pencil-neck and somewhat owlish visage...that's when he didn't appear more like a deer caught in the headlights.
I felt genuinely sorry for M. Dion. Being portrayed in a Tory attack ad with a puffin shitting on his head was just a small portion of the indignity and scorn heaped upon him every day. He was indeed shat upon from a great height, and by all and sundry including many within his own so-called united party.
I remember him as playing the 97-pound weakling to "Call me Steve" Harper's beach bully. It seemed he wore the glasses to protect his eyes from having sand kicked in them! And when he tried to go on the offensive himself, as in the debates, it was rather like watching a sheep trying to savage a wolf.
M. Dion must have been mightily relieved when it was all over and a bloodless coup put him out of his misery. But he was no more relieved than card-carrying Liberals who thought that now they could crown a new leader, a strong leader, one who would impose some order on the fractious party and stand up to the attacks of Mr. Harpoon and the barking of the dreaded square-jawed Baird.
Alas, the Liberals chose Michael Ignatieff, the latest in an increasingly long line of urban liberal intellectuals who have difficulty relating to Joe Sixpack from Otter Haunch SK.
How can one describe the Iggster? He is taller than his predecessor, more...saturnine, perhaps? He is thin, angular...another Abraham Lincoln, maybe? Except you can't picture him splitting rails or operating a jackhammer or anything vaguely physical like that.
Indeed, in the truly awful ads in which we see him standing in a copse near Cherry Beach, he manages to look quite uncomfortable, as if afraid that a squirrel or raccoon might jump on him. Maybe that's why he keeps his voice so low. And the vapid script... I keep waiting for him to say "Gosh, so these are trees, eh. We should do something with these...something better!"
Dear readers, Walt has seen this movie before. We've got yet another bemused and feckless dude (in the old sense of the word), a puppet in the hands of the Toronto Liberal establishment (hello, Senator Smith!), who's going to shoot it out against the Sundance Kid. Guess who's going to get killed?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Land of disasters
No, we're not speaking of Toronto sports teams. I mean real disasters, natural disasters: hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, wildfires, and of course typhoons. No country that I know of is more afflicted by these things than the Philippines.
The Pilipino national anthem begins (in English) "Land of the morning", but I think "Land of disasters" would be a more accurate soubriquet. You name it, they've got it. Not just natural disasters but manmade ones, like ferry sinkings, too. Yet in the face of one calamity after another, Pilipinos remain, in my observation, cheerful and optimistic.
And they always manage to survive. The Philippines is a nation of survivors. But that doesn't mean they don't need outside help.
Right now Pilipinos are suffering from the worst flooding seen since the 1960s, resulting from a tropical storm which swept across the northern islands a couple of days ago. You've probably seen video clips on TV. If you would like to do something to help the 1000s of displaced and afflicted families, you can send a donation through the Canadian or US Red Cross.
Click here to visit the Canadian Red Cross's web page on Asian typhoons. You'll find a link you can use to make a donation online. The people of the land of disasters will thank you, and God will bless you for your charity.
The Pilipino national anthem begins (in English) "Land of the morning", but I think "Land of disasters" would be a more accurate soubriquet. You name it, they've got it. Not just natural disasters but manmade ones, like ferry sinkings, too. Yet in the face of one calamity after another, Pilipinos remain, in my observation, cheerful and optimistic.
And they always manage to survive. The Philippines is a nation of survivors. But that doesn't mean they don't need outside help.
Right now Pilipinos are suffering from the worst flooding seen since the 1960s, resulting from a tropical storm which swept across the northern islands a couple of days ago. You've probably seen video clips on TV. If you would like to do something to help the 1000s of displaced and afflicted families, you can send a donation through the Canadian or US Red Cross.
Click here to visit the Canadian Red Cross's web page on Asian typhoons. You'll find a link you can use to make a donation online. The people of the land of disasters will thank you, and God will bless you for your charity.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
The problem is the leaders: Rick Mercer
Sometimes Rick Mercer's TV rants don't work so well when they appear in print. Sometimes they are better. Today's analysis of the character and style of our three (Anglo) political leaders is one of the best pearls Mercer has ever cast before us. Read it!
Just a taste... Here's what he has to say about Mr. Harpoon:
"We have a minority government that bombards us, practically year-round, with campaign-style ads that are more vitriolic and personal than anything ever witnessed in Canadian history.
When it comes to issues that Canadians care about – the economy, Afghanistan, heath care, medical isotopes – there is a campaign of misinformation that qualifies as pathological.
When asked the philosophy behind our Prime Minister's communication strategy, Mr. Harper's former campaign manager, Tom Flanagan, summed it up with the phrase: “It doesn't have to be true; it just has to be plausible.”
Voting Conservative is not a problem for a majority of Canadians; we've done it before. Voting for an angry guy who thinks we're stupid and will believe anything? That takes some getting used to."
Mercer is equally scathing about the Iggster and Jack Laydown. Read the column!
Just a taste... Here's what he has to say about Mr. Harpoon:
"We have a minority government that bombards us, practically year-round, with campaign-style ads that are more vitriolic and personal than anything ever witnessed in Canadian history.
When it comes to issues that Canadians care about – the economy, Afghanistan, heath care, medical isotopes – there is a campaign of misinformation that qualifies as pathological.
When asked the philosophy behind our Prime Minister's communication strategy, Mr. Harper's former campaign manager, Tom Flanagan, summed it up with the phrase: “It doesn't have to be true; it just has to be plausible.”
Voting Conservative is not a problem for a majority of Canadians; we've done it before. Voting for an angry guy who thinks we're stupid and will believe anything? That takes some getting used to."
Mercer is equally scathing about the Iggster and Jack Laydown. Read the column!
Vatican confirms Pope to visit Fatima
Vatican Radio has now confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI will travel to the Marian shrine at Fatima, in Portugal, in May 2010. Father Federico Lombardi, the Director of the Holy See’s Press Office, said the Holy Father plans to preside over religious celebrations marking the 93rd anniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin at Fatima.
Click here and follow the link to hear the Vatican Radio report on this and the Pope's other travel plans.
Click here and follow the link to hear the Vatican Radio report on this and the Pope's other travel plans.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Pope to visit Fatima next May - DO hold your breath!
Yesterday Associated Press broke the news that government officials in Portugal have announced that Pope Benedict XVI plans to visit the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima next year.
This major announcement has not yet been confirmed by the Vatican, which normally waits until a few weeks before a papal trip. But it's not likely that the Portuguese government would give out the news were plans not firm.
The AP report says the Holy Father will preside at celebrations marking the 93rd anniversary of the miraculous apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima on May 13, 1917.
Traditional Catholics, particularly Fatima scholars like Father Nicholas Gruner, are speculating that the Pope may use the occasion to reveal, at long last, the words Our Lady confided to Sister Lucy, in the Third Secret of Fatima.
Those words, indeed the very existence of the Third Secret, have long been the subject of extreme controversy in Catholic circles. The Vatican was supposed to divulge the Third Secret in 1960, according to the instructions of the Virgin, but it did the opposite, hiding Sister Lucy's handwritten notes deep in the Vatican Archives.
Why all the secrecy? Why has every Pope since Vatican II kept silent while princes of the Church tried to silence the voice of Our Lady? The Third Secret is widely believed to predict corruption and apostasy in the Church, and the loss of the traditional Catholic Faith which has followed on Vatican II. No wonder the Church doesn't want to talk about it!
But Benedict XVI has read the Secret and has called it the greatest prophecy of the 20th century. He knows what it says and what Our Lady wants him to do to avoid the loss of millions, even billions, of lives and souls.
The Holy Father faces opposition from powerful forces within the Vatican itself, notably Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the papal wannabe. But perhaps -- let us hope and pray -- the Pope has decided that at last he must act! Those who hold to the traditional Catholic Faith should be counting the days until May 13, 2010.
Most Catholics know little or nothing about Fatima and Our Lady's prophecies for these last times. If you would like further information, let me know how to contact you by snail-mail, and I'll send you The True Story of Fatima, by Father John DeMarchi. Knowing the truth about the Message of Fatima could save your soul!
This major announcement has not yet been confirmed by the Vatican, which normally waits until a few weeks before a papal trip. But it's not likely that the Portuguese government would give out the news were plans not firm.
The AP report says the Holy Father will preside at celebrations marking the 93rd anniversary of the miraculous apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima on May 13, 1917.
Traditional Catholics, particularly Fatima scholars like Father Nicholas Gruner, are speculating that the Pope may use the occasion to reveal, at long last, the words Our Lady confided to Sister Lucy, in the Third Secret of Fatima.
Those words, indeed the very existence of the Third Secret, have long been the subject of extreme controversy in Catholic circles. The Vatican was supposed to divulge the Third Secret in 1960, according to the instructions of the Virgin, but it did the opposite, hiding Sister Lucy's handwritten notes deep in the Vatican Archives.
Why all the secrecy? Why has every Pope since Vatican II kept silent while princes of the Church tried to silence the voice of Our Lady? The Third Secret is widely believed to predict corruption and apostasy in the Church, and the loss of the traditional Catholic Faith which has followed on Vatican II. No wonder the Church doesn't want to talk about it!
But Benedict XVI has read the Secret and has called it the greatest prophecy of the 20th century. He knows what it says and what Our Lady wants him to do to avoid the loss of millions, even billions, of lives and souls.
The Holy Father faces opposition from powerful forces within the Vatican itself, notably Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the papal wannabe. But perhaps -- let us hope and pray -- the Pope has decided that at last he must act! Those who hold to the traditional Catholic Faith should be counting the days until May 13, 2010.
Most Catholics know little or nothing about Fatima and Our Lady's prophecies for these last times. If you would like further information, let me know how to contact you by snail-mail, and I'll send you The True Story of Fatima, by Father John DeMarchi. Knowing the truth about the Message of Fatima could save your soul!
20 things you should know about Steve
This just in from Agent 26...no Harper-lover she!
1. They rigged a self-serving and politicized infrastructure stimulus program so that most of the money could land in Conservative-held ridings, delaying projects so much that only 12% are in construction and creating jobs.
2. He called Canada “second-tier socialistic country” and a “Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term.”
3. They put Canada on track for a deficit before the recession hit and now holds the record of the largest deficit on record at 56 billion (and climbing).
4. They failed to plan for the H1N1 flu by delaying the order of the flu vaccine and sending body bags to remote communities instead.
5. They spent 5 times more on self-promotion than informing the public on how to protect themselves from H1N1.
6. In the past two months, he has twice failed to defend Canada’s healthcare system against outrageous attacks from ultra-right Conservatives in the United States.
7. He kept ministers in his cabinet who called the medical isotope crisis they helped create “sexy” and made jokes about the listeriosis crisis.
8. He broke his promise not to raise taxes with a $13 billion EI payroll tax.
9. They pick and choose when to protect the rights of Canadian citizens at home and abroad.
10. He called women, minorities, the disabled, and gays and lesbians “left-wing fringe groups” and Canada’s independent judiciary “left-wing ideologues.”
11. He keeps a minister in his cabinet who openly mused about putting 10-year-olds in jail.
12. He denied that the country was in a recession and failed to plan for it, and only agreed to provide economic stimulus after causing a constitutional crisis.
13. He said he doesn’t care if “Canada ends up as one national government or two national governments or several national governments, or some other kind of arrangement.”
14. He holds the record for unelected Senate appointments for a single year — 27 (28 if you count Mike Puffy as taking up two seats, ed.), more than any Prime Minister in Canadian history – after saying he would never appoint Senators.
15. He has presided over the loss of nearly a half million high quality fulltime jobs since October, with no plan to replace them with the next generation of jobs.
16. He has pushed for amending the Canada Health Act to allow for-profit-pay-as-you-go Medicare in this country and abdicated any federal role in ensuring its guiding principles of public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, portability, and accessibility.
17. He said "There will be no special status, formally or informally, for Quebec or any other province."
18. He pushed for further deregulation and less oversight over banks and financial institutions.
19. He has done nothing to address the hollowing out of corporate Canada due to a weakening in foreign takeover rules.
20. He bragged that he was opposed to government programs to eliminate child poverty and promote cultural identity.
20 things everyone should know about Stephen Harper
and his Reform-Conservative government
1. They rigged a self-serving and politicized infrastructure stimulus program so that most of the money could land in Conservative-held ridings, delaying projects so much that only 12% are in construction and creating jobs.
2. He called Canada “second-tier socialistic country” and a “Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term.”
3. They put Canada on track for a deficit before the recession hit and now holds the record of the largest deficit on record at 56 billion (and climbing).
4. They failed to plan for the H1N1 flu by delaying the order of the flu vaccine and sending body bags to remote communities instead.
5. They spent 5 times more on self-promotion than informing the public on how to protect themselves from H1N1.
6. In the past two months, he has twice failed to defend Canada’s healthcare system against outrageous attacks from ultra-right Conservatives in the United States.
7. He kept ministers in his cabinet who called the medical isotope crisis they helped create “sexy” and made jokes about the listeriosis crisis.
8. He broke his promise not to raise taxes with a $13 billion EI payroll tax.
9. They pick and choose when to protect the rights of Canadian citizens at home and abroad.
10. He called women, minorities, the disabled, and gays and lesbians “left-wing fringe groups” and Canada’s independent judiciary “left-wing ideologues.”
11. He keeps a minister in his cabinet who openly mused about putting 10-year-olds in jail.
12. He denied that the country was in a recession and failed to plan for it, and only agreed to provide economic stimulus after causing a constitutional crisis.
13. He said he doesn’t care if “Canada ends up as one national government or two national governments or several national governments, or some other kind of arrangement.”
14. He holds the record for unelected Senate appointments for a single year — 27 (28 if you count Mike Puffy as taking up two seats, ed.), more than any Prime Minister in Canadian history – after saying he would never appoint Senators.
15. He has presided over the loss of nearly a half million high quality fulltime jobs since October, with no plan to replace them with the next generation of jobs.
16. He has pushed for amending the Canada Health Act to allow for-profit-pay-as-you-go Medicare in this country and abdicated any federal role in ensuring its guiding principles of public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, portability, and accessibility.
17. He said "There will be no special status, formally or informally, for Quebec or any other province."
18. He pushed for further deregulation and less oversight over banks and financial institutions.
19. He has done nothing to address the hollowing out of corporate Canada due to a weakening in foreign takeover rules.
20. He bragged that he was opposed to government programs to eliminate child poverty and promote cultural identity.
"100th anniversary"
Hey! The previous post was no. 100! How about that...
It's said the average blog has about 20 readers and last about two months. Walt has done a little better than that.
If you're enjoying the blog, or getting provoked or finding food for thought, whatever, please let me know. Click on "contact" below to find out how easy it is to send a message to Walt!
It's said the average blog has about 20 readers and last about two months. Walt has done a little better than that.
If you're enjoying the blog, or getting provoked or finding food for thought, whatever, please let me know. Click on "contact" below to find out how easy it is to send a message to Walt!
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