Ghost of a Flea:

Here is a thought: If you see a barbarian carrying a badly spelled injunction to kill Jews, smash his sign and smash him in the face.

But remember kids, we lefties are the uncivil ones because we sometimes say fuck.

Progressive.

It is a tragedy that hundreds of civilians have again become the victims of violence in this conflict. The continuing airstrikes by Israel on civilians in the Gaza strip and the ongoing rocket attacks on Israeli civilians are serving to compound the existing civilian disaster and further harm chances for a negotiated peace.

We call on the Government of Canada to immediately call for an end to the aerial bombing of Gaza, the blockade of aid to civilians and the indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israel. Indeed, the government must urge both sides to agree to end the current hostilities immediately, reinstate the ceasefire and return to the peace process.

Fake progressive.

The Liberal Party of Canada unequivocally condemns the rocket attacks launched by Hamas against Israeli civilians and calls for an immediate end to these attacks. We affirm Israel’s right to defend itself against such attacks, and also its right to exist in peace and security.

Israel broke the recent ceasefire agreement.

Hamas fired dozens of rockets at Israel on Wednesday after Israeli forces killed six Palestinian militants in an eruption of violence that disrupted a four-month-old truce along the Gaza Strip’s frontier.

Harper’s Bold, Decisive Move Checkmates The Opposition

Back in May of 2006 electronic advertising boards on Go Transit trains informed Toronto commuters that “Stephen Harper eats babies”. Real Canadians did not believe this for an instant of course, but for the multi-culti, Toronto elitist crowd who gather together in the dark places of the world to sip their lattes and plot the destruction of Christmas, such demonic thinking has become the core dogma of their failed socialist/communist ideology. In a right thinking world this sort of hysterical, leftist propaganda that would make Goebbels blush would simply be dismissed. In our liberal MSM dominated world–where hockey moms and dads are considered the greatest evil to have ever walked the earth–however, such hyperbole not only lingers long after its best before date but continues to spread throughout the country reaching into the homes of a despairing electorate crushed into submissiveness by a cruel nanny state.

Which is why, when faced with the possibility of unconstitutionally losing power to an unholy, leftist coalition birthed long ago in one of the 666 layers of Academia, democratically elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the boldest decision ever made by any leader chosen of the people, by the people and for the people: to eat a baby in order to show the country that he is not a baby eater. It was clear from the very first bite that the Prime Minister, who was chosen by Canadians in an election this past October that was made necessary by a dysfunctional opposition seeking to circumvent the will of the people, did not enjoy eating a baby proving–much to the chagrin of the backroom appointed leader of the Liberal Party who spent most of his life bumming around Europe where he became enamored of a decadent, elitist lifestyle that is out of touch with real Canadian values–that he has no appetite for eating babies and remains firmly committed to conservative anti-baby eating values.

In a perfect world it would not have been necessary for Stephen Harper to eat a baby to prove he is not a baby eater and in such a world we would have disagreed with this decision. Sadly we do not live in a perfect world. We live in a world that allows for the very dangerous reality that Canadians may wake up to the disastrous aftermath of a coup d’etat plotted and executed by a troika consisting of liberal opportunist Michael Ignatieff, share the wealth socialist Jack Layton and nation destroying separatist Gilles Duceppe who collectively believe terrorism is nothing more than another lifestyle choice and have yet to eat a baby to prove they are not baby eaters leaving open the disturbing possibility that should they illegally seize power their very first action would be to expand government by appointing Elizabeth May to head up a new ministry empowered to force Canadians to eat babies. Faced with that very real possibility the National Disgrace editorial board is left with no choice but to applaud Stephen Harper’s bold and decisive move to eat a baby and we are more than satisfied this proves he is not a baby eater and will remain committed to a wholesome agenda of not eating babies that all true Canadians can rightfully believe in.

…Another Conservative principle gets thrown under the bus.

Stephen Harper has officially appointed Thomas Cromwell of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court, bypassing a parliamentary hearing process the prime minister has championed to more openly scrutinize nominees.

I’d ask how many of his principles Harper has thrown away but I think it would be easier to ask how many of his principles Harper still holds.

By the way, with this move, the Senate appointments and rumours that the CBC’s funding will be slashed by $200 million does it appear to anyone else that Harper is preparing for a showdown with the opposition rather than preparing to work with them.

The only question I have about today’s Senate appointments is why did it take Harper nearly 3 years to do his job?

Incompetence.

The federal government sold the site of the notorious former Prison for Women in Kingston for $2.88 million, even though its tax-assessed value was much higher, at $5.25 million…

“This (example) would indicate that the Conservatives weren’t competent in selling assets during the good times, so we certainly couldn’t expect them to be competent now, during the tough times,” said Liberal finance critic Scott Brison.

Whinger World #42

This makes as much sense as the fire department turning to the kid holding a pack of matches for advice on how to put out the fire.

…on deficits.

Tumbling energy prices are pushing energy-rich Alberta towards a deficit in the upcoming year - a huge turnaround for a province with 15 surplus budgets in a row.

A spokesman for Premier Ed Stelmach has confirmed that if oil prices remain low, the province may be forced to declare a deficit in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

I wonder if this grim prospect will cause conservative Albertans to cheer for OPEC’s latest production cuts.

Has anyone heard anything about this?

In response to plans by Syncrude and other oil companies to release tailings into the Athabasca River, New Democrat Environment Critic Linda Duncan is expressing grave concerns over the health and environmental repercussions.

“The federal government has a responsibility to protect the Athabasca and the people and wildlife who rely on it,” says Duncan, MP for Edmonton-Strathcona. Dumping of contaminated wastes into these rivers clearly triggers federal responsibilities, such as fisheries, transborder waters and Aboriginal lands and peoples. By law, affected First Nations must be notified and consulted prior to the adoption of such policies or the issuing of any permits.

“I call on the Environment Minister to do everything in his power to prevent industry from going ahead with this reckless plan,” says Duncan.

…When you have a dictator ruling over the nation.

The Conservative minority government is letting people take advantage of some tax measures in its fall economic statement, despite the fact the Tory fiscal plan hasn’t been passed by Parliament

Accidental Deliberations has some thoughts on this.

More from Paul Wells on Harper’s plan to rule over the country in the absence of Parliament.

Via Impolitical.

This is how you compare Harper to Hitler with style.

Aaron Wherry makes an interesting observation.

It’s been 168 days since the spring session of Canada’s 39th Parliament was adjourned.

In that stretch of over five months, the House of Commons sat for a total of 13 days.

It will now be another 53 days before MPs return.

So basically Stephen Harper will have shut down Parliament for 7 months and guaranteed that no action can be taken to address the current economic crisis. And here is the inevitable result of doing that.

Canadians lost 71,000 jobs in November – almost triple expectations – and the unemployment rate crept up to 6.3 per cent, as Ontario employers felt the harsh impact of the U.S. recession.

That’s the biggest month of job losses since the recessionary period of 1982, and puts the unemployment rate at its highest point since November, 2006. In percentage terms, it’s the biggest month of job losses since February, 1991, also a time of recession. It comes after three months of solid job creation in Canada, but widespread job losses elsewhere in the world, especially the United States, mired in recession.

“Deteriorating global job markets have arrived on Canada’s doorstep,” said economists at Scotia Capital Inc. “The country is no longer bucking the general trend of lost jobs in most major economies.”

An excellent suggestion from Pogge commenter Eric Finley.

Keep meeting.

To the coalition: Keep meeting.

Parliament has been prorogued. So you’re not meeting in an official capacity. But nonetheless meet as if you were not prorogued.

Find a site. Pay for it yourselves, and be explicit about that. You’re citizens meeting to speak. But in so doing, keep up the business of Parliament. Debate. Draft bills. Hold (unofficial) committee meetings. Vote… on memoranda of understanding.

Show the country, its citizens, and its investors that while you do not argue with the legality of the delay, you see no need to go on vacation in this crucial economic time. Assume (without even explicitly saying it) that in January when Parliament reconvenes, Harper will fall, the coalition will form government, and the memoranda of understanding and drafted bills will be dealt with, bang-bang-bang, because you have already hashed this out.

Invite the Conservatives to join you. If you get some momentum, you might get no few disgruntled members willing to bet that Harper’s fury will not control their lives.

Let the Conservatives take an extended vactation. Shrink the proposed vacation period instead, to mark the severity of the economic need.

Make it plain that you do not dispute Her Excellency’s right to consent to her nominal first minister’s request to prorogue, and that you respect her for making a difficult decision in uncharted waters. Open each session with a consistent, well-crafted adaptation of protocol which is sufficiently distinct that it does not trespass upon Parliament’s formal privileges… but that nonetheless shows clearly that you do this out of the uttermost respect for the Queen, the Governor General, and the Canadian people.

Repeat frequently that you’re just trying to get work done now, so that things can happen fast when the doors unlock in January. It can’t be trespass upon the privileges of government if its level of formality is that of a caucus meeting.

Be completely transparent. Defeat the smoke-filled rooms meme. Heck, hold it in a bar, if you can find one big enough.

The media will come to you. I can think of no more efficient way to stretch your advertising dollars than a bold, newsworthy stroke like this.

If you do this, I will donate to the limit of my ability. I will write letters to the editor praising your actions. I will take my four children and go door to door. In Edmonton. In December.

Pass it on.

KEEP MEETING.

If the coalition MPs demonstrate their seriousness by doing this I too will sign up for a party membership, begin donating money, writing letters and participating in campaigns.

I’m hearing very serious rumours that Conservative MP Michael Chong could cross the floor and join the Liberals as early as Friday.

Update: Apparently not.

The current parliamentary crisis has not forced Chong to rethink his true blue membership when he lays his head down at night.

“In the final analysis, this is a team sport. I remain a firm member of my team and I always will be,” he said.

“I will never, never cross the floor, or abandon my party.”

A nice discovery by Elizabeth Thompson.

Click on image to enlarge.

Whinger World #41