Voting in a Winter Wonderland

Election's called,
Are you listening?
In the lane,
Signs are glistening,

A beautiful sight,
we're happy tonight (Jan. 23!),
Voting in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,
We can pretend that he is Paul Mar-tin,
He'll say, 'Are you Liberal?',
We'll say, 'No, man',
'And you can find a real job when we win'.

Later on, we'll conspire,
As PM consoles himself, by the fire,
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight (Jan. 23),
Voting in a winter wonderland.

A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight (Jan. 23),
Voting in a winter wonderland.

Harper Alienates Pro-Lifers

Stephen Harper recently announced that a Harper CPC government would not seek to implement a law restricting abortion. As a SoCon member of his Calgary SW riding, he just lost the opportunity to have a lawn-sign on my lawn. If I had a credible, pro-life candidate in my riding, he would also have just lost my vote. I'll have to check out the local candidates more closely.

I understand the lack of a CPC policy (and yes, the LPC is basically the same at the party level, in not seeking a law, despite many pro-life MP's). Unless I'm mistaken, there is a possibility of a private member introducing a pro-life bill, which (at least in the CPC) would receive a free vote. Maybe Harper sees it as his role to consistently make sure people understand the distinction between private members' bills and government bills, but as a constituent of the man himself, I cannot support him as a non-pro-life member of Parliament.

Give me a call when you're ready to discuss it, Mr. Harper.

UPDATE: Much of my consternation comes from something I read awhile back - Harper apparently wrote something several years ago about how he believes 'conservatism' is necessarily linked to social conservatism (which I'm willing to believe). Why, then, would he back down on this much-needed-to-be-debated issue? I've really got to do the blog-thing properly and find the links to include in my posts, hey?

I never thought I'd do this ....

I'm providing you with a link to the NDP web-site. They've got some bingo cards made up with Paul Martin expressions - people can play bingo listening to PM during the debates! This is possibly the funniest political thing I've ever seen, and the NDP guys behind this deserve full credit.

(Now I have to go wash myself)

The "KidsNotBeer" Petition

There is an on-line petition for people who were offended by Scott Reid's statement that the CPC proposal is foolish because parents would spend the money on 'beer and popcorn' (popcorn?), instead of quality child-care (or other family priorities). I encourage you to sign it if it strikes a nerve in you.

As one commenter wrote, "Beer and popcorn for $1200, or bribery and corruption? I'll take the beer and popcorn."

Make mine Corona.

Hark, Goodale's Angels Sing

Hark, Good-al-e's 'An-gels' S-ing,
Bringing tides of early joy,
"Act you now, 'ere trade bells r-ing,
And don't for-get, who's your boy."

Pro-fits from this leak acc-rue,
To fill our cof-fers, we turn to you.
Don't be shy, we'll ne-ver get ca-ught,
Our ma-ny lies, have be-en bo-ught.

With th'angelic (media) hosts pro-claim,
"The Lib's are re-born from their 'shame'."
With th-angelic (media) hosts pro-claim,
"The Lib's are re-born from their 'shame'."

The Twelve Days of CP-Christmas

On the sixth seventh 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th day of Christmas, Harper prom-ised to me,

Senate and electoral reform,
Increased Defence Spending,
A Children's Sport Credit,
A Canadian Cancer Control Strategy,
Financial security for seniors,
Tools for trades and books for school,
Opportunities for small businesses,
Protection for our fisheries,
$1200 per child under 6 (for beer and popcorn, of course),
Mandatory time for drug offences,
A health wait time guarantee,
A federal prosecutions office,
And a break on the GST.


UPDATES DAILY (AS ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE MADE)

(Come on - don't tell me you couldn't see this post coming)

Harper shows insight with real Canadians

Stephen Harper has been earning real respect with me recently (should I mention that I'm not a CPC/Harper shill?). His child-care proposal, and I mean this sincerely, resonates with my soul. Every time I hear Paul Martin's proposal, I get socialist shivers up my spine - hating government not only for not respecting the choices my wife and I have made to enable her to care for our children, but penalizing us for it. Paul Martin is fast becoming the author of the "Unjust Society" (at least a co-author). PM can eat my shorts!

UPDATE: I'm in danger of shilling for Harper - although, to be fair, it's largely against the current government, not entirely for the CPC.

Government Regulations Amount to Censorship?

I'm on the mailing list for one of those 'pro-marriage' groups. I think the methods of these groups is sometimes a little tacky/hokey, but in general I support their goals, so I tolerate it. I recently received a follow-up e-mail, although I don't think I received the initial notice to which it refers. Here's the text of the e-mail I received:

"Correction
Dear Friend of Marriage,

The action alert you received last week announcing a planned involvement by United Families Canada's Defend Marriage Canada Project in the federal election now beginning in Canada was in error. Applicable laws and regulations prohibit United Families or any associated groups from being involved in elections.

This means that neither United Families Canada nor any groups associated with it will be involved in this election in any way. We apologize for any confusion this has created."

My question is, how long have these regulations been in effect that prevent Canadians from using the associations they create to speak during an election contest? Is this association incorporated in a certain way that prevents it from voicing the concerns of its members during an election, the one time it can probably most effectively accomplish its goals? It sounds like a load of government garbage, and unless there's more to it than is related here, we in Canada are walking a line with a predictable destination - somewhere we should be afraid to tread.

I assume that Buzz Hargrove, the CAW president, is held to at least the same standard as a voluntary association like the one mentioned above. At least in the case of the above organization, we can be confident that 100% of its members support the organization's aims. In the case of the CAW (or any of the 'mandatory' unions), why is its leader speaking in veiled language about issues for which it has no conceivable mandate. On a related note, why does my union state positions on issues like abortion and SSM, when it's not even remotely related to our profession - as thinking adults who comprise this union, we can all voice our concerns democratically without the imposition of a politically correct position from our 'leaders'.

HARPER = HITLER

Driving after work today, I noticed a homemade sign in the back window of a woman's car with this post's title. I mused, "What could motivate her to make this comparison?"

Is it the arm-banded 'Harper youth', fully enamoured with nationalistic Canadian pride, wanting to conquer the world for mein Fuhrer and the motherland? Is allegiance to Harper being demanded as a precursor to being 'truly Canadian'? Perhaps she's aware of some genocidal tendencies the rest of us haven't seen (part of the CPC 'hidden agenda')? Is it because they both have six letters, starting with an 'H', ending with 'ER', and the same sequence of vowels/consonants in between?

Maybe she's just a schmuck, unable to discern right and wrong because she graduated from a Canadian school? (disclaimer, I'm a teacher, and know first-hand the indoctrination kids receive: I know of a high school that recently had Gwynne Dyer in to speak about the 'Pax Americana', complete with anti-'neo-con' indoctrination, and the need to 'stop the Americans').

Yeah, I'm guessing the latter option.

Tories Begin Release of Hidden Agenda

After months (years?) of intense pressure to release the CPC Hidden Agenda (HA), for all Canadians to view, the Conservative Party of Canada has finally begun to oblige. Newshound Craig Oliver has discovered that hanging is to be a central plank for the party going in to the next election. When asked about the leak, a CPC spokesman looked taken aback that part of the HA had escaped from its secret vault. He attempted to deny it at first, saying instead that, "We actually believe in stoning as a method of capital punishment. But, to each his (or her) own. Okay, you're right, hanging barely beat out stoning at the last HA policy convention. Hey, you guys didn't hear about our abortion plans yet, did you? Oops, wasn't supposed to say anything."