Sorry Garth, But Blogs Are A Liability

I see Garth Turner is in a spat with caucus again, allegedly...

This lesson should teach MP's that whenever a conflict arises, whatever the facts are, whatever the issue; your enemies will always point to your blog. They will quote you if they can. They will use it as an excuse to say you violated caucus confidentiality, whether you did or not.

Your blog is a danger to yourself, your friends, and the causes you support, honorable members.

My advice to MP's, or anyone trying to be important, is to shut down your blog. I've been saying so for a little while now...

I think the danger of blogs is especially obvious today, as we see two Toronto lawyers (full disclosure, two friends of mine) attacking each other on the Internet. Best not to air this kind of laundry in public guys.

In Case Anyone Hasn't Heard Yet

This Is Your Next MP For Calgary-West

Something Every Progressive Blogger Should Do

Apply for blogger credentials to the 2008 CPC national convention!

Who knows? A few of us might even slip through the cracks and get in! We could be like the Democrats at that Republican shindig in the 90's.

Does anyone want to be an ass kicking quick responder? Sign up everyone!

Support The Troops; Legalize Pot

Canadian soldiers and sailors are getting high. Recent data shows that more than one in twenty Canadian Forces members are testing positive for marijuana use.

Still Canada has one of the best trained and most efficient militaries in the world. Our forces are strong and proud, and the Canadian people stand behind them. Recently an important section of the 401 highway was renamed the "Highway of Heroes," even though Ontario already has the "Veterans' Memorial Highway" on the 416 near Manotick.

And those yellow ribbons? Extremely popular. Canadians support their troops. So do I.

Some of the challenges facing the forces today were outlined in a report obtained by the Ottawa Citizen. The commander of the Army said in that report that the forces are stretched to the breaking point. Finding enough qualified soldiers to continue our missions overseas and conduct training here in Canada is proving to be very difficult.

Numbers are a problem then. So in addition to the large (and very nicely produced) TV and movie ad campaign, "Fight Chaos - Fight Terror - Fight With The Canadian Forces," we need to keep more of our CF members in the CF. One strategy to do that can be to raise pay and improve benefits, because being a soldier or a sailor should be a good career choice. Another strategy is to eliminate the dumb dumb reasons why CF members are sometimes discharged.

This strategy should not include (full disclosure) the very good reason why I can't join the CF. I'm quite blind, you see. When I went though my testing at the recruitment centre in Thunder Bay, I was told that I didn't qualify for any job whatsoever in the CF. While I was disappointed, I understood. It wouldn't be fair to put other CF members at risk because of my bad eyesight.

It should, however, include the recreational use of soft drugs while off duty. This dumb law is keeping the kids out of the forces, and it's causing trouble in the ranks.

There are many good soldiers, who I know, who are good at their jobs, who can see just fine, who do smoke up on the weekend. There are many kids in high school who would make great Officer Cadets at RMC, but they don't apply because they wouldn't pass the drug tests.

The time has definitely come for us to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. If not because it could help recruitment and retention in the CF, then because we could tax the stuff.

Soft drugs are not the problem that our laws suggest they are. Heck, a Canadian got high and win an Olympic gold medal! Remember Ross?

I've been saying for a long time how ridiculous it is that a criminal conviction can be entered against a person for possession of small amounts of pot. I just hope that legalization or decriminalization will be part of Dion's "Richer, Fairer, Greener Canada!"

Suzuki slams NDP, Tories, backs Dion's carbon tax

Giggidy Giddidy, alrigh.

I was pretty excited when Suzuki was spanking John Baird on TV, but the NDP? That's awesome. Criticizing the ultra-lefties for not being environmentally friendly? That's gotta hit home. That's gotta be like the taxpayers federation dissing Harper.

Oh wait, they did that...

Things are looking up for Dion. People wanted to know what he was about? They wanted some leadership. Now they've got both.

The Tory spin about Dion has changed, have you noticed? You can criticize him for being a lot of things now, but not bold enough? Not leader? Try again. Thanks for playing "Who wants to look like an idiot for calling Stephane Dion 'not a leader."

Go Ahead, Underestimate Dion

I have underestimated Stephane Dion for years. That's my mistake. I'm learning not to do it though.

I underestimated him when he ran for leader. Oops.

And he's doing something bold now. Chretien would have called us "nervous nellies." Trudeau would have asked "why can't we be bold?" Dion is much more eloquent. He's made a speech (reprinted as an op-ed in La Presse) expressing his view and asking us to support his vision.

It's easy to underestimate an Opposition leader with a bold proposal. But I'm learning to not underestimate Stephane Dion.

I might also point out that many of the people who have been criticizing Dion's meek leadership style are the same one's who detract from his bold proposal here. Make up your mind, I say. Is he too bold or not bold enough? If you wanted more leadership, you've sure got it now - in spades.

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La Presse
Forum, samedi, 17 mai 2008, p. PLUS5

Opinion

Une taxe "verte"
Stéphane Dion rappelle la loi sur la clarté pour expliquer les fondements de sa taxe sur le carbone

Dion, Stéphane

Nous devons donner à notre pays un nouvel avantage concurrentiel. Pour ce faire, nous devons baisser les impôts sur ce que nous voulons renforcer: le revenu, l'innovation, l'épargne et l'investissement. Et nous devons déplacer cet effort fiscal vers ce que nous voulons réduire: la pollution, les gaz à effet de serre, le smog et le gaspillage. En prenant ces mesures, nous pourrons aussi venir en aide à notre classe moyenne et aider de nombreux Canadiens à sortir de la pauvreté, de manière à ce qu'ils puissent tous offrir leurs talents et leurs compétences au pays.

Notre pays, avec ses 33 millions d'habitants, fait face à des géants comme les États-Unis, l'Europe, le Japon, la Chine et l'Inde. Pour sortir du lot, dans l'économie mondiale, nous devons éliminer les obstacles à l'insertion sociale et économique et permettre à chaque Canadien de devenir un élément de notre réussite nationale.

Pour une économie plus dynamique et plus concurrentielle, il faut baisser les impôts; pour devenir des leaders mondiaux en matière d'environnement, il faut assigner un coût à la pollution; pour bâtir une société plus unie et plus rassembleuse, il faut réduire la pauvreté. Voilà qui va demander de l'imagination et un grand sens du leadership. Je n'hésiterai pas une seconde à mettre ces qualités au service de mon pays, le Canada, comme je l'ai déjà fait dans le passé.

Sous le gouvernement de Jean Chrétien, j'ai mis de la clarté dans le débat sur l'unité nationale et je me suis battu pour l'unité du Canada. Rappelez-vous combien de personnes disaient à cette époque: "Ne faites pas ça, c'est trop risqué, personne ne comprendra." Ils disaient que c'était bon en théorie, mais pas sur le plan politique.

Je savais que les Canadiens, y compris mes concitoyens québécois, préféraient la clarté à la confusion. Je ne pensais pas que c'était risqué, parce que je savais que les citoyens comprendraient tout le bien qui découlerait de notre décision, de notre action commune. Mais surtout, je croyais fermement, et je croirai toujours, qu'une bonne politique publique, ça doit faire une politique gagnante. C'est justement pour ça que je me suis lancé en politique, et c'est pourquoi je veux diriger ce pays.

Je suis entré en politique pour aider le Canada à rester uni et, aujourd'hui, je veux être premier ministre pour aider ce Canada uni à devenir plus prospère, plus juste et plus vert. Ma démarche n'a pas changé, et elle ne changera pas: une bonne politique publique, ça doit faire une politique gagnante. Les Canadiens ne méritent pas moins.

À propos de clarté justement, ma position est on ne peut plus limpide: il faut faire payer les pollueurs et remettre tout cet argent dans les poches des Canadiens grâce à de bonnes réductions d'impôts judicieuses. Les pollueurs paieront, les Canadiens profiteront.

Je suis sûr que beaucoup trop de membres des hautes sphères politiques sous-estiment les Canadiens. Lorsqu'on s'adresse à l'esprit et au grand coeur de nos remarquables citoyens, les bonnes orientations, les bonnes politiques publiques, sont reconnues comme des politiques gagnantes.

En fait, quand il s'agit de savoir ce qu'il faut faire pour faire progresser notre pays, les Canadiens ont, le plus souvent, une longueur d'avance sur les politiciens.

Les conservateurs vont tenter de troubler les Canadiens, de les induire en erreur, de leur faire peur. Ils ont déjà commencé. Mais pour reprendre l'expression de Pierre Elliott Trudeau: les libéraux et moi-même allons parler aux gens du pays, plus haut et plus fort que Stephen Harper et ses conservateurs, parce que ma politique, ce n'est pas la politique de la peur, c'est la politique de l'espoir.

L'auteur est chef de l'opposition officielle à la Chambre des communes. Ce texte est extrait d'un discours qu'il a prononcé jeudi dernier devant le Canadian Club de Toronto.

The Die Is Cast

The carbon tax policy will go forward. I am sure of it.

Remember John Tory? The worst thing he ever did wasn't to propose a policy dealing with public funds for faith based schools. The worst thing he did was change his mind. Once he cancelled his policy, voters were sure of two things:

1. He is a willy nilly who can be pushed around, not a leader. This is important when your slogan is "leadership matters."

2. Everyone KNEW that he REALLY WANTED to fund faith based schools, because he'd said as much.

The same is true in this case. If Dion does not propose the carbon tax at this point, two things happen:

1. Everyone calls him a 'willy nilly' who can be pushed around. This especially sucks when you've already been attacked several thousand times for being "not a leader."

2. Everyone WILL KNOW that Dion REALLY WANTS to tax fossil fuels, because he's said as much. Any talk of a "TORY SECRET AGENDA" is now impossible. Even though the Tories support the death penalty, locking up Omar Khadr, calling the fetus a legal "person," lying about their total military budget, offering MP's "financial considerations" for their votes, floor crossing in exchange for cabinet seats, and allowing Rob Anders to speak in public.

So you Liberals (that's right, you), bear in mind while you're writing - Dion's going to do this thing. He has to now. So please make sure your words are kind and sweet, because you may have to eat them later.

Jason Kenny Got Picked Last In Gym Class

"Our acquiescence with his continued incarceration and prosecution puts in question Canada's standing as a nation that respects global human rights and international law."

Oh boy am I ever glad Dallaire is on our team.

The public spanking of Jason Kenny by Romeo Dallaire will continue to come up at the bars with my friends. Even staunch Tories I've spoken with, privately, won't stand up for Jason Kenny and his ridiculousness.

In this debate it is very clear that one party is an adult; the other is a child. One is appealing to Canada's sense of justice; the other is telling fibs about child-suicide-bombers with Down Syndrome. One is comfortable expressing his opinions candidly and coolly; the other is asking loaded and counterproductive questions.

You know how this all makes me feel? I feel like I did in high school gym when I got first pick for basketball and I picked the really tall guy and the other team got stumpy-the-butterfingers-no-talent.

I'll pick Dallaire over Kenny every single time.

Thank You Paul Martin

I was very happy the day that the Rt. Hon. Paul Martin named Roméo Dallaire to the Senate. I thought that Dallaire was an excellent choice, a non-partisan with undeniable credibility to speak to issues of international human rights and genocide. I still think that he was an excellent choice.

I'm also a big fan of super-partisan senators like the late Royce Frith, but that's a post for another time...

The reason why I post about Senator Dallaire today is because of some undeserved coverage in the Toronto Star. Dallaire has made a perfectly reasonable argument - that international law must apply to all countries, and that the credibility of those who champion human rights is damaged when their home countries allow those rights to be violated.

The author of the Star piece, however, ran with the title "Dallaire compares U.S. actions to those of terrorists." And that would be a perfectly good, inflammatory, anti-american, copy-selling, attention-grabbing title - except for one thing. At no point is Dallaire quoted using the word "terrorist."

So, Michelle Shephard of the Toronto Star, the next time someone asks you why there isn't a substantive debate in this country on any subject political, you can point to your article here. You've taken an old man's reasonable plea that Canada should support human rights and international law in the world, and you've twisted it to be nonsensical. "Terrosists?" Really? Did he compare George Bush to Osama bin Laden? Hardly.

And the next time someone argues to me that the Senate must be obliterated, I'll remind them about Senator Dallaire. Appointed by Prime Minister Martin, he'll stand up for international law and human rights, even if the Canada's New Government won't.

Félicitations, Général.