Conservative Party of Canada?

Or should that read “Canadian Wing of the Republican Party”? The Republicans have long been using fear mongering and hyperbole as a way to win votes. They never failed to call Democrats weak on terrorism or sissies. I thought Canadian politics was at least a small step above that sort of dirty politics but the Tories seem to be pulling us down to that nadir.

The Toronto Star reports that Tory MP Pierre Poilievre (Nepean-Carleton) charged, “there is an extremist element in the Liberal Party generally that has been very vocal in opposing measures that are designed to combat terrorism.” The measures Poilievre is talking about allow:

1) suspected terrorists (read: innocent people) to be detained without specific charge for up to three years, and

2) courts to force testimony about alleged terror plots at investigative hearings.

So people who oppose detaining innocent people and prefer we not force testimony are extremists?* That sounds fairly liberal (the small ‘l’ is intentional) to me, and, in spite of what many Tories believe, Canada is a liberal (note the small ‘l’ again) country. I would suggest that the opposite is true - that wanting to detain people without charge is extreme; that wanting to force testimony is extreme.

This type of hyperbole would fit right into the Republican Party’s modus operandi. Do Canadians really want this type of smut tarnishing Parliament? I should hope not. I certainly don’t.

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* How does one “force” testimony? Torture?

Trading on Fear

Here are the lyrics of a song from "Weekend in the City", the new CD from Bloc Party. The song is called Hunting for Witches:

I was sitting on the roof of my house with a shotgun
And a six-pack of beer, six-pack of beer, six-pack of beer

The newscaster says the enemy's among us
As bombs exploded on the 30 bus
Kill your middle-class indecision
Now is not the time for liberal thought

So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to roll
I go hunting for witches

In the Nineties
Optimistic as a teen
Now it's terror
Airplanes crash into towers, into towers, crash into towers

The Daily Mail says the enemy's among us
Taking our women and taking our jobs
All reasonable thought is being drowned out
By the non-stop baying, baying, baying for blood

So I go hunting for witches...

I was an ordinary man with ordinary desire
I watched TV, it informed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desire
There must be accountability
Disparate and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place

So I go hunting for witches...

I was an ordinary man...

According to songwriter Kele Okereke, the song was influenced by the terrorist attacks on London's transportation system in July of 2005 and the events of 9/11. Kele claims that "post-September 11, the media has really traded on fear and the use of fear in controlling people."

I think the song does an excellent job of exposing the current fearmongering about terrorism and terrorists as a modern day witch hunt. The media talks about the perpetrators of these heinous crimes as if they were ordinary people who lived and worked with us. I suppose this is mostly true, but the problem is that the media (intentionally or not) exaggerates the extent of the threat. After having watched the news or read the paper, it is easy to get the impressiong that this is an epidemic. Even worse, it is difficult to avoid the trap of generalizing Muslims as terrorists. We of course all know how absurd it is to think that, but the media seems to make this suggestion. They're not trying to do this, they're reporting the news as it happens, but what's not said by the media can be as influential as what is said.

The moral of the story: take what you read with a grain of salt. No story in any medium is the full story. Consider what is not being said, and consider who's not saying it. The media is good, but as with anything, you must learn how to interpret it.

Thanks Kele.

Disclaimer (originally posted 30 January 2007)

For future reference, if you ever see something in my blog that you also see in yourself, that's your problem. If something I write reminds you of something you do, that's your problem. If something I write comments on something in your life, that's your problem. Not mine. I will write personal blogs. I will write blogs that criticize an action or a philosophy. Accept it and take it for what it's worth: nothing. It's just an opinion. It's not a judgement, it's a thought. If you agree, great. If you disagree, great. I don't care. I'm not going to edit myself on the off chance that I might offend a reader.

That's my disclaimer. Enjoy my blog.

N1KD

Host A Dinner Save Lives

The Sarnia Lambton Federal Liberal Association is Proud to Host A Night of 1000 Dinners - an International Event for Global Humanitarian Mine Action.

On March 3 area residents will join many others for the sixth annual Night of 1000 Dinners in an effort to raise awareness and resources for the need to clear the millions of landmines that have been placed in countries around the world. This year has special significance for Canadians, as it is the 10 anniversary of the Ottawa Treaty banning the use of anti-personnel mines world wide. The chief architect of the treaty was Lloyd Axworthy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is currently a Member of the Board for the Canadian Landmine Foundation.

Sarnians are asked to participate by purchasing a ticket for a dinner to be held on March 3 at the Sarnia Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Dinner is at 6:30p.m. and tickets are $20.00 . All proceeds raised will go to the Canadian Landmine Foundation . The Foundation will be sending resources to Bosnia Herzegovina this year. Tickets can be obtained by contacting me.

Habs Make a Deal

My beloved Bleu, Blanc et Rouge finally cleansed themselves of defenseman Craig Rivet. Rivet was, by my estimation, the slowest player I've ever seen. I think most NHL forwards are faster in shoes than Rivet is on his skates. TSN noted Rivet "has occasional brain cramps in the defensive zone," and "isn't skilled enough to lead the rush on offense." I agree. His only redeming quality is his size, but that doesn't do much good when you can't catch anyone.

In return, the Habs get 22 year old defenseman Josh Gorges. He's young, he's big, and he's got a lot of upside. I guess the Sharks were looking for some size and experience on defense because otherwise this move makes no sense. Whatever San Jose's reasoning, I'm not complaining.

The NHL trade deadline show starts tomorrow at 10am, so this is going to be the most interesting couple days of the year so far. And the Habs and Leafs are facing off, so don't bug me tonight!

"Conservative" May Sound Like "Conservation" but...

The Conservatives have leaked a climate change draft and the Globe and Mail got hold of it.* According to the Globe and the two environmentalists who analyzed the document on their behalf, this draft is exactly what one might expect from the Tory government. It borrows heavily from a 2005 Liberal proposal, it would not take effect until two years after the Liberal plan would have, and it is more concerned with economic growth than environmental progress. Basically, this Tory plan holds the three common characteristics of a Conservative environment policy:

1. it is borrowed from the Liberals
2. it delays action
3. it curtseys to big business.

The proposal would allow emissions from Alberta's oil sands industry to spike.** According to the Globe's environmentalists, the proposal vastly underestimates the future growth of the oil sands industry, thereby making the projections look far rosier than they otherwise would.

Clearly the Tory government cannot be trusted to protect the environment. What will they do if they win another term and run out of old Liberal ideas to brand as their own?

As an aside, the old Liberal plan that was the "inspiration" for this Tory proposal was drawn up by current Liberal leader Stephane Dion. If the Conservatives feel Dion's environmental credibility is so poor, why are they using his work for their own policies? It seems that not even the Conservatives believe their attack ads.

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* Remember when the Tories introduced their proposal to tax income trusts? Well, one very wise Tory mentioned how there was no leak because the Tories believe in proper governance. I guess the Tories don't really believe in good governance.

** Interesting that Harper would allow his home province's only industry to continue to grow. Talk about helping out friends. Sounds similar to his proposed tax cuts to the tobacco industry (the cuts that are so highly focused that they would only benefit one firm which just happens to be located in a Tory-held but vulnerable riding in Southern Ontario).

Afghanistan vs Iraq

This blog is directed to Mr. Patrick McIver. The venerable Mr. McIver asked me to clarify why I believe the invasion of Afghanistan was more justifiable than the invasion of Iraq. He correctly notes that both invasions were aimed at overthrowing a dictatorship. I will argue that there is a slight yet vital difference.

I argued that the invasion of Afghanistan was morally justifiable and in doing so implied the invasion of Iraq was not. First, I want to say (read: admit) that I was in favour of the invasion of Iraq. I said as early as winter 2001 that an invasion of Iraq was likely. I knew that the American intelligence and military elite wanted to oust Saddam Hussein long before 9/11. I recognized the tragedy of 9/11 as an event that could be used to finally get a President (George W. Bush as it were) and the American public on board. I was in favour of the invasion because the Saddam regime was dangerous (primarily to Iraqis) and illegitimate.*

But more to the point is the connection between the first strike (9/11) and the subsequent American military action. Every state has the right (and duty) to protect itself and respond to attack. The attacking organization was al-Qaeda. This terrorist organization was (is) primarily based in Afghanistan. The Afghan government at the time (the Taliban) was propped up by al-Qaeda. Without al-Qaeda's money and arms, the Taliban could have been easily ousted by a popular uprising. This is important to understanding why Afghanistan was attacked while other al-Qaeda friendly states (such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) were able to avoid this fate. While other states could maintain themselves without al-Qaeda's support, the Taliban could not, and as such, any choice they made in the aftermath of 9/11 would have meant their demise (choose to oust al-Qeada and face civil war, choose to support al-Qaeda and face a NATO invasion). The more immediate threat came from the home front, so the Taliban chose to stick with al-Qaeda. This meant they were in direct conflict with the US, and consequently they were invaded.

The invasion of Afghanistan was morally justifiable because the Americans were attacked by what was, for all intents and purposes, the Afghan government. This was an odd invasion because, to be frank, the US did not know how to respond to the first strike. War with a state (an entity that has defined borders and clearly defined power structures) is easy. War with al-Qaeda is difficult. It has no territory to attack, it is almost more of an ideology than a physical organization. So the Americans opted to attack states that supported al-Qaeda. Afghanistan was just such a state. I can accept this reasoning. It was right to invade Afghanistan because there was no question that the Taliban and al-Qaeda were effectively one and the same.**

Basically, my argument is, the invasion of Afghanistan was an invasion against an attacking force. Therefore, it was morally justifiable.

The invasion of Iraq was also morally justifiable. Since there was no real connection between the Iraqi government and al-Qaeda (in fact there was a rift between the two - they only ever agreed on their hatred of America), the invasion could not be justified as a response to 9/11 (even though the Bush Administration tried). The Iraq invasion was 100% justifiable on the grounds of protecting human rights. Saddam was among the worst of history's tyrants. He needed to be overthrown. He used chemical weapons against his own population (the Kurds). American soldiers may not have found WMDs, but they did find mass graves where Saddam stashed those who dared dissent.***

So, to answer Mr. McIver's question, the invasion of Afghanistan was justifiable because there was a direct connection between Afghanistan and the events of 9/11.

The invasion of Iraq, while botched beyond belief, was also justifiable (though not for the reasons the Bush Administration used).

Pat, if I have not made clear the differentiation, I blame the rye and cokes...and the beers. Ask again and I'll try to do this sober next time!
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* Any regime that does not have the support of the majority of its population is illegitimate, any regime that does not recognize its citizens' fundamental freedoms is illegitimate.

** When you consider the Taliban's record on human rights, the invasion appears almost to have been tardy. I could have accepted an invasion of Afghanistan even before 9/11.

*** WMDs = weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological and nuclear weapons)

P.S. - I hope I don't have to clarify the difference between a regime and a government because it isn't easy for me to put into words. For example: Stephen Harper leads one government while Paul Martin lead another. Both Stephen Harper and Paul Martin were leaders in the Canadian regime. A regime is bigger than its government, it includes the laws and ideals of a state. When I say "any regime that does not have the support of the majority of its population is illegitimate," I am not suggesting that Stephen Harper's reign is illegitimate because he won less than a majority of the vote. His government is legitimate because Canadians (whether we voted for him or not) are willing to accept his authority. Our acceptance of his authority is based on our acceptance of the Canadian regime. If that's not clear, click here. Maybe Wikipedia is a better teacher than I.

Blair Still in Bush's Pocket

A few days ago brought big news from Great Britain. British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a significant withdrawal of troops from Iraq. News headlines touted the end of the "Coalition of the Willing." Today the Globe and Mail is reporting that Britain will be sending more troops to Afghanistan (America's other war). I can hear the conversation now:

Blair: George, I'm getting killed here, I need to get my boys out of Iraq.

Bush: Sorry Tony, we need you. Without you it's just us and Togo.

Blair: I really can't keep them there. I wish there was something we could work out.

Bush: I've got an idea. You can withdraw some troops from Iraq if you promise to send them to Afghanistan.

Blair: That's brilliant George! I can continue to be your lap dog AND look good in the papers!

Bush: Here's a treat, now roll over...Good boy!

So Blair is doing the noble thing and withdrawing from America's "illegal" war. But what he's really doing is sending his boys to a different frontline on Bush's war on terror. Don't get me wrong, the war in Afghanistan is something I am behind 100%. I believe this war was certainly morally justifiable and I believe (slow) progress is being made (unlike in Iraq). I welcome the arrival of British troops to take some of the strain off the Canadian forces who've been in all the most dangerous situations over the past year. I welcome more troops and more assistance in a country that needs it. Just don't think that Blair nobly stood in defiance of his American allies.

Rock List: Most Underappreciated Beatles Songs (originally posted 19 Feb 2007)

Here's a quick rock list:
Top 5 Most Underappreciated Beatles' Songs:
1) You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
2) While My Guitar Gently Weeps
3) Anytime at All
4) Glass Onion
5) Taxman

Rock List: Greatest Songs Ever (originally posted 19 Feb 2007)

This post has been a long time coming. I've finally compiled my list of greatest rock songs ever. I was having difficulties deciding on the length of this list simply because there are so many great songs. But I finally decided 15 was the limit. These songs are generally well-known and widely regarded as among the best ever, but there are some probably only I would put on this list. Some of these songs you may never have heard of, though that's unlikely. Some of them are old songs that you forgot you loved. Mostly, they are staples of rockdom that changed and progressed the world of rock and roll. The Top 5 are in order, the rest are pretty random (it's just too hard to decide). So without further ado, here they are, my list of the 15 Greatest Rock Songs Ever:

1) Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
This song asks you why you judge people the way you do. It asks you why you're better than the bum begging on the street corner. It makes you consider what you would do if you were in his shoes. It warns you about how quickly you could find yourself in that situation. It does all that with a great tune and catchy lyrics. "How does it feel, to be without a home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone?" This is the greatest rock song ever.

2) Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
This song is really three songs in one. It starts out as a beautiful acoustic, flute driven melody. Then it continues to morph until it becomes a marauding hard rock masterpiece. No word on what the hell the lyrics mean, but that's really not important in this journey - just sit back and feel the musical intensity grow. This is the second greatest rock song ever.

3) Bittersweet Symphony - the Verve
This song is the only one in the Top 5 written after 1971. The symphonic rock and the ingenius lyrics suck the listener into bliss and understanding. It rocks the listener into a blessed lull that is only broken once the next track comes on. If psychedelic rock was aimed at elevating the listener to a higher plane of consciousness and understanding, this is the song that acheived that goal. This is the third greatest rock song ever.

4) Crossroads - Cream (my personal favourite)
The mythological beginnings of rock and roll are found in this song. It was written by Robert Johnson about his experience selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads. It was made into a rock masterpiece by Eric Clapton's legendary guitar solos. If you know this Cream masterpiece, you know it as a live performance (they never released a studio version of the song), and you know the magic of Clapton, Baker and Bruce. This is the fourth greatest rock song ever.

5) American Pie - Don McLean
This song is one of folk rock's pinnacles. Don McLean laments the progression of rock and roll from the early greats like Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper through the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. "A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music used to make me smile, and I knew if I had my chance, I could make those people dance, and maybe they'd be happy for awhile." Don McLean did make those people dance, and so did Madonna decades later. While I can't get behind the Madonna cover, it shows how timeless this song is. It is a musical history lesson that sucks listeners in and makes them want to dance. This is the fifth greatest rock song ever.

The next ten, in no particular order:
Roll Over Beethoven - Chuck Berry
- announced the arrival of rock and roll

Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton
- unsurpassed love ballad, whoever it was written for, whatever it means

Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) - Neil Young and Crazy Horse
- grunge rock before there was grunge rock

Long Black Veil - the Band
- a love song that doesn't sound like a love song, tortured yet beautiful

American Woman - the Guess Who
- made American women dance to a song disparaging them (actually the woman was America, not a woman, but you know what I mean)

Won't Get Fooled Again - the Who
- among the greatest epic songs and greatest protest songs

Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
- Americans sing this to praise America, Neil Young wrote it about the decay of American society - no one ever said Americans were smart

If I Had $1000000 - Barenaked Ladies
- Come on, admit it, you love it too, don't be so pretentious

Jeremy - Pearl Jam
- you thought grunge was nothing more than musical self-deprecation until you heard this one

Someone Who is Cool - the Odds
- maybe you don't remember this one (I know you don't remember the band) but this made a mockery of fake individualism

Isn't it curious how there are five Canadian artists and six Canadian songs among my Top 15. What can I say? Canadians make the best rock in the world. What's perhaps even more curious is that there are no Beatles songs and no Rolling Stones songs, even though I've previously named those as the two greatest bands in rock history.

I bet some of those you never expected. I bet a few of those you've never heard of (but should get to know). I bet there are a bunch I missed. I will admit that some of them are mostly personal favourites that I don't really expect most people to rate so highly, but that's the subjective beauty of music. They all mean something to me, they all have a reason I love them. Just like your favourites all have a reason why they're your favourites.

So what songs did I miss?

News (originally posted 19 Feb 2007)

The Globe and Mail reported today:
"Tobacco companies that tempt cigarette addicts with advertisements are no better than preacher Jim Jones, who induced 900 followers to drink a cyanide-laced Flavor Aid in the infamous 1978 massacre, says a B.C. government brief to the Supreme Court of Canada."

In other words, tobacco companies are fanatic cult leaders and mass murders. Fair enough, that's one person's opinion. I'm not sure I'm willing to go that far, but I guess the 30,000 (or so) people killed each year by using what the tobacco industry sells dwarfs the number of people killed by Jim Jones' murderous juice. Incidently, the poison in Jones' brew can also be found in cigarettes.
*****
This is a really cool article from the Globe and Mail. It's an almanac of climate change information - everything from "the Al Gore Effect" to "Zero Hour for the Amazon."
*****
Even children's books are dirty these days. Some author used the word "scrotum" in her book. For me, "scrotum" is more humourous than offensive, but I'm a little immature still.
*****
President Bush's War on Terror has apparently found its way back to square one. The NY Times is reporting that Al Qaeda has regained significant control over their worldwide terror network. Well done Bush.
*****
The remarkably forward (read: big brotheresque) Iranian regime has shut down a website because it was critical of the Iranian President. Sounds like when Harper kicked his man Garth Turner (Halton) out of cabinet because of Turner's website. Okay, that's a stretch, but stretching is good for you.

Rock List: Most Overrated Bands (originally posted 16 Feb 2007)

While lying awake in bed at this early morning hour, I started thinking about bands that are overrated. So I decided to compile a list of the Top 5 Most Overrated Bands. Here it is:
1) the Doors
2) Pink Floyd
3) Soundgarden
4) Nickelback
5) Led Zeppelin
I know a bunch of rock geeks (like me) are probably up in arms after having read that list, so let me clarify. This is not a list of bad bands. I happen to think all of these bands have made some excellent music. This is a list of bands whose reputations, whose mystique, whose legend have out-grown their actual contribution to rock and roll.

The Doors were a great band, don't get me wrong. Love Me Two Times, Light My Fire, Hello, I Love You, Five to One, and Road House Blues are all great tracks. But one can only take so much Doors. The lack of a bass guitar makes their music sound kitschy. I've heard they opted against including a bassist because they didn't want to sound like the Rolling Stones. Well, trust me, nothing I've ever heard from the Doors sounds even remotely as great as the worst Rolling Stones songs. The Doors were pretentious and they were limited in what they did musically, the Rolling Stones were expansive in every sense of the word. I think it's more likely the Doors just couldn't find a bassist who could put up with Jim Morrison. The Doors, a very good band by all accounts, are not the legends they are claimed to be. The Doors are the most overrated band in rock music history.

Pink Floyd is another very good band. They have written some very important music. They mastered the rock opera. They were the most psychedelic of the psychedelic bands. I remember talking to a friend who disagreed with my claim that the Beatles were a better band. I suppose I needn't say more than that to convince you that Pink Floyd is overrated. Pink Floyd owes their career to the Beatles. The Beatles were recording at Abbey Road Studios when Pink Floyd were there recording their first record. The Beatles created (and by many accounts perfected) psychedelic rock before Pink Floyd became the Pink Floyd most of us remember (Syd Barrett left the band and was replaced by David Gilmour in 1968) . In 1965 the Beatles' Rubber Soul laid the foundation for psychedelic rock and a year later Revolver perfected it. By 1968 the Band's Music from Big Pink raged against psychedelia and in doing so told the world that psychedelic rock was over. It was 1967 that Pink Floyd recorded their first album. They were late to the party, and the party was over almost as soon as they got there. They added the most bizarre and unmusical sounds to their records. This helped them find a niche audience of pot smokers and acid droppers, but didn't help them earn legendary status. One can only wonder what would have been if Syd Barrett hadn't fried his brain like that egg in the old anti-drug commercials. Pink Floyd was a marvelous band, with some excellent music, but nostalgia and greenish haze has led them to more fame then they ever deserved. Pink Floyd is the second most overrated band in history.

Soundgarden was one of the founding bands of grunge, and a very good grunge band. They came out of Seatle with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. Their Badmotorfinger was their breakout album in 1991 (the same year as Nevermind and Ten), and Superunknown gave them their reputation in 1994. But 1996's Down of the Upside showed they weren't good enough to succeed after the grunge bubble burst. Lead singer Chris Cornell had more success in five years with Audioslave than in 13 years with Soundgarden and drummer Matt Cameron has had more success since joining Pearl Jam in 1998. Don't get me wrong, I love Blow Up the Outside World, but I'd rather blow up the myth that Soundgarden was a great rock band. Their success while riding Vedder and Cobain's coattails exaggerated their legend. Soundgarden is the third most overrated band in rock music history.

Nickelback has had almost unmatched popular success since 2001's Silver Side Up. They have written some of the greatest straight forward rock songs this millenium, and they've balanced that menace with some excellent balladry. But I'm not convinced these guys actually know how to play their instruments. Their last album, All the Right Reasons seemed to feature guitar solos in only a few songs. Those same songs all featured guest guitarists (Follow You Home and Rockstar featured Billy F Gibbons, while Side of a Bullet featured a Dimebag Darrell solo). Coincidence? Nickelback are great at writing catchy, just loud enough to annoy your parents, post-grunge pop songs. They've earned their success through the time honoured tradition of repeating lyrics (which makes the song catchy and easy to sing along with) and simple musical structures. Nickelback is the fourth most overrated band in rock music history.

Led Zeppelin are classic rock giants. They were the most popular band of their time. They wrote what is arguable the greatest rock song ever (Stairway to Heaven). They seemed to find their success hanging around the outer edge of the mainstream. They were excellent musicians (Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham are all considered among the elite players of their respective instruments). But sometimes the sum isn't as great as the parts. Their music was pretentious. They knew how good they were and they showed it - to their detriment. Some of their songs are almost Pink Floydian in that you almost have to be baked just to get them. Others, including Stairway to Heaven, have no meaning at all. But I cannot continue to criticize this band. I have, in a previous blog (the old blog) rated Led Zeppelin among the top 10 rock bands in history (#6 if my memory is correct). I said at the start that all these bands are good, just overrated, and this is most true here. Led Zeppelin was a great band. But Led Zeppelin does not deserve to be called the greatest rock band ever. They aren't even in the top 5 for my money (off the top of my head, right now: Beatles, Rolling Stones, U2, the Band, Nirvana). They aren't in this list because they weren't great, they're in this list because of how great people think they were. Led Zeppelin is the fifth most overrated band in rock music history.

I know this has stirred some emotion among the rock geeks in my readership. I will reiterate that I happen to like all these bands, I just don't think they're as great as people seem to think. It's not an insult to the bands or their fans, it's just an opinion.

Hope you enjoyed the list, stay tuned for more meaningless drivel from yours truly.

Welcome Back Kyoto, We Missed You (originally posted 14 Feb 2007)

The Conservatives killed Canada's commitment to the Kyoto Accord shortly after coming to power last year. When they were in opposition they denied human activity had anything to do with climate change, and therefore, they argued that the Kyoto Accord was meaningless. Then during last winter's election, they campaigned on the basis that it would be impossible for Canada to meet its Kyoto commitments. So either they killed the commitment because they don't believe we're causing climate change (which is somewhat akin to denying the Holocaust) or because they are quitters. Take your pick.

Today, the opposition parties aligned to pass a Liberal bill that will require the government to respect Canada's commitments under the Kyoto Accord. Some Tories are saying they'll just ignore the law, which is not good government policy (Hey Stephen, if you can ignore a law without consequences, don't expect to see my tax return this year, cool? Thanks bud.).
Once the Senate approves the law (which it is fully expected to do - it has approved our commitment to Kyoto before), Canada will be bound by its Kyoto commitments once again. Nothing like a state flip-flopping on its international agreements to gain the international community's trust and respect.

All this means Harper and his sheep are going to be required to step up their environmentalism. They need to bring their target dates somewhat closer to this century.
More importantly, it shows the Conservatives are losing control of the House. This vote should have been, in some minds, a confidence vote. If it was, the Tories would be done and we'd be heading into an election. In fact, the Tories tried (unsuccessfully) on three different occasions to have this bill declared a money bill (which would make the vote a confidence vote). Just more evidence that Harper has lost control.

Expect an election sooner than later (say early spring), and expect a Liberal minority government. PMSD? Sounds good. Can't wait to make it happen.

News Bits (originally posted 12 Feb 2007)

The Conservative Party, the party of fair politics, the party that wants an elected Senate so as to remove partisan appointments, is making some telling appointments in other areas. According to the Globe and Mail, the Harper government is filling the judicial advisory committees with Tories - failed MP candidates, riding executives, ministerial aides, former politicians. The committees were created "to take partisan politics out of the appointment of judges." Your Prime Minister is taking what is supposed to be a non-partisan body and making it very Conservative. Even many of those appointees who do not show Conservative connections "seem to share Prime Minister Stephen Harper's oft-expressed desire to change the face of Canada's judiciary." Instead of non-partisan bodies designed to keep the judiciary uncorrupted by party politics, Harper is turning the judicial advisory committees into tools for change - specifically changes desired by the Tory government. I guess Harper's promise of ethical governance had an expiry date.

Conservatives are calling Liberals hypocrits. Ho-hum. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay (Central Nova) is accusing the Liberals of wrongly criticizing the government's action on the Celil case. The Tories are pointing towards the Liberal execution of the Arar case as evidence that the Liberals are hypocrits. Funny thing is that while the Liberals were working to bring Arar home, the Conservatives were suggesting publicly that Arar was a serious terror suspect. Sounds like the Tories don't have a leg to stand on either.

Global Warming can't come too soon for some areas of New York. Oswego County has received up to 10 feet of snow in the past 8 days, and more is coming. Says the New York Times, "First the fire hydrants vanished. Then the tombstones. Then went the mailboxes, parked cars, front doors, stop signs and the bottoms of roadside billboards." Sounds like heaven.

Talks with North Korea have hit a roadblock. It seems the Koreans want fuel oil and electricity shipments before they will begin turning over their nuclear weapons and fuel. I guess the oil to run the North's tanks and Kim Jong-Il's Bentleys are more valuable than the state's stumbling nuclear program. Perhaps more likely however is that Kim knows once he gets his shipments he can simply renig on his end of the bargain...like always.

Some Background Ahead

To get you caught up on the type of blogs I like to post, I'm going to copy and paste a few classics to this new site. Hope you enjoy them!

Blogging, v. 3.1981

I am once again changing my blog address. First it was a tragically deleted myspace blog, then another myspace (which I will maintain at http://www.myspace.com/skerr), and finally, something a little more serious and a little less...well...a little less myspace. Not that I don't like myspace, just it doesn't seem mature to me. So here I go, creating a third blog. Hope you enjoy it!