Soccer Dads

That's right its the Canadian version of NASCAR Dad's . This election lets peak in and see what Soccer Dad's are saying. Over at The Voyageurs: Canadian Soccer Supporters There seems to be alot of discussion about Green's and it's not just the field conditions. Defintely not NASCAR dads.



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More On Edmonton Strathcona

Well I discovered that we have an entry in the Wikipedia
Edmonton—Strathcona - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And Democratic Space is having a lively debate over the two way race that is happening here, which does not match his riding predicition. Go figure.

I think it has to do with that little fellow saying; It's de signs boss, de sign's.




SEE Edmonton Strathcona

SEE Linda Duncan

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Jaffer and his Blogger are Spooked

In an Edmonton Journal riding profile for Edmonton Strathcona Rahim Jaffer admits the NDP campaign has him spooked. Spooked. Let me repeat that for all you disbelievers out there, spooked. What was that about a spectre haunting ....oh never mind.

And if Jaffer is spooked Edmonton Strathcona rightwhingnut blogger The Third Edge of the Sword ( aka Feynman and Coulter's Love Child) is even more freaked.
He is freaked Jaffer would admit this, then he is freaked at the Layton rally held a stones throw away from his house, where Jack announced that this WAS the riding the NDP were fighting to win.

• Jack Layton is predicting an NDP win in Edmonton Strathcona. Dear God, lets hope he's wrong. That's my riding, for Pete's sake. (He said it at Bonnie Doon Community Hall too, which I could hit with a baseball from home. Stupid work).
  
• Jaffer confirms that concern in today's Riding Profile of Strathcona in the Journal. Shit.

Freaked the poor bugger. Say TTEOTS you want to vote for a winner or a wiener. Nah guess we can't convince you to vote NDP. Well at least we know you won't split the vote by going Liberal. I have TTEOTS as a disparaging fan of my blog.

And what can I say, the Linda Duncan Webperson who surfs the blogs for the Citizen Media section , scroll waaaaay down the In The News page it is under Mainstream Media, actually linked to TTEOTS blog.A blog that hates the NDP with a passion. Now that's cheeky.

19 January 2006
. And conservative blogger Feynman and Coulter's Love Child is spooked by all the talk of an NDP win in his riding.

Yep Linda's campaign is NO FEAR. I am impressed.

SEE Edmonton Strathcona

SEE Linda Duncan

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Another Liberal For Linda

Liberal blogger Daveberta has finally taken the plunge; daveberta endorses linda duncan in edmonton strathcona. For all the right errr left reasons. Unlike those Liberal bloggers who have decided to go Tory. Way to go Dave.

See I told you it was a two way race. Why won't you guys believe me?!


SEE Edmonton Strathcona

SEE Linda Duncan

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Why I Moderate This Blog

So I can find where all the comments are in order to reply to them like I did here

Moderating is not censorship unless you make a really offensive remark or are a spam artist. In which case I have always had the option to delete. I let comments run with that provisio.

But having been burned by some twit who loaded my instant comment box in the sidebar with downright nastiness, I removed the feature, I decided to moderate. That and like I said it makes it easier for me to track the comments and comment back. Otherwise you have to scroll, and scroll, and scroll, and.......

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Stephen Harper; Canada's Jekyll and Hyde

As we come upon the last weekend before the election more expose's of Stephen Harper are appearing. The evolution of Stephen Harper and his party Too little, to late some will say.

Perhaps not combined with todays headlines the Harper Hasn't Changed campaign may have a real impact in these final days.

Too late, but Harper tosses Liberals a lifeline National Post

Harper says Senate shouldn't block Tory bills

Canadian Press

WATERDOWN, Ont. — Stephen Harper says outlawing gay marriage won't be one of his top priorities if elected, and that efforts by the Senate to block such a bill would amount to an "abuse of power.''

Two days after saying that a Liberal-dominated Senate would be a check on Tory power, the Conservative leader signalled that he expects the high chamber to defer to Parliament on such contentious issues.

Jim Travers in today's Toronto Star says;

But the harder-to-fix problem for Harper is that his cracks stirred memories of an angry, vindictive streak that worried Canadians enough to send them reluctantly back to Liberals in the last election's final weekend That's not the Harper Canadians are rallying around now. Calm, reassuring and happiest talking about policy, the Conservative leader has redefined himself as far from scary.

Candians should not be fooled by Conservative pundits and Harper apologists,who dismiss critics of Harper as ideoloques because they have been critical of Harper through out his career.

Harper has only had his makeover since the election began. Harper has figured out how to appeal to everyone

The real Harper is still under the media makeup skillfully applied by his new handlers.

Harper’s team of advisers offer eclectic mix
Financial Times, UK

The most significant appointments are three political operatives with close ties to former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney: Conservative Senator Marjory LeBreton, formerly appointments secretary in Mr Mulroney’s office; Conservative Senator Hugh Segal, who was his principal secretary; and Derek Burney, who was his chief of staff before being named ambassador to the US.

Among Mr Harper’s retinue of academic advisers, Tom Flanagan, a political scientist, has attracted the most attention because of his strong views on both aboriginal programmes and the role of government. His influence was seen in Mr Harper’s decision to renounce the C$5bn deal Ottawa signed with aboriginal groups in November. Mr Flanagan and other academic members of the Calgary School of conservative thinkers favour market-oriented policies to reduce the role of government. They draw their inspiration from Republicans in the US.

Former Mulroney advisors have made over Harper as BM sans the chin and smile, but there is only so much poltical makeup can do. Behind the scenes remains the same old Calgary gang that have been advising Stephen since university. "The Man Behind Stephen Harper,"

Is Harper not for turning?

If the Conservative leader is cut from the same cloth as Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and Mike Harris, expect him to slash government programs, says James Laxer

In power, Harper will reopen the debate about Canada signing on to U.S. missile defence and is likely to cancel Canada's commitment to the Kyoto environmental accord. He refuses to commit himself to honouring the far-reaching aboriginal development program agreed to by first ministers last autumn. He will not throw Ottawa's weight behind the establishment of publicly funded, not for profit, child care across the country. And, as he said on day one of the election campaign, he plans to reopen the issue of same-sex marriage. Perhaps the best clue that Harper has not moderated comes from his commitment to resolve the so-called fiscal imbalance in Canada. In plain English that means that a Harper government would sharply reduce Ottawa's role in setting the nation's socio-economic agenda. That pledge, one of Harper's top five priorities, could well become his mantra as he slashes government programs in the days to come.

His past has been one of being right. Having been the voice of the Republican right wing inthe Reform party he stepped down in a dispute with then party Leader Preston Manning. This was followed with his immediate hiring and appointment as President of the right wing political lobby for Canada's Corporate Elite; the National Citizens Coalition (NCC) He did not run for the Alliance leadership till after Stockwell Day's annus horrbilus as leader. And then only when he was begged to and given supereme authority in the party.

Who is Stephen Harper, the Conservative poised to be Canada’s next prime minister?

By Richard Dufour – World Socialist Web Site

Editorial endorsements of a Conservative election victory by such establishment newspapers as Toronto’s Globe & Mail and Montreal’s La Presse have been justified on the grounds that the 46-year-old Harper has moved his Conservatives sufficiently to the center of the political spectrum to make them a viable "mainstream" alternative to a tired and ineffective Liberal regime.

Any dissonant voice—pointing to Stephen Harper's life-long ideological struggle against “big government” and for the absolute rule of the market over all aspects of social policy, his close links with the American neo-conservative movement and admiration for the Bush administration, his agitation for the build-up of Canada’s military forces as part of a more aggressive foreign policy—is met by ridicule.

Since Harper’s very public political record cannot be effaced, his biography has been spun by his handlers and the corporate media as that of an angry young man (Globe columnist John Ibbitson concedes Harper was a "zealot") who has undergone a process of political maturation.

In fact, the rise to prominence of Harper and his new Conservative Party is a product on the one hand of the Canadian elite’s shift ever further to the right—defence of the Medicare system is now pilloried as ideological extremism—and of the refashioning of the political movement with which Harper first came to prominence (the Reform/Canadian Alliance) into a political instrument better connected with and more pliant to big business.

But the most damning expose that Harper has not changed his spots, comes not from the Left but from the Right. From a supporter of Harper. From the poison pen of Link Byfield in today's Calgary Sun.

And why it is damning is that it's true. Byfield is full of glee, and lets the cat out of the bag. The bag daddy hoped to keep closed till after the election. His article cheers the real right wing Harper. The Harper who has been hiding behind his Brian Mulroney make over all this election. Link of course loves the real Harper. The Harper who the right wing in Alberta look forward to crowning PM for obvious reasons. They want to make over the nation as they did our province.

Winds of change
Calgary Sun, Canada -
Fri, January 20, 2006

By LINK BYFIELD

Harper is a new kind of conservative, unlike any of his predecessors.

Brian Mulroney was a "progressive" who called national social programs a "sacred trust."

His government brought "pay equity" into the federal sector and doubled the national debt.

Joe Clark said there was no fundamental philosophical difference between Liberals and Conservatives.

John Diefenbaker in the 1950s, like R.B. Bennett in the 1930s, was a Conservative in the old British tradition who believed in centralist, protectionist government.

So, for that matter, did John A. Macdonald.

Harper breaks that mould.

We have never had a prime minister like him.

Harper is young enough, patient enough, smart enough, different enough and tough enough to launch Canada in a new direction in this century.

In the dying days of the campaign, Paul Martin awakened to the fact Harper is not a "progressive" in the same sense as he and Jack Layton are.

He's right.

Harper does not believe, as they do, that it's the job of governments to lead, shape and define society.

He believes it's society's job to lead, shape and define the government.

He also believes firmly in the Charter of Rights, especially its recognition of God's supremacy over mankind and the four "fundamental freedoms" -- religion, expression, association and assembly.

These are rights that call for government restraint, not the liberal dishing out of expensive state entitlements and intrusions.

He will do nothing profound very quickly, but over time he will profoundly change this country, restoring its prosperity, confidence and unity.

If he wins Monday, I believe Canadians are in for a long, satisfying surprise.

I am not so sure aboout satisfying but Candians who think Harper has moderated his views or his NEW Conservative party has moderated there's, well they are in for a surprise if he is elected. And the surprise will not be news to those of us from Alberta.

As Link's daddy said after the last election;

Marci McDonald in Walrus magazine quotes Ted Byfield, a leading voice of a quasi-separatist Western Canada and Harper supporter as saying after the 2004 election, "The issue now is: How do we fool the world into thinking we're moving to the left when we're not." Has Harper of old really moved left?

That Byfield clan what can you say. They have been in the poltical wilderness since the early days of their magazine the Alberta Report. They are Canada's political dinosaurs of the right; the Flinstones to Harpers Barney Rubble. Now they are just rubbing their, anti-choice, anti-gay, Western Seperatist, religious fundamentalist, hands in glee. And if the Byfields are happy Canadians should be worried. Very worried. Harper's holy war Xtra.ca



My Columns:

Harper

Tory Watch

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US Media Notice Harper

And it is not just Forbes that has noticed the Canadian Election and Harpers potential win. Here is the Editorial from the Rocky Mountain News in Colorado and a column by a Canadian correspondent in the San Jose Mercury.

An overlooked election to the north

January 18, 2006

Most Americans, it's a safe bet, probably don't know that Canada has a national election next Monday, with the increasingly probable outcome that our friends and neighbors will have a new prime minister.

And most Americans, it's an even safer bet, are probably unaware that the United States is a large and divisive issue in that campaign. The cruelest charge leveled against Conservative Stephen Harper, whom polls show the likely winner by 8 to 13 points, is that he is in the thrall of conservative American Republicans.

It is received wisdom in Canadian politics that President Bush would be happy to see Harper elected. This view probably overstates White House interest in internal Canadian politics. But the fact is that, with plenty of blame on both sides, relations between Ottawa and the Bush administration got off to a sour beginning - so the U.S. president would probably welcome a chance at a fresh start.

Canada election could improve bilateral relations
San Jose Mercury News, USA - 2 hours ago

Canadian voters will do what they'll do on Monday, but if Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party, emerges as the prime minister-elect, an unwritten book will have opened for Ottawa and Washington.

Relations between the United States and Canada have deteriorated badly in recent years and every American engaged with Canada knows it.

It would be an ``opportunity to open a new chapter -- especially if the results are clear-cut,'' says Dwight Mason, retired deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. A majority government, he says, would be taken much more seriously in Washington.

Another American expert on Canada said a change of government in Ottawa would offer the hope that ``Canadian leaders would be talking to us'' rather than ``shouting across the border.''

These revealing words may explain why Canadian concerns -- and Canadian politicians -- are now mainly invisible in Washington.

This bilateral low point is a mixed bag for Stephen Harper. Washington knows what it doesn't like in Prime Minister Paul Martin and his Liberals. By default, Harper and his Conservatives offer new promise. In Canada, though, making out with the Bushies is a potential kiss of death.

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Forbes on the Conservative Advantage

Forbes the voice of American Capitalism (tm) has this to say about U.S. Canada relations under a Harper government.

Not to hot, not too cold and not even just right. Just the same old same old.

You see even our right wing defines itself by being NOT American. (Despite their sturm and drang over Canadian Anti-Americanism).

It's a kind of an endorsement. Kinda. Maybe. Well better Harper than Martin says Forbes. Maybe. Kinda.

US Relations Are Potent Election Issue

Although the Liberals will not give up without a fight in the final days of the election campaign, it is appropriate to consider the future of U.S.-Canada relations in the context of a Harper victory:

1. Iraq. Harper was initially open to supporting the U.S.-led intervention, though he claimed that Canada did not have enough troops to justify its participation.

2. BMD. The Conservatives have been more supportive of the U.S. position on missile defense, and Harper has announced that he would hold a free vote on the issue in the House of Commons.

3. Defense Spending. The Conservatives seek to increase the number of regular troops by about 20% and spend at least $1 billion Canadian more annually on defense than the Liberals.

4. Trade. On trade issues, a Conservative government would be unable to alleviate tension.

5. Environment. Harper has hinted that his views on the Kyoto Protocol are close to those of the White House.

6. Social Issues. Harper and the Tories will offer U.S. conservatives relief from the liberal discourse that pervades much of Canada's media.

7. Border Security. Some limited progress was made this week on the issue.

The election of a Conservative government in Ottawa should not be interpreted as a sudden shift to the right in Canadian society, which brings it more in line with the prevailing mood in the United States. Although the two countries seem similar to casual observers in other parts of the world, they retain notable differences in their social values and political culture.

In the event of a Conservative victory, relations with Washington are likely to become considerably warmer. However, little progress will be made on the most contentious bilateral issues, with the notable exception of border security measures. Harper's attempt at rapprochement will be politically constrained by the prevailing anti-Washington mood.

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USA Mad Cow

Now this is a damn fine idea I think we should do the same. Then we can talk about those illegal softwood tarrifs.

Japan to halt US beef imports
Asahi Shimbun - 1 hour ago
The government will halt imports of beef from the United States following the discovery Friday of a cattle part considered at high risk of transmitting bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa said. ...
Japan cuts off US beef imports again Globe and Mail
Japan will halt US beef imports Scotsman

Also see my The Real Story of Alberta's BSE Crisis

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Frum da bum

Another excellent expose on quizzling weasal David Frum is posted by Doucheblog; Another reason to not vote Conservative: David Frum

Frum will be in Edmonton at a fund raiser just after the election. This dweeb is no less an apologist for American Imperialism and Empire than his Liberal counterpart Michael Ignatieff.

And even in his newly adopted 'home' country, Canada's Lord Ha Ha gets dissed from the Conservative movement. Being the weasal he is he loves to be seen with Canada's criminal aristocrat, Lord Black. His old boss from the National Post.

The Bum Frum

By Taki

April 21, 2003 issue
Copyright © 2003 The American Conservative

If this bum Frum thinks he’s the only one who cannot see a belt without hitting below it, he’s got another thing coming. From what I’ve heard, Frum is a climber who fouls everyone and everything that takes him in, with the White House being just one example. This buffoon was fired by the Bushies, then went around threatening to sue if someone hinted that he didn’t quit on his own. (You were fired Frum, and I welcome your lawsuit.) He is a cheap Canadian careerist who jumped on the neocon bandwagon and is now using anti-Semitism as a stick to beat us with. Mind you, to be called “unpatriotic” and an “anti-Semite” by this shameless publicity hound has to be a compliment.

I only met Frum once, at a Conrad Black party, where he came up Uriah-Heep-like, actually looking more like the oily Peter Lorre in “The Maltese Falcon.” I know his kind. He will use anyone—including his wife, which he did in spreading the claim that he invented the phrase “axis of evil”—in order to advance his career. Like his icon Sammy Glick, Frum tries to make it by stepping on bodies, but he will end up like Glick, a marginal fellow who tells tall tales about himself. He reminds me of another David—Brock—both of them being ugly pipsqueaks who specialize in telling without having kissed.

We are now in a senseless war that was promoted by the neocons.

He is only a hero to Canadian Conservatives cause he is an ex-pat. They are at home with this quizzling and a comprador because they share a common politics about US Canada relations.

His book co authored with the war monger Richard Perle is a defense of the indefensible, the continuation of America's phony war on Terrorism.

The Release of David Frum's Latest Book An End to Evil: How to Win the War on Terror

David Frum's new book An End to Evil,
co-authored with Richard Perle, aims to remind Americans what is at stake in the war on terror, and the coming wartime presidential election.

See my; Frum Hates Canada


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