Canadian Blue Lemons Closed To The Public

Brian Lemon of Canadian Blue Lemon spends his time attacking the Liberals and liberal bias in the media.

Canadian Blue Lemons

Brian Lemon

Liberal Party::Criticism [27%]

But last weekend he changed his tune and attacked the Harpocrites in Ottawa and their Blogging Tory sycophants.

Now it seems Blogging Tory Canadian Blue Lemons seems to have closed his blog in response to the popularity his comments have garnered from fans amongst Progressive and conservative non-BT Bloggers. Too bad.

This blog is open to invited readers only

Canadian Blue Lemons
http://canadianbluelemons.blogspot.com/

It doesn't look like you have been invited to read this blog. If you think this is a mistake, you might want to contact the blog author and request an invitation.

Probably because he said this;

"The problem is that the Conservative Party of Canada as it is, is pretty much run by rural, white men as the Reform Party was. Old Reformers that we thought had retired to mansions in Beverly Hills or Phoenix. Men who only ever visit a big city to raise money. I was bothered by claims by two old white farts - Tom Flanagan and Doug Finley - seeming to take credit for Blogging Tories."

Censorship is a terrible thing.

Could the powers that be have sent him a note from the PMO? Or Mr. Flanagan's lawyers? Could the echo chamber on the right have so over reacted that he felt the need to shut down? Inquiring minds want to know.

Lemon of Canadian Blue Lemons has posted some really, really good critiques of the Conservative Party of Canada over the past week or so and judging by the comments he’s getting it’s come as a slap in the face for a few of his loyal readers.

Self censorship is worse, because we will never know why he closed his blog to the public and his new adoring fans. And it's even more ironic when you consider he posted this today.

Blog Flux Site Details Current Rank: 88 (Politics)
URL: http://canadianbluelemons.blogspot.com
Site Description: A forum to express opinions on the thoughts and actions of do-gooder liberal humanists who know all the answers but very few of the questions and know what's best for everyone not having asked anyone.
Date Joined: Oct 24, 2007

Yep self censorship is a terrible thing to behold. So here is the whole of his post courtesy of Google Cache.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Lemon: Old Reformers Run Conservative Party

Before I go any further with this, I wish to declare that I am a Conservative and that I am a strong supporter of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

I once was a Liberal and when I left the party in 1996 (for what were good reasons), like an ex-smoker, I became a fanatical opponent. In Canada this means I became a Reformer (being a Tory wasn't within the definition of reason at the time). The union of the post-Reform Alliance with the Progressive Conservative Party to create the CPC offered great promise; I could be for responsible, fiscally efficient government but also allow for my belief in living and letting live.

I was okay with this and have been a partisan Tory ever since. Until I opened the book and looked beyond it's cover.

This didn't happen until an election was won, barely, a new campaign was underway and I started looking at the real politics behind the noise. I wondered why the Conservative Party has not gained a national consensus to rule the country in perpetuity. With an incompetent Liberal Party following a corrupt Liberal ruling party, what stopped Canadians from electing 200 or more CPC MPs?

With an outstanding Prime Minister and a spectacular Speech from the Throne I wondered why the public were still reticent to plunk blue signs all over their lawns. Why didn't Canadians embrace the CPC the way I did?

The problem is that the Conservative Party of Canada as it is, is pretty much run by rural, white men as the Reform Party was. Old Reformers that we thought had retired to mansions in Beverly Hills or Phoenix. Men who only ever visit a big city to raise money. I was bothered by claims by two old white farts - Tom Flanagan and Doug Finley - seeming to take credit for Blogging Tories.

I remembered the "Wisdom of the Masses". People can sense a problem without knowing the details.

I checked out the website. There are 18 members of the CPC Council. 18 are white. 3 are women. 3 have French names.

This is the organization that runs the Conservative Party. So much for inclusion.
The President is a plumber from a Manitoba town of 1500 surely honest souls. Another member is a fish monger from BC. Another, seemingly, an eternal Conservative volunteer from Edmonton. A fourth a farmer for 35 years in Saskatchewan. You can check out the rest on your own - many don't have a search result on Google which speaks volumes on its own. There are a handful of people who are big city urban. Providing you only have three fingers on your hand.

Want Proof? Click here. In the CPC Council you are not allowed to not toe the line. Small town Manitoba trumps big city Montreal.

The Campaign Director, Doug Finley, was a former Reformer who is the husband of the MP from Haldimand Norfolk (wherever that is). He was behind the minority that turned into a defeat in 2004 and the majority that turned into a minority in 2006. Reports are out there that reports on Mr. Finley's background in Scotland as a Marxist and a Separatist, and as the searcher for desperate political campaigns in need. He scored big with the new Tories. He was the force behind Garth Turner's expulsion from caucus (which I supported). He was also mentioned in this article in The Post that dealt with bribery allegations in Ottawa. Stories I read lead me to believe that Finley thinks that this is his party and that Stephen Harper is just a tenant.

These are the people behind the crown. Those who decide what policies that the Party should run with and who should be the party's candidates.

And, frankly, this is not a governing Council that I can support.

As a Conservative I expect a party with no hint of behind the scene deals conducted by staff. I expect absolute egalitarianism - acceptance of any member of the Party as an equal. I expect the composition of the Council to fairly represent needs and preferences of all Canadians. I expect inclusion. And this gang ain't it.
It's the same group that was rejected by Canada a few years ago.
Allegations of "Hidden Agendas?" Small wonder with Finley et al in control.

Posted by Lemon at 9:10 PM 30 comments

SEE:

Leo Strauss and the Calgary School

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right wing blogs, Canada, Blogging Tories, ,,blogs, blogging, Canada, Blogging Tories, Tories, Harper, political blogs, Canadian Blue Lemons, PMO,

Carmen

Went to the Edmonton Opera's presentation of Bizet's Modernist Opera; Carmen last night. It's one of my fav's. it's an opera that has all of my favorite themes; the rise of the proletariat who are cigarette factory girls, who smoked on stage, wanted to light one up in solidarity.

Carmen is a scarlet woman, a gypsy and a witch, she is an independent proto-feminist declaring her belief in free love. She is a threat to the patriarchal male and thus she must be destroyed. It was a social statement that still carries much meaning even today.

And it's an Opera that has more hit singles than the average rock n roll album.

The opera was premiered at the Opéra Comique of Paris on March 3, 1875. For a year after its premiere, it was considered a failure, denounced by critics as "immoral" and "superficial".

The story concerns the eponymous Carmen, a beautiful gypsy with a fiery temper. Free with her love, she woos the corporal Don José, an inexperienced soldier. Their relationship leads to his rejection of his former love, mutiny against his superior, turn to a criminal life, and ultimate jealous murder of Carmen. Although he is briefly happy with Carmen, he falls into madness when she turns from him to the bullfighter Escamillo.

Georges Bizet’s opera, Carmen, is one of the most beloved operas of all-time. It is a French opera with a libretto by Henry Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy that is based on the novel by the same name, written by author Prosper Mérimée. Bizet found great opposition to the work, as many at the time found the plot of the opera to be “immoral.” Carmen, first performed in 1875 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1875, broke new dramatic ground for French opera as it moved away from opera buffa, or comic opera, towards a more profound and tragic story. Bizet did not live to see that his work, once highly controversial, was to become one of the most often performed operas in the world.

Fans (Malcolm McLaren album) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Most people, if they get the chance, have to settle for one great achievement in the cultural arena. Not for Malcolm McLaren. Besides being an imperialistic cultural plunderer (a non-judgmental designation), he is one of rock's true visionaries. His role in the formation and promotion of the Sex Pistols has been construed as everything from inspired instigator to Machiavellian manipulator, and his solo career has been as influential as it has been criticized: he tends to bring out the moral indignation in people. A brilliant carpetbagger whose precise talents — beyond aestheticism and the canny ability to peg influential trends in a wide panorama (fashion, retail, politics, music, art, film, literature) early enough to exploit them as a pioneer rather than a bandwagon-jumper — are difficult to pin down, McLaren has made himself the star of his own entrepreneurial undertakings. Despite the odds stacked against him mounting a successful recording career (that he's not exactly a musician is high on the problems list), McLaren has crafted a bizarrely significant oeuvre of high-concept adventures. It's hard to say just what McLaren does as an artist. He's more an assembler than a creator, piecing together artifacts from various musical cultures in such a way that, at the end of the day, his own input seems invisible. And yet his perspective as hip outsider has continued to provide a link between his Anglo-American audience and Third World forms. If McLaren's a musical tourist, these records are his home movies.

His next venture was exponentially more improbable. Feeding classic opera into a hip-hop blender, McLaren came up with the surprisingly entertaining Fans. McLaren mainly uses opera for its recitative form and story lines (namely Carmen, Madam Butterfly and Turandot) and, damn it, the thing works more often than not.

Opera and Pop Culture

When Luciano Pavarotti recently passed away, opera lost not only a magnificent voice, but also an ambassador. While the average person (myself included) has a limited knowledge of opera, the world knew Pavarotti. Millions of people watched “The Three Tenors”, whether in thrilling live performances or via video and television. But Pavarotti also stepped out of the opera world to enter the realm of pop culture. Take a jog through the internet and you’ll find performances with James Brown, U2 and the Spice Girls. His various television appearances include Saturday Night Live and he even starred in a movie (the critically lambasted film “Yes, Giorgio”). And that got me thinking about an experiment that tried to weld together opera and pop culture.
In 1984, the single “Madame Butterfly” hit the Top Twenty charts in England and with it, the release called “Fans”. The mastermind behind “Fans” was Malcolm McLaren, an artist who had a bit of notoriety in his career. McLaren was the manager of the Sex Pistols and depending on the point of view, was involved with the formation and promotion of the band. Malcolm also handled Adam Ant, raiding his backing band to put together Bow Wow Wow. But when the 1980s rolled around, McLaren decided to become an artist himself.
“Fans” was an interesting hybrid of opera and hip-hop. This was hip-hop circa 1984 and he relied more on the beat than anything. With the hip-hop backdrop, McLaren would mix it together with the story line and arias of famous operas. Simple programmed drum beats along with a synthesized melody and an operatic soprano or tenor floating on top of it.
“Fans” was a fairly short undertaking as the album consisted of only six tracks clocking in at just over 30 minutes. McLaren stayed with familiar operas with five of the tracks based on Puccini operas (two from “Madame Butterfly”) while the remaining track used Bizet’s “Carmen” as a starting point. To further flesh out the album, McLaren adapted the storylines into English, then personally provided narration (he left the actual singing to the professionals) as he takes the role of several characters.

In hindsight, opera and hip-hop seem to be a good match because of the element of tragedy that exists in both. However, the overall experiment turned out to be a partial success, mostly in England. The single “Madame Butterfly” received some praise from the critics and as earlier mentioned, was also a hit. However, critics weren’t as nice about “Fans”, considering it simply padding for the single. That wouldn’t stop McLaren from continuing his musical career as he had a few more hits in the U.K. although he left opera behind.

The concept of the East Village Opera Company is totally fresh, but not unprecedented in pop. In 1985, for example, former punk-rock impresario Malcolm McLaren released Fans, an album of "hip-hopera" that brought funky beats and electronic programming to the works of Puccini and Bizet. But EVOC is a whole new thing: an integrated, eleven-strong working band dedicated to rocking the opera and electrifying the classics, as the ensemble has been doing to spectacular effect ever since its New York stage debut in the spring of 2004.

SEE:

Labour, Opera and Anarchy

Acoustic Ecology

What's Opera Doc

Tax Time and Walpurgisnacht

Daniel Barenboim's Dream

Classical Rock

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Opera, choral music, Bizet, Carmen, Gypsy, Spain, Malcolm McLaren,Fans, scarlet woman,

Cinema of Anarchy

This week we are blogging about Revolutionary and Anarchist films, movies, DVD's etc. at the Carnival of Anarchy.

I have posted on some of my favorite films and libertarian perspectives on Film. And will continue to do so through the week.



See my previous posts on Carnival of Anarchy.

See:

Battleship Potemkin

Sacco and Vanzetti

V for Anarchy

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carnival of anarchy, anarchy, anarchists, blogs, blogging, weblogs, bloggers, libertarian, libertarian s ocialism, left libertarians, individualism,