Mr. Conservative

I watched the HBO special on Barry Goldwater, which is a brillant piece of famialial history done by his grand-daughter.It put Goldwater in a better historical light than he may be remembered by most due to the controversial Presidential campaign tactics used by the Democrats to denounce him.

In his old age he became more outspoken on the wrong direction that the Republican party was going in. Moving away from its libertarian roots to embrace the neofascist theological right wing.

This past election saw Goldwater vindicated in his concerns, and hopefully it will finally cause a reassessment on the right as to what damage aligning with the forces of bigotry can create in a political party.

Like the Republicans the Canadian Conservatives under Harper once gave lipservice to being libertarians, but have embraced the politics of the social conservative theocrats and authoritarian law and order types.

There are no Goldwaters in the Canadian Conservative Party anymore than there are Goldwaters left in the Republicans. Which is a damn shame.

To rephrase Lloyd Bensten's famous quote; Mr. Bush, Mr. Harper, Blogging Tories et. al I knew Barry Goldwater and you are no Barry Goldwater.

Barry Goldwater
By the 1980s, with Ronald Reagan as president and the growing involvement of the religious right in conservative politics, Goldwater's libertarian views on personal issues were revealed, which he believed were an integral part of true conservativism. This put him at odds with the Reagan Administration and religious conservatives who wanted stricter government control on public and personal morality. Goldwater viewed abortion as a matter of personal choice, not intended for government intervention. In fact, his own daughter, Joanne, chose to have an abortion before her first marriage at the age of 20, and he supported her decision. He was also not against gays in the military. As a passionate defender of personal liberty, he saw the religious right's views as an encroachment on personal privacy and individual liberties. In his 1980 Senate re-election campaign, Goldwater won support from religious conservatives but in his final term voted consistently to uphold legalized abortion.Goldwater also disagreed with the Reagan administration on certain aspects of foreign policy (e.g. he opposed the decision to mine Nicaraguan harbors). Notwithstanding his prior differences with Dwight Eisenhower, Goldwater in a 1986 interview rated him the best of the seven Presidents with whom he had served.


See:

Libertarian

Death Of Laissez-Faire Politics

Fukuyama Denounces War In Iraq

A NEW AMERICAN REVOLUTION

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Psudeo-Science vs Real Science

Before accepting a newspaper reporters assertions that climate change is bunk, one should at least google data on said reporter.

In this case right wing climate change denier Christopher Monckton. Otherwise known as 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley. A former member of the Thatcher government.A newpaper reporter given to creating puzzles. Not a scientist.

Top Tory in a kilt hit by visa 'racket' case - Sunday Times ...
A MILLIONAIRE aristocrat and one-time Downing Street adviser is under investigation by detectives probing an alleged international immigration racket.

Christopher Monckton, a former adviser to Lady Thatcher when she was prime minister, is at the centre of a criminal inquiry into claims that hundreds of eastern European migrants were brought to Britain on bogus visas.

Investigators at the National Crime Squad have raided a London-based employment firm that uses Monckton as an immigration adviser.

Monckton is credited as the brains behind the Thatcherite policy of giving council tenants the right to buy their homes. A scion of a famous Tory family, his sister is Rosa Monckton, who was a friend of Diana, Princess of Wales, and is chairwoman of the committee that selected her memorial fountain in Hyde Park.

Monckton appears to be at it again in the Telegraph, denouncing climate change scientists as being part of a conspiracy which he calls the climate change consensus. When rightwingers use the term consenus, it a.) demeans the science b.) is another tern for acceptance of the status quo c.) is a term used by conspiracy theorists.

In November 2006 two articles written by him criticising the traditional view of global warming were published in the Sunday Telegraph. His executive summary states his own set of criteria that would need to be met in order for global warming to be true, most of which are unusual in terms of scientific practice, such as a criterion of consensus, which Monckton defines as universal acceptance.

Monckton's debunking of the global warming was criticized by George Monbiot in The Guardian newspaper. In the article, Monbiot states that Monckton's arguments in are based on either misinterpretations and omissions of scientific and historical facts or pseudo-scientific discourse. Monbiot gives historical, political and scientific arguments Monckton's criticisms. Monckton was offered the right of reply to Mobiot's claims in the next day paper and vigorously defended his Sunday Telegraph articles.

As the debate over climate change gets heated those who go over the top on calling it a pending apocalypse allow for climate change deniers like Monckton to appear to give voice to reason.

Monckton brings up the Middle Ages Glaciation period as evidence that climatologists are wrong. However this right wing interpretation of the facts are wrong. As Jeffery Sachs pointed out to the Wall Street Journal editorial board who also used it to excuse America's position on Kyoto.

And as NASA points out paleo-climactic changes have impacts on climate change models. And in fact this model verifies the so called Middle Ages Glaciation period and the resulting increase in climate change.

Feature: Paleoclimatology: Understanding the Past to Predict the Future

Between 1650 and 1710, a period known as the Maunder Minimum, the Sun was relatively quiet, bombarding the Earth with fewer ultraviolet rays than normal. Decreases in the amount of ultraviolet energy hammering the Earth change the stratosphere by decreasing the amount of ozone that is produced. During the same period, paleoclimate data showed that Europe was colder than most other areas. Scientists estimated how much ozone levels would have decreased during the Maunder Minimum based on the decrease in ultraviolet energy from the Sun, and they plugged the information into global climate models. “A change in the stratosphere gave a change in the NAO,” Schmidt says. In fact, the models said the NAO should have been more negative on average during the sixty-year period, resulting in cooler temperatures over Europe.

What climate change deniers on the right cannot accept is that capitalist industrialization has increased the speed of climate change over the last century.
Denouncing the science and the facts as a 'consensus' does not make it any less true. But it does place these climate deniers like 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley in the same catagory of nutbars that believe in Jewish Conspiracy Theories.

See

Global Warming

Environment

Climate Change

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New Island

While news from the Pacific usually focuses on disasters; monsoons, tsunamis, islands burning, earthquakes, etc. NASA reports that a new island has appeared and a mysterious shelf of pumice has arisen in the region. It is the dance of the dialectic in nature.











August 2006 brought two new things to the Tonga Islands in the South Pacific. One was a raft of lightweight, frothy volcanic rock—pumice—floating on the ocean surface. The other was a new island emerging out of the water.


See:

Boreno is Burning

Did Nuke Cause Earth Quake

Our Living Earth

Dialectics of Extinction

(r)Evolutionary Theory

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Ambrose Admits the Truth

The Kyoto Protocol is being used to divide Canada, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose told the UN Climate Conference today

Yes by Ambrose and the Harpocrites. Of course thats not what she said.





See:

Rona Ambrose

Environment


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Iraq Inspector General

The rebuilding of Iraq is a case of corporate fraud extrodinare.

If it was a comedy it would be starring Danny Kaye.

Unfortunately like the failed reconstruction in Afghanistan, and after Katerina when it comes to nation building, America is better at nation destruction than reconstruction as today's PBS Newshour reports (transcript available tommorow)

The news remains business as usual for American crony capitalism in the rip off that is Iraq reconstruction.

Little scrutiny for firms in Iraq

Iraq's health care a shambles

Pentagon lacks independent watchdog




A year after these reports;

Inspector General Report Confirms Iraq Reconstruction Still Failing

US inspector general for Iraq paints 'grim' picture of reconstruction effort

Report to Congress says problems exacerbated by lack of cooperation between State Department, Pentagon.

Reconstruction is just War profiteering by any other name.


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Death Of Laissez-Faire Politics

A cheeky and insightful political comment from Harold Meyerson in the Washington Post on the impact of the election in the United States last week on Laissez-Faire politics of the right. Which of course never really were the politics of the post Reagan Republicans. They have not been real laissez-faire conservatives since Goldwater ran for President.

Besides, when Americans think of isms, they think -- at least they think first -- of how liberals and conservatives stand on social issues. A liberal backs abortion rights and gun regulations; a conservative wants to ban abortions and legalize all guns. By that measure, what has defined conservatism in the popular mind over the past couple of years has been its willingness to enlist government to block stem cell research, stop the teaching of evolution and supersede the duties of Terri Schiavo's husband.

This may be a conservatism that makes libertarians cringe, but it is the conservatism that dominates the Republican Party we have. Republicans generally and conservatives particularly have profited mightily from the rise and politicization of fundamentalism over the past few decades. The decimation of Republican moderates from the Northeast and Midwest in last week's elections came at the hands of centrist and independent voters who'd had it with the Southernized religious conservatism of the Republicans' base -- and with its moderate Republican enablers.

Finally, conservatives argue that the newly elected Democrats are really conservatives, too -- proof that the ideology is in no need of a tuneup. It's true that some of the Democrats take conservative positions on guns and abortion. But it's also true that virtually all the new Democrats look askance at free trade, want to raise the minimum wage and back a bigger role for government in making health care more affordable.

At a time when corporations abandon their employee benefits, globalization depresses wages, and individuals are compelled to shoulder more and more risk, the last thing Americans need is a government that tells them -- as it told their countrymen in New Orleans last year -- they're on their own.

That's why Republicans just ran a campaign devoid of new ideas. In a laissez-faire world that already induces anxiety and that becomes more laissez-faire with each passing day, who needs a laissez-faire party? Conservative, heal thyself.

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Conservative State Capitalism

Andrew a stalwart conservative is shocked, shocked I say, that the New Canadian Government is acting just like the last Canadian Government. The Harpocrites will continue to hand out taxpayer monies to Bombardier Inc.

Corporate Welfare, Conservative Style
15-11-06, 8:14 am @ Bound By Gravity

Stephen Harper's government continues to disappoint...

What right wing idealist ideologues fail to understand is that Canada's capitalist system is not laissez faire but a state capitalist economy, always has been always will be. Especially in Quebec. State Capitalism Quebec Style

Its what we call a mixed economy, to use Ed Broadbents phrase, a mix of private investment and taxpayer subsidization of capitalism. Whether that is done directly as in subsidies, indirectly as in increasing military purchases, or through P3's. It is all still state-capitalism. Or socialism for the rich as my pal Larry Gambone calls it.

It is the historic nature of post WWI capitalism. The concept of a free market is a myth. So get over it.

See:

Corporate Welfare Bums

Plundering Tax Payers

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Temp Workers For Timmies

Rules eased for hiring foreign workers
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Camrose or Calgary, Edson or Edmonton, ‘Help Wanted’ signs are everywhere,” Solberg said “And you know, when it starts to affect our ability to go to Tim Horton’s and get a double-double, it ceases to be a laughing matter. It’s a serious issue.”

Well we know there is a labour crisis when our Immigration Minister Monte Solberg can't get a coffee at Tim Hortons cause its closed due to worker shortages. And of course he would never go to Starbucks cause that would make him a latte liberal. And the reason for many businesses closing is that they will not pay well or offer benefits. The result is that more folks are going into construction trades, thus shortages abound for low paying jobs.

And the reason we have a labour shortage, well its called lack of planning; The Labour Shortage Myth Instead of planning for labour needs the province has avoided doing anything with the word 'plan' in it. Alberta's Free Market In Labour

The result is the return of child labour in the province and now the use of temporary foreign workers both forms of 'cheap labour'.

And the result is more deaths in the construction industry which is benefiting from this boom and the use of underskilled labour. $345,000 fine a record-breaker

The most recent accident involved a 16 year old who should have been in school not working in a trench on a construction site. But the temptation to make big bucks in Alberta's construction boom economy is too great. And in a conservative hands off business province like Alberta, regulations and legislation around worker rights and health and safety are not only woefully inadequate, they are not enforced.

Relaxed Foreign Worker Rules Will Lead to More Abuse of System says AFL

"Streamlining" is Shorthand for "Letting Employers Do What They Want"

See;

Better Late Than Never

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Vote For Me

I cleaned up my page so it loads faster, I hope the pop-ups have finally disappeared, and I am making a desperate plea for your support. Vote Le Revue Gauche as the best Progressive Blog for the 2006 Canadian Blog Awards.

Yes this is shameless self promotion.

See:

Canadian Blog Awards


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Stunned

Well we are stunned too. This is ridiculous. As ridiculous as believing that Karla Homolka is NOT a killer.

Lynnette Traverse listened in stunned disbelief yesterday as a Manitoba judge told her she would be free in a matter of hours despite having been convicted of one the province's most shocking sex crimes.


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Clueless Ambrose

Maybe she should have attended the Nairobi conference earlier. Then she would be in the know. Time for her to resign.

The Prime Minister of France is urging the European Union to impose a punitive import tax on goods from countries such as Canada that refuse to sign on to a tougher second phase of the global warming deal.

Dominique de Villepin said countries that do not commit to new targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions should not be allowed to benefit by avoiding the costs associated with reducing global warming. He said France would make specific proposals for the European Union to discuss in the new year.

Environment Minister Rona Ambrose was not aware of the details of the French proposal, a spokesman said, but opposition MPs said it shows Canada is increasingly viewed as an environmental laggard on the world stage.

See:

Rona Ambrose



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Three Times Lucky

The Federal Conservatives are pulling an Alberta hoodwink on Canadians. This announcement is the kind that we are used to here from Ralph and his cronies. Repeat your funding announcements over and over again and make it look new.
For third time, Tories promise anti-terrorism funds for transit systems in six big cities

See:

Public Waste


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Gong Show

With Tories like Rob Anders, Jason Kenney and Stockwell Day supporting the fascist homophobic CIA cult; Falun Gong this was bound to happen; China snubs Harper

The untold story of Falun Gong
Master Li, the founder and leader of Falun Gong introduced his teachings to the United States in 1996. Since July, 1999 the group has received a great amount of media coverage because of its ban in China. However very little is known to the American public about Li and his core teachings to this day, as our media focuses solely on the group being victimized by an authoritative regime. This paper inquires into the origin of Master Li, the core of Falun Gong’s belief system and the rationale for the ban. In an effort to provide a fair and accurate analysis, this paper relies mainly on information found on Falun Gong’s own literature and websites.

INTRODUCTION TO FALUN GONG & FALUN DAFA

Racism:

According to the New York Times, Li Hongzhi said that: "...interracial children are the spawn of the 'Dharma Ending Period,' a Buddhist phrase that refers to an era of moral degeneration. In an interview last year, he said each race has its own paradise, and he later told followers in Australia that, 'The yellow people, the white people, and the black people have corresponding races in heaven.' As a result, he said, interracial children have no place in heaven without his intervention."

Beliefs about homosexuality:

The Falun Gong movement appears to treat homosexuality -- presumably homosexual behavior not homosexual orientation -- as a degenerate behavior, on a par with sexual promiscuity:

Founder and current leader Li Hongzhi delivered a lecture in Sydney, Australia in 1996. 7 In it, he made a passing reference to homosexuality:

"...the morality of human society has altogether declined. The moral values in people’s hearts have been corrupted. When there is no righteous mind, it means that the Fa [law, principle, way] is no longer effectual. When the Fa is no longer effectual in human society, mankind will decline. ...The change in human society has been quite frightening! People would stop at nothing in doing evil things such as drug abuse and drug dealing. A lot of people have done many bad deeds. Things such as organized crime, homosexuality, and promiscuous sex, etc., none are the standards of being human." (Emphasis ours).

In New York City during 1997, he said during a lecture:

"I often say that humankind has gone through different historical periods before arriving at this day. In other words, many, many times humankind was wiped out after experiencing catastrophes at different points in history. ...Some people talk about how great Greek culture was, but where did those people go? Today something from Greek culture can be found: The elements of Greek culture that have been left are definitely from the final period of Greek civilization’s development, and we’ve found that there was homosexuality in it as well, along with promiscuous sex, and in addition, life was really extravagant and wasteful, corrupt, and terribly degenerate; we can see that humankind had already deteriorated terribly....Aren’t humans in a dangerous state? Your government permits something, your country permits it, your nation permits it, and even you approve it in your thinking, but it isn’t necessarily good. That’s why if you look at today’s society you can see that drug use, drug trafficking, drug making, sex changes, homosexuality, sexual freedom, organized crime, etc., emerge in an endless stream. Selfishness and desires have made people enemies of one another and without any righteous thoughts. All kinds of phenomena of a degenerate human society abound." (Emphasis ours).

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Dion Pro Nuke

Liberal Tory same old story.

Liberal and Conservative Leadership candidates; Dion and Dinning are the nuke twins. They want to use nuclear power in the tar sands.

Last week, provincial Tory leadership frontrunner Jim Dinning told a candidates' forum that nuclear power must be an option. Last night, Dion said he'd like to hear more, particularly on the issue of safe options for nuclear waste disposal."If (Dinning) has a solution, I would be very pleased to hear about it. I'd want to be able to look Canadians in the eye and say I know what to do with the waste of nuclear energy. I will work with (Dinning) if he wins and I win too,





See:

Nuke The Tar Sands

Liberal Leadership Race

Conservative Leadership Race



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It's Close

According to a recent Angus Reid poll the PC leadership in Alberta is between Dinning and Oberg, the rest can bow out anytime now. After all this was always about a coronation not a real race. The King is dead long live the King

Party-sanctioned leadership forums have been panned by many, including some candidates, as boring and useless.

	Nov. 2006	Oct. 2006
Jim Dinning	18%	17%
Lyle Oberg	14%	13%
David Hancock	5%	4%
Ed Stelmach	5%	4%
Ted Morton	4%	4%
Mark Norris	3%	4%
Vic Doerksen	1%	2%
Gary McPherson	1%	1%
Other	3%	3%
Don’t know	37%	40%

Source: Leger Marketing
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 Albertan adults, conducted from Oct. 23 to Oct. 30, 2006. Margin of error is 3.3 per cent.

See:

Conservative Leadership Race

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Ralph Wisdom

Ralph Klein sums up his style of leadership in three words: "Keep it simple."
Of course he forgot to add the appropriate ending to the phrase; "stupid."


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Boom A Bust For Women

To bad this is not an issue for the current crop of wannabe Ralphs who cry about the need for law and order.

High housing costs are forcing many Alberta women who fled abusive relationships to return to their abuser


See

The Real Crime In Canada

Conservative Leadership Race

Feminism

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Rumsfeld Gets His Cumupance

Rumsfeld spent the last three years attacking Al-Jazeera. Now he is gone and Al-Jazeera is coming to North America. Revenge is a dish best served cold. And another alternative to US 24/7 cable news networks besides the CBC and BBC.

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Mini Me

Rebel MP Turner blasts big parties Ooo bestill my beating heart, alot of sturm and drang signifying nothing.

Garth Turner had his opportunity today to call for Proportional Representation as key to parliamentary reform. He could have called for abolishing the Senate too and expanding the number of MPs in the house. He didn't.

Instead he did a typical Garth is all about Garth and said that parliament needed more independents like him.

Well we had independent MP's in the last minority parliament and it did little for democracy. But what can one expect from Garth who is all about Garth. And he didn't even tear up his Conservative Party membership card, as he told Don Newman on CBC today, he just put it away in his wallet for a rainy day.

See:

Garth Turner


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