Harper Can't Shake Ricky!

The annual East Coast Music Awards were handed out Monday night in front of a capacity crowd at the Charlottetown Civic Centre that included Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“I know you,” boomed Trailer Park Boy Ricky as he pointed at a wide-eyed Harper seated in the front row with his wife, Laureen.

“University of Alberta. 1982. Helix.”

Come on Ricky - you know him from somewhere else!

Poor State of The MSM in Canada

After years of being spoon-fed stories and 'reporting' the 'inside story' given to them by past Liberal governments, the main stream media, or at least their parliamentary bureaus, are really mad at the Conservative government for making them work for their paychecks again.

These 'journalists' are so far removed from the profession that they profess to be a part of that they are now collectively crying 'not fair' to the Canadian people because Prime Minister Harper is making them actually get off their collective asses and look for stories. It's obvious that these 'reporters' will not be able to keep their jobs if their collective investigative journalistic instincts did not even get a hint of one of the biggest political scandals in Canadian history for almost 10 years.

What will the future hold for these entrepid reporters? Time will tell.

Ok, Now I have Officially Heard It All

7-Eleven seeks to go beyond beer, jerky, cigarettes and is now serving Microwaved Male Genitalia.

MCKEESPORT McKeesport Police say they are now checking surveillance video to get a picture of the man who allegedly asked a clerk to heat up a severed male body part in a microwave at a local convenience store.

McKeesport Police say a man walked into the store, located on Fifth Avenue, and asked the clerk to use the microwave oven.

After the clerk noticed a strange smell coming from the microwave, she told police she opened the door and discovered human male genitalia wrapped in a paper towel cooking inside.

McKeesport police told KDKA the man fled with the severed body part after she made the discovery. She then called the police.

Ok, to avoid a lawsuit, I just glued two headlines together that are unrelated. The story of the microwaved penis does not mention which store the incident happened in, but WTF? I guess I can die in peace knowing that I have now heard of every possible thing that this wonderful world has to offer.

h/t to Nealenews for both stories.

Update: Ok, that didn't take long. I didn't think that story would be topped in a single day. Sudan man forced to 'marry' goat:

A Sudanese man has been forced to take a goat as his "wife", after he was caught having sex with the animal.

The goat's owner, Mr Alifi, said he surprised the man with his goat and took him to a council of elders.

They ordered the man, Mr Tombe, to pay a dowry of 15,000 Sudanese dinars ($50) to Mr Alifi.

"We have given him the goat, and as far as we know they are still together," Mr Alifi said.

Lovely, just lovely!

h/t to Kerplonka for the goat story.

Mens Hockey Team Eliminated from Turin!!!

Canadians demand Stephen Harpers resignation...

Yahoo bans Allah!

Found this :"Hello, my name is Kallahar (well, it's an alias, but Kallahar really is a family name of an 1800's Irish family (Ancestry of William Kallahar, born 1830). I recently tried to create a user on Yahoo with my name.

Unfortunately, Yahoo said it was unavailable.

"I did some more research, and came up with the following interesting results. All of these were tested in the "test4allah408754873" format to ensure they weren't simply conflicting with an existing user."

Yahoo will not accept yahoo, osama or binladen. But it will accept god, messiah, jesus, jehova, buddah, satan and both priest and pedophile.

Check this out! (WARNING: Bad words in original post may trigger sirens if at work!)

Bob Fife: The New Insider

I was watching CTV news last night and saw Bob Fife announce that Harper is planning on naming Michael Wilson as Canada's next ambassador to Washington (CTV story here). Good choice, but I thought it was interesting that CTV was reporting this first. I also found it interesting how beaming Bob Fife was that he was the first reporter to get this 'leak' or tip. I like Bob for his shear feistiness, even when its (mis)directed at the Conservatives. It looks like Harper does too.

Anyone have any comments on this changing of the 'Insider' guard? Does this mean that the giggling school girl will have to find a new employer? Inquiring minds want to know.

Happy Valentines

Why is Saddam wearing a dress to court this week? Maybe he just wants to wish us all...

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Spammed by the Lefties...

Received this anti-Conservative spam in my personal, non-blog connected e-mail. I'll just give a sample, as it is too long for posting:

(from*deleted*)

QUICK SCAN
2006-02-14

TOP STORIES
According to an Ipsos Reid survey for Global TV, Trade Minister David Emerson has the backing of only 28 percent of BritishColumbians for his decision to defect to the Conservatives, while 60 percent reject his decision to switch to the Liberals. On a Vancouverradio program, Mr. Emerson dismissed his critics as "partisan zealots" and stated that he would not resign. He acknowledged that he had giventhought to the idea, and said he was a "little over the top" during the campaign when he called the Harper Tories heartless and intolerant. TheMinister said he would consider voting for, and would abide by, a law that forced defectors to resign and run in byelections, but said it isunfair to single him out when no such requirement was imposed on past defectors. He told reporters that if federal ethics commissionerBernard Shapiro finds him guilty of any wrongdoing, he will leave. (P. O'Neil, CanWest: NP A6 and WFP A8, W Star C1, CH A4, VC A5,EJ A6, KWS 12, Ctz A5, Gaz A12, RLP A4, VSun A5, SSP D9; R. Mickleburgh: G&M A6 ; L.Whittington/B. Campion-Smith: TStar A10; S.Mertl, CP: KWS 9; S. Rubec: TSun 12 and CSun 18, OSun 14, ESun; CTV NN 22:00, CTV 23:00).
- NDP MP Peter Stoffer vowed to introduce a bill that would forbid MPs from crossing the floor without running in a byelection (S.Rubec: TSun 12 and CSun 18, OSun 14, ESun 24).
- Former prime minister Kim Campbell described Mr. Emerson as a "great British Columbian (who has done this) on principle (R. Mickleburgh:G&M A6; I. Bailey: VProv A12).
- Minister Emerson dismissed a media report that alleged that he had killed a potential pre-election deal to resolve the softwoodlumber dispute for political reasons. Mr. Emerson explained that he opposed the deal for economic reasons, and had the backing of theB.C. government and industry leaders as the deal would have been destructive for British Columbians (P. O'Neil, CanWest: VSun A5 and VTCA5, WStar C1).
- Mr. Emerson maintained that former prime minister Paul Martin encouraged him, quite forcefully, to run in the last election, when he wasopting not to, and said he was loyal to him to the end, and then he left (L.Whittington/B. Campion-Smith: TStar A10).
Minister Emerson: "If Parliament wants to pass legislation and to set in place a policy on byelections when you cross the floor or recalllegislation, fine. I'll participate in that debate and I may even vote for it, and I will certainly abide by it" (VProv A16 and RLP B7).
- NDP Leader Jack Layton would not say whether he will demand Conservative support for Mr. Stoffer's private member's bill, inexchange for NDP votes on the Conservatives' Federal Accountability Act. NDP MP Peter Julian has filed a request with the ethicscommissioner to investigate whether Mr. Emerson was furthering his private interest by defecting to the Liberals. Mr. Emerson was offendedby NDP candidate Ian Waddell's comparison of his situation to the Gurmant Grewal tape affair (S. Mertl, CP: KWS 9).
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said in an interview on Monday, said he does not understand the controversy about his past careeras a defence-industry lobbyist. He affirmed that there is no conflict of interest in his appointment, despite the fact that it will require himto oversee the awarding of defence contracts that will be vied for by companies he formerly represented. Mr. O'Connor said: "Iunderstand that some people could have apprehension. But as I have said a number of times, I do not own any shares, I do not get any moneyfrom these people." The report noted that Mr. O'Connor has yet to fill out the required declarations all Cabinet ministers must complete. Aspokesperson for Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro said Mr. O'Connor has 60 days to declare all his assets, and then another 60 tocomply with any requests (M. Blanchfield: NP A6 and Ctz A3, Gaz A12, SSP D9, EJ A6).
B.C. Conservative MPs have urged the Prime Minister to consider being in Italy on February 26th for the closing ceremonies of theOlympic Games. The gold medal men's hockey game is being held on the same day, and the Canadian team is favoured to win a medal. Asenior Conservative said some party members are encouraging Mr. Harper to go: "the B.C. guys, who get the games in 2010, think it would begood" (A. Woods: Ctz A3 and CHA6, VProv A8, EJ A6, VSun A5, NP A2).
Quebec Premier Jean Charest will meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper this week in Ottawa to discuss child care and other issues.Mr. Harper has offered to negotiate a transition period before he cuts off federal funding for the deal Quebec signed with the Liberalgovernment. Premier Charest noted there is time to work out a reasonable and good solution with the new PM (Gaz A8 and SSP B8).
CPC MP Deepak Obrai, parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, said the federal government will work toward signing aNAFTA-style free trade deal with India. He suggested Canada should "grab the opportunity to get into this growing market now, and said theTory caucus supports such a deal (A. Mills: TStar A8).
New Brunswick NDP MP Yvon Godin said he is prepared to support the Conservative plan to roll back recent income tax cuts....and on and on...

Isn't the election campaign over? (or is a new one starting...)

The Thrilla in Ottawa

Like boxing match, naming the cabinet is like the prefight weigh-in.

A shocking thing happened at the weigh-in the new champion came out to the scale in Boxers when as a challenger he was a brief man! He mentioned he switched as boxer's would provide him with a little more coverage.

Various partisan boxer and brief lobbies tryed to use this event to advance their own agenda's - not caring at all about boxing - just the merits of their underwear of choice! And some of the Champions followers are steadfast brief wearers!

The media was shocked - how dare the champion drop his trowsers and show the unwashed masses this underwear change without notifying the press first. They complain that the previous champion would have someone from their entourage leak that something was up and maybe give them a sneak peek so that they would have a leg up on the public. Since there was nothing else going that week they decided to show new champion who the boss was and how things should be done the same was the old champion did them - forgetting, of course, that the "old way" did not help the former champion went down to defeat.

True Boxing fans will debate all the merits of the fighters so this issue was something else they could debate before the big fight.

The public, of course, may note the great underwear debate but all they care about is the
results of the fight. Some may actually watch but won't start paying attention until the actual fight begins.

Ladies and Gentlemen - Round one starts April 3. Let's get ready to rumble!

Apology Time

For everyone that ran with the unilingual MP to do Francophonie silliness!

"Ted Menzies, a unilingual Tory MP, is relieved to know that his new parliamentary secretary duties really don't include responsibility for the francophonie and official languages.

An official said parliamentary secretaries work out with their ministers what part of the portfolio they will concentrate on and don't necessarily backstop their boss on everything.

Menzies, who pledged to put his French lessons into high gear starting Monday, isn't backing away because of the clarification of his role.

"That's not to say that I'm not going to continue to my French-language training that was quickly accelerated after my swearing-in," he said. "I started that last January and got busy with other critic's roles and let it slip by the wayside, but it's a good impetus to get me going again on French language."

Another RCMP Investigation on the Liberals

How many does this make - 37?

The RCMP is launching an investigation into millions of dollars in contracts at the Canadian Space Agency. A former CSA scientist successfully sued the space agency for falsely appropriating one of his inventions. He submitted a formal complaint to the RCMP last month.

Evidence that at least 7.3 million dollars worth of contracts have never been publicly accounted for was presented during the 2004 Quebec Superior Court hearing for Samir Elomari's 14-million civil suit against the agency.

Media Bias?

Check out the research "Tori"did comparing the headlines from Belinda's betrayal to the Emerson Affair. (In the comments at Mr. Coyne's dead horse beating emporium!)

From the Star (may 17-24 2005)
get set for long US style election
stronach hit the big time
crossing floor has its own history
no room in party for red tories
stronach can see her next step
did stronach do the right thing in joining liberals?(two sides)
jumping ship (it's not all that diff in the corporate world)
the man who saved the govt (tim murphy)
after the drama, it's time for work
"dump harper" bid on the rise
harper halted
martin a fighter for his principles
love is blond
more innings to come in this game
parliment cant stand more of this
victory dance come too soon (martin must avoid gloating)
election averted
stonach makes halting entrance
will she guide us to deliverance or to the devil?
behaind the scenes, tories feel betrayed
break with party breaks a heart?
defection kickstarts dollar
dipstick jibe galls liberals
dry as dust politics not for her
harper scolding final straw
her riding is split in two
pm proving a master of the quick fix
red tories find new home with liberals
stronach shocker-improves chances of liberals winning vote
will harper recover?

feb 6 2006
tories say emerson should quit
pm obsessed with majority
tories singing new tune on floor crossers
did emerson block deal?
new pm makes us miss mulroney
outrage grows over defection
unease clouds new beginning
harper's cab ready to take care of biz
mr clean has left us flummoxed
wary tories welcome pair
harper shows a tough streak
some cynicism
harper forgets why he won
shock and awe, tory style
liberal defection raises controversy
top liberal defects to tories

From the Globe and Mail

may 17-24 2005:
fallout from ms stronach's leap (how harper can't keep his own)
stronach shocker
will harper survive?
what drove belinda out
advice from a floor crosser
even for liberals, gutsy a bit too much
tories downplay impact of defection
martin's white knight
stronach a traitor, westerners say
how it happened
mackay terribly hurt
stronach not particularily partisan
was it a good move?
revealing language
belinda's full 48 hours
friend or foe? both
stronach's competition credo
naked ambition may be taboo for women, but guts count
harper drove stronach from tories
plot thickens as critical vote looms
defection reinforces public's views
harper's gamble turns up snake eyes
martin breathes sigh of relief
martin calls for co-op spirit in house
the better way
well, the liberals survived
the govt survives by luck more than merit
stephen, belinda crossing and paranoia
lessons learned from belinda's flip
at what price this victory?
embattled belinda
harper may be real winner
sport benefits from stronach defection
who you calling sexist, buster?
the mask slips on the crop of prairie preachers
the lady in red
material girl latest to do capital dance
stronach campaigns with liberal in labrador
mr harper's secret (ignorance)
no more mr dithers
the art of betrayal

feb 6 2006 present:

that man emerson
switching teams: no big deal in biz, politics different
mr harper, i'd make a good minister
the risky calculations SH makes
dissident toried demand emerson resign
softwood a top priority emerson says
emerson rejects call for resignation
the curse of the conservatives- not again
party hopping is dangerous to our health
tory MP's riled by harper's outsiders
reynolds brokered emerson's right turn
harper's the man
different party same old tricks
26 conservatives and a liberal
emerson switch slap in face
serve his constituents-no just himself
tories move quickly on ethics
is this how harper ushers in a new era?
bay street likes blue cab

Headline's from The Star here and Globe and Mail here.

Disappointing

I have to say I'm a little disappointed with Garth today - not for taking a stand about Emerson. That I applaud.

Garth said on CTV that he believes what is said in caucus should be private. In the next breath, he details pretty much everything that happened in caucus.

From his blog today - "Speaking of offices, after today I’m expecting the Whip will be assigning me a renovated washroom somewhere in a forgotten corner of a vermin-infested dank basement in Ottawa. That should go well with my seat in the House of Commons that will be visible only during lunar eclipses.Uh-huh. That kind of a day. This one MP came face-to-face with the party machine in a series of unhappy meetings including one tonight with the prime minister. I think it is now safe to say my career options within the Conservative caucus are seriously limited."

Harper Endorses Another Shady Character

Harper today publically supported an individual that is at the center of a wide scale criminal investigation on the grounds that it is good for the country.

Harper even suggested that this individual should leave the country and endorsed this move. See the sordid details here! Six paragraphs down.

What's next? Dogs and cats living together?

Hey - I Found "Honest" Conservatives

The Conservatives say the outgoing Liberal government openly practiced trying to move federal departments for political gain with voters.

With Treasury Board Minister John Baird vowing to keep federal jobs here in the capital region, Ottawa-Orleans Tory MP Royal Galipeau says he won't be lobbying departments to move to his riding.

He says if moves take place, they should go to the best suited area, not where a sitting MP requests so that he or she can make political gain.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada is happy to hear Baird is in their corner...

All Religions Lead to God

pic

No Sense Killing Anyone over Yours!

The Art of Politics...

I bet PMHarper read this book. Some excerpts:

"Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one's own store.
This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength."

"Hence it is that which none in the whole army are more intimate relations to be maintained than with spies. None should be more liberally rewarded. In no other business should greater secrecy be preserved."

"The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy. Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated with the utmost liberality."

So...

"But when the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away.
Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

Don't fling victory away, Tories. Pick yer side...

Move Over Harper - No Room for You on the Front Page

Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet is accused of financing a U.S. sports gambling ring in which about a half-dozen current NHL players placed bets, authorities said Tuesday. New Jersey state police dubbed the investigation Operation Slap Shot.

Police said an investigation into the New Jersey-based ring discovered the processing of more than 1,000 wagers, exceeding $1.7 million US, on professional and college sports, mostly football and basketball, over 40 days in a ''highly organized sport betting system.

Lt. Col Rodgers told TSN that New Jersey State Troopers are fanning out across the country to serve papers on people involved with the bookmaking operation. Rumours are rampant as to which people and players involved with NHL clubs have been placing bets, but Rodgers said the names will become public in due time. This could be a significant blow to the image of the NHL, especially if any of the people involved were betting on hockey.

Can't we all get along?

I guarantee that in two weeks Conservatives and Liberals, NDP and Bloc, leftwing and right will be standing and cheering together!

Thoughts on the David Emerson Defection

Although I am not as angry as some bloggers are about Emerson crossing the floor and becoming a Cabinet Minister, I must say I am disappointed. I can see the practicality of making such a deal, I think everyone agrees that Emerson is a very competent MP and Cabinet Minister and is not a bad fit in the Conservative party. He also adds a 'Metro' voice to the caucus as well as being a good fit to look after the Vancouver Olympics. When he was a Liberal I didn't hate him, which is saying a lot.

I'm sure that a lot of bloggers and columnists will not like this deal as it smacks of the same horse-trading and back scratching that we all didn't like in the previous regime. On the other hand, insiders of all stripes will privately acknowledge this as a great acquisition by Harper and a nice coup. That being said, I think the biggest impact this will have is in the big cities, such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, who will now see the Conservatives as a winner. These are the same people who are hooked on survivor and admire winning at all costs, the exception being their hockey teams (Burn!!!).

I can understand some compromise will be needed to work in a minority parliment, to build a bigger tent, etc..., but we should not have to compromise our principles. This guy was elected only 2 weeks ago as a Liberal. Will this effect my support for Harper and the CPC? No it won't, but if disappointments like this start pilling up, maybe me and a few friends will have to start talking about small 'c' conservative 'Reform'!

Bring on the scary hidden agenda!

It appears Scary Canadians are prepared to give leeway to the new government as it prepares to sworn into office today. More than half of Canadians are happy to let Stephen Harper run the country, even if he tries to make same-sex marriage illegal or send troops into Iraq, a new poll reveals.

Bring on the scary hidden agenda!

h/t Nealenews.

I Withdraw My Official Dingwall Retraction

See original retraction here.

I now demand an apology from all members of the Liberal Party who lied (especially Paul Martin see below who lied in the House of Commons). Please place apology in the comments.

1) Right Hon. Paul Martin (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, Mr. Dingwall has dedicated most of his life to public service. He has been a member of Parliament. He has been a cabinet minister in the Government of Canada and he has been the head of the Mint. May I just simply say that under his tutelage at the Mint, the Mint has now been returned to profit.

The fact is that I have accepted his resignation, but let me just say that he gave the reasons for his resignation. Among them was that he does not want any distraction at the Mint while he replies to that kind of an allegation.

Update: Original article on "resignation" here.

Dalton McGuinty's Nose Grows

Premier Dalton McGuinty says there won't be any tax cuts until the province's finances are back in the black. McGuinty says it would be irresponsible to cut taxes while Ontario is running a deficit.

O.K. but the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says Ontario is in better financial shape than the provincial Liberals have said. A study released Thursday suggests Ontario could have a $1-billion dollar surplus in 2007-2008 -- earlier than the government has predicted. The study's author claims Dalton McGuinty's Liberals have been overestimating expenses and underestimating revenue since 2003.

Dear Liberal Party:

I'm honored receiving your cards and letter expressing your support for Pale to run in the upcoming Liberal leadership race.

I regret to inform you that - while I would make a kick @$$ leader - I have to decline due to family considerations.

Your Humble Servant;
Pale