The Status Quo and the Cultural Amuse-Bouche

Early on in this election, there was lots of talk of "strategic voting" and "wasted votes". The idea was, there's nothing worse than a repeat of the Conservatives remaining in power for another term. I have sympathy for the view that a Stephen Harper-led government is the worse scenario for progressives. Where I disagree is that we should cheapen the democratic process to oust him. The lesser-of-two-evils remains an evil. What's more, as the NDP has gained more and more traction amongst voters, more right-win columnists have come out with opinions as to why the Jack Layton is bad for anglophones, is a vacuous politician and has a hidden agenda to turn Canada into a socialist country.

Of those accusations, the first comes from professional paranoid schizophrenic Barbara Kay whose columns have long been out of touch with everyone that isn't a hard-line Zionist anglophone from Westmount. That demographic though, is well-served by Kay as her recycled topics are repeated week in and week out. The second accusation tries to reshape the political career of Jack Layton to fall into a predetermined Conservative narrative: those radical Lefties have some naive and bad ideas, don't they? It's a narrative that is rhetorical, shallow and persuasive. Finally, the third is the kind of fear-mongering that is perpetually employed by the Right that tries to convince voters that a party whose ideological cousin is the Labor Party of England should be perceived as an extension of Hugo Chavez's socialist revolution.

Then there are the reporters suggesting that the NDP will increase your mortgage rate that is based on pure speculation. However, the crowning achievement in fear tactics was Sun News and the Toronto Sun for its yellow journalism suggesting impropriety at a massage parlor some 15 years ago. If people aren't buying that their policies are wrong, personal attacks are the measure of last resort. It leads me to my pick of the week.

I watched An Unreasonable Man (2006) again recently. It reminded me how vital consumer advocacy, government and corporate accountability are to a country. It's a biopic of Ralph Nader from his early time as a consumer advocate taking on GM and details his work all the way to his candidacy as President of the USA. Finding out what depths GM was willing to go to discredit him makes it worth viewing alone. It opens with the George Bernard Shaw quote: "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man?

The early parts are revealing to see the extent of his consumer advocacy. It's spillover effect was felt in Canada especially in automobile safety. The documentary gets really interesting when you see Nader move into Presidential politics. The early flirtations from the traditional Democrats regarding his candidacy are replaced with condemnation when Al Gore is not elected President in 2000. All of a sudden, he's a pariah and an enabler of George W. Bush. Reality is demonstrably different but political interest in maintaining the incestuous 2 party system that is dependent on corporate donations marginalizes Nader. It's an interesting contrast Canada and the United States as the pleas to have a "united Canada" simply mean diminished alternatives and the marginalization of political parties such as the NDP and the Green Party.

As a supporter of the NDP this election, I still find it shameful that Elizabeth May wasn't included in the debates despite the support of 1 million voters last election. While the NDP has benefited from the diminished popularity of the Green Party, it still makes our democracy weaker to have fewer political viewpoints reach the larger public. And for all those Anglo Canadians complaining that Quebec gets its own debate and find it exclusionary, I'd suggest not to disparage those that fight for their rights and simply demand more debates from your elected officials. There's no reason why there shouldn't be 3 English debates over the course of an election. It could cover a greater variety of issues as well as regional subjects that are often ignored. Don't despise Quebec for having a voice, follow its lead.

Hack Pundits of the Week: The Globe & Mail Editorial Board

"[Stephen Harper] has built the Conservatives into arguably the only truly national party, and during his five years in office has demonstrated strength of character, resolve and a desire to reform." This is one of the arguments used by the Globe & Mail editorial board, led by editor-in-chief John Stackhouse, to reach the conclusion that the Conservatives, under Stephen Harper, are best to lead the nation. The reaction to this endorsement by the Globe & Mail readers has been far from kind. Despite the best efforts of the Globe & Mail editorial board, its readership hasn't been reduced to brainless, drooling zombies and are, in fact, quite discerning.

Contempt? I invented it.

But could the editorial board be right? Are they able to separate policy from politics like no other? Are their incisive minds able to cut through the spin better than the poor, deluded plebeians? Surely they must have a greater insight into the world of politics than our brains would ever be able to muster! Let's break down the Globe & Mail's reasoning to better understand their rigorous logic, shall we?

Starting with the sentence quoted above, I must say that I envy the Globe & Mail's editorial board's access to mind-altering substances as you have to be pretty crunked up to think that the Conservatives are "the only truly national party." The Conservatives are despised in Quebec. Not beloved, not accepted, not tolerated... but hated. The polls reflect this. The extremely low number of seats they are able to garner is a result of Quebec being socially leftist and fiscally centrist. And that's what's remarkable about the Conservatives lack of success in Quebec is that if they only would focus on fiscal matters, they might gain traction there. But they are rightfully recognized for having a right-wing social agenda and Quebec balks at the idea. It's a non-starter.

"Canadians take Mr. Harper's successful stewardship of the economy for granted, which is high praise." That depends on how you determine success, doesn't it? Over 8% unemployment is considered a success? High debt and budget deficits? An economy that depends more and more on mining and fossil fuel exports to motor the economy? How is that good stewardship? How does claiming that Canada isn't the worse supposed to fill me with confidence? How about other similar economies like Australia that are able to maintain their manufacturing base while their mining also booms? Their unemployment rate: 5%. I don't take it for granted that Mr. Harper's has been a successful steward of the Canadian economy. I take it for granted that any other party would do a lot better.

"Mr. Harper could achieve a great deal more if he would relax his grip on Parliament, its independent officers and the flow of information, and instead bring his disciplined approach to bear on the great challenges at hand. That is the great strike against the Conservatives: a disrespect for Parliament, the abuse of prorogation, the repeated attempts (including during this campaign) to stanch debate and free expression." No kidding. Someone should ask him if he's interested in trying that whole democracy thing that's catching on. Because being held in contempt of Parliament could change our perception of Mr. Harper as the cat-loving, piano-playing, sweater vest-wearing scamp we know him to be to a man that has nothing but contempt for the Canadian people and its institutions.

The Globe & Mail tell us to dismiss these pesky details and look at the economy. Yes, let us. "They are not doctrinaire; with the support of other parties they adopted stimulus spending after the financial crash of 2008, when it was right to do so." Let me get this straight. They didn't want to do anything when the financial crisis hit but because of the other parties screaming at them to put a stimulus plan together, they acquiesced and, therefore, we should reward them for it? You know who else we could reward? Any of the other parties that thought it was a good idea to put a stimulus plan together in the first place.

"Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are best positioned to guide Canada [to] a fresh period of innovation, government reform and global ambition." By that, they mean increased dependence on exports of natural resources for the economy, naming lackeys as government watchdogs that ignore whistleblowers and reducing corporate tax rates to the point where we can't afford quality education, health care or pensions unless the middle-class foots the bill. If that is the standard by which we should vote, then I expect every ballot to be cast for the Conservatives and Mr. Stephen Harper will have his majority government. But then, I'd have to be basing my vote on what John Stackhouse and the other hack pundits of the Globe & Mail editorial board are saying...

Blunder of the Week: Pierre Karl Peladeau

President and CEO of Quebecor Inc. Pierre Karl Peladeau has a branding problem. Sun News, from its outset, was branded "Fox News North". That's a public perception problem but hardly a large obstacle when it comes to navigating the treacherous deep waters of the Canadian broadcasting. His concern, and rightly so, was that of gaining a Category 1 license from the CRTC. Unfortunately for him, Sun News was denied that luxury. What does a Category 1 license imply? Canadian taxpayers subsidies in the millions: plain and simple. Once you have that license, all you need is minimal viewership and you're insulated from competition. Its positive is that the channel guarantees 50% Canadian content but its huge trade-off is that it supports terrible television.

Pierre Karl "Mini-Murdoch" Peladeau
(via Canadian Press)

Undeterred, Mr. Peladeau went full guns-a-blazin' with the launch of Sun News during this election campaign. It was accompanied with some less-than-shocking photos of credibility-shorn Krista Erickson. Megyn Kelly of Fox News would not be impressed by these photos. The reception by critics and pundits was less than kind. The National Post, the old guard Conservative voice for the aging population, sent Tasha Kheiriddin to bemoan the women in cocktail dresses. That argument implies losing credibility when there was some to begin with. Pasquale Lévesque of Rue Frontenac called it "Sun Pitoune News" and echoed the sentiment. Outside the extreme-right blogosphere, there was little positive being said about the channel.

The viewers agreed. Less than 4k viewers in some time slots. Once daytime is over, the eye-candy is replaced with the likes of Ezra Levant, David Akin, Brian Lilley, Charles Adler and Theo Caldwell. Out of the five, the two stand-outs are Ezra Levant trying to out-crazy Glenn Beck and Brian Lilley trying to out-dumb Sean Hannity. Big shoes to fill, boys. Which leads me back to the beginning: Sun News has a credibility problem.

What the former director of communication of PM Harper and current Sun News media guru, Kory Teneycke, doesn't understand of Fox News and its formula is that "Republican propaganda tool Fox News" use to be "oddball silly Fox News". It drew in its audience with fluff pieces and inanities. Once it had an audience, it played on viewers love and fear. They are able to personalize love of country and the fear of losing it. That's the magic of Fox News. And if you think hard-hitting news is the recipe, you won't be getting its ratings. News as entertainment that plays on people's emotions is how Fox became king. You need to adopt a different set of rules than the rest of the media. Enter Pierre Karl Peladeau and his op-ed.

A picture was sent to Sun News by Conservative strategist Patrick Muttart. Long-story short, Mr Peladeau feels that this was an attempt to diminish the credibility of Sun News. It might have been aimed at embarrassing Michael Ignatieff but that's a minor detail in his view. He also feels that this warranted an op-ed as incorrect information has never been sent to any news agency in the history of journalism. Not at TVA, the Toronto Sun or the Journal de Montreal, not ever! He also is firm in his conviction that Muttart was responsible in creating this fake photo although I'm sure everyone would love to have proof of this. Regardless, the Conservative Party agreed with his assessment and cut ties with Muttart. This is after the scandals of Bruce Carson, Helena Guergis, Dimitri Soudas, Bev Oda and a host of others. Usually, a news organization would just dismiss the lead and avoid using that source in the future. But Peladeau is claiming martyrdom as he slouches towards his objective: credibility and the category 1 status subsidies that come with it.

Currently, the direction of the Sun News is towards a middle-ground between news and propaganda. It's trying to convince everyone it's not the mouthpiece of the Conservative Party of Canada. But it's really difficult to prove you're a serious news organization when all it consists of is a studio and talking-heads. The problem with Sun News is not that it's too much like Fox News: it's that it has all of its flaws and none of its appeal. Alienating the Tory brass this deep in the election cycle is sure to reduce its access to them, the ratings will still stink and its programming will still be terrible while nowhere closer to the subsidies Peladeau so richly craves. This is why Pierre Karl Peladeau wins the award of "Blunder of the Week".

American Flavored Crazy

US President Barack Obama released his long-form birth certificate. This was done for two reasons: the first is that Birthers had become part of the majority of the Republican primary voters and the second would be because the media obsessed about his birth certificate over and over and over again. Clearly the financial issues that accompany a 9% unemployment rate, high headline inflation, a large debt and deficit don't really produce enough newsworthy content. Currently, 1 in 7 Americans use food stamps, while 1 in 6 workers are underemployed. Median income has dropped in the last decade. More and more people are poor, the middle-class are not prospering while the rich are getting richer by taking domestic profits and taking them overseas.

On the military side, there's a war in Afghanistan, troops in Iraq and kinetic military intervention to support NATO allies for humanitarian purposes in Libya... oh hell, can we just call them the 3 wars? To combat the growing costs of these entitlement programs, Americans face tax hikes and/or serious cuts to their entitlement programs such as social security, Medicare and Medicaid. More poverty, less prosperity, greater debt, possible entitlement cuts. That sounds serious but none of it matters if I can't see the President's birth certificate, right?

The man making the most noise on the birther issue, Donald Trump, is hinting he may run for President of the United States and some recent polls amongst Republican primary voters had him on top. Trump has been riding the gravy train of birtherism by appealing to people's paranoia.

The next President of the USA?

Now to be fair, it's important to note that paranoia runs deep in the US and isn't restricted to the Republicans. More than half of Democrats believe that George W. Bush knew about the attacks on 9/11 before they took place. It seems like they're in a perpetual race to out-crazy one another. And Trump knows crazy! His casino went bankrupt, but convinced everyone he's an expert businessman. He registered as a Democrat in 2001 and then as a Republican in 2009. His advice on increasing oil prices is to have the President tell OPEC "in a very very strong tone [...] you better get that oil down". And if they don't finish their meal, they won't get any dessert either. On Iraq? "If it's me, we take the oil". Imperialism never backfired on anyone, has it? Of course not.

From an outsider perspective, that's nuts. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't give a tip of the Crazy Hat to Sun News for suggesting that Ignatieff planned the Iraq War. Sun Media remains committed to bring terrible ideas to Canada. If Pierre Karl Péladeau uses the double comb-over for his hairstyle, I'm really going to worry.

Time to implement the Alternative Vote in Canada

As I've written about before here, the UK is going through a referendum on May 5th to decide whether their elections will adopt the "Alternate Vote". You can even check out the video below to have it explained to you with cats! I've stated my preference for it but let me expand on it in detail. This election, zombie ideas keep coming up (they won't stay dead!). Ideas such as "vote strategically" and "that's a wasted vote" are invoked whenever you express an interest in voting for anything but the Conservatives or the Liberals. Apparently, these two parties have the monopoly on good ideas and responsible governing and we're too ignorant, stupid or evil to realize it.

However, those ideas are what allow Canadians to be caught in the fear-mongering that enables a two-party system. While I'm no fan of the regionalism of the Bloc Québécois, I busted a gut laughing when they became the official opposition in 1993. Jean Chrétien referring to Preston Manning as "the leader of the 3rd party" at every opportunity would put a smile on my face. The reality is, Canada didn't collapse at that time. The planet didn't stop rotating.

The idea that a Left-leaning government is going to destroy the economy and drool mindlessly when faced with problems is absurd. Take a look at the properly run welfare-states of Scandinavia or the Netherlands. Denmark and the Netherlands have less than 5% unemployment rates while the other countries hover around the same rate as Canada. More taxes but more services. No one likes taxes but we realize that if you want a functional society, you need to be willing to pay for it. Good education and infrastructure has a cost attached to it. If you believe in private education when it comes to higher learning, I'm sure the University of Phoenix has a degree for you.

I believe that many more voters would choose the traditionally smaller parties like the NDP and the Green Party if the idea of "voting strategically" or "wasting your vote" wasn't a consideration. I can argue that these concepts are fallacious but zombie ideas always spring from the grave. This brings me to the concept of the Alternative Vote. Click the link above to find out what it is but in case you're still not sure, it's the same system that elects our party leaders. What a radical idea, huh?

The idea is that your initial pick is the one you truly believe in and the rest would be your personal pecking order. It breaks the grip on power of the large parties and encourages value voting while still representing the overall ideology of the people. It's especially interesting right now considering the new poll numbers that have appeared in the news.

(via EKOS)

Notice the support for the NDP as second choice towers above everyone else. If concepts like strategic voting and wasted votes were dismissed, it's possible to imagine a very different political landscape. The concern of having a party elected that you truly disagree with is gone as is the sour taste of choosing "second best" in the electoral process. Honestly Liberal supporters, do you want your party to be knows as "The Party of the Lesser of Two Evils"? It would be a more proportional vote, cooperation and collaboration through coalitions would be valued instead of sneered at and there would be less chances of extremists getting in as a result of divided votes.

A more representative electoral process can only be a healthy thing. Sycophantic two-party systems alienate a large portion of the population. Reengaging them into our democracy is crucial. Unfortunately, the popular opinion in the UK has shifted negatively towards this idea. This is led by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron who stands to lose the most from its implementation. I don't doubt that if this were proposed here in Canada, our Conservatives would be in the same position. Democracy has a way of really putting a damper on their plans. I'm perfectly aware that some NDP voters could also switch to the Green Party and that's perfectly fine. Democracy is a principle to uphold, not a tool to manipulate.

Interlude

"Wasted Vote" by Shane Koyczan

Stop with the "vote strategically" nonsense

Every time we have an election in Canada, the Liberals would plead with Canadians to "vote strategically". "A vote for the NDP or Green Party is a vote for the Conservatives!" How incredibly insulting. There are reasons why I'm not voting Liberal in this election as there are reasons why I'm voting NDP. One of those reasons is I feel the policies of the Liberals have shifted too far to the Right. I don't like this trend and I feel that the NDP better represents my values and beliefs. With that in mind, would voting for the Liberals move them back to the Left? No. They would want to chew away at the Conservatives' support and move even further to the Right. If they see their support erode towards the NDP however, they'll shift to the Left. At that point, I'll gladly entertain supporting their platform and vision for the country.

Did they vote "strategically"?

Currently, there's word of an NDP surge that is in full effect. The polls suggest that the NDP have overtaken the Liberals in support. Despite that, I don't want Liberal supporters to vote NDP if they truly feel that the Liberals provide the best vision for the country. If you vote for a party that doesn't represent you, "voting strategically" just means "accepting less". If you believe that the Liberals platform is representative of your ideals, then who am I to say "dismiss what you believe or else we may have to put up with a Conservative government"? I'll take a little bit of pain in exchange for long-term progress. In my opinion, the NDP's support shows that Liberals need to do some soul-searching. The Liberal attack ads show the kind of desperation that makes you want to hold your palm to your face. The base of power for Liberals has always been Ontario and they've switched in part to the Conservatives. Get them back. And if they lose seats and end up in third place, I'm sure a lot of pundits will declare it the end of the line for them but Canada loves an underdog; a humble underdog.

And with over 50% of the country leaning to the Left, why is talk of a coalition such an odious thing? Cooperation and compromise aren't Canadian values? The Conservative-led Harper government has failed to win support from the rest of the parties because they veer too far to the Right. Their failure to rule equitably has led to elections being called earlier than expected.

Harper has said that Canadians don't want to keep going to the polls. Maybe he's right. Maybe he shouldn't be Prime Minister and we won't have to go through this again in 3 years.

Canada's Brand of Religious Quacks

Not all religious groups are created equal. Not all people in the same religious groups share the same ideas either. There's room for debate as views are nuanced and disagreements make for greater understanding. It then becomes important for religious groups to focus on issues that reach a consensus and do as much good as possible.

Lots of religious groups focus on alleviating poverty, disease and hunger. Those groups are awesome.

And then, there's the other kind...

I stumbled on "Vote, Pray, Serve". On the surface, it's innocuous. The video on the front page is the generic advertisement of people from various ethnic backgrounds saying they're "On It!"... so what does that mean? To their videos page!  

Oh look, a cute video of little children wishing for peace on earth and goodwill! How cute! What could ever be wrong with little children desiring that while soothing piano music plays in the background? Wait. Did that little child just wish that Canada be a place where babies don't die? Did this kid just suggest an elimination of drugs? And this one that marriage should be between a man and a woman? The problem isn't whether these beliefs are right or wrong. It's more along the lines of why are small children reciting political positions of adults. These issues are complex and these aren't black and white topics but children don't always understand the various perspectives that determine our social policies.

(Kids Being Deeply Preoccupied With Gay Marriage?)

"Abortion is bad!" What if the woman is raped? What if it's incest? What if the child will undoubtedly be stillborn? Nuance. Complexity. Empathy. Not all cases are the same and when you start dictating what a woman can and can't do with her body, you're on thin ice morally.

"Drugs are bad, mmkay." There's addiction, there's drugs and there are narcotics. To dive into their similarities and differences would require a novel. And that's the point. It's a multi-layered topic and if want to live in a place where no drugs, alcohol or caffeine is consumed, move to Mormonville, Utah already. It's the porn-viewing capital of the USA! Repressed much?

Why are these little kids worried about gay marriage? Let me drop a shocking revelation on you all: they aren't. It's the parents that feel threatened by homosexuals. They probably don't know any out-of-the-closet homosexuals. They probably never spent time with them but they think they know enough to teach their children that if these regular people with a different sexual orientation were to get married, God would be very angry. God would be very angry at homosexuals but also at a society that promotes tolerance and acceptance. God created homosexual behavior since its been observed over 500 different animal species. Only one species is preoccupied with it.

So after viewing little kids spewing their parents political beliefs, I turned to their list of all the members of parliament. Displayed was a list of their votes on "moral questions" such as gay marriage, the legal age of consent, abortion, child traffickers (congratulations on finding one issue where there are actual victims), euthanasia, women's rights overseas (hint: they're against them) and transgender rights.

So who gets high marks? The Conservatives. Low marks? The Bloc. This is the base of the Conservative Party. These are the ideas that spring out of their MPs. This is the reason they are muzzled during election time. If people knew that they have a social agenda that's not representative of the majority of Canadians, the Tories would be booted so quickly, they'd be a regional party again.

And that would truly be doing God's work.

Rise of the Conservatives

Little movie I made today. I hope everyone can find the humor in it.

Cultural Amuse-Bouche

Presumed Guilty (2009) is an excellent documentary that follows the life of Antonio Zúñiga as he gets funneled through the byzantine Mexican justice system. As the title suggest, there is no presumption of innocence in Mexico and Zúñiga's life takes a turn for the worse when a homicide takes place close to where he works. What unfolds is a bewildering tale that reveals incompetence and unchecked power. A clear display of laws without justice leaving little to no recourse to the accused. As we find out more about the case, doubts concerning his innocence disappear. This man was declared guilty from the outset and now he's got to fight long odds to regain his freedom.

(Antonio Zúñiga)

In itself, the story is shocking. However, what's made clear is that this is hardly a unique story. Mexican jails are filled with innocent people. The story is so inflammatory that a Mexican federal judge ruled its distribution and viewing illegal. However, word got out across Mexico and it became widely available through YouTube and through street vendors. Ultimately, the ban was quickly overturned but the outcry for justice in Mexico remains. With the drug war's violence spiraling out of control, the people behind bars are often innocent bystanders.

This documentary was originally a selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. If you haven't had a chance to see it yet, you can find it with subtitles on YouTube or at Documentary Heaven.  

  

Hack Pundit Of The Week: Michael Taube

Meet Michael Taube, a columnist for the Ottawa Citizen. Michael's lifework has been contributing to the cause of voter apathy in Canada. He's done that by writing for various publications but mostly, his crowning achievement was serving as speech writer for Stephen Harper. He wrote for the Prime Minister for 2 years... or was it 3? No one really knows to be honest because no one has really cared to find out. And that's just the way Michael Taube likes it! Remember that stirring speech in the 2008 election when Stephen Harper said "cities are not of national importance"? That was all Taube. And the one about... let me think here... Oh! I know.. No, that was someone else... well, Taube was responsible for all those speeches that have been relegated to the dustbin of history. Canadian voter turnout was the lowest in the 2008 federal election.

A lot of that credit goes to Michael Taube. The Michael Taube & Stephen Harper team combined for droning speeches and a dull monotone voice which resulted in voter disinterest. Sleepy voters elected the Tories to yet another minority government.

So after a few years of failing as a speech writer, Taube returned to his first love of being a hack pundit for a Canadian newspaper. This time around he's telling young people not to vote. You see, he has a problem with Vote Mobs. Vote mobs are essentially university kids gathering together, encouraging other young people to be politically engaged and being enthusiastic about the issues of the day to ultimately vote. Yes, these vote mobs are a direct attack at Michael Taube's political legacy.

(The Taube Doctrine?)

He claims that those that are participating in the Vote Mobs are young people of the "circus clown variety". In Taube's world-view, those that think that civic engagement can be fun and entertaining are way out there on the fringe. The alternative I guess would be to beatdown their enjoyment of life and politics. In essence, transform them all into Tory supporters.

Never mind that those Vote Mobs videos are energetic, positive and fun while remaining non-partisan. Never mind that there are lots of creative Canadians such as Operation Maple and ShitHarperdid.ca speaking out in this election to rouse people from out of touch hack pundits. No, Michael Taube wants those Canadians to stay home on May 2nd. Congratulations Michael Taube on being a political pundit that encourages political disinterest. Take a bow!

Political Blunder of the Week: Brad Trost!

Meet Brad Trost, the Tory MP from Saskatoon. He was riding the wave of Western popularity of the Conservatives to a seat in Parliament where he mostly sits quietly until he makes the requisite yearly speech.

His current duties consist of serving as a member of the House of Commons Standing Committees for International Trade. Considering Canada is struggling with a huge deficit, high debt, high unemployment of 8%, a trade deficit of $9 billion and a dependence on commodities to fuel the economy at the detriment of manufacturing and investment that's resulted in what economists call Dutch disease, you'd think he would simply keep quiet this election cycle and slide back into Parliament. Not Brad!

This is the Brad Trost whose claim to fame in Canadian politics is telling everyone that the Canadian government shouldn't have funded the Toronto's Pride Week and that they were unaware they were doing so. Never mind that it draws tourism dollars to Canada.

("Let's make abortion a campaign issue!")

Over the weekend however, Brad Trost decided to thank his pro-life supporters for their campaign that he states denied Planned Parenthood its funding in Canada. This is an organization that has five goals: abortions, access (apparently, there's a doctor shortage in Canada. Who knew?), helping young adolescents, advocacy as well as AIDS prevention and treatment. Those monsters!

With the specter of an abortion ban back in the spotlight, Dimitri Soudas, the Communications Director and Spokesman of the Prime Minister stated: "We have been crystal clear on this issue – we are not re-opening this debate." Considering Soudas has such a sterling reputation after the well-documented claims he lobbied to get the Montreal Port Authority to appoint Robert Abdallah as its President, I'll go with the word of the MP that doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut on this one. With Soudas rebuking Trost, calling him a "backbencher" and claiming that this won't be an issue, how long will it take for the Tories to issue a private members' bill to ban abortion if they obtain a majority in parliament?

Interlude

Video of the stars atop El Teide in Spain.


The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Stephen Harper's favorite Canadian Humanitarian Aid Organizations

When there's a humanitarian crisis, the Canadian government funded Aid Organizations spring into action. They are the face of Canada in troubled countries. They reflect our goodwill and our ability to deliver aid to stricken people. That's why it's important to have organizations that know what they're doing. Very little waste, veteran administrators with a great deal of knowledge.

Stephen Harper doesn't seem to be a fan of that.

The good people at Rue Frontenac started looking into the matter after the well-documented Bev Oda affair with Kairos. There's been an increasing shift in funding towards religious organizations. Now, it just so happens to be that Kairos was one of those religious but they had spoken out against investing in Israel as it contributes to the violence in Gaza and the West Bank.

Money that goes into the expansion of the illegal settlements and while settlers continue to conduct price-tagging while the Israeli government not acting on any of it. Apparently, speaking out against the misuse of public funds is something the Harper government won't stand for so Kairos funding was cut off and called anti-semitic. But that's been covered already. The question is: what organizations are taking the place of veteran aid organizations? Rue Frontenac has the story here. For the non-French speaking readers, 15 of 28 organizations are religious. Most of them have very little international aid experience. The veteran aid organizations are deeply concerned about coordinating with those that have no clue on how to provide international aid. The problem isn't the religious nature of the organization, it's the competence. If you pick aid organization from religious groups to curry favor with some voters, you end up losing credibility on the world stage and, the original objective of providing aid, is diminished.

Your tax payer's money at work.

This is Your Brain on Shakespeare

A Professor Philip Davis of the University of Liverpool conducted neurolinguistic experiments to see how the brain reacts to different types of sentences. The results suggest that your brain activity increases when subjected to different types of thoughts or perceptions which typifies the language of Shakespeare. To sum up in practical terms: Dan Brown bad & William Shakespeare good!

This is Your Brain on Shakespeare | How to Think Like Shakespeare | Big Think

You're Wrong!

I've come across some fascinating stories in the last little while that covered how human beings don't necessarily regard facts as determining their political beliefs. Biases are lodged in our brains and we have a tendency to dismiss the evidence we don't like and embrace the information we already accept. The Boston Globe ran the story here. Also, learning from experience versus learning from advice or suggestion is likely tied to genetics as explained here in The Scientific American. Finally, we have the recent TED Talk from Kathryn Schulz on how we deal with being wrong and its implications over here.

If you disagree with any of these articles, then you're either stupid or evil. Oh wait...

Interlude

Nicolas Cage was arrested on domestic abuse allegations in New Orleans. He was seen arguing with his wife over whether the house they were in front of was actually their own. Consequently, in honor of this display, I present to you this montage of the actor's most celebrated outbursts on screen.

Enjoy (NSFW)

Maybe Iraqi Oil Was a Motivation? British Memos Indicate it Just Might Be!

It always struck me as odd that when the US had finished it conventional war campaign against Iraq, they secured the oil fields rather promptly and effectively. Not quite as effective to secure the National Iraqi museum or, say, the streets of every major city. We learn that BP, Shell and the British government all had talks about convincing the US to divvy up the Iraqi petroleum pie and the Independent has gotten hold of these secret memos. Now, it's no surprise that the largest cash generator of Iraq would be a preoccupation whether you're cynically trying to capture a nation's resource or you're earnestly trying to bring freedom to a people.

Regardless, it's not the fact that the Iraqi oil fields are a major concern that's disturbing, it's the fact that leaders and corporations suggest that it isn't and expect us to believe them that's baffling. 

"Probably thought 'The Flintstones' were a documentary"

  "
From the Texas Tribune. A sampling of Texans.

AP reporter asks tough questions to US administration on Bradley Manning's human rights.

Every now and then, some reporters understand that their job is to play an adversarial role to the government to make them accountable and transparent. Strange as it may seem, a democratic government is simply a legislative, executive and judicial extension of the people. So when the government doesn't uphold the principles that are foundational to a country, it's up to the 4th Estate to reveal this. A good example of this is seen here:

Tip of the hat to you, Matthew Lee for holding Mark Toner's feet to the fire.

Interlude

A beatboxing cellist? Yes!

S&P warns about possible downgrade in US Bonds: No One Cares

S&P, the rating agency, warned about a possible downgrade in their rating of US Bonds. What does that mean to those that don't really care about bonds and rating agencies? It means absolutely nothing except to those that are part of the 24 hours news cycle. S&P, which were heavily criticized in their role in the financial crisis, are stating that the political gridlock in the US is the reason for the possible pessimistic forecast. If they were to downgrade the rating of US Bonds, it would likely cost more in interest for the US to borrow from investors. It would add to their deficit and debt, and would likely cause a slowdown their economy.

That should worry people, right? Even Canadians whose economy is connected intrinsically with the American economy. But how did the markets react? They gave the S&P the middle-finger as Treasuries are up. But still, the S&P are just, as they testified many times in front of the US Congress, "giving an opinion". The market seems to not really care what that opinion is from the looks of it.

But Gas Drilling will be different in Quebec...

South of the Canadian border, we learn that the natural gas drillers are injecting 14 carcinogenic chemicals into gas wells. Most of that water remains underground. To Jean Charest's Liberal Government, that just means "drill, baby, drill". How is it going to be safer in Quebec?

Fracking Chemicals Cited in Congressional Report Stay Underground - ProPublica

On Voting Restrictions

In the last few days, I've come across an opinion piece by LZ Granderson on CNN.com as well as a feature on PBS.org about Jason Brennan's book "The Ethics of Voting". Both argue that we should consider restricting voting rights to those that are ignorant as they don't fully appreciate the responsibility that is the democratic process. They argue that a populace that is uninformed on matters such as trade deficits or basic facts about Health Care drag down democracy. The Brennan book is less overt as he:

"restricts his book specifically to a discussion of the moral permissibility of voting — whether you’re acting unethically if you vote based not on a rational assessment of the facts but for emotional or ideological reasons."

Granderson is more direct and states that we Americans are shouldn't be subject to the ignorant. Granderson argues that an ignorant voter involved in the democratic process is like ingesting unknown medicine. Brennan compares an ignorant voter to a drunk driver and we're all subject to his folly.

The problem is, that's not true. At all. Bad analogies result in bad ideas. Voting is an expression of your values, your ideals and your priorities and there is no metaphor or simile that is equal to it.


While everyone should be encouraged to be as informed as possible about politics, the economy and social issues, the idea that some measure of knowledge about the nuts and bolts of a parliamentary system or a republic is necessary to judge whether someone is worthy of voting is farcical. When the Tunisian people go to the polls, should they have to know what have been the constitutional changes in the law? Should Egyptians be required to know how many representatives will be in the legislative branch before they cast their votes? Of course not. It's preposterous. You live politics. You live economics. You live social issues. If one issue affects you in a way that is proportionately greater than most others, isn't it reasonable to have that one issue decide your vote? While developing additional interests is encouraged, if life gets drastically worse for the people, they will raise their voice and cast their ballots to express their displeasure. It can be on a range of issues or a single one. You may judge them in error to vote someone in but that is democracy. The fact that people aren't aware what percentage of spending the military is privy to in the overall federal budget is not a reason to restrict a vote. The result would be imposing your own values on others as to what should be deemed important. Granderson repeats the importance of the US trade deficit. Is it important that every economy export more than it imports? If so, please come up with a model of a global economy where that's possible.

This reminds me of a rather interesting passage in Kazuo Ishiguro's "Remains of the Day" in which Stevens, the butler, is brought up to prove a point about his "ignorance". They ask him about the gold standard, an arms treaty and low levels of trade with America. Stevens tells them he is unable to answer them to which Mr Spencer answers:

"we still persist with the notion that this nation's decisions be left in the hands of our good man here and to the few millions others like him. Is it any wonder, saddled as we are with our present parliamentary system, that we are unable to find any solution to our many difficulties? Why, you may as well ask a committee of the mothers' union to organize a war campaign."

Stevens has always served his master. He knows a life of toil and difficulty as he works around the clock. You'll have to excuse him if he's not up on the latest figures about trade deficits but I would rather have the direction of a country decided by him rather than the Mr Spencers, Grandersons or Brennans of the world.

Interlude

An animated documentary about a baby-faced 12 year-old who comes up with an ingenious disguise in an attempt to get into a strip club.

Do Canadians pay more taxes than Americans?

Yahoo Finance has a nice contrast and compare article about Canadian vs American taxation. It's important to note that there's no discussion of sales tax and/or value added tax in the article which is a significant source of tax revenue for Canada.

Do Canadians pay more taxes than Americans? - Yahoo! Canada Finance

Referendum in the UK: The Alternative Vote

On May 5th, the British will be going to the polls to decide whether to implement the Alternative Vote system. How does it work? It's best explained in the interactive link below. My initial reaction? It's fantastic and promotes democracy in the truest sense. No more ridiculous statements of "wasted votes" and "you have two choices in this election". The implementation of this system in Canada would be a huge improvement to our own democracy.

How the alternative vote works – interactive guide | Politics | guardian.co.uk

Interlude

Tim Minchin's animated beat poem "Storm"

The Robin Hood Tax

Not all taxes are created equal. The difficulty of justifying foreign aid and development projects in emerging nations when there still exists poverty in developed nations means financing is contentious. Here we find 1,000 economists agreeing that a "Robin Hood Tax" that would tax financial transactions by 0.05% would generate billions and slowdown irresponsible speculating (well, that would be the plan anyway). I'm sympathetic to the idea although it isn't a way to replace sound financial regulations.

Robin Hood tax: 1,000 economists urge G20 to accept Tobin tax | Business | guardian.co.uk

Yamato-Damashii Diaries - Day 1: Tokyo to Fukushima -- MMA Fighting

This is diary of Australian MMA writer and photograph Daniel Herbertson about his travels with Enson Inoue to lend a hand to those most stricken by the disaster of the Earthquake/Tsunami. Each entry is insightful, touching and worth reading to get his firsthand account.

Yamato-Damashii Diaries - Day 1: Tokyo to Fukushima -- MMA Fighting

Interlude

Yo-Yo Ma and Lil Buck. Thanks to Chris for bringing this to my attention.

Meanwhile in Tunisia...

Al Jazeera had a story up a little while back of changes to every day life changing slowly. I remain hopeful that Tunisia can lead the way in having a democratic nation in the Middle-East. From the looks of it, political activism remains high and there no longer is an effort to mute those that speak up for themselves. Meanwhile, the head of the central bank of Tunisia is asking for additional funding as Bloomberg reports but I'm sure that transparency will be the biggest precondition for any loans. Still, I'm more optimistic about Tunisia than, say, Egypt...

Things are not looking up for Egypt...

After NPR's Planet Money had an in-depth podcast about Egypt's military being involved in a large number of economic sectors of Egypt's economy and the New Yorker reporting that women's inclusion into the new government is not even a consideration by the men, we now get some troubling news via The Economist about how criticizing the Egyptian Army led to a blogger being imprisoned for 3 years.

Bloggers in the Middle East: Stifling online critics | The Economist

Republicans favor Trump in newest poll.

If this doesn't exemplify the GOP's despondency towards their presidential candidates, I don't know what does. www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_US_0414925.pdf

Because progress and saving money on light bulbs infringes on our freedom?

Energy-efficient light bulb deadline delayed: "The federal government wants to delay by two years its deadline requiring all new light bulbs sold in Canada to be energy efficient."