Nancy the Sequel?

By now, you are no doubt aware of the soap opera known as the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta. King Ralph, not being able to take a hint even when applied with a sledgehammer, continues to take an 18 month final lap around the legislature; former gum-flapping backbencher turned gum-flapping Minister of Learning (and leadership candidate) Lyle Oberg was unceremoniously booted from cabinet and caucus for his ill-advised comments about the Premier; Ed Stelmach stepped down from his Ministry post to pursue the leadership as well. You're forgiven if you forgot.

Oberg's threat to blab about supposed 'skeletons' was a blurry statement. Was his target the cabinet? The PC Party? Klein himself? Any skeletons that Oberg could possibly reveal would most likely show involvement, however miniscule, by Oberg himself. The move is reminiscent of the Paul Martin camp attempting to paint the misdeeds of the federal Liberal government on the Chretienites. 'Sure, I was part of the government and privy to information, but it wasn't me.'

The M.L.A. for Strathmore-Brooks isn't a stranger to self-inflicted controversy. Not that long ago, Oberg proclaimed to have the answer for the much-needed infrastructure upgrades throughout the province: go into debt. After a decade of cuts, closures, and provincewide sacrifice in the name of debt elimination, Oberg decided the time was right to forget about all that and move our province back into the red. Headshaking and eye-rolling from the population to his fellow politicians convinced Oberg to shelve the idea.

If Oberg truly wishes to become our next Premier, his first step would be to replace his current advisory staff with people who are in touch with Albertans. Crazy ideas and upsetting the very Party you wish to lead isn't the best avenue for success. If this is any indication as to what makes Oberg tick, the concept of his reaching the pedestal of power is scary. I wouldn't be surprised if we are seeing history repeat for the P.C.'s. Fast forward about four years from now, and you just might see one Lyle Oberg, failed candidate for the provincial Progressive Conservatives, pulling a 'Nancy' and running for the leadership of another rightwing party.

American Idiot

It is yet another example of a so-called celebrity proving how out of touch they are with reality. Hollywood rehabilitation project Charlie Sheen created a controversy recently when he made comments regarding the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Sheen, proving that doing enough drugs will make you paranoid, suggested in an interview on the GGN Radio Network's 'The Alex Jones Show' that the attacks were an 'inside job'.

"It seems to me like 19 amateurs with boxcutters taking over four commercial airliners and hitting 75 percent of their targets, that feels like a conspiracy theory. It raises a lot of questions," Sheen said. "A couple of years ago, it was severely unpopular to talk about any of this. It feels like from the people I talk to, and the research I've done and around my circles, it feels like the worm is turning." Sheen said the collapse of the Twin Towers looked like a "controlled demolition."

Sheen then questioned the validity of the Pentagon attack. "Just show us how this particular plane pulled off these maneuvers... It is up to us to reveal the truth. It is up to us because we owe it to the families, we owe it to the victims, we owe it to everyone's life who was drastically altered, horrifically, that day and forever. We owe it to them to uncover what happened."

In a related story, experts in California have revealed that constant exposure to Charlie Sheen can lead to insanity.

Save the Seals! - Club Bardot Instead

The roaming band of international has-been celebrities has a new target: the Canadian seal hunt. First, it was ex-Beetle Paul McCartney and his wife Heather taking some time off of their busy (?) schedule to crawl out on an ice floe in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for a photo-op. Then it was ex-famous actress Brigitte Bardot causing the paparazzi to flutter when she tried to have a chin wag with our new Prime Minister.



McCartney took his crusade against Canada's seal hunt right to the summit of American media, CNN's Larry King Live show. In what could only be described as comedy, McCartney went face-to-face with Newfoundland's Premier Danny Williams in a heated debate regarding those cute and cuddly seals, and in doing so, displayed a complete lack of knowledge of the subject. Williams chewed Sir Paul up and spit him out. (Keep in mind, when I side with a Liberal, the situation must be grim.)



Bardot, who many people didn't even realize was still alive, somehow thought that being a soft-core actress from the 1960's gave her the authority to march into our national leader's office for a discussion. Not only did Prime Minister Stephen Harper refuse to meet with her, but other officials and Ministers also refused. Bardot, who is the public face of an animal rights group comprised of members whose bank accounts could buy the entire seal population, had to settle for a blubbering press conference. This wasn't the result she was expecting, and to add salt to the wound, a group of Inuit activists protested outside of the hotel where Bardot was staying.

The image of washed-up celebrities coming to save us from ourselves is sad. Not only have these people lived outside of the real world for decades, but their past success has led them to believe that they have a right to speak out on issues of which they have no understanding. A few minutes in the library could have saved McCartney's embarrassment on national television. I just wonder who is next. Bono? He's probably too busy saving the rest of the world.

Why I (still) Love America

A strange thing is happening to conservative Canadians these days. For the first time ever, many right of centre voters are speaking out publicly against an American Republican government. While still basking in the afterglow of a minority federal Conservative victory, some supporters seem compelled to add the additional '...but I wouldn't vote for Bush' catch phrase that is in fashion north of the border.

Being a conservative is no longer spoken about only in hushed tones at the weekend dinner party. It is now more socially-acceptable than it has been in years. Yet, we still seem to buy in to the current anti-Americanism that permeates our country. From the media to the people on the street, the evil-doers from the south are portrayed in such a negative light that to have a contrary opinion categorizes you as 'un-Canadian'. Well, my friends, we have a Conservative Prime Minister in Ottawa. We have a Conservative government in the economic powerhouse province of Alberta. If there was anytime that we shouldn't shy away from being proud Conservatives, this is it.

I will officially claim, here and now, that I love America. I am in awe of the patriotism of it's people, and of the unheralded contributions it makes to the world's less fortunate. The fact that the United States kept my home protected throughout the Cold War is appreciated, and the sacrifices that America (as well as Canada) have made that resulted in the continued freedom of the Western world won't be forgotten.

For those of you who are screaming: "What about Iraq?", I respond by saying that I never cared if the Americans ever found WMDs or not. I understand, as so few of my countrymen do, that the real purpose of the war was to rid the world of one more potential threat to our safety and freedom; a war which would cause some in the Muslim world to make the decision between democracy and oppression. The Iraqi people are now closer to having a say in their own destiny than they ever had with Saddam in power. Democratic elections have been held - again, something new to an entire generation of Iraqi citizens. They have America to thank for that.

While Canadians struggle to keep their support of our troops in Afghanistan, the American people are strongly behind their armed forces. Many Canadians do not understand, or agree with, the reasons why our courageous men and women in uniform are fighting a war instead peacekeeping. They see our international role as solely that of a peacekeeper, yet we have forgotten how our peace was obtained. Which brings me to the real reason why I still love America:

Whereas Canadians take their freedom for granted, Americans of all political stripes have never forgotten the battles it took to get theirs. God bless them.

Whaaaa.......?

Newly-minted federal Environment Minister Rona Ambrose threw out the latest Conservative curveball this week, when she stated that Canada was going to continue to honor the Kyoto Accord. To those who aren't aware, this international agreement has been given the public face of being an environmental policy, one that apparently focuses on carbon reduction. Look closer at the agreement and you will see what many experts and government officials have come to realize: it is nothing more than an avenue for the sharing of international wealth. Basically, the agreement sets unattainable targets (words of the Prime Minister himself) so that the 'wealthy' nations are required to purchase credits from the poorer nations.

When half of the former government's science specialists resigned from the group that was creating Canada's policy, I knew something was up. So did many others, not the least of which were the large number of Albertans with long memories. M.P. Ambrose should know better. She hails from the heart of Alberta's oil country and the ghosts of the tragic National Energy Policy still haunt our people. Point blank, it is understood by those in the know that the Kyoto deal is a bad one all the way around. A made-in-Canada environmental policy would prove much more effective. Not only would it be specifically designed for our industries and their needs, but it just might have a positive effect on our environment - an aspect the Kyoto Accord has yet to prove.

The irony would be that if the federal government pushes the Kyoto Accord down Alberta's throat, it could very well be a Conservative government that ultimately causes the over-the-top surge of independence in our province. Nothing would promote bad blood between Albertans and federalists more than to have 'our guys' finally make it to Ottawa, only to turn their backs on the very people who got them there. Right now, many of us are wondering where our guys have gone.

Freedom Isn't Free

Prime Minister Stephen Harper greets the troops.
Photo courtesy of the Edmonton Sun.

Canada has 2200 brave soldiers currently fighting to keep our nation safe, yet the majority of those asked in opinion polls are against having them there. Why? The favorite excuse is that the public in general wasn't given enough information before the decision was made. Others believe that it is because, for the first time in years, Canadians are suffering casualties of war. The images of flag-draped coffins being unloaded from airplanes have made the public weary of our involvement. There may be some truth to these theories, but I fear that the real reason for the opposition is far more disturbing.

When Islamic terrorists hijacked some airplanes and flew them into their targets on 9/11/01, one of the unfortunate results was a seemingly apathetic reaction from Canadians. Sure, we were stunned by the events. We were distraught at the loss of life, including those of Canadians. But the weeks that followed came to show an attitude of 'oh, well' from the general public. In fact, for some bizarre reason that I cannot fathom, it seemed to spark an anti-American fervor. Even some of our wise politicians got into the act - stomping on a George Bush doll on national television comes to mind. The obvious and understandable U.S. invasion of Afghanistan - the home of the Taliban and harbourer of Usama bin Laden - was met with borderline disgust by many in the Canuck elite. No matter that it was a NATO act, not an American one.

"There go the Americans, fighting a war again..."

The realization that we were attacked that day is completely lost on us. In fact, I dare say that we have become a nation of people who will gladly take repeated hits to our people and our freedom as long as we can remain deluded in our 'peacekeeping nation' psychosis. The lessons of the past century have been forgotten; the lives of those who came before us and put their lives at stake for us have been forsaken. The very freedom we have to call ourselves a 'peaceful' nation didn't come for free. We paid a price (more than once), and if history has told us anything, it is that our way of life must sometimes be defended with force.

There is an entire religious sect whose main purpose is to eliminate our way of life, if not our lives as a whole. They do not negotiate, as we do not share their faith. They do not recognize humanitarian policies such as the Geneva Convention. They torture, extort, maim, and murder Canadians. Yet, we see the global war on terror as a 'U.S. war', and therefore must not support it. The saving grace for our international reputation is the fortunate outcome of the recent federal election. My hope is that the new Conservative government recognizes the necessity of our involvement in this war, and what is at stake. Prime Minister Harper seems to get it. His cabinet seems to understand. Perhaps in time, the Canadian people will get it as well.

Yet Another Separated at Birth

What the hell is Jack Layton doing selling P.C. software on late-night television commercials?

Cuts Like a Knife

Canada took a major step toward Trudeau's vision of a multicultural utopia this week when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against a ban on knives in schools. To my growing number of American readers, let me assure you that I did not mistype there. The city of Montreal had a ban on the religious symbol known as a 'kirpan'. Seems that when Sikh student Gurbaj Singh, then a 12 year old, got into a little bit of trouble when his kirpan fell to the ground. A five-year legal battle ensued, ending with the ruling of the S.C.C. that included the usual feel-good babble that is all too common from the highest court in the land. Justice Louise Charron quipped:

"A total prohibition against wearing kirpans to school undermines the value of this religious symbol and sends the message that some religious practices do not merit the same protection as others..." (I guess the protection of my two daughters isn't important.)

Proponents claim this as a huge rights victory. These days, everything the leftwing politicos do is done in the name of 'rights'. They now say this will open the door for more wonderful examples of religious freedoms such as the wearing of hijab, the traditional Muslim head scarf for women. Funny, but I didn't realize that was banned anywhere. The point that is missed is that one is a scarf, the other is a sharp and deadly knife.

This in no way is meant to imply that I believe Sikh students around Canada will use these religious symbols as weapons. Quite the contrary, as I haven't heard of one instance where this has happened. The fear is that the knife could get into the hands of someone not so stable. Yes, restrictions have been placed on the wearing of the kirpan, but if a group of five or six students want to take that knife off of a kid, they will get it. Religious freedoms are a must in Canada, but they must be balanced with the overall safety of our citizens - including our children. Students, for any reason, being allowed to take weapons to school is just a ticking time bomb.

It's Official: 62% of Canadians are ungrateful idiots

A message to the majority of Canadians who would like to stop our brave troops from fighting for freedom and democracy in Afghanistan. Here are some of the people you have dishonored:





Shameful.

Separated at Birth II

Change the Channel

The time has come for the federal government to unhook itself from one of its biggest money sucking ventures. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, wholly owned by Canadians, is said to be the cultural voice of Canada. For decades, taxdollars have been spent to produce television shows that include such entertainment highbars as 'Red Green' and 'DaVinci's Inquest'. That's when they don't have a British show to throw on, of course. Other than being David Suzuki's personal soapbox, I have yet to see the purpose of the network. In some rural areas, the CBC is still the only channel available. (This may explain some of the reasons behind the high drinking, drug use, and suicide rates outside of suburban Canada. I'm kidding, of course.)

The image of the CBC being a vehicle to show our culture is one that has been cultivated out of the need to, in fact, have a culture. Canadians have lived for so long without a national identity that we will grasp just about anything that could be thought of as 'ours'. This list also includes our sad, failing universal health care system, but that's a subject for another post.

To get an idea of how misled some Canadians are, consider this statement:

"Statistics from the OECD show Canada 22nd out of 26 OECD countries in per capita public funding for public broadcasting. Only Portugal, Poland, New Zealand and the United States invest less in this instrument for human development."- Professor Marc Raboy, Beaverbrook Chair in Ethics, Media and Communications at McGill University, in the Spry Memorial Lecture on November 10, 2005

Instument for human development? The CBC? I cannot see how sitting through a painfully unfunny episode of This Hour Has 22 Minutes would be helpful for my personal development, other than seeing how long I could watch before changing the channel. Perhaps those water-walking informational specials with the aforementioned Dr. Suzuki is what is supposed to help me and my culture 'develop'. I doubt it. If the intent was to have a network on air to showcase Canadiana, the CBC has failed. Instead, the Mothercorp has become nothing more than a socialist speakerbox, spewing environmentally friendly and politically-correct diatribe. News coverage is good, as long as you happen to support the Liberal, anti-American viewpoint (as I'm told, ALL Canadians should). Not that anyone actually watches the CBC news. Ratings for the entire network are close to those of the Shopping and Discovery channels in Canada.

The kicker: In 2003, the then-Liberal government announced an allotment of 1.6 Billion - yes, BILLION - dollars to the CBC. Defenders were quick to point out that this is for both English and French television and radio stations. For those of us who don't support forced bilingualism, too bad. Your money is going to pay the salary of a french producer in Montreal. If the supporters of the CBC are right, then they should have no problem with the privatization of the terrible station. If the quality of the programming is so good, and if enough Canadians really do enjoy watching the network, then it should be able to survive nicely without the handouts from the feds. The truth is, these same CBC diehards know that the station would be gone and forgotten in short order. Maybe if the Corp. changed into a Canadian PBS, it would become more worthy to watch. It just might start showing some true Canadiana, and leave Rick Mercer's anti-Alberta musings where they belong - in the East.