While You Were Flicking!

There's no doubt in my mind that the heat turned down in a hurry over the McGuinty government's slush fund controversey the minute "Flick Off" hit the headlines.

But, for the record, you may have missed this gem.

Dalton's Liberals took advantage of their majority status to shut down the auditor general's investigation into the $20 million in grants doled out out to multicultural groups without a legitimate application process.

Dalton further waded into the cess by accusing the opposition of racism in the wake of their complaint over the issue.

It's becoming increasingly apparent that Dalton McGuinty wants to keep Ontarians in the dark... for more than just environmental reasons.

They're Just Tryin' To "FLICK" The Page!

Great job by the Ontario Libs to shove the red herring out there. In the midst of slush fund discoveries, partisan funding questions, Lottogate, etc.... We and the media fall, again, for one of the oldest tricks in the book.

With the "Flick" of a switch, the switch took place. Focus returned to the benign. For now....

Had to bb this note. Thinking caps back on, Ontarians. Now!

Thumbed via Blackberry

The Flickin' Visual's The Thing!

Well, it didn't take long for a michievous photog to angle themselves "just so" for the brilliant snap of Ontario Liberal Environment Minister Laurel Broten in front of the province's latest environment announcement backdrop.

A picture's worth a thousand words, they say. One word, in particular!

That is all.....

Hard For Provincial Matters To Cut Thru The Federal Din, BUT!

Lottogate. It shouldn't just get swept under the rug. I know the Ontario government would love it to, but there a far too many unanswered questions. Ontario PC leader John Tory appeared on CTV yesterday to announce his intentions to call for a formal inquiry before the legislature.

Video can be seen HERE.

It is not likely that Tory's motion will pass in the legislature but he said the issue is not dead.

Tory believes the questions surround OLG will reappear during the provincial election campaign in October.

It's not enough, at this point, for an Ombudsman's report and recommendations when there are clear indications that these types of activities have been going on for as long as it has and as widespread as it seems.

Earlier this month, a senior claimed to have been defrauded of $12.5 million.

Video on that one is here.

Revisiting JJ gives us another indication that this can't go away... ESPECIALLY with the Colby Cosh snippet.

An inquiry may still happen, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Ewww! I'm Like... 67 PerCent Saddam!

So, like, I'm Facebooking, right. Okay, what-evarr.
But, this friend? Like on her Facebook? She has this, like - THING - like where you can go to this website? And, like, upload a pickcharrr - uv yerself or whateverr? And like it scans it... or something...and then... it shows you? Like what celebrities you look like? And so it do it. And then I find, like, I look like that creep Saddam Hussein? And, so, like, I'm totally creeped out over this.

I'm never going back to that website, evarr. I swarrrr.


Update: Reposted due to link error.

Stop Me If You've Heard This One....

A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a good NDP-ER, and was very much in favor of the redistribution of wealth.

She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Conservative. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the addition of more government welfare programs.
The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father.

He responded by asking her how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.

Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Audrey doing?" She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA . She is so popular on campus, college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties, and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over."

Her wise father asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your 4.0 GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair! I have worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!"

The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, "Welcome to the Conservative Party".

...... yeah, yeah... you may have heard it before. Bit its message is timeless.

h/t my friend, Bill for spamming me with it.

Red Light, Green Light: The Dion-May Story

h/t Alberta Ardvark for the Red Green reference to the political courtship between Liberal leader Stephane Dion and Green Party leader Elizabeth May.

What's interesting about this is that, within their own parties, they have been criticized for this very type of juxtapositioning.

Some Liberal insiders believe Dion has positioned himself too far left while May has been accused of not being green enough.

Instead of red, one could label Stephane Dion red light and May green light, as opposed to green.

May, in fact has come under fire in the recent weeks for her overtures of Praise for Dion but it obviously hasn't phased her, which has to be, now, a festering sore spot with her own grass roots.

For her own part on Environmental Policy, it seems she doesn't know what she wants even when she sees it.

In all, despite the optical kiss-blowing between the two, the lack of stability within their own ranks because of this cannot be good for either of them.

Que Dion, Dion! Come What May, May Come Red.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion will not run a Liberal candidate against Green party Leader Elizabeth May in the next federal election, the first time the Liberals won't run a full slate of candidates. - CBC 04/12/07

No matter how they spin it, Liberal slight of hand or no, this will not work for Nova Scotian Liberals, hence, it will not for Nova Scotians, PERIOD!!

Sucking the pride out of the grass roots of your own party is not the way to ensure success and, the bleeding can spread riding to riding quickly in a party.

What this move only ensures is what many have suspected all along; a standing relationship between Elizabeth May and Stephane Dion or, indirectly, the Liberal Party.

What has us scratching our collective heads is how May can say that Stephane Dion's record on the environment is, somehow, "magnificent".

It's easy, from Dion's perspective, to see the big picture. Take out an enemy without incurring any casualties of your own - and, lord knows, he can't afford any more. But doing so, in such a way, pretty much smacks of selling arms without engaging in the war.

As for May, like Belinda Stronach once said of HER situation, the environment must be a pretty complex file for her to regard Dion's performance as "magnificent".

Or, also like Belinda, perhaps the trappings of future ambitions are just too irrestistable to refuse.


Yup, she does look good in red.

The New Jack Bauer Drinking Game: Dammit, Eh?

It makes sense, in the Canadian context, that the content matter of upcoming episodes of 24 would hit many places around the world, including Canada.

From TV Squad, h/t National Newswatch, that the Kansas City Star featured an interview with 24 producer and director, Jon Cassar, in which he eluded to the possibility of a Canadian terrorist element.

“We are absolutely evenly employing all the bad guys of all nations,” Cassar says. “Some told me, because I’m Canadian, they said, ‘Hey, why are you leaving us out? Why can’t we be the bad guys?’ I’m like, ‘Good idea. Quebec separatists could be the terrorists.’

“I’d like to go after the Nazis, but they’re not around.”

If this comes to pass, Canadians are going to have to reconfigure this whole Jack Bauer drinking game. View Below for the explanation.


Or... If you're brave enough, you can play the COMPLETE 24 Drinking Game.

Ottawa West-Nepean Ontario PC Breakfast

Guest Speaker - Tim Hudak, MPP Erie-Lincoln, Ontario PC Finance Critic.

Saturday, April 14th, 9AM

Some spaces left.

Click Here For More Details.

He'll be talking about the lates McGuinty budget and then some.

About That "Grit Quit" Counter ... UPDATE!

From the comments, C.C. has a running tally. However, I was looking for something more visually impactful. So, what the hell. I designed my own. At least keeping it updated won't be labour intensive.


Scroll to see it................




and... VOILA!









Next????

About That "Grit Quit" Counter....

Belinda Stronach has become the latest Liberal MP to announce their departure from the electoral process.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion was unavailable for comment as he was walking his dog, Kyoto.

... developing....


Now, about that counter...

Making Stephen Harper's Day!

If the recent SES poll wasn't enough to make Stephen Harper's day, the latest StatsCan employment figures should do the trick, according to Ian MacDonald of the Montreal Gazette.

In the five quarters since then, the Canadian economy has created nearly half a million new jobs, 158,000 in the first quarter of 2007 alone, the strongest employment growth in five years.

And, as the day rolls along, it can only get better with the launch of an investigation into Liberal era polling irregularities, specifically - allegations of tax-payer funded opinion surveys: More specifically - the relationship between Paul Martin and Earnscliffe Strategy Group.

Kate, over at SDA, has more background on the relationship.

Meanwhile, "Step On" Dion, trying to include himself in his home province where he barely has a 10% approval rating, suggested that non-Quebeckers lack sophistication.

Wondering if I was the only one to catch a line so buried in a CBC report, I found that Angry not only picked up on it but also points out that it ain't the first time Steffi's pulled this.

Good day, eh?

"DION: THE HEMORRHAGING" Now Showing!

"Everyone knew the situation for Dion was bad -- just not this bad." - Nick Nanos, SES

"All but lost in the electoral wilderness" - Greg Weston, Sun Media

"Fancy meetin' YOU here, Stephane." - Jack Layton, 16 PerCent

"Since the election I came in Alberta seven times." - Stephane Dion

Recall Dalton? If only...

What Part of "will not raise your taxes" does Dalton not understand? Today, in the Financial Post, he at least admitted to not regretting tax hikes. Corporate or not, "I will not raise your taxes" was the promise made to EVERY Ontarian four years ago.

If only he could recall his promises. I realize it's hard for a Liberal to remember because it's a bloody force of habit for them to hand promises out like candy.

It would do us all good, in fact, to refresh our memories back to 2003.

This Canada has great long list and I find the comment thread somewhat amusing.

Crux-Of-The-Matter has detailed her "Top Ten", if you will.

It's highly recommended that every voter be reminded by October 10th, 2007.

If Ontarians can't "recall" McGuinty, they should at least remember the broken promises and the ineffective governance of the past four years.

If it "Suits" The Grits, Do We Acquit??

Joan Tintor made a poignant observation earlier this week when she observed the number of occurances of Liberal posturings of righteous indignation in recent months. Now, while, as she also points out with her inclusion of a MacLean's piece in her posting, no party is exempt from criticism when it comes to decorum and substance (or lack thereof), it used to be that an apology demand would suffice whenever an ego-bruise was measured.

Today, though, in our ever bourgeoning litigious world, some suspect that the Libs are setting the table for the ultimate re-brand and their imminant resurgance to glory. As itemized by Tintor, Gerard Kennedy and two Liberal MP's have begun legal proceedings against the National Post and a fourth, Mark Holland, is considering action against the Calgary Sun. And, while these documented accounts of litigation are percentagely lower than than the traditionally episodic whining, the recency suggest a trend.

It's a cunning and highly systematic scheme, my friends, which just might work, thanks to the collective Task Forces On Liberal Renewal. The results of their tireless efforts to yield the quickest return to power has been revealed.



(Drum Roll, Please.......




and now, if you will, a collective "Ta-dah"!)









As former special counsel to President Nixon, Charles Colson, once espoused, "When you've got 'em by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow."

How 'bout a SLOGAN, now.

Your ideas are always welcome and will be cheerfully forwarded to the nearest task force we can locate.

There'll be no prize and, as always, wagering is not permitted.

Blog, Blog, Tube. Grits Are Still "It"!

Much is being made of the '"new media" and its impact on the electoral landscape. MSM, for its part, can no longer simply ignore the potential influence the blogosphere can have and is doing right by acknowledging its presence.

However, the one advantage the mainstream has over the internet is the ability to be concise and, at least, deliver the snapshot. MSM has long possessed the skills and experience necessary to address what Alvin Toffler once referred to as the "blip" culture.

And, while radio, television and print are admittedly retail, they're also legally bound to be, if not impartial, accurate and, as it has enjoyed being the only game around for so long, its audience is quite comfortable with accepting the source.

The web sources, on the other hand, are largely undisciplined and inexperienced. Understandably so. It is, after all, the new media and nothing new, no matter how great its potential, shall escape its own requisite growing pains.

From a political standpoint and, given its economic woes of late, the Liberal Party is banking on the web's pop culture equities to wage its cyber war. I suspect it's only as a last resort. It has no air war and the forecast is "iffy" for its ground game.

In a recent Hill Times article, YouTube 'road warriors' could define the next election campaign,
Liberal strategist Warren Kinsella indicated that it is fair and legitimate for political parties to use technology to track and document what is said on the public record, but he said there is a clear distinction to be drawn between public record, and personal stuff.

That's something that's going to be difficult for a lot of bloggers (well, one Liberal in particular). Hence, one's need to consider the source - should the reader/viewer be that discerning.

As for the Liberal's battle efforts thus far, I doubt that this headline will be trumpeted on Mr. C's blog any time soon. Nor this one.

A campaign, whether it's an "air war", "ground war" or "cyber war" is still a campaign and will require proportional focus on each element in the overall effort to succeed.

The game "Duck, Duck, Goose", regionally re-dubbed, by any other name is still "Duck, Duck, Goose". And the Liberals, with this desperate clutch to the web as a weapon, still seem to be merely running around in circles trying desperately not to be "It".