Sask Party / PC Merger?

There is some evidence that shows that former Sask Party leader Elwin Hermanson approached the leader of the PC Party to discuss a merger between the two parties.

Why?

Follow the money.

According to the Sworn Affidavit of Rick Swenson (the PC Leader) after the 2003 election campaign he was approached by Hermanson to discuss merging the two parties together.

His sworn testimony is as follows:

(See the full affidavit here on the Sask NDP website)

So it is all about the money.

Perhaps that explains this story today:

---

The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan Trust Fund was set up in 1981 from contributions from the party "for the purpose of insuring the long-term survival and existence of the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan," according to the deed.

In 1997, with the formation of the Saskatchewan Party by Tory and Liberal MLAs, the PC party amended its constitution to allow the party to become inactive for two consecutive provincial elections.

During that time, the fund continued to disperse money to the party.

Swenson alleges funding was cut off when members of its board began discussing revival of the party.

---

Read more about this issue here and here

What happens when Democrats spot a backbone...

hat tip: crooks and liers

Russia has a new Prime Minister

From BBC News

---

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the resignation of PM Mikhail Fradkov and nominated a financial crime investigator to replace him.

Victor Zubkov, head of the federal financial monitoring service, is a relative unknown in Russian politics.

The change marks a major political shake-up ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections.

---

snip

---

Russian media had been speculating that First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov - long considered a frontrunner for the presidency - could have been about to be made prime minister.

---

What the Saskatchewan Democratic Action Party stands for...

So a poster who goes under the name "Saskatchewan Democratic Action Party" has been posting spam on my site and others'. When challenged over on John Murney's blog the poster had this to say:

---

With our current membership of over 36 thousand members and growing, asking us who we are would fill several pages of your blogs here.

---

So they claim to have over 36,000 members. Which is pretty impressive for a group I had never heard of until they started posting on my blog. So I started trying to find out about them.

And them I came across the best electoral Youtube Video ever. This beats the wolf in sheep's clothing video hands down. It conclusively explains what the SDAP stands for.





I am laughing so hard I hurt right now.

Oh, and in case you want to go to an event and actually, you know, meet one of these 36,000 members, you just have to look at thier event calendar here.

Busy guys.

Update: As it turns out the guy who is running this is a total and complete nutjob, I mean, call-the-men-it-white-coats-crazy. See this post for the full scoop

It has got to bug them that this blog post is the number on google hit for "Saskatchewan Democratic Action Party"

Ha Ha.

Why Fred Thompson has his work cut out for him

So from the mouth of Peggy Noonan herself (Regan's former speachwriter and senior adviser to Bush senior).

---

For Fred Thompson, spurning the debate and announcing on Leno was rude and shrewd. He loped on like a long, tall, folksy fella and got a good burst of applause from the audience when he said he was running. The Web video was fine, the 60-second commercial unveiled Wednesday too self-consciously presidential. A young journalist brutally remarked to me of the makeup and lighting, "He looks like a skull on a Disney pirate ride."

He faces three big challenges. He has come in saying, essentially, I'm not the other guys. That's good, but raises the questions: Who are you? And the reason you're running for president would be . . .?

Second challenge: You can come to the rescue only when someone calls "Help!" You can save the drowning guy only when he falls through the ice; you can't do it when he's skating by and giving you a friendly nod. Three and six months ago, the Republican Party was looking at its slate of candidates and shouting, "Help!" Since then, the candidates have been out there making an impression, getting known, declaring their stands. They've found supporters.

Is the party still yelling "Help!"? Is it falling through the ice?

A third challenge, I think, is a certain dissonance in Mr. Thompson's persona. He seems preoccupied, not full of delight that he's at the party. John McCain has been having sly fun with the idea of Mr. Thompson's sluggishness. When asked why Mr. Thompson didn't come to the debate, Mr. McCain said "Maybe we're up past his bedtime."

---

Hah! Love the snark at the end. Bedtime indeed. If I was a Republican (And I SOOOOOO wouldn't be,) I would probably be a McCain supporter.

Irony

In case you can't read the sign it says:

"If you don't have GIO Third Party Property Insurance, we suggest you don't hit this bus"

A refrigerator that runs without electricity?

This is just in the experimental stage obviously, but if this can be developed as a working product, think of the reduction in power consumption!

---

First, the technology is potentially more energy-efficient than the alternatives. It only really uses energy to move the magnetic field to and from the magnetic material. The model currently under development produces the magnetic field through a system of powerful blocks of magnets similar to those we use on our refrigerator doors, only stronger. These do not get worn out, and thus do not need replacing, which is very good for the environment.

This leads to the second major benefit, namely the fluid, which could turn out to be just plain water. Consequently, there would not be the same environmental impact as with today’s compressor-based refrigerators. The third great potential difference is the noise level. Bahl expects their demonstration model, which should be ready in 2010, to be practically silent. The opportunities are obvious.

“It is probably not realistic to think that magnetic cooling technology will be used in consumers’ homes right away. Manufacturers have spent too many years streamlining the prices of the existing refrigerators. Initially, it will be about implementation in various types of niche applications – large-scale refrigerating plants, soda machines or places where a noise-free environment is important,” says Bahl, adding, however, that he believes it will ultimately spread to the rest of society.

---

The Cost of War

McDonalds, then and now

Commercials have always been a little weird.

This is the first McDonalds' commercial ever.

And this is a more, uh, modern one.




And the strangest ad of all here

Great High School Prank

And typical overreaction from the principal:

---

A high school student who tricked football fans from a crosstown rival into holding up signs that together spelled out, "We Suck," was suspended and banned temporarily from extracurricular activities for the prank, according to the school's principal.

---

This seems to me to be a pretty harmless prank that took a lot of work to get of the ground.

---

Kyle Garchar, a senior at Hilliard Davidson High School in suburban Columbus, said he spent about 20 hours over three days plotting the trick, which was captured on video and posted on the video-sharing Web site YouTube. He said he was inspired by a similar prank pulled by Yale students in 2004, when Harvard fans were duped into holding up cards with the same message.

---

Here is the video



And here is a news interview with the prankster.

New Sask NDP Website

So the Sask NDP website (after much delay) has finally launched. You can take a look at it here:

The party has been kind enough to send out some promotional screen shots that bloggers like me can use to profile some of the new features of the site. I am going to focus on the three that interest me the most.

1) First up: Facebook.

The Sask NDP have apparently bought into facebook in a big way. Not only does the Premier have a page on facebook but there is also an application for receiving the Commonwire Newsletter on facebook. Not sure how many people will sign up for something like that but it nice of them to provide it.

It is interesting to see that the Party is getting into social networking. I'm still not convinced that this is a great value add but then again I don't really "get" the whole facebook thing, I log on once every three months or so.

2) RSS Feeds

As a blogger I know how valuable these things are.

It is good to see that the party is using the tools of the "web 2.o" (another term that I hate) but if people are anything like me, your rss aggregator is better than your morning newspaper.

3) YouTube

It was a given that the new web site would have video on it (you can't have a political website without video these days) but it is interesting to see them integrate YouTube as much as they have.

In fact, the entire Premier's video bio section is done via YouTube. They obviously could have chosen to have those videos simply play on their own site, (like the intro on the first page) but instead they have made them public for the whole world to use on blogs and other places (no comments, however).

Is this a sign that the Sask NDP is "getting" the new web?

Or is is just a "me too" thing?

I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. They could have just put up facebook accounts without integrating them into the new web site and they could have just had flash video of their own playing on the site (and in fact they do) but the fact that they are trying to reach out and engage people tells me that, however slightly, they are starting to adapt to the Internet and the way things work here.

The true test will be to see how their forums work out:

I am kind of surprised that they are willing to take the risk of forums. But it has the potential to pay off in a big way if nurtured and used properly.

Also the fact that they are reaching out to bloggers with this information is a good thing - it shows that they are taking us a bit more seriously than any political party has done in the psat (with the possible exception of the Federal Conservatives)

The Sask Party is running scared

---

REGINA - An NDP advertisement accusing the Saskatchewan Party of a hidden agenda has a dirty subliminal message of its own, the Opposition charged Tuesday.

The television ad in question consists of a series of written phrases, where some words fade away letter by letter. Saskatchewan Party MLA Nancy Heppner said that one phrase - "Sask Party stood for Privatization Of Crowns" - dissolves for a split second to read "Sask Party stood for porn", before the words fade out completely.

---

So let me get this straight. If you freeze frame the ad and ignore one of the five letters (the "t") -then there is a subliminal message?

I franktly fintd thatt a litttle sustpicious.

Reaching much?

Political Courage

As a fairly left-of-centre person myself, I occasionally get discouraged by the waffling and hemming and hawing by those elected officials of the "left." It would be worse if we didn't have the Federal NDP and it would be even worse if I lived in the US.

I imagine that if I lived in the States I would be writing something like this:

---

One thing I finally noticed about Kucinich during the AFL-CIO debate was how Kucinich always made more points during his alloted time than other candidates. I have been thinking about this and found the answer when I was reading the transcript. Kucinich doesn’t equivocate. He doesn’t dance around an issue - he goes straight for the explanation and since his past is not littered with idiotic support of bad bills, HE has nothing to fear, so why do I?

---

And the final section is great:

---

He is just like me. My values are the same as his. If I was in Congress, I would vote like he does. I no longer fear. I refuse to allow the GOP to manipulate me into supporting lesser candidates.

That just might be called courage.

---

I am closer to Kucinich than any other US candidate and I have to think that if I lived down there I would be volunteering on his campaign.

Sask NDP Attack campaign - the video

The television commercial that goes with the brochure:

This is the true face of the US

She is the true face of the US. Looks very nice at first glance, but scratch the surface and you get stupidity.

Sask NDP Attack campaign

So small dead animals is talking about this...



Which (supposedly) is an image from the NDP attack campaign for this fall's election. So far all we know is what the Sask Party and Small Dead Animals have to say about it, I will wait to see, if it focuses on policy, then great, if it focuses on personal attacks, less good.

Giant Political Mouse 1 year Anniversary

One year ago today I started my blog.

Happy Birthday to me.

Find out your US presidential pick

This is an interesting site where you list your views on a number of topics and then it ranks the US Presidential Candidates based on your answers so you know who agrees with you the most. Apparently I would be a Kucinich supporter.

The one flaw that I see in this approach, in that it only covers the "spectacular" issues. Mostly social and "soft" issues. There is not much mention of economic issues, which might shift the matrix one way or the other for most people.

Neat idea though.

You know your christmas dinner is going to suck when...

David Maclean is Gone

Man, I go away for a few days and miss a great story:

---

On Thursday, MacLean announced he will again fight the current, this time to return to Alberta for a new position with an electrical utility company there.

MacLean's resignation, effective at the end of today, comes at a time that he feels "really optimistic about where this province is headed and the prosperity that will come."

---

Buckdog has a pretty good post that sums up the whole thing (and is quite kind to yours truly)

Thanks for all the people in the blogosphere that helped us show that David was a goof. I assume that his new job will still be pretty slack but that he won't have 5 days a week to harass us on the left any more.

Had to post this one

I know I am on vacation but still, this one begged to be posted.

Is that the same Dick Cheney?

Away Again

Geeze, I am not getting much blogging done this summer ;-)

I am away for 4 days for a Wedding. Blogging will resume on Tuesday.

Iran is starting to look dangerous...

WASHINGTON, DC—According to an alarming new Department of Defense report combining civilian, military, and calendric evidence, Iran may be as few as nine years away from the year 2016.

"Every day they get one day closer," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said during a White House press conference Tuesday. "At the rate they're going, they will reach 2016 at the same time as the United States—and given their geographic position relative to the international date line, possibly even sooner."

The report recommended that the U.S. engage in bellicose international posturing, careless brinksmanship, and an eventual overwhelming series of nuclear strikes in order to prevent Iran from reaching this milestone

link

Saskatchewan is never Happy

So I remember a few years ago when everyone was all "oh the economy is so bad, everyone is leaving to go to Alberta".

Now this:

---

The Calgary Herald cited the example of a couple moving to Saskatchewan in May "after receiving notice their Calgary rent was increasing by $975 to $1,800 a month."

---

Which is part of a larger article about rent control:

---

Along with a booming economy that has seen record job creation and soaring retail sales has come the problem of finding an affordable place to live.

It started with house prices. In just a year, Regina's average price had risen by 14 per cent in May, to $162,500, from $142,500 in May 2006. Saskatoon's average price took a staggering jump of 44 per cent to $234,000 in May, compared with $162,300 a year ago.

---

You can't have it both ways people! Either it is a good thing that people are now coming to Saskatchewan from Alberta or it is a bad thing, but the same people who said it was a problem a few years ago that people were moving to Albert are now the same people who are complaining about all the people moving back!

Typical.

I remember when all the right-wingers were saying "the NDP can't manage an economy"

...then when the economy started to boom it was "But you are loosing jobs"

...then when there were more jobs than people it was "there is a labour shortage, get people to move here"

...now when people are moving here it is "but housing and rent is going up"

There is just no way to satisfy these people.

The First Facebook story of the 2008 Presidential Primaries

So I don't care much for the whole "Facebook" thing, (I only have an account because of some blogging things, and I think I check it about once very three months) but I know that more and more politicians are starting to use it.

What's funny is, so are their kids. Just naturally, or course, in the normal course of events. People of a certain age are bound to use Facebook in an organic manner.

The problem is that it is a very public thing. Which leads to interesting stories like this one.

---

There's one vote that Rudy Giuliani definitely can't count on in his 2008 presidential bid: his own daughter's. According to the 17-year-old Caroline Giuliani's Facebook profile, she's supporting Barack Obama.

On her profile, she designates her political views as "liberal" and—until this morning—proclaimed her membership in the Facebook group "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)."

---

Whoops!

Bush now more hated than Nixon

Yep, the Democrats will have to mess up pretty bad to lose the Presidency in 08.

George W. Bush has now surpassed Richard Nixon as the second most-disliked president ever.

---

The latest Gallup Poll found that Bush's popularity had been below 40 percent for six consecutive quarters, the Dallas Morning News reports. Nixon ended his five-quarter streak by resigning in 1974.

Truman's approval ratings were below 40 percent for 10 months, the longest ever in the history of the Gallup Poll. Bush, with six quarters remaining in his second term, could surpass Truman.

---

Yep, I bet he can.

Do bloggers need a union?

So I am back from holidays and back into the spirit of blogging. And lo and behold, wheat do I com across but this little jem.

---

Do bloggers need a union? That was the question raised today by a small gathering of bloggers and labor activists at the Yearly Kos conference at McCormick Place here in Chicago. "AFL-CIO: Kicking Ass for the Working Class" stickers were passed around, an e-mail signup form was circulated, and the discussion began.

---

Now the bulk of the article focuses on health care (some bloggers can't get it) which is, luckily, a less pressing concern for Canadian bloggers. However, some of the other issues would be of concern to us.

---

This idea was duly floated, but some bloggers in attendance wanted something more distinctive: a blogging code of ethics, say, or accreditation when covering media events, or an auditing program to ensure that traffic metrics are accurate and comparable to those of other sites.

---

traffic metrics would be good, as would some standardization around credentials. I can see where Canadian bloggers would benefit from both of those things.

I also found this pretty funny.

---

This brought up the obvious question, though: would even conservative bloggers be welcome? Perhaps, but "they wouldn't join a union anyway," said one participant, and another cracked that right-wing bloggers would be out of business if they had to follow a code of ethics.

---

Hah!

Holidays

I am on holidays for the next couple of weeks so there won't be much activity around here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my loyal readers (both of them) for spending time reading my silly thoughts.

Blogging will return in August.

What if the animals you ate went to heaven?

Wind Power is awesome!

Good to know

New and Old Media: Symbiosis?

Its funny, the "new media" (bloggers, Facebook, You Tube) and the old media (MSM) have a weird and somewhat symbiotic relationship.

For example, most bloogers will start by talking old media stories and making commentary on them. And often, they will consider themselves very successful if they are mentioned or referenced in a MSM story.

On the other hand, the old media is fascinated by the new media and "what it all means." For example this article in the Globe

---

people are calling this the YouTube Election — in which anyone with a minicam or even a mere cellphone can conceivably affect the outcome. "Some of the best, the most innovative stuff is gonna come from some voter out there, who changes the entire complexion of the race," says Joe Trippi, former campaign manager for Howard Dean in 2004, now adviser to the John Edwards campaign.

---

The premise is that the new media is taking a major role in the 2008 presidential campaign. Which is an interesting premise but I'm not sure the main example of the story (the Obama girl video) is a decent test case. (Yes, I include the video later)

I mean, how many of the 2 million hits are from non-political types? How many of those hits are people looking for information and basing their ballot decision on the video?

Now mind you, the same problem faces bloggers. How many of the people who read blogs are actually influenced by the ideas and arguments put forward? Has my promotion of the NDP (for example) changed anyones' mind about anything, or does it merely reinforce the beliefs of the people who already have their minds made up?

I guess I will wait until the MSM writes a story about it :-)

A Little Late but - Happy Canada Day

Sometimes we overlook the most obvious things

Take this vision test - It's harder than it seems at first. And remember, you can rewind YouTube videos.

Blew My Mind!

King George

Dick Cheney is the 4th Branch of Government

To be fair to Cheney, maybe he is just a part of the Piraha tribe of the Amazon.

---

A study appearing today in the journal Science reports that the hunter-gatherers seem to be the only group of humans known to have no concept of numbering and counting.

Not only that, but adult Piraha apparently can't learn to count or understand the concept of numbers or numerals, even when they asked anthropologists to teach them and have been given basic math lessons for months at a time.

---

I'm not sure these guys qualify to ask the questions

So Newsweek magazine has the results of a phone survey that people took over this last week. They have published the results here with (and this is the important part) the "correct" answers in bold.


See, right there, CORRECT ANSWER IS IN BOLD. So what are the "correct" answers to some of the questions?

It may be tough to tell from my screen shots but the "correct answer" to the question:

From what you know about the situation, do you think the United States is losing the fight against al-Qaeda or radical Islamic terrorism?

Is "NO"

and the "correct" answer to the question:

Do you think Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in planning, financing, or carrying out the terrorist attacks of September 11^th, 2001?

Is "DON'T KNOW"

and finally:

The correct answer is "DID IT EVER END"

Yeah, cause who would know the answer to that?

I want one

This is what me mean when we talk about a Green and Propserous Economy

Original Story

Investment capital flowing into renewable energies such as wind power climbed from $80 billion in 2005 to a record $100 billion in 2006, according to a new report from the UN Environment Programme, UNEP. The trend analysis cites climate change concerns, increasing government support, and high oil prices as reasons for the boom.

The trend continues in 2007 with experts predicting investments of $85 billion this year. "The renewable energy sector’s growth "although still volatile ... is showing no sign of abating," the report states.

[snip]

Renewables now compete head-on with coal and gas in terms of new installed generating capacity, says the report, adding that "the portion of world energy produced from renewable sources is sure to rise substantially as the tens of billions of new investment dollars bear fruit."

Focus on what you CAN fix, not what you can't

Google Solar Panels generate almost 10Mw

Google is going green:

---

This installation is projected to produce enough electricity for approximately 1,000 California homes

---

Pattern Recognition

This is a picture of the rear end of a dog. I see what appears to be a picture in it due to the human capacity for pattern recognition.


I am not saying that this is a picture of anything in particular. You will note that I am not describing the pattern that I see. Therefore, IF you see the same pattern that I see then that is also due to pattern recognition and nothing to do with me.

Let the stupid hate mail begin. (Again, I did not say what I saw - if you see it, then that's your fault not mine)

Saskatchewan Party Candidate has Ethical Problems

It is not too often that I find myself agreeing with Murry Mandryk but in his column today he made some interesting points about the Saskatchewan Party Candidate Christine Tell.

Here are some tidbits:

---

So it very much comes down to an ethical decision. And Tell -- who, if elected to a Brad Wall government would stand a pretty good chance as a woman and a Regina MLA of making cabinet -- has made some questionable ethical decisions.

---

and:

---

By blaming Johnston, Tell added to the bad judgment she already demonstrated by deciding not to take a leave of absence.

And such bad judgment calls are sometimes a lot more harmful to a candidate than anything else.

---

This all stems from the problem that she is a police officer that was suspended, put on probation and then attacked the police force for being "political"

Does this sound like a person that you want as your MLA?

me neither.

Map of countries that have NOT adopted the metric system

hmmmmmm........

Former Reagan Official says Bush should be impeached and then tried as a war criminal

hat tip daily kos

Paul Craig Roberts said that the US government is in the hands of dangerous psychopaths who are a disgrace to the human race and who should be arrested as war criminals and turned over the the Hague.

This has got to be a joke

A piglet in Croatia born with six legs and two penises has been nicknamed Octopig by his owner.

The farmer, Ivica Seic from the village of Vrpolje, said Octopig also has two anuses.

If only the Pirates had used birth control

Some say that politicians have thin skins - not this guy!

I disagree with Ed Stelmach (The Premier of Alberta) on policy issues, but no one can say that the guy has a thin skin:

---

Tory candidate Heninger said he, too, is somewhat upset with the direction the government is going. According to reports, he told a constituent at the door he would like to "choke" Stelmach. The premier said that kind of enthusiasm is exactly what he wants in his MLAs.

---

Hat tip calgary grit

If *I* actualy take time out to talk about Paris Hilton then you know it is bad

Usually I am the one complaining about how we as a society spend too much time talking about celebrity gossip and not enough time talking about real issues.

The two have now converged.

I assume that most people have heard about the whole 'Paris goes to jail but gets sick so it let out" story by now. If not, here is the recap

---

The judge said she'd get no breaks. The sheriff said she'd do her time. Even Paris Hilton said she was ready to face her sentence.

But on Thursday, three days into a 23-day jail sentence, Hilton was fitted with an electronic-monitoring ankle bracelet and released to the comforts of her 2,700-square-foot Hollywood Hills home due to a mysterious and unspecified medical condition.

---

This was met with, some, uh, concern

---

Paris Hilton's early release has sparked potential legal issues, with the judge who sentenced her demanding an explanation, while lawyers and politicians are seeking to milk maximum mileage out of the event.

---

Luckily, Ms. Hilton acted like any other inmate would:

---

Socialite Paris Hilton has released a statement thanking jail staff for treating her "fairly and professionally."

"I am going to serve the remaining 40 days of my sentence. I have learned a great deal from this ordeal and hope that others have learned from my mistakes."

---

Oh, so she is going to serve this out at home. In her mansion.

That seems, uh, fair.

But wait, it's a medial issue (says the sheriff who made the call to let her out)

---

The problem here is that there is a medical issue and it isn’t wise to keep a person in jail with her problem over an extended period of time and let the problem get worse.

---

Oh.

Well.

If it is a medical problem then by all means......

Oh.

Wait.

---

A 27-year-old quadriplegic man sentenced to serve ten days in a Washington, DC jail on charges that he possessed a minor amount of marijuana died while in custody last week due to inadequate health care, including prison officials' failure to provide him with a ventilator.

---

I wonder what was different about this case?

hmmmm. 27-year-old quadriplegic man.....

Paris Hilton......

Nope, can't figure out the difference at all.

Marketing Genuis

This guy is going to make all kinds of money...

Now THAT's a scientific survey.

Saskatchewan Cabinet Shuffle

Saskatchewan just got a new cabinet today - here is the breakdown:

Warren McCall is now the Minister of Advanced Education - maybe this means we will finally see a report about student tuition affordability.

Pat Atkinson is the new Minister of Finance - not the first women finance minister we have had but still a good show on that front.

Speaking of women in Cabinet, Sandra Morin and Judy Junior both went in, Morin as Culture, Youth and Rec (good fit) and Junor as CIC and Status of the Women minister

Maynard Sonntag is moving to Industry and Resources, and gets the Forestry Secretariat and keeps First Nations. That's a BIG portfolio but I guess he is a seasoned cabinet minister.

Ron Harper is the new guy in Corrections and Public Safety.

Lon Borgerson is in as Rural Revitalization (this should make Saskboy happy) this will be interesting going from a portfolio that didn't do much to an activist portfolio. This will be the one to watch, I think.

Kevin Yates is going back in (I guess he and the Premier made up) and he will be going to Community Resources (Social Services) and that's a tough portfolio.

Buckley Belanger is moving over to Highways (go northern roads!)

Clay Serby is staying on as Deputy Premier but isn't really a cabinet minister (I don't count SPM)

Andrew Thompson, Eric Cline, and Eldon Lautermilch are all being dropped.

Other than that, there are no changes.

This is an interesting "election ready" cabinet that is significantly younger and more female than the previous cabinet.

Good sign that an election is coming!

David MacLean's Greatest Hits

Read part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

Now that we know (some) of David MacLean's internet "alter-egos" I have started a compliation of his statements made under these false identities.

As we find more we will add them (feel free to post in the comments if you find one that I missed)

And as noted yesterday, I have had to turn comment moderation on because David was attempting to flood the site with stupid posts. If he wants to post under his own name here, I will allow him to say anything that he wants, but this is now an officially sock puppet-free zone.

Anyway, on with the show, I bring you...........David MacLean in his own words:

---

"There are times when violence is perfectly appropriate and this is certainly one of them."

September 17, 2006 on http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/004624.html
posting as moneybags4me

---

"Why did Isreal claim Gaza? Spoils of war -- after being invaded by Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria."

"Israel has a right to destroy hezbollah. They have no choice."

July 31, 2006 on http://buckdogpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/07/harpers-disastrous-foreign-policy.html
posting as "The Artist formerly known as..."

---

"Those same poor hep-c victims probably got hep-c while shooting heroin in front of their 35 inch TV."

July 25, 2006 on http://citizensfederation.blogspot.com/2006/11/inequality-matters.html
posting as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"I’m ecstatic that Jim Flaherty is starting to put money where it belongs. Into the pockets of Canadians. Instead of into the veins of drug addicts"

October 10, 2006 on http://www.officiallyscrewed.com/blog/?p=514
posting as moneybags4me

---

"the fact that having a microphone somehow makes you "significant" says a lot about the problems with the media in general.

Taking clips and writing 15 second stories does not "significance" make.

I for one think reporters should have to pass some sort of general knowledge test before they get their microphone."

January 23, 2007 on http://youareablog.blogspot.com/2007/01/odds-that-i-get-in-physical-altercation.html
posting as "The Artist formerly known as..."

---

"I just think too many members of the media are so incurious as to think they actually have knowledge on complicated issues, and therefore can ajudicate whether the interviewee's comments are valid or not."

January 23, 2007 on http://youareablog.blogspot.com/2007/01/odds-that-i-get-in-physical-altercation.html
posting as "The Artist formerly known as..."

---

"change the clocks for more light at night, lots of strip clubs, and a reduced drinking age...one small step for sask."

July 25, 2006 on http://citizensfederation.blogspot.com/2006/07/what-does-alberta-have-that.html
posting as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"Um, technically, in every sense of the word, nelson mandela was a terrorist."

December 27, 2005 on http://myblahg.com/?p=504
posting as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"I’ve got an idea. Stop tax money from paying for abortions and let them have at’er."

June 22, 2006 on http://myblahg.com/?p=964
posting as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"when you are on minimum wage, you either don’t know anything, or you are otherwise useless."

December 23, 2005 on http://myblahg.com/?p=494
posting as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"I don't want my damn tax dollars paying for someone to live a few extra months."

March 11, 2006 on http://taxpayersfederation.blogspot.com/2006/03/government-says-no-to-life-extending.html
Posting (on David MacLean's own blog) as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"I suspect that christians look at conversion the same way unions look at recruitment."

"I will admit to listening to gormley while I'm working. You are going to judge me based on what I choose as entertainment?"

October 12, 2005 on http://saskprogressive.blogspot.com/2005/10/man-i-hate-cost-increases.html
posting as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"That's why I use it [Tommy Douglas] as my handle. Because it bothers you guys. "

March 7, 2006 on http://saskprogressive.blogspot.com/2006/03/sasktel-and-bwi.html
posting as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"I would take downtown calgary over downtown slumville winnipeg any day of the week."

October 7, 2005 on http://taxpayersfederation.blogspot.com/2005/10/spending-binge-continues.html
posting (on David MacLean's own blog) as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"the soothing tones of Al Gores brain farts as a pretense to knowledge."

September 30, 2006 on http://no-libs.com/?p=1120
posting as moneybags4me

---

"And tax’s are theft as well."

September 29, 2006 on http://myblahg.com/?p=1336
posting as moneybags4me

---

Tommy the commie has done irreversable damage to the province of Saskatchewan. They will never recover from their socialist stupor.

October 20, 2005 on http://myblahg.com/?p=219
posting as "Tommy Douglas"

---

"92% of Socalists agree, which is a tiny lunatic fringe of the whole. Dangerous yes, but tiny, just like their penis's."

September 10, 2006 on http://www.haloscan.com/comments/safework/115790553087385346/
posting as moneybags4me

---

"But this means he [Buckdog] can no longer troll his own blog under fake handles."

August 3, 2006 on http://buckdogpolitics.blogspot.com/2006/08/canadas-insane-policy-on-lebanese.html
posting as "The Artist formerly known as..."

---

"What the hell gives you the idea that [David] maclean is a klein crony?"

Novmber 9, 2005 on http://taxpayersfederation.blogspot.com/2005/11/sk-lower-school-taxes.html
Posting (on David MacLean's own blog) as "Tommy Douglas"

---

AND FINALLY:


"Words are weapons."

November 27, 2006 on http://citizensfederation.blogspot.com/2006/11/new-media-and-politics.html
posting as "Tommy Douglas"

I couldn't agree more David, couldn't agree more, words ARE weapons.

---

David Maclean is now Trolling on Giant Political Mouse

David is now trolling on my site (I wondered how long it would be until he showed up)

You will see, in the comments here, posts by a blogger called moneybags4me. You will note that this is one of the same posters that was featured in my post yesterday about David trolling all over the place. The links are here and here

Note that this "moneybags4me" seems to be obsessed with defending David MacLean.

You will take particular note that in the May 8th post - he gets called out as being a David MacLean sock puppet - and this is over a year ago.

Yet here he is today acting the same way, oh, and he is blocking his IP address.

How convenient.

Woops! But somehow Zorpheous finds out his IP.

I confirm that is in fact David MacLean's IP.

We have proof. (read all about it in the comments - watch the sock puppet revealed in real time)

Update: Now that we know even more of David MacLean's sock puppet names watch him have an entire conversations with himself here don't worry, David, we saved the page in case you delete it. David MacLean, Farmer Joe, and Moneybags 4 me are ALL David MacLean. This is hilarious. (I like the part where people call David on using sock puppets - and his sock puppets claim that it isn't true)

Uperdate: And here is another David....Unplugged, moment.

---

Put me in with Mark Steyn. I'm a climate holocaust denier.

---

Uperdate: David starts to post under his real name in my comments section. I wonder if he will answer the following questions (read the comments to this post)

Is "the artist formerly known as..." also David MacLean, because the profile link says yes.

If moneybags4me and "the artist formerly known as..." have the same IP then aren't they the same person? (I.e. David MacLean)

If "the artist formerly known as..." said that he was Tommy Douglas and they have the same IP (as each other and moneybags4me) then isn't that David MacLean as well?

David has a lot of explaining to do...hopefully he will try using his own name for the explanation.

Round-Up of the David MacLean Trolling Controversy

So first of all, WOW! I am humbled that as many great people and bloggers linked to my post yesterday about David Maclean's trolling as did. I knew that this post was big, but I didn't know how bit it actually was.

A good technical explanation of the whole thing is here

But first of all, some trenchant analysis from James Bow (great blogger)

---

Of those 5000 comments (5003 as I write this), a quick search in Movable Type’s back end shows that I contributed 560 of them. And all under my own name. What I have not done, unlike certain members of the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation is commented to my own posts under a pseudonym in order to make it appear that there was a vigorous community discussion going on. (Good lord, what a hoot!)

---

Yes, this is one of the first problems with David's "multiple personalities". I am prepared to accept that he has a right to his own blog and he can say whatever he wants there. But to post using a bunch of aliases to booster support for his own arguments is at best, silly, and at worst - unethical. Anyway, I wonder what his employers think about all of this (since, as I pointed out, most of his posts are made during work hours) I am guessing that they would rather he make posts that were wroth commenting on rather than trying to fake commentary to create the illusion that people actually care.

But if his employers are OK with this then I guess that's fine. That doesn't mean that the rest of us now have to take anything that is said by any commentator on the CTF blog seriously anymore - "Oh that's just David posting under a fake name" is the rule of the day.

If I was the head of the CTF I would be pissed that he has flushed away a valuable tool like their blog for getting their message out. Now it is just a laughing stock.

Next up is Robert McClelland

---

For the record I should add that I don’t particularly care if people use sock puppets. I just wanted to spread the information that the CTFers are cowards who hide their identities.

---

This is also a good point. Some of us have reasons for keeping our identities secret (more on this later) but why should David MacLean? Given that his job is making right-wing arguments in the media one would suspect that he is capable of standing behind his opinion. It is almost part of his job description.

One would suspect that even he knows that many of his posts cross the line and so feels compelled to hide behind a false name (or names). Again, one wonders why? Is it because he knows these posts might get him in trouble with his employer? I would assume that to be the case. So instead of not making posts that are over the line he just creates a false name and then says what he actually (presumably) thinks. Again, if his Director and "members" are OK with this type of behavior then fine, but I would think that the Taxpayers Federation would set a higher standard than this for their employees.

Maybe I am wrong.

This brings us to the Wingnutter

---

Now it is reported that David was using Sock Puppet BloggerID's to troll Progressive, Liberal and Left-Wing Blogs. When people caught him at he denied it, but now with his multiple personalities into one tight account the jig is up

---

David has been called on this tactic many times by many blog operators and has constantly denied this (see many of my links from yesterday to confirm this) . Now we know that he was lying - each and every time. Again, I guess if the Taxpayers Federation wants a known liar working for them that is fine - but one wonders what else he is lying about?

The policies of the Taxpayer's Federation?

The numerical analysis of government policy?

Anything else?

In my opinion, David has proven himself incapable of being taken at face value for anything that he says. Why should we believe anything that he says if his "true" comments only come out when he is blogging under a different name.

Again, if his boss and organization are fine with someone in their employee who is a known liar, who can't stand behind his own arguments and has made one of their communication tools the laughing-stock of the internet that is fine - that is there prerogative.

If it were me, David would be looking for another job - but whatever.

To agree with the Jurist - yes, David is having a bad day.

That brings us to the best point of all about this. Scott Tribe asks the following:

---

I’d like to hear a confirmation or a denial from him on what seems to be good evidence that GPM has produced, and if it is him, I’d like to hear him justify some of the stuff he was saying and posting anonymously about.

---

Indeed, as I pointed out yesterday David does have much to answer for and the perfect venue is coming up:

Tuesday, May 29th at 12:30 on CJME Mr. David MacLean will be on the air and people can phone in and ask questions. That will either be the John Gormley show or the Murry Woods show.

The number (at least for Gormley) is 1-877-332-8255.

I posted the list of questions that I wanted asked last night and I suggest people take a look at them before calling into the show (if that is your plan) .

I have one last point left to address. The only person that (sort of) came to David's defense (that I know of) was Peter Rempel:

---

Now. I understand that some people, people who use apostrophes as GPM does, really are stupid enough to believe that Maclean's comment could be interpreted as a defense of the Nazis.

---

To be fair, as I pointed out in my post, it was the National Post and Warren Kinsella that interpreted one of these points as "defending the nazis" I happen to agree and if that makes me stupid, I guess I am in good company at least.

He makes a second (better point) as well:

---

So far, we have the bloggers known as "Giant Political Mouse" and "Canadian Cynic" earnestly criticizing Maclean for blogging under an assumed identity

---

That's true I guess. However, I have one pseudonym "Giant Political Mouse" and I use that for all of my posts. Whenever I post on blogging tory sites or not. I disagree with blogging tories and I tell them so, but I defy you to find one BT who has ever accused me of "trolling" or behaving poorly on their sites.

In fact, in yesterday's post on this topic one of my readers made the following suggestion:

---

May I suggest swamping the CTF blog on David's latest post with questions about his trolling under sock puppets. He has been deleting mine and others comments but if we keep inundating the blog with comments, he won't be able to keep up and may after answer for his foolishness.

---

to which I responded:

---

I appreciate where you are coming from, but trolling his site just makes us as bad as we are claiming he is.

I think the public unmasking and subsequent shame should be enough punishment.

---

I will stand by my reputation as a gentleman when it comes to other people's blogs. On my own blog I might call you names six ways from Sunday, but I will be polite when I post on other people's blogs.

And that is the major difference. If you don't like what I have to say, or you think that what I have to say is of no value because I am anonymous then fine, don't read my blog. And I will leave you alone on yours.

It is not the anonymity of David that we have a problem with, it is his unacceptable attacks on our blogs. If he wants to pick a false name and start a false blog, fine, go ahead.

Besides, some of us might have a reason to be anonymous. For example, what if I work for the federal government? I have been fairly critical of Harper and the Conservatives and so if they knew who I was they might fire me. Should I lose my job over legitimate policy disagreements?

Perhaps. A case could be made I suppose.

But to compare that to what David is doing?

I don't think so.

Note: Check back here to see the result of today's radio show

Update: I bet that David does not show up on the radio: Here is a screen shot taken from his blog this morning:


And if you go there now you find that last comment has been deleted - He doesn't want anyone to know that he was going on the radio and would have to answer questions. (Obviously there were other comments that were deleted)

My guess? He is backing out of the radio spot.

SUPER-UPDATE: David is now trolling on my site (I wondered how long it would be until he showed up)

You will see, in the comments below, posts by a blogger called moneybags4me. You will note that this is one of the same posters that was featured in my post yesterday about David trolling all over the place. The links are here and here

Note that this "moneybags4me" seems to be obsessed with defending David MacLean.

You will take particular note that in the May 8th post - he gets called out as being a David MacLean sock puppet - and this is over a year ago.

Yet here he is today acting the same way, oh, and he is blocking his IP address.

How convenient.

Given the track record of David and his Legions of Sock Puppets I am 99% sure that "moneybags4me" IS David MacLean.

God, get a life, you loser.

Questions for David Maclean on the Radio

For those of you who missed it yesterday:

---

What has happened is that the changeover from blogger to the new blogger has merged together accounts from the old and the new. I know that I had a "giant political mouse" user name and password for both the old and new bloggers and they got merged together into one when the change was complete.

Same thing with David MacLean and some of his "other" accounts.

The ones he uses to harass people.

---

And:

---

So tomorrow (Tuesday, May 29th) at 12:30 on CJME Mr. David MacLean will be on the air and people can phone in and ask questions. That will either be the John Gormley show or the Murry Woods show.

The number (at least for Gormley) is 1-877-332-8255.

I can think of some questions you might want to ask

---

As promised, here is the list of questions:


1) Why do you post under multiple names on your own website? Do so few people go there that you have to fake people posting there so it looks like anybody is paying attention to you?

2) Do your bosses know that you are faking feedback on your own blog?

3) You said, quote "The fact that having a microphone makes you 'significant' says a lot about the problems with the media in general." What are the problems with the media in general as you see them?

4) You said, quote "I for one, think that reporters should have to pass some general knowledge test before they get their microphone." Who would administer this test?

5) You said, quote "Too many members of the media are so incurious as to think they actually have knowledge on complicated issues." Which members of the media lack this knowledge?

6) You called for more strip clubs and a lower drinking age and said that this would be, quote "one small step for Sask." Does this represent the official position of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and their social conservative backers?

7) You said, quote "these same poor hep-c victims probably got hep-c while shooting heroin in front of thier 35-inch television." Were you unaware that many hep-c victims contracted this disease via the tainted blood scandal in the 80's and 90's?

8) What statistics do you have that show most hep-c victims use heroin?

9) You said, quote "Stop tax money from paying for abortions and let them have at’er." Did you mean that everyone can have an abortion as long as it is not paid for by the state? Does this represent the official position of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and their social conservative backers?

10) You said, quote "when you are on minimum wage, you either don’t know anything, or you are otherwise useless." Why are people who get paid minimum wage useless?

11) This is the big one. Why are all your offensive comments made using "secret identities"? Are you afraid that if people find out what you really believe that you will have no supporters, anywhere, ever?

That's a good start I guess.

My guess is that he chickens out and doesn't show up.

Taxpayers Federation Employee makes hateful comments

Anyone who runs a blog in Saskatchewan knows (or quickly finds out) that they will have to deal with the head of the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Federation, David MacLean

The man has nothing better to do then spend his days trolling under a variety of user names (such as r.s. porter, farmer joe and others). In fact, he has a whole slew of pseudonyms that he uses to cause havoc on left-wing blogs.

But the change from blogger to the new blogger has caught him out.

Check out this link to Larry Hubich's blog you will see the following:

You will see the typical comment that David will leave - this time he is posting as "the artist formerly known as..."

"But wait" - you say, "How do you know it is him?"

Follow this link to the post above and click on the user name: This is what you get.



Go ahead, follow the link yourself and see.

What has happened is that the changeover from blogger to the new blogger has merged together accounts from the old and the new. I know that I had a "giant political mouse" user name and password for both the old and new bloggers and they got merged together into one when the change was complete.

Same thing with David MacLean and some of his "other" accounts.

The ones he uses to harass people.

Let's just see what Mr. MacLean has to say when he thinks no one knows who he is, shall we.

First of all, what is interesting to note is that he posts on his own blog.


If you link here you will see the fascinating spectacle of David MacLean making as post as himself and then posting two comments to that post as different people (r.s. porter is one of his other names as well - The link doesn't lead to David but you can track IP numbers from his posts) .

Gee David, do so few people pay attention to you that you have to fake it this much?

But wait, let's see what else he writes over here:


and:




This might be of interest to any media types that interview Mr. MacLean, perhaps they will ask him about it. Since he seems to think that they "are so incurious as to think they actually have knowledge on complicated issues" and that "the fact that having a microphone makes you 'significant' says a lot about the problems with the media in general"

For someone who's job basically depends on getting interviewed by the Media, this seems a bit silly for him to say - I guess he was really relying on that anonymity, eh?

Of course, this is just one of the many, many names that David MaceLan posts under, let's check out another one, shall we?

We will start with "The Artist Formerly Know as..." complaining about one of his other names being blocked over on the Saskatchewan Citizen's Federation website.

you can clearly see the moderator (Mike Stafaniuk) complaining about all the names that this certain blogger uses (and again, if you click on the link, it leads right to David Maclean's blogger profile)

But it seems that David had another name that he was using to harass the bloggers on the SCF site. "Tommy Douglas" (What better name to harass lefties with, eh?)

But what posts did David make as "Tommy Douglas"?

Well this one is interesting:

I guess it is part of his job to do these kinds of posts (you will note that all the time stamps are during the day - when David MacLean should be at work) but I wonder what his bosses think about him using company time to promote strip clubs and lowering the drinking age. I'm not sure how that fits into the mandate of the Taxpayer's federation.

But so far we just have harassment, right? I mean, it's not like he has said anything offensive, right?

Woops!



Here we have David MacLean, using one of his "other names" claiming that the hepatitis-c victims got hep-c due to drug use and that they are all rich to being with (thus should not receive any money from the government) (Note: Kate of Small Dead Animals says this isn't offensive)

I am fairly sure the media might want to ask about that as well.

Update: Robert McClelland finds 80 posts by "Tommy Douglas" and links the IP number to David Maclean, read more here

Some jems from David MacLean on My Bhlag one and two

---

Stop tax money from paying for abortions and let them have at’er.

---

when you are on minimum wage, you either don’t know anything, or you are otherwise useless.

---

Whew! Organized labour and pro life AND pro choice people might have something to say about all of that!


Uperdate: buckdog links to this great post by Mr. Maclean

---

Why did Isreal claim Gaza? Spoils of war -- after being invaded by Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Syria.

---

Mini-update inside this update: This is too funny, here is David on Buckdog complaining about other people using fake names:

---

But this means he [Buckdog] can no longer troll his own blog under fake handles. What a shame

---

That's irony, people!


Uper-Uperdate: Look who is going on the Radio tomorrow!


So tomorrow (Tuesday, May 29th) at 12:30 on CJME Mr. David MacLean will be on the air and people can phone in and ask questions. That will either be the John Gormley show or the Murry Woods show.

The number (at least for Gormley) is 1-877-332-8255.

I can think of some questions you might want to ask - and I made a list for you

Yet another update: How could I forget that David MacLean was involved in a controversy over posting under his own name last year. Calgary Grit made this post that led to the following National Post article by Warren Kinsella: (including this great opening line)

---

It goes on and on. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation's Saskatchewan director referring to, and minimizing, the deaths of Kristallnacht to make an obscure point.

---

No wonder David has to resort to posting under other people's names - when he posts under his own name it is so offensive that it makes national news.

For the record, here is what David said (from the Calgary Grit post) that got the National Post all worked up:

---

The famous Kristallnacht that horrified civilized opinion worldwide caused a grand total of 71 deaths. This in a nation of 70 million.

---

Wow! Defending the Nazis as well. David, David, David.

Last Update: My follow-up post to this is here and for more "words of wisdom" from David Maclean, including such jems as "Nelson Mandela is a terrorist" read here

TILMA Round-Up

With the TILMA hearings starting in Saskatchewan - here is a roundup of some of the bloggers and their thoughts on TILMA

First of all, mine

The Jurists

The Saskatchewan Citizen's Federation

Larry Hubich

Swift Current NDP

Politics and Poetry

Relentlessly Progressive Economics

Word Press

Owls and Roosters

Water as a Fuel Source - this could be BIG

If this works out, then it could be a fantastic source of clean energy.

---

"You could take plain salt water out of the sea, put it in containers and produce a violent flame that could heat generators that make electricity, or provide other forms of energy," Kanzius said.He said engineers are currently experimenting with him in Erie, Pa. in an attempt to harness the energy. They've built an engine that, when placed on top of the flame, chugged along for two minutes, Kanzius told WPBF.

---

Not gonna bomb Iran, eh?

This just gets worse and worse:

---

"The carriers and amphibious strike groups and their associated forces will conduct missions in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and will also perform Expeditionary Strike Force training," the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet said.

In January, Washington said it planned to keep two carrier battle groups in the Gulf for months -- the first such deployment since 2003.

Tension is high over Iran's controversial atomic energy programme. Washington suspects Iran is secretly trying to develop a Nuclear weapon, a charge Tehran strongly denies.

---

The Saskatchewan Government and TILMA

This is a good article:

---

At the end of March, the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) announced that it had several concerns about the interprovincial trade agreement, and wanted either its concerns addressed before the Saskatchewan government signed on, or opting-out provisions for municipal governments.

To that, most of TILMA’s supporters in Saskatchewan’s business and political communities respond with two words: “Trust Us.”

---

Yeah, Like I am going to "trust" the business community and Brad Wall.

There is some good background information on TILMA here

Gone for Long Weekend

No posts until Tuesday

Worst. Movie Clips. Ever.

Good times.

Apperently the National Post knows something we don't

In this article on TILMA there is a very interesting paragraph:

---

In reality, TILMA exempts non-profit corporations (such as the Riders), regulations governing water, taxation, standards for health and social services, agriculture and Crown Corporations. What it will do, says Mr. Gartner, is turn the West into Canada's second-largest economy, next to Ontario (where politicians have also mused about possibly signing on to TILMA). For Saskatchewan's NDP, boosting business against the wishes of the party's big union backers is risky -- especially with an election in October

---

Never mind that they are wrong about TILMA - the only mention of Crown Corporations is in the transitional period section (section 6) and not in the exemption section (section 5) - they are not otherwise protected.

But how is it that the National Post knows the date of the next election?

The impact of the Greens in the next Sask. election?

I was reading this post about the impact of the Green party on the Manitoba election and it got me thinking.

The green support is not much stronger in Sask than in Manitoba and although the left might be a bit more annoyed with the NDP her than there - I just don't see it being a big factor.

The greens didn't get more than 1000 votes in any seat in Saskatchewan and certainly didn't get even 10% of the vote last time around.

In my opinion the green vote is part "protest" vote, part "new party" vote, part "environmental" vote and part "left-wing" vote.

My prediction is that the greens will have as much of an impact in Saskatchewan as they are in Manitoba - which is to say, almost none.

I disagree - Blog comment warfare is good for the soul

Sask Liberals are at 10% in the polls

David Karwacki has a strange definition of "great"

---

In a recent Leader-Post-commissioned opinion poll, the Saskatchewan Party held 55 per cent support, while the NDP held 29 per cent. The Liberals, at 10 per cent, were supported more than the Greens, at six per cent.

Despite relatively low support levels, Karwacki was optimistic.

"We're doing great in the polls. Everyone hates us the least," he said.

---

Dion is taking it from all sides

When they are laughing at you you know you are in trouble

Man, those are some bad pictures.

McCain jokes about bombing Iran

How the hell did I miss this?

This is a merger of many things I find amusing

Southpark and Mac/PC commercials, all in one bundle. Awesome!

Sorry - but don't we have better things to discuss

This is why people get fed up with politicians sometimes. Don't we have anything better to talk about in the House of freeken Commons?

And yes, Layton is one of the people I am unimpressed with

---

MYTISCHI, Russia (CP) - Canadian hockey captain Shane Doan fired back Tuesday at the politicians attacking him back home.

On Monday, opposition leaders suggested in the House of Commons that Doan wasn't fit to lead the team because of alleged derogatory comments about French-Canadians.

---

the ridiculousnesses starts here:

---

The issue was brought back to life on Parliament Hill. NDP Leader Jack Layton suggested Monday that Doan's captaincy would "cast a shadow" on the Canadian team while Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe and Liberal Leader Stephane Dion called on the Conservative Government to comment.

---

Bah! A pox on all your houses