Pope blasts Canada for gay marriage & abortion

There I was, thinking about having Mini-Publius baptized, and then...from the Right Hand of God, and direct descendant of Saint Peter:

Referring to Canada's same-sex marriage law, the pope said, "In the name of 'tolerance' your country has had to endure the folly of the redefinition of spouse."He also criticized the continued legality of abortion, saying, "In the name of 'freedom of choice' (the country) is confronted with the daily destruction of unborn children."

Hmmm.

Not that I put much creedence inthe moral and spiritual guidance from a former Nazi (we all did crazy stuff in our youth, eh?) but I wonder if the Holy Father has read de Tobiatha by Saint Ambrose.... in particular the bit that says abortion is ok?

May God have mercy on his soul.

Decima leadership poll puts Ignatieff lead in question

Running on the CP wire:

"OTTAWA (CP) _ A new poll is challenging the notion that international academic and author Michael Ignatieff is the front-runner in the Liberal leadership race, suggesting instead that the top five candidates are virtually running neck and neck.

...When voters who aren't sure are taken out of the mix, former Ontario premier Bob Rae inches ahead of the others: 26 per cent of respondents said they would vote Liberal or consider voting Liberal if Rae were at the party's helm, compared with 23 per cent for former cabinet minister Stephane Dion and 21 per cent for Ignatieff.

In Ontario, Rae has an even wider lead over the perceived front-runner, with 11 per cent more voters saying they would vote Liberal or consider voting Liberal if he were leader than if Ignatieff won."

Great news for the Rae folks, particularly given the concern that Rae would have trouble winning... should be an interesting weekend in Quebec...

Dryden - worth reading, and worth considering

Much of the leadership debate has focused around chasing Stephen Harper's Afghanistan-is-my-foreign-policy and Michael Ignatieff's gaffes.

Finally, a breath of fresh air.

And some vision.

Over the weekend, I was slipped a copy of Dryden's vision statement. Pretty impressive stuff. It doesn't chase Harper's tail on either the environment or Afghanistan. It lays out Out Dryden's views on just about everything from foreign policy to aboriginal issues.

Dryden manages to play out some of the policy in key areas, explain the why and the how.

Well worth the read, and frankly well worth this blogger's support.

For a breath of fresh air, a well-thought out vision, and an honest approach, check it out.

Prentice: Writer of "Stern" letters

Breaking news from AM 900 CHMLAM, Jim Prentice and David Ramsey have taken the extraordinary step of sending the Caledonia protestors a "stern letter," news reports state that the letter is:

"....asking for assurances from the council that there will be no further nuisance and disturbances from the native protestors on the occupied land in Caledonia.

The letter says that means an end to loud noises, bright lights from ATV's, firecrackers and any other activities that disturb the peace."

I am sure the Mohawks are quaking in their boots.

And if they don't stop with the firecrackers? Well... no doubt the Tory "tough on crime" INAC minister will...uh...

Write another letter?

Brison's glass blackberry....

So Scotty thinks Iggy is accident prone, eh?

Worried he might not have the stuff to stay out of trouble during an election?

Hmmm.

I promised myself that I would not mention the bright red pants that Scotty insisted on wearing to his first cabinet retreat.... but people with glass blackberries shouldn't throw them around.

Iggy may not be my first choice, but at least he can say he's never been 'interviewed' by the RCMP in the middle of an election.

Stick to policy, Scott, it's safer ground, even if Ignatieff really is smarter than all of us...

Tory Enviro Plan already sucking air....

Peter Calamai at the Star reports today that the Tories gave a quiet briefing on their upcoming enviro plan.

Smart move on their part, Calamai is the dean of MSM science reporting, but wouldn't normally touch a political story with a 10 foot pole and so they successfully avoided the Gallery once again.

Further they have successfully smoked out the arguments the Greenies will use against them, and can start to plan how to do deal with them.

(NOTE TO GREENIES: In the future, if you really want to push the agenda, don't say anything publicly until announcement day. Given the comments in the Star today, I'd say the Harperites have a good list of who they can count on to say what... if you were naughty, you're about to find out what silence sounds like....)

Surprising absent from any coverage was the... uh.... Minister of Environment, Rona Ambrose (pictured above right)

The plan will focus on air quality and linking air quality to health... In essence, the plan is big on goals, not so big on measurement... which is a good thing if you're a Conservative and you'd like to call an election this year.

No doubt the quality of the air we all breath will improve... sometime around 2050...

Harper a homophobe? Maybe... but Menard a Moron? Absolutely....

On the CP wire, Separatist Braintrust in Orford opines:

Five Bloc members voted against the redifinition of marriage last summer and Menard said he does not believe they have changed their minds on the issue.

``It is simply believed that the debate has taken place and it is not relevant to start it again,'' he said.

Menard cited the voting record of the previous Canadian Alliance and Reform Party, which merged to become the Conservative party, and said they generally voted against gay and lesbian rights.

``I think it is necessary to make the public understand the government is homophobic,'' Menard said. ``When, since 1993, you vote each time you can against gay rights, I think it should be concluded that they (the Conservatives) are homophobic,'' Menard said.

Um... this is not news.

Harper and the CPC have always opposed gay marriage. You might have missed that if you were, well, living on the moon since the mid-1980, or maybe if you didn't have cable... or only read Seperatist BQ websites

But if you are the only openly gay member of Parliament from Quebec, this should not be a revelation.

Unless you are Rheal Menard.

Maybe this is something Rheal should have thought about before he voted to topple the government and install a right-wing, anti-gay rights Conservative government....

Or did he not think that Jason Kenney was serious all those years?

Tony Clement is also a big sissy... and why garlic & beet root won't stop AIDS...

'Two-tier' Tony left the Toronto AIDS conference shaking his head unable to have a 'rational discussion' about... well, that was never clear.

I sympathize with Tony. I worked for AIDS organisation almost a decade ago. It's often hard to have a 'rational discussion' with people who are going die. Go figure!

And why Tony needed to have a rational discussion with the organizers in order to make a freakin' funding announcement is also beyond me... send out the press release, it's no more complicated than that.

But what truly irked me, was that Two-tier Tony cited the demand for the resignation of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the South African Health Minister, as an example of the 'irrational' climate.

The CBC reports that the SA Health Minister was "accused of promoting traditional treatments, such as lemon and garlic, instead of anti-retroviral medications." As a result, one of the Conference participants demanded his resignation.

Sounds disrespectful? But that's not quite what happened.

As the Irish Examiner notes, it's a bit more complicated than that:

Tshabalala-Msimang drew criticism at the conference for using South Africa’s booth in the exhibition hall to promote a natural recipe for treating HIV: lemons, garlic and beet root. South African activists trashed the booth earlier in the week.

This is the same government which has questioned the link between HIV and AIDS.

So, if the Minister of Health for Canada went to the same conference, questioned the usefulness of retrovirals and suggested people use a mix of lemons, garlic, and beet root to deal with AIDS.... do you think it would be a bit out of line to ask if that Minister knew what he was doing?

In that case, who is irrational?

1. The beet-root & garlic cure promoting health minister
2. People asking for the beet-root & garlic health minister's resignation
3. Two-tier Tony Clement (who thinks we should all shut up about beet root.)
4. 1 & 3

Full marks if you answered #4.

Stephen Harper is a big sissy.

Well, it's a good thing the Hep C folks didn't get political, or they would have lost their money too....

The federal government won't be making any announcements on the future of Vancouver's safe-injection site or AIDS funding this week because the prime minister believes the issue has become "so politicized," a government spokesperson said Thursday.

It's hard to decide if you should laugh or cry when the politics get too tough for a politician.

Ah, Stephen, you big sissy.

Party on Garth...

There are a lot of reasons to knock up Garth Turner... er, I mean knock off Garth Turner in a nomination race.

Reasons like:

• He was the Chief Tax Collector of Canada.
• No one with a beard has been Prime Minister since the 1800's
• He flip-flopped on Nortel.
• He's a little bit nutty.
• He is a Tory.

However, his stance on same-sex marriage isn't one of them.

Funny thing is, as much as the anti-homosexualists at Canada Family Action Committee would like to dear old Garth's seat , even they admit that "the nomination process is so short it is unlikely they'll be successful in unseating him." or so says spokesthingy Charles McVety.

And I have to say it's odd to see a Tory asking for support from political progressives. Sure, Garth is homo-happy, but gee, some of his friends aren't.

Like his freakin' leader....

Which begs the question...

If Garth is such a die-hard same-sex marriage enthusiast... maybe he shouldn't be running as a Tory... Maybe McVety is right. And Garth is left. Or at least progressive-light.

And if same-sex marriage is such an important issue for a voter, doesn't it make sense to send an MP to Ottawa in party that won't re-open the debate?

For my money, I think Garth is just an anti- same-sex marriage wolf in a Tory sheep's clothing.

Sheer the sheep, I say.

Vote Liberal, not Liberal-light.

Iranian President's New Blog -

The blogosphere has a new citizen.

The President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Here is the link*

This is obviously a new era of openess and transparency for Iran. You may not be able to get Playboy Channel or CNN, but you can get Mahmoud's blog.

Yep, you can now get RSS feed of the President's latest thoughts, without that pesky media-filter which skewers everything the I-Prez has to say.

You can even leave comments, though oddly, none appear on the blog.... No doubt Condi, George and Olmert will be providing their thoughts very soon... (On that subject, just what does the icon for Tomahawk missile look like...?)

And there is a poll question (omigosh... it's just like Bourque)... "Do you think that the US and Israeli intention and goal by attacking Lebanon is pulling the trigger for another word war?" It's a YES / NO question.

(NOTE TO IRANIAN READERS: "YES" is the wisest answer here... don't worry, the rest of us will deal with "NO" answer.)

Today's entry is Mahmoud's autobiography... it's a heart-warming coming of age story of a young islamofascist during the trials and tribulations of nascent Islamofacism developing in Iran, and it is filled with self-sacrifice:

"I prepared myself for university admission test-conquer. And later on that year, I took the test. Although I had nose bleeding during the test, but I became 132nd student among over 400 thousand participants. "

132nd? Hot diggity! And with a nose-bleed to boot... This guy could have been an Ontario scholar... but he continues to describe the hardship of life under the Shah...:

"When I used to go to high school, shah celebrated the 2500 years of monarchy of Iran. Those years, poverty among the oppressed people of Iran was escalated and doubled. The imposition of the cost and the expenditure of these festivals and ceremonies and also the crapulence of shah’s debauched clan and their foreign companies, broke the people’s back."

I am not sure what "crapulence" is, but it sounds something like a Celine Dion show. But hey, I'm from Ottawa, and after years of bailing out the Rough Riders /Renegades, I get his point..

Unfortunately, the site lacks some key features. Frinstanz, there is no Blog-roll, though I have no doubt that it will come soon.... should be quite a jostle to get on it...

And I can't wait to see if he signs up for Google ads....


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*Warren Kinsella Note: W - I read your blog-biting exchange with Mr. Doskosch, and I want to be clear that like yourself, I am not taking sides in the leadership campaign, and this should not be viewed as an endorsement of Mahmoud A.

Anne Cools unhappy with Harper's stance on the mid-east

Running on the CP wire right now

``Suffice it to say, I'm not that happy with the position that has been adopted and I remain very very concerned about the entire Middle Eastern situation,'' said Senator Anne Cools, a former Liberal senator who now sits with the Conservative Caucus.

I am not sure that this part of the PMO talking points on Lebanon, but no doubt they will deal with the Senator in a respectful fashion. Certainly without "scorn or derision"

How do I know this? Well, I believe Stephen Harper when he said:

"Senator Cools has an impressive record of public service to this country.... In the Senate, she has elevated the level of debate. In the face of scorn and derision by some, she has persisted in holding the government accountable. She has long earned my respect, and now my support, in joining the Conservative caucus in the Senate."

And I am sure that his Foreign Minister, Peter McKay will be equally interested in her views, and still turn to her for advice, as Peter once said:

Senator Cools is a person of deep spiritual conviction and a valued friend. Her office is open to those who value honesty and debate, and it has certainly been open to me when I have needed advice and guidance. It would be impossible for her to rise any further in my esteem."

No doubt, after today it will indeed be impossible to rise any further in the esteem of her conservative colleagues.

A freebie: Prentice wants to resolve the claims backlog

Jimmy P wants to resolve the claims backlog... so he says in the Grope and Flail:

Admitting that the slow pace of resolving land claims like the Caledonia dispute
is unacceptable, Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice intends to bring a new
plan to cabinet that would employ more lawyers and negotiators to attack the
backlog.

Because that what the process needs... more lawyers and negotiators... but I will come back to that.

Since the early 1970's claims have been negotiated between the federal government and First Nations. An independant body is available to help resolve those claims called the Indian Claims Commission (ICC).

Jimmy P knows this because... he sat on the ICC for a decade... apparently not settling very many claims, but I digress....

Back in 2003, the Liberal government passed C-6, which created the Specific Claims Tribunal which was supposed to speed up the process... It was supported by and supposed to replace the ICC.... but the act is still waiting to be brought into force.

But now Jimmy P wants to deal with this horrible, unacceptable backlog with more lawyers and negotiators because ICC just isn't working and the claims process isn't working.

So here's the freebie: Bring C-6 into force.

No work needs to be done, it was supported by both Liberals and Tories... just bring it into force.

Go ahead, Jimmy do something different: pay out the claims, not the lawyers.

The Dirty Mid-East War

Israel has killed, once again, civilians in Lebanon. 54 people this time, including 34 children.

Hizbollah attacked again - thankfully killing no one this time - launching 115 rockets into Israel, three people were wounded.

It's an awful situation.

Israel is stuck with an awful terrorists group on its borders, Hizbollah, which consistently targets no one but civilians. And now, Israel, has had enough, and have decided to destroy Hizbollah.

On the face of it, it's not an entirely unreasonable position.

But like most things, scratching the surface really doesn't help any.

Israel has targeted the refugee camps, and areas that hold civilians, because that is where Hizbollah operates, and this is most certainly true. But probing a bit deeper, this week's Salon.com notes the situation is not that simple.

Hizbollah (and many other terrorist organisations) provide more than just missiles. They provide education and health services as well... which one of the reasons they are in the those refugee camps. Targeting individuals who provide those services raises some uncomfortable questions, regardless of their affiliation.

In short, Israel bombs Lebanon, creating refugees. Refugees are not happy to be refugees, and are likley ticked off with Israel. Refugees go to camps where they get food, medicine and education from Hizbollah. Sometimes, they get bombed again by Israel.

This is not an uncommon terrorist pattern. Indeed, the fore-runner of the IRA, (the Irish Republican Brotherhood) provided social services such as education and health care.

Anyone care to guess what happens next?

Score one for Hizbollah.

So whereas I too support Israel's right defend itself... I find myself asking, is Israel actually defending itself?

Indeed, today's attack drove Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora who is normally at odds with Hizbollah, to actually thank them for defending the border.

Score two for Hizbollah.

And why are Syria and Iran getting off scot-free? Obviously Israel realizes that messing with Syria and Iran would be a different thing than picking a fight with their shattered Lebanese neighbour.

Score three for Hizbollah.

No one seems to be able to broker restraint with either side, in particular the US, leaving Israel's American ally, appearing to be powerless in the middle east. Indeed, with US, British, Canadian and Australian current troop commitments, it is clear that diplomacy is all that there is... and it is failing.

Then there is the notion espoused by Harper that troops from the region should hold the border.

Like who? The Syrians who are already there? Maybe the Saudis? The Egytians? Perhaps the Iranians? No doubt they would all be welcomed by Israel.

Score four for Hizbollah.

I have no doubt that in the end Israel will leave Hizbollah beaten and bloodied. But in doing so, I would be concerned at how many new terrorists are spawned.

The smoke and broken mirrors of the latest Lebanese war obscures the real issue here.

Until Lebanon has the internal strength to govern itself, this will keep happening. Changing that will require real commitment, from outside the region.

And Syria and Iran will need to be dealt with, and that is a very unclear path... which no one has had the courage to consider.

Until then... well, good luck to the average joe in the middle east...

Volpe organizer quits over Lebanon

Running on the CP wire right now....


Volpe loses campaign manager over difference of opinion on Lebanon

OTTAWA - Joe Volpe's trouble-plagued bid to become the next Liberal leader has suffered another, possibly fatal blow, with the resignation of his national campaign manager.

The Canadian Press has learned that Toronto MP Jim Karygiannis has quit Volpe's campaign over what one insider described as a difference of opinion over the situation in Lebanon.

Volpe has strongly supported Israel's right to bombard Lebanon in an attempt to stop Hezbollah extremists from firing missiles and conducting raids across the border into Israel.

Karygiannis, meanwhile, has been recruiting supporters for Volpe among Canada's ethnic communities, including Muslims.

He has been firing off news releases condemning what he calls the federal government's tardy efforts to evacuate Canadians from Lebanon and calling for Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay's resignation.

Volpe's campaign ran into trouble last spring when it was revealed that he had accepted $108,000 in donations from 20 current and former executives of pharmaceutical giant Apotex, their spouses and their children, including 11-year-old twins; Volpe eventually returned $27,000 received from five donors under the age of 18.

If Dunkirk had been a photo-op...

I am left wondering what the PM intends to do with his airbus today.... surely he won't leave it on the tarmac...? Surely the PM's plane (and photographer) will continue to ferry Canadians home... it's all about doing the right thing, eh?

This was not a photo-op. I repeat, not a photo-op.

... well, for all the grouching about having to divert resources to ensure the PM's plane could help with the evacuees, PMO must be giggling with the front page of the Grope and Flail this morning.

This was not a photo-op. I repeat, not a photo-op.

They must also be mystfied as to how the Don Mills PMO forgot to run the same picture, but I digress... evidently they did not get the memo.

Still, for some compare and contrast on how the evacuation efforts are going in different parts of the world take a look here. I thought 40,000 Canadians was a lot, but apparently Sri Lanka and Brazil are even more screwed than we are...

... and for a balanced and smart round-up of what is really going in Lebanon, try Taylor Owen's blog here... he is one smart dude.

“A book of quotations is a good thing for an uneducated man to read” More nonsense on the racially-segregated fishery on the West Coast.

Or so said Winston Churchill

This morning's Calgary Hurled runs an interesting piece by Mike ‘Martin Luther King’ Milke featuring his newly discovered interest in equality and rights.

Milke argues that we should scrap the Native west-coast segregated fishery.

Indeed, he pines for a world described by MLK "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character,"

Because, as Mike says, “That's progressive.”

Hallelujah…. Character. Progressive

That would be the kind of progressive character that makes a deal and sticks to it, eh Mike?

Well, there is a five volume set of treaties Mike needs to read. Then let’s talk about the content of our characters.

And while we’re doing some reading, maybeMike wants to try something a little more profound than Bartlett’s….like the whole MLK speech, in particular though the section that states:

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

An exile in their own land. Sound like anyone you know, Mike?

Race-based nonsense and other fishy tails…

In a sop to their west-coast cracker-nut constituency, Harper announced a few days ago that he will not support a race-based fishery.

And Prentice spent yesterday at the AFN Assembly pretending not to be backed into a corner.

What nonsense.

Let’s get a few facts straight.

First, the issue is that salmon stocks in the Fraser River appear –after rising in the last few years – to be declining.

Some blame the decline on illegal fishing by natives upstream in the Fraser. If that is the case, then it’s not a race-based fishery, it’s poaching.

But the term ‘race-based’ or ‘racially-segregated’ is the troubling one here. It’s fall-back to the old Reform line that any specific program or policy providing benefit to First Nations is wrong because it is based on race.

In other words… interesting to see Tom Flanagan is still around? Will the real Minister of Indian Affairs, please stand up?

The notion of race here is the big lie. Natives don’t want race-based anything. They want – quite rightly – their treaty rights respected.

The problem in BC is that they don’t have a treaty. It’s not just a problem for them either… because it means the land and the resources there contained, are in dispute.

It’s all well and fine for Harper to say everyone should have the same access to a commercial fishery.

But we’d all think it was nutty if he started handing out licenses for the fjords of Norway, wouldn’t we? Because that is some one else’s land….

No one is arguing that the Fraser River is not Canadian territory, but it is disputed land. And until that dispute is settled, maybe it’s worth trying to sort out some sort of interim deal with the original and current occupants?

That’s not a race-based anything. It’s called common sense and respect. It's access to resources – like a fishery – based on treaties. Treaties like, oh, I dunno, NAFO?

And I haven’t seen any comments from Loyola Hearn on the race-based fishing enforced through NAFO in the Atlantic…

Prentice contradicts Harper: Race-based economic development is OK

Prentice applied Orwellian newspeak yesterday and immediately contradicted Harper, noting that DFO still plans to buy out non-native licenses and provide these to First Nations, but only for economic development purposes, not because of rights.

So race-based economic development is ok?

Of course Prentice is doing what Flanagan and Harper have not done… reading the decisions from a myriad of court decisions which repeatedly tell the federal government to fulfill its obligations, and provide access to resources on disputed land.

The bottom-line here is that Harper has – once again – inflamed racial tensions instead of mediating them.

This is the politics of old-fashioned racism, just the kind of thing that leads to segregation and anger, that divides nations instead of uniting them.

And its one nasty way to fish for votes on the west coast.

Women, politics & Dion: Not putting your money where your mouth is...

I have steered away from the leadership race in my blog, because, well, there are plenty of folk blogging on that, and me, well, I am pretty busy these days.

But Dion's plan for women in politics intrigued me... until I actually read it. What's most interesting is what is missing... Dion commits to, among other things,

• ensure gender parity in appointments to the Senate
• ensure gender parity on nominations to the boards of Crown Corporations
• commit to running a minimum of 33% female candidates in the next election and continuing to increase their representation in subsequent elections until at least 50% is achieved
• make immediate progress on having a more gender-equitable Cabinet, including the appointment of women to key portfolios

So what is missing?

Selection and Cabinet.

I supported Chretien's policy of appointing female candidates, and think Dion's on the right track but I think it's not good enough.

Running women candidates is not the same as electing them. It's not the same as appointing them to cabinet.

Dion seems to be willing to foist them on Crown corporations, the senate, the riding associations... but apparently doesn't seem to have the confidence in women to guarrantee them same access to his own cabinet.

Call me crazy, but if there were some sort of notional allocation to cabinet (beyond the usual Status of Jim Abbot and Women gig) I will bet you that 50% candidate target would be easier to hit... and I will also bet you that those female candidates would have a better chance of winning.

Come on Stephane, put you're money where your mouth is.... My daugher may just run one day, I'd like her to be a Liberal...

Wal-Mart US told to carry the morning-after pill

Here is something I never thought would be an issue.

Wal-Mart"chooses not to carry many products for business reasons." Despite having room for ammunition, tobacco products and McDonalds, the morning-after pill was not available.

Not in any US Wal-Mart.

Except Illinois. Where they were required by law.

Well, that's about to change.

A recent court decision in Massachusetts is about to change that, and Wal-Mart will have to make the contraceptive available in its pharmacy.

Available contraception is not something I've ever had to worry about.

Amazing that some still do have to worry.

Amazing that they only live about an hour-and-a-half away.