The more things go around...

Sheila Fraser is the Auditor General.

She was called a national hero by John Baird for exposing Liberal Corruption.

Johanne Gelinas was the environmental commissioner.

The Environmental Commissioner works for the Auditor General.

The Auditor General said that the Environment Commissioner was too busy doing advocacy on climate change issues and wasn't effectively doing her job.

The Environment Commissioner's last report was scathing towards the Liberal Government Climate Change plan. Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn read from the report in QP yesterday in response to questions about stealing liberal policy on GHG reduction.

John Baird is now the Environment Minister. He blames Liberals for 13 years of inaction on climate change.

Sheila Fraser fired someone for being tough on Liberals.

I wonder if Sheila Fraser is still a national hero?

Let's get the quote right

It has been 14 years of innaction.

Assuming of course, you honestly believe that nothing was done in the previous 13, which is total bullshit.

Yesterday, the Special Committee on C-30 waxed idiotic for almost three hours on how it would go about picking dates and witnesses. I can't wait for clause by clause.

If I was Maher Arar

I would tell the Prime Minister to go fuck himself.

Maher Arar doesn't need money. He could release a book tomorrow entitled "How I was tortured by America" and it would sell a ba-gillion copies.

What the system needs is actual change. While none of us were actually privy to the settlement negotiations, I suspect they focused on Arar himself, and not the institutional change that is required. I would have demanded:

1) A Royal Commission on the state of Canadian Muslims and institutional discrimination against them;

2) The establishment of a permanent council for oversight of all law enforcement officials as it relates specifically to minorities;

3) A written guarantee from the Prime Minister that the only issue Foreign Affairs would discuss with America until my case was resolved would be how it treats Canadian citizens, and a guarantee that future border security negotiations would address a 'passage charter' for citizens of both countries that firmly lays out what can and can't be done to people by the agents of the signatories; and

4) Hearings in Parliament for all aggrieved individuals whose civil liberties have been curtailed since 9/11.

Rest assured, we haven't heard the last from Mr. Arar. Like Donald Marshall before him, he will probably become a champion for the rights of his faith as opposed to his people. His wife will run for Parliament again- hell, he might run too.

Also, rest assured, that if he wanted to have his settlement voided, there isn't a judge in the country who wouldn't look at the inequality of the bargaining positions and throw the paltry sum out the window. The Rules of Civil Procedure in every jurisdiction (except maybe Quebec, I just don't know) require the proponent/defender of a settlement agreement to defend its terms if it is challenged by the other signatory.

This requirement exists regardless of 'effective legal representation' of the parties and a signed agreement in contemplation of 'full and final settlement' if, on its face, it appears that there is an unjust result and an inequality of bargaining positions. The public might not understand that, but it is true- settlement agreements are often set aside for significantly less. The proceeding would basically rehash every second in open court what was specifically intended to be private. I am sure the government wouldn't want that.

The current settlement also presupposes full disclosure by the Government- I am sure that wasn't provided to Mr. Arar for the same security concerns that has kept them out of the media. When the other shoe drops, and it will when Senator Leahy gets his wish, Mr. Arar will have a cavernous opening to walk right back into re-settlement negotiations.

Arar's wife and family have their own totally different and distinct action against the Government. Perhaps Arar just wants to move on -but in my view, he has a quasi-public obligation to seek a better deal for the rest of the country and the next victim. And so did the other signatory. This settlement is not resolution, and it is a disservice to the rest of the nation.

That said, if Canada awards billions of dollars to the descendants of the dis-entitled for the wrongs of the British prior to Confederation, or by Canada in the early 1900s, then the modern day equivalent for people who are actually physically harmed as a direct result of the Government's idiocy should be more than 10 million before taxes. Legally, the tax implications of the amount actually depends on how the deal was structured, and what, specifically, is being compensated.

Of course, there was probably one senior litigator at Justice who said "Settle? Why on earth would we do that? If he took us to trial, our evidence couldn't even be released for 50 years, let alone see the light of an open courtroom." That person would be 100% correct, and is doing their job.

The settlement was about politics, and avoiding a statement of claim that reads "on or about X day, the defendant had electrodes attached to his testicular region."

One more thing Canada's new government can take credit for. This arrogant Prime Minister had the stones to allude to the fact that this happened under Canada's old government - as if it wouldn't have been worse under his watch. Be it defending the RCMP or just by "being Steve," I am sure that Mr. Arar's humiliation would have been just as disgusting if Stockwell Day signed off on it. If you don't believe me, go read:

DAY-O, DAAAAAAAY-O.

This is the second settlement that directly involved America - softwood lumber being the other - that his government has totally fucked up. He should have taken the billion Emerson left on the table in Washington and applied it to the goals above. For Shame.

Picked-On

Warning: This is in no way a commentary on the guilt or innocence of Robert Pickton. This is a general lamentation on the media circus surrounding the trial, my problems with the way the criminal justice system works and the shady nature of the prosecution.

That having been said - In a world where there exists mountains of evidence that speaks to a persons' guilt - do we as a society really need it rebroadcasted on the front page? I don't need it, and neither do you- the only thing that requires this type of hype is the self-fulfilling media drive for sensationalism that creates the curiosity to begin with.

As a result of the 24-7 coverage, everyone becomes an expert, or so they think. That is the exact OPPOSITE of what is required in a jury of ones peers.

Open courts are a requirement of a judicial model that is based on a balanced and fair system of justice. I get that- I went to law school - it was one of the things I picked up along the way. The crafters of the rule of law requiring an accountable and open judicial process, however, did not originally envision the idea of a photograph of an accused being stapled to every tree before he was actually tried.

Imagine a world where Mr. Pickton is declared not guilty. Is there anywhere in Canada he could actually go that would allow him to live out the rest of his existence without constant harassment? The Ramseys would probably agree. As would Mr. Simpson. Yeah, I know. Sometimes the "guilty" go free to ensure an innocent man doesn't get incarcerated.

To that end, I have a solution: A media ban on the name and likenesses of ALL people who are facing a criminal prosecution. When, and if, a prosecution has begun, leave it to the Crown and Police to say what crime was committed and that someone is being tried for it - WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING ELSE. Leave it to the crown and defence to find their own witnesses. Leave it to the Judge and Jury to probe the evidence. In my opinion, only after a conviction does anyone in our society have a right to know anything about the case.

Yes, the media is a valuable tool for helping the po-po find witnesses. That is about a year before a trial. In my opinion, that should be the LAST resort, and if that is the only tool available to them to find the bad guy, I say let a judge decide if it is appropriate. Judges are required to sign warrants for the invasion of personal space now, they certainly can be a check on MASSIVE invasions of personal privacy.

There are books written about this topic, so I can't possibly give justice to all sides of the argument in a simple post - but think of it this way - how would you feel if you DIDN'T do something, and wanted the chance to clear your name in a court of law. The media vultures looking for the next headline don't care enough about the truth to bother with the consequences of their investigations. Frankly, the media does an excellent job of justifying its existence as a pillar of an open system- but they don't actually believe that - they are trying to sell commercials and everyone should know that.

Media bans work. I have sat in a court room (as a private citizen and as an articling student) of a case that was subject to a media ban. Admittedly, in the age of the internet they are harder, but that isn't a good enough reason to say we shouldn't have them. The balance of harm is obvious - a guilty man will still be punished, and an innocent one won't be punished by extraneous factors outside of the judicial system. In the interim, I can read about French Presidential candidates instead of a pig farmer.

As a society we aren't allowed to declare some one's guilt before the due process has been dutifully followed. Sure, we can comment on the veracity of evidence, and its scientific value, but who gives a fuck? Ultimately, in today's media that so taints the pool of jurors that a fair trial is all but impossible, and if someone isn't found guilty, the process is attacked as incompetent (See O.J.) and that undermines confidence in the system.

I think we can agree that given the media coverage, there is little doubt that society has already declared Mr. Pickton guilty. The Cluster-fuck of a shitstorm that will occur if he is declared not guilty, or a mistrial, will haunt the system for a long time to come. That is because John Q. Citizen doesn't understand the law or the process and will likely think - "Pig Murderer is on the streets? Man, the system sucks- I am voting Reform," when there was no need for him to know what was going on in the first place.

In my opinion, the families of his victims deserve better than this sad display. They are entitled to their say in court, and they are allowed to attend and view the proceeding. I don't need to watch them walk in and out, and they shouldn't be forced to say "no comment."

Regardless of my view of a fair system, to insure that a fair process is impossible, the Crown has decided to try Mr. Pickton for six homicides. Trust me, if they lose, they will try him of number seven to 13. And if that doesn't work, 14-18 and so on. It is a convenient way to avoid the Double Jeopardy problem. It is also a shady way of having him expose his defence and probe it, on the record, in an evidentiary fashion so that any slight variation at trial number two (if required) would create a prior inconsistent statement. For shame.

I wish I was a cartoonist...

If I was, I would draw a giant wind fan (a la WPPI) and put in front of the Conservative government's side of the House of Commons. They could keep the lights on forever.

This last week, the tories have re-released three energy efficiency iniatives:

1) They cut these exact same programs in May - apparently they weren't efficient enough; and

2) They are - in some cases word for word - the same programs the Liberals had in place when they left office.

Maybe the Liberals did do something useful in those 13 years of corruption and scandal, eh?

Doomsday?

Chicago's Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the group that has maintained the Nuclear Clock since 1947, wound the minute hand closer to the grim hour for the first time since 2002, when it was frozen at seven minutes to midnight.

Rationale? The modern dangers such as global warming and the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.

The irony, of course, is that the proliferation of Nuclear power is the solution to the carbon energy economy, as the Alberta Oil Sands are learning day by day.

But, just so we are clear, the Nuclear Ambitions of North Korea and Iran? Not the Russians and Americans actually pointing long range Nuclear weapons at each other. Talk about "self fulfilling relevance."

The wild wild Ottawa West Nepean

The Ottawa citizen is finally reporting what I have known for months - during the next federal election, whenver that will be, former MPP, Regional Chair and Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli will be running as the federal Liberal candidate in Ottawa West Nepean.

A safe Liberal seat since the Ottawa map had been redrawn, the riding is currently represented by the Minister of the Environment and partisan attack dawg John Baird. He took over the seat from retiring grit stalward Marelene Caterall and defeated local nobody Lee Farnsworth in 2006 with 43 percent of the vote - not very much when everything is considered.

Yes - John Baird's star power has exploded since then - you can't open a news paper without seeing his grinning mug.

Yes - Bob Chiarelli was humilated in the last mayoral race - barely getting 15 percent of the vote.

and YES - the two have been long adversaries. Whatever the result, it is going to be a dirty, long and tight battle (which I honestly believe Baird will still win.) But wait...

1) Baird doesn't actually live in the riding. He still lives in Nepean Carleton, the riding he held provincially when he was at Queen's Park. Guess who holds O-W-N Provincially (Oh, the irony). Guess who held it in the early 1990s before redistribution? Bingo Bob, or course.

2) Sure, Chiarelli only won 15% of the mayoral vote. But - if you look at the "poll by poll" he got almost all of those votes in - you guessed it - Ottawa West Nepean.

3) Chiarelli has NOTHING better to do for the foreseable future but rekindle his roots in the riding he held provincially, where his law firm is still located, where his cousin is the municipal councillor, and where a whole lot of public servants currently live - public servants who just lived through a year of John Baird as Treasury Board President. The FAA was passed, but as it was debated and rolled out, Mr. Baird a) passed on the ATI elements he campaigned on which were very popular in the public servants b) was part of a cabinet that changed the way that most departments operated, thereby frustrating a lot of life long civil servants and c) provided a paltry amount to protect whistleblowers.

4) Ottawa South MP and MPP McGuinty and McGuinty have their campaigns run by the shrewdest political mind found in a 6'7 gorilla of a body known as Brendan McGuinty. Guess who ran Chiarelli's ship up until the last election. Guess who is dying to wade into this one knowing that Ottawa South is as safe as it gets?

5) National Polls don't mean alot - but in this case, it is pretty telling. The Tories and Liberals are within the margion of error. In Ontario, the Liberals are a few points up. In urban areas, that lead increases. In Ottawa West Nepean, there is a marked difference between support for the Conservatives, and support for their M.P. and luckily, it is in Mr. Bairds favour, but his party's support is lower than the total percentage of the vote he received. A couple of months with the worst file in Government with the correct, though least popular and untenable, position might change that. And, this time he isn't running against Dr. McLellan/Ms. Hyde-Farnsworth.

6) Finally - Ottawa voters are PISSED at Baird for interfering in the last Municipal election. Poll after poll shows residents view inserting himself into the debate as partisan meddling. I am sure Mr. Chiarelli will remind the voters of that fact more than once. He will also defend his O-train record and point out that all the work he put into a failing public transit system evaporated, and the city got nothing in return for the billion it spent - all as a result of Mr. Baird's meddling. Good for Ottawa? Not so much.

So, what does this all mean? The money and support that paid for the last campaign in Ottawa West Nepean is still comming from Nepean Carleton, if you catch my drift. The current MP in Nepean Carleton is not exactly what I would call a vital part of the Tory team. If John Baird lost (which is not outside the realm of possibility) it would send a crushing blow to a team that is already lacking in talent, nationally and in Ontario. Considering that the only actual legislation that the government has passed thus far is C-2, having the FAA steward defeated by the people who are forced to implement it will resonate poorly across the country.

Guess who actually lives in Ottawa West Nepean? Allan Cutler.

I would NOT be surprised to see, to put it politely, a redistribution of the current Ottawa Candidates - With Peter Pepper moving to Carleton-Mississipi Mills to take over for the retiring Gordon O'Connor, Baird moving back to his actual riding, and Cutler running again as a public service hero, knowing that he would likely lose to Chiarelli. You get all the benefits of the sponsorship scandal and none of the problems listed above.

The Tories know that they are cooked in Ottawa Orleans because the curent MP (C - Penguin) is totally useless and proves he is an idiot every time he speaks. They are also in trouble for completely different reasons in Prescott Glengary Rusell because of the rumoured return of Diamond Don (L - the Return of the King). That kind of momentum will not help their chances in Ottawa West - so cutting their losses by moving the pieces around and turning their attention to semi-urban ridings they could win east of Toronto to make up the difference would save resources and man-power. Resources that would otherwise have to be devoted to securing Baird's own re-election in a race that is tighter than it has to be. Is it a retreat to fight another day? Yes, but the PMO has to soon realize that its own arrogance is creating a lot of fights it doesn't need to fight to be successful.

John Baird running in Ottawa West Nepean against Chiarelli forces the Tories to keep their most valuable Ontario "chess piece" in the riding to make sure they win it. Like any game of chess, you want that particular piece to have free reign over the entire board, not protecting her own territory. And the answer to the question you are asking yourself is "Yes, it was intended."

The Dark Sith method of Curling

There are always two, never more, never less.

There are two important things to succeed in sports: Skill and strategy. That is why baseball managers are all old men.

Most people who have the physical capacity to do the things required to excel in sports have what I describe as "Ten Cent Heads."

The exception lies in the sport of curling, where older men can still make the shots required to be successful. It is rare indeed that the most successful curlers are also under 30.

Until about ten years ago and the popularization of the four rock guard rule in most highly competitive circles. As a result, the way the game was played changed from guard and bury to guard, tap raise, explosion of rocks, high end angle raises and so forth.

Then competitive curling changed. It was weird, but young guys who could throw missiles down the ice were suddenly very important to the success of any team. They just didn't have a clue as to how to do it.

No team in recent history epitomized this more than the Gushue team that won an Olympic Golf Medal. Under the watchful eye of arguably the best curler in the last 40 years (Russ Howard), these three yahoos did what they were told and made shot after shot. None of them could have even imagined the game that Howard wanted them to play, but with him teaching them, they executed flawlessly. Even during the Olympics though, you could see them scratching their heads and not committing to the shots Russ called. Their job, however, wasn't to think, and ultimately they did what they were told.

Now, they are the second best team based on that model - Kevin Martin and John Morris have combined their teams together - with Martin running the show. They ostensibly have two brier level skips on one team, but one who has been very clear about who is in charge. John is, after all, in his mid twenties.

The difference between the two teams is that Morris on his own has been whipping Gushue on his own for about eight years. With Howard pushing 60, he is no match for Martin, who was the first "banger" in the modern game.

Never more, never less.

Kingsley Maker

There are competing theories about why the King of Elections chose to step down as suddenly as he did over the holidays, promising to vacate his office by February.

Pundits have said that the dean of the world electoral community has decided that the Harperized electoral process is now too complex. With all the new rules, the process is unmanageable for one micromanager to handle, and as such, he just wants to get out of the way. Changes to the Act, Referenda on Senators, new financing rules - Oy, so much work. This version of the story doesn't make JPK look that great but it makes a lot of sense.

Only it is not true

There are a lot of factors that play into the decision of an Officer of Parliament to step down, particularly before he has to. It is no secret that there is little love lost between Mr. Kingsley and Mr. Harper, with the latter calling the former the 'tin-pot' dictator of democracy before he got a nice new house on Sussex.

This has not been lost on Mr. Kingsley, and rather than engender further controversy after he and the PMO got into it over convention fees, Elections Canada insiders have noted that he has been negotiating a succession plan with the PMO for over six months. Except it isn't so much a two way dialogue as it is a one way dialogue and it isn't so much a succession plan as it is to demand to pick his own successor: the current DCEO.

On the one hand, it is always a bad idea to hire from within. On the same hand, the PMO is not going to have their appointment power usurped by a lame duck's demands to retire a little early.

On the other hand, Harper is rumoured to be in the process of engineering his own defeat so that he can have a spring election. You know what a spring election requires? A Chief Electoral Officer - and preferably one with a little bit of experience in overseeing an operation that hires over 300,000 people for the writ period.

On a completely different shelf in a different room, the current CEO has been criticized for galavanting all over the world to help spread and support the development of democracy and the free and fair carriage of it. Not far behind him is the current DCEO. She is kind of a like a Deputy-Minister who is very dedicated to supporting her Minister. In fact, Commissionaires have caught the support on tape in the executive boardroom on the ninth flooor at Elections Canada. The details of the support is fairly well known at the executive level of the organization, and it isn't exactly a secret to people who interact with them on a daily basis.

Back to the two hands - Frustrated by the PMO's unwillingness to compromise (aka listen), the CEO has decided to force those hands a little bit. The gambit presumes that the DCEO would be appointed the interim-CEO in the event of an election, and would be elevated to the position full time once Parliament figures out how great she is: female, fluently bilingual, with two elections under her belt. Could it be any better? Huzzah!!!

Great plan - except for the fact that the first rule about getting rid of a pain in your side is to make sure it is gone. Expect the new CEO to be a strict constructionist libertarian - with a management style that is very different than his/her predecessor. Then expect the DCEO to be swiftly appointed as a citizenship judge, or to the Copyright Board, or to something equally inane for a very talented woman.

Best to rid the court of any of the former king's sympathizers for fear they would turn on you. Out damn spot.

Pierre W. Trudeau

Jean Lapierre was an interesting cog of Canadian Politics over the last 15 years. A Liberal defector, Lapierre was one of the original members of the Bloq Quebecois in the House of Commons (1990). He returned to politics to be a Paul Martin Cabinet Minister, and was an able Quebec General at a time when Quebec was openly hostile towards Liberals.

It came as no shock to anyone when he stepped down today. It comes as less of a shock that it is almost assured that he will be replaced by Justin Trudeau (L - My Father's Keeper).

I have been critical of Justin in the past because he is, to be blunt, brutally underqualified to do anything other than be Justin Trudeau. I first met Justin in 1995 and he was an affable guy who had a famous dad, and an interesting take on the world as a result of it.

My criticisms have been rooted in several things, but for the most part they emanate from a bitterness I have about how people ascend to "greatness." Congressman Gohper (R - Love Boat) is the most egregious example of a disturbing trend that a friend and I have seen (and will be writing on soon enough) in our politics about an elected aristocracy. A "step-up" the famous have over everyone else that the public tolerates for a myriad of reasons, including the public's own laziness. Minister Solberg was, after all, a weather man. If someone who is wrong 99% of the time can't be a Minister, I don't know who can.

But Justin is markedly different. He is being vaulted to the forefront because he is portrayed in the media as to good to be true(doh!). Cast as a saviour (or "the son of," if you will) not because of what he has done, but because of his dad. He is entirely a creation of the media, and the fools who blindly absorb the hype created by it to make you come back for more after the commercial break.

I am, however, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, and judge him on his record and how he handles the actual limelight once he is acclaimed to the nomination. Like Al Gore, the dead Kennedy's, and even Paul Martin - maybe Justin will eclipse his father's greatness. Or, like the current President, he might tarnish the family legacy. I am willing to overlook how he gets to the top and judge him on his merits, knowing that if it doesn't work out, there is another.

BAIRD REVERSES CLIMATE CHANGE

With Reports from CP

Newly appointed federal Environment Minister John Baird has reversed Climate Change in the five days he has been in the role.

Since becoming environment Minister, the temperature in Ottawa has dropped by ten degrees and it has begun to snow. Blizzard in fact.

Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May has her doubts. Speaking from her home in Sandy Hill, Ms. May noted that "in the early 1980s, my organization was desperately fearful of a global cooling trend. I am worried that Minister Baird has gone too far, and that we are headed for an ice age."

Democracy by the Pen

Last night, the team that couldn't lose got killed by a team that couldn't possibly be a serious contender. At least according to sports journalists, most of whom where picked last to play most sports. The Bookies made a killing.

This afternoon, Mark McGuire will not be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Since he retired, he has done very little in the public eye because of the constant hounding he has endured from the very people who used him to sell newspapers and magazines. They all want him to admit what he did. He was on Andro. Everyone and their dog knew it then, and knows it now.

How fickle those baseball writers are, as this is the same man who "saved" baseball by cranking home runs and getting the fans involved right after the dark times. They knew he was on Andro then. They didn't care- he was saving baseball.

To be technical, Mark McGuire did not break a single rule that baseball had in place. Steroid use was not dealt with until after he retired. A fair comparison would be baseball managers who bet heavily on baseball in the 20s and 30s. Can't do that any more, right Mr. Rose?

There has been exactly one constant in the last 120 years of American History: Baseball - How did America fight terrorism? Yankees v. Red Sox on Sept. 13 at Yankee Stadium. I was crying when they sang America the Beautiful. It was a moving moment that I will never forget.

But, the game has changed. The mound is raised or lowered almost yearly. The bats are bigger. The balls are harder and jump off the bat faster. The athletes don't drink themselves to death, as much. You know what hasn't changed - the fans who love it.

I am not for one second suggesting that the fans should have anything to do with hall of fame inductions. But limiting the people with a say to the people who already have a say every day in their columns seems a little odd to me. Especially when they were so sure about Ohio State.

Mark McGuire changed the way the game was played. His numbers can be viewed in 100 different ways, but the roar of the crowd cannot. His substance use didn't affect the timing of his great hits, or his ability to win gold gloves. His cross is the fact that he is the first, of many, baseball heroes with phenomenal numbers to be eligible for the Hall of Fame after the beginning of the juiced era.

Will the writers deny Roger Clemens his entry too?

The best item ever on E-bay

My recollections of the morning after Dion's victory, I drunkenly remember turning to my hotel roomate and saying "I guess Martha has to sell that bus on Ebay, eh?" We giggled a bit, and remembered the Chretien years fondly. Sigh.

Kyoto, Smyoto

If only every delegate she had contributed $1,000. Or every Ex-Officio voter for that matter.

I would have loved to see the Tory attack ad that has this bus being crashed into a wall or pushed off of a cliff with the scary voice over of "Canada under the Liberals, 2007-200? We aren't making this up."

Re-arranging the Deck on the Titanic

If the Government is going down by the end of March, does it all really matter?

There are four observations that I will make about the shuffle:

1) I know Rusty (C- Ottawa West Attack Dog) personally, and while I think he is an able politician, I think that being in charge of environment is going to take a little bit of the shine off. This file isn't as easy as calling Quebec Liberals criminals and blaming the Liberal Senate for hold-ups. It will require a little bit of a softer touch. I also think that the same cavalier attititude that got RB in trouble with the Commissioner of Canada Elections while he was testifying about the FAA will force him into the corner a few times when he speaks outside of his purview. What makes him a great attack dog will make him say things that will make Rona (C - Policy Analyst) look more than satisfactory.

2) Who cares about the shuffle- what you should be most interested in is the fact that the issue is at a higher level to the point that it is being dealt with by a special cabinet committee. Chaired by none other than Jim Prentice (C - DPM) - the Cabinet committee on Energy Security and the Environment - Part Alberta, Part America.

3) If the PM continues to micromanage everything, does it matter who is the minister of what? I think that this might signal to the world that the PM is cutting environment LOOSE as an issue he can legislate, and focus it on one he can debate.

He might win the debate in the house, but who cares, he can't beat Dion on it because Dion can blame them for stopping his plan, such as it was. I think this strategy will backfire because relying on regulatory authority on the environment (without the CAA, that is what the Conservatives will have to do) will expose the fact that liberals regulated everything from the water in the kitchen sink to the construction of the kitchen sink and that everything the conservatives have regulated thus far was actually devised by the Liberals and (Presumably (HA)) Dr. Watson (DM- IMF) and his predecessors.

Say what you want about the Liberal record on climate change, but the simple truth is that if Harper thinks the environment is about more than GHG reductions (and it is) he will have to look at CEPA, SARA, and about 1200 regulations that the Liberals put in place over the 13 years they were in office.

4) I think the inclusion of intellectual heavyweights like Helena "Georgeous" (C- Rahim's Girlfriend) Gerry "Puttin' on the" Ritz (C - Saskatchewha?) in cabinet is a clear signal that maybe we need more Michael Fortiers - or Stephane Dions and Pierre Pettigrews - and Pierre Trudeaus, Jean Marchands and Gérard Pelletiers. People who are put into cabinet because they were brilliant and then ascended to elected office. Or, as I have often said, fuck the Commons entirely. The time Ministers waste there is unbelievable!

The Crappiest Place on Earth

Dagny Taggart flew to her Disneyland, though she knew not how she got there.

How on earth can Disneyland be closed on the days right after Christmas?

Sorry, not closed - Sold out!

It was perhaps the first and only example that I saw of "respoppulance" - a new word I have invented that encourages those with, to reign in what they purchase.

On minimalism...

I have been to stores where you can't see the end of the merchandise. I have been to malls that have more pants than there are people in America. I have seen it all, and I have seen it all on sale.

There are two distinct views that I have for the commercial appetites of people from North America - on the one hand, I love my 800 thread cotton sheets, but I know I don't need them. On the other hand, I am far more responsible than most of the people I know in controlling the money I spend and yet, after Christmas I find myself in this mound of debt.

Dagny Taggert lived in a shoddy one bedroom apartment. Hank Rearden had a nice mansion, but he never used it- he maintained it for his simple wife who relished such things. In both cases, phenomenally successful people lived in relatively meager ways. They also aren't real.

I have no desire to live in a monstrous house. Nor do I have any need for $65.00 plates.

At the same time, I watch as people rush out to pay $59.00 for those same plates, because they saved money. The contradiction disgusts me.

All the while, people work harder and harder to enjoy less and less.

As my new years resolution, I pledge to not spend money on foolish, frivolous expenses. For example, I am wearing $14.00 pants that I bought at a mall that had 279 million other pairs to choose from.

...and Human Suffering

It appears to me that the people off of whose backs the rich get the richest tend to be the poorest who can't afford any better. Why do you think Disney was sold out? Because the upper crust decided to go and take their loved ones into the mobs? No, the poorest of the poor who could access it on their day off. They got a lower value disney than I could get on any other day of the year, and paid through the nose at it - rather than creating happy memories for their children, they waited and waited in line amidst thousands of others.

The cheap trinkets at the malls to pacify children, the fast food, the low-price low-value products - all designed to induce quick sales with massive margins. I have the money to waste on it, but I don't - others who are not as fortunate as I are obviously pulled into it. Be it the advertising, the fancy colours, or the feeding frenzy these markets are designed to create - millions of people waste their money on crap that is neither of value nor useful every day.

That is the environmental disaster of our generation- our waste and our need for things that the even poorer toil to create. Not to mention the cost and value of the energy that went into creating it.

How I long for a simpler life.