Saturday, March 24, 2007
MY BLAHG'S NOT HERE, MAN
My Blahg has moved.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 4:24 PM
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Sunday, July 10, 2005
THE SUMMER OF JACK (THE BIG DIPPER: WEEK 1)
The Big Dipper is a weekly round-up, posted every weekend, of blogposts that relate to the NDP. If you want to take part in this, just send me an email(robert.mcclelland@sympatico.ca) with a link to the post or posts you want included.Previous Big Dipper Round-ups.
The Summer of Jack:
Harnessing The Web.
You've Got To Give A Little.
A View From Calgary defends Layton's remarks in response to the bombings in London.
Politics In BC also defends Layton's remarks.
Accidental Deliberations discusses campaign strategies for the NDP.
The Hive asks why the NDP is following the same losing campaign strategy they used in last year's election.
Federal Carleton Mississippi Mills NDP, examines the budget amendments and has some thoughts on that riding's current MP. They also have some quotes written in praise of the party.
From a Different Viewpoint looks at the issue of Bev Desjarlais breaking ranks on the SSM vote.
Red Between The Lines has some thoughts on the Catholic Church's retribution against NDP MPs.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 11:10 PM
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THE SKY IS FALLING
Is anyone else getting sick of this?
Although the Canadian government has said it sees no immediate danger for its citizens after a series of fatal attacks in London, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier asserts Canada is a target for terrorists.Yeah, so? We're a terrorist target. What would you like me to do about it? Run around flapping my arms in the air screaming, "Soylent green is made of people." Or should I vociferously endorse spending billions and billions of taxpayer dollars in a futile attempt to protect our country from an event that may or may not happen at some undetermined point in the future?
"Osama bin Laden, some time ago, indicated Canada was a target," Hillier said, appearing on CTV's Question Period.
If a terrorist attack is going to happen on Canadian soil--I hate to tell you all this--there isn't a damned thing we can do to prevent it. Neither Britain nor Israel can. These two countries have been dealing with terrorism for decades and you can see how powerless they are to prevent it. As long as a few critical parts of the infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants, are protected--which they were anyway prior to 9/11--a terrorist attack in this country will have a negligible effect on it. Unless the right whingers all wet themselves simultaneously causing a massive piss flood.
So lay off the nonsense, especially you right whingers. We all know Canada is a potential target for terrorists just as we all know the Earth is a potential target for meteors and comets. But there isn't a damned thing we can do to protect ourselves from either of them so there is no need to endlessly flap your gums about it.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 2:28 PM
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ALBERTA SEPARATION
It looks like Byfield's column yesterday has set some of the right whingers to chattering about how Alberta should separate from the rest of Canada. I believe it has also doubled the number of supporters for this idea from 4 people to 8.
I know, it's not nice to make fun of their pathetic attempt to take their ball and go home. In fact, Publius addresses this very point in his post.
But will the Toronto-Montreal-Ottawa elites be laughing when a pro-independence party takes power in Edmonton? Quebec was able to black mail Canada into Trudeaupia, aided and abetted by Red Tory Ontario.Of course, what Publius fails to take into account is that most Canadians would miss Quebec if it seperated from the rest of Canada. I doubt many Canadians would care, or even notice, if Alberta did. Yes, I realize that Alberta pumps tax money into the rest of Canada and that we'd lose that. But Alberta also has the majority of Canada haters and we'd lose them too. It would be a more than equitable trade off.
So you Alberta separatists keep reaching for your oil slicked rainbow and be sure to not let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 10:31 AM
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A HARDYKINSELLA BOYS MYSTERY
Warren Kinsella has offered up a mystery that needs to be solved.
I am delighted that this guy likes my new book so much.Do I ever. As I noted in my previous post, the right whingers have become so desperate to deflect attention away from their many failures that they're now pre-emptively attacking what they think is leftwing propaganda even before it comes out. So clearly a copy of the new book was stolen from the publisher by a right whinger so that they could begin attacking it.
Mainly, however, I'm wondering how he got a copy - seeing as how the author doesn't even have one yet.
Anyone have any baseless speculation to pass along?
What's that? Kinsella's book has nothing to do with politics. Pshaw! The right whingers are so adle-minded that they'd never notice. All they would see is that Warren Kinsella, a former Liberal strategist, was releasing a new book and would just assume it was nothing more than leftwing propaganda. Do you doubt that? The evidence speaks for itself.
You may have seen in the news that Michael Moore, along with residents of the Lake Michigan community of Traverse City Michigan are organizing a film festival. On its' billing for the 31 films to be presented are classics such as "Jaws" and "Casablanca," and recently produced independents including the winner of this years' Cannes Film Festival grand prize "Broken Flowers". And take note NONE of Moore's films will be shown.For the right whingers, merely mentioning the names of certain people brings on an apoplectic fit. So you see, it wouldn't matter that Warren's book was about Punk rock since his name alone would have induced a state of madness in this right whinger and made them want to get a copy no matter what.
Well a local activist who teamed up with a conservative group from Texas (Texas - that figures), obviously didn't read the list of movies that are going to be shown before they decided to spout off. It seems Genie Aldrich, a resident of nearby Suttons Bay, used the usual method of Conservatives, if you don't like something "ban it", and tried unsuccessfully to convice the city commission of Traverse City from letting Moore's group show films in a municipal waterfront park.
Her reasoning?
"People are fed up and tired with the extreme left-wing radical fringe, America haters, family haters, Christian haters".
So now we have some enraged right whinger sitting in a dank basement, with a copy of Warren's book, furiously pounding away at their computer keyboard in order to give him a piece of their mind. This however, would lead to their downfall. Since right whingers have precious little mind to begin with, giving away even a small piece of it would leave them with nothing left to regulate the autonomic functions of their body. And so this poor vapid creature would have simply keeled over dead after its heart stopped beating.
After a couple of days, the right whinger's mom probably began to worry and ventured down into the dank basement to see what had become of her
Mystery solved.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 12:02 AM
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Saturday, July 09, 2005
PRE-EMPTIVE WARCRAZY
Apparently the right whingers are so desperate to deflect attention away from their many failures that they're now attacking "leftwing propaganda" even before it's never made. Check out Wolcott for the scathing commentary. It's worth the read, even if it is a little long. Of course, I would have responded with something simple like, "It's just a movie, you whacked out coke-heads."
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 11:07 PM
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TERRORISTS BURN DOWN CHURCH
Will the right whingers condemn this act of terrorism?
MIDDLEBROOK — A small fire was set in St. John’s Reformed United Church of Christ this morning and anti-gay graffiti was painted on the side of the building.Chuck Currie hits the nail on the head with his assessment of the motivation behind this cowardly terrorist attack on a progressive church.
The outside of the church was vandalized with anti-gay messages and a declaration that United Church of Christ members were sinners. The graffiti’s message appeared to be a reference to the national church’s decision earlier this week to endorse gay and lesbian marriages.
It is tragic that whoever committed this hate crime did so because they were misled into believing that supporting legal equality for gays and lesbians is sinful. It simply is not.Of course, the religious right won't take any responsibility for it and their right whinging dhimmis will do everything in their power to deny that these Christian Madrassahs are in any way responsible for promoting hateful views that lead to this sort of terrorist action.
The rhetoric of the religious right and their allies in the political right – who claim that homosexuality is a sin – must take some of the responsibility for the increase in hate crimes such as this one.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 10:01 PM
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THE AMERICAN KGB
From The All Spin Zone, the story of how the
Consider this for a moment: Your elderly mother and father are celebrating your younger brother's high school graduation. They hear a knock on the door. Uniformed officers from the Department of Homeland Security take them into custody. You don't hear from them for a week. A lawyer finally tracks them down at Pamunkey Regional Jail in Hanover, Va. They had not been questioned. They have not been charged with any crime.How can the right whingers live with themselves after defending this odious Bush administration?
This is the situation that Gokal and Sheila Kapoor, 70 and 69 years old, respectively, find themselves in this morning.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 4:26 PM
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THE VINDICTIVE RIGHT
There's a growing trend in the US of carrying out vindictive retribution against elected officials, judges and anyone else whose decisions or opinions oppose the conservative agenda. This was most recently seen in the retaliation against US Supreme Court Justice Souter after his decision in the "Kelo vs. City of New London" case when Logan Clements filed a claim to have Souter's land appropriated and was cheered on by the vindictive right for doing so.
Now we're seeing the same thing creep into Canada as evidenced by the retaliation from the Catholic church against MPs for their decisions in Parliament. These actions are nothing more than vindictive retribution that are meant to intimidate our elected and appointed officials into rendering decisions that follow the conservative agenda.
And here's the kicker. The right is justifying these actions by saying that these people must be ready to face the consequences of their decisions. Excuse me? First of all, elected officials already do face the consequences of their decisions. It's called an election. If an elected official is making decisions the people are not comfortable with, then they will elect someone more to their liking.
Any other form of consequences however, is completely unacceptable. Since when are there consequences attached to people for doing their job? Could you imagine what our society would be like if there were? Police would have to think twice about issuing speeding tickets for fear that they might be kicked out of their church or refused service in the businesses of their communities. Local bureaucrats would have to cave in to every demand of the people because to do otherwise would leave them open to retaliation in their personal lives. Our elected and appointed officials could no longer function without constantly looking over their shoulder to see who is out to exact revenge against them for doing so.
Left unchecked, this sort of vindictive retribution would lead to the breakdown of free society as individuals and groups intimidated and terrorized anyone who did not tow the line.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 10:21 AM
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Friday, July 08, 2005
WHEN PEDOPHILES ATTACK
Hot on the heels of the decision to bar NDP MP Charlie Angus from taking communion comes this move, by the Bishop at Our Lady of Perpetually Sodomizing Alterboys, to ban NDP MP Joe Comartin from participating in any church activities until such time as he learns to hate them gays like a proper Catholic.
A New Democrat member of Parliament has been barred from involvement in church activities by a southwestern Ontario Catholic diocese for supporting same-sex marriage.Frankly I don't care what they do within the confines of the church as long as it doesn't spill over into the lives of every Canadian. And it has done just that as once again the church is cherry picking rules and selectively applying them to leftwing politicians. This is nothing more than a blatant partisan attack by the rightwing church against the left which means that Chester the Child Molester, or Bishop Fabbro as his flock calls him, is now fair game.
Bishop Ronald Fabbro of the Diocese of London admonished Windsor-Tecumseh MP Joe Comartin in a July 6 letter to priests, saying “a person who does not accept Catholic teaching on fundamental matters is disqualified from acting on behalf of the church in a public capacity.”
Bishop Fabbro said the measure would remain in effect until Mr. Comartin has “a change of mind” in using the term marriage with reference to homosexual unions.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 9:12 PM
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Thursday, July 07, 2005
SELDOM DO WE ASK, IS OUR MEDIA LEARNING
If you haven't already read this, you should check out Paul Wells' nice handiwork correcting an ugly mistruth printed recently in Le Devoir. It starts here and continues here and here.
You should also check out the ensuing discussions that took place at Comments Please, here, here and here.
We need more of this type of fact correcting by our media and it's good to see Wells is devoting some time to it. Hopefully he'll hold Le Devoir accountable for what they print and get them to publish a correction.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 7:08 PM
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THE SUMMER OF JACK (THE BIG DIPPER)
The Big Dipper is a weekly round-up, posted every weekend, of blogposts that relate to the NDP. If you want to take part in this, just send me an email(mcclelland.robert@gmail.com) with a link to the post or posts you want included.This post, which is linked on the sidebar, will be updated every week to include a link to each Big Dipper Round-up.
#1: July 10, 2005.
#2: August 29, 2005.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 6:22 PM
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3 CARD MONTE
Shorter Monte Solberg: Today's terrorist attacks in London mean we should set aside partisan politics and begin implementing the Conservative Party's agenda without question. Did I mention terrorism?
Oh that Monte. What a huckster.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 9:59 AM
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Tuesday, July 05, 2005
THE SUMMER OF JACK (YOU'VE GOT TO GIVE A LITTLE)
I want to tackle a subject that's about as pleasant as talking about crotch itch; donating to the party. Let's face it, we work hard for our money and the thought of giving it up to a political party isn't very appealing. Especially since the momentary exhileration of doing something you know is good is gone the moment you mail the cheque.
So I'm going to introduce the Dipper Donation Game which will enable you to have fun all summer long while donating to the NDP. It works like this. Get a jar or some other container. Then whenever you hear or read something said by either Team Harper or Team Martin that makes you say, "I am so not voting for them," toss a quarter, loonie or whatever change is in your pocket into the jar. At the end of the summer when Parliament resumes, count up the change and send it to the NDP.
It's easy and it's fun for the whole summer. Plus, when someone asks you why you're planning to vote for the NDP you'll be able to answer, "Because I've filled three jars, dammit."
Even if you aren't a Dipper you can still have fun with this game. Set up a jar for your party and another one for the NDP. Follow the rules above and at the end of the summer, if the Dipper's jar is filled with more money than your party's jar, you might want to rethink the reason you're voting for the other guy.
Of course, if you don't enjoy silly little children's games, you can always donate some coin to the NDP the boring old way.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 4:36 PM
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THE MY BLAHG SUMMER CRUISE
Since political cruises seem to be all the rage, I thought I'd steal yet another idea from the right and organize a cruise for Progressives. Okay, it's not actually a cruise but more like a bus tour of Toronto. Okay, it actually is a bus tour of Toronto that will take place from August 5, 2005-11:00am to August 5, 2005-4:00pm.
That's right, 5 fun filled hours travelling on a Greyhound bus--with lavatory facilities--through the streets of Toronto with like-minded Progressives. And oh what fun we'll have. Just check out this line-up of guest speakers I've arranged for the tour.
Mark Williams: Editor/Publisher/Writer of the Dwight Monthly Newsletter.
Chris Williams: Brother of Mark; he once remarked that right whingers are stupid.
Joe Dillmon: Frequent letter to the editor writer.
Ellen Burgess: Called in to the Larry King show once.
Wow! I know, I too was impressed that I could get such a star studded line-up.
And just check out a few of the highlights from the itinerary.
11:00am: Bus leaves the Bay St. Terminal.
11:01am: Chris Williams will once again remark that right whingers are stupid.
11:02am: Tour stops at the Eaton Centre while I run in to the Disney Store and get a gift for my niece.
12:00pm: Tour stops at an authentic Tim Hortons for lunch.
12:30pm: Joe Dillmon instructs us on the art of newspaper letter writing.
1:30pm: Bus drives down a number of random Toronto streets.
2:00pm: Mark Williams reads excerpts from the best of the Dwight Monthly Newsletter.
2:30pm: Bus arrives at the Dufferin Mall so I can run in and pay my phone bill at the Bell Centre.
3:00pm: Ellen Burgess recounts her call to the Larry King show.
4:00pm: Bus arrives back at the Bay St. Terminal.
But there's more. Each tour guest will receive a complimentary lunch composed of a sandwich and coffee from an authentic Canadian treasure: Tim Hortons.
And all this fun can be had for the low, low price of just $59.95 per person.
So hurry and book your spot on this star-studded extravaganza tour because the tickets will surely be snapped up quick.
Update: I have just received confirmation that Warren Kinsella will be added to the star studded line-up. Wow! Warren won't actually be speaking to the passengers though and he's expressely asked that they not speak to or bother him in any way during the tour. He's just catching a ride with us from Yonge and Bloor out to the Dufferin Mall.
Update 2: As if it couldn't get any better, Rick Mercer has also been added to the star studded line-up. Rick won't actually be on the tour, but he has promised to look out the front window of his house as the bus goes by.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 11:07 AM
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Monday, July 04, 2005
THE SUMMER OF JACK (HARNESSING THE WEB)
I'm finally going to get going on some posts highlighting the NDP, its policies and what I feel the party/supporters should do to build itself up.
This first post will tackle a problem that's plagued the NDP for quite some time. A lack of visibility. Looking over the past year, the NDP had some good press in the first few weeks of the `04 election campaign but then faded from view as the focus shifted to the struggle between the Conservatives and the Liberals. They were nearly invisible from that time on until the last two months of Parliament when they managed to strike a deal that would push their budget ideas through.
The NDP and its supporters need to build on this recent visibility and keep it going through the summer until Parliament resumes in the fall. Here are a few ideas on how to do just that via the internet.
MP Websites: They need to be frequently updated or they should contain a blog that is frequently updated. The latter is preferable. A blog is not difficult to set up or maintain and there are a number of Blogging Dippers who would be happy to offer up some advice about blogging. For that matter, simply following Monte Solberg's lead would be sufficient. Blogs have become an informal way of keeping in touch with other Canadians. They're a great way of introducing ideas into the public discourse and explaining any misconceptions about them. For our politicians, they offer a way of letting voters get to know the person behind the politics. Even though I disagree with many of Solberg's positions, I now see him as more than just another faceless member of our government. And they shouldn't worry about writing something stupid that will come back to haunt them. Recently Volpe called the CP a bunch of Klansmen and a few CP MPs called Stronach a whore. Their world did not collapse because of it even though they are now the target of Rick Mercer's rapier wit. So if they make the occasional faux-pas, it won't be the end of the world nor is it a reason not to blog.
Candidate Websites: If they don't have one they should set one up now or they shouldn't bother running. A website is cheap and easy to set up and there are lots of Blogging Dippers who will offer up some advice on how to do it. The advice above applies to candidates but even more so. I've lived in the Parry Sound-Muskoka riding for 3-1/2 years and I'd never even heard who the NDP candidate for the area was until a month or so ago when I caught a small blurb in the local paper about her again winning the nomination for the next election. And now I can't remember her name again, let alone what her positions are on local and national issues. I bet people all over most of Canada would say the same thing about the NDP candidate in their riding. We, the voters of this country, want to know who the candidates are, what they stand for and we want to know now, not 3 weeks before an election. A website along with a blog is the perfect way to allow people to get to know an unknown candidate.
Getting Noticed: For MPs this isn't a problem. In fact, some of them have generated lots of attention. But for the unknown candidate, having a website and blog isn't of much value if few people know about them. One of the easiest ways of changing this is to send a simple email alerting me or any of the other Blogging Dippers to their new website/blog. This will get them plugged into the blogging network which in turn will eventually garner them some attention from the media. Another way is via My Blahg News--a news aggregator that already carries NDP press releases. This is a useful tool that can be used by MPs and candidates alike to draw attention to something that's been posted on their site. And when all else fails, a simple ad in the local classified section of the newspaper(s) in their riding can alert voters to their site.
Support From The Supporters: The game plan for the summer is simple. Generate some noise. If you have a website or a blog, if you comment in a newsgroup, discussion board or just write lots of email, you should be mentioning the NDP every day. You don't have to be articulate or write about important issues. All that matters is that the internet is bombarded by people mentioning the NDP all summer long. And if you're computer literate, contact your local candidate and help them set up a website or blog. Then mention it on your website/blog/newsgroup/emails to granny and any other forum that will draw attention to the party.
Lets work to make sure that when Parliament resumes in the fall, the NDP is the most talked about party in Canada. Lets make this the summer of Jack.
More to come.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 7:26 PM
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HAPPY 4TH OF JULY
To all my American readers, have a safe and happy Independence Day.
More well wishes from my fellow Canadian blahggers;
John Gushue: Toast to the red, white and blue.
Michele: We Must Celebrate.
Bill Doskoch: Happy Independence Day, USA!
Red Tory: Happy Induhpendence Day.
Sinister Thoughts: I Love America.
Ahab's Whale: Happy 229th Yanks!
Gops Of The Copybook Headings: Happy Fourth of July!
The Tiger In Exile: Gentlemen, here's to high treason.
The Skwib: The Lost PowerPoint Slides (4th of July Edition)
Doxology: Happy Birthday, Neighbours!
Politics In BC: Happy Birthday America!
Murky View: Happy July 4th!
The Terminal Velocity Of Sausage: July 4, 2005.
One Damn Thing After Another: Happy Independence Day.
Segac's World: And for our neighbours south of the border.
Canadianna's Place: God Bless America.
Shamthetoryman: Happy Fourth of July.
Canadian Perspective: Happy 229 America!!!!
Capitalist Pig Vs. Socialist Swine: Happy 4th of July/Idependence Day!
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 11:08 AM
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REWRITE
This boorish column in the National Disgrace needs a rewrite. I'm only going to do the most idiotic paragraph but the rest of it could be done in much the same way.
To many non-Canadian eyes, Canada looks a lot like a one-party state, albeit of the elected variety. Over the last 40 years, the Liberals have been in power for all but what, about 10 years? People here in Australia ask me how one political party can be in power that long without corruption creeping in. I generally change the subject at that point.To many non-Albertan eyes, Alberta looks a lot like a one-party state, albeit of the elected variety. Over the last 40 years, the Conservatives have been in power for all of it. People here in Ontario ask me how one political party can be in power that long without corruption creeping in.
Yawn, that's all the attention I have to spare for the sad right whingers today.
Happy thoughts to you.
Robert McClelland blahgged this at 10:06 AM
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