Harper and Day Do the Right Thing With the New RCMP Commissioner Appointment

I am usually very critical of the Harper Con-government but when they do something right or courageous I will applaud. I think the appointment of William Elliott as the new RCMP Commissioner is both right and courageous. I give this move more than applause. I actually give it a standing ovation. Mr. Elliott has proven to be able and respected in a trans-partisan way, serving in Prime Ministers Mulroney, Martin and now Harper.


The deplorable leadership and inept management culture of the force has been cancerous to the goals of good policing. Commissioner Elliott need not, and should not, wear the red serge uniform of the RCMP. That is something one earns through professional policing and service on the front lines. However he need not wear the uniform to run and reform the organization. He is, by all accounts, a capable and earnest public servant. It is that sense of duty to public service that has been missing in the nepotism and mismanagement of the RCMP leadership of late.

The RCMP is to serve the public and live up to its motto by “Maintaining the Law” we need fundamental change…especially at the top. There is too much evidence showing disturbing incidences were the management and leadership of the RCMP has been in service of more private and personal interests. There are examples where there have even been serious breaches of the law by the RCMP! That is unacceptable and only "serves" (sic) to undermine public confidence in their credibility and ability to maintain the law.

It is time for big changes in how the RCMP is run. That is clear. To presume this can be done only from the “inside” is a privilege that the RCMP, as an organization and an institution, has squandered. To those traditionalists who believe the military culture of a police force cannot be lead by a civilian, they will have to adapt. The RCMP is not just their organization. It is Canada’s police force that has a proud history and was at one time a proud symbol of our country.

It is time to restore the confidence of Canadians in the RCMP and to return it to a reputation as a respected, effective policing authority and an enduring international symbol of what is good about Canada.

Good luck Commissioner Elliott and good job Stephen Harper and Stockwell Day.

Name the Alberta Neo-Con Party

Link Byfield’s new Alberta based political party is looking for a name. In an e-mail today Link said:

“Albertans need a viable alternative to the Liberals. If we don't create one, the Liberals will win by default. The Conservatives are collapsing before our eyes, and so is the Alberta Alliance. But what should this new party be called? Eight names have been suggested:

Alberta Progress Party
Alberta Unity Party
Conservative Alternative Party
Freedom Party
New Vision Party of Alberta
New West Party
Right Party
Wildrose Party

Finally, we must prepare to sign up thousands of members this summer, hold a founding convention in the fall, and fight an election next spring. Sound impossible? It would be, except that it has happened repeatedly in Alberta, and can happen again. It just takes the right vision, the right people, and the right plan.”

I am starting to wonder if Link Byfield is a nascent neo-Preston Manning? Meech Lake and the Charlottetown Accord gave the Preston Manning Reform Party the boost it needed to get traction and momentum to do in Mulroney and the federal Progressive Conservative Party.

Has Mr. Harper’s nod to Quebec Nationhood and his buying into the myth of Quebec fiscal inequality revitalized the far right against him now? Is Link Byfield setting Harper up for the same fate as Mulroney?

Hell hath no furry like a Neo-Con scorned.

BTW - what name would you suggest for these folks?

Lying Libby Says "Oops, My Bad" and Asks for Leniency

So Scooter Libby can’t get away with lying to the FBI, perjury before a Grand Jury and obstructing Justice. A jury found him guilty and an independent Judge passed sentence a 30 month and a $250K fine. This sends a strong message that abuse of power and betrayal of trust by governments and their operatives cannot be tolerated.

Undoubtedly there will be an appeal but that does not mean Mr. Libby will escape jail time pending an appeal. That is the next question before the Judge. Stay tuned – this is not over. My money says he does time pending an appeal.

This trial and the result is one more example and reason to be thankful for an independent judiciary. Former Prime Minister Mulroney, as mentor to current Prime Minister Harper reaffirmed this important cornerstone of democracy recently. Hopefully “our man” Steve is still listening to Brian and will cease and desist from further manipulation of the judicial review and appointment process. His recent interferences threaten this all important independence of the judiciary, one of most important protections a citizen has against the power of the state.

The Libby trial testimony according to media sources exposed the White House allegedly deeply involved in managing the news, manipulating reporters and exaggerating intelligence on Iraq’s WMD program. This is all laced with sufficient irony to make one cry, both in and for a free country and a once proud democracy.

Will Dubya do the Presidential Pardon thing? Given this, his tanked approval ratings and hubris he will likely see now down side. There will be a down side to a Presidential Pardon for Libby? Not for Dubya, he is already toast! But the Office of the President of the United States will no doubt suffer…as if Bush cares – or ever did about such matters.

One wonders if this will embolden the pursuers of presidential impeachment aimed at Bush 43?