George Carlin Checks Out and Will Be Missed.

George Carlin died yesterday. He was a brilliant political observer and social commentator about so many things. He had a peculiar and particular ability to point out the profoundly stupid aspects and attitudes of those beings they call human. He was America's immoral compass.

Carlin was philosophical, insightful, pointed, profane and so very funny. Consider this classic Carlinism as a "clean" example of his observations:

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."
George Carlin

I am going to miss him.

Dion Shifts From Neutral to Green - Harper Still in Reverse.

Here it is – the Dion “Green Shift” initiative that was announced today. This website is going to be one that I will book mark and visit often.


I, along with many other Canadians who are beginning to look seriously at new ways to address the challenge of climate change, need to get engaged and stay on top if this new policy initiative.


This is a great start and I see I have lots of reading and reflecting to do. Let’s see just how far, fast and deep this cultural change can happen. It is time we started pulling for the planet – each and every one of us.

Dion's Carbon Tax-Shift Policy Will Give Canadians a Positive Choice for the Future

I expect the John Baird Character assassinator and Harper's Pit-Bully Peter Van Loan to be in full screaming rant today as Dion releases his tax-shifting policy approach to carbon reduction.

Starting today, there is going to be a definite difference in the political and policy choices being offered to Canadians over this summer. The choice Harper offers is a contuation of his rearview mirror approach of trying to perfect yesterday. Harper will be pushing political buttons with misleading messaging based on outmoded mental models that are reckless and feckless. He and his ilk still believe that growth at any speed in any way is the way to the preferred future regardless of the social and environmental costs.

Canadians will get to compare Harper’s perpetuation of the post-industrial to the Dion who is offering us the chance to change our attitudes. Dion will be saying we need get serious about taking on the challenges of our planet and design our future prosperity with a goal of sustainability. Dion messages will be thought-provoking and engaging. Harper will continue to be misleading and giving us mind-numbing messages telling us it is ok to go back to sleep and that we don’t need to worry.

We have to get serious as a species about learning how to adapt to an integrated stewardship approach to growth and prosperity. We need to take this reality to heart and engage with a head on focus and a sense of urgency.

I have not seen the Dion tax-shift carbon policy yet but all indications are that it is serious and significant. This policy is not one of those senseless ballot- candy ploys like a Harper 2% GST "reduction." I hope engaged and thoughtful Canadians will take the time to learn, understand and reflect on the substance and implications of what is being proposed. That means we will also be able to cut through the crap the Cons will be throwing out there.

Thought-leading and engaged Canadians need to look at their policy options and political choices beyond the canned commentary of the usual suspects in the mainstream media machines. I expect they will only look at this choice of futures as a political horserace and avoid the pith and substance of the policy options because that takes time to digest and vigor to explain.

Looks Like Harper's Negative Ad Campaign Is Backfiring?

Looks like the Harper Cons negative ads are backfiring. This is according to a recent poll quoted in a story in the Hill Times this week. I found this quote from the story most telling:

"According to the Innovative poll, of those who were aware of the ads, 60 per cent said they were left with a negative impression of them, and 20 per cent said they were left with a positive impression, while 18 per cent said neither. "

That is not good news for the Harper message-controlling brain-trust.

The MSM has given the Cons more free "earned media" than they have spent on the ads themselves by the looks of it. Kind of reminds me of the MSM carpet bombing "news coverage" that was done on the personal tragedy that is Brittany Spears a few weeks ago. The MSM then finally looked at themselves, came to their senses, and decided to show some semblance of responsible journalism, and left her alone.

For those Cons who will want to equate my Spears comment to Coulliard, ask yourself if Spears was involved in relationships that undermined national security and Cabinet confidentiality.

The Cons ads are not news. They are not factual. They are not even relevant because the Dion tax shifting policy is not yet finalized. The negative campaign-style ads are just a political tactic that is infotainment masquerading as a public policy issue. Come on MSM, don't get fooled again.

Is Harper Afraid of An Election?

Harper Cons are all about political tactics – again. The anti-Dion election style negative ad campaign is admittedly a channel-changing fast-track strategy to divert attention away from the Cons catastrophic performance as of late. Not surprising and no longer very disappointing because Canadians expectations of the Harper government are so low and declining.

A few months ago Harper took great glee in trying to goad Dion into an unnecessary and unwanted election. Dion wasn’t ready nor were Canadians in any mood for another election so soon. They elected Harper to give him a chance and his constant efforts to engineer his own defeat was not what we expected from our newbie Con government.

Harper is now loathed to have an election and in fact fears that he might have to face the Canadian electorate on his record. He has no vision for the country and no sense of the nation and no plan for what to do next - other than bully the opposition and the provinces. Hence the quickie and expensive channel changing ad campaign intended to divert attention from the facts about his wobbling and wandering government.

Politics is so variable. In a few short months Harper has moved from being a political bully who was always mocking for an election, to today where he is a politically a dead man, balking and dreading the possibility of an imminent election.