There is a rash of rash candidates from the Conservatives, the Liberals and the NDP who are embarrassing themselves, their parties and most or all, their leaders.
The CalgaryGrit has done a public service with a recent blog post on these “Fallen Candidates.” Check out his September 24 post "And You Thought Sara Palin's Vetting Was Shoddy."
We need to attract our best and brightest into servant leadership roles to govern us. These are some but not all the bad examples that show how far away from that goal we have strayed in our democracy these days.
Thx CalgaryGrit for the menu so far, and I presume you will keep us posted as more of these people bite the dust.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Is Harper's "Tough On Crime" Playing the Race Card?
Here is another example of Harper’s Conservatives not reflecting the values that are fundamentally Canadian. Calgary Conservative Candidate Lee Richardson is quoted in the Calgary Herald today accusing immigrants as not being law abiding and tagging them as being responsible for big city crime. In fairness there are ethnic gangs in Edmonton and Calgary but that is not an excuse to brand immigrants as the cause of crime in Calgary. It is more complicated than that simplistic and shallow perception.
Richardson is allegedly quoted in Fast Forward – the Calgary alternative newspaper - implying that many crimes are committed by people that are “…not the kid who grew up next door.” Of course Richardson regrets the comments and admits he misspoke. So what! It reflects an attitude and a value set that is destructive and dangerous.
These were not unguarded comments made in a government interdepartmental meeting as Mr. Ritz’s. These comments reflect, again, an underlying and sometimes overt attitude that is very disturbing. Citizens have seriously question and ask themselves if the Cons are fit to govern. This attitude seems to pervade some significant segments of the Uber- Conservative old time Reform/Alliance elements that still dominate Harper’s caucus.
Reader of this Blog know that I despair about the command and control culture of Harper’s leadership as it relates to media, message manipulation and limiting citizen participation and protest in this election. Harper has reverted to issuing tickets to attend his partisan political events in this election – just so he can avoid hearing “other voices.” Don't expect any hard questions from the floor on this issue in the Harper's closed election meeting in Calgary tonight.
Even with only Harper’s messages being allowed, there is an large body of evidence that has come out in this campaign so many of his caucus and cabinet and campaign workers are loose Cannons. I can come to sympathize a bit why Harper can’t let them talk about public policy issues and concerns to citizens and media. The true story of what the ConTrivers are really like starts to become clearer…and it is not pretty.
We need to sustain the Canadian values of an inclusive society. We need political leaders and representatives who are dedicated to intercultural understanding not the marginalization and discrimination of minorities.
Canadians are better than that. The Conservatives are showing that they really don’t understand Canada. Are the Conservatives up to the job of governing? I say no!
Richardson is allegedly quoted in Fast Forward – the Calgary alternative newspaper - implying that many crimes are committed by people that are “…not the kid who grew up next door.” Of course Richardson regrets the comments and admits he misspoke. So what! It reflects an attitude and a value set that is destructive and dangerous.
These were not unguarded comments made in a government interdepartmental meeting as Mr. Ritz’s. These comments reflect, again, an underlying and sometimes overt attitude that is very disturbing. Citizens have seriously question and ask themselves if the Cons are fit to govern. This attitude seems to pervade some significant segments of the Uber- Conservative old time Reform/Alliance elements that still dominate Harper’s caucus.
Reader of this Blog know that I despair about the command and control culture of Harper’s leadership as it relates to media, message manipulation and limiting citizen participation and protest in this election. Harper has reverted to issuing tickets to attend his partisan political events in this election – just so he can avoid hearing “other voices.” Don't expect any hard questions from the floor on this issue in the Harper's closed election meeting in Calgary tonight.
Even with only Harper’s messages being allowed, there is an large body of evidence that has come out in this campaign so many of his caucus and cabinet and campaign workers are loose Cannons. I can come to sympathize a bit why Harper can’t let them talk about public policy issues and concerns to citizens and media. The true story of what the ConTrivers are really like starts to become clearer…and it is not pretty.
We need to sustain the Canadian values of an inclusive society. We need political leaders and representatives who are dedicated to intercultural understanding not the marginalization and discrimination of minorities.
Canadians are better than that. The Conservatives are showing that they really don’t understand Canada. Are the Conservatives up to the job of governing? I say no!
Deliberative Democracy Forum on Climate Change in Alberta
There is a very interesting event happening this weekend that feeds the need for citizen engagement. A group of active non-partisan Albertans are getting together at the U of A’s Telus Centre for a Deliberative Democracy event focused on climate change in Alberta.
Deliberative democracy is an inclusive public process that invigorates democracy, collects wisdom and focuses citizen’s energy directly on problem solving and policy making approaches towards dealing with critical issues facing society. Climate Change is surely one of those issues, especially in Alberta today.
You can learn more about the event at the Climate Conversation website: http://www.climateconversation.ning.com/ and get some background from the Briefing Document and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, who is also participating in this event.
TONIGHT: There is a Public Roundtable tonight at the U of A Law Centre Room 231/237 from 7:00-8:30 pm. The topic is “Public Deliberation on Climate Change: Getting Beyond Sound-Bite Politics and Shallow Consultations.” Serious stuff and it should be very interesting!
September 26 from 6:15-8:45 pm you can participate in a World Café process to talk about how Alberta is dealing with climate change – and how we should be dealing with it.
There are other events you can get more information from this link.
Climate change THE “hot” environment topic (sic) and one we are all involved in one way or another. This event is a chance to get really serious about what we are doing and what we should be doing about it from an Alberta perspective. Take advantage of this event to learn and share your thoughts and ideas on how to deal with climate change.
Deliberative democracy is an inclusive public process that invigorates democracy, collects wisdom and focuses citizen’s energy directly on problem solving and policy making approaches towards dealing with critical issues facing society. Climate Change is surely one of those issues, especially in Alberta today.
You can learn more about the event at the Climate Conversation website: http://www.climateconversation.ning.com/ and get some background from the Briefing Document and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, who is also participating in this event.
TONIGHT: There is a Public Roundtable tonight at the U of A Law Centre Room 231/237 from 7:00-8:30 pm. The topic is “Public Deliberation on Climate Change: Getting Beyond Sound-Bite Politics and Shallow Consultations.” Serious stuff and it should be very interesting!
September 26 from 6:15-8:45 pm you can participate in a World Café process to talk about how Alberta is dealing with climate change – and how we should be dealing with it.
There are other events you can get more information from this link.
Climate change THE “hot” environment topic (sic) and one we are all involved in one way or another. This event is a chance to get really serious about what we are doing and what we should be doing about it from an Alberta perspective. Take advantage of this event to learn and share your thoughts and ideas on how to deal with climate change.
Comedian Chris Craddock Political Commercial Number 2 - The Environment
Chris Craddock strikes again. The Economy has accelerated past the Environment and is now overwhelmingly the #1 issue in the Canadian election.
Not a surprise. But the world is more complex and an election is not about a single issue. It is more about the inter-relationship of several critical issues - including the character of the various party leaders.
Harper Doesn't Get it! Think twice. Vote once. Vote Anybody But Conservative.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Why Does Harper Hate Ordinary Working Artists?
Stephen Harper thinks artists are not worthy of public support. Not surprising. Good to see the event in Montreal last night where a protest concert was organized by artists to send him a message. Artist need to do more of this all over Canada. And they need to show up, vote, and defeat this Harper government.
Harper frames artist as “…on the TV…(with) a bunch of people at a rich gala, all subsidized by the taxpayer.” Boy, if that is the image Harper has of the ordinary working artist in Canada he lives in a fantasy world. That is so far from the reality of the “ordinary working artist.” The ordinary working artis are the very same people Harper says is not valued by other “ordinary working people.” Spare me sir!
Go to the Fringe Festival in Edmonton Mr. Harper, if you ever visit Edmonton again after us again after tomorow. You will see the talent, determination, perspiration, boldness and unabashed creativity of hundreds of ordinary working artist. This is far from your condescending characterizations of the “rich gala on television” set. This kind of artistic event, and thousands of other like it all over the country, represents the real world work of the culturally creative people of Canada.
This Neo-Con attitude is more of the malicious message manipulation Harper has honed in his pursuit of personal political power. It is tailored to the radical Conservatives in his base audience. It is intended to convey a negative image of good folks who simply use their talent, skills and crafts in ways to add meaning, value, insight and yes, even some entertainment, to our lives.
It is not like Harper does not know exactly what he is talking about when he says to the effect that “taxpayer subsidies are not something that resonates with ordinary working people.” He is right. Consider this. What is the taxpayer resonance of the negative television election campaign ads that are at centre of the dark heart of the Conservative Party “creative competitive culture?” Each and every negative campiagn attack ad was also paid for by taxpayer subsidized dollars.
Political party contributions are amongst the most highly taxpayer subsidized donations in the country. Those subsidized dollars can be used for partisan political purposes and even apply some “artistic license.” By that I mean those partisan negative political attack ads can just lie and mislead with impunity.
I know how that resonates with ordinary working people. Harper can lie and tell half truths in election advertising and even have the gall to cheat the system by running the ads before the election campaign spending controls kick in. And he still can make the ordinary working taxpayer subsidize those ads for him and his political purposes. Because the political party donor dollars are all income tax deductible and election campaign expenses are also highly subsidized by taxpayer dollars.
Given the chance to subsidize real artists doing real culture creative work that adds to our collective well- being as a society sure resonates with me. It resonate more with me than when I have to see my tax dollars going to subsidize some bullying politician like Mr. Harper. It is especially angering when that same bullying politician wants to reduce my democracy and mislead the public for personal power purposes and is being subsidized by my taxpayer dollars to boot.
Shame on you yet again Mr. Harper! You seem intent on dividing us instead of uniting us as citizens and as a country. Worse than that, your mean-spirited bullying political ploys and tactics show that you are better at MISLEADING THAN LEADING.
Danny Williams is right. Vote Anybody But Conservative. This is especially true if you value your freedoms of speech and expression as a citizen of Canada. That is what is at stake if Mr. Harper wins this election.
Harper frames artist as “…on the TV…(with) a bunch of people at a rich gala, all subsidized by the taxpayer.” Boy, if that is the image Harper has of the ordinary working artist in Canada he lives in a fantasy world. That is so far from the reality of the “ordinary working artist.” The ordinary working artis are the very same people Harper says is not valued by other “ordinary working people.” Spare me sir!
Go to the Fringe Festival in Edmonton Mr. Harper, if you ever visit Edmonton again after us again after tomorow. You will see the talent, determination, perspiration, boldness and unabashed creativity of hundreds of ordinary working artist. This is far from your condescending characterizations of the “rich gala on television” set. This kind of artistic event, and thousands of other like it all over the country, represents the real world work of the culturally creative people of Canada.
This Neo-Con attitude is more of the malicious message manipulation Harper has honed in his pursuit of personal political power. It is tailored to the radical Conservatives in his base audience. It is intended to convey a negative image of good folks who simply use their talent, skills and crafts in ways to add meaning, value, insight and yes, even some entertainment, to our lives.
It is not like Harper does not know exactly what he is talking about when he says to the effect that “taxpayer subsidies are not something that resonates with ordinary working people.” He is right. Consider this. What is the taxpayer resonance of the negative television election campaign ads that are at centre of the dark heart of the Conservative Party “creative competitive culture?” Each and every negative campiagn attack ad was also paid for by taxpayer subsidized dollars.
Political party contributions are amongst the most highly taxpayer subsidized donations in the country. Those subsidized dollars can be used for partisan political purposes and even apply some “artistic license.” By that I mean those partisan negative political attack ads can just lie and mislead with impunity.
I know how that resonates with ordinary working people. Harper can lie and tell half truths in election advertising and even have the gall to cheat the system by running the ads before the election campaign spending controls kick in. And he still can make the ordinary working taxpayer subsidize those ads for him and his political purposes. Because the political party donor dollars are all income tax deductible and election campaign expenses are also highly subsidized by taxpayer dollars.
Given the chance to subsidize real artists doing real culture creative work that adds to our collective well- being as a society sure resonates with me. It resonate more with me than when I have to see my tax dollars going to subsidize some bullying politician like Mr. Harper. It is especially angering when that same bullying politician wants to reduce my democracy and mislead the public for personal power purposes and is being subsidized by my taxpayer dollars to boot.
Shame on you yet again Mr. Harper! You seem intent on dividing us instead of uniting us as citizens and as a country. Worse than that, your mean-spirited bullying political ploys and tactics show that you are better at MISLEADING THAN LEADING.
Danny Williams is right. Vote Anybody But Conservative. This is especially true if you value your freedoms of speech and expression as a citizen of Canada. That is what is at stake if Mr. Harper wins this election.
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