Osama Bin Laden's Quebec Apologists

First it was Uncle Tom Mulcair telling the CBC that he didn't believe that the US had pictures of a dead Osama Bin Laden and then he said that he it didn't matter even if they did have picture, 'it wouldn't prove very much." Watch the video of a stunned reporter interviewing another NDP conspiracy theorist.
1. Link to the CBC story and
2. Click on the video
3. Laugh at the idiot who will be the deputy opposition leader.

Not an auspicious start for the NDP's number two. 
By the way, readers, if you'd like to meet another NDP idiot truther, watch recently re-elected NDP hero, Libby Davies, present a petition to Parliament  asserting that the US government was responsible for 9-11. LINK

Any ways, moving along......

While we'd expect the usual gang of rogue nations and certain Christian/Jew-hating imams to denounce the death of the world's number one terrorist, it is surprising how little support has actually been publicly offered.

Of course first on the list of Osama supporters is the Palestinian Hamas government in Gaza, whose leader Ismail Haniyeh,  commented:
"We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood." Link

Readers might recall that when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, Gaza broke out in spontaneous exuberant demonstrations of support for the terrorists and joyful celebration of the murder of the 3000 plus victims. Watch Palestinians celebrate on YouTube
But no matter, in Quebec we love Palestinians and hate Israelis.

Even Iran, believe it or not, has expressed satisfaction at the death of Osama. Around the world, country after country, commentator after commentator has expressed loud support for the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

If you scour the Internet, it's hard to find a sympathetic word for Osama outside radical fundamentalist  Islamic organizations.

Except in Quebec, where the nutters come out on vigile.net.

While the world rejoices in Osama's death our very own Richard LeHir decries the fact that he was gunned down.

"Indeed, from the time when American intelligence knew where bin Laden was hiding, nothing prevented them from seizing his person and then bring him to justice, and the fact that they chose, on the order of the President of the United States, to liquidate it altogether on the field, leaves the worst suspicions.Yet in his very brief statement, Obama did not even attempt to argue that bin Laden had been killed because it had not been possible to capture him alive.Instead, he assumed full responsibility for his order to assassinate bin Laden, as if it were the most natural thing and most legitimate of the world....This justice, it is straight out of a bad western theme, and it certainly does not help improve the U.S. image worldwide." Link

Mr. LeHir is badly out of touch if he thinks that the world is upset.  Really, out of touch...

From a Lebanese newspaper

Marius Morin on vigil.net tells that;

"Bin Laden is dead, the crowd and the media are cheering. A victory over terrorism. This is all based on lies. According to several proofs, bin Laden died December 13, 2001, murdered by the Pakistani services....
....While the enemy remains alive, all wars, military strikes, invasions, killings, torture Guantanamins are allowed, and criminals who are the authors are covered: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, McChrystal, Obama, Hilary Clinton, etc.. Without this lie, (that Osama is alive) well orchestrated and planned, all these people would be accused of war crimes against humanity and would be behind bars." LINK{FR} (read it, it's a jewel)

In decrying the fact that the world is happy with Ben Laden's death, François Munyabagisha on vigile.net warns us not to celebrate.

"2 000 years ago, the spiritual leader of Christians perished on a wooden cross. People celebrated the end of his cause..... Today his ideology still resists against the winds and the tides." Link 

And so, according to the author, Osama, like Jesus, was just misunderstood and perhaps ahead of his time.

Readers, say it with me.... UghhHHH..................

For Die-Hards, Bloc Collapse as Painful as Referendum Loss

Ever since Monday night, there's been a lot of tears and hand-wringing among committed sovereignists, who watched the painful implosion of a hitherto beloved separatist institution.

Indeed, for separatists, watching the Bloc Quebecois going down to ignominious defeat was probably as painful as watching your favourite boxer being trashed for several rounds before collapsing to the canvas only to suffer the inevitable and humiliating ten-count, followed by the referee's emphatic signal, that the fight is over,
K/O... Kaput!....The fat lady has sung!

It was like referendum night all over again..

Forgive my hyperbolic metaphor, but I'm feeling mighty smug and self-satisfied.

I don't usually take pleasure at someone else's misfortune, but in this case, I daresay that I'll make an exception.
And so, I'll take some time to revel in the Bloc's wipeout as well as time to celebrate a majority government.

A special treat for me is the reaction of the you-know-whos, like Louis Prefontaine who is frothing at the mouth in rage and humiliation. Read Une race de ti-counes{FR}  SWEET!

Some sovereignists are trying to spin the Bloc defeat as something positive for the separatist movement, but let's face it, four years of a majority Conservative government must be as inviting as a trip to the dentist for root canal surgery. Read this drivel,  Un excellent pas vers l’Indépendance{FR}

Truthfully, I didn't care whether it was a Liberal or Conservative majority, as long as the separatists were dealt out of the political equation.

Ironically, with almost 24% of the vote in Quebec, the Bloc won just 5% of the seats.
For twenty years the Bloc has punched above its weight, earning two-thirds of the seats with about forty percent of the vote. Payback's a bitch!

The Bloc's presence in Ottawa underlined the fragility of our Parliamentary democracy. Those Quebeckers who decided to mock Canada by electing secessionists, put an enormous amount of pressure on an institution designed to work with elected officials who want the best for the country, not the worst.

Luckily our democracy withstood the test and ultimately the sovereignists realized that even with a forced minority government, federalists would not give in to separatist demands.

Such was the humiliating rout that the Bloc will likely disappear forever, the experiment to promote sovereignty in Ottawa, a failed gambit.
Without an elected leader and without party status, there is no basis to continue, certainly in consideration of the choice that Quebec voters made.
Looking at four years of roaming the political wilderness, it will be next to impossible to keep the Bloc brand alive. I'm not even sure they can pay off their campaign expenses, considering that the federal subsidy will drop by over 40%. If they're depending on the generosity of Quebeckers to help them pay off the debt, they may as well declare bankruptcy now!

So like every Canadian federalist, I'm glad to see them gone and gone forever.

It would be an error to believe that the rejection of the Bloc is an utter rejection of the sovereignty option. After a 20 year experiment in pushing secession in Ottawa, with zero tangible results, many 'soft' nationalists decided that it was just time to pack in the Ottawa adventure.

But while the Bloc's demise is not fatal to the sovereignty movement, it does deal the secessionists a painful body blow.
It signals that the Parti Quebecois is no shoe-in to replace the faltering provincial Liberals, whose franchise is well-past the 'use-by' date. Like their federal counterparts, the word 'Liberal' is toxic in French Quebec, but it doesn't mean that the Peekists are a natural replacement. Quebeckers have shown that they have no problem with rejecting 'all-of-the-above' and going down a different road.

 Gilles Duceppe's political career is  over, I don't see him enjoying any significant role (other than an elder statesman) in the sovereignty movement after this abject failure. The collapse of the Bloc will be pinned on him by hard-liners and the only  political role left  for him is to wear the goat-horns. His political star is eclipsed.

In spite of a brave face, the Parti Quebecois and Pauline Marois in particular are terrified of what happened election night.
Quebeckers have the told politicians that they were tired of the status quo and likely that will play out in Quebec's next provincial election.

For the Liberal and the Peekists, all I can say is....Be afraid, be very afraid.

Quebec Exchanges Four Quarters for a Dollar

So after all this, the polls underestimated the Conservative support once again and even though Quebec exchanged the Ndp for the Bloc, the real story is the Liberal collapse in Ontario, in favour of the Conservatives.

Quebec once again, remains the little boy with his nose rubbed up to the window, looking in from the outside at the Conservative party going on inside.

Is the Bloc collapse significant? I believe so.
Gilles Duceppe has already announced that he's abandoning ship and resigning as leader.
It's off to academia!
After a while, it's likely that the party will disband and the few members elected to sit as independents.
Dum-Da-Dum-Da!

So eager were Quebeckers to show the door to the Bloc, that the province elected a bunch of hardened communists, socialists and unilingual anglophones to represent French ridings!
Talk about the twilight zone.......

With the election of a majority government, the opposition is irrelevant. Layton and Mulcair can huff and puff to their hearts content and the large Ndp contingent in Parliament is of no concern.

By the way, the Bloc got almost 25% of the Quebec vote and won (at the time of writing this post) just 3 seats.
Payback's a bitch! Hahaha!

Rebuilding the Liberal franchise won't be easy, the party borrowed heavily to finance this current campaign. With the election results, the party will see their governmental subsidy halved. The Conservatives will no doubt eliminate this subsidy in the new term. Tough nougies!

Readers, this is a short post. It's meant to open up comments to you, I'm sure you've got a lot to say.

Here's some questions;

• What will Harper do with his majority

• How long will it take for Ignatieff to resign?

• What will happen to Duceppe?

• Who should take over the leadership of the Liberals?

• Who is cabinet material and who will replace Quebec's fallen ministers"

• Will Harper 'screw' Quebec? 

Go ahead, the floor is open!

Between the Bloc and the Ndp, I'll take the Bloc

Yes, there I said it.
Given a choice between the Bloc and the Ndp winning a riding, I'm hoping for the Bloc.

Strange? Perhaps, but the Bloc is a known entity. It's presence in Ottawa is annoying, but not particularly damaging. For twenty years they've twiddled their thumbs and been politically irrelevant.

For the last years, they've prevented the Conservatives from having a majority, something most Canadians actually see as a good thing. Nothing would change with a vote switch to the Ndp, we'll still be left with a minority, but with an Ndp party that will be in a position to make real demands, not a particularly enticing prospect.
God help us if they become the official opposition.

And so I'll take the Bloc, a party that has zero chance of affecting legislation, with no real political agenda other than to annoy and one that is satisfied with doing nothing, happy to bide it's time, building Parliamentary pensions.

There's a joke in Quebec that Anglos would rather vote for the Mafia before voting for a separatist and I daresay it's true. See why Anglos prefer the Mafia to Separatists
That being said, I'd rather see a separatist (with little power to advance a separatist agenda) elected in Ottawa, than a socialist dipper, a party that can wreck actual havoc.
Remember Ontario under Bob Rae?

Today is election day and for most of us who are politically informed, it's a nervous day, especially since we really don't know what is going to happen.
As the cartoon above indicates, voting is a special privilege for those who care and the actual casting of one's ballot is a solemn and thoroughly satisfying experience.

Unfortunately, most of us will end up disappointed, especially in Quebec where there are four strong parties vying for our votes. Basic math tells us that the majority of us will probably have voted for a candidate who loses, but no matter, this is our democracy.

As for voter turnout, I daresay that it might  skyrocket from a paltry 59% in the 2008 election, to over 70% this time around. With the very real specter that vote-splitting will affect the outcome of countless ridings, it appears that more than in the past, each vote counts. This coupled with the fact that the polls are all over the place, with nobody really sure of what tomorrow's result will drive participation. People tend to vote more when the conclusion is uncertain.

As for these polls,
 The dirty little secret that few pollsters will admit, is that the art of gauging public opinion has become LESS accurate over the last decade or so, for of a variety of reasons, the most important being that the response rate, or the number of people willing to answer questions from pollsters has fallen to about 15% from  over 70%. That and the preponderance of wireless phones, (which most pollsters don't call) makes getting an accurate sample much more expensive.

Here's how the pundits did in the last election, not so good by any standard.

So much for the experts and their predictions. I am reminded of the old adage that tells us that 'Experts built the Titanic"

Strategic voting is an interesting and purely Canadian concept, I can't imagine it happening too often anywhere else in the world.
The best example of the phenomenon is the riding of Papineau where Justin Trudeau is fighting for his political life against the Bloc. With the Conservatives having no chance to win, many of Harperites  are swallowing hard and casting a Liberal vote, in an effort to limit the Bloc success. This phenomenon is happening in many ridings across the country.

As for the election all I can do is fantasize along with all of you and hope for the best.

As for my fantasy wish list, here goes;

•  I hope Larry Smith gets elected in Montreal's West Island.  CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN - Not so good.

•  I hope Elizabeth May gets elected out in BC's Saanich-Gulf Islands. I really can't stand the Greens, but democracy is served by having some representation in Parliament. May is the only Green with any chance to win.  CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN - Good.

• I hope that Saulie Zajdel knocks off Irwin Cotler in Mount-Royal, in Montreal's designated 'Jewish' riding. Cotler is an anachronism from a time when Human rights was an issue. He made one of the very worst appointments to the Supreme Court when he named a family friend, Rosa Abella to the Supreme Court. Abella with a pedigree as a radical women's libber and a veteran of the Ontario Human Right's Commission is everything I don't particularly support. Ugh!..... Cotler also was an MP with one of the lowest attendance records in the last Parliamentary session, absent almost half the time. CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN - 50/50

• I hope that 'Uncle' Thom Mulcair loses in Outremont, Montreal. Mulcair is the only person running for office in the whole country that I actually hate with a passion. He is an evil, self-serving political rat that would sell his kids for power. CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN - not a chance

• I hope that Marlene Jennings and Marc Garneau two Montreal Liberal incumabants, both on the bubble, get re-elected. Anything better than the Ndp. CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN-Good.

• I hope that Justin Trudeau gets re-elected. CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN - Good

• I hope that Helena Guergis gets re-elected as an independent. Not my favourite person but treated shabbily by Stephen Harper. . CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN - Not so Good.

• I hope that Ken Dryden loses his seat in Toronto. Dryden seems to have lost his heart and interest . CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN -  Good.

• I hope that Conservative cabinet minister Lawrence Cannon gets re-elected in Pontiac, Anglo-Quebeckers only representation in the Harper cabinet . CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN - Not Good.

• In spite of my desire to have the Bloc win against the Ndp, I'll make an exception for Gilles Duceppe who will lose his seat if the Ndp surge holds. CHANCES IT WILL HAPPEN - 50/50
  

Finally  a note about the TWITTER controversy, with many vowing to release election results before polls have closed in the West, contrary to Election Canada rules. LINK
This is another media generated story that has no bearing in fact.
Election Canada has neatly side-stepped the problem by keeping polls open late in the East and closing early in the West.
As it stands, there is only a half hour  difference in real time between the time the polls close in the East and West. Consider the time it takes to count ballots and TWITS who want to spill the beans can only affect those voters who choose to vote on the west coast in the last ten minutes before the polls close.
Still think this is a big story? Bah!

By the way, Prince William and his new bride will visit Canada with a stop in Quebec this summer. No doubt the heir to the throne will be met with demonstrating yahoos, but it's interesting to note that he speaks fluent French,. At least three anglo Ndp candidates running in predominantly francophone ridings in Quebec can't speak a word of French. One might even be elected!

NOTE TO READERS;
I will post tomorrow, but not at the usual midnight hour. I'll wait for election results and hope to have a a post out by Noon.

Sex Act? ....Say It Ain't So, Jack!

Maybe that's why he's smiling???

Who knows who has been keeping this bombshell under wraps until needed, but make no mistake, it has to be the most powerful political bombshell ever unloaded in a Canadian election.

"What police say happened on Jan. 9, 1996, was recorded in the former cop's notebook, which was reviewed and photocopied by the Toronto Sun.
The former Asian crime unit officer, who requested anonymity, details a prior police raid on the "premise currently ID as a bawdy house" looking for underage Asian hookers and a subsequent follow-up visit to the two-storey brick storefront on Jan. 9.
At first the policemen didn't realize they were interviewing one of the best-known Toronto politicians who was married to Chow, also a Metro councillor and now the incumbent NDP MP for Trinity-Spadina.
The officer's notebook indicates he asked the suspected john: "Did you receive any sexual services?"
He replied: "No sir, I was just getting a shiatsu."
The cop: "Why did you have all your clothes off?"
The suspected john: No answer.
The cop: "Are you aware that there were sex acts being done here?"The suspected john: "No sir."The woman, who was from mainland China, denied masturbating the suspected john but when the question was repeated became nervous and replied, "I don't know I only come to work today," the cop's notes show.

His notes also claim he saw the "female dump wet Kleenex into garbage" LINK

WET KLEENEX!!!!!   
Boy when you start talking about a wet Kleenex, it's bad news.

For Canadians, not into the know, a 'Happy Ending' is a massage parlour session that terminates with an 'hand job' or oral sex act.

Jack's wife is defending her spouse's presence in a 'massage parlour' as legitimate. Ugh!
That's a bit sad.
Ladies reading this blog...would you forgive such behaviour?
Methinks, NO!