"New Car Smell" Toxic?

Probably not, but it sure as hell would explain why it gives me headaches. I hate 'New Car Smell'.

Liberal Leadership Application Form

Thought you might like this. An original Uncommon Truths creation:



This is Form 1043547469 ii.(b), "Application For the Position of Leader of The Liberal Party of Canada". If you are applying for the position of Governor General, please apply using form 1003746545 iv.(a), available only at the Offices of the CBC. Non-employees need not apply.



Section I - Personal Suitability

1. Are you an immigrant, or the offspring of immigrants?
2. If so, is it the non-threatening kind?
3. Have you ever been convicted of an indictable offense in Canada or the United States?
4. No, theft and/or drug abuse isn't really a crime. You can pass on that one.
5. Are you comfortable lying?
6. All of the time?
7. Are you ever bothered by moral scruples?
8. Are you hungry?
9. Do You Want to go get a Pizza dinner? For two?
10. I know this place down the street. We'll file it as an expense claim.

If you answered 'yes' to question 7, please shred your application form. You are unsuitable for the position of Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Section 2 - True Or False

1. Pierre Trudeau founded Canada. T/F
2. George W. Bush is a warmongerer. T/F
3. Government always knows better than you do. T/F
4. Stephen Harper is a Scary Right-Wing extremist neo-con T/F
5. ...And a knuckle dragging neandethal T/F
6. ...And a bible-thumping...well, you get the picture. T/F
7. Canadians should thank the Liberals for keeping the country together, regardless of AdScam. T/F
8. You knew nothing about that program. Rogue civil servants. T/F
9. Gum is too expensive to buy on your own. T/F
10. You are entitled to your entitlements. T/F

Section 3 - Artistic Abilities:

Draw me!

Section 4 - Multiple Choice

1. You are the Prime Minister of Canada (since you're the Leader of the LPC, take this for granted). A new international threat has just arisen in the form of a rogue nation armed with nuclear weapons that has threatened to fire them on the United States. Do you:
• A) Stand by your closest ally.
• B) Run Like Hell.
• C) Offer Peackeepers and financial aid
• D) Call George Bush a 'warmongerer' and sulk in your office.
  
  
  
  
2. The warmongerer American President is being difficult regarding a free trade issue of vital economic importance to the Canadian People. How long do you wait before calling him (or her) about it?
• A) One Month
• B) Two Months
• C) A Year
• D) "George W. Bush is a Warmongerer."
  



3. You find yourself inheriting an explosive scandal from a previous Liberal Government that you may or may not (always choose the latter when asked) have been involved in. the Opposition Leader, who is considering calling a no-confidence vote, is hammering you hard with a question about the scandal during question period. How do you respond?
• A) "The real issue here is your hidden agenda for healthcare!"
• B) "I have never met Claude Boulay."
• C) "HEALTH CARE! HEALTH CARE!!! HEALTH CAAAARE!!!!"
• D) "George W. Bush is a Warmongerer."
  



4. What is the coolest quote from a Liberal Leader?
• A) "Just Watch Me"
• B) "A proof is a proof, and when you have a good proof it's because it's proven."
• C) "I will defend the Charter!"
• D) "Fundamentally"

Congratulations, you have completed Form 1043547469 ii.(b), "Application For the Position of Leader of The Liberal Party of Canada." Now that you are finished, tear up this form and pretend you never completed it, because when either Scott or Belinda get in they will be so pissed at you.

Alito Confirmed

From Drudge:

Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. became the nation's 110th Supreme Court justice on Tuesday, confirmed with the most partisan victory in modern history after a fierce battle over the future direction of the high court.

The Senate voted 58-42 to confirm Alito _ a former federal appellate judge, U.S. attorney, and conservative lawyer for the Reagan administration from New Jersey _ as the replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been a moderate swing vote on the court.

And Sandra Day O'Connor is now out of the picture. Good. Now let's get some work done.



Something that I've taken note of: Alito is the son of Italian Immigrants, and went on to attend both Princeton and Yale. The American Dream of diversity and tolerance right?



But he's a conservative judge, so that makes him evil - so say the Democrats. Yeesh...

What's That Slapping Sound?

Maybe it's Hollywood patting each other on the back. Followed a link from Small Dead Animals and decided to make some further comment on what I saw. Holy Crap.

The best-actress race presumably will shape up as a two-woman contest between Huffman in a gender-bending role as a man about to undergo sex-change surgery in "Transamerica" and Witherspoon as singer June Carter, Cash's musical companion and future wife, in "Walk the Line."

It's true what they say: There's just no accounting for taste. Only in Hollywood.

(P.S. Johnny Cash rules.)

The North American Left is Broke

Real Broke. From Drudge:

Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are privately bristling over Howard Dean’s management of the Democratic National Committee and have made those sentiments clear after new fundraising numbers showed he has spent nearly all the committee’s cash and has little left to support their efforts to gain seats this cycle, ROLL CALL reports.

Congressional leaders were furious last week when they learned the DNC has just $5.5 million in the bank, compared to the Republican National Committee’s $34 million.

Coupled with the fact that the Liberal Party is close to insolvency, this does not auger well for the North American Left - although I'm not up on my Mexican politics (woefully ignorant in fact), so perhaps "North American Left" is a wee bit facetious? Maybe one of you wise and benevolent readers could enlighten me.



In any event, this lack of cash is seriously going to damage the efforts of both the Liberals and the Democrats as they attempt to become relevant to the citizens of their respective nations. The Conservative party is financially very healthy right now, whereas the Liberals are...well...let's put it this way: spare some change, sir?

In the first 9 months of 2005 alone, the Conservative Party raised $10.9 million whereas the Liberals only raised $5.2 million (source). This is in part due to recent changes in the rules regarding political donations. These changes heavily limit corporate donations to parties, something that is already spelling bad news for the Liberals who have traditionally relied on corporations like Bombardier for large cash donations. Contrary to popular belief, it is the Liberals who cozy up to big business in Canada. The Conservatives on the other hand rely heavily on individual donations from a very motivated and generous base - we're talking grassroots here. Worse still for the Liberals are new guidelines being proposed by the Conservatives to limit individual donations to $1000 - and to ban corporate donations altogether. You can almost hear the anguished screams of the financially damned emanating from Liberal fundraisers across the country.



If the Liberals don't start energizing their base to contribute the cold hard cash needed to fund election campaigns, they may soon find themselves simply unable to compete with the Conservatives every step of the way.

Ed Hollet In The Dark

Over at his blog, Ed Hollet has been musing about how the "connies" (by the way, Ed, we're right-wing extremists, knuckle-draggers or rednecks - get the terminology straight) might be harsh on people scheduled for deportation.


Well, they are! At least those who don't have a reason for being here. People like, oh let's say, criminals?



People like Leon Mugesera.



But not people like Alexi Portnoy. Or Alexander Baranov, or the Ronenson family. The Conservatives surely will not turn their backs on hardworking immigrants who do more for this country than most Canadians do. Not like the Liberals did.

How The Hell

Did I become a Marauding Marsupial? Not something to be especially proud of, but that was awfully quick. Especially a marsupial - that's like the bizarro version of a mammal. Trust me, I'm the biology guy. I know these things.



Edit: I guess it's through comments? By the way, I was a microbe Four days ago. What the heck, right?

Absolute Horsecrap

They sure are putting interesting things in internet ads these days...

TTLB Ecosystem

Joined today, in case you had a burning desire to know. If I'm to be a microbe, I hope it's Chromobacterium violaceum. That's one damn fine looking microbe (Pay no attention to the Biology Student on the Right).

Liberal Candidate Allegedly Violates Canada's Election Laws

Yesterday my father noticed something when he went to vote. Someone or someones from the campaign for Liberal Candidate Paul Antle (St. John's East) had placed signs advertising his campaign on property that was serving as a polling station. In case you aren't aware, this is in clear violation of the Canada Elections Act.

Several calls were made to Elections Canada where they confirmed that this was indeed illegal and that they had received complaints prior to our call about the situation. I informed them that the signs were still there(this was around 7:30 PM, an hour before the polls closed). I was told that "someone already tried to take them down but the ground was too hard to remove them."

Excuse me?

Too hard to remove the signs? What an excuse for not enforcing the Canada Elections Act! Perhaps these people have never heard of a saw. Perhaps an ax? Maybe even a swift kick? We dropped by the polling station later on, and the signs were indeed still there. However, according to campaign volunteers at our HQ, signs we had placed near but not on polling property had to be removed, or else. This willfull turning of a blind eye towards the Canada Elections Act and selective enforcement of the law is truly shocking. In the end, it is just one more example of a system that is full of rampant irregularities.

Of course, I had to get pictures for proof...so I did.

One of the signs.

You can see a second sign in the background as well. The flash was not strong enough to capture in one photo the three or more signs placed on the polling property.

You can see the second sign better in this picture. There is yet another sign behind the second one. The lights in the background belong to the polling station, a Jr. High School.

Ironically, whomever put the signs up put them up at the exit of the parking lot of the polling station, giving returning voters a nice view of the back of the signs as they left. In any event, someone walking to the polls could have seen them quite easily. If they had been turning from a certain street onto the polling property, they would have also seen them before they hit the entrance to the parking lot. A row of signs were placed on what was questionably just outside of the polling station property along with another row of signs that were quite indisputably on the property. And Elections Canada did nothing. Shame on Elections Canada for not enforcing the Canada Elections Act!

Good Night To All

Well that's been one heck of a night. We have a new Conservative Government, albeit a minority, and Paul Martin is officially stepping down as leader of the Liberal Party. I didn't expect him to do it so quickly, but there you go - he went right ahead and did it in his concession speech. I didn't catch the rest of said speech because I was busy racing to the blog to report the news.



In any event, this has been a great night for us all. Victory, Victory is our prize. Victory out of the Long Dark Liberal Night. Victory after struggling for years to unite the right. Victory, Victory is ours at last. Congratulations to you all, especially if you worked on a candidate's campaign. This win truly belongs to you. You are the ones who made it all happen for your candidates. A job well done.

Wikipedia - All Your Base Are Belong To Us

Okay, so maybe they'll revert it back because he's not officially the Prime Minister until he's sworn in. But I promised I'd be the first to do this, and I was!

Liberal Cabinet Casualties

The former Liberal Cabinet looks more like a bloody trauma ward tonight. Among the casualties:

• Liza Frulla
• Tony Valeri
• Pierre Pettigrew
• Andy Mitchell
• Anne McLellan
• Aileen Carroll

More Later. I'm glad that Laurie Hawn, a former fighter pilot, beat elitist McLellan. A victory for the people indeed.

Martin Confirms He Is Stepping Down

No surprise.



So ends Martin's tenure as one of the Worst Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. I wonder if, back in 2003, he figured it would all end up like this? What a mess Chretien dumped into his lap.



Truly, the revenge of Jean Chretien.

Just to note, I scooped you all on this :P

Martin Considers Resigning

Just Announced he's going to consult with caucus. "I will not lead the Party into the next election."

Victory!

How Sweet it is. Best of all, Landslide Annie is out on her rear! Eardrum related injuries decrease 5000% in the house of commons.

Pictures From HQ!

I am not that happy with the weakness of the new Tory Government. Nonetheless, we have won the day and I am pleased. My two goals have been fulfilled: Norm Doyle will continue to represent me in the district of St. John's East, and we have a new Conservative government. As a bonus, now I can say I have pictures of myself with the Prime Minister of Canada. Pretty Sweet.

That being said, feast your eyes on these pictures from Campaign HQ!




Norm (right) and NTV Reporter Darrin Bent discussing the victory.



Liberal Candidate Paul Antle (left) conceding defeat. Antle showed up in person at HQ, which really impressed me.




Discussing his loss with the media. Mr. Antle ran a very negative campaign that largely emphasized how "bad" Stephen Harper would be for the country. The end result: Norm won by 4,500 votes. The people have spoken.




Norm watching the election results. This was during the initial seat reports of the Atlantic Region




Yours truly taking in a brew and the election results. No popcorn, though.

Live Blogging St. John's

Polls are officially Closed. I'm down at campaign HQ, waiting for results. Wish us luck!

"Today Is The Most Depressing Day of the Year," Says Brit Shrink

Perhaps if you're a Liberal...in Quebec.

British Psychologist says Today is the Most Depressing Day of the Year.

"Black Monday"

Today is Black Monday for the Liberals. Or is it Blue Monday? In any event, get out there and JOIN THE BLUE FINGER CAMPAIGN! And don't forgget to vote if you haven't already. I availed of the advance polls on Friday, January 13th (Martin's Unlucky Day) to have my say, so I won't be voting today (hey, maybe if I was a Liberal in Anne McLellan's riding)...



I remind you all of my predictions: either a strong Conservative Minority (the most likely outcome) or a majority (which is not as likely, barring some electoral surprise). In any event, it seems at the moment safe to predict a Conservative government - but then again, I'm not in the business of fortune telling. So we'll see what happens at the end of the day, when all the ballots have been counted (and maybe re-counted).



Since class ends today at 1 PM, I'm thinking of heading down to the Incumbent's HQ and helping out on this most important of days. You've probably guessed who I'm talking about, especially if you've been reading Morally Tory, but let's keep up the charade, shall we? Anyhow, here's hoping for a joyous victory party for you and yours tonight.



Cheers.



P.S.: Have you seen this? I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. H/T to the sexy Invisible Hand!

Danté Knows What He Wants for His Birthday

JOIN THE BLUE FINGER CAMPAIGN!

Today is my Birthday. And tomorrow I'm getting the best birthday present a Conservative could ask for - a Conservative Government. Joy of Joys, we have prevailed at last. All those long hard years throughout the 90's when the right was divided and wandering in the desert in search of the electoral promised land, and now we are finally whole again - and on the cusp of forming the government. I've really got to hand it to Harper - I've had my doubts about him before, and I've often declared "Stephen Harper will never be prime minister."



Well, I couldn't be more happy to say that I was completely and utterly wrong. Harper's undergone a change I never thought possible. He's finally doing everything right. He's defined himself before the Liberals had the chance to. He's shielded himself from negative attacks by warning Canadians that they were coming. He has presented a mainstream moderate image that Canadians are comfortable with. And for the first time since 1993, Canadians are declaring that they are comfortable with a right-of-centre government.



Join me tomorrow night as I blog the election. It's going to be great - I'll post all the pictures of the victory party that I'm going to at my incumbent's HQ. I expect to be joined there by Morally Tory as well.



We have only but one day to wait for our dreams to be realized. Until then, good luck to you all.

Alexa McDonough Is Not Well Read

Maybe I should join the trend and send Alexa a book. Perhaps one on common folk expressions?

Jamaican Bobsledders

Get a load of this:

Brown, a Jamaican who has been competing with Canada on the World Cup circuit for two seasons, received a call Friday from Immigration Minister Joe Volpe that his citizenship has been approved and is clear to race at the Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

But Alexi Portnoy can't stay because he's not a shining example of multiculturalism. Far from it, he's an Israeli.

UPDATE: I'm not suggesting that this guy shouldn't be allowed to stay - I think he should. I'm just trying to highlight the inherent flaws in our immigration policy. I've seen far too many hardworking immigrants deported because of bureaucratic nonsense.

Slightly Worried

New polls are out, although calling the latest national Poll results a "drop" for the Conservatives is a stretch, considering that they're referring to a clearly extraneous poll that showed us ahead by 18% and then referred to what has been a consistent 10 point lead throughout the campaign as the position that we've dropped to.



Nonetheless I'm a little worried, but then again I can be a pessimistic person by nature. I was a little worried about the Ontario Poll that shows us at 33% whereas it says the Liberals are at 40%, but the margin of error for that Poll is 5%...and it was only a poll of 379 people. I wouldn't put much faith in those numbers. Besides, pay attention to trends, not polls. Anyhow, here's the link for you numbers game addicts.

Martin. In my City. In Canada. I Wish I Was Making This Up.

Just the thought of that slimy weasel in St. John's is enough to make me feel dirty. Apparently, he's going to show up at the Battery hotel on our beloved Signal Hill, which overlooks the Harbour (that hill in the St. John's Webcam on the right - you might have to go to the main page to see it. Yeah, yeah, I'm working on it).



Yeesh.



Paul Martin.


On Signal Hill.


At the Battery.


In my City.


At Lunchtime.


While I'll be in my Paleontology class.


Instead of protesting.


I'm not kidding.



Maybe I should tell my Paleo prof that if he wants to find a fossil, he should pay a visit to Signal Hill.

DANTÉ on CBC Radio!

I don't know if it was national or not, but if you hear some handsome sounding young man giving a surprisingly coherent verbal endorsement of his Conservative candidate on CBC radio (probably only in Newfoundland), then yes, that was me, and yes, you should not listen to the part where I give out my real name. Then it'll just be like Peter Parker and the Green Goblin all over again, and I for one am so sick of that guy and his damn pumpkin bombs.

You Are All Clearly Outstanding

JOIN THE BLUE FINGER CAMPAIGN!



Thanks to everyone for filling me in on whether or not CFS fees are mandatory. You guys raised some great ideas about our switching national union affiliations, but trying to force the Student Union to leave the CFS is like trying to move the earth with a toothpick for a lever (sorry Archimedes). This is a Student Union that last semester banned pro-life groups and the expression of pro-life sentiments on Campus without batting an eye-lash. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.



I attended a town hall style debate today, expecting to see my dynamo Conservative incumbent flatten the Liberal candidate, but all I got instead was an hour of the Green Party and NDP candidates going on and on about their plans for education, and how much they really care about us. Apparently, the Liberal guy and our incumbent realized that one university debate a week is enough - there are other important places to campaign. At one point, the NDP candidate's finance guy (who was in the audience for some reason) accused "PC activists" of running a radio-show phone in campaign in 2000 alleging that the NDP candidate at that time in another riding, Codco comedian Greg Malone, was an anti-Catholic and dressed up in women's clothing. Now Malone IS as anti-Catholic as you can get, but I can't vouch for this women's clothing business unless they were referring to costumes used in sketches (of course the dippers in the audience mockingly tsk tsked at this - I don't care, drag is just plain wacko in my book. Whatever floats your boat, but that's just odd). By the way, the NDP guy made a reference to the fact that the NDP were known as dippers in the blog world (to which I thought, "No kidding") and then proceeded to make some remark about the Conservatives and blogs. I smirked, and chuckled inwardly. No, we conservatives are clueless about blogs. Clueless.



In other news, former CIA mercenary (just kidding) Nicol DuMoulin from The War Room asks how I find life at University now that I'm "outed" so to speak. To be honest, although I eat, sleep and breathe politics I try not to discuss it with my friends unless I know they're committed conservatives - there's just less tension that way. My friends all know I'm conservative, but come on, it's not like that's something to be a pariah over - I haven't killed anyone, for Pete's sake (MacKay, that is). They're intelligent people; the political affiliations of their friends mean nothing. Hell, I'm great friends with the son of the leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador - he's probably a committed Liberal, but why should I care about that? He's my friend.



In any event, I was really hoping a committed moonbat would attack us at our booth today. Oddly enough, it never happened. It would have been especially priceless had they accused the treasurer of our Conservative Club (who was at the table) of being a homophobe (because he's conservative of course). I can see it now, they'd scream and shout at him for being hateful and intolerant and they would demand, demand that he explain his homophobic conservative stance.



And he'd look at them and say, "Uh...I'm kind of gay."



What a hoot that would have been! Yeesh!

CFS shilling for NDP, Liberals

An election is a great time to inform people about the policies held by the Conservative Party. Of course, it's also the time that all the moonbats come out of the woodwork. Prime on this list, as any conservative university student knows, is the Canadian Federation of Students. The CFS for those not in the know is a far-left group that says it's mandate is to represent Canadian students - in reality, it's nothing more than a group that shills for the NDP and the Liberals. The CFS promotes every left-wing ideal and group out there - worst of all, you automatically pay dues to them if you go to a Canadian University, whether you're a lefty or not (is there a way to opt out? Can someone look into this?).



They distributed a "report card" in my campus food court today. The cover for this "report card" was to inform students about the education platform of all three major federalist parties, but in reality it was just a pre-election attempt at smearing the Conservatives. They gave the NDP an "A-" on education, the Liberals a "B-".



They gave the Conservatives an F-.



F-!



Now you may have already realized by this point that there's no such thing as an "F-". There's just no such thing. That's like saying you're going to give someone eleventy jillion dollars - it just doesn't exist! Last I checked, if you failed something, you just got an "F". I must have missed the meeting where we all decided that we were now going to start assigning a process to describe the severity of failure. I'm surprised they didn't give the Conservatives an
F minus minus minus minus minus. If the CFS is trying to embarrass itself, they're doing a pretty good job of it.



Yeesh. If they're going to shill for the left, at least be subtle about it. And to be honest, the Conservative platform for students is absolutely great - I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind a $500 tax credit for textbooks. The Liberal platform - if it were actually to be carried out - would be nice, but keep in mind they've been promising these kinds of things for years and nothing ever comes of them. Empty promises do not help me pay my tuition, Paul.



So I helped the cleaning staff of the University out. I started picking up and throwing out some "trash," so to speak. I'm so civic-minded.

At The Conservative Booth

Today I presided over the booth we had set up for the Conservative Party at my university in the food court. I had a really great time, and we got some people seriously thinking about voting Conservative! A CBC radio reporter came up and, claiming she couldn't find "a Conservative voter" (which I don't believe for a second), interviewed me on who I was voting for. I, pointing to the table with our signs and campaign literature cracked, "guess?" to much laughter. I gave a great accounting for my candidate (unbelieveable, really - although I can write coherently, sometimes I have trouble expressing myself verbally) - and I did well for him. The campus is currently Tory Blue in "5% GST" stickers and pamphlets, so I'm quite pleased with how things are going. We also added five new people to the roster of our Campus Conservative Club (!), so that was absolutely great.



Of course, one or two people who disagreed with the Conservatives came up to our table, but both expressed themselves in a quite civil manner, and we had a great and informative discussion about Conservative Party policy. I was extremely impressed with one of our group in particular, who was fantastic in the way he expressed Conservatism to these individuals. He was exceptionally knowledgeble, coherent and logical, and his calmness in the face of someone who questioned his beliefs and the enthusiam with which he responded was simply amazing. I later learned he'd done communications work with the Party over the summer.



Anyhow, there's a student mock-debate that the poly-sci department is holding tomorrow, and if I finish my lab early I'll show up for it and enjoy the trouncing that our Conservative guy will probably give to the Liberal guy. Should be fun.

I'm Really, Really MADD

YEESH, can the Liberals do anything right this election? Sigh, from CTV. Here we go!

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has accused a Nova Scotian Liberal candidate of trivializing their message, "Friends don't let friends drive drunk."

Gary Richard, the Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley candidate, is using the slogan "Friends don't let friends vote Conservative" in his campaign pamphlets.

The similarity of the two slogans has upset the president of the Cobequid Chapter of MADD.

"We're disappointed with it. We feel it trivializes a very serious message about driving impaired," Kathleen Foster-Alfred said

It's official, there's no group in Canada the Liberals haven't offended this election. I guess MADD was right there on the list between "Librarians" and "Non-profit organizations" (by the way, non-profit organizations - you better start falling in line and making some profits. Your days are numbered, you meddling of do-gooders).
Of course, Richard replied with what you'd expect from an arrogant low-life like himself:

"I believe the association of this campaign with their organization can do nothing, but honour them," Richards said.

For a Liberal to talk about honour - and to say that MADD should be honoured to be graced by abuse from the the Liberal Party - means this man is the reason why you should tell the Liberals where they can go in this election.



This enrages me and makes me shake with anger. You see, when I was little, my mom was hit by a drunk driver with a history of DUI who was still out driving anyway.



The car was totalled and she was pretty bruised and hurt for a long time, but thank God, she was okay. But I know what could have happened that night, and for this...this...monster...to make light of the fact that my mother could have died that night in order to play politics - it just makes me feel sick and angry. And for your information, Mr.Richard, my mother is voting Conservative in this election. Stick that in yourpipe and smoke it, you arrogant jerk.



Please, CPC, run with this all the way to election day. It's just one stumble after another for the Liberals this election, and they have given you all the ammunition you need in order to bury them. This latest...treachery is just one more indication that the Liberal Party needs to be taken out behind the politcal shed and put out of its misery, Old Yeller Style.

Run For Your Lives and Burn The Documents, We've BEEN CAUGHT!!!

Join the Blue Finger Campaign!



Okay guys, they caught on to us! They know we're really an illegal group shilling for the Conservative Party, and not a group of people who blog and have their own opinions about politics. The Jig is up!



Will Carol Jamieson please just shut up already? Yeesh.



By the way, I caught a hold of this article via Neale News. It's got some real gems by some reporter who just hasn't done their homework:

Canada's Conservative Party...would be more in line with Bush administration policies

and also:

Canadians have largely praised Martin for standing up to the White House on such issues as missile defense, Iraq and lumber tariffs.

Did I miss something here?

Revenge of the Enthused!

JOIN THE BLUE FINGER CAMPAIGN!


New stickers and pamphlets are up for the Conservatives around campus, and on Thursday I'll be sitting at the Conservative booth while two incumbent Conservative MPs visit to garner some of the student vote. I can't wait! Repaired some knocked down signs last night around the riding and strategically placed or re-placed others in visible spots.



Hey, the Grits should have known that I don't take liberal proselytization very well. Oh well, looks like they're going to have to deal with a resurgent Tory advertising wave on Campus.



I sincerely wish that all the Blogging Tories could get together in one place and celebrate on election night together. Barring that, I know we will all be united in spirit and common cause on January 23rd.

POLL: HALF OKAY WITH TORY MAJORITY

A recent Strategic Counsel Poll for CTV and the Globe and Mail indicates that half of Canadians and even 25% of liberals believe a Conservative majority would be good for Canada:



Overall, the numbers add up like so (total good/ total bad / do-not-know, not applicable, refused to answer):


Quebec: 64-30-6
West: 59-28-13
Canada: 55-35-10
Rest of Canada: 51-37-12
Ontario: 45-45-10

And by Party:

Conservatives: 87-5-8
Bloc Quebecois: 60-36-4
Greens: 36-56-8
Other: 34-34-32
NDP: 30-62-8
Liberals: 26-65-9

The Conservatives continue to make inroads in Quebec, drawing what seems to be federalist support both from former Bloc protest votes and Liberal federalist votes. It seems indeed that the Conservative momentum is truly dismantling the Bloc's hopes for a 50% share of the vote. Duceppe has previously said a 50% share of the vote would indicate to him that separatists would have a mandate to launch a new referendum on Quebec Sovereignty.

Conservative support is also up in Ontario, and the Liberals and Conservatives are essentially tied in the race for Toronto. Outside Toronto, Conservative support is at 38%, as compared with 32% for the Liberals.

HERO

Canadian Medic Master Cpl. Paul Franklin applied a tourniquet to his own leg, severed below the knee by a suicicide bomber, then proceeded to provide emergency care to his wounded comrades. God Bless the Canadian Forces. Give this man the Victoria Cross.

Don't Expect Liberals to Play Fair

I've noticed that a few of the "5% GST" stickers I put up around campus last week have been ripped down. That's not surprising to me, and I actually expected it because:

1. Universities are hotbeds of liberal lunacy and people who basically think that the rules don't apply to them because of this fact
2. It's the Liberals - need I say more?

Never expect the Liberals to play by the rules. I may get annoyed when I see an ad for the Liberals in my university, but I don't go around ripping them down, on account of the fact that I've got a terrible case of a condition called respect for democracy.



At least three of the stickers I put up have been torn down, ripped up, or in one case intentionally plastered over by a poster for a rockshow downtown despite an enormous amount of room for it to be placed nearby. Well, the ad for the rock show has been removed by yours truly, and the sticker can again be seen in all it's blue glory.



And the only effect of the actions of the vandals is to encourage me to get more of the stickers and to place them in even more places around campus. You just can't dent my enthusiasm.



Anyhow, I got a chortle at the expense of my University's Liberal Club today - as they were handing out pamphlets in the Student Centre, I walked past and mischieviously called out "mmmmm, scandal!" A dumbstruck Liberal volunteer couldn't quite fathom that someone would disagree with their Trudeaupian views (you'd think they'd be used to it by this point in the campaign) and just stood there like a deer in headlights, totally clueless about how to react. I chortled and walked on. Maybe it was immature, but the sticker vandalism just got to me, you know?



Actually, I just took a look at one of their pamphlets - get this, they actually refer to Harper as Mr. Scary! Geez, if child-like insults are the best the Liberals have got, they must be really desperate. Hmmm...they also say Harper is planning to reverse the same-sex marriage decision, which is a clear lie, considering he only said he'd hold a true free vote on the issue...HA! They end off the pamphlet by saying, "Remember, a vote for the NDP is a vote for Mr. Scary!" Same old tired line, different election.



I'm sure that students are going to love being told that they can't vote how they choose.



Actually, the best part of the pamphlet is here on the back, where they give a bio and statement from the Liberal candidate in my riding...apparently he was the head of a "waste Management" company.



A man who's made a career processing shit? Looks like he's perfect for the Liberal Party.

Sign Detail!

Special thanks to "The Wild Duck" for supporting the "Blue Finger" Campaign!



Putting up signs for your candidate is a really gratifying experience. This is especially so when passing motorists honk their support twice, just like in the Stand Up For Canada ads. You almost feel like laughing and shouting it out loud for all to hear - thankfully though, you realize that this would make you look incredibly ridiculous before you actually do it.



"Sign Detail" is kind of a strategic game. You scout out good locations for signs and spot and repair any damaged or upturned ones. Aside from those people who are so partisan as to actually destroy the signs of opposing candidates (and unfortunately, they do exist), you also get your share of signs damaged or overturned by people who are really just out to "enjoy" some petty vandalism.



Thankfully I'm encountering very little of that, although I had to repair some smashed wood on one of our larger signs and nail down another one that someone had uprooted last night. If you're going out on sign detail, make sure you wear bright clothing or reflective safety vests or armbands at night - and God knows that it gets dark early this time of year (also, don't forget to eat your vegetables).



Things are looking good in our riding, so I'm very pleased about that. I'm hoping that the "5% GST" stickers that I strategically placed around high-traffic areas of my campus will remind people of which party has the best platform for Canadians. I haven't seen that large sign for the Liberal Candidate in my riding around the Campus Food Court lately, so the Tories are ahead in the visibility game. Score!



-Danté

Don't Forget Your Blue Fingers

Once again a reminder to all to celebrate this momentous occasion by showing your Tory Voting Pride:



All you need is a camera, a blue marker, and a blog! Make your own and post it when you vote!



-Danté

Do These Guys Know That "L" Also Stands for "Loser"?

Yeah, that's Canada's inmates for you. None to bright. Of course, these guys are seriously concerned about the political process!



I guess it's a nice diversion from staring at the bars and wondering why you shot that guy.

ATTENTION ALL BLOGGING TORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was my brother's suggestion. We both voted today, and he came up with a great idea that he's already passed on to a few bloggers. This is going to be a great Idea for us all! Let's celebrate voting and the upcoming Conservative victory in a Unique way: If you've got a blue marker or pen and a camera, you've got all you need for this. Take a picture of yourself with a blue voting finger and post it on your blog for all to see!






Pass this along to every blogger you can in their comments, e-mail, or what have you. Let's get the word out!

Liberals Falling All Over Each Other To Contradict Themselves

Lately it seems that the Liberals don't know what the story is in regards to the pulled ad suggesting Harper would institute martial law in Canadian cities.



First, Martin says he approved every single one of the ads himself:

Martin has defended the ads, and in a Thursday interview with CTV's Canada AM he said he personally approved every one of them.

Anne McLellan ("Eardrum Annie") however has a different take on the story:

"It had not, as I understand it, had not been approved by the prime minister."

Well, that's certainly a stark contradiction! What else are they saying? Keith Martin, let's get this crazy train rolling!

"What happened was we commissioned 12 ads, and 11 of those ads were approved by the party. One was not," he said Friday on Canada AM. "But unfortunately that ad was attached to those 11 that were released and we were horrified when that happened, because that ad was misconstrued by the military."

What's this? John McCallum wants in! Oh no, the crazy train just jumped the tracks! LOOK OUT:

Veterans Affairs Minister John McCallum, who once held the defence portfolio, said the ad was a bad choice.
"I clearly think that the soldier ad was a mistake as a former defence minister," McCallum told reporters.

Rescuers have now arrived on the scene and report that there were no survivors. Yeesh.

Paul Martin - Man of Sorrow and Shattered Dreams

Sometime these things just write themselves:

In Thursday's interview with Martin, [eight year old CTV correspondent Daniel] Cook and the Prime Minister discuss goals and achievements over frothy chocolate milkshakes. "When I was younger, I wanted to be a great football player, but I wasn't," Martin says, responding to a question about dreams that haven't come true. "And then I wanted to be a great basketball player, and I wasn't.

...And then he wanted to be a great Prime Minister - and he wasn't.

Stronach Reminds You That She's a Phoney, Just In Case You Forgot

From CTV:

Belinda Stronach, a Liberal MP and cabinet minister, has issued a statement calling Stephen Harper's Conservative Party ideological, narrow and intolerant.

The statement said she left the Conservatives and joined the Liberals last year for those reasons.

...To which she then added, "And that's why I ran for the Leadership of that party!" Good God woman, no one can believe even a word you say anymore. If what you're saying was actually the case, then how could you have joined the Party and ran for its leadership without knowing it?



Of course, Stronach is hoping that when people hear what she's saying, they'll forget why she really left the Conservative Party. On the eve of a no-confidence vote. In Canada. For a Cabinet Position. I'm not making this up.



My primary goals are two-fold in this election: get my local MP elected again, and get the Conservatives elected to form, hopefully, a strong minority or a majority government. But I've got an awful lot of secondary goals, most of which include seeing Belinda Stronach regret ever saying the words "Sure Paul, but won't that look obvious?"

Paul Digs the Hole Deeper and Deeper

Is anyone supposed to actually believe Paul Martin when he says that the ad wasn't an attack on the military? I mean, sure. It was an attack on the Conservatives. But the Liberals know full well that the ad slandered our Brave CF Personnel maliciously and scandalously - and apparently, the CF people think so too.



Well, at least Martin got one thing right - the ads aren't any good.



And does anyone else think that the article is little more than a press release for the Liberal party? I mean, journalists are supposed to present the issues, but this article just goes on.

Feeling Uneasy

A couple of posts back, I said that all it takes to stop the momentum of the Conservatives is just one gaffe.



Well today there were two.



Apparently, Derek Zeisman - the Conservative candidate for British Columbia Southern Interior - has been charged with smuggling both a car and 112 bottles of alcohol across the Canadian border. Just in case you weren't paying attention, this doesn't look good for a party that holds the high ground on ethics (honestly though, what the hell would you need 112 bottles of alchol for all at once? And why wasn't I invited to that party?).



Of course, then the media had to report on remarks made by Rondo Thomas, the Conservative candidate for Ajax-Pickering. The remarks, dragged up from a video from God knows when, are not the type of thing we need right now - and although they're silly, they're certainly not - gasp - intolerant. Contrasted with actual remarks made by Tom Wappel that can be considered intolerant, Thomas' remarks are positively harmless. So why report on them? One can only wonder.



Anyway, it looks as if my predictions are heading in the right direction. The "one eye open" voters need only hear fragments of these stories in order to assume that the Tories are actually Republican Party North (no offense to the Republican Party intended). Yeesh.



UPDATE: The Tories have officially dumped Zeisman, demonstrating that once again, the Conservatives have the moral and ethical high ground when it comes to the Liberals. It's a shame we have to give up the riding, but it was the right thing to do. Hopefully, Canadians will see this and get the message on January 23: We said it, and we did it when it came to ethics.

Getting the Word Out

Today I took action! For the past two days, an enormous sign promoting our local Liberal candidate has been displayed in the University Food Court. That, of course, could not go unanswered. So off I went to even the score!



I've placed an enormous number of pamphlets for the local incumbent Conservative candidate all around the food court. I only wish I had more, because I did run out before I was finished. In any event, you can't walk by the main thoroughfare in the food court without seeing a zillion pamphlets, one after the other, for the incumbent Conservative Candidate in my riding.



But that's not all! I've gotten my hands on a lot of those "5% GST" stickers and I've begun strategically placing them around campus. I can't help but feel like I'm a "resistance fighter" against the Socialist Gestapo contingent at my University (corny as that sounds, I know). Doing all this, it's very exciting. I only wish that I had some help - the Young Conservatives at my University aren't many, and they don't seem to be exceptionally well organized. If I had the help of at least five other people, I could place a lot of stickers in a very short amount of time. I'm going to work on getting a sign for the Conservatives to place next to the Liberal candidate's sign in the food court as well. That will happen very soon.



Simply put, I'm very loyal to my MP. He's done outstanding things for both my riding and my province, and there's no one better for representing us in the House of Commons. I'll be damned if I'm going to let some Liberal shill try to take his seat from him.



Anyhow, that - added to the people I've called last night while polling - and to the signs I helped put up in the riding last night - represents good news for getting the word out. Great news. Things are looking good.

Daily News

So, some interesting things today.



As I was walking through one of the overpasses on my Campus, I noticed a camera crew with some old guy preparing to start shooting. I came back a little later, and they were talking about the election. That, and the presence of enormous ads supporting my local Liberal Candidate, leads me to believe that it was said person being interviewed. On my campus. In my city. In Canada. Interviewed. In Canada (sorry, couldn't resist).



Right now, I'm taking a "blogging break" from looking up numbers for the Poll that I'm responsible for. Only three pages of numbers left to find, then it's calling time! This is coming along nicely.



I'm also cautiously awaiting the latest polls. I'm wondering right now what the actual result of these Liberal attack ads will be. Hopefully, Canadians will see them for the transparent desperation move that they are



I think I have a good idea for an ad that will blunt the tide of these latest Liberal Ads. Picture the following: A huge flood has overtaken a small town in the prairies. A woman is stuck on her roof, holding her children and rocking back and forth, visibly frightened by the rising waters. She closes her eyes. This is it...but wait! She hears a sound and opens her eyes to see a helicopter hovering above! It hovers slightly above the roof. A handsome soldier in the uniform of our proud nation reaches out his hands to pull her and her children into the chooper and smiles a comforting smile. "Everything is alright now, miss. The Canadian Forces are here." Cue to a voice-over - "The Liberals think that soldiers in our cities would do more harm then good. We disagree."



Either that or testimonials from those the CF members have saved in any one of the disasters we've faced (flood, ice storms, etc) over the years. I think an ice storm one would play well in Quebec. Perhaps a clip-montage of our soldiers doing the wonderful work they did? Sounds good to me.



Back to polling!

Who Was The Idiot That Came Up With This Crap?

I'm actually laughing at the new Liberal attack ads (courtesy of CTV). I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Liberals are making a big mistake in thinking that they can win this election by running the same campaign they ran in 2004. The Liberals are of course hoping that these ads will scare Canadians away from Harper as Liberal attack ads did the last time. But like I said, this is not the campaign of 2004, and Harper has run a near flawless campaign this time around. Martin, in comparison, has run the most disastrous federal election campaign in Canada since 1993. It's been one gaffe after another for the Martinites, and the stress of this unmitigated Liberal disaster shows in Martin's face every time he's on camera. Take a look at any candid shot of Martin during this election and you can easily see that he looks haggard and tired - the stress of this campaign is clearly taking its toll on him.



Harper, in comparison, comes across as - dare I say - Prime Ministerial? He's cool and calm and he refuses to bite at any lures the Liberals throw his way. He has shown Canadians that the Conservative Party is an incredible alternative to the 12 long and dark years of Liberal arrogance and corruption Canada has been forced to endure.



But back to these ads. They truly are laughable, and Canadians aren't going to swallow them this time around. Coupled with the fact that they're actually terrible, they don't resonate with Canadians who, by and large, don't see Harper as a scary bogey-man anymore. Canadians are comfortable with a switch to a right-of-centre government under Harper. They realize that he's not going to be a puppet of the United States Government as the Liberals have claimed, but rather someone who is going to repair our relations with the United States while "Standing Up For Canada" when it is required. When Canadians see these ads, they contrast them with the positive policy-based Conservative campaign and the Liberals just end up looking like the fear-mongering has-beens that they are.



My favorite ad is by far the one that Mike Duffy tore John Duffy a new one over. I am of course referring to the one that suggests our military forces would essentially rape and pillage Canadian cities. It's almost hypnotic - the woman's voice repeating over and over again, "Canadian cities...soldiers with guns...in our Cities...In Canada..." mixed with a war-call drum beat. It is indeed 1984 and that voice is the voice of evil and deceit; it cannot be believed. "Canadian cities...soldiers with guns...in our Cities...In Canada...". The drums beat on and on and you can no longer believe in the drums, or the voice. They have no meaning any more. The system must be brought down and a new one must rise to take it's place.



You start to laugh when they throw on the tagline, "we did not make this up," and I myself half expect John Duffy to burst out saying, "Honest! No really - we didn't! You gotta believe us this time!"



It's not like we needed the military vote, but this ad is just so damaging to the Liberals - if there's one no-no, it's equating the brave men and women who put on the Uniform of Canada with some sort of Mongol Horde. Come on Liberals, what were you guys drinking when you came up with this stuff? Aftershave?



These ads just come across as desperate - and the fact that the Liberals made twelve of them really makes that shine through. Nothing says "Please don't throw me out of office" like ad overkill. They've truly hit rock bottom now - they've wasted the whole campaign hoping Harper would self-destruct for them and now, only too late do they realize that this is the end for them. There will be no last minute voter swing like there was in the last election. Not this time.



I've avoided saying it on Uncommon Truths thus far, but I've openly discussed with friends that I strongly believe we may all wake up to a Conservative majority government on January 24th, 2006. I'm fully aware of the fact that there are still two weeks left in this campaign and that literally anything could happen in that time. After all, all it takes right now is just one gaffe to stop the Conservative momentum, one cocky party member spouting off some arrogant crap about a majority government agenda or some fool making some heavy right-wing commentary. One gaffe. One. And for that reason I haven't made any predictions so far, but seeing as how the current situation finally seems to justify my predictions, I'm going to place my cards on the table for you here tonight. I predict either a strong minority government or a majority government for the Conservatives. God knows we need a majority, because as I've mentioned before, a minority government situation for the Conservatives is fundamentally untenable.



And there you go. I'd advise all Blogging Tories to be careful with what you say in the next two weeks, because the Liberals will be looking everywhere for anything they can get their hands on to nail the Conservatives with - and as we've seen already in this election, blogs can cause serious trouble.

Conan O'Brien Moderated the Debates

Has anyone else noticed how much Debate Moderator Steve Paikin looks like late night talk-show host Conan O'Brien?



Seriously, just take a look:












Separated at Birth?

Post Debate Wrap-Up

I find it interesting that Martin's propsal to scrap the only protection parliament has from court-enforced legislation is getting such serious consideration from the media. CTV has this to say:

Martin, however, spoke to reporters after the debate and defended his plan. He said it is intended to further enshrine the rights of minorities and religious groups.

"In Canada today and Canada as it may evolve, I believe we're going to want minority rights to be protected in case in any circumstances a prime minister was going to decide what rights he would and wouldn't protect, and I think that's fundamentally wrong," Martin said.

This is unbelieveably transparent on Martin's part. If anything, a liberal court would be more likely to force same-sex marriage on the churches. They'd at least be unfavorable to the churches on issues involving same-sex marriage.

But let's look at this for what it is: an attempt to change the channel. Martin is trying to raise the dead body of the fear that the notwithstanding clause would be used to overrule same-sex marriage in a ridiculously transparent attempt to distract voters from his tumble in the polls and the ITscam and Options Canada Scandals that have recently surfaced. It bothers me that the media is actually giving this front and centre attention as opposed to debunking it for the nonsense that it actually is. The media has been surprisingly honest during this election, for whatever reason.



Harper was very good in that he refused to be drawn into any comments on majority governments or American conservatism or the notwithstanding clause. Well done, he's certainly learned his lesson. His handlers have done a great job with him. Remember, he doesn't need to score a knockout punch during the debate, he just needs to stay on message and not make any flubs - which he did quite well. Good Job.



I found it interesting that on one post-debate roundtable, the point was made that Duceppe's ratings actually rise outside of Quebec after the debates. I can see why this is. Despite the fact that the man is trying to shred this country apart, people look past that and see a guy who quite honestly, they'd like, Which is a damn shame - that's what he wants to portray. He wants to get Canadians to view separation in a neutral or even positive light. Canadians need to be reminded of the devil when the view Duceppe (or Layton, for that matter) - they are deceitful and cannot be trusted. Do not believe a word they say, for what they actually desire for this country is not what they portray. Layton desires to make Canada his very own socialist vision of the future, complete with high-taxes and state control of your life, whereas Duceppe wants to break the country apart - an action that, need I remind you, will destroy the economies of both Quebec and Canada.



I don't think this debate will have much of an impact, although that could change depending upon the media coverage of this notwithstanding clause proposal. Martin needed to change the channel from Harper to himself, and he may have succeeded with this last-ditch desperation move. It's all in the hands of the media now, really. Will they cheerlead for the Liberals, or will they continue this recent trend of honest reporting? Only time will tell.

Canada's Newest Province

Did anyone else pick up on this? I was reading this post from Dust My Broom, and I followed the link listed to read the article. Interestingly enough, I noted something new. Maybe this is some new plan to deal with western alienation?

Harper, 46, a longtime Tory firebrand...began his career in the oil-rich western province of Calgary

I'm told there's a lot to be said for accuracy nowadays.

Tag! I'm It!

I've been tagged by the armed and dangerous Paul MacPhail of Kinny's Comments to list five wierd things about myself. Although this is going to come back to haunt me when I run for federal politics 20 years hence, here we go:

1. My name is etched onto the surface of a microchip NASA placed on the Wild-2 comet that is now hurtling somewhere through space (immortality at last! Score!)
   
2. I have a piece of 0.5 mechanical pencil lead stuck in the palm of my right hand. It's been there for 10 years now. No complaints as of yet.
   
3. My martial arts training has enabled me to fly through the air, swing my foot around and break three thick stacked boards in half (black belt, thank you).
4. When I was little, my teachers wouldn't let me participate in spelling bees after a while because I kept winning and they wanted to give someone else a chance. Filthy liberals.
   
5. I adopted a hamster from an Animal Physiology lab after the course was over (I named him "Brain"), which brings my current pet hamster count to two. They were going to euthanize him otherwise. In fact, here's a picture of the little guy:

I see you!

That's "Captain Danté" to You

Wednesday night I visited my Candidate's headquarters and picked up my poll listing. I am now a Poll Captain (hurrah!). Interestingly enough, I get the heavily NDP part of the city. This is going to be funny.

Morning Campaign Round-Up

Ah, how wonderful. By 8:30 AM this morning, I'd already accomplished more than I did all yesterday. AND you're getting a post from me! This, my friends, is your lucky morning. It's a little overcast out today, but it truly is a glorious morning out here in St. John's. It's all the more glorious because the new Options Canada Scandal is all over the media.



I'm sure you all remember, back in December, that Globe and Mail report about how the Liberals were going to plan a dirty campaign - one of the things it mentioned was that the Liberals expected Stephen Harper to "implode on himself" as happened in the last campaign. Well, overconfidence is the common Sin of the Vanquished.



This campaign has been nothing but a nightmare for the Liberals. It's been gaffe after gaffe after scandal after scandal. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I think it's pretty accurate to call it one of the worst run Federal Political campaigns in Canadian History (it must rank right next to the one the Conservatives ran in 2004). Like I said, they were just too overconfident. They thought Harper would do their dirty work for them by appearing too right-wing/extreme/angry/succulent (sorry, thinking about that great breakfast I had), and as a result they got...well...lazy.



I have it on good authority that the old Progressive Conservatives are running the war room, which might explain the more polished campaign we are seeing from the Conservatives this time around. I think they've run a pretty effective strategy: make the Party appear more moderate, present more actual policy (which allows the Conservatives to define themselves before the Liberals get to), be more positive, and warn Canadians of the attack ads of the Liberals before they come out so that they appear transparent when they do. And always, always, hold their feet to the fire and exploit any gaffes.



If any of you have read this month's Macleans, you might have read a particular article where they stated that Harper needed a "January Surprise" in the form of another scandal. We've been blessed, friends. We've had not one, but two scandals fall from the sky, like so much manna from heaven. In other words, just what the doctor ordered - this will keep the Canadian public's eye on the systemic corruption of the Liberal Party right up until they mark their "X" on the ballot.



As for the NDP, well, who cares? (Sorry Dippers)



It's a glorious morning indeed.

I Guess That's a Ringing Endorsement...

Apparently the criminals think we're going to be too "harsh" on them. Shame. If criminals want to vote for the Liberals, I guess that's a ringing endorsement of them that all Canadians should be aware of.

H/T to Kinny's Comments