Ezra's Bright Idea

Ezra Levant, master and commander of "The Western Standard" has come up with another one of his brilliant ideas.

A contest!
Everybody loves a contest, do they not?

"Think you've got what it takes to be published in the Western Standard?

(E.d. subtext...If the National Post, the Globe and Mail, and the Calgary Sun or the local fishwrap free daily won't pay you for your literary output... don't fret!)

"Now's your chance to prove it - and to win some serious prize money!

Now... despite what I may think of Ezra, money is always a good incentive to get the literary juices flowing. Maybe this isn't such a bad idea. How much cash is Ezra going to pony up, I wonder.

Announcing the first annual Western Standard Editorial Contest, with four ways to win:
* Best Opinion Editorial
* Best News Story
* Best Art Work
* Readers' Choice - judged by a vote on the Free Dominion website!

Ok...
so... uh...what's the catch, Ezra?

"First prize in each category is $1,000 - and having your work published in the Western Standard! Second prize is a Western Standard gift pack, including a Libranos t-shirt, poster and a copy of the War on Fun - and having your work published on the Western Standard's website. Third prize winners will receive an honourable mention. And all entrants receive a free subscription to the Western Standard. If you're already a subscriber, use your free year to extend your current subscription or send a gift subscription to a friend!"

Why is it that when I read the above, I am having flashbacks to late-night TV commercials urging me to... DRAW THIS PIRATE!

I know this is simply too good to be true.

There's just gotta be a catch somewhere...

Well...

Ah...

There it is.
Atta Boy Ezra! You never fail to disapoint!

2. You may enter as many times as you like, in one or more categories. The entry fee is $50 for each entry. Each entry entitles the contestant to an additional free subscription.

Wow.
Well...
I will say one thing for ol' Ezra.
He's got cajones the size of Texas.

8. The Western Standard reserves the right to cancel this contest and refund entry fees if there is a lack of participation (which we don't think will happen!)

Let's just do the math. I assume that Ezra is banking on the fact that he will get at least 80 conservative minded people from across Canada to enter his contest. This would mean that he would break even on having to pay out the $4000.00 prize for all of the above mentioned catagories.

Are there really 80 Conservative Canadians who would be stupid enough to pay for the chance of letting Ezra judge their literary output and then decide whether it should appear either in the print edition of the Western Standard, or indeed, even on it's website? (E.d. Is that really how Ezra managed to get all those wingnut bloggers to contribute to the Shotgun? Are they paying him? Well... that would make sense based on the usual fare available at the odious group-blog.)

But...getting back to the contest. Are there perhaps even a few such individuals out there who would use the "enter as often as you wish" clause, and waste $100 on a double entry? I suppose it is possible that there might be 40 or so *really* stupid conservatives whose ferverant desire it is, to grace the pages of "The Western Standard" with their own by-line, even if they are only "Pundit-For-A-Day"

But somehow, I doubt it.

I have to wonder about what will happen when this "literary contest" falls flat, and fails to produce any revenue, if Ezra might be inclined to try some new advertising more apropos of his publication and credentials as an editor/journalist.

Well, in case he's reading,I've got some suggestions for him...

Or even

Or Why Not...

Because the way I see it, even if AntFarms, and "X-Ray Glasses That Amaze Your Friends", and Sea-Monkies are an obvious rip-off, you at least get something when you send away for them...instead of gratifying the narcissistic whimsy of hack magazine publisher/editor Ezra Levant, which is in fact, your only reward for entering this "contest".

I will also say this: If this "contest/subscription drive" actually works, I think Robert McLelland should forevermore be exempt from criticism for his continual hectoring of the Western Standard contributors as "a bunch of stupid rubes".

Anybody who would pay money to enter a contest such as this, is by definition a rube, in every sense of the word.

Smoking Out The Last Of The Red Tories

I simply can't help but continue to reflect upon the following prediction.

"The Tory party is finished. People who do not rally around something else are taking their small-c conservatism to oblivion."

I'm not going to give you the cite for that quote until the end of this post. The following remarks from a HarperBunker-dweller, speak for themselves I think:

"On the other hand, this recent exercise at creating a dump-Harper movement from thin air has smoked out the last remaining Red Tory saboteurs who decided to destroy the party from within rather than defect with Clark, Brison, et. al. at its founding."

Well that certainly clears things up, doesn't it? I, for one, am glad to see that the mask is finally slipping off. That charade being the carefully crafted lies and deceit about the image-make over of the Canadian Alliance/Reform Party.

It is abundantly clear to anybody who is paying attention that the "merger" of the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance/Reform, as a "united" inclusive and moderate mainstream party with a proud tradition, is a joke and a half.

The Canadian Alliance/Reform majority within the CPC are working over-time to drum out any and all TRUE Tories from their midst.

Scott Brison, Keith Martin, Belinda Stronach all realized that the writing was on the wall. Now there are others coming out of the woodwork from within the ranks who have become so frustrated at being made unwelcome and cast adrift from their own party.

The truth of the matter, which Canadians are realizing as each day passes, is this:

The merger was not a merger at all. It's a long march scorched earth campaign. A full fledged conscious and deliberate effort by Stephen Harper and Tom Flanagan and the hard-right wackos, to steal the brandname of "Tory" along with the moderate and progressive image and history of the Tory name, in the hopes that by campaigning under a false-flag, Canadians can be tricked into electing them into power. Think about this quote again:

"The Tory party is finished. People who do not rally around something else are taking their small-c conservatism to oblivion."

Know who said it?
Come on.
Take a guess.



It was non other than Stephen Harper to The Edmonton Journal on October 23, 1991 . An interesting self-fulfilling prophecy, is it not?

*Update* BBG is not happy with how I've characterized the conservative franchise as it currently operates.

Let me add the following bits of context which have led me to the conclusions I mention above.

• "Andrew Coyne offered some musings earlier about Red Toryism. Paul Nesbitt-Larking, writing in the Star, perfectly encapsulates (a) why Liberals love Red Tories so much, (b) why Liberals are such condescending schmucks, and (c) why the Conservatives are better off without Red Tories mucking up the ranks, so to speak."

• "We must continue to purge our party of the red Tories. They are subversive, self-interested, horrid creatures."

• "We have GOT to get rid of the Red Tories in the party."

• "Kick the Red Tories out of the Conservative Party!"

• "If there is yet another movement of Red Tories out of the Conservative Party and into the Liberal Party, I say Good Riddance"

• "Recently I was on television and the discussion turned to Red Tories. One of the other panelists said that the Liberal Party is the new home for Red Tories because the "extreme right-wing shift of the Conservatives." (Okaaaay.) Considering that the Red Tories don't really believe in anything except holding power, I would say that the comment is true: the Liberal Party is the home for Red Tories."
  
  

"Watch Out Peter MacKay" part deux

h/t: From the irrepressible Robert McLelland of My Blahg on "Operation Dump Mackay"...

We first saw this grumbling from Brent Colbert a week back. And now it's broken into National Media. Good Show Brent "Rosa-Parks-Deserved-To-Go-To-Jail!" Colbert!

(It's times like these that I humbly suggest that the CPC OLO should develop a special fund. They could call it the "Just Keep Your Mouth Zipped - Dumb-Ass!" fund, to pay Brent to NOT do any more of this sorry excuse for "punditry blogging" for the party.)

Tory MPs question MacKay's motives
MacKay accused of undermining Harper's leadership
Allan Woods
Monday, September 26, 2005
OTTAWA -- The Conservative party faces a new crisis this week after a number of MPs signalled their frustration with Tory Peter MacKay, whom they feel is undermining Stephen Harper's leadership to position himself as the party's saviour-in-waiting.

Several Conservatives have told CanWest News Service that MacKay, the leader of the former Progressive Conservative party and a front-runner to succeed Harper, has rankled some of his fellow caucus members with comments made in the media that suggest he is distancing himself from the embattled party.

"It looks to our people like Peter views his interests as being at cross-purposes with the party for the next election. If the party does poorly, his ascendancy is accelerated. At least he would see it that way," said an Ontario Conservative MP, who spoke on condition that his name not be published.

"I mean, I like the guy actually, and I could see myself supporting him one day, but I want to win the next election."

The comments come as the Conservatives try to shore up support for Harper after he came under attack in two recent public letters from Quebec and Ontario, which called for his resignation and replacement before the next federal election. Tory MPs are angry that they are being portrayed as a party divided and say their support is fully behind the current leader.

"I worked for Stockwell Day when he was leader," said a Conservative MP from Western Canada. "I've seen a party divided and this is so far from a party divided."

There are fears that MacKay, the deputy Conservative leader, has not helped in the push to present a united front to the public and to the media.

"I think people are frustrated that we have people going off-message," the Western Canadian Conservative said.

The first concerns arose months ago at Conservative policy convention in Montreal when MacKay took issue with a proposed policy that he said would spell the death of the barely two-year-old merger between his PC party and the Canadian Alliance.

But the problem has peaked again in some MPs' minds with recent comments, including one in which MacKay remarked to a reporter that he was travelling in British Columbia because it was up to him to bring "stability" to the Tories, and another in which he was asked if his party was ready to govern.

"I don't think we're there yet," MacKay replied, according to the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Times in B.C.

MacKay has denied that his comments were intended as a knock at the party or at the Tory leader and suggested his responses have been taken out of context.

"MacKay is constantly undermining the leadership with implicit jabs that don't get him in hot water but perpetuate problems for the party," said the MP, "and there's a growing perception in caucus that he's hoping for a quick ouster of the leader because he would be the only one immediately positioned to replace him, but I think he's going to get a warning at the next caucus meeting."

MacKay told CTV's Question Period Sunday that the recent calls for Harper's resignation come from "a few people" who are discontented and the protests should not be taken as a sign that there is an organized movement to supplant Harper with another leader.

Holy Toledo!

All that, and they missed out on his unfortunate use of the word "unfortunatley" last week! The press has also seemed to ignore the rumours swirling that Peter and Belinda are an item again, after the most public dump n' burn, in Canadian history. (Scratch that... I almost forgot about the sad tale of Maggie Trudeau dancing with the Stones the night that Pierre suffered defeat... which I think qualifies the Peter and B-Stro fiasco as the 2nd worst national dump-burn in Canadian history. i.e Maggie dancin' up a storm with Mick, was I think just a little more embarrasing than B-stro dancin' up a storm with Tim Murphy from the PMO.)

Political Staples is all over this. Demonstrating an amazing amount of common sense, Greg suggests:

The last time a high profile Conservative was given a dressing down at a caucus meeting she switched sides to the Liberals, costing the Conservatives a shot at government

The comment from Vitor "Sometimes-a-coincidence-is just-coincidence" Marciano is particularly interesting.

"Not that there is any truth to the story. Note: it isn't anonymous caucus members who told Canwest. It is anonymous conservatives who told Canwest that some caucus members were upset. Another non story made up about our Caucus"

Now here's what I find most hilarious about all this.

There is spin within spin going on here.

In the first case, Stronach did not jump ship because she was criticized by caucus. According to the accounts from herself and various friends, Harper had "requested her presence", in what the back-room-boys snickered was a "being called to the principle's office for a dressing down" disciplinary action. Harper was reputedly quite nasty to her and indulged in one of his oft-not-spoken of chair-kicking temper tantrums. It was after that that Stronach was extremely pliable to being wined and dined into the Liberals' arms.

So, the first spin on this, from Blogging Tories is that Belinda's departure was not hastened by the behavior of Der Leader, but by the caucus.

The second spin on this, is the strange statement by Vitor, that this is a non-story:

"Note: it isn't anonymous caucus members who told Canwest. It is anonymous conservatives who told Canwest that some caucus members were upset. Another non story made up about our Caucus."

Now here's the funny thing.
I watched the CTV show, where Peter MacKay was asked about his "we're not ready to govern" statement, and Mackay flat-out denied that there was any truth whatsoever to the claim that he said any such thing. So let's just examine some of the facts that we know about this whole affair.


1. Brent Colbert on his website is saying Peter MacKay made this comment.
2. Peter Rempel, on Brent's website is claiming

"McKay came to Van last week and told the Sun’s editorial board, “Well, someone has to keep the party afloat” (I’m paraphrasing). They had a field day with that quote."

3. The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Times in B.C. claimed that Mackay said this.
4. And now CanWest is reporting on it, in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.
5. On CTV MacKay was asked about it.

So, there are 5 sources (albeit some with nominal or no credibility) claiming that MacKay was saying these things.

We have Peter MacKay saying he did not say any such thing.

The claim by Vitor "sometimes coincidences are just coincidences" Marciano that...

"It is anonymous conservatives who told Canwest that some caucus members were upset"

...is most strange indeed.

According to the Saskatoon Phoneix story, it was an Ontario Conservative MP who gave commentary (albeit under anonymity) . I wonder if Vitor is suggesting that the Star Phoneix writer, Allen Woods just made it all up out of thin air? That would seem rather weird, especially when one considers that his fellow HarperBunker-mate, Brent Colbert was saying the exact same thing. When sensible CPCers suggested that Brent Colbert provide context for his quote, or take it down Brent vigorously defended his original post telling Peter MacKay Off.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the CPC Monkey-Boy Extrordinaire Peter Rempel rode in to Brent Colbert's rescue and not only defended Brent's statements, but added more fuel for the fire!

Here's a suggestion for the CPC HarperBunker'ites: Before you dismiss stories about your party, spokespeople and such, out of hand, you might want to check in with some of your fellow bloggers.

Because when you chalk it all up... You have the following choice...

EITHER

Peter Rempel and Brent Colbert are telling lies, and being assisted with their lies by the Star Phoenix's Allen Woods and the Ontario MP quoted, as well as CanWest and The Vancouver Sun Editorial board.

OR

Vitor and Greg Staples are full of poppy-cock.

Hard to tell, isn't it?
How bout the CPC Harperbunkerites synchronize their watches and their spin, and try again! We'll wait. Really.

We Went To A BlogFight And A Political Campaign Broke Out

Ok, so there we all were, snickering away about the new campaign of Progressives, Dippers and Green Party members (as well as the token surly and deeply cynical conservative Kevin Michael Grace) to jump aboard the "We Support Stephen Harper" love train.

We thought that we had made an amazing discovery. We had unleashed the one blogging swarm campaign upon which all the fighting in the Canadian political blogosphere would finally be brought to an end, thank god!

It was almost like a biblical "lambs-and-the- lions-laying -down-together" end times prophecy come true .

Everywhere you looked, people were joined together in, dare I say it, an almost devine united purpose...

Hard Left and Hard Right, Centrist, Green! Canadian Bloggers for Jesus, and Pagans To Stop Global Warming, animal rights activists, and "pave the clayquot" lovers, Friends of the Transgendered, Christians against SSM...
It JUST didn't matter.

All agreed.

Everybody wants Stephen Harper to stay exactly where he is - By God!

And then, because this is Canada, where somebody always has to try to be just a little bit more of a passive agressive smart-ass than the last passive aggressive smart-ass... it just had to happen.

Buzz Frum Fraser just had to open his big yap.

He raised an interesting point.
Why should the progressives stop at working with their new found extremist right-wing nut friends to keep Stephen Harper firmly at the helm of the CPC train-wreck?

Especially when there is another and even better candidate to completely wreck all hope of the Conservatives taking Ottawa by storm.

None other than Stockwell Day!

At which point, the fragile peace which had been brokered by every political faction in Canada was shattered.

A schism broke out in the newly created "Save Our Stephen, Because We're Stuck On Stupid" Alliance.

And already, Mike, from Rational Reasons has started the finger-pointing, claiming that those who would abandon the "Progressive Bloggers for Stephen" were disloyal Traitors to the Cause!

Indeed... by so quickly jumping ship to promote Stockwell Day's comeback, it only proved that they had never been TRUE Progressives for Stephen Harper to begin with!

And, as expected some of the prog bloggers began to deny that there was a schism, because Buzz Frum Fraser isn't even a real blogger, he's just a parody of the typical right-wingers on line.

At which point Buzz's faction came out and asked "if Buzz is so small and insignifigant and not even real, why are you responding to him"

To which the response was the sound of crickets chirping.

Some of the Blogging Tories muttered darkly that this was proof that Stockwell Day *was* trying to make a political comeback, and organize a coup d'etat of the party, and he was using the Progressives to that evil end. It was an evil conspiracy cooked up by Paul Martin and the evil MSM media and Pierre Bourque!

And so the blog wars continued on just as before.. as if nothing had happened at all.

Regardless, I am sure, and I would even bet money upon it, that somewhere.. if you were to wander around the lonely streets of Ottawa tonight, you may chance upon a spectre of the past... lurking in the Shadows of Parliament hill... the ghost of Pierre Trudeau is laughing.

View Related Articles

An Observation...

What the Conservative Movement has failed to realize is something very fundamental about how Canadians feel about Prime Ministers and Government.

Paul Martin will enjoy 3 terms, just like Jean Chretien.

Why?

Because Paul Martin, like Jean Chretien before him... does precisely *nothing*.

The political genius of Paul Martin is that he does *nothing* very very well.

He doesn't annoy anybody.
He doesn't bug people.
He doesn't offend people.
He just shows up.
He smiles and nods.
On occasion, as required, he makes a few heart-felt speeches (meticulously crafted by his staffers) that touch upon just the right emotional and quietly patriotic notes. Whether it's about mounties and/or small inuit sculptures, and/or inclusiveness and/or compassion and/or the generally accepted idea of the fundamental decency of Canada and Canadians.

In addition to this, he may also attend a few Hockey games. Sometimes he will be seen, out in public, tusseling the hair of some photogenic and rosy cheeked tot, or hugging a senior citizen, or listening respectfully to a legion hall of grizzled WWII vets, with a poppy prominently affixed to the lapel of his well-cut suit.

In short,
He does his job.
And then he goes home.

And while he does his boring job this way, by doing nothing and doing it well, Ottawa stays out of sight and mind of the electorate.

And that's exactly the way that the Canadian electorate likes it.

Canadians prefer this kind of do-nothing quality in their leaders more so than the alternative. That alternative being, (for the past decade) charmless political hucksters who end up more often than not, looking like they have just escaped from Mr.Dressup's tickle-trunk, *AND* who are seemingly hysterical every time a microphone and tv camera is shoved in front of their face.


View Related Articles

Go Go Gadget Blogging Tories!

Or...

The Strange Case of The Coincidences That Were Coincidences.

As brought to you by The "Not-Ready-For-Prime Time" CPC Players

Gee, did anybody else notice that 2 blog posts from 2 prominent Blogging Tory websites went down over the last few hours? There was a SDA post up about a vast Magna Conspiracy reaching deep into the bowels of the CPC party in Ontario. This post has now vanished without a retraction or so much as a "by your leave" explanation. The conspiracy mongering of SDA was apparently fueled by Vitor of the "What Takes To Win" blog: Vitor removed his original post also and offers the following:

I have been assured by one of the individuals mentioned in the original version of this post, that sometimes COINCIDENCES ARE COINCIDENCES.

I have been assured that that individual mentioned has never met, spoken with, or corresponded with the other two individuals mentioned.

I take that individual at their word and therefore I have removed the post.

Stephen Harper, please pay attention: When your devoted fanbase defenders begin to start looking like THIS...

"I'm So Confused.."
- Jerry Fletcher, The Latest Addition To The Blogging Tory Alliance

It's not looking good for you. Not good at all.


View Related Articles

Blaming The Media First: A Tried Tested and Failed Strategy By Stephen Harper

Harper angry at dissidents, media By DAN DUGAS

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper acknowledges a standing ovation following his speech to Conservative Party of Canada staff on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Thursday.(CP PHOTO/Tom Hanson)

OTTAWA (CP) - Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is refusing to respond directly to critics who have been trying to chip away at his leadership, setting his sights on the media instead.

Harper said former candidates, staffers and organizers who have spoken out about him make better stories for a media that purposefully ignores his hard work.

"Any Conservative, anywhere, at any time, can, by criticizing other Conservatives, become an instant and enormous media star. That's just the way it is, we'll have to get used to it," he said in a speech to party staffers Thursday.

Harper, who last spoke with the national media at a caucus meeting three weeks ago in Halifax, did not take questions.

His staff made sure no questions would be asked Thursday by moving reporters out of the way before his arrival and then to an area away from him for his speech.

The Conservative leader was assailed this week by Carol Jamieson, a top Conservative official in Toronto, who said average Canadians would never vote for him and urged him to quit.

It was the latest in a string of complaints - some on the record, some anonymously - which Harper said he would not take seriously.

The party has raised big amounts of cash, signed up thousands of members and his summer tour attracted big crowds this summer, he said, but virtually all of that has been ignored by the media.

"Now of course you would not know any of this reading some of the press recently, (instead) there have been stories of various dissidents."

Harper said he would not respond to the dissidents.

"The Conservative leader who wins, the leader who brings Conservatives together and unites them, is a leader who, frankly, ignores such people.

"It is a leader who does not spend his time attacking other Conservatives, it's a leader who spends his time attacking the Liberals and that's what I intend to do."

Harper said he will win the next election not through the media, but by reaching out to people locally.

The stepped up attacks have added another piece to the puzzle of when that election will come.

Political staffers from all parties wonder if Harper might not want one sooner rather than later so he can stave off questions about his leadership.

Harper said timing is up to the leader of the New Democratic Party, which has been backing the Liberal minority government.

"The Liberals, I predict, will want to keep pushing an election off farther and farther into the future, don't ask me when the next election will be - I wish we'd already had it, I'll have it tomorrow, I'll have it next month, I'll have it a year from now.

"Whether we have an election this fall is a question for Jack Layton, not for me.

"We'll have an election the day the NDP decides it doesn't want to support Liberal corruption in the House of Commons any longer."

View Related Articles

Zing by Stephen Harper

Reportedly, Stephen Harper who was not going to be bothered to answer questions yesterday about the dissidents within his party has flip-flopped and decided to try the old "Blame The Media First" canard

“Any Conservative, anywhere, at any time, can, by criticizing other Conservatives, become an instant and enormous media star.”

Well, that certainly worked for you Mr.Harper, when you were attacking Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, as a conservative Reform Party critic. And just look how much Tom Flanagan's stature grew, after he quit Reform, and became the media's favored pick for punditry any time they needed dirt to throw at Preston Manning.


View Related Articles

The CCC Wingnuts Come To Harper's Defence.. big surprise

Anybody else remember this freak?

May 17, 2005
- For Immediate Release -

HATE TO SAY WE TOLD YOU SO, BUT WE WILL
Belinda Stronach was a Liberal Plant Funded By The Stronach Family
Move To Liberals Was A Calculated And Manipulative Move

(Calgary) Concerned Christians Canada Inc., (CCC) stated during the recent Conservative Party of Canada leadership race that Belinda Stronach was nothing but a mere Liberal plant thus their www.belindamartin.ca website detailing her families Liberal connections and Liberal policy platforms.

"Quite frankly, this a good day for the Conservative Party of Canada and a purge of the biggest Liberal hack in the Conservative Party. We warned Canadians and Conservatives that she was nothing but a Liberal plant and we were proven right. The move across the floor was a calculated and a manipulated move by Belinda Stronach. Ms Stronach is now home with the thieves and opportunistic liars in the Liberal Party. However, this is a good day for Canadians with the Liberals leaving the Conservative Party because the Canadian political landscape is finally being re-aligned. Canadians need a real choice not just a choice between the Liberals and Liberal lite", stated Craig B. Chandler, Chief Executive Officer of Concerned Christians Canada Inc. (CCC) and former leadership candidate for the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

- 30 -

For More Infromation Please Contact Craig B. Chandler at 403-720-1911 OR E-mail ceo@concernedchristians.ca
www.concernedchristians.ca

Well, he's back.
And he's got a lot to say about Carol Jameison.

An Open Letter to Conservative Party of Canada Members
In Rebuttal to Carol Jamieson
- September 22, 2005 -
Dear Carol,

I am in receipt of your "Open Letter to Conservative Party of Canada Members" that apparently was a letter clarifying "many untruths and rumours".

After reading this divisive letter, we felt it necessary to let people know the real truth about you.

However, before I proceed I should introduce myself. My name is Craig B. Chandler of the Progressive Group for Independent Business (PGIB) one of the groups instrumental in helping unite the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the old Canadian Alliance into a new united party. Infact, the PGIB felt so strongly abut this that I was encouraged to run for leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada against Peter McKay, Scott Brison, Heward Grafftey and David Orchard. I ran not to win, but merely to deliver a message of unity. The members of PGIB raised $250,000 for my campaign in a mere 4 days. If you wish further information on our efforts you can go to this site and read for yourself.

However, I want to clear up some myths in your letter to all of us:

You Claim: To be the Vice Chair of the GTA Presidents Council.
Fact: This is false, as this Council no longer exists in the new Conservative party of Canada.

You Claim: To be a long-time political organizer.
Fact: The only organizing you have ever done is opposing everyone. You aligned yourself with Enza the transvestite candidate who was not serious about running for leader in the Canadian Alliance race against Stockwell Day; you were a mere helper stuffing envelopes etc... with Belinda Stronach's campaign and were not liked; you tried to get Mike Harris ousted as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party even though he delivered back to back majorities and you tried to get Joe Clark to resign as leader of the former federal Progressive Conservative Party with a similar attack campaign.

You Claim: Stephen Harper did not reach out to Belinda Stronach organizers.
Fact: Stephen Harper not only put Belinda Stronach in the front row and gave her an incredible portfolio, but he reached out to all her supporters since he has been leader throughout Quebec and Ontario. Despite our warnings to Harper that Belinda Stronach was a Liberal plant he did everything in his power to reach out to Belinda personally and to her foot soldiers. Harper united 2 parties and stopped the bickering something Charest, Clark, Manning and Day could not do.

You Claim: That after the vote results of the last election Mr. Harper did not tour or was not seen.
Fact: My relatives in Ontario saw Mr. Harper in rural Ontario, friends of mine in Newfoundland met him personally and I was at a rally in Calgary and Edmonton during the summer of 2004. Just because the Liberal media does not report it does not mean it did not happen. Just because he did not focus on your little centre of the universe (Toronto) does not mean he is not talking to other Canadians. Canada is more then just Toronto.

You Claim: that "Harpers door was not open for input from either his MPs or grassroots"
Fact: Not only does he seek input from MPs he even allowed free votes in the House Of Commons the only leader that allowed his member to vote as they wish. As for the grassroots his voting patterns prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he listens. Further, even at his own Town Halls he takes questions from the floor and returns e-mails in a prompt manner.

You Claim: At the Montreal convention "There was a squad of 200 delegates who moved from session to session to skew the results...including the showdown with Peter McKay over fundamental terms of our merger.
Fact: There was no such "squad" but merely people who disagreed with you. We were all elected delegates and representing our ridings. Also, I know first hand that their was no orchestration of a showdown relating to Peter McKay, feel free to call Peter yourself and he will verify this. The only conspiracies going on in our party are in your head. The party gave Mr. Harper an approval rating of over 84%. There are no monsters under the bed.

You Claim: Stephen Harper is losing ground and that the polls show a decline.
Fact: Brian Mulroney said it best: "The only poll that matters is the election" and that fact that you quote Leger a well known Liberal marketing firm for your numbers says it all. Every election from the Reform Party, Canadian Alliance to now even the Conservative Party of Canada the Liberal pollsters have had us behind and we end up further ahead every time. Heck when I ran for the Reform Party of Canada in Hamilton Mountain the pollsters said I would only get "3% of the vote if I was lucky" I finished with over 10,000 votes and 23% of the vote.

Carol, if you really were a "long time political organizer" you would know that all the Liberal media wants and desires is conflict amidst our ranks.

It is interesting that the Liberal media has completely ignored the 2 Liberal candidates in Le Devoir who ran in the 2002 By-elections who demanded Paul Martins resignation only two weeks ago. Is this division in the Liberal Party ignored by media? Or is the Canadian media just lazy? I think we both know the answer and you are either being played or are a Liberal yourself.

Carol it is sad that the only time you ever get media attention is when you are attacking someone else. Do us all a favour and join the Liberal party with your friend Belinda Stronach or learn from the Liberals and shut up in public and support the leader.

Admittedly, the Liberals do deserve credit for not constantly attacking each other publicly. At least Liberals stab each other behind closed doors.

We are only going to form government when we keep our fights to ourselves and save our battles for the leadership races.

You would have thought we would have learned by now.

If you are sincerely concerned about our party then do us all a favour and shut up!

Yours In the Fight,
Craig B. Chandler
Executive Director
Progressive Group for Independent Business (PGIB)
P: 866-725-2143
E-mail: executivedirector@pgib.ca
Website: www.pgib.ca



View Related Articles

Watch Out Peter Mackay...

Brent Colbert waxes positively freakish on Peter MacKay's 6 word comment yesterday about the readiness of the CPC to become the government.

(And here I was, fretting about being possibly being a might bit too peckish or conspiratorial yesterday, regarding Mackay's unfortunate use of the word "unfortunately". I needn't have worried. When it comes to the CPC, it would seem there is no conspiracy theory too wacky or strange as to possibly be discounted by devout party faithful for the reasons that their political aspirations are crumbling. Any reason at all will do, except of course -- Stephen Harper.)

True to his usual, dullardly form, Mr.Colbert, the failed CPC candidate-hopeful, demonstrates why it is perhaps really actually all for the best that he didn't get the nomination from his riding association:

"I have just received a Liberal press release that has a quote from Peter McKay from a fundraising dinner last weekend.

“Is the Conservative Party ready to step into the breach and be the government? I don’t think we’re there yet” (Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Times, September 20, 2005).

Well I’m sorry Mr. McKay but this kind of stupid comment only proves that you are not ready for the responsibility of leadership.

Now, I shall snip out all of the obligatory "Behold-I- Bring- You- Good -Tidings- of- Great-Tory - Joy" mawkish cheerleading from the rest of Brents' post... ( Just go read the original post, if you really do enjoy watching trained monkeys dancing to the CPC HQ Organ Grinder's tunes. I do assure you, there's nothing new in what Colbert says...just more of the same "Problems.. What Problems?" denials that we have all read, more than a few dozen times in the past) ... in order to tackle the real thrust of his statement. Speaking of MacKay further, he writes:

He has done all this while a handful of petty people have refused to accept that Stephen won the leadership of our party and his leadership was endorsed a second time by the delegates to our very successful policy convention.

The people that have decided to make personal, public attacks against the leader of our party have done so for their own selfish reasons, some believe that their individual concerns are more important that being part of a team, and one person in particular is still holding out hope for a replacement that has already shown her commitment to our party by throwing her lot in with the Liberals.

One really has to question why Peter McKay would choose to undermine the leader at this time. His comment is not just an attack against our leader but against the good people that are working so very hard on the eve of an election.

The CPC might not be perfect, and we will make mistakes, but compared to the alternatives we are as ready to “step into the breach” as anybody else, I just wonder if you are Mr. McKay. (Ed. emphasis/bolding mine)

Are you understanding this? Colbert desperately wants to associate Mackay with Carol Jameison. A woman described by devout CPCers as both so puny and marginal as to be safely and thoroughly ignored, and yet also, ( strangely enough) considered to be so awfully terribly evil and ignoble, that she must be reffered to by mere inferrence, (as is the case above; not by name) or, even by her initials (See Stephen Taylor goofing on that). Indeed, they can't seem to quite make up their mind about the best way to try and discredit her.

Here are some of the attempts: Bitter Vindictive Old Lady, Dingbat, Ugly Old Lady, Crazy Old Aunt In The Attic, Nobody, Liberal Spy, Friend To The Transgendered... Wowza! How's that for picking a new group of Canadians to drive away from their decreasing voter base.

Oh heavens! It's not enough to make assinine remarks about immigrants, Ontarians, Quebeckers, Indigenous peoples, Muslims, and Homosexuals. Indeed not. Now they are really going to prove their political genius by alienating the "little old ladies" demographic as well!

"Are You An Older Woman? Well Piss Off! You Crazy. Old. Bat!" -- Coming Soon To A CPC Campaign Slogan Near You! *Sigh* I guess they didn't actually learn anything at all really from how poorly Canadians reacted to them calling Belinda a whore. And so it goes. *shakes head*

Colbert wraps up his commentary by suggesting:

I think it’s time that I remind everybody that you are invited to show your support for our leader by adding this button to your blog.

I think not. Better you should go read this essay by The Ambler.

View Related Articles

Which Famous General Are You?

Dr.SpinLove Scored:

Erwin Rommel You scored 51 Wisdom, 74 Tactics, 40 Guts, and 34 Ruthlessness!

You're most comparable to German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel in the fact that you have very strong tactical skills and morales. However, Rommel lost in Africa despite the fact that his logicians had told him time and time again that the English were planning to shut off his supply lines. Rommel lost North Africa, because the English shut off his supply lines. The moral of this story... Listen to your logicians. And guard your damn supply lines! But that being said, Rommel was one of the greatest strategic and tactical minds of our day. Had he overrun Egypt (which was a definite possibility at the time), World War II may have turned out significantly differently then it did. Erwin Rommel entered the army in 1910 and rose slowly through the ranks. In 1939, Adolf Hitler made him a general. Rommel brilliantly commanded an armored division in the attack (1940) on France. In Feb., 1941, he took the specially trained tank corps, the Afrika Korps, into Libya. For his successes there he was made field marshal and earned the name �the desert fox.� In 1942 he pressed almost to Alexandria, Egypt, but was stalled by fierce British resistance and lack of supplies. A British offensive overwhelmed (Oct.-Nov., 1942) the German forces at Alamein (see North Africa, campaigns in ). Rommel was recalled to Germany before the Afrika Korps's final defeat. He was a commander in North France when the Allies invaded Normandy in June, 1944. Allied success led Rommel, who had lost his respect for Hitler, to agree to a plot to remove Hitler from office. Wounded in an air raid in July, he had just recovered when he was forced to take poison because of his part in the attempt on Hitler's life in July, 1944. Other leaders like yourself include Patton and MacArthur.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 7% on Wisdom You scored higher than 73% on Tactics You scored higher than 6% on Guts You scored higher than 11% on Ruthlessness

The Which Historic General Are You Test

A True Tory Responds To The Jamieson Letter

Scotian writes in response to the Extreme Right-Whingery Temper Tantrum going on at Section15 over the the Jameison letter

I can't say I'm surprised. I saw the "merger" as a hostile takeover from the outset, and MacKay as a sellout traitor that would promise anything for power and then completely betray his fundamental platform for gaining power in his campaign. This was seen as fine and dandy by the CPC and Harper, so that tells me he is no better. Then there was the activity within the CPC that made it clear that this was a Harper/CA run party with some window dressing to make it appear like a merger had happened instead of the elimination of a rival. The treatment of Belinda Stronach and her supporters within the CPC from the leadership race until her decision to leave after it was made clear she and those that believed as she did were not welcome at the CPC for anything other than footsoldiers executing Harper/CA policies underscored this reality.

This letter is only the latest piece of evidence that there never was a merger to begin with. The PCPC was murdered by betrayal by its new leader, the man that just happens to be Harper's deputy leader. Peter MacKay is the poster boy for treachery and betrayal, and the fact that so many people are willing to overlook this because they are so desperate to hold power is one of my main reasons for opposing the CPC. MacKay is not a hero, his actions were not noble. They were secretive, deceitful, and once his cover was blown he moved so rapidly to dissolve the PCPC that those in the PCPC opposed to merging (who just happened to support MacKay as the no merger candidate and thought the issue was dead with his election so they had stood down their network to oppose merger and thought they could have a relaxing summer break, boy were they backstabbed royally) had no effective chance of organizing an effective opposition. We saw a repeat of this in type of deceptive political machinations with Harper's leadership campaign for the CPC head, yet his supporters here and elsewhere love to tell us about his integrity and honesty.

This all makes me think that the CPC is the Reform/CA in sheep's clothing, and as many here have noted the Reform/CA policies and positions were never popular with most of the country. This is why it is stealthed, and why there is almost certainly a hidden agenda in the CPC and will remain so as long as Harper et al are the ones in control. All Randy White and Cheryl Gallant did was forget it had to be kept secret until after the election was over. This is why when I critique the CPC I refer to how it is currently configured. If the PCPC wing is able to assert control and have real power within the CPC my opinion will likely change for the better regarding the CPC. Until then though it remains my goal to prevent them from taking power, even if that means having to live with the government we currently have.

I honestly see the CPC, Harper, and the Reform/CA wing of this party as too dangerous to be allowed to hold real power. This has nothing to do with his being western, it has everything to do with his unscrupulousness, and his preference towards American conservative thought as it currently exists, which I consider to be destructive and dangerous. Not to mention his willingness to subordinate Canadian foreign policy (and likely domestic as well) to the Americans, particularly GWB and his corrupt GOP, a party that makes the Liberal’s corruption look like petty theft at worst. Yet this is who he feels he should support while at the same time decrying Liberal corruption, which leaves me thinking he is far less concerned with corruption as a matter of principle and is more concerned with the political affiliations of those in power. In America this principle he appears to follow is IOKIYAR, or It’s OK If You Are Republican. It is premised upon the idea that if you are not one of them (conservative) you are automatically the enemy to be destroyed by whatever means possible whereas if you are conservative you get every consideration and defence, even when if it is something done by anyone else it would be denounced as the worst of the worst.. That those that support the enemy deserve no consideration once the conservatives are in charge. That kind of polarization has been ripping America apart at the seams, and I refuse to watch the same kind of politics become the norm in this country, so anyone trying to import it becomes my enemy. Currently that is Harper and the CPC.

What this women has written is no outlier, it accurately describes the reality of the CPC as run by the current crew. It is an attempt to get the Reform/CA in power under an assumed identity despite all the window dressing being used to try and claim otherwise. It hasn’t worked on me, nor do I think after the last election as well as last spring that it is working on most of Canada. Yet of course the Harperbots believe it is because Canada and Canadians prefer a corrupt Liberals to a clean cut CPC. Well given that the CPC from its birth has embraced expediency, deceit, and treachery I guess the Harperbots concept of the definition of clean cut comes from the mirror universe.

Is this another Peter MacKay double-entendre?

From the "Hounds of War", an article up, detailing De Hors group.

What caught my eye from the Globe & Mail article...

"Mr. Harper's office had a terse no comment.

“He will not be responding,” said William Stairs, Mr. Harper's communications director.

Deputy Leader Peter MacKay shrugged off the criticism and said it was not widely held.

“Unfortunately, this is a small group in the party,” Mr. MacKay said. “In each political party, there's a small faction unsatisfied with the leadership and that's the case with our party but in my opinion each MP ... is positive.”

Gee Mr.Mackay... don't you mean to say "Fortunately this is a small group" By saying "Unfortunatley", one could, (if they were in a particularly paranoid state of mind) perhaps think that you are a little disapointed that the group fomenting the ouster of your boss isn't large enough to really do the job, creating a lovely warm vacant space for a charming and handsome MP such as yourself to snuggle into.

Ah.. no worries Peter. We know that's not what you meant. *wink*
And, as Skippy was fond of saying... You're still everybody's favourite second fiddle to the second-fiddle!

Stephen Taylor Steps Up To The Plate...

Stephen Taylor, founding father of the Blogging Tories steps up to the plate to begin the all-out assault on Carol Jameison:

Of course, his first 2 kicks at the kitty weren’t enough to embarrass him into refraining from this sort of thing… wherein he accused Carol Jamieson of not even being a Tory, nor of being an organizer within the party, based on sources he claimed were “anonymous” and way up in the CPC Party Leadership food chain.

Of course this was not true, and Stephen had to apologize for this… but then he turns around and tries to run the same nonsense.

“Carol Jamieson submitted what one might call a press release to what one might call a news blog in memo format which was addressed to Conservative party members.”

It was not a press release. It was an open letter. She emailed it around, and she then put it on a blog with the names of 11 other signatories including CPC candidates who are resigning in disgust along with other organizers within the party.

Now for some strange reason, perhaps known only to Stephen Taylor (the Blogging Tories Found Father who wants to start a revolution in Canadian politics by putting blogging into more practice) he sniffs disapprovingly at Ms.Jameison use of a blog to politick.

“No surprise, this "conservative" wants Stephen Harper to resign and must want the Tories to lose the next election.”

Yes Stephen. If you put the "scare quotes" around the word "conservative" enough times… that will convince people that even though she’s been involved in Conservative politics since before you were born, that she’s not really a "Tory"...Moving on...

“But while this woman is labelled as a "party organizer" by the Gloria Galloway of the Globe and Mail, Carol Jamieson has organized against a variety of Conservative leaders.”

Ah, But Stephen...don’t forget the CTV coverage as well with much commentary by Robert Fife… whom I recall many of you Blogging Tories put a lot of stock in, during the Gurmant Grewal Fiasco…

Ok… so let me see if I am following you thus far in your criticism of this woman. She’s an “organizer” who has in fact organized… *but* because Stephen Taylor does not approve of the things she organized in her 30 year involvement in the movement… she’s not an “organizer” at all really. Technically, it may be true that she's an organizer... but really and truly... she's not.
Hey... Stephen...Maybe do the "scare quotes" thing again, WITH the bold high-lighting. Hey, maybe you could even italiacize it too! That’ll show her! Pshaw! The nerve of this organizing woman… calling herself a party organizer!

“Let's start with Stephen Harper:

• Organized against him with Belinda Stronach leadership bid
• Organized against him at Montreal policy convention in which Harper received 84% support. (She passed out buttons with the clever 1999 catchphrase "Vote Harper off the island")
• Organizing against him with Gloria Galloway and four inconsequential Quebeckers with just over a month before Gomery releases his "name names" report.

This is “news” to Stephen Taylor: A Tory Organizer, who has written an open letter asking Stephen Harper to step down, is guilty of the heinous and unforgivable sin of organizing a campaign for Belinda Stronach to challenge Stephen Harper’s leadership.

I guess in Stephen Taylor's view the whole process of leadership races for political parties are really a bad idea. Anybody who has the nerve to actively campaign for any leader other than Stephen Harper is ipso facto a traitor to the party. Why bother having these races at all, if the only purpose it serves is to identify those whom the elected leader will be able to black-list?

Maybe if Mr.Taylor bothered to read the letter Ms.Jamieson wrote, he would understand where she and the De Hors group are coming from.

It’s perhaps NOT just Stephen Taylor who seems to have a problem with the fielding of more than one candidate in a leadership review of the party… but it also would appear that Stephen Harper who doesn't like this messy business of actually having competition for the leadership of the party. After it was all over, he did not reach out to the people involved in his opponents campaigns, instead he drumed them out, or gave them all the cold shoulder. In fact, he adopted a “purge” mentality to rid the party of “troublemakers” who dared to suggest the obviously stupid idea, that there might be somebody as qualified or indeed even as electable as himself.

It would seem that Dissent and Differing Opinions are things that are clearly not welcome in the Conservative Party under Stephen Harper’s control.

“Now, let's look at past leaders,
Stockwell Day:
Organized against Stockwell Day with the Enza Anderson campaign”

Ms.Jamieson briefly assisted Enza in getting her/his campaign off the ground. Again… Stephen Taylor seems to miss the point. Choosing the failed candidate in a vote for leader of a political group does not translate into “traitorous tory”. If the failure to support the winner of any vote is indicative of a moral failing on the part of those who choose losers to support, then the Canadian Reform Party, The Alliance and the CPC were/are... what exactly?

“Would you believe that she even organized against Joe Clark (whom she served in the PMO during his 9 month stint as Prime Minister)?
She sure did”

A letter circulated by two dozen Progressive Conservatives urges leader Joe Clark to resign, according to a published report. The Globe and Mail said Friday the letter advises Clark to resign before next month's performance review in order to avoid embarrassment. It goes on to acknowledge Clark's contributions to the party during the last federal election, but says it's time to make way for a new leader. According to the Globe, two of the Tories circulating the letter are Kevin Gallagher and Carol Jamieson. Both helped Clark with his last leadership campaign.

As Robert Fife said… “This doesn’t wash. Joe Clarke was a loser, and his chances of getting elected were nil” So if the Tories want to complain that Ms.Jamieson did wrong because of that, they’d really have to be arguing that she is more politically astute than they are.

“She even organized against John Diefenbaker:
"I've been in key rolls in many leadership campaigns from replacing John Diefenbaker to electing..." -- Carol Jamieson (from comments on my blog)”

Again… your point is what exactly, Stephen? That Ms.Jameison has been involved in the Conservative Movement of Canada for 30 years just so that she could screw over the Tories? That's a little coocoo for cocoa puffs dude. Seriously.

I'm not even going to get into the points raised by Angry... calling her "Angry" (irony) and the Anonymous Right Ho, claiming to have some inside dirt about her. And as for Vitor... I'm frankly amazed that the CPC is stupid enough to let this man hold ANY office within their movement at all. Scratch that... I'm not amazed at all.

I Coulda Been Somebody!... I coulda Been a Contendah!

--- Fast forward a few years
As Heard sometime in the spring of 2009

From somewhere deep inside the CPC HQ weekly strategy session,
"Coffee Clatch In The Bunker"

Stephen Harper: Well.. I think we've done it Tom. We've ousted every single last "nobody" that posed a threat to our leadership of the party.

Flanagan: Everybody hmmmmmmm.....

Stephen Harper: That's right Tom, all 123,148 of them. Ezra was adamant right up until the end that HE was a SOMEBODY by God! But I showed him!. He's the last of them to go.

Flanagan: (In Dr.Evil fashion, with pinky firmly planted on his lip, caressing Sparky, the CPC House cat sitting on his lap with his other hand... ) Interesting Stephen.. very interesting

Stephen Harper: (looking suspiciously at Tom....)

Flanagan: *sigh* What is it _now_ Stephen?

Harper: Hey... come to think of it... you're a nobody too.

Evil looks are exchanged, as Harper and Flanagan make a mad dash for the Purge-From- The-Party Paperwork to see who can grab the forms first.

h/t Prog Blogger Email circulating a few hours ago.

Nobodies...Belinda Plants, Liberal Conspiracies and Cross Dressers Supporting... oh my!

The first line of attack on the signatories to the De Hors Harper Out! group have been to marginalize the dissenting voices as "small" and "unimportant".

That didn't work. CTV and various other outlets have recognized that Ms.Jamieson is a mover and shaker in the party, and has been for years.

So...The next dirt/trial balloon that the attack dogs are starting to try to fly against Carole Jameison and the De Hors group for speaking up, is that she/they are Belinda Tories, they are not loyal to the party (even though Ms.Jamieson, at least has been involved in Conservativism in Canada since the days of Diefenbaker)...

This is not to be outdone by the various paranoid rantings claiming that Ms.Jameison is a Liberal Spy. You see...I guess the logic goes something like this...

The plan was errected back when Paul Martin Sr Was still around. Knowing that his son would someday run for Office, and then become the Leader of the Liberal Party, and then indeed become Prime Minister in a minority government, The Martin Conspiracy was born.

Paul Martin Sr. convinced the young Carole Jameison to go deep deep deep under cover within the Tory Ranks.

The trap was set. All that Paul Martin Jr Had to do was follow the plan... and one day, when the Tories least expected it, their faithful organizer, contributor and devoted conservative member for over 30 years, Carole Jameison would seize upon the 2 month of BBQing and shitty campaign commericals to rise up, and organize a coup against Stephen Harper.

Somewhere, deep in the halls of power in Ottawa, in a backroom of dusty books, cigar smoke and in muted tones, the Liberals are muttering "Curses!" Foiled Again!"

Ok.. so the "Liberal Plant/Never Loyal" shtick isn't working... time to float some new attacks...

This was planted... linked to at the Bourque discussion:

Crossdressing Alliance candidate gets unlikely boost

By Jamey Heath

PRETTY PLATFORMS. Were Tory supporters hoping to use Enza “Supermodel” Anderson to embarrass the Canadian Alliance? Photo by PETER NOGALO.

TORONTO TORIES HAVE BEEN involved in Enza “Supermodel” Anderson’s bid for the Canadian Alliance leadership.

At least two people with Progressive Conservative connections have offered financial and logistical assistance to Enza, the drag queen best known for her third-place showing in Toronto’s mayoral race two years ago.

Cameron MacLeod, a former Tory riding association president in Trinity-Spadina, and Carol Jamieson, a prominent West End Toronto Tory, left Enza’s campaign in early January. They had contacted the Enza campaign them-selves in June to offer assistance.

To a public that has watched the Alliance and the Conservative parties cannibalize each other for domination of the federal political right, it looks like Tory backers are using the Enza campaign to high-light the Alliance’s image problem on gay rights, and to embarrass Stockwell Day, who resigned as Alliance leader last year to permit him to seek the job again.

Xtra has learned the split was caused by disagreement over whether Enza should have a platform. MacLeod and Jamieson wanted her to have no platform and instead run an anti-Alliance, anti-Day campaign. Enza’s advisers and business partners in Enza Productions, Ian Ross and Bruce Walker, wanted Enza to have a platform and run more than a parody campaign against both the Alliance’s and Day’s anti-gay reputation.

“They wanted a ‘Fuck you, fuck Stockwell Day, fuck the Canadian Alliance campaign,’” says Ross, Enza’s communications director. “We didn’t want to go there. [We] wanted to hold the Canadian Alliance accountable on gay rights, racial issues.”

Ross says the substantial media attention Enza has received since launching her candidacy could be a powerful tool to promote tolerance.

“Now she’s got this attention, does she parade around like a screaming drag queen or speak about what’s dear to [her]?” Ross points to Enza’s Jan 19 speech at the first Alliance leadership debate as showing that Enza has substance as well as style: “[Pierre] Trudeau would have been proud to read this speech.”

MacLeod says his involvement in Enza’s campaign was limited.

“I provided some advice and that’s all.” He denies wanting to see the Alliance embarrassed, saying, “I happen to be living in this community and I wanted to see [Enza] go there [to the leadership].”

MacLeod says he is not currently a member of any political party. He cut the interview short before he was asked when he left the Progressive Conservatives.

When asked if a disagreement over strategy towards Day precipitated his departure from Enza’s campaign, he said he’s not involved in the Enza campaign, “because I am not involved.”

Jamieson did not return Xtra’s calls.

MacLeod and Jamieson offered assistance in giving Enza’s campaign the two things it needed to become official: money and members.

In order to become a registered candidate for leader, a candidate must submit a $25,000 deposit and the names of 300 members in five provinces willing to nominate him or her. If a candidate receives more than five percent of the vote, $10,000 of the deposit is refunded.

Walker, Enza’s treasurer, would not reveal how much the campaign has raised, but says it has a “couple of hundred” members, from all provinces except Manitoba and PEI. He says he is grateful to MacLeod and Jamieson, “without whom we would not have got started.” He attributes their departure to the fact that “all political movements have their dissidents.”

None of the sources interviewed by Xtra said either MacLeod or Jamieson guaranteed the money, but rather that they promised to connect the campaign with people (mostly Tories) who saw Enza as a vehicle to further humiliate the Alliance after its rocky year. Both did donate personally to the campaign, however.

When they left the campaign, Walker was left with their contacts in order to try and put together a Jan 23 fundraiser, which is crucial to Enza’s candidacy.

Alliance leadership rules allow people to give money to candi-dates with no requirement that the candidates report the names of people giving money. As such, Tories could con-tribute to Enza’s campaign with-out other Tories or the Alliance knowing, providing they were willing to forgo a tax receipt.

As of press time, Enza’s major Jan 23 fundraiser was expected to draw a moneyed, Bay St crowd. The deadline for filing papers, with deposit and nominators, is Thu, Jan 31.

At the first Alliance leadership debate on Jan 19, Enza’s campaign said campaign papers would be officially filed on Thu, Jan 24.

Enza’s website, Enza.ca, contains information on how to donate to the campaign and sign up for Alliance memberships.

So.... now because Ms.Jameison helped another leadership candidate, and reached out to the gay-transgendered-cross-dressing community in Canada... to help decrease the image of the Canadian Alliance being associated with redneck homophobic bigotry, Ms.Jameison is accused of what exactly...

Shattering stereotypes, helping out fellow conservatives and reaching a voter base that traditionally wouldn't come within 100 feet of a CPC event, even if you paid them.

Yah.

She's pure evil.

Mhmmmmmm

Well...

Try again Attack Dogs.
This one isn't going to work so well for you.
The optics aren't nice on it. Trust me.

Again... you are preaching to the choir on this. Everybody knows that there is no more BIG TENT in the CPC party, after lo these many months of Harper's leadership. You don't need to emphasize that, nay... shout it from the rafters, merely because you want to denigrate a dissenting voice within your party.

Newsflash! Deaf Canadians Are Persecuting Conservatives

Yes, that's right.

When hard-of-hearing or deaf Canadians complained that the ads by Conservatives were not reaching them, because some idiot forgot to get Closed Captioning on them before they were broadcast....

Tory TV ads discriminate against deaf, says advocate

Wed Sep 14 2005

OTTAWA -- A Nova Scotia man is sounding the alarm that a series of television advertisements promoting the federal Conservative party as hard-working, diverse and sensitive to the needs of Canadians actually discriminate against the deaf.
Mike O'Halloran is threatening to file a human rights complaint against Stephen Harper and his Tory party because the commercials are not closed captioned and prevent his wife, Nancy, from following along.

"Either fix it, or I will become your worst nightmare," warned O'Halloran, who first took aim at the oversight of political parties in 1998, leading to a 2003 agreement between a provincial advocacy group and the three provincial parties to boost close-captioning and translation for the deaf.

The 41-year-old Dartmouth resident sent a letter to Harper, NDP Leader Jack Layton, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe and several other politicians Tuesday outlining his complaint.

"I want this commercial removed from being shown on any television station until the closed captioning or script is included. Also, no other commercials are to run without having closed captioning or script," O'Halloran wrote, adding that he has already been in contact with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

William Stairs, Harper's director of communications, said he was unaware of the complaint, but was looking into it. -- CanWest News service

The response by the rightwingnuttery zoo at Free Dominion is:



Young Tory writes:

Seriously, I find it stupid that a guy calls the party discriminate just because they didn't have CC on their ads. He's probably a liberal hack.

ABC writes:

I agree. The difference between a right and a privilege seems to be no more in our society. I remember when I was taught the difference when I was in grade 7. I then realized what the privileges I had in my life and how fortunate I was to have them and would never abuse those privileges. You can ask someone to suit your needs but if they say no, then you have to lump it. Obviously, this guy is a whacko and an extremist. The HRC is there to help these whackos. Weren't they the people who watched episodes of the Lone Ranger to determine if calling someone kemosabe was discriminatory? That says it all.

Mr.ABC's signature line is... (no, I'm not making this up)

"Homosexuality is evil - Sodomy is evil"

And...

Entorpy Squared writes:

"I want this commercial removed from being shown on any television station until the closed captioning or script is included. Also, no other commercials are to run without having closed captioning or script," O'Halloran wrote...

The reply I would love to see: "We'll get right on that, a$$hole. Hold your breath while you're waiting."

AND

Brian Walsh, (who was kicked out of the Blogging Tories for being a racist) writes

What does this moron do when he is watching the simpsons every night??

I'll bet if this was a liberal ad then you wouldn't hear a wimper from him... has Martin upped handouts for the deaf lately btw...?

AND

Weasleboy/Ferret House, Co-Owner of the Blogging Tories writes:

"This isn't the first time his family has complained. surprise surprise, the conservatives were the target in the past as well."

Do you hear that HoH Canadians?

The Conservatives do NOT want your votes.

And if you get upset about them not bothering to make campaign materials that are inclusive for the deaf, you are some whiney, liberal hack, who they don't want to waste their money or their time on anyways.

Anybody want to fill me in on some HoH statistics for Canada's population?

Afternsnark: Anytime I feel particularly disgusted with the Liberals and contemplate a vote for the CPC... all I need to do is spend 20 minutes at "Free Dominion" and well, the feeling goes away... immediately.

Free Dominion, Making Paul Martin's Threepeat An Absolute Certainty!