Category: Conservatives

Conservaspam is back

I’m not going to scan and upload the flier this time (Saskboy has a picture), it basically just tries to argue that putting away a mere $5,000 in a tax-free savings account is going to get all seniors (especially the moderately-well off Caucasian Wilsons pictured) on their “dream holidays.”

These fliers come courtesy of Laurie “Red Dawn” Hawn, Conservative MP for Edmonton-Centre.

Contrast with the reality that Harper attacked seniors as soon as he was elected by reneging on his income trust promises.

Again, the check mark points at Harper and asks us to “Check one.” Sorry Laurie, Jack’s got my vote again. And I left you the following message in the three small lines (I extended it to four) you gave me:

Last time I checked my MP was still Linda Duncan (NDP), not Laurie Hawn or Stephen Harper. If you want to stand up for seniors, don’t reneg on income trusts.

I do appreciate the thought that average Canadians will “STAND UP FOR CANADA” however, considering how much Harper wants to change what makes us Canadian.

I’m not buying it Gary

Gary Goodyear wouldn’t comment on evolution this morning, and he’s now added that it’s “irrelevant” to his role as Minister of State Science and Technology.

That’s right, the minister of science thinks scientific facts are irrelevant to his job.

His quotes in the first article to the Globe and Mail:

“I’m not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don’t think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate”…

“Obviously, I have a background that supports the fact I have read the science on muscle physiology and neural chemistry,” said the minister, who took chemistry and physics courses as an undergraduate at the University of Waterloo.

“I do believe that just because you can’t see it under a microscope doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It could mean we don’t have a powerful enough microscope yet. So I’m not fussy on this business that we already know everything. … I think we need to recognize that we don’t know.”

Asked to clarify if he was talking about the role of a creator, Mr. Goodyear said that the interview was getting off topic.

So evolution necessarily entails a religious question for him? The only people who agree with that statement have interesting ideas about the age of the Earth.

Further, who’s claiming to know everything already? Not the scientists, or else they’d be out of work. There are some who claim to have the ultimate truth though…

But this is clearly the liberal press attacking a True ChristianTM, let’s see how he cleared this all up a little later on CTV’s Power Play (in the midst of continually dodging to try to plug Harper’s science plan):

Jane Taber: So you do believe in evolution. You believe in the theory of evolution. Let’s just get this off the table right now.

Gary Goodyear: We are evolving, every year, every decade. That’s a fact. Whether it’s to the intensity of the sun, whether it’s to, as a chiropractor, walking on cement versus anything else, whether it’s running shoes or high heels, of course, we are evolving to our environment. But that’s not relevant. And that’s why I refused to answer the question. The interview was about our science and tech strategy, which is strong…

Wait, say what?

Does he think the theory of evolution is used to explain why people change shoes when it’s hot or cold out? I agree that isn’t relevant to your job – but knowing what the theory of evolution and modern science actually says is completely relevant to the Minister of Science.

There are many creationists in Harper’s theocon caucus, and I think it’s high time to expose the anti-science bias that exists within the governing party of this country.

This isn’t a matter of religion, it’s a matter of public policy being based on evidence and reason.

You shouldn’t be finance minister if you can’t add

Edmonton Journal reported Trish Audette reports from a budget meeting this morning in Edmonton that Iris Evans expects Alberta to lose only 15,600 jobs this year, when in Jan-Feb we’ve already lost 29,400.

That’s right, either our finance minister can’t add, read the paper, or is somehow under the perception that Alberta is going to come out of this recession before this summer, and get all those people jobs again by December.

Wow.

Sunday News Briefs

Because linking to news stories with minor commentary is easier than actually writing posts:

  • First, congrats to the Ottawa Skeptics for getting tubes of dirt out of a local elementary school. The tubes were paid to a pseudo-scientific fraud who suggested that the tubes were necessary to balance the EMF in the school. Hopefully the school didn’t waste too much taxpayer money on these.
  • Next, Calgary’s atheist bus ads start running on Monday. Now stop worrying, and enjoy your life.
  • Linda Duncan gets a mention in a Journal editorial today, criticizing the government for not prosecuting enough despite increasing fines for environmental damage.
  • Rachel Notley is also featured in the Journal for having a family and being an MLA. Says if she had to commute she wouldn’t be in the Leg. Thankfully she doesn’t have to commute.
  • Yesterday former UofA SU President Michael Janz hosted the first ever IDEAfest with over 100 attendees throughout the day. The Journal wrote it up here and Dereck provides some criticism for the event for lack of cultural and gender diversity.
  • The Journal’s lead story today compares communism and Hugo Chavez to the Alberta NDP, Liberals, Marxist-Leninists, Progressive Conservatives! This is in response to rural unrest over a proposed bill (pdf) that could potentially give cabinet ministers the ability to arbitrarily take people’s land for government projects.
  • It’s International Women’s Day today! And in their continuing respect for women’s rights in the 20th century, the Vatican has announced that the washing machine has done more for women than the pill, ability to work and vote, or legalized abortion. I can’t make this shit up.
  • Andrea Horwath won the Ontario NDP leadership. While I haven’t followed this race too closely, she seems like an exciting leader that stands a good chance to potentially unseat their Tories, who can’t even get their (former) leader elected, as official opposition. Congrats!
  • Finally, on Friday hell froze over and a Sun magazine newspaper published an article that begrudgingly admitted that Jack Layton and the NDP may be on to something with that whole socialism thing…

And if that’s not enough to keep you reading, follow me on Twitter where I try to post most of these short links.

It’s not too soon to prorogue right?

Ignatieff is threatening to put a bill forward in the House calling for accountability over a surplus $3 billion that Harper wants spent right away with the accountability to come later. Harper is threatening if he doesn’t get his way we’ll have an election.

I really doubt there will be an election this soon, none of the parties will look good for it.

Harper will look bad for not willing to be accountable for the money, Ignatieff for forcing an election in an economic crisis, and Layton, albeit innocent in this confrontation, would get the usual media shaft.

Okay, I guess the Bloc will look good again, and that’s always good for federalism.

So if there won’t be an election, what will happen (in order of likelihood)?

  1. Harper backs down and accepts modest accountability.
  2. Ignatieff backs down and signs another blank cheque to Harper (like the LPC has done countless times already).
  3. Harper prorogues parliament.

I’m sure the third option is highly unlikely, and the Governor General would probably be obliged to not heed that call, however, she has yet to show any willingness to stand as a check against the PMO.

So here’s to another proroguation, we all know Harper works better without that pesky House of Commons to answer to.

Of course Jindal won’t monitor volcanoes…

I purposefully avoided watching Bobby Jindal’s response to President Barack Obama’s speech yesterday, and from the sounds of it, I didn’t miss much.

Everyone (sciece or progressive oriented) seems to be upset that he blasted funding volcano monitoring programs, which have the potential to save hundreds of lives.

But people, think about it. This is a governor who thinks the Earth is 6,000 years old and wants it to be law that students in Louisiana have to learn that – of course he doesn’t want to monitor volcanoes.

And not just because it’s a science thing and Christians are afraid of science (that’s an untrue stereotype – creationists just bastardize it).

He would cut money to disaster detection (including hurricane detection) because it’s already clear to him and his fellow True believers what the cause of these disasters is.

God punishing America.

So why waste tax dollars on programs that clearly don’t address the root of the problem?

Instead of waiting for shit to happen, Jindal’s way is to appease God, through continued discrimination and prayers.

Then there’s lots of money left over to continue fighting endless wars and to give to that needy 5% that Obama isn’t giving tax breaks too (families making over $250,000 per year and big business deserve a break too, right? I’m sure they’ll let that break trickle down to the rest of the country).

Nevertheless, if 2012 does have Palin fighting Jindal for the Republican nod, it may actually bring about the end of the world (for Republicans at least).