Smears - Week 44 - Feb 27 - Mar 5

This weeks picture is "Sleepy" Rob Anders.  Who wouldn't trust that face?

So, we'll start not with the biggest story of the week, but on my favourite story of the week.  Conservative MP Rob Anders has been accused of falling asleep on the job.  Not in the figurative "neglecting to do his duty" sense.  In the literal, showing up to meetings and Parliament and then falling asleep sense.  And, in the new Conservative Party of Canada tradition, not only is there no apology or admittance of guilt...no...anybody pointing this out is a "hack" perpetrating a "smear job".  There's since been a bit of an apology, but it seems a bit too little, too late.

Of course, the big news this week continues to be the robo-call scandal.  It all comes so wonderfully together with Stephen Harper blaming others for this "smear campaign".  Which is a pretty amazing response, when you take some time to think about it.  And now...wow...really upping the ante.  Suggesting that it's actually the Liberals fault with regards to another batch of robo-calls.  And now...lawsuits.  Protests.  It's really getting crazy.

As well, Steve-O seems to be making a big deal about the fact that the Liberals used American telemarketers (and therefore, by extension, this is all their fault)...but...well....Ahem...glass houses and such.

Hey!  Look!  Over Here!  More smears.  Steve-O does his best Houdini and tries to draw some attention back onto Vikileaks.  Is it still a "smear" if the information that you presented is true?


This week also seemed to be the week of surveys and polls.  I've seen three poll results this week that make me very happy that we don't live with US proposition-style politics.  If we're to believe all of this, Canadians are in favour of:

- Severe cuts to public services

- An online police state

- Throwing "bullies" in jail

Can you imagine if these surveys had been binding?  Because nothing would make Canada better than  cuts to social programs, increased police powers and throwing people in jail for vague and arbitrary crimes.

The Conservatives tightened the belt today and announced $12 Million in ad spending to promote their "jobs first" times-are-tough budget.  Tomorrow they're expected to announce their controversial "Beatings to Prevent Violence" campaign.

And if you don't think Copyright is a fiasco, the Canadian Music Industry is already demanding more rights, control, policing, etc.  This is on top of the demands that they've already made that are before Parliament as we speak.  On top of SOPA style proposals they made a month or so back.  Talk about forward thinking.  "We know we said the first batch of legislation was what we needed, and we know that we came back and said that we needed more after that, but just in case you decide to approve all of that stuff...we've got a few more things on top of that."  These guys won't stop until the very concept of sound and/or noise falls completely under their control.


The Canucks took on a burlier presence today and the Liberals followed suit.  Announcing their intentions to not get pushed around any longer, the Liberals admit to being the source of Vikileaks.

The Conservatives break the silence on the hiring of the candidate that lost to Irwin Cotler.  Surprisingly, they did nothing wrong and everybody else is making things up.

Steve-O announces that everybody else is going to see cuts, so MP Pensions are going to be cut as well.

And Jason Kenney suggests that Corporations should be more involved in determining which immigrants are allowed into the country.  Yes, I can't see a problem anywhere in that plan.

Stephen Harper.  Benjamin Netanyahu.  Iran.  Blah blah.