How much longer can this go on? - Week 130 - Oct 21-28

This Senate thing is just dirty.  And the more I think about it, the more it seems like this effort to throw Brazeau, Duffy and Wallin out is an effort by the Conservatives to whitewash the parties participation in the events that lead up to this fiasco.  I hate to say it, but I agree that they shouldn't be suspended.  It's just too easy for the Conservatives to use this as a tool to dig themselves out from under their own mess.  "See.  We're the good guys.  We suspended the bums."  Even though they employed the bums.  And told them it was okay to do what they were doing.  And tried to help them avoid the scandal.  And helped them try to cover up the scandal.  But then pulled the ripcord when it got too messy.  It seems to me there are some definite parallels between the stories Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin are telling.  Mac Harb may end up being the worst off though.  More.  And more.  And more.  And more.

Oh Environment Canada.  When will you learn?  You're not supposed to suggest things that are critical of the government.  Such as that we're nowhere close to meeting emissions targets set out by said government.  So not only have we not committed to meaningful cuts, we're nowhere close to meeting our unmeaningful promises.  But don't worry.  Jobs!  The Economy!

I guess you're not really Conservative unless you loooooove scrapping databases.  This time, the Conservatives are scrapping their new campaign database that they spent millions on.

This sounds like a reality show.  Come up with a great business idea, win permanent residency in Canada!

Oh man.  Whatever you think about the Ontario gas plant decision, this seems like a terrible idea, drafting a motion to have the party pay back the money.  Pretty much every decision is a political one.  How many stupid decisions are made each year by a political party looking to benefit themselves?  You want to start charging them for all of that?  God.  We probably would need a new Federal department just to do the calculations.  And that's what is so absolutely ridiculous about today's politics - The revisionist history.  From the Sponsorship scandal to the Senate scandal to BC Rail to the Fast Ferries.  A party is in power until it fucks up monumentally and then the next party comes into power until they fuck up monumentally and it's always just the greatest tragedy of all time but we're going to do a better job.  Honestly people.  Proportional Representation is the only answer to this.  How do we do it?

Okay.  I've been reading "The Notorious Bacon Brothers" by Jerry Langton.  It's very interesting, and not very well written.  But it's impossible to read it and not come away with the idea that perhaps Canada is too lenient on criminals.  The amount of drugs, weapons...heck, murders these guys are caught with/doing is staggering.  But here's where the Conservatives have it all wrong.  You want to stop guys like this?  Fund police systems that go after them.  Put money into anti-gang programs.  Perhaps change legislation to increase jail time for violent crime.  But by creating mandatory minimums for any drug crime you're almost diminishing the effectiveness of what the courts can do.  Keep the little shit out of the courts and trivial criminals out of prison (except for white collar financial crime - those guys need more jail) and focus the attention of the courts on the bad stuff.  In my opinion.  Anyhow.  Interesting book.  Changed my perspective a bit.

Oh.  Boy.  Apparently the Koch brothers might make $100 Billion if Keystone XL goes ahead?  No wonder dropping a few hundred million to (attempt to) buy an election is no big deal.  Good lord.  Not to mention all the money they pump into clouding the climate change debate.  But no.  It's scientists clinging to their $60,000 per year jobs that are making shit up due to their greed.  Thousands of them.  All that grant money has them rolling in it and they just can't be stopped.

Another piece on the ridiculousness of the Conservatives pseudo-scientific "no drugs to treat drugs" decision in banning heroin experiments in BC.

"Everything to make a bomb except for the explosives."  So...like some wire.  A battery.  A container.  "Not dangerous by itself, but police took no chances."

Every time David Suzuki says something, Conservatives dismiss him.  Well, apparently he is "admired" by 57% of Canadians.  That might not sound like much, until you consider Rick Hansen only has 50% of the country, and our buddy Steve-O only has 23%.  Maybe there is hope for Canada?  Honestly, Trudeau, get off your fucking ass and work with Mulcair on electoral reform.

Do you ever get phone calls from your credit card company offering to protect you from identity fraud for an extra fee?  I always ask them something along the lines of "Sooooooo....you need extra money from me to protect people from stealing my credit card information?"  They generally have well rehearsed responses to this.  But this is worse.  Experian is an organization that offers to help protect people from identity theft/fraud.  And they sold databases full of people's information to identity fraudsters.

I have no idea who Darrell Dexter is.  But I wish I lived in Nova Scotia, just so I could have not voted for him.  Always classy when you blame voters for "not understanding" when you lose.

"Sleepy Time" Rob Anders is still at it with his delusional claims/rhetoric.

Fox News has it's own army of commenters used to pepper anti-Fox blog postings.

More Russell Brand.  I don't agree with everybody on this one.  It seems to me the interviewer is a bit "in on the joke" with this one.

File this under "Life Lessons from Unusual Places".  Somebody asks former referee Kerry Fraser about missed calls.  His response is very educational, and a bit of a lesson on making mistakes and owning up to them.

Always sucks when you provide a reference for a criminal.