Liberals on the precipice....

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Wednesday November 09, 2005 · 11:43 AM PST

2005/11/09 · 11:43

You know I appreciated last night's election results. Especially as it happened on my birthday. A nicer gift indeed than when the war in Iraq started on my wife's birthday.

But as much as I've been enjoying the inevitable southward turn of Republican fortunes, I have been far more entertained by the local events up here to your north lately.

Canadian politics, you see, are getting pretty funny in a manner that simply doesn't occur down there because of the nature of our parliamentary system. And what we have is a Liberal minority government standing at the edge of the electoral cliff egging on the surrounding oppositions to give them a push,

"Go ahead - knock us down! C'mon you wusses - either stand up for what you are saying are your principles - or shut the hell up!"

Meanwhile, their opposition whine and beat their chests while refusing to do so. No-one is willing to step up and give the first firm shove.

At issue?

Timing. It really is everything.
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When oil and softwood collide...

zeppomarx

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Friday October 14, 2005 · 9:29 AM PDT

2005/10/14 · 09:29

Prime Minister Paul Martin and GW had a conversation this week in which Canada attempted to re-open the lines of communication on this issue.

To date, over $5 Billion USD of extra tariffs have been levied against Canadian softwood lumber exports, despite repeated trade tribunals - including the last which was made up predominently of Americans - ruling in Canada's favour.

GW's response was to simply repeat his position that any settlement must be made under further negotiations. Canada's reaction is, understandably, "why do we have to negotiate when we won?"

So the sanctions continue, and the US lumber industry continues to fight the most recent setback by attempting to have NAFTA itself declared unconstitutional due to the nature of the section governing dispute settlement.

So, where does the oil come into this? Read More

An open Letter to Paula Zahn.

zeppomarx

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Thursday September 22, 2005 · 8:32 AM PDT

2005/09/22 · 08:32

Sorry, but last night's CNN coverage just screamed out o me for a rant....

Paula, I should like to take this moment to thank you for your stellar performance last night with so clearly illustrated all that is wrong with the media today. I know, I know, if it bleeds it leads, And if they won't say so publicly - every reporter dreams of being the lucky schmuck in the right place at the right time. To get to be the Scud Stud. To be the dumb-assed jerkoff who thought they got the shit job of reporting on a man walking from a car into a building, and ended up as the one on the street when Rompin' Ronnie got shot, to stand over the twitching body of Brady and wring your hands in contrived over-emotion.

The timing Gods haven't been kind to you lately has it Paula? Read More

Rumsfeld annouces: Let's bring the troops home..

zeppomarx

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Tuesday September 13, 2005 · 6:44 AM PDT

2005/09/13 · 06:44

Yes, two short days after the anniversary of 9/11 Rummy makes it official. He want the fine men and women doing anti-terrorism sweeps home........ from Afghanistan. The place where the prosecution of the War on Terror to eliminate Al Qaeda began is no longer a project of interest I guess. No longer is it important to find those responsible for the horrors of the WTC and bring them to justice as was promised to us then.

Any further work on this is to be outsourced to NATO if he can manage it.

On had to wonder how the families of those who died that terrible day that feel about this. Have they received any satisfaction? Seen any justice meted out?

No. Not really. Unless they only wanted the sad satisfaction of seeing the lives of others as shattered as their own were.

(continued) Read More

What is it with the DoJ and boobies?

zeppomarx

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Friday September 02, 2005 · 12:57 PM PDT

2005/09/02 · 12:57

I made a couple of tongue in cheek posts in my personal journal elsewhere about boobies when Ashcroft left the DoJ. Wondering if The Statue would return to the lobby.

It did, and I breathed a bit easier under the misguided notion that Justice would put aside its Bibles and return to its law books for inspiration.

Turns out I was wrong.

In a meeting with top law enforcement officials, the DoJ has summed up their focus for the immediate future in one word.

TITS!

(continued......)
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On fears of Queers and Texas steers...

zeppomarx

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Tuesday August 23, 2005 · 7:37 AM PDT

2005/08/23 · 07:37

So, I made the mistake of reading the news today.... to see that the right is outdoing themselves.

I mean, Pat Robertson thinks that the US should assassinate Chavez.

Mighty Christian of you Pat. Might I suggest a remedial Bible Study course. Start with those pesky commandments that seem so difficult for you to memorize...

(Cont...)
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No "Freedom Pastries" here!

zeppomarx

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Friday July 29, 2005 · 6:40 AM PDT

2005/07/29 · 06:40

It's the joke that just keeps giving..... especially to governments elsewhere.

As Canada and Denmark continue their little tiff about ownership over a barren rock that sits along the border drawn between Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Islands, the following statement has been made from Foreign Affairs spokesman Reynald Doiron - with tongue set firmly in cheek.

"Notwithstanding the disputed area, the Canadian foreign affairs ministry is allowing its cafeteria to sell Danish pastries as a goodwill gesture towards the Danish government and people."

Phew!

What a relief.

I mean, think of the ramifications if Canada sunk to that pithy a level of political discourse....

Gas prices are high enough. If Tim Hortons also had to boost coffee prices to account for rebranding expenses I think the country might just implode! We'd have no life-sustaining, affordable liquids left!

Well, except beer.

;)

Add knee-jerk reaction. Proceed to hilarity....

zeppomarx

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Saturday July 09, 2005 · 8:40 AM PDT

2005/07/09 · 08:40

So, what happens when Michael Moore wants to put on a film festival?

The sky falls. The universe tilts off it's axis. And, of course, the Republicans scream out their outrage at his temerity!

Or, as their local intellectual mouthpiece put it:

"People are fed up and tired with the extreme left-wing radical fringe America haters, family haters, Christian haters," said Genie Aldrich, a resident of nearby Suttons Bay and founder of the Traverse Bay Freedom Film Festival.

Excuse me? Founder of the FREEDOM film festival? what's that about?

Well read on and you shall find out! Read More

Your retirement "is a partisan thing"

zeppomarx

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Wednesday May 25, 2005 · 9:16 AM PDT

2005/05/25 · 09:16

Well, according to GW anyway. It's not about being able to afford food, medicine, and a roof over your head. Those are merely byproducts.

You see, it's really just about winning

"I fully recognize some in Washington, you know, don't particularly want to address this issue," Bush said in an auditorium at Greece Athena Middle and High School. I recognize some of them say, `Well, this is, this is a partisan thing. You know, we don't want to make one party look good at the expense of another."

That's right ladies and gents, your future is all about the party "looking good". After all, it's not THEIR fault that you don't have the gold-plated pensions that they get.

So as you "enjoy" your golden years sitting in your rat-infested apartment, feverishly trying to figure out how to afford both the kraft dinner AND you blood pressure medication that month, remember to look back on this time and smile. Because as long as GW "looks good", that's all that really matters.... right?

Framing Bolton ...

zeppomarx

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Monday April 25, 2005 · 6:59 AM PDT

2005/04/25 · 06:59

The possible defeat of Bolton's nomination would be a real embarrasing defeat for the President. For that reason, and his complete unsuitability for the job, we have been all over it.

But I think we are missing a great opportunity to tie back his actions as being indicitive of policy in the run-up to the Iraq war, and to ask if this policy is continuing..

The government has managed to skate past that issue with the "it was all the CIA's fault for providing bad intel!!" BS, and the issues has faded. Bolton presents an opening to put that back in the spotlight.

Bolton, a senior Bush protege, tried to have analysts fired or silenced when they tried to dial back his rhetoric. The focus of his briefings may not have been Iraq, but the mindset is clearly stated in the emails released in the NYTimes:

I explained to Christian that it was a political judgment as to how to interpret this data, and the I.C. should do as we asked and sanitize my language as long as sources and methods are not compromised,"

Continued behind the cut....
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Academic Freedom Fried in Florida

zeppomarx

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Thursday March 24, 2005 · 6:46 AM PST

2005/03/24 · 06:46

In Florida, the assault on science continues- this time wrapped up in the guise of an "Academic Freedom Bill of Rights"

This bill passing through committe in Florida will allow students to sue their professors for presenting a belief that the student doesn't agree with, and especially if the professor does something really horrid like force the student to back up an assertion in class.

And why is this bill neccessary?

Because according to the sponsor:

"one biased view by the professor, who as a dictator controls the classroom," is part of "a misuse of their platform to indoctrinate the next generation with their own views." and all who oppose him are "leftists" struggling against "mainstream society."

But most importantly, this is needed because "Freedom is a dangerous thing, and you might be exposed to things you don't want to hear,"

(more below)
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To hell with Private Ryan....

zeppomarx

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Wednesday March 23, 2005 · 12:18 PM PST

2005/03/23 · 12:18

No, not the movie. Just the subject matter it protrayed. It was the dawn of a policy put in place that protects parents from loosing too many of their children in a war.

Found tucked into the bottom of an article on current recruitment failures, it shows how much scraping of the barrel the armed forces are willing to do before considering a draft.

More below the cut...
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