Belinda and Judy.....Liberal Defenders of the Sisterhood.

By now many of you are familiar with this article from the venerable G&M. Some of the most interesting text:

The federal Liberal women's caucus is accusing the Conservative government of trying to keep females “barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen,” saying the government is pursuing an ideological agenda that ignores women's needs and cuts funding to those who need help the most.

The Liberal women released a set of party policies Monday aimed at what they say are the most pressing social and economic issues facing Canadian women, particularly working women and their families, caregivers and seniors.

Improving the social and economic equality of women is the driving force behind the first volume of what the Liberals are calling their “Pink Book.”

The document is the product of cross-country working sessions with women and women's groups held last July, and is slated to be part of the party's election platform.

The recommendations are also aimed at countering what Belinda Stronach, chair of the Liberal women's caucus, described as the Conservative government's “attack” on women's progress.

The recommendations include commitments to reinstate the Liberal child-care and early-learning plan the Tories scrapped after the last election; to reverse budget cuts to social programs and Status of Women; to develop a national caregiver agenda; to provide more benefits to the self-employed, and to secure equal pay for work of equal value.

Judy Sgro said it's not so much the dollars as the message the Tory cuts send.

“I think Harper and his Conservative government, based on their policies, would clearly prefer women would stay barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen and move us backwards 40 years,” she said.

Now I must applaud Belinda and Judy on the brilliant imagery utilized in naming their report the "Pink Book". The intelligence required to associate empowered women with all things pink is positively breathtaking! Given Judy's propensity to empower women through the fast tracking of immigration "stripper permits" I'm sure the published "Pink Book" will be bound in hot pink spandex with handy velcro fasteners.

Some insights into Judy's plan to empower women through the exotic arts:

Sgro has consistently come under attack in the House of Commons over her office's decision to extend a residence permit to a Romanian stripper, and Ottawa's controversial program to allow foreign strippers to get special work visas.

"I deny any allegation," of wrongdoing, Sgro told the House Friday during question period.

Alina Balaican received the ministerial permit three days before the June 28 federal election, which returned the Liberals to power with a minority government.

Sgro said Balaican was allowed to stay under "humanitarian grounds." She said Balaican was "an individual married to a Canadian citizen, working in an industry that she no longer wanted to work in."

When asked about how the case was handled, Sgro said she'd do it "again today."

As for the fact that Balaican worked on Sgro's re-election campaign, Sgro told Canada AM had no knowledge of that.

"I wasn't even aware of the fact that she had worked on the campaign," she explained.

"I had vertigo -- very bad -- for most of the summer. For the last two weeks of the campaign I was not in the campaign office."

The matter has been referred to the ethics commissioner, Bernard Shapiro.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper accused the federal Liberals of "breathtaking hypocrisy" for allowing the import of strippers, while complaining about sexual exploitation.

Sgro also has come under fire over a meeting in a Toronto strip club at which her chief advisor, Ihor Wons, discussed visa requests with the owner. That owner donated $5,500 to Liberal coffers.

"My staff went and met with the owners of one of these strip clubs," Sgro told Canada AM. "He paid a courtesy call at the request of a friend, met with him, told him that they couldn't do anything for them," she said.

"That was the end of the issue."

As it turns out it wasn't the end of the issue and poor Judy was forced to resign. On a happier note Judy was later exonerated by then ethics commissioner Bernard ( I never met a Lib I couldn't clear) Shapiro.

As an aside Judy, I've found that when one spends extended amounts of time subjected to strobe lights and disco balls it's best to wear shades to avoid those nasty bouts of vertigo.

On the other hand Belinda takes a much different approach to supporting her sisters in arms.

A few pertinent clips to set the stage:

In some dish'n'dirt quarters, the alleged romantic alliance of Tie Domi and Belinda Stronach has been tacitly framed as Beauty and the Beast: Except she's no flaming beauty and he's no Neanderthal beast.

The accused Other Woman, she is a compelling combination of blond ambition, moneyed privilege, political inconstancy and suspect judgment, with a very public trail of intimate relationships gone bad behind her.

But the least-known protagonist in this alleged three-way tango of love and betrayal and anguish is The Wife, Leanne Domi.

A Mrs. of 13 years standing who has, already once before, forgiven her husband for what she says was a previous infidelity, on the promise that he would never again hurt her like this.
"If it wasn't for my husband's affair with Belinda, we wouldn't be getting a divorce," Leanne told the Star in an interview last night.

"We were happily married. If not for Belinda, I think we still would be happily married. But he's no longer my husband and he will never be my husband again."

It would be sexist to portray Stronach as some kind of man-eater who's now got her French-manicured talons into Domi, small-town boy made spectacularly good. By this point in the evolution of the sexes, surely women are just as entitled to their appetites and assignations as men. But the optics are lousy when a family goes bust because of it, and even more so for an elected politician who depends on the fealty of voters, one who — the irony is withering — is chair of the Liberal women's caucus.

Stronach appears singularly lacking in sisterly sympathies whilst also something of a balls-crusher, at least on the evidence of discarded, sad-eyed Peter MacKay — oh, we felt his pain! — dumped simultaneous with the Member from Newmarket-Aurora crossing the floor from Conservatives to Liberals, on the eve of an election no less. Her allegiances, like her love, are fickle.

This from the second Belinda link:

A decade before Belinda Stronach met Tie Domi, she had an affair with another ex-Maple Leaf, Jerome Dupont, his ex-wife says.

"It's obviously a pattern for her, but I don't think it should be used against her and her ability as a politician," says Caroline Dupont, who has two children, aged 15 and 17, with the former Leaf.

So to summarize......the Chair of the LPC Women's caucus seems to have a demonstrated appetite for other women's husbands. Her co-chair seems to have no problem with executive staff members seemingly brokering "stripper work visas" with strip club owners.

Hmmmmmmm. Methinks these hardworking Lady Liberal MPs seem to have something other than female constituents on their minds with the strategic release of the "Pink Book".

What could that be? Ahhh yes....they are in fact Liberal MPs.....sooo the answer could only be POWER for the sake of POWER!!!!

Check this out:

Judy Sgro has endured the gentle arm-twisting from her caucus colleagues, even rebuffed the offers of prominent positions within the leadership camps.

And now as one of the few MPs who haven't endorsed a Liberal leadership candidate, she's a rarity going into this week's convention in Montreal, which runs from Tuesday to Saturday.

I think everybody I know on the different camps has called," Sgro said.
And it's not just Sgro's vote the various leadership organizers hope to grab but also the dozen of undeclared delegates from her York West riding.

"I wanted to take my time and look at the various people, some of them I did not know very well. I just didn't feel there was a need for a rush," said Sgro, a former immigration minister.

So Judy and the delegates she controls are uncommitted! I wonder who Belinda has declared support for? Let's see!

Most other Liberal MPs have already declared their support for one of the leadership candidates. And among MPs from Greater Toronto, Michael Ignatieff is the big winner, getting endorsements from a dozen politicians, including former cabinet ministers John McCallum and Jim Peterson.

Gerard Kennedy, who quit as Ontario's education minister for his leadership run, has the backing of seven MPs, including Dan McTeague and Navdeep Bains.

Bob Rae has the support of four MPs and Stéphane Dion can count on three Toronto-area MPs. But former cabinet ministers Joe Volpe and Ken Dryden didn't have much luck wooing the their caucus colleagues — Volpe has just two endorsements; Ken Dryden has none.
(As the party's interim leader, Toronto Centre MP Bill Graham has pledged to remain neutral in the contest.)

Just four local MPs remain on the fence, including Belinda Stronach and Sgro, who thinks that, after the ups and downs of the leadership campaign, some of her colleagues may regret making endorsements so early.


So there it is soul sisters!!!! Belinda and Judy are two of the only four undeclared Liberal MP's from the GTA. I suggest the timing of the release of this so-called "Pink Book" is really about oldschool, backroom, ball busting, old boys politics.

It would seem that Judy and Belinda have set themselves up as kingmakers at the upcoming LPC Leadership Convention.

That might explain the overblown rhetoric. To butcher a line from an old joke .....

"That's no lady that's my MP"

Syncro

The Donkey at The Dais

We've all heard the phrase "the elephant in the room," used to indicate some uncomfortable, unspoken truth that "polite" people refuse to acknowledge. Now I'll be the first to admit that an overwhelming sense of decorum is not one of my strengths and as a novice writer I've been known to butcher a phrase or two.

That given I'm going to combine these two facts to typify the LPC announcement of Howard Dean as the keynote speaker at the upcoming LPC Leadership Convention as, "The Donkey at The Dais". For obvious reasons I think this works on numerous levels. I'm sure you're all familiar with this beauty by now.



EEEEEhaaawww! EEEEhaaawww! I can hardly wait to see this jackass at the dais!

But that's not all there is to this story. Some of you may recall the furor raised in the MSM and by some noted politicos last May when PMSH had the unmitigated gall to meet with noted Republican pollster Frank Luntz prior to Mr. Luntz being a keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Civitas Society.

I should note that the Civitas Society is in no way officially connected to the CPC or the Canadian Government. Regardless, the outcry was loud and the apparent implications for Canadian politics were dire. Some pertinent clips here:

Liberal MP Mark Holland said the Conservatives are attempting to follow in the footsteps of the Republicans.

"There is an attempt to repeat what the Republicans did in the States to us up here in the north and there is a very close alignment of Republican ideology with what the Conservatives have."

Horrors!!! Independent members of a Canadian political party emulating an American political party's strategy. Mark sees the obvious danger in a close alignment in ideology. I wonder if this could be alternately described as a natural affinity? Anyways....according to Mark....this was positively apocalyptic.

Mark Holland summed up his indignation with this question:

"Why is the prime minister taking direction from Republican pollsters?" Liberal MP Mark Holland asked during question period Monday.

I wonder if Mark has read this LPC press release? Some highlights:

The Liberal Party of Canada today is pleased to announce that the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Governor Howard Dean, will give the keynote address at the Party's upcoming Leadership and Biennial Convention.

We are proud to have Gov. Dean address our Party. Aside from our obvious affinity with the Democratic Party, Liberals are excited to hear the Chairman's views on a modern democracy and the role of the Democratic Party in the new U.S. political environment. And the timing couldn't be better, said Steven MacKinnon, General Secretary of the Convention.

Well Steven, the timing may be good but the optics....not so much. If I understand Liberal logic (I know, I know, an obvious oxymoron but please bear with me) correctly a Republican pollster speaking to a small c-conservative group is a travesty but the Chairman of The Democratic National Committee giving the keynote address at the LPC Leadership Convention is a matter of "pride". Hmmmmmmm....interesting.

I wonder if any of the leadership contenders have anything to say about Governor Dean rallying the troops? It seems Ken Dryden has heard a rumor about this very issue. I guess poor Kens blackberry is broken. Regardless......The rumor is true Ken. I'm sorry to hear you don't approve but I'll try to put it in terms you can understand. Sometimes the team just doesn't play that well in front of you.

I guess the only other question I have is what will be the message delivered by that savy campaigner Howard Dean? If the concept of karma prevails it might be something like... "Do as I say not as I do." or maybe "The power of Hyperbole can NEVER be Overstated". It seems to me that either of those messages would be appropriate for a LPC crowd.

Anyways....I'll be signing off.....I've got to go to the grocery store AND the bottle depot AND the CAR WASH and the AND THE POST OFFICE AND THE LOONEY STORE.....EEEEHHAAAWWWW!!!!!

Syncro

CBC...CTV...Global and a Guelph Mercury

I was surfing around tonight and found this interesting piece by ChuckerCanuck on the latest visit of one Bill Clinton to Canada. It seems Bill is in country for a couple of fundraisers. What I found interesting were Bill's purported comments on Canadian Forces involvement in Afghanistan as reported by something called a Guelph Mercury. Some pertinent excerpts:

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton urged Canada to keep its soldiers fighting in Afghanistan in a talk in Kitchener yesterday.

Pulling out of the country now could allow the repressive Taliban regime to take control again, he warned.

The Taliban would again offer protection to the terrorists who attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001 and who are now in hiding, he said.

"That would have direct implications for your security," Clinton said.

Holy shit! That sounds absolutely hawkish! Direct implications for our security? Bill Clinton taking a position that supports Prime Minister Stephen Harper and those nasy Conservatives? What the hell is this world coming to? With trepadation I read on:

"If we lose in Afghanistan and the Taliban come back, it will not only be a nightmare for the Afghan people," Clinton said, "but it will create greater options of movement for the Al-Qaeda leadership, and increase the likelihood that they will be able to mount and conduct more global terrorist operations."

Clinton drew distinctions between the NATO-led war in Afghanistan and the American-led war in Iraq.

The U.S. made a "serious mistake" by invading Iraq when it was already fighting in Afghanistan, and by underestimating the challenges in each place, he said.

"Because Canada has been part of our NATO alliance in Afghanistan, you are paying the price of that," Clinton said.

Clinton said the resignation yesterday of U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld likely signals a change in U.S. policy on the Iraq war.

"It is a signal that there will be a different direction," he said.

What?? Withdrawal from Afstan would mean an increase in global terrorism? Afstan is a NATO led as opposed to being an American (read Bush) led war? Potential changes in U.S. foriegn policy? How can this be? I'm so confused Uncle Willy!

I could barely believe what I was reading! Having never heard of a "Guelph Mercury" I immediately became suspicious. I mean really....I've heard of Mercury (huge car...something like a LTD) but what the hell is a Guelph? I decided to check this obvious fraud out. Being a proud citizen of this great country I immediately thought of "Canada's Most Trusted News Source"....The CBC.

Just as I suspected. Not a word about the previous President of the United States commenting on what a Democrat controlled Congress might mean for American foriegn policy and the implications this may have on Canadian forces in Afghanistan. Ahhh Haaa!!! This is obviously some kind of hoax that these "Guelphs" are trying to pull on us! I decided to double check the "facts" on the CTV website.

Once again no mention of Bill Clinton supporting Canadian military involvement in Afghanistan. There were however links to a story on that redneck prick Klein attacking Belinda, a really interesting piece on K-Fed, something about those hicks in Alberta cutting down more trees, a bit about our noble opposition trying to convince those nasty Conservatives to save the environment and a brilliant piece on how driving your car is screwing with the environment. I got so interested in these hard hitting bits of journalism that I ended up opening the "Canada" page. to get more. Lo and behold, second from the bottom, I found mention of Bill Clinton along with Belinda Stronach (where have I heard them mentioned together before? anyways I digress). I was going to bust these "Guelphs" once and for all!!

I eagerly clicked on the link and just as I suspected no mention of Afghanistan!! What I did find in the text was much more in line with what one would expect from ex-president Clinton and all the famous, beautifull and important people who flock to the great man! This was more like it:

Belinda Stronach and Rick Mercer pleaded for support Thursday for a program that would provide insecticide-treated nets to protect African children from malaria.

The Canadian MP and well-known Canadian comedian joined luminaries such as former U.S. president Bill Clinton and actor Mia Farrow Thursday in calling for help to end poverty at an international conference on global poverty in Montreal.

The former president, who stopped to sign an autograph on his way into the convention centre, received an ovation more fitting a rock star than a politician, CTV's Rob Lurie reported from the convention centre floor.

Clinton put his charisma to work at the Montreal Millennium Promise Conference, firing up enthusiasm for the elimination of poverty

Yeah!!! Like a rock star!!! I was so excited I could feel the charisma oozing through my high speed connection. I just had to read on:

The war in Iraq cost US$300 billion, Clinton told more than 3,000 attendees of the conference. But the U.S. has failed to provide a promised US$30 billion in promised foreign aid that could help provide protect Africa's water, increase that continents grain production and educate African children, he said.

"We're here today to save lives. It's that's simple," Stronach said.

Stronach and Mercer were at the conference to promote a "Spread the Net" program for purchasing and distributing bed nets in Africa to help protect children from mosquitoes.

Yes!! You preach it sister. It was also comforting to hear the anti-war message from Mr. Clinton that I've come to expect. But I couldn't wait to read more:

The program, which aims to get individuals to buy 500,000 bed nets for distribution in Liberia and Rwanda, is the brainchild of Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, a famed economist and author of The End of Poverty.

Sachs also criticized the U.S. war in Iraq and urged Canadians not to let the Stephen Harper's Conservative government abandon the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

Now that's journalism! I just knew that the war in Iraq and Harpers position on Koyoto had something to do with mosquitos in Africa. Those neo-con bastards! In the end the former president had the final word:

Investing in the fight against poverty now will cost much less than paying for the consequences of not acting later, Clinton noted.

"One in four of all the worlds deaths this year, including huge numbers -- millions of them children -- will come from aids, TB, malaria and infections related to dirty water," Clinton said.

"All of the things we can do are much cheaper than deaing with the aftermath of calamity,'' he said. "And they are also parenthetically are much cheaper than going to war.''

Thank you Mr. President! I just knew you were anti-war! I sat there basking in the cyber induced glow that only the truth can inspire and pondered what my next step might be in exposing the slander that these obviously right wing "Guelphs" were attempting to perpetuate.

I decided to cover all the bases and pop by Global National's site to make sure the bastards hadn't infiltrated there. Thankfully all was well. Three stories on the vicious attack on Belinda, one on a vicious attack on Daniel Igali in Nigeria (something about stealing laptops,cash, cell phones and mosquito nets) three about a naked GWB getting his balls handed to him by someone named Nancy Pelosi and two about those mosquito loving, gas guzzling Conservatives. I sat back and breathed a sigh of relief.

Now to the crux of the matter at hand. I don't know who the hell you "Guelphs" are (probably some code word for conservative) but you can all fuck right off back to Alberta (I presume that's where you evil bastards are from) and take them gas guzzling land yachts with you!

Syncro

This Old Man

Hi All!

I havn't been posting for some time as you may have noticed. The truth be told, I've been depressed as hell with the overall state of affairs of our nation. By this I mean Canada and not one of the myriad of "nations" that exist in the mind of some intellectual who would be king.

I've watched sullenly as our political discourse has descended into hysterical hyperbole about bitches while the mousetached (spelling intentional) wonder proposes to negotiate with the Mullahs. Meanwhile Rae and Brison wave their asses in our collective faces ( an omen of things to come?).

In other charming news the leftard followers of the mousetache are flogging peace poppies during Remembrance Week, clearly riding on the backs of our veterans, ostensibly for the purpose of funding schools for girls in Afstan which clearly would not exist if the policies of the mousetache were enacted. Hypocritical dipshits!

And then I came across this from CTV. I had a laugh and slowly some perspective began to return. Ralph appears to have had the last word on doggie-gate as he often did on many things. I know it's a old tired joke, but somehow Ralph has always been able to knock the wind out of the pompous airbags that inhabit our political landscape. As I read the above article I couldn't get this childhood dittie out of my head. I guess it was the bone thing. Anyways a humble tribute to a remarkable man.

This Old Man

This old man ..he played one......he put the run on bums and scum...with a knick knack paddy whack...get yer ass back home.....city hall was Ralph's to roam.

This old man ...he played two...a couple coolies at the St. Loo...with a knick knack paddy whack....a couple,three or four....Ralphie always found the door.

This old man he played three....environment...hell hug a tree...with a knick knack paddy whack...Ralph was in the weeds...laying in wait for Don Getty.

This old man he played four...dinosaur farts from years before...with a knick knack paddy whack..ice age theory....science was never this funny.

This old man he played five...get a job to stay alive..with a knick knack paddywhack... here's a couple tens.....get off yer ass and act like men.

This old man he played six....the MSM painted us as hicks...with a knick knack paddywhack....no deficits and prosperity.....but then it's just geology.

This old man he played seven...do mad cows go to heaven?...with a knick knack paddywhack.... shoot shovel and shut up....or load it on the rendering truck.

This old man he played eight...Hey Peter who's your date?...with a knick knack paddywhack give that dog a bone......potatoe patch went running home.

This old man he played nine.....well of course he is Ralph Klein...with a knick knack paddy wack...it was quite a run....and fer sure it was god damn fun!

This old man he played ten... he's left the battle to other men....with a knick knack paddywhack...We shall miss the King.....His commonness meant everything!

Thanks Ralph.

Syncro

Calgary- Support The Troops Rally- Redux

I made it to the rally. Those of you who know Calgary will recognize the C-train as the very best access to the city center. I climbed on at Canyon Meadows Station resplendent in my Made in Canada T and a Flames Ballcap. Round about Heritage Station this huge feller boards with a furled CanFlag. We make eye contact and a few nods are exchanged.

I disembark at Olympic Plaza and follow a Vet off the train and onto the platform. Ahead of us is an obviously disheveled native man who reeks of amonia. I increased my pace to get up wind of this pathetic soul. As I passed him, he turned and looked at me with eyes that said, "I quit." I moved on into the plaza infront of city hall as a quiet crowd assembled.

I thought I would observe.

What I saw has both broke my heart and gave me a glimmer of hope.

The turn out on what could only be described as a gorgeous Calgary fall afternoon was dismall.

By my estimation (I counted them) there were about 350 people in attendance...Pols included. The ones that did attend include Jason Kenny, Ted Mortinson, Wayne Cao, Rob Anders, and a few others from the blue-stripe that don't impress me much.

Noticeably adsent, were any Pols of the red or orange (yellow?) stripe. The big three were there too, Global, CTV, CBC. I have to admit, I felt really bad for the girrlll reporter from the CBC. The obvious, gratuitious bitch-slaps were taken at Mother Corp, and Taliban Jack. Some young gal sang an original song entitled, "Canadian Soldier."

I nearly cried... The Pols spoke out, Kenny and Mortinson being the best of the stripe.

The crowd (such as it was) consisted of mostly white, old/young, Canadians. I saw alot of guys with PPCLI T's. Obviously alot of the kids in the crowd were offspring of serving men. Then there were the Vets, about 15-20 of them.

Then we got to hear from an Afghani refuge named, Abduul, (no shit,) who spoke passionately about the reality of Taliban rule. He got the biggest cheer.

I stepped back from the rally to get a larger sense of what was really going on. What I saw does not bode well.

The bum on the park-bench, not the pissy one (this feller had moved on beyond that,) seemed annoyed at this intrusion into his space. He spooled up his backpack after trying to rub the crabs out of his arm-hair.

I jumped back on the train, and so did the feller with the flag. His stop was before mine.............we both avoided eye contact....but as he got off, it was unavoidable. We both shook our heads, and a little part of me died...

Then I got it, the juxtaposition. We live in a country that takes freedom, prosperity, and entitlement for granted. It's no fucking wonder, given the pricks running the show.

There is something desperately wrong with a country, a city, a province, a jurisdiction that can elicit the support of half a million people for a celebration of minority sexuality. The same country cannot find in it's soul to support the children that fight for Us.

I think we're fucked...


Syncro

Calgary-Support The Troops Rally

Following on the heels of the Red Friday Rally in Toronto, organizers in Calgary are holding a similar event tomorrow Saturday, September 30th at 12 noon.

The Rally will be held in front of City Hall. I'll be attending and hope to see a large turn out. I will post some pics sometime tomorrow night. Remember to wear some red (it appears red is not my color as I own nothing red but I will make a purchase and a special exception in this case).

The organizers are holding the rally on a Saturday in hopes that we get a larger turnout than a business day. I have some contract work to complete tomorrow but I think sacrificing a couple of hours to honor our troops is the least I can do. I hope many of you out there feel the same.

Anyways......I hope to be a small blogger in a very large crowd.

Cheers

Syncro

Sex.. Thugs and The Same Old Same Old

Given all the nonsense surrounding the Liberal leadership race one can be excused for feeling a little disoriented. Time for a recap of the current absurdities and a look at what might really be going on.

Being a red blooded Canadian boy I just have to deal with the sex thing first.

Buhlinda, the former Minister of Complex Files, finds herself in the middle of a nasty divorce. The latest dirt is dished here and here. What I find especially interesting is this excerpt from the TorStar piece.

But sources close to the couple — by which I mean the alleged couple, Tie and Belinda — told the Star that the purported pair feel broadsided by the incendiary contents of Mrs. Domi's divorce application, with Tie particularly frantic about how such open hostility will affect their kids.

Tie and Buhlinda feel broadsided! These two assholes deserve each other. But it does get better/worse. Buhlinda is.........wait for it ..........a VICTIM.

"I'm not going to comment on it at this point in time, whether it's true or false," Stronach told CTV's Mike Duffy Live. "I'm not going to comment on my personal life at this moment."
She said it was a matter between the courts and the Domi family.

"It's right now a matter that is before the courts between two individuals and they need to sort it out so I'm not going to make any comments at this time," said Stronach.

But Stronach did comment when asked if a man in her position would receive the same level of media scrutiny.

"I'd like to say in a country like Canada that there isn't but I do believe there is a double standard," she said. "It's very unfortunate for other women in this country that want to seek political office and make a contribution."

Buhlinda........just a thought here.......but if you want to make a contribution to all things right, good, fuzzy and warm....quit fucking some other woman's husband.

Soooo....that's enough sex......onto the thugs.

Of course when one mentions the LPC and thugs in the same breath one or two names come to mind. Let's start with the obvious...Sideshow Joe Volpe and Alfonso Gagliano. Unfortunately it doesn't stop there. I would like to add the esteemed prof. from Harvard to the list.

Despite being vaunted as the architect of the new catechism of Libraldom by non other than that tired old fart in the goofy cap...Peter C. Newman, the same games are being played.

The money clip here:

Allegations of membership irregularities spread Monday from long-shot contender Joe Volpe to presumed front-runner Michael Ignatieff.

A complaint was filed with the party’s Ontario wing over 60 members allegedly signed up improperly by Ignatieff’s camp in two Toronto-area ridings, including one man in Ignatieff’s constituency who is dead.

Way to go Iggy.....they thought you were a pussy.....then again getting tenure can be a nasty bit of business eh? It would seem that the pundits may have miscalculated your political guile. Welcome to the majors.

Then there's sideshow Joe. What can you say about Joe that he hasn't parodied himself? I will therefore limit my critique to four words......Rich kids.... Dead delegates. I could link ya but redundancy has it's limits.

On to more headier matters. Hot Cross Heddy. I can only imagine the psychological trauma dear Heddy was subjected to when the spectre of Libralism showed it's ugly face. Given Heddy's hypersensitivity to men in sheets is it any wonder she decided to withdraw? Shame on you boys. Where Heddy parked her "support" (such as it is ) tells the real story.

Heddy is backing Bob Rae.

Which leads me to the same old same old.

Being a tradesman who lives by the seasons I appreciate my down time. The advent of the fall season is a precurser of the days to come. A time to read. On the top of my list are these two tomes. Found here and here.

Having given both a superficial look I think I've detected a few commom themes. This quote from old news Alfonso:

Embattled Liberal leadership candidate Joe Volpe is the victim of anti-Italian sentiment, says former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano, who blames the same ethnic prejudice for his own fall from grace.

Change a few words and it sounds like the same sad story Buhlinda is claiming. All victimization aside this is not the real importance of Alfo's rant. It becomes apparant here:

He stands by Jean Chretien as "a great leader" and acknowledges that he might have avoided the entire arduous affair if he had accepted two earlier offers from the former prime minister to become Canada's ambassador in Rome before accepting the one for Denmark under pressure when the scandal was breaking in the news.

Then there is this from an old school Liberal insider:

A new book from one of Jean Chretien's top lieutenants paints an unflattering portrait of Paul Martin, describing him as a political boil that should have been lanced years earlier.

The 400-page book by Eddie Goldenberg hits store shelves in the midst of Liberal efforts to defuse partisan bickering and choose a new leader -- an exercise many Grits are hoping will bridge the gap between the rivalling Martin-Chretien camps.

In polotics timing is everything, something Jean Cretin understood all too well. The timing of these two book releases smells of putine. I'm thinking JC still has a hand in the game. The asshole couldn't speak either of our official languages but you have to admit he was a master of the backroom deal/knife toss.

So what else does slimey insider Eddie have to say? Who would have guessed:

Goldenberg is supporting longtime friend Bob Rae in the current leadership contest, although he also has kind words in his book for another contender, Stephane Dion, Chretien's onetime unity minister.

Surprise.... Surprise....Eddie likes the Bobster. Then to close the deal Fast Eddie accuses Martin (and therefore subliminally ex-Martinites) of the greatest crime in Libraldom. Failing to pay homage to P. E. T. himself.

This gem:

Goldenberg also reveals that Martin had no objection to a plan from Chretien to budget $125 million for a foundation for postgraduate scholarships commemorating former prime minister Pierre Trudeau after his death.

But "he made it clear to me that he was not prepared to be part of any government announcement in commemoration of Pierre Elliott Trudeau," writes Goldenberg, adding that Martin refused to be photographed with Trudeau's two sons, Alexandre and Justin.

Blasphemy!!! Now if that doesn't get the spittle flying from the slack lips of every good Lib nothing will.

Anyways.....As near as I can figure the the old school Libs are lining up behind Bob Rae. One more tidbit from Paul Wells' recent extensive piece.

Rae may have come pretty close to running Ontario into the ground in the 1990s, but he has emerged as the standard-bearer for Liberals who believe managerial competence is the party's most important asset. He comes by this aura honestly enough: his brother, John Rae, ran Jean Chrétien's campaigns. It explains why Rae has attracted a lot of talent, if not much youth. "The call from John Rae is an important call, to which most Liberals would tend to listen closely," one Liberal told me.

There were audible gasps when Jean Pelletier, the former Quebec City mayor who served as Jean Chrétien's chief of staff for six years, showed up to listen to the proceedings at the Capitole. Fewer Liberals were surprised when Pelletier, who maintains he has no dog in this race, sat with a group of Rae supporters. They're who a guy like Jean Pelletier knows.

Audible gasps. I wonder if Iggy heard them??? While I may have welcomed you to the majors....these guys are throwing spitters. Good luck Iggy!!!

Same old same old. PowerCorp...Demarais....and Chairman Mo. Welcome to the NEW LPC. Thanks for coming out.

Syncro