|
| |
| |
| |
|
Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 79 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 267278 |
| Visitors Out: 3168 |
| Total Visitors Out: 5387 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| The Other Shoe Drops: NEP II is Here (and Ignored) |
| 2008-07-14 12:09:00 |
Let's start off with the good news. Liberal leader Stephane Dion's latest attempt at creating some sort of image for himself has, like all of the previous attempts, fallen completely flat. In what is fast becoming the political world's equivalent of a sitcom, the latest episode of the Life and Times of a Silly Liberal Leader has the main character reaching into his own party's past and pulling one out from the ol' historical playbook.Some things in life are a guarantee: death, taxes, and the federal Liberals concocting an Alberta cash grab when the oil-producing province's economy is booming. If you know Alberta you know about the National Energy Program of the Trudeau era, and the long-term economic damage it created. Despite the sales pitch by the feds, the N.E.P. turned out to be what A...
|
| |
|
| A Different World Right Next Door |
| 2008-07-12 12:08:00 |
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Canada is a cultural dichotomy. We are a collection of very singular and – dare I say? – distinct peoples who have very little in common, yet are feebly tied together through pseudo-patriotic themes such as beer commercials and donut shops.Confederation, that wonderfully impossible concept of complete and total Canadian national unity, has never worked and never will. One trip to a different part of the country proves that unequivocally. That is what became apparent to me during my camping venture in British Columbia.Every trip you take provides some memorable sights and experiences, and my friends, this one was no different. I had already known about the new provincial ‘carbon tax’ among others, so it was no surprise when fuelling up ...
|
| |
|
| Gilles Caron Wins, Trudeau's Ghost Giggles |
| 2008-07-03 17:14:00 |
A long anticipated court case was decided today, and the possible ramifications to the province of Alberta are staggering.I first wrote about a self-described so-called ‘Alberta Francophone’ and his lawyer (also Francophone – surprise!) who were attempting to use a $54 traffic ticket – in case you didn’t catch that, I said a $54 traffic ticket – as a vehicle to launch a self-gratifying attack on Alberta’s laws and our culture back in 2006.Claiming the ticket was unconstitutional (a favorite buzzword for idiots who can’t come up with an actual reason) because it was printed in English only, Gilles Caron and his crusading cohort, lawyer Rupert Badais sought to not only have this charge overturned, but gleefully intended to ‘take it all the ...
|
| |
|
| Dear British Columbia |
| 2008-06-30 21:23:00 |
How are things? I mean, really – how are things going for you? I’ve been hearing some…well, disturbing things lately and I just wanted to touch base and see if you were okay.I will admit it’s been too long since we last saw each other. 11 years to be precise, since I made my way to the Pacific and back. It seems lot’s has changed since then.As you know, Alberta’s been riding an economic boom unlike anything we can remember. Times are good (as long as you’re in a business related to oil), and even though we have our…um…difficulties? – rising number of homeless, skyrocketing housing and living costs, fast food restaurants closing at 3:00pm due to staffing shortages – we’ve been able to keep things afloat.We’ve been able to keep it together over the whole American en...
|
| |
|
| America's Dirty Oil Mayors |
| 2008-06-25 20:56:00 |
History has shown an unfortunate flaw of the Canadian mindset that says that when the oil-rich, good-ol’-boy Western Canadian province of Alberta enjoys a lucrative economic boom, the rest of Canada spends its time and energy devising different methods to get their grubby hands on the cash, the province’s economy be damned.Ottawa’s attempts at our wealth aren’t new, and Albertans have long memories. Pierre Trudeau effectively killed Alberta’s economy for more than a decade with his memorable attempt, sold as ‘necessary to stabilize prices’.The resulting economic collapse still stings in the memory of our citizens. One mention of the National Energy Program (N.E.P.) is as offensive to some patriotic Albertans as the term Nazi is to some older generation Germans.The latest atta...
|
| |
|
| My Conversation with bin Laden |
| 2008-06-18 13:30:00 |
It began with an anonymous message, a note delivered by someone unknown. Several weeks and emails confirmed the authenticity. Now, here I was in the back of a beat-up car, blind-folded with a black fabric hood over my head, dust filling my lungs as we speed down the bumpy, mountainous back roads of the Afghanistan – Pakistan border. I was about to meet the most wanted man on Earth. I had been summoned by Usama bin Laden.I got out of the vehicle and was led through a narrow opening into a cave. The men sat me down and removed the hood and blindfold. My first sight revealed artificial lighting, a handful of cell phones in an open bag to my left, and a Q’aran. Two hulking men wearing robes, scarves covering their faces save the eyes, stood guard at the...
|
| |
|
| Tell Your Boss You've Voted Yourself a Raise |
| 2008-06-07 12:16:00 |
The furor over the behind-closed-door decision by Alberta’s governing Progressive Conservatives to give themselves a massive pay raise seems to be growing. The latest public image blunder by Premier Ed Stelmach and his huge cabinet has come off as arrogant and incredibly self-serving.As a fiscal conservative, I see the need for responsible spending by any government. That includes what the politicians take home as compensation for their work, just like any other member of Alberta’s workforce. Actually, I happen to agree with the Stelmach line that our M.L.A.’s pay should have been raised. Given the influx of people to the province due to our economic boom, and the fact that the ruling party is somewhat responsible for pretty good dollar management (give or take) riding the wave of ...
|
| |
|
| The Commonwealth Publications Saga Part III: Implosion |
| 2008-05-23 11:36:00 |
We returned from Chicago with an air of confidence and success. C.P. had made some important business deals and, more importantly, soothed the nerves of some very skeptical authors (the company cash cows).The afterglow didn’t last long, however. The proverbial ‘red flags’ soon began to appear. The volume of complaints from authors steadily grew; the production backlog became the elephant in the room, and uncertainty over company funds became fodder for water cooler chat.Then on August 31, 1997, an event occurred that signaled the beginning of the end.The morning after Princess Diana died on that fateful Paris night we were summoned for a general meeting. Phelan had decided that we couldn’t miss an opportunity to capitalize on our good fortune – we did, after all, have Diana...
|
| |
|
| The Commonwealth Publications Saga Part II: Black Clouds |
| 2008-05-21 23:03:00 |
The ad in the Edmonton Journal read: ‘North America's fastest growing mass market publisher requires Public Relations professionals.’ Having just moved to town, I was looking for a fresh start and a new direction. Like many of the authors I would come to know, I took a fateful chance on the small Edmonton publisher.In March, 1997, I interviewed with Faye Hillman at the offices of Commonwealth Publications, Inc. Impressed with the atmosphere, I took an instant liking to the surroundings. Staff was buzzing from one office to another, phones were ringing, the walls were covered with impressive book-promoting posters, and the back warehouse held racks containing original manuscripts as well as row upon row of pallets full of already-printed novels.Th...
|
| |
|
| The Commonwealth Publications Saga Part I: A Scam Is Born |
| 2008-05-19 18:18:00 |
At one time or another, almost everyone dreams of becoming a published writer. Whether it is an essay for English class or a blog posting, the idea of our creation being read by the masses and thereby having our egos stroked has appealed to most of us.For the majority, not achieving that goal doesn’t bother us to the point of distraction. We don’t become obsessed with getting our name in lights, and we certainly do not gauge our success in life by our writing. For us, it’s easy come, easy go. To quote the saying: A true writer writes for no one but himself.But for some, especially those self-centered uber-creative types whose inflated self-worth has created a false value of writing expertise, repeated attempts and failures to have their life’s Master Work published creates somethin...
|
| |
|
| Bad Boys: Who's Copping the Cops? |
| 2008-05-14 13:31:00 |
An ever-growing number of residents of the city of Edmonton, Alberta are starting to ask the question: What the hell is wrong with the Edmonton Police Service?In roughly a twenty year span, successive serious incidents and allegations have wreaked havoc to the public image of the Capital City’s police force and have now begun to shake the confidence of the citizens in their Finest.Whether it is whispers about member of the police paying for sex with hookers back in the 1980’s, more recent shouts of ‘racism’, questions of ethics over photo-radar deals, or the more eyebrow-raising allegations of police stings against local journalists who dare criticize the EPS, the people of the Greater Edmonton area have been fed a seemingly-endless diet of one credibility-damaging issue after anot...
|
| |
|
| General-ly Speaking |
| 2008-05-06 12:26:00 |
He rose through the ranks and paid his dues. He beat the odds to become not only the top Canadian military man, but a key cog for NATO in Bosnia-Herzegovina and subsequently became the point-man in the Free World’s War on Terror with his successful tenure as Commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.Not only did he work tirelessly to rebuild the Canadian Armed Forces to a level of respectability, he instilled a long-lost pride in our military by spearheading the change from ‘peacekeeping force’ to actual ‘military’. In some nations, they would give him his own ‘day’.In usual Canadian form, he is underappreciated and, in some cases, scoffed at by his countrymen.When General Rick Hillier leaves his spot as Chief of the Defense Staff...
|
| |
|
| Perez Hilton and Other Stale Leftovers |
| 2008-04-20 13:45:00 |
Once in a while I have to do an office clean up, and I always find a few of the odds and ends topic ideas that were ignored or ‘put aside for later’. Ones that usually were the beginnings of what became posted articles, some of which ended up focusing on a completely different issue than the original. I like to throw these leftovers together in a mix I like to call my Random Rants.Thanks in advance for helping me clean up around here…You gotta love that internet rumor-monger Perez Hilton. He repeatedly and very publicly calls certain celebrities gay, attempting to force them out of closets that may not even exist, then justifies it by saying that all the celebrity has to do is publicly deny the allegation to prove him wrong. In his deeply warped mind...
|
| |
|
| Progress In Afghanistan (or: What the MSM Won't Tell You Pt.344) |
| 2008-04-15 16:07:00 |
It would be wrong to say that some vital information is ‘lost’ in the barrage of feel-sad stories the main stream media throws our way each night when it come to the ongoing struggle in Afghanistan. The term ‘lost’ would imply something was actually there to begin with. That doesn’t apply here.With no disrespect intended to the families of the fallen Heroes of all fighting nations, the MSM has proven to be far more interested in rushing to the airport so they can grab fresh footage of the latest casket to be carried out of a transport than they are with reporting anything about the progress being made because of those very Heroes.Frivolous arguments over when and if to lower the flag – why not let the family decide? – have eaten up valu...
|
| |
|
| Doubleplusidiot |
| 2008-04-13 14:45:00 |
Warman: Doubleplusidiot.The attack on freedom of speech courtesy of Richard (I was picked on as a kid) Warman and his partner in crime, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, has drawn opposition from all sides of the political spectrum with pundits on the left and the right condemning the lawsuit (read: witchhunt) against Canadian conservative writers.The Canadian Human Rights Commission is now in session...The story has crossed international borders and has created a buzz in the U.S. and overseas. American bloggers and mainstream media columnists alike are almost fascinated by Warman's one-man crusade against freedom. I should elaborate here - they are not in awe of Warman's audacity, but rather the Canadian general public's seemingly apathetic attitude towards such an overt threat to the...
|
| |
|
| Richard Warman's Censorship Sideshow |
| 2008-04-09 13:37:00 |
Richard Warman: His best side.That self-serving legal maladroit Richard Warman is making waves again with his so-called Maximum Disruption Campaign. The latest has the anti-rightwing, anti-conservative, anti-freedom of speech legal beagle launching an all-out attack against a number of conservative writers and internet forums.It’s no secret that Warman is only interested in getting his ugly mug in front of the cameras and that his intentions have nothing to do with erasing websites whose content or subject matter fall into his definition of ‘hate’. This employee of Canada’s Department of National Defense (feel safer now?) and long-time lackey of the Canadian Human Rights Commission has a rap sheet full of attempts at imposing censorship.Here's ...
|
| |
|
| Solution to Radical Islam Found in Unlikely Source |
| 2008-04-04 12:12:00 |
Canada’s months-long plea to its fellow NATO nations for increased military support in Afghanistan has finally been answered by the Frenc-whoops! Nope, not them. As of this writing, they changed their mind (chickened out?) at the last minute and it was the Americans who answered the call. Yep, those same Americans who many elitist, naïve leftwing Canadians love to hate. I love the irony.The War on Terror is going to continue to be about hunting the Islamofascist terrorists down in whatever country they are holed up in. That is just the reality of facing an enemy who doesn’t belong to a distinct geographical location. But a necessary element for victory is one that is found in the most unlikely of places: right here at home. On the political left....
|
| |
|
| Ann Coulter Hits One Out of the Park |
| 2008-04-03 19:41:00 |
America's First Lady of the Right has written perhaps her most important column ever.Obama's Dimestore 'Mein Kampf' is compulsory reading for anyone casting a presidential vote....
|
| |
|
|
| Light 'em Up for Earth Hour |
| 2008-03-29 21:06:00 |
Please allow me to start off by proudly stating that this latest article was written on an energy-consuming computer under the illumination of a regular, non-environmentally friendly filament light bulb, with the television playing in the background down the double-lit hallway as the washer and dryer go through their water and power chugging cycles in the basement.It’s the start of the latest Internet-inspired, burned-out old hippy-fueled, enviroNazi public relations stunt. It is one minute into Earth Hour, and I just turned on the porch light in celebration.Now, it’s important that you don’t automatically assume that I am one of the non-believers who dispute the theory of (at least partial) human-induced climate change. As someone who has been a more...
|
| |
|
| Same Old China |
| 2008-03-22 13:31:00 |
The Chinese crackdown in Tibet, the mobilization of Chinese troops against the independence-loving Tibetan people, cannot be categorized as shocking. We have known since the Dali Lama fled in exile some 50 years ago that this was inevitable.Even with the Western media’s recent love-in with China, where we have been told that the stoic Chinese government was slowly opening up to outside influences and moving towards a more pro-people’s rights policy, the Tibet issue gave us more than enough reason to doubt the claims of a ‘new China’.From the American military plane taken hostage a few years back to the series of communist government crackdowns against various groups inside its own borders, including their internationally controversial move against ...
|
| |
|
| Joe Clark: The Fredo of Canadian Politics |
| 2008-03-14 13:38:00 |
Joe Clark: The Fredo of Canadian politics?The fallout from the Progressive Conservatives landslide victory in the recent Alberta provincial election has brought some old and odd voices out of the woodwork, the latest being former federal P.C. leader and short-term Prime Minister Joe Clark. Obviously, my initial reaction to this was: Joe Clark is still alive?The P.C.’s equivalent of Paul Martin grabbed some headlines with his assertion that Albertan’s ruling party has been in power for too long. Clark warned that “…it’s not healthy for a system to have one party in office in such an unbroken way.”Such a lob-sided majority in the government’s favour – in this case, 72 seats versus 11 opposition seats – is a threat to effective government,...
|
| |
|
| Election '08: After the Dust Settles |
| 2008-03-04 01:43:00 |
The votes are in and Alberta has reaffirmed its standing as being true blue Tory country. Surprising even the most vocal Ed Stelmach cheerleaders, the massive majority the Progressive Conservatives achieved shocked media and pundits alike.As the dust settles from Election ’08, here’s what the individual parties face in the aftermath:The Progressive Conservatives: Premier Ed proved that substance supersedes sizzle in the minds of Alberta voters. Albertans wanted change and Ed provided just that – change from the quotable and controversial Ralph Klein to rock solid, sensible and trustworthy (boring?) leadership. More than just being a choice of ‘the devil you know’ as opposed to one you don’t, Stelmach’s team came through with a plan that app...
|
| |
|
| Wildrose Alliance Making Eddie Unsteady |
| 2008-02-28 21:45:00 |
Premier Ed: Running scared?Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach and his Progressive Conservatives have run anything but a dull campaign so far, from eyebrow-raising quotes to flurries of costly promises filling the headlines. Sometimes Stelmach seems so far out of his comfort zone on the campaign trail that the label ‘leader’ doesn’t seem right. Like calling fourth-line center ‘Gretzky’, it just doesn’t fit.He seems to make a habit of going left when the prudent and logical direction would be to the right. The latest polls along with the buzz on the street has the Taft-led Liberals gaining ground on the P.C.s, with a major battleground shaping up to be the one-time Tory fortress known as Calgary (somewhere in a downtown Calgary office, Jim Dinning is killing ...
|
| |
|
| Top Ten Reasons Obama Should Be Prez |
| 2008-02-26 03:36:00 |
The Democratic race is entering the final phase, and it looks like Obama is gonna show Hillary who really wears the pant(suit) in the family. Here now are the top ten reasons Barack Hussein Obama should be president:10. Because Che Guevara never had the chance.9. Seriously, do you want Hillary?8. So his Chief of Staff can ‘Pimp’ Air Force One.7. Reparations? I’ll give you reparations.....6. Season tickets to Washington Nationals home games.5. People will finally stop calling him 'Webster'.4. Policy blunders would make people quickly forget about Bush.3. Obama, Usama. Usama, Obama.2. It would guarantee a Republican president in 2012.1. White House? My ass!...
|
| |
|
| AL You Need To Know |
| 2008-02-21 11:03:00 |
This made the rounds a while back. Does the term 'charlatan' come to mind? HOUSE #1A 20 room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in ONE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not located in a Northern or Midwestern ‘snow belt’ either. It’s in the South.HOUSE #2Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every “green†feature current home construction can provide. The house only...
|
| |
|
| The McCain Dilemma |
| 2008-02-19 13:19:00 |
With the race for the White House down to the Big Three (all apologies to Mike Huckabee fans, but facts is facts), the international community is starting to take an interest. It shouldn’t be forgotten that even though we don’t hold the power or the right to vote in U.S. elections, the outcome does affect those of us who live in other nations and perhaps none more so than Canadians.The choice of who to hope for has been especially difficult to make this time around, and for a Canadian conservative, perhaps even more difficult. Duncan Hunter, Mitt Romney, and a few others were the right wingers that caught our attention. Naturally, all are now out of it. So now we find ourselves with McCain, Hillary, and Obama. Trust me when I say: America...
|
| |
|
| Spending Like It's 1992 |
| 2008-02-16 10:33:00 |
The Alberta election campaign is in full swing and the ruling Progressive Conservatives are off like a herd of turtles. Stumbling out of the gate with missteps and mistakes, Premier Ed Stelmach set the tone early with his ever-changing number of ‘new doctors’ promises. First poor Eddie loses his ‘personality’ to a smarmy blogger, and then he loses several hundred doctors on the way from Edmonton to Calgary.The local media, while loving the idea of the incumbent tripping, let these problems go by chalking them up to naivety. But now that we are in the heart of the competition, Stelmach’s habit of problematic promises has taken center stage. The Steady Eddie Money Machine has made campaign promises that are right out of a previous era – one that nearly...
|
| |
|
| (Un)Fair Trade |
| 2008-02-10 12:12:00 |
First, a little bit of background. Throughout its history, Canada has always been more a collection of regions than a united country. Animosity between the French and the English is so entrenched that it has become part of our national fabric. Government after government has focused its agenda on appeasing the roughly 26% of Canadians who identify themselves as ‘French’. Social engineering has been part of Canada’s makeup, with such endlessly flawed concepts as forced bilingualism forever causing wedges to form between our peoples. The old adage ‘give them an inch and they’ll take a mile’ has become a tangible thing in this country. Successive Eastern-based federal governments have planted ill-fated policies that have led us right to a perpetually failing situation.In the ...
|
| |
|
| David Suzuki: The Doctor is WAY Out |
| 2008-02-08 22:32:00 |
The great national embarrassment known as Suzuki">David Suzuki has done it again. Speaking at several events recently, the radical environmentalist/nutjob suggested on more than one occasion that politicians who refuse to walk in goosestep with his tree-hugging ideology should be…ready for this? – jailed!Zeroing in on his usual targets, namely anyone who isn’t one of his disciples, Suzuki spewed: "…we can no longer tolerate what's going on in Ottawa and Edmonton…" regarding those who he feels are criminals against the environment.He continued: "What I would challenge you to do is to put a lot of effort into trying to see whether there's a legal way of throwing our so-called leaders into jail because what they're do...
|
| |
|
| My Endorsement (For What It's Worth) |
| 2008-02-04 22:33:00 |
The writ has finally been dropped. After the Stelmach government’s Speech from the Throne that was in reality nothing more than the official release of their election platform, the Premier stood in the Legislature and finally gave Albertans the election we have been increasingly demanding.Traditionally, Alberta government administrations are measured in decades. For all their popularity and lasting effects on the fabric of the province, the long-serving governments inevitably wind down and become stale. When change does happen, it is monumental and usually leaves the outgoing former powerhouse a mere shadow of its former self.This is what we are seeing now. The Stelmach government will no doubt throw all of its vast wealth and seemingly unlimited resources towards holding onto the power ...
|
| |
|
| The One Time We WANT To See German Troops... |
| 2008-02-03 13:50:00 |
Germany’s refusal to send their Afghanistan-based troops into the volatile Southern provinces is symptom of much larger issues. By standing on the sidelines, the Germans join so-called NATO members Italy, Turkey, and that fierce-fighting nation France in supporting the War on Terror in words and little action. While the Northern part of the war-torn nation cannot be considered ‘safe’ by any means, the decision to keep the much-needed military and equipment support away from those actually doing the fighting in the South – especially the United States, Canada, Britain, and others – has shown a growing rift in the NATO alliance over the issue. Purely political, the governing bodies in the countries in question h...
|
| |
|
|
| Slick Willie Hurting Democrats |
| 2008-01-28 13:39:00 |
Slick Willie: Interviewing another intern?Imagine the suffering those poor Democrats are going through. After 8 years of sheer bliss having the most criticized and lampooned American president in history as a target, the Party that a Blue Dress Built was high on expectations for the upcoming election. They had the world at their feet, gleefully enjoying being on the public’s side on issues like the Iraq War and the economy, and managed to gain control of the government. They had even managed to put some mileage between themselves and the poisonous public image of Slick Willie.Then it all fell apart. Check out the news lately and you will see an old face from the past haunting the Democratic race. Bill Clinton has returned to the limelight just in time...
|
| |
|
| Anybody But Dinning: Buyer's Remorse? |
| 2008-01-27 13:35:00 |
Jim DinningSometimes it’s the little surprises that make your day as a writer. I was doing some online research for an article on a completely different topic when I came across the old ‘Anybody But Dinning’ website. At first I wondered why this site would still be active from a leadership race over a year done. Then it occurred to me that this could be a topic itself. I wondered if the A.B.D. group of PC members, who yelled ‘LIBERAL!’, ‘RED TORY!’, and ‘TOO CALGARY-BIG BUSINESS!’ were feeling some buyers remorse-like symptoms. Given a year of Premier Ed Stelmach, how many of them have said ‘oops!’?Largely because of their blatantly false and low-class smear campaign that targeted Jim Dinning, the membership vote was severely split whi...
|
| |
|
| Random Rants: First Edition of 2008 |
| 2008-01-25 16:20:00 |
We're now into the new year and candidates for both the Republicans and Democrats are starting to fall. Still no clear choice on either side, however........Barack Obama would do his suddenly-damaged campaign a lot of good if he was to finally address the chatter about his religion. Is he a Muslim or not? Post 9/11, we have a right to know that going in........The Manley Report on Canada's military mission in Afghanistan is a prime case of good news/bad news. It deflates the Liberals cut and run style 'pull-out' policy, but spotlights the lack of commitment by other NATO nations. The Canadian public won't put up with much more of a so-called 'international coalition' that puts only Canadian and U.S. troops in the danger zones........Alberta spitfire politician and social activist Pam ...
|
| |
|
| Thanks, Pam. |
| 2008-01-23 15:12:00 |
I was still unpacking some forgotten boxes after moving from Calgary to Edmonton in 1996 when I received a surprise phone call. “Mr. Sullivan! You’ve finally seen the light and came to a better city. Now you’ve got to keep going and become a member of my party!” the voice whooped in the familiar and unique mixture of sharpness and heart. It’s a voice that could have only come from one person: Pam Barrett.After the usual short pleasantries, we got down to business (debate) over the usual topics – her friend and opponent Premier Ralph Klein, funding for the underprivileged, unemployment, and as always: Jim Dinning. She took me back to our first meeting during the 1989 provincial campaign. I was just a year out of high school and was working my first ever election for the Din...
|
| |
|
| The Fall of the Progressive Conservative Empire |
| 2008-01-19 13:13:00 |
Today’s ratification of the merger of Alberta’s provincial Alliance and Wildrose parties might be looked upon by future Albertans as one of a series of historical events which led to the end of the Progressive Conservative era. Once an unthinkable concept, Alberta’s ‘natural governing party’ has found itself in unfamiliar territory with low public approval numbers. With the formation of deep divisions within his own party, along with the pressure to call a spring election, Premier Ed Stelmach must be wondering just how ‘lucky’ he really was to unexpectedly win the leadership race.Being in power since 1971, the party has managed to morph itself several times in order to keep the support of the people. Successive leaders have made their...
|
| |
|
| Unions Score First Election Hit |
| 2008-01-15 13:26:00 |
As the province of Alberta rumbles towards an expected call for a late-spring election, activity on the political scene is heating up. The pending merger of the Alberta Alliance and Wildrose Party is still topical water cooler chat, with positions for and against filling the op-ed columns. Now along comes the latest buzz. The first salvo has been fired in the unofficial campaign, and it wasn’t from the gun of the ineffective Kevin Taft-led Liberals or the sideshow Whyte Avenue New Democrats. The rocket that hit Premier Ed Stelmach’s bulls-eye (and has scored a direct hit) is courtesy of ‘Albertans for Change’, which describes itself on its website as:‘…an initiative of the Alberta Building Trades Council and...
|
| |
|
| Bill Whatcott and Uncontrollable Flatulence of the Gonorrhea-Inflamed Rectum |
| 2008-01-13 17:54:00 |
I have gone on record numerous times in past articles in support of the freedom of speech. Time after time I have spoke out in favor of the right of people to speak out, no matter how disagreeable the opinion. Truth is, I have come to rely on that right many times in writing this very blog. However, it is important to remember that like all freedoms, the freedoms of speech and expression come with responsibilities.Moral and ethical codes govern our freedoms. Plainly stated, decorum and good taste is expected from anyone in the course of expressing their opinion. With that in mind, imagine my (lack of) surprise when my 12 year old daughter brought in the flyer that was sticking out of our mailbox this past Sunday morning.It was Bill Whatcott and his gang of idiots’ latest round of ha...
|
| |
|
| |
 |
