The last pre-election message on Ted Morton’s website: To our Supporters: Thank you for supporting me and the PC Party—a party that has madeAlbertathe best place to work, to live and to raise a family. As your MLA for Chestermere-Rocky View, I will work for you to keep it that
Continue readingAuthor: Robert McBean
Five of Five: Identity Politics and Some Numbers
The No True Scotsman fallacy often appears in arguments about philosophy or religion. It has some bearing on the change that is about to engulf Alberta. The fallacy would sound something like this in a conversation about Alberta politics: You: No conservative would vote for the Progressive Conservative
Continue readingFive of Five: ABVOTE: Play the Obama Card.
Donna Kennedy-Glans, election flyer 2012 This was in my mailbox on Friday. Donna Kennedy-Glans is running as the PC candidate in my riding of Calgary Varsity. It’s quite impressive, the production values are great. It looks like it cost a lot. Not surprising from a governing party that spares no penny on self-promotion.
Continue readingFive of Five: ABVOTE: Hell No
Warren Kinsella says here and here that Progressives should vote for Alison Redford’s Progressive Conservative Party in Alberta’s Provincial election. It is a formulaic and emotional appeal to strategic voting. It presents no argument that such a vote would accomplish anything useful. The strategic voting argument is always stated as an
Continue readingFive of Five: Alberta Legislature: Scumbags, Holodomor and Property Rights
There was a debate in the Legislature today (29 Nov 2011) regarding landowner property rights. There is no doubt that at least 4 of the bills passed in the Stelmach era went too far by removing basic landowner rights, eliminating public consultation and removing the appeal process. Wildrose MLA Paul
Continue readingFive of Five: Amazon Gift Giving
Amazon’s product page for Pepper Spray is getting seriously owned right now. I didn’t know Amazon sold Pepper Spray. It’s not really funny, but it’s good to see people react to such a poor recommendation for Christmas shopping. via the Political Carnival
Continue readingFive of Five: Hijacking Penn State
As if the tragedy at Penn State wasn’t bad enough in and of itself, people with unrelated axes to grind are now using it to get attention.
1. A spokesman for an anti-gay hate group blames gay men and homosexuality for the alleged sexual assault(s) a…
Continue readingFive of Five: Two Canadian Artists
Doris McCarthy was a Calgary born visual artist and author, but spent most of her life in Scarborough Ontario. She had a bit of a thing for icebergs, which is fine by me because I love northern landscape art. Pictured below, Iceberg Fantasy #40.
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Continue readingFive of Five: Polanski’s ‘The Pianist’
A very good movie. Mostly based on the memoirs of Wladyslaw Szpilman a classical pianist who managed to survive the Warsaw Ghetto and the holocaust. Parts of the story came from Roman Polanski’s childhood memories of Poland during the war. The…
Continue readingFive of Five: Five of Five 2011-11-10 02:39:00
"I promise to eliminate some important Government agencies whose names escape me right at the moment. " All the pundits I’ve been reading are saying this is the end of the line for the Hair from Texas. Time will tell, dumbness never rules anyone out of high office.
Krugram references Molly Ivan. I remember her column about Perry a few years ago.
Continue readingFive of Five: Quote of the Day
“I grieve for the children and their families, and I
pray for their comfort and relief. With the benefit of hindsight, I
wish I had done more.” – Joe Paterno”
After learning that he…
Continue readingFive of Five: What the Mayor Said
Story Here.
Continue readingFive of Five: How to Make Rob Anders Look Sane
In addition to being a part-time pollster, Dean Del Mastro is also an amateur bishop.Dean Del Mastro, the parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister, said on Facebook last month that it was “outrageous” the Catholic school board in Peterboroug…
Continue readingFive of Five: Harper’s Undiplomatic Behavior
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is on a trade mission in Brazil right now. He caused a bit of a diplomatic problem by acting like a five year old. Here is my rough translation/paraphrase of the story as reported in a Brazilian Newspaper.
The Ori…
Five of Five: Should University Athletes Get Private Chaplains?
Via Pharyngula:The University of Iowa is using University funds to hire a Christian chaplain to minister to the needs of the school’s football team. It’s not hard to see how patriotism, athleticism and religion all get stirred into the same pot. It…
Continue readingFive of Five: Minnesota Archbishop: Opposing Marriage Equality Is Not Anti-Gay
Via ThinkProgress:Archbishop John C. Nienstedt: “The Minnesota Catholic Conference, made up of the seven Catholic bishops from the state, support this amendment not for prejudicial or political reasons, but rather for reasons that are theological, bi…
Continue readingFive of Five: December 18
This is not the type of thing I usually write about, but…This is one the few photos of my dad that I have, standing outside the Alberta Legislature in his RCAF uniform. Hard to say what the year is, or how old he is. I barely had any time with my fat…
Continue readingFive of Five: Life is Bigger than Politics
News was released today that former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is a horrible disease that has no cure and robs the body and brain of oxygen. It doesn’t have good outcomes.It got me thinking…
Continue readingFive of Five: Consequences in Lala Land
When I read stuff like this, I fill with despair and even fear.These men crave followers and attention so they offer cures for everything, but with next to no professional skill or credentials to deal with mental health problems. To make it worse, emot…
Continue readingFive of Five: Open Letter to Dr. Elizabeth Cannon
Please consider faxing or emailing this open letter to University of Calgary President Dr. Elizabeth Cannon. This is regarding Dr. Flanagan’s comments on CBC re Julian Assange. I recommend including your own cover letter with your own thoughts to mini…
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