The Tories have a rich history of backstabbing. Dalton Camp did in John Diefenbaker and was never forgiven. Brian Mulroney shoved Joe Clark out of the way and into a ditch. Could it be possible that the knives are coming out for Steve Harper in the finest Conservative tradition? Trying
Continue readingAuthor: The Mound of Sound
The Disaffected Lib: The Rats in Uncle Steve’s Pantry
Stephen Harper knows he’s got rats in the Conservative pantry and it must be giving him fits trying to figure out just who they are. Somebody is leaking a steady stream of information, documents and e-mails to Bob Fife of CTV about Mike Duffy, Pam Wallin and Nigel Wright and
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Perfidious Peter Kent
This is too important to miss. Read Miranda Holmes revealing look at Harper EnviroShill Peter Kent and his close personal ties to Canada’s fossil fuelers. This is eerily like the appointments during the Bush era.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Harper’s Dilemma – Rash and Hazardous Speculation
It has always been my suspicion that Stephen Harper wanted to govern at least until he pushed through the Northern Gateway to get Athabasca bitumen flowing to Asia. With no small degree of help from the New Democrats and Liberals, Harper has already achieved his overarching goal of moving Canada’s
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Nigel Wright Falls on His Sword
Stephen Harper must feel isolated. He’s shed senators like a mangy dog loses fur. And now his chief of staff, Nigel Wright, has packed it in, leaving the PMO under a very large, black cloud.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: O.A.S. Drug Review a "Game Changer"
The Organization of American States has issued a report on global drugs policy that, some believe, could lead to the end of blanket prohibition. Publication of the Organisation of American States (OAS) review, commissioned at last year’s Cartagena Summit of the Americas attended by Barack Obama, reflects growing dissatisfaction among
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Athabasca Bitumen and the Koch Bros’ Gift to Windsor, Ontario
This might be why Alberta isn’t too crazy about refining Athabasca bitumen on site and why British Columbia should reject the proposal to refine it in Kitimat. “This” is a 3-storey high, city block sized pile of bitumen coke steadily growing ever larger across the Detroit River from Windsor’s waterfront
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Is the Senate Independent Auditor Independent?
The giant accounting firm, Deloitte, was retained to conduct a forensic audit of the expenses claimed by specific senators. In three cases there were questions of whether the individuals were in fact entitled to the extra housing allowance the senate provides to members not from Ottawa and environs. And then,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Wallin Walks Cap’n Harper’s Plank
Earlier today, Harper-appointed senator Pam Wallin purported to “recuse” herself from the Conservative caucus pending the outcome of a forensic audit into her expenses. Nice try, Pam. According to CTV, Pam actually did the “PMO Perp Walk.” She didn’t so much leave as she was shown the door after Harper’s
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Grizzly Versus Go-Pro
If you’ve spent any time in grizzly territory, chances are you have wondered at some point what it might be like if you found yourself face to face with the big brown bear. Wonder no more. Crews filming The Great Bear StakeOut had a Go-Pro camera attached to a rock,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Permanent Warfare State Comes Clean, Are You Listening?
It’s official. The United States of America is a permanent warfare state. Perhaps now the country should adopt the flag Mark Twain designed for this very occasion. At a Senate hearing this week, Michael Sheehan, assistant secretary of defense for special operations, testified that the American war on al Qaeda
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Another Harper Black Eye for Canada
In today’s Guardian, another look at the lengths the Harper regime goes to crush dissent, especially informed dissent, in Canada. Another shameful black mark on Canada’s international reputation, courtesy of our prime ministerial bully and his thuggish minions. This story is about enviro-artist Franke James and how she was targeted
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: When You Suck at Opposition, You Betray the Public
It’s not just the government that owes a duty to the public, the opposition also owes a solemn duty to the public. That’s the lesson that’s inescapable for the past couple of federal elections and this week’s devastating electoral debacle here in British Columbia. When you run in an election,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Do You Trust the RCMP to Investigate the Duffy Scandal?
So we’re going to let the RCMP get to the bottom of this senate expense scandal that now extends straight to the top of the Prime Minister’s Office. I wish that gave me hope. It doesn’t. Ever since former and subsequently disgraced Commissioner Zaccardelli conjured up notions in mid-election of
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Duffy Out of Conservative Caucus. He Wants to Do the Right Thing.
Mike Duffy has departed the Conservative caucus. “…the Prime Minister’s Office appears to have been blindsided by Duffy’s claims that he had arranged his own loan with Royal Bank of Canada to cover the repayment. “There are a growing number of questions about Mr. Duffy’s conduct that don’t have answers.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: 49:1 Is Not 50:50
Forty-Nine to One is not Fifty-Fifty. Climate change denialists like to spread it on thick and claim there’s some fierce debate over the reality of anthropogenic global warming and there are a good many disinformed, misinformed and simply delusional types who think there is no consensus and it’s a toss
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Anybody Heard of the ‘Government Telecommunications and Informatics Service?’
My Duffy post earlier today seems to have drawn the attention of some Ottawa outfit called the Government Telecommunications and Informatics Service. Anyone know anything about them?
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: If We’re Going To Do This With Drones, Why Does Anyone Need the F-35?
With the launch yesterday of the X-47B from the deck of the USS George HW Bush, the case for the F-35 just got a lot weaker. The X-47B is a prototype of a U.S. Navy UCAV or unmanned combat air vehicle. It’s a stealth light bomber which is pretty much
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Price of War
The folks at UpWorthy have published a photo-perspective showing the faces of soldiers taken before, during and after war. Here’s one example. Follow the link above to see the rest.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Twitter Outs the Haters
Check this out. It’s a twitter-based map of racism in the United States. A team of geographers from Humboldt State University has developed a map of the United States which plots the intensity of discriminatory speech in social media, including racism, homophobia and ableism. The team — headed up
Continue reading