Yeah, you. I’m talking to you or at least somewhere around 90% of the people who’ll read this. You’re incompetent and while that might be inadvertent, it is by design. I’m reading Tim Flannery’s new book, Here on Earth, a Natural History of the Planet. Flannery also wrote the excellent
Continue readingAuthor: The Mound of Sound
The Disaffected Lib: Freedom of Religion? Not Unless We Also Get Freedom From Religion.
I’m all for freedom of religion – on one condition. Freedom of religion must also mean freedom from religion. Religion should be practised in churches, that’s where it belongs, not in legislatures, not in our schools, not in any of our public institutions. I think about religion a fair bit.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Latin America to End the War on Drugs?
When Barack Obama sits down with Latin American leaders in Cartagena to discuss the “war on drugs” he won’t like what they’ve got to say. They’re ready to declare the war on drugs a failure – a failure in the past, a failure now and an inevitable failure in the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: 60 Minutes’ Mike Wallace Dead at 93
Veteran American broadcast journalist Mike Wallace has died at age 93. Best known for his four decades of confronting “leaders and liars” and making that a staple of 60 Minutes since he joined it at its outset in 1968.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The F-35 Is About More Than Cost
In fact the burgeoning cost of Lockheed Martin’s light bomber may be the least of our problems. To begin, what do you do with 65-light bombers in a country the size of Canada? You’ll always have a good number of them in reserve so you can make the fleet last.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Has Peter Kent Become Nathan Thurm?
Peter Kent once considered himself a journalist. Now, as Harper’s EnviroShill, Kent dismissed criticism from scientists and science writers that the government is muzzling federal climate scientists. Kent is starting to act a lot like Nathan Thurm:
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The "F-35 Killer" Is Already Airborne
Those who are pushing the F-35 down Canada’s throat will take any chance to extol its unproven, awesome technical advantages, particularly its stealth technology. The idea is the enemy cannot hit what it cannot see. The invisible bomber gets into enemy airspace, bombs its target and gets out completely undetected.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Most Radical Republicanism in America
The path from democracy to oligarchy is a process of undermining universal suffrage – of denying or obstructing the right of some people to vote, to be heard. It’s the sort of thing that’s rarely done openly or honestly. In today’s America, Michigan is the petri dish of the right’s
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: And So Ends the Renaissance of the Canadian Armed Forces
“I do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors. So help me God.“ Stephen Harper vowed to restore Canada’s military to its former glory and prestige. Instead he corrupted our military institution and
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: An American Takes on Harper’s F-35 Snake Oil
Here’s another repost, this from April, 2011, wherein an American expert calls out Harper on his endless F-35 lies. From Embassy, a preview of remarks to be made tomorrow in Washington by Winslow Wheeler of the Center for Defense Information about Canada’s unhinged decision to purchase the F-35 Joint Strike
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: F-35 – Kissing America’s Arse Takes Wings
I’m reposting this piece from 12 December, 2010. It adds some useful context to the depths of Harper’s perversion of our federal government and its insitutions. What’s not to like about the F-35? Just about everything. That includes how Harper & Company, aided and abetted by a military willing to
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: We Drove Gordon Campbell From Office for this Very Thing
The Auditor General has cut the legs out from under the Harper government’s claim that they were misled over the realistic cost of the F-35 light bomber. They knew full well, says Michael Ferguson, and they knew well before the last election and they lied through their teeth to the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Turnaround Is Fair Play, Bob Rae Gets It
As a longtime yet decidely “former” Liberal supporter I was delighted to see interim leader Bob Rae take it to NDP leader Tom Mulcair. Good on him and good for the country. For decades we’ve endured Dippers self-righteously castigating the Libs for constantly falling short of their vaunted principles. The
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The F-35 Fiasco. Time For an Intervention?
It took long enough but our media are finally coming to realize that the Harper regime is no longer fit to govern. Andrew Coyne writes of a “government in collapse.” Brian Stewart laments a government bereft of any shred of integrity, purposefully and persistently lying to Parliament and the Canadian
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: CBC’s Brian Stewart Casts Bones & Reads Entrails – Stephen Harper’s Bones and Peter MacKay’s Entrails
It seems Brian Stewart has been a CBC defence wonk since the days of muzzle loaders and black powder. That makes his take on the F-35 fiasco all the more notable. “The who-knew-what about the real costs of the F-35 fighter jet Canada wants to purchase is worrisome enough. But
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Perilous Road Ahead for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
Scott Walker’s day of judgment is coming. Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board has set June 5th for the special recall election of Walker and five other GOP pols also recalled. Walker has gone to astonishing lengths to derail the recall and the recall election. So far he’s struck out every time.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The One That Got Away from Bush/Cheney
The Bush/Cheney minions scrambled to retrieve – and destroy – every copy and they got them all – except one. What they were after was a memo, a memo about torture, written by Philip Zelikow, counselor to then State Secretary Condoleeza Rice. The Bushies missed one that survived in the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Turning to Submarines
HMCS Victoria Back in the 60’s the Royal Canadian Navy fielded a small number of reasonably capable submarines, the Oberon-class boats we bought from the UK. We had five of these subs. Introduced in 1965 they were decommissioned in the late 90’s, a commendable service life. As the Oberon boats
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What’s the Definition of "Screwed"? In Texas, It’s Rick Perry.
The Great State of Texas is enjoying an early launch of the 2012 tornado season. As many as 18-tornadoes were reported to have hit the Dallas area on Tuesday leaving some 800-homes damaged or destroyed. Last April the US set a record of 758 tornadoes for the month. Weather.com meteorologist
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Smartest Man in the [Tory Caucus] Room
Like scary stories? Here’s one. Imagine that Stephen Harper truly is the “Smartest San In the [Tory Caucus] Room.” Since he came onto the federal scene we’ve repeatedly heard the Steve sees himself as the smartest man in the room, a claim his underlings seem to take at face value.
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