Don’t Blame Stephen Harper, Blame Edmund Burke
“If a sociology professor applies a day before a medical doctor, the professor’s application gets processed first … I mean, we don’t really need a sociology professor. “. Jason Kenney…
ronald reagan
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Rick Perlstein observes that Ronald Reagan’s most lasting contribution to American politics may be his admonition not to recognize flaws or past sins…
It Was Wrong When Ronald Reagan Did it and Just as Wrong For Stephen Harper
In, albeit not their sleaziest act, the Harper government blanketed the Ontario federal riding of Scarborough-Agincourt with flyers, aimed at the Liberals, for the upcoming bi-election. Not unusual during an…
Missing: Any discussion of what drove the Hancock Government’s Bill 10 attack on legally enforceable contracts
A system of contracts that can be enforced and adjudicated by an independent and disinterested court like this one is one of the key features of civilized society. This is…
Wicked Witch war of words: ‘Has Thatcher bashing crossed a line?’ Well, er… no!
The Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. Below, Ezra Levant in an orange wig with a can of Orange Crush mocks Jack Layton’s funeral. RIP or…
Faces of Evil This one isn’t a music video; it is chilling…
Faces of Evil This one isn’t a music video; it is chilling old footage of Margaret Thatcher having afternoon tea with her close personal friend and political ally Augusto Pinochet,…
Lunch with Vito Russo
Disclaimer: My memories have been assisted by Google and a piece of paper, 8-1/2″ x 11″ divided in half, on which is written the following: After signing up for The…
The Redford Tories’ conundrum: Progressive reason versus Conservative passion
They kissed us once. Will they kiss us again? Alas, in Alberta right now, there’s no way to be cert- cert- certain. Alison Redford chats with a typical Alberta voter…
Are Republicans Finally Willing to Bury Reagan?
Ronald Reagan's nearly 30-year romp, or rampage, through Republican ideology, launched by a sitting president already in the throes of early stage Alzheimer's, may be over.Reagan was, quite possibly, the…
Undemocratic impulses? Who ya gonna call? Not Jimmy Carter!
When it comes to ensuring the integrity of foreign elections, take it from Alberta Diary, Jimmy Carter is outstanding in the field. Below: Alberta MP Linda Duncan and Ukrainian President…
About Stephen Harper’s ambassadorial timeshare: maybe he missed the lesson on the Statute of Westminster!
Canadian and British Joint-Embassy diplomats work out their timeshare arrangements. Below: The young Stephen Harper on the day he missed his history lecture after lingering too long over Atlas Shrugged;…
New column day
Here, on the tendency for political parties to try to glorify past leaders by plastering their names and faces on the map – and the potential for Jack Layton’s legacy…
A Remarkable Revelation!
I am a person who believes in a transcendent reality. I mention this only to provide a context for the book I am currently reading entitled Paranormal: My Life in…
As goes California, so goes the nation!
The Beach Boys, now, and, below, then. Below them, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, then and now. As goes California, so goes Canada? As goes California, so goes the nation –…
“The Ronald Reagan Impose Your Beliefs on a Woman’s Womb Act” and “The Tea Party Determines What Rights a Woman Has Act.”
Democrats have a sense of humour. The legislation (H.R. 3541), sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), was originally entitled the “Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Non-discrimination Act of…
A Half a Century Later and We are Losing Half a Century
The Canadian Manifesto: How the American Neoconservatives Stole My Country In researching the conservative movement on both sides of the border, one thing becomes clear. In the U.S. they don’t…
If we’d heeded Tom Kent in 1981, our democracy would be healthier today
Tom Kent, chair of the Royal Commission on Newspapers, 1981. (Canadian Press photo). Below: The cover of the 1981 Royal Commission report; Edmonton-St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber. Today we mark…
Chris Christie Answers Questions…
Following his speech about American Exceptionalism at the Reagan Presidential Library in California last night, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie answered questions from the audience, most of which (predictably) concerned…
Michele Bachmann about to eat Ronald Reagan
Bachmann looks at a cake commemorating the 100th birthday of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington in February 2011. (Joshua Roberts /…