Here I am, back again after a day of election-free behaviour.

For those of you wondering: it wasn’t entirely my idea. Some folks (you know who you are) were going so nuts will all my election obsessing that they were starting to seriously think about hog-tying me in a cave someplace and gagging me with a field mouse if I didn’t lay off for a day.

So I did.

But it’s back to the partisan grind today, so here goes…

12:22 – Abandon ship!

Over at AITGWN, Steve Janke has an interesting post about the possibility of Garth Vader deciding to concede the election to the Tories, throw Steffy under the bus and save his own political skin:

Liberal MP Garth Turner has always been a Stephane Dion loyalist.

Well, he has been for as long as the Liberals were useful to him. Now that Stephane Dion runs the risk of leading the Liberals to an election loss (no certain thing, in my mind, by the way), Garth Turner’s confidence seems to be crumbling:

Well now, that sure makes for some interesting reading…

13:08 – About that brand…

Jeffrey Simpson, over at the Mop & Pail, of all places, has some rather interesting observations about that “Liberal Brand®” that we all keep hearing about ad nauseum. Seems this little juggernaut isn’t quite what we’ve been getting told that it was. Seems it’s becoming something of an urban Ontario / Atlantic rump, or something:

In the last election, the Liberals hung on to 13 Quebec seats, mostly in and around Montreal. The majority of the seats had large concentrations of non-francophones. If an election were held tomorrow, half of the party’s 13 seats would be in jeopardy.

[…]

West of Ontario, the Liberal brand has been a tarnished one for decades. The Liberals haven’t captured the largest number of seats in Manitoba since 1953, in Saskatchewan since 1949. In 20 elections since 1945, the party has won just 29 seats in Alberta. The Liberals have taken the largest number of seats in British Columbia twice since the Second World War, in 1953 and 1968.

So, politically speaking, the Liberal brand west of Ontario has been lousy for decades. It’s no better now. Yes, there have been urban pockets of Liberal support in the four western provinces, but that’s been it.

Viewed from Greater Toronto, the Liberal brand remains infused with a proud history, values and people. But even in some other places in Ontario where the party used to be strong, the brand has faded.

Dang. Getting elected is easy when your opponents are split — as in PC/Reform, etc — but when there’s a single alternative, things can be a real bitch, eh? Read the whole thing, it’s good.

13:25 – It’s the dawn of a new (Rae) day

Those of us from Ontario remember quite well the buggering that our economy suffered at the hands of NDP-Premier-turned-UberGrit-wannabe Bob Rae (AKA Highway RobRae). If this clown is who Steffy Dion is trotting out as his economic shirpa, they’re even more desperate than I would have thought they were. For those of you who might need your memories jogged, here’s a little something (thanks to Red Tory, of all people; go figure):

18:45 – Update: Sandy over at COTM has a few things to say too, about the Grits’ little Rae of sunshine (I like that lady):

But, for those who are gullible, let me tell you about the Bob Rae government, the social chaos, the Social Contract and the infamous Rae Days that left children and the elderly without supervision.

Well, it seems like a slow election day today…

(or maybe it’s just that my mind is on my son’s first game of the season today and he’s all bugged that they started him off as left guard in all the practices but have now shifted him further to the left all of a sudden so he’s trying to get his head into a completely new space with next to no notice and besides, being moved to the left in any fashion, especially when it’s not your idea, really sucks even more than a run-on sentence…)

… so I guess that I’ll get back to something that I’ve been neglecting a little bit lately: the dastardly, conniving, rights-ravaging HLCs and their Section 13 sycophants and the Stalinist show trials they love so much (a little thanks to Kathy for bringing this back into my melon). What really gnaws at my gnuts about that post is the complete and utter heap of seaming bovine byproducts that Iggy decided to hack up on the rug in response to an email:

…thanks for your message about Keith Martin’s proposal. It blindsided the party, so we’re still working past that problem to look at the merits. I don’t want a free speech chill, but I also don’t want open season on minorities. So Im still working on it.

HUH???

First of all, it’s in the name of these so-called “vulnerable minorities” that Stalag Section 13 is being abused in the first place. Being white seems to put a bullseye on your ass when this bunch is around. Open season, my lily-white ass…

Second, as Kathy pointed out, Section 13 has turned into a one-man band in the last few years. Little Dickie Warman has turned the whole damned CHRC into his own personal cash cow. Being the most thin-skinned sonofabitch in Canada pays pretty good, from what I hear.

So why is it that so few people seem to know about this? Hell, even the last few calls I’ve gotten from the Conservative Party were (except for the first guy) by people who, while they were nice enough, hadn’t a friggin’ clue what it was that I was so steamed up about! I try to give them the Reader’s Digest version, because I understand that they have a job to do and need to get on with it, but I still get the feeling that most of them are left scratching their heads.

The main reason for this was, no doubt, the utter silence that emanated from the national media on the subject. After all, who really gives a rat’s ass if some neo-nazi kook gets himself battered from pillar to post through the legal system? Is that really news? Is it going to sell any papers? Not likely.

Well, all that changed when McLean’s — the much-beloved “Canada’s National News Magazine®” — found themselves in the gunsights of not one, not two, but three of these little Thought Police commissions. Ah, okay… now there’s something wrong. Had themselves a little Martin Niemöller / road to Damascus kind of moment there, I guess. Yeah, well; whatever it takes to get ’em finally talking.

But does anybody think that this will stop at McLean’s? I mean, really? Barbara Kulaszka — one of Marc Lemire’s lawyers — doesn’t think so, and has a no-bullshit warning for anyone who thinks that It Can’t Happen To Themâ„¢:

Barbara Kulaszka, a lawyer for Mr. Lemire, told the tribunal that the mainstream media paid no attention to unfairness of Section 13 complaints until Macleans magazine columnist Mark Steyn was targeted by a Muslim group earlier this year.

“Every religion is going to start using it,” she warned. “Just look at the first Muslim complaint in 30 years. Everyone went nuts. The media woke up, and said: ‘It isn’t just Ernst Zundel and his creepy right-wingers being attacked. They are going to come after us.’

“You’re going to be caught in the cross-hairs,” she cautioned.

Translation: They might not be bothering you — YET — but they WILL come for you; and who will be left to speak up?

And you — yes YOU, sitting there in front of your computer, all nice and comfy — pay attention:
Your turn is coming. Sooner or later, they will get around to you. Totalitarianism is a hungry animal, it needs to be fed regularly, and when it runs out of its usual food, it turns elsewhere. Mark my words: sooner or later, YOU WILL BE NEXT.

It’s just a matter of time.

PS-

In case you need some sort of recap about why we need to get rid of these Stalinist show trials, here it is:

1. They only support Leftist causes (sound familiar?).
2. The complainer gets all costs paid while the accused is forced to pay out of pocket (again: familiar?).
3. The very process itself IS a punishment.
4. The conviction rate is 100%!! (No, I’m not making that up) I don’t think even the Gestapo managed to pull that one off.
5. They plant fabricated evidence and willfully use it against the accused.
6. They only prosecute people of one race.
7. The rules change from case to case, as needed to ensure that the accused’s rights are properly violated.
8. Truth is not a defense.
9. They have no sense of humour…

This is beginning to give me the creeps.

It’s been over a week since word of this first broke and the silence coming from the media has been absolutely deafening. The lefties love to roll their eyes whenever conservatives (big or little “C”) complain about bias in the media. But how can we not complain, when an issue as serious as this gets swept under the national rug, in the middle of a God damned election, no less??

True or not (and no, I don’t know which), accusations that Premier Williams threatened people with financial ruin and other reprisals if they supported the Conservatives need to be dragged out and examined in the light of day, where everyone can see.

And just what have we heard from the MSM on this, what should be of major concern to all Canadians, not just Newfoundlanders? The most recent thing I can find is from eleven damned days ago:

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. (CP) — Premier Danny Williams denies he’s threatened Conservatives in Newfoundland and Labrador who work for Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a federal election campaign.

Is Danny guilty until proven innocent? Hell, no. But can you imagine the hue and cry that would arise from the Ministry Of What You Should Think, the TO Red Star, the Mop & Pail, and all the other usual media suspects if this had been someone accused of trying to intimidate Grits??

And isn’t it funny that we don’t hear a peep out of Elections Canada about this? No skulduggery there either, I guess.

Ah, fer the love of… Some days, I just wonder if I understand anything at all.

I know that I promised yesterday that I’d have some footage of PM Harper’s appearance in London last night. Things went south from the get-go. Cam battery was deader than Elvis so I had to resort to using my phone (lovely quality, that). Then, when I tried to upload the damned thing to YouTube, it croaked because the vid was too long.

Not to worry, though, I’m not done yet. I’ll try to post the raw files later today and see if that works. (I apologize ahead of time for the crappy quality but, like I said, it was done with a phone…)

11:00 – Turner Trounced

Dang. The problem with staging a stunt is, when you don’t let the crew in on the joke, you might just get caught…

And to think that some folks still have it in their heads that the PM made a mistake by losing that loose cannon… Go figure.

19:05 – Update: AITGWN has more. this poor bastard just keeps digging himself deeper and deeper…

12:20 – Okay, let’s try this

Alright, I got the files uploaded to the server so let’s see how this works. It’s in two parts and, due to a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo that I’m not going to get into right now, it might or might not play properly in your browser. Sorry about that.

If they won’t play in your browser, the direct links are here, for the first part and here, for the second part. They’re in the .3GP format, so you’ll need something like QuickTime to play them. Again, sorry for the quality but it’s what I had to work with… 🙁

12:30 – Update to this: Okay, that didn’t work worth crap. Trying to embed the vids here made a mess of things and slowed down the loading of this post to a crawl. Sorry folks, but it looks like the links are as good as it gets…

13:05 – They’re still out there

Lest we forget about the malevolent HRCs in our midst, the National Post has an article yesterday by Joseph Brean to remind us:

The foremost legal precedent for deciding these cases is the 1990 Supreme Court of Canada decision about the neo-Nazi activist John Ross Taylor, in which Section 13 was held to be a justifiable violation of the Charter right to free expression.

It defined hate messages as those expressing “unusually strong and deep-felt emotions of detestation, calumny and vilification.”

Simon Fothergill, a lawyer for the Attorney-General of Canada, said Mr. Lemire’s challenge of Section 13 is “relitigation” of settled law, and amounts to “harassment” of the government, which won the Taylor case by a 4-3 decision. A decade later, in 2001, it amended Section 13 to include the Internet.

[…]

Mr. Fothergill answered that if Section 13 puts a chill on public discourse, it is only to be around the fringes of hate speech, and that this is not “a terribly bad outcome.”

“A little bit of chilling … is tolerable,” he said.

“TOLERABLE?” Is this asshole utterly out of his God damned mind??? And why the hell haven’t we heard so much as a peep out of ANY party on this subject so far in the campaign? Too uncomfortable an an issue, perhaps? Tough shit, bud; you wanna be in charge, you have to have the balls to do what needs to be done! And God knows, these things need to be reeled in.

Nest time some vote-hunting blowhard (from whatever party) bangs on your door, be sure to find out where they stand on this issue, because it’s just going to get worse if we don’t tackle it NOW.

13:22 – Another update: How’s this for a coincidence? I just got me a call from Steven at the CPC’s fundraising dept. What are the odds?Once again, the Tories were hoping for a buck or two to help out with the campaign. He was a nice enough guy (not as knowledgeable as Fred was on the issue, but still nice) but I had to tell him the same thing I’ve told the last four people that called me: No action on HRCs, no money from me.

17:49 – Holy crap!

I agree with Warren Kinsella. 😯 No, really, I actually DO. Yes, you heard me right. And don’t look at me like that.

I don’t know how it happened, either, but there it is. And it’s not just on one thing, strangely enough; I agree with him on a whole bunch of stuff. Like:

• Things are going badly for the Lieberal campaign
• Free advice is worth what you pay for it
• Warren is a has-been

I guess it just goes to show you, even a blind squirrel finds a nut some days.

18:10 – Practicing what he preaches

Say what you want about Steffy Dion, he sure does practice what he preaches. He’s always going on and on about how we should do this and that for the environment and, lo and behold, Steffy turns out to be one dead serious recycler. Trusty Tory has the goodies:

That’s right, folks, the old 1993 election campaign promise. This goes hand in hand with Dion’s continued election campaign against Brian Mulroney!

But, hang on a second. Didn’t Paul Martin promise this in the 2004 campaign? See for yourself.

Recycle, recycle, recycle! Because it’ll actually happen this time. They really, really mean it. Besides, it’s not as if the Green Shaftâ„¢ is earning them any love…

23:23 – Ker-SPLAT

Coincidence?  Poetic justice?  Prophecy?  You tell me…

MONTREAL – Stephane Dion’s aging plane was forced to make an emergency landing on its way to London tonight in what Liberals hope doesn’t become a symbol of the party’s faltering campaign.

The leased 29-year-old Boeing 737 was en route to London from Sherbrooke, Que., when it made an unexpected stop shortly after 8 p.m. at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport.

On the bright side, at least I don’t have to put up with that waffling weasel in London now. 😉

What the hell is THIS??? (Huge hat tip to Hunter over at Climbing Out Of The Dark for this one)

Where the hell is Fife talking about? Harbour Grace or Harare?? I know that a) I have a tendency to go off half-cocked sometimes and b) these are unproven allegations but let’s be serious here, folks; if these accusations have any merit to them, we have some serious problems with our democratic rights in Newfoundland! It’s one thing for a Premier of a province to bitch and moan about a Prime Minister and put his political capital into opposing the PM’s campaign, but this kind of bullshit is beyond the pale…

It seems that voters in Newfoundland are being intimidated and threatened with retaliation against their persons and businesses if they vote Conservative, donate to the Tories, or otherwise display any support for the CPC! NO, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!!

From Hunter’s post:

High praise goes out to CTV’s Robert Fife for this report [for the record, I agree -D]. He listened to the people of Newfoundland, and understood the seriousness of what they were saying.

Joanne over at Blue Like You broke this story on blogs, and she has the links to the CTV site that will give you the full story. She has the video link to Jim Morgan backing up what Robert Fife said. It is worth the listen!

What I’m waiting for now, is to see what the MSM does with this story. Are they going to howl this from the rooftops, or are they going to show themselves as being the Lieberal lapdogs that they are so often accused of being, and sweep some more Leftist dirt under the rug?

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be watching for this.

PS-
Dear Scumbags:
I understand that you’re awfully busy and otherwise occupied with trying to bugger about with the God-given right of Newfoundlanders to choose whoever they damned well please to represent them in our nation’s parliament but, if you could spare the time, could you please stop by and try to intimidate me?

Please? I’m feeling all left out and neglected here. Thank you for your consideration.

-Dennis

UPDATE

Looks like I’m behind the herd on this one, but I’m not going to complain. The more noise gets made, the better. Here’s what others have been saying:

1. Williams threatening Conservative supporters in Newfoundland? – Darryl Wolk
   “It is time for Danny Williams to check his ego and desire for the spotlight at the door. This man is putting a personal feud ahead of the interests of his province.”
2. “If You Run We’ll Ruin Your Father’s Business”: Danny Williams – A Step To The Right
   “CTV Bob Fife is naming senior Conservative sources that are on the record saying that Danny Williams and his minions are launching an extensive campaign of fear and intimidation against anybody thinking about running for the Tories, or attending their rallies in Newfoundland.”
3. Tell Danny the Dictator what you really think of his ABC campaign – Right As Rain
   “Just before I head off to bed, I would like to encourage everyone to email Danny Williams to let him know in uncertain terms what you think of these allegations of bullying and intimidation.”
4. Campaign Of Intimidation Part 2 – Climbing Out Of The Dark
   “If Robert Fife from CTV wasn’t persuasive enough, here is a former Fisheries Minister from Newfoundland, who pretty much agrees that intimidation is happening in Newfoundland. Big story here in Canada!!! NOT! Didn’t I say what that would indicate in my last post?”
   
5. *Official* Danny Williams has been put on notice – The Hypocritical Oath
   “OPEN LETTER TO DANNY WILLIAMS: It is my belief that you and your government have not met the needs of Newfoundlanders in terms of developing new and sustainable industries to succeed the fisheries. Oil is not going to float your paper thin economy like that of Alberta; you simply do not possess the amount of reserves that they do. Invest in education and the development of your business community which, by the way, should consist of more than just three fish boat captains in St. John’s harbour and the local pub owner.”
6. Danny Mugabe Williams – SDA
   “Well, perhaps that’s unfair. We haven’t yet seen rampaging gangs of PC’ers raping and pillaging political opponents.”
7. Ugly? – Halls of macadamia
   “You mainlanders don’t know nuthin’ about ugly.”
8. All Hail Danny – Back Off Government!
   “Ok maybe he hasn’t reached Robert Mugage proportions – but with these news reports coming out of Newfoundland I would say the words “Friendly Dictator” definitely apply.”
9. Some things never change (including Newfoundland politics) – Daimnation!
   “Robert Fife reports that federal Conservatives in Newfoundland are being intimidated by supporters of Danny Williams.”
10. Danny the Dictator? – Right As Rain
    “The allegations talked about by Bob Fife and Jim Morgan about Danny the Dictator’s actions in N.L should cause a great deal of concern amongst every party in this election.”

Ten and counting.  It’s always nice to know that I’m not the only one who’s pissed.

Screw the election, some things are more important.

Desperate hunt for mom, baby

Somewhere in Totonto a nine-month-old baby is dying.

Toronto Police are desperately searching for baby Heru Sut Tekh El and his 22-year-old mother. Erica Caines took her baby from the Hospital for Sick Children Wednesday after doctors admitted the severely malnourished tot. Mother and child haven’t been seen since.

“The baby requires urgent medical care, so we’re obviously worried,” said Toronto Police Const. Helen Dixon, of 52 Division’s family services unit. “Get your baby back to the hospital immediately.”

Caines had brought the baby to the Sick Kids’ emergency room around 2 p.m., police said. Once inside, hospital staff determined the little boy — who only weighs an alarming 11 pounds — was suffering from “severe malnutrition” and in need of immediate medical attention. But soon after the child was admitted, his mother took him and fled.

PUBLIC APPEAL

More than 24 hours later, police made the public appeal for the mother and her child, but still can’t find them.

Const. Tony Vella said officers believe the child’s safety is at risk without immediate medical attention and that the mother could be anywhere within the GTA. The mother has had no previous contact with police.

Caines is described as black, 5-foot-6, 99 pounds, with curly dark brown hair. The boy is about half the weight of a typical nine-month-old baby and only a few pounds heavier than an average newborn. The two may be travelling in a late 90s model, red, two-door, Acura, police said.

Dixon said officers have been checking a number of addresses on an “ongoing basis,” but the woman has not been located. Police said they had been in contact with the mother’s next-of-kin.

Catherine Snoddon, of the Toronto Children’s Aid Society, said they had no involvement with the mother before this incident.

“Professionals and the public will call us if they are concerned about the safety of the child and in this situation, certainly Sick Kids was,” Snoddon said. “Unfortunately, since then no one’s been able to see mom … hopefully someone will come forward.”

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Caines or her son is asked to contact 52 Division at 416-808-5200, the Toronto Children’s Aid Society at 416 924-4646 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

The abduction is the third very public tragedy involving a child to rock the city this year.

In January, baby Angelica-Leslie was abandoned in a frigid North York mall stairwell. Last August, Katelynn Sampson was killed in a Parkdale apartment. The child’s legal guardian and that woman’s common-law husband were charged with murder.

[UPDATE]

The Toronto Sun has more info (what the hell is going on here??):

A young woman who fled a Toronto hospital with her severely malnourished baby has another young child police are worried about.

Investigators have been looking for Erica Caines, 22, and her 9-month-old son Heru Sut Tekh El since Caines left the Hospital for Sick Children against the wishes of medical staff Wednesday.

Aside from the sick tot, who weighed only 11 pounds. when admitted to hospital, Caines has another son who is about 2 or 3 years old and also unaccounted for, Toronto Police Det. Mike Leone said yesterday.

“The younger child is sort of the focus of the incident, but we’re obviously concerned about both kids,” Leone said.

ARGUED WITH STAFF

Caines admitted her son to Sick Kids’ around 2 p.m., but left with the child after a confrontation with staff.

“Medical staff basically tried to convince her that the baby should not leave and should remain in the hospital and receive treatment,” Leone said. “She obviously didn’t agree with them.”

Caines was with a friend, who hasn’t provided police with a lot of information, Leone said. It’s unknown if her other son was with them at the time.

Investigators have since received some help from Caines’ family, but continued to plead for Caines to come forward.

It’s unknown where she resides, as she only lives with her family “at times,” and it appears her and the father of her children aren’t together, Leone said.

FAMILY DIDN’T KNOW

Her family was apparently unaware of the baby’s ill health, as Caines “has not been on the greatest relations” with family members, so they haven’t spent much time with the baby, Leone said.

“The family is very concerned,” he said. “I can’t understand why she wouldn’t come in or take the baby back to the hospital. She’s got to come forward. If she doesn’t want to talk to police, she can call Toronto (Children’s Aid Society) or more importantly, just go to a hospital with the baby,” Leone said.

“Our main focus is just the well-being of this kid. Beyond that, obviously we’re going to find out to what extent this neglect went to and if there’s any criminal side to it, we’ll certainly investigate that.”

Tipsters should contact police at 416-808-5200, CAS at 416-924-4646 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477, 222tips.com or by texting TOR to 274637.