The Danger Of False Equivalency

In this morning's Star, Daniel Dale has a very interesting essay on why, despite the fact that it forks no lightning but provokes much outrage from his supporters, it is important to keep reporting on Donald Trump's shameless aversion to truth. Unfortunately, it is not yet available online, but if it becomes available, I will add a link here.

On a related matter, however, my friend Jonathan alerted me to a piece from Bill Maher that is well-worth watching in which he indicts not only the lying Trump but also excoriates the laziness and cynicism of those who embrace him:



And one more thing: it appears that Trump is right in claiming the election is rigged, just not in the way he meant.

A woman in Iowa was arrested this week on suspicion of voting twice in the general election, court and police records show.

Rote told Iowa Public Radio that she cast her first ballot for Donald Trump but feared it would be changed to a vote for Hillary Clinton.

"I wasn't planning on doing it twice — it was spur-of-the-moment," Rote told the radio station. "The polls are rigged."

For The Record

About the undercarriage of that busy Tory bus, Star readers have much to say:

Ex-Tory staffer jailed nine months for robocalls, Nov. 20

My sympathies go out to Michael Sona and his family, the latest addition of those people used by the Harper government and then thrown under the bus for getting overly enthusiastic about being a Canservative “short pants.”

This episode should be taught in political science courses the world over as a precautionary tale of how a draconian oligarchy works and how to avoid getting hyped into criminal activity.

At 22, Mr. Sona was a virgin in politics and its black arts, not much different than the ideological youth of his age that want to fall for the recruiting methods of the jihadist murders and go to their deaths in foreign wars. I am disgusted with the trail of maligned and discredited lives left in the wake of Secret Steven.

Next in the Harper government guillotine, Mike Duffy and Nigel Wright.

Stay tuned.

Gord Deane, Mississauga

Democracy has sunk to a new low. Now a lowly cog in the wheels has accepted the blame for one of the greatest failures in Canadian democracy — subjecting an established electoral vote to subterfuge.

To read Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s press release and Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s verbal statement that there was no foul play on behalf of the Conservative Party in the robocall trial brings disbelief. So says me, the trial judge and millions of other Canadians. This is not what I want from the political leaders of my country.
Combine this with muzzling scientists, hiding environmental relaxations in omnibus budget bills and promoting the devaluation of the Canadian dollar adds up to selling out the Canadian future.

Rather than competing on value, our manufacturers would rather compete on a cheap dollar. Instead on investing in labour, equipment and value-added services to increase productivity, a cheap dollar does the trick for our CEOs. All the while taking home huge pay packets and outsourcing labour wherever they can (read banks).

As for the Conservative Party of Canada, I am ashamed to see Mr. Harper show up at G20 meetings full of bluster but without any substance behind him. As for his commitments to provide a solid foundation for the future growth and prosperity of Canada, he now sees the political advantage of disbursing our surplus to the most advantaged rather than building and/or supporting one of these priorities:

A national child-care program to support the real needs of Canadians; environmental policies that address climate change; infrastructure investment across the country that deal with problems experienced by Canadians on an everyday basis – transit, housing, health care and education; a so-called commitment to investing in the health of women and children around the world while at the same time decreasing our aid levels and ignoring the needs of these same groups in our own country; icebreakers and support ships that will be required in the near future to safeguard the Arctic Ocean; and once and for all a commitment to examine crime and abuse, especially toward to aboriginal women.

As for the esteemed economist Mr. Harper, he has bet the country’s future on oil extraction and export at the expense of every other industrial sector and region, despite the government’s abundant advertisements of their Economic Action Plan – such blatant spending with our dollars! Perhaps a more balanced action plan would be more beneficial for all Canadians rather than betting it all like it was Vegas craps.

Man up or turn tail and resign.

John Berry, Toronto

As a voter, I am outraged that Michael Sona is getting away with only nine months in jail for an “affront to the electoral process.” My rights as a voter have been violated and I would have liked a stiffer penalty — and further probe into who might have abetted Mr. Sona in this very grave crime.

Mimi Khan, Scarborough

There Wasn't A Moist Eye In The House

With the exception of that maudlin master of emotion, the disgraced Dean Del Mastro, Members of Parliament seemed strangely unmoved by the self-proclaimed victim of injustice as he announced his resignation yesterday.

For a full display of 'Mr. Peterborough's' emotive and rhetorical range and a recounting of his 'legendary' achievements for his home riding, you can watch this 15-minute performance from C-Pac. (Check out the 2:40 mark when he tearfully apologizes to his mom and makes reference to his deceased father.)

For a truncated version that proves how cheap talk can be, you can watch the video below.

For a frank assessment of their erstwhile wayward representative, Del Mastro's Peterborough constituents offer these observations:

UPDATED: Stephen Harper And Dean Del Mastro: The Bromance Continues

I think this video amply illustrates their relationship:



UPDATE: How surprising - despite his continued proclamations of innocence, the big boy from Peterborough has resigned his seat. In what was described as an emotional announcement (is there any other kind when Harper's former parliamentary secretary speaks?) he articulated the 'noble' reason for his decision:

Del Mastro addressed some of his comments to Conservative Party MPs, [who were soon to begin voting on suspending him from the House] the party he was a part before he was charged in 2013. The party has been eager to distance itself from him since the guilty verdict.

"I told you that I would not put you in a position where you had to vote against me," he said.

"Stay united. I will not divide you. I will not be the one that divides you. I believe too much in what you do."

Oh, by the way, despite his conviction, he gets to keep his pension, which he will be eligible to begin drawing when he turns 55.

More On The Walking Dead

My friend Dave in Winnipeg is always urging me to subscribe to Frank magazine for its unforgiving political assessments, the kind of commentary that rarely, if ever, finds its way into the MSM. It is advice I should heed.

Not one to show respect for the politically deceased, Frank offers its latest on the ignoble career of Dean Del Maestro, the once up-and-coming parliamentary secretary to the great one himself, Stephen Harper. Enjoy.

It's Hard To Keep A Dead Man Down

Even though it is a day past Halloween, don't let your guard down just yet. The dead still walk among us.