Voter Suppression - March 11 Toronto Protest

As I suspect is the case with most political bloggers, I offer commentary and provide links to important stories because I love my country and am very concerned about the direction in which it is heading. As well, I am deeply offended when abuse of political power occurs. And, like many others who write, I always hope that something I post may influence the thinking of some readers to the point where they become more aware of and interested in the important issues confronting our country.

That's on a good day.

There are many other days when I wonder if I am just preaching to the converted, to people who already are very engaged in the affairs and issues plaguing us as a nation, and that my words don't really have the slightest impact on those who go about their lives blithely unaware and unconcerned about both their rights and their responsibilities as Canadian citizens.

In which case, of course, I and countless others are largely wasting our time.

I hope for Scenario 1 to be true, but I fear that Scenario 2 is closer to the truth.

My reflections today are prompted by the voter suppression crimes that have been so much in the news and dominating the political blogoshphere. In following both, I am left with the distinct impression that the issue has resonated with Canadians across the land. However, stepping back from the newspaper and the computer, I wonder if that is the case.

Yesterday, the first of a planned series of rallies was held in Vancouver. According to a Globe report, it attracted just a few hundred people, according to an unofficial police estimate.

Now, maybe there wasn't sufficient lead time to ensure a larger attendance, maybe the weather was bad, maybe people weren't aware of the protest. Or maybe people just don't care.

Other protests are being planned, one on Monday in Ottawa and one in Calgary and Toronto March 11. Here is a link to a Facebook page about the Toronto event, scheduled to start at 2:30pm, Yonge-Dundas Square.

While large attendance at these rallies may not move Harper, it is without question that small turnouts will simply embolden him to do even worse things to this country.

The responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen rests with all of us.

Are Canadians 'Mad As Hell' Over Voter Suppression Crimes?

Read a cross-section of opinion from the Star's letters and decide for yourself.

This one from the Guelph Mercury also merits scrutiny.

Harper's Fondest Fantasy

The Star Exposes Another Harper Lie

More and more, people are seeing the bald mendacity of the Harper regime. Despite their claims of electoral probity and refusal to use U.S. firms in their campaigning, it turns out that 14 Conservative (will the claim be made that they were rogues?) did exactly that by signing on with Front Porch Strategies, a well-connected Republican company during last year’s election campaign; one of them was the offensively pugnacious Dean Del Maestro, who has done a fine acting job feigning indignation over what he calls Liberal and NDP smears in the House of Commons. Interestingly, but hardly surprisingly, one of the events orchestrated by the company for Del Maestro turned into a smear campaign against Michael Ignatief.

The Star also reports how the Conservatives use the resources of the powerful Conservative global organization, the International Democratic Union (IDU), a coalition of member parties including the U.S. Republicans, the Canadian and U.K. Conservative parties and, in the Australia, the centre-right Liberals.

Perhaps of even greater note is the fact that Senator Doug (in-and-out-Conservative crimes) Finley is a deputy chair at IDU.

What is that old saying? If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas. Clearly, corporate entities need to vet their clients more carefully.

Exactly How Dangerous Is Harper?

That is the title of a piece written by Gerald Caplan, in which he opines that the Harper Conservatives are like nothing Canada has ever seen before, a party that refuses to follow the customs and practices of past governments, a party that sees politics as a form of warfare with, I suppose, the rest of us as collateral damage.

This brief excerpt offers an ominous intimation about the voter suppression crimes:

Those of us who wouldn’t trust Stephen Harper if he told us today was Friday have no doubt who organized Robo-gate. In fact, I’m informed by a former Conservative operative familiar with both the party and technology that there’s far more to be revealed in this saga.

You can read the full piece here.

Now This Is Getting Really Frightening

Despite the steadfast denials of Harper and his functionaries, along with the stalwart efforts of Dean Del Maestro at diverting public attention away from voter suppression crimes, Elections Canada reports that it has received over 31,000 complaints from Canadians reporting attempts to subvert their vote.

Even the true believers who discount any possibility that their party and dear leader could have been behind these crimes must be disturbed by the government's cavalier and combative reactions to the accusations, reactions which do nothing to acknowledge the sacredness of our democracy and everything to further alienate the citizens of this country.

UPDATE: Thanks to The Galloping Beaver for this important information.

Nature to Harper Government: Let My People Go

One of the world’s leading scientific journals has criticized the federal government for policies that limit its scientists from speaking publicly about their research.

The journal, Nature, says in an editorial in this week’s issue that it is time for the Canadian government to set its scientists free.

Despite this plea to Harper to stop muzzling our scientists, I suspect it will take an extraordinary act of divine intervention before any changes are made by a government obsessed with controlling the flow of information.