Stephen Harper's Pathological Hatred

While I stand by my comments about The Globe and Mail in my last post, the paper does have one real asset in the person of Lawrence Martin. Unlike other Globe employees who seem strangely constrained ideologically, Lawrence is consistently robust in his criticism of the Harper regime.

Today's column is no exception, as he reveals the roots of dear leader's pathological hatred of Elections Canada.

The Globe and Mail Continues to Debase Itself

What little is left of the Globe's reputation as a newspaper to be taken seriously has been unraveling rapidly in its non-coverage of the voter suppression crimes of the last federal election. Its editorial stance has essentially been one of convincing its readers that there really is nothing to see here, just move on and attend to your daily diversions.

The latest nail in the coffin of its journalistic integrity comes from that lazy pundit, Margaret Wente, who seems quite content to mock the concern being expressed country-wide over these crimes, essentially arguing that there is no evidence people were prevented from voting, so what's the big deal?

You can read the entire shameful parody of journalism here.

Glenn Greenwald To Speak in Ottawa

I received a note the other day from Bill Owen, who informed me that he is bringing well-known author and civil rights activist Glenn Greenwald to Ottawa on April 12 to speak at St. Paul's University.

To quote from the announcement,

Glenn is recognized as one of the most influential journalists in America. In December 2010, he broke the news that the U.S. military was holding alleged whistleblower Bradley Manning in long-term intensive solitary confinement, widely recognized to be a form of torture.

Greenwald is known for his uncompromising writing on civil rights, the growing security state, Wikileaks, torture, and American exceptionalism.

I envy those in the Ottawa area who will have this opportunity to hear the provocative and very knowledgeable Greenwald, who is also a writer for Salon.com.

UPDATE: Glenn Greenwald Tears Apart the Propaganda Driving the Insane Push for War With Iran

Canada's 'Newspaper of Record' Continues Its Defense Of Harper

The Globe's John Ibbitson says the Harper regime wasn't behind the voter suppression crimes because, well, because Guy Giorno and Stephen Harper say they didn't do it.

Seems like it isn't just the Conservative Party that has contempt for the intelligence of Canadians.

A New Tory Fantasy Excuse For Robocalls

He may not have anything else going for him, but at least Conservative backbencher Maurice Vellacott has a rich imagination.

More On Voter Suppression

The Globe has some interesting letters today on the voter suppression crimes of the last election. Of particular note is the first one, by an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria, who attended a campaign school presentation in which instructors "made it clear that robo-calling and voter suppression were an acceptable and normal part of winning political campaigns."

If you follow the link, you will notice that three of the presenters have, ahem, rather close ties to the Harper regime. The story keeps getting darker and darker.

h/t katie o'malley

Words, Words, Words

And, I suspect empty ones at that as energy giant Enbridge Inc. denies any role in the Harper government's cancellation of a grant from the Gordon and Betty Foundation to help fund public-private consultations into the economic use of the waters off British Columbia’s north coast.

This cancellation occurred, by the way, after vigorous lobbying by Enbridge against the grant, administered by Tides Canada, which the energy entity characterized as opposed [to] the Northern Gateway project and a potential 'hijacker' of the consultation process.

The Harper regime influenced by corporate interests? Surely not.