RCMP having a hard time tracking Parliament Hill shooter's gun

Story

Man, if only we had had some sort of registry for long guns or something I bet it'd be a lot easier for the RCMP to track this down...

Hey, Conservatives:

Althia Raj and Huffington post, do they work directly for the NDP or is it like an arm's length thing?

So last week I watched this video from the Huffington Post, in which the interviewer who is not seen (but now I'm guessing is Althia Raj) asks straw man argument type questions to then Liberal candidate for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"Interviewer: One of your recommendations in your platform is with regards to question period, you want to have a PM question time like they do in Britain. I think a lot of people would be surprised to find out that Justin Trudeau only wants to be in the House of Commons one day a week to answer questions.

Justin Trudeau: Actually, that's not what it means."

Nah, that's not a question that injects the answer the interviewer wants right into it or anything... She then goes on for the rest of the interview to try to inject her narrative into Trudeau's mouth with no success.

So I posted it on my Facebook and forgot about it. Until I watched this video today.

"Althia Raj: In fact we know question period is going to change, in the Liberal party's platform Justin Trudeau wants to answer questions once a week we're not sure if that means more than once a week so we'll only have him once a week in the Commons...He says that doesn't mean that if he's in the house he won't answer certain questions but you can rest assured that perhaps he will be more open and communicative outside of the Commons but not necessarily inside of the Commons."

Since Althia Raj was the Huffington Post's reporter following the Liberal campaign it stands to reason she was probably the one who asked that question. So I think that all of us should be concerned for her since she seems to be suffering from amnesia. (More like selective amnesia)

Dear Dippers: It wasn't strategic voting, you lost because we ran a better campaign

So I was reading this article on the Metro website about how the Conservatives appearing with the Fords was the worst thing they did in their campaign according to swing voters, when I see this part at the bottom.

The Liberal Party, meanwhile, had only positives scores.

The promised “tax cuts for middle class/increase for high earners” earned a 56 per cent, followed closely by “Trudeau’s campaign” (55 per cent) and “Trudeau’s debate performance” (51 per cent).

As for the NDP, its plan to raise corporate taxes was the most positive factor among its swing voters (47 per cent), while the only negative was the party’s place in the polls (-8% per cent).

8% underwater on place in the polls is not a massive factor. Sorry Dippers, you can try to explain away the electoral ass kicking we gave you last Monday all you want by insulting voters intelligence, saying they were too dumb to know they already had an NDP MP and so on; but in the end we ran a better campaign than you.

Of course I personally hope they keep blaming everyone but themselves, makes it easier for us to crush them again in 2019.

Today's NDP

The Dipper and Green blame train stops at Voter station

I am absolutely loving watching the NDP meltdown, it's a show that is only on once in a while but I'd watch it every day if I could. The latest narrative from the NDP is to basically claim voters are idiots because they didn't vote for them. And Elizabeth May pretty much said the same thing.

No, really.

Now of course they didn't come right out and say it like that. They just blame "strategic voting" and basically insinuate that the average voter in this country is too stupid to know what party their MP is so they all just voted for the Liberals.

It reminds me of Bill Maher talking about the Republican post mortem on the 2012 election. "Maybe our policies suck... nah, no it can't be that our policies are awesome!"

Please, PLEASE keep thinking that NDP, please keep thinking that you guys are all that Canadians want and it was just because of Harper you lost. Also please PLEASE keep Tom Mulcair as your leader! He serves a dual purpose, #1 he's the greatest leader the Liberals could hope for and #2 when I'm suffering from insomnia I can just pop on a Mulcair speech and I'm out like a light in minutes. This guy puts ambien to sleep.

Face it Dippers, Canadians soundly rejected you as they pretty much always have, despite Quebecker's brief fling with Jack Layton (God rest his soul) in 2011. But keep believing you're awesome, it'll make 2019 much easier.

Opposition already whining, lying

Oh my friends, to spend the night on Rabble after the NDP got a one way ticket to brown town Monday night. It's like porn for political nerds. I'm going to enjoy it thoroughly because they enjoyed the Hell out of it in 2011.

The morning after the election the whiney opposition got #proportionalrepresentation trending on Twitter, and an NDP hack even posted this article on the Globe and Mail website, in which he said

They promised unequivocally to introduce proportional representation before the next election can be held. Now that they have directly benefited from the first-past-the-post system, however, can they be trusted to keep their word? After all, they themselves got 54 per cent of the seats on Monday night but only 39 per cent of the vote. The NDP would have had considerably more seats in a proportional representation system. 

Which of course is a bald-face lie. The Liberals never "unequivocally" promised to introduce PR. From the Liberal platform.

We will convene an all-party Parliamentary committee to review a wide variety of reforms, such as ranked ballots, proportional representation, mandatory voting, and online voting.

For a guy writing in the newspaper he sure doesn't understand the English language very well. Also I find it hilarious the Dippers are clamoring for PR when there was such a huge outrage from them in 2011 when they won more seats than the % of their popular vote and the Liberals won way less... except, yeah their wasn't. Hypocrisy, thy name is Dipper.

The Conservatives have also got in on the post election whine fest, with this gem from The National Pest.

One of my early tweets was “Kiss goodbye to the annual $10,000 TFSA contribution.” It will certainly be disappointing if the Liberals follow through with their promise to cut the tax-free savings account annual contribution limit back to the $5,500 it was until the Conservatives hiked it earlier this year.

While Prime Minister elect Justin Trudeau said repeatedly during the campaign that hardly anyone had “$10,000 lying around” I argued, apparently in vain, that there are hundreds of thousands of baby boomers on the cusp of retirement, not to mention many more already retired seniors, who have well over $100,000 in taxable accounts, all nest eggs on which income tax was initially paid, and yet are subject to annual rounds of tax on interest, dividend and in some cases capital gains.

Yes, because Conservatives are deeply concerned about the plight of such people. You're not getting your panties in a bunch because you and your rich friends won't be able to avoid paying more taxes or anything... Sorry dude, you lost and that means we get to revoke all your regressive policies. I'm really shocked they didn't try to put a flat tax in while they were in power. Shhh, I shouldn't give them any ideas.

We're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Wow, what a night. After over 9 long, agonizing years for Canada we've finally returned to where we should be, a strong Liberal majority government.

I have to admit, while I thought we would win last night I never thought we would have the kind of electoral romp we did. When Atlantic Canada first went all red leading and elected I took a screenshot of it and posted on my facebook...

Of course happily I WAS wrong and Liberals swept Atlantic Canada, my homeland. I told my brother we needed 25 seats in Atlantic Canada to start a good night, we got 32. And far sweeter we got rid of some of the NDP's "talent." People like all style and no substance Megan Leslie and the amazingly full of himself Robert Chisholm were super sweet because those are my home ridings. (I grew up in one and live in the other now) Megan Leslie was the sweetest though, I'd seen her crush our hopes so many times, never thought we'd ever get rid of her useless "representation" and now, today we have not only done that we have an MP in a majority Liberal government. Given 308's projections I thought we had a shot to rid ourselves of her, but Peter Stoffer was a complete shock, I never expected to get his riding, or Jack Harris or Fundy Royal, or Tobique-Mactaquac... YEAH!

I mean we just completely decimated the NDP, I couldn't have dreamed for a better result. And if we go forward with Instant Runoff Voting for 2019 think of it, the Conservatives aren't going to put the NDP as their second choice and the NDP aren't going to put the Conservatives as their second choice... We could rid ourselves of the orange menace once and for all! Send them the way of the So-Creds.

But, in 2011 we were the ones in this position. So we need to be vigilant my Liberal friends, we need to make sure the NDP never recover from this ass kicking, and a great start is seeing Tom Mulcair is supposedly staying on as leader. If it were up to me he'd be their leader for life, he's the greatest Liberal leader of all time, and he's not even a Liberal!

If you want to relive the magic that was October 19th, 2015 CBC has posted the full election coverage on Youtube. Enjoy!

I Want To Die

...on my own terms.

     That's what the right to end your own life is all about. It's about dignity and limiting suffering. People argue about it on the basis of Religion but to channel Bill Maher I don't think Jesus would see someone suffering and be like "Yeah, we're not going to allow you to die until it happens naturally, good luck with all the suffering."

     I'm happy that the Liberals are bringing this issue to the fore in the Commons. Not allowing the Conservatives to hide until after the election. I never got the rational of bringing these cases to the Supreme Court while there is a Conservative majority, you know they're just going to make things worse like they've already done with Prostitution. I'm hoping they do punt until after the election and we drub them so we can do it right, and while we're at it fix prostitution, marijuana and copyright law. But it's still nice to see us Liberals shining light on this issue.

     I don't know how many of you have had to sit there in a hospital room and watch a loved one suffer a hopeless and painful battle, but I've had to do it twice now and that's twice too many. Maybe my Dad and my Sister wouldn't have wanted to choose to end their lives, but I would have at least like them to have the option, as I want it for myself too. No one wants to think about dying a long, slow painful death. I want to go to sleep one night 50 or 60 years from now and not wake up. But if something terrible does happen to me I'd feel a lot better knowing I wouldn't have to suffer through it.

     Let me know in the comments how you feel on this issue and why.

Romney's flirtation with 2016 was never serious

Mitt Romney never intended to run for President in 2016, just like Sarah Palin will never run for President ever again. Why do they keep saying they're going to? Oh there are Million$ of reasons.

People like Romney and Palin have hit the jackpot. All they need to do is to convince enough of the rubes who populate the base of the Republican party that they're going to run and talk bad about President Obama and their coffers get filled with money. Which, after they inevitably bow out they're free to spend on themselves. Believe me when I tell you people like Romney and Palin don't hate President Obama. They LOVE him he's a cash cow for them, he's Liberal and he's black! By attacking him you get to suck money out of the Right wingers, the anti Muslims and Racists, the religious nutjobs. What's not to like?

I personally love this, it takes money from the pockets of morons and keeps that money from going to a candidate that might actually challenge the Democrats in 2016.

I wish Intrade hadn't gotten shut down by the Government. Yeah, good job there Government by the way, you let all these greedy fuck bankers get off scott free but you take down a harmless futures trading site. I could have made all kinds of money on people who really thought these two greedy fucks would actually run.

Let me WARN you about a Conservative sequestration lie.

Cross Posted at Daily Kos

One of my favorite MSNBC shows is The Cycle. I think it is a great show concept and that Krystal Ball, Touré, and Steve Kornacki are entertaining and informative.

Then, there's S.E. Cupp, who I will say I have to admire for taking a show on MSNBC with 3 Liberal Co-hosts. That'd be like our beloved Rachel taking a show on Fox with three whack jobs, er Conservatives. However, I lost my patience for conservatives a long time ago, I think it was around the time they stole the election in Florida. So, when Cupp is speaking I frequently find myself reaching for the mute button.

Surprisingly today she said something that was actually worth listening to, although of course when she said it she had to put a conservative (Read: False) slant on it. (And yes I'm aware the video preview screen shows Krystal Ball, she started the segment.)

Creating jobs is one part but it's also about saving some jobs. And I think a part of this story that doesn't get enough attention is this WARN Act issue. If you're not familiar the WARN Act requires employees (sic) like Lockheed to give 60 days notice that their employees may be laid off, may be let go. And it's an act that the President has before supported and in fact asked to have it lengthened to 90 days a couple of years ago. Well there's 200 jobs, 200,000 jobs at stake in Virginia alone over these defense cuts. And because those warning letters would go out on November 2nd, 4 days before the election, very inconvenient, the OMB has decided they are not going to enforce the WARN Act anymore; so these companies don't have to send out these letters. And to boot if their employees end up suing them the OMB will cover the expenses. It just seems incredibly shameful that this President and the administration is obviously protecting their own jobs and worried more about their jobs than these 200,000 people whose jobs are clearly on the line.

-S.E. Cupp The Cycle, October 24, 2012

Cupp also penned a lie ridden piece in the New York Daily news on October 10th. The falsehoods in it are a longer version of the ones espoused in the video.

SHAME on that Sinister President Obama! SHAME!

Of course what S.E. Cupp said isn't true, but I'm figuring you guessed that by now.

Oh there are elements of truth to it, like most conservative lies it includes a kernel of truth, and then they just make up the rest to suit their own agenda. (Read: Death Panels)

The major difference between Cupp's Land of Make Believe version and reality is the OMB hasn't unilateraly 'decided they are not going to enforce the WARN Act anymore' they cited a Department of Labor letter that advised the effected companies that notices are NOT required under WARN because of an exception to the requirement that absolves businesses when there are 'business circumstances that were not reasonably foreseeable as of the time that notice would have been required.'

Ergo, because no one knows for certain whether sequestration will happen or not the situation is 'not reasonably foreseeable' and WARN does not apply.

Further, the DoL shows that under the WARN act:

it is not appropriate for an employer to provide blanket notice to workers.

-Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary of ETA, DoL.

Meaning that if an employer thinks there may be a layoff, but isn't sure there will be, simply sending out a mass notice to cover themselves not only isn't appropriate under WARN it contravenes its entire purpose and is counterproductive.

To give notice to workers who will not suffer an employment loss both wastes the states’ resources in providing rapid response activities where none are needed and creates unnecessary uncertainty and anxiety in workers. Both of those effects are inconsistent with the WARN Act’s intent and purpose.

-Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary of ETA, DoL..

That's not unilaterally deciding not to enforce the law Ms. Cupp. That's interpreting it and offering guidance like the DoL is supposed to!

Case closed right? Oh, I think you know by now it's never that simple with conservatives...

As you can imagine there are many Republicans who would like nothing more than to see these letters go out despite their illegality to hurt the President in Virginia and other states with workers who would receive these erroneous layoff notices and blame the President at the ballot box.

On October 1st Lockheed Martin agreed not to send out these bogus layoff notices and that should have been that.

However Senators Graham and McCain didn't seem to think so. Hearing only dispatches from the Conservative bubble that Bill Maher so greatly quantified for our Liberal minds...


...they sent a letter to defense contractors urging them to essentially break....the freaking...LAW!

I know, I know it's hard to believe that Republicans would ever condone breaking the law to try to steal an election, but it's right there on Senator Graham's website.

Cupp was correct in saying that the Obama administration has offered to pay the legal fees of companies that are wrongfully sued.

Of course they are. They're trying to protect companies from mass worker hysteria brought on by the recklessness and irresponsibility of the Republicans! Once again it's a case of Republicans making a mess and Democrats cleaning it up.

And just to drive the point completely home, here's an excerpt from Lockheed Martin's Q3 earnings conference call transcript, released Wednesday explaining why they're not sending out notices on November 2nd.

The additional planning guidance we received from the Department of Defense on September 28 moved the likely timing of sequestration-related actions by the government by about 3 months into 2013, and we adjusted our schedule accordingly. So let me be very clear. We will issue WARN notices at the appropriate time if sequestration actions meet the required conditions in full compliance with the law, as we always have.

Game, Set, Match.

Ms. Cupp, is this the attention you were looking for?

---

References
This Year's October Surprise Will Come in November
- Katherine V.W. Stone, Huffington Post.

TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 3-12
- Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary, Department of Labor.

WARN Act text - Cornell University Law School

Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act
- Wikipedia Article

Lockheed Martin 3rd Quarter Earnings Conference Call, Page 2.
- SeekingAlpha.com

Real Time with Bill Maher Episode 224 (September 16, 2011)
- Bill Maher, HBO.

Pros and cons to going over the fiscal 'slope'
- The Cycle October 24th, 2012. MSNBC

After White House assurances, Lockheed won't send out layoff notices
- Susan Crabtree, Washington Times

Senators Urge Defense Contractors To Follow The WARN Act
- News Release, October 5, 2012. LindseyGraham.com

When Pesky Laws Get in The Way - S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News

---

Bonus Track

Obama's FORWARD! Tour Reminded me of Another Democratic President.

Cross posted on Daily Kos


When I heard that the President was going on a whirlwind 48 hour marathon of the swing states dubbed the 'America Forward! Tour' it reminded me on an old HBO movie I saw starring Gary Sinise. (which I highly recommend by the way) This movie featured another Democratic President who embarked on a crusade to better the lives of the people in the country, against an arrogant challenger who played it safe and a do-nothing Republican Congress.

That President's name was Harry Truman.

 

The 1948 campaign has many similarities to the one being held today.

Top Republicans believed that all their candidate had to do to win was to avoid major mistakes; in keeping with this advice, Dewey carefully avoided risks. He spoke in platitudes, avoided controversial issues, and was vague on what he planned to do as President.

-Wikipedia article, 1948 U.S. Presidential Election.

Remind you of anyone?

I for one wish that the President would channel Truman a bit more and hit Congress on their obstructionism. In July Electoral-Vote.com posted a piece about 10 things more popular than Congress.

The current approval rating for Congress is hovers around 10%. Here is a list of 10 things more popular than Congress.

1. President Obama (46%)
2. The Internal Revenue Service (40%)
3. The airline industry (29%)
4. Lawyers (29%)
5. Richard Nixon at his lowest (24%)
6. The banking industry (23%)
7. The oil and gas industry (20%)
8. BP during the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (16%)
9. Paris Hilton (15%)
10. America becoming a Communist nation (11%)

Regardless however, the 48 hour tour was an inspiration to me, as I'm sure it was to all of you. And a fitting tribute to the guts and determination of the 33rd President of the United States. We all know how that campaign turned out, don't we?

---

Click FORWARD! to view the tour's video playlist.  

I'm BAAAAAAAACK!

After a long hiatus, I'm back. Sorry righties.

All differences aside: Rest in Peace Jack Layton

I frequently disagreed with Jack Layton, but when something like this happens that all seems pretty insignificant.

I admit that sometimes I view my political opponents as "enemies" but the real enemy here is Cancer. I've lost so many good friends to this horrible disease. My sister is currently in the fight of her life with Stage 4 Colon cancer, and as I've often told people I know on the subject: if Cancer were to be cured tomorrow I would dance on its grave.

I'd like to humbly offer my condolences to anyone who was touched by Jack Layton.

Harper on Twitter

At least I think it's the real Harper. :D

I wish the Liberal media would get off this Brosseau broad, I'd like to show her my caucus if ya smell what the Harp is cookin. #MPILF #NDP

Got an appointment with the sculptor today to have work done on my statue, what do you guys think, should I have a sword or an AK? #Winning

Touring #SlaveLake on Friday?!? Thanks afuckinlot schedulers, way to TOTALLY buzz kill my fuckin weekend!!!

Totally scored with Raitt last night, but Ambrose said she had to wash her hair, oh yeah bitch? Well I gotta wash my cabinet. -@RtHonPMHarper

Simulcasting the Next National Convention

Just wanted to lend my massive (ROFLCOPTER) support to this cause. I think it would be a great way to reach out to the country and have Liberals everywhere engaged.

http://westerngrit.blogspot.com/2011/05/simulcast-next-national-convention-to.html

WesternGrit: Rather than spend a lot of money on a "grand convention" in a central location, I would recommend using leading edge technology to "simulcast" the Convention to every province.

This is a great idea. I thought the platform being launched online was also a great idea. Use the technology we have to reach out to Canadians.

BREAKING: OSAMA BIN LADEN KILLED BY U.S. FORCES

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/01/bin.laden.dead/index.html

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ROT AND BURN IN HELL OSAMA YOU SCUMBAG!

One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest

So the Liberal candidate in my riding Dr. Stan Kutcher, had a libelous article about him posted in the free local newspaper The Coast. A paper I normally enjoy save for their blatant NDP bias, as evidenced by the fact they posted a story about NDP Premier Darrell Dexter before he was elected Premier.

But the underlying story is more complicated than that, The Coast issued a retraction online it's true but since the article was posted in their last issue before the election anyone who reads the print version only will have no idea until after election day. Another paper locally The Chronicle Herald wrote an article about it, so that helped a bit, but the demographics for the two papers are very different.

But also a part of this story is how The Coast relied on a bunch of Scientologist wack jobs and one of their puppet reporters as their one and only source for the story. Now as I said I enjoy the Coast, and the reporter in question Tim Bousquet does some awesome reporting on the goings on (or lack thereof) of our inept city council, so I have to say I was surprised that they would sink to such levels. But, as a recent poll says their golden girl Megan Leslie could be in trouble so they may have decided that they needed to do something to save her. Kutcher also mentioned that "hundreds" of his signs have been stolen during the campaign, further illustrating the Leslie campaign (or its unaffiliated supporters) desperation.

I can't say I'm surprised she's in trouble. At the local debate held recently at St Mary's University she was much like her leader: all flash and no substance. Relying on crowd pleasing one liners instead of actually addressing the issue in question. Which is probably why she refused to debate Dr. Kutcher on health care.

Hopefully our campaign can rise above these dirty tricks and deliver victory for Stan in Halifax.

Stan Kutcher for Halifax

The highlight of an event I personally attended, a debate between 4 of the candidates for the riding of Halifax.

Harpercrisy

Interviewer: I've just got a moment left, but I know that what you've advocated is perhaps a coalition of right wing parties that somehow they might have a chance. It's not likely to happen I guess before the next federal election expected this year. Who do you think's gonna win?

Stephen Harper: Well, it would really surprise me at the moment if the Liberals didn't get the most seats, I mean judging from all the, not just the polling data but the fact they have such a wide coalition. The way the Liberals I think are eventually gonna lose office whether it's in this election or the next one is they're gonna fail to win a majority. They basically lost Quebec and without Quebec the Liberal party has never been a majority party in this country. And that's where I think you're gonna face someday a minority parliament with the Liberals maybe having the largest number of seats and what will be the test is then whether there's any party in opposition that's able to form a coalition or working alliance with, with the others, and I think we have a political system that's gonna continue to have three or four different parties or five different parties and so I think that parties that want to form government are gonna have to eventually learn to work together.

Interviewer: Ok, we know where your vote is, on the right. Stephen Harper thanks so much.

Larry King Hanging up his Supsenders in the Fall

I don't normally watch Larry King that much, but not because of Larry. I just don't watch because he usually has guests on there I don't have much interest in. But last night was different, he had one of my favorite guests on: Bill Maher. Only last night was different, last night Larry announced he's ending Larry King Live sometime this fall. He's still going to be with CNN, doing specials, but the nightly show will end.

I'm saddened by this, Larry interviewing Bill Maher or Michael Moore, or any number of other great guests was always a treat for me. Like I said I didn't watch often, but when he had a guest on I really liked it was must see TV for me.

I hope that CNN picks a worthy successor. Someone who isn't overly partisan. I enjoy commentary, but for it I go to MSNBC. I go to CNN for unbiased reporting and to see my favorites interviewed by someone without a political agenda.

In any event best of luck Larry, we'll miss ya!