More Voter Fraud

Why is it that the loudest voices calling for investigations of the most recent US elections are always on the left when it turns out that the only proof of actual fraud always seems to either favor a Democrat or be openly performed by Democrats (see: slashed tires and crack for registrations)

Add to the above list this little story from Captain's Quarters about another 5 democrats being arrested for buying undecided votes.

For some reason the left leaning blogs are full of accusations of Republican voter fraud (made up of almost entirely of second or third hand stories with little or no actual proof) with little mention of the fact the only proven cases are from their side.

Personally, I'm not sure whether I should laugh or cry when I hear some crazy left leaning blogger (Kos, or any DU poster for example) talking about stolen elections. If the Dems are truly so desperate for 'fair' elections, why is it that they are also the most opposed to requiring any form of ID when voting. Might it be because this is might disenfranchise there ever dependable 'dead vote'.

As the Democrats voting mantra goes "Vote early and vote often!"

Movie Reviews

In a blatent promotion of the He-Man Friday Morning Movie Club blog (of which I happen to be a contributer), I'd like to take this post to link directly to the movie reviews over there. New reviews are added every week so every once in a while I may repost with some more up to date links.

Current movie reviews on the Club's site:

• Phil the Alien
• Hostage
• Be Cool
• Constantine
• The Jacket

Most of these, as well as thousands more can be found at the Ottawa Xpress site and if your in the mood for a selection of more professional reviews there's always Rotten Tomotoes.

Thanks be to Tom!

Well that was quick.

One quick glimpse at Tom's comment about the BadgerBadger song, and more importantly his accompanying pic, and I remembered what it was I was thinking of while reading the paper.

This story about a call to have cats (not lions and tigers but "fluffy" and "Mr. Bangles") removed from the protected species list in Wisconsin so that they could legally be hunted by anyone with a small game license. Technically this would be feral cats only but the definition of feral is basically any cat without apparent proof of ownership, such as a collar.

While I'm not really a "cat" person, even with science to back it up, I find it hard to declare "open season" on the little pests. Though, the next time I get my car washed and 'Free Loader' decides to take the shortcut across my hood, my opinion just might change.

For the time being, I am happy enough to get my revenge by just releasing my ferrets. For some unknown reason, every cat in the neighborhood seems to run the opposite direction when they see the little weasels coming. =)

Funny(?) side note: as should come as no surprise, some animal lovers have called for an "open season" on the some of the people involved in this proposal.

Don't you hate it when that happens?

While reading the news paper this morning I was reminded of something I saw last night on TV and thought to myself "Self, you know, that would make a good topic for a posting to my blog."

After a brief internal debate which ended with an agreement that indeed, that would be a good topic, I decided to finish reading the paper to free myself for some quality blogging. (You can probably guess where this is going). Five minutes later, I'm finished with the paper and ready to write only to discover that I know longer have any recollection of what it was I wanted to write about.

I can tell you that the idea came to me somewhere between the "Jacko Maid tells of 'Pleasure Island'" and "Ring Sequel All Wet" articles but I know it had nothing to do with either of those and seeing the only thing between them is a car ad and the comics (which I re-read just in case) I'm at a total loss.

Now I'm pretty sure I was not thinking up something to the scale of a cure for cancer or solution to peace in the Middle East but still.. it's just annoying to forget something that quickly!

Well, if I think about it later I'll post it immediately (having learned my lesson), but for now I guess it's back to work.

There is NO left wing media bias .... (part 2)

This is just too funny.

Even though every study done on the matter shows a left tilt (if not outright bias) of the general media there are still doubters out there.

But even if you want to bury your head in the sand and try to avoid all the evidence you can see it with your own eyes here.

(Thanks to Protein Wisdom and The Weekly Standard)

And not to let CBS off the hook.

Relax and take a load off.

This is one of the most disturbed group of games I have ever seen. You just gotta love it!
If you want a little practice for Saturday night, try this one.
But, if you're more in the mood for a little hunting, and are a lot on the demented side, this is the game for you.

Those, and a lot more, can all be found at eBaum's World.
(thanks to Drumwaster's comment on Right Thinking From the Left Coast for pointing the way)

Addendum:
Just had to add this video to the mix. Don't blame me if the song gets stuck in your head. (Warning: It's was created by Weebls Stuff, the same people that brought us that freakin' BADGER song!)

(Thanks to Beck from INCITE's comment on Protein Wisdom for pointing to the original video)

Addendum #2:
Another Site to add, thanks to my brother: Mousebreaker.com

We Welcome Diversity (except if you're ...)

I don't know about you, but for a group extolling their love of diversity, they seem to be limiting their clientele to pretty much .... themselves.

Just read the list of Ocean Haven's unacceptables.

(From Right Thinking From the Left Coast via Say Anything Blog)

Don't mess with an Oil Man

There are a few places in the world where people with "dissenting opinions" are especially NOT welcome;

1. Anywhere the French are testing their nukes (just Google "Rainbow Warrior" or "Greenpeace III")
   
2. Traditional whale hunts
   
3. Anti-Bush rallies
   
4. The Labrador Coast during a seal hunt (although in this case the locals will probably just talk your ear off while feeding you Jigs dinner)
   

Apparently there is one more place to add to that list, the International Petroleum Exchange.

It's stories like these that just make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. If that's wrong, I don't want to be right!

=)

When PC Worlds Collide

While vary rarely do people give two cares about daily politics of the Maine Legislature, State Rep. Brian Duprey (Republican) has managed to throw a curveball into the works that is beginning to draw international attention.

You may not like his politcs but you got to hand it to him for originality. In a bill he recently introduced, he called for the banning on abortions of gay fetuses, based on the assumption that at some point in the future a gay gene will be discovered.

It is an idea that is not without precedent. China, for instance, had to legislate a ban on abortions based on the sex of the child to combat the growing inbalance of male to female births. In the US, as well as Canada and most other countries where abortion is legal, there are few, if any, limits as to the reasons a women may choose to abort.

In proposeing this piece of legislation, Representative Duprey is forcing a showdown of two of the largest sets of lobbying groups in the States, Pro-Choice and Gay Rights. Coincidentally enough, also two of the biggest supporters of the Democratic party.

What is a politically correct minded person to do? Say it is ok to abort a baby because you don't like their sexual orientation, or put limits on a womens right to choose to protect a minority group.

Click on the title above to see the World Net Daily's view of the story.

12 years - Promises Broken

Well, it's been over a week so I guess I may as well finish the second half of my "tribute" to Canada's Liberal party and as promised This post will deal with some of the Liberal promises broken over the past 12+ years.

Most of their biggest broken promises can come under the heading of "Restoring Integrity to parliament". This was the driving force for the 1993 changeover from a PC government to the Liberal one we have today. (Although it should be noted that many of the scandals of the previous government have been shown to have either been carry overs from the prior Liberal government (google: "tainted blood" Canada) or have come up with no evidence of wrongdoing even after several years of international investigation (google: Mulroney Air Bus).

Their first step in restoring integrity was to create the position of independent Ethics counselor. Their promise was that this position would be appointed by and report to parliament directly. As it turned out they did create the position with only one small difference; the current Ethics counselor position is directly appointed by the Prime Minister and reports only to him. Essentially turning the position into an extremely expensive rubber stamp which has been shown over and over through the various scandals.

I guess this would be a good place to list off just some of the scandals that have helped make this latest incarnation of the Liberal party the last people you would turn to for lessons on integrity:

1) The Grand Mere Affair (aka Shawinigate). A pretty good run down of the whole affair can be found here.
Of course they fail to mention a couple of important facts which you may want to keep in mind when reading the linked article.

1. The previously mentioned fact that as Prime Minister, Chretien both appointed the ethics commissioner and was also the only person the commissioner reported to.
   
2. As Prime Minister, Chretien was also responsible for appointing the head of the Business Development Bank of Canada.
3. The only proof of a date as to when Chretiens shares were sold to Jonas Prince is a contract signed on a napkin (and not witnessed by anyone) that he presented after pressured by opposition (and even then, only a photocopy of the napkin).
   

2)The HRDC Billion Dollar boondoggle. The Liberal response to the Auditor General on her report that contract were being handed out on a partisan basis with little to no paperwork and against set guidelines? No records, no problem.

3)Adscam. Once again, their response to being caught giving contracts for little or no work to Liberal friendly ad agencies, and even requiring donations for contracts? Apparently it was all the valets fault, since no one with any responabilities higher than that has really come forward to claim they had any knowledge/control of these programs.

4) Canada Steamship Lines. This is a bit more of a personal scandal than the other three. This is the company that belonged to then Finance Minister Martin but has since been transferred to his sons (once he became Prime Minister). When originally purchased by Mr. Martin in 1981, CSL, as it's name suggests, was a primarily a Canadian company with most of its business conducted here, ships built here and crews hired here. Since that time, Mr. Martin has transferred almost all of the companies assets to countries such as Barbados, Bermuda and Liberia (amazingly all countries with little or no corporate taxes). While not illegal by any means, it is certainly a poor showing for a MP who constantly attacks the idea of tax cuts for Canadian companies and simply un-Canadian.

When originally questioned about federal contracts going to CSL the value of $137,000 was quickly provided. Mr Martin immediately called for a complete explanation for the amount. After further investigation it was learned that the actual number is approx. $167 million dollars. Apparently the reason he was so upset was that he had made so little.

5)Outside of the monetary scandals are the personal behaviours of several members of the Liberal party. While some may claim these instances as example of 'Politics as Usual' it is the response by the party that makes them scandalous.

1. Carolyn Parrish - famous for her public outbursts like: "Damn Americans. I hate the bastards" and the always popular calling the US President a "moron". Her punishment? She became a national Liberal celebrity until she made the mistake of making a comment about the Prime Minister, then she was finally kicked out of the caucus.
2. Hedy Fry - claim they were burning crosses in Prince George. She even went so far as to claim she had correspondence from the Mayor stating this. Of course the Mayor denied ever sending any such letter and Ms. Fry never produced anything to substantiate her claim. Her punishment - none.
3. Prime Minister Chretien - His lists of attempted deceits are too numerous to list here. Basically, he would say whatever he thought would endear him to his current audience. His "I am not a lawyer" statement (when in fact he has been for several decades), as well as his entire Middle East tour are stuff of legend. His stories of his favourite bar (which no one has ever seen him in) and the invisible homeless man he often talked to, were meant to make him look like the common man he claimed to be not the multi-millionaire he was. Sadly enough, many people just dismissed all his falsehoods and continued to vote for him.
   

You get the picture.
Integrity restored = definitely NOT

Another big promise, the removal of the GST. While it is true the Liberals did not introduce the Goods and Services Tax (a 7% federal tax on almost everything) they did run on a platform that
promised to scrap it if they won. They won and 12 years later we still pay an extra 7 cents on the dollar on everything from newspapers to gasoline. One prominent Liberal even promised to quit if they did not cut the GST as promised. They didn't, so 3 years later, after polling her constituents, Sheila Copps became the second Liberal to follow through on a campaign promise (see EH-101s from the first post) and resigned. She, of course, then immediately regained her seat in the resulting byelection.

I think I'll end this series (is 2 really a series?) of posts here because as I think about how many people continue to vote for a party with such a seriously flawed history, my blood pressure is beginning to rise, and if you've lived in Canada over the past 12 years, you know you really don't want to have to go stand in line at a hospital.

=)

12 Long Years - Promises Kept

In honor of the Liberal Party policy convention last week, I thought I'd list off some of their more outstanding achievements in their last 12 years of rule here in the Great White North. I'll probably have to break this down into a few posts since there are just too many things to mention in just one.

I'll think I'll start with the promises kept:

1)The Gun Registry.
Some time in 1995, then Justice Minister Allan Rock, proposed a national gun registry for longer barrel weapons (shot guns, rifles, etc..). Hand guns are already require registration in Canada.
The original cost was estimated at $2 million and after the initial influx of cash, was expected to be self sustaining (based on registration fees).

Fast forward to 2005, the gun registry is in place, sort of. No one can confirm what portions of it actually work and many gun owners have not bothered to register their rifles, even when the registration fees were dropped entirely. The estimated cost so far, $1 billion, with several sources claiming the final cost will be closer to $2 billion.

So taking the conservative estimate of ONLY $1 billion this project has had a cost overrun of approximately 50,000%.
That's one for the record books folks!

2)EH-101 Military Helicopter Contracts.

During the 1993 federal election campaign, the Liberals vowed to cancel the contract the PC government had just recently signed to replace the aging Sea King helicopters (purchased in 1963) with 50 new EH-101s (at a cost of $4.8 billion).
Calling them "Cadillacs", as by most accounts the EH-101s were considered the best helicopters available, the Liberals flaunted them as an example of PC financial mismanagement and after paying the $500 million dollar fine for canceling, the contract was scrapped.

Eleven years, and several bidding processes later (the various forms of the EH-101 kept winning the bids even when conditions were changed), the Liberals finally announced their replacement for the Sea Kings. 28 Sikorsky S-92s at a cost of $3.2 billion. As Defense Minister Bill Graham called them "the right helicopter for the Canadian Forces at the best price for Canadians." Of course, if you include the fine that was paid, for the price of one Canadian Gun Registry TM, we could of had an extra 22 helicopters, and several years earlier to boot.

Side Note 1: Unlike the EH's, with their three engine design, the Sikorsky, with it two engines, have no option but to go into a "controlled crash" in the event of an engine failure.

Side Note 2: In 2000, the Canadian Military took possession of 15 EH-101 Merlins (a slightly cutback version from the ones ordered in 1992) for use in Search and Rescue operations.

Side Note 3: You will be hard pressed to find any occurrence in the past 12 years of a Liberal member of Parliament flying on a Sea King helo. There are even specific example of the Prime Minister outright refusing to get on one that was specifically sent for him.


3)Balanced budgets
This one is undoubtedly the Liberals greatest achievement in office, as they are likely to tell you even if you don't ask. Before 1997, the federal government had only run surplus budgets twice in 36 years. Since 1997, the Liberals have run a surplus every year (ranging from $3.1 Billion to $18.1 billion). While this looks good on the books, the methods used to perform the Herculean task leave much to be desired.

The #1 method used to create a surplus; stop paying the provinces. The federal payments which are used to pay for everything from healthcare to education have gone down 18% between 1992 and 2001. It's only been since then that transfers have been brought back up to 1993 levels. Of course, during that time the costs have gone up, so the provinces are still left with a larger portion of the bill than they had 12 years ago.

The #2 method. The GST. While not a Liberal invention (it was put in place by the former PC government to combat the deficit) then did use it's removal as a major part of their campaign to win in '93. (more on that later)

The #3 method. Cut budgets of unnecessary departments (like the Department of Defense). Canadian military spending has declined by approx. 12-14% in the past 12 years. This has resulted in a reduction in personnel as well as a lack of modern equipment. While many on the left see this as a benefit, it has made Canada totally dependent on foreign support for our own defense as well as reduced us to little more than a cheerleader for most foreign conflicts. We simply do not have the manpower or equipment to help out like we used to or even to the degree our NATO/UN agreements require.

Some links on the state of the Canadian Military:

• CBC
• Peacekeeping News
• Canadainfo
  

Next up, the fun stuff; Promises Broken.

Just like my car keys..

.. I can never find this link when I want it.

Every time I'm browsing the blogosphere and run across some from the extreme left (I'm still holding out hope that it is more of an extreme view) extolling the virtues of Saddam's Iraq and wondering why the US felt the need to invade such a peace loving and happy go lucky country, I'm reminded of the site linked to above. Problem is, I always forget where it is and end up spending 5-10 minutes looking for it again. Solution: Enter the link in a post on my blog!

So here it is. A Marxist's view of the war in Iraq.

Just for clarification, I'm not necessarily Pro War (and definitely NOT a Marxist), I'm more of a Pro "Capture/Kill Genocidal Dictators Who Routinely Abuse Their Own People For Personal Gain or Enjoyment and Help Restore Power to Afore Mentioned People" kinda guy. It just so happens that war tends to be the best way to achieve that stated goal.

Protein Wisdom's - "conversations with Inanimate Objects" Series

I've been reading these as they've been posted but once I found his link for the category as a whole I just had to make a post about it.

For your reading pleasure I'd like to present Protein Wisdom's;
"my brief conversations with inanimate objects" series in it's entirety.

I highly recommend checking out the main site here.

There is NO Left Wing Media Bias ...

... and anyone who thinks otherwise is just a wingnut.

Dan Rather is a fair a open minded journalist who did not use (some would say blatantly) false documents in an attempt to make the sitting Republican President look bad.

Pay no attention to what the Media Research Center has to say.

Especially not this particular page.

(Admittedly the Media Research Center is a conservative "Media Watchdog" organization but just read some of the quotes for yourself.)

The Amazing Race

Despite my best efforts to avoid it in the past, I think this year I'll
actually make an effort to watch the show.

I've probably only seen about 5 episodes in total over the past 6 Amazing Races and so far all I've figured out is this: If you truly like/love someone, NEVER become a team mate with them on The Amazing Race. Even the most calm, rational, loving couples seem to want to kill each other after the most minor of problems.

Of course there is also the designated "Team to Hate". You can usually pick this team out from the commercials. The team that is so full of themselves or nasty that you find yourself watching just so you can be one of the first to know when they've been eliminated. Even with my limited exposure to the show, I've almost always known which is the most hated team.

Picking out the "Team to Love", on the other hand, takes a little more time and effort then I was, in the past, willing to dedicated to yet another reality show.

This year I can get a jump start on choosing my TtH since Rob (of Survivor) is playing. It would take a miracle from on High for me to not consider Rob my TtH. Amber's presence on the team has little effect one way of the other.
So with that out of the way I can focus on finding my TtL and hopefully get a little more enjoyment out of the show.

Update (Spoiler Warning):
I've finally finished watching the first episode and all I can say is, "It was good while it lasted."

While I was right about how much I would dislike Rob, there was a more that expected amount of competition for my second least liked team.

In the first 5 minutes I could tell who was going to be eliminated. Not that I think there is any behind the scenes manipulations going on. Just that there was only one team that I found myself cheering for so I knew they wouldn't make it. From what I saw, Brian and Chuck (The Hillbillies) seemed like some of the nicest of this years group of contestants. Well, from what I've heard they may still get to fly around with the show until the finale.