Justin Trudeau Gets Married

Well, Justin Trudeau got married today to TV personality Sophie Gregoire. CBC made this the top story on their website. I can understand how a famous person's personal life may be interesting to the general public, but I can't understand how this is the top news story. Today Koffi Annan made a plea for aid to Darfur where over 170,000 people have died from disease or hunger since early 2003 when armed Arab militias, allegedly supported by the government of Sudan started attacks on the populace. The violence alone killed another 10,000 people. But Justin Trudeau got married. In Pakistan, a suicide bomber killed 20 and injured 150 at a Shiite muslim mosque. But did you hear? Justin Trudeau got married. Uzbek prostesters are being killed by a government that refuses to respect their right to peaceful demonstrations, and Kyrgyzstan is refusing asylum to protesters. Too bad, they'll miss Trudeau wedding coverage. Dozens more killed in Iraq. 22 people blown up in Indonesia. France has a referendum that could alter European politics for years to come. Allegations are that the government of Egypt backed the beating of protesters. The government of Nepal has restricted the media to the point of censure. It's almost enough to ruin Justin's honeymoon.

Fair Warning

I am leaving tomorrow for my summer job at Camp Easter Seal and so will be only able to periodically update my blog throughout the summer.

25-to-Life for Edmonton child killer

In Edmonton today Clifford Sleigh was sentenced to life in prision with no chance of parole for 25 years for the killing of a six-year-old girl in 1992. I don't know about anyone but I think it's about time that a life sentence meant more than ten or twelve years in jail. I get so tired of seeing someone who kills another human being going to jail for twelve years...which in Canada means that that person will be paroled after 3-5 years. Interestingly enough this case is that of an aboriginal man who killed a white girl. There are numerous cases of white men who kill or abuse aboriginals and get lighter sentences. The Pamela George trial is one example of this. I am all about making an example of Clifford Sleigh, and agree that he deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail, but because of what he did, not because of what colour he is.

Burt Reynolds slapping a reporter

The name says it all, caught on tape by a CBS camera crew. Burt Reynolds slaps a guy because he haasn't seen the 1974 original version of "The Longest Yard".

Sask Nuclear Waste Depot? Not on My Watch!

According to a report by CBC Saskatchewan, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization states that Provinces involved in the nuclear industry should be involved in the disposal of nuclear wastes. I agree, Ontario and Quebec, having chosen to use nuclear power plants should take the responsibility of dealing with the wastes. Where I get pissed off is the idea that Saskatchewan should be used as a dumping ground of nuclear wastes just because the uranium is mined here. This is insane. I buy food from the grocery store. I eat the food. There is a dangerous waste product produced, called crap. Now I bought the food at the store, does this meant that I can go take a dump in the middle of the produce aisle at Sobey's? I don't think so. If a province chooses to buy uranium from a Saskatchewan company for the purposes of nuclear power, they are agreing to deal with their own waste in their own backyard. The report quotes Saskatchewan Industry and Resources Minister Eric Cline as saying that the province should be "a part of the solution". Northern Saskatchewan is named as a potential site for spent nuclear fuel, which is bad enough, but "even Regina, Saskatoon, and other urban areas shouldn't be ruled out". Pardon me? Will the new Regina slogan be "I Love Regina...it glows at night"? Minister Cline needs to get his head out of his behind and strongly emphatically say that the only nuclear waste that will ever be dumped in Saskatchewan will be if and when Saskatchewan ever has it's own nuclear reactor. Period. And further more, why have the opposition parties not made any comments? Is a front-bench cabinet minister saying that he is considering dumping nuclear waste in the province not a big fat juicy target? The Sask Party and Sask Liberals should be salivating like a fat kid at a perogie buffet over this.

Boney B...political consultant?

Well, since the post about the results of the Labrador byelection and possible ramifications, the NDP has said that it MAY prop up the Liberals...but not to the extent of sitting in an official coalition according to a report on CTV news. Hate to say it...but I called it. Anyways, the Conservatives responded to this news with predictable blustering about the Martin government, but lets face it...that's their job. On a plus side for the Conservatives, Peter MacKay has the best quote that I have heard from a Tory as far as appealing to the widespread public, saying "(we should be) appearing in a more positive, thoughtful way. As opposed to being detractors and critics, we've got to be constructive, articulate and passionate about our country''. It's too bad that the next paragraph in the article is a quote from the same Peter MacKay getting back to unintelligable rhetoric with no articulate argument.

QE2

Is Her Royal Highness an integral part of Canada? With the recent visit of HRH to Saskatchewan and Alberta, many people are wondering if Canada should move from a Constitutional Monarchy towards becoming a Republic. Does having a figurehead head of state (albeit through the Governor General) benefit Canada? What benefit is it to Canada to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to have a person who is best known as the face on the money? I don't know. I like things the way they are, but I have no valid reasons...other than that's the way it's always been, and to avoid thinking about change just because the status quo is easy is not a healthy way to make decisions. Although I'm not sure if the monarchy should be rejected, I so think that a healthy debate can do nothing but benefit the country as a whole. The Prairie Dog has an interesting article about the redundancy of the monarchy in Canada.

Thanks to The Night

Thanks to the Night for linking to my blog on his...which is reciprocated. If anyone other than me reads this I would recommend checking it out "In the dead of the night". He is Conservative leaning where I am Liberal leaning. I am proud to day that I am the only non-Conservative linked blog on his site at this time! Thanks Buddy!
P.S. Tories are Weiners...just kidding

Labrador Results, what are the ramifications?

Well the Liberals won the riding, taking approximatly 50% of the vote. As I previously mentioned, this really doesn't mean a thing about how a future election could go as the Liberals were expected to win this seat. What makes this interesting is how now the Liberals and NDP can hold a majority...if Independant MP Chuck Cadman chooses to return to Surrey to complete his medical course, or abstains from voting, and if Independant MP Carolyn Parrish continues voting for the government. Independant MP David Kilgour I expect to continue voting against the government. I can see how Jack Layton could be tempted by the PMO to form an alliance, and the PMO tempted to offer one. It has already proved to be benficial to both sides, the Liberals still in power, and the NDP getting money for their sacrosanct social programs. But, if recent Saskatchewan history is any indicator, Mr. Layton should be careful about joining with the Liberals. When the Saskatchewan Liberals formed a coalition with the Provincial wing of the NDP, propping up the minority NDP government, in the next election the Liberals got spanked like a virgin in a Shanghai whorehouse. The Liberal party expelled the members that had sat with the NDP, and not only did none of the Liberals that sat with the NDP get re-elected under the NDP banner, but no Liberals were elected as well. Anecdotal evidence is that fear of Liberal MLAs just joining with the NDP and being lapdogs were cited as some reasons for being weary to vote Liberal. If Mr. Layton should choose to partner with the Liberal government, he should be careful, because it is his leadership and his party that face the greatest threat to parliamentary presence.

Foul Balls Update

Currently the Foul Balls are 1/2 game out of first place in the Coke Division at 2-1, trailing only the 2-0 perennial powerhouse The Uncoachables, the hilariously named 2-0 Farfrom Sober, and the upstart 2-0 Wool Sox. Fans of the Foul Balls will be sad to hear that yours truly will be unable to be at the next few games, but I will follow the team faithfully (and report how they are doing).

Labrador Byelection

Well, the next test for the embattled Martin Government is the byelection being held in the riding of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. While I feel that the importance of this one seat is paramount to the continuation or fall of the current govenment (depending on who wins the seat), I don't think that the results will signify any nation wide trends or predict the results of the next general election. A Liberal win in a seat that has for only one parliament been represented by any party other than Liberal does not show anything. A Tory win, while encouraging to the Conservative party, and likely to bring about another election soon, would not be any better proof of impending election success for the Conservatives than a Magic Eight Ball.

Sinclair Stevens

Sinclair Stevens, a former Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion in the government of Brian Mulroony, has formed a website called http://www.bloc-harper.com, Stevens, although a former Tory cabinet minister wastes no love on Harper, or the current incarnation of the conservatives. Mr. Stevens states, in sometimes rambling and often very skewed language, the argument that the Conservative-Bloc Quebecois "alliance" (Mr. Steven's words) will lead to the potential of a Conservative Minority in the next exlection that is beholden to the seperatists, and would thus lead to a resurgance in Quebec seperatism. There are also some articles which have been published in the press. Mr. Stevens' is quite passionate in his views, and although I do not agree with everything he says, his website is an interesting read. Plus there's a really cool picture of Sir John A. McDonald, although the bloc-harper.com logo, a picture of Stephen Harper, with the red circle with a line through it (like a no-smoking sign) is uninspired, more personal than political in nature, and inappropriate.

Intro

This blog is many things....well actually, it's just me ranting and raving...you know...blogging, there will be many things here, like politics, sports, and beer-league slo-pitch. Goody.