Ontario's Triple D Budget

Yesterday's Ontario budget deserves a "Triple D Rating" as in "Dwight Duncan Disaster."

Looking over Harper's Shoulder

The Hill Times, Canada's politics and government newsweekly, has written nice little summary of my manifesto: The Trudeau Empire Has Fallen and Can't Get up.

Unfortunately, the item is hidden behind a subscription wall, but I've reproduced its accompanying graphic.

I love it.

By the way, speaking of my manifesto, Conrad Winn, who heads up the leading polling firm Compas, called it a "tour de force on strategy, a must-read for conservatives who want to win and liberals who want to stop them, from the guy whose creative imagination was vital for the NCC's surprising successes."

Open the Window Aunt Minnie, here comes the MLB

The Major League Baseball season (finally) begins today.

And I have figured out a fool proof way the Toronto Blue Jays can make the play-offs.

All the Jays need do is move from the American League East and into the National League Central.

Anyway, to help us get into the proper baseball spirit here are some of the top home run calls as determined by the Baseball Almanac:

Adios!"
Wayne Hagan

"A high fly ball hit to deep ______. Took it to the track...wall...see. You. LATER!"
Michael Reghi

"Back, back, back, back... Gone!"
Chris Berman of ESPN

"Bonsoir, elle est partie!" French for "So long, she's gone!"
Rodger Brulotte

"Bye bye baby!"
Russ Hodges

"Forget it!"
Vin Scully

"Get out the rye bread and mustard grandma, cause it's GRAND SALAMI TIME!"Dave Neihaus

"Get up, get outa here, gone for _____!"
Bob Uecker

"Going back (outfielder's name), at the track, at the wall... SSSEEYA!"
Michael Kay / YES Network

"Goodbye baseball!"
Dick Risenhoover

"Goodbye Dolly Grey!"
Leo Durocher

"Hey hey!"
Jack Brickhouse

"Holy Cow!"
Phil Rizzuto

"It could be, it might be... It is, A home run!"
Harry Caray

"It's going, going... gone!"
Harry Hartman

"Kiss it goodbye!"
Bob Prince

"Long drive, way back, warning track wall, you cantouch em' all (player name)."
Greg Schulte

"Long gone!"
Ernie Harwell

"Open the window Aunt Minnie, here it comes!"
Rosey Roswell

"...swing and there it goes.... light tower power! Manny Ramirez."
Jerry Trupiano (Red Sox Radio Announcer)

"Swung on and there it goes! That ball is high! It is far! It is........GONE!"
John Sterling (formerly) of YESNetwork

"Tell it goodbye!"
Lon Simmons / Jon Miller

"That ball is going and it ain't coming back!"
Jeff Kingery

"That ball is history!"
Eric Nadel

"They usually show movies on a flight like that."
Ken Coleman

"Watch that baby... Outta here!"
Harry Kalas

"Whattaya think about that?"
Rob Faulds

"Whoo, boy! Next time around, bring me back my stomach!"
Jack Brickhouse

"You can put it on the board.. Yessssssss!"
Ken "Hawk" Harrelson

Klingon War Song

Turns out that besides being a fierce warrior race, the Klingons are also pretty good singers.



Yeah, I know.

I am spending way too much time surfing the net.

Bilingualism: Harper's New God

A few months ago, after learning Bernard Lord was leading a task force to "review the state of bilingualism in Canada", I wrote a column predicting he would "recommend doling out money to minority language groups."

Well now the report is out and guess what: I was right.

Lord, in fact, is calling upon the federal government to spend about $1 billion over the next five years to help promote both official languages.

Somewhere Pierre Trudeau is smiling.

What Lord doesn't get, of course, is that the Trudeau vision of a bilingual Canada is nothing but a myth. The cold reality is that Canada is not a bilingual country and spending billions of tax dollars won't change that.

That's a fact Stephen Harper used to understand.

I should know, I ghost wrote the op-ed for him in which he declared: "As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions."

Nowadays, however, Stephen has abandoned his skepticism about this bilingualism god. Now, on the contrary, he happily kneels down and worships it.

And he will just as happily sacrifice a billion dollars on its altar, in the hopes that such devotion will be rewarded with votes.

Mind you, it won't work because bilingualism is still a false god.

That's something even the Lord can't change -- as in Bernard Lord.

Badassed Presidents

Cracked magazine has come up with a list of the five most "badassed" American presidents of all time.

Number one on the list is Theodore Roosevelt, a president who, Cracked notes, "strolled through the White House with a pistol on his person at all times, though, with his black belt in jujitsu and his history as a champion boxer, it wasn't like he really needed it."

And when Roosevelt died a fellow politician declared: "Death had to take him sleeping, for if Roosevelt had been awake there would have been a fight."

Yeah, that sounds pretty badass.

Green Party Breakthrough?

A consensus seems to be emerging among pundits that the big winner in Monday's by-elections was the federal Green Party.

And superficially this seems to be the case.

The Greens finished second in the Willowdale riding and substantially improved their vote totals overall.

But is this truly evidence of a Green Party breakthrough?

Forgive me if I am just a tad bit skeptical.

First off, you cannot really determine national trends on the basis of four by-elections, especially in by-elections with such poor voter turnouts.

Vancouver-Quandra had a turnout of only 33%, Willowdale, 24%, Toronto Centre, 28% and Desnethé--Missinippi--Churchill River, 25%.

When voter apathy is so high, political success usually boils down to good ground organization and getting the vote out.

And because they could focus their resources on a few key ridings, the Greens would have an advantage in this area, an advantage which would disappear during a general election.

Secondly, I suspect many Green votes were actually protest votes. People wanted to send out a message that they didn't like any of the main stream parties. Again, this is typical behaviour in a by-election, a dynamic which won't be in play in a general election when more is at stake.

Thirdly, voters weren't really paying attention to any of these races. There was no national campaign to focus on. No leadership debates. No real issues. So when people walked into the voting booth, many of them voted "Green" simply because they think the environment is important. If there was a party called "Health Care" on the ballot it probably would have received lots of votes too. In a general election, there will be lots of other issues on the table.

So it's way too early to get excited about the Green Party.

Little Kremlin on the Prairie

My friend Rolf Penner, a libertarian-minded Manitoba farmer, has gone on Youtube to make the case against the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly.

Backwards Bob is Back

Well Bob Rae is officially a Liberal Member of Parliament.

Good for him.

Of course, his real goal isn't simply to be a mere MP. The former NDP socialist wants nothing less than to be Prime Minister.

Only that way can he erase his current legacy of being the worst Premier in the history of Ontario.

Mind you it won't be easy.

Lots of Liberals are not too happy with Rae's ambitions.

I remember last year talking to a Liberal Party activist who said she would rather "eat glass" than see Rae take over her party.

Should be a fun party to watch over the next little while.

Conservatism in a Hurry

The Toronto Star's Susan Delacourt has written a mini-review of my political opus -- The Trudeau Empire has fallen and it can't get up.

She compares my philosophy with that of Tom Flanagan, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former Chief of Staff, who is a champion of what he calls "incrementalism."

Writes Delacourt: "Flanagan’s a go-slow, transformation-by-stealth fan, while Nicholls thinks Conservatives should just pursue their agenda with full enthusiasm, a la Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. Clearly Harper seems to favour the Flanagan approach, but it’s worth reading Nicholls’ tract to see what would happen if Canada decided to go conservative in a hurry. "

"Conservative in a hurry" - that's me.

Media Alert

I will be discussing my manifesto on The World Tonight, (CHQR radio Calgary) at 9:05 EST.

The Nicholls Manifesto

I have written a short political tract called The Trudeau Empire Has Fallen and it Can't Get up: Why now is the time for the Canadian conservative movement to win the War of Ideas.

It’s essentially my thoughts and theories on what the Canadian conservative movement, as opposed to the Canadian Conservative Party, must do to succeed in this country.


I am hoping this little manifesto will help other Canadian conservatives learn from the experience I gained after fighting in the political trenches for 22 years.

The booklet talks about how to package a conservative message and about how to get around the roadblocks we face.

As an added bonus, it also includes my "Top Ten Political Guerrilla Warfare" tactics.

My main thesis, however, is that now more than ever Canada needs a strong and vibrant small "c" conservative voice.

You can read my opus here, or I would be happy to email the PDF of this document to anyone who requests it. Here is my email address: gerry_nicholls@hotmail.com

What's Wrong with RESPs?

I am not certain why the Harper Tories are so dead set against Liberal MP Dan McTeague's bill on Registered Education Savings Plans. (RESPs).

This bill, which passed the House of Commons, will allow parents to deduct from their taxable income up to $5,000 a year per child in contributions to RESPs.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

As the National Post put it, "it seems a very (small-c) conservative type of initiative, not unlike the Tories' popular $100-a-month early childhood care payments."

Yet the Conservatives are asking the Senate to block McTeague's bill.

OK, I understand if it becomes law it will supposedly cost the national treasury $900 million in lost tax revenue.

But I am sure the government can cut spending in other areas to make up for it.

And to get the Conservatives started, I even have a suggestion where they start making cutbacks: how about not sending so many of our tax dollars to Tory-held Quebec ridings!

Is it Time to Say Goodbye to Quebec?

Reed Scowen, an expert in Quebec-Canada relations, has come to a controversial conclusion: Canada would be better off if Quebec separated.

To make his case, Scowen -- a one time Liberal member of the Quebec legislature -- wrote a fascinating book called Time to Say Goodbye: Building a Better Canada without Quebec.

And now he has set up a special website.

Check it out.

You make not agree with Scowen's unique take on federal-provincial relations, but you will find his arguments interesting.

Snow Bored

Here's a photo of me after a tragic snow accident.

I was shovelling my back porch when suddenly there was an avalanche!

Mind you, this pile of snow is nothing compared to the mass of white stuff by my drive way, which I have named Mount Suzuki.

Now if you will excuse I have to be shovelling off.

Reasons to Subscribe to Reason

After months of procrastinating I finally got around to subscribing to Reason magazine, the journal of "free minds and free markets."

And I am glad I did; it's a fun read and quite informative.

Plus it's refreshing.

Reason looks at politics and culture from a radical capitalistic point of view, the kind of perspective you won't get from your standard, run of the mill conservative publications.

I highly recommend it to libertarians or to those curious about the philosophy of libertarianism.

When Toys Were Cool

When I was a kid I would have loved to get a snub-nosed 38 for Christmas.

Dion's Emision Omission

Here's a column I wrote which appears in today's Windsor Star.

It's about how Liberal leader Stephane Dion's green policies might make his party blue.

Fire Brodie Now

This is the first time in living memory I have ever agreed with NDP leader Jack Layton.

Like Layton, I too believe Prime Minister Harper must fire his Chief of Staff, Ian Brodie, for the role he played in leaking confidential diplomatic information.

Mind you, I believe Harper should have fired Brodie a long time ago.

An academic by training, Brodie is simply out of his league, an amateur in a game for political professionals.

Perhaps if Brodie is gone the "Harper cult" mentality which dominates the Prime Minister's Office will disappear; perhaps the Prime Minister might even recall that he is actually a conservative; and who knows perhaps, just perhaps the vindictiveness emanating from Ottawa will abate.

In other words, by heeding Layton's advice, Harper might actually improve his government.

How is that for irony?

Media Alert

I will be appearing on the Michael Coren Show tonight at 8:00 PM EST on CTS.

I am part of a panel on federal politics.

Book Review: Oh, Oh Canada!

I enjoy reading books which are both intellectually stimulating and a good read. And that’s why I was delighted to come across William D. Gairdner’s latest book, Oh, Oh, Canada!: A Voice from the Conservative Resistance.

A collection of Gairdner’s essays, Oh, Oh, Canada! is a well-written, cogent, intellectual defence of Canada’s traditions, values and freedoms that conservatives of all stripes would enjoy.

From Quebec nationalism to global warming; from the politics of sex to the basis of natural law; from Senate reform to the essence of morality, Gairdner provides the conservative perspective on key issues facing this country – and he does it all in less than 200 pages.

Of course, Gairdner, the former Olympic athlete, successful businessman, academic and now political philosopher, has a good track record when it comes to skewering the Left’s arguments.

His book The Trouble with Canada, for instance, was one of the most devastating critiques of Canada’s leftist economic and political failures ever written.

But in Oh, Oh Canada!, Gairdner goes beyond politics and economics, digging deeper to explain and defend the philosophic underpinnings of conservatism while at the same time exposing the logical fallacies of the Left.

In the process, the author provides powerful intellectual ammunition to those Canadians who value Western traditions and who wish to resist those forces which seek to undermine them.

Mind you, as a libertarian I didn’t agree with some of the book’s social conservative stances, but even then I found Gairdner’s arguments provocative and thought-provoking.

Anyway, if you want a concise, clearly written yet profound manifesto of Canadian conservatism, than Oh, Oh Canada! is for you.

Libel Case Memories

All this talk about Prime Minister Harper suing the Liberals over their "Cadscam" allegations reminds me of my own little legal tussle a few years ago with Liberal MP Scott Brison.

Back then, when he was a cabinet minister, Brison publicly smeared an organization I used to work for.

So I went on the attack and threatened to sue the guy for libel unless he apologized. I had Brison dead to rights on this, and I must say I enjoyed the whole process immensely.

Anyway, to make a short story shorter, Brison ended up making a grovelling apology.

It will be interesting to see if Harper is as successful.

Tories Think I am Useful

I always thought fiscal conservatism meant cutting back on the size, scope and cost of big government.

But not so argues Professor Tom Flanagan.

Flanagan, who happens to be Prime Minister Harper's former chief of staff, tells the Canadian Press that conservatism actually means spending tax dollars with reckless abandon.

In fact, he suggests the federal government's spending spree of the past three years was part of a cunning Harper plan to gradually tighten "the screws on the federal government," making it harder for Ottawa to spend.

"They're boxing in the ability of the federal government to come up with new program ideas . . . The federal government is now more constrained, the provinces have more revenue, and conservatives should be happy," says Flanagan.

Happy?

Why should conservatives be happy with a government which- apparently for political reasons-- spent away the surplus?

Yes the Tories have put the Liberals in a box, but what about the Canadian economy? Doesn't Canada need a government committed to cutting taxes and making government smaller and more efficient?

Anyway, apparently I was part of Harper's scheme. Check this Flanagan quote:

"Part of the execution of the plan was that there would be conservatives attacking him - like John Williamson (of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation), Gerry Nicholls," Flanagan said.

"That's extremely useful, to have that kind of pressure there, berating the prime minister for not doing enough."

Six Unimportant Things

OK two people have tagged me in one of these Internet games.

I am supposed to list six unimportant things/habits/quirks about myself.

Here goes:

1. The only way I know how to fix a computer is to turn it off and on. If that wont work I’m out of ideas.

2. My idea of exercise is to “surf the net.”

3. As for vices: I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I don’t swear. (Actually I do one of those things in excess.)

4. My religion is to worship the free market.

5. I once formulated a conspiracy theory that Gilligan purposely sabotaged attempts by the castaways to get off the island. But why?

6. I hate Internet tagging games, so this one dies here.

Remember Captain Nice?

No you probably don't.

Captain Nice was an obscure, short-lived comedy series from the 1960s, that I used to really like.

And now thanks to the magic of Youtube, I have the nostaligic pleasure of reliving this show.



Oh and here is another 60's sitcom I liked -- Mr. Terrific:



And then there is this show with the catchy jingle:



That's what I miss about TV.

No more shows with songs to explain the premise.

Somebody With Too Much Time

Some wit on the Internet has figured out that Garfield comics are even funnier when you remove Garfield.

Is it "Sordi" or "Sawdi" Arabia?

Some interesting comments on radical Islam.

Cadman Scandal

Well it looks like the Harper Tories have a full blown scandal on their hands.

Did they try to bribe Chuck Cadman with a million dollar life insurance policy in exchange for his vote in the House of Commons?

Sure doesn't look good.

Here's what Cadman's wife told the media: "Chuck was really insulted. He was quite mad about it, thinking they could bribe him with that.”

The only person who looks good in this story is the late Cadman, who was clearly a man of great character.

And that's really what caused the problem for Stephen Harper and his inner circle: they don't understand people who stand up for principle.

Austrian Quiz

Are you an Austrian?

And by that I don't mean are you from Vienna; I mean do you subscribe to the economic theories made famous by Austrians like Ludwig von Mises?

Well if you don't know, here's a way to find out.

All you need do is take this Are You an Austrian Quiz, created by the Ludwig von Mises Society.

Warning: This is not your typical Internet quiz.

Spider Dating Tips

I should have tried this when I was single.

Buckley RIP

William F. Buckley --- the world's most eloquent and erudite defender of conservatism -- has passed away.

And he defended conservatism when it needed it most -- back in the dark days of the 1960s and 70s, when liberalism reigned supreme.

When I was a university student, Buckley's magazine, The National Review, was about the only source of conservative opinion available.

I don't know how I would have survived academia without it.

And his TV show, Firing Line, was the one program in those days where conservatives seemed to always triumph. (I was biased, of course, but to my mind Buckley always made mincemeat out of the hapless left wingers who dared to venture onto his show.)

Also with his linguistic skills and encylopedic knowledge, Buckley was just plain fun to watch, even if you didn't agree with him.

Finally, unlike so many commenators of today, Buckley chose to debate with facts and logic, not with ad hominen attacks.

He will be missed.

Bacteria, Torches and Budgets

Lots of budget analysis going on today.

And it seems, all things considered, conservatives are pretty happy with the budget's contents, except perhaps for the government's unwillingness to cutback on its spending.

Here, for example, are some of the new Tory spending initiatives announced yesterday:

* $21 million to "retain top science leaders" with 20 research chairs.
Hey that’s about $1 million a chair. “Top science leaders” must really need to sit down a lot.

* $10-million for the operations of the Canadian Light Source research synchrotron in Saskatoon.
Synchrotron? Oh yeah, I think I saw one of those on Star Trek. Seems to me it was some sort of time machine. If that’s the case, I hope the Tories use this synchrotron to go back in time to the days when Stephen Harper was actually a conservative. (Sorry I couldn't resist.)

* $9 million to improve the safety of laboratories dealing with viruses and bacteria.
This really scares me.

* $25 million to provide Canadians with better information on the links between environmental contaminants and illness.
Who cares about “environmental contaminants”? The real problem are those deadly killer viruses and mutant bacteria escaping from our laboratories. I blame our “top science leaders.”

* $12 million over two years to enhance law enforcement within Canada’s National Parks.
Hear that Yogi? No more stealing picnic baskets. Mr. Ranger is now enhanced.

* $25 million to help make the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays a symbol of community and national pride.
Yes nothing gives me more national pride than watching people run around the country carrying a burning stick in their hand.

Of course, some might say this is money well spent. And one of those people is Liberal leader Stephane Dion.

Media Alert

I will be on the Charles Adler Show at about 2:00 PM to talk about today's budget; and will be on The Drive with Duff show on 940 radio in Montreal at about 5:40 PM.

Update:

I will be on The World Tonight with Rob Breakenridge at 10:05 PM EST to talk about-- what else?-- the budget

Ten Reasons Why Dion Must Pull the Plug

Check out this column I wrote, which appears in today's Toronto Sun.

I give ten powerful reasons why, for his own good, Liberal leader Stephane Dion must vote against today's budget and force an election.

Yes, I know I shouldn't use my powers to help the Liberals in this way, but sometimes you have to act in the interests of the greater good -- the greater good in this case being me getting published.

A Plan for Tory

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty must be a happy guy these days.

And why not?

John Tory is now officially the weakest Opposition leader in the history of Confederation.

Just consider the PC leader's sad situation:

* McGuinty beat him like a rented mule in the last provincial election.

* Tory has no seat in the legislature (And has no prospect of getting one anytime soon.)

* The endorsement of his leadership at the PC convention was less than overwhelming.

* His apparent indecision at the convention about his leadership status has undermined his credibility.

So what should Tory do?

Well maybe he should drop the "Red Tory" routine and try providing Ontarians with a realistic, small "c" conservative alternative to the McGuinty Liberals.

At this point, Tory's got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Let the Smearing Begin

So the New York Times is smearing Republican Senator John McCain.

Is anybody really surprised?

Check out Powerline's reaction here.

And here is McCain's official response.

Corcoran Slams Carbon Tax

Check out Financial Post editor Terence Corcoran's neat dissection of British Columbia's plan to impose a "carbon tax".

Calling it a "PR scam" and a "sham", Corocoran predicts the carbon tax will do little, if anything, to reduce greenhouse gas emission, but will lead to higher taxes in the future.

Yet, carbon taxes will probably be all the rage in this country, as politicians scramble to prove their "greeness".

And the greener our politicians get, the poorer we will get.

Castro's Plot

Speaking of Castro, his resignation reminds me of the only column I ever wrote about him.

It's one of my favorites because it mixes my two passions: baseball and politics.

A Dying Breed

So Fidel Castro has decided to retire.

That means the only political leaders left in the world still espousing old-fashioned Stalinist socialism are North Korea's Kim Jong-il , Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Toronto's David Miller.

Also, I wonder if Castro will retire to Florida?

And if he does, will he float there in a raft?

Dion's Agenda

Here's my latest Report magazine column, which my friend Joel has put up on his site.

It's about a topic the media doesn't talk too much about: Stephane Dion's scary, hidden agenda.

Gag Law Police On the Prowl

The Gag Law Police are circling around a group called Friends of Science.

Seems this group may have engaged in unlawful "election advertising" when it ran a series of anti-Kyoto radio ads during the last federal election without first getting permission from Elections Canada.

Under Canada's draconian election gag law, that's a no-no.

I should know, because about seven years ago I went through this investigative process -- a process that turned out to be quite expensive.

Of course, back in the days when Friends of Science ran these ads Stephen Harper opposed the Kyoto Accord.

Now he supports it, so I am not sure if these radio ads did any good.

Mind you, Harper once also opposed gag laws, but that's a whole different story.

Forced Dues and Politics II

I have a letter to the editor published in the National Post today in response to this article.

Here it is:

Time to End Union tyranny

Re: Alberta's Unions Go After Stelmach Despite Boom Times, Feb. 15.

This article perfectly outlines why Canada needs to reform its labour laws to inject democracy in the workplace.

The law currently allows union bosses to use forced dues to pay for political propaganda.

Unionized employees, in other words, can be coerced through their dues to subsidize a left-wing political agenda whether they support that agenda or not.

That's not only undemocratic, it's anti-democratic. As Thomas Jefferson said, "To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

It's time to end union boss tyranny.

Turban Controversy

The producer of a local TV news program called me this morning asking if I would like to go on air to discuss the case of Baljinder Badesha.

He's the devout Sikh who is challenging the law that forces motorcycle riders to wear a helmet. Badesha says his religion requires him to wear a turban.

Anyway, the producer wanted to me to take part in a debate, where my role would be to oppose Badesha's stand.

I declined for one simple reason: Badesha's in the right. He shouldn't be forced to wear a helmet. He should be allowed to wear a turban or a bonnet or a beanie cap or whatever he wants.

It's not question of religious freedom but of individual freedom.

The state has no business telling us what to wear; it has no business protecting us from ourselves.

We should have the right to make our own choices.

Liberty in Canada

Here's some good news for those of us with a libertarian outlook: A brand new website has just been launched called LibertyinCanada.

A project of the Canadain Constitution Foundation, LibertyinCanada "is dedicated to documenting the demise of Canadian liberty, but with the intention to reversing the trend."

I know the people who put this site together and I can guarantee you one thing: it will be a principled and true voice for freedom.

Forced Dues and Politics

There's an interesting article in the National Post today exposing how union bosses in Alberta are mounting a massive ad campaign to defeat Premier Ed Stelmach.

Politically this probably won't hurt Stelmach and the Tories.

In fact, it might help them -- in politics it's just as important to have the right enemies as it is to have the right friends.

The real problem with this campaign is that union bosses are using forced dues to finance it.

Simply put, it's wrong to compel unionized employees to pay for a political agenda they might not support.

Media Alert

I will be on the Michael Coren Show tonight as part of the federal panel.

Time: 8:00 PM

Topics: Afghanistan, Free speech and the Lord's Prayer.

Hey Who Needs Principles?

Kathy Shaidle has an excellent column in the National Post today exposing the Conservative Party's cowardice when it comes to defending free speech.

It's all about that "talking points" memo making the rounds of the blogosphere, which instructs Tory MPs to essentially change the subject when confronted with questions concerning Ezra Levant's battle with Human Rights Commission bureaucrats

As Shaidle writes, "too bad the PMO's response to citizens' concerns about the erosion of their free speech rights is to issue a (secret) document, telling our elected representatives to keep quiet or change the subject."

But why is anybody surprised?

This government has consistently refused to defend free expression.

Recall in the days when he led a national advocacy organization, Prime Minister Stephen Harper vehemently opposed election gag laws. Now as Prime Minister he has done nothing to reform or scrap these undemocratic laws.

Even worse, he has actually enacted his own gag law which limits what individuals can contribute to political parties.

I guess defending individual freedom is just another of those conservative principles which needed to be jettisoned in order to win power.

And winning power is what its really all about, right?

Much better that Conservatives take away our freedoms, rather than those nasty Liberals.

Media Alert

I will be doing two radio interviews to discuss my column in today's Windsor Star.

At approximately 11:45 AM EST will be on Focus 980 (CFPL London); then at 4:30 PM EST will be on Adler Online.

Political Vice Tax

Here is a column I wrote which appears in today's Windsor Star.

Believe it or not I actually make the case for a new tax: a tax on politicians!

Nuclear Nightmare

Ever since 9/11 everybody's worst fear was that terrorists would one day detonate a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles or some other large urban area.

Well here's one guy who says the chances of that ever happening are slim.

I want to believe that's true.

Frum's Gloomy Take

Last week I presented a rather optimistic analysis of the Republican Party's chances in the next U.S. election.

Here from David Frum is a more gloomy appraisal.

Climate Change Deniers Beware

Environmental guru David Suzuki recently suggested "climate change deniers" be jailed.

This reminds me of a satiric column I wrote last year in which I jokingly suggested the government set up a House of Unenvironmental Activities Committee (HUAC) to investigate and expose those who didn't follow the green line.

Now it doesn't seem so funny.

Like I Care

Is this supposed to make me upset?

Brits' Olympic Shame

The British Olympic Association seems more interested in politics these days than in sports.

Or at least in political correctness.

And that explains why the BOA is forcing British athletes competing in the upcoming Beijing games to sign a contract which prohibits them from criticizing communist China's appalling human rights record.

Any athlete who refuses to sign will not be allowed to compete.

Somebody should give the BOA a gold medal for cowardice.

The Harper Cult

I am quoted in this Toronto Star analysis piece entitled, "The Cult of Harper."

Squirrels and Politics

Conrad Black has an interesting commentary on the U.S. political scene in today's National Post. (Sorry it doesn't seem to be online).

In explaining why Republican Mike Huckabee is essentially out of the presidential race, Black has come up with the best line of the campaign:

"The only states that would tolerate a candidate who trapped and ate squirrels after cooking them on a popcorn-popper, have already voted for Huckabee."

Good News and Bad News

The good news is the Hollywood writers' strike could soon be over; the bad news is that means more movies like this.

Another View of the Manley Report

There has been a lot written about how the Manley Report on the Afghanistan mission is good politics. Like this column, for instance.

But there has not been much discussion as to whether or not the report is actually good policy.

That's why I was glad to see this analysis.

Poll Tax

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has come out with a new poll which shows Canadians think they pay too much in taxes.


The CTF poll, in fact, indicates 65 per cent of Canadians think federal income taxes are too high.


And of course, those 65 per cent of Canadians would be right.


The poll also shows that 45 per cent of Canadians think if the government is going to cut taxes, income tax cuts should be given top priority.

You can read the whole poll here.

The Hawaii Chair

If this is satire it's brilliant; if this is real it's tragic.

Union Bosses Breaking Trust With Employees

Canada's courts have once again ruled in favour of democracy in the work place.

Just a few days ago, an Alberta provincial court told the Telecommunications Workers Union it could not use the courts to collect union-imposed "fines" on employees who chose to cross a picket line during a strike.

Last fall, an Ontario Court told the Public Service Alliance Union the exact same thing.

The message to union bosses should be loud and clear: You don't have the legal ability to collect your fines in court. Nor can you "sue" employees who fail to pay those fines.

So why is it some union bosses continue to threaten employees who choose to work during a strike with "fines"?

Because too few employees understand their rights, that's why. And union bosses certainly don't volunteer the information because it would undermine their ability to intimidate employees.

That's why, as John Mortimer of Labour Watch says, Canada needs legislative reform to protect unionized employees from unions that refuse to inform employees of their legal rights.

“Unions have broken trust with those they represent by suing them in spite of the law,” said Mortimer.

Reasons for Republican Optimism

My friend John McLaughlin, who happens to be a top Republican pollster, has written an excellent article explaining why things might not be so bleak for the GOP after all.

Here are the highlights:

• As economic concerns rise, three in four voters still think that the country is headed in the wrong direction, but this time Democrats and Congress share the blame with Republicans.

• The President remains largely unfavorable, but the Republican Party is in the midst of a great volatile nomination battle that will redefine its image and its coalition.

• As unpopular as the President may still be, Hillary Clinton is not far behind. Nationally four in ten voters are unfavorable to her and they are polarized along partisan lines. No way is Mark Penn, Hillary’s pollster correct that she will get 25 percent of the Republican women vote. Her negatives among Republican women are about 80 percent -- even in the Northeast. Last November among Northeast voters, even before the campaign started Senator Clinton had a 41 percent unfavorable rating. For every ad that a Democrat attacks a Republican with, there may be one to put some distance between the Democrat and Senator Clinton. Senator Clinton, as the nominee of her party, will be a catalyst for a better Republican turnout than in 2006. Also she will be a cause for ticket-spitting for Congress. Among those voters who may vote for her, a sizable segment do not want her to rule with unchecked control of government and will split their ticket as they did with her husband in the ’94, ’96 and ’98 elections.

• If Senator Obama wins the nomination, the Democratic Party will have gone even farther to the left and become even more anti-war. This will leave more of the middle and independent vote available to the Republicans.

• The majority of voters in the Northeast are now giving the “Democratic majority in Congress” a net negative job rating. This holds true among independents and even among Democratic voters in key swing districts. Along with the Democratic majority, Speaker Nancy Pelosi now has a net unfavorable rating in key districts.

• Democratic efforts to push a tax increase on middle-class and upper middle-class economy are undermining the Democrats credibility that they are actually cutting taxes for the middle class.

• In key districts, the majority of Northeast voters support a gradual withdrawal of troops from Iraq and are opposed to an immediate withdrawal that leaves an unstable Iraq.

• Democrat missteps fueled by New York Governor Spitzer’s very unpopular proposal to give illegal aliens drivers’ licenses and the tacit support by Senator Clinton gave Northeast Republicans an important wedge issue to regain lost ground on security as an issue.

• Last November six in ten voters, 59 percent preferred “smaller government with fewer services”, over “larger government with many services”, 28 percent. In the Northeast the plurality of voters preferred smaller government 48 percent to 36 percent. Fiscal conservatism will be an important opportunity once again for Republicans.

• With the retirement of incumbents and the opportunity for new challengers the Republican Party once again has the opportunity to become the party of new ideas, new faces and change precisely at a time when voters will be looking for independence and change once more.

Dion's Hidden Agenda

For a long time the Green Crowd has been telling us we could have our ecological cake and eat it too.

We could have both strong economic growth and a green, planet-friendly environment.

All we needed to do was turn off unnecessary lights, buy a few green-friendly products and force our kids to watch Al Gore documentaries.

But suddenly some Greenites are straying from the script. Suddenly economic growth is part of the problem.

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton, for instance, admitted recently that to fight global warming, "We just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions 'cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren."

And now, David Suzuki, Canada's patron saint of ecology, has also come out against economic growth, telling a McGill audience, “We live within the biosphere. It can’t grow, it’s fixed!”

So all this leads me to wonder where Liberal leader Stephane Dion stands on the question of economic growth?

Is he for growing the economy or for fighting climate change? According to Clinton and Suzuki you can't do both.

Fun Is ....

Check out these eight principles of fun.

It's ... well it's kind of fun.

New Group Supports Afghanistan Mission

An assorted group of Canadians, "united in a commitment to the principle that as Canadians, we must honour our obligations to the cause of solidarity with the people of Afghanistan," have created a new association: The Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee.

The Committee believes Canadian troops must stay in Afghanistan and that Canada must remain dedicated to that country's reconstruction and to preventing the Taliban from coming to power.

Supporters of this new association include New Democrats and Conservatives, Muslims and Jews, Christians and atheists, gay rights activists and feminists.

Any association that can unite such a diverse crowd must have something going for it.

None of the Above?

Who do you think would make the best U.S. president from Canada's point of view?

That's the question the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies is asking on its online poll.

So far, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are neck and neck.

Law and Order

In a recent Canwest news article I was quoted as saying Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to no longer seek clemency for Canadian citizens on death row in the United States was good politics.

It was good politics, I argued, because "law and order" issues play well to Harper's base. I remember the reporter who interviewed me was skeptical about this because, after all, Canada is such a liberal country.

Well lo and behold a recent poll shows that 53 percent of Canadians support the government's position on this.

What's more, support for revoking clemency is highest in British Columbia (61 per cent) and Alberta (58 per cent) which just happen to be the two provinces where a large chunk of the Conservative base resides.

So maybe the lesson from all this is that Harper should play to his base a little more.

Clintons vs. Obama

Thomas Sowell has some interesting comments on the sleazy tactics Hillary and Bill Clinton are employing against Senator Barack Obama.

The Clintons, says Sowell, are seeking to reduce Obama to "just a black candidate."

"It is not that the Clintons are racists," Sowell writes. "It is just that they will use whatever they want, in order to get whatever they want — and the effect on the country does not bother them. That was the hallmark of the first Clinton administration. There is no reason to doubt that this will be the hallmark of the next Clinton administration, if there is one."

Of course, this explains why Bill and our very own Jean Chretien were such good buddies: they both employed the same cynical tactics.

The Harper Gallery

About a month ago I wrote a column satirizing the federal Conservative Party's seeming desire to create a "personality cult" around the person of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

It was a supposed to be a joke. (Although a lot of Tories didn't find it funny)

But maybe I was closer to the mark than I figured.

Turns out the government has actually created a special gallery in the House of Commons that features nothing but pictures of the Prime Minister.

According to Green Party Leader Elizabeth May who toured the gallery:

"When you walk in the door, all you see are pictures of Stephen Harper. I'd say between every window, in every available space of the wall, at eye level, every available space has a photo of Stephen Harper."

And she adds, "You've got photos of Stephen Harper, but not of previous prime ministers. Photos of Stephen Harper in different costumes, in different settings, dressed as a fireman, in Hudson Bay looking for polar bears, meeting the Dalai Lama, even the portrait of the Queen had to have Stephen Harper, but in a candid, behind her."

No doubt plans for the giant Stephen Harper statue are in the works.

H/T Janet

Hillary Vs. Bill

Seems Bill Clinton is doing his wife Hillary more harm than good in her quest to become the Democratic nominee for president.

Thwarting Hillary's political ambitions is probably a worse sin in her mind than marital infidelity.

So Bill better watch out.

On the other hand, Victor Davis Hanson wonders why Bill wants America to embrace Hillary when he spent 30 years running away from her.

Medium is the Message

Parliament resumes today.

I can't wait to see what issues the Liberals raise on behalf of the CBC.

Harper and Capital Punishment

I provide some political analysis in this Canwest News story on what kind of message Prime Minister Harper is sending on the issue of capital punishment.

Hint: He is trying to keep his base happy.

Political Metaphor

Check out this Japanese game show; it's obviously a metaphor for what's happening to the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP: lots of running, but not getting anywhere.

Terrible Twos

The Harper government recently celebrated its second birthday.

Wow, two years old.

But, of course, that means the government is now entering that dreaded phase known to all parents as the "terrible twos", an age marked by temper tantrums and aggression.

Hmmm, come to think of it, that's pretty much what we have had for the past two years anyway.

Boycotting the Racists

Dysfunctional, corrupt, wasteful, undemocratic --- these are the words which best describe the United Nations.

Yet strangely, Canadians generally hold this institution in high esteem.

That's why it took something akin to courage for the Harper government to boycott the UN's "anti-racism" conference scheduled to take place next year.

Of course, the government is doing the right thing.

As the Canadian Coalition for Democracies put it, "the last UN anti-racism conference held in Durban in 2001 degenerated into a hate-fest of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel vitriol, while the most egregious human rights violators escaped criticism."

Conservatism That Can Win

Attended a reception last night to celebrate the release of David Frum's latest book, Comeback: Conservatism That Can Win Again.

It was a great event; just about anybody who is anybody in the conservative movement was there: journalists, activists, politicians.

And I am definitely looking forward to reading David's book as it's a topic of particular interest to me.

Me in Different Languages

ΓΕΡΡΥ ΝΙΨΗΟΛΛΣ -- That is supposedly what my name looks like in Greek.

This is how my name looks in Arabic: لثققغ ىهؤاخممس

And here is what it looks like in Hebrew: עקררט מןביםךךד

Got all this info from this nifty site.

Newt's Afraid

Here's Newt Gingrich's take on how we are doing in the "War on Terror". (Spoiler - he is not optimistic).

Health-Care Study

It looks like Canadians aren't getting a bang for their buck when it comes to health-care.

Or at least that's the conclusion of a study put out jointly by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and the European-based Health Consumer Powerhouse.

This study shows that out of 30 countries surveyed, Canada ranks at the absolute bottom when it comes to getting value for money spent.

I guess that's no surprise to all those sick and injured Canadians languishing on health-care waiting lists.

Now we need to a study to figure out why some people still think socialized health-care is a good idea.

Dion: Canada's Secret Weapon

Liberal leader Stephane Dion will help us win the war in Afghanistan.

Once the Taliban learn about his foreign policy ideas they will undoubtedly laugh themselves to death.

Media Alert

I am going to be on the Michael Coren Show tonight, 8:00 PM CTS.

Topic: federal politics.

Sorry Mao

Citroen is apologizing for poking fun at the late Chinese dictator Mao Zedong.

The French carmaker's sin was running ran ads which featured a smirking Mao and the tagline: "It's true, we are leaders, but at Cirtoen the revolution never stops."

Seems this offended somebody in China, so Cirtoen, no doubt fearing the Alberta Human Rights Commission might get involved, said it was sorry.

Just goes to show that you can't even mock mass murderers anymore.

We Need More Ezras

Why are we losing our freedoms in this country, slowly but surely?

Because all too often we don't fight hard enough to protect them. We passively let the bureaucrats and politicians take away our rights.

That's why it's so heartening to see Ezra Levant stand up and challenge the state.

As is well known by now, the Alberta Human Rights Commission is after Ezra because his old magazine published controversial cartoons.

The easy thing to do would have been to grovel and apologize.

But Ezra won't do it.

Instead he is mounting a spirited defence of free expression and in the process putting a spotlight on the injustice that is the Human Rights Commission.

If more Canadians followed Ezra's lead and stood up for what's right, this would be a freer country.

Baseball's Tribal Warfare

Came across this old-time radio broadcast featuring game 5 of the 1948 World Series that pitted the Cleveland Indians against the Boston Braves.

What's really interesting about this broadcast is that it really shows how our sensibilities have changed over the past 60 years.

The legendary sports broadcaster, Mel Allen, begins the game suggesting the Indians and Braves are engaged in "tribal warfare" and that if Cleveland kept the Braves "penned up on the reservation" the two teams would soon be "smoking the peace pipe."

Allen also notes that Boston's "chief medicine man" hopes to come up with a potion to ensure the series goes back to his "own wigwam."

Just couldn't imagine Joe Buck talking like that.

Rudy, Rudy, Rudy

Rudy Giuliani is the forgotten man in the Republican presidential nomination race.

But Patrick Basham, the director of the Democracy Institute, argues it's too early to count Rudy out.

Check out his analysis.

The Bilingualism Myth

Here's my latest column which appears in today's Windsor Star.

My point is that official biligingulism is one of those Trudeau -era ideals that nobody much cares about anymore -- except for federal bureaucrats.

Will Edwards Save Clinton?

If Hillary Clinton ends up winning the Democratic nomination, she may have John Edwards to thank.


That's the view of Brendan Miniter takes in the Wall Street Journal's "Political Diary". (Subscription required).

Writes Miniter:

"When asked by a TV reporter last night why she was heading to the polls, one New Hampshire voter first made sure the camera was rolling and then said flat-out that her purpose was to “Get rid of the Clintons.”

Hillary Clinton won a surprising victory last night to inhale new life into her campaign. But she can’t breathe easy yet. In New Hampshire, six out of 10 Democratic voters cast ballots for a candidate other than her.

And, as Iowa made clear last week, very few Democrats consider Mrs. Clinton to be their second choice candidate. That leaves her with this reality: Barack Obama might well have taken New Hampshire last night if not for the 17% of votes that went to John Edwards.

The campaign is now moving to South Carolina where Mr. Edwards is the strongest. And he’s fast becoming the man to watch in this race. Four years ago, he won the Palmetto State, a victory that ultimately led to John Kerry picking him for a running mate.

This year, Mr. Edwards is unlikely to repeat that performance — his stump speech is so filled with anecdotes of dead children who didn’t receive health care and humble folks ground down by “corporate greed” that it has begun to leave even his supporters depressed and downtrodden.

But while he may have little hope of winning the No. 2 spot on a ticket headed by either Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton, he could still play a decisive role in who wins the nomination.

Mr. Edwards has $12 million on hand, a cadre of union supporters and a promise to stay in the race all the way until the convention. If he makes good on that promise, he could siphon off enough anti-Hillary voters (of whom even the Democratic Party has many) to make it nearly impossible for Mr. Obama to win the nomination.

Once seen as the future of his party, Mr. Edwards could now paradoxically knock the legs out from under the candidate most likely to bring new voters into the party while lifting up a divisive 'status quo' candidate who is unable, on her own, to win a majority of support of Democratic voters."

H/T Stop Her Now

The Crying Game

As I predicted Hillary Clinton's recent waterworks seemed to have paid off in New Hampshire.

This could set a precedent.

Watch for Stephane Dion to start crying like a baby after the next budget.

Get Your Popcorn Ready

The Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies -- according to The Numbers.

1. Cloverfield

2. Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins

3. Meet the Spartans

4. Hancock

5. Transformers 2

6. Dragon Ball Z

7. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

8. The Incredible Hulk

9. The Dark Knight

10. Rambo

Tom and Gerry Approaches Examined

Tim Mak, a poli sci student at McGill University, has an interesting piece in the McGill Tribune examining conservatism and the Conservative Party.

And I am not saying it's interesting simply because Mak calls me a "prominent revolutionary conservative."

But it helps.

Tears and Politics

Were Hillary Clinton's tears genuine?

That's the burning question in America today, as pundits discuss, dissect and debate Clinton's recent emotional performance.

Personally, I think Clinton's emotions were sincere -- which will likely help her politically.

To paraphrase George Burns, the secret of politics is sincerity. If you can fake that, you've got it made.

Time to Buck the Huck

To Huckabee or Not Huckabee, that is the question.

Or at least that's the question facing Republicans. Should they choose Mike Huckabee as their presidential nominee?

Here's the answer: no.

To be blunt, Huckabee would be a disaster.

The American-based free-market group Club for Growth recently published a report on Huckabee which found:

* By the end of his ten-year tenure, (as Governor of Arkansas) Huckabee was responsible for a 37% higher sales tax in Arkansas, 16% higher motor fuel taxes, and 103% higher cigarette taxes
according to Americans for Tax Reform (01/07/07), garnering a lifetime grade of D from the free-market Cato Institute.

* Under Governor Huckabee’s watch, state spending increased a whopping 65.3% from 1996 to 2004, three times the rate of inflation (Americans for Tax Reform 01/07/07). The number of state government workers rose 20% during his tenure (Arkansas Leader 04/15/06), and the state’s general obligation debt shot up by almost $1 billion, according to Americans for Tax Reform.

* Governor Huckabee has consistently supported and initiated measures that increase government’s interference in markets, thereby impeding economic growth.

Enough said!

Oh, and Huckabee's foreign policy ideas also leave a lot to be desired.

So Republicans, choose whoever you want as your next leader as long as its not Huckabee.

Media Alert

Recently did an interview on public sector unions with Doug Aldridge over at The Right Side.

You can listen to it here.

Computer Enhancer

Wish I had a computer with this feature.

See more computer enhancers here.

Liberty Blogs

Happy to announce that my blog postings will now appear on Liberty Blogs, the libertarian-oriented aggregator and blogroll.

It's where the free come to rant.

Our Money Pays for Government Propaganda

The Conservative federal government is spending hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on radio and newspaper ads designed inform everyone about the recent GST cut.

Here's a snippet from the radio spot:

The government of Canada is ringing in the New Year with another tax cut. Starting January 1st, the GST will be reduced to five per cent, the second cut in less than two years.

This means significant tax savings on most everything you buy, like a coffee, a new home, a computer or a new car. To learn more about the GST reduction, visit Canada.gc.ca or call 1-800-O-Canada. 2008 will be a less taxing year for Canadians.

Is it just me or does this ad seem to be slightly partisan? Or to put it another way, doesn't it look like the Tories are using government money to air Conservative propaganda?

The government website mentioned in the ad could easily be mistaken for a Conservative election ad.

Of course, all governments use tax dollars to promote themselves in this manner.

While that doesn't make it any better, it does reveal how useless those laws are which limit what parties can spend during elections.

All they do is give a huge advantage to the incumbents.

Williamson Calls it Right

John Williamson, the Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, recently posted a commentary over at Macleans.ca in response to a story on Prime Minister Harper's pessimistic year end message.

I am reprinting it year, because I agree 100 percent with John's take.

Here is what he wrote:


"And Happy New Year to you Prime Minister, but I hope it’s not as dark as you anticipate.

With Maclean’s and with other reporters in year-end interviews, Stephen Harper warned Canadians of tough economic times ahead. To make matters worse, he says the federal government will introduce tough policies to reduce carbon emissions and the public will most likely gripe about it. On taxes, Canadians, it seems, can get stuffed. If the economy slows there will be no relief for taxpayers. What kind of message is this?

The Prime Minister has tried to follow in the footsteps of President Ronald Reagan by talking directly to voters free of media filters. The man revered as the “Great Communicator” launched the modern-day conservative movement in the United States. His communications strategy was to bypass a liberal press and speak directly to the hopes and aspirations of voters and, yes, when necessary confront their fears while pointing ahead to a better day.

Prime Minister Harper has adopted only half of Mr. Reagan’s successful strategy. Missing is a reassuring, optimistic message that gives citizens a reason to support Conservative policy, even when the going gets tough. No tax relief to offset tougher economic conditions, higher energy prices legislated by Ottawa, and a looming election campaign. That’s hardly sound policy-making or, for that matter, a wise re-election strategy."

Media Alert

I appeared on the last Michael Coren TV Show of 2007 and tonight will be appearing on the first Michael Coren Show of 2008.

Time: 8:00 PM EST.

Topic: federal politics.

Channel: CTS

Political Bull

Take a look at this video.

It tells it like it is.


Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters

Media Alert

Here's my latest column in Report Magazine.

I provide some ideas as to how politicians can help end voter cynicism.

Ideas such as:

* Keep election promises. (Yes I know this is a radical notion, but desperate times call for desperate measures.)

* Resist the urge to accept cash-stuffed envelopes from sleazy businessmen or party bagmen.

* Stop switching party allegiances the way other people switch TV channels.

* Stop attending “fact-finding missions” especially when those missions take place in January and are held in Hawaii.

* Stop voting yourself pay raises, while continuing to complain about how much more money you would make in the private sector.

* During Question Period try to raise the caliber of debate to a level slightly higher than that used by squabbling and cranky five year old children fighting over a toy.

* Try standing up for a principle, rather than simply telling people what you think they want to hear.

* Stop thinking that just because you are a politician you are somehow “entitled to your entitlements.”

Thanks to Joel Johannesen for posting this on his excellent site.